Happy Birthday to me!

What a busy week!

Last weekend was mainly focused on ladies events so my friend Doralee Rae (aka Lady Pink) decided to throw a party for all of the gals at her fabulous house on Monday night after all the ladies events were over. It was a lady’s only evening and everyone had to wear pink. All I can say is that girl sure knows how to host a party! Wow! She had lots of food and a full bar with fancy drinks for everyone, really hot cabana boys in jeans, black camisoles and pink cowboy hats to serve us. Marcos Questas and Ruta Maria came over to do a Tango demonstration. Doralee read us a special poem that she wrote for poker. It was also perfect timing to celebrate Stacy Nutini's victory as she won the Ladies LIPS Championship the night before... way to go Stacy! It was so nice to catch up with all the ladies in a different setting than poker.

This week was also my birthday!
I turned 22 years old for the 16th time! :)
I was not planning on celebrating since my focus was mainly on poker as I was playing the $1500 No Limit Hold'em event #30 at WSOP on the day of. However, the night before I ended up going out with friends to a last minute birthday dinner at Yard House in Town Square. I was actually surprised, being last minute and in the middle of the WSOP that most of them could make it! The food was good, the company was great and to my surprise there was a vegan cake made for me! It was awesome!





I was playing the WSOP on the very day of my birthday. Everything was going smoothly and I built up my stack pretty high. I had around 30 to 40 big blinds for most of the tournament and birthday luck was on my side. Unfortunately, I got crippled in one of the last levels of the day with KK vs 1010 all in pre-flop. He flopped a set and I was left short stack. I then got a table change, which I must say was one of the most fun tables I have played in a long time. Everyone was friendly and joking around which is great to see at the end of the night. I played short stack strategy and survived for quite a while as nobody ever called me when I went all in. During the last level of the night my birthday luck left me and I got knock out after 12 hours of play at 335th out of 2394 players. Unfortunately they were paying only 243 players.





It's getting a little frustrating for me as I have been getting deep in every single event I played only to bust in the very end of the day, close to the money. I believe that if lady luck would be on my side a little more I would do amazing and get to the final table. I have been playing really good, but getting really unlucky in those late levels. I actually feel the Phil Hellmuth quote: "If there weren't luck involved, I would win every time."

I am gonna take a few days off to refocus and prepare myself for the next tournament. Until then I will be playing cash games & satellites, going to yoga and having some ME time!

WSOP Ladies (and few men?) event #22

I played the WSOP Ladies Championship Event #22 this weekend. Of all the events, it is the one that I look forward to the most. There is a camaraderie and complicity in that event that you do not find in any of the other mix ones. Plus, we all have to admit, it makes for a pretty good looking crowd!

Unfortunately as it’s been for the last few years, some guys could not help themselves and had to register for it. Technically, under discrimination laws, they are totally allowed to do so, but does that mean it is ethical? I think not. There are plenty of low buy-in events that they can go for throughout the WSOP; it makes for a lot of empathy towards them and bad publicity. Some girls are not comfortable playing mix events and would never play in a WSOP, but because it is ladies only they make a point to fly into Vegas to play it. The whole week is geared towards ladies tournament in various casinos, and these women come for the week to play them all.

I was told that some of the men, including Shaun Deeb, were playing for charity, but why not pick out a regular event to do so? Would these same guys crash the Seniors event or the casino employee one? So why pick on the ladies event? It's totally rude! Hopefully playing with us has made them realize it was a bad decision and they will be humble from it and respectfully stay away next time!

I was sponsored by Deliverance Poker for that event and was seen sporting their gear. Pretty cute stuff too actually!
Deliverance Poker is a new poker site for players that is launching in the next month. I am really looking forward to playing on there as I think it's gonna be quite revolutionary. Their tag line is: "Don't get screwed on the river" which should give you all an idea of what's to come with them! They have already signed some big time pro's including 2010 WSOP $50,000 Player's Championship winner Micheal Mizrachi and his brother's. Definitely a great team to start with!

I played awesome for most of the event and had a lot of chips throughout the day. I played for nearly 13 hours and ended up busting just before the end of the day one, in the last level with a little under 180 players left. I feel really good about the way I played, but got unlucky in the end. Unfortunately when those blinds get up there, luck needs to be on your side and your hands need to hold up! After losing a few pots, I ended up shoving with Q10s in the cut off position with 11 blinds left. I talked to numerous pro's about my last shove and most said it was the right one, including my mentor The Maven. Two of them said I could have played it a little different but overall, I do not think it was a mistake. I took a chance,I had position, it was just unfortunate that the girl to my left woke up with JJ and they held up.

There were 1,054 players in the event and 117 where getting paid, again, a long day but not quite good enough. I understand the win rate in tournaments is 1% and cash rate is about 10-15% so I am not discouraged. I am playing better than most; I just have to be patient. This is my year... my time will come!

Event 16 WSOP deep run... but not good enough!

