One’’s gut instinct is a very powerful tool, but before one can utilize it properly one must first be in a position to do several things. First of all, one needs to identify it. All too often we witness some of the stupidest plays one can make, only to have them followed by a comment, ““I was following my gut”.”

How do I define this? As a lame excuse to justify one’s stupidity. Secondly, one must define it. My definition of “”gut instinct”” is that it is nothing more than a subconscious tell. We all have the ability to read to some degree, assuming we have embraced this gift and can clearly define what it is we are reading. In some cases though, we will subconsciously pick up on a tell that has not registered in our conscious mind. We will then experience a ““feeling” that we should take a particular action, without being able to clearly define the reasoning. For those of us that are “tuned in” a subconscious tell is no different than a conscious tell. The only real difference is our trust in acting upon it.

This is clearly not something that will be accomplished overnight. It take a very keen eye and many decades of play at a table to develop the necessary trust that one requires to be sure of the accuracy of the subconscious information that is being processed and presented. How and when will this occur? Probably when you least expect it. You may be on a lousy hand and in equally lousy position…………then it happens. You know you are ahead but you just can’t justify it. Everything inside you is telling you to proceed with the hand, yet you have no logical information that you can clearly place your hands on. What do you do?

At the WSOP main event, I found myself in just this predicament. It was half way through day two where I had been struggling all day at the same table as the short stack. Cards weren’’t coming and time was running out. A player had just been knocked out and one of the players from the adjoining table was send over to fill the void.

As he approached the table, I could clearly see that he was short stacked to me. However, that wasn’’t any where near as impressive as the scared look he had on his face. I was very pleased to see all this as I had now identified someone I could pick on, given the opportunity. The players at the table that possessed the largest stacks did not even wait for him to sit down. They started riding him right away with such comments as “”you wasting your time sitting down at this table with that small stack”.” Another player informed him that the last seven players to get knocked out at this table were all seated in that same particular chair and offered his condolences. This of course did not help his demeanor any.

The dealer began to deal the first hand and I found myself on the BB with 7-8. The next four players all folded and the action came around to the new player. He thought about it for a minute and, very nervously, put a raise in of 4X the BB. His bet aggravated me as it appeared that he was making a play for my BB with nothing. After all the “riding” he gotten, he decided he was going to make his presence at the table known regardless of his small stack (I also assumed that since all the large stacks at the table had already folded this did not hurt a bit in his decision). I decided at that point that I would immediately place a pot sized raise as soon as the action came back around to me and take the pot down. A couple of more folds later the action made its way to the button that called the raise.

This was the last thing I wanted to hear. The player on the button was a very solid player that had definitely earned my respect throughout the day. When he took a stab at the pot, he won it. Whenever he got chased down and showed a hand, he had the nuts. A very solid player with a good read on the remaining table. He and I had not tangled thus far. He had managed to stay out of my way, and I, out of his.

Several questions began to run through my mind. Did the button get the same read I did? If so is he is making the call with better position and has every intention of betting or raising after the flop, regardless of the flop. The reason he would not re-raise if he got the same read was obvious to me. The previous raise was large enough to cause me to fold and without any knowledge of what action I was going to take, he found himself squeezed between a raise and the blinds and was being cautious. This was one train of thought. The other of course being that he actually had a solid hand and would have made the call regardless of the “”read”.” Even in this instance he was playing conservative enough not to have re-raised with two players to go.

The small blind folded and the action was to me. Everything inside me told me to play the hand aggressively; however, I chose to muck it. The flop revealed 6-7-8, which would have given me top two pair. The new player bet out and was raised by the button, he then called. The board turned an 8, which would have bettered my hand to a full house. The new player bet, the button raised. He was met by a re-raise followed by a call. The river revealed a 10. The new player bet out once again and was met by an All-In raise from the button. The new player called and turned over his hand to reveal a 4-5 off suite that he had initially bluffed at the pot with pre-flop. The Button exposed his hand, showing the nut straight J-9 off suite.

