the REAL mander

Euro-trip Stop 1- Amsterdam!!

noreply@blogger.com (Amanda Musumeci) — Tue, 20 May 2014 23:49:00 +0000

Armed with coffee and too much sleep(from 30 hours of flights), I took my first step ever on to European soil. Walking out of the airport was amazing. I couldn't believe that I allowed myself to make this my life. Like, how do I end up here?! Alone, dragging 130lbs in luggage(girl problems), I managed my way to the cab line. I couldn't really tell it was a cab line because they were all Mercedes'! I found this odd at first, but through my travels in Europe, I learned that nice taxis are quite common. I hop in, and take off towards the center of Amsterdam, where Bryn, Ana, and several of their friends lived. I arrive in a most magical place...

Bryn comes to find me in the middle of town on his motorbike. We took the short journey to their local breakfast spot, where I was thrilled to have the added comfort of seeing a familiar face of my buddy, Lesko.

The morning I'd arrived may not have been the best if I'd been hoping to hang out with the group. Amsterdam had a poker series going at the time of my arrival, and everyone was tied up playing events. But me... I was here to live, not play poker!!! So, shortly after breakfast, I waved goodbye to that which was familiar to me as they all rode away on their bikes, and I started out on my journey.... my first day in Europe all alone, ready to conquer like a brave lil lady!

And so I set out. Let me say that Amsterdam is the best for the situation I'd so found myself in on this particularly magical day. It is quite walkable/bikable, perfectly safe by day for me to walk around, tons of snacks everywhere for me to try, and lots of shopping!

Tons of bicycles, vespas, and motorbikes flood the roadways of Amsterdam, constantly whizzing by you. To be honest, at first... it's scary just being a pedestrian-by-foot in that city! Trying to dodge the bikes when you're crossing a road, along with all the vehicle traffic can become quite a feat.

However, within a day or two I was feeling more comfortable in my new favorite city :) I figured it was time that I try it out for myself... and so I did... mandermotorsports! I received a quick instruction on how to use the bike, and was told that I "was a bit dodgy." lol. But I managed. Again, within a day I had a hang of the bike. I was riding Ana around on the back like a boss(I'd rather not discuss the one time I almost drove us right into the canal when confusing the gas and break lol). And I mean look, for a 10 day stay, only getting pulled over once isn't bad, right?!

As I buzzed down the streets on my last night in Amsterdam, I remember having a moment to myself... just an overwhelming sense of joy. A sense that all was right. A few tears slipped down my cheek as I pondered upon just how grateful I was that this was becoming a part of the story of my life. Such an essential catalyst to the puzzle I've been looking to piece together over my own lifetime... a patchwork of deeply moving life experiences. I couldn't believe that this was my reality. Never did feeling breathless offer such a sense of freedom as it did when I came to this place.

After an amazing week+ in Amsterdam playing tourist, it was time to mix in a little work! I obviously wanted to soak up my last day in town, and so I booked the last train of the night to Namur, Belgium. It wasn't so much one train as it was three trains that allowed me mayyybe 10 minutes to run from one to the next(...I presume you can see where this is going?)...

Yes(gasp!), it's true! Around midnight, I found myself stranded in Liege, Belgium. I'd missed my connecting train, and it was the last of the night. The train station was closed at this hour, so I was pretty much screwed. To top it all, I had no cell phone at all thanks to varying service providers when traveling country to country.

Ok... so you're probably thinking, "get a cab Amanda," right? Well friendos... I walk outside of the station... and I'm practically in the middle of nowhere. The area was rather dark as I ventured further outward. I heard hooligans laughing in the distance... and in a way it kind of frightened me. I was just a little lady traveling alone in a place where few people speak my language...and I'm lost, and it's the middle of the night. LOL. I planned this one out well, huh?! Live and learn I suppose.

I pretended to be on my cell phone as the hooligans approached(as a deterrent). I realized quickly that they weren't a threat, and so I called them over too see what the heck I could do to get to Namur in the middle of the night. Of the 5 guys there, only one spoke English and not very well. He could barely make out what I was saying. I finally successfully communicated my situation to the drunk young man, and asked him where I could get a cab in the area. He responded by pointing at me and laughing. He proceeded to tell me that there aren't really cabs in this small town.

He and his cronies offered to walk me to a local hotel where I could try to call a cab. Thankfully, mid-trek(mind you, walking down the street with like 130lbs of luggage at midnight in the freezing cold), a cab drove by, and we flagged him down. How lucky I was to have the french-speaking boys with me, as the driver couldn't understand a word of what I was saying nor could he understand where I wanted to go. For 100eu, I found a way to Namur, finally arriving around 2am after the hour long cab ride.

The plan for Namur was to play a main event for one week there. I fired 3 shells into the event, but couldn't get anything going. This was, after all, my very first experience playing live poker in Europe.

Back in Amsterdam, my friends had all warned me of how different the game is in Europe as compared to America. The Europeans are really station-y and loose. I guess I would need this experience with me in order to make a dent in Prague in a few weeks.

Since I did end up playing all starting days, I didn't end up with much free time while in town. I did get one free day to stroll around, try some local foods, and snap some pics. Here's a taste...

Oh and speaking of taste...I must share that I had the best Chinese food that I've ever tasted in this here little town! Incredible! (weird, right?!)

Without much success on the felts in Belgium, and with a few weeks to kill before Prague, it was time to get the heck out of the cold and get back to vacationing!! I was considering going to to France.... I could imagine myself getting swept away in a Parisian adventure... or maybe I could go to Switzerland.... have always heard of the breathtaking beauty that the area had to offer!

Without knowing for sure what could be next, but armed with luggage and passport, I headed to the Brussels airport. Standard chick move, I get sucked into airport shopping for like 2 hours. My bags weren't heavy enough I suppose, so I picked up a few things along the way. Interesting tid-bit... in Belgium, one of their national symbols is a little boy peeing. I discovered this while shopping for souvenirs for my family. I had to wonder what the heckkkk the story was behind this one...

The Brussels airport brought about even more whimsey when I found this astonishing invention! I love this idea!!

... you can actually charge your devices... but you have to work for it on the exercise bike!

Anyways, after spending many hours enjoying the airport, I finally flipped a coin and decided where it was that I'd be heading next!

Tune into my next blog, Euro-Trip Part 2, to see where I landed :)

Peace n love peeps

A Euro Trip Preface.... a Journey Into my Spiritual Life

noreply@blogger.com (Amanda Musumeci) — Tue, 31 Dec 2013 09:30:00 +0000

Hey All!

I know it's been a little while, but I can't just skip to current. I must fill you in on what's been going on the past few months!!

As you last read, I took an amazing trip to South Africa, which led to a sparatic trip to Europe! So let's pick up there...

In order to explain what this trip truly meant to me, I have to dig into my past. As many of you know, the past few years have presented to me some of the more challenging situations of my life. I've had to chop off an arm or two... but I'm thankful to be alive.

After a lifetime of allowing myself to feel pain, I came to a point where I needed to find solace within. I was desperate for relief. I was probably 16 the first time I ever read, "The Tao of Pooh," which is a great starter book. Thankfully this book was put on my path, and Taoism found a way into my consciousness. It didn't light a fire under me then, but what I'd read left with me many little aphorisms to calm myself through the stresses of teenage-hood. I appreciated how spirituality seemed much less invasive than your garden variety of organized religions, and so for years, Taoism lingered in the background of my spiritual life.

Two World Series' ago, in a time of high tension, I fled back to my books, buying some new ones along the way. One that I found quite thoughtfully done was Eckhart Tolle's, "The Power Of Now." I'll admit that I didn't finish many of the books purchased, but had skimmed through several. I suppose I never continued reading because I wasn't ready to move forward. The books had intrigued me, and gave me much to ponder on. Much like when I was 16 and had first read Taoist material, I again found that only a very small amount of reading presented me with some very difficult challenges to work out in my head. Such concepts could take years or a lifetime to live out and learn.

(Side-note/rant)
I think it's unfortunate when people think that this is a chore. Like, keeping up with paying attention to your life. Or keeping up with being a good person always... keeping up on just being more aware and always applying yourself to be fair and good. This is not a chore. This is bliss, and peace, and wholeness. I know some people that seem to think it's too much of a hassle to consider such things in their daily on-goings, and I really find that to be a big bummer :/
(End/rant)

There were a few major concepts that stuck in my mind through my reading. They varied from influences of, "The Power Of Now," which led me to deeply reflect on how my past has molded my desires for the future which effect the quality of how I live my everyday life... and how for me.. that was kind of a sad story that needed to be rewritten. It led me to acknowledge and created within me a desire to change the amount of ego that I let myself get carried away with feeling. I noticed that "I" battle with "myself" and that I set these expectations that I must meet, and if I don't, my ego cries. Beyond that, I allow it to toy with my emotional life. This beast must be tamed!

The journey I'm on right now is leaning towards, not lowering expectations, but rather, perhaps having none at all. The ego would have nothing to thrive on. Perrrfect. Ahhhh deep breaths! :D I'm curious if I need "expectations" in my life at all. I'm curious about experimenting. Perhaps keeping a log whenever I experience that feeling of entitlement or even a sense of having "achieved" something or some level of "success." If each time I get that high that the ego gives me I just try to shut it down and remain grounded, then I can't fathom I won't be getting closer. I mean, guys, com'mon... isn't this a cool little adventure I'm on?! I'm so excited to just live and feel and move forward and share things with cool people.

My ego is built on the foundation that is my past. I didn't have much growing up. We struggled financially. My friends had many material things, and that gave me some complex that has led me here.... battling to succeed in a world full of seemingly insurmountable pressure. My ego is fed when I succeed, and I get to feel "proud." Well, pride is probably over-rated. I owe it to myself to figure out what my life is supposed to be about, in the rawest form... rather than let it be disguised with all the noise that life provokes us with.

My idea of success, which for most of us, is a monetary freedom thing... well, that has changed over the past year. I'm letting go of ego... I don't need to compete at the highest level. I don't need to be the best poker player in the world. I don't need x amount of dollars in the bank... or achievements to boast of or achievements to sleep with alone at night. Love > trophies ya'lllll. I just need to love what I'm doing with my time as often as possible. Thankfully, for now, poker facilitates me loving my life!

Another really important concept that I've been working with is one that is more spiritual and less psycho-analytical.

