Rather disappointing #WBCOOP 2013

Okay so I played my 10 events and missed the goal of somehow donking my way to a Final Table, albeit being close again with a 7th place in a 4max NLHE. I didn't run well at all and only got one further $5.50 SCOOP ticket besides the $33 from the 4max, that in itself would already be disappointing. But to be honest, something didn't feel right even though we should not necessarily complain much after getting offered something for free.

1) Russian / Eastern European / South American Roulette - the standard of play was quite poo(r) compared to last year.

2) The requirements to actually get the entry and 10 tickets were by far worse and more easy to achieve.

3) Many "first time posters" without active blog got tickets even though they didn't even meet the more than mediocre requirements.

4) The Turbo events with 5 minute blind levels naturally turn the game into a donkfest.

5) Who ever came up with the idea to put the Final on a Monday at 10am EST = 15:00 CET (thanks to the switch to summer time in North America even one hour earlier for us in Europe). Not every blogger earns a living through poker, we do have regular work from Monday to Friday.

If the overall quality itself does not improve again, this was probably my last WBCOOP on Pokerstars. Sure there are some freebies up for grabs, but does that really make up for the loss of certain standards?

How can first time bloggers with one paragraph get entry to these games and should we simply accept that and move along? I don't think so ... there were even German bloggers from Intelli / Pokerstrategy that used their team blog and bragged they "didn't have to write the sh1t" to get the tickets.

So anyways, maybe a miracle happens and I win some extra cash tomorrow in the Final after running like crap all Sunday long. At least the end of the day was greeted with a little win on BuzzPoker, as they hosted their weekly Facebook Freeroll.

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WBCOOP 2013 - A little story about almost some glory

After the live coverage in Berlin until 3am on Monday morning and a 5 hour trip back by train, I used Monday to catch up on some well needed sleep before getting back into the work routine ... perfect timing for the month end drama. I also decided to play the Stud Hi Lo game of the WBCOOP as my first tournament and I just ran bad, could never get anything going against a very fishy table and two bluffs backfired - think I was out 20 spots from getting any SCOOP tickets.

Yesterday it was similar at the beginning but fortunately one okay player busted and a new big fish arrived that just spewed Chips left and right to get me above average stack. Once we got close to the bubble, I had two big stacks at my table and switched to "push or fold" knowing I get more credit in silly spots. In the money I was out of the door once when I 4bet shoved AsQs into Kings and hit on the Turn before someone graciously felt the need to iso shove behind me with Kh Th and my Ace rag held up on the last 4 tables to get back on track once again.

Twice the last 10 minutes before a break I lost 50% of my stack with moves against bigstacks and was 11/11 after the 3rd break, two players from South America were chatty and thought I don't understand Spanish and that they think I am a bluffer. Well yes, I showed them some bluffs on purpose and proceeded to knock out both when finally finding a spot ;) On the last two tables I wanted to play for stacks and the only other really solid player on my table from Latvia decided to chase with 89os and turned his straight against my top pair after I 3bet him preflop for the 2nd time in an hour.

Final result:

Guess I can't complain much, but once get that far you obviously also want the Final Table as well. Checked the lobby in the morning and edzitsu used my Chips wisely and scooped the $162, well done. I'll take the $33 ticket and the entry to the Final ... this time I will actually be there to play it as well.

Back to the daily work grind we go ...
___

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Its that time of the year again, the WBCOOP is here

The biggest poker site on the net is calling all bloggers once again and in March 2013, the World Blogger Championship of Online Poker (WBCOOP) on Pokerstars provides the opportunity to win SCOOP tickets in case we can not only write but also play poker. Shocking, I know. So what's the challenge this year to get enrolled? Come up with either a 500-word blog post or short video before March 9 to highlight what has been the best moment while playing on PokerStars and then share it via social media - win win situation for everyone.

For me there are actually a few "best moments" despite never having much time to play poker anymore these days due to work. The introduction of Zoom Poker was great, simply because I was able to finally play more hands than usual. Calling stations at the Seven Card Stud tables ... you have to love and fully embrace them for not knowing what they are doing. But yeah, I have never been running that good on Pokerstars and
tend to avoid the mass field tournaments because I i don't ever have the time to finish them either way.

Well and then there are of course previous results at the WBCOOP:

To fold or not to call?!: WBCOOP PLO8 Qualifier

January 2011 - jeez more than 2 years ago already. I love PLO8 and just missed out on the Final Table for this Qualifier.

