April 2006
Bellagio World Poker Tour Championship
This was a $25,000 event with 605 entries
paying the top 100 finishers and we started with 50,000 in chips allowing me to
play my old style of poker which is tight… the first 2 days of the tournament
was very difficult, I was dealt no higher than a pair of jacks in 2 days, had no
flushes or straights and ended the 2nd day of the tournament with 92,000 chips,
well below the average stack of chips but kept my composure and attacked the
weak players at the table...on the 3rd day 2nd hand of the tournament the cards
started coming and I doubled up with a pair of aces…I knew it was a matter of
time, I just had to outlast the long folding periods that I was faced with the
1st 2 days….patience is definitely the key to tournament play…I continued with
good cards and built my chip stack to 285,000 above the average chip stack
before bluffing off 200,000 chips on one hand…after that it was a matter of time
before I had to make a move and push with weaker hands and busted out….lesson
learned again that I keep forgetting….PROTECT A BIG CHIP STACK…
January 2006
Borgata Winter Open
Played in the $1000 event and came in 23rd place…tried a different style of play
that I was not used to and that was being very aggressive…followed up the next
day with an 8th place finish in the $1500 event using the same aggressive
style…just to prove to myself that you don’t necessarily need good cards to win
a poker tournament…At the $10,000 main event I did not play aggressive in this
tournament but my usual tight and right method…I made it to the 2nd day but
busted out about 85th place….they were only paying the top 60 people in the
tournament…maybe if I mixed up aggressiveness with being tight I would be more
successful at the main event tournaments…I keep coming close but just can’t get
into the money…
December 2005
Bellagio Five Diamond Classic
555 entrants…I did well 1st day and busted out the 2nd day…with a large amount
of chips again, just like the Borgata…in fact same hand I busted out with
K-10…back to the basics…this one hurt the most because I did not win a seat into
the tournament… I need to learn how to protect a big stack.
November 2005
Foxwoods
Went to Foxwoods to watch a friend play in the main event…it was a lot less
stressful watching than playing….and a lot more fun.
WSOP Tournament of Champions
Tournament of Champions in Las Vegas
114 professionals that earned their way into the tournament through a point
system or making final table at the world series main event…3 day tournament and
a $1 million first place prize…my goal was to make it to the 2nd day…I ended up
finishing in 5th place and winning $100,000…not bad considering the best poker
players in the world were in this event.
October 2005
US Poker Championship
US Poker championship in Atlantic City 225 players …I won a seat into this
event as well and made it to the 3rd day but unfortunately I got no cards and
slowly was blinded out. One of the toughest fields I ever played because so many
pro’s per table…more tough than WSOP and Borgata…or at least it seemed that way.
September 2005
Borgata Open
My 1st tournament after my success at the WSOP was the Borgata Open in Atlantic City…over 450 entrants….won my seat into event through
a satellite event and made it to the 3rd day and came in 50th place just 5 from
the money…..had over $250,000 in chips at that time and got involved in a hand I
could not get away from….just another learning experience…it’s only a small
mistake not to call a raise...the good thing was that I gave my chips to Al
Ardelbi who won the tournament. I was very impressed with my poker playing
and know that I can do well in tournaments.
July 2005
2005 World Series of Poker
I was having a few beers with my golf buddy Jerry Ditzel after a very hot and
humid day of playing golf when I told him I was going to enter the main event at
the World Series of Poker (WSOP). I then asked Jerry if he wanted to be a
partner in my adventure and he said sure why not. So, after splitting the entry fee
of $10,000 with my buddy Jerry, and 7 days of continuously playing poker, I came in second in the 2005
World Series of Poker. My finish earned me $4.25 million which I split with
Jerry. Imagine that, going from fourth place in my home game to second place in
the WSOP. I still can't believe it! Each day I wake up I have to pinch
myself to make sure it is not a dream.