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"Nobody ever thinks they're dead money."

A couple of things, poker-related all of them.

1. SoxLover has been bitching at me every day ALL WEEK, asking why he didn't get a mention on this blog when he won an 18-person tournament at a NYC club on Sunday, but why Joaquin did get a plug when he won an 80-person freeroll.

The multiple choice answer selections are:
(a) I attended the 80-person tournament but not the 18-person tournament;
(b) I don't think winning an 18-person tournament is all that special, even if it is a $250 buy-in;
(c) I was too damn drunk all week from doing dial-a-shots with celebrity poker bloggers to actually post anything coherent;
(d) I think SoxLover is a donkey fucker; or
(e) All of the above.

2. Strategy: flopping the nuts. DoubleAs had a very interesting post, called "The QJs Hand", that sparked quite a bit of discussion on flopping the nuts. Hit his site and dig it up. In the meantime, I have my own little anecdote about flopping the nuts.

I played a hand in an online NLHE cash game last week, where I called a pre-flop raise in late position with AcTc. The raiser had been mildly aggressive, but almost 100% of the time made a continuation bet on the flop. We were heads up and the flop come three low spades, missing me completely. The raiser uncharacteristically checked it to me. In certain situations, I'd be tempted to bet here, as this is an action-killing board and I might be able to take down the pot right there, but a nagging little question in the back of my head stopped me: "She's made the continuation bet every time; why not now?" I checked the action back and took a card.

The turn was a fourth spade and put three to a straight out there. The raiser checked again. I was still concerned that I was being slowplayed, but I decided with such a coordinated board that I could afford to take one stab and bet 2/3 pot. The raiser typed "Hmmm, interesting board" and then called. A blank hit the river, the raiser checked to me and I checked it right back without hesitation, waiting to see her nut flush. She showed AsQs.

I understand the urge to slowplay a hand like this, but she also needed to be aware of both her table image and her betting patterns. The fact that she (a) checked when she had been continuing every flop, and (b) flat-called the turn, made me suspect a monster. If she had led out on the flop, I would not have been able to narrow her hand down as much as I did and may even have been persuaded to try to buy a larger pot on the turn if a fourth spade fell (which it did).

3. It looks like no Borgata Open for me this year (time, time, time - see what's become of me?) but I'll make up for it at the Bash at the Boathouse on Saturday, September 24. Click through to AlCantHang for more details.

4. I'm going to be playing in a "mini WSOP" at a NYC club this weekend. I've been meaning to try out this tournament for some time, but damn if my weekend schedule didn't get shot to hell for the entire summer. The buy-in is $250+25, the levels are 30 minutes long, the starting blinds are 25/50, and the starting stack is 10,000. Hello, bang for your buck!

Any bloggers that are interested in joining us should shoot me an email at the usual address. I mean, hell -- SoxLover won this tournament last week. This is the same guy who called a $300 all-in thinking he had a nut straight when, in fact, he had bottom pair AND was dominated. If he can win, the tournament MUST be full of dead money.