Anyway, several months passed before any details were finalized regarding "Become a Poker Pro" Final Table. PokerRoom was simply doing their due diligence since gambling wasn't allowed in many parts of the world, and they wanted to make sure there were no legal issues for any of the finalists.
With a bankroll of $1,100 and plenty of time to prepare for the BaPP Final Table, what else was there to do other than focus on SnG tournaments? This time, I stuck to the $30 and $50 SnGs and finished my first week back "grinding" +$582.00. Two days later, I had my first big multi-table tournament (MTT) score when I came 4th/170 in PokerRoom's $50+4 "European Daily" for $512.00. Before long, MTTs became a daily fixture in my PokerRoom repertoire and it didn't take long for me to realize I was actually BETTER at them than I was SnGs. Credit, in large part, goes to Harrington on Hold'em, Volumes 1 & 2 for my MTT success. By the end of September, I had recouped the $1,400 I lost post-WSOP and even cashed out some of my winnings ($2,200 in total) to help cover expenses (food, gas, leisure activities, etc.). I'd deposit $375.00 of it back in October (since I left a mere $320.00 in my account and continued to play $50 and up tournaments), but November is when I really elevated my game and saw consistent and dramatic results. Below is merely a sample of how I finished the year 2005:
11/13/05: $20+2 20k Guarantee - 3/807, $2,525.60
11/17/05: $20+2 NLHE MTT - 1/182, $1,092.00
11/17/05: $30+3 NLHE MTT - 3/156, $585.00
11/22/05: $50+4 European Daily - 1/186, $2,325.00
11/22/05: $50+4 US Daily - 12/210, $147.00 (almost scored the 2 Daily wins in one day)
11/26/05: $30+3 NLHE MTT - 4/191, $515.70
11/27/05: $300+20 Big Deal - 3/245, $8,000.00 (fell JUST short of a 20k payout for 1st and 12.8k for 2nd)
11/29/05: $5.00+0.50 $5k Rebuy - 2/657, $997.50
12/1/05: $50+4 Long Kiss Goodnight - 10/221, $200.00
12/2/05: $30+3 NLHE MTT - 9/163, $146.70
12/6/05: $50+4 European Daily - 4/169, $676.00
12/11/05: $100+8 US Grand Prix - 20/356, $357.00
12/25/05: $100+8 US Grand Prix - 4/260, $3,200.00
Combine these MTT cashes with 26 cashes (many of them wins) in $100 - $300 buy-in SnGs and you could say I was on a bit of heater going into 2006. Obviously, my most notable MTT cash was the $8,000 score in the "Big Deal" tournament, which earned me a mention in the Pocketfives.com Tournament Review for 11-25-05 through 11-27-05. As you can imagine, I was in disbelief that I had won that much money in a mere matter of hours. After all, it took me almost a year to make 8 grand working part-time at Clear Channel Radio! Eventually, this realization led me to quit my radio gig (in February 2006) to focus strictly on poker. As such, I continued my daily routine of waking up around 2pm, showering, and throwing on sweatpants and a hoodie before heading to Arabica to abuse their free internet. The Arabica on Pearl Rd. in Parma Hts. was my favorite place to play, though I occasionally went to the one on Broadview Rd. in Seven Hills as well. I'd arrive before 3pm (that's when the first Daily tournament started), order something so not to be a dick, then play tournaments, oftentimes until close. Fortunately, my success carried over into 2006 amidst the introduction of PokerRoom's "Aces of Aces" Tournament Leaderboard:
1/14/06: $20+2 NLHE MTT - 3/241, $578.40
1/14/06: $150+12 Ace of Clubs - 3/110, $1,980.00
1/22/06: $300+20 Big Deal - 31/269, $484.20 (QQ < 77 for the chip lead)
2/4/06: $100+8 European Grand Prix - 2/213, $4,154.00
2/6/06: $50+4 Long Kiss Goodnight - 1/218, $2,738.00
2/23/06: $150+12 Ace of Diamonds - 10/109, $480.00
2/26/06: $100+8 US Grand Prix - 9/449, $775.85
1/14/06: $150+12 Ace of Clubs - 3/110, $1,980.00
1/22/06: $300+20 Big Deal - 31/269, $484.20 (QQ < 77 for the chip lead)
2/4/06: $100+8 European Grand Prix - 2/213, $4,154.00
2/6/06: $50+4 Long Kiss Goodnight - 1/218, $2,738.00
2/23/06: $150+12 Ace of Diamonds - 10/109, $480.00
2/26/06: $100+8 US Grand Prix - 9/449, $775.85
The "Ace of Aces" TLB ranked players across 12 scheduled $150+12 MTTs each month, with a $5,000 prize awarded to the top finisher on the leaderboard. Obviously, this attracted the top players on PokerRoom, and while I never came close to finishing near the top of the "Ace of Aces" TLB, I did manage to cash in a few of the tournaments. All the while, my results and constant presence on PokerRoom garnered the attention of an elite group of players who called themselves "The Bustouts." To my surprise, I was offered membership and was honored to accept, given that the group was comprised of about 30 players whom I respected a great deal. We talked strategy, railed and supported each other when we made Final Tables, and all had vested interest in the "Become a Poker Pro" tournament, since myself and fellow Bustout Chris "MarvinGarden" Birchby would be representing the group.