I was sick to my stomach knowing that I did not follow my gut instinct and missed out on the one hand that would have turned my tournament around. The more I analyzed the hand, the sicker I became. I obviously, had no idea that I would turn a full when I was contemplating a raise pre-flop. However, my read on the table was correct. The new player was taking a stab at the blinds with 4-5 off suite. The conservative player on the button also made this read and decided to call (he would have re-raised in this position if there weren’’t two players left to act). Had I raised pre-flop, as my gut had told me to do, there is no doubt I would have taken down the pot. In the event I did get called (highly unlikely) the way the hand played out I would have easily doubled or tripled up on the hand.

I have shared this story with many colleagues that are upper tier players. Their initial reaction is that if after two days at a major tournament this is the only hand I questioned myself on, I am very fortunate as I, most likely, played brilliantly. The truth of the matter is, this is the only hand I questioned. Unfortunately, the chips that would have been won from this hand would have carried me deep into the money so this was an expensive hand and a difficult one to forget.

In large tournaments one cannot expect to get many opportunities on any given day to accumulate chips. When you have a good read on the table and have defined the opportunity, follow your “”Gut Instinct”.” Stop playing cards and start playing poker for a change.

John “The Greek” Leontakianakos is a professional poker player with 27 years of experience.

Logic would tell us that this is a very powerful gift for one to possess in a tournament setting. That’’s what I thought too. Perhaps prior to the Internet and the poker explosion this would have been an accurate statement. Unfortunately your ability to read a player will not guarantee that you make it to the first bathroom break at a tournament these days.

In a WPT event this year I decided to enter a satellite. Good practice I figured. It sure was. I started taking control of the table early on as I like to do. People are real tight the first hour, or so, of any tournament, and it is easy to take advantage of the situation. This is where one’’s ability to read is a blessing as it insures that you are not going to get caught with your shorts around your ankles.

In one particular hand I find myself in third position with Pocket Queens. First position called (a novice player), probably a small pair or suited connectors. I raise 4x the BB, fifth and six fold. Seventh position called the raise (a very loose elderly player wanting to teach this bad boy a lesson. Had him tilting a half hour ago when I took him off of mid-set with nothing). It gets to the Button and I get re-raised 3 times my bet (12x the BB). This guy I had a good read on. He was crunched over in a ““Chris Moneymaker”” type position. He was dress like a walking billboard for some poker site I have never heard of and was wearing $3 sunglasses that he had purchased earlier in the day from the last rest area on the Garden State Parkway before the Atlantic City exit. An after-thought. I put this guy on absolutely nothing. He was making a play at a very bad time and was about to get slapped. I decide to come over top with 60% of my chips. Much to my surprise the gentleman in seventh position calls (thinking we will be heads-up) and…you guessed it. The Button comes over the top of me, all in.

Prior to calling him (there was never any doubt in my mind that I would call) I made this statement to him. “I am calling you so that you could learn an inexpensive lesson. When we all see your cards not only will we see that you have absolutely nothing, but if you even have one card in the paint (a face card) I will never play again.” A pretty bold statement, but that’’s how certain I was of my read. The gentleman in seventh position, realizing at that point that I was not just making a play at the pot, he laid his pocket Jacks down (as he later revealed) and the Button opened up his hand to proudly reveal a 10, 6 off suit.

What a read. I was busy getting congratulations from the three tables around us that were rolling on the floor laughing at him and he was busy gathering his things when the dealer flopped a 10, 10, 2. The turn and river revealed two more rags and I was out.

Luckily it was still early enough in the evening so that I could get a dinner reservation at the steakhouse in the Borgatta and made the best of the remainder of my evening. Now, as I sat there going through every hand………every gesture………in my mind I was still confused as to what I did wrong. I played him like a fiddle. It was the read from hell and I nailed it. I went in with the best cards. I was a strong favorite. Yet I am the one that is out.

