A Scandal or Everyday Occurrence?!?!?!?!

In the last few days a very weird occurrence has happened. Brian Townsend has had his FullTilt Poker account suspended for a month. Reason being, is that he violated the terms of Tilt's agreement on play. The rule that he has broken is this:

"Full Tilt Poker defines an unfair advantage as a user accessing or compiling information on other players beyond that which the user has personally observed through his or her own game play."

This was taken directly from their website. For full list see this.

Brian Hastings took $4 million off of Isuldir1 and then publicly stated that Brian Townsend helped him with his own Hand Histories. They dissected Isuldir1's play and found his range when he made certain plays. Now obviously the two do not think anything is wrong with what they have done. Otherwise they would have not publicly discussed this. This did lead to the suspension of only Townsend. For one month though? We don't even know the details. Hastings has not been penalized as of yet.

Hand history sharing is no different than information about an opponent in a live game. Many times you see player's taking a break off the table and discuss a "fishes" tendencies and give a heads up about a "rock" at the table. In poker, every edge that you get is key. Switching up your game and not allowing a pattern to be set with your opponents will make you money (if your making correct decisions).

Isuldir1 has not yet made a comment about this situation. This is most likely because he knows he was beat. Anyone who plays online and knows that they are playing against a CardRunner's player should know that they do a lot of hand history teaching. If you don't know your opponent, you deserve to lose your cash. It's just another thing to take into account now when playing poker.

SHODOWN

Holiday Poker Slaughter?!?!?!?!?!?

During the holiday season the temperament of the poker scene changes. It can either be profitable or not. It all depends on game selection and players involved. Now saying this what should you look for? This can be broken down into 4 categories: Time of play, proximity to christmas, strength of players, and motivation.

1. Time of Play:

Choosing when to play in a live game at a Casino is very important this time of year. Playing from midnight to 11am is probably not the best decision. Reason being, the true grinders will be trying to recoup their losses by long sessions and the money is usually tougher to squeeze at this point. Caliber of play is usually higher.

2. Proximity to Christmas:

The average amateur player will not be at the Casino close to the holidays. It is not their desire to be a pro. They enjoy the game and are learning. Family time around the holidays is more important to the "fish".

3. Strength of Players:

When playing start to ask people what they are doing for the holidays and such. You can get a lot of information as to how they may play by their demeanor. This point relates to the prior ones. Feel out the table and maybe make a table change if they are grinders. Go for the easy money.

4. Motivation:

As discussed above in strength of players talking to your opponents is key. Try to find out why they are playing so close to the holidays. Are they trying to make a run and make it a great x-mas? Are they just having some fun on their vacation time because they love poker? Knowing these thought processes in your opponents motivation can help you make your decisions at the table easier to make. Bluffing someone can be easier if you know they are trying to make money as opposed to playing for fun.

So when out playing cards around the holidays take everything into consideration and look at motivation tells so you don't become part of the holiday poker slaughter on the wrong end!

SHODOWN

Isuldur1 falls to fate of the ring?!?!?!?!?

If you haven't heard, then you have been hiding under a rock. The emergence of Isuldur1 took the online world by storm. As shown in the pic above he did some crazy work against some of the best players in the world. Poor Durrr! Why you say? Well because all of his old bankroll which he lost to Isuldir1 has now been distributed to Brain Hastings, Patrick Antonius, Phil Ivey, and Brian Townsend. Durr is now grinding the smaller stakes to get back in the thick of things.

Last night marked the end of Isuldur1's remarkable run. So the answer to the main question asked: Is a slight edge all you need to have? Well at first it looked like his edge was working, but his opponents adapted to his 4 plus multi-tabling edge. Brian Townsend was playing him 4 games heads-up PLO and took what seems to be his last $300k.

We admire what Isuldir1 (who is rumored to be Viktor Blom) has accomplished. But looking at what he had done you can either say that he took the ultimate risk and your proud or he took the dumbest route possible. The SHODOWN regional team members all agree that game selection is key to being a winning player. Ego should not be involved, but in Isuldir1's case, he definitely wanted some sort of recognition and to take some people off of their pedestal. This wasn't the best route to make money in our opinion, but sometimes goals and objectives are different. Only Isuldir1 will know if he has accomplished what he wanted. Hope to see him make a comeback in the next few months to stir up the scene again.

