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Justin Williams is a documented member of the Professional Handicappers League.
Read all of his articles at http://www.procappers.com/Justin_Williams.htm
After you have had some tournament experience with at least some success, I highly recommend playing the low buy-in re-buy tournaments at party poker, where you will find a lot of weak opponents, excellent blind structure, and decent prize pools for final table play.
The 3 and 6 dollar tourneys are a little deceiving because virtually nobody does just a single buy-in. It is not unusual to see 3 to 1 ratio of re-buys to entries. So going into a 6 dollar tourney is like a 15 or 20 dollar tournament in terms of the prize pool. That is how you should look at it as well. Go into these things with the idea of spending at least 6 to 10 rebuys. Think of it this way; You are in a regular poker tournaments. Rebuy as soon as you sit at the table. You are allowed to add one if your stack is 3000 or less. Add a rebuy every time you go all in on a hand, while the hand is in play, and every time your stack happens to dip below the 3000 chip level.
During the first 15 minutes you should be seeing most flops, calling or raising it doesnt matter. The idea is to see a flop with potential, and push all in while doing the rebuy. You may lose, but as soon as you win one you are up to 12000 (minimum) in chips quite fast. 12,000? Yes. This is how it works. Your original stack of 3000 plus a rebuy brings you to 6000. You go all in against a player that has 3000 and while you are winning his stack, you add another rebuy of 3000.
Now once you get to 12,000 in chips, you want to pick your all-ins more carefully in regards to who you are playing against. With marginal and drawing hands, push all in against single stacks of 3000 only. When you have a real power hand then you want to be up against other stacks your size or even larger.
Now as the rebuy hour winds down, you should be moving into protection mode here, because you just wont be able to rebuild in the last few minutes as easily. Further, your goal is to head into the second hour as one of the chip leaders so you want to be extra careful in giving away your advantage in the last minute. This means essentially, staying far away from the other big stacks. Attack the rocks, attack the small stacks, be heads up, if at all when you are big stack.
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Lyla Duke is an online poker player at Party Poker. She writes for http://www.PokerstrategyArticles.com and http://www.PokerBookReport.com
It?s been an off year for me, so I don?t have a problem mentioning that I won again with Tiger Woods, and mentioning again that my game plan coming into the year was to go with him every tournament he played in, thinking that if he had another monster year, he?d win half his tournaments. The strategy was to put it all on him in any head-to-head, and to put it all on him in the outright each week. Well, the monster year didn?t happen, until about a month ago.
He?s got two more Tour events—the WGC American Express Championship and the Tour Championship—and three international events, one of them the Ryder Cup in three weeks, left on his schedule. It?s not inconceivable that he could win out the season.
Fatigue may catch up with him, though. He?s already been to and fro the UK twice in a little more than a month (first to the British Open in Liverpool, then to the K Club in Ireland for a two-day jaunt after he won the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, returning for last week?s Deutsche Bank, which he said he couldn?t have done if the tournament started on Thursday instead of Friday). He goes to England for the HSBC World Match Play Championship in England next week, plays the Ryder Cup the following week in Ireland, then plays the WGC-American Express Championship the following week in England. He?ll have a month off after that before the season-ending Tour Championship. Then it?s overseas again, this time to Shanghai, for the HSBC Champions Tournament.
It?s a similar schedule to year?s past for him, but with two extra trips for the Ryder Cup surveying session and the tournament itself (last year the President?s Cup, which is played off years of the Ryder Cup, was in Virginia), even his stunning momentum might get lagged.
Woods, who clinched Player of the Year with his win last week, is not one to rest on his laurels, of course, and is also mindful of records—long and short term. If he can win the two remaining Tour events, you?d have to figure that well-rested he has a good chance to win four to start 2007 and tie Byron Nelson?s consecutive PGA wins record.
In any case, he?s blown some excitement into the final couple months of the season, making every tournament he plays ?major? in terms of interest, and for that I owe him thanks because this is the time of year I wait for the Tour Championship like it?s the second coming of The Masters.
Last week: With the outright and head-to-head win (Adam Scott wasn?t close to contending all week and finished T50, 21 shots behind Tiger), I finished with $625 (half a unit at 5-4 in the outright) and $400 (one unit at 2-5 in the head-to-head) for a total of $1025, a shade more than a unit. It was my fourth straight winning week, each one netting a unit on average. My season total is now at -21 units.
