Tom Bostic

Did anyone else watch the World Poker Tour episode last night? I feel the PCA from the Bahamas featured one of the best heads-up matches I have witnessed on television (next to the H.O.R.S.E event 2006). I have met both Ryan and Isaac and their talents are undeniable. I was glad to see them showcased as they bluffed and re-bluffed each other out of several pots. Both super-smart young players prove why poker is flourishing even in the wake of the UIGA. I figured I would share an small insight on both players that I recently wrote about. For any of you attending the WSOP this year, be sure to pick up the official program, where this content along with several other rising star profiles can be found in the article "The Class of 2007...In Search of the Next Jeff Madsen".

Ryan Daut
New Jersey's quintessential native son may have the biggest jump start on the competition of anyone on this list. An online cash game player, Daut hit it big in the Bahamas in January, taking home a WPT title and over $1.5 million. With the momentum from the win, he discovered that he can be a consistent winner at some of the highest stakes online. As a result of his success--much to the disappointment of his parents-- he will not be returning to Penn State next semester to pursue his graduate degree. Focusing his current efforts on poker, Daut secured a WSOP Main Event appearance when he won a seat through a $33 plus re-buy online qualifier.

Isaac Haxton
Five-deuce. To most it doesn't sound like a hand that requires much thought, but sometimes Isaac Haxton can not help himself. Behind long black hair, dark sunglasses and friendly demeanor lies a restless mind that is always looking for a way to win. If Haxton is in a pot, expect a fight. Known to fire a fourth raise before the flop with nothing, or three-barrel bluff all the way to the river, Haxton plays like a man who refuses to lose. In the Caribbean, his play was brighter than a supernova. Playing dominating poker for five days, Haxton outlasted all but fellow internet player Ryan Daut. The disappointing second place finish didn't deter Isaac from packing up his bags in Boston and joining the tournament trail.

While up late one night I caught the beginning of a movie called "First Knight". Filmed several years ago, it is set in mid-evil Camelot with Richard Gere playing the part of Lancelot, a fearless sword wielding ladies man. I had no interest in watching the movie, however, the opening scene caught my attention. Bear with me as I take you through it, as I feel it illustrates a good point when applied to Poker.

Scene: Lancelot (Gere) is in a mid-evil village with his sword in his hand. A crowd is gathered around as he challenges any of the villagers to a sword fight.

Lancelot: "Once in a lifetime, you meet a man so fearless. No man can touch him...while you're waiting for him, you can practice on me (villagers laugh). For as sure as the sun will rise, there's a man who's better than me. He could be here. It could be today."

A camera pans over to a man who is being goateed by his family to challenge Lancelot. He points to him and says:

"It could be you."

They then engage in a sparring match in which the man can not even come close to striking Lancelot. He toys with him before eloquently dashing the sword out of the man’s hand with ease. Looking on with amazement, the challenger says:

"How did you do that? Was that a trick?"

Lancelot: "No. That's the way I fight."

Challenger: "Could I do it? Tell me. I can learn."

Lancelot: "First you must study your opponent, so you know what he'll do before he does it.

Challenger: "I can do that."

Lancelot: "And wait for the critical moment."

Challenger: "I can do that."

Lancelot: "And you must not care whether you live or die."

The challenger just stares at Lancelot with silence. No reply "I can do that" to that suggestion.

I love to find poker advice in unlikely places. I won't dumb things down and explain why this concept is important while playing poker (especially no limit), but I challenge you to think about it, and apply it to your approach to the game, because it is truly what separates the winners from those who are afraid to lose.

I encourage everyone to look beyond the poker books, strategy columns, forums and even hours of playing to find useful advice in unlikely places.

Ok. Here it is. Another bad review of "Lucky You".

I don't need to say anything more than what has been said by other bloggers on this site. This is just another confirmation that "Lucky You" is not worth the price of admission. Full of horrible clichés, worthless cameos and enough ridiculous situations to make you scoff every other scene. Not worth watching if you're a poker player or not.

Save some loot and just don't waste your time. I know, I know... it's tempting. I was lured in myself. But just go to your DVD collection or your local video rental store and watch "Rounders" for the 82nd time. It's much more satisfying.

