 |  |  |  |  |
| Daniel Negreanu's Poker Blog Fantasy Football, Online Poker, and Bloggin' Negreanu also speaks about the WPT lawsuit. |
| Fantasy Football, Online Poker, and Bloggin' |
| Daniel Negreanu's Poker Blog |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
August 14th, 2006
First, to fantasy football. I am in a league that I've been in for a couple of
years and spent very little time on it this year, but still, I think I came out ok.
It's a 12 team league that's played head-to-head, starting a QB, RB, RB, WR,
WR, TE, W/T, K, DEF, and you also get five bench players.
More fun than just your ordinary draft, we also do an auction where each
player has a salary cap of 100 to spend on their entire team. Highest bidder,
gets the player.
This year we had a new record, as running back Larry Johnson went for a
whopping 50! Here's what my team looks like, as well as what I spent on
them:
QB: Dante Culpepper, Mia. 6
RB: Brian Westbrook, Phil. 19
RB: Willis Magahee, Buf. 15
WR: Anquin Boldin, Pho. 17
WR: Plaxico Burress, NYG. 14
W/T: Chris Chambers, Mia. 12
TE: Jeremy Shockey, NYG. 7
K: Josh Brown, Sea. 1
DEF: Tampa Bay 1
Res: QB Joey Harrington, Mia. 1
Res: RB Deshaun Foster, Car. 4
Res: WR Kevin Curtis, Stl. 1
Res: WR Carlos Rogers, Det. 1
Res: Kevin Barlow, SF. 1
Harrington was kind of a silly pick and I plan on dumping him in favor of
another running back. Originally I just picked him up early as a backup for
Culpepper, but I can get something way better on waivers for sure.
In this league, we also have my agent, Brian Balsbaugh, Erick Lindgren, Josh
Arieh, Gavin Smith, and several of the "Keikwons." I think it's just two of them
but there are so many I often lose track.
Thee entry fee is like $200, but I already have close to $100,000 in side bets
on this season. My team looks a lot more like the 12-3 team I put on the field
two years ago when the most I spent on any one player was 18, and that
was Ahman Green, who had an awesome year.
This year, I'm depending pretty heavily on Miami to do well and I like their
chances due to the weak schedule they'll face. Also of note, in our league,
receptions are worth a little more, so a back like Westbrook could be really
solid.
*************************************************************
FCP Heads Up League: My Cheap Thieves got a bye in the first week, and in
week two we face off against the HC Dukes with a 1-0 lead in a best of five
series.
In game one, I basically bluffed off my chips to make it an even 1-1 series. I
won game #3 quickly, when my set of fives held off the Ad 10h on a flop of
10d 5d 3d. In game #4, I was up 2500-500 and then it was just river city
from there on in. I ended up losing game #4 and we were set to play the
deciding game when we had a software issue. The private tables weren't
functioning properly so we'll have to play game #5 sometime tomorrow when
the problem is fixed.
*************************************************************
Online Poker: Been playing a lot at FCP recently, mostly in the $50-$100 NL
game. Frankly, I'm enjoying it and the game is much better than I would have
thought. There are tons of high limit games being played online these days,
but so far, the "vultures" have stayed away from this game which works for
me!
I'm probably up about $40,000 this week, but I'll have to check my session
browser to make sure.
*************************************************************
E-DOG's Birthday: Lots of fun. Always a good time, especially when Saki is
thrown into the mix. Saki has a way of making everybody laugh at the
dumbest jokes ever.
*************************************************************
Video Blog Update: It's not gone people, it's just on a mini hiatus until we
figure out a few things. The eventual plan is to offer both the written blog, as
well as the video blog. If you missed any of the video blogs, or the written
ones, all of the archives can be found at www.fullcontactpoker.com.
*************************************************************
Protégé 2 Update: If you've been living under a rock then you may have
missed out on the fact that qualifying for Protégé 2 is underway. Brian Fidler's
reign as the first ever Protégé is now over, and the new Protégé will be
crowned sometime in January. Check FCP for details on how to qualify.
*************************************************************
Behavioral Profiling: It is hardly a coincidence that the safest airport in the
world is in Israel. Their intelligence has been way ahead of the terrorists for
quite some time, and I think it's about time for the U.S. to stop worrying so
much about 'political correctness" and start implementing airport security
systems that look more like those of the Israeli's.
