Archives for December 2006
Before The Ball DropsPosted: Sunday, December 31 2006 2:34:03
By: Gene Bromberg
As 2006 draws to a close (it's already been 2007 in Australia for hours, which seems really strange) you still have plenty of time to join in on the fun here at [...]
The Ultimate Satellite
Posted: Saturday, December 30 2006 5:07:59
By: Gene Bromberg
This may be a bit outside your bankroll's comfort zone, but tonight UltimateBet is hosting another of our [...]
Player Appreciation Weekend!
Posted: Friday, December 29 2006 1:36:46
By: Gene Bromberg
We're down to the last three days of 2006, and to celebrate UltimateBet is hosting our [...]
Who Said Nothing in Life is Guaranteed?
Posted: Thursday, December 28 2006 6:59:15
By: Gene Bromberg
If you look over the tournament listings at UltimateBet you'll see the word "guaranteed" a lot. No matter the size of your bankroll, you [...]
The Lull Between The Storms
Posted: Wednesday, December 27 2006 4:31:28
By: Gene Bromberg
The week between Christmas and New Year's is something of a holiday netherworld. You've just survived all that shopping and eating and exhausting merriment, and waiting in the very near future is a [...]
I Bet You
Posted: Tuesday, December 26 2006 3:33:26
By: Gene Bromberg
Reality shows are all the rage these days and televised poker certainly falls into that category. It's unscripted, you don't know [...]
Santa Comes Early
Posted: Monday, December 25 2006 10:01:21
By: Gene Bromberg
We had 624 poker players last night who took time away from caroling to play in last night's [...]
Enough With That Good Will Toward Men Stuff
Posted: Sunday, December 24 2006 4:13:49
By: Gene Bromberg
Because it's clobbering time. We're less than an hour away from the start of UltimateBet's [...]
Poker on Christmas Eve Eve
Posted: Saturday, December 23 2006 4:45:42
By: Gene Bromberg
Tonight would be a good night to avoid the malls, yes? Hopefully all your shopping is done with and you can relax and actually enjoy the next two days. And if you're looking for a little [...]
An Early Present
Posted: Saturday, December 23 2006 4:23:06
By: Gene Bromberg
If you're looking to get a last-second present for that special someone (namely you) UltimateBet has a gift any [...]
Earning Your Black Belt
Posted: Friday, December 22 2006 9:07:51
By: Gene Bromberg
As I wrote in the previous post, there are numerous ways these days to improve your poker play. You can read a book, watch a DVD, [...]
Optimal Study Conditions
Posted: Friday, December 22 2006 4:02:33
By: Gene Bromberg
Every successful poker player takes their own unique route to competency and beyond. Experience is essential, of course, but many [...]
'Twas The Night Before Christmas...
Posted: Thursday, December 21 2006 11:33:34
By: Gene Bromberg
Well, 'twisn't the Night Before Christmas just yet, but before the dance of the sugarplum fairies gets into full swing you'll have one last chance to enjoy the true meaning of Christmas. Which, of [...]
All Sorts of Action
Posted: Wednesday, December 20 2006 6:27:29
By: Gene Bromberg
Just a quick reminder that there are tournaments tonight at UltimateBet sure to satisfy regardless of your bankroll. A quick summary of the [...]
You Call THAT A World Record?
Posted: Wednesday, December 20 2006 4:16:03
By: Gene Bromberg
The [...]
There's A Price On Your Head
Posted: Tuesday, December 19 2006 4:27:26
By: Gene Bromberg
I believe it was T.J. Cloutier who once said that he didn't care if he didn't knock a single person out of a poker tournament--so [...]
What's In A Name?
Posted: Monday, December 18 2006 1:37:58
By: Gene Bromberg
I have several friends who are Minnesota Vikings fans, and if I asked them how Brad Johnson played today I'd likely hear a long series of expletives followed by them slamming down the phone. Which [...]
