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Throwing Up Bricks

info@www.Pokerlistings.com — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 22:30:11 +0100

Well the BCPC has come and gone and I bricked all three events.

Can't really complain too much, I feel I played some of my best poker. I really made only one real mistake in all three tournaments.

If there was one theme throughout the tournaments it was that I run bad with table draws.

I already wrote how I had bracelet winner Robert Cheung and several other competent players at my table in the $550.

In the $1100 I had none other than WPT winner Mike "Sirwatts" Watson directly on my left as well as three traveling CPT pros and as it turns out a guy I've played several thousand hands with online.

Amazingly I did well enough chipping up mostly without showdown. I also ended up flatting AA to a single raise in late position two different times with the hopes a short stack would squeeze over top. Sure enough they did and I held both times.

Near the end of day one I made my only real mistake of the tournament. I had a good player raise in the cut-off and I three-bet him with K8s.

A player who just moved to our table in the small blind cold calls and the original raiser folds.

The board comes Q 4 7 and the small blind checks and I end up c-betting thinking that live players have AK here a lot.

Which in retrospect is pretty awful, I'm basically hoping he has one single hand and ignoring his whole range. The right play is obviously checking back and giving up.

Anyways he shoves, I obv fold and he slams KK down face up. UPS.

Still, I ended up going into day two with almost twice the average stack (I think around 50ishbb).

But that wouldn't last. I had the chip leader of the tournament on my left and he elected to flat or three-bet every one of my opens.

I ended up losing a decent size flip and was left with 10 bb two hours into day two. I shove Ats in the cut-off and the button snaps KK and I'm out 78th with 63 paying.

Which leaves all my run good for the $2,700 right? Wrong.

I get to my table and hear the three guys on my right talking in familiar internet jargon.

Uh oh, this is a bad start already.

The guy directly to my right is an online MTT player who's talking with both guys on his right about the upcoming PCA.

Turns out the guy on his right is a $25/$50 reg on ipoker and the guy on his right is none other then #1 pocket fives ranked NeverScaredB. (who might I add runs like god).

The rest of the table wasn't any easier with only one soft spot. And sure enough when he busted there were no soft spots.

We also got another top 10 player on pocket fives moved to our table throughout the day as well as the guy who came second last year to Daniel Negreanu.

Bitching and moaning aside I wasted all of my run good in the first level.

In one hour I got KK three times as well as AA. Obv every single time I pick up the blinds.

By dinner I had chipped up at this very tough table to 25,000 which was almost double the 15,000 starting stack.

Shortly after dinner I play the only real interesting hand of the tournament.

I'm sitting on about $27,000 chips. NeverScaredB covers and has been playing super aggro.

Three hands ago the $25/$50 guy three-bet him and he folded and two hands ago I three-bet him and he folded.

This hand it's folded to him in the cut-off and he raises to $800 at $150/$300. I three-bet A Q in the small blind to $2,900 and he calls.

The flop comes Q T 6 and I c-bet $4,000 and NSB tanks and shoves.

I tank for a long time and fold. I figure there is no way NSB has air here ( I know he's sick but not that sick).

If he's shoving he has at worst a combo draw. Something like A J that's the very best case scenario. And in that scenario I'm only a sleight favorite.

There's also the chance I'm absolutely crushed.

We're almost 100bb deep so it's completely possible that suited connectors and both TT and 66 are in his range. If he has a made flush or a set I'm drawing basically dead.

So I figure if I fold I'll still have like 60bb. So I fold my slightly ahead way behind hand and kind of hate my life.

He later tells me he had A 5. So I guess I made a decent fold.

From there I lose a few more standard hands and with 5 minutes left in day one I shove my 20bb stack with K J over NSB's late position raise.

The button sheriffs it up with 9 9 and I lose the flip and that's all she wrote.

Overall it was pretty disappointing but I guess that's how she goes.

I'll get my time sooner or later and if I get anything from the money I burnt playing these tournaments is that even on pretty tough table I don't feel outmatched in skill and I can more than hold my own.

One day I'll get those mythically soft tables I hear so much and a rush of cards that are considered slightly above average and I'll easily ship the tournament. But until then I'll continue my pathetic live tournament streak.

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BCPC Baby

info@www.Pokerlistings.com — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 23:55:07 +0100

I don't play too many tournaments but it's British Columbia Poker Championship time again and I'm gonna play all three events.

I showed up for the $500 event on Thursday to find bracelet winner and River Rock regular Robert Cheung and three other solid regulars I recognized at my table.

It was pretty shitty/surprising to get such a bad table draw in such a small tournament. But hey such is life I guess.

Not much too talk about, I busted half way through Day 1. I was pretty card dead all day which seems standard in live tournaments as far as I can tell.

Admittedly I don't play live tournaments that often but I've probably played twenty lifetime and in that time I don't think I've ever had what I consider to be a decent run of cards.

I mean it's obviously a small sample and I'm just bitching but it'd be nice to win some hands at showdown and not have to manufacture every pot.

But I know how much variance is in these stupid things so I'll keep plugging away whenever decent live tournaments run and eventually I'll ship one.

Hopefully, it'll be one of the next two I play. I'll be playing the $1100 event on Monday and the four-day $2,700 main event starting Thursday. I'd love to do well in one of those seeing as though River Rock used to be one of the casinos I dealt at.

It would just feel awesome to come back and just slay it. I'll keep you guys posted with what goes on.

Other than that I was sick at the beginning of the month so I haven't put nearly as many hands in as I would have liked and with all this live poker I probably won't get to. But I played 55,000 hands last month so I'll have to be pleased with that ;)

Hope to have some good news next time I post and if any of you are in Vancouver for the tourney feel free to say hello.

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Stop the Presses ... durrrr has a Blog

info@www.Pokerlistings.com — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 22:12:54 +0100

#fullimg:tom-dwan_31584.jpg# Its official just like a referee whistle:

Tom "durrrr" Dwan has personally confirmed that he has indeed started a poker blog.

Hit it up here http://www.durrrr.com/blog

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The November Nine Version 2.0

info@www.Pokerlistings.com — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 21:31:59 +0100

#fullimg:joseph-cada_34657.jpg# Even without the four-month break, this year's Main Event final table would have been one of the most talked about in history.

The reason behind that is obvious: Phil Ivey.

In the last two years Phil Ivey has been elevated from regular poker player to this mythical creature whose exploits don't even seem real.

When he made the final table it was guaranteed to be huge. But with the ESPN hype machine working 24/7 during the four-month break, this final table was the most anticipated ever.

Those extra months allowed Ivey and all the November Niners to do interviews and remind people to tune in and watch the WSOP final table.

All the lead up means more viewers. The numbers aren't in yet but it has to be the most watched WSOP final table in history and as far as I'm concerned the more people watching poker the better.

