High On Poker

Me no am Bizzaro Jordan at Low on Poker, the worstest site on the intertubes. You no welcome to me site. Me no play poker last night. Me play really good. Me very passive. No like betting unless me have premium hand like 36o or 95o. Me like talking strategy. Best strategy is very passive. Fold to the money is good. Points are good. Me think points more important than money. Me like complaints about the BBT4. BBT4 is no good. Me hate free money and prizes. Me have good chance to win. Me like talk strategy. What to do when I have 49o preflop UTG? Push?! Me thought so. Me no donkey. Me won hand to stupid man playing AA. AA is no good. No play poker with letters. Play with numbers! Tripjax write about duck hunting. GCox writes about beer. Both write about poker. Schaubs writes small titles and long posts. Spoiler post is no good. Not very funny. No laugh out loud at work and catch the ire of Little Boss Man. F-train no gay! CK is Christian Nordic man. Dawn write more than ever and is best posts yet! Online poker better than live poker! Online poker is all reads! Me get reads online! Reads are not imporant in poker! Not important at all! Math is fun. Number one reason to play poker is for Maths. Me go now. Eat some kryptonite. Yummy kryptonite. Before last time, me no likey poker!

Is anyone else really digging the way that Heroes has seemingly resurrected itself in all of two episodes? The characters’ motivations seem more clear, the storylines have decent twists and even the thin filler moments (drinking contests in Mexico?) seem more fun. I miss J-Goat‘s recaps, but I can’t blame him for quitting. As long as J-Goat keeps putting out Lost recaps I can’t complain.

This is more of a preview post. I thank you all for bearing with me these last few weeks or months. Peaks and valleys, folks; it’s as true for blogging as it is for poker. Poker, meanwhile, continues to frustrate online whereas my few live sessions have been going well. I rather not dwell on it too long though. Suffice it to say that I had a decent first three months of the year live and a forgettable break-even three months online.

Coming up, wifey Kim has herself a birthday get together with all of her HS female friends. One of the gals is flying in from Georgia and the plan is for the girly crew to meet up this Saturday on Long Island. Seeing opportunity, I immediately announced my plans: “Looks like I’ll be in AC!” I sent out a text message to my buddies, but haven’t gotten any bites yet. No matter what, though, it looks like I’m AC-bound. On one hand, it’s nice to be so independent and confident that taking the trip solo is no problem; on the other hand, it is mildly disturbing to my GamAnon sponsor.

Besides that, I’ve been reading a book called Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell, the author of Blink and The Tipping Point. Outliers is about statistical outliers, generally people who stand out amongst the crowd, whether they be hockey standouts, computer wizzes, or mathemagicians. Naturally, I saw a couple of segments fairly applicable to poker, so once I’m done with the book, you’ll be hearing more about it here.

Until next time, make mine poker!

It’s been a while since we’ve delved into one of the Leaks, those things I do that just leak bankroll on something usually outside of my control and beyond my abilities. This time, we turn our attention to the time suck that is NCAA Basketball brackets.

This Sunday, I joined wifey Kim and a bunch of her friends to visit the NJ home of one of her friends that just recently had her second baby. While the girls were off cooing about how cute the baby was, the guys were left to their own devices. Naturally, NCAA basketball became a topic of conversation.

It’s safe to say that in many social groups, I’m known as the gambler. People hear that I play poker and that starts the ball rolling. Then, once we get chatting, AC and Vegas comes up and my depth of knowledge builds the gamblers’ image. When the group eventually learns that I have a poker blog, it’s the tipping point, and from then on, I become the gambler of the group. Of course, the prop bets with civilians don’t help.

With this group, I’m the gambler, naturally, so when NCAA bracket talk started up, everyone was surprised when I announced, “This is the last year for NCAA brackets for me.”

Most civilians don’t understand the distinction between being a poker player and a gambler. When they hear that you play poker, they will discuss their blackjack play or their one big slot machine payoff. I’m no snob, and I usually don’t argue about the difference between poker and gambling, but when the conversation does occur, most people are confused.

“I thought you liked gambling?” one of the guys asked. “I do,” I responded, “but not this type of gambling. I gamble for two reasons, to make money and have fun. With poker, I have both. I can win money consistently and I enjoy the game. Sometimes, I’ll play table games with wifey Kim, but only for entertainment. I know I can’t win in the longrun, so I play rarely but never with the expectation that I might win. But NCAA brackets are just no fun. I know nothing about the teams, I choose them like it’s a lotto, and then I don’t even care enough to watch the games. There is no fun and no expectation to win money.”

