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Posts Tagged ‘Back’

I haven’t been playing too much to start the year, other than at the PCA where I enjoyed serving as the captain of the German team for the World Cup of Poker. That’s always a cool event with a fun atmosphere. Now I’m playing in some events in Germany and the Czech Republic during these first few months of the year as I begin work to try to match what was a good 2012 for me.

Last year’s highlight, of course, was a deep run in the World Series of Poker Main Event where I finished 26th. What an experience that was!

Thinking back to those long days in July at the Rio, I was pretty much chipping up every day during the Main Event. I do remember making one hero call on Day 3 versus Andrew “LuckyChewy” Lichtenberger where I called with a pair of threes in a three-bet pot, then called him down for pretty much all my stack and he had a pair of kings. That knocked me down to about 10 big blinds, then I got it in with 10-9 suited against LuckyChewy and he had kings again, but I managed to win that hand and survive.

From there, though, I was adding to my stack each day, some days ending near the top of the counts and some around the middle. One thing that was surprising to me was just how hard it was physically to play poker for that long. Day after day after day, doing nothing but sleeping, eating a little, and playing poker from noon to 1 or 2 in the morning — it really takes a lot of stamina. By the time I busted on that very last day of the summer, I realized how physically fatigued I really was.

Not only are the days long, when you’re done you still have so much work to do. You think over so many hands from the previous day, then maybe do a little research of players at your table for the next day. Then you have to get to try to settle down and sleep somehow and before you know it you’re back at the tables.

It didn’t really hit me until Day 7 (the last day of the summer) how exhausting the experience was. Up until then I was having fun, just grinding and playing very good poker. I was concentrating well and staying focused, so the time passed quickly and I didn’t really think too much about fatigue. The fact that I kept chipping up helped, too, because that let me remain active and not have to fold for long stretches, so I was chatting a lot and really enjoyed myself.

Then on that last day it really hit me. I suppose the realization that there were just 27 of us left and there was now a chance I might make the final table entered into things, too. But alas, before I could get too worked up about it all I was out the door in 26th.

There were three of us Germans there that last day, with Nicco Maag going out in 27th and Wilfried Harig in 15th. I suppose near the end we were all starting to think a little bit about our fellow countryman Pius Heinz winning the Main Event in 2011, although it really wasn’t until afterwards that I thought about how great it would have been to win and get a chance to serve as an ambassador of sorts for poker.

I’m already a Team PokerStars Pro, and I’m already pretty well known in the German poker community. But I’m also known outside of poker because I do some TV commentary and some celebrity coaching for a celebrity poker show. So even just making the final table last year would have been an opportunity for me to help spread the word about poker in Germany, and of course winning would have been even better.

I’ve busted many poker tournaments in my life and usually after an hour or two it’s forgotten. That’s part of the job, and you tend to get used to that.

But busting the Main Event on Day 7 was really tough, both personally and when I thought about the opportunity I might have had to be that ambassador for poker in Germany. I really enjoy talking about the game and getting poker out there and represented in a good way, so I would have loved to have done the media circuit and done some talk shows and everything else that might have gone along with winning.

I will say, however, that making that deep run in the Main Event has helped me in a lot of ways, too. Making deep runs like that allows you to learn so much, letting you experience all sorts of different situations that help you going forward. And the Main Event with its uniquely deep structure means you encounter just about every situation and dynamic you can possibly be exposed to along the way, so that has helped me a lot ever since.

For now, I’m looking forward to these events in Europe. And with the WSOP schedule now out, I’m starting to think about the Main Event this summer, too, where I hope to make another deep run.

The WPT is set to head back to London this March and we want you there! From the from 14th- 18th March, you could be playing in the biggest game of your poker career with one of our stunning $ 3,000 prize packages.

Massive Payday!

The event is to take place at the first Super Casino at the Aspers Casino in Stratford and if you make it there you could be going up against some of the biggest name is poker as you fight it out for a massive payday!

Each $ 3,000 package includes

• $ 2,200 WPT National London main event buy-in
• $ 800 spending money

The Best Chance Only on PartyPoker

We want you there in London and so we’ve created a fantastic mix of qualifiers and weekly satellites. Start off with our daily freerolls and we could see you at the WPT National London for free!

But the fun don’t end there as we know there’s going to be as much fun off the table in the shadow of the Olympic Stadium. So make sure you check out the full qualifying structure , register today and you could be on top of the WPT podium in March!

Ever since the U.S. Department of Justice shut down the three biggest online poker rooms in the spring of 2011, an event commonly known as “Black Friday” among poker players, online poker has been a distant memory for Americans. Despite this crackdown on online gambling, some providers never gave up the fight. A number of brick-and-mortar casinos in the city of Las Vegas, Nevada, are leading the efforts to legalize online poker in the United States.

