The strategy in the article was definitely interesting and relevant to midstakes in Vegas. What about the disconnect of strategic logic and egotisical statements (e.g. "because I'm a poker god")? I don't mean to be judgemental here (although I'm probably being so) but the "disturbing side" could be worth hearing about, albeit in another context, so long as it's not just another case of a twenty-something living it up in Vegas. I mean, I wonder whether Sangni's strategic nous---and nerve to execute these betting lines at the table---is to an extent a function of his "high-octane" and narcissistic personality.

Congrats on your first PokerNews piece! I read it and enjoyed it. I agree with the comment above that the strategy discussion is solid and a +EV read. Sangni is an interesting dude; I recognize him from the photo and know I've played with him before, but I don't remember where or having any thoughts about his game.

You've piqued my interest in A Sport and a Pastime; I'll probably check it out. Keep on keeping on!

Thanks for the comments, guys. I was hoping that the piece would have some valuable strategy and also be entertaining to read, thanks to Sangni's eccentric personality.

Judging from the comments at the end, people seem to taking his egotism as an excuse to heap on the scorn, which may be an interesting reflection of the (Vegas) poker community. I'm sure there's a connection between his personality and his game, although that relationship is far too complicated for me to grasp. People reading the interview may think (and some have written) "if this dude's so good, why's he bothering with 2/5?" The reason is simple: Sangni has massive life leaks. He's been in a vicious cycle the last few years, spending extravagantly (mainly on women), going busto, and rebuilding his roll. When we met he had a few grand to his name. All this while attempting to reconcile his pokering and womanizing with a zealous fundamentalist Christianity. In his own mind, these parts of his life were entirely compatible; in reality, who knows? I have my doubts.

I'd definitely recommend it, if you have the time! Saying that it's a well-written account of sexual life is a disservice, I think, since the whole book reads very smoothly. But sex is what people talk about when they bring up the book.

From PokerNews: At the end of March, the poker community recognized France's Victor Saumont by bestowing him the "Media Content of the Year" European Poker Award for his lauded documentary Nosebleed. The full-length film, which is available to watch for free, takes a look at the online high-stakes cash games through the lens of two top pros, Alex "Alexonmoon" Luneau and Sebastien "Seb86" Sabic.

Saumont, 32, was able to gain access to the two pros, who up to that point had actively avoided the media, and documented their quest to win a bracelet at the 2014 World Series of Poker. All the while, the viewer shares in the highs and lows of Luneau and Sabic, and experiences an honest account of what it's like to compete at poker's highest levels. (http://www.pokernews.com/news/2015/0...tary-21157.htm)

Saumont has released the doc on his youtube page: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ju_7_595mDE.

I watched Nosebleed last night and enjoyed it quite a bit. A few things come to mind:

Saumont was wise in his choice of Luneau and Sabic, who complement each other nicely (Luneau is introspective, Sabic's more of a jokester). The fact that both players had avoided media coverage makes this portrait all the more valuable.

good music throughout the film.

Having just left Vegas and the Rio, the movie brought me right back into that atmosphere. It really captures the grind of the WSOP: playing all day, every day, forgetting what day it is, etc. Saumont also captures the brutal variance of tournament poker. Luneau is an absolute crusher at Mixed Games; at one point Ivey sits at his table online and says, "To be the best you have to play the best," referring to Luneau! And yet it's possible to brick 15+ tourneys--even the smaller-field lineups of Mixed Games.

Hard to tell whether someone indifferent to poker would appreciate this film. There's lots of non-poker content, but there's a lot of technical discussion and poker slang, too.

this is a unique poker documentary, and worth watching, because it offers a rare intimate portrait of the high-stakes world. Props to Saumont for earning Luneau's and Sabic's trust.

I have slowly been reading Chekhov's stories, and they're very good. Here are a few shorter stories that some of you might enjoy (fuller list here: http://www.eldritchpress.org/ac/chekhov.html).