And that’s it in a nutshell. I don’t begrudge others who enjoy NCAA pools. Hell, I encourage it, because the more people gamble, the more it becomes a socially-accepted norm. Plus, if you are successful generally at it, or if it helps you enjoy the tournament more, then you are getting the benefit of entertainment. But me, not so much. It’s just a money leak, with no entertainment value whatsoever.

So, add that to my (now) list of three things Jordan will not do in the future to address leaks:

1. NCAA Basketball brackets
2. NFL Superbowl Boxes (what is fun about hoping that one team scores a touchdown, then the other team kicks a field goal and then a safety just so I can win the quarter; its a bastardization of the game…and I usually end up with 2/5 or 5/2)
3. Girl Scout Cookies (the cookies get worse and worse, and the prices and social pressures keep going up and up)

Until next time, make mine poker!

I spent the morning on the phone with 4 different departments at HSBC, trying to rectify some late charges (and the inevitable credit report damage) that magically appeared on some bank statements. With each new department, I tried a new tactic. My personal favorite was the screaming match with Darsen Mashurash with the Select Credit Department. I had already spoken to his department earlier in the morning, and they told me I had to speak to the Checking Accounts Department. The Checking Accounts Department told me I had to speak with a “specialist” and then sent me to Darsen, back in the Select Credit Department. When he told me he had to transfer me to another department because “he wasn’t authorized to speak with me about certain issues” I got to lay on the aggression. It can be very therapuetic, and it doesn’t hurt that Darsen comes from a culture with a rigid caste/class system.

Once he got me through to Linda, I was able to resolve 90% of the problems. When we got off the phone, though, I needed to unwind. Wifey Kim just started up a load of laundry, so I knew we were staying home for at least another 90 minutes. And so, I fired up FullTilt.

This is really just a setup for one hand, the first hand I played in the tournament.

It was a two-table $22+2 Sit-N-Go, turbo. Everyone started with 1500 in chips. I was in the CO and was dealt KK. The rollercoaster began with a jolt of joy. KK in this spot is pretty sweet. The turbo structure will also encourage a bit of gambling.

Preflop, a player in EP minimum raises to 80 (20/40 blinds). A player to my immediate right called the 80. I decided to push all-in.

The overpush all-in in this situation is all about catching a player offguard. As long as I’m not facing AA (and it is much more likely I’m facing just about anything from KJ up or 44 up), I am going into the hand as a favorite. A lot of inferior, but strong hands may call in this situation, since my overpush seems weak, ironically. To the player with QQ, JJ, AK, AQ, or even TT or 99, my play might look like a weak attempt to pick up the pot with a vulnerable low pair or drawing high cards.

There’s a bit of internal excitement at this point. I’m a tad nervous though, because I don’t usually make that play and I’m uncertain if I overbet the pot and wasted an opportunity.

That nervousness gave way to a sense of joy with the initial min raiser calls. The other player folds and we show our cards. My KK vs. his…AA. Drop. FUCK!

Flop is all unders. FUCK! Turn is a K. JOY! River is a blank. And…relief.

God damn, I love this game.

Until next time, make mine poker!

So, I made my play and felt

It looks like someone actually bought a $uperman t-shirt. It’s not something I’ve actively pimped, but since there was actually a buyer out there, I’ll just gently remind you that if you are interested in a $uperman t-shirt (or High on Poker t-shirt), the can be had via Zazzle and THIS LINK.

That is all.

Until next time, make mine poker!

After last weekend’s trip to Buffalo for my fraternity’s 10 year anniversary, I reconnected with some of the brothers with whom I had lost touch. Two brothers, Kennedy and Sajak, live about a block away from me in NYC. Kennedy mentioned that he runs a bi-monthly poker game, so I offered my services as a player if the need should arise. Yesterday was the first such game.

I’m playing poker tonight at the Wall Street Game, the weekly 1/2 game filled with Wall Street types, so I couldn’t commit myself for a full evening of poker at Kennedy’s. I have to show a modicum of decency and I like to spend some time with the wifey Kim. Fortunately, Kennedy was throwing some cheapo $20 buy-in tournaments, two to be exact, so I figured I could play in the first and leave before the second.

