Roving Eyes, Octopus Arms: The Men Of The World Series

The male-to-female ratio in the media room at the World Series of Poker is approximately 22:6. That's a live count, courtesy of the statisticians at www.PokerListings.com.
That ratio in the Amazon room is proportionally equal. It might be a little skewed due to the presence of a few extra female poker marked poker dealers and railbirds, but more or less, it's safe to say that the WSOP has a largely male-dominated population.
That being said, women are quite the commodity here. Trust me; taking a walk through the tables at noon to hunt for well-known poker players and some key poker hands is not exactly like riding "It's A Small World After All" at Disneyland. It can make a good wholesome girl from Canada feel just a little bit grimy.
And I'm not being conceited. Just look at my profile picture. Yeah. That's how I look every day here at the Rio: Windblown from the walk over from the Palms, with a layer of airborne kitchen grease on the skin that's been swept in through the vents of the media room. On top of that, the long night-shift hours leave one looking really, really tired.
Nevertheless, I still cannot escape the claws of strange, unorthodox poker players who perhaps just haven't gotten enough air and are a little high from whatever it is they're pumping through the air conditioning system in the Amazon Room. Their eyes (the ones not covered with sunglasses), communicate to me like this, in a caveman voice:
"WOMAN. NO WOMAN HERE IN LONG TIME. COME TO ME!"
The up-and-down looks are not so bad anymore. Really, I do understand. There is nothing wrong with appreciating the opposite sex; I would definitely look at a good-looking man. Hey - we were given eyes for a reason.
But sometimes, lines are crossed. Verbs are exchanged. People are touched.
Feelings of disgust may arise.
[Scene]
I'm scrawling notes furiously on my notepad, with my back turned to a certain fifty-something-year-old player who has already expressed his seemingly innocent admiration to me numerous times before.
I am trying to read the cards on another table, squinting my already little Asian eyes. Spades? Clubs? Man, I have to get my eyes checked trick cards.
Suddenly, I feel a pair of eerily soft hands scoop up my own hand - the hand that is currently writing down a particularly interesting poker hand, and I whip my head around, only to find myself looking into the roving eyes of said poker player.
His trembling paws (perhaps from age or from the cold room?) bring my own dry, Vegas-weathered paw up to his - ugh! - wet lips, and I am frozen with incredulous confusion. What is this man doing?
After his slightly parted lips have pressed against my skin he looks up at me and smiles. I am at a loss for words, I kind of want to hit him, but I say stupidly, "Um…thanks…"
It has always been my folly that I do not like to offend.
"No, thank YOU," he says smirking, in his fading British accent.
[End scene]
And it doesn't just happen to me. A fellow female member of the media, whose name I will keep respectfully private, came back to the media room and exclaimed:
"He reached over and grasped my waist - his arm was like a tentacle - and he looked at me with this creepy look and said, 'Oh there she is - my Irish Eyes!' - and I twisted away and told him - I'm not even Irish!"
This non-Irish photographer then had to venture to the far reaches of the Pavilion walls and snap her pictures with a heavy zoom, just to avoid the uncomfortable stares of the man. Apparently, she says, all the creepy ones like her.
Sometimes, the randy poker players try a different method. They try to romance you with their well-rehearsed lines and offer to marry you in the drive-thru wedding parlor. Or, buy you a Mercedes, because come on - a Mercedes is better than an engagement ring right?
Rrrrright, buddy.
But I guess I've got to hand it to these guys. They don't give up. You politely say no to dinner at break-time, but that doesn't throw them off at all. You tell them they're really not your type, and they think that's a good thing. Their girlfriend/wife calls while they're talking to you and you tell them that they are scum for hitting on you, but this doesn't faze them. To them, you're like, flirting.
And the more verbal you get, the more opportunity there is for innuendo. So really, sometimes silence is the best policy. But no matter what, there are some who will still call you "baby," talk you up, and essentially wink you to death, whether you like it or not.

Why Does Antonius Run It Three Times?

