Good Times!

by Katrina Lim

0 Comments

Dinner, poker and friends made for a great weekend at the Bellagio.

 

I’m back in Orange after spending a whirlwind weekend in Vega$ at Bellagio with BFF and her family. We had so much fun!! Finally took BFF to Naked Fish and we loved the soft shell crab salad and house special sushi rolls! We also stopped at the liquor store to pick up some “supplies” for the birthday weekend as happy hour was everyday before dinner at the Bellagio. Had lunch at Todd English’s Olives and ventured back to Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grill where I shared a 22 ounce rib eye with Mr. Tim fer dinner. Both of us were so full and we still had enough meat for another full meal! Had a shot o’ Patron with Mr. Tim & Mr. Tyler. Happy Birthday Tyler!!! Then on Sunday we enjoyed dinner at Rumjungle and saw Lion King at Mandalay Bay. A quick fun weekend. And I was able to squeeze in some poker too! Got some $1/$2 and $2/$5 action at Bellagio and Ballys.

Also want to give a special thanks to Steve and Mel for meeting me and playing with me at Ballys and Bellagio and treating me to breakfast Friday morning. Good to see both of you again and I had lotsa fun playing with you! Hope to see you two soon!

BFF and I won some $$$ betting on the Jets too. We watched both football games and even though football isn’t as fun fer me as some Kobe, it sure was fun to watch when yur team wins ya some ca$h too! I still gotta ca$h out my Bellagio ticket!

The weather here in CA is awesome! Storms and more storms! There can never be too much rain in sunny CA. We need it! Cleans up the air and makes the flowers grow. I am really enjoying this current barrage of rain.

Now fer the fun part…bro helped me set up a new bomb ass entertainment center! I now have a 50” plasma to play all my 360 and PS3 games on! I am catching up on all my blu-rays in style. And…I am enjoying all this video game carnage in 5.1 digital surround sound too!!! It’s like being in the video game itself!! Watching Kobe is like having a courtside seat now!! Life is good.

All my pals are back from Bahamas but I haven’t had a chance to catch up. Just been chillin’ here and getting ready fer the Mexican Riviera cruise. Gonna get back to work tomorrow at Hawaiian Gardens fer the rest of the week and grind again. The diet is still going well. I was so good in Vega$ too…eating healthy. Eating lotsa salmon and steamed broccoli and asparagus at HG fer lunch.

Prayers for Haiti and help if you can.

WSOP Fantasy Poker

by Chad Holloway

7 Comments

Barry Greenstein makes for a great WSOP Fantasy Poker HORSE pick.

 

I’ve been doing a lot of work in preparation for this year’s upcoming WSOP Fantasy Poker season.  One project I’ve undertaken is sifting through WSOP stats since 2005 (which is the year Fantasy Poker began) and compiling a list of the best players in each poker variation.  I just finished the H.O.R.S.E. stats and came up with what I determined to be the most valuable Fantasy Poker H.O.R.S.E. players at the W.S.O.P.

Before I get to the list, let me explain the criteria I looked at.  First, I looked at the amount of money earned in H.O.R.S.E. events by each player.  This meant literally making a list of every player to have ever cashed in an H.O.R.S.E. event at the W.S.O.P.  I then made note of their finishes and the number of final tables they made (all important criteria in Fantasy Poker).  After looking at all the stats, here are the players I consider being the top ten Fantasy Poker H.O.R.S.E. players:

 

10.)  Doyle Brunson

Total H.O.R.S.E. earnings: $407,904

H.O.R.S.E. final tables: 1

H.O.R.S.E. cashes: 3 (8th, 16th, & 22nd)

H.O.R.S.E. Money List Rank: 23rd

 

9.)  Huck Seed

Total H.O.R.S.E. earnings: $569,769

H.O.R.S.E. final tables: 2

H.O.R.S.E. cashes: 2 (5th & 7th)

H.O.R.S.E. Money List Rank: 15th

 

8.)  James Van Alstyne

Total H.O.R.S.E. earnings: $439,899

H.O.R.S.E. final tables: 2

H.O.R.S.E. cashes: 2 (1st, 2nd)

H.O.R.S.E. Money List Rank: 22nd

 

