At this point it’s no secret, I had my biggest winning day in online history today. I normally have to talk myself into playing a 100 rebuy tournament because I am a major bankroll nit. However, in the case of the Full Tilt 100 rebuys 6 max tournament, I always play since the field is large, soft, and the tournament plays deep the whole way through. The half dozen times or so I’ve played it so far have been mostly frustrating with one or two near cashes and no serious deep runs. Historically I have a bad history with 100 rebuy tournaments, having never won one and mostly just getting frustrated at the final table or final two tables. Today was different though…

I won the $100 rebuys 6 max on Full Tilt for $35,890. An hour and a half before that I won the $30 rebuys on UltimateBet for $5,130. Combine that with a few other random cashes today, and I’m up over $40,000 on the day. My biggest online day previous to that had been in around the $25,000 area when I won the Full Tilt Mulligan way back in May 2007 for a bit more than $27,000. In the month of February I think I’m up in the ball park area of $75,000 with a tournament win on 5 different sites and two five figure cashes and a number of other very close calls in major events like the FTOPS and weekly $1000’s. I guess this is what it feels like…TO UPSWONG!!!!!!!

At least it does if you don’t mind sitting for hours at live 2/5 NL cash games. I went down to Crown last night with my friend Joel and we sat in what started out as the most loose passive game alive (I’d say six or seven players limped to the flop was standard) and became the most spewtastic insanely aggressive game ever (7 way all in pre flop for 180 dollars and top set insta jamming the flop when he hits.) Certainly there is no way two online players can lose playing in this game for six hours. WRONG.

What ensued was one of the most frustrating nights of poker of my life. Zero draws got there as in literally not one. I flopped one set over god knows how many attempts and the table nit who bets into 3 players on 974 rainbow actually folds to my raise. I only saw two premiums in six hours, AK which ran into KK (I actually sucked out) and TT which ran into AA (the last of the night.) By the time the TT hand came up the game had gone completey psycho and I was stuck in the area of $1100. There’s two limpers to LP who makes it 30 and with TT in the BB I make it 130 with about 280 in my stack. It folds back to him, he goes into the tank then makes some speech about “why did you make it so much? You made it to much” then shoves on me. If anyone ever gives you this speech in live poker you are always about to run into the nuts, though it didn’t matter at that point since I had nearly half my stack in and was getting 3 to 1 on the crying call. Joel and I got involved in two major hands (his pot over $1200 mine over $1500) both of which we got mega rivered on. Joel managed to stage a late game come back and leave down only $200, but I got crushed for a massive $1400.

Anyway, I sent out my pitch for the ‘Around the World in 90 Days’ idea to the various marketing departments of poker sites. I decided to pitch it as writing content instead of video since video is a financial and logistical nightmare for this kind of thing. I have no idea what the probability that it gets picked up is, and I wasn’t even sure what to ask for as far as compensation goes. A friend who works as the marketing director for 888.com said depending on where I can get the article put if they paid me a flat fee for 90 days worth of poker heavy content it’d be worth $30,000, though that’s highly dependant on a number of factors.

I’m feeling a bit tired lately. I actually took Monday (which is the big Sunday in the states) off, slept until nearly 3pm, went mini golfing all day, then lied around watching the Oscars at night. I ended up winning a couple hundred gambling on them, so it’s not like the day was a total waste.

Meanwhile, Sirwatts is crushing over at the LAPC. I’ve always thought Watts was that perfect kind of TAG player who never spews, gets maximum value, picks his spots really well to make a move, and makes just about zero mistakes. Even with Ivey, Hellmuth, and Nam Le still in with a bunch of chips, I kind of want to call Watts the favorite at this point, which most would think is an absurd statement but given Watts skill and the fact that he’s a total unknown I think his potential is enormous. So best of luck to him.

Not quite as much as Anton Chigurh would prefer I bet, but losing a $12,000 flip still feels pretty terrible. I didn’t per say ‘lose’ $12,000, which of course would be much worse, but it seems similar.

I was heads up in the Bodog $250 satellite for a $12,000 World Series package (that you can option to take in cash) against a pretty bad player. The stacks sizes were my 44,500 to his 45,500 at 600/1200. I opened QQ on the button to 3200 and he shoved from the BB, elimating AA and KK from his range. Boo yah. He tables AhKh.
Flop: 3h 7s Th
I’m fucked.
Turn: As
River: Kc
*Siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh*

On the plus side, actually managed to win two more tournaments yesterday. When I woke I fired up the computer and found Tilt having connection problems, so I decided to fill in my regular Tilt tournaments with something on absolute. I signed up for a $50 freeze out 10k guaranteed and went for my run. By the time I got back Tilt was operational but I’d missed my normaly $75 25k guarantee so I just played the Absolute one. I ended up winning it for a bit over $2800. Later that night I played the UB nightly $150 20k guarantee and ended winning that for $5400. Not a bad way to keep the hot steak going.