Good article by PokerNews on the subject.

SHODOWN

Isildur taking over the power of the Ring?!?!?!?!?

The emergence of the new player Isildur1 has taken the online poker world by storm! He has wrecked and destroyed many top players and is apparently a 19 yr old from Sweden. The news is reporting that he felted Tom "Durrr" Dwan for 3 MILLION!

So this poses a few questions and creates great interest. Can this kid be just that good? He is asking to multi table up to 6 tables at a time with the pro's and is playing nosebleed stakes (heads up). Apparently he has been playing on the european sites like BetFair and dominating there for a couple years. He then moved over to FullTilt and has been smashing some top online pros like Brian Townsend and Cole South.

Here are a few questions for you to ponder:

1. Are the high stakes online players as good as they say or is their image just as daunting and as large a factor as their decent play?

2. Is a slight edge all that is needed to dominate your opponents which have similar skill sets? IE: 6 tabling PLO?

3. How much does ego play in high stakes poker and will it kill the action or destroy their bankrolls?

All these questions will be answered shortly as we watch the development of Isildur1. He has taken a few losses as of late against Patrick Antonius. So is he just a "luck box" who went on an incredible run? Who knows, we don't even have an interview with this kid yet. Maybe he just kicked some ass and took the ring of power for his own use. Hopefully he doesn't have the same fate as that his name represents!

SHODOWN

Skinning the best wool providing SHEEP?!?!?!?!?!?

Lately we have been seeing quite a lot of criticism of players on TV and especially of them in the WSOP ME. Darvin Moon is the prime example. He has been ridiculed and being studded as "undeserving" and mocked for his poker play.

Well you know what! Who the #$%& cares!

The guy paid his entry fee, he played the way he wanted to; and guess what! Only one guy out of the 6400 plus entrants beat him. So he had to be doing something correct. Even "luck boxes" can do some things correctly.

It infuriates us that the poker community is still berating his play. Why would you want to scare off one of the biggest so called "fish" from playing anymore. He has 5 MILLION DOLLARS TO PLAY WITH!!!!

He has already stated that he will play when he feels like it and may never play large tournaments again. If everyone was saying how crap your play was, would you want to play with them again? Probably not, you would take your ball and go home!

So lets start listening to our favorite movie and learn from what "Worm" didn't know. Quit skinning your top providing sheep and eating lamb-chops for a week. Nurture and care for that sheep so that it provides you with dollars for a long time!

SHODOWN

Free Roll problems and Chance?!?!?!?!?

This weekend is the first annual Canadian Poker Expo and looks to be a great event. Many companies have made the trip including Full Tilt, BetFair, and Everest. Shodown will have a booth there as well. There are two MONSTER free rolls with great prizes! There is a heads up event that will give away a trip to Las Vegas to play in next years WSOP in a small NL event and another tournament with great prizes and package's similar.

Now this would be awesome to win, but free rolls are so hard to win, why? Well there are many reasons. Brreak them down like this: Player experience, Pride, Time, and Field.

Player experience:

Free rolls attract many players who never have been to a casino or even played the game. Very difficult to play against someone who doesn't know there hand or it's very easy if your running well. But reads and respect is out the window in most cases.

Pride:

This is the most important factor of all. People will play looser and will not care as much in the earlier parts of a tourney. They say " I busted, but it was a free roll, so who cares!" and don't take a hit to their pride by busting out of the tourney early. No one wants to lose a tournament that they payed money to go in, so busting in a free roll doesn't affect their self confidence or pride, so they may play much better with no risk, or much worse and care free.

Time:

Players may have to be somewhere and have not planned on going deep. So they may play reckless to try to get rid of their chips or to get a large enough stack that they can justify playing for a while.

Field:

Field size can ware on a players mind if they have nothing invested and they know only a couple players will take something home. They may again play reckless and want to go quick. Tons of action!

So the question you must ask yourself is: Is this Freeroll worth the let down?

Well that is something only you can answer. So dig deep and play your best and always be wary of how someone is acting at the table. Ask questions, probe their focus and play accordingly.

Hope to see everyone at the Expo and in the free rolls. Look for Shodown Regional Team members and friends wearing SHODOWN in the tournaments!