To fold or not to call?!: My #WBCOOP 2012 at a glance

Last year was actually not bad, I got one Final Table appearance for like 2 hands and busted in one of those usual bad beat stories. No details needed, why bore the readers to death anyways?Again the PLO8 games were the best and I had three top 20 finishes to grab some tickets, but eventually ended up converting the tickets into T$ because the SCOOP changed the structure and I was unable to use them.

Besides that - and it may not necessarily count as playing on Pokerstars - I quite enjoy to run live coverages for Pokerstars events such as the EPT and randomly bump into the biggest names on the circuit. Some remember the bloggers and have a quick chat, that'll count as a few minutes of fame. All Kidding aside I love that part time job because it enables me to travel and see places that I would otherwise not visit as often and also see many old and new friends again.

Upon taking a quick glance on the tournament schedule, I am quite sure to pick the Omaha and Stud events as well as some Turbo and HORSE for my schedule if I eventually find some time to play. And the goal for this year is at least one final table as well as maybe knocking out a Pokerstars Pro - I did knock out talonchick in one event last year but there was not much skill involved as she was short stacked ... well okay, another 5 seconds of glory.

Too bad that I will have to skip the games until March 4th as I am heading to Berlin tomorrow morning for yet another live event coverage until the 3rd. But hey, ya gotta earn money somehow :) Best of luck on and off the felt!

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SCOOP 2012 - The Schedule

The SCOOP schedule for 2012 has been announced, time to take a closer look and use the tickets won in the WBCOOP :)

Sunday, May 6th
11:00 ET – Event 01-L: $27 NL Hold’em (6-Max)
11:00 ET – Event 01-M: $215 NL Hold’em (6-Max)
11:00 ET – Event 01-H: $2,100 NL Hold’em (6-Max)

14:30 ET – Event 02-L: $27 NL Hold’em
14:30 ET – Event 02-M: $215 NL Hold’em
14:30 ET – Event 02-H: $2,100 NL Hold’em

Monday, May 7th
11:00 ET – Event 03-L: $5.50 NL Hold’em (6-Max, Rebuys)
11:00 ET – Event 03-M: $55 NL Hold’em (6-Max, Rebuys)
11:00 ET – Event 03-H: $530 NL Hold’em (6-Max, Rebuys)

14:00 ET – Event 04-L: $7.50 FL Badugi
14:00 ET – Event 04-M: $82 FL Badugi
14:00 ET – Event 04-H: $700 FL Badugi

17:00 ET – Event 05-L: $11 NL Hold’em (Rebuys, 2x-Turbo)
17:00 ET – Event 05-M: $109 NL Hold’em (Rebuys, 2x-Turbo)
17:00 ET – Event 05-H: $1,050 NL Hold’em (Rebuys, 2x-Turbo)

Tuesday, May 8th
11:00 ET – Event 06-L: $11 NL Draw
11:00 ET – Event 06-M: $109 NL Draw
11:00 ET – Event 06-H: $1,050 NL Draw

14:00 ET – Event 07-L: $7.50 NL Hold’em (Heads-Up)
14:00 ET – Event 07-M: $82 NL Hold’em (Heads-Up)
14:00 ET – Event 07-H: $700 NL Hold’em (Heads-Up)

17:00 ET – Event 08-L: $27 NL Hold’em (SuperKnockout, Turbo)
17:00 ET – Event 08-M: $215 NL Hold’em (SuperKnockout, Turbo)
17:00 ET – Event 08-H: $2,100 NL Hold’em (SuperKnockout, Turbo)

Wednesday, May 9th
11:00 ET – Event 09-L: $27 Mixed Hold’em (6-Max)
11:00 ET – Event 09-M: $215 Mixed Hold’em (6-Max)
11:00 ET – Event 09-H: $2,100 Mixed Hold’em (6-Max)

14:00 ET – Event 10-L: $27 Stud
14:00 ET – Event 10-M: $215 Stud
14:00 ET – Event 10-H: $2,100 Stud

Thursday, May 10th
11:00 ET – Event 11-L: $27 PL Omaha (Heads-Up)
11:00 ET – Event 11-M: $215 PL Omaha (Heads-Up)
11:00 ET – Event 11-H: $2,100 PL Omaha (Heads-Up)

14:00 ET – Event 12-L: $27 NL Hold’em (Knockout)
14:00 ET – Event 12-M: $265 NL Hold’em (Knockout)
14:00 ET – Event 12-H: $2,600 NL Hold’em (Knockout)

Friday, May 11th
11:00 ET – Event 13-L: $7.50 NL Hold’em (Ante Up)
11:00 ET – Event 13-M: $82 NL Hold’em (Ante Up)
11:00 ET – Event 13-H: $700 NL Hold’em (Ante Up)