At this week?s Canadian Open, Take Billy Andrade (80-1), 1/6 unit: It was a slow start for him in ?06, making just two cuts in his first seven tournaments. But he?s missed only one since. In June he followed up a T3 (Barclays) with a T2 the next week (Booz Allen). There was a T6 a month later, end of July in Milwaukee, and he hasn?t missed a cut since then (last week, T22). My thing with Andrade is this: He?s a good player with four wins in a good career. He?s not the most talented guy on the course, but he?s solid, doesn?t make many mistakes, and therefore makes his share of cuts—makes a very good living doing what he does. He seems to be a real nice guy and has fun out there, often smiling when he makes long putts. I just wonder if he?s got quite the killer instinct to win, which is what you want in an outright pick. That said, he?s obviously playing well lately and he won this tournament back in ?98.
Take Mike Weir (16-1), 1/6 unit: Weir missed the cut in his country?s national championship nine times before finally playing the weekend in 2000, when he finished 70. Since then, he?s gone T34, T22, 10, P2 and last year missed the cut. There?s a lot of pride on the line, and he gets huge support in Canada. It?s been a little better than workmanlike in ?06 for him, with six top-10s to go with only two missed cuts and most of his finishes under 50.
Take Jim Furyk (7-1), 1/6 unit: I have to go with Furyk instead of Singh this week. They?re having comparable years, each with a win, each with a bunch of top-10s. Furyk?s got about a million more earned this year, but this is really a coin flip kind of pick because these are the two best players in the field by far. You can look at Singh?s loss last week as maybe staying in his head this week, or he?s going in with confidence. Given Tiger, given that Singh was three up going into the last round and lost by two, I?m giving the edge to Furyk.
In the head-to-head, take Weir to finish higher than Ryan Moore (8-11), 1 unit: You have to look at the MC last year as an aberration. Weir gets especially pumped up for this tournament. The course, short and on the penal side, particularly suits the accurate-driving Weir. Moore finished T2 in the tournament last year, but in this his first full year on Tour, he?s missed six cuts in 17 tourneys entered. Weir?s missed the two cuts in 20 entered. As you can see, this isn’t going to pay huge but it’s practically guaranteed.
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Jeremy Church is a documented member of the Professional Handicappers League.
Read all of his articles at http://www.procappers.com/Jeremy_Church.htm
February 5, 2008
Americans looking for another reason to hate the French are happy this morning. The Head-Butt Heard Round The World turns out to have been caused by a Yo’ Mama joke.
Well, actually, it was caused by a Yo’ Sista joke. Zinedine Zidane planted his sweat-drenched scalp in the chest of Italy’s Marco Materazzi because Materazzi said something kind-of-disparaging about Zidane’s sister. Except it wasn’t that disparaging.
Materazzi was clutching and grabbing in the World Cup final this July, which, if these soccer-ignoring eyes are any judge, is absolute standing operating procedure in the sport. Zidane turned to Materazzi and wittily proclaimed, ‘If you want, I’ll give you the jersey later.’ Ha. Hilarious. You see, Zidane was pretending like the reason Materazzi was pulling his jersey was that he wanted it, not that he was trying to impede France’s superstar. It is to laugh.
Materazzi, like any good professional athlete, wasn’t having any of this lame-ass quip. He responded, ‘I prefer your sister.’
Now that, I have to admit, is a pretty good one.
But can it possibly have been the worst thing Zidane has ever heard on a soccer pitch? No way. Have you ever seen what this guy looked like when he had hair. I mean, we’re talking seriously embarrassing male-pattern baldness. You mean no one ever asked him if he rubbed in his bald spot getting tea-bagged by Jacques Chirac? I find that rather hard to believe.
Can you imagine if Michael Jordan had lost it every time someone asked about his affairs with porn stars, his massive gambling debts, his hair-plug problems? Jordan would still be in jail. What would Zidane do if Bill Romanowski spat in his face? Heck, hasn’t the man ever tuned in to Comedy Central on a Saturday afternoon and seen the millionth re-run of White Men Can’t Jump? ‘We goin’ to Sizzler! We goin’ to Sizzler!’
In some cultures, what Materazzi said doesn’t even qualify as an insult. Why, if you told me you’d rather have my sister, I’d probably reply, ‘See, here’s the problem, my sister really isn’t that interested in sweaty, hairy, half-literate monkey-men. But I do appreciate you asking first.’
