ICM

When I started playing poker, there was pot odds and implied pot odds. I tried my best to understand these concepts and I feel I understand them enough. Then there's the Independent Chip Model (ICM) which wasn't introduced until recently. I tried to read about it and I honestly don't understand it. Or at least I don't know how I can apply it when I'm in a tournament.

I didn't have the patience to read all the ICM articles on the web. I'll just look for someone to teach them to me.

FPT 12 - Metro Anniversary Special

My whole tournament was uneventful. My stack was pretty much the same throughout my whole tournament life. Except for this last hand.

5th level, 200/400 ante 50. I had around 18,000. I needed to double-up if would have a chance of lasting until day 2. Early positions fold. Derek raised to 1,100. Aggressive, unknown player calls. I'm on button with AK. I though about raising but wanted to see the flop first so I called. Total pot, 4,350.

Flop K87. Derek checked, unknown player bet 3,500. I raised to 7,000 (I had top pair top kicker). Derek called. Unknown player folded. Total pot 21,850.

Turn J. Derek bet 8,000. I had around 9,000. I went all-in. Insta-call from Derek. He showed KK. I was drawing dead.

Maybe next time. Good thing I won this seat from a P500 tournament.

Metro Card Club site down?

For the past couple of months, every time I try to visit Metro Card Club's website, it's down. I can't say if it's my computer or internet connection or if it's the site itself. I did hear one other person who said he can't access it so I'm thinking it may be their site.

1 week to go...

I've just registered for day 1c for the 10-Million guaranteed tournament. This'll be on Saturday, December 12. I'm in table number 6, seat 5. See you there!

Metro 500 Part II

I played the Metro 500 tournament again. And this time I took it down. I got my seat to the 10 Million guaranteed tournament on Dec 10-14, 2009.

I have to plan what to wear. :)

Metro 500

It's been a while since I've played a tournament and it's been longer since I've placed reasonably high.

Today, I played the Metro 500 (500 buy-in, 30k guaranteed) tournament at The Metro. And I placed 2nd! I won 3k for my efforts. To bad I didn't win the whole tournament as the winner gets 4k + a seat for the 10M guaranteed tournament this coming December.

Oh well, I guess I'll try again...

Once a player, always a player...

I planned to save a bankroll. I was thinking of not playing until I can get enough to not play scared. I got to Php 3,000 and I couldn't take it anymore. So I first tried to play freerolls at PokerStars. The way I did when I wasn't playing with real money yet. I was playing every freeroll I can register to. Even the 2-7 single draw tournaments which was interesting but I wouldn't want to play those with real money.

But it wasn't enough. I went back to the Metro a few days ago. Everything was going well bankroll-wise until yesterday. The Metro has this promo where players can register for a freeroll if they can put in 150 hours for the whole month of November. I only need 142.5 hours to go but I'm already throwing in the towel. With work and the baby, I definitely won't reach 150 hours. Even if I did, it'll cost me a lot and it's not going to be much of a freeroll. Take yesterday for example. I bought in for Php 1,000 and I was up Php 3,000. I normally should've stood but I was only there for 2 hours and I needed at least 5 hours per day. Long story short, I lost Php 4,000.

I'll probably be back this week. But this time, I won't aim for the hours. I'll just play the way I should and quit when I'm ahead.

Poker Bankroll (or rather, the lack of it...)

For the past weeks, I've been saving some money to properly build a real bankroll. Ever since I've started playing, I've never had a separate bankroll and I know I had to build one if I was to play regularly. So I've avoided playing poker and was saving a little every payday. My plan was to save enough and deposit it online so I can play any time I wanted.

Saving enough money was taking forever so I took a chance and played at The Metro last night. And as the case for those playing without the necessary bankroll, I played scared. And I lost. Now my bankroll is back to zero. I have to save again and this time, not play until I have enough.

This is one of those times when I wish I had deeper pockets.

Happy Birthday

Happy birthday to Cass of Metro Card Club.

FPT10 - Trivia

Some things I found out about FPT10...

A 13 year old qualified for FPT10 through PokerStars. Of course he wasn't allowed to play. I'm not sure what happened to his seat. (This is hearsay and I wasn't able to verify if it was true)

On Day2b, there's a prop bet where a player will dance to Michael Jackson's "Beat It" if he loses a pot. (Heard from people from PokerManila)

That's all the trivia I found out. :)

I don't have anything to write about the tournament because I'm no longer in it. I have to settle for trivia.

FPT10 - Day1a

I busted out of the tournament.

The tournament was full of callers. There were an average of 4 people who saw the flop and it was always an unraised pot. Every so often there would be a pre-flop raiser but then around 4 people would still call. They were very passive. It's like they were all new; except they were not. I was doing fairly well because I played a little aggressively.

Until I got QJs (both clubs). I raised preflop in early position (I had above average chip stack). Around 3 people called behind me. Flop comes with 2 clubs and an Ace. I made a pot-sized bet to represent an Ace. 2 people folded, the last one called. Turn was a brick. I bet again, he called. River was still a brick. I didn't make my flush but then again, I was betting the Ace. I bet, he called with QQ.

I was betting on each level and I still can't represent an Ace. I admit that I tilted after that. I thought about leaving the table to smoke but I didn't want to miss any action. But I tightened up after that. I still played aggressively but with less hands.

