I am THE James

It has officially been one year since I took a trip for the sole purpose of playing in a tournament.  Last year I played in the United States Poker Championships and then took a hiatis from poker due to financial reasons.  I took my poker bankroll and turned it into rent and expenses money.  From that point, most of you know my journey from business owner to poker writer.  Well, as of next month, I will be back on the road playing tournaments again.

The Fall Poker Classic at the Golden Nugget casino in Las Vegas will take place starting Nov 24th and I will be there.   Every event except the Women’s event is a non-holdem event.  Right up my alley.  It should be a blast.  I will be staying at the 4 Queens Hotel and Casino due to a great rate I found there.  I plan to go out and do well at the Nugget.  The tourney set looks to be a great one.  I hope the structures match the promise.

After the event, I am not quite sure what I am up to next.  I may stay in California a few days and play out there.  There will be a couple of events at the Bike I might play and I would like to play some west coast stud and stud 8.  That’s not a definite yet.  The Tunica Circuit event is out and the schedule looks ok now that they have posted the right one.  I might go down there for a week in January.  I am not sure yet.  I’m also going to see if the Trump is going to put up a schedule for December for their Trump Classic.

One of my new gigs looks to be able to provide me enough stability financially to allow me to travel again, and if it keeps up, that will be great.  Not much else going on right now with me other than staying busy.  Depending on how I feel, I may drive up to AC this week and play some cash games.  I can’t wait to get back out on the poker trail.  And now that my work is actually centered around poker, my play will support my work.

I’m currently sitting here watching a guy on PokerStars play in a couple of tourneys and giving advice along the way in a certain game.  Mostly on Stud 8 and some on Stud.   He has done pretty well and is at the final table of one tourney right now with the chip lead.  Should be interesting to see if he wins.  In the time I typed this sentence he just became second in chips.  It is interesting watching people play mixed games that are weak in a couple.  Fortunately he was bright enough to seek help.  Anywho, not much else going on.

They are down to three.   He has a decent chance to win.  I guess we will see what happens.

The last few days my sleep patterns have been reversed.  For those of you looking at me confused, that means I am sleeping like a NORMAL PERSON.  What the hell?  The good thing is that I have picked up two more clients.  I don’t know how the volume will pan out, but I have been paid for the work done so far.  Seems like whatever I try and pursue, I wind up successful in some fashion or another.

Schedules have come out for events this month and next in Oklahoma and Tunica and both have a good mix of games.  If it weren’t for the expense of getting to Oklahoma, I would go out there and play the events.  I’m still toying with Tunica.  I may choose that over Atlantic City.  I haven’t had the best of luck in AC tourneys other than daily’s.  Plus, the Tunica events are cheaper.  The one downside is that the trip is twice as long as the AC trip.  I may just go up to AC and play cash games.  Yes, I’ve probably already said that, but I’m still toying with the idea.  I saw the schedule for the Bike’s Big Poker Ocktober.  I am not impressed.  One Omaha Hi-Lo and one Stud Hi-Lo event, and the rest crapshoot.   I am waiting to see what the Commerce puts out.   Yes, I am contemplating a trip out west.  When?  Who knows.  How am I getting the money?  Who knows.

I wrote an article today on Omaha Hi-Lo.  I thought I would have a hard time coming up with an 1,000 word article introducing the game and providing basic strategy.  I fooled myself.  There is so much involved just educating a player how to play the game properly that I didn’t really get much into starting hand values etc.  I wound up making the article an introduction to Omaha and will have to write a second article on beginner strategy.    Other games, I didnt have to do this as I didn’t have certain aspect of the game to explain.  Works for me tho, more money from the articles.

For those of you asking, no, I haven’t heard anymore from PokerNews about future work.  Others are getting gigs and I am not even getting replies to messages.  Oh well.  It’s always best to go out and find your own clients anyway folks.   I would love to have enough writing and blogging gigs to where I don’t need another job.  I’m working on it.