The truth of the matter is that as much as we do not care for Phil Helmuth’’s antics and attitude he is actually right sometimes. In one of his recent failures he was quoted as saying ““I played it perfectly. I guess if perfect play always won I would never loose a tournament.” Phil’s right. The best players in a tournament are obviously not always rewarded. However, I still did make a mistake. My mistake was revealed to me at breakfast the next day when I was walking into the restaurant and who should I run into at the door on his way out? You guessed it. Mr. 10 6 off suit himself. He turned three shades of grey when he saw me. I extended my hand to him stating laughingly, “”Don’’t worry, I’m not going to hit you.”” He the turned and spend the next five minutes trying to explain to me his actions.

Up until I called the all in he actually thought I would fold. My question was why would he pick that lousy a hand to make a play with? He had an answer I did not expect but a truthful one. He said. ““Listen John, I know I suck. There is not a chance I was going to make it an hour on that table unless I tried to make something happen and even then, I would still probably need to suck out somewhere along the line. I know I could not play with you guys and could not sit around and wait for the nuts all night. I saw you in early position with a another caller that was still upset from the last beat you gave him and I figured if I pressed the action hard enough I can get you to lay the hand down. I never thought you would call.”” This statement not only exposed his inability to play but also exposed the fact that he had no math skills whatsoever not having realized the fact that I had already priced in to the hand. One bad decision and assumption after another.

This is when I realized where I went wrong. It wasn’’t the hand. It wasn’’t the read. It was the way I chose to process all of the information I had compiled on this player. It was early in a tournament. There was a very weak field of players and the good ones stuck out like sore thumbs. I put myself and my tournament at risk against a reckless individual making a bad play and bad assumptions at my expense. After all, I was the Pro and I was going to bitch slap him in front of the whole table and teach him a lesson. I guess I did. I taught him that if he can suck out enough times against stubborn players he too can be a champion. At least that’s what he got out of it.

While at the WSOP main event something very similar occurred to another player. It was day three of the tournament. About an hour into it. Jennifer Harman had just about busted out on the feature table catching a horrendous beat from a straight flush on the river after turning a full. The whole room was still buzzing over that one when I witnessed a hand that made my head spin. The player was a friend of mine that I had played with often. A very success and established internet player having turned Pro a couple of years ago. He found himself in early position with Pocket Aces. He lays down a reasonable sized bet only to get raised by the button. The flop comes A, 4, 5, rainbow. (No, it’s not what you think……wait). With top set my friend is getting ready to push all in with his remaining chips when what should happen? The ESPN cameras come running over to the table. This is customary at the WSOP as they try to get as much “”All-In” footage” as possible on everyone until they see who makes it through so that they had full tournament coverage of those at the final table. My friend does what we all expect him to do and he was surprised to hear the words ““I call”” coming from the other side of the table. The Button turns over his cards to reveal K, 8 off suite. No it’s not a typo…I said K, 8 off suite. The board turns a 6 and the river a 7 and the button is the proud new owner of my friend’s chips. My friend was still in total disbelief two days later when I saw him after I busted out on abad beat on the bubble.

So where did He go wrong. Well we know he played the hand perfectly. He also processed the information correctly; unlike I did in my earlier example. So what beat him? Well in this case, it was the situation. I spoke to the brother of the genius that made the call who revealed to me that 16 of his relatives had come up from North Carolina to witness Jeff in his moment of “fame”. Yes, “”Jeff is going to be on TV you know.”” Said his brother. As soon as those cameras came running over Jeff was in Heaven. Here was his big chance. He was going to be on TV… on ESPN, worldwide coverage, All-in against a Pro at the biggest tournament in the world. He was not going to pass up on that opportunity, even with a double gut shot. Jeff got what he wanted and fulfilled his destiny. He busted out after the break to another guy that played a double gut shot just like him.

So what’s the moral of the story? Obviously, reading is a good thing and it could get you in to trouble with the type of “”talent”” that frequents the tournament circuit these days. If at all possible, try not to put your tournament at risk with someone that has nothing to loose but time.

John “The Greek” Leontakianakos is a professional poker player with 27 years of experience.

