Royal Poker Blog

It looks like the Dozer will not be making the Vegas trip. He's going to be stuck in Texas giving a presentation for his boss. Sorry my friend. We'll try not to call and rub it in while we're there....riggggggggggggght.

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A.I recently returned from a trip to China and he picked up this Japanese Liquor for me. Overall it's pretty tasty. Similar to some of the plum wine I've tried except not quite as sweet.



Choya from A.I.
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G-Rob's Quiz:

1. What blogger would you most like to have a drink with?

Derek: We always seem to be sitting together at some point in the WPBT events. As such I have several scores to settle with him. :)

2. What blogger, besides Al, would you most like to have a drink with?

Okay, Al would be good too.

3. What blogger would you most like to talk poker with?

Otis, he seems like a solid player and his new gig should have some great stories.

4. What blogger would you most like to talk to about the written word?

Pauly or Grubby

5. What single Vegas-trip event has you the most excited?

Being on the rail (or less likely playing in) for Event #2

6. Will Otis fall down? (This, by the way, is the oldest time honored quiz question)

I'm sure I will at some point.

7. Who would be able to out arm wrestle Bad Blood?

?

8. Which blogger most resembles Patrick Swazee?

G-Rob maybe?

9. Which blogger is the tallest?

Maybe Hank?

10. Which blogger would middle America find the most shocking?

Pauly

11. How many Taco Bell tacos can you eat?

Probably ~10, but I have no intention of trying.

12. How many can I eat?

12

"...everyone at my table keeps playing 27..."

-HyperFrog (otherwise known as Lil' Feller) during the Noble Poker WSOP Qualifier

I tried to warn him of the hammer lunacy, but I guess you just have to experience it to understand. I want to give a special thank you to HyperFrog, LisaLisa, and Dozer for playing in the last two WSOP qualifiers. LisaLisa was actually chip leader a decent ways into the last tournament before her world fell apart. They will all be in Vegas in only 12 days!

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Wednesday I'm watching HyperFrog play in his Step 4 (of 7) WSOP Main Event SnG on the Prima network. He needs to place top 2 to move on to the next step. Third place gets to repeat step 4. The table gets down to 4 players and everyone has roughly $2000 - $3000 in chips with blinds at around $100/$200. Then the following hand occurs:

Player 1 in late position raises to $600.
Mr. Chump in a blind calls.

Flop is a scary 8KK

Chump checks and Player 1 bets around $800. Chump thinks and calls. I comment to Mrs. Royal that I think Chump is likely on a pocket pair and is hoping it's good.

Turn is a J and there is now a flush draw - but it might have been on the flop too.

Check, bet, call again. Now I comment to Mrs. Royal that Chump either has a monster or is an idiot. Notice how I've dubbed him Mr. Chump? I'm sure at this point you can figure out which of the two choices is correct...

River is an A - no flush

Board is: 88KJA

Check, bet, FOLD.

At this point Mr. Chump has $500 in chips and goes out about two hands later.

If you're still reading this you probably want to know why I bothered to post this. You've seen this kind of poor play all the time online. Well then faithful reader what do you think happened next?

Right, Mr. Chump starts to bitch from the rail. His comments directed mostly to player 1 are about how lucky he was to catch that A on the river. I'm sitting there trying to figure out what hand he could have had with a board of 88KJ and an A on the river would have screwed him? Maybe KJ but then how do you fold a $6000 pot for a $500 bet in that case? His story just didn't add up. So I did something very un-Royal-like. I called him on it.

Royal: Chump, you should have folded that 44 on the flop.

Chump: 44? lol. I had a HUGE hand!

Royal: lol. A HUGE hand with that board and you were scared of a river A.

Chump: I had TJs and a flush draw.

Royal: Nice HUGE hand. I take it you bought your way into this event because there is no way you won your way in.

Chump: Actually I did win my way in and Big talking from a fish on the rail.

Royal: Says the guy who thinks TJs is a HUGE hand with a board of 88KJ. If your hand was so HUGE then how about the raise button? You move in on the flop and I'd give you some respect.

Chump: Lets play heads up. I'd love to take your money.

Royal: Stakes?

Chump: Whatever, but I doubt you have much of a bankroll anyway.

Royal: Actually I don't keep money on Prima. Do you have an account anywhere else?

Chump: Pokerroom

So we proceed to Pokerroom. I setup a private 2 player $400 max NL game with $2/$4 blinds. He wasn't as bad as the one hand would indicate. He appeared pissed off and played like a preflop maniac. However he couldn't keep the aggression post flop and he was no match. He stole a lot more blinds than I did, but virtually every decent pot slid my way.

We get about 20 min of action in when Mrs. Royal needs me to do something. Of course I'm blasted with hit-and-run comments when I inform Mr. Chump that I need to go soon. The final tally in 20 min was Royal +$254.

Maybe I should skip the bonus whoring and just try to make idiots challenge me to heads-up games?