Even without Phil Ivey there were some great story lines at the table. You had the disgruntled Jeff Shulman claiming he would throw the bracelet away should he win. You had the logger from Maryland who ran hotter than the sun in Darvin Moon. Then you had Joe Cada, who could eclipse Peter Eastgate as the youngest Main Event champion ever.

And that's just the short list. The rest of the players all had stories of their own and they could all play poker, so it wasn't surprising that they gave us a great final table.

Some WSOP ME Final Table Highlights:

Darvin Moon's big WTF hands - This one wasn't much of a surprise but Moon had two huge blow-ups. Luckily for him he had more chips than God which allowed for a good deal of wiggle room.

The first was three-bet shoving ace high, no pair no draw on the flop against an obviously pot-committed Antoine Saout.

I mean Saout only had to call 3 million to win 18. Only a fool would fold getting like 6 to 1? Right? ... Right?

Which leads us to WTF hand two. Darvin Moon calls a three-bet OOP with KQo then check-raises the flop with no pair no draw and folds for the last 6 million in a 45-million-chip pot.

A hand that's funny enough on it's own, but becomes extremely funny when he goes over to his wife and tells her he folded queens.

No offense, but if he was trying to save face, telling her he was bluffing saves more face than telling her you folded an overpair getting almost 7 to 1.

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Steven Begleiter - Begleiter definitely gets the award for being the most improved player at the final table.

He spent his four months off working with Jonathan Little and improved his game immensely.

Begleiter played very solid at the final table and was unlucky to bust 6th.

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Joe Cada running hotter than the sun - Joe Cada at one point during the final table had just less than 1% of the total chips in play.

He went on a huge rush and mounted the greatest comeback in Main Event history, winning every coin flip and hitting two two-outers along the way.

Though Cada ran stupid hot he can't really be berated for playing like a donk. He played aggressive and he got lucky - a lethal combo.

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Phil Ivey's tightness - We knew going in Phil Ivey was going to play tight. He felt that his post-flop skill advantage was so large that he didn't need to play big pots or risk chips unnecessarily.

But I don't think anyone could have guessed that he would come out playing that tight.

Two hands that really document how tight Phil was playing are the A 9 when he flops a gutshot and a flush draw and elects to just check-call with like 14bb, and when he folds JJ pre-flop to Saout's three-bet.

Also what you didn't see was that Ivey folded several buttons when it was folded to him. Players were playing super tight when Ivey entered and he passed up several "any two cards steal" spots.

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Darvin Moon's Heads-Up Performance - You couldn't really tell from ESPN's broadcast but listening to the live audio Darvin Moon played surprisingly well HU.

Of course he didn't play perfect. The QJ suited final hand was pretty bad, but he chipped away at Joe Cada very well, even capturing the chip lead at one point.

Moon won a ton of pots without showdown and surprised a lot of people (Cada included) with his aggressive play.

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Two seperate AA vs KK - AA vs KK sucks any time. At the final table of the Main Event it's really just cruel.

And it happened twice. Once with Buchman's KK making quads to bounce Kevin Schaffel; the other time with the AA holding up.

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Darvin Moon turning down the sponsorship skrilla - Darvin Moon was the only one at the final table with no online advertising, which is really incredible. Phil Hellmuth told two stories on the audio broadcast.

The first was that late in the Main Event but before the money, Moon had a big chip lead and at that time he was offered $75,000 to wear a patch.

He politely declined saying he didn't want to "owe anyone anything." This was before the money and he still could have been knocked out and not made a dime!

Then again as the chip leader at the final table he was offered between $400,000 and $500,000 to wear a patch and he again politely declined.

He turned down nearly half a million dollars to go un-affiliated. Amazing.

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Overall it was a pretty good final table. ESPN's second shot at the November Nine was much more successful, though if I had the option I would still go back to the days when you could order the pay-per-view with no hole cards.

It's disappointing to have the WSOP end for another year but hey, it's only like 8 more months till it starts back up again.

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Main Event Snapshot: Balmigere Makes World-Class Laydown

info@www.Pokerlistings.com — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 10:44:14 +0100

With the latest two Main Event episodes airing last night, we're now down to the final two tables.

This week we saw Ivey looking ridiculously human mucking a flush with no action on the river (late night at Bobby's Room anyone?) and Nick Maimone looking Moneymakeresque, getting in bad and hitting every time.

We were also forced to suffer through more of Norman Chad's stupid jokes and awful poker commentary.

Side note: If I have to listen to Norman Chad tell one more person to "bet to see where he's at" I'm going to kill a kitten.

But I digress. This week's snapshot comes not from this week's broadcast but from last week's. It was a hand too good to pass up and we really didn't see any hands played to the river on the latest broadcasts.

Without further ado.

The Setup:

With the blinds 50,000/100,000 and a 10,000 ante, Joe Cada raises it to 250,000 from under the gun.

Francois Balmigere calls in middle position and so does the chip leader, Darvin Moon, on the button.

The blinds fold and the flop comes T Q K. Cada checks and Balmigere fires 550,000. Moon calls and Cada gets out of the way.

The turn comes 2 and Balmigere fires 1,075,000. Moon raises to 2,200,000 and Balmigere tanks before calling.

The river comes 5. Balmigere checks and Moon fires 2,000,000. Balimigere agonizes before folding the T T and the flopped bottom set.

Moon tells him nice laydown and mucks the A J for the flopped nuts.

The Breakdown:

Cada kicks off the hand with a raise from UTG with K 5.

A play I would advise not making a habit out of, but with 340,000 in the pot before the cards are dealt, stealing the blinds is a big deal and often UTG raises are given a lot of credit.

Balmigere makes the call in middle position with T T. He isn't about to re-raise this UTG raise so he chooses to see a flop with position on the original raiser.

Darvin Moon calls as well on the button with the A J. With a good ace and a ton of chips - and position - he also sees a flop.

When the flop comes K Q T, Cade checks. Though he has top pair, he knows that flop is very likely to have smacked his two opponents in the face.

Balmigere bets more than half-pot for value with his bottom set. He's obviously looking for a call from any king or any pair + draw.

Unfortunately for the Frenchman, Darvin Moon flopped the nuts behind him and chooses to just flat-call to trap.

Cada gives up knowing his top pair is no good. The turn comes the 2 and Balmigere bets 1,075,000 into just over 2,000,0000.

He bets the turn for the same reasons he bets the flop. He likely puts Moon on a good king or two pair and knows Moon will call.

Moon, however, has the nuts and min-raises to 2,200,000.

With the nuts, Moon doesn't want to scare his opponent off. But he really should be raising larger to get value from sets and two pairs - especially because if the board pairs, it's unlikely he's going to get away from the hand.

Balmigere does just call, begging for the board to pair. Unfortunately it bricks off with the 5 and he checks to Moon.

Moon bets 2,200,00 into 6,470.000 - a fairly small bet designed to get value from sets and unlikely two pairs. Balmigere tanks and eventually folds his set.

