The Monkey Lives!

The Monkey Lives!

Thank god....I didn't want to crawl back to the house as the only one not to advance!

Unfortunately my buddy Rick Rudloff got whacked shortly after the dinner break. Tough day for Rick, he had a very tough table, and never could gather any momentum. He took it very hard, but I told him when I got back that he had NOTHING to hang his head about. He has had a GREAT trip...and should feel proud of himself. Today he is going to go play the Ceasers Palace Main Event...which is a $1000 buy in, starting with $25,000 starting chips. I really wanted to play that sucker...but I guess I will try instead to go back for Day 2 and play for 9 million at the Rio!

I had a weird Day 1. I got moved twice in the first three hours. All three times I had pretty soft tables. No major pros at any of my tables. Some guys get freaked out when they have big name players at their tables. Me? I like it. I had KK three times on the day. Twice I would raise and get a walk. The other I would raise, get two callers and have to ditch them when an ACE...then an obvious (take your pick) straight and/or flush hit the board.

I got ACES once when the blinds were 200/400 holding 14K and I was under the gun. Had been seeing aces get cracked at my table a lot so I decided to NOT play them risky, and just raised. I got a walk. Speaking of Aces and funny stories....at the table next to me was Sully Erna, who I had all day in Day 1 at my table two years ago. We have become kind of friendly. I saw him in Biloxi last year and he invited me to his concert in Pensacola. In case you don't know who he is...he's the lead singer for GodSmack.

Well, he always seems to get a lot of camera time at his table. I walked over to his table when there was a limp, raise and him reraising...only to have the original limper shove it all in and get called by the first raiser. He folded. I was standing behind him....in seat 5. The first raiser says to me "Hey buddy, the spectators behind you can't see!" My first thought was 'why is this guy worried about people being able to see' so I replied to him "I don't care" and he says..."well I do, why don't you move!??" About this time he turns over AA...to find the other guy with KK. I tell him "No, I'll just stay here A-hole!" Well, the flop produces a King! Ha! Ooops...he turns a flush! Uh-oh.....river pairs the board....and Mr.Jerky is OUTA HERE!!!!! Everyone from three tables around starts laughing and I tell him "that's what happens when you screw with the Monkey dude!!!!"

I guess I feel kind of bad for the guy...but not really. He was so concerned with everyone watching his HUGE PLAY and his CERTAIN double up...that he black catted himself to RAILBIRD status. I wanted to say something like "I hope I don't block YOUR view from the rail!" hahahaha. My table played pretty tight all day long. I never could get my courtesy double up that always seems to come at some point. I guess I will get it at Day 2. I BETTER!!!! Or I will be on the rail myself!!!!

My biggest hand of the night came when I was down to 11k in chips and in the small blind. This is a move that two years ago I would NOT have made. But now, of course...I know better. With two or three callers ALWAYS complete the small blind...no matter HOW bad your hand is!!!! Well, sure enough I complete the 300 blind with 2/3 offsuit. There were 6 limpers in the hand...one of the largest limpfests of the day! The flop comes 2-2-3! NO FREAKING WAY!!!!! check...check...check...all the way around. DANG IT! Turn is another 3. Hmm....tricky? maybe. Probably not. Unless someone has A3 or something and I get counterfeited. Should be okay.

Finally a guy bets $800. Another guy calls. Sweet. I make it $2000. First guy CALLS. Second guy folds. 10 on the river. Maybe I should have checked here...but I don't...I make what I think is a $2500 value bet. He says "I cant beat a 3" and folds. Guess maybe he had a 2. Still a nice fat pot when I really needed one bad.

Brett, forget his last name...everyone knows him as GANK...I've known him, his brother, and his brothers hot wife for a few years now (who was walking around the room taking pictures all day) got moved to the table next to mine. He had Paul Loh at his table, some newby who spent the day stacking chips. The guy is a total donk...who just keeps on sucking out on people. He ended the day with about 150K...chips that I fully expect him to donate to good players on Day 2. Gank and I spent the last level having a drinking contest...him Coronas (wussie) and me Long Island Iced Teas. The count stopped at 7.