Our Final Table
Posted: Sunday, December 17 2006 11:36:16
By: Gene Bromberg
It took about 6 hours to winnow our field of 957 down to ten, and here are the players still chasing the $45,000 first prize:
[...]
Nearly a Thousand Strong
Posted: Sunday, December 17 2006 6:00:11
By: Gene Bromberg
Last Sunday we had 1400 players in the $1 million Main Even of the UltimateBet Online Championship, and it looks like lots of folks like [...]
The Beat Goes On
Posted: Sunday, December 17 2006 2:19:33
By: Gene Bromberg
Just because the UltimateBet Online Championship is over doesn't mean the end of big [...]
The WSOP On a Budget
Posted: Saturday, December 16 2006 6:49:13
By: Gene Bromberg
Are you one of the world's finest poker players but don't have the bankroll to back it up? Fear not! Tonight at [...]
A Few Quibbles With Casino Royale
Posted: Friday, December 15 2006 6:15:46
By: Gene Bromberg
If you haven't seen Casino Royale yet I heartily recommend it. It's a welcome departure from the gimmick-driven Bond films of the last decade or so and [...]
My Morning Commute
Posted: Thursday, December 14 2006 5:06:13
By: Gene Bromberg
The broadcast of the UltimateBet Aruba Poker Classic airs again on GSN tonight at 10PM, so this time I've given you some advance notice. One thing [...] If you play poker and expect every hand to precisely follow the percentages, you probably aren't going to stick with the game [...]
No Lead Is Ever Big Enough
Posted: Wednesday, December 13 2006 8:29:52
By: Gene Bromberg
Imagine that you're heads-up in a poker tournament after six hours of hard work. And you've got the game well in [...]
I Failed You Again
Posted: Tuesday, December 12 2006 12:38:36
By: Gene Bromberg
I forgot to remind you that GSN's broadcast of the Aruba Poker Classic was airing at midnight tonight. I stand abashed.
BUT. GSN will air the Aruba Poker Classic again on [...]
Back to the Future
Posted: Monday, December 11 2006 1:21:02
By: Gene Bromberg
During last night's broadcast of the UltimateBet Online Championship Main Event final table Nick Gaber asked Phil [...]
And Our Champion Is...
Posted: Monday, December 11 2006 2:45:17
By: Gene Bromberg
It took nearly ten and a half hours of poker to determine the champion of the Main Event of the [...]
Our Main Event Final Table
Posted: Monday, December 11 2006 12:00:14
By: Gene Bromberg
It took nearly nine hours, but the final table of the UltimateBet Online Championship is now set:
[...]
Now HERE'S a Good Question
Posted: Sunday, December 10 2006 11:25:02
By: Gene Bromberg
Someone just called in (a friend rps5000) and asked Phil when the Heads-Up match between Phil and his buddy will take place. And to that excellent question Phil gave an honest answer, "I have no [...]
Even More Funnies
Posted: Sunday, December 10 2006 11:14:43
By: Gene Bromberg
Someone just asked in chat, "Hey Phil, what's your strategy with a short-stack?" You could write a book on that subject (well, maybe a chapter of a book) and Phil's expected to give an [...]
More Funnies
Posted: Sunday, December 10 2006 11:06:18
By: Gene Bromberg
I'm also amused by all the observers watching the action challenging Phil to heads-up matches and triple-draw games and whatnot. This manner of anonymous braggadocio is pretty much [...]
Forgive Me...
Posted: Sunday, December 10 2006 10:48:58
By: Gene Bromberg
I know this is immature and all that, but I get a kick out of hearing Phil Hellmuth talking to Nick Gaber about, oh, new events in the [...]
Phil On The Air
Posted: Sunday, December 10 2006 9:57:36
By: Gene Bromberg
Just a reminder that Phil Hellmuth is calling the Final Event action tonight, and is actually on the air right now. If you want to listen in, go here and click the big red [...]
