Nostradamus, or Ignoramus?

Back when I was in university - ok, ok, no jokes here, but i will admit that i still have fond memories of mac classics and 5 3/4 floppy disks - we engaged in a few future forecasting methodologies in my favorite fourth year seminar. Can't remember the name of the course now, but it was focused on innovation, both social and industrial.

We tried to predict the future using techniques like scenario planning, backcasting, brainstorming (the rigorous, methodological kind), etc. Thanks Professor Smith...

We did this to try to visualize where the future would take us, particularly in technology and the then-nascent Internet.

Enuff wit d boring stuff

We can do that for poker in the good old RP...and guess what - it's easy. Why? cuz the future's been happening all around the world for the last 3 or so years, and we're only catchin' up now...

So here are my conclusions and predictions for our game locally...slap me if i'm wrong...

1. PAGCOR will run a major cash tournament in a casino in Metro Manila. This event will be televised and will carry a pot of more than 1,000,000. Timeline? within four months;

2. After this tourney, a local circuit of cash-tourney poker will kick off, supported by large corporate sponsors and big media - at least cable media...after an initial wave of furor from the moralist camps, it will proceed...This tour will push into the other large urban centers outside Metro Manila. timeline: in 6 months

3. Cardrooms will open under sanction from PAGCOR - the in-casino poker rooms will be run by PAGCOR, while the offsite rooms will be run by Operators acting under license from PAGCOR...rooms will contain between 10-20 tables at the outset. Some major gaming brands from places like Vegas will move in and change the industry. US pros will be spotted partying at Greenbelt and playing cards with us Pinoys. Local poker dealers will be living in posh condos and driving fancy dancy automobiles.

Timeline: starting concurrently with the local tourney tour but maturing by mid 2007

4. We will witness the emergence of poker geniuses developing locally. These folks will spearhead a Philippine-based player "invasion" of the major US and European tourney circuit. They will pick up sponsorships and live professional poker lives. We will see at least one member of the less-privileged classes make millions in poker. approximately 1% of the total player population in the RP will go pro and will compete internationally.

5. An online poker boom will develop. We will see the first local online poker site open within 60 days, followed by several more catering to the local market. Not all will be based in the RP, but more than one will certainly target the RP market in conjunction with the broader asian markets.

Thousands will play from home, naked...

6. A significant merchandising industry will develop - Billiard table manufacturers will get into the table business, importers will move chipsets and cards into this market in a big way, book and DVD sales will boom. The tiangge folks in greenhills will have a heyday with pirated content

7. Hold 'Em will reign throughout the next two years, but subcultures of Omaha, Stud, etc. players will emerge...US-style poker's here to stay.

What will your place be in all this? I'll prolly be still massaging a tiny bankroll but hey...we were all a part of it, no?

Peace...and may the Edge be with you...

Mangoes Ripen in the Rain

When one thinks of action in mud, mental images of scantily clad trailer trash-type women rolling around in a tub o' mud emerge. As conventional wisdom goes, poker and mud don't mix well...but hey...this saturday saw a 10-table backyard gig played out in a sticky, wet, yucky kinda wet soil. A weird confluence of a country club board's refusal to let us play in a ballroom, a tropical depression, and 107 players' unwillingness to let the elements deter them resulted in the country's and perhaps the world's (?) very first mud-poker tourney.

I gotta tell ya..it was a blast. My Adidas Rekords are completely destroyed, and I saw some very fine footwear beat to shit too, but I havent' heard one complaint. Why? We were able to play poker. 7 hours of tourney poker and about 9 combined hours of side game action.

This was the biggest pot we've run as a group. The biggest field. Hell, the wettest field. Mr. and Mrs. Stehmeier's yard was destroyed. But the cards stayed dry and got in the air at 5:30pm. Damn fine game. Lotsa early level bustouts, lotsa yellin', lotsa bingo bango.

Mid levels saw a more rapid succession of busts as the party got a little more liquored up (Thanks for the food and booze, Poquito Mas) and the blinds put a bit o' real pressure on folks' stacks.

Met a buncha new people last saturday, and we gave two chipsets away to two (2) Pro Ball Playuhs...was that draw really random? hmmm... My side bet with Mischa Peters (eventual winner) that at least one woman would make the final table (thanks Chris!) held up.

For the serious stuff. We payed 12 Places. Here they are:

1st: Mischa Peters (It was the phil ivey headphones and that damn all night high stakes game the day before, I know it)

2nd: Vito Syquia (bro that was a huuge stack going 4 handed)

3rd: Migs "Go BBC" Cuneta - New bankroll, new day bro

4th: Mike Veloro

5th: SKIP!!!! nuff said


6th: Chris Clemente: Woman moneys again...yeehaw

7th: King Stehmeier: Homecourt advantage holds up


8th: Santi Araneta (This dude gives a whole new meaning to the term, "Ship It"...nice stack through the late levels man)

9th: Billy Tugade

10th: Grant Butsumyo

11th: Marty Aquino

12th: Myra Elma: 2nd woman in the money...

