What’s that saying?  When it rains, it pours.  This seems fairly accurate in the case of poker fortune, and, I’m afraid, I’m in the midst of a mini-downpour.  I say mini, as my inability to make a winning hand has only stretched back to the beginning of the week.  That said, the frustration at losing every pot has been quite stressful, and totally unrelenting.

So, rather than waste my time driving to the brick and mortar card-room, and waste my energy putting on pants, I decided to play some online poker this afternoon, knowing full well I was still on a significant cold streak.  The only way to get out of these bad runs, I figure, is to play through them!  And really, the only online poker where I feel I have a significant edge over my opponent is in a heads-up match.  So that’s what I played!

I won’t bore you with the monotonous details of the battle, but needless to say, it unfolded predictably.  My opponent raised every hand, and I had to fold my K-2, and 9-3.  Even when I attempted a steal play with my Q-7, he’d re-raise me all-in.  So, patience was the name of the game, since, like many online heads-up players, my opponent doesn’t know how to fold.  I need to pick up a hand, make a raise or re-raise, but not an all-in.  I need to give him the ability to make the last raise, so he feels he’s still in control, and then I can call him with the nuts.

We continue until he has roughly a 2-1 chip advantage, and I pick up K-K.  He raises on the button, like he always does, and I re-raise roughly a fourth of my stack.  He, as predicted, pushes all-in, and shows a real hand for once, with 10-10.  The screenshot tells the tale, I’m afraid, and he flopped quads to win the match.

Sigh…

Rep. Barney Frank

On Wednesday afternoon, the House Financial Services Committee passed HR 2267 — the Internet Gambling Regulation, Consumer Protection, and Enforcement Act — by a wide margin, which is the first step to the regulation of online gambling in the United States.

Now, some of you may be wondering, “what the heck is HR 2267, and how does it affect poker?”

This excerpt from a press release sent out by the Poker Player’s Alliance sums things up pretty well:

Sponsored by House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank (D-MA), H.R. 2267 establishes a robust licensing and regulatory regime for online gaming in the United States, providing much needed oversight on this growing industry in order to protect consumers, children and problem gamblers.  By using the most modern technologies and regulatory authority, this bill goes further than the ineffective Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) to keep children and problem gamblers off these sites, at the same time allowing for strong consumer protections for adult consumers who enjoy this recreational activity.  Additionally, licensing and regulation presents an avenue for companies to return to the U.S., providing the economy with much needed jobs and tax revenue.

“The fact is, online poker is not going away. Congress has a choice – it can license and regulate it to provide government oversight and consumer protections, or our lawmakers can stick their heads in the sand, ignore it, and leave consumers to play on non-U.S. regulated websites in all 50 states,” said Former Senator Alfonse D’Amato, chairman of the PPA. “I’m glad the Financial Services Committee today overwhelmingly chose to act and protect Americans as well as preserve the fundamental freedoms of adults and the Internet.

Key provisions of the bill include:

• Thorough vetting of potential licensees and creation of an OFAC-style list of illegal operators;
• Mandatory implementation of technologies to protect against underage gambling using the commercial and government databases used for online banking to verify age and identity
• Requirements for operators to set daily, weekly or monthly limits on deposits and losses to monitor and detect individuals with excessive gaming habits;
• High standards to thwart fraud, abuse and cheating to ensure fair games for customers;
• Regulation to prevent money laundering; and,
• Processes to prevent tax avoidance.

Here’s a full write-up from our friends at BluffMagazine.com:

HR 2267 Passed by House Financial Services Committee
By Jessica Welman

While last week’s hearing on Rep. Barney Frank’s (D-MA) HR 2267 was all talk, this week the legislation saw some action as it was marked up and passed in the House Financial Services Committee by a margin of 41-22-1. The legislation, which is designed to implement regulation and licensing of online poker rooms in the United States, is now one step closer to being signed into law.

HR 2267, also known as the Internet Gambling Regulation, Consumer Protection, and Enforcement Act, underwent a full markup by the Committee on Wednesday, including the introduction and inclusion of several amendments to the bill. The amendments ranged from prohibiting credit card deposits on online poker rooms to implementing loss limits to refusing licenses to those who have previously violated American gambling laws. An amendment exempting intrastate tribal and state-run gambling from the licensing process was included in the bill as well.

Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA) introduced the amendment that would ban sites which knowingly and willfully broke online gaming laws in the wake of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA). While the precise definition of what constitutes “illegal online gambling” has been unclear ever since the UIGEA was passed in 2006, most within the industry believe this amendment could have a profound impact on sites like PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker, and UB Poker, all of which have continued to serve US customers following the passage of the UIGEA. The Poker Players Alliance (PPA) sees things differently and alluded to that fact in an official statement released Wednesday.

While only time will tell how the bill will impact US-serving sites, the amendment seemingly bodes well for land-based US casinos and sites like PartyPoker, who withdrew from the US in 2006 and have since made extensive efforts to work with the US Department of Justice in the past few years. Rep. Spencer Bachus (R-AL) proposed a similar amendment with harsher language and penalties that was voted down by the Committee.

The poker community was quick to respond to news of the passage of HR 2677. “The fact is, online poker is not going away. Congress has a choice – it can license and regulate it to provide government oversight and consumer protections, or our lawmakers can stick their heads in the sand, ignore it, and leave consumers to play on non-U.S. regulated websites in all 50 states,” said Former Senator Alfonse D’Amato, chairman of the Poker Players Alliance. “I’m glad the Financial Services Committee today overwhelmingly chose to act and protect Americans as well as preserve the fundamental freedoms of adults and the Internet.”

The next step for HR 2267 is the floor of the House of Representatives. Meanwhile, HR 2267’s companion piece of legislation, Rep. James McDermott’s (D-WA) HR 2268, is still waiting to be debated and marked up by the House Ways and Means Committee. The bill, also known as the Internet Gambling Regulation and Tax Enforcement Act, aims to tax regulated and licensed online gambling sites.

Keep checking in with BLUFFMagazine.com for more breaking news on HR 2267 and other major poker-related legislation.

Tom Burandt

With a second-place finish at the MSPT Jackpot Junction event on July 18, Tom Burandt has closed to within striking distance of Everett Carlton.

3-Putts has also made a charge up the standings with a hot run this summer.

The United State Congress will vote Tuesday on the Internet Gambling, Regulation, Consumer Protection, and Enforcement Act, which would secure your rights to play online poker.

Passing this bill is the first step to undoing the Unlawful Internet Gambling and Enforcement Act that prevents banks from transferring gambling funds to and from online poker sites.

The Poker Player’s Alliance has created a website called StandUpForPoker.com, which allows you to easily contact your local congressman.

Tuesday’s vote will drastically alter the fate of your ability to play online poker in the future.

Dana McElwain

Dana McElwain won the Canterbury Park $100,000 Freeroll tournament on Sunday night. The tournament drew 205 entrants with 70 getting paid, and first prize paid $25,000.

Qualifying took place between April 22 and June 30. Players who logged at least 100 hours of cash-game play qualified for the semi-finals, which took place on July 17 and 18. Players who logged at least 175 hours qualified directly into today’s finals.

McElwain said he has played as high as $30/60 limit, but generally plays $4/8 and $8/16.

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Running Aces Harness Park in Columbus, MN is hosting a Mega Qualifier Event with an estimated $250,000 prize pool for the 2010 Midwest Poker Classic scheduled October 1-10. 

Starting July and running through September 25^th Running Aces will be giving out nine $1,100 seats (each week) into the Midwest Poker Classic in a weekly tournament – just 10 hours of live play each week qualifies you to play in the weekly tournament.

An additional $1,100 seat will be given out each week in their Monday free roll. 

They estimate the prize pool at $250,000 with a 1^st place prize of $70,000.  They are guaranteeing a $120,000 prize pool. 

Check out www.runningacesharness.com for more details.

Mega Qualifier Flier

With Jason Senti earning his spot among the November Nine, I figured this was a decent time to refresh everyone’s memory.

Senti made back-page headlines in last year’s WSOP $10K heads-up championship when his opponent, Erik Seidel, showed up late.

Some might remember Senti from last year’s WSOP as well. Here’s the story, from the August, 2009 issue of MNPokerMag:

Minnesota Nice
By Phil Mackey

Erik Seidel received a little taste of “Minnesota Nice” at the WSOP during the $10,000 buy-in heads up event.