With the BaPP fast approaching, my bankroll ($15,885) and confidence were at an all-time high. I even ponied up $1,000+0 and bought in directly to PokerRoom's "Grand Tournament VI." The 2-day long tournament attracted 705 runners and paid out 90 spots, with $169,200 for 1st. Notable online pros in the field were Josh "JJProdigy" Fields, Adam "Roothlus" Levy, Jon "PearlJammer" Turner - who played under "asdfgher" on PokerRoom, Steve "gboro780" Gross and Justin "ZeeJustin" Bonomo, to name a few. Present at my opening table was Shawn "phatcat" Luman (over $4 million in career online earnings), who was playing under his PokerRoom handle "slim_shaggy". By the end of Level 2, I had chipped up to 15075 from a starting stack of 10000 after "fold2many" fired 3 barrels on a [3h 7h 8h 7x 2x] board while I held pocket threes (he had A8o). A round later, at 50/100 blinds, I raised to 425 UTG with AKo. Luman was the only caller from the Button and we saw a Flop of K 3 2, rainbow. I fired 700 into the 900 pot and "slim_shaggy" called. Turn [K 3 2} 8. I put him all in for his last 3370 and sure enough, he turned a set of Eights. After that hand, I wouldn't stick around for long. I don't even remember what I busted with since I stopped taking notes on the tournament, but the experience was invaluable nonetheless. Aurangzeb "Ozzy_87" Sheikh ended up winning the tournament, and Luman made it the Final Table as well. To this day, the "Grand Tournament VI" remains the most expensive tournament that I've ever participated in. Of course, I'm excluding the WSOP since I won that seat via satellite.
Despite the $1,000 loss, I managed to cash out a profit of $18,600 between November 2005 - February 2006. Come March, I was more than ready for the "Become a Poker Pro" Final Table and felt confident that I could win the tournament and the life-changing endorsement package. By then, PokerRoom had addressed all the speculation and intrigue and announced that the BaPP finalists would complete the tournament on board Royal Caribbean International's "Majesty of the Seas," a cruise ship that would depart from Miami, FL on 3/3/06 and travel to the islands of Coco Cay and Nassau, Bahamas. I asked my best friend, Brandon Lowiec, to accompany me on the 4 day/3 night trip and he was just as stoked as I was once he saw the cruise itinerary:
Friday, 3rd of March
12:00 Check in starts at Majesty Of The Sea
12:00am – 3:30pm Buffet Lunch at Windjammer café deck 11
4:30pm Compulsory Muster Drill
6:30pm PokerRoom.com welcome meeting at Paint Your Wagon Lounge
8:30pm Dinner at Maytime Dining room
Saturday, 4th of March
6:30am – 7:00am Early-bird Coffee, Windjammer Café
7:00am – 10:00am Continental breakfast available in stateroom
7:00am – 11:00am Breakfast, windjammer café
8:00am Arrival at Cococay, Bahamas
11:00am PokerRoom.com Photo Session at Coconut Willie's beach area
11:30am – 2:00pm BBQ lunch Blackbeard´s grill
5:00pm Departure from Cococay
7:30pm Gathering regarding rules and logistic
8:30pm Formal Dinner
Sunday, 5th of March
6:30am – 7:00am Early-bird Coffee, Windjammer Café
7:00am – 10:00am Continental breakfast available in stateroom
7:00am – 11:00am Breakfast, windjammer café
8:00am Arrival at Nassau, Bahamas
Noon – 3:00pm Sunworshipper's Lunch, Windjammer Café
12:30pm – Finish Become a Poker Pro Final
Monday, 6th of March
8:00am Arrival to Miami
10:00am Transfer to the airport
Not only were we going on a free cruise to the Bahamas, there was going be a photo shoot, a formal dinner, and plenty of activities and partying with the other finalists and PokerRoom staff. Did I mention that PokerRoom would be recording the tournament via hole-cameras to eventually broadcast on their web site? Talk about pressure. One bad play or fuck up and the whole PokerRoom community was bound to see it. Regardless, PokerRoom was going all out to ensure that the "Become a Poker Pro" Final Table was a grand production.
