Kevin O'Brien: Main Event Champ?

If an 'Unknown Amateur' will win the Main Event this year, It's hard to bet against Kevin O'Brien.

Who's Kevin O'Brien?

Most of you know him better as Lucko21. He pwned yet ANOTHER $26 Full Tilt Tournament, the 16K Guarantee for ~4K. He also took 3rd tonight in a $50 1RB+1AO tournament over on Jokerstars. Also took a top 20 in the $30 Rebuy on Tilt.

I would've taken him in my WSOP pool if he was going to play most of the events. But alas, he's only playing the Main Event.

If he's at your table, you're f&#*ed.

Side Note: I ran bad today. Kept getting it in good and losing. AKA the opposite of how I won last night.

Tomorrow's a New Day... Unfortunately I won't be able to play MSOP Event #2 (looks donklicious)... Probably won't play a single MSOP Event until the $15 Limit Omaha 8. I just hope Kimmer isn't there.

-Kenny

Recap: Daily Double B Final Table

I'm only going to cover the Final Table of the Daily Double - B Tournament that I took down last night.

At the Start of the Final Table the Chips Looked like This:

1. fdlm (386,677)
2. NYRambler (287,961)
3. astaroth000 (268,806)
4. Tyson bites (256,715)
5. AACRACKER08 (226,252)
6. Peppe Ajax (207,602)
7. ShipIt08 (146,651)
8. IhaveCrabs33 (106,786)
9. MRS_ROBBY (96,550)

Blinds were 4000/8000 with a 1000 Ante.

The first to be Eliminated was IhaveCrabs33:



Next was AACRACKER08, Courtesy of Yours Truly:



Tyson bites took a chunk out of me (pun intended) 2 hands later:



But then I picked off a Peppe Ajax Bluff, thanks to a number of factors, including Lilkimmer77 absolutely grilling Peppe in the Observer Chat:



Tyson bites then threatened to eat MRS_ROBBY's children (OK Tyson Puns end here)...
MRS_Robby was bounce in 7th here:



In a Huge Pot, Tyson bites is bounced by fdlm in 6th Place.



After being crippled by Peppe Ajax the previous hand, ShipIt08 gets KO'd in 5th:



Peppe Ajax played his Aces poorly pre-flop, allowing me to see a cheap flop with 7-4 suited. When I flop the Monster Draw, the chips go in:



3 Handed lasted... One Hand:



And heads up lasted 6 hands, I won 5 of them (the other one I folded the button with 8-2 offsuit)

Here is the LOL-able final hand:



-Kenny

Daily Double - B... TAKEDOWN!!!

I Finally took down a Major NLH Tournament. I outlasted 991 Other Players to take Daily Double B down on Thursday, May 29, 2008.

TY to my Rail: worm (obv), lloyd ([x] Delivered in Observer Chat), Kimmer (Who was being a Typical FTOPS Champ Douchebag to Peppe Ajax) & LJ, my new BFF <3 (NYC FTW).

Also Tonight: Lucko made a Final Table... But that's not really news... That's a Given. He took 7th in the Stars $10K Guaranteed Rebuy. In Riverchasers, I was doing fine in Omaha 8 Pot Limit until trips on board and me holding Q-Q... with my opponent holding A-A. Also played the Stars $3 Rebuy, and it was... uh, fun to say the least. Especially with LJ at my table <3. But I busted out somewhere...

But Tonight, my first NLH MTT takedown is the Big Story.

More Tomorrow

-Kenny

Results of Event #1

It figures that I take down Event #1 of my own poker series. That's bad advertisement for the next 13 Events though...

Anyway, 19 people anted up the $5.50, creating a nice prize pool of $95. Top 3 got paid with $47.50 going to first.

Here are the Elimination Hands, in Order:

Dosmodious Eliminated in 19th, Loretta8 Eliminated in 18th:
Loretta raises UTG with A-Ko to 9o. Folds to Dosmo on Button who Re-Raises to 300 with 8-8. CLReeves in the SB Shoves with Q-Q, covering both Loretta and Dosmo. BB folds. Loretta and Dosmo both Call All-In.
Board: 3-4-6-9-4.