If you are a 26 year old male and your name is Mohammed Ali Akbar, and you
show up at the airport unshaven, with bloodshot eyes, and a crazed look on
your face, you should simply expect the inconvenience of having your bags
checked as well as having to answer a few questions. No strip search, no
infringement of your rights, just a thorough investigation. That should be the
norm, and airport security should have the right to question ANY suspicious
looking people at the airport.
In Israel, once you set foot in the airport you are being monitored, regardless
of your race or gender. They look for specific behavioral patterns that may
lead them to believe you could be a terrorist.
As we have it now, people are throwing away their perfumes and breast milk,
being "randomly" and being searched if they fly one way, change their flight,
or pay cash. That's not good enough man, not at all.
Last time I got on a plane there were two dudes sitting near the front of the
airplane. Combined, they had two eyebrows, and looked like absolute
nutcases. They were probably two normal dudes, but man, I would have felt
a lot more comfortable if their bags were searched instead of airport security
spending all of their time looking through a six year old girl's Hello Kitty
knapsack.
Obviously terrorists might use a young girl like that to get by security, but it's
less likely. The bottom line is, this country needs to learn from Israel, and
fast. Behavioral profiling is a method that has proven to work, and it is NOT
racially motivated, although obviously Muslims would likely be targeted for
searches more often than others. I don't think that's a crime, provided the
search is done without convicting the person prematurely.
*************************************************************
WPT Lawsuit: What would a blog be without a few more random comments
about the WPT lawsuit being filed by seven poker players? I've added my two
cents several times, and here is two more cents (I'm probably up to $1.75 by
now):
Rather than having seven players sue the WPT, it would have been much
more effective to have WPA (World Poker Association, a new players group)
players decide to boycott any WPT events unless certain changes were made.
A lawsuit isn't the answer. A large group of players, say, 500 to 1000, have a
lot of leverage. If that group of 500 to 1000 players decided to boycott WPT
events, that would totally force their hand.
This lawsuit will be buried for years and years. No result will come about for
quite a long time. Had the seven players changed their focus from suing for
monetary damages for THEM, to thinking about poker's best interest, it is my
opinion, that they'd be much more likely to see the changes they are hoping
for. As it stands, they'll get no result for a long, long, time. If they happen to
lose the case, wow, that could give the WPT and WSOP even more power
than they already have.
One more thing: some of the players claim that the WPT HAS used their name
and/or likeness inappropriately. The example they often use, is that the WPT
poker video games has clips of their show in the game. In those clips, are the
images of the players.
Now, I'm not talking about avatars, nor am I talking about any clips with the
players saying anything like, "I love this game." They are simply using clips
from their poker show (which they own) as part of the overall package. They
should have every right to do that.
In none of the clips, do any of the players give the game, or the WPT an
endorsement. Why shouldn't they have the right to do that? They own that
footage, and as long as they aren't falsely making it look like those players
are endorsing the product, the players should have no problem with that.
The WPT has NEVER used a player's name and likeness to falsely endorse a
product.
*************************************************************
24: I'm back on the addiction, watching season two of the hit show 24 with
Jack Bauer and co. Yesterday I watched from 8:00am to 1:00am and was
totally addicted the whole way. Man, what quality television!
*************************************************************
Golf: Because of my addiction to 24 I haven't been waking up early enough to
golf. Tomorrow is Monday, meaning that my private course is closed, so we
may head out to Shadow Creek for a round. Before that, I have an interview
at noon.
*************************************************************
Plans for the Week: Not really sure yet. I KNOW I have a ton of writing to do
and I also have 7 more hours of 24 to watch. I'll also be golfing, and probably
playing online a bit too.
For those of you who don't know, I play exclusively at
www.fullcontactpoker.com and I plan on playing even more this week. To find
out when and where I'm playing you'll have to check out the General Forum
and look for a post from me.
As for the big game, I probably won't be playing in the game any time soon.
In my last play, before the main event at the WSOP, I lost over a million in
one play, and that took up a significant part of my playing bankroll. I have no
plans of going broke any time soon, and it's not all that hard to lose a couple
million straight playing at those stakes.
On that note, Jack Bauer is really close to stopping a nuclear war, and I need
to find out if Sayed Ali was telling the truth...