"The Student." A seminary student talks with two peasant woman: http://www.eldritchpress.org/ac/student.html
"Rothschild's Violin." A mean man realizes that he hasn't lived the right way: http://www.eldritchpress.org/ac/roth.html
"The Lady with the Dog." Maybe C's most famous story about an affair: http://www.eldritchpress.org/ac/lapdog.html

Also, here's a puppy picture that I like. Enjoy!

Thanks for the link to nosebleed! Saw half of it so far, it's pretty sick how they bumhunted gus hansen and isildur1

sure thing, Catlady! pretty funny how Luneau's girlfriend was like, "Thank you Gus...we love you!"

hope you're enjoying the poker travels, wherever they might be taking you.

Interview with Jenn Lien

I recently spoke with Jenn Lien, a planning analyst in NYC and weekend warrior at the Borgata. We discussed weekends in AC, life as a female grinder, bumping into Annette Obrestad, and balancing work with poker: http://www.twoplustwo.com/magazine/i...-jenn-lien.php

Interesting interview. She comes off as significantly more humble in your interview than she does in her tumblr and Twitter feed.

Interview with Daniel Jones

I spoke with Daniel Jones, a lawyer-turned-poker-pro from Ohio, about the mental side of poker, a subject that I'm realizing is more and more important. We discussed mindset adjustments, reciprocality, the variance of PLO, and meditation: http://www.pokernews.com/strategy/a-...ment-22429.htm

glad you found it interesting! Jenn seemed both humble and assertive in person--a great combination, if you ask me, and one that's tough to sustain.

I'm a great advocate of the approach taken by Daniel on a number of levels. It's an example of not just taking the mental game seriously, but also how poker itself can be morally beneficial, if looked at from a deeper perspective, especially given his background in the law. Thanks for the article!

Daniel here. Thanks again for the opportunity, Ben, and great job. I've received a lot of very positive feedback about the piece, including numerous people telling me I've piqued their interest in some of the resources mentioned therein, which makes me feel great. Interesting perspective, TJO; for similar reasons I'm confident that the piece is +EV for the well-being of the poker world at large and I'm happy to have been a part of it.

I am thoroughly enjoying the interviews. It seems like you picked out a great cross section of the poker community, it is cool to get a glimpse of the game from multiple perspectives. Keep up the good work!

Momma Bob Visits the Casino, On the Road Again

Against all odds, my mom came and watched me play the pokers! Both my parents are conservative by nature and 100% ignorant of all things gambling-related, so I was pleasantly surprised by her request to tag along.

We drove to Casino del Sol, the only Tucson casino that spreads no-limit hold’em. I'm not a huge fan. The game is usually 1/2 with most stacks < 100 or, as I like to call it, poker hell. But it was fun to explain poker to someone with literally no understanding of the game (how many cards in the deck, hand strength, chips, etc). She enjoyed it quite a bit—my mom's a people person and we were at a diverse, congenial table. At one point an Asian kid bluffed off his stack and left to reload. "It doesn’t seem like he knows what he’s doing,” my mom whispered to me. Later, when he doubled up, another whisper: “Maybe he does know what he’s doing!”

Overall, the trip went very well. I think I was able to explain the basic rules, the difference between poker and other casino games, and my interest in writing about poker. We've talked about this stuff before, of course, but there's no substitute for seeing things firsthand.

AZ --> New Mexico --> ????

After a few months out West, it was time to get back on the road. I'm moseying along at a snail's pace, stopping for hiking, camping, and poker as I crawl back to Nola. So far the trip has gone well and my car--equipped with new tires and fresh duct tape--is thriving. My first stop was White Sands National Monument.

at sunset

I continued on to Ruidoso, New Mexico, where I spent the last four days hiking and enjoying the donkfest inside Inn of the Mountain Gods Casino, which I'll detail in my next post. When it comes to hiking, I'm a simple man: I find the biggest nearby mountain and climb it. This meant tackling the 11,900 foot Sierra Blanca Peak. Turns out New Mexico is notorious for its poorly marked trails and confusing signs.