Damn fine game. Damn exciting final table

And...TO THE SPONSORS. Gino of Malate Construction Development Corp for the support and kickass speaker system. thanks bro! Mr. Paul Cortez and Golfer's Money Exchange for sponsoring the giveaway chipsets. FAPA and the Riverhouse for the three tables, Mr. Drei De Jesus and the Tuesday Night Poker Club for the table, Mr. Neil Arce, our undying friend and supporter for the table, to Mr. Jericho Ilagan for bringing us burgers and fries when we were starved and drenched during setup, to Marco Aventajado and his dealers, who did a fine job, to Poquito Mas for providing that great food, and last but not least, to Holy Kettlecorn Popcorn for the "sold out" bags of crunchy sweetness...

Special thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Stehmeier. We trashed your lawn good...

The the crew at A55 and the BBC...without you, none of this is possible..

To many stories to tell. Stay tuned for action shots.

Mango Update

As we speak, the place is being set up for the big show tomorrow. Ace tells me it's thumbs up all the way...

So for all you latecomers and because the linear nature of blogs pushes the tourney details to the bottom, here's a recap with some updates.

address: Stehmeier residence, 327 Apo St., Ayala Alabang. From the Madrigal Gate, go straight Madrigal, left on San Juanico, left on Apo St. The house is in a cul de sac. We are providing golf cart shuttles for you in the event you may have to park more than a few feet away ;).

Reg at 3:00pm

Game: No-Limit Texas Hold 'Em - No Rebuys
Ruleset: International Poker Fed, Tournament Directors Association (as adopted by such tourneys as the world series of poker and the world poker tour)
Maximum Players: 150, 10 maximum per table
Elimination occurs when a player loses all his/her chips

Tables will be balanced as players are eliminated (Players will be moved from
table-to-table to maintain as close to equal numbers of players at each table

We will play until one player controls all the chips in play


Structure:

Starting Chips: 1,000 units
Blind escalation: 30 minutes
Antes: introduced in level 5
Places Paid: 17 (assuming 150 seats sold; otherwise, number of tables + 2 players)
Payout schedule (percentage of prize pot): 30,17,11,10,8,5,4,2,2,2,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1
Breaks 5 minutes every 3 levels

IF we seat fewer than 150 players, we will pay the number of tables + 2 places. So with a hundred players we will pay 12 places.

We currently have 94 seats reserved.

If we were to stop registering now, which we won't, we would have P141,000 in the pot and the following payout structure:

30,20,12,10,8,6,5,3,2,2,1,1 (all percentages)

I do hope that's clear.

Oh and we're also giving away two three-hundred piece four color chipsets courtesy of Golfers Money Exchange.

New Mango, Mango Nouveau, Son of Mango, Mango Once Removed...

If you read my previous post, you now know that we are no longer holding the Mango Classic at the Alabang Country Club.

But the show must go on.

We are moving the tournament to the Stehmeier Residence, also in Ayala Alabang. Details and directions below.

The only differences:

Address

We will no longer be in a ballroom - we will be in a very cool tented environment in Jerry Stehmeier's ample yard.

We will register at 3:00pm

We will be giving two three hundred piece chipsets away courtesy of a sponsorship from Mr. Paul Cortes and Golfer's Money Exchange. Mr. Cortes is also the President of the Alabang Country club. He continues to support us even when his club pulled its support. Mr. Cortes, you are a classy guy.

What won't change:

We will have great food and booze

We will be witness to some fantastic poker

We will pay out a lot of money.

So:

address: Stehmeier residence, 327 Apo St., Ayala Alabang. From the Madrigal Gate, go straight Madrigal, left on San Juanico, left on Apo St. The house is in a cul de sac. We are providing golf cart shuttles for you in the event you may have to park more than a few feet away ;).

Registration is now going to begin at 3:00pm on Saturday.

Let the games begin.

Thanks for your understanding. And to the trolls that said no, Y'aint' gonna stop the games....

For those of you looking for the tourney structure, you can find it three posts below.

The Show Must Go On

Friends and Mango Poker Classic Participants. We have suffered a minor snag...the Alabang Country Club, after having approved our event for the 24th, has asked us to "defer" our tournament to another date. I'm told that some members of the club's board felt that a poker tournament was not appropriate for the family-oriented nature of the club. Gambling is not welcome they seem to be saying. I guess we in the community will have to fight uphill battles like these, when people who don't understand the true nature of gaming make sweeping generalizations about all games.

I'm also told that the Alabang Country Club hosts bingo days and big raffles. Ummm...let's see. When I play poker I am rarely in a hand when I don't have at least a 40+ percent probability of winning the blinds, antes, or a pot. In Bingo, the probability of a single player forming a simple bingo within 25 calls is 0.06396106, or about 6.4%. When you start playing blackouts and more esoteric games, the odds against you become astronomical. Bingo may be viewed as fun and "family friendly", but it sure as hell teaches our kids to view wagering as an activity ruled purely by chance.

