Well last week was pretty busy for the most part. I am excited to say that I Purchased the Domain name and web hosting for 2 years for Acadiana Poker players, but I will get to that towards the end of the blog.
Heads Up Tourney
Saturday was my first shot at hosting a Heads up tournament and I found that the structure was great for a little home game but the turnout was kind of disappointing. I had enough room for a 24 person bracket, (Top 8 seeds get 1st round bye) like I talked about in a previous blog. But multiple people were either busy or not interested, so only 9 showed up to play. Had a handful of maybes but they never attended a game at my house before so the ice breaker is always tough, but don't be afraid, I don't bite, and I am not a poker mastermind apparently lol. Well anyway, my match was long and drawn out as I pulled against an opponent who had a similar style of play as me. Solid/Aggressive and we were really cautious of each other and not really getting too crazy. I misplayed one had when I had QQ and raised pre, bet the flop, but let her catch the river for the flush and had to muck, Then later I floated a couple bets on the flop and turn then threw out a bet on the river cause I smelt weakness and was right as I got her to fold with a decent bet. It wasnt towards the end of the match where we actually started showing down hands. The hand that crippled me, I had flopped top pair Kings and bet, she flatted. Turn gave me a K high flush draw as well, but made straight possibilites. I put her on a small flush on the turn when she bet all in, I actually thought I had her covered by more as well so that was a misread on stacks but I liked the spot as it could have went either way. I made the call and she showed the Jhigh straight. I ended up missing my flush to catch up and get shanked from 6250 to about 450.
The next hand I look at didn't really matter because the blinds were 200 400 at that point (We started with 6000 in chips and blinds went up every 12 minutes.) so I told her I'll be all in in the dark and she said well ill call obviously haha. I turned up J6 and she had A9. Right in the window the 9 rears its ugly head, then I miss the turn. Last desperate call I yell JACK and boom there is the Jack!! we laugh and I say can I go 2 in a row??
The next hand I post my 200 and look at Q9 suited and put 900 in the middle. Lets go!! She calls again and shows AJ and says GL...I laugh and say I dont have that much luck lol flop and turn are blanks again, I take a deep breath and yell QUEEN!! Boom Queen appears and I give my signature "Woo Hoo!" at the end of the hand lol. Very Next hand I look at 77 and now have 1800 and starting to creep back in it! She limps and I raise All in going for the trifecta and She calls with Q10 having 2 overs. Flop of course falls J 9 3 bleh. Turn was the 3, and then river crushed my dreams with an 8 giving her the Straight...gg me
She played a good match but ended up placing 4th and we paid out top 3
Congrats to her husband though for winning $300 beating the LuckBox Leprechaun (IDK How he pulled that off lol) It was fun and I'm sure we'll get more interests next time I have it.
Sunday Rebuy Tourney at Shorty's
The Sunday tournament I had mixed feelings about, I was feeling Confident but wasnt sure if I wanted to stay home and be lazy or drive out there and play. I already told a couple friends I was gonna go play so I got dressed and headed out the door. It started out slow and The first hand I actually won was Jack high when a supper aggro ATM was shoving all in every hand (It was unlimited rebuys for the first hour and a half so I was just waiting for big hands or trying to isolate vs. the ATM when I did get hands.) I finally got a hand where I wake up with AA on the bb and watch a waterfall of allins before I even get to act! I was loving it. I put a stack of about 7100 (busted a couple times and double rebought for 6k finally deciding to play patiently) Was in the tournament for $135 overall which isnt bad. Back to the hand there were 3 other players that were all in showing AQ off, 10 3 off (ATM), and K9s (yea idk). Flop was J 7 4 and I was feeling extremely confident as they didn't even connect. Turn and River also missed and I scooped a pot of nearly 30k. The ATM Fed me another 12k in Rebuys then the first break finally hit. I had about 45k and was sitting pretty nice but there was alot of poker to be played. I have been in this position multiple times, usually making the final table as long as nothing stupid happens, like coolers etc. but thats all a part of the game.
