End of Day 2 Recap....

Okay...lets do this, before I fall asleep from exhaustion. One thing is for sure about these Main Events...by the time you get to the end of the day, you are incredibly exhausted, mentally. More so than in regular noon tourneys.

[and my kneecap is still throbbing from slamming it into that damn pole that we have all drilled about 100 times in our poker career!]

There is more pressure, there is more thinking, the stakes are higher...the players are usually better. Every move is critical. One big mistake can be so costly. And then there is that critical moment when you have to decide to make a HUGE call...or those times when you have to decide whether to throw that monster bluff.

Today was very, very long. I came in with 108k. I had a very good table for chipping up. Mike Beasley was the only player I had any real experience with...and frankly, whom I was worried about. And he was the only one close to me in chips. I really don't want to get into a lot of hand talk...but I will just say that I hovered between 110k and 130k for 4 levels. Would it have been nice to get up to 200+? Sure. But the situation just didn't present itself, and frankly, to stay above average was kind of my goal. The last thing I wanted to do was try to force the action and screw myself in the process.

On the last hand before dinner break, Mike Beasley raised to 5200 UTG. (blinds at 800/1600). I looked down at AK....grrrrr, hate that spot. But I called, on the button. Nancy Tyner also called in the BB. The flop comes out A-K-Q...and Mike fires out 11,500. Hmmm. Screw around here, get cute and run the risk of getting drilled? Or play it safe and raise big? I decide to raise to 32,000. Nancy folds. And Mike deliberates, and tells me he thinks I must have QQ...and folds AQ. I show him AK...drag the pot, chip up to 146k and went to get some sushi with Christian Iacobellis, who I have a 10% save with on a cash and 5% save with on a final table...and who started pretty low and went on a monster tear to finish with almost 400k.

We only played two levels after dinner break, just like in Day 1, which I was grateful for...since I was super tired from staying out way too late last night. I won't make that stupid mistake again. Granted...there were about 40 other players doing the same thing...so at least I wasn't alone in stupid-land.

I really liked our table...had some good players, and some very cool people at it, so when they broke our table with less than an hour in the night...I was kind of bummed. I took my 155k to a new table. And on the second orbit, the shit would hit the fan.

This guy in the 2 seat...who I won't disparage, but who I kind of had a negative feel for, raises to 7500. He gets called by the 3 seat who is sitting on 400k and who seems like he is getting involved in a LOT of hands. Then...it happens. This guy just shoves 75k. What the hell? And in the small blind, guess what I look down at? AKs. Shit.

What to do, what to do? I think we can all assume this guy does NOT have AA or KK. He has been mumbling about being short...although short is not even close. But people get obsessed with the average, and think they MUST catch up to it. The one thing that was bugging me...was that the other two raisers could be using up my outs. Another thing that was bugging me was giving up half of my hard earned stack to a guy who just happened to be wearing a damn STL baseball cap. Yep...a friggin 'Louie!!!!' I mean, on the basis of that alone, I should have just insta-mucked.

Then I started thinking about what beating this guy would do for my stack. Putting me around 250k at the end of the day, with a great shot a deep run. Plus...having just made a great score two weeks ago...my mind isn't really on cashing for $6700, but for putting myself in position to win $750,000 and changing my whole life. So in the end, I decided to go for it. I called.

After the other two folded, he flipped over JJ. Damn. Really...I honestly felt like I might have seen AQ. Nothing on the flop...and he turned a Jack, which sealed that deal...and now I was sitting there with 68k and hating my call. And hating my stack. And suffering with that feeling we all know too well...when you watch half your stack fly away. And all the self-loathing begins.

[that guy would end up donking off almost all the chips he took from me, raising UTG once with 22...nice...and having to fold when I re-popped him with AKc...then overbetting 66 and running into a guy with KK]

But I kept it together...picked up a couple of big hands after that...and managed to get 20k back...so that when we were all finished, I had 88k. I think back to Biloxi, how I lost more than half of my stack when the guy rivered a flush on me...which crushed my spirit. But on the drive home that night I decided to really commit myself to grinding back my small stack and doing something special, which inevitably, I ended up doing. So you know what? With 88k...and 20 BB's (a little more) I have just as good a chance to come back as I did in that one. I just need to go back focused, well-rested, and hope I get a decent table draw. Then be patient, and smart...and hope for a little luck.

