Anyway, I am heading to Vegas on Friday! I am super psyched to get back there, I haven't made a trip to Vegas in over 4 years. I have been mostly playing online and traveling to Atlantic City. This should be one of the best trips to Vegas in a long time.

I plan on playing in some Sit and Go tournaments at various casinos. I would also like to play in a Multi-Table tourney, I will have to shop around to see what looks good. When i goto Vegas, I like to chill out and have some drinks, play some slots or roulette and not have to think much about wagering. But, I will buckle down and stay straight so I can concentrate on making some nice cash playing poker too.

I will also be playing in some cash games, I'll check out the low stakes Limit Hold'em and NL Hold'em games, see if we can make a buck or two. I will try to keep up on this blog more frequently, and hopefully I will be posting more about winning while playing poker.

Good Luck at the Poker Tables!

Last time I played poker in Atlantic City, I was playing in small stakes Limit Hold'em cash games. I did alright, but, I am a much better No Limit player. Limit Hold'em, to me, is a much more difficult game. There are usually a lot more players involved in a pot, and this makes it more complicated. I prefer playing No Limit, so I will not be playing any Limit Hold'em this trip.

Borgata has some good sit and go tournaments including $60 and $100 buy-ins. I will most likely be playing in at least a few of these tournaments. I really don't have a strategy when I sit down at a table. I will get a feel for my opponents and try to play the other players more than laying my cards. So, if I see that people are being really tight pre flop, I will open with a raise if I am first in in more hands than I normally would. On the other hand, if there is some loose players at the table, I may sit back and only play solid starting hands. I would much rather be at a table where play is tight.

I mostly play poker online, but, I feel that my live game is better. It is much easier to read opponents in live games when compared to online poker. I can see how the person acts and this usually gives me a good edge. I am very good at reading my opponents, especially heads up. So, I would prefer to get into a pot with a raise and try to isolate just one player. This makes it much easier for me to put my opponent on a range of hands.

One of the most important things I need to do is to stay calm and just play my game. I will try to keep emotions totally out of my game, and this will pay off big time. Most of the times I will get in trouble if I get angry at another player, or feel that I am being pushed around by an opponent. So, I need to stay balanced, no big highs, and no big lows. Just play my game and give it my best effort. I am expecting to do very well.

I have been playing some really good poker the past few weeks, mostly on Poker Stars. I miss playing at Poker Stars, so I had to make a deposit. I feel that there is no other poker site online that compares. First, they have a ton of players, so you can always find a game, whether you like cash Hold'em games or Omaha tournaments. I feel that their tournaments are definitely the best around. They are always running some sort of satellite to get into land based tournaments such as the WPT and WSOP.

If you are looking for a good place to play online poker, I would suggest going on Poker Stars. Their games are first class and you can get a bonus if you sign up as a new player. They rarely offer bonuses for new players, so now is a good time to get on.

Well, I hope to have a great time and play some solid poker in Atlantic City. However things turn out, I am sure it will be a good time. I always have fun when enjoying the game I love with family and friends.

I get dealt an A-J offsuit under the gun. I decide to raise three times the blind. I'm figuring if no one has a hand they will fold, and I can steal the blinds. I raise it up to 4000 total. Everyone folds to the big blind who re raises the minimum making it 8000 total. Now, I put this player on a big hand, like pocket queens. I should have went with my gut and folded this hand. A-J is not a very strong hand when you get re-raised. So, I call anyway, and the flop comes Jack high, giving me top pair with top kicker. The big blind comes out betting. Like a total donkey, I decide to push all-in. And my opponent calls quickly. She shows a pocket pair of Kings. I'm waaaay behind. Turn and river offer no help and I go out in 11th place. Bubble Boy.

This was a really bad play by me. I put this opponent on a big hand and when she comes out betting I reraise all in. Really stupid move. In fact, I should have never seen the flop with this hand. There is only one place left until the money, and there was no reason to risk more chips on an A-J offsuit. Especially after I put the person on a big hand to begin with.

Bottom line, if I don't go with my gut instinct, I get burned. One of the most important things for my game is to go with my gut. I have a great knack for putting my opponent on a hand, and I am usually right. Well, that will be the last time I make that mistake.

Anyway, I have made reservations to go down to Atlantic City in mid November. I'll be staying at Borgata for two nights, maybe three. I plan on playing in some sit 'n go tournaments. I will probably play in the $100 tournament, perhaps $60 also. I have most of my experience from playing online, but, I feel I am better in live situations. You get a lot more information. And, in general, it seems like players are tighter in live games when compared to online. This gives me more of an edge as I am a pretty rocky type of player. Sure, I will bluff, and steal blinds, but when I am usually involved in a hand I will showdown a winner.

So, I plan on playing a decent amount of sit 'n go's online to get my game up to a higher level. I plan on making some good cash in Atlantic City. The first ever live tournament I played in I won, and I feel I will be one of the best players at any table I sit down at.

I will also play some roulette, which I do pretty well at, and slots. I prefer a game like poker or handicapping horse races. But, I enjoy playing roulette and slots even though there is a lot more luck involved. Sometimes you just have to gamble it up.

I'm really looking forward to getting in a game at Borgata.

On the fourth Sit 'n Go, I ended up getting really lucky on the last hand heads up. I had 4-8 offsuit and limped in. I play just about anything heads up. Flop comes 10-K-2 and I come out betting the size of the pot. My opponent calls. On the turn I bet the pot again, he calls. I'm putting him on a draw so, I really didn't want to check even though I had no hand. So, I bet enough to put him all in. He called and showed a J-Q offsuit. I'm way behind. The river produces an 8 and I get really luck to win that one. It ended a pretty bad streak though.

I then decided to play in the $5 Short Handed NL Hold'em with Rebuys tournament at Poker.com. I'm starting to like this tournament a lot, although short handed is not really my strength. I am improving though. So, most people will usually play as though it is not a rebuy tournament. I figure it's because most of the players have small bankrolls, and are deciding to not rebuy. Well, in this tournament there were a few players on my table that were playing very aggressive. This one guy was raising and calling just about every hand. I hate people who limp in front of me every hand. It gives me less opportunities to be the first one in the pot and to raise and steal the blinds. Well, I was not gonna play super loose, though I would rebuy more than once if necessary.