Well after the break I am hovering around 35-50k and just card dead, then I get involved in two hands against a guy that is on a stupid heater where won like 7 hands in 2 revolutions. Against me alone, he beat me with KK once and Turns a flush against me as well. Unfortunately I lost about 12k to him with the KK hand where I miss my flush on the river and knew if I hit, he was going to pay me off. I threw a blocker bet on the turn and was suprisingly raised, but only minimum. So at the point on the turn, it cost me 4k to win a pot of about 24k so I'm never folding there to draw out....well I missed Grrr. Then, I raise with Ah 9d as the table tightened up a bit once the ATM got ko'd by someone and got the same guy to call. the board came 9s 5h 4h and I bet out about 1/3 the pot to 3500. I believe the blinds were 500 1000 at this point and I raised 2500 preflop. He flatted and of course the turn is the 7h. He bets 3500 into me and I have the Ah and again he is giving me a good price to draw out. Well the river is a As and he bets 3500 again. It was one of those players that is tight enough to make it hard to take him out and makes it obvious when he has something, but dumb enough to not understand Bet sizing for shit. Well I hated this bet and felt like I had to donate again so pay to see his flush and he shows 10h 8h....bleh NH
I now have 24k and shove all in pre or fold for about 4-5 revolutions and post blinds. My stack hovers around this size when I get dealt Jd 7d in the cutoff and since it was folded to me (or maybe there was a player who limped early that I knew I could get to fold) I shoved all in. Of course, I run into KK, and the lady that beat me heads up...at MY house had it on the button lol. I have the worst timing some times and that is probably where one of my leaks lie sometimes, but I thought it was a good spot. Anyway I get a flush draw on the turn but unable to draw out and just kindly said NH and left to go check on my Fantasy Football scores.
Fantasy Football Update
I pretty much gave up in my $50 Bayou Fantasy Football League, but in Monkey's $100 FFB league I have quietly went on a 3 game win streak and last week earned an extra $25 for getting the most points in one week. BTW Will "PokerMonkey" Souther went on an awesome run at the Venetian in Las Vegas to get 2nd for $15k recently last week so congrats to you Sir!! I have a good shot of making the playoffs in that league as long as my guys stay healthy, I have JUST enough depth to get past a few others in the league but its a real close race and I play my division leader next week, If I beat him I can almost sure myself a Playoff spot with only 2 weeks left to the regular season (FFB Season ends week 13 and playoffs are 14, 15, and 16)
In the BFFL I made a few dumb trades in the very beginning and then the injury bug just kept attacking me for the rest of the year. This week Adrian Peterson and Shonne Greene along with AJ Green graced me with injuries to gaurantee yet another loss putting me at 3-7 lol I love it.
AcadianaPokerPlayers.com coming Soon!
Ok I am really excited and can't wait to start working on the website! My partner and I have some ideas and a layout of what we would like to display on the website but still are in the process of finallizing a look that will be attractive to the viewers eye and wont be too stressful for the reader! I will also have an online store with Shirts, Hoodie (Eventually), Coffee Mug and coozie updated as well, constantly working on shirt designs! The website will mostly consist of:
-Local Casinos in driving distance of Louisiana (5 hours or less)
Occasional Poker Room Reviews outside of driving distance.
-Casino Poker Room Reviews
-Blogs from Louisiana Poker Players
-News updates from Louisiana Poker Players' Success
Occasional random news in the poker world
-Bios of Louisiana Poker Players
-Link to the Facebook group (Just search Acadiana Poker Players)
-Online Store for great Merchandise
If you would like to have your blog on the website please let me know!
If you would like to advertise on the upcoming website please let me know as well!
I will basically be looking or advertisers with anything poker related and will discuss the advertisement package details to those interested. To start they will be very good deals but as the site gets more popular, the prices may go up so get em while you can!
I will set the goal to launch the website by February 1, 2012 so look for a blog soon!
Thanks,
Matt Stroud
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Challenging the Big Leagues (took a shot last night)
OK, so I know I am comfortable playing 1 - 3 NL both financially and mentally. But last night I wanted to play some poker, and was pretty confident in my game lately. So being that it was Wednesday night and that means weekly tournament night at Shorty's, I knew there was at least ONE no limit game going on......And there was....The game I always try to avoid....The game where I have had more horror stories then success stories simply because I am not rolled for this crazy game. The 5 5 NL Holdem game at Shorty's is so juicy, So much money is on the table, but the players are the Loose Aggressive kind that will bet at you just to see you fold. The hands that I saw last night were unspeakable... It wasn't normal poker....not to say the least. This was regulars that knew each other and were making big bets and even bigger calls in BIG pots. The best way I can compare it is....Remember when you first learned what poker is, you had a hand full of change (quarters, dimes, pennies) and you and your friends would get together and just have fun, play around and make some crazy bets on pretty much nothing, but just want to see if you can out bluff one another??? Well yea, Try that but with $5 blinds and $10 straddle and the standard raise varied between $40 - $75.