To be continued...
With the BaPP fast approaching, my bankroll ($15,885) and confidence were at an all-time high. I even ponied up $1,000+0 and bought in directly to PokerRoom's "Grand Tournament VI." The 2-day long tournament attracted 705 runners and paid out 90 spots, with $169,200 for 1st. Notable online pros in the field were Josh "JJProdigy" Fields, Adam "Roothlus" Levy, Jon "PearlJammer" Turner - who played under "asdfgher" on PokerRoom, Steve "gboro780" Gross and Justin "ZeeJustin" Bonomo, to name a few. Present at my opening table was Shawn "phatcat" Luman (over $4 million in career online earnings), who was playing under his PokerRoom handle "slim_shaggy". By the end of Level 2, I had chipped up to 15075 from a starting stack of 10000 after "fold2many" fired 3 barrels on a [3h 7h 8h 7x 2x] board while I held pocket threes (he had A8o). A round later, at 50/100 blinds, I raised to 425 UTG with AKo. Luman was the only caller from the Button and we saw a Flop of K 3 2, rainbow. I fired 700 into the 900 pot and "slim_shaggy" called. Turn [K 3 2} 8. I put him all in for his last 3370 and sure enough, he turned a set of Eights. After that hand, I wouldn't stick around for long. I don't even remember what I busted with since I stopped taking notes on the tournament, but the experience was invaluable nonetheless. Aurangzeb "Ozzy_87" Sheikh ended up winning the tournament, and Luman made it the Final Table as well. To this day, the "Grand Tournament VI" remains the most expensive tournament that I've ever participated in. Of course, I'm excluding the WSOP since I won that seat via satellite.
Despite the $1,000 loss, I managed to cash out a profit of $18,600 between November 2005 - February 2006. Come March, I was more than ready for the "Become a Poker Pro" Final Table and felt confident that I could win the tournament and the life-changing endorsement package. By then, PokerRoom had addressed all the speculation and intrigue and announced that the BaPP finalists would complete the tournament on board Royal Caribbean International's "Majesty of the Seas," a cruise ship that would depart from Miami, FL on 3/3/06 and travel to the islands of Coco Cay and Nassau, Bahamas. I asked my best friend, Brandon Lowiec, to accompany me on the 4 day/3 night trip and he was just as stoked as I was once he saw the cruise itinerary:
Friday, 3rd of March
12:00 Check in starts at Majesty Of The Sea
12:00am – 3:30pm Buffet Lunch at Windjammer café deck 11
4:30pm Compulsory Muster Drill
6:30pm PokerRoom.com welcome meeting at Paint Your Wagon Lounge
8:30pm Dinner at Maytime Dining room
Saturday, 4th of March
6:30am – 7:00am Early-bird Coffee, Windjammer Café
7:00am – 10:00am Continental breakfast available in stateroom
7:00am – 11:00am Breakfast, windjammer café
8:00am Arrival at Cococay, Bahamas
11:00am PokerRoom.com Photo Session at Coconut Willie's beach area
11:30am – 2:00pm BBQ lunch Blackbeard´s grill
5:00pm Departure from Cococay
7:30pm Gathering regarding rules and logistic
8:30pm Formal Dinner
Sunday, 5th of March
6:30am – 7:00am Early-bird Coffee, Windjammer Café
7:00am – 10:00am Continental breakfast available in stateroom
7:00am – 11:00am Breakfast, windjammer café
8:00am Arrival at Nassau, Bahamas
Noon – 3:00pm Sunworshipper's Lunch, Windjammer Café
12:30pm – Finish Become a Poker Pro Final
Monday, 6th of March
8:00am Arrival to Miami
10:00am Transfer to the airport
Not only were we going on a free cruise to the Bahamas, there was going be a photo shoot, a formal dinner, and plenty of activities and partying with the other finalists and PokerRoom staff. Did I mention that PokerRoom would be recording the tournament via hole-cameras to eventually broadcast on their web site? Talk about pressure. One bad play or fuck up and the whole PokerRoom community was bound to see it. Regardless, PokerRoom was going all out to ensure that the "Become a Poker Pro" Final Table was a grand production.
To be continued...
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