14:00 ET – Event 14-L: $55 FL Omaha Hi/Lo
14:00 ET – Event 14-M: $530 FL Omaha Hi/Lo
14:00 ET – Event 14-H: $5,200 FL Omaha Hi/Lo

17:00 ET – Event 15-L: $27 NL Hold’em (2x Chance, Turbo)
17:00 ET – Event 15-M: $215 NL Hold’em (2x Chance, Turbo)
17:00 ET – Event 15-H: $2,100 NL Hold’em (2x Chance, Turbo)

Saturday, May 12th
11:00 ET – Event 16-L: $27 NL Hold’em (10-Max, Shootout)
11:00 ET – Event 16-M: $215 NL Hold’em (10-Max, Shootout)
11:00 ET – Event 16-H: $2,100 NL Hold’em (10-Max, Shootout)

14:00 ET – Event 17-L: $11 PL Omaha (6-Max, Rebuys)
14:00 ET – Event 17-M: $109 PL Omaha (6-Max, Rebuys)
14:00 ET – Event 17-H: $1,050 PL Omaha (6-Max, Rebuys)

17:00 ET – Event 18-L: $27 Triple Stud
17:00 ET – Event 18-M: $215 Triple Stud
17:00 ET – Event 18-H: $2,100 Triple Stud

Sunday, May 13th
11:00 ET – Event 19-L: $27 NL Hold’em
11:00 ET – Event 19-M: $215 NL Hold’em
11:00 ET – Event 19-H: $2,100 NL Hold’em

14:30 ET – Event 20-L: $27 NL Hold’em
14:30 ET – Event 20-M: $215 NL Hold’em
14:30 ET – Event 20-H: $2,100 NL Hold’em

Monday, May 14th
11:00 ET – Event 21-L: $11 Mixed NLHE/PLO
11:00 ET – Event 21-M: $109 Mixed NLHE/PLO
11:00 ET – Event 21-H: $1,050 Mixed NLHE/PLO

14:00 ET – Event 22-L: $55 NL Hold’em (4-Max)
14:00 ET – Event 22-M: $530 NL Hold’em (4-Max)
14:00 ET – Event 22-H: $5,200 NL Hold’em (4-Max)

17:00 ET – Event 23-L: $11 PL Omaha (1R1A, Turbo)
17:00 ET – Event 23-M: $109 PL Omaha (1R1A, Turbo)
17:00 ET – Event 23-H: $1,050 PL Omaha (1R1A, Turbo)

Tuesday, May 15th
11:00 ET – Event 24-L: $11 Triple Draw 2-7
11:00 ET – Event 24-M: $109 Triple Draw 2-7
11:00 ET – Event 24-H: $1,050 Triple Draw 2-7

14:00 ET – Event 25-L: $27 Stud Hi/Lo
14:00 ET – Event 25-M: $215 Stud Hi/Lo
14:00 ET – Event 25-H: $2,100 Stud Hi/Lo

17:00 ET – Event 26-L: $27 NL Hold’em (SuperKnockout, 6-Max, Turbo)
17:00 ET – Event 26-M: $215 NL Hold’em (SuperKnockout, 6-Max, Turbo)
17:00 ET – Event 26-H: $2,100 NL Hold’em (SuperKnockout, 6-Max, Turbo)

Wednesday, May 16th
11:00 ET – Event 27-L: $27 Razz
11:00 ET – Event 27-M: $215 Razz
11:00 ET – Event 27-H: $2,100 Razz

14:00 ET – Event 28-L: $11 NL Hold’em (Big Antes, Rebuys)
14:00 ET – Event 28-M: $109 NL Hold’em (Big Antes, Rebuys)
14:00 ET – Event 28-H: $1,050 NL Hold’em (Big Antes, Rebuys)

Thursday, May 17th
11:00 ET – Event 29-L: $27 (2) 8-Game
11:00 ET – Event 29-M: $215 8-Game
11:00 ET – Event 29-H: $2,100 8-Game

14:00 ET – Event 30-L: $7.50 PL Omaha Hi/Lo
14:00 ET – Event 30-M: $82 PL Omaha Hi/Lo
14:00 ET – Event 30-H: $700 PL Omaha Hi/Lo

Friday, May 18th
11:00 ET – Event 31-L: $27 NL Hold’em (1R1A)
11:00 ET – Event 31-M: $215 NL Hold’em (1R1A)
11:00 ET – Event 31-H: $2,100 NL Hold’em (1R1A)

