Wise Hand Poker

I played in one event last Friday at the Bike. It was a 335.00 NL event with a 143 entries. I played some great Poker after getting beat with a set of Queens to a flush. runner runner hearts by the way.

I was down to 2000 after we started with 6000 chips. I built my way back up to 7400 when a big stack young gun came to the table. He raised his blind every time and really picked on some of the shorter stacks. He saw me have KK twice and he really didn't come after me when I made a raise.

I limped with 300 chips with KJ hearts in his BB and he raised me to 1500 chips. I thought for a bit and decided to make a move on him so I went all in. A short stack called me and this gave him some odds to call and he did with AQ. The short stack had 10-9 and hit a 9 on the flop and the board didn't hit me and his Ace high knocked me out.

I still was going to have 10 time the BB if I had folded but I wanted to take a chance here and if the short stack doesn't call he folds and I pick up a few chips.

Anyway I have been watching some of the events on ESPN 360 and have enjoyed them. Poker News also has done a terrific job this year reporting and again, I would like to thank them.

I didn't get an offer to play the 1500 today so I have the boat already to go and the wife is finishing up some last minute washing and we should be on our way to Laughlin later tonite or first thing in the morning. I will have my lap top with me so I will be able to check any messages from any of you. We then head to Vegas on Saturday the 5th to watch some of the Main Event and I am going to try and play in a 200.00 buy in at the Orleans Hotel on Saturday. I won my first tournament at the Orleans and I enjoy playing there.

There is a TON of Poker Tournaments coming up in the next few months so I look forward to seeing some of you soon...Take Care...Be Safe...

Well its become the year of the Professional Poker Player at this years WSOP. I have to congratulate John Phan for winning his second bracelet.Whenever John see's me he always makes sure to say hello and ask me how my play is going. John is not only the life of the table at any event is he is a super gentleman and does some amazing charity work for his home country, Vietnam.

I would also like to say to Chris Bell, I know you must be disappointed with your 2nd, but it was your second final table this year and with the fields that have been playing this year it is a great accomplishment and I know all of your friends and family are proud of you, I know I am. Thank you for allowing me to sweat you for the 6 hours Sunday!!!!

Also, congratulations to Eddie Villareal, Little Eddie as he is called at the Bicycle Casino by all of us who know him. Eddie is a daily fixture at the Bike playing the Nooner tournaments on a daily basis. He busted 13th in the Seniors Event when his AK was beat on the Turn by AQ on a flop of 10-J-8 and the turn was a 9 giving his opponent a straight. Nice showing Eddie, 17k will let you play a lot of Nooner Events this year. To go through the 2218 people to make it so close to the final table is a great accomplishment. Surviving beats like that are very hard to do in any tournament.

Today all eyes in the Poker World will be watching the 50k H.O.R.S.E. Event. Supposedly this is the Pro's main Event and it has been honored by the WSOP as the Chip Reese Event, rightfully so.Freddy Deeb took this one down last year and there is no doubt in my mind this event will not disappoint us Poker enthusiast, good luck to all of you.

If you have yet to make it out to this years WSOP, you should really try too. It is an amazing spectacle and there are so many games going on. Caesar's is having huge turnouts for their events and the Venetian and Binions are also doing well. The Main Event starts next Friday and the convention center at the Rio should have it annual Poker Show as it has the past several years. You can pick up almost anything there from coin protectors to pictures with your favorite player.

You cannot tell this country is in a supposed recession by the throngs of people in Vegas. I was truly amazed at the crowds as the weather is beginning to get HOT. I still see some great Hotel rates at some of the dot com sites so shop around a few of them if you can make it to Vegas.

Wishing everyone the best and if someone out there has an extra $1500.00 they want to get rid of, the last $1500.00 NL Event starts Monday at noon. I am on Vacation starting Monday......for 12 days......(:

Take Care...Be Safe...and congratulations to all of the people who won bracelets and made final tables at this years event. A great accomplishment and you all should be very proud of yourselves!!!