Read More Entries from Daniel Negreanu's Poker Blog
First, to fantasy football. I am in a league that I've been in for a couple of
years and spent very little time on it this year, but still, I think I came out ok.
It's a 12 team league that's played head-to-head, starting a QB, RB, RB, WR,
WR, TE, W/T, K, DEF, and you also get five bench players.
More fun than just your ordinary draft, we also do an auction where each
player has a salary cap of 100 to spend on their entire team. Highest bidder,
gets the player.
This year we had a new record, as running back Larry Johnson went for a
whopping 50! Here's what my team looks like, as well as what I spent on
them:
QB: Dante Culpepper, Mia. 6
RB: Brian Westbrook, Phil. 19
RB: Willis Magahee, Buf. 15
WR: Anquin Boldin, Pho. 17
WR: Plaxico Burress, NYG. 14
W/T: Chris Chambers, Mia. 12
TE: Jeremy Shockey, NYG. 7
K: Josh Brown, Sea. 1
DEF: Tampa Bay 1
Res: QB Joey Harrington, Mia. 1
Res: RB Deshaun Foster, Car. 4
Res: WR Kevin Curtis, Stl. 1
Res: WR Carlos Rogers, Det. 1
Res: Kevin Barlow, SF. 1
Harrington was kind of a silly pick and I plan on dumping him in favor of
another running back. Originally I just picked him up early as a backup for
Culpepper, but I can get something way better on waivers for sure.
In this league, we also have my agent, Brian Balsbaugh, Erick Lindgren, Josh
Arieh, Gavin Smith, and several of the "Keikwons." I think it's just two of them
but there are so many I often lose track.
Thee entry fee is like $200, but I already have close to $100,000 in side bets
on this season. My team looks a lot more like the 12-3 team I put on the field
two years ago when the most I spent on any one player was 18, and that
was Ahman Green, who had an awesome year.
This year, I'm depending pretty heavily on Miami to do well and I like their
chances due to the weak schedule they'll face. Also of note, in our league,
receptions are worth a little more, so a back like Westbrook could be really
solid.
*************************************************************
FCP Heads Up League: My Cheap Thieves got a bye in the first week, and in
week two we face off against the HC Dukes with a 1-0 lead in a best of five
series.
In game one, I basically bluffed off my chips to make it an even 1-1 series. I
won game #3 quickly, when my set of fives held off the Ad 10h on a flop of
10d 5d 3d. In game #4, I was up 2500-500 and then it was just river city
from there on in. I ended up losing game #4 and we were set to play the
deciding game when we had a software issue. The private tables weren't
functioning properly so we'll have to play game #5 sometime tomorrow when
the problem is fixed.
*************************************************************
Online Poker: Been playing a lot at FCP recently, mostly in the $50-$100 NL
game. Frankly, I'm enjoying it and the game is much better than I would have
thought. There are tons of high limit games being played online these days,
but so far, the "vultures" have stayed away from this game which works for
me!
I'm probably up about $40,000 this week, but I'll have to check my session
browser to make sure.
*************************************************************
E-DOG's Birthday: Lots of fun. Always a good time, especially when Saki is
thrown into the mix. Saki has a way of making everybody laugh at the
dumbest jokes ever.
*************************************************************
Video Blog Update: It's not gone people, it's just on a mini hiatus until we
figure out a few things. The eventual plan is to offer both the written blog, as
well as the video blog. If you missed any of the video blogs, or the written
ones, all of the archives can be found at www.fullcontactpoker.com.
*************************************************************
Protégé 2 Update: If you've been living under a rock then you may have
missed out on the fact that qualifying for Protégé 2 is underway. Brian Fidler's
reign as the first ever Protégé is now over, and the new Protégé will be
crowned sometime in January. Check FCP for details on how to qualify.
*************************************************************
Behavioral Profiling: It is hardly a coincidence that the safest airport in the
world is in Israel. Their intelligence has been way ahead of the terrorists for
quite some time, and I think it's about time for the U.S. to stop worrying so
much about 'political correctness" and start implementing airport security
systems that look more like those of the Israeli's.
