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Player Profile - Jazmin2

Name: jazmin d
Bio:
Player Summary - P-cubed Season 1

Tourneys Played: 4
Tourneys Won: 1
Points: 89.9
Average Points: 22.47
Profit/Loss: $8600
ROI: 430%
% in Money: 75%


Tournament Summary - P-cubed Season 1

• December 13, 2006 *** 3rd place ** 24 points ******* Php 1100 profit ** 15 entries
• December 06, 2006 *** 1st place ** 28.8 points ***** Php 5700 profit ** 16 entries
• November 22, 2006 *** 2nd place ** 22.1 points ***** Php 2300 profit ** 13 entries
• November 15, 2006 *** 9th place ** 15 points Php ** -500 loss *********** 15 entries
  
  
  The season already had 5 events. Che and I missed one because I was sick that time. Right now, I am third on the leader board. I really lost a lot of points for missing one game. But despite of that, I am happy that I've got the most ROI percentage and the biggest profit. Also, among the regular players, I've got the most average points. And I am also proud that Che is the only one who won twice! woot! woot!

FYI: Buyin is Php 500, Unlimited rebuy till the end of level 5. I'm not a fan of rebuys, maybe because I really don't wanna spend that much. But rebuys make the pot bigger :-)

P-Cubed Jazminated!

Wednesday night is another P-cubed ladies tournament. My ranking really got affected when we were not able to play last week since I was sick. But the week before that, Che came in first and me, second. And because of that we became 2nd and 3rd in overall points ranking. But due to our absence, we dropped to 11th and something.

On that very day, we were both having doubts if we are gonna play. When I got sick, we incurred a lot of expense and we may not be able to afford to play. But I don’t know what got into me that I really really wanna play that night. So eventually, Che got the message. And we found a way to be able to play that night.

There were 16 players, a few guys were allowed to play but double the buy-in. I’m just not sure if they get points too. I think they can’t win points. It’s a ladies league, unless they suddenly grew tits and lost the pendulum between their legs! Anyway, it was a pretty tough game. There were not much newbies like the first and second event. That night most of the people really knows how to play and some of them are good ones, too.

The first 10 hands made me really short stacked. With the starting stack of 2k, I was down to only ¼ of that. Thank goodness the blinds were still small and I managed to make a few moves. Then later on, I got my stack back. Then, I busted out the girl to my left. From that point, I was able to keep a big stack for most parts of the tournament.

When we merged for the final table, I think I was 2nd in chip stack when we started. Then due to some abrupt blind structure in some levels, my stack shrunk. I thought I was doomed! Then I was able to catch a few interesting cards… they were not really that good, but can be considered for a short handed play. I was thinking that it is better to bust out trying to make a move than die a slow death by getting blinded out.

When I noticed that I’m already one of the chips leaders, I took advantage of it. I was able to steal some blinds. I don’t want to give the short stack an opportunity to go all in. For a time, I wouldn’t call the blinds if I was not willing to call/put all in the remaining players.

I know, I am not really known to play this way. Most people see me as a very tight player and some what weak poker player. But watch out, coz I also change gears. I guess for this night, it worked. When we were heads up, I’ve got almost 70% of the chips.

For the first hand, I was on big blinds. My opponent was first to act since it’s a heads up action, looked at her chips and decided to go all in. I looked at my cards, K-10x. It may be good enough for heads up and I sensed an initial hesitation from my opponent. And I just need to call another big blind and a half. ACTION!

She was actually holding 9-4x. Live cards and a chance to maybe steal my big blinds. I hit my ten and concluded my win for the night!

Ahhh! Feels good to win huh? I think I got my poker mojo back. During the bloggers tournament, I was still weak and felt sick. And I guess, it reflected on my game as well. Now, I am back! ;-)

And again, I’m guilty for not updating.

Many things happened since my last post. Oh, I want to congratulate everyone who participated and responsible for the great turnout of the first pinoy bloggers tourney. Well done, Miguel! And good game, guys! It’s the toughest 2-table action I’ve ever seen. Cheers to Barbs, Mark, Miguel and Che!

Wish I can say more but I busted out with KK against Che’s AKx. As much as it breaks my heart that she cracked my cowboys, she put the chips into good use by placing 4th in the tournament.

So when are we having the next one?

I'm still Lucky

I've been frustrated during the last few times I played live. I can see that my game is so rusty now. I feel my lack of skills as I lose my chips. And I feel that luck's been aloof to me. I bubbled in a friend's bday party, though I cashed out more than 1,600 on a 200 max buy-in from a rake-free cash game afterwards. Che staked me 200 and I got most of the money in the table, including her rebuy. Hahaha!

Anyway, except for that cash game, I've been feeling that I'm more of a liability than an assest on the felt. I'm not saying that I always win. I have my fair share of wins and losses on the felt. But I would expect more from myself than how I am lately...

I think it's only fair that I get lucky somewhere else :-)

Hell ya!

I won a Ferrari Trolley Bag from a Marlboro raffle!

I'm not kidding.

And I am gonna sell it. As of the moment, I still don't know how much is the market value. I searched the internet, there's nothing like it. A friend told me that it must be a collectors item since it seems like it's been custom-made for this Marlboro raffle. So there's only 149 others like this our there.

If you know anyone interested, please contact me.

I'm gonna post a picture of the bag soon so at least you have an idea.


I am so happy for winning this. But I am not really into stuffs like this. I know there are collectors or people love stuffs like this. They may bring more justice to the product than what I can do.

So email me at jazkmdc@yahoo.com if you’re interested.

Pinoy Blogger Tourney 2

Don't miss the action on the 2nd Pinoy Bloggers Poker Tournament!!!

Join us and let us all have fun and play poker ONLINE!!!

