With all the hoopla surrounding the World Cup of Poker, I forgot to mention that Steal the Blinds had its first birthday!  Can you believe this poker blog has been around for a year now?  I still remember hitting quads and placing in a tournament for the first time.  I quickly learned the poker lingo and the pitfalls associated with multi-tabling.  It’s been an exciting year (even with a little drama), but there are a few moments that stand out:

5.  The Lesson - Casey at the Bat and Jaxia on tilt
4.  The Long Shot - My first live tournament score
3.  Okie Poker - Casino poker, Okie style!  And, the worst first hand of live poker - evah!
2.  Vegas on My Mind - Meeting Pauly and Daniel Negreanu
1.  Words to Remember - December in Vegas with poker bloggers

Along the way, two great guys joined the party and shared their great stories.  Hopefully, they’ll toss up their favorite posts at some point, too.

Thanks for the memories.  I look forward to making more!

Posted by Jaxia as Poker, Site News at 10:50 AM PDT

2 Comments »

Just a quick update on the next round of play for a trip to the world Cup of Poker:

Texas plays against New Mexico on Friday at 8:30p Central and on Sunday at 2p Central against Arkansas.  Keep in mind these games are on PokerStars.

Also, if you are around between now and then, I could use some practice playing heads-up.  Anyone up for a few cheap rounds?

Posted by Jaxia as Poker, Tournament Poker at 10:44 AM PDT

6 Comments »

CJ told me about the World Cup of Poker Freeroll on PokerStars and I decided to play in the Texas event.  84 fellow Texans signed up to represent the great state of Texas in a Heads-up tournament.  I’d never played a heads-up tournament before, but at 50 FPP, the price was right.

When I saw his raise, I looked at my 42o and called.  The previous hand, I’d flopped a set of 4s with T4o, and thought the hand might hold good juju. 

Somehow, I lucked out and had a bye the first round.  When the second round started, I kept hearing Pauly telling me to raise more from the SB.  After 71 hands, I knocked out the first challenger.  13 hands later, I’d knocked out another player.  It took 19 hands to end the third round, but I made up for it by taking only 8 hands to finish the fourth round and 6 hands on the fifth round.  After 117 hands of poker, I was in the final to go on and represent Texas in the World Cup of Poker.

My opponent was trying to be very aggressive.  After the 3rd time he’d check-raised me on a ragged flop, I told CJ, “I’m going to have it one of these times.”

The flop came 6c 4c 4d and he checked to me.  With the pot around 7000, I bet 5000 and wait to see what happens.

20 hands into it, I’m behind 84k to 107k and blinds 640/1280.  With the action on me, I raise to 3000 and he smooth calls.  I love the flop:  [9d 2d Jc].  He leads into me with 3840 into a 6k pot.  I bump it up to 10k and he flat calls.  The Qh on the turn worries me a little, and I chicken out and merely call his bet of 14080.  When the 4s hits on the river, he pushes all-in.  After agonizing and using most of my clock, I say, “I don’t think he has it” and call.  His 8h Kd is no good, and I have a commanding chip lead.

Without hesitating, he pushes all-in.  I watch through someone else’s eyes as I call and see his pocket rockets.

“****ing moron”
“god and your going to win this”
“jsut sick”
“****ign sick you idot”

As I watched the words scroll across the screen, I held my breath and waited to see if my hand would hold up.  The 5c on the turn and the Th on the river didn’t help him, and after 143 hands, it’s over.  Even as the chips slid my way, I still couldn’t believe it.  I finally started to breathe again as I realized that I get to represent Team Texas for a shot at a trip to Barcelona, Spain!

Posted by Jaxia as Poker, Tournament Poker at 3:16 AM PDT

17 Comments »

I applied for a job at PokerStars awhile back, but I never heard anything from them.  Since the job is still open, do you think I scared them away with my cover letter?

Dear Poker Gurus:

Eureka!  I found it!  This was my reaction when I saw the Technical Specialist position listed on your website.  PokerStars’ commitment to quality customer service is admirable, and I realize it takes dedication and exceptional employees to maintain that standard.  My extensive technical background, combined with my penchant for a dynamic work environment, makes me an ideal candidate for the exciting role of Technical Specialist.  My attached resume lists my credentials, which include:

• eight years Windows support experience (installing, upgrading, beta testing and troubleshooting)
• advanced networking skills
• dedication to customer satisfaction
• A + Certification

But wait, there’s more!  Other traits that make me uniquely qualified are my uncanny ability to translate “Geek” to English, and a genuine enthusiasm for poker.

I would welcome the opportunity to discuss my salary history and requirements (which are negotiable) with you during the interview process.  Please let me know if you have any questions or need any additional information.  You may reach me at **** or via email at ****.  Thank you for your consideration and I look forward to hearing from you soon!

Sincerely,

~Jaxia

Personally, I think my letter screams I’m “proud to be a geek” but maybe that’s just me.

Posted by Jaxia as Life, Poker at 1:27 AM PDT

8 Comments »

CJ was kind enough to let me guest post on his blog today.

Posted by Jaxia as Pimpin at 3:21 PM PST

2 Comments »