No More Password Posts

Posted by icemonkey9 on Aug 11, 2010 in General | 1 comment

Sorry for annoying everyone so much,  I decided to put my private stuff on a different blog.  I'll aim to have a good update later this week.  Thanks!

Password Posts

Posted by icemonkey9 on Aug 8, 2010 in General | 1 comment

I know there's some people that actually read this blog, so just a quick note.  I'm going to start making private entries which are basically for myself.  Don't think I'm shutting you out but some of the stuff I need to post and keep myself honest with are pretty private and I want to keep them centralized, thus, the private posts.

Hanging With Hellmuth

Posted by icemonkey9 on Jun 9, 2010 in General | 3 comments

Sorry I haven't updated the blog in a while (I say that too much), but frankly there are only a handful of people that really follow me here so hey whatev right?

This week has been ridiculously busy with WSOP coverage. My focus out here in Las Vegas is to try to capture some of these pros away from the table doing what they love to do. Here's a quick recap of what's happened so far:

• Landed and then went straight to the Bellagio to catch Phil Laak and his world record performance for endurance. Did the final interview with him before he stopped at a ridiculous 115 hours. Met up with Jennifer Tilly as well and got a good interview with her. She is very much in love with Phil, it was endearing.
• Spent time at the Rio but this year the setup really benefits the players and screws over people like me because they are allowing NOTHING in terms of video which sucks. They have a media interview room which I have about the same chance of winning the Main Event myself as I do getting a pro to leave the main playing area, walk all the way over, then do the interview over in that room. Fortunately Bernard Lee is doing well with the interviews on-site with the big namers.
• Today we hung out with Phil Hellmuth (read below for that story), then interviewed tournament director at the Bellagio (and World Poker Tour) Jack McClelland (super classy guy) and then met up with Bodog pro Amanda Musumeci who I really hit it off with (she's a riot).

So that takes us to Phil. Here's the canned picture we took to test the lighting (click to enlarge):

Phil Hellmuth and Me

So we met up with Phil at his hotel suite which was quite nice (I am omitting the hotel for his privacy). We woke him up at 1pm and after he got himself refreshed was a lot more chipper. I had never met Phil and obviously his reputation preceeds him. I had seen him a dozen times at events but this was the first time I have spoken with him at length.

Hellmuth is one interesting cat I can say that. It's funny, because he's definitely an interesting psychological subject. He's both praised and criticized by fans and peers alike. In the end though, I think he's a real decent guy who does care a great deal about his professional and personal life. There were some subjects that came up that were ones he didn't like and he wore it on his face but stayed quiet. When the boys from Time Magazine came and asked some really ignorant poker questions, he just tried his best to answer them without rolling his eyes (I did though). The interview we did was done in about 20 minutes and we got some great sound bites and good insight into what makes him tick. It was funny though, he'd be in mid-sentence and giving a great answer and he'd just "electrify" himself and look straight into the camera and cut some canned promo. At the same time, when I asked about charity work he does, he very humbly talked about the importance of doing that kind of work to help offset the shallowness of what can be a lonely profession in poker, while talking about the charities he assists. The CEO of the hotel came over to his suite and gushed about how much he enjoys there and while complimenting the staff and accommodations, complemented himself for being a big tipper at the same time.

Once the interview was over and Phil had his "breakfast" (around 2pm) he and I sat at his dining table next to his work desk and just shot the shit. It was good stuff and I think "that" Phil Hellmuth is probably (hopefully?) closer to who he really is than what you might see in 15 second clips on poker shows. We talked about bad runs and what we do to get through them (hilarious right? I am sure somewhere some online friends of mine have a joke here about me and Hellmuth talking about running bad), but we totally agreed that even if last year was a total disaster at poker, we're both running great in life. When I said that whenever I run bad now I tell myself, "Hey running bad at poker, but running GREAT in life!" and he loved that saying and repeated it. It seemed to ring true as he said how grateful he was for having a patient and supportive wife and great kids (he had just spoken with her on the phone).