When : October 29, 2006 (Sunday) , 3pm Manila time

Buy-in : $10 + $1

Game : No Limit Texas Hold 'Em

Starting Stacks : 1,500

Blind Levels : 15 mins

Sites Where You Can Join :

• PokerRoom
• FBAPoker
• HollywoodPoker
• HoldemPoker
• Eurobet Poker
• PokerLoco
• CanBet Poker
• America's Cardroom
• Full Contact Poker

How to join:

1. Log on to any of the sites above
2. Find the "Private" or "Private Tourney" tab
3. Click on "Scheduled" tab
4. Look for 11Finger's Tourney
5. Register (password is "pinoy")

If your account do not have any real money, you can fund it thru bank wires or using Click2Pay. But if those 2 menthods seems hard for you, contact 11Finger. He is offering assitance, you can send him money and he'll fund your account And you can also check Nick G's blog on help how to fund your C2P.

GOOD NEWS Online Players!

Playing online is fun, there a lot of freerolls and play money games. But if you want to make money from playing online, you should be aware of your first problem—How to fund your account? It’s been a dilemma for sometime now. Nick G has been helping us on how to use Click2Pay. But the option of bank wire is a bit of a hassle for me since I’m not really good in doing bank transactions. So, I continue to look for other ways to play real money online. There are a lot of different options on different sites.

So yesterday I wrote to pokerstars, then I got a quick reply with a good news. We can fund our pokerstars account using Western Union. This is very convenient since there are a lot of establishments around the metro that’s registered with Western Union. You can check their website and search for the ones near you. I’m glad that there’s one beside my office building. Go to their website, Western Union, then click “find an agent.”

Anyway, here’s what Pokerstars told me:

Hello Jazmin,

You can indeed use Western Union! You may send money via Western Union at any time, however payments will only be processed between 9:30 AM and 11:30pm Eastern Time, Monday through Sunday.

You can send money via Western Union to us in the amount of $50.00 up to $2,000.00. In order to make a deposit via Western Union, please:
1) Log into your PokerStars account
2) Click "Cashier"
3) Click "Buy Chips:
4) Click the Western Union logo
5) Click the "Instructions..." button

An Email will be sent to you with additional instructions on to whom the money should be sent. Please note that you must request a new name each time you make a Western Union transfer. The name given above is valid for one use only.

Once the money has been sent, please:
1) Log into your PokerStars account
2) Click "Cashier"
3) Click "Buy Chips:
4) Click the Western Union logo
5) Click the "Enter Western Union MTCN" button

You will be prompted to enter your 10-digit Money Control Transfer Number (MTCN) and other data.

Upon receipt of your Western Union transfer information, your deposit will be confirmed by our cashiers, and the funds will be deposited into your PokerStars account, usually in about an hour when Western Union is open (during the hours above).

Note that cash transfers will be verified within approximately 60 minutes (during the hours above), however credit card transfers may take 3-5 hours (sometimes longer).

Western Union offers the following options for money transfers:

Via web site: you can use your Visa or MasterCard credit or debit card through their web site at www.westernunion.com. This option is only available for some countries.

Money transfer services at Agent locations: available in over 190 countries worldwide. You can use cash or credit card.

Via telephone: you can use your Visa or MasterCard credit or debit card to make your deposit over the phone. Please visit www.westernunion.com to find the local phone number you need to call to send money from your country. This option is only available for some countries.

*US customers only can also use their Discover credit or debit card to send WU transfers using the phone option.

Once you have sent the transfer, please return to the PokerStars cashier screen to enter your MTCN (Money Transfer Control Number), and other information requested.

AN ALTERNATIVE TO WESTERN UNION

Want to play poker right now? Try NETeller, PokerStars' preferred payment solution.

You can link a NETeller account to your US or Canadian bank's checking account to perform FREE transfers instantly when you use NETeller’s instaCASH option from the PokerStars Cashier.

You can be playing poker in minutes if you use instaCASH! All you have to do is sign up for a free NETeller account at www.neteller.com, register your bank account, then make a NETeller deposit through the PokerStars Cashier and choose the instaCASH option. Your funds will be transferred instantly into your PokerStars account.

You may call a NETeller deposit expert any time at 1-877-769-3444 for help during the sign-up process.

The following countries can also use NETeller by transferring funds for FREE with Internet banking: United Kingdom, France, Spain, Germany, Italy, Turkey, Holland, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland and Italy.

If you have questions, please do not hesitate in contacting us.


Regards,

Steve C
PokerStars Support Team


There you go. I think this one is much easier than bank wire transfers. Well, honestly, if you can do bank wire transfers, you can already fund your account on most sites. Some sites accept it directly. But for some it would be better to course it thru Click2Pay, Moneybookers, Epassport and of the like. As far as I know, these methods are better when you would have to cash out. If you used your C2P account for funding the account, they will automatically transfer your cash out amount to C2P as well.

Hope this information helps. See ya at the tables!

Buy one NOW!

I'm re-posting this for a bigger version:


Hey guys,

Che is a part of the corporation that is bringing Singelringen to the Philippines. Originally from Sweden, the Singelringen is a unisex ring exclusively for singles that brings together Swedish quality craftsmanship and high fashion. Today, the Singelringen fad has caught on in countries like the U.S., Japan , and Brazil where thousands of these rings are sold every single day. Everywhere in the world, single men and women (including Hollywood celebrities) wear the ring proudly on their right hand to signify how proud they are to be single.

So what does a Singelringen look like? It is made of eye-catching turquoise acrylic over an inner high-quality silver band. A crescent shape is cut into the acrylic to allow a glimpse of silver to catch the light, signifying the wearer's openness to meeting other proud singles out there. Each unisex ring comes with a unique serial number engraved inside the silver band, allowing the user to register in an exclusive website and communicate with thousands of singles in the global Singelringen community. I've attached a picture. If you can't see it, visit http://www.singelringen.com to see what it looks like.

I know that not all of you are single, but if you can help me spread the word by forwarding this e-mail, that would be a big help. :) We are taking pre-orders right now so people can buy the rings directly from us for only P1950. Once it hits the stores by mid-October and once it comes out in the magazines and TV, retail price will be P2450.

