Last weekend I put on an epic display of bad tournament play. Folding when I should be calling, calling when I should fold, and generally playing with a strategy that I defy anyone to figure out, because I certainly don’t know what the heck I was doing. I had not had a session like that in […]
Last Saturday I was faced with a dilemma: I was unable to play my usual 1pm $90 tournament. This tournament has a great structure for such a small buy-in: 30,000 chips, 30 minutes blinds, a nice gradual level and ante progression, and most importantly, it gets between 70 and 120 players. Unfortunately, this week other […]
Poker’s sprawl in the United States is substantial, with about two-thirds of states having some form of legal card room. Our neighbors to the north are not short of poker options either, with a strong casino presence in several provinces. Of course, some notable Canadians have also turned into pretty good poker players, with Daniel […]
I tried, as always, to avoid all acknowledgement of my birthday as it came and went this weekend marking the completion of my 52nd year. Fifty-two, at least, is not a notable landmark for anyone, so this birthday was absent any significant fanfare or existential crisis. But as the number aligns with that deck of cards […]
There is really no substitute for detailed hand analysis. I have personally been slow to embrace hand analysis videos, leaning more on reading about, listening to, and trying to incorporate macro level strategies in poker. Hand analysis has always felt like a lot of work, and it has been easy for me to dismiss as something that […]
Last month I was watching the WSOP Main Event final table and noticed at one point that at least four of the remaining players were chatting, had eyes glued to their phones, or were otherwise dividing their attention. These guys were playing the game of their lives and were not focused on the game!
This made me think […]
During this summer’s WSOP, the Poker Tournament Director’s Association met in Las Vegas. At that time, the TDA distributed the annual revision of suggested guidelines for poker tournament procedures and rules. The critical word here is “suggested” as the most important agent for tournament rules is the gaming agency that oversees the poker venue. However, I […]
Now that the dust has settled on the Main Event, I wanted to share a few thoughts about the things that 2017 brought. Some I loved, some I loathed, but, as always, I was glad to be a fly on the wall for another great poker tournament!
The Phoenix Rises – As you heard numerous times […]
John Hesp gives this 51 year old renewed hope.
Hesp’s run to the WSOP Main Event final table – where he sits as the second deepest stack at $85M, trailing Scott Blumstein by only $12M (and ahead of third place by a whopping $50M!) – has been a welcome sight for all amateurs who, like myself, play […]