The Universe is alive buzzing, living, dying, replacing, supplementing, ever-adjusting. If it is true, and if it's done so well thus far, then I'd assume that it does as our bodies do... which is protect itself as a whole. If we get sick, our body will attack the sickness. Perhaps the Universe is at work for our better good without us even knowing it, much like our own physical bodies. If the Universe created us, then we are a part of it, like a limb. If it wants to self-sustain as any living thing does, then shouldn't we have some level of trust that it will put us on whatever path we really need to be on for the betterment of the Universe as a whole? Even if bad things happen, like someone passes away... shouldn't we trust that the Universe knows when to take someone out? The Universe has successfully existed for a pretty long while... so it knows better than us what is best for us and when it is time to make various changes.

This one has been a bit harder for me. I can read the Eckhart stuff, and that's just like logical/emotional stuff... which in the end to me seems more like simple math. The spiritual has no math. The spiritual can defy logic, so it seems futile to attempt to put what it truly is to me into word form. It's been a process that I've taken on over the past year... trying to convert to this new way of thinking. I read it, I loved the way it sounded, and I wanted badly to live as if that were true. But I did struggle at first. I couldn't just force myself to believe something. It needed to just occur within me... and I suppose it wasn't my time for it yet.

I lived through a tremendous amount of hardship this year, and I just kept repeating these concepts to myself each time a new hurdle would present itself in my life. I trusted the Universe. I'd try to imagine how each seemingly bad thing that happened in my life could possibly turn out to be the best thing that could have ever happened to me. Trusting the Universe is just like that. And so each time I was challenged, I'd write an entire fairytale in my mind about how this scenario was going to for sure turn out to be the best thing ever for me.

Believing that the best possible outcome is feasible for you is a huggggeeee life-changer(not to be confused with "expecting" the best). If every time we were faced with a challenge, we believed that it were the best thing that could happen, then we'd rarely be upset. If we weren't as upset in times of challenge, we could overcome these challenges at a wayy higher level of competency. Functioning at a higher level of competency just means that we are putting ourselves on a track where mathematically we are going to experience a far better outcome a much larger % of the time. In simple terms, we.. .or maybe it's just me ;) ... need to simply be our best, and try our hardest, and we'll experience the best possible outcome that would have ever been possible.

This one has been huge for me. I can't believe I can say this, but this has honestly been the best year of my life. I've taught myself so many invaluable things. I've grown exponentially.

Just in time to soak up my "feeling-like-living-and-letting-go" mood, fellow poker pros, Ana Marquez and Bryn Kenney swept in with the offer of going to Europe. They knew I'd never been there, and everyone in our safari group seemed to agree that it was probably about time that I experience it. This offer brought on some introspection. I suppose in a way I've been scared of going abroad for a long time.

Besides the family that I have here in the states, I've always felt a pull to leave and go elsewhere with my life. Too much noise here, too many agendas, too fast-paced. I had a fear of falling in love with Europe.

As I described to others, it was like a drug that I was scared to take in fear of becoming addicted. I was scared I'd go and never want to come back! You'll see as you read my upcoming blogs how this trip actually turned out to be penicillin after all. Once I let go of the fear, I was just so simply able to enjoy the things, places, and people that I deserved to enjoy.

After Africa, and some reflection on how to live more the way I want to live... I decided that Bryn and Ana were right.. I should go to Europe!

After a somehow bearable 30 hours of travel, I found myself in Amsterdam.

I'll pick up here next time...

luv ya'll <3

My Amazing South African Experience

noreply@blogger.com (Amanda Musumeci) — Tue, 31 Dec 2013 08:11:00 +0000

Sawubona from South Africa!!!

I've missed you guys :/

But on the bright side, I did get to enjoy an insane experience that I can now share with you!! Yay!

As some of you probably know, I was supposed to go on this trip last fall, but it fell through last minute. Before I start ranting about how incredible this experience has been, I'd like to take a second to thank Mr. Gary Lentin for showing me how generous and hospitable South African's truly are. He has helped to make this one of the most memorable poker trips that I've had to date. I look forward to coming back to this magical place for years to come!

My trip began with a sweet 17 hours of travel. I know this sounds treacherous.. but dudes, check out this sneak peak of how worth it it was...

This trip kind of happened in a backwards fashion. Typically, I'd play cards, work my butt off, and if I did well, I'd treat myself to a great excursion afterwards. Can I start to tell you how happy I am that this was not the case this time around?!

To begin, we were whisked right off to safari. This particular safari had a resort property backed up against a massive wildlife park. For two nights, we stayed at the breathtakingly beautiful Ivory Tree Game Lodge. The staff here were all incredible... they accommodated in every way. This is not something that was limited just to this property, but this level of hospitality seemed to stretch to each location I ventured to in my time in South Africa.

We totally struck gold with our safari guide, Wesley. He was so knowledgeable and enthusiastic about his work. He even made Ana (Marquez) a birthday cake!!

Wesley took us on a total of 3 safaris in our two days there...two morning trips and one at night. It was unrealll(!!!) to see all these creatures running around. My favorite was when we saw a white rhino with her baby trotting around. Despite being so large, their trot seemed so light-footed and happy... like a little rhino dance :)

I'm so thankful that we had such a great group for safari. When we had initially arrived in Joberg, our group for safari had already been predetermined by the casino coordinators. But I must say that I'm so happy it all worked out the way that it did. We all learned a lot about each other, and a lot about friendship on this journey. It's experiences like these that give me the most joy in life. New experiences in new places with new and wonderful people! Such blessings...

After our two nights at Ivory Tree, we took a short drive over to an elephant sanctuary. This place was equally as amazing and welcoming as the last! Here, our group had our own private compound in a back-set area of the grounds. Check it out...

We got to pet the elephants, walk with them hand-in-trunk, ride them, feed them, and we even got a kiss from them at the end of the night ;)

The fun wasn't over yet. Even after we arrived back in Johannesburg for the WPT events, we still were able to make time for another excursion to the lion park. They had animals there that we'd missed on safari like hyenas. We also go to have a hands-on lion cub interaction!!

The events there turned out to be super soft, and therefore a ton of fun to play! I made a run in the 1k 6max event there, eventually busting out I think in 8th place to bubble the final table.

I can't say enough about how amazing this trip was. Not only did the scenery impress, but the new friends that I made along the way were such a gift!

Towards the end of the trip, my new pals Bryn and Ana went to work trying to convince me that I should do a Euro trip. Well it worked. And that's where we'll pick up next time.... (!!!!)

Love all your faces.

UPDATED: Selling Action For Prague!

noreply@blogger.com (Amanda Musumeci) — Wed, 20 Nov 2013 00:01:00 +0000

Hello again!!!

Lets make this Christmas the merriest of all and ship an EPT!!

So, this time around, I'm chopping the package into 2 parts to make it more affordable for investors since this package is quite large overall.

I can take BOA, Wells Fargo, Paypal, or online poker site transfers via Full Tilt, Pokerstars, and many euro sites. Anyone who has ways to get me Euros in Prague can also pay through friends for cash on arrival method.

EPT1
1. 12/8/13- 12pm- Eureka Main 1a- $1100EU
2. 12/10/13- 12pm- The Grand Live 1a- $1100EU
3. 12/12/13- EPT Main Event 1a- $5300EU

EPT2
4. 12/14/13- 12pm- WSM nlhe- $750EU
5. 12/15/13- 12pm- WPT Prague Main Event 1a- $3300
6. 12/16/13- 12pm- WPT Prague Main Event 1b- $3300EU

5% shares for each part are around $650. Please email me at TheReaLManderStaking@gmail.com for further details or to book!

Thanks for the continued support and investments and may we all run good for some extra Christmas monies!!!

An Amazing Birthday Adventure & One Year Blog Anniversary!

noreply@blogger.com (Amanda Musumeci) — Fri, 11 Oct 2013 03:58:00 +0000

Hi guys n gals!!!

I've missed you so!

First off... it's my blog's 1 year anniversary! I must, from the bottom of my heart, thank all of my readers for taking interest in my blog, and for their loyalty and constant well wishes. You guys add an element to this whole poker get-up that really makes it a different and amazing experience for me. Most players don't get to experience what I'm fortunate enough to experience. I know just how lucky I am to have the support of so many incredible people out there behind me all the time to cheer me on. Thanks to your loyalty, your re-tweets/shares, and your constant shout-outs, we've managed to pull in an average of over 4,000 readers per month this year. I know we'll have triple that next year ;)

Love you all!!! Smooches!!!!!!! <3

So anyways... Borgata was meh. I mean, obv Borgata is awesome, but I didn't win heaps of money as I had so clearly mapped out in my head. I pulled in a few bucks with one final table. I came into it probably around 3rd in chips, but ran bad over the course of 5 face up hands to an eventual 9th place finish.

Hope wasn't lost, as I managed to accrue quite the massive stack in the Borgata WPT Main event. I entered day 3 with a top 20 stack, and was busted within a few hours. I lost a top 3 stack pot when I got in AQ vs 66 on an A36Qr. That was a big bummer for me.

All wasn't lost, as the bust-out meant that I had more time to focus on my little sister's upcoming wedding... which was only days away. I drove right from the Borgata to the wedding location. As maid of honor, I got to, for the first time, experience what it's like to be in a wedding. It was an incredible event. My sister put in so much hard work, and it paid off!

A few weeks off, and I was back out on the road again. For my birthday, which just passed in early October, I had an opportunity to try a new experience with new friends. See, when I was partaking in the Cabot Charity Event at The Borgata in August, I met an incredible saint of a woman, name Sharon, and her dollface husband, Terry. The instant I met them, I could tell that these people were the realest. We became immediate friends. I came to find that Sharon and Terry owned their own vineyard in Concord, VA called DeVault Vineyard. Well, it couldn't have felt more like fate when they told me that their Fall Wine festival at their property was the very weekend of my birthday! Holy (insert appropriate word)!!! How perfect, right?!

So, I packed up, and again hit the road. Boozer the cat and I drove from Pennsylvania to Virginia on my actual birthday. Some kind of day huh? Well... that's what some might think. I, however, love these drives. I'll be honest that the older I get, and the more I drive, the less exciting and in fact more painful it becomes(what a work out! You have no idea what a 4 day marathon one-man drive can do to you)! However, I get these moments every now-and-again, when I'll be driving, and the sky is just right, and the temp is just right, and the scenery so perfect.... I become humbled. I feel just absolute and immense sense of gratitude. It's not really aimed at anyone or anything...maybe just a general gratitude that the universe is the way it is and that my life is the way that it is. I may not love each aspect of my life, but I love each stroke of color that makes it what it is.