As I was playing "tight" while watching all these calling stations and LAG Maniacs go at it, I was quietly dodging bullets, over stepping mines, and planting a few booby traps of my own. Of course the very first hand I play was AA on the button where I open to $25 and this was when the game was more of a $5 -5 game and not a $5 5 10 raise 40 game (but I'll get to that later). I get a caller from the BB who is this really old TAG player and some Asian dude in EP. flop comes 10 9 8 and I C-bet to $40 (Bought in for $200 initially and had 180 at this point) BB calls and EP folds. Turn falls an ugly J giving a 4 card straight on the board and I know he hit alot of it but not sure how much. So I check and BB bets $75 and I go in the tank for a while then look at him. He frowns triumphantly with his nose in the air, and waves his hand as if he was dismissing me and says "I got you son, go ahead and lay it down" Usually this is an ACT of strength but I took it as honesty (wont tell you why though, you'll just have to read one of the books on psychology and tells that I suggested in a past blog when I was suggesting Poker Literature ;) ) and showed my AA as I folded. He showed 10d 8d and scooped the pot. I was like NH, hope this isn't a sign lol. Very next hand in Late position alot of people (6 players) limp to see a flop and I have Qs 3s and figure OK lets give it a shot (have 115 behind) flop is Q 3 2!! sweeeet guy in early position bets out $65 into a $35 pot LOL I think it was because there was a flush draw out there and he wanted them out of the way. So I shoved over the top and he instantly called and showed Qc 2c for a cooler. I held and doubled up now with $240
As we continue to play and my stack goes back down to $180, the guy directly to my right has been known to be a super loose aggressive calling station....pretty much what you wanna get involved against when you get a big hand. Well he is in the SB and I am in the BB look down at Ad Qd and people limp as he raises to $50 with about 35 in dead money already in the pot I figure this would be a perfect squeeze play so I shove for $180 to either take the pot right there or go for a double up. Well needless to say he wakes up with AA and happily calls to take my stack. Horrible spot by me lol. This isn't the last time we tango in the blinds.
The next time I am in the BB vs a straddle of $10 and about 4 limpers, super LAG Raises to $95 preflop this time. I look down at QQ and think about re raising but this is a huge bet (I re bought in for $300 and now have about $580 after playing a few hands) I figured to just flat call and hope to spike a queen or give a wet board with good outs. Surprisingly another player flats behind and it is 3 to a flop with about $320 already in the pot. I have about 380 behind and the flop comes K 9 4. I hate this flop and hate it even more when the SB bets out $300. I instantly put him on AA or KK and say NH and fold. Other guy tanks then finally folds and Super LAG laughs and shows his Kd after saying "Pick one" with a smile.
The Final Time we got into it in the blinds (yes 3 times, 3 big hands) I have a stack of about $410 and SB raises to $65, I kinda roll my eyes and look down at......QQ again...wow I KNOW I'm ahead this time and instead of flatting I min raise to try to get him to shove on me preflop. Well he looks at me and says "REALLY?? well I guess you're ahead this time...definitely if you have a pair..." Then he calls the $140, Again it is heads up to the flop, Again the flop comes and it is K 8 6. But I am sticking to my read and put him on the range of 1010 or 99 or just air trying to push me off as he saw me folding often and figured me as a timid player. He bet $300 and I have $270 left. I laugh and told him, "dude if you really got me again then I guess tonight is not my night, so here take my chips." and I made the call. He was like, "wow, you really got QQ again?!?! I turned over my Queens and he kept his hidden. The turn was the Ac completing the flush and giving another over card and I said...well shit I guess you win...he said "Nope, I need to hit your queen"
I laughed and said "Oh, OK" (that means he had J10 and was just trying to push me around). I scooped the pot of $820 and now have a profit of about $320.
Well Like I said earlier they were straddling $10 almost every other hand and they wanted me to join in but I kept refusing. So Super LAG to my right said, What if we do it for one round would you agree to that? I said sure if every one does it I will too. Of course this was during about 2 hours of just getting cold decked and no cards so my $820 stack was decimated to $465 after losing a few pots that were either second best or missing about 11-16 outs twice. Well I was trying to stay patient (Thanks Mike Fontenot fellow APP'er for keeping my head composed as well...he chopped 5 ways in the weekly tournament for a nice $900 profit) and then the mega hand I was waiting for came to reward me of my patience. I folded suited weak aces and weak kings in early and mid position spots 3 times and saw them make the flush for a monster pot but didn't let it get to me, just kind of annoyed that the times that I chose to play I would miss lol. Well I get dealt Ks 9s in Late position and an EP raiser who was playing fairly LAG raised to $20 preflop. it folded to me which I called and 3 others called behind. $105 in the pot and one player behind me) The flop comes 7s 8h 5s giving me a gut-shot straight draw with the flush draw and two overs, but I think I rather see a K hit and not the 9 hit) well it is checked to me and I bet $40 into the $105 pot. A guy behind me calls and the EP raiser calls. The turn is a 4c and it is checked to me again. I bet $140 representing my straight now (But still have a lot of outs vs. a made straight, set, or 2 pair and surprisingly BOTH call. This swells the pot to $645 and I have $235 left. The river gives me my spade but it is the 4s pairing the board. Even though This card was scary, I had committed almost all of my money for this card and if someone called all the way down with 2 pair or a set on the way I played the hand then I was willing to give them my chips but As played I was still representing my straight. I shoved All in and the guy behind tanks for a while again...then finally puts in the $230, and AGAIN the EP raiser Check calls $230 (She has been calling light for the whole night so I wasn't worried about her hand and put the guy behind me on a straight) Guy behind shows his 7 for the straight and before the EP raiser turned over her hand I showed my K9 spades for Second flush and they both shook their heads and threw the cards in the muck! Finally got the taste of a pot over $1k and tipped the dealer a couple redbirds for the gift on the river!!