I truly think that  I am done with the data business for good.  I just don’t have the desire to work it anymore.  The money was good while it lasted but the landscape of the business model changed too much to make my way of doing things profitable anymore.  Change occurs inevitably.  I cannot complain however.  My house is paid for, as well as my car.  Many people twice my age cannot boast that.

I was asked last night if I had been playing any lately.  I wish I could say I felt like it, but I don’t.  Online poker just doesn’t do it for me.  If I am going to play, I want to play live.  Even then, I can only play so much before I am bored with it.  A certain person keeps trying to get me to come play a game locally and at their home game. I just am not interested.  I’ll read about it, write about it, even watch it on TV.  Play?  Nah, don’t feel like it.

Pingback and bogus commenters are getting a little more creative with their comments.  I have a blog on Poker After Dark that gets a lot of bogus comments like this one.  One comment I got just today was just too funny.  It read:

“I’m the artist formally known as Beck. I have a genius wig. When I put that wig on, then the true genius emerges. I don’t have enough hair to be a genius. I think you have to have hair going everywhere.”

What???  I don’t smoke dope, but whatever this guy is smoking, I want some. 

The United States Poker Championships have released their schedule for this fall.  The event starts on September 14^th, the day after my birthday.  Funny thing is, I was thinking of going to Atlantic City the week after my birthday.  Look at the schedule for the event and you tell me if you can see why I am interested:

Sept. 14, 11:15am, Limit Hold’em, $300 + $40

Sept. 15, 11:15am, Seven Card Stud, $500 + $50

Sept. 16, 11:15am, Seven Card Stud Hi/Low 8 or better, $500 + $50

Sept. 17, 11:15am, Omaha Hi/Low 8 or better, $500 + $50

Sept. 18, 11:15am, 2-Way P/L Hold’em & P/L Omaha, $500 + $50

Sept. 19, 11:15am, H-O-S-E (Hold’em-Omaha H/L-Stud-Stud H/L), $500 + $50

What a fantastic way to open the event.  Also, there is a Stud event on the 22^nd, a PL Omaha 8 event on the 24^th, an Omaha 8 event on Oct 1, a PL Holdem event on Oct 2^nd, ANOTHER Stud event on Oct 6^th and finally another PL Omaha 8 event on October 8^th. 

I so want to go, but I really don’t know if I want to put up the money that all those events would require.  Maybe I will go play the cash games.  That sounds like a plan.  I already know I can get a room for $33 a night in Absecon.  It’s tempting folks. 

I must say that I really respect the USPC for putting out a schedule like this.  I was a little worried that they would get away from mixed games up there, but I guess my apprehension was misplaced. 

In regards to my personal life, most of my time lately has been spent either blogging or job hunting.  (Mostly for writing or blogging jobs)  I hope that somewhere down the line I can pick up a few more contracts and continue working for myself.  Also, I did apply for a Mainframe support job.  It looked like entry level and from the looks of it, not all that difficult.  There aren’t too many mainframe folks in the area.  Actually, I’m not a mainframe person either, but I do have several years IT support experience.  Hopefully that will get me a look. 

Otherwise, not much is going on at the moment.  I think it’s time to go submit myself for a couple more jobs.  Take care all. 

During the main event of the World Series of Poker, I mentioned to one of my field reporters that Barbara Enright is in his section and he should follow her. He replied that he knew and jokingly said, “Who cares about Barbara Enright?” Well lets see, just a majority of the poker world and the Poker Hall of Fame. That’s all. Enright just took down her third title of the year on sunday when she won the Ladies Event at Legends of Poker. So far this year, Enright has three wins, 6 final tables, and a cash at this past World Series of Poker. Maybe it me, but that sounds like someone worth following.

Great job Barbara, keep up the great work. Let’s see a deep run in the LOP Main Event!