SHODOWN

Mucking the winner?!?!?!?!?!?

While watching the WSOP ME 2009 Episode 27 a hand came up in which Phil Ivey (Acclaimed best player on earth) mucked the winning hand! The hand went as follows: Phil Raised UTG with Snowmen (88), with one being a spade. He was re-raised pre-flop by an A9 in the BB. The flop came mostly bricks, but had two spades on board. The action went check, check. The turn brought the Q of spades (pairing the board). It was checked over to Phil and he checked behind. He was called. The river brought the ACE of spades. Check and check. Player in BB announced an "ACE" and did not show, and Phil Mucked his winner flush thinking the ace had him beat.

This has happened to the best of us, we are so concentrated on what the other player is doing and reacting to bets/calls/checks, that we forget to read the board fully and accumulate the best information from the hand. Phil had half given up on the hand when he was saw the turn and river. He misread the board and never even seen the 4 spades which were in front of him. This is a mistake that Phil normally will never make, but under extreme pressure and playing as long as he was (day 7). We can understand why it did happen.

So double check your whole cards and compute everything when a showdown takes place! TRIPPLE CHECK, you have nothing to lose, because you have already lost the pot if you haven't anyway!

Here is the footage on Youtube: Phil Ivey Mucks winning hand!

SHODOWN

SHODOWN is hosting the first annual Canadian Poker Expo Official After-Party. For more information join the Facebook Page or check out CPE's website. This party will be the first for Shodown and believe us when we tell you it is going to be insane! We have reduced cover, special MGD bottled pricing and 8-12 top Pro's making an appearance. The venue is Cabana nightclub in downtown Toronto and is sure not to disappoint.

Party's and other special events will be vital to the success of the poker industry. In the future expect many events that will be suited towards poker players and poker fans. Any suggestions can be commented on this blog or sent to info@shodown.ca So look out for a crazy night on the 7th and don't forget to take part in the HUGE free rolls presented by FullTilt and Betfair at the Expo on Nov. 7th and 8th. Pre-register to make sure you get a seat!

SHODOWN

Field size and buy ins?

Attendance has been down as of late to many of the TOP events. FoxWoods WPT and Bellagio WPT have not drawn numbers like they have in the past. Could the economy be to blame? Yes, that could be a major factor, but what we believe is that the buy in is just to big for most amateur players and their is a wide variety of events to choose from. Their are new events and new tours popping up all over the place. EPT, APPT, LAPT, WSOP Circuit, Heart Land, and many more.

The last WSOP circuit event in Oct. 2009 gained a record 1412 people at only a $345.00 buy in. You may say that the prize pool would not be ridiculous, but the play should most likely be a lot easier and soft. After all how many pro's are really going to play this event? The field size was large enough where if you were a good player you can cash fairly easily.

So the question is: Can poker survive on small buy ins?

Answer: DEFINITELY!!

You can't rely on these monster 10k buy ins all the time. Most players who win a seat try to get the cash, and not too many recreational players can afford to pony up 10k. So casino's out there; Get moving and get larger field tournaments at smaller buy ins! The money tree will grow for poker and the smaller events will lead to players playing the larger events.

For more information on the WSOP circuit start visit:

http://www.worldseriesofpoker.com/news/article.asp?newsID=2563

SHODOWN

Running it twice?!?!?!?!?!

Today it was announced on FullTilt poker that they now have the option to "Run it Twice" on their site. It is cool that the option is there but realistically running it twice takes away from the game. Some may say it is a professional courtesy, but this thought is stupid! That's correct STUPID!!

The whole essence of poker is to take, trick, suck out, and bewilder your opponent and take all their money! Chopping the pot only helps the rake and the house! Most players who run it twice are friends; who really shouldn't be at the same table anyway! Or a player tricks their opponent into giving them 20% twice! Where's the gamesmanship?

One example of running it twice was with Guy Laliberte and David Benyamine on an episode of High Stakes Poker. They both flopped monster hands, but after the cards were turned over, David was visibly shaky and upset about the hand. He stood to lose a lot, the offered to run it twice and then actually he gave up the pot to Guy without seeing a turn or river for $115 000. Understandable this was a lot of money but this was just awful for a fan. Your suppossed to be the best in the world. If you can't lose the money in front of you, DON'T PLAY! It's that simple!