We bagged up our chips at 1am....and tried to get out to the Valet...very crowded. That's when I encountered Team UB member Heidi Northcott...who was all the buzz during the day with her body suit and gorgeous face. Lets call her Heidi Klum...because that is about how hot she is. She actually approached ME...and started talking to me. It was awkward, because I kept waiting for Ashton Kutchar to pop out from somewhere after having PUNKED me! That and me being engaged to the amazing Squirrel and EVERYONE knowing...I didn't want to do or say something that came back to screw me later!

Topping this was my day inside...when the guy from Rounder Magazine kept bringing the Red Hot Rounder girls over to my table for photo ops. Of course the guys at the table LOVED it! I'm pretty sure I was embarrassed...still liking it...but still feeling awkward! All in all, it was a pretty fun day on Day 1.

As I am standing in the Valet line...Claudia calls me and asks if I can go pick up Gabe at the Venetian. Ugh....alright. I get over there, where he is playing in the $1000 buy in event. They are either playing to 2am or the money, whichever came first. I found him....and OH MY GOD...saw his chip stack! The average stack at the time was $130,000. Gabe had more chips than I have ever seen at that stage of a tournament...over $600,000! Compared to the rest of the table it was HILARIOUS! They finally got around to bagging up their chips..his barely fit in the bag.....and we bolted.

On the way home we discussed CHIP LEAD strategy...and how not to donk off all his chips tomorrow, as he goes back and plays for $78,000. Him and I have a very different tournament philosophy. Gabe is a big cash game player, and a lot of times I think it really helps him (early in tourneys....when he accumulates a lot of chips) and hurts him (late in tourneys, especially when he has a LOT of chips) too. He really, really trusts his reads and puts almost all his faith (and sometimes chips) in them. A very high risk way to play late.

I am encouraging him to sit back a bit and let the action come to him instead of always wanting to force the action. I also adhere to the 15% risk/reward policy when I am deep in a tourney and sitting on a big stack. I believe you are going to get a LOT of walks in the blinds when you have a monster stack..and that alone almost guarantees you of sustaining a superior stack. When it comes to calling a small stacks all in, or even calling a re raise after you have raised to open a pot....I really don't like to commit more than 15% of my stack on what in my mind may very possibly be a 60/40 coinflip. Its just not worth it.

It may help my chipstack a little bit...but what it will mean to my opponents' stack is just not worth creating. I would rather fold, leave that guy short...and be able to attack his stack with a later raise. Why create bigger stacks if I don't have to while still maintaining a huge edge? And at the same time...you are picking up more and more money on the pay ladder as the short stacks fall. Of course you give me AA, KK and even QQ and maybe JJ...and I will call for pretty much any price. Sometimes, yeah...you have to gamble with what you think is the best hand. Suckouts will and almost always DO happen...but you have to take those chances.
I really hope Gabe goes back today and kicks the crap out of that field for a big win. He has had such a great trip but hasn't closed the deal once yet. He, like me, is also big into the POY point chase.

OH! POY point chase! While in New Orleans I had this goofy-ass drunk hillbilly sounding guy in one of my sit n gos. he is talking all kinds of crap. I pretty much discounted this guy as a clown. I end up making a side bet for $5000 on who will have more POY points at the end of the year. Then I found out who he was. OH SHIT! Tim Vance....who luck boxed his way to a win at Copenhagen EPT a few months earlier! At the time he was sitting in 5th place in POY standings. Oh boy. Well, I am not one to welch on a bet. I then went on to finish 2nd in the $1000 new orleans wsop event...for a big chunk of points. I've collected a few more points on this trip...but I am still only at about 140th.