14:00 ET – Event 32-L: $55 FL Hold’em (6-Max)
14:00 ET – Event 32-M: $530 FL Hold’em (6-Max)
14:00 ET – Event 32-H: $5,200 FL Hold’em (6-Max)

17:00 ET – Event 33-L: $27 NL Omaha Hi/Lo (10-Minute Levels)
17:00 ET – Event 33-M: $215 NL Omaha Hi/Lo (10-Minute Levels)
17:00 ET – Event 33-H: $2,100 NL Omaha Hi/Lo (10-Minute Levels)

Saturday, May 19th
11:00 ET – Event 34-L: $55 PL Omaha (6-Max)
11:00 ET – Event 34-M: $530 PL Omaha (6-Max)
11:00 ET – Event 34-H: $5,200 PL Omaha (6-Max)

14:00 ET – Event 35-L: $27 HORSE
14:00 ET – Event 35-M: $215 HORSE
14:00 ET – Event 35-H: $2,100 HORSE

Sunday, May 20th
11:00 ET – Event 36-L: $27 NL Hold’em (6-Max)
11:00 ET – Event 36-M: $215 NL Hold’em (6-Max)
11:00 ET – Event 36-H: $2,100 NL Hold’em (6-Max)

12:30 ET – Event 37-L: $215 NL Hold’em (Heads-Up)
12:30 ET – Event 37-M: $2,100 NL Hold’em (Heads-Up)
12:30 ET – Event 37-H: $21,000 NL Hold’em (Heads-Up)

14:30 ET – Event 38-L: $82 Main Event – L
14:30 ET – Event 38-M: $700 Main Event – M
14:30 ET – Event 38-H: $7,500 Main Event – H

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My #WBCOOP 2012 at a glance

Yesterday was the Main Event of the WBCOOP with a prize pool of $5,000 and after signing up early, I already knew I won't be able to cash in the event with ~ 100 paid at the time and more than 600 registered. May sound a bit sarcastic at first, but I was actually off to watch a football match with my dad and uncles a few hours away at the stadium ... and I should have stayed home to play poker instead. As usual it was the worst match of the season thus far once I get to see one live ... some things never change.

Let's ignore the Intelli ticket (no idea how I got that one or what I can use it for lol) and take a look at the WBCOOP tickets I earned in the last ~ 2 weeks. One $33 entry was from one year ago that I actually didn't use last year during the SCOOP, besides that the $5.50 one was a sit out 93rd place where I totally forgot I was registered for an early game. Well played, maybe a bit too tight though ... lol.

I had my best results definitely in the PLO8 games, but an 8th, 9th and 17th place were as far as I got and only one final table appearance where I was knocked out first with AK

Right now I am not even sure if I can use the tickets this year because I haven't checked the SCOOP schedule yet and have up to 3 tournament coverages in April as well as two in a row as of this Wednesday March 7th. Guess I better start packing and wrapping up things here though, only a few hours before I have to catch a train and head to Frankfurt for my flight to Heathrow.

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First two #WBCOOP Events played - so far so good

Yesterday's PLO 6max Event #2 was cruel because I could never build up any stack and missed all double draws (open ender + flushdraw vs KT on a KTx Flop) to bust about 40 away from the tickets and today I decided to enter Event #4 about 15 minutes late (30 min late reg). Event 4 was a NLHE / PLO Turbo and the Final Table is still played, 5 minutes per blind level surely guaranteed lots of action though.

Early on I played very few hands and caught 1 Bluffer from the Ukraine as well as a tilting Romanian who shipped his remaining stack straight into my Aces, from there I stayed within the top 15 the whole time. One key hand to not drop down any further was the following (can't really fold out of the Blinds imo).