7.)  Mike DeMichele

Total H.O.R.S.E. earnings: $1,251,174

H.O.R.S.E. final tables: 1

H.O.R.S.E. cashes: 2 (2nd, 17th)

H.O.R.S.E. Money List Rank: 7th

 

6.)  David Bach

Total H.O.R.S.E. earnings: $1,436,646

H.O.R.S.E. final tables: 1

H.O.R.S.E. cashes: 2 (1st, 11th)

H.O.R.S.E. Money List Rank: 5th

 

5.)  Freddy Deeb

Total H.O.R.S.E. earnings: $2,360,462

H.O.R.S.E. final tables: 1

H.O.R.S.E. cashes: 2 (1st, 14th)

H.O.R.S.E. Money List Rank: 1st

 

4.)  David Singer

Total H.O.R.S.E. earnings: $791,605

H.O.R.S.E. final tables: 2

H.O.R.S.E. cashes: 4 (6th, 6th, 37th, 41st)

H.O.R.S.E. Money List Rank: 11th

 

3.)  John Hanson

Total H.O.R.S.E. earnings: $1,641,679

H.O.R.S.E. final tables: 2

H.O.R.S.E. cashes: 2 (2nd, 3rd)

H.O.R.S.E. Money List Rank: 4th

 

2.)  Barry Greenstein

Total H.O.R.S.E. earnings: $825,693

H.O.R.S.E. final tables: 2

H.O.R.S.E. cashes: 4 (6th, 7th, 12th, 43rd)

H.O.R.S.E. Money List Rank: 10th 

 

1.)  Phil Ivey

Total H.O.R.S.E. earnings: $851,022

H.O.R.S.E. final tables: 2

H.O.R.S.E. cashes: 4 (3rd, 4th, 12th, 24th)

H.O.R.S.E. Money List Rank: 9th 

 

I wrote a full-length article on the H.O.R.S.E. Fantasy Poker studs that will appear in Poker Pro Magazine, so check that out in the coming months.  Also, I’ll be doing this with the other poker variations so you can check back here and in Poker Pro Magazine for information on the all-time top performing Fantasy Poker players.  I honestly believe this’ll catapult Fantasy Poker into a whole new realm.

In other Fantasy Poker news, I’m working on a big project that I can’t talk too much about yet.  Basically it’d be the best free Fantasy Poker League on the web with top notch competition and great prizes.  Once things flesh themselves out, I’ll be sure to write a bunch more on it, so keep checking back.  Other than that, I’ll be watching Poker After Dark this week, rooting for the UnaBomber against the likes of Antonio Esfandiari, Annette Obrestad, Mike Matusow, and Phil Hellmuth (Erick Lindgren has already been eliminated).

 

Welcome 2010! Good to see you!

by Katrina Lim

5 Comments

 

Happy New Year!! It’s been a while and I’ve been running all over Vega$ and CA for the holidays. And while my pals are in the Bahamas now for PCA enjoying themselves without me, my new year has started on a good note! I’ve had 3 winning sessions thus far. Playing some live $1/$2 and $2/$5 and have been able to bank a few grand in a few days. Not too shabby at all. I feel really good about 2010. I really believe this is going to be a great year for me!!  Less bad beats = more $$$ = more ballin’. About time.

I’ve already looked and booked my LA Poker Classic Schedule too.  February is going to be tourney central at the Commerce. Can’t wait! I know qualifiers are also gonna start soon for the EPT and I will be aiming to make it to San Remo and Monte Carlo in the Spring.

As for the new year, I ended up staying in the condo to watch the fireworks on tv, but I could hear them outside loud and clear. It was a bit disappointing. Would’ve been better if every hotel on the Strip participated. The family had a fun time in Vega$. Dad and I played together, Mom shopped like crazy, and sis and Boogs roamed around but enjoyed playing video games too. Played a lot of L4D & L4D2. I really need to get back on the COD: Modern Warfare 2 track. I also wanna get started on Borderlands. So many games, too little time.

The diet is off to a good start and I promised BFF I would really try hard. She thinks I can drop the weight quickly as long as I stick to “her diet plan”. This is pretty much no carbs for 4 weeks and eating smart. I’ve loaded up on raw veggies, peanut butter, and cheese. And drinking a lot more water too. Ugh.  Eating a lot of salads too! I really like Panera so when I’m craving fer a big ass burrito, I’ll go to Panera instead and get the ½ soup, ½ salad. Yummy! Ordering salads at the casino too. Ugh. Rabbit food is jank!