Upon reaching the 3^rd round, Jason Senti, an online professional from St. Louis Park, MN, found himself matched up against 8-time bracelet winner Seidel. The only problem? Seidel didn’t show up to the table for 15 minutes.

Now, the WSOP tournament staff doesn’t sit around and wait patiently for players to show up. Even legends like Seidel. The tournaments begin when scheduled, regardless of empty seats.

At this point, the obvious option was for Senti, who plays online as “PBJaxx,” was to steal Seidel’s blinds and build an early chip lead. That’s probably the path most people would choose.

Instead, however, Senti chose to stall.

“I actually knew that he was in the building playing another event, as a friend had text me that,” Senti told Minnesota Poker Magazine. “I wasn’t really sure what the proper etiquette was in the situation. I knew that the other tables with missing players were just stealing the blinds, but I felt that if he was likely to show up soon, I should give him some time.

Erik Seidel

“Basically, I decided I would give him up to 20 minutes to show up, and then I would have to play. The deeper structure in the beginning of the match is where my edge is biggest, so I didn’t want to go too long during that period without playing.”

Senti’s act of sportsmanship drew plenty of attention from PokerNews, Cardplayer and other poker news outlets. “Senti Stays Classy” and “Classy Move By Jason Senti” were just a couple of the headlines.

“In the end, I did what seemed to be right in the situation,” Senti said. “I wouldn’t fault anyone for stealing the blinds. We are there to win, and the winner of this match was guaranteed $18,000. Obviously that is a lot of money, but I followed what I decided was proper etiquette.”

As it turns out, good karma followed Senti, and he knocked Seidel out with  against , all in preflop on the final hand. The victory earned Senti a $17,987 cash before he was bounced in the 4^th round.

After the match, Seidel wrote on his Twitter page, “Busted in the Heads Up vs Jason Senti very tough young player.”

Senti’s feelings toward Seidel were mutual.

“So far, all my experiences with the well known “live pros” have been very good,” Senti said on his blog after the match. “Despite what Joan Rivers thinks, most poker players I have met seem to be good people.”

Ray Bendijo, a 52-year-old contractor from Ramsey, MN, has come close to winning big tournaments on a few occasions. He finished second-place in a Heartland Poker Tour event at Grand Casino Mille Lacs in 2008, then took sixth in an HPT event at the same location later that year. He also cashed in the Minnesota State Poker Tour Northern Lights event in June.

On Sunday, however, Bendijo broke through for a win at Jackpot Junction — a $24,206 score to go along with an MSPT championship bracelet.

His path to victory involved well-timed aggression, a poised sense of patience, and an epic final hand that induced a rollercoaster of emotions from both Bendijo and his heads-up opponent Tom Burandt.

With blinds at 10K/20K/2K, “Sting Ray” made it 60K on the button. Burandt called, and the two saw a flop of 6s, 9h, 9s. Burandt checked, and Bendijo bet another 60K. Burandt thought for a moment before pushing all-in for more than 400K. Bendijo snap-called with 88, but Burandt turned over K9 for three-of-a-kind.

The turn brought a 2, but the river brought a miracle 8, giving Bendijo a full house and the tournament title.

Burandt also reached the final table of the MSPT Northern Lights event, and he earns 27.5 points in the MNPokerMag Player of the Year race for his second-place finish at Jackpot Junction, moving him a lot closer to leader Everett Carlton.

3-Putts narrowly missed out on his first MSPT title as well, finishing third-place for $8,069.

See photo gallery below.

Final payouts:

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Ray Bendijo wins MSPT Jackpot Junction on epic final hand

Wow. The final hand of the MSPT Jackpot Junction Main Event was simply epic.

Bendijo raised to 60K on the button and Burandt called. The flop came 6s, 9h, 9s, and Burandt checked to Ray, who bet 60K. Burant pondered for a moment before check-raising all in for 500K. Bendijo insta-called with 88, but Burandt turned over K9.

The turn brought a 2, but the river brought…..

An 8!

Bendijo hit a full house on the river to bust Burandt and win the MSPT championship bracelet. He also takes home $24,206.