Then I got AA in early position. I raised 4.5x BB and got 4 callers. Flop were middle to low cards, all hearts. I didn't have any hearts but I wanted to find out who had a heart. I raised more than the pot size and I got 1 caller. Now I found out who has a heart. Turn was not a heart. I overbet with all-in to make him fold. He called. He didn't have a heart, he actually had two. His flush was made on the flop. I was drawing dead. I left the card room disgusted.

FPT 10 - Prologue

I've intentionally blocked of this day as the day for me to prepare for the Filipino Poker Tour 10 - Metro Hi-5 tournament. I'm scheduled to do absolutely nothing and I've achieved that pretty easily. Actually, I used a little bit of time to get a haircut. I now have my mohawk on and I'm ready.

I'm mentally prepared. I've slept comfortably. I will last a whole day of playing poker. I've envisioned myself playing tomorrow until heads-up. This tournament is mine...

FPT10 Metro Hi-5 Pre-registration

I just signed up for Day1A of the FPT10 event. I was the second person to do so. Excited.

FPT on TV

They showed FPT4, the charity event. This is the one I was able to join but busted out early.

I personally didn't like it. I didn't see much action. Real poker action at least. It was a long drawn out commercial. And when they're not hyping up poker, it becomes a Tessa Prieto show because Tessa steals the spotlight from everyone on the table.

I understand where they're coming from because they want to promote poker in the Philippines but it's far from WPT, High Stakes Poker, or any other foreign poker shows.

I hope that next time there'll be more hands shown.

Filipino Poker Tour on TV

Finally, the Filipino Poker Tour will be airing on local television. July 11, 11pm on Studio 23. I think this is FPT1 that they're showing. It's been so long that I forgot who won.

FPT10 Metro Hi-5 Schedule

It's official. The Metro Hi-5 will be on July 31-August 3.

I already have my seat to this tournament. I can't wait.

Friday Metro 75

Here's a hand from today's Metro 75.

Blinds 300/600 ante 50

Villain UTG raised to 1200 on a pot of 1300.

Everybody folds to me in cut-off.

I have KK. I raised to 3600 total.

Everybody else fold to villain who tanks then calls.

Total pot so far, 8500.

Flop, 679 with 2 diamonds.

Villain checks.

I go all-in for around 12000.

Villain tanks for a long time. Then calls.

I turn my KK over and villain shows JJ.

Turn, blank.

River, Jack.

I'm out of the tournament.

Online Satellites to The Metro Hi-5

The Metro Hi-5 will be a Filipino Poker Tour event which makes it the 10th in the series. It also means that PokerStars will be holding satellites online for the whole month of July.

Just go to Events > Special and look for Filipino Poker Tour 10 Metro Hi-5

If you don't have a PokerStars account, click on the link:
Sign up for a PokerStars account now

New Poker Room in Metro Manila

I received a text message announcing the opening of Planet Poker. They're located at Wilson St., San Juan City, beside Zirko Greenhills. I don't have much information about the place but it's good to know that there are other poker rooms opening. It'll just spread the community faster. Hopefully they're able to provide good tournaments and fair policies. That's all the players ask for.

Metro Saturday Freeroll

Last Saturday, I decided to play the Metro Saturday Special. I thought it was at 2pm so I was there early. Apparently, the tournament was changed to 3pm.

So I decided to play 10/20 to while away the time. In 3 hours, I won 4,000 which was enough for the tounament buy-in and the rebuy. I just love it when that happens.

Unfortunately, I busted out early. And I realized, I haven't played well for the whole day. I was chasing all my draws and calling with bottom pair. Maybe it's because of being away from the felt too long.

The Best Online Poker Room

PokerStars have just released another promotion to give players reason to reload. If you use the PokerStars Reload Bonus Code RF300, you will get a chance to join their daily freerolls and the final freeroll. A total of $300,000 will be given away in these freerolls.

This is just one more reason to play at PokerStars. And if you don't have a PokerStars account yet, feel free to create a PokerStars account here.

The PokerStars Bonus Code for 2009 is still valid for first time depositors.

Manny Pacquiao Poker Tournament

According to Philippine poker oracle, Del Ty, there will be a P250k guaranteed Manny Pacquiao Poker Tournament at the Asia Poker Sports Club on June 12, 2009. Buy-in is at P5,000+P500 and 10 places will be paid. They set a cap at 10 tables of 10 players each but they didn't indicate if alternates will be used. However, it was announced that the people's champ, Manny Pacquiao will be present at the tournament.

There are daily satellites with a buy-in of P200.

Asia Poker Sports Club is at the 5th floor of the Pan Pacific Hotel, M. Adriatico St. cor. Malvar St., Malate, Manila.

I probably won't join the tournament because I'm saving my money for the Metro 5 Million guaranteed this July but we'll see.

Metro Schedule this June

Here's a message from The Metro Card Club in Facebook.

THE METRO MID-YEAR SPECIALS
OVER P4,000,000 IN TOTAL GUARANTEES FOR JUNE!
3 NEW TOURNAMENTS! LOWER BUY INS! BIGGER GUARANTEES!

