Freerollin my way to the World Series....by Texter

Full Tilt Poker is putting on about 1 million freerolls to satellite into the Main Event of the WSOP...ok really a satellite to a satellite. In the first freeroll you have to beat from 314 to 629; if you win that one you have to finish in the top 9 of some gigantic freeroll...usually about 3000 players. So basically, you have a snowballs chance in hell of qualifying this way....but it's free and my wife is out scrapbooking and my kids are in bed; so I figure what the heck; how tough can it be?

So far I've played in about 5000 (ok maybe 50) of these crapshoots, I think I'm addicted...along with 9 million other players (each SNG fills up in about 20 seconds) basically they all start the same way; half the table goes all in on the first hand with anything and the other half are just not thinking about the big picture...you have to finish first...and there will be another freeroll starting in about 2 minutes. My computer is a POS so I can only play about 4 at a time...See the pic above.

My goal in these things is just to actually win one of them...I have no real illusions about wining a seat at the WSOP. The tourney's actually start to calm down when we're down to around 50 people and I make a few final tables.

I end up busting out with a couple 5ths and a 4th...but it's taken several hours of my life and I feel like I'm getting carpal tunnel syndrome so I decide to quit playing these things and switch to points tourneys. For 600 points, I can play in a Sit N Go that will qualify me for a 5k point satellite to the $1k buyin Main Event tourney. These things play a lot more straightforward and I win on my second try after my opponent inexplicably folds all of his hands when we are headsup...maybe he disconnected...I don't really care...I'm just glad this experiment is over.

Of course, now I have to finish in the top 3 to satellite into the $1k; but at least I qualified for something...and can quit these things....I hope. Wish me luck.

WSOP Live! by Texter

So I read on some forums that worldseriesofpoker.com was going to show the webcast Final Table of the Ladies only event for free; normally you pay a $49.95 to get access to watch all of the final tables they are showing. They must not be doing particulary well since they offered this up as a free sample. I can't see too many people coughing up the cash after last night's table.

That final table was the most boring final table I've ever seen, most of the women were playing ABC poker and were extremely passive....even when they were on extremely short stacks. One woman folded AcKc to a short stacks allin bet, and another folded JJ to a raise and a call. The entire night was...fold...fold...fold...one player raises...fold...fold...fold... over and over and over, one woman had AA and everyone folded to her HUGE raise...then she got AA again and the announcers figured she would limp or raise smallish to try and get action...nope...she raised the same amount again and everyone folded.

Even the announcers were bored, and they're being paid to watch the event. There was virtually no trapping or bluffing whatsoever...it was brutal. It took several hours to get from 6 players to 5; eventually, the blinds got so big that it was just an allin fest.

Sorry ladies, but this event was awful. Even the lovely Liz Lieu as guest host couldn't save it.