Rumblings in the Desert
Just two months after Black Friday, the state of Nevada passed the Interactive Gaming bill, which legalized the development of web poker applications before adopting state-specific rules for the industry that December. Under the new legislation, large gaming companies operating traditional live casinos were the only ones that could operate legal poker sites. Some gaming companies spent the time since developing their own poker sites, while others, according to a Card Player Magazine report, reached out to more established online poker providers to develop web applications that would provide their service with both a recognizable brand name and a pool of players ready to place their bets.

Many states are expected to approve similar legislation in the coming year, particularly as the Department of Justice effectively endorsed the legalization of online poker in an official legal opinion released in late 2011. The comment came in the form of an explanation of the Interstate Wire Act of 1961 in which the DOJ claimed that the law only prevented online sports betting, not poker or casino games. Knowing that the federal government is in no rush to halt the development of intrastate gaming operations could be a real boon to the American online gaming industry.

Movers and Shakers
While the rest of the U.S. waits for their legislators to catch up, several developers have already begun making strides toward a future with online poker in the U.S., reports Card Player. The first to leap out the gate will likely be Gaughan Straight Holdings. Though the launch of its site has faced some challenges by legislators hoping to iron out any imperfections the software may have prior to its release, the company seems likely to be among the first online poker sites to legally operate in the Silver State. 

Rumors have been swirling around the products that will be developed under the Wynn Resorts brand. The organization, which once shared a strategic partnership with some of the biggest names in the online poker world, will likely forge its own branded poker site. Recent rumors have hinted the site may possibly be created with the assistance of social gaming giant Zynga, developers of Facebook games like Farmville. 

One company that many players will be watching closely as the online poker industry returns to the U.S. is Caesars Entertainment, owner of the eponymous Las Vegas hotel casino as well as the immensely popular World Series of Poker franchise. Caesars received its online poker license in 2012. Card Player hints that the company could utilize existing partnerships with online gaming companies to help develop its own gaming platform, though only time will tell.

Obstacles from within
While these developments are welcome news to avid poker players, a recent study from Fairleigh Dickinson University’s PublicMind found that roughly 60 percent of those polled opposed the creation of state-run online gambling sites.

Like so many poker players, Black Friday hit me harder than a one-outer on the river. I’d just finished unpacking my boxes from a cross-country move to Las Vegas and felt so excited to be grinding online again. Amazing what a difference a few hours can make; I spent most of Black Friday singing “Yesterday” by the Beatles.

My life was so wrapped up in playing online poker (planning quick meals that I could heat up during five minute breaks, forgoing all weekend plans with friends in favor of grinding, and mastering the art of a three minute shower) that it was hard to think of what my life would actually look like once I lost the ability to login.

Since the ink was barely dry on my new Vegas lease, moving out of the country right away wasn’t an option. Online, I routinely play a hundred tournaments in a session, so the idea of transitioning to live mono-tabling was rather sickening from a variance standpoint.

Even so, I managed enthusiasm for a jam-packed schedule of WSOP and Venetian Deep Stack Extravaganza tournaments. Fortunately, I had some deep runs, including 451st in the WSOP Main Event. When I busted, my first thought was, “Now I can move to Mexico part-time to play online again!”

The idea of being able to play on PokerStars, specifically the Women’s Sunday, left me giddy. I began asking advice from friends that expatted in order to play on PokerStars, and Team Online pro Shane Schleger was especially helpful and patient with my slew of ignorant gringo inquiries:

“Can I get high speed internet there?”

“Do people ride donkeys around town?”

Once in Rosarito, Mexico, I discovered a world so different from the one presented by the American media. People were friendly and accepting of my butchered attempts to converse with them in Spanish. I went to a store and asked, “Papier para computadora?” The first clerk brought me to the man with the best English there, who determined that they didn’t have any. After looking around for a while and cursing myself for not studying Spanish in high school, I figured I was probably asking for an item that only existed in my head. As I slumped out towards my car, I turned around and the clerk was running after me with a triumphant smile, holding the computer paper he’d found in the back.

Another happy surprise was the number of online grinders in Rosarito. In fact, Katie Stone and Jamie Kerstetter, two of my closest friends and fellow Grindettes, live in the same complex as me! If we can convince Jennifer Shahade to join us, then we’ll have all the Grindettes (or gringettes) in Mexico.

Somewhere around 150 expat poker players live near Rosarito, and we’ve even garnered local press that welcomed us, which is roughly the opposite of how our own government decided to treat us. It often feels like a small world here: I ran into a poker pro friend on the elevator that I hadn’t seen in a couple years, and it turned out that he lives two floors up from me.

