T1B

Posted: **Thu Jun 02, 2011 8:52 pm**

Being a low-stakes guy, I was pretty bummed when the FBI shut down Full Tilt and the rest of the major online poker sites. Fortunately, I recently discovered an Indian casino that hosts tourneys for low-rollers like me. They have cheap tourneys almost every night. Went a couple weeks ago and played in a $10 buy-in/$10 add-on/$10 re-buy tourney with a $1500 guarantee. Re-buys were allowed through the first six rounds (a little more than two hours, with breaks). Pretty much everyone does the add-on. I bought in for $20, got KOed early, bought back in for another $20 and wound up making the final table. We got down to the final four and chopped it for $315 each.

I've been back a couple more times to play in their $5/$5/$5 tourney with a $1000 guarantee. First time I got beat up pretty badly. Blew through $45 before the re-buy period had even ended. When my AQ suited lost an all-in against A5 offsuit, I just left. Went up again this past Tuesday and did a little better. Managed to make it through the first six rounds on my initial buy-in, then took the optional 10K add-on after round 6. Lasted another hour, but I just couldn't build my stack enough to keep pace with the blinds. Wound up on the button with A2 suited and pushed with my remaining 5K (blinds were already 7K/15K with a 500 ante). Couldn't pull out the lucky flush and wound up going out around 25th or so.

It's been fun playing in live tourneys. Pretty broad cross-section of people. Plus, the dollar 10-ounce drafts don't hurt.

Got a home game coming up this Sunday as well. Haven't fared very well in my last few outings with this group, so I'm hoping the tourneys will give me some good practice...

Posted: **Fri Jun 03, 2011 5:03 am**

Have you ever been to the Maryland Death Fest?

Posted: **Fri Jun 03, 2011 1:32 pm**

Hold'em has jumped the shark.

Posted: **Fri Jun 03, 2011 3:38 pm**

Screwy,
No. Never been. I'd like to check it out one of these years, but it's a bit of a jaunt from AZ.

Indy,
You might be right. People in these cheap tourneys play like idiots. Made another final table last night. Ended up chopping it three ways for $370 each. Everyone plays so loose when they can just re-buy at any time during the first two hours. I just try to stay patient, play super tight and wait for a monster. So far, so good...

Posted: **Fri Jun 03, 2011 5:20 pm**

I still like playing with my buddies in low stakes games, but I will never step foot in another poker room again for the reason you stated. Too many idiots that play every hand and go all in pre-flop with a 6-8 offsuit and win. I don't believe in "bad beats" but I do believe in "playing with tards is no fun."

Posted: **Sat Jun 04, 2011 1:38 am**

IndyFrisco wrote:I still like playing with my buddies in low stakes games, but I will never step foot in another poker room again for the reason you stated. Too many idiots that play every hand and go all in pre-flop with a 6-8 offsuit and win. I don't believe in "bad beats" but I do believe in "playing with tards is no fun."

I'll take a table of tards over a table of sharks any day. I absolutely believe in bad beats, and they're annoying as hell when they happen to you. But over the long haul, the idiots pushing all in with 68 off are just going to grow my stack. The key to playing with tards (as I'm sure you know), is to just play tight. I hardly ever bluff at these tourneys. I might try to limp with suited connectors every now and then, but if the flop misses me, I'll gladly lay it down. I'm not shoving all in unless I feel there are good odds that I have the best hand. I'm hardly a poker expert, but taking chips from tards is like taking candy from a baby.

