Face the Ace = Lameballs

In case you haven't seen it, Face the Ace is a new poker show on NBC. I'm not sure when it airs, and I can promise you I'm not going to try and find out.
The idea behind the show was exciting enough for me to tune in for the premiere: regular Joes with a shot at playing heads-up against the greatest poker players in the world for as much as $1 million.
Unfortunately, NBC not only dropped the ball, they left it in their own end-zone and walked to the sidelines. The host of the show, Steve Schirripa, is better known for being the badass Bobby Bacala on the Sopranos. That badass is now making jokes that makes Home Videos Bob Saget look like a comedic genious. Here's a clip from the show:
Somehow, NBC has managed to turn this badass gangster into a run of the mill game-show host. The best way to describe the show came from a friend of mine:
"It's basically a couple of guys marked poker who have no idea what they're doing, playing against a bunch of pros who don't want to be there."
From the stilted studio audience applause to the suspenseful Who Wants to be a Millionaire soundtrack, the whole show feels more like a crappy game show than poker in any way.
The first player ever on the show had about as much charisma as a doorknob. His conversation at the table with Ivey started out more labored and painful than a cross-country trip sitting next to the bathroom on a greyhound bus.
He then proceeded to needle Ivey (the greatest poker player in the world) by saying "I walked over to Binions. I didn't see your name on the wall up there, or your picture, for the world series."

"When you gonna win one?"

He then decides to ask Ivey, "When you gonna win one?" Apparently Ivey's seven non Main-Event bracelets aren't worthy of as much respect as one Main Event win.
After getting dealt pocket aces and queens in the first three hands dealt, the competitor wins the $40k, takes his money and runs cheat poker.
The second competitor defeats his first two opponents, and will come back next week to play for $1 million.
For a poker player, there' aren't a lot of reasons to watch the show. And the actual poker was less entertaining than watching the q-tips play $1-$3 spread-limit Stud at the Mirage.
For the non-poker player, I'm just not sure why they would care. The whole point of a game show is to play along at home, convinced all the contestants are morons.
If you can't yell out answers, such as "One dollar!" or "What is the Gettysburg Address?" what's the point of watching?
If poker players don't want to watch it, and non-poker players don't want to watch it, I'm just not sure what it's doing on TV. If I was a betting man, I'd say it won't be around for a second season - if it even makes it out of the first.
-Lind

On the Road As Usual

So, I'm sitting here in my hotel room in Barcelona.
I just came here from London after playing in the European Ladies Open event. I wont even bother writing anything about it because I busted 45th outta 52 and it was just one of those days where nothing seemed to work. We all have those, and there's not much to do about it juice cards.
The reason I'm in Barcelona now is because a good friend of mine, Mike Lawson ("Meeelosh" online) managed to go through a field of 2,250 players online in the World Poker Crown $3 million guaranteed tourney that was held online couple of weeks ago.
The last 10 players took their chips with them to Barcelona to finish the final here, and hes now here 2/10 in chips fighting for a $1mill first prize. I really hope he does well here cuz hes due to have a big score after grinding mid/high stakes tournaments for so long. Hes a very solid, good player with a lot of potential still, and if anyone deserves to win this its him!
Anyway, I dont wanna jynx him, just want to give a shout out and wish him GL at the final table that will be played may 8th.
-- Annette

Two for Two for Making Day 2

Today at 2 pm, I will restart the $1,000 NL (event 4) at the WSOP. I played day 1a on Saturday, and had a fairly rough day ending with 14,600 chips.

The average is around 24k and the blinds will be 500/1k when we restart. I had gotten my stack up to around 26k at 150/300 and then spewed down to 3k before running my stack back up to 26 again.

I binked a nice lil 2 outer on Mossified; 77 vs QQ all in pre, 7 river! This is my second time making day 2 of an event already marked cards  as I made day 2 of the 40k. So I'm already two for two, but we are still short of the money.

I wasn't too excited to be playing the 1k on Saturday, because it meant that I had busted day 2 of the 40k on Friday.

I had a pretty frustrating day 2, running into bigger hands every time I tried to open or make a play.

The final table of that event was played yesterday. It was a pretty stacked final table; the online kids are doing work right off the bat!

I plan on playing the noon tourney today as well. Seeing as how it's a 1500 PLO event, I can play the first 2 hours and try to get chips or bust and then just sit out and go try to build my shortstack in the 1k.

Pretty excited to be playing the first PLO event, as it is my favorite game. I will hopefully make my first day 3 ever at the WSOP (not including WSOPE).
Ship ship!