Should have the freerolls up and running by the end of the weekend.  If you signed up on the blog by clicking on the banner, make sure you have emailed me so I can get you the password for the freeroll.  Will be a $25-50 freeroll everyday just for you guys, and should be small numbers so good chance to boost your bankroll. 

Had a review tonight and I think it went well.  Covered a 90 man KO on Full Tilt.  The bounties aka KO’s make for a lot of interesting situations and few tricks that most amateurs do not understand or figure out.  Overall the students are doing so well and each week it seems that the light bulb goes off for someone.   It is easy for me to figure out who has got it and who doesn’t just by little comments or the way someone emails me.  My favorite is when someone has a really good day or two and gets all excited and I just know they have a not so nice dose of reality when that good luck runs out and reality sets in.  I have been guilty myself numerous times, as soon as you think you got it all figured out, the poker God lets you know it is a game you will never master. 

It is really hard to grasp that the quality of your play on a given day will have little reflection on your results for that day.  A great point is the well known “Annette_15″ once won a 45 or 90 man SNG without looking at her cards.  Now most idiots immediately think she is some poker godess and knows some magical secret.  This type of stupidty just frustrates me.  Anyone could win a SNG without looking at his cards, you think she could show a profit after 1000 games playing without seeing the cards?  Of course not, it just so happens she got lucky the one time she tried it and idiots start talking about it as if it was some sort of great accomplishment. 

Annette is an incredible player, but in this expample she was on the right side of variance and luck.  You can play perfect poker all day, but if in the two biggest pots you get extremely unlucky, you might have a big losing day.  And on the flipside you can play terrible all day long and hit a two outer on the river to stay alive and then hit runner runner flush to win against a flopped straight.  You will have to trade your car in pretty soon playing bad like that, just because it worked one day does not mean you have found the recipe for success.  Once you have played thousands and thousands of games and your results are consistent, you can feel confident  you have a winning formula.

Last night I took a few hours to ponder the recent challenge handed down to one of my students. His older, bigger, meaner brother wants to issue a challenge to make sure everyone knows who the best poker player in the family really is.  I think I might have added a little fuel to the fire the other day when I mentioned that Mark (my student) had won more money at poker in 2010 then he had.

At first glance, it is not really much of a challenge or contest, since he is already somewhat of a legend in the poker world. Has his own nickname and all, “Redline,” given to him for drinking 5 “Redline” drinks in under an hour and surviving death.  He has crushed high limit live and online poker for years and years and His little brother, my student, has just started out and is having some great results, but still early and does not have years and years experience of being a poker pro. Did I mention he is also a full time MBA student at one of the top Universities here in the states?

But then I got thinking, and the more and more I thought about it and figured the superstar would underestimate his brother and be out partying with the other poker celebrities and not grinding hard at the tables and improving his game, the more and more I liked our side.  So today I will accept the challenge on behalf of Mark and say good luck Luke in 2010, Mark is going to make about $100,000 while being a full time student.

***This is the uphill battle we are facing, had to bribe their sister for this picture, taken from a family photo album. She has yet to pick a side for who she is cheering for, but if the fact she laughed that Mark was playing poker is any indicator, she might be considered one of the enemies very soon.

A few weeks ago I asked Dale, who officially has the best blog in poker, to make a video for my students about multi-tabling.  It is all complete and will showing it this evening to my students.  Should give them some good reminders and some new tips on how to add tables and play more efficiently.  The more tables they play, the more money they make, which means I make more money, which means Channing is happy, and that folks, is all that matters in the end.

Do not forget Valentines day guys, www.jenniferzeuner.com is all you need to do, got her a few gifts in 5 minutes and done with it.

A couple more students have hit the 1000 game mark on the year, bringing the total to ten.  “fried liver” will be the first to hit 2000 games in the next day or so.  It is a lot of fun seeing them progress, I can see so much improvement in the HH that I review during the day.  The number of mistakes I find are fewer and fewer and now I am finding the small little mistakes that can easily go unnoticed, but in the long run will cost the students money.   And sarting this week will spend more time on learning to how read the opponents hand or range.