So, early on I get a big hand and raise it three times the big blind first in the pot. One player, who is calling a lot of raises, calls on th big blind. The flop comes Q-7-10 with two diamonds. Because this player is a calling station, I decide to bet enough to put him all in after he checks on the flop. He sits there for like 10 seconds then calls. He shows a K-8 of diamonds for a flush draw. The turn and river offer no help to him, and I add a lot of chips to my stack.

I ended up getting pocket Kings three times in about 10 hands, and was paid off on every one. I quickly became the chip leader with around 6500 in chips. From that point on I was the chip leader all the way to the final table. One really big hand was when I limped in five handed with an A-10 offsuit. I was thinking about raising, but this is not one of my favorite hands. Everyone else folds to the big blind who checks. The flop comes A-8-A and my opponent checks. I decide to lead out and bet the size of the pot, which was about 1200 at that point. The player on the big blind decides to check raise all-in, and he has a good amount of chips. It is another 6000 chips to me to call, and I think very shortly and decide to call. He shows an 8-4 offsuit for two pair against my trip Aces. The turn offers no help and he is drawing dead. I pad my chip lead and have twice as many chips as the person in second who has about 7000.

Let's fast forward to the Final Table. There are six players left and one person is really short stacked. He double up once and then goes all in when I am on the big blind with 1000 of my chips in the pot. The short stack goes all-in in second position. For another 600 in chips, I would have called with any two cards. I call and he shows a pocket pair of nines. I have a 5-8 offsuit. Way behind. The flop offers some hope when the board shows 4-K-7, giving me a gut shot straight draw. The turn and river offer no improvement and I double up the short stack. A few hands later he goes out in 6th place.

I still have the chip lead and have managed to accumulate about 40000 chips. One player has less than 15000 and two others have 20000 and 35000. In middle position I get dealt a pair of Jacks. The player under the gun raises to 4000 total. The next player calls. I pause and think about this hand. I really don't like to just call with Jacks. But, I have the chip lead and another player called, so, I just called. Everyone else folds. The flop comes A-J-9 with two clubs. I hit a set of Jacks on the flop. The person who originally raised comes out betting 4000 total. The next player calls. I decide to raise it up to 8000 total. Action is on the guy who raises pre flop. He goes all-in pretty quickly. I call. We show our hands. I have JJ for a set of Jacks. He shows A-A for a set of Aces. Oh, man, I am in really bad shape. The turn and river does not produce the last Jack in the deck. I lose more than half of my stack and go down to about 16000 in chips. That was a really bad flop for me. I do not see how I could have gotten away from that hand. Except, before the flop. I did almost fold that hand. I came really close to folding and at the last second I called. That was a bad play pre flop. Ya, any one can say it was a bad play after the fact, but, the point is that I was thinking that I didn't want to get involved in a big pot with just Jacks. Personally, I'd rather have A-K than Jacks. I did not go with my gut on that hand and it cost me the entire tournament. I was playing really solid and folding a lot of hands that other players would have called with a stack like I had. Unfortunately, I did not go with my gut once again.

Down to my last hand. On the small blind, I raise the big blind with a K-8 offsuit. My opponent calls. The flop comes 7-7-K and I bet. The player on the big blind raises and I decide to go all-in. I put the player on like A-something so I felt I was ahead. The big blind calls and shows an A-7 for trips. I am in terrible shape. The turn and river offer no help and I go out in 3rd place.

Although I did very well in this tournament and made a good profit, I am very disappointed that I didn't win this one. I was chip leader for just about the entire tournament from very early on. I played some great poker in this tourney, and feel I should have definitely won. That set of Jacks really got me into trouble and there was no way I was folding trip Jacks. Well, what can you do? I played great so, I should be happy but this one really stings. Let's hope the next time I have trip Jacks with an Ace on the board, the other player shows an A-K instead of A-A.

Check out the Blogger Poker Tour and play in the Ultimate Poker Forum Open Freeroll which has a $500 prize pool and a chance to win a seat into the 2007 Aussie Millions.

Right after the rebuy period ended, I added on for another 1000 chips at $5. There were about 35 people left out of approximately 80. Top ten get paid. I was in the small blind with a 6-7 of hearts and there were a couple of limpers in front of me. So, I limped in too. Flop came Q-J-9. I did not even get a piece of the flop or a  decent draw. I check. Two players check to the button, which is also the big stack at the table, and probably the chip leader at that point. The big stack comes out betting 400 into a 1200 pot. I decide to check raise bluff with absolutely nothing. I make it another 800 more to 1200 total. The other players fold, and the button calls. Now, I put him on a draw. A 7 comes on the turn, giving me a pair of sevens. I decide to push all-in with 2000 left. Very bad move. My opponent calls and shows a Q-J for two pair, and I'm drawing dead. I go out in 29th place.

I usually will not mess with the big stack, especially with nothing. But, I thought he was weak, when again, he was strong. Another bad read on my part. I really need to make better reads, today was bad. Although, on other days, I have done ok. I have been trying to make some tough calls. But, I am not going with my gut, which is really key for my game. If I could just get in tune with my instincts - and then go with them - I will definitely start doing better. For instance, on one hand in in the next tournament, I limped in with a K-10 in early position. A few others limped in also, the blinds were small at this point. Flop comes 10-4-3 rainbow. A person in early position bets at the pot and gets a call behind him. Action is on me, and I am thinking I should raise big here, I have the best hand right now. What do I do? Call. Stupid decision. Had I raised, I am pretty confident that the first bettor would have folded and the other player would have also. Instead I call, and the turn puts up a J. Now I feel I am behind. The player who originally bet, comes out betting again. The player before me calls. I decide to call. The river pairs the board when a 4 comes up. Again, the guy bets and gets a call. I thought about raising, but, then decided just to call. another bad move. The guy shows a K-J and wins the pot with a pair of jacks. I should have definitely raised on the flop. And, after I made that mistake, I should have folded on the turn. Bad moves all the way in that hand.

