WPBT 2009

More pics in my WPBT 2009 set on Flickr!

Poker Podcasts?

I was just listening to Mediocre Poker, and it made me think: are there other decent poker podcasts out there?  God knows there are dozens of great poker blogs, but I don’t have any podcasts on my list.

BBT4: Coming Soon

Once upon a time I used to play poker.  I even wrote a poker blog.  I guess I am the Co-President of the MBA Card Club here at the University of Texas.  But still, it’s been a slow death for what used to be a really big (and fun) part of my life.  Will we see a Micky Rourke-like ressurection from Carter Rabasa in 2009?  Will the MBA Poker Championship in January re-ignite my passion for getting pots shipped my way?

Write it down: I am going to dominate the BBT 4.  Can’t wait!

The Bash (not at the Boat)

I will not be able to make Al’s annual drink-fest. It just so happens that a little thing called Austin City Limits is happening that same weekend, and my girl is coming down to Austin to boot. Choices, choices.

I am seriously bummed at missing out. I don’t think I made it last year, and I was really looking forward to redeeming myself and reliving the glory of whupping-up on Gavin Smith during the 2006 Poker Tournament or rolling myself under a car to escape a beating in 2005. I have nothing cool to say about 2004, since I pretty much just passed the fuck out.

For everyone who’s making it up to Al’s neck of the woods, dial-a-shots all around!

Weekend at Mookie’s

Warning: Poker Content

On Friday night, I was in San Francisco with a couple of McCombs MBAs. We were in town working on a project for school, and had just spent the day at Stanford. After dinner, two of us (myself and Aki) decided to head over to a nearby poker casino. We probably got there around 9pm. 9 hours later, we cashed-out and caught the 6:30am flight home for Austin.

This is a really long way of explaining how exhausted I was when I got to the Weekend at Mookie’s that evening. But how could I miss it? Mookie had reached out to me last August welcoming me to Austin and inviting me to his home games. How did I repay this hospitality? By not showing-up to a single game. Yeah, we all get busy from time to time, but that was lame even by my standards.

So, after getting lost and taking a couple of wrong turns, I found my way to Leander, TX and the Big O Poker Room. I was happy to see someone I knew (April), put some faces to names (MiamiDon, CK) and meet some cool new people (Astin). The tourney was fun, although I definitely got stuck at the “wives” table. Things livened-up when my table got broken and I got moved to Table 1 and I was sitting to the left of Mookie and Cedric. Cedric, how should I put this, is a mountain of a man. Kind of like playing poker with Tre Johnson. He had no patience for rabbiting once the blinds got to a certain point. I have no patience for rabbiting period, so I immediately liked the guy.

Of course, things were simply not meant to be. I lost a heart-breaking hand to Mookie when he spiked a T with AT against my AK. I limped along as a short-stack for a while, pushing all-in on a few consecutive occasions to scoop the blinds. In the end I lost a race (KQ vs. small pair) to bow out. Still, I had a great time and Mookie was the consummate host. I’ll be back.

Confirmed For Vegas

Monday Night at the Hoy

I’m playing some poker tonight (10ET) with fellow bloggers on Full Tilt. Just another Monday night at the Hoy. I won’t pretend to live-blog this (I’ll be busying seeing what Maudie and Joe Speaker have been up to. 44 people signed-up so far….

Ok, finished 14th out of sixty-something (I think). Not bad. Definitely not my kind of game (6-handed turbo). The last 3 hands were painful. Had two great hands in a row (AKs and something else), pushed, and just picked-up antes and blinds. Pushed a third time with Qxs, and got called by AKo. Crummy luck, but when you play with fire, you eventually get burned.

Going to Vegas!

Finally, a post about poker! I will be attending the MBA Poker Championship in Las Vegas the weekend of January 18th, 2008. A bunch of us from McCombs will be making the trip to represent Texas in this event. I haven’t been to Vegas since the 2006 WPBT and this is a small consolation for me since I’m missing this year’s WPBT (it’s going down in early December, right smack in the middle of Finals).

Back from Vegas

I’m back, and all banged-up. Those red-eyes look ok on paper, but look out. Left the big V Sunday night at 11:00pm and arrived in DC at 6:30am Monday morning. Took about 1:30 to walk in my front door and promptly pass out.

For the time being, enjoy some pics from the third WPBT.

Update: Pauly is live-blogging:

• Tourists with Bad Hair 1, Pauly 0
• WPBT Holiday Classic: -EV Prevails
• Snailtrax, Male Prostitute

Vegas Do’s and Don’ts

The good Doctor has thoughtful provided a primer for those who are new to the insanity that is “WPBT Vegas”.

As many of you know, I’ll be hopping on a DirecTV-enabled JetBlue flight to the city of lights this coming Thursday. I am, indeed, a newbie to the WPBT. Which is odd, given that a) I love Vegas and b) I’ve been to the last three Bashes at the Boathouse. I’ll be crashing with The Rooster and F-Train while I’m there. I really can’t even begin to imagine the kind of shenanigans that are going to be breaking out this weekend. I only hope my liver and bank account can hold up.

Of course, to top it off, I’ll be leaving Vegas Sunday night and returning Monday morning. That’s right, the glorious red-eye. Which is beyond funny, given that I have no job to come back to at 8am Monday morning. Some habits just die hard.