LJ Eliminated in 17th:
Folds Around to Battle of Blinds between CLReeves and LJ. Reeves Raises to 90 with Q-10o. LJ Re-Raises to 270 with Eights. Reeves Calls
Flop: 9s-8c-4s.
Reeves Checks, LJ bets 210. Reeves Raises making it 780 to go. LJ Shoves with her set for 1245, and Reeves calls being pot-committed.
Turn: 6
River: 7 (!)
Reeves hits Runner-Runner Straight to Eliminate LJ.

Qw1k_Draw Eliminated in 16th:
jl131 limps UTG for 30. Folds to Me in the CO with K-K. I raise to make it 90. Qw1k calls from the Button with A-8o. The Blinds fold and jl calls.
Flop: 3-5-8 rainbow
jl checks, I bet 240. Qw1k shoves for 1095, jl folds and I call with the Overpair
Turn and Riv: 9-K

pureprophet (Champ) Eliminated in 15th
With 840 chips, Champ UTG limps in with 7-5 of hearts. Folds around to TheAlbinoKid in the SB, who raises to 180 with A-8o. BB folds and Champ Calls.
Flop: 4-8-7 with 2 spades
Albino bets to put Champ All-In. Champ Calls.
Turn and Riv: 10-3

PCaps23 Eliminated in 14th
Everyone folds to worm in the SB, who completes the 40 bet. PCaps shoves for 520. Worm deliberates but calls with K-9 of Hearts. PCaps has Q-J of Spades.
Flop: J-4-3, giving PCaps the best hand
Turn: K, Worm Re-takes the Lead
River: A.

HankDahTank eliminated in 13th
Folds to Pika on the Button, who picks up Rockets. Pika raises to 150. SB folds, Hank in the BB Re-Raises to 475 with K-Q of Hearts. Pika just calls.
Flop: J-3-3
Hank moves All In for almost 1500, Pika insta-calls and has Hank drawing to Runner-Runner
Turn: 7, and Hank is Drawing Dead
River: 8

LilKimmer77 Eliminated in 12th
Heh. Folds to Kimmer in SB who has Q-Q. He raises to 180. I call from BB with A-7 of Clubs
Flop: J-8-8, one club
Kimmer bets 240. I put him All In, hoping he would fold. Of course, he doesn't fold his Queens here...
Turn: A (!)
River: 5

Whatsabluff420 Eliminated in 11th
Folds to Bluff OTB who limps in for 60 with J-8 of Diamonds. I Call from the SB, but Blyght raises from the BB to 250 with J-J. Bluff calls, I fold.
Flop: Q-10-4 Rainbow
Both Player Check
Turn: 2
Blyght Checks, Bluff bets 200. Blyght Calls
River: 10
Blyght Checks, Bluff Shoves for 712. Blyght ponders then Calls, Eliminating Whatsabluff420.

iaatg6296 Eliminated in 10th
Folds Around to Worm in the SB who raises to 180 with A-J. iaatg calls with A-9 of Spades
Flop: 8-5-4 Rainbow
worm Checks, iaatg bets 240. worm bets enough to put iaatg all in, and iaatg calls...
Turn: Q
River: Q

Final Table was Set... Here were the Chip Counts:
1. worm96762005 (4,788)
2. CLReeves (4,345)
3. NYRambler (4,240)
4. pikachucards23 (4,195)
5. Blyght87 (2,947)
6. bayne_s (2,865)
7. TheAlbinoKid (2,015)
8. TheSlinger (1,600)
9. jl131 (1,505)

jl131 Eliminated in 9th Place
Blinds 40/80. From UTG+1, jl makes it 200 with A-K of Diamonds. Folds Around to bayne_s, in the Big Blind, with Q-Q, who makes it 640 to go. jl puts the rest of his 1505 Stack into the pot, and bayne calls.
Flop: A-Q-6
jl hits his Ace, but Bayne hits a Queen to take a commanding lead. jl will need some help...
Turn: Q (LOL Quadaments)
River: 4
bayne turns Quads to eliminate jl131 in 9th place.