Yeah here it comes. Ok I was really excited to play in this event. A $1000.00 entry and my second ever WSOP tournament. I imagined myself playing and doing well as I drove to Vegas with my wife Sunday.

The ride was smooth and very little traffic and I thought about the event the whole way up.

When we arrived we went and had some lunch and I showed my wife around the Amazon room. She has seen it on TV when we watch the WSOP on ESPN and she was impressed. We went over to the registration area and checked too see how many players were entered and at about noon on Sunday there were 760 people pre-registered.

We walked around the Casino and I played 25 cent Draw Poker and ended up winning $200.00 on my $20.00 investment. It was just about 2pm and we headed over to watch my good friend Chris Bell at the final table of the $2500.00 Pot Limit Holdem Event.

We sat with Michael Gracz,Peter Feldman,Layne Flack, Joe Tehan,and a few other friends of Chris's from North Carolina. After 4 hours of play Chris went heads up with this kid from Belgium who by the skin of his teeth surviving an all in, when 4 handed.

My buddy Ernest Bennett and his wife Mary stopped by to give us the keys to our room at Caesars that Ernest got for me. He had to use his comps and he likes staying at the Rio, so being the great guy he is, he got my wife and I a room,,thank you Ernest.

We left after watching Chris for 6 hours as I promised my wife an evening on the town. We had a great Italian dinner at Caesars and walked around wanted to see a show, but we were just to tired and called it a night.

Fast forward to 11am and we are at the Rio watching Gavin Smith and Joe Stapleton along with their guest Layne Flack due the Poker Road radio show.

Noon and the doors to the Amazon Room open and 2218 players make their way to their seats to start event #42.

After some introductions by Oklahoma Johhny Gale, we here "Shuffle up and Deal" I am at table 16 seat 3 in the Orange area of the Amazon Room. The blinds start at 25-50 and the button is in seat 10.

There are a bunch of old guys at the table and the very first hand I am the only one who folds,,, Q-5 diamonds. Ok I see how this table is going to play tonite.

Second hand under the gun I have AA, I raise to 225 and get 3 callers, flop 995 two clubs. I bet out 525 and two players call. turn 10d, I put out another 500 and one folds the other raises to 1500. Now we only started with 3000 chips and I already put 1250 in the pot. I fold my AA face up and wait for a better spot. I build my stack back up with 66 vs 55 to 3400 and the doomsday hand comes to me in the Big Blind. I have QJ and 4 limpers in front, I check and the flop comes 4-Q-J check,check check, bet 200. I raise to 400 and it folds around to the first caller. He raises to 800 and I look at him as he swallows hard, naturally, so I raise to 1500,he just calls. The turn is a 10 and I go all in for my last 1500 chips. He starts to fold but pulls his cards back and calls me. I turn over my QJ for top 2 pair and he just shakes his head and turns over KJ. He is open ended and of course the Ace comes on the river to knock me out after 45 minutes of play.

We head back to Caesars and pack, go have some lunch and we are on the road home by 5pm.

One of these days, one of these days.....

Take care...Be Safe...

Ok, the time has come!!!! I am leaving for Vegas at 7am Sunday Morning. I am playing in the Seniors Event on Monday 12pm sharp! and I am hungry, determined and DUE.

I will be able to blog while there and I will definitely keep you all updated.

Thanks so much for all of your support.

Take Care...Be Safe..

It's amazing the things you can learn even as you get up in years. I have said many times how fortunate I have been with my new found interest,"Poker".

I have met some incredible people and some not so incredible. I have become a fan of certain players only to find out their ego's have become huge since meeting them and I no longer admire them for who they have become.

I have supported some only to be ignored and others have been very supportive of me.I have always wondered why people tend to change as they become accepted in a fraternity of their peers.Do they forget their past?

We have the same problem in Law Enforcement with people thinking they have become better than some of their peers,and sooner or later it catches up to them and they have to adjust or move on,because if they don't they get eaten alive by peer pressure.

I have never had this problem because with all the things I have done and all the commendations I have received,they have never gone to my head. I am still the guy (with a lot more experience)who became a cop 22 years ago.Sure I have had some conflicts with a few Deputies who hasn't with a co-worker. However it has not been because of MY ego.