The question, however is, when are you pot committed in tournament play? The popular thinking is that when you are short stacked you want to get the remainder of your chips in the middle of the table. There are situations though when a more cautious approach may lead to a better outcome. Thus, this is not a rule of poker, it is a mere suggestion to be used as a guidance tool to assist in you in the decision making process. I cannot count the number of times I have witnessed someone pushing his remaining chips into the pot when he is clearly behind in the hand and has little or no hope of survival. Yes, this is the difference in a tournament that does not apply to cash game play. It is about survival and about getting paid. The logic when they loose the hand, as expected, is that they were pot committed at that point and had no other choice. I’m sorry but you always have a choice.

At the WSOP main event I found myself in just this exact situation. I was doing well throughout the first day. I wrapped up the evening with a decent chip count, placing me in the top 40% of the field going into day two. When day two came, however, it was a whole different ball game. I could not catch playable cards to save my life. My best hand the first hour was a J-8 off suit. I tried taking a couple of stabs at the pot, just to get some blinds back. Every time I would enter a pot I would end up with an average of two callers and a raise. Nothing was going right and I began to realize rather quickly that my presence at the tournament would likely be short lived.

After the brake I found myself significantly short stacked with 4,200 in chips and on the Big Blind. After laying off the Blind and ante I was left with 3,200. Much to my surprise I look down to see pocket 9’s, the best hand I had gotten all day. One player called the blind in late position as did the small blind and I pushed in a 2,000 raise. I could have pushed all in, and most players with my chip stack would have. However, I did not. Both the other players called the bet and we went to the flop.

The board flopped A, Q, J rainbow. Not the best flop in the world when you are holding pocket 9’s. As a result of the flop and in poor position I checked as did the small blind. The button makes a pot sized bet followed by an All-In raise from the small blind. At this point I am “pot committed” I am getting great “pot odds” and conventional wisdom would tell you to push in the remainder of you measly stack. I folded. The Button called. The small blind revealed pocket Queens and the button A, K suited. The board turned a 10 and rivered a 9. Even though I would have made a set I was third best at the table with a set of Queens out on the flop and the pot going to the nut straight on the button.

The good news was that I made a great read and a great lay down. I did not let odds or statistics influence my decision. No matter how good the odds are sometimes you know you are beat and you need to lay the hand down. The bad news was that I had almost no chips left and perhaps this was merely an exercise in futility. Then again, perhaps not.

The most famous saying in No Limit Hold’em is “a chip and a chair” well, I had three chips and a chair and all the necessary tools required. A few hands later I caught pocket 6’s and pushed all in with three callers getting almost 6-1 on my money(with the Antes and Blinds). Not to bore you with the details of every hand, but I was still at the table seven and a half hours later and had build up my 3 chips to over 28,000.

The above play completely defies conventional wisdom. But then again this is Poker. This is not a road test at the motor vehicle bureau where we need to follow all the rules and regulations. The poker police are not going to come running out of the back room and arrest you or even fine you. If you “know” your beat lay the damn hand down. I don’t care how much you have in the pot or what position you are in. Stop marrying losing hands post flop because you can justify making a stupid call as a result of odds and calculations.

Your goal at a tournament is first and foremost to get paid. If you are in the money and are willing to take the chance, then go ahead have fun and knock yourself out. You have secured a pay check. If you are out of the money, and, especially close to the bubble then let’s stop the bullshit and focus on why we entered the tournament in the first place. Yes, you entered to win. But in order to win the tournament you have to make it in to the money first, and then survive the feeding frenzy that follows.

No one is going to come out and give you a “Player of The Year” award because you busted out of every tournament on day one but you followed the rules flawlessly. They will however give you that award if you have the most cash finishes that year and as a result, you are, most likely, leading the field. Once you get past the bubble go ahead and open up your game. Push in early and hope for callers. You are not going to make a final table unless you accumulate chips. And you are most certainly not going to win a tournament without them either.

John “The Greek” Leontakianakos is a professional poker player with 27 years of experience.

Phil and Rafe began a drive to help fund cancer prevention and research by asking their friends to donate just 1% of their winnings at the WSOP Main Event to the Prevent Cancer Foundation as a tax-deductible donation. Their efforts raised enough money to fund a research grant for an entire year.