Before I’d even unpacked my suitcase in Mexico, my goal was to get verified as quickly as possible in order to start playing on PokerStars again. While it’s common knowledge that PokerStars has the best customer service of any poker site, even I was surprised at how quickly they helped get me playing again.

Having gotten my documents in order before going to Mexico, I was back to playing online again within 24 hours. To make sure that I wasn’t dreaming, I sat down at a low stakes cash table. To date there has never been another person as thrilled as I was to be playing $ 2NL!

That first night back, I played some hyper-turbo SNGs and felt like I was at Disney World! Fast-paced SNGs are the rollercoasters of my adulthood. They were the first game I ever grinded online, and I credit my play and study of them with giving me a thorough understanding of an often underestimated skill in tournament poker: optimal short-stacked play.

Since it had been a while since I’d played online, I decided to start back at the low stakes, in order to comfortably get back into the swing of playing twenty tournaments at a time instead of one. That first Sunday back, I satellited in to the $ 55 Women’s Sunday through a $ 2 tournament, then had a blast making a semi-deep run. I love the structure and camaraderie of the event, and I even start my session earlier on Sunday just to have it on my schedule.

Another great thing about being back is getting to use BOOM! Replayer; it’s certainly a lot prettier than trying to cram an entire poker hand in a tweet using only words:

While I initially thought of my move as being only for poker, my daily schedule in Mexico is actually preferable to my life in Vegas. Before playing, I like to head down to the beach with my husband Collin Moshman, and my dog Wilbur:

 

After getting some sun, I like to indulge in one of my favorite hobbies by cooking a hearty breakfast, like scrambled eggs with salsa and guacamole. Recently I found a little store nearby that has the best eggs I’ve ever tasted, with yolks as orange as the setting sun. I eat so much guacamole in Mexico that I fear I might wake up one day as green as Oscar the Grouch!

I can’t imagine a more peaceful anti-tilting view as the one from my grinding set-up. I have a perfect view of the sun setting over the ocean, and on foggy nights I feel like I’m playing in a cloud:

The only issue, and I realize that this is akin to complaining about too many sprinkles on top of a cupcake, is that the sun hitting the ocean creates a glare similar to pointing a spotlight directly at my monitor. Fully embracing my new culture, I’ve found that wearing a sombrero while playing certainly helps. Fortunately, Wilbur has one that he occasionally lets me borrow:

I didn’t truly understand how much I’d missed PokerStars until I found myself at a final table singing “The Joker” by the Steve Miller Band at the top of my lungs. I finally embraced the feeling I’d tried to suppress every day since Black Friday: that I love playing online poker!
If you’ll allow me to sound a bit like Forrest Gump, my momma always told me that when something bad happens, my job is to try and turn it into something good. Black Friday was one of my biggest tests of this advice to date, and while I’m still angered by the actions of the US DOJ, I’ve now happily moved on. I’m thrilled to be playing on PokerStars again and to immerse myself in a culture that loves guacamole as much as I do.

The ChipSplit team is excited to entice players with our $ 25,000 Chip King promotion kicking off October 1st. Starting Sunday, October 7th there will be a freeroll every Sunday all month long just for players who opt-in to the Chip King promotion and have earned at least 50 VIP Points in the month. Read on for all the details.

 

Each week the prize pool for the ChipKing Freeroll will grow. The first week we’ll award $ 2,500 in free cash. The second week, $ 5,000. The third, $ 7,500. And finally, on October 28th the top 50 VIP Points earners between October 1st and 28th who have opted into Chip King will be entered into an exclusive $ 10,000 tournament, with custom starting stacks based on VIP Points earned.

Some very dear friends of mine had a wedding this past weekend so I flew in to celebrate with them and have a chance to catch up with all of my friends. The wedding was held on a friend’s farm so most of us decided to camp there for the night. We all used to do a lot of camping at festivals or weekends away and so it felt just like old times to see all of the pretty Bell Tents pitched together.

And of course it meant that we could stay up until almost dawn, talking and joking around a massive bonfire. It’s good to be back. In fact, I’ll be spending more and more time back here in England and have even rented a room in a friend’s house so that I have a base of operations while I travel through Europe for poker until 2013.

Brighton

It’s been a bit rainy so far but the view from my window looks out over the Brighton seafront and there really is something quite magical about the English Channel when it’s a bit blustery and grey. Soon enough I’ll be leaving for Paris where I’m going to play the WPT event but until then, I’m settling back into life in England with relish.

Poker Personality of the Year!

I was really surprised and honoured to be nominated again for Poker Personality of the Year at the British Poker Awards. They’ll be tallying up the votes very soon so if you haven’t voted yet (there are lots of great categories to vote for) then you can do that at thebritishpokerawards.com

It’s Back!  Excitement is in the air leading into September for the return of Poker Maximus. That’s right, our second ever tournament series Poker Maximus II is here and kicks off on September 6^th. Featuring over 35 events and over $ 1,300,000 in guaranteed prizes, this is a tournament series you do not want to miss out on.