METRO MONDAY 200K
P200,000 Guaranteed!
P1000 buy in w/ 1 re-buy and add on
100 Players MAX! Register Now!
Mondays, 7PM Sharp

METRO 75x3! TRIPLE UP!
P225,000 Guaranteed!
P3000 buy in, Freezeout!
80 Players MAX! Register Now!
Wednesdays, 7PM Sharp

METRO 75 ORIGINAL!
P75,000 Guaranteed!
P1000 buy in, Freezeout!
80 Players MAX! Register Now!
Fridays, 7pm Sharp


METRO SATURDAY SPECIAL
P350,000 Guaranteed!
P2000 buy in w/ 1 re-buy or add on
150 Players MAX! Register Now!
Saturdays, 2PM Sharp

Only @ THE METRO. See you! :-)

www.metrocardclub.com

Hi-5 Teaser

There's going to be a 5 million guaranteed tournament this July at the Metro. Details are not yet released but the buy-in may be at 10k+1k only. It'll be a good deal for tournament players like me.

Metro Special Tourney

Breaking news from The Metro. There will be a 350k guaranteed tournament at the Metro Card Club this Friday, May 22, 2009, 6pm. Buy-in is 2k. 180 players max.

The Ring Finger and Gambling

The Ring Finger is an indication of a person's affinity to ostentation and fame. If the ring finger is longer than the index finger, the person may lean more to wanting ostentation and loves taking risks such as speculation and gambling.

Taken from http://astrospeak.indiatimes.com/articleshow/msid-2029345,flstry-1.cms

I checked my fingers, on both hands, and lo and behold, my ring finger is longer than my index finger. Now only if palmistry could tell me how to win the big money...

Back to Poker...

Today, I broke my Mafia Wars routine and started playing again. I went to Metro to play 25/50 and bought in once for 4k. I cashed out 15k+. Not bad.

But, against my better judgment, I played while drinking beer. Though it paid off, I'd still stand by the general rule that no one should ever play drunk. children, do not try this at home.

Welcome Back Yoko

A couple of days ago, Yoko texted and said she wanted to play poker. We went to the Metro to play the Metro500. We busted out early and we played cash instead. The plays itself were mediocre but the main point is, Yoko's back. Welcome back to the poker community, Yoko!

Is it obvious that I'm running out of things to blog about? Hehehe.

Hellmuth vs Leonidas USPC 2003

Del posted a link to this video from YouTube on PokerManila.

I have to say, this is at the top of my list of the best poker videos I've seen. It's so great, I just have to post it.

Poker Face

I wore a mask during the FHM Poker Night tournament at the Metro. 

Then I got AA and hit my set on the flop. I slow-played and milked as much as I could in that hand. Then the "victim" raised his concern about the mask. He said that it shouldn't be allowed because it doesn't let him see my face. I kept quiet the whole time he was ranting and tilting. Even then, he wasn't able to convince anyone, even TD Bryan. Long story short, my mask was officially announced as legal and that's all anyone had to say about that.

My stand is, it's the same with a mask that Del wears. I just have a little bit more of a disadvantage because it's hot and I have limited peripheral vision.

Nonetheless, the girls seem to like it.

Except the right-most girl. LOL!

Happy Birthday Nick Galan

Happy Birthday to Metro Card Club Boss Nick Galan!

FHM Poker Night - Field Report

I just got home from the FHM Poker Night tournament. The structure was a little fast for my taste. In the middle part of the tournament, most everybody were short-stacked and no one could make a play. But I guess all's well that ends well. I finished 20th out of 160 players earning 4k.

Now it being an FHM and Premiere Condoms sponsored event, there were several girls. But as is the case anytime I play a tournament, I don't notice the people other than those on my table. I'll probably just wait for the pictures to be uploaded.

WSOP 2009

2009 marks the 40th anniversary of the World Series of Poker. WSOP 2009 is scheduled for May 27 to July 15, 2009 at the Rio Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada. The series will be composed of 57 events with the main event being the World Championship No-Limit Texas Hold'em $10,000 buy-in tournament.

Hopefully, the Philippines would have a bigger contingent to this series and maybe, just maybe, a Filipino get fortunate enough and show everyone that we're as good as anyone is.

Daniel Negreanu on X-Men Origins

Daniel Negreanu has a cameo on the upcoming, illegally leaked, X-Men Origins movie.

Open Letter to Joey De Leon

Dear Joey De Leon,

Long before poker became mainstream, I saw a TV show which featured your collection of casino chips or poker chips. I remember that it was a remarkable collection but I can't find any articles about them on the internet.

I would want the chance to feature your collection on this blog. If this letter somehow catches your attention, please feel free leave a comment or email me through oliveross@yahoo.com.

Thank you,

Ross Del Rosario

Final Table Donkey

Most Searched, Denim Ong

I was checking my blog stats and Denim Ong has exceeded other Philippine poker personalities in the number of searches. Previously, Neil Arce's name was leading this metric but Denim Ong has passed Neil.

It's amazing how much this fad has spread. PokerManila peeps, you should be proud.

FHM Sexy Poker Night

On the 25th of April at 2pm, there will be a 200k guaranteed tournament at The Metro sponsored by FHM Philippines and Premiere Condoms. Buy-in is at Php 2,000 + Php 200 with one optional rebuy or add-on. Some FHM celebrities are expected to play the tourney but they haven't released who they are.

Share this blog on Facebook

I've no idea what this does because I don't use Facebook. But since a lot of people use Facebook, you may have some use for this.

Share on Facebook

If you can tell me what it does, please leave a comment.

Daniel Negreanu on Twitter

I seldom read Daniel Negreanu's blog. His articles are often really insightful but they're also long. My short attention span can't keep up. Which is why I like to read his twitter page instead. Here's Daniel on Twitter.