You've seen the hand on High Stakes Poker: Jamie Gold hits his set of kings on the turn, but the king also fills up Patrik Antonius' straight. It's the biggest pot in the history of the show, $740,000.
"You wanna run it three times?" Gold asks Antonius, who agrees. We see it all the time on High Stakes Poker: players involved in big pots discuss how many times they should deal the remaining cards cheat poker.

Luck Evens Out But...

Twice, three times, four or even five times - anything is possible in a high-stakes cash game. But why are they doing it? Don't statistical fluctuations (aka luck) even out in the long run? We all know they do.
If you get the money in as a favorite, the positive expectation practically goes into your bankroll even if your opponent draws out on you in that particular hand. In the long run, the expected profits add up and bad beats are forgotten. Dealing it twice doesn't change your expectation.
So, what's going on here? "Are these big pros cowards or what...? I thought they were real gamblers." Why doesn't Antonius maximize his chances of winning the whole mega pot?
The thing is, the long run comes with a catch: it can be very long.

... How Long Is the Long Run?

How long is the long run, really? Well, the length depends on the size of the fluctuations, the variance. If variance is large (compared to the expectation) things will need more time to even out.
And in poker, variance is often very large.
In our example, Antonius has a 77% chance of earning $370,000 (half the pot). But he may also lose $370,000. His chance of that is 23%. His expectation in the pot (his EV) is $200,000.
If he played that same hand in the same way five times, he'd expect to earn one million dollars. Not bad, but even then there's still about an 8% chance he'd be an overall loser. Apparently, five repetitions is not the long run in this case.
But it's the biggest pot in the history of High Stakes Poker, so Antonius is not likely to play marked cards a similar hand very often, probably not five times during the whole season.
By splitting the pot in three parts and dealing a river card for each of them, Antonius' expectation is unchanged, but the standard deviation is about halved.
In a sense, by dealing it three times, the long run is made half as long.

When Risk of Ruin Is a Reality

Since dealing it twice or more doesn't influence the expected income, it involves no economic drawbacks in the long run. But it decreases the risk of losing the bankroll in a streak of negative variance (aka bad luck.)
If a pro loses his bankroll, he won't be around to enjoy the long run. The positive expectations from his great plays won't have time to add up. He may do everything right and still be put out of business.
That's probably why pros like to deal big pots several times. Even with their impressive bankrolls, losing $370,000 in one single hand is not without significance.
By the way, if you sit down at a poker table with $500,000, you're certainly a pretty big gambler by any reasonable definition.
And Patrik Antonius cannot be a coward. He's a Finn.

Jason Mercier's New Year's Resolutions 2010

On January 1, 2009, exactly one year ago, I came up with a short list of goals that I wanted to accomplish in 2009.
I guess I could have came up with more things, but I didn’t think about it much and kind of rattled off a few things and then put the piece of paper away.
Yesterday, I looked at that piece of paper and this is exactly what it said:
1. Win a WSOP bracelet
2. Six figures just in staking
3. 3 wk period off from drinking
I accomplished the first and third things, by winning a bracelet and taking 35 days off drinking in September and October. I found it very ironic that I didn’t put the word “win” in second goal.
This was ironic to me because I actually infrared ink lost six figures just in staking. So I guess I accomplished all three goals!!! Lol
I had a 4^th thing that I just didn’t put on the piece of paper that I didn’t end up accomplishing anyways. I wanted to read four books throughout the year and only read one and am 2/3rds of the way through my 2^nd one.
I guess my list of goals is not technically a list of New Years Resolutions, but I feel like I need to be specific otherwise I won’t have anything to shoot for.
For 2010, I have came up with a list of goals that I hope to accomplish this year. This list is a little longer than last year and I hope that I can accomplish all of these things.
1. Again, Win a WSOP bracelet
2. I have four horses in over 100k in makeup, I want to have at least 2 of them get out of that makeup.
3. I am trying to ration the amount of times I drink alcohol, and am going to limit myself to drinking a maximum of 40 times for the whole year. I figure that a little less than once a week seems reasonable.
4. I want to play basketball a lot more this year or at least do some sort of athletic activity. My goal is to work out at least 75 times for the year.
5. Make at least 1.5 million dollars infrared contact lenses
6. Win a WPT title
7. Get top 25 on Cardplayer Player of the Year for the third year in a row
8. Play more online cash games, and either move up stakes, or grind a ton of mid stakes PLO and NL.
9.Finish the book that I am still reading, and read at least one more book this year. Lol books aren’t really my thing.
These are the goals that I have come up with for 2010. Lets hope I can accomplish all of them.