Events run daily, starting on the 6^th of September and conclude on the 16^th of September with $ 350,000 guaranteed in our co-main events.

Players who have existing tournament entry coupons will be able to use them throughout the Poker Maximus II series. Poker Maximus II specific satellite tickets will need to be used between $ 0.55 and $ 73.30. Satellites are a great way to gain entry into the Poker Maximus II events without having to pay the full buyin. Click here to see the satellite schedule.

PM1000 Reload Bonus gets you 100% up to $ 1,000!

Use the bonus code PM1000 to get a 100% reload bonus (up to $ 1,000). This amazing offer is available starting today, is time-sensitive and only good until midnight on September 30th. Don’t miss out on the biggest bonus of the year!

Do you have what it takes to be the Last Man Standing? This September you get to once again test your mettle as Last Man Standing is back.  Over the next 29 days, we’re going to track the VIP points you earn, test your poker endurance and offer up over $ 27,000 in cash prizes starting September 1^st.

 

Last Man Standing is back and better than ever. We are going to track the VIP points you earn throughout the entire month of September to crown the Last Man Standing.

You’re allowed to take one day off (free day) from earning VIP points during the promotion. If you miss one more, you will be eliminated. There will be no more free days allowed after your one free day and the window to use up free days ends on the 10th of September. So after September 10th you are no longer allowed to use a free day. For an in-depth chart of how many VIP points you need to earn as you progress through September.

I am back to playing poker for the rest of the year. First up I will be representing PartyPoker at the WPT Grand Prix de Paris from September 10th – 15th. I haven’t been to the Aviation Club for a while now – the last time I went was in February 2011 for the National Series event.

All I can say is Bruno Fitoussi get your finest cognac ready – I also hope that waiter who is qualified and got a big tip from me last time out is still there. This weekend marks the last chance to qualify for WPT Paris – do it now, think of all those poor players!

With a list of names like something out of a ‘Who’s Who’ guide to poker including the likes of David “Chino” Rheem, Daniel’Jungleman’Cates, The Mizrachi Brothers, Sam El Sayed, Tommy Vedes, and Dominik Nitsche, there was one name here at the PartyPoker Blog that we’d be paying close attention to…

PartyPokers very own

“Mad” Marvin Rettenmaier of course, who ended up crushing the WPT Merit Cyprus Classic and performed the unthinkable by becoming the first player ever to win back-to-back WPT titles.

On top of that Marvin walked away with a cool $ 287,784 in prize money a $ 25k seat into the 2013 WPT World Championship at the Bellagio, which you might just remember Marvin took down last May winning the WPT Champions Cup and of course $ 1.2 Million in prize money and his name forever written into the WPT history books.

3 times a charm

Can he perform a hat-trick we ask? Well with this kid anything’s possible “This is totally MAD,” said Marvin. “I’m heading to Philadelphia to see if I can make it a triple at the WPT Parx Open Poker Classic – I have to keep going when things are going this well.”

A great head start to Season XI

And with an early lead in the Season XI Player of the Year race things are certainly on the up and up for this young German who just loves a good song and dance. All throughout the event Marvin dominated his game and at the start of the heads up he was holding onto more than 80% of the chips. With Russian Tournament Director Artur Voskanyan taking second and Ran Azor, who’s no stranger to the WPT being the runner up at the Season VIII WPT World Championship, taking third.

The numbers look good!

For a season opener the numbers were impressive too with a 329 runners all paying $ 4,400 making a prize pool in excess of $ 1.2 million which is probably a favorite number of Marvin’s by now. A few stops stateside and the WPT will return to Europe this September with the televised WPT Grand Prix de Paris €7,500 Main Event at the prestigious Aviation Club de France from September 10 – 15. Qualify right now only on PartyPoker!

Final Table Pay-Outs
1. Marvin Rettenmaier – $ 287,784, including a $ 25,500 WPT World Championship entry
2. Artur Voskanyan – $ 184,020
3. Ran Azor – $ 118,360
4. Victor Paraschiv – $ 87,610
5. Joseph El Khoury – $ 65,770
6. Kiryl Radzivonau – $ 52,590

Player of the Year Standings
1. Marvin Rettenmaier – 1,000 points
2. Artur Voskanyan – 800 points
3. Ran Azor – 700 points
4. Victor Paraschiv – 600 points
5. Joseph El Khoury – 500 points
6. Kiryl Radzivonau – 400 points
7. Erik Cajelais – 300 points
8. Walid Bou Habib – 200 points
9. Gilboa Yossi- 100 points
10. Kemal Sevevi – 75 points