Boy, I played Donkalicious

My first mistake was staying out way too late and drinking the night before. I had told myself I was going to get a good night's rest - and I did not get anything close to it.

When play started for the Dead Money Open on Sunday, I seemed on edge and just not focused like I should be. Third level in, it cost me big. Up to that point, I hadn't got any big hands but was able to hold my own.

Then, at 75/150 with 2 limpers in front of me, I raised from the cutoff with Q7o to 700. The 2 players who had limped were rather weak players and I thought at the time that there was a good chance they would fold. This was the first mistake as the 2nd limper was a really weak player, but also a calling station. He was a player that would just make erratic plays as well. He calls the 550 more and we see a flop. Flop is 733 and he checks, I'm thinking this was great as I now have top pair and really there should be no way I'm beat. He calls my 1,200 bet. Turn is an Ace. Of all the cards, this is the one I was worried about the most as I could see this guy calling with Ace high on that flop. He then checked, so I again thought I had the best hand. I bet 1,200 and again he called. Thinking back, the play would normally be to push all-in for 2,750 total, but I'm not sure he folds anyways. River is a J, he checks, I check behind. He shows pocket 8's.

A couple hand laters he limp calls 150 then 950 total with ATd and turns the nut straight to beat my pair on the flop and to rub it in, I make a straight on the river.

Looking back, I should realize that the play against a guy like this is to get a premium hand and take all of his chips because he will call all of his chips (or double me up) off.

Can't say for sure, but I think that with the proper preparation before the tournament, I could have made a much better decision in this situation.

Preliminary Schedule

Tourney Date	Buy-in		Game	Points
21-Jan	$ 40.00		NL	1
10-Feb	$ 40.00		NL	1
10-Feb	$ 40.00		PLO	2
4-Mar	$ 40.00		NL	1
25-Mar	$ 60.00		NL	1.5
22-Apr	$ 20.00	REBUY	NL	1.5
13-May	$ 60.00		NL	1.5
2-Jun	$ 40.00		NL	1
2-Jun	$ 40.00		RAZZ	2
30-Jun	$ 80.00		NL	2
28-Jul	$ 60.00		NL	1.5
25-Aug	$ 40.00		LIMIT HE	2
22-Sep	$ 40.00		NL	1
22-Sep	$ 40.00		7-CARD	2
6-Oct	$ 60.00		NL	1.5
20-Oct	$ 40.00		PINEAPPLE	2
3-Nov	$ 80.00		NL	2
18-Nov	$ 40.00		NL	1
9-Dec	$ 60.00		NL	1.5

Nobody Makes the Right Play All of the Time

Nobody among us is good enough that they make the right decision every time they are forced to make one in poker, no matter the varying skill levels of each player. Be it the day, the moment, or just plain a wrong read, we all consistently make decisions that cost us in tournaments or cash games.

Therefore, it would behoove all of us to tone done or all together do away with our criticism at the tables of other people's play when they don't make the 'right' decision in our eyes. Whether or not it was the right decision, they made it for better or worse to their own stack.

Criticizing play of others only serves to drive anybody away who would wish to join a group of players such as our own. We would like to think that we are more than willing and open to allowing new players of all skill levels to join us and improve their game. Everybody among us could use improving in their game at any given time and none of us are above any others when it comes to making donkey moves.

So, please, do not berate other players at the tables or at any other time. It only serves to thwart new players coming into the game.

Thank You,

Corey Eslinger
Dirty River Poker

Win a WSOP seat or one of 4 HPT seats through DRP

Win a $2,500 WSOP or one of 4 HPT seats this year through the Dirty River Poker League. More details will be available on the website later this week. But, following are the rules that will be posted there. We also hope to get the schedule up on the website as well a link to stats genie which can host the standings and is user friendly for the groupl

2007 Rules for Prize Giveaways

1. All prizes will be paid out in the form of a seat or cash equivalent. Cash equivalency is 65%. Remaining value of 35% will roll into next year’s prizepool

2. Grand prize is a $2,500 seat. Grand prize will consist of 62.5% of the total prizepool value up to the amount where the grand prize will be a $2,500 seat and $1,000 in travel expenses. Consolation prizes will be valued at 42%, 28%, 18%, & 12% of the remaining prizepool.

3. 2^nd place will be a $500+ HPT seat, 3^rd will be a $300 HPT seat, 4^th will be a $200 local seat, 5^th will be a $150 local seat with excess paid in cash. Cash equivalency of these prizes is 65% of the entire prize, not 65% of the seat + cash.

4. April HPT seats are a $340 prize package or $220 cash equivalency

5. Player of the Year and Player of the Year runner-up receive a $150 buy-in to the Dead Money Open at the M&J Saloon in West Fargo in January. Dirty River Poker has a 25% stake in these players in this tournament.

6. Player of the Year receives a traveling trophy with all POY’s names engraved on it.

7. Points Championship tournament may include a buy-in of $20-$50. Any amount less than $4,000 in the prizepool will be made up by a buy-in of participating players of no less than $20 and no more than $50.

8. Points Championship tournament will consist of 16 players. 12 of these will receive direct invites by being in the top 12 in points at the end of the year. The remaining 4 spots will be filled with a wild card tournament consisting of the 13^th – 30^th in the point standings. This 18 person tournament will send the top 4 finishers to the Points Championship. This will be a $60 tournament structure.

9. Points Championship tournament will be a tiered chip stack start. 1^st-16^th will start with the following chip stacks: $25K, $23K, $21K, $19K, $18K, $17K, $16K, $15K, $14K, $13K, $12K, $11K, $10K, $10K, $10K, $10K. This will be an $80 tournament structure with 30 minute rounds plus starting at $25/$50 (approximately 10 ½ hours of play max.)

10. Each tournament will consist of a 80%/20% split prizepool. 80% to be paid out that day, 20% rolled into the Final Tournament and/or seat giveaways throughout the year, POY award, etc.

11. Tournament Director’s prize winnings contribute to the Points Championship prizepool as follows: Total amount, in dollars, of prize winnings won during all preliminary events (excluding PLO, Razz, LHE, and Pineapple to which TD pays in) equal or less than than the total amount of all buy-ins of these events, goes into the Points Championship pool. All winnings above this amount TD gets to keep. All seats won through the Points Championship tournament by TD are staked by DRP for 25%.

12. Host of each site receives half off of buy-in. Certain stipulations may apply.

13. April HPT Giveaway will be top 10 in points after the first 5 tournaments and will have the same structure as a $60 tournament.

14. Point System: 1 point is awarded for participating, 1 point is awarded for cashing, 1 point is awarded for winning. 1 point is also awarded for every place in the top half of entrants. (e.g. 24 entrants – 12^th place receives 1 additional point while 10^th would receive 3 additional points)

15. Certain tournaments will be worth more either depending on buy-in or being a Championship Event. All Championship Events are worth 2x points, while $60 are worth 1 ½ times and $80 are worth 2x points.