A very, very good fold. One that I was screaming at him to make, but hey I'm watching on TV and he's at the table making it.

Its a great fold because Darvin Moon was playing tight and very ABC. There's literally a 0% chance Moon is bluffing on that river so Balmigere just has to decide if he's value-betting worse.

Which, given how the hand played out, is also very unlikely.

Someone playing so ABC is very unlikely to raise the turn with two pair. And even if he did, once he was called he would almost surely be looking to see a showdown on the river - not betting it for value.

So that leaves better sets and straights, neither of which Balmigere can beat. So he folds, despite getting solid odds on calling the river bet.

A great fold that, unfortunately, wasn't enough and Balmigere was bounced on this week's episodes.

Solid hand and a pretty good Main Event so far. Looking forward to some November Nine action.

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Top 7 Items You Wish You Could Buy with FPPs

info@www.Pokerlistings.com — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 20:41:12 +0100

Frequent player points are a great way to promote extended play; the more you play, the more you earn.

And with your FPPs you can get everything from TVs to cameras to cars to poker clothing (Please don't).

But even though the loyalty programs have gotten better, there are some things you're just never going to be allowed to buy.

But hey, we can still dream can't we?

1. Aces vs. Kings. For 10,000 FPPs not only do you get an 80% chance at a double up you get a 100% chance to tilt your opponent! Sorry, guaranteeing the aces will hold costs another 4,000 points.

2. Two-Outer. Your opponent just bought his aces vs. kings? On the verge of monkey tilt? Quickly hit the FPP store before the flop comes out and for a mere 12,000 points that two-outer will hit.

The benefits are the same as the aces vs. kings item, 100% guaranteed to tilt your opponent! An extra 1,000 points ensures it hits the river for max tilt factor!

3. The Board Pairing. Board never pairs when you need it? A paltry 100 FPPs per dollar in the pot and you can fill up by the river!!

4. The Boomswitch. Stuck in a rut? Downswings got you ... well, down? For 100,000 FPPs you can run like god for 10,000 hands. Sorry, can only be used at your current limit.

5. Bladder of Steel. For 50,000 FPPs we can guarantee that you will never have to take a leak in the middle of a session again.

We all know the pain of having to sit out on 8+ tables. With this one time charge you'll be able to play for hours without having to get out of your chair! No more pissjugs! (sorry leatherass)

6. God Mode vs Shortstackers. Never lose another all-in confrontation vs a shortstacker again! For 0 FPPs (that's right zero, nobody likes those hit-and-running SOBs anyway) you can finally bust every shortstacker around. (Hey, I said it's items I wish I could buy.)

7. A Coin Flip When You Actually Need It. This is for the tournament players out there.

Do you win every coin flip vs a 2bb stack but when the big AK vs QQ comes on the final-table bubble you just can't seem to bink? For 8,000 points you can finally win a flip when it matters.

There you have it. Ignoring the logistics of everyone purchasing these items all at the same time, these would all be pretty hilarious.

Hit the comments section for items you wish you could buy with FPPs.

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Main Event Snapshot: Phillips Traps the Champ

info@www.Pokerlistings.com — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 20:10:28 +0100

Every year when the Main Event gets under 100 players, it still surprises me how many awful players have managed to get through.

From the last two episodes on ESPN there are two mind-numbingly horrible hands that come to mind.

In one, a player checks through fives full against two players that obviously don't have a better full house.

In the other, some random jock calls a raise with 8-2o out of the big blind vs. Phil Ivey only to flop a pair and fold. (Hoping for an 822 flop? Makes sense.)

Luckily, awful hands weren't the only thing featured.

We also got to see Ivey knock out trex313 via two-outer without even realizing it was him.

That was pretty funny, Ivey gives him the "Sorry, nice playing with you" like he's just some starstruck fan, not even realizing that they've played thousands and thousands of hands together for millions of dollars.

What else, what else? Oh yeah, the last two episodes really showed how much the Main Event is the ultimate run-good challenge.

Ivey hit everything in sight, Phillips gets aces like 20 times, the list goes on. With that much luck involved, it actually does make sense that Mr. 8-2o somehow makes it to Day 6.

It also brought us our next Main Event snapshot, with Dennis Phillips locking horns with fellow OG November Niner Peter Eastgate.

In this hand, Phillips surprisingly doesn't look horrible.

The Set-up:

With the blinds 12,000/24,000, Dennis Phillips makes it 65,000 from middle position with 1.5 million behind.

It's folded to Peter Eastgate on the button who makes the call with 1.10 million behind. The small blind folds and Frank Rusnak makes the call in the big blind.

The flop comes 4 3 K. Rusnak and Phillips both check and Eastgate fires 105,000. Rusnak folds and Phillips makes the call.

The turn comes 9 and Phillips checks. Eastgate bets 175,000 into 441,000 and Phillips moves all-in.

Eastgate looks disgusted and folds.

The Breakdown:

Phillips gets the hand rolling by raising to 65,000 with A A. Eastgate calls on the button with 50ishbb and one of the best suited connectors in Q J.

Eastgate is looking to flop big and double up but he also thinks he can outplay Phillips because he's the better player and he's in position.

Frank Rusnak calls as well in the big blind with the A 9. Rusnak is drawn in by good pot odds with his suited ace. He's obviously looking to flop big or get out.

The flop comes K 4 3 and Rusnak checks, having missed the flop completely. Phillips checks as well attempting to disguise his hand and trap the aggressive Peter Eastgate.

The plan works when Eastgate fires 105,000. Eastgate likely thinks Phillips either missed completely or holds an underpair to the board - both of which he feels will fold to continued aggression.

Rusnak folds and Phillips makes the call. The turn comes 9. Phillips continues with his plan and checks again.

Once Phillips checks and calls on a king-high board, it really looks like he has an underpair to the board - something like JJ or QQ.

Eastgate realizes this and feels like a second barrel will get his opponent to fold these underpairs, so he fires 175,000.

The only problem is Phillips doesn't have an underpair. He has the only overpair, and he has the nut flush draw to go along with it. So Phillips springs his trap and shoves all-in.

Eastgate, with nothing more than a week gutshot on a three-club board, just folds, forfeiting his 275,000 worth of attempted steals.

A well-played hand by Dennis Phillips, who appears to have really improved since last year. (His luck however remains the same. I mean who really gets AA that often, COME ON!)

Nh, Phillips. Now let's just see if you can run better than your replacement Darvin Moon.

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Main Event Snapshot: Shulman Value-Bet Bluffs ElkY

info@www.Pokerlistings.com — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 15:20:24 +0100

Tuesday during World Series of Poker season is quickly becoming one of my favorite days of the week.

Last night ESPN aired two more episodes on the road to this year's Main Event final table, getting us officially up to mid-way through Day 6. With just under 150 players left, it's now just a 15-table sit-and-go to the bracelet.