Mercier Update from the LAPC

Today I will be playing the $1k 8 game event at LAPC. This will be my 7th event played out here, having bricked the first six I played.
I bubbled the $1,500 NL last night after playing trick cards around 11 hours. I went out in 23^rd and 18 got paid.
Sam Simon, the creator of the Simpsons, was the one who busted me. He's a really nice guy and fun to have at the table, but oh, did he get me good!! Sigh!
Anyways, I had a rough online day on Sunday too, going deep in a few tourneys. I finished 8^th in the 109 turbo, losing 2 pots for the chiplead at the final table, 6 outed on the river and 3 outed on the river... yuk.
Also got 20^th in the 109 freeze, and bubbled the 200 rebuy AK<AA.
I will probably marked card tricksonly be playing this 8 game tourney and the $1,500 Chinese poker tournament out in LA before heading to Vegas for the NAPT at the Venetian.
I will be playing the 5k main event there and also the 25k high rollers event. I'm really excited for these two events and looking forward to kicking off the NAPT season.
Later!

Matt Stout VLog: 4th Place in the $20k Poker Lounge :(

We've got the fourth of five video blogs Matt Stout did on his recent trip to Wales to play in the $20,000 buy-in Poker Lounge, a infrared ink televised winner-take-all sit and go.
In this installment he discusses a big hand he played with Mike Matusow and how he feels about finishing fourth. If you haven't seen the first three videos click through to his blog page and check them out.

Tech Tips: Best Cameras, Lenses for Photographing Poker Tournaments

If you follow the blog we gave you a quick guide to the techniques required in poker photography earlier this month but this week we’re going to take a look at the various tools of the trade.
There are actually a number of directions you can take for buying poker photography equipment.
Although it’s possible to take a decent poker photo using a cell phone camera or a point-and-shoot (particularly if you can close to the table), we wouldn’t recommend it.
Instead you’re probably going to want a DLSR, so you can swap out that kit lens. Right now there are two major options: Standard DSLR or mirrorless. We’ll start with the standard DSLR easy cards tricks.

Standard DSLR

This includes heavy hitters Canon and Nikon, which offer entry-level models that cost around $400-$600 but have professional grade cameras that cost thousands. These are what most professional photographers use and the lens selection is pretty much unparalleled. You can’t really go wrong with Canon or Nikon.

Mirrorless DSLR

Lately mirrorless cameras have been getting more and more publicity thanks to a few killer features. There are some camera enthusiasts who think this style of camera is the future of photography.
Perhaps the two most highly-touted advantages are smaller size and less moving parts on the inside.
Some of the biggest players in this market are Panasonic and Olympus, which use the micro four-thirds bracket system and Sony’s NEX line which uses E-Mount, Fujifilm’s X-Mount and Leica’s M-Mount. Canon and Nikon also offer mirrorless cameras but they were rather late to the party.

Lenses

Lenses are very, very important for poker photography.
Regardless of the camera system you choose, you’re going to need some fast glass for low-light performance. You’re specifically going to be looking at lenses that have a high maximum aperture, which is represented by smaller f-stop numbers. Anything below f/2.8 is good in our experience. Don’t bother with anything less than f/4.0.
Unfortunately fast glass is very expensive. On the bright side almost every camera system has one lens that is a steal.
Nikon and Canon both have fast 50mm f/1.8 lenses that cost around $100. These are great starter lenses for poker.
When it comes to focal length it’s really subjective. Shorter focal lengths like 24mm and 50mm have the added bonus of being able to shoot the entire room at once while big zooms like 70-200mm give you the option of doing close-ups.