So, all in all I spent about 2.5 hours with poker's most enigmatic subject. I came away thinking the guy, deep down, is a decent guy who is extremely driven to staying on top as one of the best tournament players in history. He loves his family and he loves the game of poker. He cares what his peers think and does his best to support his fans. At the same time, he can be his own best friend and worst enemy and can show his impatience and enthusiasm on his face in the blink of an eye.

I'm sure I'll spend more time with Phil Hellmuth in the future but I'm glad I was able to have this opportunity. The 20 minute interview is really good and will make its way up to Poker News Daily (he tweeted about it) very soon.

Kristy’s Blog, More About Vegas, Playing Poker and StarCraft II

Posted by icemonkey9 on May 21, 2010 in General | 0 comments

I'm waiting for The Daily Deal to finish rendering, so I figured to give the blog an update. I finally found Kristy Arnett's blog which was a nice read. I am really happy to hear she is engaged! I first met her about 2 years ago but we never really kept in touch. I was surprised to see her DeucesCracked series where she got coaching from BalugaWhale. I have to admit I am debating getting a 1 month subscription just to watch that series. In the meantime I have been checking out two other coaching sites, one of which is LeggoPoker. I've been pretty impressed with the videos there and they seem to really have their act together.

In terms of work, this week was real productive. We got a sponsor for the show, which is a big step in the right direction. Hopefully our videos catch on and we start getting more traffic which will open the doors to do some really cool stuff. As it is we have some big plans that should be a lot of fun for poker players to watch and even take a part of.

I'm looking forward to my next trip to Vegas since there's some fun things planned. I think what will happen is that I will wake up, change, get to wherever I am supposed to meet someone, film for hours and hours, hang out, and then head back and crash and do it all over again for 7 days in a row.

My last Vegas trip for work was a lot of fun and I ended up playing at the M Resort 4 out of the 6 nights I was there. I played 1/2 with the locals and it was a fun game. Some of the tables I sat at where really wild while others were ridiculously tight. The tight table I remember just running over which was a hell of a lot of fun, I have to admit. I guess when you play smart and open up your range against a tight table there's a real opportunity to do well. I am not sure this trip will afford the chance for me to play, but you never know. Maybe while hanging out with these pros I'll challenge them to some HU SNGs online or something, but not for serious stakes of course! In order to make it interesting I guess I'll have to dream up some wacky prop bet. Might be fun and good for video if there is something really funny involved, otherwise it's a colossal waste of time for the pro!

I haven't played much online poker thanks to the new job, but when I have it's been fun and productive. I haven't been playing 8-12 tables of small stakes games but rather 4-6 tables of my "old regular" game of 100nl which actually has been a lot of fun. The money means something at these stakes and I can rationally think about what people are doing. It also helps I haven't run terrible, so I am hoping maybe this big giant dark cloud that has been over me since New Years is finally gone. PLEASE.

So that's it for this week. I have dinner plans tonight thanks to the wife (ugh), tomorrow I am visiting my uncle and getting my brakes done and Sunday is cleaning day and also time for me to build and install a new entertainment center we got for our new TV and home theater. Doesn't look like there's a ton of poker time in there, but I always find a way.

OH - that reminds me one thing that is seriously cutting into my poker time lately is the beta of StarCraft II. OMG so fun. I'd be curious to ask guys like ElkY who were pros in StarCraft if they have any desire to play this new edition, or if poker has really taken over their lives for good.

Anyways - that's it. Have a great poker weekend and be sure to get me some more hits on my show!!!

WSOP Plans Shaping Up / Pokers!

Posted by icemonkey9 on May 18, 2010 in General | 1 comment

It's been a while I suppose but life and work have been rather hectic. We had a serious scare over the weekend on a family matter, but the good news is that everyone is okay. It was really scary to end up back in the ER because of a loved one. It just really puts everything into perspective, especially when everyone comes out okay.