Well, the best thing is that I really didn't lose too much, but it's always a bad day at the tables when your reads are all wrong. I had a horrible day when it came to putting my opponent on a hand. Also, there are some real calling stations at Poker.com. Some of these guys will just not fold a hand. For instance, on one hand, the board shows 10-J-J-K-A with fours spades! One player bets at the pot and gets re raised all-in. With four cards to a royal flush on the board this calling station does what he does best - calls. The guy who re raised shows a 10-Q with a Queen of spades. Now, to be fair, the guy who called had an A-J, so he had a very good hand. But, with four cards to a royal flush on the board and your opponent is calling your bets on the flop, and turn, I think you can put him on a Queen of spades.

I also played in a $3 NL tournament. To keep with the calling station theme, lets go to my last hand. I am dealt a Q-7 of spades on middle position. One player calls, and I decide to raise it. The blinds are at 15-30, so I raise to 105 total. I was representing a big hand, and was mostly trying to steal the blinds. One person calls behind me, the big blind also calls. Flop comes A-J-4 all spades. I hit a flush on the flop. The big blind comes out betting 240. I decide to move all-in with what I feel is the best hand. I raise it to 925 total. The person behind me pauses for a bit, and calls. The big blind who bet 240 into the pot calls. We all show our hands. I have a Q-7 of spades for a flush. The guy behind be shows an A-10 with a ten of spades. The big blind also calls. He shows a K-J with a King of spades. The turn produces a 6 of spades and I am drawing dead. I go out real early.

First, the worst call I have seen in a while was the guy with the A-10 offsuit. Yeah, he had top pair with a 10 of spades for a flush draw. But, I raised before the flop, I could have easily had a better Ace. Then, I guess he thought his 10 of spades was good enough to call with after a bet and a raise all-in in front of him. To me, that is some of the loosest poker I have seen in a long time. What a bad call. It is really early, why go out with top pair? Also, the guy with the King of spades, I thought, should have folded. But, with the guy calling my raise in front of him, it gave him a decent price to call. The calling station really killed me on that one and he goes out as well.

Now, I know, I probably shouldn't ridicule someone's game, but, come on. These guys at Poker.com are sooo loose it is really amazing. And, they get paid off a lot too. You'll see a good number of suck outs going on. But, I really shouldn't be complaining. In the long run, these loose players are why I am doing so good at Poker.com. But, I have taken some bad beats and suck outs along the way. Short term, poker can be a very rough game. Sometimes, you just run real bad. I have been doing pretty well, and feel that playing against these loose players Poker.com will be very profitable in the long term. Like I said, I shouldn't really be complaining. But, I needed to vent and my blog is a good venue for this.

I'll be playing once again tomorrow, and will most likely put some entries up about how I did. I am trying to update my poker blog more frequently. So, hopefully I will be writing about winning some nice cash over next several blog entries.

On one hand I raised it up in early position with a 5-7 of diamonds. Mainly, I was trying to steal the blinds. But, I knew if I got a call, and made a hand, I could win a decent amount of chips. The big blind called the raise and the flop came 6-10-J with two hearts. My opponent checked, I checked. Turn is a 4 of clubs. I get an open ended straight draw, and my opponent bets 60 into a 280 pot. I figured I was behind but made the call with my draw. The river produced a 3 of spades. My opponent again bets 60. I raise it up to 260. He calls, and mucks. I take down the pot. That was the highlight of this tournament, which ended for me soon after.

This one guy who was calling with any two cards, limped in in early position with a 3-7 offsuit on a one hand. A 3-7 offsuit? And, of course, he takes down the pot and shows his garbage. He hit a pair of sevens on the flop and came out betting. Everyone folded and he show his 3-7. Why would you show that garbage? Why would you limp in with that hand? Anyway, I'm assuming he was advertising that he was very loose, worked for me. So, under the gun, this guy limps in again for 30. The next person raises it up to 120 total. Two players fold, and it is on me with a 7-8 of diamonds. I will usually fold this type of hand, especially early in a tournament. But, I figured the guy who raised had a decent hand and if I could hit a flop, I would take down the pot. So, I called the raise. Everyone folds, even the limper. Heads up the flop comes 6-6-7 with two clubs. The raiser comes out betting, a pretty small bet relative to the pot. I figured he did not have a six for sure. I was right about that. But, I made a horrible read and bet on this hand. I decided to push hard, putting him on two high cards like an A-Q or A-K. I raised all-in for the remainder of my chips which was down to about 1050 from a starting amount of 2000. After a slight pause, my opponent calls, and I know I'm in big trouble. I show my 7-8 suited for a two pair sevens and sixes. He show his pocket pair of Kings for Kings and sixes. I'm way behind.

This was a horrible read. I should have taken his weak bets as strength. Instead, I took them as showing weakness and paid the ultimate price. I got a gut shot straight draw on the turn, but ended up going out in 70th out of 72 entrants. This was one of the worst finishes I've had in a long time. I have been trying to improve my reads, but this was a big mistake. Right off the bat, I should have put this guy on a big hand, which I actually did, to a point. The mistake was that I did not adjust what I thought he had based on his flop bet. When reading an opponents hand, you need to take all the information into consideration. On this hand, I only used the information from before the flop. Had I taken his small bet as strength, which I usually do, I would have folded for sure. But, I stayed with what I thought he had based on his pre-flop raise. Bad move. I've been making some good calls in some tough spots, but, sometimes it also will get me into trouble. I play very tight before the flop, and usually have a good hand if I come into a hand. A large amount of the time I will be correct with my reads, but, it can get me into some big trouble when I'm wrong.