The drive was lovely.

Sharon and Terry were sooo freakin' welcoming, OMG I can't tell you. Despite being Jersey natives, they've really masterfully transitioned into the whole "southern hospitality" role quite well ;)

What I saw there warmed my heart and soul. Their vineyard is a family run operation. Watching their family interact and work together gave me a glimpse of a dream that I, myself, have. It might be one of the first times in my adult life that I've seen something like this in a real life situation. It was truly touching. It shows me that it is possible to not only have, but maintain happiness, love, and a feeling of warmth no matter how big your family may grow to be. With how much love these people have in their hearts, it's impossible to spend time on their property without feeling apart of it.

Things kicked off the morning after my typical late-night arrival. The family was up at the crack of dawn(probably at the crow of the rooster...ya...that's probably real life...). Prep work began, everyone and everything was a'buzz by noon. I was fortunate to have Cody aka grandson aka a 5yr old as my trusted(not by me, but allegedly by everyone else on site) golf cart chauffeur. He filled my afternoon with many giggles, and a nice tour of the 32 acre property before the festivities kicked off. Here's a little of the amazingness that is their family farm!!!

The family runs an extremely tight ship there. With all hands on deck, they managed to cater to a massive crowd that turned out for their Fall Wine Festival! Vendors lined the vineyard, mom and dad's sporting children on their shoulders arrived ready to go for a night of fun! The afternoon started with tasting the wine selections of many local wine makers. They all come to represent their brands. Buy a DeVault wine glass at the entry, and use it all day to taste wine (it was like so cheap omg!)!! Love that idea! There were food vendors too...one of which, Stoney Badgers, I can personally vouch for as being completely amazeballs! They brought along several smokers and provided some great, freshly-smoked pulled pork. Nomnomnomnom. There was even a Budweiser truck with taps built right into the side of it!!! I don't even like beer, but holy appropriate word... that's absurd, no?!

Throughout the day, live music could be heard from their on-site stage. Kids got their faces painted, partook in a costume contest on stage, took hayrides, went swimming in the on-site pool, and competed in a pumpkin tossin' contest. The best part of their operation is that the kids are all kept busy so that parents can drink and have a great time. Even more, the activities for the kids end up being so much fun that even the adults end up joining in! What semi-drunk adult doesn't wanna throw pumpkins into the dirt?!!!! Get real! This place is a place for families to get together and cultivate magical memories. I really loved this entire event and everyone that I got to meet there! That little pumpkin throwin' cutie above is my new boyfriend, Carter. We love each other and there's nothing wrong with that ;)

The festival was a big success! Everyone had a blast. The next day, the family showed me a little bit of what living in Virginia is reallllly about!

Since we got the drinkin' out of the way the night before, now all we had to do was ride the Harley's and go shootin'! The full Virginia experience! I'll tell you what though... amazing! These folks really know how to live!

I had the absolute best time in my weekend visit to DeVault Vineyard. I hope any of you who live in the area do yourself the favor of going to visit this amazing family and their incredible estate. The wine is increds too! Try Mr. D's. That's where it's at! You can order it online at their site too, which is linked above. So many thanks to them!

Also, for those of you who may be interested in some coaching, I'm running a training seminar at their vineyard on November 2nd, 2013. I'll be posting a blog with further information on this event in the next few days here. For anyone interested, don't hesitate to email me, at therealmanderstaking@gmail.com or you can contact DeVault Vineyard for more information.

Thanks for reading!

Borgata Poker Open Staking Information

noreply@blogger.com (Amanda Musumeci) — Fri, 30 Aug 2013 03:56:00 +0000

Hi all! It's that time again!

I have my Borgata Open package for sale. This package must be sold and payments must be made BY SEPT. 2ND, 2013(as the events begin on the 3rd). I know that time is tight, and so I'll also be posting this publicly right away to make sure we sell out in time :D

Below is a copy of the schedule that I will be playing. I've really juiced this schedule up, and have included some amazing value(s) for my investors.

As you will note, I've included the opener event, which is the $560 Re-entry 2 Million Guaranteed event. I considered just keeping all the action on this event since the equity is so amazing in it...but I've decided to include this event in the package(good karma!!) Also, on the days where there was a choice in a tough big buyin event or a smaller higher equity event, I've selected the smaller buyin, higher equity event(less the 1k 6max which I've opted to include). To finish off the package, I've even included the postlim events. There are 3 that I've listed here. I don't always play these, and there isn't a 100% guarantee that I end up playing these, but if I do, you will be included in that action!

*** All events are re-entry
*** I've charged for 2 bullets in each event, thus there is a chance for a refund of up to 50% in unused entries.
*** All unused bullets will be refunded at the close of the series
*** Payments can be made in cash, bank of america, wells fargo, or paypal.

1. 9/3- 11am- $560- 2 Million Guaraneed- Day 1a- Re-Entry
2. 9/4- 11am- $560- 2 Million Guaranteed- Day 1b Re-Entry
3. 9/5- 12pm- $400+100- Black Chip Bounty- Re-Entry
4. 9/8- 11am- $560- Deeper Stack NLHE 500k Guaranteed- Day 1a- Re-Entry
5. 9/9- 11am- $560- Deeper Stack NLHE 500k Guaranteed- Day 1b- Re-Entry
6. 9/10- 11am- $400- Deepest Stack NLHE- Re-Entry
7. 9/11- 11am- $300- Deep Stack NLHE 150k Guaranteed- Re-Entry
8. 9/12- 11am- $400- Deep Stack Semi Turbo- Re-Entry
9. 9/13- 11am-$1090- Six Max NLHE 200k Guaranteed- Re-Entry
10. 9/13- 12pm- $400- Big Stack NLHE 100k Guaranteed- Re-Entry
11. 9/14- 12pm- $400- Big Stack NLHE- Re-Entry
12. 9/15- 11am- WPT Main Even Deep Stack 3 Million Guaranteed- Day 1a- Re-Entry
13. 9/16- 11am- WPT Main Even Deep Stack 3 Million Guaranteed- Day 1b- Re-Entry
14. 9/17- 11am- $400- NLHE Re-Entry
15. 9/18- 11am- $300- Big Stack NLHE 100k Guaranteed- Re-Entry
16. 9/19- 11am- $300+$50- Double Green Chip Bounty- Re-Entry

Each 5% share is $1363

PLEASE REMEMBER THAT TRANSACTIONS MUST BE COMPLETE(UNLESS PAYING IN CASH ON LOCATION)BY SEPT 2ND, 2013!

Contact me at TheReaLManderStaking@gmail.com if interested!

Chips And Cheddah!!

noreply@blogger.com (Amanda Musumeci) — Sat, 10 Aug 2013 22:46:00 +0000

Hey friends!

For those who haven't caught up, I'm going to be playing this great charity event at The Borgata on August 18th. It's called, "Put a Bad Beat on Hunger."

This charity event is great because it's played locally and also helps those in need locally. People are still out there who have suffered great loss from Sandy. These folks could really use our help! The event is sponsored by the generous and delicious Cabot Creamery, who will be providing some tasty treats the day of the event! Who doesn't love a lil gourmet cheese?!

Not only will Cabot be hosting the event... they're also running a contest. It's simple, fun, and easy. Best of all, you get a chance to win things!!! What poker player doesn't wanna win things?! Some folks will receive a $75 gift basket from Cabot, and one lucky winner will receive a new I-Pad! And don't worry if you're not the most artistically inclined person out there.... all winners will be randomly selected from those who participated :D We only have a few people who have submitted so far, so get in there people! Too easy! gogogooo

Ok.. so here's the scoop from the Cabot Creamery Coop:

Build a really cool chip castle/structure, take a pic on your phone, and post it on twitter with the hash tag #ChipsAndCheddah

OR

You can also upload the pic at this link to submit your entry directly and find all the details HERE!

The actual charity event will be a $250 buyin with a $30 entry fee, and a $20 charity donation as well. I hope to see many of you local heroes out there to do what we love to do(play cards!) while also helping those in need!

Thanks for the read and continued support! <3 u

Crazy Summer and Lots More Fun to Come!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Amanda Musumeci) — Wed, 31 Jul 2013 01:05:00 +0000

Wow it's been a crazy few months!

I know that a lot of my fellow poker players loathe the idea of being stuck in an expensive desert all summer. This year I was craving not only some distance from the issues at home, but also I couldn't wait to play cards again!!!

In the months leading up to WSOP, I had a lot going on with my family. It was very stressful on me, and required that I take time away from playing so to help tend to the issues at home. The end of Bay101 Shooting Stars(March) marked the last time I'd played cards. It wasn't until WSOP that I was able to find a valid reason to leave home to go do work! I was thankful. I really do love working. I love playing. I love interacting with people. I missed so much of it in my time at home. My days were spent tending to my elderly grandmother in her residence, and handling other issues that seemed to arise each day. Thankfully, her in-home caretaker is amazing and was able to tend to her continued care while I went to Vegas to play. I was sooo ready and amped to play, see my friends again, mix and mingle!

The summer started off ok. I still had a lot of family issues haunting me across phone lines stretching the span of the country. I was still running deep in events, and was able to stay focused. Some days, I'd receive a frantic phone call from a relative back at home, and I still found myself able to play well. Even more importantly, I was able to keep up with thinking positively! Each day at the tables, regardless of what was on my plate elsewhere, I found myself at peace... even happy. I'd reflect upon my own moments of candid laughter with my tablemates... and it gave me a sense of internalized self-pride...to know that I was able to smile, thoroughly enjoy life experiences and the people around me... despite all the noise in my personal on-goings. You know those moments when you pat yourself on the back for handling a situation better than you may have in the past... well, I was thankful to have had an experience that challenged me to grow and I'm thankful that I found it in myself to be a better "me" than I may have ever been before.

I wrapped up the summer with 7 in-the-money finishes, which imo is nothing to sneeze at. It's really tough to get through massive fields often across a spread of only 25-30 events. So I'm really grateful for the runs, even if I didn't quite break even this year. Historically, WSOP has been more than generous to me. They deserved a year off from paying me out heaps ;) But you can bet your bum that you'll see me there again. I'll be back with a vengeance next year!