It Ain't Over Till It's Over...and It's Over
Posted: Sunday, December 10 2006 7:16:24
By: Gene Bromberg
When we started today's UltimateBet Online Championship Main Event there were only 5 players who still had a chance [...]
Big Field, Big Money
Posted: Sunday, December 10 2006 4:22:40
By: Gene Bromberg
It's a bit odd how many times we've ended up with a nice, round number of poker players for the ten [...]
The Countdown (and Countup) Begins
Posted: Sunday, December 10 2006 2:05:00
By: Gene Bromberg
We're just an hour away from the start of the Main Event of the UltimateBet Online Championship. That's right, we [...]
The Chips Go In
Posted: Sunday, December 10 2006 2:30:29
By: Gene Bromberg
Once we reached the final table the remaining players had roughly similar chip stacks. No one had enough chips to endure one bad hand without being crippled or eliminated outright.
It's a [...]
We ALL Make Mistakes
Posted: Sunday, December 10 2006 1:09:36
By: Gene Bromberg
For those of you who have tried H.O.R.S.E and, um, forgotten which game you were supposed to be playing, fear not! Annie Duke just [...]
Our Final Table
Posted: Sunday, December 10 2006 12:57:38
By: Gene Bromberg
We only have room for eight players at tonight's H.O.R.S.E final table, and with the blinds at $8000-16000 and a $1500 ante, most of [...]
Some Last-Day Drama?
Posted: Saturday, December 09 2006 11:32:20
By: Gene Bromberg
There was the very real possibility that we'd know the identity of our Perfect 10 Champ after tonight's tournament. Over the first eight events rps5000 built up such a big lead that unless someone in [...]
Nice Paydays Tonight
Posted: Saturday, December 09 2006 9:25:50
By: Gene Bromberg
Because UltimateBet guaranteed a $100,000 prize pool for tonight's H.O.R.S.E event, the 288 [...]
Annie Duke on the Air
Posted: Saturday, December 09 2006 8:45:20
By: Gene Bromberg
Do not, do not, do not forget that Annie Duke will be joining Nick Gaber as the commentators for tonight's [...]
The Winds of Change
Posted: Saturday, December 09 2006 6:42:22
By: Gene Bromberg
It's universally agreed that the poker boom is in large part thanks to Chris Moneymaker winning the World Series of Poker main [...]
The Long Road Back Hits a Dead End
Posted: Saturday, December 09 2006 3:44:57
By: Gene Bromberg
One thing you notice when you play tournament poker is that, until you have ALL the chips, no stack is ever big enough. During [...]
Our Final Table
Posted: Saturday, December 09 2006 2:06:11
By: Gene Bromberg
Throughout the UBOC one player who always arrived with a big cheering section was Annette_15, who is one of the top online players around and who also cashed in this year's Aruba Poker Classic. Her [...]
The Chattering Class
Posted: Saturday, December 09 2006 1:52:56
By: Gene Bromberg
As I've spent, oh, 40 hours following the action during various UBOC events, I've developed a few general theories about the folks who railbird the action. These are just theories, mind you, I don't [...]
A Tiny Taste of Aruba
Posted: Saturday, December 09 2006 12:04:05
By: Gene Bromberg
In case you didn't see the broadcast of the UltimateBet Aruba Poker Classic which was on GSN tonight (it's on again Tuesday at [...]
Darn It!
Posted: Friday, December 08 2006 11:46:30
By: Gene Bromberg
As I wrote in the previous post, there are numerous ways these days to improve your poker play. You can read a book, watch a DVD, [...]
Tonight's Field, Tonight's Prize Pool
Posted: Friday, December 08 2006 9:09:12
By: Gene Bromberg
Another big field for Event #8 of the UltimateBet Online Championship, as 789 [...]
Time To Warm Up?
Posted: Friday, December 08 2006 8:18:11
By: Gene Bromberg
Rarely is anything certain in poker, and with three events to go anything COULD happen, but by making yet another final table last [...]
