Street3

Since I began playing poker way back in the late2007’s, I thought there weren’t any bad times to play poker, barring weddings and funerals.  But this Thanksgiving week/weekend, proved me wrong!  I was never home long enough to play as I had thanksgiving at my parents and at Kelly’s house.  And then as soon as family leaves, I get the shits and thrown ups, medically known as a stomach virus.  It was not pretty; I missed the Twitter Poker Tour because of family and missed playing poker because of the horridness that found every way to exit my body as humanly possible.  I tried to login and play some online poker on Full Tilt, but just wasn’t in the mindset to play.   

One good thing about being sick and bed ridden is that I can still browse the internet’s looking to learn something more about holdem and I found a great place to learn the rules, over at Full Tilt, along with the series of blogs, I found Poker from the Rail, I was able to entertain myself while sitting on the throne and puking into a bucket!  Good times!  The good news is that I feel 100% better today and if I can turn my $2.12 of poker funds into $6, I will be playing with Geoff and Paul and the rest of the TPTpoker gang in the Twitter Poker Tour, which plays every Thursday at 9 PM EST on Full Tilt Poker!  Join Geoff and Paul on the twitter poker show this week are Jason Mercier and maybe Randal Flowers.  The reason I say maybe Randal Flowers is because after the TPT tweeted that he and Jason were joining the show, @RandALLin replied, “I am? Lol” So, you’ll have join them live at http://twitterpokertour.com/live to see who shows up!  See you all on the virtual felt.  Peace.

The 2010 WSOP is on the verge of completion, just one table left and 9 players fighting it out for a 1^st place prize of over $8.9 million and the title of Main Event Champion.  Of the nine players left, an unprecedented SEVEN are Full Tilt Poker sponsored players.  Unfortunately, due to WSOP regulations regarding site affiliated logos, only four will be allowed to wear the Full Tilt logos during the televised final table.  Full Tilt has its hands full in selecting which four of the seven to wear the logos.  Obviously, Michael Mizrachi will be one, but who else?   Well let’s look at seat position and chip counts:

                Seat 2:  Joseph Cheong (23,525,000)

                Seat 3:  John Dolan (46,250,000)

                Seat 5:  Michael Mizrachi (14,450,000)

                Seat 6:   Matt Jarvis (16,700,000)

                Seat 7:  John Racener (19,050,000)

                Seat 8:  Filippo Candio (16,400,000)

                Seat 9:  Soi Nguyen (9,650,000)

I would guess that Full Tilt would want maximum exposure; therefore putting logos on who they feel has the best shot of winning, and then who would last longest.  Based on the chip counts, I would say, in addition to the Grinder, logos will be put on John Dolan, Joseph Cheong and most likely John Racener.  Although short stacked, Soi Nguyen, an amateur, could be one wearing FTP logos because most of the viewing audience can relate more to him.   For more in depth articles and analysis, check out Full Tilt Poker’s WSOP 2010 Final Table Coverage.   Leave a comment and let me know who you think will wear the logos and what you think of the WSOP’s rule only allowing a maximum of 4 players representing the same site at each featured table.

Can you believe another Thursday is here and that means its Twitter Poker Tour time!  And for the second week in a row, a $216 ticket to the $750,000 Guarantee is up for grabs!  Last week there were over 80 participants, almost double the normal weekly game.  We hope to eclipse this mark and continue growing the TPT each and every week.  Don’t forget that Paul and Geoff will also be on Ustream with guests ESPN’s Andrew Feldman and Gary Wise.  They will talk about the goings on in the world of poker as well as the TPT’s new partnership with DeepStacks University.  If you play online poker and haven’t played in the TPT, today is your chance.  The game is always the same, a No-Limit Holdem $6 buy-in, 3000 chip starting stack and a felt full of donkies, wannabes and casual players!  Just hop on FTP, search for “Street 3” and use the password “tptpoker”.  

