Thoughts on Tonight's WPT Event

First off, I got the privilege of seeing myself on TV a few times on last night's broadcast so wahoo!!

I was a little stunned on the editing of the show. First off, that Jonas Normmas played very weak throughout most of the broadcast and the only time they showed his lack of skills was when he did a string bet, in which he did multiple times throughout the broadcast (hint to why Jason was throwing a fit the only time they showed him doing this). Jonas, besides Tom, was probably the tightest player at the table and many times when he raised, he would get re-popped and then fold (also known as my man "Phil Hellmuth-poker" as he quoted during a PokerSuperstars tourny). They said that Normmas was the $6 man, for winning multiple satellites and reaching this event and saying this was his 2nd live tourny. The build him up as a Cinderella but he was more like Humpty-Dumpty ready to fall off the wall.

They called Tom "TheDonkey" because last year's champion Arnold Spee dawned the nickname to him. However, I thought Tom's play was fairly well and that the name should have been given to one Michael Simon. Did you see this guy's $600K with KQo raise with the blinds being 40K and 80K and Greg "FBT" Mueller picked him off with A8 and got rewarded with a first-class ticket to the rail?! There was a hand I recall that happened earlier that wasn't broadcasted on TV between Simon and Mueller when the blinds where very small (30K and 60K I believe) where Simon raises allin UTG PF for a little over a million total. Only Stern has him covered and he folds and so does everyone else. Mueller is in the BB w/AK and has about 700TC and calls and surprisingly Mueller doubles up b/c Simon was known for winning when only having 3 outs. This put Simon on the short-stack but then he'd win literally every all-in he'd play from there.

How about Jason Stern?! When I first saw him before the tourny and his chip stack, I didn't think he could pull this out. And how about all the times he kept on getting pocket Kings?! Wowzers! When I saw him play so aggressive after all these raises in person, I thought that this guy had some big cajones. I couldn't believe when seeing the broadcast on The Travel Channel that he had Kings all these times. Well, this still made me think he was playing extremely well. When it got to headsup between him and Simon, Jason definitely had this won. Jason won so many little pots with 5-high, 8-high, and so on. Despite his 2-7o debacle, Jason gets Simon in a dream position where Stern has about a 4-1 chip lead and gets the AKs of hearts vs. Simon's K6o. Flop came 4-5-7 all spades and now I get to see Stern's priceless emotions close-up. River a useless 10 but the river was a 6 to pair "The Donkey" Simon.

Here a HUUUGGGEEE headsup hand that was NOT on TV where Jason is probably ahead of Simon by a million chips. I am shocked this one wasn't on TV but if you listen to Mike Sexton's postgame interview with Simon, he says something in the likes of "those were probably the most back-to-back beats he had witnessed on the WPT", this was the other hand he meant. Simon is on the button with J-10o and raises. Stern re-raises all-in with a Q-J and Simon calls. Again, Stern has Simon in a dream position (or should I say Simon has him in a dream position being a huge dog) and the 10 flops and there's no help for Stern and now Simon is the 4.5-1 favorite in chips.

Was happy to be apart of the final tapping and enjoyed seeing these guy's cards. From watching the broadcast on TV, I picked up a tell on Stern. Did you guy's notice that whenever he went for the sip of water, he was weak...? Use this tip; if you're playin against him one day (I'm sure we'll see his face again, lots of skill), it could have you thousands of chippies.

Hope you enjoyed reading/skimming through my post.

The Heat is on...

How appropriately titled is this anticipated entry for my fellow blog readers (probably 8 of you ;-D). The first day of summer, Mark Cuban's tantrums costing him a cool $250K, and the Miami Heat are somehow the NBA champions after Shaq's spectacular 9 point game. I tell ya something. Dwayne Wade played just like MJ. Playing sick didn't even stop him as he was the undestructable phenom. If it weren't for him, they don't get past my Pistons, and they would be out in 5 games vs. the Mavs. I tell ya what though. This has gotta be the biggest choke EVER in playoff history; even more than our beloved Blazer's choke of Game 7 vs. the Lakers back in 2001. The Mavs literally where up 3-0 (or 2.87 games to 0) when leading by 13 with six and a half to go and Game 3 and it went down the toilet from there. Sure, I thought the refs where conspired to help the Heat in all the games, but last night, the Mavs struggled like a fat kid in PE class. After blowing a 14 point lead in Game 6, the Heat comeback and never trail again as they (or should I say Dwayne Wade) take 'er down. I am happy that GP (Gary Payton) finally got his ring but am pissed that Zo' Mourning (who I've always thought to be overrated) and bum and former Blazer Derek Anderson now also have 1 championship to their name.

Enough of the NBA. Tonight marks the premiere of the televised WPT World Poker Challenge that I played in and attended the final table. I was pretty animated and wild throughout the big hands so look for yours truely on TV. I even still remember all the big hands that happened, even the 1 being advertised on TV (spoiler coming up so stop reading if you don't want to be spoiled) where Jonas (the guy with the huge sunglasses and weak play) puts it all in w/an AJ vs. Jason Stern's (who probably deserved to win this whole thing if he could only win the hands where he was a 3-1 favorite or better) pocket Kings. You guessed it... ace on flop but thats not all. You are gonna have to watch the HU match to see how brutal of the beats that this man takes. Let's say it'll make Tuan Le proud.