I go order food then come back and play for a few more rounds win a few pots, lose some pots Before I start winding down my game there was a ridiculously huge pot that 2 out of the 3 players had no business being in and basically donated to the guy with a legitimate hand. But its like I said Earlier....This was not normal poker, lol. There was a pre-flop raise of $65 vs a $10 straddle and I was pretty much the only one that didn't call the raise looking at 10 4 off lol. Pretty much every one was licking their chops to this pot that didn't even see a flop yet at about $450. The flop was Q 8 4 with 2 spades and the lady that paid me off earlier was again in EP (She had no since of position and plays often lol) bets $95. 2 fold then it gets to a very aggressive guy to my left who raises to $250 (has about $1150 to start the hand) an older gentleman after him opts to Just call the $300 (has about $1400 to start the hand) and the lady in EP was all in for $245. At this point everyone was huddling around the table as the main pot has now swelled to almost $1200 and the side pot had $110. The turn fell a red K and the Aggressive guy to my left shoved for his remaining $650. This sent the guy in LP in the tank for a good while as this was a huge decision and if he were wrong, he'd be left with about $300-400. They were all regulars and the super aggressive started saying "I got you beat, You should fold." "I don't want your money, Just fold and let me take this pot, I got you beat" "You're gonna regret it if you call, don't do it." IDK if the LP just wanted to gamble or just didn't believe him, but he slowly slid in the $650 for the call and the pot had well over $2500 in it. The river was a club and the Aggressor showed a Set of Queens as the other two mucked their hand!!
I checked my phone and saw it was now almost Midnight.(I arrived at 6:20 and was on call so didnt want to be stuck in a tournament if I got called out) I figured it was time to call it a night even though I wanted to stay at the table cause the game was perfect and I adapted to it well. I was in for $500 and ended up cashing out $1450 and for once I can share a success story and not a horror story from the crazy 5 5 NL game at shorty's that plays like a 5 5 10 and sometimes 5 10 20 game! I could have won my last hand but every one knows the dreaded last hand play so I chose not to get to fancy with 10d 6d even though they were betting crazy and my 10 on the river would have scooped another $500ish. I was very satisfied with my night and hopefully the next time I sit at that game, I will be properly bankrolled to play it, but sometimes you just gotta take shots to get where you want to be.
Hope you enjoyed the read
Matt Stroud
As I was playing "tight" while watching all these calling stations and LAG Maniacs go at it, I was quietly dodging bullets, over stepping mines, and planting a few booby traps of my own. Of course the very first hand I play was AA on the button where I open to $25 and this was when the game was more of a $5 -5 game and not a $5 5 10 raise 40 game (but I'll get to that later). I get a caller from the BB who is this really old TAG player and some Asian dude in EP. flop comes 10 9 8 and I C-bet to $40 (Bought in for $200 initially and had 180 at this point) BB calls and EP folds. Turn falls an ugly J giving a 4 card straight on the board and I know he hit alot of it but not sure how much. So I check and BB bets $75 and I go in the tank for a while then look at him. He frowns triumphantly with his nose in the air, and waves his hand as if he was dismissing me and says "I got you son, go ahead and lay it down" Usually this is an ACT of strength but I took it as honesty (wont tell you why though, you'll just have to read one of the books on psychology and tells that I suggested in a past blog when I was suggesting Poker Literature ;) ) and showed my AA as I folded. He showed 10d 8d and scooped the pot. I was like NH, hope this isn't a sign lol. Very next hand in Late position alot of people (6 players) limp to see a flop and I have Qs 3s and figure OK lets give it a shot (have 115 behind) flop is Q 3 2!! sweeeet guy in early position bets out $65 into a $35 pot LOL I think it was because there was a flush draw out there and he wanted them out of the way. So I shoved over the top and he instantly called and showed Qc 2c for a cooler. I held and doubled up now with $240
As we continue to play and my stack goes back down to $180, the guy directly to my right has been known to be a super loose aggressive calling station....pretty much what you wanna get involved against when you get a big hand. Well he is in the SB and I am in the BB look down at Ad Qd and people limp as he raises to $50 with about 35 in dead money already in the pot I figure this would be a perfect squeeze play so I shove for $180 to either take the pot right there or go for a double up. Well needless to say he wakes up with AA and happily calls to take my stack. Horrible spot by me lol. This isn't the last time we tango in the blinds.