The good news is that Tim hasn't cashed in ANTYING on this trip. I see him almost everyday...and we have kind of become buddies now. He is actually a really cool guy. He has even offered to let me out of the bet...but I am not that kind of a guy. If I make a bet, I will honor it! Plus, I like having something to drive me...and with my 8 final tables this year versus his three...I like my chances of catching him. If I can cash at this years Main Event....there are a TON of points to get. I am not too far behind him now (2800 vs 1300). So go, Monkey, go!!

I never got a chance to wrap up my segment on BACKERS:

In addition to being the Poker Monkey...I have been the Pool Monkey for over ten years. I have gathered over 1500 email addresses of people around the country who play my pools year around. I feature March Madness pool, NFL Survivor Pools, Masters Golf pools, NCAA Bowl Pools, a lot of pools. So I have a big network of people out there...and they all know I play poker. Last year I started a program that really turned out to be a great idea. I sold shares of myself in an event. It started with the Ceasers Classic in October. I pledged to play 6 events totalling $5500 in buy ins. I sold a 2% share for $200. I sold a total of 23 shares...or 46% of my action...for a total of $4600. SO I nearly raised enough for all my buyins while only giving away a little less than half my action. I ended up cashing 5th in one of the big events for $15000 so all of my investors ended up getting a nice return on their investment.

At the next trip in New Orleans I did it again. A lady (who will remain nameless per her request) bought a lot of my action...ten shares. I pulled an O-fer on the trip. It was an absolute horror-show of bad beats and suckouts. The exit act has become kind of famous. My ninth consecutive loss of the day on the river resulted in my tossing my hat in the air and having it land in the rafters...to the laughter and applause of all the other sit n go players. I get kidded about it every day it seems. There were maybe 100 people in that room...but you think there were 1000! My newest share holder took it very well though, and promised to be on board for Tunica in January. Well she was...she bought in big again. And I produced. I only cashed in one big tourney...the $340 at the Grand...but in the 7pm 2nd chance at Goldstrike...I pretty much OWNED that event...making 6 final tables...she got a nice FAT return on that trip.

About that time, she decided she wanted all of my action from there on out. So she officially became my CEO! I jokingly (but sincerely) referred to her as BOSS whenever we talk on the phone. I am the luckiest Monkey in the poker world. This is a gal who loves to gamble, mostly Blackjack. She is married, retired, and lives on the beach in Florida. I had never met her in person when she started backing me...she had just played in my pools for a number of years. I finally met her in Tunica. She was just as cool as I had imagined she would be. I had a horrible trip in Vegas in February...and it didn't matter to her. She was SO incredibly supportive. That means everything to me. Sometimes when you are running bad or unlucky you start to doubt yourself. When you have someone so positive in your corner it can bring you right out of your slump.

My year has been very odd. January (amazing) February (brutal) March (incredible-Beau Rivage, 4 final tables) April (awful-all local tourneys in Biloxi) May (GREATEST ever-New Orleans WSOP trip) then June out here...7 cashes but down 10-15K overall (need to actually tabulate it still, afraid to!) and now July...starting with a Mega Satellite win to get in the Main Event...and still alive in the world's HUGEST tournament. Great month to have 'THE GOOD MONTH'! Our deal is pretty simple.

She gets 50% of everything I win. Anything over $5000 I withhold 30% for taxes. It didn't used to be a big deal...but this year I am sure to get WHACKED by the IRS so I have to be careful. I have been squirreling away money for that. I am not going to get shellacked by those clowns. I will be ready. Some players, mostly those with Internet deals...have this thing called "MakeUp" wherein, they have a deal for 50% with makeup...meaning they play 5 tourneys and don't cash....then finally do cash...their backers get paid half of the winnings and then buy in reimbursement for all those other events that they didn't cash. YIKES! which means some of them are left with NOTHING! I don't have MAKEUP with mine. THANK GOD.