Towards the end of the summer, I started hanging out with the lovely and amazing Maria Mayrinck(@Maridu). Becoming close friends with Maria was one of the biggest and best things I took away from Vegas this year. I feel so lucky to have met someone with such a big heart, and with so much zeal for life. Her presence was like a drug in my life. That sounds unhealthy lol. Let me try to explain/reword that. Well, with all that had been going on in my personal and family life, I really needed to have some fun. She was the perfect person to help provide that! I always trust and believe that the universe will put things on our path that we need... sometimes tough lessons we need to learn.... and sometimes people that we need to meet. I believe completely that I was meant to meet her and that we were meant to be good friends.

Ok, now for the less mushy stuff lol. We had a blast together!!! We have so many pics that I can't post them all. Over the course of a few weeks, I did more fun stuff than I've probably done all year. And it wasn't even necessarily the places we went.... cause a lot of it was low-key stuff like flea markets and KISS(the band!) minigolf... but the great company really made the experience!

As I was planning my drive back cross country, Maria and I decided to take a few days to hang out in Utah along the way. This was probably the best idea ever! We had a blast. We went climbing, rappelling through water falls, and kayaking in white water. It's true!!! We're tough chicks! We have the scrapes and bruises to prove it lol.

The drive back wasn't too bad. I had a lot to look forward to. My little sister is getting married soon, and her Bridal Shower (which I got to plan, as the Maid of Honor) was on July 27th. It was a lot of fun and turned out beautifully. I was so pleased!

Upon arriving home, a slew of new opportunities opened up for me. Looks like I have a fully booked August! I'm looking forward to continuing in my grind in the upcoming poker season. Is it weird that my poker calendar year begins after WSOP? WSOP is like new years eve in my world. I start fresh with a new plan each year at the close of the WSOP season.

This year is sure to be a great one. I plan on playing a ton. As many of you likely know, I only can plan a few months at a time. Here is what we have to look forward to this month:

I'll be starting off the "New Year" at my hometown casino. I like this setup because my grandmother lives right down the road... so I can easily play the Parx Big Stax series while still spending a lot of time with her. I'll be leaving in the middle of the series to head to Turning Stone in New York. Turning Stone is running a great event, a $1500 buyin(re-entry) 500k guarantee. Not only is this going to be a juicy event, but they're also going to have the TV cameras there! August 9th-12th!! Hopefully I'll see some of your shining faces out there! It's going to be a great one. Also, a huge plus at this venue is that anyone who is 18 years or older is able to play! Come and join me in the festivities

Check Out What Makes This Televised Event Different Than All The Rest HERE
Check Out The Full Schedule HERE

Next, we're off to The Borgata! Yayyyyyyyyy!!! Finally, back to the best place ever! But only for two nights :/ Meh. Well, that's ok. I'm always back there :) So this time around, they're running this really awesome and affordable charity event called, "Put A Bad Beat On Hunger." I think that for all the grinding we do to promote our own financial and self-wellness, we can take one day out of our lives to help promote the wellness of others! Charity really resonates with me, and I hope it does with all of you too. There is also some big incentive here! The folks that are sponsoring this event, The Cabot Creamery Cooperative, are also going to be giving away a FREE SEAT to the upcoming WPT Borgata Open $3500 Main Event(running this September). Please please pleaseee come join me for this one day $250+$30(entry fee)+$20(for charity) turbo event, held on August 18th at 11am! It'll be a party!!!

Check Out The Structure Sheet and More Information on The Sponsor, Cabot Creamery, HERE

Almost immediately after Borgata ends, we're heading south to the Seminole Hard Rock in Hollywood, Florida. Yay! I like Florida, minus the humidity. I miss the days of perfect hair in the dry Las Vegas heat. But I love the mix of cultures that southern Florida has to offer. So get ready for some funny fro-y pics of me eatin Cuban foods yumssss :D The Seminole Hard Rock will be home of the largest guaranteed payout in the world, and outside of the World Series of Poker Main Event and the $1 million buy-in One Drop charity event this prize pool will be about three times more than any live poker event ever hosted in the United States. This is a MUST-PLAY event for any poker enthusiast; A chance to become an instant millionaire! Come and join in this historical $5300 buyin(re-entry), 10 MILLION GUARANTEED event beginning August 22nd!

Check Out The Tournament Schedule and Structure Sheets HERE

Aside from the poker play, I've also been thinking about maayyybe starting up my own podcast/poker show. I'm looking to come at it from a "poker lifestyle" prospective more-so than a strategy type of show. I'd love any input from you readers out there as to what type of poker show you would really love listening to! I need some ideas for a special angle that I can come from that would make my show different from what's already offered out there. Let me know any ideas, suggestions, or comments you may have. Feel free contact me directly HERE.

Thanks for the read and keep posted for all the fun updates from the road!!

From Flush Draws to Family Drama... Part 1- The Glitz

noreply@blogger.com (Amanda Musumeci) — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 19:37:00 +0000

Hi guys n gals.

I know it's been a long time since I've last written. Let's catch up!

The new year has brought with it some amazing opportunities and also a bit of drama.
For the sake of weeding out rants of my personal life, I'll dedicate this blog to mostly the topic of poker and will cover some more personal topics in my next blog(coming soon!).

The goal after WSOP was to grind hard, which as you all probably know, I did for most of the fall season. The fall brought me a victory in Hammond, IN's WSOPC, good for my first WSOP jewelry... and it also brought me a deep run and another shot at 700k+ 1st prize money in the WPT Montreal Main Event.

Early into the new year, I played what is probably my favorite series ever, the Borgata Winter Open WPT. While it was a fun series, it didn't prove as fruitful as I would have liked. Thanks to WPT for making the trip a great one, as I got to do coverage for the live stream of the BWO WPT Main Event final table, alongside Tony Dunst and Jon Little.

I also got the amazing chance to take part, as a guest trainer, in Lee Childs' "Inside the Minds" training course held at the Borgata. This was a great experience for me. I found that I thoroughly enjoy teaching others. I hope to do more in this area as opportunities present themselves. The close of the BWO meant it was time to pack up the home I'd lived in all winter(in AC), and that it was again time to hit the road for my spring schedule. Sadly, along with the move, I had to deal with losing someone I thought was a friend. I'll talk about this in my "Let's Get Personal" blog, coming soon.

(Inside the Minds, BWO 2013)

The spring began with a trip down to Hollywood, FL to play the WPT Hardrock. I used to, and still do kind of dislike the idea of traveling long distances to only play one big event.... but as I was a WPT "Ones to Watch" this year, I did feel a bit more obligation to follow the tour's Main Events. While the tourney there didn't go so well, I did end up having an amazing time in Miami. The weather was beautiful, and the rental home I scored was probably one of the sickest negotiations(deals) I've ever made for a home. I also took a few days to scour the town in search of some hidden pockets of color, and boy did I find it! A great place for any who are into it, Wynwood offered the most amazing street art I've ever seen!

Once Miami finished up, I packed the car again, me and my Boozer(the cat! ...follow him @TheReaLBoozie) trekked out to LA for the LA Poker Classic. The series was mostly comprised of bigger buyin mtts. I played probably 10 events, making the final table of one, a $1,100 turbo. Several familiar faces paved this final table, including one person who you've all likely gotten to know a bit this year, Ryan Eriquezzo.

While tones of "awkward" surfaced in this scenario, it was a surprisingly fun time. Chris Tryba, another circuit grinder, was also there to join us, which helped add to the number of loudmouths at the table :) So, while I only took home 5th place in that event, it was a night of profit and fun antics. Who wouldn't love that?!

While at LAPC, I again got to do some filming with WPT for a new upcoming segment. It's unlike what they've done in the past. I can't really say much about it... so you guys will have to stay tuned in for the new footage. Schedules for the national airing of WPT on tv can be found on their website, WPT.com.

At the close of LAPC, I again packed up my cat and my bags, and made my way north en route to the San Jose area. I took the coastal Route 1(Pacific Coast Highway) up from LA to Santa Cruz. It was an amazing drive. Camera in lap and my foot ready to slam the gas petal at the sign of a great shot. And man-oh-man did I find some amazing ones! Check out my FB for full albums of my photos from the trip!

Once settled in the area, I took a few days for some R & R before heading up to play the SVEN charity event. The SVEN event is a private event in which a few WPT circuit players get to compete against some of Silicon Valley's best and brightest minds. It was interesting to see successful poker players amid successful techies. A room full of poker players who have money, paired with dudes who know how to turn money into more money. What an opportunity, right?! I wonder how many of the poker players capitalized while there.

After some gajillionaire busted me from the event, I made my way back to my rental. Mid-drive home, I enjoyed a moment of intro and retrospect. I recalled my tough childhood, my journey through college, and what has come of my life ever since. Back when I was young(er), I had almost nothing. I dreamed of my hopeful future successes, despite the fact that my dreams were unclear and at the same time sat seemingly out of reach. I never would have thought that a few years later, I'd be sitting in a room with the guys who made Google, Facebook, etc.

I was reminded of the "6 degrees to anyone" concept. For those who don't know, it's a concept that states that each person is only 6 degrees(or personal connections) away from any other given person in the world. For IE- I know my mom, she knows her lawyer, her lawyer knows a lawyer overseas, that lawyer knows the royal family. It means that I'm within 6 degrees(or chain of people) of knowing the royal family. This concept hit home for me when I put it into context of my own life. Those days back way when, I dreamed of my bright future, but never had imagined being so closely linked to such powerful people. Perhaps I was, at that time, 6 degrees from them. My intro and retrospection brought to light the bountiful progress that I've made as the years have passed. I've gone from a place of never ever even dreaming of meeting such people, to being only 1 degree from them. I consider that amazing progress!

It offers me amazing personal perspective, and provides me with a sense of achievement that I may have, in my past, feared unattainable. My goals stretch far beyond just that which is achievable in the poker community... and getting to mix and mingle with these titans of the modern world gave me hope that I'm on the right path to getting to that dreamy place that I wasn't sure really existed.

The following day I had another amazing opportunity, thanks to Mr. Matt Savage (and all those who weighed in on my behalf), to play in the Bay101 Shooting Stars Event as a Shooting Star bounty. Playing with a bounty over your head can definitely put you in some precarious spots. I got into such a spot vs David Williams, who ended up "getting there" on me to bust me on my 1st bullet.

(Photo of All of the Bay101 Shooting Stars- at Bay101 Casino in San Jose, CA- March 2013)

I busted right before dinner break. I had planned on coming back in after dinner break to re-enter. However, on this break, I received a distressed phone call from a relative which ultimately kept me from playing out another bullet in this amazing event.