I forget sometimes that not every home game is as good as Jamie’s Wall Street Game. When I arrived at the game, the host had already decided to move it from the Solarium, a public-use room in his building, to his apartment because of overcrowding in the Solarium. The result is that the 7 of us scattered around a coffee table, sitting on couches and whatever chairs were available. The cards were generic playing cards, the type you could get at any drug store (or worse, Dollar Store). In fact, after the first hand was dealt, I noticed a significant crease on the bottom left corner of my King of Spades. I also noticed some ink on the sides of the cards clearly placed by the casino after they chose to remove the cards from circulation. In any other environment, I might say something, but it was clear that this was a fun-time game with players who were still pretty green, so I didn’t want to make too big of a deal over the sub-standard equipment.

The funny thing is, before heading over, I asked Kennedy if he needed anything. He said he had it all. I was thinking of grabbing a new deck of Copags (so much better than Kem cards), but who was I to argue. If he had everything, he had everything.

The play was fairly substandard, but it was a good group of guys and I was happy to have some fun. It was like being in a time machine and playing a game four years ago, when my friends were just learning the ropes. But the distance between me and my competitors came to the forefront after the following hand:

We had started with 55 chips and blinds of 1/2, a structure that paralleled my original home game structure except for the odd number of chips. Blinds were probably up to 2/4 already when I decided to raise preflop with JJ from the BB. There were already a bunch of limpers, but I got two callers and we saw a flop, QXX. I checked since I was out of position, and when it checked around, I was all but certain that no one had a Queen and I was ahead. The turn was an 8. I bet out and got one caller, a guy with glasses (we’ll call him Glasses from here on out) who seemed to hesitate when the action got to him. The river came down a 9. It seemed harmless enough and I bet again. Glasses pushed all-in. I took my time, trying to get a handle on the action. I should’ve looked for physical tells, but instead, I was focused on the betting pattern. I spoke aloud, “I don’t think you have the Queen, but did you get lucky and back into the straight?” I also had the feeling that he might have 99 or 88, and made his set post-flop. I counted out my chips and someone said, “You have him covered.” I replied, “I’m not looking to see whether I have more than him. I want to see how much I’ll have left when I fold.” I then folded and showed my JJ. He showed 9T. He rivered second-pair and raised all-in. I just couldn’t call him in that spot.

“Nice play,” I replied. I was the picture of cool. After all, it was a nice play and a bit of a surprise from a player of less years and experience than me. I felt that this group of newbie-ish players could use some props for good play. It wouldn’t take anything away from me, and it’s good to keep your opponents happy.

Another player at the table chimed in, and this statement truly underscored for me the difference that a few years have made: “You’re taking that very well.” He motioned to his buddy who was already busted. “Check him out. He’s still pissed.”

And there it was, the main difference over all else. Experience has taught me to accept the fates that happen to us at the table. When I busted to MiamiDon in the Skillz game, I wasn’t upset. When I folded to some rookie kid who made a “bad” raise all-in, I didn’t tilt.

If poker has taught me patience than it is all worth it. Of course, I still find it annoying when I arrive at a game and they don’t have top of the line experience, but, um, at least I’m getting pateint with the cards…

Until next time, make mine poker!

Last night was the Skillz Game, one of the weekly blogger tournaments that make up the BBT4, or for you non-bloggers, the Battle of the Bloggers 4. The series of tournaments provide bloggers and readers an opportunity to compete not just for the usual prize pools but for a leaderboard awarding prizes for the top 20 spots and a tournament of champions made up of players who have won BBT events.

A couple of weeks ago, I won my seat into the ToC (tournament of champions) by winning the Mookie. Last night, on a lark, I decided to play the Skillz Game, which was Limit Hold’em this week, in an effort to make some more cash.

The leaderboard wasn’t particularly on my mind because I still do not have a full grasp of it’s importance. I don’t plan on playing every event, so I figure that I will be severely handicapped compared to some of the other competitors. For instance, not including last night, I’ve played 5 events, still more than I expected. I’m currently in 27th place. However, none of the 26 players above me have played less than 8 games, and only two have played less than 10. That’s not to say much of anything other than the fact that unless I cash or win each tournament I enter, I don’t stand much chance for the big money spots on the leaderboard against players with 3x as many tourneys under their belts.

