Steve Brecher
[Recent Entries][Archive][Friends][User Info]
Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in the "Steve Brecher" journal:[<< Previous 20 entries]
|
06:40 pm
[Link] |
Foxwoods Result
I finished 8th, grossing $99,641. Thanks to all for the good wishes!
For the record: on my final hand I moved in for $472,000, not $572,000 as reported on the WPT site.
|
07:10 am
[Link] |
Foxwoods final 10
1. Adam "Roothlus" Levy - 892,000
2. Lee Markholt - 480,000
3. Curt Kohlberg - 1,127,000
4. Kenna James - 1,217,000
5. Tom Dobrilovic - 565,000
6. Eric Froehlich - 714,000
7. Steve Brecher - 660,000
8. Cornel Andrew Cimpan - 1,554,000
9. Soheil Shamseddin - 1,233,000
10. Matt Stout - 2,101,000
Play will end today after four players are eliminated; the WPT "TV table" of six will play tomorrow.
|
|
05:19 pm
[Link] |
Blag
As of today, I'm certificated by the FAA as an Airline Transport Pilot with an Airplane Multi-Engine Land rating and a Cessna 510 (Citation Mustang) single-pilot type rating.
|
|
05:14 pm
[Link] |
Soul Storage
A small ad in the New Yorker piqued my curiosity enough to send me to the site of The Soul Storage Company. I think it's a brilliant idea.
Edit: If you're so inclined, you might want to visit and explore the site before looking at the comments here.
|
|
04:24 pm
[Link] |
I in the sky
For those too young to recall, I had a small plane in the 1990s that I sold on Nov. 1, 1999 because it wasn't sufficiently weather-capable to provide reliable transportation. Since then I've been more-or-less following developments in the so-called Very Light Jet (VLJ) market, in which there have been several false starts. Now I've decided to buy a Cessna Citation Mustang. I don't know exactly when a broker whom I have engaged will find one, but it should be deliverable within the next six months. I'll need a lot of (re)training, which I'll start next Tuesday morning at Reid Hillview airport in San Jose. That's the nearest flight school I found that has a nice-and-slow plane, a Cessna 172, with the avionics (flight and navigation instruments) that'll be in my plane—Garmin G1000 and GFC-700 autopilot.
There aren't enough major poker tournaments around the country to keep my piloting skills sharp, so I expect to fly a lot of missions for Angel Flight West or similar.
This will be a challenging endeavor, which is a primary motivation.
|
|
07:15 am
[Link] |
Your Future Sixth Sense
Video of Pattie Maes & Pranav Mistry at the TED Conference: Unveiling the "Sixth Sense," game-changing wearable tech.
By "game-changing" I think she means "life-changing."
(Thanks to Boyd.)
|
|
09:28 am
[Link] |
More Taleb
The always interesting Nassim Taleb lists Ten principles for a Black Swan-proof world, which he calls "Capitalism 2.0".
|
|
12:25 pm
[Link] |
Yes We Can!
Glenn Greenwald has a Slate column, "New and worse [than Bush's] secrecy and immunity claims from the Obama DOJ." Excerpt: It is hard to overstate how extremist is the "soverign immunity" argument which the Obama DOJ invented here in order to get rid of this lawsuit. I confirmed with both ACLU and EFF lawyers involved in numerous prior surveillance cases with the Bush administration that the Bush DOJ had never previously argued in any context that the Patriot Act bars all causes of action for any illegal surveillance in the absence of "willful disclosure." This is a brand new, extraordinarily broad claim of government immunity made for the first time ever by the Obama DOJ -- all in service of blocking EFF's lawsuit against Bush officials for illegal spying.
|
|
03:58 pm
[Link] |
Diet Pepsi Art
|
|
05:36 pm
[Link] |
Man on Wire
A few hours ago in Mystic, CT, I saw this winner of the Best Documentary Feature Oscar. It's a cleverly- and beautifully-told enthralling story of an endearingly crazy young Frenchman who walked—performed on—a wire between the World Trade Center towers in 1974. This is my favorite film of this year and last.
|
|
11:56 am
[Link] |
The New Yorker
Despite its odious editorial slant on political issues, The New Yorker continues to be my favorite magazine. A lot of the cartoons are funny, and some issues hit soaring heights such as the March 30 one which contains these three consecutive articles: an hilarious piece by David Sedaris which has the polish of a jewel; a New York fantasy by Woody Allen, and the article, which I mentioned previously, about Chris Ferguson and game-theoretic poker. Also, the film reviews by Anthony Lane and David Denby are usually reliable for me, and almost always delightfully written.
|
09:48 am
[Link] |
Sometimes one doesn't want the details
Headline on an A.P. story in the Reno newspaper:Toilet chef's try at hot sausage evacuates prison
|
|
11:31 am
[Link] |
Insomnia?