Today's snapshot features a a blind vs. blind hand involving CardPlayer's Jeff Shulman and the infamous Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier

The Set-up:

With the blinds $6,000/$12,000, the hand kicks off with a raise to $35,000 in the small blind from Shulman.

ElkY makes the call in the big blind and they see a flop of J J T. Shulman c-bets $25,000 and ElkY makes the call.

The turn comes K and Shulman again bets $25,000. ElkY again makes the call. The river comes down 8 and Shulman fires $30,000 into $218,000.

ElkY mucks and Shulman shows 9 4 for nine high.

The Breakdown:

When it's folded to Shulman in the small blind, he makes a steal-raise to $35,000 with the 9 4. Ideally he wants to win the pot immediately by having ElkY fold - forfeiting his big blind and the antes.

ElkY looks down at A 3 and, knowing Shulman can be making a steal in the small blind, makes the call with a suited ace in position.

When the flop comes J J T, Shulman makes a very small c-bet of $25,000 into $88,000.

This very small c-bet is designed to get total air to fold. Generally, it's probably not a good habit to bet so little because it gives your opponents great odds.

Shulman probably thinks a small bet will sometimes get more credit than a larger bet.

ElkY makes the call getting almost 4:1 with his ace high. Ace high beats a very wide range of small blind steals and he also has the backdoor flush draw to go along with it. Since the bet is so small, he calls.

The turn comes K and again Shulman fires $25,000.

An overcard on the turn always makes for a good double-barrel card. It's a scare card for anyone holding an underpair and it'll often make them fold.

But again Shulman elects to bet very small. He may be trying to represent a jack or even bigger, saying "my hand is so big I can bet as little as I want because you just aren't ever going to draw out on me."

ElkY, though, isn't convinced and calls again with his ace high. He does have a gutshot and an overcard, and his ace high may even be good.

When the river comes 8, Shulman bets $30,000 into $218,000. This bet is the best bet of all his weird tiny bets.

When you bet the river so small you look like you're begging for a call. It's a great level. Your opponent is thinking, "Why the hell is he betting so small? He must really want me to call?"

ElkY does eventually make the fold. He realizes he only has ace high and it just doesn't make much sense for Shulman to bet $30k into $218k with a bluff unless he really wants a call.

So ElkY folds and Shulman shows his 9 4 for the sick value-bet bluff.

Sometimes a small bet will get more credit than a larger one will. And sometimes your opponent will go, "WTF is going on here? Oh well, I'm getting two million to one. I call."

Beware and use the value-bet bluff sparingly and only against a real thinking opponent. But this time it works and Shulman looks like genius.

I guess that's why he final tables the badboy.

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Main Event Snapshot: Donations for Ivey

info@www.Pokerlistings.com — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 15:56:48 +0100

#fullimg:phil-ivey_32789.jpg# With ESPN airing two more episodes on Tuesday night we're now in the money and finished with Day 4.

The Day 4 coverage saw two story lines: people playing ridiculously - almost embarrassingly - tight on the money bubble, and the feature table donating chips to Phil Ivey.

In this hand we have the latter, post bubble bust.

The Setup:

With the blinds $3,000/$6,000, Phil Ivey raises it up to $16,000 in the cut-off. Bernhard Perner makes the call in the small blind and David Wickham calls in the big blind.

The flop comes J 7 A and both blinds check. Ivey c-bets $35,000 into $56,000 and Perner folds. Wickham makes the call.

The turn comes 8 and Wickham check-calls a $70,000 bet from Ivey. The river comes 3. Wickham once again checks and Ivey fires $120,000.

Wickham folds this time and Ivey ships the $266,000 pot.

The Breakdown:

It's folded around to Phil Ivey who makes it $16,000 in the cut-off with the A K. Obviously AK in late position is an easy raise.

Bernhard Perner makes the call in the small blind with 4 4.

Perner obviously thinks that if he hits a four he can win a big pot. But his thinking is off because Ivey is going to be raising a wider than normal range when it's folded to him in the cut-off.

Of that range, very little of it is going to be able to flop a big hand that will give action to a set.

Combine that with the fact that you're going to flop a set so infrequently and that you're going to get action on said set even more infrequently, this hand is better mucked before the flop.

But he calls and so does David Wickham with A T in the big blind.

Luckily for Perner he's not the only one who made a bad call preflop.

A T is not a hand you want to play out of position at the best of times. Factor in you're playing Phil Ivey, who is capable of reading souls, firing multiple barrels and making razor thin value bets, and this hand should be in the muck as soon as Ivey raises.

It's a reverse implied odds hand that is either going to win a very small pot or it's going to lose a monster.

When the flop comes A 7 J, Ivey bets $35,000 for value. Perner folds his missed-set draw and Wickham calls with his weaker ace.

Now once you've seen the flop with AT you're obviously going to have to peel once you hit your ace.

But that's the thing about AT - you peel the flop, and in your very best-case scenario your opponent shuts down on the turn and you get to see a showdown.

If you call the flop and he fires the turn, are you ever going to be happy calling another street? No. And if you do, there's always the looming river bet you may have to contend with.

The turn comes 8 and Ivey bets $70,000 into $126,000. Again with top pair, top kicker another easy value-bet.

Wickham makes his second big mistake in this hand by calling. This just isn't a card that Ivey is going to bet a worse hand at.

Should Ivey have a worse ace he would certainly check behind for pot control. It's also a horrible card to bluff at. Ace-high boards are really bad to double barrel as a rule, especially when the turn doesn't change anything.

So Wickham's pair of aces, average kicker should hit the muck. But they don't; he calls and then check-folds the river, sending his live poker redline plummeting.

Which is why one of the rules for increasing your winnings without showdown is to stop playing dominated hands out of position.

You end up doing exactly what Wickham did: calling the flop and turn and folding to further action.

But poor Wickham didn't get that memo, plays a dominated hand out of position and pays for it. The end result is a ~$260,000 pot for Ivey.

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Best Week Ever

info@www.Pokerlistings.com — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 08:17:41 +0100

#fullimg:graph_33444.jpg# Well I guess, as they say, good things come to those who wait. And boy did I bust out of my break-even stretch this week.

I know posting graphs is the surefire way to doomswitch yourself but I'm gonna go ahead and do it anyways.

About $3k from $1/$2 and the rest from bum hunting a certain fish that will remain nameless.

He's been playing everything from $5/$10 six-max to $1/$2 to $25/50 cap, though most of it is at $5/$10 and $10/$20 cap.

I've been running like god vs him and all the other regs in the game and it all adds up to my best week ever.

Whenever I find him I just one-table and watch episodes of Dexter in the background while all the other regs will be six-tabling plus and it's hilarious how badly they play against this certain super fish.

They'll constantly check-raise and hammer three-streets when they should just check and call because this guy doesn't call big bets like ever but loves to bluff when checked to.

So, because they're auto piloting, they're leaving a ton of money on the table.