I found a great program to host the review sessions that is just the stone cold nuts.  It has exceptional audio and video capabilities broadcasting my lesson in crystal clear quality to the students computers.   

Going to play some golf in the morning and take a look at a country club or two in the area.  I would like to join somewhere before Summer so I have a place to at least hit some range balls or putt everyday. 

I will be playing lots of SNG’s this week on Victory Poker, click the link below and open your account and say hi at the tables.  My screen name is RainmanUSC and will be playing the $3 10 handed speed SNG’s.  If you sign up with the link below and win 10 SNG’s before me, I will send ya $100.   The first player to win ten regardless of beating me, gets $150.  I have sent a few players $25 to get them started and will continue to do so to all players that sign up with the link below.

I found a great program to conduct online reviews. It lets me record the sessions as well so students that cannot make the review are not left behind. It has all sorts of bells and whistles, but my favorite is that it tracts how much the students are paying attention. Online schools use this program and will be easy for me to see who is a slacker and who wants to be a player. Someone who is not playing many games or improving and is not paying attention will not be around much longer.

Here are the results from tonight’s review.

Interest Rating First Name Last Name
1089 Bill Glaser
1042 Daniel Kottwitz
884 Michael Watkins
857 Candi Fernandez
825 Rich Mergel Jr.
820 Jason Taylor
797 Ketan Patel
791 jon g
780 Andy Phillips
760 Andrew Suares
755 ryan mcgarvey
753 garry dobson
743 Rob Pearce
695 Karl Michael
649 Ruddy Pereira
599 Glen Blythman
586 Mark Kim
440 Ron Gregory
386 Aaron Hill
384 james kmetz
376 Chris Ballard
376 ben price
318 Neil Claxton
283 Darryl Mullen
272 Theo Fischer
224 Josh Orent
212 Sam Paisley
204 Dang Le
171 Dan O’Connor
135 keith lee
101 Allan Bendall

Last year I bought Channing some really great stuff for her Birthday from Jennifer Zeuner Jewelry and she loved everything I got her.  A few days ago I realized she commented on what great presents they were and I realized she was giving me a hint.  So going to take care of that next few days and since she already knows what she is getting because she left the website on my computer when I got on this morning, I am not ruining the surprise. Check out the site and if you have a wife, girlfriend, mistress, or someone you just wanna give a gift too, check it out.

Bfizz11 got into town today and we went out to dinner in Santa Monica in Houston’s.  We had a good time being entertained by my good friend Clintlicious who to the amazement of scientists and physicists around the world, can travel back and forth in time.  Just a few weeks ago he was here in West Hollywood in the year 2010 and last week he was in the 1940’s in Evansville, Indiana.  Going to hang out in the morning and maybe fire up some games or go take a look at some mansions in the hills, going to be a fun and productive day no matter what.

Funny story from tonight as we were walking back to the car from the restaurant I decided to be nice and hand a less fortunate older man, who was resting at his semi- beachfront residence on the sidewalk, a $100 bill.  I would have to gamble and say he probably does not get handed $100 bills too often, but I might be wrong, because he waved me off and I tried a second time, and he waived me off again.

You do not see Clintlicious speachless very often, but we were all in shock.  After a few minutes and several “WOW’s” we all concluded he thought it was fake or some kind of a joke.  Well sir, it was real, and if you ever find this blog, let me know and I will find you, and give you that $100.  I am going to keep that exact bill safe, because it is yours, and I will hold it for whenever you need it.

January was an interesting month, I started off as well as I could have imagined, winning  a $109 Turbo on Jan 2nd.  That same day I finished 2nd in the $55 Turbo Rebuy and 4th in the $215 Turbo.  This got me up around $12,000 the first few days of the month.  I took a little time off relaxing and getting ready for trip to Maui.  While I was in Hawaii I played a few times, but on Channing’s little laptop and usually laying in bed watching a movie, not exactly the best set up to be as focused as possible.

When I got back from Hawaii I was excited to really get back to the grind and play solid and let the results take care of themselves.  And they sure did, I finished the month strong winning close to $25,000 the last few days, thanks to my biggest cash in the Nightly $100,00o for $14,659.