Anyway, this is a cool tournament, even though I really stunk it up in this event. The Poker.com Blogger Tour is a series of tournaments for poker players with blogs. There are tons of players with blogs, so 72 players in this event is really way too low. I'd like to see some more players in this tournament. They are giving away some nice prizes. First prize is a seat into the 2007 Aussie Millions tournament. Second place wins a deluxe 8 foot Blogger Poker Tour poker table. Third place wins a 6 foot Blogger Poker Tour poker table. Those are the major prizes. Another nice feature is that one person will become the official Poker.com Blogger at the Aussie Millions. In addition, each event is a freeroll with a $500 prize pool.

Ultimate Poker Forum.com will be hosting Event #3 of the Blogger Poker Tour at Poker.com. We are looking forward to hosting our first major event, the Ultimate Poker Forum Open. This freeroll tournament will take place on October 21. I would like to see more bloggers sign up for this tournament. I will have more information regarding our event up soon, but if you would like to sign up click on the link below:

Blogger Poker Tour

Well, a lot has happened in the past few weeks. Most notably, the new online gambling act that was passed by Congress. This has caused quite a panic in the online poker gaming industry. Some online poker rooms, which are public companies, have decided to stop taking bets from U.S. players as soon as the law goes into effect. Party Poker, Pacific Poker, Titan Poker, and Poker Ocean  have all stated that they will not accept wagers from U.S. residents when the new act takes effect. I personally believe that these poker rooms are overreacting quite a bit. The new law does not prohibit U.S. residents from playing online poker. Rather, it states that banks and financial institutions can not transfer funds to an unlawful internet gambling company. These online poker rooms will lose a lot of money. Party Poker generates approximately 70-80% of their income from U.S. poker players.

I have personally not reacted much to this new online gambling act. I play at several online poker rooms. I have decided that I will not be withdrawing and funds from these accounts. First, this act is not in effect yet, and even after it gets signed by the President, the banks will have 3 - 6 months to comply with the new regulations. I believe that this will be sorted out over the next few months and that online poker will not feel much of an effect from the new law. Except for losing some major players, such as Party Poker and Pacific Poker, most of the other major online poker rooms are stating that it is business as usual.

I personally play at Poker.com and have a decent amount of cash in my account. I will not be withdrawing any of this money. First, I do very well on this site and although I have my bad days, I have made a nice profit playing at Poker.com. There are some very loose players on this site and if you are an above average player, you should do very well there. Be warned: you will probably run into some bad beats and suck outs because there are a lot of "calling stations". But, in the long run, I can not see how many of these players can be making any profits the way they play. I suggest that if you have been playing at Party Poker, Pacific Poker that you sign up at Poker.com. They are not the biggest room on the net, but they have some nice promotions and a good sign up bonus. There some very loose players at Poker.com, so there is a potential to make some nice money.

I have been playing at Poker.com most of the time. I have been playing a lot of sit 'n go's - $5 and $10 buy-ins. I have been doing pretty good in sit 'n go's, although they are not my strong point. I do much better in larger tournaments with structures that compliment my style. I will usually fair better in a multi-table tournaments with blinds that go up every 10 or fifteen minutes. So, the sit 'n go's have been pretty good, I have been cashing and winning in many of them. I also play a lot of multi-table tournaments. I finished in 3rd place in a $5 Short-handed NL holdem tournament at Poker.com. I also finished in 2nd place in a $10 buy-in NL tournament.

I play cash games as well. But, I have been playing less lately. I need to step up to a higher limit game, but, have been reluctant to. I will have to play some more cash games at a lower level for a while to freshen up my game. I make a decent amount of money playing No limit cash games. There is a lot of up and downs in a session, but overall I am doing pretty well.

So, as far as I am concerned, it is just another day of playing online poker. I will watch the situation closely, but will not change anything I have been doing. I feel that everyone who plays online poker should just relax and do not jump to any conclusions.

Online poker is NOT illegal to play. So, good luck at the tables!

I managed to give away most of my chips on my favorite hand, an Ace-King. The blinds were 15/30 and a player raised after a bunch of people limped in. The raise was for 120 total. I decided to push all-in. Everyone folded to the raiser who called pretty quickly and shows pocket Kings. One of the last hands I want to see with A-K. I didn't get any help and lost more than 3/4 of my stack on that hand. Although it was a good hand, I did not follow one of my rules. It is much better to move all-in first in the pot, rather than re-raising all-in. Pocket Kings is one of the hands that was going to be real tough to beat with an offsuit A-K. But, I had put my opponent on a smaller pair or an AJ, or QK - not the right decision. This basically crippled me and was the beginning of the end. The very next hand I get dealt a Q-2 offsuit on the small blind. A few players limped in before me, so I decided to call for 15 more chips. The flop comes Q-2-K with two spades. I flop two pair. I am first to act and bet 105 into a 175 dollar pot. Everyone folds to the button who re-raises to make it 405 total. I pause for a second or two and decide, I probably have the best hand right now and I do not have many chips left. I re-raise all-in for another 200. Basically an auto call for my opponent. Especially when my opponent is holding pocket Kings. He flopped trip Kings and limped in on the button after other players limped also. The guy gets pocket Kings twice in a row and gets all of my chips in two hands. I go out in 8th place.

I also played in a $5 short handed NL tournament. I did not fair very well in that one either. Then I decided to play a $10 buy-in ten player sit 'n go. I bluffed off a bunch of chips pretty early. I decided to represent a ten in my hand. The flop came 8-4-10. I held a 6-2 in the big blind. I check on the flop and then call a bet from another player. The turn comes another ten. Now, I come out betting, trying to represent a 10. He calls. I come out betting again on the river and get called again. My opponent turns over a 6-8 of diamonds for a pair of 8's. I lost about half my stack on a bluff. And the player obviously put me on nothing as he called with 8's and  a 6 kicker. I would probably have folded, but, I am also a pretty tight player.

