Maria Ho

Video Bloggin' during the WSOP!

Thu, 27 May 2010 23:51:01 -0700

I am switchin' things up this series by video blogging with all the happenings live from Las Vegas this summer so check back often! Best of luck!

Team China FTW!

Wed, 26 May 2010 00:23:42 -0700

Wow, what a great week it's been leading up to the WSOP! Last I left y'all I had mentioned heading out to Vegas for the inaugural World Team Poker event that was being held at the Golden Nugget. I initially heard about World Team Poker when Johnny Chan called me 6 months ago asking me if I would like to be on his team and represent China in a poker event. Of course I said yes without hesitation since not only is Johnny a good friend of mine, but it has always been a goal of mine to help make poker as popular in China and Taiwan as it is in the United States.

As the event grew nearer and I found out who my teammates would be I was ecstatic and proud to say the least to be a part of the team. Johnny Chan needs no introduction as the man has 10 World Series of Poker bracelets and a Championship title under his belt. David Chiu along with Johnny was co-captain for Team China, and not only is David a world-class player, but a wonderful person. Next on the roster was Chau Giang, and for those of you who know about the Big Game, then you all would know that Chau is a regular in those games and is exceptional at all games. Winfred Yu was also on our team and he is not only a great No Limit Hold 'em player but he is also a casino executive in Macau and definitely has his finger on the pulse of poker in Macau. Derek Cheung is also a no limit specialist who often plays in the biggest cash games in Macau. Rounding out our team was Rich Zhu, who is a great Omaha player with a lot of poker experience. It was such an honor to play with them all and I can honestly say there was a genuine respect and camaraderie that we shared for each other.

Many great countries were represented in this event and of course Team USA boasted a lineup of the who's who of poker. No country should have been underestimated as each team had to pony up $50,000 for the buy-in to play against some of the world's most elite poker players. However, the word being circulated in the event was that Team Greece and Team Brazil were being seen as the underdogs since most of their members were not as well known as some of the other members on the opposing team. I actually think this is somewhat of an advantage since it is harder to play against people when you aren't familiar with who they are or their game. In the end, Team China came into the final table with the chip lead, along with Team Vietnam, Australia, Greece, and Brazil. It came down to a heads up match between China and Brazil, played by Johnny Chan/David Chiu vs. Brazil's Leandro "Brasa" Pimentel. Brasa put up a more than a tough fight for the title, and I can honestly say I was not only impressed by the talent displayed by Team Brazil, but their classy behavior on and off the tables and their gracious defeat was commendable. As you all can tell from the blog title, Team China emerged victorious and took down the 300k first place prize in what turned out to be an epic 19 hour tournament day and you can catch all the action later this summer as the event will be broadcasted live on Fox Sports Net.

Needless to say this win is a great confidence booster leading right into the World Series which will start in two days. I feel really good about my game and cannot wait to walk into the Amazon Room and walk out with a bracelet. Good luck to all of you and if you see me at the series, come up and say hi!

Check out my recent interview on Poker2Nite below!

Long time no blog! - Checkin in with the latest!

Fri, 14 May 2010 19:11:30 -0700

Tons of stuff has happened since my last blog that it would be pretty difficult to fit it all in and on top of that, who wants to hear about stuff in the past anyhow? Let's talk about what I've got going on now!

Well, it's that time of year again, with the World Series of Poker right around the corner and I am once again on my annual, self-imposed poker hiatus. Sorta. In years past I have taken the month off before the World Series to do anything and everything as long as it has nothing to do with poker. That time away from poker really helped me clear my head and prepared me for the long days of pokering that was ahead. I have a tendency to get burnt out pretty easily with the packed tournament schedule I take on during the series so it's nice to just get away from it all before I get chin-deep for the six-week stretch. But this time around it's been a little bit different. Since I have been playing online a lot more this past year than I used to, I have come to realize how important and lucrative it is to be playing in the tournament series online leading up to the WSOP such as the SCOOPS on PokerStars and FTOPs on Full Tilt. I've also missed playing live cash games and am hoping to take this month to do more of that as well. And on top of all that, I am scheduled to play in World Team Poker being held at the Golden Nugget in Las Vegas May 19^th as a member of Team China with Johnny Chan, David Chiu, and Chau Giang, just to name a few.