Posted: **Sat Jun 04, 2011 3:40 pm**

MiketheangrydrunkenCUfan wrote:
IndyFrisco wrote:I still like playing with my buddies in low stakes games, but I will never step foot in another poker room again for the reason you stated. Too many idiots that play every hand and go all in pre-flop with a 6-8 offsuit and win. I don't believe in "bad beats" but I do believe in "playing with tards is no fun."
I'll take a table of tards over a table of sharks any day. I absolutely believe in bad beats, and they're annoying as hell when they happen to you. But over the long haul, the idiots pushing all in with 68 off are just going to grow my stack. The key to playing with tards (as I'm sure you know), is to just play tight. I hardly ever bluff at these tourneys. I might try to limp with suited connectors every now and then, but if the flop misses me, I'll gladly lay it down. I'm not shoving all in unless I feel there are good odds that I have the best hand. I'm hardly a poker expert, but taking chips from tards is like taking candy from a baby.

used to have home games all the time where about half the guys that would show up played that way..then after about 7 or so home games..they accused me and another guy of cheating cause..guess what..we were always the final 2 at the table...i wonder why??

the majority of the tards quit coming and eventually the game fell apart due to my fucked up schedule and them tired of losing.

Posted: **Mon Jun 20, 2011 10:43 pm**

I haven't done Tighwad Tuesday at the Indian joint in a while.

It's $20, and you can get a "bonus chip" (I think it's equal to half your starting stack) for $5, which is kind of cool -- you cash it in to the dealer. So starting with 600 in chips, you can take a bad beat all-in, then cash the bonus chip in, which is a nice insurance policy against tard beats. Some people cash it in immediately, to start with a bigger stack, but I've always held onto mine. You must cash it in after the first break, which also ends the one-time rebuy period.

That's a fun tourney -- small stacks, and kind of a turbo blind setup, so you can be done in 3-4 hours.

But, it's an Injun casino, and in Oregon, you can't have alcohol on the gaming floor (you can go to the bar). There's casinos a few minutes north of Portland in Washington, where you can drink. I don't think they do as much low stakes stuff.

Now, we're being inundated with "private poker clubs," which skirt the state gambling laws. Heck, I think several have opened just since the FBI crackdown. I believe they provide the dealer, but they can't profit in any way from the actual gambling, and they must charge you a membership fee (I think they generally get you $5 a day). They play some bigboy tornies in those places, although one keeps advertising their live-table once-a-week freeroll.

Posted: **Sat Jun 25, 2011 2:23 am**

After a nice winning streak where I made the final table in 5 of my first 9 tourneys, I've been on a losing streak ever since. Last night I was getting such shitty cards that I didn't even make a pre-flop raise until the 7th round, when the blinds were already up to 1k/2k with a 100 ante. I was down to around 9k chips and shoved with A9 off. The blinds folded but the lady to my right who had limped in called me with QJ suited. Of course she catches one of her six outs and knocks me down to less than 1k. I shoved my remaining 600 chips a couple hands later with QJ off and ended up losing a 3-way showdown.

Goddamn, poker is a streaky fucking game. Started 5/9 and now I'm 0-fer my last 10. Still up overall, but it's frustrating. I guess I had deluded myself into thinking that I could actually turn this into some supplemental income, rather than just a pleasant diversion.

Dins,
I think your strategy is sound on holding onto that bonus chip. The tourneys I play in have unlimited re-buys through the first six rounds, plus you can add-on anytime you're at or below 2k in chips. I started off doing double buy-ins and re-buys for a 4k stack, just because that's what about 80% of the people do, but I've started buying in/re-buying for just the 2k and I don't think it really makes much difference in the long run. All you need is one good hand to double up and you've saved yourself $5 or $10, depending on the tourney. So while I haven't been winning, my losses have gotten significantly smaller as well.

Posted: **Sun Jun 26, 2011 5:25 pm**

Finally snapped my losing streak yesterday. Played in a 5/5/5 tourney at noon and wound up chopping with four players left to win $210. I decided to let it roll and play in the 10/10/10 tourney at 4pm. Wasn't so lucky there. I was severely short-stacked after the re-buy period ended, so I was forced to make some risky moves. With the blinds at 1k/2k, I got A8 off and it folded around to me. I shoved with my remaining 10k and managed to steal the blinds and antes. Two hands later, I get A9 off and it folds to me again. I shove again and the guy on my left calls with AQ. That one sent me packing. Still netted $125 on the day, though. Got a home game tonight. Hoping for more than five players this time...

Posted: **Mon Jul 11, 2011 1:39 pm**

Poker Rooms have absolutely sucked for me. It's bad beat after bad beat after bad beat.