Daniel Negreanu's $10 Challenge

Last January, PokerStars announced that Daniel Negreanu will be aiming for $100,000 starting at just $10. He's looking to reach the goal within a few years. He started at the lowest stakes possible, $0.01/$0.02 but they didn't announce where he is right now.

Which makes me wonder, I know I'm not as good as my friend Daniel is but does it mean that my poker goals should be less ambitious? Good thing about it is that aiming for $100,000 is as ambitious to me as aiming for $1,000. Let me do that first.

More Congratulations...

Fresh from his win of the Denim Ong Cup, Alan Escano places 2nd in the PAGCOR Cup. Special mention to former DJ Lil' Joey, Joey Agustin, who finished 7th in the same tournament.

I'm working on my game again so I wouldn't need to keep posting congratulatory posts on this blog and post about my win for a change.

Denim Ong Cup Results

The results are in. Alan Escano bested 100 players (my guesstimate) and won the whole tournament. Denim Ong won their heads-up (Alan was big underdog in this heads-up because Denim had the crowd's support).

Congratulations to Alan and Denim and The Metro for this very successful event!

Good News and Bad News

I was offline for the whole weekend and the Philippine poker community went on without me. Just in case you haven't heard about them, I have good news and bad news for you all.

Good News

I would've posted this earlier if I had read the email but I didn't receive it. Weird.

Anyway, the PAGCOR Cup will be held this week.

PAGCOR Cup details (from text message)

Apr 1-3

Manila Pavillion Hotel then SMX SM Mall of Asia

Buy-in P30,000 + P3,000

Estimated Prize Pool P2.1 Million

I can't afford to play in any of them, and I have work on those days. Tough.

Bad News

This is straight from glenster's post in PokerManila.

This is to enlighten everyone on exactly what went down at Pocket Ace last Friday. 

100K Garaunteed Tourny

Pool Prize:

100k - 10% service = 90k

Total re-buys and add-ons = 22,500

Total Pool prize = 112,500

This is where all the controversy started and let me enumerate each one.

1)  4 tables left, someone (Not an employee and no longer in the tourny) proposed a payout structure on behalf of the management as follows:

Final 30 players will be garaunteed a 1k satellite ticket for 2009 ASIANGEM 4th PagCor World Charity Poker Tournament. This 30k will be deducted from the pool prize. (are they crazy? announcing something like this during the tourny! too many objections and this was a dead issue from the beggining). Funny thing is, they continued to try to negotiate in including the satellite tickets from 30 to the equivalent of the re-buys and add-ons, which is 22,500k, too many violent reactions.

2)   Final 2 tables, this same person drafted a payout structure to the 20 finalist as follow:

11th to 20th place 2k = 20k

112,500 - 20k = 92,500

1st to 10th will be the standard percentage payout from 92,500. 

Everyone agreed to this, there was no objections. 

3)   When it was down to the final table, a new proposal was drafted and invoked, not proposed to the players by the management.

1st to 20th garaunteed 2k

1st to 10th will be the standard percentage payout from 72,500 

The difference in the 2 payout structures is very minimal which is aside from the main point. A payout structure has already been proposed and agreed upon on. Why change it during the final table? Management states that they did not present the initial proposal and insist on the second one. 

I don't want to mention any names, but one person walked out and did not continue to play and claim the prize. He wants to set an example and make a stand for the poker industry. I admired him for this but all I wanted to do at that time was to finish the tourny, get my money and go home.

I seldom paste posts but this actually got to me. I mean, this is just the worst thing they can do for their business and the poker community in general. I haven't been to that poker room and I don't imagine me wanting to go there. Not that they would lose a lot by losing my business but hey, I have a blog.

Poker in a Mask

I believe that in every poker session there's a lesson to be learned. During the PokerManila MegaFreeroll I wore a face mask hoping to learn what advantage I can gain with it.

Poker players try a lot of ways to disguise their tells. They were hoods, caps, sunglasses, surgical masks, etc. It can even be as simple as covering their mouths with their hands.

During this particular tournament, I learned that people do not pay too much attention if they can't see your face. I felt like a fly on the wall throughout the duration ofthe tournament. It was like I was observing everyone on the table and I can't be seen. It's the same feeling I get when wearing sunglasses, with an added advantage of having a clearer view.

I'd actually recommend wearing a mask except that it's hot as hell.

Denim Ong Cup

First there was the Thalia, then came F4. Now, it's the newest craze to hit the Philippines. Denim Ong is now Philippines' own poker legend. He even has his own website, www.denimong.com. (There's nothing on the site but he has one)

There's also going to be a Denim Ong Cup at The Metro. P100,000 guaranteed tournament. P1,000 + P100 buy-in with 1 rebuy OR 1 add-on. March 28, 2009, 2pm. Winner gets to go heads-up against Denim Ong for an additional P10,000.

Tournament moved to Mar 31, 5pm.

A Message from Del Ty

Here's an email from one of Philippine Poker's most famous personalities, Del Ty. :)

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL, ESPECIALLY THE CHAMPION Mr. (Clark)Kent who proves himself to be the SUPERMAN surviving fire and me to re-assert his position as one of Philippines top players behind my MASTER Neil Arce.