This past Monday, I returned from my stint at the World Series of Poker as a blogger for PokerNews.com. It was a fantastic experience, one which I hope to get the chance to do again sometime. Playing in the World Series is a lot different from reporting the World Series. I actually enjoyed the later more this time. One reason is that I didn’t have the stress associated with playing. The last two years, I was burnt out by the time the World Series was over. This year, I could have continued on past the time my contract expired. I was glad to be done though. By the time 4-H Camp time arrived, I was sort of regretting my decision. I ended up figuring out later on that was just due to my missing camp. I talked with several people about camp, and things went well. Step will be taken to where I can attend next year. There is a small hole in me that is noticeably missing due to not attending camp. At the same time, we must make sacrifices in our lives at time to make our overall life better, or at least put ourselves in said position. (more…)

I am writing from Event #29, the $3,000 NL Event.  Since I have last posted, we finished event #22, the $3,000 H.O.R.S.E. event.  Jens Voertmann won the event, but it was a fantastic final table with Marcel Luske, Steve Zolotow, Hoyt Corkins, and Jennifer Harman.  Out of those four, only Marcel had any real shot to win as he finished 3rd.  He was up and down a long time but finally his loose style caught up to him.  I am glad that Voertmann won out of the two left, especially after one hand late.  Doug Ganger and Voertmann were playing a hand of Omaha Hi-Lo where Ganger slowrolled Voertmann.  After that hand, it was as if Voertmann said, “Ok, we play now.”  He just flattened Ganger after that point.

Today, I am covering the $3,000 NL event.  Some big names, but a lot of the top tier names are over in the $10,000 Limit Event.  I would much rather be there, but I guess I have to do time in the NL jail.  Actually, it’s not too bad to cover.  Its actually simple.  I think thats the point.  Its so simple a game that after a while, everything is routine.

After this event, in three days I cover the $10,000 Omaha 8 or Better World Championship.  That should be a lot of fun.  The only down side to all this is that I am beginning to miss some of my friends, which was to be expected.

Unless I make a last minute change, I probably wont play in a WSOP event this year.  I am planning on playing the Stud 8 or Better event down at Binion’s on the 24th, but right now anything else will depend on my schedule and how I feel.  I may hang around and play over at the Orleans open next month, but I haven’t decided.

Anyway, I will try and write again before the end of the 3k event, but this event isn’t all that exciting.

Well I have been officially working for two weeks at the World Series of Poker and I must say that this has been a fantastic experience.  I have worked at least parts of 3 events so far.  I first worked Event #2, which was the $1,500 buy-in NL event.  I worked that for days 1a and 1b.  I had a couple interesting posts about Scotty Nguyen on day two in which we talked a little.

Next, I worked Event #6 which is the $1,500 Omaha 8 or Better event.  That was a great event.  I worked it from start to finish.  Saw a couple of people I knew and had a good time.  Got to cover my first final table.  I even got in a couple of media shots and I “may” get to be on TV as a result of that one.  We will see this fall.

Right now, I am working Event #14, which is the $10,000 buy-in Seven Card Stud World Championship.  This one has been the most fun so far.  I am doing a lot of coverage on a living legend of Vegas,  Archie “The Greek” Karas.  He is the man that came out to Vegas with $50, ran it up to $40,000,000 and then lost it all back.  It’s been a lot of fun covering him and all the other pros.  I will be covering the Stud World Championship to its conclusion.

Of course, if you want to follow my stuff, go to www.pokernews.com and click on the live reporting link.  Any of my events, look for the nick of compncards, and you will find my stuff.

Got to go.  I have to be at work in an hour.  (If you want to call it work)

I still got it. At least for tonight anyway. I just took 4th in a H.O.R.S.E. tournament over at Green Valley Ranch. The structure was such where the game and the levels changed every 15 minutes. To a degree, that makes this tournament a luck fest. For those that can play limit poker properly, this isn’t as big a deal as one thinks. (more…)

Here are some practical examples of various hands and scenarios.  Tell me what you would do and why.  Note:  Suits, if used, are denoted by lowercase letters.

No Limit Holdem satellite that pays a seat to 10 players. There are 11 players left. Average stack is 35,000.  You are in 5th chip position with 41,000 with blind of 1000 – 2000 with a 100 ante.  The chip leaders have over 100k each, and 2 short stacks are below 15k.   One of the chip leaders raises from middle position and your on the button with A, A.   What do you do? (more…)