7 years later, Bad Beat on Cancer (BBoC) has raised more than $2 million for cancer prevention research and has grown in every level to include players donating 1% of their winnings from virtually every tournament played around the globe, all the way down to leagues and home games. The list of players inspired to donate 1% of their career tournament earning ranges from the likes of the most notable pro’s (Such as Phil Hellmuth Jr., Phil Ivey, Andy Bloch, Howard Lederer, Annie Duke, Chris Ferguson, and more) all the way to some of the most competitive home games, just like the Twitter Poker Tour.

On Sunday, February 21st, the TPT will be conducting its 3rd Charity Poker Tournament to benefit the Prevent Cancer Foundation, pledging to yet again put another Bad Beat on Cancer. This time, there will be 3 different tournaments with 3 different buy in amounts beginning within 15 minutes of each other. This will offer players to compete against some of the top pro’s on Full Tilt Poker for cash and prizes, and at the same time, raise funds to put a Bad Beat on Cancer, all at a buy in level that best suits their bankroll. Join us by registering for any or all of the following events:

Poker Site: Full Tilt Poker
Event Name: BBoC $5 Donation
ID: 135222348
Buyin: $10 ($5 Buyin + $5 Donation to Bad Beat on Cancer)
Game: Holdem
Limit: No Limit
Password: tptforbboc
Date: February 21
Time: 6:00 PM EST

Poker Site: Full Tilt Poker
Event Name: BBoC $10 Donation
ID: 135896328
Buyin: $20 ($10 Buyin + $10 Donation to Bad Beat on Cancer)
Game: Holdem
Limit: No Limit
Password: tptforbboc
Date: February 21
Time: 6:15 PM EST

Poker Site: Full Tilt Poker
Event Name: BBoC $20 Donation
ID: 135896400
Buyin: $40 ($20 Buyin + $20 Donation to Bad Beat on Cancer)
Game: Holdem
Limit: No Limit
Password: tptforbboc
Date: February 21
Time: 6:30 PM EST

Thanks to Val Presniakovas (if that is your real name) for taking the time to answer these tough questions!

Congrats on the #tptpoker victory Dec. 12th and runner up finish the week before! I know this isn’t your first #tptpoker game, how did you first get involved in the #tpt?
Thank you! Very tough field! Great player’s and good experience. Like you know, I have a twitter account and I found a message about the TPT tournament. I checked the web page, registered, and start playing.

How did you get started playing poker and how have you been playing?
Well, first I started watching poker shows on TV. I still do, and I really like it. I started reading magazines and a few books. I have been playing for about 6 years.

Do you play much live poker? If so, where do you play?
Not anymore, I am the father of 3 kids, so my time is limited. I’m addicted to poker and I love it. I have a lot of gamble in me – I need to play and love to play.

Do you prefer live or online poker? Are there advantages to playing live vs online or vice-versa?
I love live games. A big advantage to playing live games is you use more reading abilities. But online is very convenient for many people. Just wake up and you are one click away to play online.

They say if you can’t spot the donk at the table, then you’re the donk. I say, everybody at the table is a donk. What are your thoughts?
I think you are right. The one problem calling everybody a donkey is that it’s not fair to the many good players around the net and lives games. Before you call somebody a donkey, you must always remember if you ever made a crazy call or gamble? Yeah I thought so. But, the other thing that I don’t understand is how you can be an overrated donkey and win big money in the poker tournaments.

Do you have a favorite hand to play or a hand that you hate to get because it’s a monster that seems to always lose? For coolwhipflea, it’s QQ and for me it’s AKo, as we both lose consistently with it!
Yes, my favorite hand is AK spades. I’m a very bad loser, I hate to lose any game, but when you play online I see so many bad beats that are not even funny. This is part of the game, when you have a big hand like QQ or KK and then you lose to some ugly 78os. I read in the books that there is nothing you can do but put your money in with the best hand. This is the game we call poker. And it is very hard to play with small pair like 77, 88, 99, TT, or JJ. There are many times that if you don’t a hit set, you lose.