It is never fun losing, and I will admit there were a few times during the middle of the month that I knew my focus was not good and that is a big part of the reason I was losing.  That is going to chance and going to go full steam tomorrow.

Here are some poker stats for the month and my top scores:

• Played 83 $109 Turbo MTT’s for a profit of $6,468
• Played 294 Rebuy MTT’s for a profit of $1,002
• Played 410 SNG’s for a profit of $3,452

• $2,791.55 — $50 Turbo Rebuy
• $4,042 — $109 Turbo
• $3,920 — $215 Turbo
• $4,598 — $33 2R+1A
• $1,472 –$22 Big Antes
• $2,459 — $9.90 Final Table Paid Only
• $2,144 — $215 6 Max
• $14,659 — Nightly 100k

And if you look in the PokerStars private tab for tournaments, you will see that there are two MTT’s a day titles “RainmanPoker Freerolls.”  These are a way for me to see how dedicated potential students will be and who has some talent and who doesn’t.  Anynoe is welcome to play them.  Password is “Mi_Turtle2010″  case sensitive.  I track the results and names just looking for anyone who sticks out or people who consistently play and are willing to put the hours in.  I will be playing in them every so often as well as friends and other coaches, so it is a great place to try some new moves and ideas and get some practice.

I was reading some student’s blogs and came across one that made my day.  It is only 6:57am so you know it must be good to not hold out for something better later.  I should add I just finished 2nd in a MTT for $1778 so that might be putting me in a good mood.

Read the title and paragraph a few times until you really understand what he is saying.  It is so nice to see the coaches and students that really believe this, because they have an incredible future.

Starting To Get It

The last few days have really been eye-opening for me. For the first time in my life, I am starting to truly understand that results in SNGs do not matter. Yesterday afternoon I was able to win a 180man SNG. I did not cheer or throw my hands up in the air or get really excited like I usually would have-for some reason I was emotionless- because I did not win 594$, I won 2.50$. This may seem stupid, but to be successful you have to understand how making money in SNGs works.

Chip210 had a great month in January and seems like he has a good shoulder on his head and watch out for him in the future!!

Many of the students have interesting blogs, so I thought I would list them and you can check em out if you have not found them already.

And finally, a big JOB WELL DONE to Bodeye who took down a $15 Super Turbo MTT on Full Tilt for $4,644.  Bodeye is no doubt one of the nicest people I have ever met, and to make matters worse, he and another former student and friend are two of the smartest poker players I have ever come across.  It is so fun for me to listen to them discuss hands, strategy, and theories because I learn so much.

http://joshtekesky.blogspot.com/

http://vertek.blogspot.com/

http://masterpiecepoker.blogspot.com/

http://chip210sng.blogspot.com/

http://benpprice-180degrees.blogspot.com/

http://lephantbrain.blogspot.com/

http://daddyopoker.blogspot.com/

http://foxy-shazam.blogspot.com/

Saturday I took down a 360 player $22 with big antes and then had a field day on the bubble of the $9.90 “Final table paid only” and built my stack until they could not take it any longer.  The final table did not last long and I came out on top with a nice payday for outlasting over 1000 runners. 

I also final tabled the $215 6max for a nice score, going out on a tough beat all in preflop, my AKs was no match for his ATo.  I final tabled the $44 Turbo and $55 Turbo w/rebuys as well. 

Sunday did not start great, but by the late afternoon I had some great stacks and things were heating up.  I had a nice stack in the money in the $55 PLO w/rebuys but went out with a flush draw and a gutshot in a big pots right after the bubble burst.  In the $100 2r+1a I was chipleader with about 25 players left and first place was $17,000.  This is when MTT’s get fun, pressure is ona nd you get to step it up and hopefully catch a break or two.  At this same time, I was down to about 30 players in the $33 2r+1a and had a healthy stack.  Both tournaments got down to 15 players and I was playing really well.  I got knocked out in the $100 when my opponent made a nice call when I re raised all in with J9 of spades.  He had QJ of hearts and I was in trouble.  I flopped a flush draw which made it interesting, but unfortunately his hand held and I was out with just over $1000. 