Because, Y'Know, They Both Wear Black...
Posted: Friday, December 08 2006 7:08:17
By: Gene Bromberg
I read an article over at PokerNews.com that says Hayden Christensen is set to portray [...]
It Ain't Over Till It's Over
Posted: Friday, December 08 2006 2:55:09
By: Gene Bromberg
One of the best-known poker maxims is that, to win, all you need is a "chip and a chair". In last night's Pot-Limit Omaha [...]
The Final Table
Posted: Friday, December 08 2006 1:05:47
By: Gene Bromberg
It took us a long, long time to get past the bubble, but once we got down to 20 everyone decided NOW was the time to gamble. We lost 7 players in about 15 minutes, and we're now down to our final [...]
Coming Into Focus
Posted: Friday, December 08 2006 12:35:27
By: Gene Bromberg
After tonight's poker tournament we may have a pretty good idea who is going to our Perfect 10 Champ and play Phil [...]
Told You So
Posted: Thursday, December 07 2006 9:27:28
By: Gene Bromberg
The first hour of tonight's Pot-Limit Omaha (with rebuys) poker tournament was as wild and wooly as most rebuy [...]
Hang On Tight
Posted: Thursday, December 07 2006 6:07:16
By: Gene Bromberg
The game we're playing tonight in the UltimateBet Online Championships is Pot-Limit Omaha. OK, no biggie, there's [...]
The Lofty Heights
Posted: Thursday, December 07 2006 1:11:59
By: Gene Bromberg
The UBOC Leaderboard has been updated and there's a new name right near the top. Thanks to a deep run in last [...]
It's A Cruel Game
Posted: Thursday, December 07 2006 3:37:44
By: Gene Bromberg
A few of the tournaments we've seen so far have developed a personality all their own. Most were just your typical exhibitions of [...]
Yup, That's Sick
Posted: Thursday, December 07 2006 2:11:43
By: Gene Bromberg
The first hand of the final table our chip leader CP_MagiciaN picked up pocket kings. He and T LaZeR got all the chips in before the flop. If you don't know what hand T LaZeR was holding, just click [...]
Our Final Table
Posted: Thursday, December 07 2006 2:02:28
By: Gene Bromberg
Five and a half hours later, we have our final table:;)
Mouth, Meet Soap
Posted: Thursday, December 07 2006 1:28:29
By: Gene Bromberg
There's lots of testy chat tonight, though it seems to be coming from observers watching the last three tables, not the players themselves. [...]
Scratching the Itch
Posted: Thursday, December 07 2006 12:52:11
By: Gene Bromberg
So the last few days I've been watching a lot of poker. Watching [...]
JohnnyBax Goes Out 126th
Posted: Thursday, December 07 2006 12:35:02
By: Gene Bromberg
One of the best players in the world made his first appearance at the UBOC tonight. Cliff Josephy, better known to the online world as JohnnyBax, played in tonight's event but went out in 126th [...]
Nice Crowd Tonight
Posted: Wednesday, December 06 2006 10:00:19
By: Gene Bromberg
For a Wednesday night things are hopping at UltimateBet tonight. Event #6 of the [...]
Sweet Hold-Em
Posted: Wednesday, December 06 2006 7:51:59
By: Gene Bromberg
No Omaha tonight, no high-low tonight. Just good 'ol No-Limit Hold-Em, the Cadillac of Poker. Ahh. We're fifteen minutes from liftoff, so if you haven't signed up yet...go!
[...]
A War of Attrition
Posted: Wednesday, December 06 2006 3:28:28
By: Gene Bromberg
During his broadcast tonight Nick Gaber said this about your successful Omaha Hi-Lo player--"Your mind needs to be an abacus of elite proportions". This is a complicated game, a frustrating game, but [...]