Limit Hold’em is an interesting game. It is the checkers to No Limit Hold’ems chess. Plays are finite, or as I liked to say during yesterday’s tournament, “This is easy. I only have three buttons.” That’s Fold, Call, or Raise for you non-online poker players out there.

With limited betting, Limit Hold’em necessarily becomes about preflop hand selection because there are less opportunities to push opponents off of superior hands. That is not to say, however, that the correct strategy is to play tight. Several players at my earlier tables can attest to me doing some pretty aweful-looking things, like re-raising preflop with crap cards, but when the blinds are tiny compared to the stacks and the game is tournament Limit Hold’em, there is a decent amount of flopping around one can do in the early runnings without significantly damaging one’s stack.

Another benefit, and in fact one that was crucial to me, was the fact that its hard to go broke on second-best hands, provided that the blinds are not too high. On two ocassions, I ended up with set under set. The first time, my QQ flopped a 9QK board, but I was facing KK. We capped (made the maximum bets) every street until I lost at showdown. In a NLHE game, we would’ve been all in on the flop, if not sooner. Later, my 44 flopped a set on a 489 board, only to lose to 99. Once again, it started off capping, but by the time we got to the big bets (post-turn and river), I had caught wind that I wasn’t necessarily in the lead and check-called, saving myself some money. Once again, though, if it were NLHE, we’d likely be all-in on the flop.

I benefited once again in this game with my loose image. Repeatedly, players who knew my game decided to call me down when I was holding strong cards. To the untrained eye, that was luck; to someone viewing the entirety of the game, it was the early looseness paying off (or in a greater sense, it was my general reputation paying off). Of course, the relative limit on the amount my opponent could lose probably helped their decision making; but it also helped my play.

The number one factor, though, that helped me reach the final table and, as it were, end in second (to MiamiDon, to whom I say congrats), was my experience with short stack poker. The beginning of these limit tourneys are just crap. You can’t really bust anyone and you can’t even accumulate chips enough to make it worthwhile. You could literally sit out the first three levels and probably lose 0 equity. On the flipside, the game kicks into high gear as the blinds escalate and the stacks get comparatively shorter. That is when it is important to know who you can push around for one bet, and who is going to be pushing light. I’ve had a lot of experience with push-fold poker for a variety of reasons, but it paid off last night. At least it mostly paid off.

The HU battle with Don was tough. This is now the second time he’s bested me heads up in a blogger tourney, the first time being a Mookie probably over a year ago. He had me outchipped from the get go, and then I saw a string of 8-or-under cards. 26, 85, 73, etc. It makes for a tough game, heads up. It took a while though, and Don finally got his win with the hammer, no less. His 72o actually had me beat preflop. I was so short, I ended up pushing with 63o.

Rumor has it, there is a prize for being atop the leader board for the month of March. I don’t know if that’s true, but if so, I should probably play the Mookie tonight. It’ll be a gametime decision though, because even with everything, I’m not in this thing for the points. I’m in it for the poker (and, of course, the cash).

Until next time, make mine poker!

http://www.mcandl.com/colorado.html

This weekend was my fraternity’s 10 year anniversary. It was founded when I was but a sophomore in college, a way for 22 independent guys to meet impressionable sorority girls without first subjecting ourselves to 12 weeks of overtly homosexual activities to prove our mettle.

Ten years is a long time, so my return to Buffalo saw some significant changes. Technology, for one, has advanced at an alarming rate. Whereas me and my buddies had a crappy TV and crappier computer, and barely any cell phones until junior or senior years, the current crop of college students have huge flat screen TVs, high speed everythings, and cell phones that can do more than everything in my assorted college living quarters during my four year tenure. Things that haven’t changed are the simple fact that college kids love drinking to excess, are willing to live in shit holes, and are relatively broke, their expensive technology notwithstanding.

A weekend up in Buffalo can be rather tight, if you do it right. I flew up Friday evening, arriving at about 10:30 pm. After dropping off our stuff at the fleabag motel (“Do you want the blood-soaked bed or the cum-soaked bed?”), my crew headed down to the South Campus fraternity house and then the bar scene. I eventually made it back to our motel at about 5am. Poker and fraternity events are the only things capable of keeping me up that late nowadays.