Can you give us a sense of the frenzy that is gripping the handicapping community as the NFL regular season approaches? Is it just crazy?
BoDog Bookmakers, BoDog.ws: We’re not handicappers, but I would assume it’s crazy. It’s an exciting time of year!
Is there one NFL bet out there that really seems to be capturing the public’s fancy? One team people seem to be jumping all over, or one game that’s inspiring more action than others?
BDB, BoDog.ws: The action coming in on MiamiPitt is huge already. Everyone seems to like the Fins as Big Ben won’t be playing this week.
Boy, anyone picking California to beat Tennessee last weekend sure is an idiot, huh? (I did! I did!) Is Tennessee going to be for real, or was Cal simply that bad?
BDB, BoDog.ws: Tennessee looked real good last week; however, Cal’s defense was suspect at best and the QB concern is a reality.
How’s the interest in the U.S. Open been? Who does the betting public like to win on the men’s and women’s sides?
BDB, BoDog.ws: The action has been tremendous on the Open. The bettors love Blake and Serena; however, Serena lost yesterday. The past few days’ action has been balanced, so it looks like we’ll have a good Open 
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Christopher Harris is a featured writer for the Professional Handicappers League.
Read all of his articles at http://www.procappers.com
Miami travels north to Pittsburgh to meet the defending Super Bowl Champions and to get the 2006 NFL season underway. Ben Roethlisberger?s absence in the starting lineup from an appendix ailment, not a motorcycle crash, has made the season opener a pick ?em game. Now it will be up to Charlie Batch to spoil Daunte Culpepper?s attempt to get his fresh start off on the right foot.
Batch started 2 of the 4 games that Roethlisberger missed last season, winning both of them despite not throwing a TD pass and not putting up impressive numbers. Culpepper?s apparent full recovery has the Miami faithful confident that their Dolphin?s will make it back to the playoffs for the first time since 2001. Last season, Miami finished with 6 straight wins because of the strong 2-pronged running attack of Ricky Williams and then rookie Ronnie Brown. Culpepper should be the answer to Miami?s non-existent passing attack in 2005, and if he can?t get the job done, they?ll have another shot with former Detroit Lions starter Joey Harrington. The loss of Williams shouldn?t be a factor as increasing Brown?s carries won?t hurt the offense. Overall, the Dolphins should be much improved on the offensive side of the football.
Roethlisberger?s absence will put a lot of pressure on Batch to throw the football well as now coach Nick Saban will likely key on Pittsburgh?s rushing attack led by Willie Parker who rushed for 1,202 yards last season despite losing carries to retired future Hall of Famer Jerome Bettis. Miami will be hoping that newly acquired defensive tackle Dan Wilkinson can couple with Keith Traylor to put a damper on Pittsburgh?s high-powered rushing attack. Miami will be solid up front with Pro Bowl defensive end Jason Taylor and with fellow Pro Bowler Zach Thomas in support.
While Miami?s defense should be solid this season, Pittsburgh returns all but 2 starters on a defensive unit which led the AFC in yards allowed last season. The Pittsburgh defense led by hard-hitting big play safety Troy Polamalu and speedy linebacker Joey Porter will once again be this team?s strong suit. This will be a huge test for Miami and Culpepper right off the bat. With Roethlisberger sidelined for another week or 2, this one looks like a defensive battle. However, I have uncovered which team has the clear edge on the defensive side of the ball in this one and we are ready to cash in big on the 2006 NFL season opener.
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Jimmy Boyd is a documented member of the Professional Handicappers League.
Read all of his articles at http://www.procappers.com/Jimmy_Boyd.htm
February 4, 2008
Inside the Boxscores is a weekly feature from Matt Fargo that has been widely recognized as the best summation in college football. He takes an in-depth look at each game and pulls out the most pertinent information that will help you handicap games in the future. College football is filled with quirky plays, misleading scores and surprise endings. Fargo takes you inside the action.
NAVY 28 East Carolina 23
Navy ran all over the Pirates for 403 yards but that was to be expected. The Midshipmen averaged 5.8 ypc on 70 carries so it wasn?t a complete domination. Navy threw for only six yards on two completions. East Carolina meanwhile threw for 283 yards while rushing for just 76 yards on 25 carries (3.0 ypc). East Carolina pulled to within five points with a late touchdown but it was never able to get the ball back.