Thomas Wahlroos was the unfortunate soul that has to bear the burden of being eliminated in 7th place at a WPT event. Worse yet the Championship event. What does that mean? No televised final table. Sucks to be Thomas Wahlroos.

He made a play and was very unhappy with the result, repeatedly stating "How does he call with that hand?" Sorry Thomas, but if you’re going to claim your bust out was a result of your opponent's poor call, we need to take a closer look at the situation.

Thomas is sitting 3rd in chips with around 4.5 million, with blinds of 80,000 - 160,000. A tight player in Mike Wattel opens the pot for 420K. A player named Paul Lee makes the call behind Mike. Paul has won a preliminary event at the Bellagio earlier this month, and made a final table in another. He is a legitimate player, however, he is not afraid at all to mix it up and gamble with his chips. Thomas has been playing with him all day and should know this. Anyway...action gets to Wahlroos in the big blind. Thomas is what we call a "defender" in the poker world. He hates folding his big blind. Anyone that has played a significant amount of time with him will know this. He decides to re-raise Wattel and Lee for all his chips, a pretty hefty raise. He has Wattel covered, but Lee is the chip leader.

Wattel folds and Lee calls without too much hesitation holding A-Q off. Wahlroos turns over As10s and is appalled by Lee's call. This play is not a matter of a loose call by Lee, but a gross miscalculation on Wahlroos's (is that right???) part.

First... this looks like your standard squeeze play. Through and through. Wattel and Lee are obviously players, not born yesterday. They know what a squeez play is and both of them suspect something is up when Thomas makes a raise 10x the original raise.

Second... Wahlroos is a defender. He hates giving up his big blind. Both players are familiar enough with him over the past few days to realize that. He is likely to re-raise with a large variety of hands.

Third... Wahlroos KNOWS that Lee is the most likely guy to call him at the table. At times reckless, he has been calling opponents down with marginal hands the whole tournament. Wahlroos has seen this. Of all the guys to make this move on, Lee was not the guy.

Long story short, the As10s didn't improve and Mr. Wahlroos is out.

Why do I bring this situation up??? As in the case so many times in poker, if we continue to blame our results on the poor play of others, chances are we are not looking in the right spot. Look inside yourself and the situation to realize why things happened the way they did. It is easy to blame a beat on the "donkey" play of an opponent. The hard thing to do is pin the tail on your own ass.

Oh, how I have missed this place. There is nowhere in Pennsylvania, or the world, that can even compare to Las Vegas. I mean, I love home, but as soon as you get off the plane and see the slot machines you know you are officially not in Kansas anymore. After spending last summer here, I have not been back since, but I could not be happier that I am here to cover the WPT Championship. By the way, do yourself a favor and splurge on a room at the Bellagio for at least one night next time you come. Comfy beds, luxurious everything and access to one of the nicest casinos in the world.

After getting a cab ride to the hotel, I unpacked my things and gave Gary a quick call. Although I was absolutely dog tired after only sleeping about three hours last night, I opted not to nap and instead decided to stroll the strip. As I was walking around, I was reminded of why I love this town. First, I took some ultra tourist-y pictures that I am not proud to admit. I have stayed here for too long; I am not a tourist. I’m supposed to be a professional, damn it! Yet, I broke down anyway feeling an obligation to log tangible memories of this incredible lifestyle I get to experience. Besides, some of these sites are too cool not to have a picture of.

After some cheesy pictures, I spotted a real site when I saw last years champion, Joe Bartholdi posing for a picture on top of the white marble fountain in front of Caesars Palace. Looking like he was getting a kick out of his modeling gig, he then jumped off and ran towards an attractive young women that was taking the picture. They got into a gray Lexus and left the parking lot. As if seeing one champion of the very event I am here to cover wasn’t enough, I was almost ran over by Tuan Le (Season 3 winner) moments later, when his white Escalade with 22” rims turned the corner in front of the Fashion Show mall.
Continuing on from there, I observed an older, somewhat homeless looking fellow hustling a group of young men at a three-card Monte game for $100 a guess. Then it was a bride walking the halls of the Bellagio, then a women with the most ridiculously large cartoonish breast implants I have ever seen eating at the cafe.

