I haven’t been this focused and driven in a long time. I have done a better job of preparing myself and maintaining this series and year than ever before, however my results at the series have not followed suit unfortunately. I had the chip lead at one point in both the last two tournaments I played, and then got whamboozled in both of them, missing the money in the Stud 8 and min+1 cashing the $2k NLHE.

I made a vow after two hours of the Stud8ament that I will never miss another Stud 8 tournament at the Series. ZOMG there was so much value in that thing. I watched people limp nines almost a dozen times. One guy limped a nine last to act before the bring-in, caught a T on 4th and folded for the obring-in’s bet. WTF?!? Anyways, I couldn’t make out of the seventh level, and I went to register for Friday’s $2k.

Ten hours later I was back in the Brasilia room with the best table draw of any NLHE event I’ve had in a long time. After the 2nd level they started breaking tables in the Brasilia room and this made me sad since my table was really soft. Fortunately they weren’t breaking tables, but unfortunately they were moving them. This is what happened when they moved my table:

Two floormen came to the table, said that we’re being moved to Blue 28. He instructed us to put our chips in bags that were “labeled so they wouldn’t be mixed up” and to not seal them. Then give them to the dealer, who was instructed to take everything (bags, cards, button in position, sign in sheet) to Blue 28. Every other player threw their chips in bags, threw them to the dealer, and left. Some got pizza, some used the restroom. I decided that this was shady and there was not way that I was letting my eyes off my chips. So, the dealers arms are so full that I offer to carry his ass cushions, and I shadow the dealer. No security, no floor, no nothing. Just the dealer in charge of everything with no accountability whatsoever. Hell, chips weren’t even counted and verified and these bags were open. Mine was labeled with a black sharpie “B28-1″. The other nine bags had the seat number written on the bag with a ball point pen in a very small 1″ number on the clear plastic part of the bag and was very difficult to see. Near the exit of the Brasilia room, the dealer DROPPED two of the bags and didn’t notice until I said, “Uhh, dealer?” He turned around and saw me standing there holding the two bags with arms stretched out like the dog in Duck Hunt with two fresh mallards, except I didn’t have a cheesy grin on. He says, thanks, shrugs his shoulders like no big deal, and continues on his route. Into the hallway, to the foyer, left, to the next main walkway through the amazon and right, and eventually to blue 28. Basically the maximum traffic route with spectators everywhere. So, we have a miscellaneous dealer walking with 60-70k in tournament chips (which cost fifty cents on the dollar btw…) through the most highly trafficked walkways at the WSOP without security escort or any other accountability. Not right IMO. When we finally got there, the dealer passed out the bags wrong due to the poor labeling and two stacks were almost switched. Lastly, we lost six minutes off the tournament clock. That ain’t right either imo.

Anyways, I continued to run over the table once we resumed play. Unfortunately for me I am really bad at losing the key flips and that led to my eventual demise. At 200-400/50 with 22k I lost a 15k pot on a flip where my opp called it off in a spot where he’s flipping at best and eventually dwindle to 4450. No problem though, I run it back up to 73k by the end of level 8 without getting lucky ever, get moved tables, and levels 9 and 10 end up sucking badly. I’m known for abusing the bubble, and as usual I poured 108 octane on the campfire, but this time I lost my eyebrows. I drop back to 24k at the end of level 10, end of the night, but since we’re like 6 off the money they decide to continue playing.

I come back and start level 11, 800-1600/200. I have 24k and the world’s laggiest maniacal image ever. Good news though, I pick up AA first hand, kid opens, I shove, he makes the KJo hero call and I double. Next hand I raise TT, guy to my left re-raises, I ship, he folds. Next hand I raise, get called, flop rags, I bet, he folds, and I show TT. Next hand I fold. Next hand I raise, everybody folds. Next hand i raise, different guy re-raises, I ship it again, he tanks long enough that I call the clock on him, and he folds. I had TT again. Now I have like 80k, look at 99, open, get re-raised by the same guy, LOL and ship it on him again, and he calls with AK after about a minute. 130k flip, board runs out 478, T, K. Sigh. We cracked the bubble two hands later and I went to day two with 17,600 and severely disappointed that I didn’t have 150k.