The next morning, as I awoke spooning a cockroach approximately the size of wifey Kim, I tried to plan my day. Another change in Buffalo over the last 10 years is the introduction of poker to the nearby Canadian casinos and the new American casino, also with poker. I had decided to make a trip there, but I also had a couple of other necessary errands.

First was Duff’s, the best Buffalo wings in the city. Anchor Bar may claim the fame of being the inventor of Buffalo wings, but Duff’s is the place responsible for perfecting the wings. Of course, greasy wings aren’t the best breakfast after a night of drinking, but that didn’t stop us.

After breakfast, my crew headed to the campus book store to buy some UB paraphenalia. Once that was done, it was already 2pm, and with a formal event scheduled to start at 6pm, the reality hit. There was no time for a casino run.

Figure the casino was 30 minutes away, give or take. Then, once arriving, I’d have to get on a list. It was not unthinkable that I’d have to wait at least 30 minutes if not an hour. I’d also need some time to get dressed for the 6pm event. Long story short, it just wasn’t going to happen.

But that’s not to say that I didn’t play poker. I ended up heading down to the fraternity house, where a couple of college-kid degenerates were setting up a small stakes cash game. The trip was as much about hanging out as it was anything else, so I decided to join them.

The level of play was pretty aweful. Let’s just get that out of the way. After all, these weren’t card sharks. These were poor college kids, and poker was simply gambling to them. It was shorthanded, maybe 7 players at most, and players would routinely play bad hands and be shocked that their A6o didn’t hit. One player called large raises with two over cards, KJ, on the flop and turn, folding on the river, justifying his play by stating that it was crazy that he didn’t hit.

Of course, with a $20 buy-in and .25/.50 blinds, there wasn’t much damage I could do. At one point, I was up well over a buy-in, but I ended up losing a chunk when I decide to bluff a hand in position after a preflop raise and got called down by a player who hit trips with on a 877 board with J7o in his hand. Lemon.

By the time the game was over, I was up $8, not too shabby for a $20 buy-in. Still, it was peanuts.

That night, the actual 10 year anniversary dinner was held, after which we all headed to a nearby bar, eventually returning back to one of the fraternity houses around 2am. A bunch of the guys were hanging out, and one in particular was looking to get a game of limit Omaha going. Naturally, I was game.

The main problem with the setup was that we were in a frat house, surrounded by over a dozen drunken college kids and alumni. That makes for a decent amount of noise and activity, but we cleared off a space at the kitchen table and began to work out the game. I was expecting to play heads up with the game’s instigator, an ironically-named Romeo, an alumni grad student who now served as the fraternity’s advisor. It was clear he was jonesing for a game and nothing but Omaha would do. I was okay with this, and I expected it to be just the two of us, but a fellow alumni, Maverick, and a visiting friend, Jeremy, decided to join us as well.

I had a bad feeling about this game, and it got worse and worse as the rules were established. All four of us had been drinking, so first off, it was going to be sloppy poker. Second, Mav and Jeremy had never played Omaha before, so I had to teach them the game. I hate playing against newbies like this because either you win and feel like you are fleecing them, or you lose and look the fool. Since the players were inexperienced, Hi/Lo was out of the question. I thought if it was heads-up with the poker-minded Romeo, we could play whatever we want and probably get decent stakes. But with the newbies, we agreed to limit, which can minimize the effect of mistakes. We also had to find our stakes. To make matters worse, we had all had a long day of spending money, and Mav only had $5 on him. I refused to play for penny stakes. Quite frankly, it just wouldn’t be worth the time, since I would have just as much fun partying with the rest of the house. But alas, Mav was able to borrow $20 from someone and we settled on 1/2 limit.

Long story short, I was the first one to bust, and I was never happier to bust in my life. The game felt like work, not fun. I didn’t care about winning and I couldn’t get a handle on the newbies, who were still learning the game and playing poorly as a result. I remember when I busted, there wasn’t a moment’s hesitation. I just got up and walked away. No rebuying. Just walk.