So I guess my hiatus will just have to wait 'til after the series this year. I just hope that I will have something to show for my time and energy when it's all said and done! I did manage to take a nice, relaxing family vacation, which I just got back from a week ago. I went home to my native Taiwan with my parents, to see my grandma and aunt, who still live there. It is really nice to go back from time to time not only to see family but to be reminded of where I come from and to see how much Taiwan has progressed economically since the last time I was there. We also went to China after to see the World Expo which was being held in Shanghai. Shanghai was such an amazingly modern city, and I had such a great time seeing the sights and taking in the amazing skyline the seaport had to offer. The only bad thing about the trip is that I returned with the worst case of jet lag EVER! I have had the most difficult time readjusting my sleep schedule since I've been back and have had many sleepless nights. Anyone have any good remedies for jet lag? I'm thinking a bottle of NyQuil and a glass of wine tonight!

Hope all is well on the felt!

Jumpstarting 2010

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 19:49:04 -0800

My first blog of 2010 is coming a little later than intended but still a Happy New Year to everyone! I spent my first week of the New Year in the Bahamas for the Poker Stars Caribbean Adventure and I hate to complain about being in the Bahamas, but anyone who was there will tell you that the weather was pretty terrible during that time so I left earlier than I had planned and without the tan that I had so hoped to get out there!

Shortly after I got back the L.A. Poker Classic series kicked off here at home so I rolled up my sleeves and went to work with a couple of preliminaries. So far, nothing of note but I am sure that I will have good news to report by my next blog! I really got to give it up to Matt Savage who is an amazing tournament director that really listens to the players' input, as well as having a very keen insight into what it takes to make and run a successful tournament series.

Last weekend I made the short trip out to Vegas for a little reunion of sorts with some of my closest friends and fellow competitors from "The Amazing Race". It just so happened that the Miss America pageant was being held and televised live from Vegas last Saturday and for all of you who caught an episode or two of "The Amazing Race" one of the competitors was Miss America 2004, Ericka Dunlap. We thought this would be a good opportunity to get together, and check out Ericka's world, so Cheyne and Meghan, the winners of our season of "The Amazing Race", Sam and Dan, Ericka and her husband and I all met out there to mix a little business with pleasure. I was not exactly excited at the thought of watching the pageant live but of course I was open to the idea and really wanted to experience a really big part of Ericka's life first-hand. But I can honestly say that it turned out to be really fun and interesting to watch! Ericka and her husband hooked us up with seats in the second row and after a couple of bets that involved consuming alcohol on who would win the whole shebang, I decided that this was not so bad after all! We also caught the Blue Man Group show over the weekend where we got to meet the blue men and talk to them afterward. I think the best one word description of the show is -confusing. If that description piques your interest than you should check it out and let me know how you would describe the show. Aside from all the fun and debauchery the Amazing Race fam took some time out to help build homes in Las Vegas for Habitat for Humanity. A huge group from the Miss America Organization piled into a bus and really put in some good work for a great cause. I really had such a great time with everyone and I am so glad that so many of us from the show have stayed close since because they are really amazing people and I am so fortunate to have them in my life.

I really need to wrap this up because after being home for only a few days, it is back to Vegas for me for a week this time around for some more of mixing business with pleasure! First on the agenda is my good friend and fellow poker player Vanessa Rousso's birthday bash so I can only imagine that it will be a very long night. Then on Saturday I will be playing in a celebrity charity tournament at The Hard Rock Casino that is benefiting the Sharon Osbourne Colon Cancer program. And of course, Sunday is the Super Bowl and although I have no real rooting interests in either team, I have to pick one because it is obviously more fun to watch that way. So I will have to give it to the Saints, because after spending time in New Orleans for the first time a few months ago, I really fell in love with that city and the spirit of the people there. So WHO DAT? WHO DAT? WHO DAT SAY DEY GONNA BEAT THEM SAINTS? Haha.

Wait, I saved the best for last. I can't leave out the fact that this Wednesday, February 10^th, live from Las Vegas and the Orleans Arena will be the Harlem Globetrotters, with special guests Maria and Tiffany! Yep, that's right, Tiff and I will be suiting up and joining the Globetrotters in some basketball shenanigans! For those of you who don't know, two members of the Harlem Globetrotters were on the Amazing Race with Tiffany and I this past season and we have been invited to join in their show! I am really excited and looking forward to this really cool opportunity and if nothing else, I am going to have fun with it. Get your front-row seats now cuz I am sure you guys won't want to miss this! But really, cross your fingers that I won't be completely embarrassed out there on the court! www.harlemglobetrotters.com/news/index.html

Check out my "Poker Mind" interview with Amanda Leatherman. www.pokerroad.com/inside_the_poker_mind/maria_ho/

Building for Habitat for Humanity in Las Vegas

Meeting the Blue Man backstage (L-R Meghan, Cheyne, Blue Man, Brian, Ericka, Sam, Dan, and me)

My fellow racer ladies at Eve Nightclub in City Center.