My WSOP started this week with event 16, 6-handed No-Limit Hold'em. I was very excited to play that one as 6-handed is my game of choice when playing cash games or «sit and go's » online. I also like to play a lot of hands, so, being shorthanded works great for me!

The first table I got was absolutely fantastic! No known names and the players were fairly weak. I was running them over! My reads where great, my bluff worked my hands hold up. I could not ask for anything better! Unfortunately, the table broke and I was sent to a new table.

My new table was a lot tougher, I had Bryan Micon to my right along with a few internet pros. Now for those who don't know Micon, he is this great winning player who also owns a podcast radio show that talks about Poker, girls, sex and anything that can be a little X-rated... He's kind of the Howard Stern of online radio with a focus on poker. You guys can actually listen to him on Wednesday nights at 7:30 Pacific time at www.donkdown.com/radio. Micon, like me, has also trained with "The Maven" in the past. So, it was kind of cool and strange at the same time to play next to someone who knew the same style of play and tricks. We didn't really get involved in too many big pots together, so I guess that was a good thing!

The tournament started with 1662 players and I was holding my own for most of the time but I ended up busting in the early 300th. Unfortunately they where paying only 162... So, not quite enough! The level before dinner break was not great for me and I started chipping down. I ended up coming back from dinner break with a small stack and went all in with AJ preflop. Got called by KQ, the flop became a King and the rest is history.

I actually have to give some kudos to the WSOP. The new kitchen now has a new wrap/salad bar which is awesome. Players can finally eat well in there! I also love how the rooms are now set up, and that there is a wider variety of buy -ins to fit every budget. I am definitely even more excited to play this year!

This week is going to be a fun one as all the ladies events are in town. I am especially looking forward to the WSOP one on Friday. I have a great feeling about that one... It's my time to take it down. I am ready!!!

It's finally that time of the year!

It's been quite a slow start for me this WSOP season as I was feeling under the weather. I didn't really want to waste money in a big buy-in event knowing that I was not feeling my best. I was very disappointed not to be part of the first week of tournament action, but I was good and stayed home.

I finally felt a little better by Tuesday and decided to play the Mega Stack at Caesar's Palace. They had a pretty good turnout with 544 players. The tournament was only $225 and we got $15k in tournament chips to start, which for such a low buy-in is a lot of chips! First prize was over $22k, so I had my eyes on that! The only thing that was kind of strange to me is that there were no antes until we reached 600/1200 blinds. I love playing with antes, so I could have used them a little earlier than that!!!

Everything was pretty good and I was cruising through each level accumulating chips. I had about 45k in chips by level 7 which was about twice the average when everything started going wrong!!! The guy sitting in seat 9 started going on a rush and became my nemesis. Every time I tried to bluff, he re-raised me, every-time I had a good hand, he had a better one! So it goes without saying that I was chipping down fairly quickly. I ended up short stacked and went all in with QQ and he called me with nothing less than KK. That whole level was a fiasco for me! Ugggggh!

Later on I went to cheer Sam Bensinger's final table where he took 4th at the Venetian for $14k! After that we went to the Rio to watch Michael Mizrachi play heads up in the 50K HORSE and take it down for $1.5 million! That was such a great moment!!! His whole family was there and lots of his friends. The place was filled with great vibes towards him.

---Some other exciting news is that my PETA interview is up on their website!
Here is the web address to it: http://blog.peta.org/archives/2010/06/annie_lepage.php
I hope you enjoy!!!

I am planning on playing mainly satellites the rest of the week. My 1st event should be the $1k this weekend. Although I might wait until Monday and play the 6 handed NL as it is a better game for my style of play and it's my game of choice when playing online. I am also playing the Ladies event next Friday and probably a Venetian Deep Stack tournament somewhere in between.

I will keep you all updated. I'm ready for my 1st WSOP bracelet!

The McEvoy's wedding

Ahhh... what better way to start the WSOP season than going to the wedding of a poker champ and his beautiful love! Tom McEvoy married Yolanda Stock this week at the Cornerstone Fellowship Christian Church. The ceremony was very sweet and romantic. I always like going to weddings; there’s an amazing feeling that comes from being part of such a special moment between two people. The reception had over 200 guests and obviously a lot of the who’s who of the poker world was there. There was some Mexican tradition mixed into the party which made it very unique. The bride and groom were glowing of happiness and everyone had a great time.

The celebration did not end that day... Tom hosted a poker tournament held in the Caesars Palace poker room the next afternoon called, "McEvoy's Ultimate Gamble Poker Tournament." The buy in was $230, ten poker celebrities (Tom McEvoy, Susie Isaacs, TJ Cloutier, Kathy Liebert, Mike Matasow, Chad Brown, Dennis Phillips, Barbara Enright, Barry Shulman) were "bounties" with a $1k prize on their heads and the place was packed with poker pros! It definitely was nice to see everyone in such a nice setting before the WSOP craziness! Wishing many years of happiness to the McEvoy’s!