Working off google maps and a short trail description, I managed to find my way up. Here's a view of the final ascent.

And a view from the summit.

After four days of nonstop driving, camping, and hiking, I was exhausted and ready to shift into poker mode.
Glad you enjoyed it. Don't leave Nola yet, I'm almost there!

Thanks to you too! Our conversation was one of the highlights of my trip.

Thanks Pure!

Inn of the Mountain Gods

After Sierra Blanca, I shifted gears and played three sessions at Inn of the Mountain Gods. A lot of folks from West Texas escape the heat to gamble and hike there.

For anyone in the Texas/AZ/NM area: The room has changed a bit since I was there threeish years ago. Biggest physical change is that the room is now enclosed and maybe a bit bigger (12-14 tables). On the weekends, one or two 1/2 NL games run during the day, along with one 2/5 game. In the evenings, the room peaked at 4-5 1/2NL and 2 2/5s. A 5/10 Omaha h/l game ran briefly on Friday night, but in general the game is no-limit. On Sunday, the 2/5 game ran from about 2-6, and a few 1/2s ran all day. On weekdays (so I was told) the action slows quite a bit.

The 2/5 game plays deep and is filled with regulars. Saw the same guys there all three days. On Fri/Sat night, there were a few stacks north of 4-5K. The players are definitely worse than average; I hopped in the 2/5 on Sunday at the worst possible time, and it was still soft.

Most of my time was spent playing 1/2, and the games were better than I remembered. Pots were always multiway and lots of ppl would limp/call for any amount, so I focused on good preflop/multiway hand selection and value-betting.

This was one of the trickier spots from the weekend:

I have a winning image and have been running over the table, haven't showed down many hands. 75% of players are limp/calling huge ranges preflop for any amount.

effective stacks are pretty important (hero covers all):

sb is a loose-passive and straightforward ($300)
bb has tilted off 500 and is ready to punt off the rest ($55)
UTG straddler is the primary villain, 20s black guy who's loose-cally PF and more aggro PF. He's the main spot at the table ($350)
UTG+1 new to the table, seems loose-passive and straightforward ($200)

UTG straddle, limp, hero raises to 20 otb with AToff, the four villains above call.

Flop T83 rainbow ($100), sb checks, BB ships his last 35, UTG straddler calls, UTG+1 calls.

Wasn't sure how to proceed.

I think we can usually get away with a small raise OTF like 2.5x or 3x. If straddler had shown a propensity to fold to raises postflop maybe a flat would be better.

Annoying spot due to low spr.

If everyone was deeper then it would be an easy call for me, as this is not a hand that you want to bloat the pot with or get reraised, but often you will have the best hand at showdown, and you have position.

Another annoyance with this hand is that you block top pair, which blocks worse Tx hands that you want to be called by.

However, given villains' descriptions, it seems like a lot of their flop call range there could be quite weak. On top of a bunch of weaker Tx, there are hands like JQ/J9/79 and even 99/89/78 in their range, which have decent equity against your hand, and from which your hand needs protection and value.

Now, the pot is already over $200, I don't mind a shove. You are playing effective 70bbs with the straddle. With this low spr and bad villains you kind of have to stack off here with TPTK. You can get called by a lot of worse hands that may not otherwise be giving you further action on the turn.

my thinking was similar, i felt that a small raise was in order given this

and the fact that these villains are basically level 0 thinkers who will play face-up in a pot of this size (fold air, flat marginal pair + draws, rejam monsters). When UTG and UTG+1 just flat the $35 shove, I think they very rarely have a monster. My main concern was the sb, whose check doesn't tell me much. Tricky spot b/c, as Catlady said, SPR is low but not so low that we can happily commit.