7:52 p.m. – Bendijo doubles up

Ray Bendijo entered heads-up play facing a 3.5:1 deficit, but he just doubled up with 22 against Tom Burandt’s AQ.

Both players have approximately 600K now with blinds at 10K/20K/2K.

7:45 p.m. – 3-Putts busts after major fireworks, we are now heads-up

Two major hands went down right after dinner break. On the first one, Tom Burandt limped on the button for 20K, and 3-Putts shoved all-in for 210K out of the small blind. Burandt snap-called with AK, and ‘Putts flipped over A2.

The flop brought a 2, vaulting 3-Putts over 400K in chips.

On the next hand, ‘Putts raised to 60K from the button and Burandt called out of the big blind. The flop came Ad, Ks, 9d, and Burandt checked to ‘Putts who shoved all in for 360K!

Burandt snap-called again, showing AJ. ‘Putts turned over Kd7d for an enormous amount of outs. The board ran clean for Burandt, however, and ‘Putts hit the rail in third place.

Entering heads-up play, Burandt had just under 1 million chips, while Sting Ray Bendijo had 250K.

6:37 p.m. – Three remaining players on a 45-minute dinner break

Here are the chip counts at dinner break:

Tom Burandt – 500K
Ray “Sting Ray” Bendijo – 526K
3-Putts – 176K

Blinds will be 10K/20K/2K

6:24 p.m. – Burandt takes huge pot off 3-Putts

We joined the action on the river of a 9, 3, 7, 2, 8 board. With approximately 150K in the pot, 3-Putts led out for 125K, nearly putting Burandt all-in. Burandt went in the tank for two minutes, counting his chips while hemming and hawing. He eventually called and showed 9-8, notching the 9-7 of 3-Putts.

Burandt is now up to about 450K, and 3-Putts is down to 250K. Bendijo still has about 500K.

5:48 p.m. – Ahmann eliminated by Burandt

Al Ahmann has taken a beating over the last couple levels, and he finally shoved his stack in with A10. Tom Burandt snap-called from the blinds with QQ, and the board brought no help for Ahmann. He was eliminated in fourth place for $6,051.

Approximate chip counts:
Ray Bendijo – 550K
3-Putts – 300K
Tom Burandt – 350K

Blinds at 8,000/16,000/2,000

Keith Doering

5:23 p.m. – Sting Ray makes huge call(s) to bust Doering

After doubling up and winning another pot to grow his stack up to about 130K, Keith Doering open raised to 35K with blinds at 6,000/12,000/1,000 from early position. “Sting Ray” Bendijo called to Doering’s left, and the two saw a flop of Q,10,x.

Doering led out for 50K, and Sting Ray contemplated for a minute before making the call. Doering then jammed his remaining 40K in on a blank turn. Sting Ray snap-called and turned over K10, for second pair. Doering turned over AK, and the river brought no help.

Sting Ray now sits on over 500K of the 1.2 million in chips.

Latest bust outs:

Steve Peppin

4:44 p.m. – 3-Putts busts Peppin

Steve Peppin has been completely card dead the entire final table, and he finally was forced to make a stand with A4. He was called on the button by 3-Putts, who held AQ.

The flop ran clean for ‘Putts, who now has 160K. The five remaining players are now on a 10-minute break.

4:33 p.m. – Play grinds way down, 3-Putts doubles up

With six players remaining — 3-Putts, Al Ahmann, Keith Doering, Ray Bendijo, Steve Peppin and Tom Burandt — play has slowed down considerably. The average stack is 200K with blinds at 3,000/6,000/500.

3-Putts pushed all in for 50K with A2 and was called by the AJ of Ahmann. ‘Putts spiked a gutshot straight on the river to double up over 100K.

Also, Burandt currently ranks second in the MNPokerMag Player of the Year points race, roughly 45 points behind Everett Carlton. The winner of this event will earn 30 points.

Ray Bendijo

3:40 p.m. – Bendijo wins massive pot, two more players bust

Ray Bendijo just took an overwhelming chip lead.

On a board of 10xx, Bendijo and Keith Doering put all the money in. Bendijo showed QQ, and Doering showed A10. QQ held, giving Bendijo 300K in chips. Doering, who entered the final table as chip leader, is down to 130K, which is still fairly healthy.