Any way you can think of losing with a monster hand at the casinos, I've done it.

Pocket 7s. Flop comes 7-3-3. I lose to a guy who had pocket 3s. I lost $450 on that hand.

I've lost with quads (did get the bad beat jackpot on that).

I've lost with a full house on the flop where the guy caught runner-runner for a straight flush. I lost $375 on that hand.

I remember a hand where I had A-10 and the flop came A-10-3. I came out with a $20 bet. He goes $40, so I go $80. He calls. Turn card is a 7. I immediately go all in with $220. He quick calls. I've got A-10 and he's got A-3. The river is a 3. What. The. Fuck.

Like I said, I've lost every way you can think of in the poker rooms. I've lost to loose players, lost with monster hands, lost to the tight ass player at the table who folded for three straight hours and then gets a monster when I hit my trips off the flop. You name it and I've been on the bad side of the deal. Fuck the poker rooms.

I'm going to Vegas in the fall and it will strictly be football, playoff baseball, and craps for me. Maybe a little blackjack, but I won't step one foot in a poker room unless its to watch Mrs. Rumps play.

Posted: **Mon Jul 11, 2011 1:54 pm**

I'll be in Vegas again in October. I only play craps these days. If I win big or lose big early, I end up in the sports book the remainder of the trip betting horses and whatever sports are going on at the time. I've only been in a poker room once when I went to the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Tampa. Swore I would never step foot in a poker room again. Completely too boring for me.

Posted: **Mon Jul 11, 2011 2:45 pm**

IndyFrisco wrote:I'll be in Vegas again in October. I only play craps these days. If I win big or lose big early, I end up in the sports book the remainder of the trip betting horses and whatever sports are going on at the time. I've only been in a poker room once when I went to the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Tampa. Swore I would never step foot in a poker room again. Completely too boring for me.

Cool, man. Mrs. Rumps and I will be headed to Vegas in October as well with my mom and stepdad. We're gonna treat them to a nice dinner and a show (Love or Ka). Probably staying at the Monte Carlo or Vdara in one of the suites. Haven't booked it yet.

Posted: **Mon Jul 11, 2011 3:35 pm**

We are going to THE Hotel at Mandalay Bay. Gonna go with my two sis-in-law's and their husbands. Probably going to hit Paiute Golf Course again. Last time we just rented clubs. 4.5 hours of this course, while pricey, is a lot cheaper than 4.5 hours at a cold craps table.

I was there for the first round of March Madness for business. Stayed at the MGM Grand, but co-worker and I hit up Monte Carlo one night to catch Frank Caliendo. Good show, but was suprised there was no opening act. Just a 1 hour show that ended with him doing a 10 minute joke lying on his back making sock puppet shadows on a wall. Kinda boring that last ten minutes, but I was blitzed so I didn't really care.

Here's a pic. Seriously, 10 minutes of this while making Kermit noises.

Posted: **Mon Jul 11, 2011 3:52 pm**

This trip is about me. Mrs. Rumps and my mother are getting the Spa and Massage treatment at whatever hotel we stay at while my stepdad and I hit the Sportsbooks. It's all about football for me on this trip. Sure, I'm gonna miss out on a little Monday Night Football while we're at the show, but I'll still get to see the tail end of the game after the show is over, I get all of Saturday and Sunday to eat, drink, and watch the games. It's going to be awesome. I'll see if my stepdad is up for golf on Monday. Got any courses you can recommend?

Posted: **Mon Jul 11, 2011 5:22 pm**

I put a link in my prior post for Paiute. It's a little outside of town, but worth the trek. Just spend $50 and rent a compact car for the day (much cheaper than a taxi that far). Play 2 rounds if you like. The course was wide open for us. We had 28 people for a bachelor party.