That bullet, fired in on March 5th, 2013 was the last time I played poker. It's been over a month now. I rushed home after the distressed phone call and have been stuck here ever since. My life has flip-flopped upside-down the past month, and has left me no time for poker. Care to hear about my personal life? Check out my next blog!!

Some Time Off the Grind, and New Opportunities A'Comin! If you've ever wanted to train with me, READ THIS

noreply@blogger.com (Amanda Musumeci) — Sat, 15 Dec 2012 18:39:00 +0000

Hey everyone!

How you doing? Oh yea? That's great(or not great, depending on your response). Me? I'm amazing!

I finally took some time off for myself. This past year has been a majorrr grind. I've played a seemingly endless schedule, and have probably had more trips this year than I have total trips combined for all other years of my career. It was fun, exciting, profitable, and exhausting!

Now, after a year+ on the sicko grind, I've decided to treat myself to a trip. Right now, I'm en route to some great destinations by way of cruise ship. I stop at San Jaun, St. Thomas, Sint Maarten, and the Dominican Republic. I have some amazing excursions planned....

...scuba'ing with sea turtles and in the beautiful reefs in St. Thomas...

...fitting in some tax-free(a poker player's favorite) shopping in St. Thomas...

... a dolphin encounter...

...and a 5hour long ATV/culture tour of the Dominican Republic...

I'm so grateful that I'm able to enjoy such things. I'm so grateful for where I am at in my life, and in my career. All the little pieces are slowly coming together, and my hard work is starting to show the payoff.

Along with all the travel and game play this year, some other great things have happened. More recently, a new opportunity came a'knockin' at my door... an opportunity to give back to the poker community that has so generously given to me as I've learned and grown within the game... an opportunity to train poker players. Not only have I taken on some private instruction with a few players, but now, I have a chance to dip my foot into the live training arena.

Thanks to Mr. Lee Childs, I will be a guest presenter/trainer in his upcoming course at The Borgata. This will be an amazing opportunity, not only for myself but also for those in attendance, to learn from myself, Lee Childs, and one of his staple trainers, Jason Young. I will be a guest presenter for Lee's One-Day Tournament Training Session, which will be held at Borgata Casino, Hotel and Spa in Atlantic City, NJ on January 14, 2013(one day before the start of the BEST series of the year outside of WSOP, the WPT Borgata Winter Open)

Lee Childs is not only one of the most respected tournament professionals in the game, his acclaimed instruction methods and ability to work with players at all levels will help you take your game to the next level. With almost $3,000,000 in live and online tournament winnings and currently playing at the peak of his game, Lee is sure to help you plug some leaks and incorporate new strategies to help you win! Lee's full bio can be found on the Instructors Page.

Next, is Jason Young, a beast at the poker tables and a master of cultivating his image to manipulate his opponents. He is a World Series of Poker Bracelet Winner and has a gift for communicating the intricacies of the game. His insights into raw aggression, paired with disciplined patience, are sure to not only give you more tools in your arsenal, but help you adapt to many types of players that give you trouble at the tables. Jason's full bio can be found on the Instructors Page.

This one-day tournament training session is just in time to prepare you for the Borgata Winter Poker Open. We are holding this session the day before the highly anticipated $1 MILLION Guarantee tournament so that everyone who attends will be refreshed and refocused to take down one of the biggest prizes we have ever seen for a $560 tournament! September's winner Benny Bianco took home over $300,000!

The instructors within Lee's course, Lee included, have paid their dues. We've have spent the time and money, along with countless hours of analysis to constantly improve our games. We are not only successful tournament professionals, we also have the ability to communicate many advanced concepts in simple terms to help you incorporate them into your poker arsenal quickly! Using our proven mix of lecture, illustrations, open discussion and our new & improved approach to real-time hands analysis, the instructors will cut out the fluff and drill right into the core things you need to tweak in your game.

This one-day tournament training sessions will focus on:

    Preparation & Mindset - Getting yourself ready to play & maintain focus and the proper positive mindset while battling on the felt.

    Establishing, Recognizing & Using Your Image - Key concepts for setting the image you want & techniques to exploit that image and your opponents.

    Key Preflop Decision-Making - Plug common leaks and get yourself into more profitable situations.
    Post-Flop Prowess - Core concepts for proper management of pots, minimizing losses & winning more than your fair share of pots.

    Situational Awareness - Tying everything together to play a much less card-dependent game by recognizing and exploiting more situations. Remove being 'card-dead' from your vocabulary and how you can take better control of your tournament destiny.

***Register by Dec 21, 2012 to be eligible to win a seat and completely free-roll Borgata's $560 buy-in $1 MILLION Guarantee on January 15th. You must submit your payment(make submit payment a link to by December 21, 2012 to be eligible to win!

For session details, please visit the Events Page.

If you have any questions, please contact Inside the Minds at info@inside-the-minds.com or contact Kelly at (703) 544-9120, kelly@inside-the-minds.com, or @ITMKelly.

We hope to see you there!

info@inside-the-minds.com

Twitter: @InsideTheMinds

Date: Monday, January 14, 2013 - 10am - 6pm

Host: Borgata Hotel, Casino & Spa

Cost: $500

Thanks For Before... but Now I Need You Guys Again!!! Help!

noreply@blogger.com (Amanda Musumeci) — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 04:02:00 +0000

Aside from actual poker play, I've had some other pretty awesome stuff happen for my career this month. I did what I've heard is one of my best and most intimate interviews this month. For those who may be interested who missed it:

Click HERE to listen to The Chirp Herm Show Ft. Host Mark Dipthrong Herm and Guest Amanda 'TheRealMander' Musumeci.

I've recently come to find that I've been officially invited to be a Shooting Star in the Bay101 Shooting Star Pro Bounty Event. This event looks like a ton of fun each year. For me to be put into such an elite group that comprise this Shooting Star roster is a huge honor. A big thanks to Matt Savage of WPT and also all my friends and supporters that showed support to get me voted in! The event will be held in early March, 2013. Can't wait to tear it up in San Jose!!

Just last night I also found out that I've had a few amazing nominations for achievement awards within the poker community. I need my friends, family, fans, followers, and whoever else to help me out! I've worked really hard this year and would love to even pull a better finish in than last year. I'd be ok with not winning in either catagory..just would love to see an improved stat compared to last years. Last year, I got 9.1% of the votes for Favorite Female over all 5 female nominees. Obviously my stats and achievements have changed over the course of this past year, and I'm so curious to see how that affects polls such as these.

Pretttty please take a sec to vote for me at these two voting polls:

1) Bluff Magazine Reader's Choice Awards- I have been nominated for "Breakout Performer of The Year," and also for "Favorite Female Player." You can only vote once, so use it wisely ;)
To Vote in the 2013 Bluff Magazine Reader's Choice Awards, click HERE and then click on 'VOTE NOW'!

2) On Tilt Radio's Tilty Awards- I have been nominated for "Best Female Player!"
To Vote in the 2012 Tilty Awards, click HERE and then click on 'The Poker Nominees'

I'm just so beyond grateful for all that I have achieved in my career, and it means so much to me that the poker community notices! Honored, and hopeful for all great things to come. Thanks so much to everyone who votes for me!!!

Whewww! That Was a Jam-Packed November!!! Tales from the road...

noreply@blogger.com (Amanda Musumeci) — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 03:11:00 +0000

Well, we're coming to the close of another month. It's been an insane one for sure. I'm tellin you... these weeks, months, and years grinding away at poker all seem to flyyy by.

A lot of cool stuff happened this month. I started off with my trip to Jacksonville, Florida to play the WPT Jacksonville Main Event. It seems like the deck and I were at war throughout this tourney. Despite the cards not going my way, I still really enjoyed sitting at one of the toughest tables I've had this year...

Seat 1: Tony Dunst Seat 2: Me Seat 3: Matt Stout Seat 4: Jonathan Little Seat 5: Chad Batista Seat 7: Todd Terry Seat 8: Nick Grippo

Despite being entertaining, it wasn't a fruitful trip. And so I headed back to Atlantic City to play in the Borgata Fall Open. The deck continued to slam me there. I ran up a very healthy stack in the 1k 6max event there, getting it up to about 100k at 800/1600. It was around then that I got into a massive pot when I got in KK vs JJ in a 3bet pot on a 572dd flop. He rivered the jack to bust me from the event.

After the close of Borgata Fall Open, I finally got a few days off to spend with my family for Thanksgiving! We had an amazing home-cooked meal, and our annual Gingerbread House Contest among myself and my sisters. Here are the cute houses we came up with this year!! My sisters' house ended up beating us. The winning house is the one with the cute ice skating rink out front!

That very evening, as soon as I could get the icing rinsed off of my hands, I was out on the road again, this time heading to Montreal for the WPT Montreal Main Event. I left my family's home at 6pm for the 8.5hr drive. After a long haul, I finally saw my way though the US-Candian border.

For the past few years, I have these occasional moments... when I'm laying in bed...when I'm driving the car from stop to stop... where I become deeply introspective/retrospective about my life to this point. It's a moment where all the things I feel blessed for culminate into one strong emotional punch and I just randomly burst into tears in complete and utter thankfulness. It's overwhelming. My heart skips. I lose my breath. It's euphoric. It's absurd. Moments like these bring me to a place where I am just so grateful for the ways of the universe that have led me down my path, and have molded me into the person I am today. Can't wait for all that is to come! Ok end rant.

Pulling into Montreal, I could tell this would be a city that had a vibe I'd love. I had one of these moments as I came into town, feeling a sense of overwhelming thanks for having the life that I have. Such a beautiful city but not so far from home that you feel out-of-touch or out-of-place necessarily. Such a unique experience!

We even got some snow while up there...

The casino in Montreal where they held the WPT event was called Playground Poker Club. It was a really nice establishment. Great food, comfy setting, and amazing staff!

As you guys n gals may have read or seen, I did run deep in the Main Event in Montreal. First place winner received a massive $750,000! I ran pretty absurd this tournament, with a ton of ups and downs, and a lot of grinding a shortstack and waiting for good spots. I ran up a stack...

....but ended up busting in 14th place for 25k when I lost ak vs t5s for a stack good for 2nd in chips with 14 players left. I'm still happy as always to have made a great run, and to have had a chance to play for such serious money! And of course, always happy to have a 5-figure score to add to the resume!

Dusting off From Hurricane Sandy, and Back to Lookin for Trouble ;)

noreply@blogger.com (Amanda Musumeci) — Tue, 06 Nov 2012 04:16:00 +0000

Welp, we made it through the hurricane. Thankfully our house made it without sustaining any damage, but many others weren't nearly as lucky. Here are a few pics that I found of our neighborhood getting slammed!