Day 2 was much the same. I shipped it and they folded, then i got it in AQ v AT and doubled, next hand guy to my right opens and I re-raise 99 he folds, then about five hands later a dude opens late with 15 BB’s, I ship 66 on him and he has JJ and holds. Back to 15 BB’s, blind down to 12 or so, open ship 55 late and run into JJ again, gg me 161st place for $xxxx. I didn’t pick up my money cause the line was too long with all the other shorties busting out at the same time. Sigh.

Anyways, I’ve been playing very well, going deep very consistently, but haven’t been getting the results. This is in no way a complaint since I could lose every single tournament for the rest of the year and still have had a career year, but June is a very frustrating month to run bad in since there is more value in these tournaments than any others in the entire year.

Still though, I’m feeling very confident and very driven. We’re 2-17 so far with 4 to go… $1500 HORSE tomorrow, $1500 NLHE Monday, $1500 LHE Shootout Tue, and then the main donkament.

Aight… I’m going somewhere outside now.

Peace and good luck,

Devo

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At 1:04 am, with 1:17 left on the clock of the last level, Devo busted. This was after six levels of being a short stack ninja. He went straight to the bar.

Seriously the most frustrating days of poker are days like this. There was a bunch of interesting poker though, and I am thrilled with how I played giving myself the opportunity to make a score. The good news also is that I was in for the minimum ($4k) and didn’t go off for a big number that I am very much capable of :).

The rebuy period was somewhat disappointing as my table was quite nitty, but that all changed with the last hand. I had built my stack up to about 8k from the 4k (2k + 2k immed rebuy) start, and a player with 4k shipped it utg. I was UTG+1 with the AcQh, I called, the girl (who was guilty of the most rebuys on the table… go figure) in the 2 seat called, and Lars Bonding called on the button. UTG had 99, the girl had 24ss, and Lars had A5o. Flop 248 all hearts (good for me ish…), turn 8 (good for 99, more outs for me), “Queen… queen… … QUEEN!!!” I scoop that monster and end the rebuy period with 21250 and the chip lead at my table.

Levels 3 and 4 started out well as I won a race with TT v AJ BVB to build to like 26k. I then oscillated for a while until the last hand of the level when I started the hand with 22k. This was a very strange hand that was very much a live hand and would have never played this way online. Anyways, kid to my right who is in the process of slowly proving himself to be a donkey (but I thought he was decent earlier) limps with about 6500 at 100-200/25, I limp behind with Ad9d, the button raises to 800 with about 7500 in his stack, donkey to my right calls, and I call also. The flop comes 9s6s3c. Guy to my right leads into this 2950 pot for 1500. I decide to flat for a bunch of reasons, and the initial raiser flats also, obviously having nothing. Turn Tc, first player checks, I know I have the best hand and jam (effectively betting 3/4 pot to put either player all in), initial raiser folds, everybody leaves to break, and the donkey takes 3 minutes to call with his J9o and gets there. Sigh. I go to break with 15k instead of 30k, a little tilty, and definitely disappointed. However, I still have just under 40 big blinds and plenty of room to maneuver, but that didn’t happen. I did meet Gene Todd on that break so that was a good de-tilting thing :).

Level’s 5 and 6 didn’t go well. I ran one big bluff against the same villain above where he called me on the flop with K high, I knew he had nothing when he called, and then turned a K which was really hard to put him on and I fired again which he called quickly (ty for not taking forever to call otherwise I would have surely fired the A river LOL). I did make a mistake on that hand though where I sized my flop bet like it was 200-400/50, not the new 300-600/75 level that we had just started, and that probably made me look as weak as I was (T high) and induced him to call with the best hand (KJ). Unfortunately I have been dabbling with a new theory called the “Value Bluff” and it cost me more on the turn when he got there. LOL. I promise an article when I perfect the value bluff (seriously btw even as ridiculous as it sounds).