 |
| I felt like a kid in a Candy Store last night. |
The Final Time we got into it in the blinds (yes 3 times, 3 big hands) I have a stack of about $410 and SB raises to $65, I kinda roll my eyes and look down at......QQ again...wow I KNOW I'm ahead this time and instead of flatting I min raise to try to get him to shove on me preflop. Well he looks at me and says "REALLY?? well I guess you're ahead this time...definitely if you have a pair..." Then he calls the $140, Again it is heads up to the flop, Again the flop comes and it is K 8 6. But I am sticking to my read and put him on the range of 1010 or 99 or just air trying to push me off as he saw me folding often and figured me as a timid player. He bet $300 and I have $270 left. I laugh and told him, "dude if you really got me again then I guess tonight is not my night, so here take my chips." and I made the call. He was like, "wow, you really got QQ again?!?! I turned over my Queens and he kept his hidden. The turn was the Ac completing the flush and giving another over card and I said...well shit I guess you win...he said "Nope, I need to hit your queen"
I laughed and said "Oh, OK" (that means he had J10 and was just trying to push me around). I scooped the pot of $820 and now have a profit of about $320.
Well Like I said earlier they were straddling $10 almost every other hand and they wanted me to join in but I kept refusing. So Super LAG to my right said, What if we do it for one round would you agree to that? I said sure if every one does it I will too. Of course this was during about 2 hours of just getting cold decked and no cards so my $820 stack was decimated to $465 after losing a few pots that were either second best or missing about 11-16 outs twice. Well I was trying to stay patient (Thanks Mike Fontenot fellow APP'er for keeping my head composed as well...he chopped 5 ways in the weekly tournament for a nice $900 profit) and then the mega hand I was waiting for came to reward me of my patience. I folded suited weak aces and weak kings in early and mid position spots 3 times and saw them make the flush for a monster pot but didn't let it get to me, just kind of annoyed that the times that I chose to play I would miss lol. Well I get dealt Ks 9s in Late position and an EP raiser who was playing fairly LAG raised to $20 preflop. it folded to me which I called and 3 others called behind. $105 in the pot and one player behind me) The flop comes 7s 8h 5s giving me a gut-shot straight draw with the flush draw and two overs, but I think I rather see a K hit and not the 9 hit) well it is checked to me and I bet $40 into the $105 pot. A guy behind me calls and the EP raiser calls. The turn is a 4c and it is checked to me again. I bet $140 representing my straight now (But still have a lot of outs vs. a made straight, set, or 2 pair and surprisingly BOTH call. This swells the pot to $645 and I have $235 left. The river gives me my spade but it is the 4s pairing the board. Even though This card was scary, I had committed almost all of my money for this card and if someone called all the way down with 2 pair or a set on the way I played the hand then I was willing to give them my chips but As played I was still representing my straight. I shoved All in and the guy behind tanks for a while again...then finally puts in the $230, and AGAIN the EP raiser Check calls $230 (She has been calling light for the whole night so I wasn't worried about her hand and put the guy behind me on a straight) Guy behind shows his 7 for the straight and before the EP raiser turned over her hand I showed my K9 spades for Second flush and they both shook their heads and threw the cards in the muck! Finally got the taste of a pot over $1k and tipped the dealer a couple redbirds for the gift on the river!!
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| How I felt after winning that huge pot! |
I go order food then come back and play for a few more rounds win a few pots, lose some pots Before I start winding down my game there was a ridiculously huge pot that 2 out of the 3 players had no business being in and basically donated to the guy with a legitimate hand. But its like I said Earlier....This was not normal poker, lol. There was a pre-flop raise of $65 vs a $10 straddle and I was pretty much the only one that didn't call the raise looking at 10 4 off lol. Pretty much every one was licking their chops to this pot that didn't even see a flop yet at about $450. The flop was Q 8 4 with 2 spades and the lady that paid me off earlier was again in EP (She had no since of position and plays often lol) bets $95. 2 fold then it gets to a very aggressive guy to my left who raises to $250 (has about $1150 to start the hand) an older gentleman after him opts to Just call the $300 (has about $1400 to start the hand) and the lady in EP was all in for $245. At this point everyone was huddling around the table as the main pot has now swelled to almost $1200 and the side pot had $110. The turn fell a red K and the Aggressive guy to my left shoved for his remaining $650. This sent the guy in LP in the tank for a good while as this was a huge decision and if he were wrong, he'd be left with about $300-400. They were all regulars and the super aggressive started saying "I got you beat, You should fold." "I don't want your money, Just fold and let me take this pot, I got you beat" "You're gonna regret it if you call, don't do it." IDK if the LP just wanted to gamble or just didn't believe him, but he slowly slid in the $650 for the call and the pot had well over $2500 in it. The river was a club and the Aggressor showed a Set of Queens as the other two mucked their hand!!