Also thankful I'm sure are many of the casinos which made it through this storm. Borgata(my favie!) is up and running, and getting things back on track there. Below I've highlighted an important update for my readers, direct from Borgata Management. Aside from that, just prepping and am totally ready for some warmer weather in Jacksonville, FL for WPT Jacksonville. I fly out on Thursday to play the $3,300 Main Event there.Once I'm done playing that event, I'll be zipping back up to Borgata for the Open.

I'll keep you guys posted on how it plays out....

For those who may be interested, I've posted some new action/shares that are for sale for my next upcoming series, the WPT Montreal Main Event. The event takes place Nov. 23rd- Nov 27th, 2012. If interested in buying action, please go to the staking tab at the top of the page.

MESSAGE FROM BORGATA MANAGEMENT:

Due to the inclement weather, the 2nd annual Borgata Fall Poker Open tournament series will commence on Thursday, November 8.

Event 1: $500 + $60 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry) will take place as follows:

Day 1A: Thursday, November 8 - 11AM
Day 1B: Friday, November 9 - 11AM
Day 2: Saturday, November 10 - 12PM|
$500,000 Guaranteed Prize Pool

The following two (2)
events have been cancelled to accommodate the tournament series date change:

Event 22: Wednesday, November 7 at 7PM ($100 + $20 + $100 Black Chip Bounty NLH)
Event 2: Friday, November 9 at 11AM ($350 + $50 + $100 Black Chip Bounty NLH)

Hurricane Hitting our House!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Amanda Musumeci) — Sun, 28 Oct 2012 02:02:00 +0000

Well, as it turns out, the house I rented for the winter down in the Atlantic City area is smack in the middle of where this upcoming hurricane is supposed to hit.

We went out on an evening drive around the hood to check out what was going on as far as storm-prep around here.

The neighborhood is on lock down... stores closing down for the next several days, school has already been canceled around here and we have every warning in the book; flood, wind, hurricane warnings etc.

I have been doing some research, and I found this a bit suspicious... but judge for yourselves...

Maybe it'll be another one of these?

I stocked up on water, food, candles, etc. Will evacuate if at any point I actually need to. Keep you guys posted on if we are alive over here.

The Voice in My Head Leads to a Ring on My Finger!!! OMG WEEEEEE!

noreply@blogger.com (Amanda Musumeci) — Thu, 25 Oct 2012 23:54:00 +0000

Well, as you all may have read in my previous entry, I had a ton of drama this past month. I had a planned trip to WPT South Africa that got canceled at the absolute last minute, which led to my ending up at the Hammond WSOP Circuit Series. Read about all the drama in my previous post, "Didn't See Lions. But LOOK .. it's a RANTelope!!"

It was an insane experience deal with all that craziness with Mr Lentin of ShuffleUpPoker.com. After that roller coaster ride, and after some motivation from those closest to me... I decided to, last-minute, trek out to Hammond(right outside of Chicago) for the circuit series.

My roomie said to me, "Dude, fuck that dude Gary. Go out and win a ring in Hammond and turn this into a dream story!" That instantly struck a note with me and I found the motivation and desire to find my way to a victory. With little to no sleep, a car packed with summer clothes intended for South African temperatures, and a head-cold, I headed out to 'The Windy City,' Robitussin-stocked, with a dream of shipping a ring with uncanny timing ;)

I had missed more than half the schedule for the Hammond series, and drove 13 hours with the intention of playing 5 tournaments(not the best odds of doing well given circumstances and amount of tourneys for my schedule).

I played 2 bullets in the re-entry Main Event there... nothing big happened there. I was feeling so sick and exhausted by putting myself through this trip last-minute with a cold.... that I almost left that night after busting the Main for the final time. Again, those closest to me convinced me to stay and play the post-lim events to strive to get that ring!

I ended up playing the post-lim event that following day. It was event #11, a $580 NLHE event, which brought in 250 runners(a considerably good turnout for a postlim). I went on some sick runs in this tourney... ran well and played great. Got pretty unlucky at the end of day1 when I induced a spaz to try to punt a gajillion chips to me with TT vs my AA but he flopped a set to cripple my stack. Luckily I ran it back up a quite a bit before the end of the day, and came into day2 as 4th in chips with 13 players left.

I didn't have to do much but wait for some players to bust, playing mostly patient poker. Once we were short-handed, I pumped up the aggression and put pressure on all the more passive, shorter-stacked players at the table. I had chipped up a bunch by stealing pots, and the more passive players were beginning to dwindle. Eventually I got into flip situations with a bunch of the short-stacks, of which I won most of :)
Craziest part is that I got heads-up with another female player. Once heads-up, I held about a 2:1 chip lead. Heads-up play lasted all of about 10 hands, all of which I won(pretty certain). The final hand, she raises her button, I 3bet with AKo, and she shoves with 66. We bink the king on the turn and hold up to ship my very first piece of WSOP jewelry!!!!!

YAYYYYY!!!!!!!

So fckn happy about this! As my one year anniversary of grinding with the WSOP Circuit approaches this December, I finally ship a ring.. just in time! Been working hard and fading it for a year.... and now to do it after the South Africa thing, and right before my 1-year anniversary with WSOPC.... just amazing! Couldn't be happier... at all!

Not only did the win bring me a ring, but it also gave me some much needed points on the WSOPC leaderboard. This is the leaderboard that I must compete on in order to try to win a seat back into the WSOP National Championship for 2013. Hopefully I can keep running those up as the year goes on. Keep posted!!!

Also, a HUGEEEEEEE thanks to everybody, friends, family, and followers for all the support and amazing messages! I'm so thankful that I have all you guys n gals behind me routing me on! It means the world to me... and you guys are the best!!!

<3 Much love<3

Didn't See Lions. But LOOK .. it's a RANTelope!!

noreply@blogger.com (Amanda Musumeci) — Fri, 19 Oct 2012 16:32:00 +0000

PLEASE READ!! (ESP IF YOU'VE EVER HEARD OF GARY LENTIN)

***Guys n Gals... before you read the story below, I'd like to take a moment to reflect on this community that we love so much. Now, while "we" love the poker community, much of the world views poker as gambling, and most of the world doesn't agree with "gambling." We are a minority in a global sense. But hey, we love the game!

As lovers of the game, we must be aware of the image that the poker industry puts forth to the rest of the world. The world thinks that our community is over-ridden with ethical issues, bad financial management, and addiction/mental health problems. The story I am about to tell luckily will remain isolated from the mainstream(IE you won't be seeing a story on this blog on CNN ;)). It really is only for the eyes of those concerned... that being the poker community.

I feel that the man mentioned in this blog is a threat to a major leg to the poker community... The WPT brand. If something bad were to be associated with the brand or something really shady went down... it would not only hurt WPT but the entire poker community. Luckily this issue I had with Gary Lentin is manageable and fixable before more damage is done. I'd feel awful if I never told people about this and heard down the line that more corruption was occurring. But if something bigger or worse were to occur as this man continues to work his way into the poker community... I honestly fear of what may happen. Gary Lentin has shown me his true colors.. and I feel unsafe like I may be inviting a burglar into my own home. After reading this blog, I hope you guys understand why I feel like I must protect my home... the poker community.

Please, if anyone else has had another experience with Gary or knows more about him than I do, post below in the comment area. Don't be scared to have a voice(and if you are just leave an anonymous comment ;))!

The days, weeks and months leading up to my South Africa trip have been unreal. I've had a lot of foot work to do in order to make this trip happen, and thankfully I can say that it isn't due to a lack of planning on my part that resulted in this last-minute fall through.

As you all may have read over the past few weeks, I've been looking forward to this amazing experience. I'm extremely disappointed that I'm not going. It wasn't until the morning of my expected departure to South Africa that I found out I wouldn't be attending.

I ran into an issue with a man that I was dealing with on the South African end, named Gary Lentin. You may have heard me make mention of Gary and his website, ShuffleUpPoker.com, in my previous blogs leading up to my expected trip to South Africa. Gary Lentin recently became affiliated with WPT, as far as I understand.

Gary Lentin contacted me in early August of 2012 and expressed interest in flying me out to South Africa for the upcoming WPT events there. It was at this time that we began negotiations, as he wanted to use my image/brand to help promote the new poker series out there. Within two weeks of back and forth, we fell into an agreement.

Now, before I continue, I should tell you that during the time that I was in negotiation with Gary Lentin, I was informed of some shady issues between Mr. Lentin and another player. There was a major issue several years ago with paying someone owed money on a business transaction. Naturally, this made me a bit leery. But, as Mr. Lentin was an affiliate of the WPT, I felt I had a certain amount of security in knowing that this man was safe to deal with.

To ensure our deal was set in stone, and to protect my own neck, I requested that Mr. Lentin sign a contract to cement our deal. This is when things began to get weird. Gary responded to me that he could not work in "legal contracts." This seemed odd to me for someone who was literally "contracting" pro players to come play the events. Given the previous story I had heard of this man, now more than ever I was fearful like the deal may fall through. I was quite adamant about not proceeding without a contract.

Over the course of many emails, and about a month's time, Gary and I had gotten almost nowhere in terms of getting an actual contract signed. The dates were fast approaching for the upcoming event series, as we were now well into September. I knew that promotional content needed to be released soon, and that I felt like I was in a tight spot to provide content as part of my contractual duties... but WITHOUT an actual signed contract in-hand. Not a great scenario, right? yeh. To add to it, I found that Emperor's Palace, the casino that is hosting the series, was tweeting about my attendance, and therefore under the impression that I was 100% coming there. I knew that this meant that Gary had proceeded in promotions before our contract was even signed! Yikes!

Again, I fell back on my trust and knowledge that this man would pull through due to his industry ties and his constant reassurance. Gary made it clear to me that it was his opinion that a contract wasn't necessary. He would go on to say, "why would I screw over a player? My reputation is on the line." As he said such things to me, I couldn't help but be reminded of Gary's past, and decided that in my own best interest, I must proceed with caution, even still.

Eventually Gary and I agreed on this: we'd sign a copy of the contract and fax/email it to one another. Gary also agreed to send me confirmations for all my booking receipts.. flight, hotels, etc for my stay there. I was quite happy with this arrangement. Since we finally agreed on how we were going to proceed, and since the dates were fast approaching, I, in good faith, began to provide promotional content for the series.