N E Ways… from this point forward I was pretty much forced to be a short stack ninja, as I don’t think my stack made it above 25 BB’s once the entire rest of the night. After dinner was fun… I had exactly 15 BB’s like 3rd hand back when Kenny Tran’s girl opened UTG, I shipped my black queens, she called with her TT, and turned a T leaving me with 1250. I actually got to have a little bit of fun with my mini-stack, using some tricks that you never really get to use. One, when you have such a small stack, you want to get it in with maximum value on your chips rather than strength of hand. So, in the very next hand of 400-800/100, this dude opened, donkey flatted, and I’m putting it in any two cards here. I happened to have the 65o which is a monster in this spot (seriously) and called. Here’s why this spot is so sick: we have 1250, and by calling here we have a shot at 4700, almost 4-1 on our money, and we are almost always going to see showdown heads up since there’s gonna be a side pot. I ended up making two pair and more than quadrupling up to 5950. I folded my way down to the BB when this next fun spot happened. Mossified84 opened UTG+1 to 2200, same donkey to my right flats the SB (obv having nothing), and I stick my last 5k into the pot comletely intending on isolating myself, knowing that Mossified is going to ship it and isolate me because he knows that the guy that flatted the SB is literally calling with like 0% of his range.

Oh yah, I happened to have T3ss.

Anyways, I made 2 pair on that one also to beat Ryan’s KJo, and then it was pretty much re-steal, shove, pick up chips, etc, etc, etc, until on the 2nd to last hand of the night with 77 and 15 BB’s I shipped it on the opener, he had QQ, and gg me.

So, really a frustrating three days of poker. Between my 0 fer 15ish on Monday, yesterdays simultaneous chip lead in the 1k and stars nightly with bad finishes in both (45th and 19th), and the poor luck that I have had in some really key situations, these are the poker players equivalent of “bad days at work.” They’re super frustrating and draining. However, I obviously cannot complain about anything poker related for another six months or so as this year goes down as one where I kicked ass no matter what happens for the rest of the year. I still am kicking ass as I am going deep and building stacks and putting myself in spots to succeed, but things simply haven’t worked out when deep this month. I’m super driven though and am in total lockdown mode through the Bellagio Cup. I know I’m going to make something stick in the next month…

Peace and good luck,

Devo

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This morning I realized that I’ve done a great job of not burning myself out this year because even after getting kicked in the nuts all day yesterday, I woke up this morning before 11am and all I wanted to do was play poker… online nonetheless, which has been traditionally not my favoritest thing to do.

And on that note, I am off to my hottest start in the 100r ever and just got dealt KK and they shoved into me. 15k in 12 minutes so far… KK v AQ v J9… I lost that one. Sigh, back to 12k.

I think that right about now though is when I’m going to slam it into fifth gear and keep the pedal down until I run out of track, much like I did in the spring through the 25k. I’ll probably play pretty much every single day now through the Bellagio Cup, taking 4th of July off obv. though. I wanted that Stud bracelet so bad… it made me pretty damn hungry. Unfortunately it’s been very cruel since then, being evicted from Saturday’s WSOP event within an hour and going a complete o-fer in like 15 online tournaments yesterday.

It was a good weekend though. I went to Fry’s Electronics on Fryday, where the salesperson was way better than the one at Best Buy. I got the TV that I wanted at Best Buy (online order was canceled because it was in backorder). They sold it to me for $1399, Best Buy wanted $1619. Nice. Jerome even sold me on the 3 year protection plan (which I NEVER get unless they include intentional damage…) with this gem of a speech: “If something happens to your TV, call us, say what’s wrong, and that day a tech will come to your house, inspect and diagnose the problem, fix it if possible, and if not take it away, give you a loaner, and make sure that you have a new TV delivered soon.”

Yeah, the simple not having to deal with that hassle is worth the $139. Nice read sir.

Walked out of there spending a little over $2500, and I LOVE IT. I’ve never had a nice TV before and this thing is just sick. I feel like I went from the Hoyle Draw Poker handheld travel game to Full Tilt Poker overnight. Saturday I did a whole lotta nothin and that was nice, played some games on the tv, and just relaxed in general. Sunday was lake day, that extended into Monday morning, and then I went back to work. I lost my wallet out on the boat, but I know everybody out there and don’t think I have to worry about identity theft or anything as all the agencies that I have been canceling cards through have been warning me about. I’m glad that I don’t have a credit card, but my social (which is so destroyed anyways won’t ever be able to be used anyways I don’t think) is in there as was my DL.

OK I’ll end this torturesome ramble. I’ll be playing on Full Tilt and Poker Stars all day if you feel like sweating or saying hi. badbeatninja ftw.