If you do play, join us in the new “wife…k” chat game!  It’s a simple game that can be played by seated players as well as observers.  It’s easy to play, all you have to do is type in the chat box any sentence that contains the phrase “wife..k”, if done correctly one will immediately summon the ever elusive MODERATOR which will bestow upon thee a Warning or Ban.  Those lucky (or unlucky) enough to summon the Moderator many times will have their chat suspended for varying minutes dependent upon the number of infractions.  For me personally, I have summoned the Moderator so many times I am currently on 30 minute*  1 hour chat bans!   So join us, this week and every week for great game of poker and give my regards to your wife…k!

*Post updated to reflect 1 hour ban after losing AK to AK all in preflop when villian four flushed me out in 13th of 90…paid 9

A little over two years ago i joined twitter at the encouragement of my friend and co-worker @thenardier.   I started to gain followers by searching for my main interest:  bitches and hoes….just kidding….sort of.  I was actually searching for poker players and a few of my first were @cprpoker and @pokerplasm.  These two guys were the brain children behind the Twitter Poker Tour : http://twitterpokertour.com/.  A weekly game was set up to alternate between Full Tilt Poker and PokerStars and actually kicked off on my birthday, October 30th, 2008.  Eventually, the games would be solely played on FTP and each week more and more players signed up to play.  I play almost every week, unless i am out getting dqunk.  Today, the Twitter Poker Tour usually gets 40-50 players and Geoff, with the help of Paul Ellis, @coolwhipflea, have set up a live broadcast of the event.  This broadcast can be found on Ustream, here:  http://www.ustream.tv/channel/twitter-poker-tour.  Each week, leaderboard points are accumlated and the top 3 of each month are awarded prizes, ranging from poker training site subscriptions to t-shirts and magazine subscriptions.  The players in these game range from pretty good to downright horrible (me).   But the beautiful thing about it, is that you can learn from them and they are more than willing to help you with your game.  I have gained some lifelong friends through the TPT and hope to gain many more.  It’s a weekly home game in an online world.  I will forever be a TPTer.

Poker players that play on Full Tilt poker have the option of choosing which avatar they want to represent them at the table.  They offer a wide selection from male/female characters to animals to objects.   Can the avatar you choose hinder or help your online play? Do other players pre judge your ability based on your avatar? I don’t think most do, although sometimes i get hit on when i choose a female avatar.  Anyway, i thought it would be a good idea to give you what i believe your avatar says about you.  Because FTP has over 70 avatars to choose from, this post will be done in multiple parts.   Look for the avatar you use and see if my analysis is correct

 ANIMAL AVATARS – PART 1

  This avatar represent ruthless agression.  Mostly used by younger males and those with a passion for the hippity-hoppity music, they can be seen at all levels of a tournament.  But, don’t be fooled by the “angry” dog, as this usally represents weakness.

 

 Players choosing this guppy are timid and extremely nitty.  Just as guppies have s short life span, the girly guys that choose this avatar are not likely to hang around till the money.  Get their chips while you can!

 

 Most recognizable as the avatar of FTP Luckbox Pro Tom “Durrr” Dwan.  Players choosing this floating head are most likely Durrr fanboys and will be uber spewey playing shit cards like their idol.  But, unlike their idol they have no pact with the devil, therefore will not hit the miracle 1 outer over 85% of the time.  Call their bets and you’ll be stacking their chips.

 

 A perplexing avatar choice as players of all skill levels have represented themselves with Fluffy.  Fluffy looks so innocent, but can be extremely aggressive.  Always approach pots with caution when facing these little white turds. 

 

The most feared and intimidating creature in the ocean is the shark.  A bad ass predator that preys on the weak and owns his opponents.  Players representing this bad ass mother fucker should be feared and respected.  HAHA Just kidding, while “sharks” are generally well respected and feared opponents, nobody calls themselves that so why would they choose this as their avatar?  Because they “think” they are good, but they are not.  Middle pair, weak kicker is generally good against them.  Let them bet in to you and try to bluff you on the river. But be prepared for a slew insults to come your way from the rail as they cry about your play.