I ended up going out in 6th place in the $10 tournament. I had about 375 chips left and another short stack moved all-in. I had a K-3 offsuit. I decided it was good enough, and called. He shows pocket Queens. I'm in really bad shape. I get no help and finish in 6th. Like I said, not a good day. But, you can't win them all. I've been making some loose calls lately, not really good for my game. I need to concentrate on reading hands  which will help me to play better. Well, I'll play some more, hopefully, this time I'll do a lot better.

This was a big tournament for me, and I am not happy at all with the way I finished. I came in about 50th place out of a field of less than 100. Not a very good showing. I have been in several satellites which awards a seat into a major tournament. It gets very frustrating to get all the way to the Grand Final for $2 then get knocked out. But, I am proud of my play before the Final, at least I played some great poker all the way through the preliminary satellites.

I've been playing a lot of small stakes No Limit Hold'em cash games on Poker.com. I usually do very well, and almost always make a profit on my sessions. However, for the past week I was running into some bad luck and some "calling stations" along the way. I lost a decent amount of cash, but, was going up and down and did manage to get back to even for the week. I did pretty good last night and made about $10 in 10 minutes.

I have also been playing a bunch of heads up sit n go tournaments. Usually $5 + $0.25. I have been doing pretty well and have probably made a small profit. I like to play heads up because you get to see a lot of flops especially early.

One thing I don't like about Poker.com is that there is not that many tournaments that have big fields or prize pools. They do have a decent amount of small buy-in tournaments, and I do play a lot of them. I may have to place some cash into my Poker Stars account. Poker Stars is definitely the best poker room on line for tournaments. I have played in some huge tournaments there, including the World Championship of Online Poker ($300 w/ Rebuys) and a satellite into the World Poker Tour Championship. I've also played in the Sunday Guaranteed tournament quite a few times, which is a great tournament. Since I have not been playing on Poker Stars much, the prize pool for Sunday's Tournament has increased to $1,000,0000 guaranteed. I may have to put some cash into Poker Stars and get back to where the action is.

I have not been making many entries in this blog, but, will try to update at least every other day for now on. It is good to get out what I'm thinking about and it gives me some kind of record for my play. Good luck at the tables.

Ok, so, since I was feeling a bit better, I decided to play in the $55 + $5 Satellite tournament at Poker.com. I won a free entry into this tourney through a $2 Rebuy Satellite - total investment so far is $2.

The $55 + $5 Satellite awards an entry to a $250 + $25 Grand Final tournament for every 5 players entered. This specific tournament I played in had a total of 8 players entered. So, only first place received the $275 + $25 coupon to the Grand Final.

Everyone starts with 1500 in chips. I started out pretty slow, and lost some chips early when I flopped a pair of Aces. The other player had flopped two pair, Aces & Treys. I thought I had the best hand and was not being raised, so, I kept betting and was getting called. I went down to about 1700 in chips. I managed to get up to about 2600 playing some smaller pots and accumulated a decent amount.

One of the biggest hands I played was pretty early in the tournament. I limped in with an Ace-Nine offsuit, because there were other limpers in before me. The flop comes 3-A-9, and I flop top two pair. Everyone checks to me. I decide to play this hand really hard. I go all-in. The first player to check, now calls. I say to myself, "He must have flopped trips." He is all-in on this hand as I had him covered. Everyone else folds and we show our hands, I have Aces & Nines, he show a pocket pair of threes for the set. I'm way behind. I plead for help on the turn and get really luck and spike another Nine. I just about double up, knock out a player and become the chip leader.

Another hand I made a decent amount of chips from was when I limped in with a J-10 offsuit. The flop comes 7-10-9. I flop top pair and get a gut-shot straight draw. I bet the flop and get called from one opponent. The turn produces a 4. No help to my hand, but I still have top pair. I bet the pot. My opponent decides to raise all-in. His raise is not much more so I have to call. I still think I may have the best hand anyway. My opponent shows a 10-3 suited. I'm in the lead. The river offers no help to either of us. I knock out another player and pad my chip lead. Up to about 6,000 in chips.

I managed to build my stack up to about 8,200. I then made a move with a horrible hand. Two players limped in. Action is on me, and I have a 3-5 offsuit. I decide to raise it up and try to take the pot down right now. The big blind is $200 at this point, so I raise it up to $1,000 total. The first player who limped in calls. Flop comes nine high and I have not hand at all. I decide to represent an overpair and bet the flop. My opponent calls. The turn does not help at all. I bet again, and get called. The river comes up a J, and again, offers no help. With a 5 high, I decide I have to bet and put my opponent on a weak hand. After a short time deciding my opponent calls. He shows a J-8 offsuit. I lost about 2,000 in chips with a 5 high. However, I feel I played that hand perfectly. I also feel that my opponent played it horrible and was awarded for fishing. First, he calls a 1,000 raise with a J-8 offsuit. A horrible call as far a I'm concerned. Not only does this hand offer little value when a player raises, but I was playing pretty tight for a big stack and felt that my opponent should have put me on a big hand. Then, he calls a pot size bet on the flop with a Jack High, no pair, no draw. He gets a gut shot straight draw on the turn and calls another substantial bet. He gets a pair on the river. And was slow to call, so he may have thought I had a better Jack. But, he did call, which was a good decision. Still, I feel he played that hand very badly. In the long run, you will never survive long in a tournament calling a raise from the chip leader with a J-8 offsuit.

Let's fast forward here. I manage to get all the way to down to two players left. On the very first hand heads-up I get a Q-4 suited and decide to limp in. I was very close to raising pre-flop, just to establish that I will be playing aggressively. I'm glad I decided to just limp in. My opponent checks his option on the big blind. The flop comes Q-4-4. Wow, what a flop, and what? My opponent goes all-in first to act. I have 700 more chips than my opponent. I immediately call and figure he was on a total bluff betting that big with a pair on the board. I was wrong, He shows a 4-5 offsuit, and has trip fours. Wow, an unbelievable flop. I win the tournament on the very first hand heads-up.

I got very lucky at one point in this tournament when I sucked out to get a full house to beat my opponents set of treys. But, I played solid after that and made one bad mistake the whole time. I was also a substantial chip leader for the majority of the tournament. This let me steal some nice pots with nothing when I suspected my opponents were weak, and also let me wait for solid hands to play.