Your help in this endeavor will be much appreciated.

Thanks!

Buy one NOW!

Online Freeroll snag

As seen in my previous (poker related) posts, I have been playing mostly online freerolls. It sure is fun, convenient, good training ground and you can even win real money even if you don’t have a real money account. You can even work your way to several MTTs and eventually win a seat to WSOP and stuffs.

But like any other thing on Earth, freerolls also have its own disadvantages. And I am starting to realize some of them. Here’s some that I encountered:

1. You can’t believe the aggression you’ll witness on an online freeroll, sometimes it’s already idiotic. They don’t fear anything here. No investment, just their time and bandwidth.
2. How would you define a situation when a player goes all in on the first hand (no raise, first deal) and around 4 to 5 other players call? Online freeroll play.
3. MTTs are fun. How about a Multi-MTT? Meaning, I am playing four different MTTs from different sites all at the same time. It’s a fun and nerve-wrecking experience all at the same time. Try it, it’s good exercise.
4. Since I am already used to #3, I sometimes find myself fidgeting during live play. I may have adjusted my game to be different when it is live from the online freeroll, but what do I do when I already folded? I need to see more hole cards!
5. You are home but you are not really there. You are virtually with the 10,000 other players all over the globe playing Hubble’s No-Limit Hold-Em (PokerStars). You see me there sitting in front of the computer shifting from one screen to the other. Don’t try to talk to me ‘coz I would just pretend to understand it. Yeah, maybe sometimes I do. But I am really panicking about my game. So just let me be.
6. I tend to rely more on cards now. My poker skills are suffering (if I’ve got any, lol!) I’ve been used to online freerolls that the read you can get is limited. I have specified online freeroll because I noticed that online real money is not that far from a live game, only harder to read people. No tells from them touching their face or shaking hands while pushing chips. But you can still make a read or two.
7. Try coming to office with no sleep at all by joining a game that starts at such an ungodly hour at this side of the Earth. Such to get in deep but bust out without a pay. Played a good game in a large field should be enough for now.
8. Yeah, time difference is such an ass. I remember joining the first Daniel Negreanu’s Protégé in Full Contact and qualifying for round two. Only thing is, I miscalculated the time and date of round two. I ended up logging in the day after the event. Grrr…
9. My computer at home is specifically designed to handle heavy graphics and memory eating software. No, I’m not a graphic artist but I supervise one. I have projects that require some software. But none of those sophisticated software would be found in my computer right now. It is all filled with different poker clients and games. Geez…
10. Last but not the least, I’m now more of a Poker Addict than I used to be. With live games, I need a bankroll. With the existence of online freerolls, I can feed my addiction.
    
    Given with these drawbacks, I’d still play online freerolls. Why? It’s free dude! :-)

the STORM ain't over!

I’m sad. Storm Large was booted off today from Rockstar Supernova. I know she gave a good performance, but shit happens. Now, where am I supposed to watch her?
Che is right, she may be better off as a solo performer than with supernova. She’s so hot I’d hit it! Argh, I’m grieving right now. *sniff-sniff*

PayPal

Hi friends!

Notice that new banner in this page?

Yeah, it's a petition (gathering online signatures) trying to make PayPal to consider rendering services to us here in the Philippines.

I know some of you may have PayPal and the likes thru international business or foreign ancestry. But there are some, like yours truly, and we want to play online with real money... or do business transactions online. But honestly, I wanna play real money online :-)

So guys, sign up and join the petition.

no longer a Bubble girl

No update and not much poker lately for me. In the past few weeks, I only played live twice. Most of the games I played lately are online freerolls due to the convenience and bankroll situation.

Last week, two good friends took me out on a “Jazzie Day”. They treated me dinner and staked me in the tournament. I’m so touched. I had a blast! Thank you guys, you know who you are. I really appreciate it.

During the tournament, I tried to play a good game as I would always do. But I tried extra hard, not just for myself, but also for my friends who believed in me (or maybe just for me to have fun). Then comes the final table, I’m glad to still be in the game. My chip stack was decent enough. But the thing is, I was getting pure trash and I can’t even make a move because someone (and possibly more than one) would call me. Eventually, I held on to my few remaining chips. Resistance is futile. I bubbled. Again. So frustrating!!!

I just can’t believe the trash I was getting for about two hours. So I checked my wallet and I still got a thousand and a few hundreds. I was thinking, would I risk my money on the ring? But what else would I do? So I sat there and saw more trash. Hmmm… I don’t think this is really happening. Then at the midst of grinding, some prayers were answered. If I wasn’t folding, I would raise. And eventually, I got 2 quads that night. Yummy! After a few hours, my baby went there wasted and I’m exhausted as well. We decided to call it a night. I cashed out almost triple my buy in. Good.