PokerStars Hand #76135643123: Tournament #514054590, Freeroll  Mixed NLH/PLO (Omaha Pot Limit) - Level XXII (1500/3000) - 2012/02/24 11:52:41 ET
Table '514054590 28' 9-max Seat #9 is the button
Seat 1: LivePromo5 (29098 in chips)
Seat 2: zedmaster (22934 in chips)
Seat 3: AJCLOPEZ01 (7257 in chips)
Seat 4: royalslomo (4266 in chips)
Seat 5: TYTATYT (12826 in chips)
Seat 6: Tenzo_Hauer (15184 in chips)
Seat 8: Ulti_1mate (6080 in chips)
Seat 9: ohmano (9845 in chips)
LivePromo5: posts small blind 1500
zedmaster: posts big blind 3000
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to zedmaster [Qh 5h Td 4s]
AJCLOPEZ01: folds
royalslomo: raises 1266 to 4266 and is all-in
TYTATYT: folds
Tenzo_Hauer: folds
Ulti_1mate: raises 1734 to 6000
ohmano: folds
LivePromo5: folds
zedmaster: raises 3000 to 9000
Ulti_1mate: calls 80 and is all-in
Uncalled bet (2920) returned to zedmaster
*** FLOP *** [Th 8h As]
*** TURN *** [Th 8h As] [4h]
*** RIVER *** [Th 8h As 4h] [9s]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
zedmaster: shows [Qh 5h Td 4s] (a flush, Queen high)
Ulti_1mate: shows [Kd Kh 3d 6c] (a pair of Kings)
zedmaster collected 3628 from side pot
royalslomo: shows [5s 4d Qd 6s] (a pair of Fours)
zedmaster collected 14298 from main pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 17926 Main pot 14298. Side pot 3628. | Rake 0
Board [Th 8h As 4h 9s]
Seat 1: LivePromo5 (small blind) folded before Flop
Seat 2: zedmaster (big blind) showed [Qh 5h Td 4s] and won (17926) with a flush, Queen high
Seat 3: AJCLOPEZ01 folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 4: royalslomo showed [5s 4d Qd 6s] and lost with a pair of Fours
Seat 5: TYTATYT folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 6: Tenzo_Hauer folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 8: Ulti_1mate showed [Kd Kh 3d 6c] and lost with a pair of Kings
Seat 9: ohmano (button) folded before Flop (didn't bet)

One pair of Queens and double up was pretty much the only big hand despite an isolation with K-9 os where I knocked out a shortstack for 2xBB, but barely reached the Final Table:

Last hand was an open shove with A-K and ohmano isolated with A-J:

PokerStars Hand #76137854762: Tournament #514054590, Freeroll  Mixed NLH/PLO (Hold'em No Limit) - Level XXIX (8000/16000) - 2012/02/24 12:35:46 ET
Table '514054590 12' 9-max Seat #4 is the button
Seat 1: Tenzo_Hauer (45796 in chips)
Seat 2: joeroyal197 (60868 in chips)
Seat 3: ohmano (108648 in chips)
Seat 4: GUYGERBER (145526 in chips)
Seat 5: TickTock87 (208992 in chips)
Seat 6: Filestorm (62832 in chips)
Seat 7: ImDaGuacha (121478 in chips)
Seat 8: zedmaster (39504 in chips)
Seat 9: KsyuBUBUKA (100356 in chips)
TickTock87: posts the ante 2000
Filestorm: posts the ante 2000
ImDaGuacha: posts the ante 2000
zedmaster: posts the ante 2000
KsyuBUBUKA: posts the ante 2000
Tenzo_Hauer: posts the ante 2000
joeroyal197: posts the ante 2000
ohmano: posts the ante 2000
GUYGERBER: posts the ante 2000
TickTock87: posts small blind 8000
Filestorm: posts big blind 16000
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to zedmaster [Ks Ac]
ImDaGuacha: folds
zedmaster: raises 21504 to 37504 and is all-in
KsyuBUBUKA: folds
Tenzo_Hauer: folds
joeroyal197: folds
ohmano: raises 69144 to 106648 and is all-in
GUYGERBER: folds
TickTock87: folds
Filestorm: folds
Uncalled bet (69144) returned to ohmano
*** FLOP *** [As Jd 8d]
*** TURN *** [As Jd 8d] [Th]
*** RIVER *** [As Jd 8d Th] [6h]
zedmaster said, "lol sure"
*** SHOW DOWN ***
zedmaster: shows [Ks Ac] (a pair of Aces)
ohmano: shows [Ah Jc] (two pair, Aces and Jacks)
ohmano collected 117008 from pot
zedmaster finished the tournament in 9th place
zedmaster wins a 'SCOOP - $33 Entry' ticket
ImDaGuacha said, "JooooooookerStars."

Ah well, #gg #wp #runbetter #nexttime
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The #WBCOOP 2012 starts today - which events to play?!

The tickets are in the account and the first Event has already started about an hour ago, so it's time to take a look at the full schedule and decide which events to play.