For that I am appreciative. Hopefully I'll continue playing this guy and my results will remain good.

-Dan

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Main Event Snapshot: Nielsen Punks Two Aussies

info@www.Pokerlistings.com — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 00:57:30 +0100

ESPN just waxed off its Day 3 coverage of the 2009 Main Event last night and naturally we have another Main Event snapshot.

Last night's feature table had two notable Aussies: WSOP player of the year Jeffery Lisandro and 2005 Main Event winner Joe Hachem.

In this hand, it's Australia vs the world when Claus Nielsen gets not one but both to lay down better hands.

The Set Up:

With the blinds $1,000/$2,000, Claus Nielsen raises it up to $5,200 from middle position.

Hachem re-raises to $15,000 from the hi-jack and Lisandro flat-calls in the small blind after some thought.

Nielsen calls as well and they see a flop of 6 4 A. Lisandro checks and Nielsen leads into Hachem for $22,000. Hachem folds after some thought and Lisandro does as well.

Nielsen mucks and takes the pot without showdown successfully getting Hachem to fold Qh Qc and Lisandro to fold Ks Kc.

The Breakdown:

The hand starts out folding around to Nielsen in middle position who makes it $5,200 to go with 8 4.

Mixing it up with a raise from middle position with a suited gapper can be fine some of the time but you definitely don't want to make a habit of it.

For example, if the table is playing tight then often a steal from middle position is going to be given much more credit than a steal from late position.

Next Hachem re-raises to $15,000 with Q Q. A big pocket pair in late position is an easy three-bet for value because your opponent can call with a very wide range of worse hands.

Lisandro chooses to just flat-call in the big blind with K K.

He's obviously trying to trap one or both of these players. He probably feels that with the pot already re-raised he'll have no problem winning either opponent's stack on a good flop.

The problem with that thinking is that often when you try to trap a re-raise with KK or QQ, or even AA for that matter, your opponent is often re-raising with AK.

If you just flat-call and the board comes six high, your opponent just isn't going to put another penny into the pot when they may have called a shove pre-flop. So you end up making less money and not more.

Nielsen calls as well having to call just under $10,000 to win a pot of $39,000. With good odds he decides to see a flop.

When the flop comes down 6 4 A, Lisandro checks.

This is another problem with slow-playing KK before the flop. Sometimes (like now) the flop will come ace high and had you shipped pre-flop your opponent with QQ probably would have called.

But now the board is ace high and you're both gun shy so rather than winning his whole stack you may win only a small pot or even get bluffed off the best hand.

When Lisandro checks, Nielsen elects to donk-lead into the three-bettor for $22,000.

He may feel that the only ace Hachem is re-raising in this spot is AK and thus most of his re-raising range is made up of large pocket pairs - none of which like the ace.

He probably also thinks his raise and call makes it more likely for him to have an ace than his opponents.

So he leads for $22,000 which is less than half pot - a great bet size because it doesn't risk too many chips.

Should his bet be called, he knows he's dead unless he improves. But since his bet is so small, if he's called he can give up and it's not a huge deal.

Hachem thinks and folds his big pocket pair. Lisandro does the same.

All in all, a decent hand. And one that shows slow-playing big pocket pairs, though sometimes sexy, can also get you into some difficult spots.

Up next on ESPN: Day 4, and perhaps Ivey's first words!

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Back to the Grind

info@www.Pokerlistings.com — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 06:03:05 +0100

After a month hiatus from the grind, it's time to get back at it.

It wasn't a complete month off, but for most of August I played almost no poker - I think logging like 5k hands when usually I play 40k plus.

Just chilled out and hit up a few different friends' cabins for week stretches and played a ton of big 2. (btw best game ever - better than chinese IMHO.)

It was a nice break - especially from this downswing/break-even stretch which I think I'm finally coming out of.

Which leads me to a confession. I got a poker coach. I know what you guys are thinking, "Hey what gives you the right to write strategy when you're getting coaching yourself?!"

I personally think no matter what your skill level, from beginner to nosebleed pro, it can never hurt to have a second set of eyes on your game, especially when you're downswinging.

When you're downswinging it's hard to look at your game objectively. It's hard to want to look at each session and look for hands you could have played better when you're stuck five buy-ins. It's hard to admit to yourself you've been playing your B game and/or been expecting to lose.

A coach can snap you out of that. They're completely objective and can tell you in no uncertain terms that there's room for improvement.

And there's always room for improvement, whether you're a long-term loser or a long-term winner. There's always something you can do better.

So far it's been a positive experience. Anybody out there who's on the fence about getting a coach, by all means do it.

Do your research and find someone with a similar game as yours. Chances are they'll open up your eyes to some things you may have never even thought about.

So I'm back at the grind, hopefully going to put in more than my fair share of hands this month and most likely put up some positive numbers.

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Main Event Snapshot: Raymer Rivers Straight

info@www.Pokerlistings.com — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 21:32:39 +0100

#fullimg:greg-raymer_31499.jpg# With two Main Event episodes airing last night, we have another Main Event snapshot for you.

ESPN changed it up this year, adding a second episode for each Day 2, so rather than one episode of each Day 2 you now get two. More coverage means more interesting hands.

In this hand, 2004 World Champ Greg Raymer mixes it up with lacrosse-team owner Jamie Dawick.

The Set Up:

With the blinds $300/$600, Dawick raises it up in middle position to $2,000 and it's folded around to Greg Raymer in the small blind, who makes the call.

The flop drops down 5 6 4 and both players check.

The turn comes T and Dawick bets $5,100 into $5,275. Raymer calls.

The river comes 7 and Raymer leads for $12,000. Dawick tanks and calls.

Raymer turns over A 8 for the rivered straight which is good for a $39,475 pot. Dawick mucks A T.

The Breakdown:

Dawick raises it up to $2,000 with A T and the blinds $300/$600. Not a great hand in a full-ring game, but not terrible either. And from middle position, raising it first in is fairly standard.

Play is folded to Raymer, who elects to make the call in the small blind with A 8.

Not a hand you want to play out of position habitually, but Raymer thinks if he makes a flush he can win his opponent's 100bb-ish stack. He also knows he can get away from a marginal hand post-flop against his amateur opponent.

When the flop comes 5 6 4, Raymer checks his gutshot and Dawick checks behind.

Dawick's check is good in this spot because he's rarely going to get credit for a hand on this board and Raymer's small blind calling range is predominantly pocket pairs - none of which would fold on this board.

The turn comes T and Raymer once again checks. Dawick now fires $5,100 with his top pair, top kicker.

Should Raymer have had one of those pocket pairs, Dawick would now have the best hand. He fires to get value from those pairs and any one of the number of flush and straight draws.

Raymer thinks for a moment before calling. He's getting 2:1 and he has 12 outs minimum. He thinks if he makes his back-door flush it will be disguised and he may get paid off with a big bet.