1. Kent del Rosario 3m
2. Dexter Cokehyeng 1.65m
3. Mon Santos - Metro Davao 1m
4. Robert Browning - Bravio Cebu 600k
5. Dana Go Coyuito 500k
6. Erik Fam - Singapore 400k
7. Del TY 300k
8. Rizzie Galan 250k
9. Philip Chua 200k

note all local players are metro regulars. Thank you MetroCard Club - all the owners, officers, dealers, and 
support staff (esp. Mr. Brian Malantic) for presenting the successful PERFECT TEN POKER TOURNEY. Thank you PokerStars and Filipino POKER Tour TEAMs (headed by Mr. Alan Escano) for the photo/video production of this historic event. Thank you POKERMANILA TEAM (esp. 11fingers and pocketjoe) for your pictures and live update. THANK YOU ALL MY CO PARTICIPANTS AND PATIENT AUDIENCES WHO HELP MAKE PHILIPPINE POKER HISTORY.

METROCARD Club the PERFECT place to play poker… with great and awesome ambiance… cool and friendly BEAUTIFUL people.

Lost 100

Poker players get their hands on a lot of money. Like a cash register, they can have thousands of pesos pass through their hands within a week. So, as a perfect incentive there's a promotion from kotsemo.com to find Mary Ivy Viray's lost P100.

It's simple, whoever find a P100 with serial number PE781750 will get a PSP. Well, it's probably not the simplest thing because the promo is going on for more than a month and there aren't any winners. I still feel that there's a scam here somewhere but it hasn't stopped me from checking my P100.

To check the complete details, please go to the Lost Peso website.

Kent Del Rosario wins Perfect 10

I just got word that Kent Del Rosario won the 10 Million guaranteed tournament at the Metro. I don't have any details yet about anything in the tournament except that he won. 

Kent also won an Filipino Poker Tour event. If I remember correctly, it was FPT1. According to the posters, Kent has also won a Philippine Poker Tour event. But I can't remember that one.

Congratulations Kent! You deserve it!

Paradigm Shift

In the past month, I've had more visits from the United States than in the Philippines. Which is surprising because this blog is primarily for the Philippine Poker Community. Aside from a change in where the visitors are coming from, there's also a change in how they get to this blog. Usually, they come from PokerManila but recently, they've been coming from Google.

Weird.

Philip 'Idol' Chua

Here's a story from Day 1A. Idon't have all the details but from what I remember...

Philip Chua raises preflop. UTG calls. Flop was King high with 2 clubs. UTG bets, Philip calls. Turn club. Check, check. River, club. Check, Philip bets, UTG folds. Dealer awards pot to Philip. UTG realizes he had the Ace of Clubs but the hand has been mucked. Too late.

I can't say that the hand was accurate but moral of the story is that Philip made the nuts fold. And you wonder why he's the Idol. He's still part of the last 18 in Day 3 of the Perfect 10. Also in the mix is Amor's better half, Claude, Kent Del Rosario (who I think needs a break from the bad luck that has come his way recently) and Dennis Orcullo (yes, he's the pool player but he holds his own on the poker table as well).

Perfect 10 - Fearless Forecast

The Metro's Perfect 10, 10 Million Guaranteed Tournament will start tomorrow. I'm excited even when I'm not playing.

11Finger of PokerManila started a sort of fantasy prop bet. Those who wish to join the bet will choose 10 players and the prize money won by these players will correspond to the bettor's points. The bettor with the most points wins.

These are my top picks for this tournament. (In alphabetical order)

• Neil Arce aka Dirty Ice Cream
  
• Nicky Filart aka 11Finger
  
• Rinah Garcia
  
• Keshniel of PokerManila (sorry bro, I don't know your name)
  
• Franco Mabanta
  
• Ed Marcelo
  
• Lou Pacia
  
• Sunshine Samson
  
• Nick Schlebek (not sure how to spell your last name bro)
  
• Ronnel Sto Tomas aka Noob
  

I was choosing between Jun Amito and Rinah Garcia but I went with Tita Rinah instead.

Buyer for Perfect 10 Seat

Here's a message from AttyBubba in PokerManila.

Ross,  i'll pass the responsibility to you.  find me a seat for 18K, i'll buy it and let YOU play it.  let's talk terms later...

So, my call out would be to have someone sell me a seat for 18k. If you happen to have a seat available, please text, Donkey[slash][message], and send to 2269, example: "Donkey/Hi Ross I have a seat for you for 18k!" I've tried it using a Globe number, I'm not sure if it works for other networks. Or you can leave a comment on this post.

Card Dead

I played yesterday and I couldn't believe how card dead I was. I didn't think it was possible to play for 5-6 hours and not get a decent hand. I got QQ once then an Ace came on the flop and a King on the turn. All the pots I won during that session were from stone-cold bluffs. They're not even semi-bluffs.

It was just my luck that it was also the same day of the level 2 satellite for the Perfect 10. There went my chance of getting a seat for the main event.

PokerManila MegaFreeroll Pictures

These are pictures from PokerManila, taken by resident photographer deejay4.

This is a photo of my first table. Guess where I am? Clue: I'm the one with the biggest smile.

Photo of the final table. And there's a donkey in it.

PokerManila MegaFreeroll Field Report

The PokerManila MegaFreeroll didn't disappoint. It was as awesome as everyone thought it would be. Maybe the only common feedback given about the event was that it was very, very hard to remember that many names. Apart from not having nametags, everything was great. And it was amusing to see that there were people you talk to through the forums and you also talk to them when you see them at The Metro but you had no idea that they're the same person. I even went to high school with one of the members and I didn't know about it until yesterday.

I actually wished it was a bounty tournament. I probably tookout approx 7 players. Including Maverick who actually did have a P1000 bounty. He had top pair Jack against my overpair KK. I also remember PepeSmith's top pair Jack against my top two pair. It was just too bad that the bounty period was over when PepeSmith, who was one of the few who had bounties, busted out.

