A New Game

23 SEP 05

Or should I say, a new way to play online.

I recently found the 11+R tournament. Poker Stars has this three or four times a day, and it’s quite soft. I cashed the first time I played:

PokerStars Tournament #12672464, No Limit Hold'em Buy-In: $10.00/$1.00
370 players, Total Prize Pool: $14860.00
You finished the tournament in 34th place. A $74.30 award has been credited to your Real Money account.

First place was over $3000. It was a 4 hour investment of time, but the return on investment is huge. I got knocked out by a chip leader who was being a bully. I called with 9c 10c. The flop came A 10 3, with 2 clubs. I bet and got called. I went all in after the turn (a blank) which was probably my mistake. I had a pair and the best draw (9 clubs for the flush, 3 nines for 2 pair, and two tens for the set). He called and a blank came on the river. He won with a pair of Aces.

I’ll be back.

I also cashed in a few more SNG’s:

Buy-In: $15.00/$1.00, 18 players. You finished the tournament in 4th place. A $27.00 award has been credited to your Real Money account.
Buy-In: $15.00/$1.00, 18 players. You finished the tournament in 4th place. A $27.00 award has been credited to your Real Money account.
Buy-In: $15.00/$1.00, 18 players. You finished the tournament in 2nd place. A $81.00 award has been credited to your Real Money account.
Buy-In: $15.00/$1.00, 18 players. You finished the tournament in 1st place. A $108.00 award has been credited to your Real Money account.

So, then I went back to the Muckleshoot to play in their $45 rebuy Thursday night tournament. You start with 1500 chips, but the blinds start at 25/50 and go up quickly. Antes begin as soon as the rebuy and add-on period is over.

Nonsense.

The online tournament requires FAR more skill. This live tourney was an all-in fest, and I had no fun. I didn’t even bother to get the add-on. I just wanted to get the hell out of there.

You should be reading: www.thepokerdb.com. It lists all tournament winners and includes their lifetime winnings (since 2004). It’s free to register. It does not list SNG wins (otherwise I’d be on there a bunch), and it doesn’t list losses. Several of the players that made it beyond the bubble in the 11+R tournament had lifetime winnings on PS over $20,000.

Final thought: Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. The fearful are caught as often as the bold. - Helen Keller