I was on The [Gary] Wise Hand radio show. Huck Seed's interview is first; then mine starts at 48:40.
|
09:04 am
[Link] |
What would Jesus bet?
The March 30 New Yorker has a nice article on Chris Ferguson and his approach to poker, plus some discussion of the UIGEA. (Free registration required to go beyond the abstract.)
|
|
05:38 pm
[Link] |
Blameworthiness
From a Reuters story:An "insatiable" appetite in the United States for illegal drugs is to blame for much of the violence ripping through Mexico, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Wednesday. Likewise, an insatiable appetite for monetary security is to blame for many of the bank robberies around the world.
|
|
10:38 am
[Link] |
Bay 101 Heads-Up Stats
Kathy Liebert and I played 54 heads-up hands at Bay 101. We each had the button (small blind) 27 times.
On my button, I folded 10 and raised 17 (63%).
On Kathy's button, she folded 4, called 15, and raised 8.
|
|
07:49 pm
[Link] |
Addendum
I added the description of a Day 3 pot to my preceding post about the Bay 101 WPT tournament.
|
06:27 am
[Link] |
Bay 101 Shooting Stars WPT tournament
"Shooting Stars": each table's initial roster has (at least) one well-known player who carries a $5,000 elimination bounty. There was also a $10,000 prize for being chip leader at the end of one's starting day. Each starting day lasted for ten 1-hour levels. Tables were 9-handed very soon after the 11:00 AM start.
Day 1A, March 16
There were 135 entrants at $9,500+500 each. The next day, 1B, there were 256 for a total of 391, which was 15 more than last year.
I was in seat 7 at the same table all day. Erick Lindgren was in seat 3; Paul Wasicka in seat 4; Greg "FBT" Mueller in seat 5, and the others were unknown to me. Erick and Paul were our two bounties. Very late in the day, David Pham came to seat 2 with a very large stack, but not for enough time to affect much.
Players started with 20,000 in chips. My chip counts at the end of every other level, plus at the end of the 9th level, i.e., at breaks, were: 31,575; 31,100; 37,550; 31,400; 18,800; 30,700. The three big pots that I played are evident from those numbers:
During the second level, 50-100 blinds, Erick opened for 200, and there were a couple of calls before it came to me on the button; I called with 22. The big blind made it 700. We all called. The flop was 762, different suits. I don't remember the amounts but the big blind bet; fold, fold, and the player to my immediate right raised; I called, the big blind called. The turn was a 7. Check, bet, we both called. The river was a Q. We all checked. The big blind had AA, and I showed before the other player so I don't know what he had but he later claimed a big hand so it was probably K7s or similar. My check on the river was my biggest mistake that I know of in this tournament.
During the 9th level, 300-600 blinds 75 ante, it was folded to Greg Mueller's button. Each and every time that had occurred all day he had raised, which he did this time as well. He had about 20,000. With about 42,000 and AKo in the big blind, I reraised. He took some time and moved all-in for about 6,000 more. I took a little time and called. He showed AJo, and caught a J on the river to win the pot.
During the last level, 400-800 blinds 100 ante, when I had about 16,000, it was folded to Paul Wasicka who open-raised to 2,500 from one off the button. He had done that in that circumstance at least 2/3 of the time during the day. I re-raised all-in [from the big blind] with A4s. He thought a while and called with 99. I caught an A on the flop. This was one of two pots in the tournament in which I survived by coming from behind (in some of my later recounting, I temporarily forgot this one).
Day 2, March 18
145 remaining entrants; starting blinds: 500-1000, 100 ante; 90-minute levels, continuing until 36 players remained.
I started the day with 30,700. My end-of-level, or -day, chip counts: 28,500; 47,600; 65,400; 91,200; 61,000; 186,500; 151,500.
Fairly early today the player on my immediate right open-raised in middle position, I called with AA, Chad Batista on my immediate left moved in with a shortish stack, the opener folded, and my hand held up against Chad's QQ.
A bit later I open-raised with QQ and the player who had replaced Chad called. The heads-up flop was 752. I checked, he bet 7,000 (about half the pot), I moved in, he turned his TT face up, thought a while, and folded. He was given a 9-hand (one orbit) sit-out penalty for showing his cards before the action was complete. (I forget my stack size, but it was such that a check-raise implied all-in.)