And as I hoped, I found my way to the final table. Albeit shortstacked, I still felt that I had a chance to win after doubling up on the 1st (or 2nd) hand dealt at the FT. And after hitting a miracle 2-outer on the river when my AT went against Toybit's 98. All-in preflop, flop 88T, turn 3, river T. I swear that it was the most railed tournament I've ever seen in The Metro.

After that, I was going all in against Saintalbert who was also shortstacked and was trying to survive. We couldn't bust each other out to build our stacks to be able to go against the big stacks, Noob and Toybits. In my last hand, I was BB or SB when Noob raised preflop. I went all in but he only needed to add a very small amount. He had 42o and I was commited with K5o. Blanks on flop and turn. River 4. I finished in 5th place and won a seat to Saturday's level 2 satellite to the Perfect 10.

Noob and Toybits were heads-up and one of them was going to get the seat to the Main Event. These were players we've been playing with since 2005 or 2006 (can't remember). Back when we were playing home games and tournaments on rooftops with lamps or other undisclosed places. The heads-up was great. Both players deserved to win. But in the end, Noob got to take home the Perfect 10 seat. I think he also got a bounty for taking out 11finger (not sure) and also a couple of prop bets.

Congratulations Noob. Congratulations PokerManila for a very successful event. GG everyone.

FPT Airdates

I've seen cameras during Filipino Poker Tour (FPT) events and it's been announced that they're televised. But I've never seen any of FPT events on TV.

If anyone has information about when they were/will be aired, please comment on this post.

Serendipitous

I went to Metrowalk planning to buy a cellphone charger. I lost mine and I needed a replacement. But it's virtually impossible to be in Metrowalk without playing poker. So I sat at the 25/50 table for a few hours. I bought in for P4000 twice. 

In the end, I cashed out P8150. Then I bought a charger for P150. It's like I got a free charger. Well, it was either going to be free or like I bought it for a ridiculous amount if I lost at the tables.

'Swerte sa Sugal; Malas sa Pag-ibig'

This literally translates to 'Lucky in Gambling; Unlucky in Love'. True enough, while I was dateless this Valentine's Day, I went to The Metro and tripled my buy-in.

So, to those who don't have dates this Valentine's, may you all make a killing playing poker. Happy Valentine's Day.

PokerManila MegaFreeroll

PokerManila has been the biggest and most active poker forum in the Philippines. They're also having a big live freeroll on Feb 28, 2009 for members with 2 stars. Winner will get a seat to the Perfect 10 tournament. There will also be seats to satellite tournaments and cash prizes.

I believe there are only a few 2 star members so far, so there's a big chance of making it. And the other 2 star members are not really that good. Hahaha.

Perfect 10 Staker

I have a staker. I'm now $5 closer to playing in the Perfect 10 tournament. Thanks tityBOI.

Again, here's my proposal for stakers.

Neil Arce wins APT Philippines 2009

The news has spread to the whole Philippine poker community. We now have a Filipino champion in an international poker tournament. Neil Arce (Antonio Arce, Dirty Ice Cream) has won the Philippine leg of the Asian Poker Tour 2009 held in Dusit Hotel, Makati City, Philippines, Feb 1, 2009.

This is just the start of how Filipinos will dominate in international poker.

Congratulations Neil!

Neil Arce - APT Philippines 2009

Neil Arce does it again. Here's part of a text message from Alan Escano earlier this morning...

"Our good friend Neil Arce is the only Filipino in the Final Table of the APT! He's in great shape to win the P8.7 MILLION first prize w 377k in chips (3rd out of 9 players)..."

This just shows how much skill is involved in poker. Neil just couldn't be the luckiest person in the Philippines. Then again, perhaps he is, but that's neither here nor there.

The tournament is currently on-going at the Dusit Hotel. I'm dropping-by later to see the action and rail Neil.

The Perfect Proposal

The Perfect 10 guarantees P10 Million. That alone should be more than enough reason to join this tournament. The tournament is slated for March 12-15, 2009 at The Metro. It costs P28,000 to join for a chance to win more than P3 Million.

There are several satellites currently on-going. Sadly I can't join the satellites because of my work schedule. But I will gladly absent myself from work if I get to play in this great tournament.

I have a son now which limits my ability to play as much poker tournaments. Ergo, here is my proposal. I need stakers for me to join the Perfect 10. I need approximately $603. If there are any kind souls out there reading my blog, I would appreciate any contributions you can make. You can transfer any amount to my PokerStars account, abaddon_ross.

Any possible staker would be interested in what's in it for them, so here it is. 

• If I make it to the money, I'll give back the stake amount for each staker and I'll provide a freeroll for all stakers total to half the net profit. 
  
• If I make it to the final table, I'll give back the stake amount 5x and a freeroll for all stakers. 
  
• If I win 1st place, I'll give back the stake amount 10x and freeroll for all stakers.
  

I think that's a good enough incentive for stakers given that anyone can stake even as little as $1. In that case I'd need around 603 stakers total.

I'll post a list of stakers and the stake amount in this post.

tityBOI $5

pocketjoe P3500

Metro Card Club Wiki Entry

Currently, searching Metro Card Club in Wikipedia will only yield an article for things named Metro. And it's only there because I edited it and placed it there. I haven't submitted an actual article for The Metro Card Club mainly because I don't know how to and also because these are based on what I know and may not be completely accurate. But if I were to write one, this is how it would go...