Peace and good luck,

Devo

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Well, it took 724 days and almost 50 events over three annual world series’ of poker, but I have finally logged my first cash that was not 2nd place.

Unfortunately it was not “First or third, baby,” as was my mantra this year. Turns out I wasn’t studly enough to be the stud of stud, but I did play stud high and managed to take 11th. Stud where only the best hand wins is probably the next game like 5 card draw to go the way of the Dodo. This makes me sad as stud way more porous than a game like hold’em is. There is so much more going on and things like position are extremely dynamic. I really wish more people my age would learn the game because I think they would really enjoy it. On that note, it is nice having a field generally to myself rather than a bunch of other LAGtards sitting around the table. It’s tough to play against lags in stud.

So, I had 20k by like level 6 from our 3k start which was good for 2nd in chips. I got tortured the last two levels of play for day one, came back kinda dreading a 4th day 2 non-cash, and ran hot right out of the gates. I got lucky on 6th and 7th in different hands for some big pots which gave me the umph to make a deep run. I did the standard oscillating stack trick down to three tables at which point I dumped the jet fuel on the fire right before break. Here’s a couple of fun hands:

Blinds and stacks don’t matter cause we’re deep enough in all these hands and I really just don’t like writing about technical jargon (they actually matter a lot but I’m lazy in other words).

I complete with (99)5 in the … cutoff? Is that what you call 2 off the button? Kid to my left with an A showing who I had clashed a lot with raises, and I basically click the “never-fold” button, cause I just plain don’t believe him and I know he’s planning on firing all five barrels. He has the lead on all streets, bets all streets, and I call all streets. The boards ran out: (99)567X(6) vs. his (XX)AxJK(X) and he showed me one pair of kings at showdown. Sick part is that I needed all of that river to re-suck on his 6th street suckout cause I was definitely paying off with the pair of nines.

I went into break 3/20 in chips, and then the wheels fell off the bus. I played a weird pot with Sabyl that I really liked even though one of the East Coasters (which comprised like 80% of the field) berated me more than I’ve been berated in a year for. It was definitely a tournament spot, not a stud cash game spot, and he clearly failed to see that little bit of information, which honestly doesn’t surprise me as I am pretty sure that nobody remaining in the field truly understood the difference between cash game theory and tournament theory… anyways… So Sabyl is down to 14k, we’re playing 1k/1k/3-6k, she completes with a Q, folds to me with just the bring-in to deal with who is showing a 4s, and I have (Ah8d)Kh. I honestly feel like I have the best hand vs. Sabyl, and if not I got outs, and I want to isolate to take my 13.7k vs. her 13,700 + 10k in dead money. So I pop it to 6, bring in cold-calls and it’s obv he’s not huge, he makes it 9, now I would really love to iso, I make it 12, he calls, anyways we get 13,700 in each, I make open Kings on 4th, bring-in goes ballistic after I bet (LOL), and then I think steam literally came out of his ears when I rolled over my A8 in the hole. He went batshit insane. I cannot stand people like that (although he did apologize later… but still… chill). Anyways, I was right as Sabyl turned over the AQJ5 and proceeds to go 5QQ to more than triple up.

Now, after that hand we know that Sabyl is completing light as she should be and thats what makes this hand weird. 1k/1k/4-8k now, she has like 100k btw and I’m down to 50, She completes the Ad, Jeff raises showing the 9s (Jeff is capable of raising light), and I have (K5)K. I 3 ball it to 12k, Sabyl calls cold which I hate, Jeff tanks and calls.

4th: Me: brick, Jeff brick, Sabyl (xx)Ad8d. She checks, Jeff checks, I bet because I can’t help myself and she’s goofy enough to not have the ace there. I probably should have checked though. Sabyl raises and Jeff cold-calls, time to get lucky I call. 5th street makes Jeff an open pair, he bets, and I fold. Turns out Sabyl was on diamonds (wp) and Jeff had wired aces. That was the nail in the coffin basically as I was down to like 25k and had to try and find a spot which I didn’t. GG me.

I really wanted to win that event. I think that would be a cool first bracelet to have, but I suppose I’ll have to settle for something else.