The river comes 7 and it does hit Raymer, but it's in the form of a straight.

With four straight cards on the board Raymer knows that if he checks it's very likely Dawick will check through. So he elects to donk-lead for $12,000 -a good solid value bet.

Dawick ends up making the call, perhaps putting Raymer on one of the two missed flush draws. And in a way, he's correct. It's just unfortunate Raymer also had a straight to go along with it.

Not a bad hand played by both, though Dawick could probably find a fold on that river.

GG to Greg Raymer and GG to ESPN for upping the Main Event coverage.

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Main Event Snapshot: Lindgren Plays Small Ball

info@www.Pokerlistings.com — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 20:05:14 +0100

The second batch of WSOP Main Event episodes aired on ESPN this week, covering the final two Day 1 heats.

The latest feature tables see Daniel Negreanu, sick, sniffling and playing quite bad even by Daniel Negreanu standards, and the 2008 POY Erick Lindgren.

To say Lindgren was playing small ball would be an understatement. He was playing tiny ball, seemingly unwilling to risk any chips at all.

As Mike Matusow pointed out in episode one, the Main Event is a marathon, not a sprint, so playing small ball and avoiding big pots early is certainly a sound strategy.

When the tournament takes more than a week, you can't make Day 7 if you're knocked out in a big pot on Day 1.

The second episode opens with one of Erick's small ball hands.

Game: 2009 World Series of Poker, $10,000 No-Limit Hold'em Main Event, Day 1D.

Blinds: 50/100

Players: Erick Lindgren; Brad Myers

The Setup:

With the blinds at 50/100, Lindgren raises to 200 from early position with everyone near the starting stacks of 30,000.

Brad Myers, an amateur whose girlfriend won the Main Event seat, calls. Ryan Mackinnon also calls from late position.

The flop comes 5 7 T and Lindgren checks. Myers fires 600 and Mackinnon folds. Lindgren calls and the turn comes 4.

Lindgren checks, Myers fires 1,200 and again Lindgren calls. The river comes the 8 and Lindgren check-calls a 2,500 bet from Myers.

Myers shows the 5 6 and Lindgren mucks the A A. Thanks to a straight on the river, Myers' 5 6 is good for the 9,350 pot.

The Breakdown:

Lindgren plays this hand in a completely atypical manner for one reason alone: it's a tournament. And it's not just a tournament - it's the tournament.

The Main Event is more than a week of straight poker and there's no way you can make it to the final table if you bust on the first day. So Lindgren plays small ball.

He opens the pot from early position to 200, keeping the pot small right from the start.

He knows he's probably going to have to play this pot out of position, and even though aces are the best starting hand in poker, anything can happen on the flop. When you're 300bb deep, one pair is never good in a big pot.

Myers makes the call in middle position with his 5 6. He has suited connectors and they are super-deep very early in the tournament. If he flops a big hand, he may be able to double up.

Whereas Lindgren's AA is hampered by the deep stacks, Myers' 5 6 is helped.

Mackinnon also calls from late position with K J. When the flop comes 5 7 T, Lindgren checks.

He has an overpair, but he likely feels that this board hits one or both of the callers behind him hard. He also knows that early in tournaments players are looking to call with suited connectors to hit and double up.

There isn't a single suited connector that doesn't connect with this board in some way. Add in the small pocket pairs and there's a high likelyhood that one or both of his opponents hit this board.

He doesn't want to risk being raised and forced to make a tough decision whether to three-bet or fold, so he just checks with the intention of calling a bet.

Myers flops a pair and a flush draw and is actually slightly ahead of Lindgren. He bets $600, Mackinnon folds with nothing and Lindgren makes the call.

As it actually turns out, Lindgren is absolutely correct. One of his opponents did nail the flop and if he had bet, Myers would probably have raised with his pair plus flush draw. Lindgren dodges this potentially sticky situation and sees the turn cheap.

The turn is the 4.

Lindgren, sticking with his plan, still wants to keep the pot small and checks. The 4 is not a great card for him because almost all of those suited connectors improved in one way or another.

Myers improves to a pair, flush draw and open-ended straight draw, and fires again for 1,200.

Lindgren calls again because he has a huge overpair to the board and though his opponent's range is pretty strong, Myers could still be value-betting worse hands - or even barreling with just a naked flush draw.

The river is the 8. Lindgren once again checks and crying-calls the 2,500 bet from Myers.

Myers makes an easy value-bet with a straight and Lindgren makes the call hoping to see a busted flush draw. And though he did see some busted hearts, they also ended up making a straight, which was good enough to crack aces and take a 9,350 pot.

This snapshot is almost the exact opposite of last week's, where Lex Veldhuis was acting like the Main Event was a 4-hour race to accumulate chips. Lindgren plays it close to the vest and tries to preserve chips to get to the later days.

In this hand it works out well for him. He could have lost a big pot by betting the flop and being forced to play back against a raise.

Something tells me Myers isn't folding a pair and a draw, and once he hits more outs on the turn, it's even more unlikely.

An odd check/call, check/call strategy ends up paying dividends for E-dog in the form of saved chips.

More Main Event Snapshots:

Main Event Snapshot: Veldhuis Walks On Muenz

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An Interview I Wish I Did

info@www.Pokerlistings.com — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 19:00:04 +0100

Fresh off my interview with Ashton Griffin, I wanted to interview another LeggoPoker heavy hitter who has been seen trying his luck (and killing) at the Rail Heaven games - aejones.

For those not in the know, Aaron "aejones" Jones has been running the $25/$50 streets and taking shots at the bigger games for almost two years now.

He also happens to be one of the best poker coaches that money can buy.

He's always got a lot to say and though someone beat me to the punch with an interview with him, they did a real bang up job.

So check out the interview here.

There's some real good stuff about selling action for the nosebleeds, Vegas prop bets and a lot more. Well done pokercurious.

--Dan

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Main Event Snapshot: Veldhuis Walks On Muenz

info@www.Pokerlistings.com — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 19:15:24 +0100

Episode one of the Main Event on ESPN featured one particularly uncomfortable, hard-to-watch story line:

How well Gus Hansen does with ladies of all shapes and sizes.

It also, however, featured a still relatively unknown Lex "RaSZi" Veldhuis absolutely running over the feature table, raising, re-raising and bluffing with ridiculous frequency - and no one seemingly able to adjust to it.

His most frequent whipping boy: young German player Simon Muenz.

Game: World Series of Poker, $10,000 No-Limit Hold'em Main Event, Day 1a.

Blinds: $100/$200.

Players: Lex "RaSZi" Veldhuis; Simon Muenz.

The Set-up:

In this hand, RaSZi raises to $600 with K J at $100/$200. Muenz calls with the 7 6.

They take a flop heads-up of T 7 6. Veldhuis checks. Muenz bets $1,100 into $1,500.

