Sup yall.  Lots been going on!  Lots!  The main thing… I won a tournament!  Yes, finally I have another major title under my belt, winning the Borgata Winter Open earlier this month.  I couldn’t be happier, and I know I’ve had critics and people waiting for me to get back on top and have some big finishes… I know this is just the beginning of a great year.

I consciously made a decision to hit a few more tournament stops this year I hadn’t been to in a while, and that included the Borgata which I hadn’t been to in over a year.  Atlantic City ain’t my favorite spot, but the Borgata is nice. 

I started by playing the 2k heads-up event they ran, and ended up winning four matches but losing two and juuust bubbling the money.  My third match was against none other then Michael Phelps, a buddy of mine I hadn’t seen a while.  His game has definitely been improving as I know he plays a lot online and is always working to get better… it definitely showed in our match and he had me down to 5k to his 35k.. of course I was able to suck out a couple times and come back to win.  I think I tilted him for a while after that one!

The main event was a $3500 buy in, which I feel is the right range of buy in to make big events nowadays because it attracts more players and is good for poker.  This tournament got a healthy 780 players or so, and I was lucky to start quickly right out of the gate, getting some big pairs and making good reads all throughout the first few days.  I won’t get into too much detail but check out my next column in Bluff Magazine where I talk a little bit more about the tournament.

Basically it was a smooth ride to the final table where I actually made one biiig mistake and got lucky… besides that I’m happy with how I played the whole tournament and how I’m playing right now in general.  Although I feel like I’ve been consistent and have had some nice cashes in the last year and a half, this is the kind of finish that you need as a poker player to truly get on the radar of other players especially helps in getting myself back out into the public eye.  Big things to come I hope.

One fun fact I didn’t mention in Bluff was the incredible fact that the player I ended up beating heads-up for the title, Sirious Jamshidi, is the same player who I beat in my first heads-up match in the 2k Heads-up tournament just two days before.  What are the odds of something like that?

Ok, I have more to talk about, including LAPC, Vancouver, and some other shizz..  I’m lazy so I’ll write another blog in about week including the upcoming Bay 101 in all that.  It’s safe to say things have been pretty interesting lately.  I’m not as bored as usual which is good!

Holleratchaboy

 Yo.  Whattup young brethren.  My new year started well, no, I don't mean the NYE kiss, I mean the first stop on the tournament trail for the year, the muthafuggin Bahamas yo.  

This was my 2nd year up in that bitch, and this time around the weather was rather shitty, and unfortunately I was stationed down the beach semi-far from the Atlantis.  I'll blame that on G Smith.  

I cashed last year in 94th in this tournament and I was determined and ready to far exceed that finish.  Things went smoothly for the first few days, and play was as I expected it to be.  Most of my tables were almost entirely sub - 23 year olds and for many of them this was their first professional poker tournament ever.  Its sick how the level of play has really stepped up, 19 year olds now are as good and better then the majority of players were 5 years ago.  It's not even fair to compare, everyone is good now.  So, you have to elevate your game.

This tourney I played solid but hit a rough patch near the money and didnt have a lot of chips.  I was down to about 60k at 2k 4k blinds after bluffing off some chips, and was able to double up with A5 vs. AQ with a 5 on the flop.  Obviously.  Then I doubled up in a small blind vs. big blind situation with A9 vs. QQ, Ace on the turn.  Also Obvious.  Then I reshoved a few times over preflop raises and was able to build to about 450k +.  Then a crazy italian player bluffed in a huge pot when I had a set.  All of a sudden I was at a million chips from 60k, all in the matter of about 1 level of poker!  Sickness.

I was able to ride those chips all the way down to the last few tables.  Play was very strong but not incredible, and I shouldve kept building a sick stack but things didnt go perfectly.  I found myself semi-short and short all through day 4.  Day 5 we came back with 24 players and I could never get anything going.  I eventually busted in 19th with AJ vs. 44 preflop.   Argggh so frustrating!  Its sick because when I tell someone I won 90k and got 19th place, it sounds fantastic to them, and its great and all... but you and I know as poker players that when you get that close to 2.2 million for first, you really want to win!  Or at least get top 4 and make a million!  

But it's ok.  I can tell from how I'm playing that this is gonna be a big year... things just feel better and I'm not making unnecessary mistakes as much, or at all.

Right now I'm depressed in my room after busting out of the WPT main event here in Biloxi, Mississippi.  Its my first trip here, and I'm a little mad Im not still in going into day 2 tomorrow.  I was making a little run and had 50k at 300 600 blinds.  Decided to play an all in pot with A2dd on a Q26dd board.  The pot was raised and 5 handed, and after the flop I decided to check-raise the original raiser, essentially committing to the pot.  I got raised all in and was up against QQ.  Oh well again, I couldve played that slow, but sometimes you make concious decisions to play a hand a certain way... if I win that im cruising.

Next I'll head to Borgata to play a few events.. and then comes LAPC which I'm looking forward to verrrrry  much.  Its my hometown and it's going to be a sick series.  Last year I had a great series there and I expect even more from myself this year.  I have high standards people, I really am after that 7 figure score this year!