Then last night I joined the tourney, the place was packed with 4 tables, 11 players each. I know this ain’t gonna be easy. I was in table 1 seat 8. While the cards were being shuffled for the 1st deal, I looked around. There are good players, new ones, bluffers, tight and aggressive players… wow! I was thinking, with this field, I better not commit the mistake of playing too many hands. Then I looked at my hole cards, AA! What to do, what to do?! From UTG, only one player folded, they all called. The guy acting before me raised the BB (100) to 300 total in chips. Maybe I got from playing too many freerolls, I dread good cards on the first hand. I actually don’t know what to do with my rockets. I don’t want to push all in (online nightmares flashback). I don’t want to just call his raise when I am holding AA. I looked at the pot and for me it is good enough even if no one calls. It’s better that reeling me in or a bad beat. So I re-raised to 3,100 total. Starting stack is 5k, so I guess people wouldn’t really risk more than half of their stack on the first hand if they don’t have group 1 cards or group 2 at the very least. Everyone folded except for the guy before me, he called my re-raise. Flop comes 9h-3h-As. He checked. I know I got a set now, but there’s a flush draw showing. He may not have hit anything, but he might be drawing for a flush. I have very strong cards. He may have a flush draw, but I also have a good chance of getting something better than flush like full house or maybe even quads. So, what the heck… ALL IN! He took some time thinking… then eventually folded. Dang, that hand was intense! Hours and hours after, I made it again in the final table. It was a long game and helluva fun. Prayed damn hard not to bubble again. Luckily, even with a short stack, I as able to finish 5th place and ITM, baby! My last hand was ugly. I’ve got the shortest stack on the table, I’m on Big Blinds and my remaining chips are just around another Big blinds. I was holding 2-4 and everyone folded except the one on the button. Heads-up, and flop came K-K-J. We both checked. Then, it was announced that blinds will increase on the next hand. Turn, 8x. We both checked again. Then the river, 6x. I know for sure now that he didn’t hit anything nor have a pocket pair. So I decided to make a move and pushed all in. Yeah, I know I’m holding 2-4. But hey there’s no flush or straight showing. And I don’t think he got a boat nor trips, not even a pair. Besides I’m gonna be small blinds on the next hand, and that would mean putting ¾ of my chips for the blinds. And if that happens, chances are, I would just be forced to go all in when the blinds go back to me. Or if I’d get good cards and go all in, I would be very prone to bad beats. I mean, my all in wouldn’t even make them think. Ah what the heck! Make a move and hope that I read him right so he will eventually fold. Well, he took some time thinking but he’s 3rd in chip lead with the 5 of us remaining. Then again, my raise wouldn’t really hurt him too much and he decides to see my cards, saying “I’ll donate to you”. Damn. Well, at least I read him right. He doesn’t have anything. But he’s got Queen high plus the chips to afford my move. And I made him think before risking his chips. I love making people think. Besides, I am happy with 5th place where I get both our buy ins back plus P200 rather than grinding for hours and busting out on the bubble. Good game, guys!

###

I just saw on youtube that Jamie Gold won the 2006 WSOP with a Q9, my favorite trash! :-)

Freeroll Tournament in Bodog

Lately, I haven’t been playing a lot in those same old places. I’m trying to discipline myself and set some priorities like work and other matters that need financial attention. That is why we usually play during payday season. But I must admit, I still play poker, online that is. From the moment I arrive home, I open the computer and go online.

I have :

• Pokerstars
• Ulitmate Bet
• Absolute Poker
• Poker 4ever
• Bodog
• FutureBetAsia
• PokerChamps
• Full Contact

and

• Full tilt

clients in my computer. I’d check which site would have an upcoming freeroll tournament and join them, simultaneously most of the time.

Do I take it seriously? OFCOURSE, I take it seriously! Imagine having a shot in winning real money, points you can use for bigger tournament or event a WSOP seat for FREE?? Well, aside from the prize pot, it is a practice for me. Outlasting 3000 players around the globe sure isn’t an easy feat. You’ll encounter many different types of players and learn how to handle them. You will learn the virtue of patience when there’s a manic that goes all in every hand. You’ll also develop a different sense in smelling a bluff when you can’t see their person facial expression. Online poker is good, but I wouldn’t advice it for newbies.

So last Saturday, the usual, I was at home and played several freerolls in those sites mentioned above. I won a few points, more play money and get to advance to another tournament. It’s nothing new to me being addicted to freerolls, I got a taste of those already. But I really haven’t won something big. I got a few dollars from Poker Champs, $1 at one time and another. I won more at Ultimate Bet, but they won’t let me play my bonus dollars until I deposit real money to them.

So I went on to this day freerolling on the net. Then I joined this freeroll at Bodog. Eventually, I placed 8th and won $7.80 eCash. I was thinking they might have the same protocol with UB. The next day, I decided to give a try. I joined a $1 tournament. It starts 2am. I still gave it a shot knowing I have to be up early since it’s a Monday already.

When the tournament was about to start, I was thinking “A-game, Jaz. A-game. Go win some more moolah!”

I got mid-position in the draw for dealer. Then my first hand, Kh-Kd. Uh-oh! Alright, I don’t want a small raise because trash hands will just call me and flop a two pair or straight draw and I’d just lose more chips. I also don’t want to go all in since they might think I’m one of those crazy bastards who go all in for the first hand just to have a head start. So I raised half of my stack, $500. Then everyone folds, I get $30 from the small and big blinds. Whew!

Second hand, I got another pocket Kings! I was thinking, “Wow! I think I’m lucky in this tournament!”

So, I did the same thing betting $500. All the rest folds, some took more time than the first hand, then one of them raises all-in. I called, ofcourse. A classic tale of cowboys against Ace, Jack. Flop comes with an Ace.

So, I was left with $30. Eventually, I busted out after a few hands of struggle to survive.

I was so upset! I stayed up late to wait for that tournament and that’s all I get?! My seat wasn’t even warm yet! Grrrrrr….

Hmmm… I was able to join a real money tournament using the eCash I won. Maybe I can try a few hands in the ring game. First I only bought in for $3, leaving $3.80 on my account. Then got a bad beat and decided to bring in my remaining $3.80 since my stack is already below $1 and the max for the Table is $10. And from there, my stack grew. By 3am, I cashed out with $28.xx (Sorry I’m still not oriented in the cents system.) Wow! Now, that made my night.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~

Thinking about it today, I want to make that money bigger. And that would be my online bankroll. I know it’s not much, but at least now I’ve got something to start with, out of nothing (Freeroll, I mean.) I’m already dreaming of making it big enough to suffice for a vacation and still leave some for my bankroll. Hehehe!

Anyway, I checked the site and their options for payout and it’s not really Philippines friendly. But I’m going to contact their helpdesk, maybe there’s some way that it’ll be easy from us here in Manila. I’ll keep you posted on whatever I will hear from them.

Skylounge: Jazminated

Payday is actually today. But yesterday we were hoping we’ll get our money in advance. There are times that our companies (Che and mine) would do that. We are hoping this would be one of those so we can join the Skylounge Ladies Tournament. Around lunchtime, I was losing hope. Then around 2pm word spread around my office that our money is now there. I don’t know if its fate or what that’s telling us that we should play.