The other great thing my backer did for me, about 5 days before I left for Vegas, was to tell me she wanted me to be in the right frame of mind the whole time...and went and covered the expense for my house out here ($1300 was my share) and ALSO gave me a $50 per day per diem for 'expenses.' Let me tell you....it does NOT get any better than that! I have got to have the greatest backer a player could ever ask for. And for that reason I would NEVER, EVER think about (a) dumping her or (b) screwing her in any way. If I hadn't qualified for the Main Event, I would have probably excepted someone else buying me in for 40 or 50%...but I would have STILL given her a 10% share of my action....just for being there for me.

We had a pretty nice 'cushion' when I came out here after New Orleans...and her attitude was pretty much 'let her rip' and do what I think is right. I was NOT about to kill our whole bankroll by buying into a bunch of big WSOP events. So therefore I have played a LOT of tourneys...I mean a ton...mostly Venetian and Ceasers deepstack tourneys...most of them of buy ins under $1000. I have missed some huge cashes by virtue of some unlucky river cards. I could very easily be up about $75,000 on this trip.

What is great is that she UNDERSTANDS this. Should I catch some cards Wednesday and get myself in position to cash the Main Event...I might just go in a holding pattern and lock up that $22,000 for cashing...it would get us back over even for the trip for sure...and put us in really good shape for the rest of the year. But once I get into the money (if I do) I am going into Monkey Ninja Mode and playing like a guy who wants to win.

The goal, obviously, is to make the Final Table. With this years 3-month break before the Final Table, ANYONE who makes that thing is going to be VERY famous...and probably VERY rich, long before they go back and play that thing.

I want to put myself in position to make my own deals. I don't care all that much about a LOT of money. I do like attention...not a TON...just the right kind. That would be from my peers. I don't care about being recognized by strangers at Wal Mart or something. But if I run good and win some tourneys...I love it when fellow players come to me to offer their congratulations. I've had players that I like and respect come to me lately for advice. Wow. I find that very flattering...and am ALWAYS more than happy to share my thoughts with them, whether my thoughts are right or wrong...the fact that they respect my opinion means a lot to me.

When (or if) I do score huge its going to be a great day for a lot of people. After I pay off everything I owe...and buy me and Squirrel some nice things we both want....I will be making a point of doing some really cool things for some really cool people in my life. Anyone who is in my 'circle of cool' is going to love it when I cash huge! What will be a bummer is all the jerks who come out of the word work who think they are in that circle but aren't. I am pretty sure that those who ARE in there will KNOW they are in there.

Something I want to do....and if anyone out there knows anyone who makes hats...please get in touch with me.... ThePokerMonkey1@aol.com.....is I want to have some cool hats made. As most of you know....I like to celebrate when I make the money and/or the final table by drinking Red Snappers! Crown, Amaretto, Cranberry with a splash of sprite and chilled. I always try to buy the whole table a shot...I always cover the tip. It has become almost a tradition. I want to have some hats made....featuring a CRAZY MONKEY holding a ShOT GLASS....with "M.R.S.P." below the Monkey...on the side of the hat...... " Monkey's Red Snapper Posse" I will have about 100 of these hats...that I will GIVE AWAY...that's right...NOT SELL (I am NOT that guy) to people who are in my 'Circle of Cool' and they can either wear them or just keep em at home on a shelf.

I don't care! Its not for my ego...I could care less...I just think it would be fun! And there wouldn't be a million of them...and I wouldn't make a PENNY off of them. Once I have given away the 100...well, that's probably it! Maybe someday they will be worth something!!!!!! So if you know a hat maker that will bust these out...let me know!!!!

Okay...its Monday, a day off, in fact I have tomorrow off too. My buddy lives in a really nice country club and has golf privileges there. I brought my clubs out here and have not swung them once...except out in the pool...to work on my swing. Thinking about braving the heat and going to play a round. Couple of guys who were at my table yesterday may join me. This was a pretty long blog today...I hope there are people out there reading this....if not, I guess its making one helluva diary!!!!!