Wise Hand Poker

Hey,

With the help of some very generous backers, I will be playing in the $2,500 buy-in event at the WSOP today (saturday). First prize will be close to $1 million dollars and there should be around 1000 players.

One benefit of knowing all the guys that do the updates on PokerNews.com is that they are going to make sure to have a bunch of photos and constant updates on my chip counts and play. The event starts at Noon PST, and you can track all my results here at :

http://www.pokernews.com/live-reporting/2008-world-series-of-poker/event-13-2500-no-limit-holdem/ (the page should be active about an hour before start time).

There is also a function on the side of the page where people watching the coverage can chat and leave messages for players in he tournaments, or chat with the tourament reporters.

Thanks to Brian for putting me in the event, and wish me luck!

-Justin

I had looked so forward to this years WSOP as every Poker enthusiast does.It was going to be my second year there as a player and my game has improved so much this past year.

I started off fantastic winning the first two $175.00 satellites I played for a $3,000.00 profit and in the third one took that beat when my KK got called by Q3. HOWEVER.. I had to come home because of a family matter and it now appears I will not make it back this year to the WSOP because of it. I will probably be with drawing from the Seniors event as well on June 23rd because I need the 1060.00 money back right now.

I truly wanted to do well at this years Series. I had too!for so many reasons.My whole life I have been thrown curves and I have dodged the strikeout but It has not been easy.

I do have so much to be thankful for and I am not going to let this latest curve get me down,but there are other more important things in life sometimes and there will always be another WSOP to play in as well as other Poker Tournaments.

I have been on my own since I was 16 years old after my mother passed away from leukemia when I was 14. I moved to Ohio and lived with my godparents who put a roof over my head but I had to work in order to by the things I needed as they were young and had 2 children. I played baseball,basketball and football in school, did my home work after I was done with practice and games and worked on the family farm and enjoyed every minute of it.

Married with two beautiful daughters, adopted a son and had two other stepchildren for 16 years until a divorce in 1996.

I was the first cop in the family and was proud to become one and I have had a successful career and have been rewarded for it. I remarried a wonderful women who also had three children from a marriage and she has given me 4 of the most wonderful,beautiful,loving girls one could ever have. YES, I have been a father to 12 children and I have never for a moment regretted it.

One of those children has caused us some heartache right now and I have to be a parent even though as angry as we are, its our duty as parents.

There will be plenty of time to play Poker and hang on the rail and sweat all the remarkable people I have had the opportunity to meet in the Poker community. I am 52 years old going on 15 and the excitement at the Rio is very hard for me to put into words. It's as if you were at an All-Star Baseball and game sitting in the dugout for 6 weeks straight with all the best in the world right there.

Gary Wise has given me the opportunity to share my thoughts and stories with all of you and I will never forget him for allowing me this privilege.

To Linda Johnson, Jan Fisher, Mark Seif, Michael Grazc, Chris Bell,Nam Le,J.C. Tran,Bryan Devonshire, Gavin Smith, Joe Sebok, Scott Huff,Quin Do,Jim Pittman,Antonio Esfiandari,Chad Brown,Minh Nguyen,Ernest Bennett,Johnny Walker, Jorge Pineda,Richard Betar,Jennifer Newell, Justin West, Shawn Sheikhan,Eric Morris, Kasey Thompson,and many others.. A Huge THANKYOU for always taking the time in your busy schedules to talk Poker with me, give me advice and share your life with me.

I hope each and everyone of you continued success and I will always be there to support you!!!

Thank goodness for the Internet and the ability we have to log on and check the updates of events. I can follow all of you from home and I will continue to sweat you from here for the next 5 weeks.

Also I would like to thank you, the readers of my blogs for all your kind comments and the support you give to Wisehandpoker.

As always...Take Care and Be Safe........

Well I Know I told all of you I would be going to Vegas today. I actually went Sunday Night and met my buddy Jim there. I got in about 7:00pm and he had just busted out of the Pot Limit event.