So it disturbs me when I have reached out to those and have tried to develop a friendship yet because I have yet to WIN a huge event I am considered a groupie or a wannabe as I was told by someone the other afternoon.

At first I was somewhat flabbergasted by there remarks but I then realized Poker is a Sport,Hobby for me. I do not have to make my living off of it,of course I would love to win a big event someday because of my competitive nature. I have had the taste of some first place finishes in smaller events and this keeps me going.

I have told people before not to mistake my kindness for weakness just ask some of the hundreds of crooks I have taken to jail over the years.I can apply this to my Poker playing also and have started to be more aggressive at the tables.

My point is, remember where you started,you can be a star today and a has been tomorrow in anything you do.You should be thankful for your fans and friends and remember you would be nothing without either of them.

I will always remember what it was like when I was a broke and lonely person and had no one to turn to for advice or help. We have all been there one time in our lives and we can always be there again if not careful.

I apologize for such a harsh blog,and I promise you I will be a different person when I am at tournaments, because it just does not pay to be friendly with some.

If I am not able to blog in the Poker community anymore,I would survive. If I never did an appearance on a Radio Show, I would survive, If I never have the opportunity to win a major, I would survive.Just as long as I could continue to do my Charity work and have the love and support of my family is all I would ever need.

OLD, is when you cannont teach an old dog new tricks and Learning New Things is a way of life and a blessing sometimes in disguise..

I stopped off at the Bicycle Casino Saturday and decided to play the $335.00 NL event at 4:15.I had just got off of work and I haven't played any live Poker for about 2 weeks. I dabbled on-line a bit just to pass some time,but I tell you I should of taken my $100.00 and given it to someone or just hung it out the window of my truck and let it go! On-line is so brutal, I guess I am just a glutton for punishment because I keep going back and playing.

Anyway, 6,000 in starting chips and Denny Williams the tournament Director gave us an extra 30 minute level at the beginning, we started out at 25-25 instead of 50-25 and within 5 minutes there were 4 people busted.

I was in seat 6 and lost a couple of hands to flushes,once with a set of 9's and the other one 2 pair. I actually lost the minimum both times but it brought me down to about 3800 in chips. It's so hard to get people off of flush draws at the Bike,they are willing to risk their tournament on draws to the river.If I had won those two hands, a mistake I made later would of never happened. I did win a decent pot when seat 8 raised to 200 when the blinds were 50-25 and 3 limpers. I had pkt 5's and called as everyone else folded. So I am heads up with the original raiser who is an aggressive player and raises out of position.

The flop was Q-5-3 rainbow. I hit my set and he bets out 700 and I raise to 1400 and he calls.The turn is another 3 and fills me up so I check and he bets 1000 and I just called him. The river is an Ace and he checks pretty fast. I thought, "damn", did he actually have pkt rockets? I bet only a 1000 and he just called me and turned over AQ and I had a sigh of relief, as I showed him my Full House.

I now have about 7900 in chips and have A5 with 6 limpers and I am one of them. The flop came out Ac-5c-4h and as it checked to me I bet out 500 chips because I hit 2 pair and another flush draw out there. Seat 3 who beat me earlier on a flush called my 500 and a lady in seat 5 raised to 1500. I re raised to 3000 and seat 3 went all in. The lady in seat 5 calls as I do.

Seat 3 4c-2c for a gut shot straight and straight flush. Seat 5 AJ and me A5...turn 3 hearts giving seat 3 a straight and the river was 9d. I am knocked down to 775 chips. I build it back up to 3500 and as the blinds go to 300-150 and a 74 ante the button raises my blind 1200 and I have pocket 3's so I push my last 2750 in and he tanks for about 3 minutes. Now he tried to steal a round earlier when I had 66 and he called my all in of 1500 with 5-4 off. I thought he was making a move again but he finally called and turned over 66. He hit a 6 on the flop and I was on my way home.

I am still not sure I should have laid my A5 down earlier. If I had won those earlier races against that player I probably would have,but my stubbornness got the best of me and even though I had the right read he had too many outs. Oh well live and learn.