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Metro Card Club

The Metro Card Club (The Metro) is a poker room located in Metrowalk, Pasig City, Philippines. The Metro was open to the public around August of 2007 and was the first legal Philippine poker room to open outside of a casino.

History

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Before The Metro opened, poker in the Philippines was isolated to the poker room inside the Casino Filipino, home games and illegal poker rooms. It was problematic for Filipino poker players as the casino offered too many temptations for gambling, home games were usually for small stakes and illegal poker rooms were vulnerable to raids.

The people behind The Metro were already involved in promoting and building the Philippine poker community since 2005. They had a dream of expanding what was then a small poker community to what it is now.

The Metro had a soft opening early in 2007 and was supposed to open then. But being the first card room outside of the casino, they received their share of public critisism. Philippine elections were also scheduled for May 2007 and it was decided that it would be more prudent to wait until after the elections.

The first Metro location was beside Yoohoo Barbecue in Metrowalk, Pasig City. It had 12 tables in 2 storeys. At the time, the poker room was only open late in the afternoon until early in the morning. Due to the increase in players, there was also a need to eventually operate 24/7. The first poker room was still not able to accomodate all players.

In mid-2008, The Metro moved to a bigger location, still within Metrowalk, Pasig City. The second location is able to accomodate 30 tables.

Personalities

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The Metro has several notable regular players.

Neil Arce - FPT Champion, best finish by a Filipino player in the WSOP 2007 Main Event

Sunshine Samson - Consistent tournament finisher and winner of several tournaments

Derick Hernandez - Best finish by a Filipino player in the APPT Manila 2007 Main Event

Alex Pagulayan - World 9 Ball Champion

John Estrada - Philippine actor

Ross Del Rosario - Blogger for Final Table Donkey

External Links

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The Metro Card Club Official Website

Final Table Donkey blog

Worst Bad Beat Ever

Me in Blue, Villain in Red.

PokerStars Game #24085542309: Tournament #135227204, $1.00+$0.20 Hold'em No Limit - Level I (10/20) - 2009/01/20 3:07:27 ET

Table '135227204 1' 9-max Seat #4 is the button

Seat 1: SmokinAceXIV (1500 in chips) 

Seat 2: DennisC86 (1470 in chips) 

Seat 3: Ricalis (1590 in chips) 

Seat 4: abaddon_ross (1580 in chips) 

Seat 5: 2MsMaverick2 (1700 in chips) 

Seat 6: chiefs12 (1340 in chips) 

Seat 7: ModestZL (1340 in chips) 

Seat 8: meo007 (1500 in chips) 

Seat 9: ska511 (1480 in chips) 

2MsMaverick2: posts small blind 10

chiefs12: posts big blind 20

*** HOLE CARDS ***

Dealt to abaddon_ross [Ah Qh]

ModestZL: raises 20 to 40

meo007: calls 40

ska511: calls 40

SmokinAceXIV: folds 

DennisC86: folds 

Ricalis: calls 40

abaddon_ross: raises 340 to 380

2MsMaverick2: folds 

chiefs12: folds 

ModestZL: folds 

meo007: folds 

ska511: folds 

Ricalis: calls 340

*** FLOP *** [Kd Ts 2s]

Ricalis: bets 20

abaddon_ross: raises 1180 to 1200 and is all-in

Ricalis: calls 1180

*** TURN *** [Kd Ts 2s] [5s]

*** RIVER *** [Kd Ts 2s 5s] [Ks]

*** SHOW DOWN ***

Ricalis: shows [6s 9d] (a flush, King high)

abaddon_ross: shows [Ah Qh] (a pair of Kings)

Ricalis collected 3310 from pot

*** SUMMARY ***

Total pot 3310 | Rake 0 

Board [Kd Ts 2s 5s Ks]

Seat 1: SmokinAceXIV folded before Flop (didn't bet)

Seat 2: DennisC86 folded before Flop (didn't bet)

Seat 3: Ricalis showed [6s 9d] and won (3310) with a flush, King high

Seat 4: abaddon_ross (button) showed [Ah Qh] and lost with a pair of Kings

Seat 5: 2MsMaverick2 (small blind) folded before Flop

Seat 6: chiefs12 (big blind) folded before Flop

Seat 7: ModestZL folded before Flop

Seat 8: meo007 folded before Flop

Seat 9: ska511 folded before Flop

Multi-tabling

One advantage of playing online is that one can play multiple tables at a time. I've never tried playing more than 3 tables at a time and I thought I should give it a try. I played 6 SnG's at the same time and it was very confusing for me. 

There were 2 9-player SnG's, 2 18-player SnG's and 2 27-player SnG's. I busted out early on the 18-player SnG's and the 27-player tables were not that good either. I finished 2nd and 3rd in the single table SnG's. I invested a total of $7.20 to paly these 6 tables and I got back $4.50. I lost $2.70 in this experiment and I don't plan on doing it again. I'll stick with playing a maximum of 3 tables.

More Than Just Poker

The latest addition to the Metro Card Club is just what the place needs to have a little more variation. At the far end of the card club, near the bar and VIP area is a pool table. Just like the old poker room, there's an option to play some pool if the cards aren't going in your favor.