Two hands later, Al Ahmann eliminated John Morgan in eighth place, and a few hands after that Joanie Dovekas was bounced in seventh.

Latest bust outs:

3:30 p.m. – Follow updates on Twitter

You can also follow MSPT updates on Twitter this afternoon. We’ll keep the posts coming on MNPokerMag.com, but check Twitter for quick hits – @MNPokerMag.

3:15 p.m. – Final table photos

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Dan Hendrickson

2:54 p.m. – Burandt hits two-outer to bust Hendrickson

Dan Hendrickson moved all in pre-flop for his last 64K with KK and was called by the JJ of Tom Burandt. Unfortunately for Hendrickson, a J hit on the flop, sending him to the rail in 10th place.

Hendrickson earns $1,856 for his performance, but what a brutal way to go out.

Burandt is now up to 190K, which puts him second in chips behind Doering.

Nine players remain, and the blinds have gone up to 3,000/6,000/500. The next player to bust will earn $2,259.

2:40 p.m. – Keith Doering leads going into final table

Final table chip counts, with blinds at 2,000/4,000/400:

Keith Doering

2:30 p.m. – Todd Melander out in 11th. We’ve reached the final table

Todd Melander was bounced in 11th place, and players will go on a short break while we redraw and count chips. 3-Putts, John Morgan, Tom Burandt, Dan Hendrickson and Ray Bendijo are all still alive. Will update the others shortly.

Tom Burandt

2:11 p.m. – Burandt busts Kirby

Tom Burandt raised preflop from late position, and Matt Kirby came over the top all in from the blinds. Burandt tanked for two  minutes before calling with A8.

It turned out to be a fantastic call, as Kirby turned over KQ. The board brought no help for Kirby, who was eliminated in 12th place.

Burandt is up to 150K.

Latest bust outs:

Al Ahmann

1:20 p.m. – 16 remain, including 3-Putts. Ahmann leads the way.

With 16 left, 3-Putts, Todd Melander, Ray Bendijo, John Morgan, Matt Kirby and Dan Hendrickson are still alive.

Al Ahmann (160K) and Steve Peppin (130K) both have large stacks with blinds at 1,500/3,000/300, but Kirby just doubled up to 140K.

Latest bustouts:

18th – Dave Haberman, $1,048
17th – Joe Big Bear, $1,048

12:42 p.m. – Money bubble bursts, 18 remain

It took only 90 minutes to knock 11 players out. We’re down to the money with 18 remaining. Will get top chip counts as soon as possible.

11:39 p.m. – Bust outs coming fast and furious

We’ve lost seven players already in the first level of the day, and it’s not because of the blind structure. The average stack is over 30 big blinds.

Be sure to follow updates on Twitter as well – @MNPokerMag

Matt Kirby

11:07 a.m. – Day two begins

The MSPT Jackpot Junction Main Event saw 29 out of 80 runners make it to day two. The winner is slated to earn over $24,000, with payouts beginning at 18th place.

Blinds will start off at 800/1600/200

For top chip counts and a full payout structure heading into day two, click here.

Photo courtesy of PokerNews

It’s official. Jason Senti from St. Louis Park has earned a spot among the November Nine in this year’s World Series of Poker Main Event.

After six-plus hours of 10-handed play, Brandon Steven was finally eliminated when his AK found no help against the QQ of Matthew Jarvis.

Senti, a 28-year-old who plays online as ‘PBJaxx,’ hovered around the bottom of the chip count leaderboard on Thursday before eventually catching fire on Friday.  He built his stack up to 18 million at one point on Saturday, but will enter the final table as the short stack with 7.6 million. At the conclusion of the day, blinds were 250K/500K/50K.

The nine remaining players will return to the Rio in November to play for a first place prize of $8.9 million. Everyone is guaranteed at least $811,000.

For a recap of Senti’s action throughout the day, click here.

Chip counts:

Jonathan Duhamel – 65.9 million
John Dolan – 46.2 million
Joseph Cheong – 23.5 million
John Racener – 19 million
Matthew Jarvis – 16.7 million
Filippo Candio – 16.4 million
Michael Mizrachi – 14.4 million
Soi Nguyen – 9.6 million
Jason Senti – 7.6 million