From Las Vegas Strip (22 miles):
Take I-15 North past Charleston Rd exit. Take Exit #42A / Reno onto the US-95 North. Continue on US-95 past Summerlin Pkwy, Durango, and Fort Apache exits. Take Exit #99 Snow Mountain (5 minutes past Fort Apache) and turn right. Continue on Snow Mountain Rd / Nu-Wav Kaiv Blvd, leading directly into the resort.

http://www.lvpaiutegolf.com/rates.html

$140 - $160 depending on the course you play as there are 3 courses.

Yes, it really does look like this.

Posted: **Mon Jul 11, 2011 10:52 pm**

I love desert golf, so might give that a try, Indy.

Posted: **Tue Jul 12, 2011 2:51 am**

Jesus. I'd probably spend another $140-$160 in golf balls just trying to hit that island green. I should really hit the links more often, considering the many options around here. If I went out more than once or twice a year, I could probably crack 120 eventually. A guy can dream...

Posted: **Tue Jul 12, 2011 2:24 pm**

Speaking of island greens...

This is in Punta Mita, Mexico. It is supposedly the only "true" island green in the world. The only way to ge to the green is to walk the path of rocks when the tide is out. No boats will take you there when the tide is in.

Tide out:

Tide in:

Posted: **Tue Jul 12, 2011 6:08 pm**

IndyFrisco wrote:

Must be a bitch with all those tees everywhere.

Fuggin Nevada.

Posted: **Tue Jul 12, 2011 6:43 pm**

Dinsdale wrote:Must be a bitch with all those tees everywhere.

Fuggin Nevada.

:?

I'm assuming you meant TREES? Basing that solely on your incessant need to remind us all how big the trees are in the U&L.

Tell ya what, I'd rather hit out of the trees in the U&L than off the rock or thick ass sand like we had to do in Vegas. Thank God for rented clubs. And those cacti...that's fun too. Saw 2 rattlesnakes as well. Well, we saw 1 and we just heard one in looking for a ball off the grid. I heard that rattle and said "fuck it!" and went back to re-tee.

Posted: **Tue Sep 20, 2011 8:25 pm**

The online poker world in the United States was brought to a halt in April as PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker and Absolute Poker were charged with bank fraud, illegal gambling offenses and money laundering. On Tuesday, the Manhattan U.S. Attorney has motioned to amend the forfeiture and civil money laundering complaint to highlight that Full Tilt Poker and its board of directors operated the company as a "massive Ponzi scheme".

The amended complaint explains that while FTP maintained player funds were safe, the company never actually had the represented cash on hand as a result of crediting users' deposits without actually receiving the money. There was a shortfall of approximately $130 million as a result of that process.

The complaint further states that as of March 31, FTP owed players around the world $390 million, but only had $59 million on hand.

"As the proposed amended complaint describes in detail, Full Tilt was not a legitimate poker company, but a global Ponzi scheme," Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said in a statement. "As a result of our enforcement actions this alleged self-dealing scheme came to light. Not only did the firm orchestrate a massive fraud against the U.S. banking system, as previously alleged, Full Tilt also cheated and abused its own players to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars. As described, Full Tilt insiders lined their own pockets with funds picked from the pockets of their most loyal customers while blithely lying to both players and the public alike about the safety and security of the money deposited with the company."

Additionally, the complaint assesses that the company used player funds to pay board members and other owners more than $440 million.

In addition to Ray Bitar, who was named in the initial complaint, three high-profile players were also named as board members in the DOJ's press release: Howard Lederer, Chris Ferguson and Rafael "Rafe" Furst. According the U.S. Attorney's Office, they've "restrained five accounts associated with those individuals."

The complaint also maintains that the aforementioned board members are liable to the government "in an amount that is no less than $40,954,781.53 for Bitar; $41,856,010.92 million for Lederer; $25 million for Ferguson; and $11,706,323.96 million for Furst."

In total, the four board members and estimated 19 additional owners of Tiltware, LLC received $443 million in distributions since April 2007.

The Alderney Gambling Control Commission suspended Full Tilt Poker's license in June and a hearing was held Sept. 19 and 20 to discuss a possible reinstatement. Since that time, there has been no activity on the online poker site.

Full Tilt Poker was previously a sponsor of poker programming on ESPN.

T1B

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