Where does the name “Blizge” come from? Better yet, WTF is a “Blizge”?
BLIZGE, lol. This name came from Europe, which can be translated into as “PUNCH.” Yeah, boxing style punch.

Have you used any training sites or read any books that have helped you become a better player?
Yes I have read a few books, mostly on information about poker helping you become a better player. You always have room to improve your game. It’s all about being in the right place at the right time. There is a great book, Gladwell’s Outliers, that I think is extremely valuable, about what is happening in the world of poker.

Your twitter bio states you represent the “Shark Poker Clan”. Can you elaborate?
I am a member of the global online poker community, Railbirds.com, since 2007 and I represent the Shark Poker Clan. Nothing but crazy people who love to play poker. We have a private tournament when we play other clans. Direct link: http://www.railbirds.com/rails/BLIZGE/.

Are there any poker pros that you respect or any that you just can’t stand?
No question, Doyle Bronson is a legend and he is #1 in my book, as well as, Phil Ivey, Phil Hellmuth, Daniel Negreanu, and Mike Matusow. There are poker pros I learn from, like how to play, how to read people, and bluff. I think I like all pro players because they are already rich and successful. And for me, there is a long way to claim those mountains. I am working on it.

I tried googling your name, and all I get are results for your twitter page (note: I did not look past google page 1). With that said, I can’t find anything to help me think of questions, so seen any good movies lately?
I am just a regular guy, a father, and a friend. I love life, family, and poker.

What’s the biggest cash you’ve made whether live or online?
Online, I think I have won $1,200, $900, and $300. I have some wins, but not millions yet. Live, $3,700.

Do you play Cash/MTT/SNG? What are your reasons for playing or not playing each type?
I love to play more tournaments and SNGs, while in a cash game you have to play a little different and my game needs more improvement. I think competition is the number #1 reason why I play poker.

I’ve read that expanding to other forms of poker, such as Stud, Omaha, etc, can help you play better in NLHE. Why is that and do you play other poker games?
I think so. I think any poker game such as Omaha or Stud helps develop better skills and knowledge of NLHE. I enjoy playing pot limit Omaha or no limit. Great games.

Do you play on any other online sites, like PokerStars/UB/Carbon? Are there advantages to playing multiple sites?
My favorite site is still Full Tilt and Poker Stars. Hard to say about playing multiple sites, I do not like it.

It seems that half the people believe online poker is rigged because of the numerous bad beats and “set ups” that seem to occur. My thoughts are that good players get bad beats, because it means they got their money in good and that bad players lay bad beats because they don’t know the odds of the hands they play. Online poker has a mix of horrible, bad, good, and great players. What are you thoughts on online poker being rigged?
Yes, I agree. Too many bad beats online because we play more hands online, I think.

If I ship the WSOP ME, I’ll give you $500K, will you do the same if you win the WSOP ME? Wait, better question, do you have any desire or plan to play in any WSOP events?
This is my dream, to play the WSOP event and I am working hard to reach my goal. If you ship me $500K, I will do same. I’ll split all my winnings with you, no questions asked.

I absolutely hate when a player is all in pre-flop and two or more players call and see a flop and rather then check it down to try and eliminate the all in player, they try and bet or bluff the other player. Is there anything that another player does at a table that just makes you say “WTF”?
As you know, we can only worry about what we can do. We need to learn and move on to another hand. I hate when players at a table teach others how to play your hand.

Why do you think online players are so much more aggressive then live players?
Players are aggressive online because if they lose they are one click away from another game, easy right? Live players are different animals.

Is there anything you would like the #tptpoker world to know about you? Hobbies? Shoutouts?
I have been an AAU basketball coach for 5 years now. My oldest son is one of the leaders on my team. I love to watch NFL, the greatest sport in the world. And of course POKER. Twitter Poker Tour is a great site, I have met great people. The tournaments keep going, their future grows and hopefully they become the biggest poker community.

Shout outs to Street3, Cprpoker, and Fleapid!!!!!

Thanks Val!