I am not going to Vegas tomorrow, I am going on Sunday the 22nd as I was given a few nights of free rooms at Caesars by my good friend Ernest Bennett. I am bringing Mrs. Diamond and I am going to play the Seniors Event on Monday as the wife goes shopping with Mrs. Bennett.

Ernest won the WSOP Seniors event last year and there were over 1900 players. I hope to have a better showing than last year as I will be playing my "A" game.

Hope all is well, congratulations to the "Italian Stallion" for winning a bracelet this past weekend and also to Barry Greenstein for winning the Razz event.

Take Care...Be Safe....

I started seeking out new music again. I guess that's how I know the medicine is working; I guess that's how I know I'm getting better.

Justin Shronk also made an early exit from the tournament, but his elimination hand was not exactly a race situation. With the blinds at 50/100 Dutch pro Peter Jepsen raised to 250 in early position and the player on the button called. Shronk moved all-in for 1625 total from the small blind with A-J off suit. Jepsen then reraised all-in for approximately 6K chips and the button folded. Jepsen showed 10-7 off suit and flopped a 10, sending Shronk to the rail.

Since I have been stranded at home this week I have been surfing the Poker Forums and watching the updates of the events at Pokernews.com.(which are outstanding)

I can't believe some of the interviews taped and posted at various sites have given Bryan Micon so much time.

There are so many other outstanding Poker players walking the halls that are actually a good interview and not some guy who rambles and laughs at his own comments.

I have also been listening to the live feed of PokerRoad Radio. Excellent show and I highly recommend it to anyone. If you cannot listen live they are archived and also available at Itunes for free.

Still a lot of gossip about the WPT and GSN and I read a very interesting post by some one who said that Direct TV is a very good possibility for a 24 hour Poker station.How cool would that be.

I have been pretty busy trying to get the Fallen Heroes web site up and running and getting next years event started. The new shirts are a hit and we are hoping to get some more Challenge Coins soon.

Good Luck still to everyone at the WSOP I am going Tuesday the 17th for 2 days ...Yes Iam Back..if the satellite goes good I will enter the $2500.00 NL event Tuesday at noon.If not I will be at Caesars playing the noon tourney...

Take care...Be safe...

I was glad to see our own Justin Shronk was able to play in a WSOP Event due to some very generous friends. Justin is a very good Poker Player and did well in Last years Series. Although he didn't get deep this year, I am sure he will be back at the table very soon. Most of his time right now is dedicated to PokerRoad Radio and I am sure all of you have tuned in.

I am not sure I would want to be backed in a tournament. I would not mind giving someone 40% of my winnings, but the makeup would bother me. Some backers do not worry about the makeup and thats a big risk for them, but they have confidence in your play,after all one is usually staked because their funds are low.

I would love to hear your WSOP stories. It doesn't have to be about how you played. I will listen to Rail stories, Vacation stories to the WSOP or even bad beat stories at the WSOP.

You can e-mail them to krwisehand@sbcglobal.net">pkrwisehand@sbcglobal.net and I will share as many as I can.

I am still trying to come up with some money to play next Tuesdays event. I had some stock I sold and I was told it would take about 10 working days to get my money.

It was time to sell it anyway. I bought 1500.00 dollars of Delta Airlines stock after they went bankrupt a few years ago. It was only 24 cents a share at the time and I knew the Government would bail them out. I sold it last week for a nice little profit, so if my check comes I am in. If not my garage will be the most organized and freshly painted one in all of California.

Also. I read GSN has yet to approve another year of televising the WPT. Other bloggers have written this could be the end of the WPT on television. I for one hope this not to be true. The WPT on TV has been so important to Poker and Steve Liscomb is a great businessman and I am sure he will find some way to keep televising WPT events. ESPN would be the best solution for this if they could work out some type of agreement or even Fox.

We need televised Poker and all the sponorships it brings with it. Good Luck to you WPT hope your discussions go well.

Hope to hear from some of you........

Take Care...Be Safe.....