Later that night I had dinner with friends and had a home game. Mid way through the game I was down around $400 in a $100 buy in 1/2 game and went outside to smoke the remaining weed from the other 2+2’ers visit. Ten minutes later I was back inside high out of my mind and laughing at everything. Despite my disabled state I managed to win back over $750 as well as pull two of the most monstrous slowrolls (which are not only allowed but encouraged in my game) of my entire life. Now I just need to figure out a fun way to blow my $368 in profits.

Meanwhile I’m going to begun talking to Pokersites about sponsoring the ‘Around the World in 90 Days’ trip and trying to talk them into filming it. I talked to my editor over at www.pokernews.com and he brought up the problem which I imagine will be an issue everywhere, it’s pretty damn expensive to do something like that and there’s not a lot of way to regain the production costs. I imagine a more probable outcome of this (if anything comes of it with a pokersite) is that they perhaps sponsor it and get exclusive rights to the writing that comes out of it. I’m really not sure and I’m not expecting anything, but it’d be cool if someone wanted to do something more elaborate with it. Here’s hoping…

With the Joe Hachem Deep Stacked series over I’m free to occupy myself with more serious online play. I wrote about the very hot day I had in Sunday Money Sunday but perhaps more incredible was the day I had during my day off from the Hachem main event. I was also lucky enough to remember to fire up Camtasia mid way through my session so I ended up recording what was one of my best days in my online poker career. When I turned on Camtasia I had nine tables running, and by the time my video was over I ended up final tabling four of them and winning one. My results for the day looked like:
PokerStars 22 rebuys: 1st for $7,115
PokerStars $150 100k: 3rd for $10,707
Pokerstars $50 50k: 50th for $126
Full Tilt $30 rebuys: 17th for $171
UltimateBet $120 Bounty: 5th for $1200 (I think, the UB updates are delayed on Bluff)
UltimateBet $150 20k: 7th for ~$1000 (again, not sure, definitely final tabled it though.)

In total for the day I made something like $18,000, edging out the previous big Sunday. Since then I haven’t had any epic days online, though today was frustratingly close. I went deep in the stars $1000 only to get QQ all in pre vs TT with 14 left and get 2 outed. Then with 12 BB’s left I made what is a questionable (and to be honest, likely bad) resteal on a HJ raise of a player I perceived as looser than he probably is. Later in the Stars $150 I was top 5 in chips with about 35 left. I opened QQ in MP1 to 10500 and the SB flat called with 80k in his stack (to my 110k.) On a flop of JT4 rainbow he open shoved 3X the pot and I obviously called. He tabled ATo and promptly hit a T on the river for what was to be either first or second in chips. I lost a flip with my remaining chips.

Things are peaceful for the time being. I’m on a good diet and in a good exercise routine. I’m running every morning first thing, and I’ve cut just about everything enjoyable out of my diet. I feel a lot better less than two weeks later having done so. I’m going to begin pitching the ‘Around the World in 90 Days’ to poker sites and websites to see if anyone is interested in filming it and having exclusive rights in order to help fund the trip. I have no idea what the chances of success are but it seems like it’s worth a shot. Until the trip I’ll be putting in my enormous online volume and aiming to get my current roll over the $150,000 mark. It's raining outside at the moment. I don't have much else to do.