Event	Date	Time (ET)	Game
1	23-Feb	10:00	NLHE
2	23-Feb	14:00	PLO [6-Max]
3	23-Feb	18:00	FL Badugi
4	24-Feb	10:00	NLH/PLO [Turbo]
5	24-Feb	14:00	NLHE [Triple Shootout]
6	24-Feb	18:00	8-Game
7	25-Feb	10:00	NLHE [6-Max]
8	25-Feb	14:00	NLHE
9	25-Feb	18:00	PLO [6-Max]
10	26-Feb	10:00	Stud
11	26-Feb	14:00	NLH/PLO
12	26-Feb	18:00	Stud Hi/Lo [Turbo]
13	27-Feb	10:00	NLHE [4-Max]
14	27-Feb	14:00	PL 5-Card Draw [6-Max]
15	27-Feb	18:00	NLHE [6-Max, Turbo]
16	28-Feb	10:00	Triple Stud
17	28-Feb	14:00	NLHE [Heads-Up]
18	28-Feb	18:00	PLO [Turbo]
19	29-Feb	10:00	FLHE [6-Max]
20	29-Feb	14:00	PLHE [Turbo]
21	29-Feb	18:00	NLHE [Triple Shootout, 10-Max]
22	1-Mar	10:00	PLO [6-Max]
23	1-Mar	14:00	NLHE [Big Antes]
24	1-Mar	18:00	NL Omaha Hi/Lo
25	2-Mar	10:00	NLHE [Deepstacks]
26	2-Mar	14:00	PL Omaha Hi/Lo [6-Max]
27	2-Mar	18:00	NLHE [Turbo]
28	3-Mar	10:00	HORSE
29	3-Mar	14:00	NLHE [6-Max]
30	3-Mar	18:00	NLHE
31	4-Mar	10:00	NLHE Main Event

That should be 5 out of 10 fix and will make up my mind about the others, the NLHE 4max and the NLHE / PLO Turbo are tempting and I fancy the HORSE Event as well on March 3rd. The first goal is quite obvious: Cash in one of the tourneys and get entry to the Main Event on March 4th :)
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The World Blogger Championship of Online Poker (#WBCOOP) is back

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Finally the time has come that we non sense writers can show our donk equity at the poker tables! Just kidding, of course ... but it's always fun and an interesting competition. As usual in the last few editions the restricted Freerolls give away tickets for the Spring Championship of Online Poker ("SCOOP") where you can bag in more cash, it is a tough grind through heavy fields though.

There are also specific restrictions on how to get the tokens, this time a blog entry containing at least 500 words is mandatory and furthermore there will be a special WBCOOP Best Blogger prize worth up to $5000 available. Given my usual lack of time and the fact I never keep much of a roll on Pokerstars, these events are an opportunity to play there again.

Luckily all blogger tournaments also take place at a time when I am not away for a live event coverage (even though the last one is March 4th and I have to head to the UK on the 7th) and thus I better get this blog entry done to apply for the tokens ;) There will be a total of 30 events and I probably gonna skip the No Limit Omaha (ever played that? it's even more fun than bingoooooo) and the Badugi ones, the late tournaments start at 6pm EST and that's midnight German time ... glad I am used to Canadian work hours anyways.

What would I actually do with $5000? Since I am getting more and more addicted to photography during the live event coverages, I could use some of the money to buy 1-2 lenses for my Canon or another body. I would obviously also keep a portion on Pokerstars as well to play some PLO8 and Seven Card Stud when I have free time, because that is about the only place on the world wide pokernet where you can find an okay traffic for those games with enough tables available.

I haven't played much poker lately, but it's similar to biking: You may need some practice but never forget the basics ... everything else comes automatically. After a closer look I also gonna skip the Triple Stud and PL 5-Card Draw as well, I don't like the 2-7 Triple Draw Lowball as part of 8-Game but it's also the most mind challenging game besides HORSE and thus I definitely want to play in both of them. 

The sharing with friends and in social networks is the more easy part these days because you can easily implement apps and this one goes straight to Facebook and twitter as well. Now I just need some luck and good timing in the tournaments once the tokens get approved and I will hopefully soon post further blog(s) about the results in the blogger events. About two and a half weeks until the next live event coverage, time to start planning in advance :)

Best of luck to all other bloggers out there who also gonna compete in the events, unless of course you are on my table.
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WBCOOP PLO8 Qualifier

Well, I wasn't sure before if I would actually play the game as Pokerstars kindly put the qualifier for my fav poker type to an awful 4am german time start, but I was around for some coaching in the UBOC PLO8 (Mini and Big one) and jumped in. That being said PLO8 can be a really cruel game with all the split pots and close to the final table I got short stacked and quartered twice whilst the other shorties doubled up. Long story short, 5xBB left and all in but could not split anymore for low, good game.