I wrote this blog sitting in the DMV. I’m really excited to have everything finished with those vehicles! Tomorrow is the $1500 NLHE infinity player field fest. I’d like to final table that.

Peace and good luck,

Devo

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I swear that there is a governmental conspiracy that is conspiring to keep my lazy ass on the couch as much as possible.

Due to the insanity of my schedule for the past six months, I fell extremely behind on my personal to-do list. I planned on taking care of everything before the series started, but due to things out of my control I was unable to get the things done that I wanted to get done. So, with the series starting, I knew that my schedule would be jammed full and I hired a personal assistant. That didn’t work out and she was done within two weeks (nothing bad… she just had too much on her plate and I had too much that needed getting done). One of the thorns in my side has been my truck, which has registration that expired in September 07 and has failed every smog check after $2500 worth of repairs until… today. She was able to get the truck to the shop that had everything fixed for $200 and even did a smog check there for me. THANK YOU.

I get home by noon and am actually excited to go to the DMV. Every single one of my vehicles is not registered, and this is obviously because I would rather go to the Dentist (who I haven’t been to in years) than go to the DMV, so therefore there was no shot that I was going until I got my truck ready to be registered… which happened to take until now. I’m in the Mustang, have him smog it, and he can’t. The system is down or something. I go back to the house, grab all the paperwork necessary for the two vehicles and the bike, and go get the thing smogged. “Can’t man, DMV system is down. Here’s a $4 off coupon.”

*Sigh.*

Now I’m tilty, and since I just moved into the master and failed at movie time last night I decided I needed a TV. Tilted Devo walks into Best Buy with an agenda to light money on fire and has two roommates to help… good news for BBY shareholders obviously. Long story short, the saleslady sucked at her job so bad that I left the store with a USB cable and a 2 gig SD card. I also had knowledge of what TV I wanted, went home, and purchased it for about $300 cheaper delivered. Cliff notes: Pick tv, she tries to sell me warranty, I say no, this repeats a few times, then she says, “Well, you know, whatever you want man.” I say, “Thank you, and I don’t want the additional warranty.” Next sentence out of her mouth she tries to sell it to me again. I got pissed. Then I get slowrolled, turns out they’re out of stock, I’m like fine deliver it, she says we can Friday, what time, I don’t know. SIIIIIIGH. Then she says, “For an additional $20 we can rush the delivery and have it to you tomorrow.”

I said, “I don’t want it anymore.”

I am very happy with my USB cable though.

*UPDATE*

Just got this e-mail. Please call for verification of order. I call, sit on hold for 15 minutes, find out that it’s on back-order. Won’t have it for 2 weeks. Sigh… cancel the order.

I’m LOLing right now.

Anyways, lets talk about poker.

Sunday I was super excited for the $10k LHE World Championships. I sat near my friend Mike Schneider, defending champion from the last $10k limit event in the world (Party Million 06) and I thought that was cool that the event is back after over 2 years. I got tortured pretty good - not much I could have done really. Although it would not have changed the outcome I could have played better which frustrated me, but it lit a fire under my ass to kick butt on Tuesday.

We saw our first outrageous lines at the Tuesday $1500 NLHE donkament. They called a 30 min break after the first level to get everybody through the lines. Here’s how my tournament went:

Chip up to 6k quickly.
Get coolered AK v AA back to 3k.
Stay at 3k until 150-300/25, when I chip up to 10,750 at dinner break with the only showdowns I saw were vs. really short stack shoves that I called and won vs. I accumulated really really well. We’re down to like 400 left of the 2200 entrants, I’m just below average, and I lose a flip in a 23k pot that cripples me to 2k. Standard race, but they did it to me dirty and my pair held until the ace on the river. I was really crushed to be honest. I was more frustrated about busting out of that one than any other tournament this year (figure that one out for a second…). I think the combination of now being 0-11 and the mindset going into the tournament yesterday lead to my frustrations when busting so close.

So, we are switching back to limit and 5pm’s today with the $1500 Stud today and the $10k Omaha 8 tomorrow. Super excited for the O8 obv, sick of being an o-fer, but I suppose if I repeat my WSOP results from the last two years I will be happy come a month from now. Maybe I’ll just save up all my summer run good for the Main Event, take 2nd in that one, be robusto, and then start winning bracelets in 09.