Let me say Thank you very much and good luck on the felts.

• He was on the UltimatePoker.com Showdown and played against Liv Boeree and subsequently, made her cry on television.
• After the show, he played in numerous online and live poker tournaments, gave lots of interviews, and tried to get his name on every piece of merchandise available.
• Filmmaker, Ricardo Lacombe noticed this unique personality and decided to do a documentary on The Jester’s poker lifestyle.
• After winning very little in poker, he retired.

Until the other day, when I saw the crude antics and disgraceful bantering of The Jester in of all places, a UK Civil Service Poker Tournament. I had to ask him some questions.

Why did you play this tournament?
It was a UK Civil Service Tourney and of course in the Civil Service I am almost akin to a God. I am a hero to these people as that is where I started.

Can you give our readers a description of the tournament setup?
The game was just 40 people over four tables. I was on table two with the most conservative players ever. To say the deck was cold was an understatement, more like sub-zero. The only time I won a hand for two hours was when I made stone cold bluffs using my superior acting skills.

How were the other 39 or so players?
As these were amateurs, I had their tickets marked pretty quick and as such stole lots of blinds to keep me floating. I was pretty awesome with my reads and I think people were impressed when I told them what they had folded and how they should play in future. I am giving in my teachings, I am not in it for the money, well a little bit, well a lot.

How did you fare in the tournament?
I got into the last 15 without having done much except be great.

It was strange to be sat playing poker with 40 civil servants who drank large quantities of booze from the initial deal right through to the end. Sadly because of the cold I couldn’t handle the cards correctly and made a blunder after dropping my cards and as I attempted to pick them up, I knocked all my chips in with A6!!!!! I mean it’s hardly J7 suited is it?

Needless to say I walked out in 12th place, with a moral victory as I told them had I been warmer, and the deck had, I would have whooped them. There were some murmurs of approval, I think, as I stormed out. I have no idea who won and nor do I care. They are all beneath me and I doubt I will honour them again with my presence or presents of knowledge.

Where do you see…
Shut up, chav, let me speak for once! Take this down and let others know.

The Jester is starting his UK tour from December 09 through to June10, so watch out!

And with that, The Jester left the tournament and headed into the night.

Through their generosity and diligence, both gentleman have teamed up with PreventCancer.org to sponsor an online poker tournament and contribute funds in defeating cancer. This deadly disease has touched so many people around the world, directly and indirectly, like the owner of Just Play Poker. Poker players can make a difference! Several poker professionals have already registered for the event and many others will continue to over the next few days.

Asked to comment on the upcoming event, Paul Ellis stated that “his goal is to receive 500 participants and to raise $2,500 for the Bad Beat on Cancer. But I wouldn’t be surprised if we exceed that number, and I hope and pray that we do.”

Here are the Bad Beat on Cancer Tournament Details! Register early and pass on the information to anyone who plays online poker. Remember, 50% of the register’s fee will go directly to PreventCancer.org, $5 for every person!

Place: Full Tilt Poker
Date: November 15th, 2009
Time: 6:15PM EST
Cost: $10 ($5 entry plus $5 donation to BBoC)
Tourney ID#: 113220604
Tourney PW: TPTFORBBOC

About Bad Beat on Cancer
During the 2003 World Series of Poker (WSOP), poker professionals Phil Gordon and Rafe Furst started a drive to help fund cancer prevention research and education – by playing poker.

They asked their friends to pledge just one percent of their winnings at the WSOP Championship Event to the Prevent Cancer Foundation as a tax-deductible donation, resulting in enough money to fund a research grant for an entire year.

Since its inception six years ago, Bad Beat on Cancer (BBoC) has raise over $2 million for cancer prevention research and has grown to include other major poker tournaments, leagues, and home games. The initiative has inspired amateurs and pros alike to pledge one percent of their winnings for life, including stars Phil Hellmuth, Jr., Andy Bloch, Annie Duke, Phil Ivey, Howard Lederer, Chris Ferguson, Paul Wasicka, and Dennis Phillips, to name just a few. Plus many others!