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Want to know what kind of pisses me off? You look on www.worldpokertour.com and they list the live updates. And chip counts. I don't even show up. When I was in the top 30 in chips...I was nowhere to be found. And yet, you will see these people who have under 10 career cashes, but then there they are. I don't know what the qualifiers are to be mentioned. Oh well...whatever, I guess all it will take is a televised final table...and I won't ever have to sweat it again. The other thing I can't stand is how they insist on listing you as your name appears on your Borgata player's card. And oh...to the reader who left a comment 'clueing me in' as to Tiffany's 'real' last name...dude, obviously I figured that out....GRAHAM...since I told y'all how many chips she went back with. :)

Another thing that is really pissing me off is that they are still using these fucking moron dealers who have absolutely NO BUSINESS dealing in a Main Event. TEMPS. Who are working over more experienced dealers because they can pay them less. Where they are now allowed to deduct 3% of the prize pool, and they weren't a year ago...shouldn't we be rewarded with their best dealers.

Couple of incidents from today:

Guy raises to 2250. Another player calls. The Big Blind decides to re-raise and puts 7200 out. The dealer says to him...."Sir that is too much, the bet is only 2250."

It's time to color up the green chips. I have bought up the table's chips. Everyone has left for break. I am waiting for this bozo to do the race off so I can leave too. But this clown is breaking down his decks...counting his cards. I ask him if he can please do the race off. "We don't do it, I have to wait for the floor to come and do it."

Now I look around the room and see three other dealers doing the race off.

"Um, dude...I really don't think so, especially since these other dealers are doing it. Also...there are 55 tables...you really think the floor is going to EACH freaking table and conducting the race off? It will take 2 hours!"

On top of it, he admitted he had no idea what 'the race off' was or how to do it.

HOLY SHIT!

Luckily, another dealer pushed him and conducted the race off, and I got to enjoy 3 minutes of my 15 minute break.

85% of the dealers think its standard when a player raises to immediately announce the AMOUNT of the raise...instead of just announcing 'RAISE' as they are supposed to do.

A couple of the dealers like to immediately put their hands on the stacks of all-in players, and give an instant amount...huge no-no...until the player whose turn it is, asks for a count.

Its just one thing after another, and you try to be patient...but hell, we are playing for $750,000 and we deserve better. It is very, very frustrating, and it doesnt have to be like this.

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Okay, I know you are all waiting for this: The Tiffany Michelle encounter that everyone was talking about last night. Prior to her arriving at the B-Bar last night, I was talking to Maria Ho and Esther Taylor about her. And it was an interesting conversation. And to sum it up, they admitted that there are things about her that are, well...you know, undesireable, but that she is 'not a bad person and is just misunderstood' and that I should give her a chance.

Even though, technically, I already have before. So she arrives. Maria mockingly introduces her to me.

"yeah, unfortunately I know who he is!"

But it wasn't ugly...and I decided, okay, I am going to attempt to bridge the gap with this girl. Even if my 'take' on her is totally negative, and I have very little respect for her. But the fact that two girls that I do actually like and care about asked me to cut her some slack...I thought I would take the high road, and try, at least.

So we talked. Or tried to. I made her an offer. Granted, I don't consider myself to be the messiah of building a good image...so please, hold the comments that might suggest that I think I am something amazing in that department. However...I was, or am, pretty certain that a little private sit down with her...with her actually paying attention, would, or could result in her maybe changing her act a little bit.

So I told her..."If you would let me lock you up in a room for one hour...I think I could seriously help you repair your image!"

"Why would I trust you to lock me up in a room?"

"Um...Tiff, first of all, I am not the least bit attracted to you. Secondly, pretty sure you remember my beautiful wife from Vegas. You aren't threatening to replace her in any way. My offer to you...is simply predicated on your friends asking me to give you a chance. I, as a player who travels to a LOT of events, and has pretty good relationships with a LOT of the players...just happen to know people's true feelings about you. What you probably aren't able to get through your thick head, is that people will act a certain way around you...say all the right things around you...then bash you behind your back. Is it fair? Maybe. Maybe not. People say shitty things about me all the time...or used to at least. I've been seriously working on my own self image this year...so I kind of know a few things about this topic. And I think the way you act at the table and some of the things you do and say away from the table just rub people the wrong way. And like I said...an hour or two with me, alone in a locked room so you can't get flustered and bolt out...and I could change you!"