Thats Vegas, Baby.

Anyway, I am looking forward to some great poker this week. It seems like it will be a great turnout, proving once again that poker is still alive and well, no matter what the critics or lawmakers say.

I am a liar. I lie to myself. I lie to others that read my articles, blogs, and live tournament updates. I lie to others when I discus poker. I never meant to be a liar…but I am.

All this time I have been convincing myself that poker is a game of skill, when obviously it is not. Any and all advice on strategy, good plays and poker in general are worthless. Why would I say this? Why would I call out my profession? Why would I slam poker on the very site that pays me? One only needs to take a look at what happened at the Foxwoods Poker Classic to see.

If there was a case study done on poker to determine whether it was a game of skill or luck, and the scientists looked to the Foxwoods’ Poker Challenge for evidence, they would find that you would be better off putting your money on a roulette wheel. Or in a slot machine. Or on the lottery.

Because what I witnessed first hand at the tournament was a disgrace to the game that I have built my life around for the past year and a half. Without a doubt it was some of the worst poker I have ever seen. Even more horrifying, all 415 of these participants somehow managed to either find $10,000 to waste or actually won a satellite. Won a satellite!? These people would have got ran over in my $10 buy-in college home game. How the hell did they win a satellite!?

Here is what I’m talking about, and here’s hoping that some of these donks read this.

- A-Q is NO GOOD after you raise, another person re-raises and someone else goes all-in over the top of everyone. Fold your hand, you moron.
- Stop overbeting the pot. I observed the following hand: Ted Lawson limps in from the cut-off for T1,000. Nam Le calls from the button. The small blind folds and the big blind checks his option. Flop: A-K-Q. Big blind checks, Lawson checks, Nam bets T2,000 and the big blind check raises to T30,000. Lawson and Nam fold….
- $30,000!!!??? Are you serious. There is T7,000 in the pot! Worse yet is this is not the last time I saw him make a ridiculous overbet. Worse still is that this gentleman (I use the term loosely) cashed. Sick.
- The eventual winner Raj Patel has been playing poker for two years. Fine. That doesn’t bother me at all. What bothers me is the 11 times he got aces with 10 players left to go, failing to get paid off once. He almost telapathed to his opponents that he had aces and then showed them – every time. If you are a luckbox that gets aces over and over again this late in the tournament figure out a way to get paid off. And oh yeah, I almost forgot, he checked a full house down to the river with 8 players left too.
- Raj … you’re killing me buddy. At the final table you call a 4th raise for most of your chips with A-8 suited. Well at least you got what you deserved and ran into aces…but wait…what’s that poker gods?...flop him 8-8-7. Oh, ok. Cool. Thanks.

- Frankie Flowers, Paul Matteo, Allen Kessler and Carl Restifo all allowed themselves to get down to under six big blinds towards the end of the tournament? How do you let yourself get that short stacked? Push for once in your life.

- Eventual runner up Paul Matteo played VERY poorly, and seemed confused about some of the rules of poker. You know, the complex stuff like making sure your raise double the big blind or acting when it is your turn. Prepare yourselves, I am going to quote Phil Hellmuth…”The guy can’t even spell poker.” He was horrible. And finished in second place? He made money? Even when Gary Wise told me “At least he’ll be giving half of it to charity”, I replied “Really? Good…but he should give it all to charity considering he doesn’t deserve one cent of it.”

Then again, what do I know? I guess if I was really the expert, I would have been sitting at the final table…

Destroying them.

Gary calls me bitter. I call myself a poker fan. And what I saw at Foxwoods is not the kind of poker I am a fan of. So poker players unite – keep fighting the good fight. Please help me prove that I am not a liar, that I am not wasting my life following the game, and that skill prevails in the end.

Until next time…Thanks for listening. Keep reading. Keep playing smart.

In case you didn't read the Bay 101 Final Day wrap up I wanted to share this with everyone...

Ted Forrest just won a grueling heads-up match with JJ Liu to take home his first World Poker Tour Title in four attempts. He called her "The toughest heads up opponent he has ever faced." Ted had just kind of hung around the whole tournament and never even made any real noise until late on day three, just before we got down to the last few tables. A great victory to say the least.