TheAlbinoKid eliminated in 8th Place
Blinds 50/100. From UTG+2, worm raises to 325. TheAlbinoKid shoves for 2025 with A-Qo from MP. CLReeves on the button then Re-Shoves for 4430 with A-K. Folds around back to worm, who takes his time but folds.
Board: 8-9-3-9-10
Reeves eliminated TheAlbinoKid in 8th.

bayne_s Eliminated in 7th Place
Blinds 50/100. From HiJack, I Raise to 300 with Red Rockets. *Note: I had raised the previous 2 pots as well. Bayne calls from the SB with 9-8 of Diamonds. worm calls from the BB with K-Jo.
Flop: Kd-9h-3d
Bayne leads out with 600. Worm raises to 2700. I take my time, then decide to shove it in with my Aces. Bayne insta-calls with his monster draw for 3160. Worm decides to fold his Top Pair. Bayne can use any Diamond, any 9 or any 8.
Turn: Qs
River 4h
I collect the huge pot and eliminate a very tough player.

Blyght87 Eliminated in 6th Place, CLReeves Eliminated in 5th Place
The Hand of the Tournament, Not Close. Blinds 60/120. Blyght limps in UTG with K-K. worm and Slinger fold, Reeves makes it 450 with Q-Q. I smooth-call from the Small Blind with A-A. Pika folds, then Blyght shoves his stack in for 2182 total. Reeves then Re-Shoves his stack in for 6775 total. With Myself having both players covered, I insta-call with the Rockets. Everyone's shocked as the Top 3 hands in Hold 'em are in Pre-Flop, and Aces have everyone covered:
Board: 6-10-J-A-7
I hit a Set and avoid the straight draws that appear, and take down a MONSTER pot.

Chip Stacks with 4 to go, Blinds at 60/120:
1. NYRambler (21,652)
2. pikachucards23 (3,625)
3. worm96762005 (2,133)
4. TheSlinger (1,090)


Worm Eliminated in 4th Place
After being crippled by Slinger the previous hand (10-10 > Q-10 sooted PrF), Worm is forced all-in by the Big Blind. Slinger folds UTG, I fold OTB. Pika calls the rest of Worms stack with K-9o. Worm turns over... THE HAMMER!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Board: A-K-2-6-J
Worm can't get a second pair or a third deuce after the flop and is the Bubble Boy.

Pikachucards23 Eliminated in 3rd Place ($19)
Three-Handed was a Raising Chess Match, back and forth between the 3 contestants. Finally, with the Blinds at 80/160, Pika raises OTB with 9-8 of Spades to 480. Slinger folds the SB, and I put Pika in from the BB with J-J. Pika calls and needs lots of help:
Flop: 10s-10d-6d, giving Pika 4 outs.
Turn: Qs, giving Pika 13 outs in total (Any Spade, Any 7)
River: 4d
Pikachucards23 takes home $19 for Third

Heads Up Chip Counts:
NYRambler: 20,100
TheSlinger: 8,400

I poked away, then Slinger doubled up after rivering a flush vs. my pair. Then, the Final Hand:

NYRambler wins Event #1!
Blinds 100/200. TheSlinger raises to 600 with A-9o. I call with K-Q of Spades
Flop: Q-9-8 Rainbow.
I check, Slinger bets 800, I raise to 3200 (Note: The last 2 hands where Slinger had the button played out this way, and he folded each time). Slinger raises All-In for 5740 Total, I call.
Slinger has 5 outs to Double Up and get back into the match: Any Ace or Any 9.
Turn: 3 of Spades, giving me a Flush Draw and killing 1 of Slinger's outs, the A of Spades (he held the 9 of spades)
River: 3 of Clubs!

NYRambler wins the Pot and the Tournament ($47.50)
TheSlinger takes home Second Place ($28.50)

Next Week, Event #2: Pot Limit Omaha with Re-buys, $2 Buy-In, $1 per Rebuy and Add-On.

