BROOKTOWN WSOP MARCH RESULTS

The final order of finish for March's 7 stud Hi/Lo event was:

DARAKJY
TRIOLA
MCCARTHY
FEDEROWICZ
N MARTUCCI
BRUCATO
COLE
BENT
Diahy
FERN
SOUTHARD
DAVIS

FA EVENT #2 RESULTS

Well boy and girls, everyone’s favorite poker player had another rough night last night. I ended up 7th, and really was never a factor. I left when there was still 6 players battling it out at 12:30, but apparently Mike Triola defeated Neil Martucci heads up to give Triola his 2nd FA event win, and Neil his 2nd runner up this year. I have no information regarding the “bad beats” and “unlucky breaks” I am sure everyone who didn’t win will feel the need to explain, but I have no one to blame for my finish but myself.

I’m always happy to see some Brooktown Alumns place well, and last night 3 out of the 4 cashing were Brooktown faithful, as Jay Fern took home 4th.

I vowed not to play scared and play my normal game, and looking back, there were a couple of hands where I realize I didn’t max out the potential winnings from the pot. Two hands in particular, where I actually had full boats (albeit not the nut boat), rather than raise, or make a play for the pot, I called some marginal bets in front of me, and although I won the pots, I could have picked up a couple of hundred more chips had I at least raised after the river.

Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t finish 7th because I didn’t bet those rivers, as the extra thousand chips or so I would have picked up wouldn’t have made much difference, but I’m all about mindset, and confidence and positive reinforcement, and even in winning those pots, my failure to bet was making me realize I was not trusting my reads, or even making any reads, so once the cards started to cool off, I simply died a slow death, and whimpered out in 7th.

It’s been a tough run of poker for me the last couple of months, as I have not even been a factor, even with a few cashes along the way. In a way, I think I’m happy to take a little break from Hold ‘Em (although we will be at the Borgota next Wed. March 5th for Rich Southard’s championship tournament) and take my shot at a few of the more exotic games (7 stud hi/lo in Brooktown, and PL Omaha in the FA league).

I’m yearning for a night of 8 or 9, 4 player, $5 tournaments to get my head back in it and get myself thinking and feeling the cards rather than sitting there waiting for them come to me.

As of right now, the FA standing are as follows:


Player Points

Martucci 1700
Chachko 1550
Gilmartin 1400
Triola 1125
Fern 1100
Corrigan 1000
Lucash 1000
Turner 500
Brucato 400
Montone 400
Southard 300
Busco 250
Farro 250
Hamlin 150
Schlenger 150
Costello 125

and with 7 players qualifying for the final table, I’m already way behind. I satellite of Rich Southard, Rick Turner and John Busco, only makes it more likely that unless I get things turned around in the next month or so, I’ll be sitting home the night the FA league plays it’s league championship.

SCOTT DAVIS WINS FEB POKER EVENT

Thanks again to Jay for hosting the 3rd poker event in his house in the last 60 days or so. He always says "that's what the basement is for" and it's hard to argue with him. He even put out the blue cheese (or is it ranch, I always get the white creamy sauces confused) and the duck sauce and no one spilled any of it.

No Limit Hold 'Em...I have to say, it has really gotten pretty competitive, we have played it 14 times now in BROOKTOWN WSOP history and in any given month, just about anyone can finish in any place. This month, 2 of the top NL Hold 'Em players in Brooktown, if not the world, finished 10th and 12th (Jay and Rich). Jim Martucci had his best showing in over 2 years (not counting the satellite) and Stan, who was the self proclaimed "Hottest player in Brooktown" was gone in 11th place.

Neil, Scott any myself were all seated at the same starting table, and any of us could have easily been out in 10th or 11th place, having been all-in and short stacked a number of times, but "luckily" we all held on. Mike Triola had built up a nice chip stack and was playing very well pushing players around and making things happen, but after the merge, the cards went cold and Mike's quest for that ever elusive 1st Brooktown win, will have to wait at least another month.

At the other table, January winner Bob Darakjy, was again the first time to rebuy, but this time it didn't work out like it did in January as Bob was the 2nd man down. Jay's A3 lost to an A2 when the 2 fell and I know JMAC had a ton of chips early (doesn't he always) but he was 1st man out after the merge.

As a matter of fact, none of this month's top 4, Scott, Neil, Mark and Triola didn't finish higher than 10th last month, and last month's top 4, Bob, Mangine, Jay and Stan, didn't finish higher than 9th this month, making for a no clear cut leader in the points (and top 6) battle.

As Jay showed us last year, and Rich the year before though, until August or September roll around, you're never out of the hunt to avoid the dreaded satellite table.

Next month we play 7 card stud where again, anything can happen. With only 25 days to go until March's event, it's just about time for me to log on to full tilt and figure out a way to increase my luck and win a poker tournament.

First Event of 2008 is in the books

Well...we're off.

And the winner as I am sure you all know by now, is our newest member Bob.

H.O.R.S.E. what can I say....I think I'm a little confused as to how the "real big time" poker players in this world (not Rich and Jay, but Doyle Brunson, Negreanu et al) consider this event "the ultimate test of skill."

Now don't get me wrong, by no means am I disparaging this event, and I am looking forward to playing it again (do I hear requests for playing it twice in 2009?) with a revamped structure as to not have to sit there until 4 in the morning watching people play RAZZ, but until I can get a better feel for how to play RAZZ, Stud, and Stud Hi/Lo, with some better feel for the hands, the odds and the strategy, I'm going to be relegated to sitting there for 4 hours with the proverbial deer caught in the headlights look on my face.

Last night, or actually early this morning, we saw the pitfals (damn I miss Atari 2600 sometimes) of carpooling. Triola was first out and had to wait around for Jay who finished 3rd and Jim was 2nd out and had to sit there until the end as he rode in with 2nd place finisher Richie.

All in all though Brooktown is off to another sold start, I thank everyone for helping keep my house in order and allowing Bosco to drool on most of your legs for the better part of 8 eight hours.

Congrats to Bob on getting 2008 off a great start.