I opted to make it 85, planning to fold to a shove from the SB and UTG and sighcall UTG+2. I expected everyone to fold most of the time, allowing me to isolate vs the shorty. As played both UTG and UTG+1 called Now the pot is roughly $350, UTG has 200 UTG+1 has 60. I planned to ship a non-7,J,Q,K. Turn 7 which checks thru, river a blank (2 or 3), if checked to me I'd probably bet 60 to put UTG+1 all-in. Sadly UTG instashoves, UTG+1 folds, and I fold thinking he has J9 very often. He flips



So yeah, a lot of value to be had otf I think.

I left Ruidoso feeling satisfied with my play, logging about 20 hours in three days with 2/3 winning sessions. I weathered a few rough beats and card-dead stretches and was in good spirits the whole time. As I drove through the nut-low section of the country (Texas panhandle), I felt confident that I could keep the momentum going.

Alas!

My next sesh was at the Winstar, the biggest (and best?) room in the Midwest--or whatever you call Oklahoma. I'd played there once before, a year or two back, and remembered the action being good. Well, I walked into a hurricane! The table next to mine, a 1/3 300 max, was overflowing with chips thanks to a Texas maniac. I table changed. The guy embodied every negative Texas stereotype--fat, racist, hooting at every female in shouting distance, chugging beers. He played blind maybe 1/3 of the time; the rest of the time he called any raise, or raised himself, and saw all rivers. Upon busting he whipped out a white bank envelope and reloaded for $300; eventually he strolled back and forth to a conveniently placed ATM.

The table, filled with regs and another drunken whale, had started adjusting to the weird table conditions, raising to huge amounts pre and trying to play pots with the maniac. After folding for an orbit or two, I picked up AK UTG+2 and limped after a limper. Every pot had been raised pre, either by the maniac or someone else, and there was no reason to think things would change. The action folded to the button, a reg-looking white guy in his thirties, who made it 20. The maniac called, UTG folded, and I made it 100 to go. Would be interested to hear strategies for exploiting this maniac in this spot--there are a lot of options imo. My goal, with this line, is to rep the nuts (I play KK/AA the same way) and isolate vs the SB's any-two range, setting up stacks for a pot-sized flop shove (if I "miss") or a flop check to induce (if I hit).

As played the button smiled, paused for about fifteen seconds, and shoved. The maniac called all-in for 300. Now I was faced with AKss, getting 3.5 to 1, vs. a very tight range, a very loose range, and some very weird metagame. Turns out that if the button is shipping only KK+, this is a thin fold; including QQ or AK makes this a clear call. In-game, my thinking was simply, "If maniac folds I'll vomit-fold, and if maniac calls I'll vomit-call."

I did call, the maniac had A-rag, and the button scooped with AA.

The most significant thing about this hand isn't the actual hand, but my response. I mentally crumbled, withdrawing into myself to ponder how I could have played the hand differently (open huge pre? 3bet smaller and fold to a raise? just flat call?) rather than focusing on the game. I folded a lot and lost the desire to play. You might call this "lock-down tilt," which I'd define as the opposite of aggro-monkey LAG-tilt but similarly unprofitable.

Immediately after the hand, the maniac said, "Screw this, I'm playing 2/5," and moved. Had I been mentally stronger I would have table-changed to the 2/5 and embraced the variance of playing a guy who was geysering off chips.

I left right as my Texan friend was waddling towards the ATM.

Hot Springs, Nawlins

After chugging away from the Winstar in my blue Ford Escort, I continued east to Grant, Oklahoma, where the small Choctaw Grant occasionally hosts a 1/2 game. On this night, a Wednesday, we managed a four-handed game for twenty minutes. That was fine with me, as my desire to play was still low. I spent the next night camping in Magazine Mountain State Park, which boasts the highest point in Arkansas (a mere 2900 feet) and some scenic views.


After the grandeur of New Mexico's Sierra Blanca mountains I was underwhelmed, but I'm still glad that I made the drive.

Next I headed south to Hot Springs, where I expected—and found—five Poker Pro tables at Oaklawn Casino. PGC hero Aesah got his start here, and I’d been wondering how this live-online hybrid format worked. Within ten minutes I had things figured out: think online poker with no dealer and real people. It was also obvious that the game, on a Friday evening, was very profitable. Guys were spewing with draws, calling shoves with mid-pair, and generally playing terrible.