Veldhuis check-raises to $5,000 and Muenz makes the call. The turn comes Q and Veldhuis fires $6,800

Muenz again makes the call and the river comes 4. Veldhuis fires $7,000 into $25,100.

Muenz tanks and folds.

The Breakdown:

For starters, it's very hard for Veldhuis to represent a real hand as the pre-flop raiser when he check-raises.

As the pre-flop raiser, Veldhuis is c-betting a ridiculously high percentage of flops. Because of that, his c-bets are rarely going to be given credit. So, if he has a real hand, he'd c-bet just the same and watch it get called down extra light.

When he chooses to check-raise, he almost screams "I don't have a real hand - this is the only way to make my hand look legitimate."

Muenz makes the call and the whole hand is derailed.

Don't get me wrong, this hand is not easy. They're 150bb-ish deep and it's early in the tournament. But just calling here really puts you in some tough spots on the turn and river.

The best play is to re-re-raise the super-aggressive Veldhuis with two pair.

Even if Veldhuis' flop check-raise did make sense, it reps a very narrow range or overpairs, sets and possibly flush draws.

Since Muenz holds 7-6, he can discount sets of sixes and sevens and narrow his range to tens, overpairs, flush draws and bluffs.

With overpairs and especially sets, Veldhuis would be looking to build a pot. He wouldn't risk missing a street of value trying to check-raise the flop and whiffing. He'd just bet out and start building the pot.

So his range is weighted towards bluffs - especially with the strange check-raise on the flop as the pre-flop raiser.

Muenz really should re-re-raise the flop to try and get all-in vs flush draws and overpairs, and to get Veldhuis to fold his bluffs.

Though normally if you think your opponent is bluffing you should call and let him keep bluffing, it's still not a great idea.

There are far too many bad cards to come that will be super difficult to play against. A short list of them: Any club or any eight, nine or ten.

That's 18 cards right there that can make Muenz's life very difficult on the turn. So he really should be looking to get it in on the flop with bottom two - even 150bb deep.

Unfortunately for Muenz, he chooses to just call and the Q is one of those 22 scare cards. He's now left wondering if Veldhuis check-raised with a flush draw.

He chooses to flat-call, and the 4 falls on the river. Without a club, Muenz is forced to fold to Veldhuis' bet.

Because he made a mistake on the flop, the rest of the hand becomes extremely difficult to play out and Muenz is forced to fold after putting in ~$14k of his $30k starting stack.

How could it have been avoided? By re-re-raising the super-aggressive Veldhuis on the flop.

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Interview with me equals BOOMSWITCH

info@www.Pokerlistings.com — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 19:29:16 +0100

#fullimg: hrm_32992.jpg# I mean, the proof is in the pudding. Fresh off his interview "From bust to Bobby's Room" with yours truly, Ashton Griffin made a post on his personal blog. In it he talks about his turbulent past and what it feels like to bust a $1.5 million roll.

He also posts a pretty impressive screenshot of his latest heater. Which I am going to go ahead and take at least partial credit for.

So hey, if you're a high stakes player and are in need of a heater, hit me up. We'll do an interview and then I'll pull some strings and get your boomswitch activated.

Make sure you check out Ashton's blog here, and while you're at it, check out all the Leggo Poker blogs.

They've got some pretty big hitters: aejones, who was just seen cruising the $500/$1,000 games, Lucky Chewy who just went sick deep in the Main Event and more.

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Dropping Down to $1/$2

info@www.Pokerlistings.com — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 08:33:16 +0100

They say one of the most important skills for a poker player is being able to drop down in limits when necessary.

I was forced to practice this life skill once again recently by dropping back down to $1/$2. It always sucks being forced to move down in stakes, but when you're running bad it's almost always a good idea.

I've only logged less than 30k hands at $2/$4, so it's not a huge deal. It's been a pretty turbulent last couple months since coming back from Vegas and, well, including Vegas really.

I've been slightly better than break even + rakeback in the cash games, so while I can't complain too much, it's been pretty frustrating. It's been 50k hands of coolers and suckouts and probably a little bit of bad play mixed in.

Some of it has been bad luck. Some of it is adjusting to the aggressiveness of $2/$4.

At least I've gotten very good at not letting prolonged losing streaks get to me. I've finally reached the point where losing days, weeks, and months don't even effect me.

It's a big step in my growth as a poker player, because when you start letting poker cross over into your personal life, nothing good can come of it. You just start taking it out on people who have even less control on the outcome than you do.

I guess the "trick" is to just look very long term. Though a month may seem like a long time, in the grand scheme of things, it's nothing. It's a blip on the radar.

Poker is a life-long game. There will be good months, and there will be not-so-good months.

I've finally accepted that, so when I lose $3k in a day or get sucked out on in a giant pot I just move on to the next hand. There's no sense in getting worked up over it. The money lost is money that's been won in poker, and I will always be able to win it back.

That said, moving down after a downswing always sucks because it feels like it'll take twice as long to win it back. But obviously moving down is a positive thing because the last thing you want to do when downswinging is play with a short roll.

It makes you play with scared money and at $2/$4 and above, where the games are super-aggressive, scared money sure as shit don't make none.

So I'm back to the $1/$2 grind for the next month or so where I'll be working on my game and re-building. If you see logistik at the tables on Full Tilt, feel free to berate me for three-barreling you with six high ;)

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Phil Ivey: Good for Poker?

info@www.Pokerlistings.com — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 23:51:37 +0100

Each year, the Main Event final table rolls around and we look up and down the roster desperately searching for someone who is "good for poker." Someone who can take our game to new heights.

Ever since Moneymaker shipped it in 2003 we've been chasing that poker boom dragon. Deep down we know the 2003 boom will never be replicated in size, but we'll settle for even just a small bang.

In these tough, post-UIGEA times, we need someone who can stand on the world stage, draw attention to the game and bring new players along for the ride.

Moneymaker was the ignition of the poker boom back in '03 and, for the longest time, the poker player mantra was that some amateur would come along and parlay $40 and a sick run of cards into a Main Event bracelet, thereby re-creating the perfect storm of Moneymaker's 2003 victory and igniting a second poker boom.

But we've since had our share of amateurs and semi-pro champions in Raymer, Hachem, Gold, Yang and Eastgate, and each one failed to cause even a ripple in our game.

If an amateur riding a sick wave of cards was the perfect storm for a poker boom, then Yang would have been the perfect candidate. He was that God-fearing amateur, just-lucky-to-be-here guy.

He won, practically disappeared and nothing changed.

So what about something new? Maybe the lucky amateur isn't the match to light the fuse anymore. Though it initially drew people to the game with the whole "anyone can win" angle, even that has become tired.

Enter Phil Ivey, the undisputed best player alive.

If the lucky amateur angle is wearing thin, Ivey is the polar opposite. He's the consummate pro, he's beaten the game his entire life and now that he's making a run at the biggest tournament in the world.