Again I wait for weeks to receive the receipts and the signed contract, but to no avail. As early October rolled around, I was becoming increasingly concerned. I was really beginning to fear the worst... when finally Gary responded to me and said that I could expect the contract the following day. That day came and went. Obviously I did the best I could to contact this man and make this happen, but thus again, it was a fruitless venture.

On October 11th, just two days before my expected departure to Cape Town with Melanie Weisner, things came to a head between Mr. Lentin and myself. I boldly stated, as I so often do, that I must have all receipts and the signed contract before I took off for South Africa. I was not the only player who was still waiting for booking receipts. I'd already made the decision in my mind... that if I did not receive the booking receipts, i would not be attending and putting my Mander"butt" on the line to fly half way around the world, to Africa, alone.

I obviously pursued Mr. Lentin for such content up until the absolute last minute. When I'd inquire about it, he could only tell me of how busy he was, and how he didn't have time for this, and how he won't answer to me or anybody, and how this wasn't about me, it was about poker! About 4 hours before my flight, Gary notified me that he would not be providing a contract, nor could he guarantee me the hotel room he had once agreed to, or any other receipts for other things specified within our contract. Ummmmm, what?! ok. awesome. I got owned.

I was so sad that this deal fell through. Despite my dismay with the situation, I, as per the usual, have lifted myself up and dusted off. The very day that I was scheduled to fly out(which was the same day I found out that I wasn't going), I decided that since my car was already packed with all my luggage, I may as well hit the road out to Hammond, Indiana(ChiTown area) for the WSOP circuit stop there. I figured it'd be a pretty cool story if I binked off Hammond's Main Event after all this drama... and so I'm here to give it a shot!!!

I would like to say in WPT's defense, that despite Gary being an affiliate of theirs, that they had absolutely nothing to do with the deal between Mr. Lentin and myself. WPT was perfectly clear on that with me, and I appreciate their being frank in the matter. Their brand is an amazing one, and their ethics aren't the ones to be in question here. The only person who's ethic deserve investigation are those of Gary Lentin of ShuffleUpPoker.com. I have brought the matter to the desk of WPT, and I do hope that they choose to look into the matter. I'm sure that most of us would agree that a man like this doesn't belong with a brand like that!

You guys can be the judge.

End rant/

Now.... LET'S SHIP HAMMOND!!!!!!

Looking Forward to an African Safari Experience!!

noreply@blogger.com (Amanda Musumeci) — Sat, 13 Oct 2012 01:40:00 +0000

My itinerary for South Africa is starting to come together! I'm psyched for Cape Town, and the chance to play some WPT events while in the area... but the thing I'm looking forward to the most is the once in a lifetime opportunity to go on an African safari!

I'll be staying at an amazing lodge in South Africa for the duration of my safari trip there. Here are a few pics of how to live luxxx while on safari. For those of you who are like "whoa... she is actually coughing up the money to stay somewhere luxxx..." don't be fooled. A big thanks to Gary at ShuffleUpPoker.com for providing us with this amazing trip package!

The lodge and the park surrounding it have a ton of authentic experiences to take in while I'm there. Some of the cool activities I'll get to do while I'm there...

... game drives...

... ride an elephant...

... go on a hot air balloon safari...

... or get in on an African drum circle at an evening bonfire.

It feels so amazing to know that I set out to achieve something in poker, and that now I get to enjoy things that I've only ever dreamed of. It's so surreal that I get to enjoy things that, for my entire life (up until recently), I felt were unattainable. Getting the opportunity to enjoy such experiences reminds me of what a lucky gal I've been, and how my hard work wasn't being done in vain. I'm feeling grateful, more accomplished and confident than ever. It's truly an amazing era of my life.
I'll post my own pics in a few weeks once I get there!! Yay!

Cape Town with Melanie Weisner for some R&R pre-WPT

noreply@blogger.com (Amanda Musumeci) — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 20:38:00 +0000

The more we have discussed this trip, the more excited we become. Thanks to our mutual friend, Ronit Chamani, we've both been made aware of how cool of a trip we could make out of this WPT stop to Emperor's Palace in South Africa. Ronit has a lot of experience with South Africa and has given us the scoop on what we can expect there. She's been super helpful in filling us in on all the cool activities, sights, tastes, and memorable experiences that we can look forward to in South Africa.

We haven't 100% confirmed all of the fun things we are going to do, but here are a few things that I found that seem like amazing experiences in Cape Town that I would love to do. I my research, I've come to find that Cape Town is actually atop many top 10 lists of Best Places to Visit. Maybe we will go to the African Dance Theater and try to pick up on some new moves....

....maybe a run-in with the occasional penguin....

....maybe an amazing day time adventure.....

....most likely taking some amazing photos along the way....

I'll def post my own pics once I take a few.
Keep posted!

Weeeeee!! ...Running Good Again: Passport FOUND!!

noreply@blogger.com (Amanda Musumeci) — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 03:09:00 +0000

Soooooo relieved. After all the stressing and absurdities, the passport has been located... with birth certificate!!! Thanks to Mom n Step-pops for the scour back at home, as it was sitting on my desk under some mail.

Looks like I'm still on for South Africa!! Lesson learned though... keeping birth certificate at home from now on as my back-up for last-minute passport needs.

South Africa WPT Trip DERAILED?!?!?! FMLLLL!

noreply@blogger.com (Amanda Musumeci) — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 00:45:00 +0000

OMGGGG FMLLLL!!!! So, I'm supposed to be heading to South Africa this upcoming weekend. Today was supposed to be a laundry/pack/organize details day. As such, I have to book my flight out, and remembered about that little "you need to know where your passport is" detail. I CANNOT FIND MINE!!!!!! How have I waited till this last minute to locate my passport?! I'm an idiot :(

I travel around so much, and I always bring my passport with me just in case I lose my I.D. I've scoured my entire house. My darling mother has scoured my room at her house... and to no avail.
Maybe I left it somewhere?! Maybe it got thrown out somehow?!

As I sat stagnant at my dining room table trying to recollect where I may have put it/left it/lost it, my roomie makes a suggestion that may be one that you all out there are thinking to yourselves currently... just order one online with the fast overnight shipping. She mentions this to me and I feel immediate relief... because that is a scenario I can handle.

So I do about an hour of research, fill out several forms for lost/stolen passports, a renewal form, payment forms, etc etc. I come to the end of the filing process, and am asked to produce a copy of my birth certificate. Easy, right? Yea, not for me. Couldn't possibly be running any worse right now... my birth certificate was shoved into the sleeve of my passport cover. So yea.... don't have my birth certificate cause I'm that idiot who puts all her vital documents in the same place.

Have been doing a bit more research now about how to quickly get your birth certificate. Thanks to my mom for birthing me in the state with one of the longest wait times to receive such documentation, it will take 10-15 days to receive a birth certificate.... which means I miss WPT South Africa :(

I'm pretty much just sitting here in remorse currently at the loss of this amazing trip, feeling pretty dismal and out of options.

Updates to come....

My Next Poker Trip Announced! WPT South Africa

noreply@blogger.com (Amanda Musumeci) — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 20:49:00 +0000

I'm psyched to let you guys know that my next poker trip will likely be one of the most amazing trips I've ever taken. This year's latest WPT schedule brought about a new addition with the stop at Emperor's Palace, in Johannesburg, South Africa, which will be running from October 19th through October 26th, 2012. This is one of those stops where I'll have the rare opportunity to actually make a vacation out of a poker trip. BONUS!!

For those of you who have followed me this past year and a half on my live poker grind, you know that I've had to grind in some not-so-amazing locations. I go to places in the middle of nowhere sometimes to play poker simply because that is where I feel I find the best value. In the middle of nowhere, you get to play against more recreational home-game type players, and less pros tend to travel to such locations.

This time, I have a chance to travel somewhere AMAZING and still get that amazing value. Given that this is the first year the tournament is being run there, I'd expect that there will be fields more densely composed with recreational players and locals. While I do know of a few name pros that are heading out there with me for this adventure, I know this is going to be a great value stop. A few of the other players heading out there will be Chris Moneymaker, Joe Cada, and Melanie Weisner.

Emperor's Palace is in Johannesburg, South Africa. The casino has a few different options for rooming. I'll be doin' it big for this one in the 5-star hotel there... I think I deserve to splurge and indulge once in awhile!!! The hotels offered at Emperor's Palace look pretty amazing. Is it good that I'm kinda looking forward to my days off the felts on this stop?! The casino has a "Venetian" kind of vibe... and the spa looks like a place I could make an evening of.

My days on the felts shouldn't be as trying as many stops I play, since I know I'll get to enjoy my days off so much! The painful aspects of grinding live poker don't seem so bad when you're in such a cool place. The schedule isn't as grueling as a lot of the series you'll typically see me playing. Play for WPT Emperor's Palace will include 8 days of play, with a events ranging from $550 to the $3500 Re-entry WPT Main Event. Check out this banner that I found.. I posted it below. It'll give you guys some more info if you're thinking you may want to come out there n join in the festivities!

My Journey - Part I... How I Got My Start in Poker

noreply@blogger.com (Kim Shannon) — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 06:13:00 +0000

As I hope you read in my 'About Me' section, I was attending Kutztown University in Pennsylvania when I picked up poker online. What began as a small deposit soon turned into a 5k bankroll within my first month. That was a ton of money to me(and still is) at a time when I was working as a waitress while maintaining full-time status at the University. Without much hesitancy, I left my waitressing job and continued play online.

It wasn't long before I lost my half of my bankroll, most likely playing like a fish and getting hit with the not-so-friendly side of variance. Luckily, I have been doing my research that month. I scoured the internet to learn more about how to improve my game, began reading the forums, etc. I wanted to network with good online pros so that I could get some guidance on how to improve my game. I got lucky when I stumbled upon Matt Stout, aka Allinat420 (online moniker). Matt lived in Atlantic City at the time... a place I'd only been to perhaps 3 times in my life at that point (now I practically live here!). I trekked 3 hours there and back each Sunday to watch and play among some really amazing players, Matt included. I learned a lot and took my once completely naive poker logic to the next level. I didn't push too hard too fast. I played with a few new rules each week once I was comfortable and adjusted to the ones I had implemented the week before. My game immediately improved, and within a month of training with these guys, I'd gone on a 20k upswing. I watched a lot of sicko online pro's hand histories, which I obtained as a result of my previous networking attempts.