I received a coupon into the $250 + $25 Grand Final tournament on August 27th at Poker.com. This tournament will guarantee one seat into the WPT Borgata Poker Open $10,000 Main Event. So far, there are under 40 players entered in this tournament, and I suspect that this will only award one seat. However, it should be a very small field, and I feel I have a great chance at taking down the first place prize. I am hoping to turn my $2 investment into a huge $10,000 entry into a World Poker Tour Main Event. This would be an awesome accomplishment. Just getting an entry into this WPT Main Event could be a big step forward for my poker career.

I will be playing in some smaller buy-in tournaments and some small-stakes cash games more often to try and improve my reads and to see a lot of hands. I want to prepare a bit for this next tournament. Over the past few years, I have found myself in similar positions, in a tournament that will award a seat into a major tournament. I was in an event at PokerStars that paid the winner a $25,000 seat into the WPT Championship at Bellagio. Obviously, I failed to capture that prize. I also was in a Shootout tournament that awarded a $10,000 seat into the 2005 WSOP Main Event. I fell short in that tournament also.

I am really hoping to capitalize on this opportunity. I would love to get into a World Poker Tour event, especially one held at Borgata. I love Borgata. I stopped going to Tropicana shortly after Borgata was opened. I have not went to another casino since then. Borgata has changed Atlantic City for the better and is by far the best Hotel/Casino in town. Playing in a WPT Main Event at what I consider to be my "hometown casino" would be great. Well, I'm one step closer, and I intend to get really deep into this tournament, final table finish is almost a definite. I feel confident in my game and feel I have a great chance to win this tourney. I'm hoping this will payoff and will lead to much greater accomplishments later down the line.

So, I will continue to post about this quest I am on. Turning a $2 buy-in into a $275 entry is a great accomplishment in itself. I am quite confident I will represent myself very well in the Grand Final on August 27th. Wish me luck! Good Luck at the tables.

I may have to dip into my poker funds to pay for these appointments. Not what I really want to do, but I have put my health above my poker game. I may also be asking the person who has been staking me to help me through these times. Hopefully, they will agree that my health is of paramount concern and it will positively affect my game if I feel well.

I will continue to work with UltimatePokerForum.com, and I will be updating our site every day. UltimatePokerForum.com is one of the most important facets of my life, and as such, I will dedicate as much time as possible to keep it running smoothly.

I am faced with some tough decisions to make. I have been approached about playing in a $500 + $60 tournament at Borgata for the World Poker Tour 2006 Borgata Poker Open. Some friends of mine are participating in this event, and the person who stakes my game has expressed much interest in paying for my entry. I have not made a final decision just yet regarding this issue. This would be a great opportunity for me to prove myself in a larger buy-in tournament and against some stiffer competition. I most likely have to decline this offer. This is definitely not a good thing, but, as previously mentioned, I feel that my health should be the top priority at this time. There are times in your life that you are faced with very difficult decisions, and this is one of them for me.

On top of these issues, I am a bit of a scardy cat when it comes to the Dentist. I have some issues with staying calm and relaxed when getting dental work done. Although, the last time I had some work done, by this same dentist, everything went very well. So, I really can not complain. I will have to face this problem head on, and this will help me with other parts of my life - including my poker game.

I feel that many people do not like to go to the Dentist, but, life is not always a piece of cake, and you must do things that you really would rather not do. Facing your fears and confronting issues in your life will definitely help you to focus on what is important in life - family, friends, your health. There is not a whole lot more you can count on, and my family and friends have always been extremely supportive in anything I have done. I would like to thank all my family members for supporting me unconditionally throughout my life. They have been extremely helpful, and have always encouraged me to follow my heart and go with my dreams and aspirations.

So, I will be concentrating on getting my health back to normal, and will have to put playing poker on the back burner for a short period of time. There are going to be times that you will face setbacks to your poker game. This is one of these times for me. I will concentrate on getting back to feeling well, and then will go all out with my poker game once things are back to normal.

Ok, well, there's not much more I would like to say in regard to this matter at this time. I am always open to discussion and anyone who would like to comment on these situations, please feel free to post your thoughts on my blog, or contact me personally at admin@ultimatepokerforum.com.

Good Luck at the tables, everyone!

From what I see in many of the online poker rooms, most of the players are participating in small buy-in tournaments. The majority of online poker players like to play in tournaments. Small buy-in events offer a great way to learn how to play poker in a tournament structure. I believe that many players will often play different in these small buy-in no limit hold'em tournaments. There are several different strategies and tips that I would like to share that will help you to play better in these tournaments.

First, I feel that many players will take more risks and gamble more because they are only risking a minimum amount of money. Almost every poker player will play more aggressively in a small buy-in tournament in comparison to larger buy-ins. I will adjust my play according to how my opponents are playing. Many times there is a player who is involved in many pots and is raising often, so I will play more starting hands. Obviously, a player who is raising very often does not always have a strong starting hand. I will call a raise from this type of player with a hands such as J-10 offsuit of K-9. These are hand I would normally muck in response to a pre-flop raise. However, because a player is raising more often that normal, I will play these weaker hands simply because my opponent probably does not have a top hand such as A-K or a pair of Tens.

Read More of this Poker Strategy Article

So, I get to see the flop, and with this hand, I really don't want to see a Queen on the board, I'm looking for spades. The flop comes A-K-6 with two spades. I get the nut flush draw on the flop. A player before me bets the pot, which was about 100 in chips. I call. Two other players call. Turn comes up a a J of diamonds. The player to my right again bets, I decide to raise, representing a straight, and also to push the other players out of the pot. Two players to my left fold, the original bettor calls. River produces a 4 of spades, and I get my flush. I decide to push all-in, as I feel the player will call with a decent, but losing hand. The player calls my all in and shows a pair of Aces. I double up with an Ace high flush.