(23) TENNESSEE 35 (9) California 18
Tennessee jumped out to a 35-0 lead while racking up 514 yards of offense. California did put up 336 total yards but 208 of those yards followed Tennessee?s fifth touchdown on the day and that included a 97-yard drive in the final two minutes. The Volunteers held the Golden Bears potent rushing attack to just 64 yards on 23 carries (2.8 ypc). Four of the Volunteers five touchdowns were 42 yards or longer.
(7) FLORIDA 34 Southern Mississippi 7
Southern Mississippi jumped out to a 7-0 lead thanks to an interception by the Gators on their third play of the game. The Golden Eagles were hurt by their own mistakes the rest of the way. They were inside Florida?s 33-yard line on four drives but turned it over on downs twice inside the 20, threw an interception and missed a field goal. The Gators had three touchdown drives of 71 or more yards.
INDIANA 39 Western Michigan 20
The Hoosiers outgained Western Michigan by only 34 total yards but had an interception return and a punt return for scores. The Hoosiers jumped out to a 29-6 lead midway through the third quarter and Western Michigan didn?t have its best drive of the day until garbage time. Neither team got its running game on track as Indiana rushed for 71 yards while Western Michigan ran for 72 yards.
WAKE FOREST 20 Syracuse 10
Wake Forest held Syracuse to just 136 total yards and 11 first downs and despite outgaining the Orange by 227 total yards, the game was still in question late in the fourth quarter. After scoring a touchdown on its second drive Syracuse could muster only 31 yards the rest of the game. The Orange were 1-11 on third down conversions.
ALABAMA 25 Hawaii 17
Hawaii was outgained by just eight yards and missed some excellent opportunities to pull off the upset. The Warriors fumbled at the Alabama 2-yard line on their first drive of the second half and were driving on their final possession before being intercepted on the final play of the game. The Tide controlled the clock for more than 11 minutes longer despite running just six more plays. Hawaii was hurt by 11 penalties.
Wisconsin 35 BOWLING GREEN 14
Wisconsin outgained the Falcons by just 20 total yards but used its best efforts late in the game by scoring the final two touchdowns to pull away. Both teams ran the ball considerably more as the Badgers threw for only 124 yards while Bowling Green threw for just 82 yards. Wisconsin was faced with only six third down attempts, converting three and also used a blocked punt for one of its touchdowns.
(10) OKLAHOMA 24 U-A-B 17
Oklahoma overcame four turnovers and a stingy UAB defense to pull off the narrow win. The Blazers took a three-point lead late in the third quarter but the Sooners struck back right away with a 69-yard touchdown pass on the very next play. They added a field goal and held to UAB to just 39 yards in its final four possessions. UAB controlled the clock by over 10 more minutes but was hurt by 11 penalties.
PITTSBURGH 38 Virginia 13
Pittsburgh held the Cavaliers to 211 total yards including just 52 yards rushing on 21 carries (2.5 ypc). The defense also accounted for two scores as it returned two interceptions for touchdowns. Virginia crossed midfield only four times on the night and its first two scores were on drives of 18 and 13 yards. The Panthers had touchdown passes of 72 and 78 yards, both occurring on the first play of the drive.
(25) TEXAS TECH 35 S-M-U 3
The Red Raiders racked up 501 yards of offense as all five touchdown drives were more than 60 yards. SMU was held to 189 yards of offense and after kicking a field goal in its opening possession, the Mustangs had only 120 yards the rest of the way and crossed midfield only twice in its last 11 drives. The Red Raiders were 11-18 on third and fourth down while SMU was just 3-13.
U-C-L-A 31 Utah 10
UCLA outgained Utah 425-287 with most of that disparity coming in the second half where the Bruins scored the final 17 points of the game. The Utes had only 64 total yards after the break while UCLA tallied 214 yards. The Bruins easily controlled the time of possession while going 6-14 on third down conversions. The Utes meanwhile went 0-11 on third down and were 0-1 inside the redzone.
ARKANSAS STATE 14 Army 6
Arkansas St. shut down the Army offense, holding it to 164 total yards including just 69 yards rushing on 27 carries (2.6 ypc). The Indians passed for just 97 yards but put up 220 yards on the ground on 45 carries (4.9 ypc). They did lose three fumbles, two of which occurred inside the Black Knights 15-yard line while the third happened at their own 10-yard line. Army?s longest drive was just 36 yards.