Documented as the "Suicide King" himself in Michael Craig's "The Professor, The Banker and The Suicide King" and a man known for his willingness to gamble on almost anything found an interesting way to celebrate his victory early Saturday morning.

Ted Forrest and I were staying in the same hotel during the Bay 101 tournament. In the hotel lobby they had the tiniest of convenience stores with two small glass incased refrigerators, a few snacks along with some postcards and knickknacks. I was just about to leave for the airport when I spotted Ted in this area. I glanced over and saw him picking out what appeared to be two frozen burritos and a soda out of the fridge. I looked over and couldn't resist saying "There's gotta be a better way to celebrate."

He flashed a quick smile my way and said "probably" with a slight laugh. The man known as one of the most infamous gamblers of our time was stone sober at 4am buying a frozen burrito for $1.29 from a hotel lobby after winning over $1 million.

Not as glamorous as I would imagine, but celebrate however you want Mr. Forrest – you deserve it. Congratulations.

So I just got back from LA and the WPT events out there. This was my second go round with the live updates team and I have had the time of my life. But being gone for two weeks, only to fly home to the east coast for 4 days before flying back out to San Jose is a little rough. I have to catch up on two weeks of lost time and errands in just a few days. This in addition to convincing my girlfriend of 3 ½ years that life on the road isn’t as bad as she thinks for our relationship…looks like I have an uphill battle on that one.

A few quick comments on my trip to LA:

While entrenching myself in the poker community over the past year I have lost touch with who is a traditional “celebrity”. When one of the WPT producers asked me what celebrities were left I asked “does Mike Sexton count…because I don’t recognize anyone else.”

On Paris Hilton…
As I passed by her table I saw the dealer pushing a pot her way. She responded, “I won?” with a confused, but content smile. A table mate commented by saying “Yeah, you made the nut flush on the turn” to which she responded “What does a flush mean?”…Wow…simply wow.

Joe, the WPT Magazine photographer pointed to the leftover food Paris had been eating at the table. He said “How much you think that would go for on EBay?” I laughed and said “Probably more than I want to know…I’m glad that I respect myself too much to consider the idea of trying it.” Then I stared at and for a split second longer and actually wondered if I could pull it of. Shame on me.

Be cautious when getting into a car with Ryan Lucchesi and his brother (you may end up driving through the middle of Compton with surf boards on the roof of a Jeep Cherokee)

By the way, I want to give a shout out to Mark Newhouse for being a gracious host in his new home at on the 7th floor of the Commerce. He has been living there for the past few months and plans on staying a while longer. I had just met him for the first time, but he invited me and fellow tournament reporters to his room several times over the course of the trip. He made sure everyone had a beverage in hand while even letting me sweat some $100-$200 on Pokerstars. Also a big thank you to Stephanie for letting us crash in her sweet Manhattan Beach pad.

Until next time at Bay 101 thanks for listening…keep reading …keep playing smart.

A year ago I would have never imagined that I would be this close to the poker world. After graduating from college just over a year ago my interest in poker brought me to Atlantic City to play at a brick and mortar casino for the first time. In late January 2006, I found out that the World Poker Tour was making a stop in my stomping grounds, the Borgata in Atlantic City. After an 18 hour session in which I was up $8 at 6am I decided I might as well wait a few hours to watch some of the tournament and maybe even spot a few pros. That day I got to meet Daniel Negreanu and got his autograph while I sweated the Grinder from a few feet away as I stood on the rail.

That was almost exactly 1 year ago. In that time I have gone from a railbird to a professional poker writer, player and tournament reporter. This year I didn’t have to watch from the rail – I got to work for Gary and WPT while I walked on the floor amongst the players. I had a chance to meet some of the players on a more personal level, and no, this time I didn’t ask for their autographs. I was treated like I belonged, like I was a peer, and at times a friend.

Anyway, enough sappy stuff. The tournament was amazing. 571 players entered creating a prize pool of something like $5.6 million. Players love the Borgata tournaments and plenty of high profile names were in attendance. There is way too much to mention in just one blog, and I hope everyone is keeping up with the live coverage on www.worldpokertour.com, but just incase you missed it here are some of the highlights:

John Gale went from T2,000 after making a very questionable play on Day 2 and still went on to make the final table. Go John! I got to meet him and he is truly one of the kindest guys in poker.