There were a total of 20 women who vied to be tonight’s champion. Tough field out there, lots of new faces and fishes, plus the regular experts. I’ve been short stacked on the early part of the game and recovered after several orbits. Then I was able to maintain a good amount of chips. When we were merged to the final table, I think I was around 4th in chip stack. The cards I was getting wasn’t really so good. I kept seeing Jack or Queen Trash off suit or 72 off. I kept on folding and folding, waiting for a decent hand to play and my stack grew slowly but surely. Then we were all in the money. It’s funny though, I feel as if it’s a JG night there. There’s german snake, Che and moi – REPREZENT! Barbs was also there and Carol P. and Lee.

Since I have a good stack when we were six-handed, I played an ultra tight game. So Che and Lee ended up busting out most people in the table till there was just the 3 of us. Then Che took her out… Che’s got like 70% of the chips and I’ve got the remaining 30% when we started our heads up. They say chop it, but that’s a given since we share expenses and all. But I can’t just let this end without a fight. I need some pride too, plus a champ’s trophy with my name on it. We really play our game even against each other. We have our own style of playing and we pride ourselves to at least know the game so far. But heads up with Che is crazy. We try to bluff, read and trap each other. After several all ins, there was this hand: Che got the button and first to act (heads up), she went all in. Then I peeked at my cards AQ of spades, CALL! Che was trying to steal my big blinds with 10-9 off. But flop came with Ace – rag –rag and overkill with Queen for the turn.

Good game guys! I really needed this win. I haven’t won for sometime now

CHE's BDAY!!!

Hi there friends!

Just a reminder, it's Che's birthday, June 24, Saturday... tomorrow! And we are going to have a small celebration at our place in Bacood, Sta. Mesa. Party starts 8pm... See yah!

Oh, please text me at 0920-5380057 for the complete address or text me your email so I can send you a copy of the map. Or call me if you seem to be lost. And if it's already around 11pm, the gate near the baranggay closes, but there's someone there who will open it. Just tell him/her that you're going to Che and Jaz's party.

Please text or call me coz my phone crashed last week and I wasn't able to save my phonebook.

Be there.

RESULTS: Poker Stars World Blogger Championship

Around 2247 poker bloggers joined this morning’s tournament. Yes, it’s this morning. It started 4am. I had to adjust my father’s day activities and sacrifice lack of sleep today in the office.

I was very excited for this event. Last year, I joined the first PokerStars World Blogger Championship. But I busted out early in the game. And I think, no one else I know joined. But this year, some of my friends also joined: Nickg, Cardinal, the Duke and Miguel.

Around 12 midnight, I was exchanging messages with Miguel on how excited we were for this tournament. It’s technically a freeroll but better prizes. I don’t really mind the ipod nano or the jacket. Oh, I’d love to get some bounty, too! Then we gave it a couple of hours’ rest.

I set my alarm. I was too excited, I can’t go back to sleep. I know I play freerolls during the wee hours, But not on a Monday morning when I’ve got work. And it’s hard to play an A-game on those ungodly hours. Nah, I’ve got to put my self together and make my momma proud!

Game time: Miguel and I were chatting in our ym on the side. He was in another table full of people indicating a “sit out” status. In another window, I was chatting with Cardinal and he told me he was seated at the same table with the Duke. Then after a few hands, we discovered that Nickg was also in another table. For some time, we actually invaded Nickg’s table with our chit chat there.

I feel like it’s team Philippines in here. My table is open in one window and I open several other windows to view their table. The Duke got a good stack very early in the game. His aggression worked to his advantage and busted out several players. Unfortunately, Cardinal was one of his victims. As far as I remember, they both hit trips. It was a matter of higher kicker and the 2nd card plays. Then after a few more rounds, The Duke and Miguel also busted out.

We found our selves chatting in Nickg’s table, with only the two of us still in the game. During that time, my stack was less than a thousand = super low stack. I even reached having less than 500. Nickg’s around the average stack. Though there were several fluctuations, he managed to keep an OK stack. When our friends were planning to play an SNG, Nickg was saying he’d be out of the game soon. And seeing my poverty-stricken chips, “Oh, my! I am hanging by a hair strand here!”

I remember my first hand, pocket 3’s. I folded it. I remember this is still an internet freeroll. And I was first to act. True enough, someone made an all in for the first hand in my table. I don’t want to waste my chips by calling the blinds on the first to act position then folding to someone who went all in behind me. It’s a big field out there, every chip counts. I had several pockets and monster cards. I was folding A-J, K-J and the likes when there’s a raise-reraise-all in with a full table. I try to limp but I was ready to fold good cards if I don’t hit the flop. Or my two basic options; fold or push all in. I can’t believe how tight I was playing at some point. There was a time I felt so sorry for playing that way, but I know in the long run I still made the right decision. I was on the big blinds, someone raised double. The others called. When it was my turn, I looked at my cards and saw a J-7 off. I checked their chip stack and mine as well. I’ve got the smallest stack. It’s either I fold or go all in. I can’t scare them with my all in since I’ve got the tiniest stack in the table. If I call, I don’t have a good position. FOLD! Then flop comes 7-J-7… Arrrggghhh!!!

After sometime struggling, Nickg messaged me that he just got busted. He finished 762nd place. I’m the only one left from Team Philippines (or so we know). Since I didn’t really crossed path with those players with bounty, I’m focused to getting at least that pokerstars jacket or ipod. The WSOP main event seat would be a dream come true. But im gonna need a hell lot of miracles to get any of those with my present chip stack. I was able to catch a few more. People actually fold when I go all in. Yeah, I show them monsters and rockets when no one calls my all in. I know it’s risky. It’s a strategy I need to pull just to survive a little longer given my minuscule ammo. I got the image I wanted. The entire time I raise or make a re-raise of all in, they fold. Even the biggest stack who can afford, would fold to me. Nice! There was a time someone called my all in and it doubled me up. For the longest time, I was at that table where my image was good (worked for me).