A couple of rounds later, I have about 2500 in chips, and two players limp in to my right. I get deal an A-10 offsuit, a hand I really don't like very much, it usually gets me in trouble. With only three players left to act, I decide to raise all-in and try to take down the pot right there. A player folds, the next player quickly calls. I say to myself, "I'm in bad shape." The small and big blind fold. The two limpers fold. I show my A-10 offsuit, my opponent shows an A-K offsuit. I'm in bad shape, just as I suspected. I plead for a ten before the flop, and get really lucky and spike a ten. Turn and river offers no help to my opponent and I double up to about 5,000 in chips with the worst hand. Sometimes you have to get lucky.

Another big hand. I get an A-Q offsuit with no one in the pot. I raise it up to three times the big blind, my standard raise. I like to raise the same amount every time relative to the blinds if I am first to act. This disguises my hands better. I do not raise real big with, let's say, a pair of Aces or Kings. I do not raise less if I have a weaker hand such as an A-Q or A-J. If I am the first one in the pot, and there are no limpers, I will raise the same amount every time. Three times the size of the big blind.

One player calls, another calls. Flop comes Q-10-6 rainbow. I decide to bet the pot. One player folds, another pushes all-in. I call. He shows a Q-J. Turn and river offer no help to the other player. Rebuy, sir.

Up to about 12,000 in chips a few rounds later. The rebuy period has completed. One player limps in under the gun for $200. I get dealt pocket jacks. I decide to push hard with my Jacks, to try and take down the pot right now. If the limper has a small ace or small pair, I'd like to push him out of the pot and take the pot down. I raise it up to $2,500. Everyone folds, and action is on the limper. He pauses and decides to call. Flop produces a 3-9-10. My opponent checks. With an overpair, I push all-in. The other player calls quickly. I must have been trapped. He turns over a 9-10 of clubs for two pair. I'm pretty far behind. The turn offers no help. The river put another three on the board. I get really lucky again, and take down the pot with two pair, Jacks and Threes.

Fast forward to the final table and I am the chip leader with abut 22,000 in chips. I decide to tighten up a bit, as there are about three pretty short stacks. They may call with a weaker hand than normal,  so I won't raise it up with short stacks in front of me with garbage. I also feel that with a pretty good chip lead, I can sit back and let other players get knocked out. I play only solid starting hands.

Three players get knocked out and we are down to 6 left. 6th place pays $5 cash, 3rd through 5th pays $11, and first and second place pays a $60 tournament coupon valid for any $55 + $5 tournament at Poker.com.

Down to five players left. I get a A-5 offsuit and decide to raise it up first to act. Everyone folds to the big blind who calls. Flop comes A-7-8. The player on the big blind checks. I decide to bet the pot. I get check raised. He makes it exactly twice the amount of my bet. This seems fishy to me. He seems to want me to call. As he called a decent raise out of position, I decide to throw away my pair of Aces. Perhaps he had a better kicker or two pair. Either way, I felt I was behind. My opponent mucks his hand. This put a pretty big dent in my stack and I went from chip leader to third place with five players left. Another player gets busted, down to 4 left.

First to act, the short stack moves all-in for about 3,500 total. I get dealt a K-7 of hearts. I decide that if I want to win this tournament, I have to gamble it up. I decide to call. The other player turns over an A-5 of diamonds. At least I have two live cards. Flop produces a King and the turn and river offer no help to the short stacked player. I knock out the short stack, and we're down to three.

I get deal an A-5 of spades. One player raises it up. I decide that four handed, I could possibly have the best hand preflop. I decide to move all-in. The original raiser calls quickly and show a pair of Queens. I'm way behind.  Flop produces an Ace. Turn and river offer no help to my opponent. I get lucky again and double up to gain the chip lead once again.

The next couple of rounds, not many flops were seen. When a player would raise, the other two opponents would fold. On one hand, I am on the big blind and get dealt a pocket pair of Queens. This is one of my favorite hands. Queens and Ace-King suited are probably my top hands after Aces, of course. Any one who tells you that they want a hand other than Aces preflop is simply not telling the truth, I believe. Yeah, we all have favorite hands, but I think almost every solid poker player will tell you that they will take pocket Aces preflop anytime.

Back to the Queens. The player on the button raises it up, the small blind folds. I decide to move all-in. I'll take the pot right now, as there is a decent amount in there preflop. And if he calls, I probably have the best hand anyway. After a typing "F****CK, the player on the button who raised folds. I decide to show my pocket Queens. Let him know I'm playing solid hands and not making a move on him.

The very next hand I get dealt pocket Queens again. Now, on the button, I raise three times the big blind. Both players fold, I show my second pair of Queens in two hands.

I took down another pot with a preflop raise holding Ace King a few hands later. Nice rush of good cards.

On the button, I fold a garbage hand. The player on the short stack, and on the small blind, raises all-in. The player on the big blind calls and shows a pocket pair of Jacks. The short stack shows an Ace-Nine suited. Flop offers no help, turn and river are no help to the short stack either. The tournament is virtually over as the top two get the $60 tournament coupon. We both play all-in every hand to get the tournament over. On the last hand, I had a bit less than my opponent and get dealt an Ace-five of diamonds. I decide to move all-in again. I get a call from a 6-8 of spades. Flop helps no one, turn no help. The river produces an 8 and I get rivered and finish in second place. As far as I am concerned this was a win.

I played in this $2 rebuy satellite to try and win a seat into the World Poker Tour Borgata Open to be held in September. Next tournament is a satellite into the $275 Buy-in Borgata Grand Final. One seat into the Borgata Poker Open will be guaranteed, an the prize is worth $12,500. Any additional prize money will award another seat if a total of $25,000 is in the prize pool. Most likely, this will only award one seat. I am not sure when I will play in the $55 + $5 satellite, but I will post an update when I have finished participating in that tournament.