Peace and Good Luck,

Devo

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Thursday I wandered into the Rio excited to play some unlimited hold them after the torturing that I was put through in the previous week playing limit events. I was rewarded with a two hour stay at the Rio where I busted shortly before the break. The same thing happened Saturday in the $1500, this time I lasted only like 75 minutes, and in both I was thoroughly entertained by the absurdity of how bad they played.

The last few days have been quite an adventure. Someday if I ever finish my book I guarantee that I will write about all of them, but today I can only give you some. I spent most of Thursday afternoon evening running errands and taking care of things. One of them was buying a bed since I am moving into the master bedroom after Jared moved out and I decided that my queen size frame with $40 full size mattress in my bedroom wasn’t going to cut it. I walked into a bed store, said, “Hi, i want a bed like the beds at the Wynn.” She points one out, says its same design different model slightly better quality. I say, “Have it in king?” “Yup.” “Deliver?” “Yup.” “Sold.”

“Wow… I wish every customer was like you.”

Her commission was basically doubled because I didn’t try and haggle.

That evening Lacey and I had a late dinner at Roadrunners, and then I called Gavin since I was on that side of town. They were “playing poker” and “everybody” was there. I said I’d come over after dinner. About ten minutes later, I get a text from Fuller that says, “Hurry, you don’t want to miss this game.”

So I get there and find Gavin, Chris Bell, Nordberg, Nathan, E-Dog, and Fuller all sitting with stacks in various states of disorganization and they tell me to sit and play. I of course need to know what we’re playing, and they say mix games, so I’m obv interested, but then I ask what stakes and get this explanation: “All games are played NL, there are no blinds, all chips are $100, there’s a $100 ante per hand, action starts left of the button, $200 to open, and a $2k cap on each hand.”

Now I’m really not playing. I’m pretty nitty when it comes to gambling to be honest. Yah, I’ll fire a thousand on a blackjack table, but that’s every once in a while and a completely insignificant amount in relation to my bankroll. This game on the other hand, I could see some serious numbers switching hands. When I left one of the victims was stuck 28k.

You can see where this is going I’m sure. I played. This, however, was after I saw 4 2k stacks go in pre in Omaha Hi and the best hand I saw turned up was AK53 double suited. They were gamboooling so much, which naturally would push the variance higher, but make it way easier to get it in good. I promised that I would play nitty, bought in for 4k, was shipped 7 chips by people who owed me small change, and long story short I quit with $13,900 45 mins later, threw a bill on the table, and said, “Who owes me 10?”

The big pot of the night came in O8 where I opened to $500 with the A345 and a suit, Erick capped it at $2k, Rick called, Chris called, and I obv called. When I saw the hands I was thrilled… between the three other hands there were two aces and one eight. The other 9 cards were 9-K. The flop came good for me, 226, gave me a sweat on the turn with a J, and ship the scoop with the 4 on the river. So, with that hand, I won the biggest cash pot of my life ($8600) in a weird game (O8) at my buddy’s house with friends. LOL.

Friday was off day. I ran some more errands, went to see Cracker, Soul Asylum, and Everclear by myself, and went to a house party for the first time in a long time. At one point in the afternoon, I found myself wandering around the bedding section of Bed Bath and Beyond to get bedding for my new bed like the beds at the Wynn. Everything was going smoothly through the fitted sheet, flat sheet, pillowcases, and bedskirt. I knew that I needed a comforter, but I was lost. I called Lacey, no answer, so I tried Katie, who apparently is like a Bed Bath and Beyond expert I have since learned, and after she says, “Hey, what’s up?” I deliver this gem of a speech:

“Katie, heeeeeellllpp…. I’m a man lost in Bed Bath and Beyond and all I really want to know right now is WHAT THE FUCK IS A DUVET COVER???” Four women circa age 40 look at me with offended shock, realize the situation, and then all four start laughing at me.

Half an hour and $620.50 later I escape, and officially the bedding on my new bed is worth more than four times what I paid for the bed that I have had since my sophomore year of college.