(4) AUBURN 40 Washington St 14
The Tigers outyarded Washington St. 484-274 thanks to a running game that tallied 293 yards on 44 carries (6.7 ypc). The score could have been a lot worse but Auburn had to settle for four field goals in its first four drives. The Cougars did pull to within 12 points midway through the third quarter but the Tigers tacked on two more scores to pull away. Auburn won the time of possession in every quarter.
(2) Notre Dame 14 GEORGIA TECH 10
The Irish got into a 10-0 hole but scored the go ahead touchdown on their first drive of the second half and the defense held the rest of the way. Notre Dame forced the Yellow Jackets to punt on all four second half possessions while allowing just 66 yards of offense. The Irish ended with 384 yards of offense but they had two missed field goals while committing 11 penalties for 80 yards.
(8) L-S-U 45 UL Lafayette 3
LSU outgained the Cajuns 469-176 and held them to just eight first downs. La-Lafayette?s only score came on a field goal off a three-yard drive that was set up by a Tigers fumble. The Cajuns had other opportunities as they got inside LSU?s 23-yard line two other times but missed a field goal and were intercepted the other time. The Tigers scored their second touchdown on an interception return.
(6) U-S-C 50 ARKANSAS 14
USC racked up 472 yards of offense but three of its first four scores ended up being field goals. The Trojans also benefited from five Arkansas turnovers that led to 31 points. None of those five scoring drives were more than 31 yards. USC finished 7-7 inside the redzone and was 7-14 on 3rd down. The Razorbacks were down by just nine points at halftime but the Trojans scored touchdowns on their first four possessions after the break.
Houston 31 RICE 30
Houston overcame a 16-point deficit late in the third quarter and scored the final 17 points to pull off the win. The Cougars finished with just 329 yards of offense including only 96 yards rushing on 28 carries (3.4 ypc). The Owls scored touchdowns on all four drives in the second quarter but a blocked PAT after the final one was ended up being the difference. Rice finished with just 68 yards in the second half.
ARIZONA 16 B-Y-U 13
Arizona won on a last second field goal after BYU had tied the game just minutes earlier. The defenses ruled this one, especially the rushing defenses. Arizona was held to 67 yards on 24 carries (2.8 ypc) while the Cougars gained only 24 yards on 24 carries (1.0 ypc). BYU had its best drive of the game turn into nothing as it turned the ball over on downs late in the third quarter.
OLE MISS 28 Memphis 25
Memphis outgained Mississippi 374-337 despite the Rebels rushing for 240 yards on 45 carries (5.3 ypc). Mississippi took an 11-point lead midway through the final quarter but the Tigers drove 67 yards to pull within three points. The Rebels were able to run out the ball and secure the win. Both teams finished 3-3 inside the redzone but Memphis was forced to kick a 30-yard field goal which was the difference.
(22) T-C-U 17 BAYLOR 7
Baylor outgained the Horned Frogs 333-330 and took a 7-0 lead into halftime but it could not muster another score. The Bears had three scoring opportunities in the second half but they turned the ball over twice inside the redzone while ending the game at the TCU 22-yard line. An interception by the Horned Frogs led to the lone touchdown by Baylor. The teams combined for just 144 yards rushing.
(13) LOUISVILLE 59 Kentucky 28
Louisville racked up 631 yards of offense while holding the Wildcats to just 260 yards. The Cardinals rushed for 363 yards on 55 carries (6.6 ypc) while Kentucky could muster only 22 yards on 19 carries (1.2 ypc). The Wildcats scored on pass plays of 73 and 80 yards while also returning a kickoff 100 yards for a score. Louisville controlled the ball for over 17 minutes longer while 7 of 8 touchdown drives were 50 or more yards.
(9) Florida State 13 (17) MIAMI-FLORIDA 10
The defenses dominated as only 17 first downs were produced along with just 310 total yards of offense. The most amazing statistic was the rushing yards as Florida St. finished with just one yard while Miami finished with just two yards on the ground. There were 16 punts and the teams were a combined 9-31 on third down. There were six fumbles in the game, three by each team, but none changed possession.
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Matt Fargo is a documented member of the Professional Handicappers League.
Read all of his articles at http://www.procappers.com/Matt_Fargo.htm
It?s always enlightening to review what happened the prior week, especially in light of how you expected things to go down. The world of sports doesn?t always follow a script which obviously lends to its popularity.