One thing I’m reminded of on every road trip: live poker will never die.

I received an early double when a guy called a 5X flop raise with J9 on J82, binked a 9 and got the money in vs my AA, and lost when I rivered a deuce. Close spot ott that I might fold vs. some players but not vs this button-clicker. The next 3-4 hours were pretty brutal, and I left down 150.

After meeting a friend from Chattanooga, we camped and hiked near Hot Springs National Park and went to a solid sushi buffet (10 bux and 7/10 quality): http://www.hibachi.ar.com/

I played one more session in Baton Rouge, a room that can have crazy deep action. On this Monday night, though, nothing remarkable happened, and I booked a small losing session before returning back to Nola.

All in all a great trip that took longer than I expected—almost two weeks—but no complaints. The only casualty might be the death of my plant, which couldn't handle the blazing heat of White Sands National Monument. It may or may not pull through...Expect an update on this important matter soon

I’ll post an update in the coming week detailing my plan for the fall, which will include a lot of tha live pokerz.

Above EV Podcast

I was a guest on the Above EV Podcast last week. We discussed poker, writing, and icecream: http://podcasts.ontiltradio.com/medi...-ev-shows.html. (Aug 5th, 55min)

The Thinking Poker Diaries Vol 5

I reviewed Andrew Brokos's The Thinking Poker Diaries Vol 5, which chronicles his deep run in the 2010 ME. You won't find a better poker-playing writer than Brokos imo, and his e-book offers an excellent mix of stories and strategy: http://www.pokernews.com/strategy/th...okos-22635.htm

bleh, tenth anniversary, im a nola grinder

I went to the doctor a few days ago, planning to finally get my arm “fixed” (http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/sh...&postcount=277). I had assumed that, after a year+ of waiting, tests, and more waiting, I could finally have surgery that would restore sensation to my pinky and ring finger. But when I went back the doc said (not his exact words) “sorry bro not sure wtf is going on, hit me up in a few months.” With no guarantee that surgery will help—of course it could make things worse—I’ve been accepting the probability that my hand will never be 100%. I plan to do some exercises and acupuncture in the hopes that some of the sensation will return.

All of this sounds a bit worse than it is. The fact is that my day-to-day life is fine. I can even play basketball again, and will try to play the guitar once I retrieve my beloved axe from Houston.

One of my priorities for returning in August was to be here for the 10th anniversary of Katrina. It’s been interesting week. The city seems torn in many directions--between Bush and Obama, between resignation and renewal. I wondered whether locals would be “celebrating” Katrina just as they often celebrate a family member’s life during a second line at a funeral. Turns out the mayor, Mitch Landrieu, OK'd a memorial parade tomorrow; not everyone is one board with this idea. I was in a local Uptown bookstore and listened to the owner rant about the inappropriateness of parades this weekend. “Would Dallas celebrate the anniversary of JFK’s death?” he asked.

Yesterday afternoon I attended the Harrah’s Nola Tenth Anniversary Memorial, where a small procession of employees marched from an interior bar to the Canal Street entrance and listened to retrospectives from people in suits. Harrahs is a major player down here: it's Nola's largest employer and a symbol of the city's rich gambling history. This ESPN piece discusses the gambling industry's role in recovering from Katrina: http://espn.go.com/chalk/story/_/id/...-role-recovery.

After the ceremony, I headed back to my seat in the poker room. I’m always amused by how little things change after a few months or years. There they were, sitting in the same seats in the same room in the same casino: the Nola regs. And now I’m one of them.

I took my rightful place in a 1/3 game on a weekday afternoon among mediocre grinders and booked a small win. I’ll return tonight for what will be my first “long” session of 6-8 hours.