A little while later, while hanging on the couch with other brothers, I heard my pal and fellow alumni Orko asking me to rejoin the game. They had since switched to Hold’em and Orko was hoping to play some with me. After all, he knew about my poker degeneracy, so I guess there is something novel to play with the poker freak. It didn’t hurt that Orko grew up with my little brother Dave (genetic, not fraternity little brother) and we knew each other a long time. I’m sure that worked into the dynamic. Whatever the case, I surveyed the table and rejected the offer several times. “Come on, man,” Orko was insistent. I leaned in close to him, “It just wouldn’t be fun for me. Trust me, man. I’m not playing.”

I didn’t want to say it at the time, but the real tipping point, beyond the low stakes and distracted game, was the buy-in. A $20 buy-in is fine and good, but not when everyone is buying in with $20 bills and no one has change. Since it’s a cash game, cashing out was going to be a real chore and I didn’t want to play only to find out that we couldn’t get paid out because of the lack of small bills. It was a deal breaker for me, but I refused to announce that reason to the table. After all, they were just looking to have fun, and I didn’t want to be the guy to point out that the game was going to have problems when it was completed.

That was the entirety of poker on this trip. A small cash NLHE game in the afternoon and a couple of rounds of limit Omaha in the late evening. It was a far cry from my plans to hit the casinos and fleece some college kids and Canadians, but it had to do. I guess not every trip can be about the poker.

Until next time, make mine poker!

“Water seeks its own level and so do poker players.” – Doyle Brunson

It’s rare that I will start off a post with a quote, but that one from Doyle really hit home. As a player starting out at the micro limits online (literally .10 tournaments), I appreciate the fact that it takes a lot of hard work or dedication to make the climb up the poker ladder. I’ve been stalled at the live 1/2 NLHE stage for some while now, as much a product as my fear of losing money as my lack of opportunity to play live. Sometimes I think I should force myself to try the next game up, 2/5 NLHE. I’ve played that game on only one or two ocassions that I can recall offhand. Then I remember the juiciness of the 1/2 games, where you get the least experienced (and consequently worst) players, and I generally stick to the ole 1/2. But Doyle’s quote offers some food for thought, and maybe it’s time I find my own level or accept that for now, it’s 1/2.

The last time I played 2/5 was in Buffalo. I was in the town of my alma mater with wifey Kim for a speech therapy conference. It’s the same excuse we are using to go down to New Orleans this November, if all goes according to plan. After dropping her off at her conference, I headed to one of the new American casinos, located at Niagara Falls. The 1/2 table had a max buy-in of $100 and the 2/5 had a max buy-in of $300. Since I was comfortable with a $300 buy-in (that’s the usual buy-in for 1/2 games in Atlantic City), I opted for the higher game.

I had to actually go back and read my trip report to check the results. +$338. It’s comparable to a decent 1/2 session. Of course, that’s just one sample, and a sample does not a trend make.

This all leads me to this weekend. It’s my fraternity’s 10 Year Reunion. Long story short, back in college, my good buddy Jefe asked if I wanted to start a fraternity with him. He had already gotten together a group of likeminded individuals. I said yes, the fraternity was put together, and ten years later, it’s now stronger than ever.

So this weekend, and in fact, in a few hours, I’m heading to Buffalo to drink with some old buddies and, if all goes well, play some poker. My little brother (in real life, not fraternity-speak) Dave was also in the fraternity, so we are going up together. I already warned him that Saturday morning, I intend to disappear.

Here’s how I envision it. Hung over from drinking tonight, I wake up on the early side, perhaps 9 or 10am, drive to the casino, play for two to four hours, and then meet up with everyone. Some of the fraternity brothers are throwing a home game tourney, which also is appealing, but the stakes are college-kid stakes, $20 buy-in. I’m not adverse to those stakes, and I’ll hopefully make their game as well as play in the casino, but I am really looking forward to some sweet poker action.

My love for poker, now five years plus into our love affair, just does not abate. I am heading back to college, the land of cheap booze and loose women, and the only thing on my mind is getting back into the 2/5 game.

I’m sure when I started this, I had some more organized thoughts going through my head. So much for that. But since poker is calling, I’ll just cut this short.

Have a great weekend everyone. Wish me luck.

Until next time, make mine poker!

One of the greatest things about winning the Mookie last week is the Champion Profile that Mookie does for each winner. My first Champion Profile is HERE, but since the second one asked for my 10 Favorite Poker Blogs, I figured it wouldn’t hurt to cross-post the second profile here. Enjoy.

Q: Name your Top Ten list of poker blogs.