The $33 was going along nice and one of the first hands at the final table I 4bet shoved all in with AKs and my opponent could not get his JJ to hold and I was chipleader.  I held the lead until were down to four and after a brief discussion about a deal could not be sealed my opponent quickly knocked out the remaining two players.  I started the HU match down a little bit, but clawed back to get it a little closer and then got all in with 55 vs AKo and he was able to turn a K and I finished 2nd place for $4598.

I min cashed the $215 Omaha 8 and finished outside the money in the $215 HORSE which are two of my favorite events of the week.  I final tabled a $33 15k gtd in the early evening and as that was wrapping up, I was building a monster stack in the $100 Turbo, which is becoming something that I can get used to.  The final table was a little bit of a roller coaster, including my opponent cracking my KK heads up with J5 and then me catching a miracle straight on the river to keep the HU alive, before taking it down and $4592. 

I made just under $24,000 on the month and you can see it was not smooth sailing the entire time.  I had a good reminder this month and even I can get careless at times.  I had a few days where I was not 100% focused and ready to battle at the tables.  I have been very busy with my students, vacation in Hawaii, organizing a move into a big new house etc….   This graph is a good reminder to only play when I am ready to play and good things will happen.

$14,609.77 for my finish in the Nightly $100,000 on PokerStars.  When we were 4 handed we chopped up the prize pool and I did some good negotiaitons and got the first place player to give me an extra $600 or so.

With about 30 players I had a nice stack and was right around 10th place and was facing an all in shove.  I was more then happy to get the chips into the pot, because I was holding AA.  My opponent really got unlucky in this spot because he was doing nothing wrong with a monster like KK.  Just one of those situations that happen and not much you can do about it.  The flop came out with two clubs and I had the ace of clubs, but it also had a K.  It is the worst feeling when your so close to a big score and you do everything perfect, get your opponent drawing to only 2 outs, and BAM he takes the lead and you do not have much time to catch up.  The turn was another club and now I had some extra outs.  The Ace on the river was just a huge relief.  I knew that I was going to finish strong after taking in this big pot.

The final table was exciting because I came in short and soon doubled up with AT vs 88.  Not much longer I thought I would teach everyone how to win with 88 and took it up against AKo.  That split second it takes your brain to process the three cards on the flop is always nerve racking, but I saw the 8 clear as day and I was pumped.  I got TT to hold vs 77 and guess who was chipleader?!

When we got down to four players the other three were talking about a deal and I was not too interested.  I did propose that they give me some extra and the chip leader obliged so I received a few extra hundred dollars and the deal was made.  I received just over $14,600 which is a pretty nice payday if I say so myself.

I have some really exciting news that I will share very soon, it is hard to believe that it is going to happen, but it is already in motion and will share all the details as soon as possible.  My good buddies Jotagran49 and Bfizz11 have been absolutely crushing it.  They are both going to be out in LA in a short bit for some meetings and a little grinding I am sure.  Jotagran won $60,000 on Wednesday finishing second in the $80,000 gtd on PokerStars,  6th in the $100,000 gtd on Full Tilt, and finally winning the $150,000 gtd on Full Tilt for just over $40,000.  All the final tables were within about an hour of each other and I am sure I was not the only one super impressed.  It is pretty incredible when someone you know is special can keep impressing you, but Josh works so hard on his game that he is always raising the level of his game and staying two or three steps ahead of his opponent.

Bfizz final tabled the $5 rebuy on Wednesday, outlasting a few thousand people like a walk in the park.  Next time youu see him in a big field rebuy, watch how he navigates around and finds his spots to build a big stack that he can push around and and go in for the kill.  Last night he finished 2nd in the $100 Turbo for just under $8000 and then 2nd again in the $8 turbo for  $2569.  Fizz finishes 2nd at the next final table, I will officially start calling him Ruup, short for Runner Up.

Going to do a review tonight with the students and release the schedule for some daily tournaments to scout out some potential students an battle with the other coaches and have some fun.

I am tired and time for bed!

Here is an article that is in the latest Poker Pro magazine in the UK.  They love me over there more then anywhere and I had a great time teaching my good friend Michael Kaplan.

A few people commented that they had trouble emailing me.  Make sure you remember it ends in .net    nick@rainmanpoker.net