I checked my phone and saw it was now almost Midnight.(I arrived at 6:20 and was on call so didnt want to be stuck in a tournament if I got called out) I figured it was time to call it a night even though I wanted to stay at the table cause the game was perfect and I adapted to it well. I was in for $500 and ended up cashing out $1450 and for once I can share a success story and not a horror story from the crazy 5 5 NL game at shorty's that plays like a 5 5 10 and sometimes 5 10 20 game! I could have won my last hand but every one knows the dreaded last hand play so I chose not to get to fancy with 10d 6d even though they were betting crazy and my 10 on the river would have scooped another $500ish. I was very satisfied with my night and hopefully the next time I sit at that game, I will be properly bankrolled to play it, but sometimes you just gotta take shots to get where you want to be.
Hope you enjoyed the read
Matt Stroud
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Acadiana Poker Players dominate WSOP Circuit Biloxi!!
I am so happy for all of the guys who made Final Tables this past week at the WSOP Circuit at IP Casino and Resort. The Cash games were juicy and seeing some nice pictures from friends and their mountains of chips and Benjamins. There were also the great performances put on by some local players and good poker buddies.
First was Mr. Gene Dudek (Gene D) of Houma, LA who started out the avalanche of destruction as he finished 3rd place in Event 2. This was only the start of his phenomenal performance as he also went on to get 3rd place in Event 9 and came even closer to claiming his first Circuit ring in the $1k Event 10, but got 2nd for a nice $20k score. Overall Gene D earned $40,318 in 3 Tournaments and 95 circuit points which could earn him the Casino Champion and automatic Qualification for the Circuit National Championship played in Las Vegas!!
Next in Event 4, a regular at Shorty's Casino, Mr. Casey (Jordan) Andrus of Lafayette, LA placed 5th in Event 4 for a nice score of $3,660
I have already written about Ricky Romero of New Iberia, LA and his first WSOP Circuit Ring he earned for Event 5. What I did not tell you is that he Made another deep run vs. a very talented Final Table in Event 12. He was unable to over come many great pros but had a respectable finish of 6th place to get 5th overall in the Casino points leader board and earned $14,605 for his efforts along with some great hardware to show off!
The very next Day. Event 6 was the Six Handed NL Holdem and another familiar face claimed the title to this event! 21 Year old Caufman Talley III of Lafayette, LA displayed his phenominal aggressive skills as he battled his way through 197 even outlasting pretty tough pros like Mark Rose, BJ McBrayer, and Tim Burt. This is Caufman's 2nd win and 1st WSOP Circuit Ring as well and he earned $14,555 for this Triumphant victory!
You know how I told you about Gene D's dominate performance at this years WSOP Circuit. Well his partner in crime Mr. Bill "Wild Bill" Phillips of New Orleans, LA also did some destruction of his own. First Final Tabling the $1,000 Event 10 and placing 8th. He did not stop there as he continued to steamroll and went on his greatest tournament performance and earned his largest score of his career in the $1,600 Main Event. He almost pulled off the unthinkable and won the Championship and Automatic Qualification of the National Championship but lost a coinflip race Heads Up instead giving him Runner Up and a great story to share with his friends. He netted $73,531 in just 2 tournaments and Also got top 5 in the Casino points Leader board for the Circuit events. I'm pretty sure he will be making the trip to Vegas with Gene D regardless as well!
Jacob Naquin of Houma, LA also had a very impressive run at the Circuit Main Event as he made some spectacular plays and once held the chiplead at the final table! He had 2 unfortunate hands that would later cripple him and then eventually go on to take 3rd place earning a nice score of $50,862. This is the second time Naquin was extremely close to tasting victory only to have the fate of Luck steal it away (First time was Event 43 in Las Vegas for a WSOP Bracelet) but as phenomenal of a poker player he is, the time will soon come for him to be reigned champion! Great show sir.
There were many more Locals that cashed throughout these events, But I also want to congratulate the following for their great efforts!