Then as a normal tournament procedure, I was transferred to another table. I really wasn’t getting cards either. The blind were 800/1600 plus antes, I only have 6k in chips against several big stacks in our table. I’m in mid position, the one before me raised double. I was holding pocket 9’s, I can’t just call because it will hurt my stack to just waste that much chips. I was trying to put him in a hand. I think it’s an Ace something… I must push him out with the rest of the players; the pot is good enough for me. Simply calling wouldn’t signify I’ve got a good hand. So, I pushed all in and leave the problem to him. All the rest of the players folded. And when it was his turn, he took a while. As planned, I leave the thinking to him either to call my all in with a chance to double me up or fold and hand me the chips he raised with. By the time he took, I know he’s not on rockets, kings or queens. Then he called and flipped over A-K off. Board comes trash, all low cards and giving me a set either. So far, so good. Then the turn is another brick. Alright, I just have to get through this one and I know I can make it further to this tournament with those chips in the middle. As if it was scripted with a slow motion effect… ACE ON THE RIVER! …

That was just plainly disgusting…

I was stunned.

I know I shrieked, but it seems more like a bad dream.

Then I heard my mobile, Nickg texted me. He saw the whole thing. I almost cried on his shoulders upon reading the message. Not because I’m a sore loser, I would have shaken that guy’s hand if we were face to face. It is because my dreams of winning a poker stars jacket or ipod nano was shattered in a blink of an eye . . . *sniff-sniff*

with an Ace on the river….

LoL

I busted 183rd out of 2247 players around the world. Not bad!Good game Nickg, Duke, Miguel and Cardinal! See you again next year guys! Maybe we can do this in another freeroll sometime.

New Beginnings

Last night, we played a low-stakes mixed game/dealer’s choice with a bunch of friends. I honestly don’t know any other type of poker than No Limit Hold ‘Em (NLHE). I was introduced to games like Omaha High, crazy pineapple and deuce to seven. Our setup was: we play one round/orbit of the game of choice of the dealer. When the button goes back to him, he’d be a dealer of a black jack game (just a crazy twist we tried to do). Then the player on his left gets to be the dealer and call a poker game of his choice. Admittedly, donkey and stupid plays were seen all through the night. Well, what do you expect when I hardly know what I was doing?

Every game cracks my head. It’s a different strategy and mechanics for each game. I know I haven’t really mastered NLHE, but it wouldn’t hurt (I think…) to learn the other types of poker. I mean, right now, almost everybody claims to be a poker player. We were blessed enough to discover the game in an early stage in the country and got to know people, groups and personalities who helped us play the game the way it should be played.

Our group, JGPT, started with games similar to our session last night. We hardly know the rules of NLHE, so we made our own. We don’t have a designated denomination of chips, so each chip is equals to 1 unit, regardless of the color. We know nothing about reading the board, position play, calculating odds and other important factors in playing poker. Hahaha!

But we were spoiled kids trying to play the game and we do have the gear for it. Jards already have a set of nice clay poker chips from the US. We have been using it since day one. He also had a table-top made. He ordered books and videos of poker, all these we can use just to improve our game! (He’s such a sweetheart!) We spent hours of at least twice a week playing non-stop poker,

Then after sometime, we got the hang of it somehow. I guess we played too much with the same people that it seems like we’ve got each other read like a book. We know the routine when he’s going to check or when he hit his draw.

Then, one by one, we got to know other groups and people who share the same interest… POKER! Yeah, that was the time that our poker friends would see us more often than our family.

In a short span of time, the local poker community developed. Our group, JGPT, grew with raging hormones. No, we are not a group of experts and sharks on the felt. We are a group of people who loves to play poker and party at the same time. We are a newbie-friendly poker group which is more of a soiree than mean ass poker.

Expect fishes, bad beats, donkey plays and all the things that will make you insane. But let me tell you this, give it time. These so-called “JG fishes” will graduate and conquer a better field. Just take a look at the founding members… Jardine, Che, Gail, Miguel, Carol, Kath, Bryan and your truly (shameless plug!). Joel and Barok are not as visible like the rest of us. But it was quickly followed by a surprising number of people who joined JGPT or at least graced our home games. To date, I can say that there are a lot of players from JG who will be a (if not, already one) dangerous opponent on the felt.

Now, poker is everywhere, or at least NLHE. I hope that what our group did last night is just a mark of another beginning and growth of our group.


P. S.
We apologize if we can not invite every member of the group. Please understand that we don’t even know the other games yet, what more, to organize one.
We’ll keep you posted for further announcements, hopefully soon…

3rd place is still ok

Last Monday, we joined a 30-seater tournament. The buy-in was 700+100 packed with familiar faces and new ones. It was a tough one. I really wasn’t getting cards. During the mid-level of the game, I look at my chips and say “oh, I’m doing ok.” But a glance on my right and see Miguel’s chips plus right across me is Roch. They were the chip leaders for most parts of the game. Reality sinks in; I’m not really doing ok. I’m short stacked and it would be a struggle to survive.

After some risky hands and doing the right thing (which is to FOLD or PUSH), I was able to reach the final table. My stack wasn’t that bad at that time. There were some who’d need more miracle than I do. So, I played ultra-tight there. I let them take out other players first. As we reached the last 3 players, Roch and Miguel were big stacks. And I’ve got as much as a little more than 3x the big blinds, still… a struggle to survive.

It’s an awesome scene to watch when you’re short stack and the two big stacks are going against each other. I got my share of light as well, after sometime I was able to get an average stack. But my mindset was that I am the one with the shortest stack and Roch with those black chips is the chip leader.

I felt so hopeless for being the short stack for the longest time, or so I thought. Yeah, surprise surprise! Roch and I faced and all in situation. He won. I thought I was busted out. We were all shocked that I had him covered and left me with 1 ½ big blinds. Arrrgghhhh! I could have adjusted my play if I had known I wasn’t short stack anymore! Aaaarrrrghhhhh!