{please understand, I wasn't suggesting literally locking each other in a room, it was more a figure of speech, to get my point across, and we were also drinking lots and lots of Patron....uh oh...that evil Patron again!!!}

Well, she wasn't too crazy about this idea. And furthermore, she refused to acknowledge that people don't like her. That ANYONE dislikes her. I think, or got the impression that she truly thinks that she is the most adored female poker player on the planet. What do they call that? Oh...wait...its coming to me....mmmmm....DELUSIONAL? Yeah I think that's the word. And when she tried vigorously to sell this idea to me, I just gave up. Fortunately I was in the company of others who heard her, and the reaction from them was pretty much the same as mine.

"Well...okay then. I am OUT!!!!"

She busted early in Day 2 today. So we won't be seeing her on TV on the final table...calling clock on someone when she's not in the hand...citing her dwindling stack despite having 50 BB's....or rolling her finger around in a circle over her chips when an opposing player asks for a count of her chips while they are heads up in a hand. Or watching her savagely root against the sole remaining female in the tournament so that she can be numero uno chicaroo still standing. Nope, we will miss all of those things. Dammit!

Yeah....everyone loves you Tiff. Maybe someday you will pull your head out of the sand and figure it out.

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I am now going to pass out. If you heard the story about the fighting and shenanigans that took place today...they were all true. The guy running up and down the aisles screaming and hollering "SHIP IT, SHIP IT...SHIPPPP IT" really happened. Matt Stout and Allan Bari were at each other's throats all day. Confirmed by each of their Twitter posts. Which...speaking of which, Carwash...who had a torturous day, losing with KK numerous times...just running terribly in general, and finally busting right before dinner break...made a pretty good point about players and their Twitter posts. A lot of times you can search for their posts...and find out a lot about how they are playing, the hands they are playing, how they are betting....etc, etc. etc. Giving out a lot of information for all of us to read, that maybe they shouldn't be. I started scanning those, and found it was pretty interesting, if not necessarily helpful.

And then there was 'THE LADY.' I first noticed this lady yesterday...when around 6pm, she came strolling into the poker room, cursing like a sailor with her female friend. Just walking up and down the aisles swearing about this, that and the other thing. Very thick NY accent. It was gross. Then look over and see her chatting with another player...who was sporting a bit of a guido look. Nice. Well...she ends up down at B-Bar last night...and was clamouring around the people I was with. Hmmmm...one of the guys told me she was just kind of poker-groupie, not married or dating one of the players. At one point last night she invited someone to grab her big, gigantic breast. Um, I should add....she is a bit, ahem...heavy, so it wasn't like a big treat for that person.

Well...I didn't really have anything against her per se, other than she is not the kind of 'people' that my wife and I would ever, ever want to hang out with. So a fracas breaks out in the middle of Level 4 today. And guess who was involved? I got the details later. Something that started with two players...the 'SHIP IT' screamer and the victim of that hand...argueing about the guy being a jerk...her happening along, asking one of the guys if he was Jewish, then having an actual Jewish player at the table getting up and blasting her about it...which then prompted her to yell right back. The whole room stood up and watched the shouting match between this guy and this lady. It was insane. Eventually she was evicted from the building by security. Good riddance. And Mr. "Ship It' would get busted before the night was over. Crazy day.

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So...here we go. Day 3. Half the average. No idea of my table draw yet. 75 to go to the money, though $6700 is obviously NOT my goal. I want a house for my wife and I. I want to start a family together. I want a little freaking poker respect from the mainstream poker community that will come with a deep, deep run in the WPT event. Not that I don't LOVE the respect I get from all of you who follow my play and my antics and this blog...because I totally do. And the ridiculous number of hits in the last 48 hours? Unreal! I truly appreciate it. Also, thanks a ton for all the incredibly supportive Facebook shout outs and the text messages I've recieved. I am obviously excited for tomorrow, but in a way that I was down at the Beau Rivage...in which I am now the underdog, unlike last night, when I went to bed in the top 30 of around 700 players or so. Did that feel good? Sure. But I wasn't embracing it with any real sense of accomplishment. What I WILL relish, is if I go in tomorrow, catch some breaks, play smart...and chip up, cash, and make another deep run.

Its months like this one that really make me love what I do for a living. And furthermore...its been another really fun trip, in which I have met a lot of really great people. I hope I can report back some great news for y'all tomorrow!

GOOD NIGHT!

MONKEY