Oh and for those who don't know already... me Gavin and Sebok have a last longer bet for the main event of the LAPC.  Last place has to tattoo the other two guy's faces on his body!  2nd place has to get the winner's face as a tattoo.  This is just sick, retarded stuff... and they dragged me into it.  Sebok has been tryin to call it off recently, but I've switched over to saying fuck it, lets do it... I think it might motivate me just as much as a million dollars would ... lol.

Until next time homefries

Forgive me.  What has happened in these past months?  I'll do a step by step.

After Aruba I returned to my lovely abode in Las Vegas.  What now?  A rough outline:

Attended a charity tournament where I was lucky enough to play with the real Captain Morgan.

Defetaed Asian reporter Kristy Arnett in a beer pong prop bet, hilarity ensued.

Played golf and lost money prop betting.

Played in the Bellagio main event  Festa Al Lago.  Things started off well as I made quads vs. Brock Parker's aces, but busted late day 1.

Attended a Steel Panther concert and learned the proper way to demean women.

Got hammered with G. Smith.

Watched two girls make out in the ring at a promotional boxing match.

Played pool and had band practice with "the crew", Joe and Dutch.

Sunday tournaments and football on 4 big screens at Cantu's next door.

More beer pong.

Dressed up as Ken from Street Fighter for Halloween and wandered around Los Angeles, Roothlus was a retarded Cookie Monster.

Played Halo and Modern Warfare

Played golf and lost more money.

Attended a Laker game.  We won, of course.

Attended the Cirque du Soleil on the beach in Santa Monica.  Good but not comparable to Vegas.

Won my first online poker tournament.  On full tilt.  Ship it

Headed to the Hold'em for Heroe's charity tournament in Arizona on a private jet with my buddies Cantu, Layne, Devo, Esfandiari, Pam Brunson. 

Golfed in the charity golf tournament there, was able to beat Erica Schoenberg in a prop bet and make a few good shots to help my team of me Hellmuth, Cantu, and Layne.  I still suck however.

Finished 2^nd in the main charity event to Esfandiari.  Then finished 2^nd in the winner's freeroll tournament for a wsop seat.  Had also finished 2^nd in a small tournament we ran with some of the attending celebrities and pros. 

Rolled around with Layne for his reality show, shooting massive guns at a range and smoking cigars, etc.  The charity event finished with a party at a western themed ranch and we all had a blast trying to ride a fake bull and learning to lasso.  As usual, Hellmuth convinced me to rap throughout the weekend.

Played the Venetian Main Event and ended up cashing in 20^th.  My first cash since an awful World Series. 

Celebrated Thanksgiving in L.A. with the cousins and stuffed my face.

Came back to vegas to play Bellagio's Five Diamond Series, placing 6^th, 13^th, bubbling the 10k HORSE, and then chopping the 1500$ 3 ways for 70k.

Attended strip clubs regularly, including Scott Ian's new bar which is connected to the Crazy Horse 3 strip club.  Convenient.

Got Hammered with L. Flack.

Rapped on my couch, introducing the new guest format.

Saw Avatar in IMAX 3D.

Played NBA2k10 and Fifa 10 at Shecky Greens, my hip-hop advisor and DJ Am's former manager and dear friend.  DJ AM will b missed.

Played the Bellagio Five Diamond main event eventually busting with 22 to E. Lynch's QQ on a Q23Q board.  Cooler.

Purchased a signed Lebron jersey despite being a Laker fan at the Cerebral Palsy charity event at the Hard Rock.  Partied like a champion at the afterparty at Body English and entertained L.A. friends by heading to another strip club. 

Attended the WPT Final table at Bellagio, the first I had watched in a while.  It was dead, I pray for the future of poker in America.  Congrats Alaei.

More golf with Friedberg, more money lost.

Headed to L.A. for the holidays.

Had Drunken Karaoke at the Gas LIte with the Poker2Nite crew.  Afterwards, traveled for hours through Los Angeles with Sebok getting in to trouble.  We journied through about 8 cities in a single night.  I decided on finishing the night in Venice with a tattoo... my first.  Surprisingly, it did not hurt despite being on my ribs and me being very skinny.

Celebrated my sister's Birthday on the 23^rd, then did Christmas on the 24^th as I would be heading with my family up north to San Francisco area for Xmas, my first year away from home for the holiday.

Travelled through wine country and relaxed with family for a few days.

And here I am back in L.A.  The Decade is coming to a close.  I think me and Sebok will be driving up to Vegas tomorrow for NYE.  It's been the best decade of my life... lol! 

This year I will figure out if being single is something I should stick to, I'll finish my poker book like I say every year, I will improve my rapping hopefully, win a bracelet or WPT or both hopefully...  In the end I hope it just goes as well as it can.  It's all love.

Good thing I take pictures every day of my travels!  Maybe I'll just start blogging all my pictures and let them speak for themselves.

Bahamas is on the horizon...