 

Not a very popular choice by players, this avatar screams ADD and lack of focus.  Not likely to make it to the first break, these players can be tilted by using as much of the clock as possible when it’s your turn.  They will grow angry and start filling the chat box with “ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ”  to indicate they are falling asleep waiting on you to act.    

 

 I really don’t know why anyone would want to represent themselves as a fucking frog.  What’s it say about your game? Nothing i can think of.   These players are most likely challenged in some way. 

 

 Another avatar not commonly seen.  Most likely because, like it’s real life counterpart, the cat is worthless, ugly and just plain stupid.  Players reprsenting this avatar are generally French and therefore sloppy and bluff crazy.  

 

ANIMAL AVATARS – PART 2

 

Ah the donkey.  The most hated and loved player in the game.  Players choosing this avatar have been called a donkey so many times, they cant help but represent themselves that way.   When you have the nuts these players will pay you off, when you try to bluff, these players will stack you.  Be especially cautious of the “confused” donkey as this player probably can’t even spell poker.

 

Another avatar rarely seen at the tables.  Nobody likes elephants, they’re big, dumb and that trunk is weird.  So what type of player chooses this? Probably some zoo keeper sitting in a cage full of elephant shit.  I have never seen an elephant at a final table and if you can’t defeat the elephant player, then you should go play on the freeway at night and always head toward the light.

  

The Gecko, commonly seen at the tables.  This avatar has the best expressions and makes me LOL.  The players using this lizard are competent enough to compete and most likely to dumb to fold.  They will make hero/donk calls and stack you.  These players can be tilted by suggesting the Caveman is a better mascot for car insurance.  This angers the gecko and immediately puts them on tilt.

 

Seriously? A fucking rooster? Who in their right mind even associates a rooster with poker? I know one player, GoofyRooster, who uses this avatar and honestly a rooster pecking at the keyboard has a better ROI than him.   If you see a rooster at your table, chances are the player behind the avatar is one chicken-methed-out douchecanoe.  A constant bluffer, can be easily tilted by calling him down and sucking out.   If you can, 3bet with AQ against this player, flop Q high and he’l pay you off with AK.  He can’t fold.

 

Take a close look at this avatar.  Is Timmy the Tard Turtle sitting in a pile of his own green shit? I believe he is, afterall he’s a fucking Tard Turtle.  An easy generalization can be made about the players using this avatar…..they are either Canadian or so old they will diapers and constantly shit themselves.  They min raise, fold to 3bets and can be pushed of quad K’s for fear you have quad A’s even if no Aces are on the board.  Stack their chips, but beware the stench of Tard Turtle shit.

 

 Ah the Asian PedoBear, not too common as most players represent this avatar are from Asia and are playing while you are sleeping.  So if you see this avatar, chances are the guy playing is on a 24 hour bender and most likely hallucinating.  I don’t know the bet approach to playing these obviously insane players, so approach wtih caution.  Can be easily tilted by mentioning “To Catch A Predator” in the chat box and telling them you are, in fact, Chris Hanson.  PedoBears fear this man.

 

 A penguin.  A nemisis of Batman.  The coolest evolutionary duck/goose hybrid ever concieved by the mad scientist Mother Nature.  Players using this avatar are cool, calculated and far to smart to be playing the donk levels most of us play.  That being said, their masterful 4bet and smooth flop calls are far too advanced to work, they will usually chip you up because you’re too dumb to fold top pair.  They’ll make sarcastic remarks like “lol nh” or “meh nice call” to which you’ll respond with “ty” truely believing they are complimenting you.  P.S. Im looking at you Swyyft. 

 

MORE AVATAR ANALYSIS COMING SOON