Last but not least 2 "highlights" during the tournament:

PokerStars Game #56635405064: Tournament #339187691, Freeroll Omaha Hi/Lo Pot Limit - Level V (60/120) - 2011/01/26 23:12:32 ET

Table '339187691 39' 9-max Seat #8 is the button

Seat 1: KiLLaCam818 (1425 in chips) is sitting out

Seat 2: moki80 (1980 in chips) is sitting out

Seat 3: nicoshafes (1860 in chips) is sitting out

Seat 4: sprocket66 (4687 in chips)

Seat 5: Evva103 (2628 in chips)

Seat 6: zedmaster (13180 in chips)

Seat 7: dani64p (1920 in chips) is sitting out

Seat 8: x_ROSH125_x (1855 in chips) is sitting out

Seat 9: ptparty (5685 in chips)

ptparty: posts small blind 60

KiLLaCam818: posts big blind 120

*** HOLE CARDS ***

Dealt to zedmaster [Jc 6s 7s Qc]

moki80: folds

nicoshafes: folds

sprocket66: folds

Evva103: folds

zedmaster: raises 120 to 240

dani64p: folds

x_ROSH125_x: folds

ptparty: calls 180

KiLLaCam818: folds

*** FLOP *** [5s 8h 4s]

ptparty: bets 120

zedmaster: raises 840 to 960

ptparty: calls 840

*** TURN *** [5s 8h 4s] [Td]

ptparty: bets 2520

zedmaster: raises 2520 to 5040

ptparty: calls 1965 and is all-in

Uncalled bet (555) returned to zedmaster

*** RIVER *** [5s 8h 4s Td] [8s]

*** SHOW DOWN ***

ptparty: shows [5h As 2s 2c] (HI: a flush, Ace high; LO: 8,5,4,2,A)

zedmaster: shows [Jc 6s 7s Qc] (HI: a straight flush, Four to Eight; LO: 8,7,6,5,4)

zedmaster collected 5745 from pot

ptparty collected 5745 from pot

zedmaster said, "lol"

_____

PokerStars Game #56637433593: Tournament #339187691, Freeroll Omaha Hi/Lo Pot Limit - Level X (200/400) - 2011/01/27 0:31:19 ET

Table '339187691 42' 9-max Seat #3 is the button

Seat 1: zedmaster (27099 in chips)

Seat 2: Zardok (2568 in chips)

Seat 3: Dalailama77 (14384 in chips)

Seat 4: malice51 (18565 in chips)

Seat 5: Mazurite (6135 in chips)

Seat 6: TEX@S^ALL"IN (15894 in chips)

Seat 7: stefal (12700 in chips)

Seat 8: sprocket66 (9150 in chips)

Seat 9: SC4RF4CE (1798 in chips)

malice51: posts small blind 200

Mazurite: posts big blind 400

*** HOLE CARDS ***

Dealt to zedmaster [As 3s 2h Td]

TEX@S^ALL"IN: calls 400

stefal: folds

sprocket66: calls 400

SC4RF4CE: folds

zedmaster: calls 400

Zardok: folds

Dalailama77: calls 400

malice51: calls 200

Mazurite: checks

*** FLOP *** [5h Tc 4d]

malice51: checks

Mazurite: bets 1600

TEX@S^ALL"IN: folds

sprocket66: calls 1600

zedmaster: raises 7200 to 8800

Dalailama77: folds

malice51: folds

Mazurite: calls 4135 and is all-in

sprocket66: calls 7150 and is all-in

Uncalled bet (50) returned to zedmaster

*** TURN *** [5h Tc 4d] [6h]

*** RIVER *** [5h Tc 4d 6h] [Jc]

zedmaster said, "bye bye"

*** SHOW DOWN ***

sprocket66: shows [3c Ts Ac Qh] (HI: a pair of Tens; LO: 6,5,4,3,A)

zedmaster: shows [As 3s 2h Td] (HI: a straight, Deuce to Six; LO: 6,5,4,2,A)

zedmaster collected 3015 from side pot

zedmaster collected 3015 from side pot

Mazurite: shows [2s 5s 6d 4h] (HI: two pair, Sixes and Fives)

zedmaster collected 9803 from main pot

zedmaster collected 9802 from main pot

sprocket66 finished the tournament in 133rd place

sprocket66 wins a 'SCOOP - $11 Entry' ticket

Mazurite finished the tournament in 134th place

Mazurite wins a 'SCOOP - $11 Entry' ticket

10am german time now, shall I grab a coffee and try to get some early work done or take a few hours nap? Not sure yet, ah well so close but yet so far  - but I got a $33 SCOOP coupon and also entry to the WBCOOP Final as well + a few more Qualifiers to go.