I went early because of something that occurred here at home and I needed to just get on the road out of town.

We actually entered the $340.00 NL event they hold in the Amazon room every evening. I was late to register but they do not blind any of your chips off,you get the whole 5,000.

There were 285 people entered and first place was just under $20,000.00, I couldn't get anything going won a few pots,but it seemed every time I raised or bet a flop,everyone folded. I cannot get involved in monster pots and come out ahead.

Again I played very good,no mistakes and I busted out 89th. I just did not have the chips to make a move and on a open ended straight draw on the flop I pushed and was called by AK on a flop of 9-10-4 when I had QJ. I only had 7,000 chips and the blinds were going up to 1,000.

So off to the satellite room to check it out. I wanted to hit the sack but Jim talked me and another friend of his we met there into trying one.

I entered a $175.00 satellite, you get (3) $500.00 tournament chips and $140.00 cash.

I used my strategy I have been working on and discussing with several friends. It seemed to work because my patience paid off and I had a commanding chip lead heads up with this Canadien guy. He seemed nice, so I offered him his buy in back and he said "NO".

Next hand he pushes his last 1800 chips into the pot and I call with A9h and he has Q-5 and an ace hit the flop. I tipped the dealer $40.00 and caught up with Jim who busted third in his $525.00 satellite and went to the All American Grill and had some dinner.

I slept until about 8:30 am which is very long for me. I am so used to getting up at 3:30 am my body has a hard time adjusting. Jim was still knocked out so I showered and went and got coffee and walked over to the Amazon room.

Now I know what Daniel meant in his blog about the huge empty room when he first saw it this year.It was early and there was one small cash game going on but the rest of the room was empty and it does give you a weird feeling as you look at the walls with the Banners of all the past champions. I can here in the back round a replay of ESPN's coverage of the 2005 Main Event. It kind of gives you goose bumps listening to the voice of Lon and Norm as you stand inside this enormous room with wall to wall Poker tables. You start to dream a little bit about what you want to accomplish in this room as you stand there in a daze.

At 11:00am Poker Road Radio has their live feed from the Rio and I hung out and watched them do there show. As usual the three didn't disappoint and Justin Bonomo was a guest and it was a very good show. The whole Poker Road team does an amazing job setting everything up and our own Justin Shronk is the man behind the scenes putting it altogether. Great Job Poker Road and thanks for giving us Poker fans some enjoyable pod casts and shows.

So I hear as the shows ending "One more seat left in a $175.00 satellite". I grab the ticket and go to the cage,pay my money and sit down at my second satellite. This table was a bunch of good guys and my strategy again worked and I ended up giving a guy his buy in back and the dealer $40.00 for another win and nice profit of $1400.00.

I again enter the 340.00 nightly go and meet Gary Wise and walk around the Amazon Room saying hello to numerous players I have met.

J.C. Tran--Chad Brown--Chris Bell--Hassan Habib--Quin Do--Michael Mizarachi--David Chiu--and David Pham. I always just give a short hello but Chris got up and did one of those guy hugs with no more than 3 pats. Chris is a great guy and I really enjoy talking to him. The others I do not want to bother too much because they are concentrating on what is going on at the table. This is for big money and bragging rights so Game faces are on.

I met Clonie Gowen who so graciously donated a 7 day cruise she won to my Fallen Heroes Poker tournament next year and was able to thank her in person. Gave a few shirts from my charity event out and I was off to play the nightly again.

I lasted to about 60th when I called an all in of a very aggressive player when I had AA. He had 22 and turned one so I was out after playing well again and surviving with a short stack. I was feeling I had a chance at a final table but Aces are overrated,huh!

When we got up this morning we headed home as I need to deal with a thing or two. I will be going back next week and trying to get into the $2500.00 NL event somehow.In the meantime I may head over to the Bike and play a 20/30 event.

Take Care and Be Safe...