Who was impressive? How about UCLA over Utah, 31-10. A friend of mine called quarterback Ben Olson UCLA’s ?secret weapon?. So hard to believe that a kid who hasn?t played a competitive game in four years would be so good, but apparently a football was packed on the LDS mission he took a few years ago. Olson looked like an NFL QB in the first quarter as he completed his first nine passes. Utah replaces their starting QB on a series with Oklahoma transfer Jeff Grady. Grady immediately throws a TD pass, unfortunately for him is was to a UCLA defensive back. It was a long day for Ute backers.
Do you think the University of California players have the words to ‘Rocky Top’ memorized yet? What will the beat-down the Bears suffered in Tennessee do to the psyche of the CAL players? They have a huge game coming up against Minnesota, a team that has been 18-4 against the spread the last seven+ years in the first three games of the season. Cal seemed very surprised with Tennessee’s size, strength and speed, things that can’t always be determined on tape or recreated in practice. The Bears still have running back Marshawn Lynch, unfortunately they still don?t have QB Aaron Rogers who is sitting on a cold bench in Green Bay. California?s hopes are resting on the shoulders of two very unproven quarterbacks.
Tennessee QB Erik Ainge received a huge shot of confidence with four touchdowns and almost 30 yards a completion. The return of offensive coordinator David Cutcliffe may save Philip Fulmer?s demotion to tour guide at Dolly Parton?s amusement park, Dollywood, in Tennessee?s Great Smoky Mountains.
Obviously just my opinion, but I think Oklahoma is going to really suffer with Paul Thompson at the helm. You can only hand off so much to Adrian Peterson. This is going to be a team to look about going against.
On the radio Tuesday there was a ton of talk about how boring the Florida State-Miami game was and how neither of those teams stood a chance to make it very far in the BCS chase this year. It reminded me of all of the talk about what a snooze it is to watch the Detroit Pistons play hoops. I don’t understand why so much of the public does not appreciate a good defensive battle? Watching the unbelievable play of Seminole LB Buster Davis and that of the stalwart Miami secondary was highly entertaining. Of course, I might have been biased since I had a nice wager on the UNDER for the game. Regardless, a great defensive struggle, be it Clemens pitching against Schilling, the Bears battling on the gridiron against the Panthers, or Moe versus Larry in a pie fight, is a thing of beauty. Take appreciation in a strong front seven against the run, a smothering man to man defense, or a pressure full-court press.
There were no overall trends that surfaced in week one. Totals were even-steven at 22 to the OVER and 22 to the UNDER. Favorites were 23-19-2 against the spread and home teams were 22-20-2 ATS. One trend that did pop up was the Big Ten against the Mid-American Conference, 6-0 in the first week.
Division 1-AA teams slay Goliath! You have to believe perennial Big 12 title contender Colorado took Montana State about as seriously as I would if Rosie O’Donnell was putting the moves on me at Pure, the super-club at Caesars Palace. With Montana State?s 19-10 victory over the Buffs, people might learn their team mascot is the Bobcats. Or is it the Grizzlies?
While Richmond beat Duke, the Blue Devils have an excuse in that Coach K was out of the country with the USA basketball team.
It?s probably a good idea when you are ?ushering in a new era? with a fresh coaching staff to play a Division 1-AA team to ensure an easy win, a team you can steamroll over. Well, that actually has been the Kansas State philosophy every year under the recently-retired grandfather-figure, Bill Snyder. K-State now has a coaching staff that all could qualify as Snyder?s grandchildren, that?s how young and inexperienced they are.
Even though they lost, 24-23 on a late missed two-point conversion, Illinois State actually did the steamrolling! KSU only managed 44 yards rushing against a tough Redbird defense (is it possible for anything named Redbird to be tough?) and were outgained 346 yards to 207. However, the Mildcats had the good fortune of scoring touchdowns on a punt return and a fumble recovery.
Colt McCoy, redshirt freshman quarterback at defending national champion University of Texas, looks like the kid from your seventh grade gym class who could climb the ropes better than anybody. How can he replace a superb physical specimen such as Vince Young? Doesn’t it seem more likely to see a pair of plastic flags around McCoy’s waist than this baby-faced recruit behind a line of 300-pound behemoths? Maybe I have the classic ‘what’s wrong with this picture’ attitude, but if this kid leads the Horns to a victory over the Buckeyes, I will have a new-found respect for peach-fuzzed red-shirt freshmen.