Oh well, that’s poker!

Still I am proud of myself for outlasting 27 other players, knowing that some of them are better and more experienced than me. I know I played a good game to finish 3rd place. Congrats to all who made it to the final table that night!

And I also would like to apologize to the people who were there and saw me freak out for the first time. I was soooo tired. The game lasted for roughly 7 hours plus the fact that I was awake for almost 24 hours then. My head was throbbing and my body was already feverish. Maybe I just wasn’t prepared for a night that long on a Monday or any work day for that matter. I am still adjusting in trying to balance my career and poker all at the same time.

###

In a related matter but in an entirely different light, the issue some people are raising regarding to what happened during this game is all but bullshit. Now, if anyone would like to feast on this issue: I already gave my comment in Miguel’s blog. Sometimes I wish that I’m not a well brought-up and educated lady so I can just vent out my rage and act like a worth for nothing idiot. I applaud Miguel and Kath for handling this matter very well.

Poker Bloggers

I have registered to play in the PokerStars World Blogger Championship of Online Poker!

This Online Poker Tournament is a No Limit Texas Holdem event exclusive to Bloggers.

Registration code: 5587070

Cheating in Poker

I would just like to share what I've read about this hot subject matter. All of us should watch out for people who would even try these. Let's keep the game the way it should be...

Cheating at Poker
(What to watch out for)

There are three or four major forms of poker cheating that you must remain on guard against; marked cards, imported chips, mechanics, and collusion. Imported chips are unauthorized poker chips brought into the tournament. Mechanics is the physical manipulation of playing cards to someone's advantage, for example, dealing from the bottom of the deck. Collusion is playing differently against one or more players at the table than you do against others.

Cheating at low stakes home poker games is not usually a problem. Tournament play discourages cheating due to the relatively low buyin dollar amount. Many home tourney players are attending for the enjoyment and camaraderie rather than the need to win the money. So don't worry too much about cheaters at your game.

Surprisingly, the biggest form of "cheating" is peeking at other players cards. Glimpsing your neighbor's cards is sometimes unavoidable due to the cramped quarters of a home poker room. Remind your guests to protect their cards at all times. Remember that is not improper for one player to complain about another player who constantly has the opportunity to view a third player's cards.

Marked Cards
Marked cards can be purchased on Ebay and at other locations. Brand new decks of marked KEM cards (in sealed plastic!) use a dye that is only visible to players wearing special glasses. This cheating method can be easily avoided by never using anyone else's cards at your home tourney.

Some players may also try to mark cards by tearing or nicking them with a fingernail. This is usually a little too obvious a tactic but of greater concern is a 'punched' card. A punched card has a little indentation punched into the card in a specific location. You can view a punched card here. A dealer can feel the punch as he deals the card and an observant player can view the punches on everyone's down-cards.

Imported Chips
You must be on guard against players who might try to bring their own poker chips into your tournament. This is particularly true if you use one of the more common types of chip that is readily available. If you use a customized chip with your name printed on it, you don't have to worry about a player having an identical chip, but if you are using the plastic Bike chips - what's to stop a player from bringing extra chips into your tourney?
If you must use common poker chips, try to modify them in some unique way. One easy method is to place little stickers (labels) of a certain color or shape on each chip. Just make sure they don't come off ... you don't want to make false accusations against an innocent player. You might also use an unusually colored felt marker to permanently mark your chips.
Always pay attention to the chips in play. If you've owned your set of chips for ten years but all of a sudden one or two shiny, new Purple (500) chips appears .. you've got a problem. Make sure you account for your entire chipset at the end of the night. Chips do occasionally get lost under carpets or down ventilation grates. Ensure that you know the exact number of chips you have in your set.

Mechanics
You should always pay particular attention to the dealer as this is where the majority of cheating can occur. Your worries will be greatly lessened if you have a dedicated dealer you can trust.
You can learn more about card mechanics at PokerCheat.com.

Collusion
Collusion is extremely difficult to prove and caution must be used when dealing with the issue. In a public cardroom, or someone else's house, it is best to simply walk away from the game when you suspect collusion. Unfortunately, walking away is not an option when you are in your own house hosting 20 guys for a night of poker!
Some common forms of collusion are:

• Dumping chips: Deliberately losing to a partner (perhaps someone you are backing financially or with whom you have traded a percentage stake).
• Hand-mucking: Switching or altering hands. Two people sitting next to each other might try to switch hands or alter them in some way.
• Hot-seat: A new player is invited to a game, only to play against a team of players all secretly working together.
• Signaling: Trading information between partners. Signals can take many forms, from the placement of the chips on the cards, to coughing, to Morse code tappings on the table. The key ingredient in all signaling systems is the ability to be repeated without being noticed. In a game where people (hopefully) are always watching each other, this can prove problematic. When a cheater is signaling the value of his hand to his partner(s), he is also signaling the value of his hand to everybody else at the table.
• Soft play: Failing to bet or raise in a situation that would normally merit it because of your opponent. In home poker games it is common to be playing against someone you know well but the best advice is to leave friendship outside the door, especially in tournament poker. Soft playing a friend is cheating all of the other players at the game who would prefer to see you bust out your friend, getting them closer to the prize money.
• Whipsawing: Partners raise and reraise each other to trap players in between.
  

Implicit Collusion
Let's say there are three players left in the pot and one of those players goes all-in. There is now a good chance that the remaining two players will "check it down", meaning that they will both check, rather than bet or raise, until the showdown. This is known as "implicit collusion" because the two players are now, in effect, teaming up against the all-in player. There are several legitimate reasons why implicit collusion is somewhat tolerated:

• The chance of a successful bluff is much lower since there is a guaranteed card showdown with the all-in player.
• Eliminating players is an important objective in a tournament and both players have a vested interest in seeing the all-in player eliminated. Two hands have a better chance of beating the all-in player than one.
• Players not in the pot also have a vested interest in seeing the all-in player eliminated.
  

