Frank "phrankerCO" Baris

Well, I’ve been running pretty good lately in MTTs on Poker Stars. Let me be a little more clear. I’ve been running deep – but not deep enough to make it worth the time I’m investing in them. Of course you can look up my rankings and see all the results, but I’m just going to discuss my MTT results.

First, I was playing MT SnG for a few days and I was getting deep in those too, until I took 4th in a 90 man $8+.80 Deep Stack. It paid $68.40, which isn’t too bad. I was really stoked going into the final table and I just lost my races. WCYD?

As for my MTT results, I played a $10+1 with 4200+ players. I busted in 216th place for $46.33. Again, not bad, but not great either. Today, I played a $5+.50R event, total of almost 4000 entrants. I went deep. Almost 4 hours in and I busted. 618th place and the money was 35 places away. I was getting eaten up by the blinds/ante and had to move in with KQsh. I got called by the BB with 22. My hand didn’t improve and I was el’busto.

So, what is it? Why am I getting so deep, but not deep enough. I need some deep tournament strategies and tips. I’ll keep up the hard work and I’ll let ya all know how it goes.

So, with a new year comes New Year’s Resolutions and mine is… improve my poker game. Plain and simple. First, I want to improve my online game play. I want to build my bankroll by playing cash games, so that I can practice and better my MTT skills. I would like to be playing in the Big Sunday games, as well as have the confidence and skills to play in larger Live tournaments. I want to travel and play bigger stakes cash games in both Vegas and L.A. and try to hit some of the better tournament circuit stops for small-medium buy-in prelim events.

Ultimately, I want to be able to go pro by 2010. So… I’m giving myself this year to really immerse myself in the game and its strategies. I need to surround myself with good players that are as dedicated as I am. I need to eat, sleep, and shit poker this year – and maybe, just maybe, you’ll see me on TV by next year.

BTW – the picture above is when midnight hit while I was at a concert in Rochester, NY – Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad is the band playing aka white boy reggae

Well, I just got back to my parents house after spending the weekend at Turning Stone. Turning Stone was my home casino when I first started playing poker, but now that I live in CO, I only get out there maybe once or twice a year. However, I doubt I’ll be playing out there anymore. The state of poker and the economy are very noticeable there. The biggest game is $2/$5 NL with a $500 max buy-in and they only have one table going at a time. It was so nitty – I ran even for 3 days straight. I don’t think I saw a single player make more than 1 buy-in – even over the course of the 3 days I was there. It was really disappointing. But, I do have a few tid-bits I can share.

I first called ahead to speak with the casino host and was told that they do not offer anything to poker players because the poker room is separate from the casino – whatever that means. So, I booked my room and went out with the intention of speaking with the poker room manager to see what he could offer me. We chatted up for a little while and after greasing his palm I was able to get my room in the new tower comped. That was about the best part of the trip.

I went out with my roommate Bill(billg3rd) and Friday night we played in there Daily tournament which was a $90 Deep Stack Turbo. BTW – I free rolled myself into it by sitting at a $1/$2 NL table while waiting for the tourney to start and just ran over it. I actually played a whole orbit with out even looking at my cards and took down every pot – It was so easy… The tournament started with 10,000 chips, with 15 min. levels. They capped it at 100 players and long story short – I made it deep, but not deep enough. I was getting blinded off pretty fast and only had about +20k left with a 500 ante 1k/2k blinds and I ran my AKss into JJ all-in pre-flop and didn’t improve. Meh, what can you do. I went and got some comped dinner and got back into the cash games. Again, I ran pretty even and cashed out plus 1/2 a buy-in.

Woke up Saturday and played for a few hours before I met my parents who drove out to meet me for dinner. My parents do not gamble – at all. So, I was pretty stoked that they actually took me up on my offer to meet me for dinner. But, who am I kidding, they love to eat and try new restaurants. They opened up a Rodizio in the new wing and after introducing my parents to the Rodizio experience in Denver while they were visiting 3 years ago, they were excited to try it just as much as I was. I had my first Rodizio experience in Long Island about 6-7 years ago, and if you don’t know, it’s amazing. “Meat served with meat”, as one of my friends once said. However, just like everything else in upstate NY, it was a total disappointment. Nothing like the Denver location and according to my parents who have been to one in Key West and one in Martha’s Vineyard, as well as the one in Denver, this was the worst Rodizio experience they have ever had. It was really disappointing. After dinner we walked around the shops and then they left to drive back home. Of course, I went back to the poker room, and hopped back into the ‘Main Game’ – LOL. I actually took a few beats and was stuck almost 2 buy-ins, until I made it all back with my favorite hand – 2c4c. I raised pre flop and got 3 callers. The flop came up Ac5cX. I had late position and it checked around to me. I bet about 1/4 pot and I got re-raised by the SB. It got folded around to me and I tanked for less than 30 seconds then announced all-in. SB snapped called with AKos and the turn was my 4 outer for the straight with the river improving it even more with a 6. I took down a $900 pot with my straight and SB could only gasp and steam about my pre-flop raise. I had a few more good pots and ended the evening(?) at 4am completely even. Even Steven.

Sunday I woke up and my sister decided to drive up and join me for breakfast which was really cool. We ate and chatted it up and then she decided to join me in the poker room, but she just sat behind and watched as I grinded up almost a full buy-in. I spewed off some chips in a monster pot that ended up being a very crazy hand. I ultimately folded pre-flop when it got 4 betted back to my initial raise and ended up AA vs KK vs 85os. Of course, the flop came up 553, and both AA and KK lost a lot. Then I did the stupidest thing ever and lost my whole buy-in. I was in the SB and the cut off min raised to $10. Button called, and I re-popped to $50 with AA. Two limpers folded to the cut off and he called, as did the button. The flop came up 752 rainbow. I swung $65 and the cut off made a move he had been doing all weekend. He made it $465!! The button folded and I turned my hand face up. I started talking out loud to the cutoff that I knew he had been min raising his small pocket pairs all weekend and then swinging huge flop bets when he hit his set. I just knew that was what he was doing. I knew it. But I did the most donk move ever and pushed it. Just because they were Aces. I knew better. I knew the play he was using and I still pushed. But, how many times have you ever laid down Aces? Daniel Negreanu just spoke about it in his All Strategy podcast and he himself has only laid down Aces twice. I just couldn’t let them go – even though I knew I was beat at the time and was even confident enough to say out loud what my read on the player was. Of course I was right and he had 77 for top set. So – I busted and decided to quit there and just go home. I was tired and I knew the game was too nitty to really make any good money, so I called it quits and my sister and I headed back to our parents house.

So, even though I lost that buy-in I still made out pretty even with the comped meals and room – but I still have to consider it a loss. But, I did gain one thing and that is confidence in my game. I know I am getting better every day. I am focusing on the game almost 100% (minus the time for myself and my business). I am getting very good at reading players and even better at understanding the game. But most of all, I am getting more confident in my over game and I know that is going to pay me back more than winning any amount of buy-ins at Turning Stone Casino.