...and Hyper made top 2 and gets to move to step 5. Nice work my friend!
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Site: PokerRoom
Bonus: 15% Reload up to $150
Code: DUDE
Deadline: Now - May 25th
Requirement: 7x raked hands
Expiration: 60 days from deposit

Site: Party Poker
Bonus: 20% Reload up to $100
Code: BONUSMAY
Deadline: Now - May 25th
Requirement: 7x raked hands
Expiration: 7 days from deposit

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I really enjoy the Pokerroom bonuses because you have 60 days to clear them and, as Grubby has mentioned, you can play off the bonus on their blackjack tables too. Normally I'll clear these bonuses with mostly poker and a touch of blackjack when I want a quick fix.

This week it was a bit different. I still had about half the April bonus to clear when the previously mentioned heads-up encounter took place. With an extra couple hundred in the bankroll thanks to Mr. Chump it felt like BJ time.

To make a long story short the deck hit me in the face over and over...for the next 3 days. I re-loaded for the May bonus and the streak continued. When the dust had settled last night my heads-up winnings, bonuses and BJ profit was enough to enter WSOP Event #2 - TWICE and still have enough change to buy Al a couple bottles of Soco everyday we're in Vegas!

At one point in the middle of the run I'm sitting at a table with LisaLisa and I'm +$400 on the session. I let her know I plan to quit once I get down to +$300 and then I comically add or if I get to +$1000 :) The later comic relief is what comes true.

So now I'm back contemplating just paying the entry fee for Event #2. As I mentioned a few months ago it's been a fantastic poker year for me. There has not been a better time in my five years of playing online poker to enter this event. I had promised myself that if I won $1500 in a single tournament I would use that money to enter Event #2. I've had two large scores since that time, but neither met the $1500 requirement.

On the other hand I have to think all my luck for the next few years was maybe just compressed into the last four days.

Check back in May 2007 and I'll let you know.

The final qualifier starts in 30 minutes. It looks like the Midlanders will be out in force for this one. Good luck to everyone - especially Trog and Lisa Lisa!

Once again see Iggy for all the details.

...and for those of you curious types I placed low 50s out of 81 in the last qualifier. Saw very few hands and played the hands I did see poorly! Otis delivered my death blow.

Tonight's tournament is a double your pleasure special! It's event #4 in the 2005 WPBT and a qualifier for WSOP Event #2.

This one is worth winning!

Check out Iggy's site for all the details.

The tickets are purchased
The rooms are booked
The qualifiers have begun
The WPBT ferver is starting to build

Congratulations to Bob and Russel for winning the first two WPBT WSOP qualifiers.

I'm still on the fence about entering the WSOP Event #2. Of Course I'll play if I qualify. If not I'll probably stick on the rail. I just can't justify dropping $1500 to enter an event unless I'm in top shape. With a late flight Thursday night and no chance of going straight to bed I will not be in top shape. :)

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Last night was the first softball game of the season...modified league on Tuesday nights. We played horrible defense and lost.

I get home from the game and fire up PokerNow to work off a few of those 1900 hands I need by Sunday (though it looks like they may have bumped it back a month). I'm instantly logged into the $5,000 freeroll that I signed up for last weekend. Amazingly I still have half my chips left. I hop in on the BB, catch second pair, and move in on the flop. Of course I'm behind top pair, but two runners later and my 2 makes the flush.

I never look back and make the money for a modest $30 win. It's nothing to write mom about, but I'll take extra pure profit while I'm three-tabling a bonus off.

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My free Bodog Girl calendar arrived in the mail yesterday. Talk about horrible production quality. I'm sure all these girls are extremely beautiful in real life, but the folks at Bodog did their best to ruin that in these photos.

Lets check out a few of the love muscle hardners:



ummm okay



Yes, I look like Hilary Duff + 10 years.



Deer in the head lights! Deer in the head lights!


I've had former colleagues with glamour shots of their 50-year-old wives that look better than this calendar!

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In case you haven't seen G-Rob and BadBlood on TV....check this clip out!

It was another sad blogger WSOP qualifier for Royal. I busted out 17th of 63 and was never in the hunt. I lost a big hand early when my AJ hit top pair, but A4 made two pair. This hand is easily my fault since I limped from the SB...I just hate raising with weak shit from the SB when there are several limpers. That's probably a bad habit beaten into me by the loose games I normally play in. A blogger tournament with solid players is very different than my normal game.

Just after the break my fleeting all-in with AJ was blessed with a J on the turn vs. AK and 77. This triple up gave me a little room. I finally succumbed in 17th place as the short stack when my 88 calls vs. KK.

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The recent 30% reload on PokerNow finally convinced me to signup there. The initial signup bonus plus reload will equal a sweet $300 if I can manage to get 1900 hands in by next Sunday. We might travel to visit friends next weekend, so I need to get some hands in now!

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Mrs. Royal and I went over to Mark's house last night for a couple of $10 NL tournaments. We threw the pajamas on Little Royal and she crashed in her portable crib while we got down to NL business.

There were 9 players in both tournaments. I had great cards in the first one, but lost a bunch of chips when a misread an all-in by the Dozer. I crawled back up to decent shape only to have my AA cracked by JJ.

Second tournament my cards weren't as good, but I took advantage of position and players ending up as the eventual champ.

The Mrs. and I don't get out very often and this was a fun evening together.