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First WBCOOP Qualifier last night

Well thanks to my grateful internet provider who keeps resetting my internet connection every hour or less, I am very thrilled because it kills my chances to get anything done at work. It took them 10 minutes on the phone to realize it is an issue on their end (no sh1t I told them that like 20 times lol) and the technicians seem to have some fun to play around with my connection. I was able to jump into the NLHE Qualifier last night though and I must admit I know exactly why I don't like Pokerstars ;)

I don't really want to use the d word (yes, in the past it was the f word and now it's the d word), so I rather call it "creative play" ... busted somewhere in the 400ish and needed top 200 to qualify for the finals, top 153 also get SCOOP coupons. One of the creative players called my all in pre with 1 player behind him for 3.5k stack on 50-100 with K9 off suit and hits one of the 3 outs to take down my AK. Ah well, that's poker I guess ... the snapcall was really fascinating though, I must try that out next time as well.

The personal "lol" highlight was the following hand that happened at my table, been a while since I seen such a masterpiece of variance xD:

PokerStars Game #56570147178: Tournament #339187690, Freeroll  Hold'em No Limit - Level I (10/20) - 2011/01/25 19:09:24 ET

Table '339187690 24' 9-max Seat #2 is the button

Seat 1: agitsop (3750 in chips)

Seat 2: zedmaster (3120 in chips)

Seat 3: Pableras (3025 in chips)

Seat 4: Hasenmann173 (2615 in chips)

Seat 5: pokerrockett (2970 in chips)

Seat 6: TONIMARTIN (2930 in chips)

Seat 7: NewSc0rpi0 (680 in chips)

Seat 8: VeGoS271 (3030 in chips)

Seat 9: drmkeeper88 (4880 in chips)

Pableras: posts small blind 10

Hasenmann173: posts big blind 20

*** HOLE CARDS ***

Dealt to zedmaster [As 3c]

pokerrockett: folds

TONIMARTIN: folds

NewSc0rpi0: calls 20

VeGoS271 has timed out

VeGoS271: folds

VeGoS271 is sitting out

drmkeeper88: folds

agitsop: folds

zedmaster: folds

Pableras: calls 10

Hasenmann173: checks

*** FLOP *** [Qd 6d 5c]

Pableras: checks

Hasenmann173: checks

NewSc0rpi0: bets 60

Pableras: raises 80 to 140

Hasenmann173: calls 140

NewSc0rpi0: raises 520 to 660 and is all-in

VeGoS271 has returned

Pableras: folds

Hasenmann173: calls 520

*** TURN *** [Qd 6d 5c] [Qs]

*** RIVER *** [Qd 6d 5c Qs] [Qc]

*** SHOW DOWN ***

Hasenmann173: shows [5s 5d] (a full house, Queens full of Fives)

NewSc0rpi0: shows [Jc Qh] (four of a kind, Queens)

NewSc0rpi0 collected 1520 from pot

Pableras said, "lol"

I am not sure though why PokerStars thinks that PLO8 is the most hated game or why on earth they would put that qualifier for 10pm EST = 4am german time. Kinda sucks because it's my fav poker type. Not sure if I gonna be dumb enough to stay up and play that one. 

lol.

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WBCOOP 2011

WBCOOP Returns with $58,000 in SCOOP Tickets!

It’s time for all poker-playing bloggers to put down the keyboard and mouse and get ready for action, because the annual PokerStars World Blogger Championship of Online Poker (WBCOOP) is back. This time round the seven-day event includes six preliminary tournaments, running January 24-29, 2011, before the action culminates with the Main Event on January 30. There’s an incredible $58,000 in Spring Championship of Online Poker (SCOOP*) tickets up for grabs, and WBCOOP is completely free-to-enter for all verified bloggers.
How to Qualify

Simply register as a verified blogger to take part. For your blog to be eligible, it needs to have been online for at least two months and updated on a regular basis. Blogs created specifically for this promotion, or that only have a few posts, will not be granted entry to WBCOOP. If you have been eligible in the past for WBCCOP but have not updated your blog on a regular basis since the last event, you will not be eligible to play. All decisions about eligibility rest with WBCOOP management and are final.

Visit the WBCOOP registration page to find out how to submit your blog for verification. Once you are registered, you can play in any or all of the free WBCOOP preliminary events and qualify for the Main Event.

I have registered to play in the PokerStars World Blogger Championship of Online Poker! The WBCOOP is a free online Poker tournament open to all Bloggers, so register on WBCOOP to play.
Registration code: XXXXXX 433173

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WBCOOP - World Blogger Championships Of Online Poker

Ich habe mich für die Teilnahme an der PokerStars World Blogger Championship of Online Poker angemeldet!

Die WBCOOP ist ein Online-Pokerturnier das allen Bloggern offen steht.

Anmelde-Code: 987464

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