If you are a 26 year old male and your name is Mohammed Ali Akbar, and you
show up at the airport unshaven, with bloodshot eyes, and a crazed look on
your face, you should simply expect the inconvenience of having your bags
checked as well as having to answer a few questions. No strip search, no
infringement of your rights, just a thorough investigation. That should be the
norm, and airport security should have the right to question ANY suspicious
looking people at the airport.
In Israel, once you set foot in the airport you are being monitored, regardless
of your race or gender. They look for specific behavioral patterns that may
lead them to believe you could be a terrorist.
As we have it now, people are throwing away their perfumes and breast milk,
being "randomly" and being searched if they fly one way, change their flight,
or pay cash. That's not good enough man, not at all.
Last time I got on a plane there were two dudes sitting near the front of the
airplane. Combined, they had two eyebrows, and looked like absolute
nutcases. They were probably two normal dudes, but man, I would have felt
a lot more comfortable if their bags were searched instead of airport security
spending all of their time looking through a six year old girl's Hello Kitty
knapsack.
Obviously terrorists might use a young girl like that to get by security, but it's
less likely. The bottom line is, this country needs to learn from Israel, and
fast. Behavioral profiling is a method that has proven to work, and it is NOT
racially motivated, although obviously Muslims would likely be targeted for
searches more often than others. I don't think that's a crime, provided the
search is done without convicting the person prematurely.
*************************************************************
WPT Lawsuit: What would a blog be without a few more random comments
about the WPT lawsuit being filed by seven poker players? I've added my two
cents several times, and here is two more cents (I'm probably up to $1.75 by
now):
Rather than having seven players sue the WPT, it would have been much
more effective to have WPA (World Poker Association, a new players group)
players decide to boycott any WPT events unless certain changes were made.
A lawsuit isn't the answer. A large group of players, say, 500 to 1000, have a
lot of leverage. If that group of 500 to 1000 players decided to boycott WPT
events, that would totally force their hand.
This lawsuit will be buried for years and years. No result will come about for
quite a long time. Had the seven players changed their focus from suing for
monetary damages for THEM, to thinking about poker's best interest, it is my
opinion, that they'd be much more likely to see the changes they are hoping
for. As it stands, they'll get no result for a long, long, time. If they happen to
lose the case, wow, that could give the WPT and WSOP even more power
than they already have.
One more thing: some of the players claim that the WPT HAS used their name
and/or likeness inappropriately. The example they often use, is that the WPT
poker video games has clips of their show in the game. In those clips, are the
images of the players.
Now, I'm not talking about avatars, nor am I talking about any clips with the
players saying anything like, "I love this game." They are simply using clips
from their poker show (which they own) as part of the overall package. They
should have every right to do that.
In none of the clips, do any of the players give the game, or the WPT an
endorsement. Why shouldn't they have the right to do that? They own that
footage, and as long as they aren't falsely making it look like those players
are endorsing the product, the players should have no problem with that.
The WPT has NEVER used a player's name and likeness to falsely endorse a
product.
*************************************************************
24: I'm back on the addiction, watching season two of the hit show 24 with
Jack Bauer and co. Yesterday I watched from 8:00am to 1:00am and was
totally addicted the whole way. Man, what quality television!
*************************************************************
Golf: Because of my addiction to 24 I haven't been waking up early enough to
golf. Tomorrow is Monday, meaning that my private course is closed, so we
may head out to Shadow Creek for a round. Before that, I have an interview
at noon.
*************************************************************
Plans for the Week: Not really sure yet. I KNOW I have a ton of writing to do
and I also have 7 more hours of 24 to watch. I'll also be golfing, and probably
playing online a bit too.
For those of you who don't know, I play exclusively at
www.fullcontactpoker.com and I plan on playing even more this week. To find
out when and where I'm playing you'll have to check out the General Forum
and look for a post from me.
As for the big game, I probably won't be playing in the game any time soon.
In my last play, before the main event at the WSOP, I lost over a million in
one play, and that took up a significant part of my playing bankroll. I have no
plans of going broke any time soon, and it's not all that hard to lose a couple
million straight playing at those stakes.
On that note, Jack Bauer is really close to stopping a nuclear war, and I need
to find out if Sayed Ali was telling the truth...
Read More Entries from Daniel Negreanu's Poker Blog
 |
| |
|
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
 | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  |
 | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  |
| UltimatePokerForum.com The Ultimate Poker Site |