The glass is half full.

There are times as a poker player when cards will not come your way or when you will find yourself not getting the results you are looking for. I have been there many times and it can get frustrating! Lately I have found myself a little discouraged as I was making the transition from cash games into tournament poker. You see, poker tournaments can be very rewarding, but that is if you make it to the top three. Other than that you find yourself playing all day for little or no money. It can be very hard on someone’s positive outlook at the game. It definitely was for me who is used to having a really good win rate and getting instant reward from playing cash games.

So how does a player like me stay focused and positive during these times?

Here is what works for me:
-I keep learning. There are many styles of play, so I try to learn new ones from different players. I get out of my comfort zone and try some of their tricks on occasion.
-I workout/stay active while not playing. I find myself having much more stamina and much more focus when I engage in physical activities a few times a week. Plus it is proven that people who are more active are happier.
-I eat well. Again, when I eat healthy I have more energy and I am more positive. I also have more stamina and play better.
-I try to keep a positive attitude. It sounds easy but it’s quite a task! I try to rephrase words when I say something negative. I would change, "I
can't believe I just played all day and busted just outside the final table for a small cash." To, "Wow, I am definitely getting closer. I outlasted over 5,000 players. I can feel that my time is coming soon! I am going to win!"
-I believe in myself, I do not listen to those trying to put me down, and there are lots of those! Like Roosevelt said, "Nobody can make you feel inferior without your consent.”
-I take some time off every now and again and I give myself some "ME" time. I enjoy my life, family and friends. It gives more balance to my life and I usually come back stronger and ready to take over the world. I find my inner peace.
-I understand that "bad beats" are part of the game. I give some, I get some. They happen... and when they do, I put them behind me and focus on the present.
-I stay away from parties and alcohol. Partying makes me tired and alcohol is known to have a depressant effect, all of which keep me away from playing my "A" game and staying positive. I do see my friends, but rather chose a dinner to catch up over a night at the club.
-I keep short term and long term goals. I SEE myself achieving them. I think about them every day when I wake up and go to bed. I think of how to achieve them and I know that I can and will. I keep pictures that remind me of those goals. I tell myself that these goals are mine and that it's my year to get them.
-When I think things are going bad, I find 5 to 10 things in my life that I am happy about, it makes me realize that things aren't that bad and that I do have a lot to look forward too.
-I keep trying, I know my capability and I know I will get there!

It seems like a big list, but it only takes a little discipline and time to adjust to this way of doing things. I know that it makes my life a much better place. It's not being delusional... it's being persistent and positive. That's how I know I will get the results I want and find happiness in the pursuit of success.

"There is no telling how many miles you will have to run
while chasing a dream."

Throw down tournament for the Kidney foundation in Reno

I just got back from Reno, where I was invited to participate in the Jennifer Harman "Throw Down" charity tournament benefitting the National Kidney Foundation. I actually quite like Reno. Some people say negative things about it, but I like the "Old Vegas" feel it has. Plus, every time I go there I make money! The games are really soft. :-) I stayed at the Peppermill, where the event was held, and the room was really nice and comfortable with a huge Jacuzzi tub which I looked forward to jumping into at night!

The event was a huge success with about 515 players participating in a "team concept" tournament. I was on the Ultimate Bet team, but my points were also counting for the LIPS team. I played pretty well the whole time, but the structure was fast (as in most charity events). I unfortunately lost a few hands in a row and was left a little short stacked. I got moved to new tables quite often which made it hard having to adjust to new players. At my last table, I was placed to the left of David "The Maven" Chicotsky, with whom I have been training with lately. Knowing his aggressive style, I knew his range of hands were large and I ended up calling him all in pre-flop with KQ suited, he had 33. His pocket pair held up and I was out. He ended up making the final table which was pretty cool. This student is not surpassing the teacher yet, but it's only a question of time! *smile*

Team Peppermill ended up winning and Jeff Harrington was the last man standing. The foundation means a lot to him, as his wife is recovering from a 2nd kidney transplant. Great job Jeff!! His win also got him a seat to the WSOP main event worth $10,000! The event rose over $200,000 for the National Kidney Foundation. I am definitely looking forward to going again next year!

I am going to focus on playing online this week. I had some issues with my PokerStars account because someone tried to hack into it during my last trip to the Commerce Casino. The account had been frozen for security reasons since, but finally I can use it again. I just needed to send some proof of who I was to their security team. I hear it's a common problem traveling into different casino/hotels. Apparently the solution is to have your own WIFI card, (never use the public WIFI) and to have an email address that is only for poker such as an ISP account which is better than a free account (msn, gmail, hotmail, etc.).

This week I will be playing a lot of the SCOOP events, MiniFTOPS and good guarantees all around. My pets are happy to have mummy home even though I will be staring at the screen most of the time! I am definitely looking forward to taking some events down!!!