Later in the day at my second table I opened-raised in early position with KK. Amnon Filippi, a pro on the tour, called in the big blind. I had observed that he was a loose caller in such situations. Flop Q97 three-suited. I bet, he called. Turn an offsuit J; check, check. River a 5; he bet 22,000, about half the pot; I called and he showed 86 (straight).
In the 1500-3000 ante 500 level a local player opened-raised two off the button for 8,000; the button made it 21,000; the small blind folded and I moved in from the big blind with KK. The original raiser folded, the button called with QQ, and my hand stood up.
Day 3, March 19
36 remaining entrants; starting blinds 2000-4000, ante 500 with 62 min. remaining in the level that started the previous day. Subsequent levels two hours each. 6-handed tables.
Started the day with 151,500. End-of-level (or day) chip counts: 278,500; 325,000; 767,000; 2,157,000; 1,562,000; 2,056,000 (originally miscounted and reported on some web sites as 2,016,000).
I open-raised in late position with TT. Tony Behari to my immediate left called. Flop 763; I bet, Tony called. Turn T(!); I bet, Tony called. River a blank, I bet, Tony raised me all-in, I called, he had 77.
[This hand added after original posting; although not important to my stack, it's an interesting one:] I open-raised in first position with AA. Chris Moore called in the small blind, and Tony Behari, a personable local amateur, called in the big blind. Flop 876 rainbow; Chris bet 22,000; Tony made it 45,000; I folded; Chris called. Turn a J; Chris checked; Tony bet 100,000; Chris moved in for 400+K; Tony called instantly; Chris showed JJ; Tony showed 97; river a T. Tony's double-up carried him to the final table, and Chris was able to build back up and finish third.
Later when both I and Freddy Bonyadi had big stacks, as reported on the WPT site:Thao Le raises under the gun to 28,000, Freddy Bonyadi calls from the button, Steve Brecher reraises [from] the small blind to 204,000, and Thao Le folds. Bonyadi moves all in, and Brecher immediately calls with A♣A♦. Bonyadi shows K♣K♦, and he's dominated (including suits).
The board comes J♣6♦2♣Q♥7♠, and Steve Brecher wins the pot with his pocket aces. Final table, March 20
The key hand of the final table, which started 6-handed, was this hand in which I sucked out to survive for the second time in the tournament; as reported on the WPT site:Steve Brecher has the button in seat 3.
Brecher raises from the button to 95,000, Liebert reraises from the small blind to 600,000, and Brecher thinks for a little while before he moves all in. Liebert calls with A♠K♠, and she dominates Brecher's A♥Q♠
The flop comes K♥J♦5♣, and the crowd applauds as Liebert pairs her king, but Brecher picks up a gutshot straight draw.
The turn card is -- the 10♠! Steve Brecher makes his straight to take the lead, and Liebert needs a queen on the river to chop the pot.
The river card is the 7♠, and Steve Brecher wins the pot with an ace-high straight.
Pot Size - 4,161,000 Kathy Liebert, Chris Moore and I played 3-handed for a long time. Chris is a tough, very aggressive successful young player. After he was finally eliminated, Kathy and I played heads up for a long time. Finally at 4:21 AM, after a WPT record of 319 hands and about 12 hours at the final table, I got her all-in with QTs vs. my A9o and I won the pot, the $1,000,000 first place prize plus a $25,500 seat in next month's WPT Championship at Bellagio, a $5,000 bounty on Kathy and the accompanying t-shirt with her picture and signature.
While I sucked out to survive a couple of times, and was in several other lucky situations, I think I played well: I kept out of trouble, maintained my focus, and adapted to my opponents and conditions. While I may now be biased, I think this is a great tournament with a structure that is suited to my style, a good mix of entrants, and an enjoyable venue.
|
|
01:47 pm
[Link] |
Sign of the Times
Virginia Heffernan describes the phenomenon of online poker bad beat stories in a New York Times Magazine article.
|
|
02:28 pm
[Link] |
Quoted without comment
The Pres said,My administration has also begun to go line by line through the federal budget in order to eliminate wasteful and ineffective programs. As you can imagine, this is a process that will take some time. But we’re starting with the biggest lines. We have already identified two trillion dollars in savings over the next decade. The New York Times says,an administration official said those savings reflected reduced spending on the war in Iraq and higher revenues from letting the Bush administration’s tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans lapse after 2010. Hat tip to Jacob Sullum at Reason's Hit & Run
|
[<< Previous 20 entries] |
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
brec's journal