Maybe, god willing, the U.S. government will see that poker is a skill game. Though amateurs will win tournaments here and there, Phil Ivey is living, undeniable proof that poker is a game of skill.

The possibility for a smaller boom is very real. ESPN had amazing ratings for the 2003 Main Event and, with Ivey at the final table, 2009 guarantees ESPN the best ratings they've had in years.

They'll have four months to hype up their coverage.

With no big names the November Nine is just a waste of time, but with the biggest name in poker it's genius and guarantees one of the most watched final tables in history.

And while a whole boat load of "anyone can do it" players took to the game in 2003, in 2009 we have the possibility for a whole new breed of "I want to be the best in the world" players flooding our games.

A Phil Ivey final table alone is good for poker. But should he go on and win the question is how would he do as an ambassador for the game? You know, the let's-go-out-and-get-that-UIGEA-repealed guy. Is he the best guy to get that job done?

It depends on whether or not he wants to step up. Ivey is the guy that'll win a bracelet and slip out the back door before the press even gets the picture and Q+A session.

He's a guy who really doesn't like to be in the spotlight, despite being the biggest name in poker.

Everyone wants to know everything about Phil Ivey, but Ivey just wants to be in the shadows doing what he always does: playing poker and winning millions of dollars.

That's not to say that if he won the Main Event he wouldn't recognize what kind of impact he could potentially have on poker legislation.

Winning the Main Event could catapult Ivey from poker celebrity to mainstream star.

Like Amarillo Slim in the past, he could find himself on the talk show circuit, bringing poker to a whole new audience and hopefully bringing exposure to the sham that is the UIGEA.

It's all entirely possible, and as a stake holder in Full Tilt Poker, Ivey should understand how potentially profitable this can be for him, his company, and poker players worldwide.

The possibility is there. Ivey just has to step up, take the ball and run with it.

He's been somewhat reluctant in the past, but for the greater good of the game, we all hope he would do it given the opportunity.

However, that's getting a little ahead of ourselves. Right now he sits six of nine and there is a ton of ground to make up.

One thing already guaranteed is that the 2009 November Nine will be the most watched WSOP Main Event in recent history.

With higher ratings comes more exposure, so, win or lose, Ivey has already helped the poker world.

So is Phil Ivey good for poker? Yes he is. We'll just have to wait and see if he can be great for poker.

-- Dan

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Top 5 Amazing WSOP Feats

info@www.Pokerlistings.com — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 23:28:45 +0100

The WSOP Main Event plays down to a final nine tonight and should Phil Ivey find himself a seat, his performance this summer with two bracelets and an ME final table will stand as one of the greatest WSOPs ever.

To say an Ivey final-table appearance is a forgone conclusion, though, is a bit much.

Ivey may be the best player in the world, but he still has to claw through at least 12 or 13 more players as of press time for that "November Nine" spot.

And as we all know, anything can happen in tournament poker.

Though his WSOP has been a massive success regardless, it still can't compete (just yet) with these other top 5 World Series of Poker feats over the years.

Stu Ungar "Back to Back" 1980 and 1981

Arguably the greatest player to have ever lived, Stu Ungar won the Main Event in 1980, defeating Doyle Brunson heads-up. He made it back-to-back in '81, successfully defending his title vs. Perry Green.

Stuey was the youngest player ever to win the Main Event. He would go on to add another Main Event bracelet in 1997 to become the only player ever to win the Main Event three times.

Unfortunately, Stuey will be remembered as a "What could have been" story.

He had an innate skill at the poker tables. He always knew where he was in a hand and pounced on weakness whenever he saw it. He played LAG poker before it was cool to play LAG poker.

And he did it well. However, it was his weakness away from the tables that will always leave people wondering what might have been. Stuey was found dead of a drug overdose in 1998 in a seedy Vegas motel room with less than $800 to his name.

A sad end to one of the greatest players ever to play the game. But nobody will ever be able to take his three world titles away.

Ivan Demidov "Two Main Event Final Tables, One Year" 2008

In 2008, Demidov took to Vegas and the WSOP. In the Main Event, he rode a sick wave of cards all the way to the final table.

As a member of the original "November Nine," Ivan found himself with a three-month break until the table would reconvene and play out.

Rather than sit idly by, Demidov elected to hit up the World Series of Poker Europe. And then went on to make the final table of that Main Event as well.

In Europe, Demidov bested 360 players to finish a very respectable third, netting £334,850 for his troubles.

When the "November Nine" reconvened, Demidov ran over the final table and eventually found himself heads-up for the bracelet vs. Peter Eastgate.

Demidov ended up losing the heads-up slobberknocker to Eastgate in a 242-hand brawl.

He still took home $5,790,024 for that second-place finish and will always have the distinction of final-tabling both WSOP Main Events in the same year.

Dan Harrington "Runner Runner Main Event Final Tables" 2003 and 2004

"Action" Dan Harrington, ironically self-nicknamed for his extremely tight play, made the final table in both 2003 (839 players) and in 2004 (2,576 players). He went on to finish third in 2003 and fourth in 2004.

It may not sound quite as impressive as back-to-back titles, but you have to remember that when Ungar did it there was under 75 players each year. When Chan did it, there was under 180.

When Action Dan final-tabled in back-to-back years, he outlasted 3,409 players combined - 20 times more than Ungar and 10 times more than Johnny Chan.

Which Leads us to our next one ...

Johnny Chan "1st, 1st, 2nd" 1987,1988 and 1989

Perhaps the sickest string of Main Event cashes ever, Johnny Chan won it all in '87 and '88 and came within a sniff of winning in '89 (he lost heads-up to Phil Hellmuth).

Nobody will ever come close to this feat. Ever. The fields are just too big.

But it doesn't need to be repeated. For three years, Chan owned the Main Event. For that feat alone he secured his place in poker history.

Now add on his 10 bracelets and you get a pretty good idea of the imprint Chan has made.

Jeffery Lisandro "Three Bracelets, One Year, One Game" 2009

In the 2009 Series, Lisandro solidified his name as one the greatest Stud players of all time, winning three bracelets in three different disciplines of Stud.

The first bracelet came in the run-of-the-mill Seven-Card Stud, where he shipped the bracelet and $124,959. Next, only a week later, Lisandro won the Seven-Card Stud Hi/Lo Championship and $431,656.

Last but not least, Lisandro won the Razz (bizarro Stud) event for $188,370.

Lisandro joins the ranks of Phil Ivey, Phil Hellmuth and Ted Forrest in the three-bracelets-in-a-single-year category - some pretty prestigious company.

However, the sheer dominance at one single game makes Lisandro's 2009 performance stand out.

There are plenty of others that could have made the list (hit us up in the comments), and each year there will be new feats made.

Will Ivey find a spot on the list for next year with a final table performance (or better)?

Keep it locked to our Live Tournaments page because tonight they play down to the "November Nine."

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