A bulletin just in: The State of New York has replaced the death penalty with a punishment of having to watch a replay of the Temple-Buffalo football game gallantly won by Buffalo in overtime, 9-3. First-year Buffalo head coach, Turner Gill, has decided to legally change his name to Greg Robinson to avoid tarnishing his accomplishments on the field in a glowing career at the University of Nebraska with any future coaching blights in upstate New York.
A couple of NFL notes. When was the last time you saw a player miss a season after being shot by the police? Even Andre Rison avoided that fate. (even though having your girlfriend burn your house down does qualify on the honorable mention list). And, for you people over 40, is ESPN NFL analyst John Clayton morphing into Hollywood Squares icon, the late Wally Cox?
Best of luck this week!
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Jim Kruger is a documented member of the Professional Handicappers League.
Read all of his articles at http://www.procappers.com/Jim_Kruger.htm
February 2, 2008
So you’ve made your way to the final table of a poker tournament, and even as far as the top two. Now, you’re in a heads up battle for first. Battles like this can be for a lot of prize money, ask Paul Wasicka who lost out on $6 million by finishing second in the 2006 WSOP main event.
With so much on the line, it’s a good idea to understand how your cards stack up as a sarting hand, now that there’s only two players left in the game. Let’s start by looking at the value of the different pocket pairs you can find.
Hands like Aces, Queens and Kings are monsters at any holdem table. They are fantastic in a heads up situation, winning 80% of the time against a random hand.
Hands like Jacks and Tens are less powerful, but against any two cards your opponent may have, they will take down the pot 75% of the time. These cards hold up very well, even against two overcards. If you find yourself with a pair of Tens facing the dreaded AK suited, you’re still not an underdog. In fact, you’re a slight favorite. That’s how powerful a pair of Tens is heads up.
The middle pairs, from Nines down to pocket Fives, have more weaknesses. But, if you’re pushing against any random hand, the odds are still in your favor. Even 55 is nearly a 60% favorite against an unknown hand.
The small pairs, Fours down to Twos, are where pocket pairs lose their power. Even so, they are still favorites. They just aren’t strong favorites anymore. These cards present what is essentially a coin flip against most hands. The mighty Big Slick is no favorite over a pocket pair of Twos.
Now that you know how strong the different pocket pairs are in a heads up situation, you should be able to make more informed decisions at this important point in the tournament. Remember, good poker players know the odds.
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R Mongoose authors a limit holdem strategy website, and has produced several poker odds calculator programs.
January 30, 2008
The 2006 World Series of Poker Main Event was the largest single tournament in the history of poker. It was attended by a record shattering 8,773 entrants paying $10,000 each to enter. Harrah’s had originally only planned for 8,000 participants. The previous record of 5,619 players was set at the 2005 World Series of Poker Main Event. This huge number of players resulted in the creation of a prize pool that reached a mind numbing $82,512,162 in size. Poker fans were able to watch the final table live through ESPN Pay-Per-View as well as on their V CAST enabled cell phones. They along with the entire world watched to see who would win the first place prize which reached a never before amount in the World Series of Poker of $12,000,000.
Over the 10 days in which the tournament was played, players from all over the globe, both men and women, sat down at the tables. They ranged from those who just turned 21 such as Jeff Madsen to 91 year old Victor Golden to women champions like Cyndy Violette and actress Jennifer Tilly. And this year one online poker room sponsored a chimpanzee named Mikey the Chimp to play at the tables. Everyone laughed at the idea, except Harrah’s who declined the chimp’s entry into the tournament. In order to handle such a large turnout, the field of players was split up into 4 groups of 2,000 players with additional alternates for each day. For those who don’t know, the alternates were individuals who could not be seated at the start of the tournament because there simply were not enough seats. Based on the order in which they registered, they were then seated as original contestants were being eliminated during the first couple of hours of play.
Action over Day 1, which was spread out over 4 days, proved to be very intense with the sole object being to just survive to the next round. So many entrants who tried very hard to stay in the tournament went out in a bad way. For example, actor James Garner was in a hand with the board showing K 3 2 after the flop. Garner called another player’s bet and the next card was a K. His opponent bets again and Garner calls. River card was a K. The opponent goes all in and Garner called with a level of confidence showing pocket 5’s for a full house. He was eliminated when the other player quickly produced K J for 4 of a kind Kings. In a different hand, two players at a table went all in with one having pocket 8’s and the other pocket 5’s. The flop showed 6s 5s 5c giving one player a huge smile as he flopped 4 of a kind. But the smile went away when the remaining cards were dealt, because the other player received everything he needed for a straight flush.