And raffles? C'mon. LOL

Poker, properly taught, teaches us to view wagering as an activity more akin to investment or entrepreneurship. I know I have a huge bias, and I'm preaching to the converted, but heck - numbers don't lie. And I am a winning poker player. Have been for years. Don't think I could ever be a consistent winner at the bingo tables. hahahaha...

So for the shortsighted few at the Club who did not wish to support us, too bad for you. It would have been a great event.

I would like to personally thank the Club President, Mr. Paul Cortes, for his staunch support of our event in the face of his board's protests. Mr. Cortes understands what we are doing. Thanks also to Cynthia and Gary Dee. You folks know what's up.

We will hold our event on the 24th. Far too many people have already registered. The Show must go on. Details in the next post.

nickg is now off his soap box.

Yeahhh boyyyy!!! 

Mango Poker Classic Structure and Basic Rules

Folks:

I have received a number of calls regarding the basics of the tournament. For those of you who have not played an freezout tourney, here are the basic mechanics, followed by the mango tourney specific structure. Please post any further questions as comments to this post and i'll answer them asap...

Game: No-Limit Texas Hold 'Em - No Rebuys
Ruleset: International Poker Fed, Tournament Directors Association (as adopted by such tourneys as the world series of poker and the world poker tour)
Maximum Players: 150, 10 maximum per table
Elimination occurs when a player loses all his/her chips

Tables will be balanced as players are eliminated (Players will be moved from
table-to-table to maintain as close to equal numbers of players at each table

We will play until one player controls all the chips in play

Structure:

Starting Chips: 1,000 units
Blind escalation: 30 minutes
Antes: introduced in level 5
Places Paid: 17 (assuming 150 seats sold; otherwise, number of tables + 2 players)
Payout schedule (percentage of prize pot): 30,17,11,10,8,5,4,2,2,2,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1
Breaks 5 minutes every 3 levels

I do hope this helps answer any questions you may have. Again, feel free to comment here with specific questions or if you require clarification on any of the above.

Thanks, and see ya at the mango...

Our Biggest Show Yet...

Get Ready For It! The Mango Poker Classic - 150 players - the tourney experience you were waiting for.

150 Players
No Limit Texas Hold 'em - No Rebuy
Largest tourney pot yet
brought to you by A55 Poker, Poker Filipinas, Alabang Country Club, Arce Dairy, Pump Magazine, Malate Construction Dev't Corp, Fila

17 places paid
Date: Sat. Sept. 24
Place: Alabang Country Club, Ayala Alabang
Reg 11am Deal at noon
Buy-in: 1500+300

No outside food and bev, but Club prices are very reasonable
woohoo! Text back to reserve ur seat now!

A Nice Little Chat with Big Wally

Well, Big Wally arrived in Vegas yesterday after a flight to Vancouver, drive to seattle, then flight to vegas. If I were he, I'd sleep the jetlag off for a few hours before hittin' the old tables. Not wally...the following series of text messages is a verbatim record of an exchange we had about 8pm manila time (so that would be...4am in Vegas - but then again there's no such thing as time in vegas):

Wally: M playing 10-20 no limit at high tables bellagio. M getting all their chips. Wish me luck. 25k already

Me: wally manage that stack bro!!

Wally: Wow just wn a big pot over 10K all in

Me: wally i'm envious

Me: what's the rake

Wally 7 dollars per hour big table

Me: I see

Wally: Am playing with 2 wsop champions one wearing his bracelet. I battered him. I represent the BBC grp.

Me: Wally we're cheering for you here! Take care of those chips k?

Wally: I got a very good training at bbc. Started playing conservative...

You go, Wally. So big day for the locals yesterday. Manny Pacquiao and two other locals cleaned up at the Staples Center, and Wally cleaned up at the Bellagio high stakes table. Told you Filipinos are champions. Rock on.

Not easily Titled

Man, I'm a little tired but quite excited...i'm reunited with the family again after four long months, and now catching up with the kids. They're great kids. No thanks to me lol...them comin' out as good as they did with a parent like me is a lot like spiking that two-outer on the river to take a big pot down...

But i digress.

there's gonna be some good action soon. We're planning a 150-seater at the Alabang Country club in a couple of weeks. It'll be the biggest show the A55 club's put together yet. Hope I don't blow it...announcements with full details soon. Stay tuned.

And that state of mind, that environment of some damn fine rings, officially booked its longest marathon session. 1st card in the air at 8:30pm Wednesday, and last dude stood up at 3:00 PM Thursday. Hardcore bastarrrrrds...you know who you are.

I wasn't there for the marathon - but i'm sure there were some freaky hands played past hour fourteen.

Dead even last week...but way ahead. I'm reunited with my wife and three kids.

Full House.

Priorities. What is this man doing? Nope, that ain't Sklansky and Malmuth he's reading. It's a text for his class the next day. Note the extreme talent - he's got his hole cards, he's rifflin' his chips, and he's studyin' for that exam all at the same time...