Degree Poker Moment in Vegas lol

So I am sitting at the blackjack tables, in of all places, the Tropicana. And I start to look around the room as I do when I am bored and the dealer keeps getting 21 in 5 cards. And who do I see across the room? Bruce Redwood....The Degree Poker Announcer! WTF right? I mean its pretty odd to say that least that I would see anyone I know down in Vegas but especially someone from my Degree days at Niagara. I had to go over and say hey and it was good times all around. Him and his wife were there celebrating there 10th anniversary and had just gotten there pretty much, while I was on my way back to Toronto the next day.
So Bruce if you are reading this hope you won tons of money because I certainly didn't.

Also just wanted to mention the fact that I got to stand in the Bellagio's poker room and stare into Bobby's Room. It was pretty amazing to see Daniel Negreanu, Phil Ivey, Jennifer Harmen, Barry Greenstein etc. all playing in the big game. I didn't get to meet any of them but it was still pretty awesome.

WPT at the Mirage

So the first day we got to Vegas was the final table taping of the new season of the WPT (season 5). So I wanted to go check it out and see how everything went down in these huge tournaments. Well as I turned the corner, who do I see, Mike Sexton and Vince Van Patton. And of course I had to get a pic...just because. I was of course looking for the hot blonde who hosted the WPT but was unable to find her because she had already been replaced by another hot little blonde. Ever since Shana left they just can't find that magic I guess.

Well the final table was long and very agonizing, but they did have an open bar for all of the audience in the back so that was a bonus. We didn't stay for the whole thing, left for about 4 hours, then came back to see the that 3 were still left. It had started at 4pm and went until around 1am.

All and all it was a very cool experience for the first day in Vegas.

Back from Vegas

Tons of stuff to talk about really, but I will be doing it over a couple of days. I saw tons of Poker people, got to go to the taping of the WPT at the Mirage and I even got to lose most of my money playing in cash games lol

And no I didn't get into the Price is Right...fuck. But I did see Jimmy Kimmel and Jay Leno so that was pretty cool.

Also I will be talking about a certain Degree Poker Announcer that I bumped into at the Black Jack table haha.

Vegas, L.A and the Price is Right

Yep so it's time to take a trip down to the desert. I will be travelling to Vegas next week and then onto L.A after that. Hopefully this trip will cost me nothing because I will win money playing in the many poker games that will be all over the strip. But probably I will come home broke and you won't get another post on the website because I have had to give up my computer as well.

It should be a lot of fun and I can't wait to play some poker down there since the last time I was there I wasn't into Hold'Em and just spent all my money on Blackjack.

So I have wanted to go down to L.A for a long time...the reason....The Price is Right. Yes I have wanted to be on this show my entire life, so now is my only opportunity because as we all know Bob Barker is 100 years old and could die at any moment.

Bob Barker is the Hugh Hefner of game shows. I mean just look at his gig..he is surrounded by his Barker Beauties which are usally playmates, and I am sure Hef sends them over, and of course Barker has to "try them out" to make sure they can handle the tough jobs he has in store for them.
I want to be Bob Barker.

Craig quoted in the Star

Yep I am in the Toronto Star.

I was interviewed up at Niagara during the media event and if you would like to see the article click the link: Degree Poker 2006

Or here it is pasted for you:
Online registrations increased to 20,000, 20 per cent over last year's inaugural tournament, said the casino's Steve Wolstenholme. Those not chosen will get a final chance to play. Early on, about 300 places will be drawn among those who are at the casino, ready to play.

That's how Craig Macrae, 22, of Toronto got into last year's tournament, placing second. "I just walked up, got a seat, played for a week and they gave me a cheque for $10,000," Macrae said, adding he had only been playing the game for seven months at that point. He used the prize money to pay off tuition loans and take a vacation.

"It was a hard, tough battle," Macrae added. "You've got to get cards. You've got to be lucky and you've got to know how to play poker."

Macrae credits online poker with the game's explosion in popularity.

"Anyone — wherever you are — can get in (an online game). You don't have to go to a casino," he said.

Mr. 7Deuce busted by a 7-2? Wouldn't that be ironic?

Well it didn't happen, but that would have made this post a lot funnier don't you think?

But yes I have busted out of Degree 2006 but I still had a great time. I would just like to thank everyone up at Niagara Fallsview, I had a great time and got to see everyone from last year. The girl who picked my name that allowed me to get into the tournament, the players that I had such a great experience with last year, the suits (as I call them) who said "great to see you back again" and even the dealer who didn't shake my hand (I know you all remember him!). Once again everyone put together a great tournament and it's too bad I couldn't spend the week there and see all of the players go through the experience that I went through last year.

So I guess I should talk about the hand that busted me. Well the blinds went up every 20 minutes, wayyy to fast, but it is a freeroll and they want to keep things moving so I can understand that, 2000 in chips to start off with.

So I won the first hand! Which was sweet because it was one of the only hands I would end up winning haha. It was a slow painful death as I told Bruce the announcer, but it was still a lot of fun. The last hand came when I was in the small blind, 200-400, we have one caller in seat 7 and everyone else folds, I look down at A 8 off and to be honest that was an amazing hand with the garbage I had been seeing (top hands that I got: A Q suited, 9 8, king 10, jack 10 and thats about it, no pockets). So I move all in which is 800. So the big sits for a while then finally is like might as well call for the 400 (he was chip leader at the table) and the guy who limped also called. They checked all the way down and the flop was 2 2 3 9 9, so with that I am thinking wow I might just have won with ace high or I am still in with a split. Big blind flips over 6 - 4 and the guy who limped....turns over pocket kings.....

I said goodbye to everyone and they announced my departure and that was the end of Degree 2006. It was fun and I pretty much knew it would be bust out in an hour and a half or make it through, it was just a gut feeling. I also predicted that I would run into a big pocket pair... just didn't think it would catch me off guard like that haha.

Wow what a weekend

This was one crazy weekend in Toronto! Daniel Negreanu was all over the place and probably got about 3 hours of sleep in the last 72 hours. The Protege table lasted until 2 a.m on saturday night and then at 2 pm the next day we did the Canadian College Poker Championship down at the CGTV studios. I was tournament director for the event, which pretty much meant me making sure things went smoothly. It was a lot of fun and I can't wait to see it all editted togeather. My friend Johnny was the dealer and it will be interesting how much of him gets on television.

After that I got to go hang out with Daniel, which was really amazing, we had a great time with all the winners and he talked to us about strategy when playing in different tournaments and his experiences. He also did some really great impressions of some of the people at the tournament that...well I can't really say who they were about but it was gold!

I am now getting ready as we speak to head up to Niagara Falls for the media event tonight and then tomorrow I will be playing at 1 pm. It should be a lot of fun, I really don't have any expectations for this event, I would love to just make it through day 1.