So for those of you out there who want to run it twice, check yourself at the door because there will never be a pot with us involved that will be ran twice! Same attitude as always: Destroy your opponents on the felt and friends off the felt. It's not your fault if they can't afford to lose. They shouldn't be playing if that's the case.

SHODOWN

Major bounce back!

Daniel Negreanu recently was the runner up for the World Series of Poker Europe Main Event to Barry Shulman.

Every time you think Daniel is overrated he bounces back, this time from his disappointing performance at the WSOP ME (he did have a gross cold) and has a great performance with a 2nd place finish in a very tough field. After this performance he is now the #1 live tournament money winner of all time!

Congratulations to a Canadian poker pro who can now arguably be called one of the best of all time! Even when you place 2nd and can't ever be quiet!

SHODOWN

Main event capped at the WSOP?

On the final day to register for the WSOP ME approximately 300 players were turned away. This was a first and hopefully a last for the tournament. It has been prided as being the biggest tournament in the world and to have a bigger prize pool year after year.

Now you may ask, how did this happen? How did Patrik Antonius and TJ Cloutier not get into what is the super-bowl of poker? Well to be honest it was their own fault. Too many people waited to register for the last day. We were at the WSOP and they even had tables running for the ME out in the little Rio pit (which is a 5 min walk form the amazon room). TJ has spoken out and said that it was his own fault. Well yeah it was, he only had 4 months to register to make sure he had a spot! TJ will learn form the mistake, and I am sure he will be hungrier next year for it, because sitting on the rail when you don't even get to play is heartbreaking!

Jeffery Pollack (WSOP Commissioner) has said that they will do everything in their power to make sure this is resolved for next year, but lets get real. People must register in advance to give them the option to have more tables and to fill it. Poker players all want the prize pool to be bigger. So lets get on top of this so that each year the prize pool increases! Day 1b was not that full. Poker players get it in check!

SHODOWN

Sebok signs with UB - Conflict of Interest?

Joe Sebok (Founder of PokerRoad and step son of Barry Greenstein) recently signed on with Ultimate Bet (UB).

At first I was a little skeptical at the idea but after reading a few articles, I think it was a good decision for both parties. UB has not had a good reputation since the scandal that happened a few years ago. The poker community has really wanted to know: who was behind all of this?

Part of the reason Joe signed with UB was there promise to reveal and publicize what really happened and the parties involved in this mess. This will hopefully give UB a "clean slate" and allow them to grow and prosper.

The only real concern is that UB will receive biased favors from PokerRoad. This is something however that I think Joe will be able to handle maturely and respectively towards the industry he loves so much.

An example of someone who handles this currently well and Joe should take after is: Eric Morris (Bluff Magazine). He was wearing a PKR patch and is still very professional and fair within his magazine.

So some may say that this is a "conflict of interest" but what helps promote the poker industry is really what is best, and a great ambassador of the game promoting himself and two companies only grows the industry.

Check out:

http://www.pokerroad.com/

http://www.ultimatebet.com/

SHODOWN

WSOP November 9

Lets face it, the November 9 is the best thing to happen to poker since the Moneymaker effect. For the players; they have the opportunity to make lucrative deals with online sites for wearing patches. The WSOP and ESPN have improved ratings because people actually are interested in the who the CHAMP will be. Also, this just lead to a 7 year contract with ESPN with the WSOP.

The years prior, you knew who won before you watched. This was awful. Have you ever watched a MMA fight that you were looking forward to, and someone spilled the beans about who won and what round? I have, and watching the fight just wasn't as exciting; no mystery.

This year also is significant for two reasons:

#1 Phil Ivey- He is regarded by his peers as one of the best to ever play. If he wins and does the poker ambassador gig as well as Raymer, or even close to the excelletn job Greg has doen; then poker will spark interest again on a mass scale. #2 Jeff Shulman- Owner of Cardplayer magazine has been rumored to "throw the bracelet in the trash" if he wins. This is in regard to the contract to Bluff Magazines rights to the WSOP as the official media sponsor. If he wins, the buzz around what he will do will be very interesting to watch.

More thoughts to come, feel free to comment.

SHODOWN