See Y'all There!

-Kenny

NYRambler Poker Series: Event #1

Just 65 more minutes until it starts! No live blog, unfortunately, but check in here for full results after the tournament has ended.

As of this moment, we have 11 People entered. Still got an hour for you to join!

Remember, password is epicfail.

The NYRambler Poker Series Event #1

All The Info Needed is Right There. See Y'all at the Tables!

-Kenny

Official NYRambler Poker Series Poster

Awesome work by RYZIES of the CP Forums for this Poster. A Little Big for everyone Else to Advertise on the Side, IMO... but Y'all can have fun with it!

BTW RYZIES' Roll is featured in there :-X

-Kenny

Updated Schedule for RPS

Here is the Official Schedule for the NYRambler Poker Series:

May 27: Event #1: No Limit Hold 'em, $5.50
June 3: Event #2: Pot Limit Omaha w/ Rebuys, $2 Entry, $1 per Rebuy
June 10: Event #3: Limit Razz, $5.50
June 17: Event #4: 6-Handed No Limit Hold 'em, $5.50
June 24: Event #5: Pot Limit HA (Hold 'em/Omaha Hi Mix), $5.50
July 1: Event #6: Pot Limit Omaha Hi/Lo, $5.50
July 8: Event #7: Pot Limit Hold 'em, $5.50
July 15: Event #8: No Limit Hold 'em - Heads Up Shootout, $5.50
July 22: Event #9: 6-Handed Pot Limit Omaha
July 29: Event #10: No Limit Hold 'em w/ Double Stack & Knockouts, $13
August 5: Event #11: Limit Hold 'em, $5.50
August 12: Event #12: No Limit Hold 'em w/ Rebuys, $3 Entry, $2 per Rebuy
August 19: Event #13: HORSE w/ Double Stack, $26
August 26: Main Event: No Limit Hold 'em w/ Double Stack, $26

Registration is Open to Everyone, The Password is 'epicfail'. 3 People Already Registered for Event #1: Myself, LJ and CLReeves.

See Y'all There!

-Kenny

Takedown: $11 KO SnG

One of the Softest Final Table's I've seen, And I've played and won the $3 version of this tournament!!!

Not so many Key Hands, because I stole my way to that Chip Lead, then got a little lucky 3-handed and Out-Played my opponent Heads-Up.

Now I'm Rolled Again. Back to 1/2 Limit, I'll probably miss the $32K tonight because of a -EV Dinner Party, I MIGHT make it back in time for Loretta's Heads-Up Sunday Tournament.

If there are people who read me but not Loretta's (which is probably zero), just click on his Blog (I have it posted) for all the details.

Woot!

-Kenny

Major Changes to the Rambler Poker Series

Really, Only one major change, but they apply to all the tournaments. They have been moved to Tuesdays. Yes, I know it will run parallel to the Skill Series, but since Half of my tournaments are Hold 'Em events, I don't think it would cause too much confusion, unless My Razz and the Skills' Stud runs at the same time... But hopefully that won't be the case.

Please spread the word around!

Lilkimmer77 from CP Forums Takes Down Omaha 8 FTOPS Event!

LilKimmer77, a relatively new CP Forum Member (Joined 10/12/07) has taken down the FTOPS VIII Event #10: $216 Omaha Hi-Lo Pot Limit.

The Guarantee was $200K, prize pool reached $227,400, and Kimmer outlasted 1,136 Other Players, including Madame Maria heads up.

When I left for Bowling, He was around 30th with about 80 to go. I come back, and he's 4th at the Final Table. After taking a hit, he was very patient, and worked his way up to the chip lead, poking away at Maria in Heads Up Play.

Kimmer took home $51,165, A Gold FTOPS Jersey to wear Live and a Gold FTOPS Avatar to unleash on Full Tilt.

Pwn On, Bro!

That's all I have for now.