HoP: In no particular order…

BWOP- What is there not to like about CK’s blog? She predominantly plays live poker, prefers non-Hold’em games, and lives in Vegas (we miss you in NY). Plus, if she were to be in a tag team with her boyfriend, F-Train, the tag team would still come in at a collective weight of under 200 lbs. Bonus points for being an Asian Jew. But really, content is king, and BWOP has the perfect mix of poker and non-poker content.

F-Train- The other half of the dynamic duo, I love F-Train’s blog because he’s currently traveling the poker tournament circuit and his blog posts give a glimpse into the life of a traveling poker journalist. F-Train is a really smart guy, and his posts are often thoughtful and well thought out. Double bonus points for dating an Asian Jew.

SirFWalGman- Don’t act surprised. He’s on your favorites list, too. I don’t just love Woffles blog for the rants; I love it because he posts consistently and he has an opinion. He’s also a funny guy with an acerbic wit. If there is a new post by Woffles, I’m reading it. All this praise, and the prick still can’t spell my name right and refuses to link to me whenever he does mention me. Prick.

Wall Street Poker- I didn’t realize how NY-centric my blog reading is, but that really shouldn’t be a surprise. Regardless, Jamie’s blog is fantastic. He’s constantly traveling around the US to play poker, writes detailed trip reports, and has fairly regular content. He also writes about his regular home game, which has enough crazy characters for three blogs. Great writing by a great poker host.

Terrence “Not Johnny” Chan- Terrence Chan’s blog is great. He updates regularly, fights and trains for MMA, and plays the live poker tournament circuit. Once again, the key to Chan’s blog is not the deep analysis of poker play, but rather his engaging opinions and storytelling. Whether he is writing a trip report for a vacation in Southeast Asia, handicapping an MMA match, or recounting the story of a tournament, he makes for a good read.

Al Cant Hang- What’s not to love about the One Man Party? I’ve had a few ocassions where I was able to hang with Al, and all I can say is that as great as he is in his blog, he’s even better in person. Al’s blog is a fun read every time. Plus, if you ever need info on a blogger event, it’s a good first blog to check.

Astin Cubed- If you haven’t figured it out by now, I’m not so into the strategy blogs. I don’t mind some strategy, but I really enjoy reading about people and their experiences. Astin fits well into that category. You can get a real sense of the kind of guy Astin is by his posts. He’s also one helluva cook, and I’ve personally stolen some of his recipes. Man, that sounds gay. Whatever. Keep doing your thing, Astin.

Riggstad’s Nut Straight- The thing about reading Rigg’s posts are, I feel like I’m getting insider information. He rubs elbows with some of the powers that be in Atlantic City, and he’s a knowledgeable guy all around. I’ve seen him in action, and he just exudes a certain amount of confidence and ability to get the job done that I have only seen in a few people. His blog is often insightful, and always worth a read.

PokerGrump- Content is king, and Grump produces more than his share of content. While I’m happy to skip the Guess the Casino posts, the vast majority of his posts are relatively short tales from his time as a 1/2 NLHE grinder in Vegas. He really lets the readers feel that they, too, are spending all their time going from casino to casino collecting dough and wacky stories. I openly envy that freedom and lifestyle and I thank Grump for letting me live vicariously through him, one post at a time.

My Peoples- This is a bit BS, but I’m combining GCox, TripJax, and Schaubs as three guys who I follow not only for their blogs but because I sincerely like them on a personal level. There are a lot more out there, but GCox and TripJax stand out as the guys who really got me into the whole blogging/online poker thing, and sometimes reading and chatting with Schaubs amazes me, since we come from such different places but share the same values and opinions. All three are good friends. I’d encourage them to write more, but the natural ebb and flow of blogging has to take its natural course. GCox now writes more about hunting than poker, Tripjax writes more about booze than anything, and Schaubs is all over the place but his love for golf is always apparent.

Go check these blogs out. Sure, they’ll ruin your workplace productivity, but if you are reading this right now, that’s probably your M.O.

Q: What makes you happier, a positive ROI in donkaments, or an actual tournament win? (Submitted by Heffmike)

HoP: Frankly, a win. I don’t keep track of my ROI online, but nothing beats the satisfaction of the pop-up screen telling you that you won the tournament and are awarded $____ for your efforts.

Until my next Mookie win, make mine poker!