Sample Budget DSLR Set-Up

Here’s an example of a cheap DSLR set-up that should at least get you started in poker photography.
Camera: Canon T5i (body only) Also known as EOS 700D in Europe
Price: $749
Lens: Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II
Price: $121
Total Cost: $870
Summary: This is a good, fast, set-up that will get you going. It eschews the kit lens for a low-light 50mm. The only reason you might want to get one with a kit lens is that will be easier juice cards to take pictures of the entire poker room. It’s only $50 more. In the future you could seriously upgrade your zoom capabilities by adding a 70-200mm f/4 for around $1,000. There are quite a few upgrade options as Canon and Nikon DSLRs have widest lens selections.
Note: You’ll need an SD memory card but those cost $10-$30.
Alternatives: Nikon D3100 $449 + Nikon 35mm f/1.8 AF-S DX $219

Sample Budget Mirrorless DSLR Set-Up

Camera (includes lens): Sony NEX-6L/B 16.1 MP with 16-50mm Power Zoom Lens
Price: $648
Total cost: $648
Summary: As you can see the mirrorless cameras tend to be a bit cheaper. The NEX-6 actually comes with a decent kit lens that has a nice focal length for poker. You’ll be in great shape for wide shots (where it can shoot at f/3.5) but you’ll be harder pressed for zoom shots across the table. The upgrade options are more limited with mirrorless cameras but Sony does make a 50mm f/1.8 for $298. There’s also a rumor that Sony will be releasing a Sony 55-150mm f/2.8 in the fall. That lens would potentially be fantastic for poker.
Alternatives: Panasonic DMC-GF6 $599, Olympus E-P3 $899, Fujifilm X-M1 $799

How They Handle Clay Poker Chips and More: Tips For Reading Your Poker Opponents

One of the crucial aspects of being a successful poker player is having the ability to read tells. A tell is a sign of any type, be it verbal, physical or psychological that provides you with information about the your opponents' hands. Even some small action, like the way the player throws their clay poker chips or plastic poker chips on the table, can be an indication of what they have behind those cards. By learning the most common tells, you can also regulate your own behavior to be sure you're not exhibiting these characteristics, thereby improving your game. If you'd like to be the master of your next poker game, here are some helpful tips to get you reading tells like a pro:


Poker tells that scream "I'm bluffing and have a good hand":
-Shaky hands: If the player is fidgety and has shaky hands, infrared contactlenses especially when it comes to placing their bet. Those shaky hands could be a leading indicator that they have a really, really good hand.

-Rapid breathing: Sometimes, the more gifted players can hide their shaky hands, but it takes some serious mental meditation to control heavy breathing and a heaving chest. Get your clay poker chips ready: this player probably has an excellent hand.

-Sighs, shrugs, and general overacting: When a player makes gaudy attempt at acting like they have a really terrible hand via sighs, raised eyebrows, shrugs, or more boldly, saying things like "Ugh! Why am I even calling?!", most likely, they're trying to be slick and hide a good hand.

-Throwing the clay poker chips on the table in frustration: this can be a front. Many players try to employ their acting skills when bluffing. But fortunately for you, they're probably bad actors.

Poker tells that scream "I've got a weak hand!":
-Staring down other players: Odds are, they're trying to give other players the illusion that they're unstoppable and have a great hand. More than likely, they have a weak hand. They may have something, but it probably is something that also can be beaten by other players, so they're taking a risk by projecting the illusion that they have something to be reckoned with.

-Holding their breath: Often times, in an attempt to control their pounding heart and heaving chest, luminous contact lenses inexperience players will hold their breath when they're bluffing. They probably won't make eye-contact either.

Poker tells that indicate "I have a drawing hand":
-Taking a long time before placing a bet: if you see a player's mental calculator going off as they look into the pot, he's probably figuring out pot odds to see if it's worth it to attempt to pick up the cards they need for a drawing hand.

-Checking the hole cards after a flop: If the flop shows the possibility of giving a player a flush or straight draw, watch for the players that recheck and shift around their hole cards. They're checking to see if they have something to play on. They opponent probably doesn't have a flush or straight at that point, because they wouldn't have to check if they did.