April 25th, 2011

For some, luck is not immutable or unpredictable. It is both predictable and “influenceable.” These superstitious souls believe not just that they can recognize lucky trends but that they can attract more good luck for themselves and repel bad luck by adhering to certain superstitious behavior.

I am a firm believer in rational thought. The notion that something may supernaturally influence the cards I’m going to be dealt is, to my mind, absurd. Even so, I’m observant enough to notice that others may be superstitious at the poker table. To the extent that I can understand their superstitions, and somehow divine whether my opponent is feeling especially lucky or unlucky, I can exploit them.

Once you master all of the intricacies of poker, only then have you reached the position of attempting Mike Caro’s method of strategic poker advertising.

The style of advertising that Mike applies isn’t necessarily for the faint of heart. Most players initially find it difficult to purposely throw money away, although if it’s going to help them acquire profit in the long run, it doesn’t take very much persuading.

Hobby and I flew to Panama City to meet Mike and the crew on Lazybuns II after it cleared the Panama Canal. Anyone who flies very often has a share of horror stories to tell, but never have I had so many things go wrong on one trip. The details are boring, but the bottom line was that we arrived a day late. Once on the ground at Panama City, Hobby called Mike and learned all was well with Lazybuns. We could take a water taxi and be aboard within an hour.

Have you ever asked yourself: ‘Why do I play poker?” Whether or not we admit it, most play the game for recreation, with the money we win as a measure of success. But there is more to it than that.

In poker, a raise can serve a multitude of purposes. By far the two most common motives for raising are to get more money in, and to drive opponents out. The first is a pretty straightforward proposition. Any time you believe that you have the best of it, whether in the form of the strongest hand or the most promising draw, you want to build up a nice juicy pot. You are raising for value.

The number two incentive for raising is to eliminate opponents. If you’re holding a good-but-not-great hand such as top pair, your odds of victory are still looking iffy, but they increase as your number of opponents decreases. So you’d prefer to push opponents out of the hand sooner rather than later, before they have the chance to make a better hand.

Win your $10,000 WSOP Seat at Sandia. Five seats are up for grabs at Sandia on May 5, 12, 19, 26, and June 2 at 7 p.m. Win your way into the main event through $35 sit n goes or buy your way in for only $150. Sit n goes run every Monday and Wednesday from 4 p.m.-2 a.m. until May 2 with first and second place finishers winning a seat in the main event. Main event players will start with 10,000 in tournament chips and will play 30 minute levels. A minimum of 75 players is required to award a $10,000 seat. There are no alternates, so don’t be late.

William Vo outlasted 454 entrants to capture the opening event at Liz flint’s Spring Poker Classic at the Hustler Casino. Vo, a local Southern California player from Pacific Palisades, outlasted Ronald “Check- Raise Ron” Moore to take first place prize money of $14,000. The tournament series comprises 10 no-limit hold’em events and runs through April 26. Follow our coverage right here in Poker Player Newspaper.

HUSTLER CASINO
LIZ FLYNT’S SPRING CLASSIC
EVENT 3 4/7/11
NO LIMIT HOLD’EM
BUY-IN $125 + $25
PLAYERS 114
REBUYS 76
PRIZE POOL $21,850

1. John Cann . . . . . . . . . $7,000
2. Ahmed Hooshmand . $3,700
3. Kanokvan Somchub . $2,450
4. Jeremy Hamey . . . . . $1,920
5. Chris Light . . . . . . . . $1,600
6. Howard Doerfling . . $1,350

EVENT 2 4/6/11
NO LIMIT HOLD’EM
TURBO

A whopping 843 players registered for the opening circuit event at Harrah’s St. Louis, shattering last year’s record of 675. The two-day event was won by Mark Pearse of Taylorville, IL, who took home $47,096. When play was four-handed, Phil Stelzer ran his As-9h all-in into Hugh Drummond’s pocket kings. Drummond flopped a set to eliminate Stelzer, who took home $15,998.

Mark Pearse sniffed out a bluff when Hugh Drummond moved all-in on a Qh-3d-Qc-3c-Jd board. Pearse pondered, but eventually made the right call with just a king-high. His Kc-5c crippled Drummond, who had T-8. Shortly after, Drummond was all-in with A-J vs. Pearse’s pocket fives. The fives held, eliminating the final table’s once dominating chip leader in stunning fashion. Drummond took home $21,436 in third place prize money.