Eliminations continued by the hundreds with both seasoned top professional players and those who earned their seats online going to the sidelines each day. But some individuals soon began to stand out from the crowd. On Day 3 chip leader Jamie Gold led the pack and never relinquished his lead all the way to the final table. Erik Friberg, Doug Kim and Dan Nassif took their skills from the Internet to the real tables after qualifying for their seats online which cost much less than the $10,000 entry fee many paid. Intelligence helped paved the way for Michael Binger who has a PhD in theoretical particle physics. Professional player Allen Cunningham never really deviated from his playing style outside of not taking unnecessary risks with his chips. Paul Wasika, Richard Lee and Rhett Butler combined an understanding of the game with the luck so many prayed for to gain massive piles of chips. After 9 days, these fortunate players were the ones who would make history at this year’s final table.
At the final table Jamie Gold continued his overall dominance of the action by taking out Dan Nassif, Erik Friberg, Richard Lee, Rhett Butler, Michael Binger and pro player Allen Cunningham. Paul Wasicka sent Doug Kim to the rail after his pocket Q’s overcame Doug’s pocket 9’s in an all-in hand. And six hands after eliminating Michael Binger, Jamie Gold won the heads up with Paul Wasicka and became the champion of the tournament.
By the time it was all over it was figured that the 8,773 players was a 58 percent increase over the number who entered in 2005. Harrah?s anticipates exceeding this record-breaking number and others in 2007. Jeffrey Pollack, the Commissioner of the WSOP, has said there is a lot of room for growth and that is what he is focused on improving. So with the direction things have been taking over the past 3 years in the WSOP, you can count on next year being even bigger and better than this one turned out to be.
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Tom Howze is a webmaster for sites that relate to the 2006 World Series of Poker and World Poker Tour events, updates and information. Plus resources for card games to download & play for free.
January 28, 2008
Pssst…! Wanna know a secret?
How about the secrets of advantage playing?
When you play craps, there are several things to take into account even before you get to the craps tables. For example, you should have a players, or ?comp? card. But what else can you do to maximize your profits - even before you make your first bet?
Wanna know the secrets that craps pros use to maximize their playing advantage?
Let?s find out!
First of all, you should be a rated player and get a comp card. If your favorite casino has a separate card for slot play, get one of those too. This way, whenever your favorite casino has any promotions of any kind, you will get mailings from them for their best free offers! Sometimes it is even possible to combine the promotions of the slot and table games coupons.
You should also apply for casino credit. You can call the cage and ask how to do this. Your potential credit is based on your checking account balance, so the higher your balance, the higher your credit. Not only is casino credit more convenient, but you can withdraw your credit and use it free for 30 days. You?ll also have a higher comp rating and be an established player in the eyes of the casino.
When you begin playing, just give the friendly dealer your comp card and ask for your buy in. He will check your rating and give it to you in a minute or two. For example you might say ?a thousand please? and he might say ?in blacks or greens.? He will then count out your chips on the table and set them aside while they check their computer.
Once you have the chips, you can play with the full amount, or not. For example you can play with $500 worth and put the other $500 in your pocket and use it later or cash it in and use it in another casino if you like. When you leave the table, you may be asked if you want to pay off your marker. Don?t be intimidated by this request, and just say no. Most casinos require that you pay back your markers in 30 days or it will adversely affect your credit in the future.
It is really to your benefit to buy in with a larger amount than you will play with. Your comps are calculated by three criteria - (1) your buy in, (2) your first bet and (3) your average bet. So, if your buy in and first bet are larger than normal, your comps could be bumped up a little.
Something else you can do to increase your comps is to tip the dealers. Tipping will get the dealers on your side so you can set the dice easier. The dealers will also notice your playing patterns and help you however they can - including bumping up your comps. The dealers would rather have you, a good tipper back in their casino, than an inexperienced player who doesn?t tip.
Finally, you should notice the dealer?s name tags and call them by name. Be friendly with them. If they remember your first name and use it when you leave the table, you?ve done a good job - and they?ll be doing everything they can to get you back!
Pssst…! Now you know the secrets of advantage playing!
? 2006 by Larry Edell
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