I down a melatonin before bed in hopes of staying asleep. I wake up at 9am anyway, but feel tired enough that after spending 15 minutes or so on the computer I manage to crawl back to bed and doze off until my alarm starts ringing at 11. I go for my run, take a shower, and grab breakfast before heading out to the casino. Having checked the update from the previous day I am indeed the chip leader from both heats, edging out the guy behind me by about 1,000. Bondgirls 150ish thousand is good for 6th. Still, with a little over 200 players left having the chip lead doesn’t promise anything, especially with my history in these kinds of situations. I just need to keep myself from doing anything stupid and keep my desire to run over the table in check and in balance.
The blinds start at 1000/2000 and my 216,500 means I’m sitting over 100 BB’s deep, though the average stack is more like 70,000 so most hands are played with 35 BB’s effective. For the entirety of the 1000/2000 level things remain fairly quiet. I mostly only play in spots where I’ve got a clear raise or steal the blinds of the total nits behind me. The table is fairly active yet inexperienced, and there’s nobody I’ve played with much around. My first hand of interest comes up at 1200/2400, against the other biggest stack on the table:
My stack: ~225k. BB: ~105k I hold AdAh UTG+1.
Preflop: UTG folds, I raise to 7000, folds to BB, BB calls.
Flop: J 9 9 rainbow
The BB leads out 18,000. I know 100% for certain he’s not leading a 9 here and I don’t think he’s leading a draw like QT this big most of the time. From the way I’ve seen him play he’s got a pretty serious over-bet problem, so I decide to call and hope to raise what should be a committing bet from him on the turn.
Turn: 7
The BB moves allin and I instantly call. He tables AJ and the river K drags me an enormous pot. Some others on the table are surprised with the ease in which I called him. I’m surprised it’s ever in question.

I take down some small pots for the rest of the level but mostly remain inactive. The next hand of interest doesn’t come up until 1500/3000:
My stack: ~340k. MP1: ~110k HJ:~35k. I hold TT UTG+2
Preflop: Folds to me, I raise to 8500, folds to MP1, a passivish and loose middle aged guy named Tony, who calls. Folds to HJ who is a young player who seems to shove pretty wide. He moves in for 35,000. It folds back to me and I reshove pretty quickly. Now Tony goes into the tank and starts talking to himself.
“I’ve got a big hand here.”
I’m pretty sure for him to be thinking this long he has to have JJ or AK. He’d have folded 99 pretty quick and likely would have got it in with QQ without this much difficulty.
“I’ve got a pretty big hand here.” He repeats. I decide I’m going to need to him fold.
”You think I don’t?” I say calmly then glance down at my slid out 100,000 knowingly. Tony keeps thinking for a while, then looks up at me
”Alright, I’m going to lay this down to you” and mucks his hand.
The young guy flips up AKo and I table my TT.
”SHIT!!” yells Tony. “DAMN IT! JACKS!”
Flop: 3 T K rainbow
Tony’s eyes become the size of dinner plates “Good thing you shoved mate!”
Turn: T
I burst into laughter. What an absurd card.
River: 9
The large pot is slid over to me and Tony keeps thanking his lucky stars I shoved on him. I’m almost certainly the commanding chip leader at this point.

I pick up a decent sized pot 3 betting a button raiser with 45dd in the BB who folds showing me KsQs. We’ve been chatting in a friendly manner and he tells me this is his very first live tournament. He seems pretty nervous and a good target to pick on. It’s not long before I’m involved in another big pot:
My stack: ~380k. HJ: ~50k. Button: ~70k. Blinds 1500/3000 with 400 ante. I hold 66 in the BB.
Preflop: Folds to HJ who is a fairly aggressive player but still seems like the type a little afraid to bust. He opens his standard raise to 12,000. It folds to a very loose passive button who calls. The SB folds and I grab a stack of 100,000 in yellow and slide it into the middle. The HJ stares me down for a very long while. Eventually he grabs his stack, and slides it into the middle. The button folds. The HJ tables KhQh.
Flop: Ac 7c 3c
That’ll work.
Turn: Ks
That won’t.
River: Qc
Like I’d ever lose a flip in this heater.
Boo yah. My stack soars well over 400,000 and the entire table has jaws on the floor at the sheer mass of my stack. God knows how many rows of 20 high chip stacks it is.

After that hand I don’t find myself in any large pots for a while. The two players on my immediate left are both short stacks and quite tight. I start open shoving on them a fair bit. At one point it folds to me on the button with A4o and I slide out my stack of 100,000. The SB calls all in for what turns out to be KJo with 36,000 and the board reads out KT9TT. Did I just lose a flip? WHAT THE FUCK!?!?!?!

A round later I find myself involved in a big pot that actually makes it to the flop:
My stack: ~390k. MP2: ~82k. MP1: ~60k. I hold AQo on the HJ. MP2 is the aforementioned first timer and MP1 is a bit loose and semi active.
Preflop: Folds to MP1, MP1 opens his standard 11,000, MP2 calls, I reraise to 36,000 (leaving room to fold if Tony behind me with ~130k shoves), it folds back to MP1 who folds, MP2 thinks for a very long time, seems concerned, counts his chips, and elects to call. Guess I’m going to pull an in position go and go unless I hit the flop hard (I’d check back Qxx rainbow or Axx rainbow type flops.)
Flop: J 4 2 rainbow
MP2 checks. I take a stack of 100,000 and slide it into the middle. He quickly slides his stack into the middle as well and tables his AJo. Charming.
Turn: 7. River: A

As the level ends and we go on break I realize I started the last break with about 310k, went up to 450k, and now sit at roughly 310k.