I am thinking about entering a satellite tournament when I go down to "The Shore." This tournament has a $200 + $30 buy-in and 1 out of every five players will receive an entry into a $1000 satellite. The $1,000 Satellite will award 1 prize package for every 50 players entered. This is a fantastic satellite tournament. The prize package awards 5 World Poker Tour Main Event entries including the Borgata Poker Open. This is one of the biggest satellites I have seen around in a while. I'm hoping I can work out a way to get into the $200 satellite.

I may also play some No-Limit Hold'em cash games, most likely a $1/$2 game or maybe a bit higher. I have only played Limit Hold'em so far in cash games. Personally, I really don't like Limit Hold'em. It is a totally different game from No Limit. Although I have done pretty good, I would rather play No Limit as this is by far my best game. I am also pretty strong at Seven Card Stud, it would be pretty cool to check out a Stud game too.

I am also going to play in the World Championship of Online Poker at Poker Stars. I cashed in a $300 buy-in NL Hold'em rebuy event a couple of years ago in this tournament, and would love to give it another shot. I am going to also enter the $10,000 Guaranteed at Poker.com as I have a  free seat I won during a July Freeroll Tournament hosted by UltimatePokerForum.com. I am hoping to find some time to play a decent amount of poker this weekend and play some solid poker.

The other player has less chips than me but makes the call. The flop comes 3-5-K with two clubs. Looks like a pretty nice flop for pocket Jacks. Only one overcard on the board. I decide that I have to bet. The player only has 540 chips left and the pot is worth over 1,100. I bet 500. After a brief pause, the other player calls and shows pocket eights. The turn and river offer no help to my opponent and I collect a monster pot. I was the chip leader at one point.

I played relatively loose for the next few rounds and lost some chips playing some mediocre hands. I also lost a decent amount of my stack raising it up in early position with an A-10 suited. I got re-raised all-in by another player and decided that my Ace-Ten was probably no good. I lost about one fifth of my stack on that hand. I actually should have either limped in or mucked that hand instead or raise. Your Ace gets better based on position, so in early position an Ace-Ten is not so strong in a ten player per table tournament. Also, it makes it a very difficult decision if you get re-raised with this hand as it is not too bad, but is not very strong either. Later in the tournament I mucked an A-10 in early position and it paid off.

With about 22 players left I was short-stacked and was dealt A-J offsuit on the small blind. The blinds were 200/400 and I had approximately 2000 in chips. Everyone folds to a short stack before the button who quickly moves all-in. The other players fold to me and I decide to call for about another 800 in chips. The other player shows an A-8 suited in diamonds. Flop comes 2-7-J with no diamonds. I am in great shape. The turn and river offer no help to my opponent and I just about double my stack.

Down to the Final Table with ten players left and I am in 9th place in chips. With a stack less than ten times the big blind, I decide I only want to move-in with a hand that is above average. I fold a few mediocre hands and lose some more chips to raises while on the blinds.  A player with a large stack in early position raises. This player was raising with a lot of starting hands, so I put him on a pretty weak hand. I was dealt an A-Q offsuit and decide to move all-in with what I believe is the best hand. The other player calls and show 8-10 of hearts. Flop comes 6-Q-7 with two spades. I get top pair with an Ace kicker, my opponent has a gut-shot straight draw. The turn produces another spade so I have a flush draw with my pair now. The river puts up a nine of spades. For a split second I thought I was busted, but then realized I hit a Queen high flush.

A couple of players get busted out and I am now the short stack once again with 7 players remaining. With the blinds now up to 400/800 I decide that with about 4000 in chips that I have to move-in with hands that are mediocre and hope my solid image will let me steal some blinds. I get dealt pocket threes and decide to move all-in. After a long pause the player on the big blind calls with an A-5 of diamonds. The flop comes 3-4-5 rainbow. I flop trips, my opponent get a pair of fives with a gut-shot straight draw. Turn doesn't help anyone. The river puts a 5 on the board and I double up to about 8000 with a Full House.

I am still relatively short stacked. With the blinds going up to 500/1000, I still have less than ten times the big blind. I decide to tighten up a bit and only raise with solid hands. So, I was folding quite often. In the meantime, other players with larger stacks were busting out. I managed to get all the way to third place and was the short stack just about the whole time. My tight, patient play paid off.

Down to three players, and I have to loosen up a lot now. I get dealt a bunch of really ugly cards and decide that I shouldn't make any stupid moves with such bad cards. I was getting blinded off pretty quick. I got some chips re-raising on the big blind with a K-7 offsuit, after the small blind raised. I decided that I was not going to be pushed around all night and also though my opponent had a pretty weak hand. He did and said "I was afraid you were going to do that" and folded.

I get dealt a Q-J offsuit on the button and decide to move all-in. The player on the small blind folds, the big blind calls. My opponent shows an A-8 suited. The flop doesn't help either of us and I'm about a three to one underdog with two cards left to come. I improve a bit with a gut-shot straight draw on the turn. I need a Queen, Jack or a Nine to win. The river comes up blank for me and I go out in 3rd place out of 62 entrants.

I played pretty solid and only made a few small mistakes which did not severely effect my stack. I have to push more often pre-flop when I have a lot of chips earlier in tournaments relative to the other players at my table. I need to open pots with raises more often with less than spectacular hands and play the flop as well as I can. I believe I am pretty solid after the flop, and can get some decent amount of chips if I play a bit looser and raise first in with mediocre hands. I will try to adjust my play and learn to play more aggressively pre-flop when I have a bunch of chips. That will be one of my goals over the next few weeks. I hope to improve my game by adjusting my play based upon my stack and the stacks of my opponents. Try to capitalize on being a large stack at the table.

I will start playing in some higher buy-in tournaments, and have been doing well at the small stakes No Limit games, so, I will play some higher stakes NL Hold'em cash games. I also hope to find some time to play in some of the Poker.com World Poker Tour Satellites. I am planning on heading down to Atlantic City some time in August. I'll definitely play some tournaments there.

I will also be hosting a private tournament at Poker.com on July 30th at 8:00 PM EST. There will be a $3 buy-in and you will need to join the Poker Forum to get the password. Feel free to join in and I hope to see some of my readers at the tables.