Quest of a Closet Poker Player

Hoping everyone can make it tonight at 9:30 PM Eastern for CC’s Thursday Bash at PokerStars. You don’t have to be a blogger or a pro to make it tonight, anyone can drop by. It should be another great, tough event.

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The first time I played poker with change100, I put some brutal beatdowns on her at Caesar’s.  It was during a reprieve from the WSOP, and I had gone with Pauly to donk around a bit.  I don’t exactly recall the specifics, but I think the hands fell into either the gutshot, runner-runner, or set farming categories.  Yesterday was the second chance I’ve had to sit at the felt with her, this time virtual at the 2-7 Triple Draw limit tables on Stars.

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For many of us, poker is a passion, an obsession that consumes much of our spare time and thought.  For a few of us, poker has become a generator of livelihood.  Wes‘ recent reaching of $100k in winnings is a testimony that a player can become great and work their way up to beating this game that beats us, if they have the talent, fortitude, and perseverence to make it through the tough times and capitalize on the good.  But should we play?

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A very busy weekend with alot of stuff to review, so I’ll just get at it.  PokerStars is an evil temptress, as she’s now added 2-7 Triple Draw to sap my funds.  It’s interesting to watch new players try their hand at the game:  no one knows the rules, with the most common error being playing an ace as low when it is always high.

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Congrats for 23skidoo for taking down the inaugural CC’s Thursday Bash on PokerStars. It was a wild night for the 26 players who made it to the first event. I had to dump chips back to skidoo when he caught trip 8’s heads-up so as not look too suspicious. Can the host really win the event? I don’t think that’s particularly right, so 2nd place is fine for me.

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Sometime last week I was $8 away from building my PokerStars bankroll up to $4k for the first time.  I sat squarely at $2.5k late last night until a couple of straights got me to $2,765.  This is pure and simple poor NLHE ability that has created this mess as the limit games continue to dry up.

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PokerWorks has stepped up big to help juice the new tourney starting this Thursday.  Here are the details of how we’ll use their support.

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I’ve been thinking more and more about what some of the players I’ve interviewed have said about how they’ve moved up in stakes.  Through painful experience, I’ve come to appreciate bankroll management and the need to put only a portion of your cash at risk at any one time.  Is this too conservative and fraidy-scared though?

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After my meetings on Wednesday, I drove a few miles closer to Duke in Durham to find Bullock’s Barbecue.  I’d tried to hook up with Falstaff who was also in the area on business, but he’d headed back home early and we didn’t connect.  I found the restaurant, found a hotel, returned a few minutes early, and there was Jason Strasser.

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I finally transcribed the interview with Ben Roberts I did shortly before the Main Event started this summer. Ben’s nickname is Gentleman Ben, but that drastically understates the kind of man he is.

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