2006 WSOP Main Event Champion Jamie Gold was sitting on the big stack for most of day 1 and early in day 2. Wielding a big stack should have been second nature to Gold after running over the field at the ME, but couldn’t hold onto it this time and busted late on day 2.

After chartering a private flight to get to the Borgata after finishing in 2nd at Tunica the night before, Daniel Negranue failed to cash in his 5th straight WPT Event. I know Danny wanted to maintain his stellar pace, but after being at a final table 1 day prior and then flying throughout the night does not give anyone a mental edge against the competition. In my mind, he still gets an A for effort and I love his commitment to poker and the tournament circuit.

John “Johnny World” Hennigan took down the title in the end. I love Hennigan for a few reasons. 1…He’s a fellow Philly native 2…Johnny World is hands down the coolest nickname in all of poker and 3…He couldn’t care less about fame; he approached this poker tournament like he was just sitting at his desk working, not like he was campaigning for an endorsement deal. Congratulations to Johnny World who played flawlessly in every hand I observed.

Last but not least is Chuck Kelley. What can I say about Chuck? Well...I guess its hard to argue with results, and he did finish in 2nd place. However, at best it was the most unorthodox finish in final table history; at worst it was the worst heads-up play ever. On a board of 3-3-7-A Kelley bet T800,000. Hennigan called and Kelley flipped over his hand of Q-7 - but wait – it’s only 4th street. The tournament director had to give Kelley a warning but the hand was still live. The river was another 3 giving Kelley 3’s full of 7's. Kelley checks, Hennigan moves all-in and Kelley calls relatively quickly. Hennigan shows A-5 and takes down the tournament with a better full house. Did Kelley really think he was getting bluffed??? I guess so, but I don’t think I’m making that insta-call for my tournament life.

Kelley seemed like he would have rather been playing blackjack most of the tournament. Not only did I see him make other questionable plays, but he did the same thing on day 4 against David Matthew. He made a bet on the turn, Matthew called, and Kelley showed his hand. Message to Chuck Kelley: You are playing for $1.6 million dollars. PAY ATTENTION. Kelley is independently wealthy already, but give the poker world a break and play like you take this seriously.

Anyway…Plenty more to come about my week at the Borgata including the discovery of my “A game” again.

Thanks for listening…Keep reading…Keep playing smart.

As I walk back to the hotel elevators from the Borgata Poker Room a sweet smell that reminds me of spring flowers blooming fills my nostrils, despite the fact that this is the eve before the WPT Winter Poker Open. It is definitely winter here in Atlantic City, and there are definitely no flowers blooming. snow is falling outside on this winter night and the ocean wind is blowing the soft powdery drifts just beyond the opulent entrance of the casino. This is my introduction to the Wise Hand Poker Tournament Coverage Team – and it couldn’t be better.

I have not had a chance to go to the Borgata in months, and this is my first time being able to view their new poker room. The Borgata is without a doubt the premier casino in an otherwise lackluster Atlantic City repertoire. Their new poker room exceeded my expectations, being luxurious, roomy, and full of your choice of games. No limit games start at $1/$2 and go all the way up to $50/100. However, if you are looking for a break from a N/L game, there was no shortage of limit hold’em. Omaha, Omaha H/L and Stud with varying limits.

While strolling through the room I managed to get a preview of a few of the players that will most likely be playing in tomorrow’s event. Amnon Filippi and Lee Markhold were sitting together at a table, while The Grinder, his brother Eric and Bill Edler shared a laugh at the far end of the poker room. I also spotted Kathy Libert, Mike Seca, John Gale and “Johnny World” Hennigan walking around the casino floor. This in addition to the dozens of satellite tables filled with hopeful participants to parlay their investment into a WPT title.

I am excited to be bringing all readers of Wise Hand with updates from the upcoming tournament. After a short hiatus from tournament reporting, and playing poker on a daily basis I am as energized, rejuvenated and motivated as ever. Check out the coverage at worldpokertour.com and enjoy reading about some world class poker.

Thanks for listening. Keep reading. Keep playing smart.