Done w/Finals.. Time for Some Mo' Pokah

The title of this says it all, although in about 9 days, I'll be taking a real estate class instructed by some of Donald Trump's finest employees. I sure hope this works out for me as they said, "If you can't get rich with the help of the Donald, then there's no hope for ya." It will be a 2-day class seminar on Sat June 24 to Sunday the 25th from "Dolly Parton" 9-5 as Vince Van Patten always says with this hand.

I recently just got some mo' pokah gear. I just receive at College Poker Championship hat, shirt, and sweater in the mail yesterday. Looks GQ... well maybe that extreme but I likey. I would like to thank RVP and the CPC for putting these tournaments together and for sending me this swag despite my unimpressive 34th place or so finish in the finale.

Ok, enough of the yappin'! Time fo' some action!

Joe Rogan Throws Down

It's been a while, bad luck at the e-felts so I won't ramble about that. Imagine that: finals week and ol' Joey fits time in the week to play pokah.

I just checked out one of the sickest (if not the sickest) tag team matches ever from TNA's Turning Point 2004 that featured America's Most Wanted's (AMW) "Wildcat" Chris Harris and "Cowboy" James Storm vs. the now defunct Triple X tag team of "Prime Time" Elix Skipper and "The Fallen Angel" Christopher Daniels. Within the 1st 3 mins or so of the match, Daniel's gets busted open from gettin' darted into the cage and continues to work (close to 20 min match). If you guys aren't the wrasslin' fans, you gotta check this match out. Nineteen minute mark spots Elix's monsterous and unbelievable Hurricanrana from the top of the cage and that's followed by the ginormous quad suplex.

Speakin of wrasslin, UFC Commentator and Fear Factor host Joe Rogan had a pretty good battle on his reality show. One of the contestants (from The Amazing Race) got into a fight after his wife punched Survivor heel (and my personal fav Survivor) Johnny Fairplay. Of all people to defend, Joe defends Johnny and gets into her face only to have that a-hold Amazing Race guy come in and Joe handles his own and gives him what looked like to be a front tranchea (headlock)! Boy, I would have liked to be the ref in that match or in the demolition derby stunt and run that clown over. Don't mess with Joe!!

Phil Hellmuth vs. Randy Savage... Let's get Ready to RUUUMMBBLLEEE!!!

http://www.powerwrestling.com/news/board.php?Show=2537

"A professional poker player by the name of Phil Hellmuth did an interview on Sirius Satellite Radio earlier today. He said that he will be on the next season of VH1's Surreal Life along with Playboy Playmate Tina Jordan, rock musician Peter Steel, and "Macho Man" Randy Savage. At the moment, there is no word yet as to when the new season will kick off."

In this corner, from Sarasota, Florida... weighing in at 230 pds... "The Macho Man" Raaaaaandddyyy Savaaagggeee!!



O boy!! The last time I saw the Madness of the "Macho Man" Randy Savage was in was in the good ol' WCW days when he was part of the one-time most dominate group in wrasslin: the nWo. O wait, Savage was Bonesaw in the Spiderman movie. Man he was still ripped in the movie. I hope he ain't takin the juice if ya know what I mean. I missed his 1 day stint in TNA (b/c it was PPV) and do not recall the grey-bearded Savage pic I've recently seen of the Mach'. Though I am not a big fan of the Surreal Life show, I know that the past couple seasons have included ex-pro wrasslers like Chyna (yikes) and this season Maven. Not a fan of both of these ex-stars, but am actually looking forward to seeing Hellmuth and Savage with Playboy bunny Tina Jordan as the ref inside the 6 sides of steel baby!! Let's get ready to suck it... Well wrong line here but hey, it looks like D-Generation X could be making a comeback with HBK and HHH taking on The McMahons and/or The Spirit Squad.

On a downer note, my Pistons have been blown away by the ever powerful D-Wade and Shaq's body odor and Heat. Here are the great 8 things I'll miss in the NBA Finals:

- Sheed taunting refs after picking up fouls he though he didn't commit.
- Sheed getting technicals that would not be called on other players, thus causing a blowup.
- Sheed getting tossed out of a Game 3 or Game 4. Sheed flings headband and starts arguing with Dallas (yeah I said Dallas) fans.
- Sheed's post game rants/interviews. Sheed then guaran-sheed's victory next game
- Pistons PA announcer Mason introducing the team. Only in the Finals is where they show the intros of the team and there ain't none betta than Mason dammit!
- Mason saying, "Ba-ba-ba-ba-ba Ben...!" (just wish he could shot a damn free throw)
- Mason saying, "Chaun-cey... Ba-ba-ba-ba-ba!"
- Mason saying, "Pistons basketball on the da side-lin!'
- And of course, Mason's, "DEEETROOIITT BASKETBAAALLL!!!