Blake Barousse - won the opening Nightly event for $2k
Randal Dubois - 28th in Main Event for $3,187
here are some fun hands from the Main Event by Jacob Naquin and Bill Phillips via PokerNews.com
Bill Phillips hands
Jacob Naquin Hands
See you at Harrah's in December!
-Matt Stroud
First was Mr. Gene Dudek (Gene D) of Houma, LA who started out the avalanche of destruction as he finished 3rd place in Event 2. This was only the start of his phenomenal performance as he also went on to get 3rd place in Event 9 and came even closer to claiming his first Circuit ring in the $1k Event 10, but got 2nd for a nice $20k score. Overall Gene D earned $40,318 in 3 Tournaments and 95 circuit points which could earn him the Casino Champion and automatic Qualification for the Circuit National Championship played in Las Vegas!!
Next in Event 4, a regular at Shorty's Casino, Mr. Casey (Jordan) Andrus of Lafayette, LA placed 5th in Event 4 for a nice score of $3,660
I have already written about Ricky Romero of New Iberia, LA and his first WSOP Circuit Ring he earned for Event 5. What I did not tell you is that he Made another deep run vs. a very talented Final Table in Event 12. He was unable to over come many great pros but had a respectable finish of 6th place to get 5th overall in the Casino points leader board and earned $14,605 for his efforts along with some great hardware to show off!
The very next Day. Event 6 was the Six Handed NL Holdem and another familiar face claimed the title to this event! 21 Year old Caufman Talley III of Lafayette, LA displayed his phenominal aggressive skills as he battled his way through 197 even outlasting pretty tough pros like Mark Rose, BJ McBrayer, and Tim Burt. This is Caufman's 2nd win and 1st WSOP Circuit Ring as well and he earned $14,555 for this Triumphant victory!
You know how I told you about Gene D's dominate performance at this years WSOP Circuit. Well his partner in crime Mr. Bill "Wild Bill" Phillips of New Orleans, LA also did some destruction of his own. First Final Tabling the $1,000 Event 10 and placing 8th. He did not stop there as he continued to steamroll and went on his greatest tournament performance and earned his largest score of his career in the $1,600 Main Event. He almost pulled off the unthinkable and won the Championship and Automatic Qualification of the National Championship but lost a coinflip race Heads Up instead giving him Runner Up and a great story to share with his friends. He netted $73,531 in just 2 tournaments and Also got top 5 in the Casino points Leader board for the Circuit events. I'm pretty sure he will be making the trip to Vegas with Gene D regardless as well!
Jacob Naquin of Houma, LA also had a very impressive run at the Circuit Main Event as he made some spectacular plays and once held the chiplead at the final table! He had 2 unfortunate hands that would later cripple him and then eventually go on to take 3rd place earning a nice score of $50,862. This is the second time Naquin was extremely close to tasting victory only to have the fate of Luck steal it away (First time was Event 43 in Las Vegas for a WSOP Bracelet) but as phenomenal of a poker player he is, the time will soon come for him to be reigned champion! Great show sir.
There were many more Locals that cashed throughout these events, But I also want to congratulate the following for their great efforts!
Blake Barousse - won the opening Nightly event for $2k
Randal Dubois - 28th in Main Event for $3,187
here are some fun hands from the Main Event by Jacob Naquin and Bill Phillips via PokerNews.com
Bill Phillips hands
Jacob Naquin Hands
See you at Harrah's in December!
-Matt Stroud
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Poker vs. Ricky Romero! (Congrats on first WSOP Circuit Ring) s/o to Caufman Talley also!
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| Ricky Romero |
I first met Ricky when I was 18. I was going to college at UL and was invited to a Home tournament with a bunch of old guys (ages 40-70) with 2 tables for a $30 buy in. These guys have been friends and playing against each other for a long time and the best part about it was they didn't allow women at their game haha. It was a guys night, talking about guy stuff and not having to worry about offending anyone. They were good people and it was good fun so I started playing there consistently as they had a point system. I never really worried about the points and just wanted to make the money when I played (Didn't play there as often as the others) but Ricky was one of the better players of the group. He was good at getting into his opponents heads and throwing them off their game. I allowed him to do this to me at times but now I don't even pay attention to what he says since I know why he is doing it. Well one day it got down to me and him heads up and every now and then we chop to split first and 2nd place money but I wanted to play him heads up. We were even in chips, but when he asked if I wanted to chop I told him I kinda want to play it out so if I win "I could beat a local poker legend". I said this kind of jokingly but he is a good player and I always love the challenge of beating solid poker players. Romero already had a few cashes from Tournaments at Tunica, MS and also the Seven Clans Tournament at Coushatta in Kinder, LA and also had alot more experience then me but I was still wet behind the ears and like a sponge soaking up as much knowledge as possible (still try to today as the game is always evolving) I go on to beat him in the Heads up match and I think it kind of irked him and that is when our Rivalry began.