In terms of work, hopefully you've been watching The Daily Deal a ton. The show has gotten better and better and I think it's a great piece of news for any sort of poker nut. I also recommend checking out the interviews I recently did with Taylor Caby from CardRunners as well as Steve Soffa who is designing this year's WSOP bracelets. While at Soffa's office in downtown Los Angeles, I finally ran into Andrew Feldman from ESPN (not the player that looks like that American Idol guy). Andrew and I have been e-pen pals for the better part of two years so meeting him in person was outstanding. His first comment was congratulating me on the new gig and how much he enjoys watching it. At that event I also got recognized for the first time, ironically enough by a writer from Poker News! Ha! It was cool that I was recognized solely because it drives home the point that people are indeed watching.

My WSOP plans are taking shape, so if you are going to be in Vegas be sure to hit me up if you know how to reach me. I'll definitely be in town for the PocketFives.com party (which should be awesome) and that entire first week of July since there's so much going on from various WSOP final tables to the Ante Up For Africa event. I won't be doing a ton of interviews, but rather focusing on something else that we really think people are going to like. You'll have to stay tuned to find out. HINT: Apparently I am going to be playing soccer with Joe Cada one day.

In terms of me actually playing I've kind of picked up the pace and found some downtime at night to hit up the tables. The games are just brutal in my opinion compared to even the post-UIGEA atmosphere of 2 years ago. I know what some people are saying but I really think the games have really been grinded down. The game isn't quite as fun anymore I think for anyone and I really don't see people's profit win-rates up at all ... if anything people are winning the same amount of money but having to play more to get there (if they do at all). For me, my crap run continues, under EV, coolerville with AA, KK, and QQ all losing hands this year which just boggles my mind. The good news is that I'm doing some serious studying and keeping with it, rather that just getting totally pissed off and ejecting the roll. I really want playing poker to be a part of my life, I do love playing the game.

So that does it for me. Keep tuning in and I'll try my best to share insider stories that I hope you enjoy.

So Which is Fact & Which is the April Fool’s?

Posted by icemonkey9 on Apr 1, 2010 in General | 10 comments

Let's play a game.  You try to pick which is fact and which is an April Fool's joke.  The winner who gets the most right will win $2 on PokerStars!!!

I will put a number next to each statement and your comment can include something like:

"Truth: #, # , #, #, #
Fool: #, #, #, #, #"

So here goes:

1. Today I started my first day working full time as an employee within the poker industry.  My home site that I will be developing content for is PokerNewsDaily.com!
2. Tiffany Michelle is carrying my baby, as she offered to be a surrogate mother for my wife.
3. My good friend from Sweden, Fredrik Paulsson, is actually the man behind the name, "Isildur1"
4. My father, who has never seen his own grandson and not seen my sister in 4 years, flew out this morning on a plane to see my distressed sister who's boyfriend kicked her out of his house last night over a fight that involved spilled milk.
5. My friend Dan is an awesome best friend but finds it impossible to install and run Kane's Wrath on his brand new PC.
6. In March of 2010, I had my third losing month of my poker playing life.
7. I have been soul crushing opponents at 2nl and 10nl HU on Absolute poker the last few days.
8. I once told a table full of tournament poker players that they were not only too stupid to spell poker, but probably couldn't even spell ESPN.
9. Instead of eating In n Out Burgers while my wife is away and enjoying life, I am drinking smoothies and working out.
10. Doyle Brunson gave me the inside word that his son Todd will be joining the cast of the new season of The Ultimate Fighter.
11. Tommy Vedes is not a tournament luckbox donk.
12. My friend Nick Custerson is an Aussie battler.
13. I am undefeated in three tries playing CCR (Credit Card Roulette)
14. In March, just about every damn person I knew that plays poker regularly ran worse than they have practically ever.
15. My pet dog, Mr. Duke (pug) once pooped out a toy mouse.
16. LOST has been a riveting watch all season long, with this one easily being the best season in the history of the show.

I'll accept answers through the 3rd.  GL ALL!