But some people prefer to watch the action in the pool table as some of the Philippines most recognizable pool players are probably playing. Alex Pagulayan has been a Metro regular for some time now as well as another pool player whose name escapes me. I just know him as the guy who always wears a jacket with the number 4 on it. I've seen Django Bustamante in the old Metro location. I haven't seen him in the new one. Today, I saw Efren "Bata" Reyes and Dennis Orcollo. I heard from people that Ronnie Alcano was also there but I didn't see him.

Less skilled pool players don't stand a chance against these pros in the pool table but they do sit on the other tables as well. And in poker, anyone has a chance to win.

Reading People

This article was published in the Philippine Star, January 11, 2009. Please note that the intended readers are non poker players.

From the Poker Table to the Conference Table

Ross Del Rosario

 

We often hear that communication is composed of three parts, what you say, how you say it and body language. Of these three components, the actual words used have the smallest portion in the message being delivered. The pitch of ones voice, intonation and pace when saying the words weigh more in getting the message across. However, body language has a bigger role in communication than the first two combined. And this is a fact that is often applied in the poker table than anywhere else.

Poker players are accomplished liars, at least on the table. It’s foolish to base ones decisions solely on what the opponent said. Seasoned poker players have also learned to sound convincing. Not only do they say they have great cards when they’re bluffing, but they say it in a way that it sounds believable. The caveat is that to the meticulous observer, their body language gives them away. This is what poker players try to look for when playing. There’s a lot of communication going on in the workplace and lessons learned from reading body language are as applicable in there as they are on the poker table.

 

Here are a few things to watch out for when communicating in the office with a superior, colleague, subordinate or customer.

The Head

Tilting the head to the side shows interest. That’s as much as can be said about head tilting.

There’s also lifting and dropping heads. Lifting shows confidence while dropping means the opposite. This is often seen when people greet each other and shows what their mood is at that time. This assumes that the people are about the same height. If they’re not, this doesn’t apply at all.

The Eyes

When excited, the iris dilates (the iris gets smaller). If your boss’ iris dilates after your pitch for a project, then you know you’ve hit the spot. You may just be able to get an increase in the budget for that project.

When people try to remember, their eyes move to your right (assuming that the person is directly in front and not at an angle). When they’re trying to create, their eyes move to your left. If you asked a subordinate where his report is and he answered after looking to your left, he may not be completely truthful and may be making up reasons. He’s trying to reach in his right brain hemisphere where creativity is controlled. A little bit more root-cause analysis may be required.

Closing the eyes, blinking more than usual or rubbing the eye with a finger means the person didn’t like what they saw. Be wary of a person who touches their eye right when you came to view.

Closed eyes combined with a dropped head means the person is sleeping. If he’s your subordinate, wake him up.

The Mouth

Licking lips, biting lips and hiding lips are all signs of hesitance. There’s a good chance that the person displaying any of these behaviors have something to say and may just need a little coaxing. Unconsciously, their mind is trying to tell them to restrain themselves from speaking but it still stands that they have something on their minds. They won’t be effective listeners if their minds are still filled with thoughts.

As with eyes, touching the mouth or covering the mouth means the person said something he knows deep inside he shouldn’t have. It can be a secret or a lie or even as simple as something he really isn’t sure of.

The Ears

Given that the ears don’t move, the only thing that can be said about it is if a person rubs their ears. It often means they don’t agree with what they heard. You may want to rephrase what you said or alter it completely before the receiving end disagrees with you completely.

The Hands

Hands can be seen massaging different parts of their bodies. Hands rub the temples, nape, face, forehead, neck and hands can rub each other. These are signs that the person is in a deep thought. They’re thinking of something important to them that they have to relieve the stress with self-massaging. If your boss is seen massaging himself, it’s not the best time to ask for a raise.

Hands can also be seen with fingers touching each other and pointing up. This means that the person is considering something he’s happy with. If the fingers are interlocked, it doesn’t necessarily mean he’s happy about what’s in his mind. Except if the interlocked fingers are on top of his head and he’s leaning back. That’s a positive sign of approval.

The Posture

People lean forward when they’re interested and lean back when they’re not. Picture a jaded co-worker and they’re probably leaning back on their chairs the whole time. If they’re leaning forward, they’re probably updating their Facebook on their computers.

The Feet

Feet indicate interest. If ones feet point to a person, then they’re interested in that person; if the feet are oriented towards the door, the person wants to go out. Their whole posture can indicate one thing but if their feet say otherwise, it’s safe to listen to the feet. Let’s say two colleagues are talking with each other and their feet are facing each other, then a third person joins the discussion, even if their torsos face the newcomer but their feet stay put, they’re just being polite but the newcomer is not welcome to join them. If you’re the third person, take a hint.

 

In poker, these are called tells and person adept to reading these tells do a whole lot better at the tables. But these tells are not only limited to poker players. The better one is to reading people, the more informed their decisions will be. But all of these tells should be taken in their proper context. One has to analyze them properly to decode what they mean. Practice reading co-workers and you may be steps ahead at the conference table.

Plug

I wrote an article for the Philippine Star about how reading body language in the poker table be applied to workplace scenarios. The newspaper's policies prevent me from writing about poker solely and this is as close I can to poker writing. You also have to excuse the content because it assumes that the reader is not a poker player as they constitute the majority of the readers.

The article will come out on Sunday, January 11, 2009. Philippine Star, business section.

Bacolod Poker Room

I came from The Metro last night and saw General Manager Bryan Malantic. He told me that they have just opened a poker room in Bacolod. So, there's now a poker room in Bacolod. (I don't even know where that is)

Great job Metro.