We come back from break and soon our table is broken. I’m moved to a fairly straight forward table and for a very long time nothing of consequence happens. As we get close to the money I take down small and medium pot after small and medium pot. The bubble itself actually breaks incredibly fast and when it does I’m sitting over 460,000 without a hand coming anywhere close to being meaningful or interesting. The tournament pays 60 people, though 50-60 merely get their money back. As expected, 10 players drop off very fast. It’s not until the 5000/10000 level that I find myself in another interesting spot:

I hold AdKd UTG+1. After being quiet for a while I’ve raised two hands this round and taken down the blinds. The SB is a loose/bad player who calls too much and tends to open with huge raises. The BB is a very straight forward player named Vic who is quite tight but not a huge mega nit. My stack: ~470k. SB: ~230k. Vic: ~240k.
Preflop: UTG folds, I raise to 25,000, folds to the SB, the SB calls, Vic looks over at me then announces all in, I quickly announce all in, the SB folds. Vic tables ThTc and we’re off to the races.
Flop: 9d 7d 5h
Oh baby is that my flop. You’re dead pal!
Turn: 2s
Don’t make me look like an idiot here deck. I’ve already mentally said ‘You’re dead pal!’ Let’s not turn me into a liar here.
River: 9c
SHIT! I count out the roughly 240,000 I owe Vic, tap the table, and tell him nice hand. He’s a complete gentleman, so if I’m going to lose to anyone, I’m glad it’s someone like him.

A few hands later I find myself in another big pot. The player in the hand is the SB from the previous hand. He’d been pretty active pre flop with open raising a quite bit. At 4000/8000 he’d been doing things like opening for 50,000 often and then min raising. He hadn’t had to turn his hands over yet so I’m not sure what his range is like but he’s raising pretty often. In one pot where a short stack shoved, he reshoved 66 in early position and Vic behind him tanked for a while and folded TT. After Vic told him this the SB went on this long rant about how he would have instantly folded TT in Vic’s spot and would only call all ins with REALLY big hands. His speech was clearly in earnest, and ever since I considered him an excellent resteal target. He’d also asked why after big hands I got up to write something down and I explained to him about writing tournament reports online. Other than that, we’d had almost zero interaction with each other.

My stack: ~230k. CO: ~205k. I hold JdTd in the BB. Blinds 5000/10000 with 1000 ante.
Preflop: Folds to the CO who raises to 30,000. The button and SB fold, and after a couple seconds thought I announce all in. The CO instantly calls and excitedly tables aces. I really do make the sickest reads.
Flop: Ad Js 7d
Wow, things could get worse than that flop.
Turn: 7h
The CO explodes “HELLO SIR!!!” he pauses briefly then slaps his hands in the air again yelling “HELLO SIR!! Put THAT in your book! YES!!” He motions to the rail “GUYS COME LOOK AT THIS!”
River: 3d
Perfect. “WHOOOO! Put THAT in your book!” He repeats. I start counting out the chips I owe him and running the odds in my head; is it worth taking my pen out and stabbing him in the throat for all the sodomy I’m sure to endure in prison? I instead elect to pass him his chips and quietly glare at him. Passive aggressive for the win.
“My names Nick by the way, in case you wanted to write it down!”
I simply stare coldly at him, in complete refusal to go for my pen. Someone on the other side of the table blurts out “Hey you know what Nick rhymes with right?” I’ve got 30,000 left, and I’m totally fucked.

The very next hand I post a 5000 SB and 1000 ante intending to call off with about anything. Unfortunately it’s raised by Vic on the button and I look down at 24 offsuit. I guess I fold here? I throw it in intending to wait for a hand with just a little bit of showdown equity. This plan goes HORRIBLY awry when my following 6 hands are: 52o,43o, 94o, 62o, 52o, 43o. Finally on the 7th hand, after anteing myself down to 18,000, I look down at K9o and it folds to me. I open shove and it folds to my friend Kochan on the button who isolates me to 45,000 with AsTs.
Flop: Ac 8c 3h.
Turn: X
“Thank God. Get me out of here. Best of luck everyone.”

I end up busting something like 43rd place and collect $921 dollars AUD for my effort. I take the chips to the cashier and throw the $1 chip in the donation for some charity box next to me. Can a dollar buy good karma?