That night at the show Soul Asylum was incredible. Cracker and Everclear, not so much, but it was obviously a good time since it was a concert outside which is like one of my all time favorite things to do. Before the show ended I left to meet Lisa to go to a house party with her. Turns out it was literally walking distance away from my house. We had a couple of beers from the keg, and then Lisa took me back to my house half a mile away. We both had to work in the morning.

I only had to work 75 minutes though. Saturday was another one of those $1500 donkament fests. 2nd hand in i open and lose 1/3 of my stack to the 43 sooted. A guy with 750 decides to stop-n-go my 150 open with the K6o and I couldn’t beat that hand.

Perfect! I’m going to the reggae show.

I took off to Reggae in the Desert and spent the afternoon hanging out in the shade listening to awesome music. I took off around sunset, chilled at home for the rest of the night, and am fired up to play in the $10k LHE World Championship tonight at 5pm. Time to break this stupid oh fer nine streak I have going. Gl me…

Father’s day is always a little shitty for me. Today makes ten years since I last heard my Dad’s voice and that’s always a little hard.

Peace and good luck,

Devo

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Ahh, this was a good weekend. I played all the Sundays, built a ton of stacks but kept running into brick walls. While especially frustrating, I don’t mind these runs so much because I know that I’m playing well to build the stacks that I’m building.

Monday was lake day. Ten of us took off from Hemmingway via the Piece of Ship, two new stand-ups, and the old 440. The weather was absolutely perfect. Mid 90’s, slight breeze, water temp of like 78. Perfect. We went through seven cases of beer in under six hours and came back around 10pm. I had to scoot over to Half Shell Dos for the first annual World Championships of Photohunt hosted by Team SMD. After my disappointing finish at last years World Series of Shuffleboard (which I hope we repeat this year), I was determined to redeem myself in this year’s competition.

Two years ago while I lived in Minnesota and was really getting going as a pro, I often made more money at the bar with poker players gambling on golden tee and photohunt and other parlor games. I lost at poker for a couple of months and still never went broke on a short bankroll out there. At the 2006 WSOP, Dutch Boyd walks up to me randomly at the Tilted Kilt and says, “Hey, you wanna play photohunt for a hundred?” I gladly accept and get my ass whipped. He’s the best I have ever seen play.

Dutch and I decide that we should be teammates. We weren’t able to sneak that into the draw so it ended up being a random draw for partners and seedings.

The prize pool was… “whatever is leftover from the fund we set aside for this party after the tab is cleared.” Couple hundred bucks prob.

We ended up having 12 teams play 2 rounds in an equal bracket to get a final three. The final three would play two games each round robin style, with third place getting nothing, first getting $2400 and second getting $1200.

Cliff notes: Dutch + lucky partner (Joey Bartholdi) chop $2400 while Devo + 2nd luckiest partner (Kevin Saul) chop $1200 and Mark Newhouse and Jon Eaton, after taking third, complain about how bad they run at everything. I love company parties!

Came in the next afternoon for the $2k LHE. My raise-every-hand-bet-until-they-fold-or-make-sixes-up-instead plan didn’t work so well as several of the players knew me and were owning my ass to be honest. I couldn’t get away with anything. I dwindled down to 1300 when I played one of the silliest hands I’ve ever played in the 50-75/75-150 level. I’m in the BB with Td2d, early limp, somebody raises, two call, I call in bb, limper calls, see a flop 6 ways. 345 w/2 diamonds, I bet, guy raises, original raiser calls, I 3 bet, 4-bet, call, I cap, both call.

Turn: 8 or something. I check, early limper bets, raiser calls, I call.

River: T. I check, guy bets 150 leaving himself 75 (which I just noticed), raiser folds, I’m about to call and the guy says, “Just check-raise me all-in. Send me home.” OK. “I raise.” He lost the extra 75. And was pretty disgusted to be yet another victim of the ten doooooose.

Terri and I turned the table into a drinking game after that. Very much fun. Then I went on the standard run-it-up to 16k and then crash and burn in glorious style. This time though they let me bust on day one so that I could lose an additional $5k at noon today… but they let me do that so that I could win the $200 Main Event Seat Shootout on FTP tonight for $12k. Lets call it all a wash.

I made another final table and got pretty unlucky in the 50/50. I’m thrilled with how I’m playing, so I know it’s just a matter of time before I make some noise in this series.

Peace and good luck,

Devo

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