For these reasons, don't be surprised to see many checked-down hands in these situations. It is not considered to be cheating unless done by verbal agreement.

Angle Shooting
There is another form of improper play referred to as angle shooting. Angle shooters try to use the rules or procedures of poker to their own advantage. Angle shooters will also try to take advantage of another players lack of proper procedure. A classic example of an angle shooter is a player who is suppose to act behind you but verbally declares at showdown that he has a flush. You muck your hand and he then reveals his hand which is not a flush. You would have won the pot had you not mucked your cards.

Pussies

Here are some of the latest pictures of our pussies. I think there’s more to come aside from these two. We still refer to them as kittens. But I don’t really know if a 9-month-old cat can still be called a kitten.

Bourbon looks like their mom (QT), only lighter in color. Her asset as well is having streaks of orange in her fur. She’s naughty for her countless attempts to knockdown everything in our altar. She is very sweet, but in her own terms. And she’s usually very sweet when she knows she did something wrong. Ashley on the other hand looks like a black cat. Her fur used to be light gray, and then it got darker in time. Right now, it looks like dark gray with white spots under her neck and below her tummy. She’s a very sweet and cutesy kind of cat. She’ll try to get things her way by melting your heart. She’s the only cat we have that I can actually carry like a baby sleeping in my arms. I don’t know what’s with it, but she loves to sit on my chair and occupy my side of the bed. She would even sleep in Che’s arm, which I call “my spot.” And weird as it seems, she loves water and taking a bath. She’ll come running every time someone would to the bathroom.
There you have it. That's our kittens for you guys!

************

Happy 25th Monthsary Baby!

tic tic tic

Gimme a word/phrase that would describe the minutes of waiting for your log off time at work so you can head off to the felt and play some mean poker? TOO LONG!

Hahaha! I don’t mean to take my work for granted or to be a bad influence to my friends. I’m just feeling so weird today. I can’t wait to unwind and play a very relaxing game of poker. Hahahaha!

Freeze Out or Shoot Out

Alright I’m not a poker guru and so far from even being a really good poker player. But somehow, I know how the game is played. I’ve been through several transitions in my game play. So far, I know there are two types of NLHE namely; ring games (or cash games, as some may call it) and the tournament style.

Whenever I play tournaments, it is usually the Tournament Director software that directs which person will move to which chair. Until recently, we encountered a game where they said it’s a “shoot out”.

Huh?

Sorry for my ignorance, but during that time I really don’t have a clue what that is. So, I discovered that the game I’m used to is called a freeze out type of NLHE. You know… those types that players will be transferred to another seat to balance the players in each table. So when a certain number of players are eliminated, the designated Tournament Director will call on players to move to a certain table and seat number. For some games, the computer software will do the math for you. But ideally, there are international standards set for moving players--- that, you can research on the web or ask Nick G.

I am still not that familiar with a shoot out game. All I know is that, each table is like a sub-tournament. There’s no moving of players until there’s a winner for your table. It’s usually the 1st place per table. But some would take the 1st and 2nd place for each table, say there are 5 tables. So the 1st and 2nd place of each table will make up the final table, which is a total of 10 players. As I’ve gathered, it really varies. Rules depend on what the organizers declared or at least, adhere.

Call it familiarity, but I’d stick with the freeze out. I think it’s fucked up. But maybe, it’s just beyond my comfort zone. I dunno. Like what if 120 people showed up, is the final table gonna be made up of 12 people? Maybe some of you can enlighten me about this matter. It’ll be greatly appreciated.

How's everything?

It’s been long again since I last wrote an entry here. I don’t want to apologize this time. I just might end up apologizing in every entry. I guess that’s why I can’t pursue a career in journalism. During the start of my career life, I actually started as a writer. Or shall I say I was blessed with a column in one of the major dailies. I’m just not sure if I deserve the title “writer”. I gained a bit of a following for some interesting articles. It also took me places and made me meet honorable personalities. It was promising, as my mom would say. But do I love it? I love the perks, the traveling and the prestige. But honestly, I would have to drag myself to face my computer in an empty screen for hours just trying to write something. It even frustrates me that my English is not really good and my vocabulary is very limited. I’m not putting my self down, I’m just being honest. I could say that I can write, but it’s not my passion. It breaks my Dad’s heart since he is a great journalist. I also wish I can be just like him. But I’d rather be true to myself.


What’s my passion then? I don’t know. Maybe soon I’ll find out. Or maybe it’s already here somewhere, I just don’t know it. Maybe it’s poker… I wish! Hahaha!

How you like 'em girls

http://www.wimp.com/gloss/

The Jazminator is back!

Enough of the silence and no updates for me, my excuse is now unacceptable.

We already moved to our own place. We bought some new stuff, including an aircon which is actually from poker. Our friend, Ryan, won the aircon for placing 2nd in a charity tournament. He sold it to us for a good price since he wouldn’t need another aircon and we will really buy one for our house. And the latest addition to our house is this spanking new computer. It’s not branded, but man, it’s hot! We splurged on the processor although it’s not a Pentium 4 but it’s an AMD 64 Athlon 3000+ and ofcourse, a video card for my gaming needs plus the speakers to irritate my neighbors. So needless to say, I already have a computer, no reason not to update my blog.

A lot of things happened in the last two months when this page was quiet. All I can say is that poker in the Philippines is now growing very fast. You can find tournaments and ring games everywhere. And a lot more people are now playing poker. Well, I’m glad I knew the game at an earlier stage in this country before the bulk of people whom my friends call fishes/newbies. I’m not really sure if I’m not one of them. But one thing for sure, I’ve seen more hands than them. But ofcourse I’m still a fish if I’m in a table with the likes of Barbs and Nick. Also the guys of Camp Hold ‘Em, man, they are good poker players and good looking too! (Naks! Libreeee!!!)

As much as I’d like to dig my mind for more stuffs to put in this entry but I’ve got to run. I need to hear some chips crackling and feel the felt somewhere…