Since that day We have always tried to outplay each other at the table no matter where we are at. Whether at a friendly house game, or at the local Casino in the weekly tournaments. We definitely respect each others game but we never back down to a challenge either. We have even shared advice with each other and roomed in Biloxi, MS during a tournament Circuit (when I was being a bum). Ricky is a very humble and friendly guy but he is also very competitive to say the least. I am proud to have gotten to know this man over the years and Since some days he has had my number, and other days I have had his, I am confident that one day, I too will be able to get to the final table of a Circuit event, and one day, I will get that Circuit Ring as well. Seeing Ricky share his story with the regulars yesterday at the weekly tournament at Shorty's Casino was fun to listen to and everyone congratulating him on his victory. He has built up a nice resume in tournament success and hopefully this can lead to even more success, but I can also say that once my Bankroll is in order I hope to be right there with him. All it takes is one big score but it is no easy feat.
Speaking of the Tournament at Shorty's
I went play because I got 10 out of 13 right on the football pick'em contest so I was thinking I had a chance to win some money....well yea I was completely mistaken but In the tournament it started out really slow.
The first table I was at, the best hand I saw was 77 preflop and got no action (thankfully) but there were multiple spots where I bluffed to steal pots to keep me above my starting stack. Even though at one point I got down to 4k (starting stack is 8k) by the First Break and Add on Period, I worked my stack up to 10.7k so after the add on I had 18.7k which was good to do some work with. At the new table I got involved in a hand where I raised in EP with A7 Suited to 1800 at blinds 300 600 (I hate the Wednesday tournament structure btw....way too fast) and get a caller from the SB who usually just plays big cards and doesn't get out of line. the flop comes A Q J and SB checks to me so I continue to bet 2400 and she doesn't take long to call. Then the turn peels off a 7 giving me 2 pair and there is now about 10k in the pot. I think I have the best hand at this point then bet 6k and SB calls again. River is a 5 and she shoves all in. This was an odd play as I put her on something on the flop but I think she would have reraise me sooner with a Set and checked again if she had the straight to let me hang myself....then I look at her and she is just staring at me aggressively. This gave me the feeling that she didn't want a call with the (Act Strong mindset) she was giving me. I made the call and she shows AK for top pair top kicker. she had me covered by 1900 chips and "Couldn't believe I made that call" but I wasn't about to tell her that I picked up the tell on her.
After that I got huge respect from the table and was getting nice hands and picking good spots to work up the CL at my table. But I was also getting tired (For some reason don't play my best after being at work all day) and kind of lost interest and started bleeding off my stack. First made a bad decision to call a super short stack for about 1/10 my stack to try knock out a pretty good opponent. I had 87 and he showed KK and I hit my 7 but nothing more than that. Then an overly aggressive older gentlemen that was wearing multiple women's rings for some odd reason went all in UTG for 12k. I had 37k and put him on a hand like 33-99. I figured QcJc was good enough to make the call and got the others to fold. He turned over 66 and the flop was Ac 10d 9s giving me open ended draw with 2 overs....well I completely miss and more of my chips disappear. At this point I felt like I was just going through the motions and should have like stepped away from the table or stood up and stretched or something to wake my ass up. I guess my head just wasn't into the grind last night. I get 66 in the bb at blinds 1000 2000 with a 200 ante and I have 23k in my stack. It is folded to the SB who raises to 5k (He has 27k in his stack) If I would have really thought about it, Him as well as most others at the table would bet small when they wanted a call and bet big when they didn't. Only 2 people did not do this other than myself at the moment. Well instead I went over the top of him all in since I had 10-11 bbs and figured if he has 2 overs I like this spot. Well he snap called and I knew I was facing an over pair instead. He turns over QQ and there is no 6 to save my life So I collect my things and walk out. I started out playing very well but kind of lost momentum as I felt myself getting fatigued.
I just found out another Poker friend of mine, Mr. Caufman Talley III (Lafayette, LA) just won a Circuit Ring as well in the 6 handed $345 buy in for $14,555!!! Event 7 Results This is Caufman's 2nd Live tournament win and 3rd Final Table. His Live debut was in New Orleans where he played 2 tournaments and final tabled both of them. Only being 21, this kid as well as his poker mentor Blake Barousse have phenomenal poker skills and feared at the table regardless of where they play! This is making me want to be in Biloxi, MS so bad but I must wait until December when I go play the Winter Bayou Classic at Harrahs Casino from Dec. 8 - 18. I am so happy my Acadiana Poker Player buddies are having success in Biloxi and hope they continue to crush!
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| Caufman Talley III |
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