I was hoping to make it into the city this weekend for the anniversary, but unfortunately, it won't be happening. I wasn't living in the city at the time, but I had family that was affected and displaced. I read the article on ESPN (the one I sent you earlier this week), and thought the writer did a fine job of expressing views from various walks of life. It brings back so much emotion, seeing the city as it was 10 years ago, to where it is now. Seeing how terrible the Saints where, and how our savior Breesus brought us back from the ashes to a Super Bowl victory just 4.5 years later. To see someone like Steve Gleason, who is a constant reminder of hope and the simple concept of never giving up, watching the video of him blocking that punt against Atlanta when the Dome reopened, and watching him now, fighting ALS, helping others get the care they deserve even though he is struggling everyday himself.

Blocked punt:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIGgBhNtOP4

My favorite part of this is how the TV announcers just got quiet so we at home could feel the energy and sound as much as possible. Amazing.

In New Orleans, and in Cajun country in general, you will undoubtedly meet some of the most selfless people you'll ever come across. We may all differ in our political & religious views, how to properly make a gumbo or boil crawfish, or who has the best po-boy in town, but when Katrina happens, or when the Saints play, or when there's simply a second line marching down the street, these people will come together, and they'll never leave you out.

(I don't mean to hijack your thread; I've just been giving it a lot of thought this week, reading various articles & letters, watching Saints videos from 2006 that still bring tears to my eyes.)

LOL Breesus! Hadn't heard that one. Proves how much of a Nawlins newbie I am. Thanks for passing along the ESPN article. For anyone interested, it's well worth your time: http://espn.go.com/espn/feature/stor...rina#section-1

Thanks for the awesome post! Given that my main writing project is about poker in New Orleans, your reflections couldn't be more relevant to this thread. I spose I should offer a few of my own.

Bob Bikes Nola

So as most of you probably know, Saturday marked the tenth anniversary of Katrina. I hopped on my bike around noon and pedaled to Harrahs, where a friend was playing the 11am weekly. It's been fun bantering with the regs, coming back to some familiar faces, and telling people about my poker-filled summer. After chatting for a bit, I continued northeast through the French Quarter, up Saint Bernard Street, and into the Seventh Ward, an area of the city that was hard-hit by the hurricane. Bullet's Sports Bar was hosting an event that invited residents to share their stories of rebuilding during the decade since Hurricane Katrina. I had to do a double-take to find the bar, but its faded sign (and the food truck) helped.



This was probably my favorite part of the day. One by one, members of the neighborhood sat in front of a small mic and told their Katrina stories. What struck me most wasn't the details of these stories--I had heard about the devastation, the floating bodies, the slow response--but the community among everyone in this tiny bar.

Exactly this. People kept trying to get me to tell my story, and I sheepishly told them that, no, I was in Houston when the hurricane hit, maybe it would be best if I listen. They nodded and offered me some food (which I did accept )

Next I checked out the downtown parade. As I mentioned in my previous post, lots of folks disliked the idea of "celebrating" Katrina. But, for others, a parade offered a chance to put the storm behind them. I followed the small but jovial parade to its end point, Charity Hospital, and headed west into Uptown. But first I took a wrong turn and stumbled onto a homeless camp under I-10 that gave the Pelicans a nice marketing plug.



Compared to the downtown parade, the Chewbacchus Midsummer Mardi Gras parade was much bigger (and better )


Today I went to a screening of a fantastic documentary, Wade in the Water, Children, that offers a raw and intimate look at the lives of ten middle-schoolers who were affected by Katrina. The kids shot much of the footage themselves (they took camcorders home as part of a class assignment): http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1123411/. Two filmmakers and two students joined us for the screening and shared their thoughts on Katrina and the film. Great experience and I highly recommend the doc.

All in all a good weekend

[X] bike 25 miles
[X] go undefeated in pick-up basketball
[X] win $ at poker
[X] pet fluffy puppy

So that's what the Bullet's Sports Bar looks like. I went looking for it the previous week, couldn't find it, and then found myself entranced by the neighbourhood around St. Bernard. Listening to stories is sometimes just as important as telling them, not matter how "local" one might be!