BFF will be back in Vega$ again next weekend and we’re gonna hit the restaurants again and watch Lion King. Two weeks ago we went to Julian Serrano and Mesa Grill and my fave, Mon Ami Gabi. We also had dinner at Nora’s in Summerlin. It’s our favorite place and the sommelier loves us now! Good food and great wine! Can’t ask fer more than that!  We also went to QUA spa at Caesar’s for some relaxation. Got a much needed massage. Always a great time with BFF! I love you, BFF! Then the following week I’ll be cruising along the Mexican Riviera. I’ve never been on a cruise before so I’m excited but a bit nervous too. 7 days on a boat? Hmm, don’t know if I’ll make it. We hit Cabo, Mazatlan, and Puerto Vallarta. Hope to take a land excursion. Haven’t decided which one yet. Dad says I will be fine cuz they have a casino onboard. Hmm, ok.

So my calendar is pretty much booked til the end of February. The family will be back in Vega$ the last week of March again as I got a 4 day comp at Palazzo. More fun awaits! In the meantime, just grinding as usual. 2010 is good thus far. Only 358 days left so I betta enjoy it. Happy New Year to all and may this year bring better health, more happiness, less bad beats, and more food! Now go win!

Hanging Ten, Ratios, and 50 50s for cold hard cash.

by Phil

6 Comments

Wow.  What a great x-mas.  In fact it may have been the best one ever.  My girl got me the coolest gift EVER.  I am the proud new owner of the coolest red (with white stripe down the middle) very sleek and sexy long board.  Complete with a foot leash and a wet suit.  Wow.  I really am the luckiest guy on earth.  2 or 3 years ago I took my first surfing lesson.  I had a blast that day and have been meaning to get a board ever since.  But being the degen that I am I never seemed to get around to it.  (Somehow I did manage to get the surf rack so I would be ready when that day arrived.)

And voila, the day arrived without me even seeing it coming.  I can not wait to go and play around the water a bit.  Hanging out in the ocean can be about as fun as it gets and with my new toy I feel like a 10 year old kid.

Lets see.... Other than that... What is going on??!?

Oh yes, Antonio's New Year's Eve Party.  It was a lot of fun, the party was great and the gambling that followed was also quite fun.  At one point Mike the Mouth had to leave the party for another party.  He assured us that he would be right back!  Unlikely with traffic the way it can be in Vegas on that night.  Rast rose to the occasion and bet him 1000$ that he could not get back to the house by 3:30 a.m. (1.5 hrs).  Mouth took the bet and promptly collected when he rolled on in at 3:05 a.m.! 

Also, other than a playboy mansion party the ratio of girls to guys was the highest I had ever seen.  One of my favorite bets of the night was after things had died down and the party was mostly over.  (5 am or so. Yes, it actually ended that early!)  The degens started betting on what the ratio was closest to.  I love degens, I really do.   Another great bet was when Antonio bet Robls if Rast thought this was the best party that Antonio had ever had.  Rast thought it was and Antonio collected.

The view was perfect for fireworks.  And the vibe could not have been better.  What a great way for me and my girl to bring in the new year.

Oh yeah, I nearly forgot.  

Sometimes when one of us owes another 100 dollars we will "roll it up or down" to either 0 or 1000.  And somewhere in the mix a series of bigger and bigger 50 50 bets started happening.  All done with dice.

I have been having a long struggle with not doing flips anymore (In 2008 I got really hammered.)  But for some reason I could not resist.  Every time I joined the fun I lost, and being the sick degen I am could not stop.  Lose big or get unstuck was my mantra.  I managed to get stuck and unstuck a total of 3 times before things just went haywire and I could not lose.  It felt amazing that ride ... it really did.

When the dust had settled Antonio was even, I was up 9k, Rast was up 3k and someone else was up 13k.  Robls lost 25k to us.  Gross.  Well, gross for him that is.  For me I have officially ushered in the new year on a 9k up note from 50 50s.

 Anyway, that's it for now!

Phil