The NYRambler Poker Series

OK, Summertime is usually used for Vacations, Beaches, Pools, etc. But the WSOP also takes place during the Summertime. However, many Low-Limit Donks like myself can't afford the WSOP.

So I'm bringing a Low-Stakes Series to Full Tilt Poker.

Every Friday from May 23 until August 29, (With the Exception of the Fourth of July) There will be tournaments in the NYRambler Poker Series. Each Tournament will start at 9PM ET.

Yes, this is just Egotistical and a Blog Advertisement, but there is a little extra up for stake. The Series will have it's own Player of the Year. However, the Player of the Year is a Sidebet, and it's $5 to enter. The POY gets the entire POY Prize Pool at the end of the 14-Tournament Series.

Here is the Schedule of Events:

May 23: $5.50 NL Hold 'em
May 30: Pot Limit Omaha w/ Rebuys: $1+$1
June 6: Razz, $5.50
June 13: 6-Handed NL Hold 'em, $5.50
June 20: Pot Limit HA (Hold 'em/Omaha Mix), $5.50
June 27: Pot Limit Omaha Hi-Lo, $5.50
July 11: Pot Limit Hold 'em, $5.50
July 18: NL Hold 'em Heads-Up, $5.50
July 25: Pot Limit Omaha, $5.50
August 1: NL Hold 'em w/ Knockouts, $13
August 8: Limit Hold 'em, $5.50
August 15: NL Hold 'em Rebuy, $2+$1
August 22: HORSE, $26
August 29: Main Event: $26 NL Hold 'em


The Schedule is Subject to Change, but I like it the way it is. If you are interested in the Player of the Year, please send me $5 on Full Tilt or PokerStars, and I will list you in this blog and in the Series' Thread at the Cardplayer Forums.

The Password for All Events will be 'epicfail'

See Ya at the Tables!

-Kenny

Skill Series: Razz

First Off, a Shout Out to CP'er and Blogger Lucko21. He's been running Uber-Godmode as of late. I put his Blog Link up with the others, so you can see for yourself, but he took down the Ron Jaworski Charity Tournament for ~20K. Then, tonight, he took down the $129 buy-in KO Tournament on FT, besting WPT and WSOP Bracelet winner Scott Clements, FTOPS II POY GB2005 and Aaron Bartley at the Final Table, including besting Clements Heads-Up for the title.

When the Final Table Started, I was 2nd in Chips. RNallin came into the FT as the Short Stack, and went out in 8th. However, great starting hands doesn't always turn out to be great finishing hands, especially in Razz, when I raised with 6-3-2 and 4-2-A on two hands about 4 or 5 hands apart, and wound up losing due to my opponent catching amazing and me catching, well, as usual, nothing.

Then, after an amazing hand that knocked cemfredmd out in 7th and fellow CP'er Loretta8 out in 6th, I doubled up after my 10-2-A caught better vs. Mondogarage's 5-4-2, where I wound up making a 9 and the best he made was a 10.

Fuel55 was running the hottest leading up to the Final Table, but burned out in 5th.

At this point, the levels were 500 Ante, 1K bring-in, 3K and 6K Limits. And I only had 20K in Chips. So, needless to say, I needed some quality starting hands or good situations to try and double up. My plan was to avoid the Bring-In. Yet I kept having it, even with 5s and 6s.

Another plan was to smooth-call raises, and hope to catch good on 4th while my villains caught bad. That seemed to be working.

JD Schellnutt's 9 beat Mondogarage's 10 to knowck Mondogarage out in 4th. For being the Short-Stack with 7 to go, I'm happy to have made it to 3-handed play.

So I made my stand with 10-9-8 because, well, I really had no choice with my dwindling stack. JD calls me with 10-7-4, and he winds up making a wheel. Go Figure. So I'm out in 3rd, but I take a very respectable (for a $13 buy-in, at least) $95.14, and get some nice Blogger Points for May.

While JD and VinNay battle to take the Skill Series title down, I'm gonna get some rest. Tomorrow's Mookie-day, and another day for the 32K.

-Kenny