Even after I went on my upswing, I still remained dilligent in using good bankroll management. I still do to this day and I think it's a huge part of the battle in prolonging and preserving your future wellness in poker. If anything, I underspent on buyins for a long time.

Eventually my networking led me into an elite online circle. I got backing from Dipthrong aka Mark Herm and DJK123 aka Dan Kelly, two highly regarded online players. Being able to socialize and learn from not only my backers, but their whole stable of sicko horses and friends.. it was like a plethora of poker knowledge at my finger tips each and every day. It was at this time in my career that my stats and consistency really took off in the online tournament world.

As my online career began to really take off, the idea of marketability began to come more into question. There were not many females crushing online at the time, and I was one of the top ranked online women out there for tournament poker. I wanted to capitalize on my poker abilities in any way possible. Public relations was one of my focuses in college, and so this type of consideration seemed to be right up my alley. I will say that it was tough to get noticed for my online achievements(which was around 800k in earnings) because most mainstream poker media focuses on the achievements of poker players in the live arena. Poker celebrities are bred from televised poker tournaments. This definately worked against me. At the time of my eventualy sponsorship, I had not one single live cash to my name.

Within 3 years of learning, networking, and grinding online, I was fortunate enough to come upon a sponsorship with a smaller poker site in 2010. The sponsorship was short-lived. As the unfortunate Black Friday fell upon us, so did the renewel of my contract. Obviously, as an American, my brandability for online poker more-or-less dropped to nil when online poker shut down in the U.S. It was a major hit to me, my bankroll, and the prospects of my career. It was a scary time.

My Journey... Part II - The Online Blackout & My 1st Year of the Live Poker Grind (2011 - 2012)

noreply@blogger.com (Kim Shannon) — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 04:52:00 +0000

Harrahs AC WSOP Circuit Grind, Dec 2011

The online blackout was only a month before the upcoming WSOP. I was extremely fortunate when I played a freerolled 10k at the WPT Hollywood Poker Open in 2011 and (sadly) bubbled the final table, but still cashed for the needed 22k. This cash paid my way to WSOP that summer. I needed WSOP 2011 to be a good one, otherwise I didn't know what I would do. Would I have to move abroad to play online poker like my friends were considering? Was that really worth it? Could I deal with being so far away from that which was most familiar to me? My hopes were to have a good WSOP, and to continue playing live poker tournaments within the U.S.

WSOP 2011 Deep Run in Main Event

Again I found myself running good. Of the 11 tournaments I played in the 2011 WSOP, I cashed in 4 events, the most notable of which, The WSOP Main Event, which I busted out in 62nd place. My winnings for the summer brought me in about 140k! I sadly bubbled the last woman standing award in that year's WSOP Main Event, as Erica Moutinho took that title down instead(props to her!). Achieving last woman standing status was a big goal of mine in those moments... how cool it would be have your name written into poker history?! I narrowly missed the opportunity that time. Regardless, I couldn't have been happier with my results for the summer! Not only with having this big bankroll booster, but also in that I was receiving a lot of great coverage on ESPN and other poker media websites.

WSOP 2011 Main Event Deep Run

This massive bankroll boost opened up a whole new world of opportunity for me. I could now live out my ideal of grinding live tournaments. I'll admit that pre-WSOP, I questioned if I could make it in the live setting. I was extremely scared of it, timid, and unaccustomed to being away from my computer screen for so many hours in a row(separation anxiety). Doing well in the 2011 WSOP brought my confidence to an all-time high! I felt a little relief finally... that maybe I could make it doing this live poker thing after all.

Final Table of 1k Event at WSOP Circuit in St Louis

The year that followed, leading up to this past WSOP(2012), was a wild one for sure. I had(and still have) a sick grandmother back in Pennsylvania to get back to. But before I headed back east, I stopped off in Reno to play the 1st ever WPT Reional: Western Poker Challenge. I ended up taking 6th place in the $2400 Main Event there. This further convinced me that maybe I was really meant ot be a live grinder all along. Maybe Black Friday had been a major catch 22 for me?! Following my 6th place finish in Reno, I drove(as I always do) back to the east coast, with my kitty cat, Boozer, in my lap for the entire 4 day drive.

A rare "Cat Off My Lap" Moment

I set up temporary camp back east, and was in and out of normal family life throughout the fall as I fit in some grind time. The grind paid off!! I went to Borgata Fall Open(2011), and in the 2nd event there, I end up winning! It was insane. I mean... at this point I'm just praying I'm not a total fuckin fluke because this is just absurd at this point, right?! Despite the win bringing in only a fraction of the amount as my WSOP Main score, and way less media attention... it was still such a major achievement for me. I felt like I was really solidifying my place in this new arena. It was the best feeling ever to achieve what you dream of.

First live tourney win at Borgata fall open 2011

After the holidays, I picked up with the World Series of Poker Circuit Tour. This tour had me away from home practically the rest of 2012 leading up to the WSOP in Vegas. Of the 6 stops I made on the circuit tour, I was lucky enough to have made final tables at 4 of them. I wasn't fortunate in the area of obtaining any WSOP jewelry, which on the Circuit Tour, is a WSOP ring.

WINNING! ZINNG!

These 4 final table appearances leading up to the 2012 WSOP wouldn't be my last close call with some of that elusive WSOP jewelry.....

Summer of 2012 - The Whirlwind Continues

noreply@blogger.com (Kim Shannon) — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 00:15:00 +0000

WSOP - Summer, 2012

This summer was an amazing one. For those of you who missed it, I was fortunate enough to get myself to two final tables at this summer's World Series of Poker in Las Vegas. These were my only two cashes of the summer, however, they were both incredible experiences that were challenging, lucrative, and most of all, confidence boosting to a whole new dimension.

Coming off of what I considered an amazing first full year of live poker, I was extremely excited to get out to Vegas for WSOP. It's the series that all professionals and amateurs alike look forward to each year. I had really high hopes. I was fortunate to gain enough points in my few months playing the WSOP Circuit Tour that I qualified for free into the WSOP National Championship 10k. I made arrangements in a nice and comfortable rental home for the summer with a few friends and my then boyfriend, Ryan Eriquezzo(we will delve into the story of Ryan in my next post). I again made my way across the country in my, at this point, beat up SUV, cat in lap, and packed to the brim.

As my check engine light seemed to harass me endlessly, I made my trek from east to west for the umpteenth time to find myself in Las Vegas a week later. I got settled into the rental home, did my standard mass food shopping run to stock up, and took a few quiet nights to prep for WSOP.

While the first few WSOP events didn't bring any deep runs for me, I did come upon a big opportunity a few weeks in as Event #9 played down in the 2012 WSOP. This event was unique to the WSOP, as it was a new structure, which allowed players to re-enter one time if they busted on the first day. Due to the re-entry structure, the field inflated to over 3,400 entries! It was one of the largest recorded fields outside of the WSOP Main Event recorded in the history of the series.

A few days into this event... and BANG!!! ... I find myself at the final table playing for nearly 800k to 1st! This time was a rocky time in my relationship with Ryan. I came into the final table in a pretty sad mood due to some issues we were having(to be discussed later), but was quickly able to bring myself back to reality and remind myself how truly lucky I was to have the opportunity that I had in front of me. I was sitting among some really tough opponents at this final table. Some of the names you all may recognize who made it to this final table with me were names such as Greg Mueller, Brian Rast, and the eventual winner of the event, Ashkan Razavi. I knew I had to focus, play my best, and get a little lucky to get through these tough opponents.

WSOP- Summer 2012

Lucky I got.. again. One of the first hands I pick up on the final table turns into a massive pot that would propel me to the chip lead where I got in a pair of Aces vs AceKing preflop. This chip lead helps me sustain a stack while the other players began to bust out around me. The eventual and short-lived heads-up match began with me as a major underdog, as my opponent, Ashkan, had a 6:1 chip lead on me. Heads-up play may have lasted 30 minutes at most before my chip deficit and being on the better-end of a coin flip found Ashkan as the winner of that shiny new WSOP Bracelet. Again I fade that WSOP jewelry!! ARGHH!! My consolation prize was 2nd place money, which was nothing to sneeze at. My efforts and ability to stay focused(and my luck in running good) led me to my largest payday to date, or $481,600.

WSOP- Summer 2012

This was by far my biggest lifetime achievement, both in and out of poker. I kept myself focused since this was, after all, only event #9 of a series that goes nearly 60 events deep. It was a quiet remainder of the series, as I went on to cash in exactly zero events after that run. It wasn't until my 2nd to last event that I made another run at the gold. This was the WSOP National Championship event that I had won the freeroll into. This was a pretty insane experience, as my boyfriend Ryan and I found ourselves going through some really tough issues in our relationship. Ryan had also won a free seat into this event along our journeys together throughout the previous year of grinding the WSOP Circuit Tour.

I was in for a little life variance, as Ryan and I found ourselves face-to-face, both having made it through the field to a final table. The bad luck comes in when you factor in that Ryan and I had some MAJOR personal issues going on(that I made rather public; to be discussed in next blog). Normally it would be an amazing experience to final table an event with your significant other. The circumstances have even broader implications, as the WSOP National Championship was one of only two WSOP events that gets filmed and broadcasted nationwide on ESPN. The whole world was going to have to watch this personal and tense moment in my life...

To read more about the incidents leading up to and surrounding the time of the National Championship, read on into my next blog.

Drama At The National Championship

noreply@blogger.com (Kim Shannon) — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 23:40:00 +0000

The story of Ryan and I is a long and arduous tale. I'm sure that many (if not most) of you have heard about the incidents that I made public during the National Championship. For those who have interest in learning about an experience that has changed my life, and the life of the winner of that National Championship, Ryan Eriquezzo.

I feel that Ryan best sums up our relationship to that point, and in discussing the issues that occurred during the National Championship. I STRONGLY suggest reading Ryan's blog to find answers to many of the questions you may have about that time in our lives together.

You can read what Ryan has to say on this topic here: Ryan's Blog

This time was tough for me, and after having lived in a bad situation for several months, I came to a breaking point. My twitter outburst where I chose to go public with what is very private information was in poor taste. I'm sorry to Ryan for how I handled that situation... one that if he weren't now rectifying, may have ruined his career.

Ryan is now, as you read in his blog, in recovery. He has made amazing progress so far, and has received an outpouring of support and attention from his first blog post, titled "Amanda Musumeci... My True Thoughts." I do believe it is his intention to continue blogging through his own personal journey, and so I'll again recommend that you all subscribe to and keep up with his progress.