Our Final Table
Posted: Wednesday, December 06 2006 1:30:42
By: Gene Bromberg
The action is fast, furious, frantic, frenetic...I get alliterative when I get sleepy.
And here's our final table!
[...]
Making Things Right
Posted: Wednesday, December 06 2006 1:08:49
By: Gene Bromberg
As I've been following the play tonight I've noticed that quite a few players were complaining about the structure. I didn't know exactly what the issue was until just now, when Shawn Rice explained [...]
Which Way Did He Go???
Posted: Wednesday, December 06 2006 12:06:00
By: Gene Bromberg
Let me go on record here--it is very hard to watch an all-in Omaha 8/b hand and figure out who the heck just won. Each player turns over four cards, there's the flop-turn-river, and suddenly chips [...]
Show Me The Money
Posted: Tuesday, December 05 2006 9:14:44
By: Gene Bromberg
I can't believe I used that ghastly catchphrase as the title to a post. I nearly walked out of Jerry Maguire. The first ten minutes just infuriated me. But I [...]
The Top Ten...So Far
Posted: Tuesday, December 05 2006 7:42:30
By: Gene Bromberg
In case you didn't know, the poker player who has the best overall performance during the [...]
One Bet, Two Bet, Three Bet, Four Bet
Posted: Tuesday, December 05 2006 2:41:03
By: Gene Bromberg
If we may describe no-limit hold-em as two brawlers exchanging haymakers, then we might say that limit hold-em is a battle between two skilled pugilists trading precisely-weighted jabs. There are no [...]
We Have Our Final Ten
Posted: Tuesday, December 05 2006 12:52:09
By: Gene Bromberg
We have our final tablers, and these are the fortunate ten:
All Around Me Are Familiar Faces...
Posted: Tuesday, December 05 2006 12:13:25
By: Gene Bromberg
Four days into the UltimateBet Online Challenge and we start to see the same names atop the leaderboards. [...]
Nice Round Numbers
Posted: Monday, December 04 2006 8:46:59
By: Gene Bromberg
The field for tonight's Limit Hold-Em UBOC event stands at an even-steven 400 [...]
Light The Bunsen Burners
Posted: Monday, December 04 2006 7:05:32
By: Gene Bromberg
The name of the game for tonight's UBOC event is Limit Hold-Em, which isn't seen much on the tournament [...]
Sometime's There's No Justice
Posted: Monday, December 04 2006 3:27:39
By: Gene Bromberg
Our Final Table
Posted: Sunday, December 03 2006 11:55:52
By: Gene Bromberg
Here are the hardy souls who reached tonight's final table:
Did I Say Suckout?
Posted: Sunday, December 03 2006 11:46:04
By: Gene Bromberg
How about this hand?
Chip leader belOwabOve has kings. adanthar1 has jacks. All the money goes in.
The flop?
K-J-J.
So very sick.
[...]
Suckout City
Posted: Sunday, December 03 2006 11:41:18
By: Gene Bromberg
Play enough online poker and you'll run into players who are CONVINCED the site is rigged against them. No matter that the offended [...]
John Vorhaus In the House
Posted: Sunday, December 03 2006 9:47:35
By: Gene Bromberg
Four and a half hours later we're down to 76 players, and that means we're getting close to another round of expert [...]
The Tale of the Tape
Posted: Sunday, December 03 2006 6:52:36
By: Gene Bromberg
As I said before, this is a biggie. We have 1,341 poker players vying for tonight's UBOC title, and that lucky player is going to [...]
This Is A Biggie
Posted: Sunday, December 03 2006 4:44:59
By: Gene Bromberg
The first two events of the UltimateBet Online Championship kicked off at 8PM, but in case you didn't memorize the [...]
Bang Bang
Posted: Sunday, December 03 2006 1:54:03
By: Gene Bromberg
I hate to spoil all the drama, but we have a winner of tonight's Pot-Limit tournament! How about I tell you who won and go backwards from there?
Tonight's champion is longhorn757, who [...]
Rapid Fire
Posted: Sunday, December 03 2006 1:34:44
By: Gene Bromberg
I hate to spoil all the drama, but we have a winner of tonight's Pot-Limit tournament! How about I tell you who won and go backwards from there?
Tonight's champion is longhorn757, [...]
Another Final Table Set
Posted: Sunday, December 03 2006 12:31:32
By: Gene Bromberg
And we are down to the final ten players in tonight's Pot-Limit Omaha tournament. And it looks like this:
[...]
Four Legs Not Always Good
Posted: Saturday, December 02 2006 11:50:57
By: Gene Bromberg
Listening to the broadcast, P0kerH0 said that while his cat likes to crawl on him and lie down on him, that isn't [...]
Counting Down
Posted: Saturday, December 02 2006 10:32:08
By: Gene Bromberg
We have 60 players remaining, and as we march toward the final table I'd like to remind everyone that you can watch and listen to coverage of the [...]
Four Cards Good, Two Cards Bad
Posted: Saturday, December 02 2006 8:52:45
By: Gene Bromberg
Event #2 of the UltimateBet Online Championship is underway, with 279 players vying for this Pot-Limit Omaha title. [...]
Recalibration Time
Posted: Saturday, December 02 2006 3:49:00
By: Gene Bromberg
A big reason why the poker scene has boomed over the last few years is it's popularity on television. Millions of people have [...]
And The Winner Is...
Posted: Saturday, December 02 2006 3:17:01
By: Gene Bromberg
I said the heads-up battle wouldn't take long, and for a change I was right. The winner of the first event of the UltimateBet Online [...]
And Then There Were Two...
Posted: Saturday, December 02 2006 2:52:39
By: Gene Bromberg
No sooner do I post that we're down to our final five when we lose three poker players to reach heads-up. A quick re-cap:
[...]
Fast and Furious
Posted: Saturday, December 02 2006 2:33:04
By: Gene Bromberg
After a relatively quiet start to the final table we've lost a number of poker players in quick succession, so quick that I could [...]
Here's The Final Table
Posted: Saturday, December 02 2006 1:35:43
By: Gene Bromberg
After about five and a half hours of play, we have our first final table of the UBOC. And here's what it looks like:
[...]
Wired For Sound
Posted: Saturday, December 02 2006 12:35:27
By: Gene Bromberg
We're down to 38 players...and the live coverage has begun over at Bluff Radio. Click this link to log on and [...]
The Bubble Approacheth...Really Fast
Posted: Friday, December 01 2006 11:40:58
By: Gene Bromberg
We're down to 99 poker players, the blinds are 400-800 with a 100 ante, and with 70 players making the money you'd think the action [...]
The Just Rewards
Posted: Friday, December 01 2006 9:23:09
By: Gene Bromberg
We've reached the first break and the field has been winnowed down to 515. Our chipleader is "pignuts", and while it may be a bit early to start thinking about the money, it's hard not to, [...]
Not Even Close
Posted: Friday, December 01 2006 8:53:40
By: Gene Bromberg
We have an official field of 650 players for Event #1 of the UltimateBet Online Championship. I'm happy to report that, as expected, I was [...]
Broadcast Central
Posted: Friday, December 01 2006 8:02:37
By: Gene Bromberg
The final two tables of tonight's poker tournament will feature the live commentary I mentioned a few posts ago, [...]
Tick-Tock, Tick-Tock
Posted: Friday, December 01 2006 7:36:58
By: Gene Bromberg
Thirty minutes until Event #1 of the UBOC starts and the number of entries is steadily ticking upwards. At this precise moment it stands at 370...no, 372. No, 376. Maybe "steadily" isn't quite the [...]
Listen and Learn
Posted: Friday, December 01 2006 11:38:21
By: Gene Bromberg
If for some reason you aren't able to play in one of the UBOC events over the next ten days (a doctor's excuse [...]