After the Finish Line

Wed, 16 Dec 2009 02:49:59 -0800

Hey peeps! Sorry for the long hiatus, but with The Amazing Race officially off the air now, things have been settling down somewhat and I am back on the blog!

So...Wow!!! First and foremost, I would like to thank everyone for the incredible support they have shown throughout this experience. I am truly touched and overwhelmed by every single message I have received and it has made this experience that much more wonderful, knowing that I shared a little piece of it with all of you.

My journey on The Amazing Race, was, well, nothing short of AMAZING! It was everything that I had expected and so much more! What I took away from this once-in-a-lifetime experience will be something I will take with me for the rest of my life. Rarely in life do you ever get the opportunity to find out what you are made of, to find situation after situation where you are forced to push yourself to the limits, and test your sheer will and determination. The Amazing Race did exactly that for me, and now I can honestly say that I have found myself to be a stronger person in so many ways than I had ever known.

I think that what the viewers missed at home are some of the things that make this race a million times harder than what even Tiffany and I were expecting going in. When you watch The Race on TV, you cannot see all the variables that are in play, such as the elements. You cannot feel what competing in 120-degree Dubai weather feels like; you cannot feel what 30 mile-an-hour winds blowing in your face while you are soaking wet in long johns in Holland feels like. You also couldn't see how heavy things were, like that 30 pound carnival mallet for the high striker, or how far places really were, like the 3 miles Tiffany and I had to travel with our tourist group in Japan, or the 5 mile bike ride in our Dutch clogs.

Regardless, nothing that we had to do on the show or how things were portrayed will take away from just how incredibly life-changing this opportunity was, and I feel a thousand times more fulfilled as a person for going through it. My friendship with Tiffany and the bond we share have also become infinitely stronger because of this shared experience, and I have taken away so much from this that no million dollar first place prize could ever buy, and for that, I am truly grateful.

Since I have returned home from The Amazing Race, things have been rather hectic but also very exciting at the same time. I have a lot of cool new things in the works and I can't wait until I can share it with you all. I am also very much looking forward to being back at the tables, especially after everything I had to do on the race, sitting down and playing a poker tournament actually sounds more relaxing and stress-free than it ever has been.

For now, I am really looking forward to spending a nice and relaxing holiday season with my family. I have had such an awesome year, and I have so many things to be thankful for and the best part about it all is having wonderful family and close friends to share it with.

Best wishes to you all during this holiday season, and it feels good to be back.

Teammates and BFF!

With some of my favorite people from the show- Team Sam & Dan, Ericka & Brian and winners Meghan and Cheyne!

Tiffany and I in our car at the Hollywood Christmas Parade. Watch it nationwide on MyNetworkTV, December 24th!

It's almost GO time!!!

Tue, 22 Sep 2009 14:51:23 -0700

Wow! It has been nothing but utter chaos since I have returned home from my grand adventure, and I would not want it any other way. My hectic schedule as of late has made me realize that somewhere along the way in my four and half years as a professional poker player, I have been completely spoiled by the lifestyle and freedoms that this profession has afforded me. I get to wake up whenever I want, never have to work on someone else's schedule, take extra long breaks from something I should be doing for lunch or even for no reason at all, and have every day be a weekend.

This past couple of weeks have been a welcomed change from that kind of lackadaisical lifestyle, and I now have a whole new perspective on all the positive ways in which having more structure to your life can actually be good for ya. Sure, who likes to wake up at 8 in the morning, and who wants to say, "How high?" when someone says, "Jump!" But I say nothing can be more boring than always getting to do what you want, when you want. I have always been a procrastinator, always putting stuff off 'til the absolute last possible second, and then putting it off some more. But now, I have realized that there are so many benefits in making the most out of your day and that by doing so I can actually improve my discipline and reignite my passion when it comes to poker. In our profession how easily we forget how good we really have it, and sometimes I find myself not enjoying poker as much as I used to even though it is because of poker that I have the freedoms I enjoy so liberally.

I have recently discovered that I love, love, love, being busy! Running around, having schedules to defer to, that is the life, I tell ya! Anyhow, before you all think I have gone off the deep end, no worries, I will still be taking liberties from the good 'ol poker life, but just adding some much-needed balance is all. First on the list of luxuries is heading down to the Aruba Poker Classic with whom else but my partner in crime, TM. We have been in deep need of a vacay since being on The Amazing Race and Aruba will be the perfect opportunity to win some money and get a nice tan at the same time!

But in the meantime, I am just sooooo excited for the premiere of The Amazing Race coming up this Sunday, September 27^th at 8PM on CBS. Last night, the show won its 7^th consecutive Emmy out of 7 nominations for "Best Reality TV show" and the craziest part is, they are the only show to have won this award as the category was only created 7 years ago! Way to keep the streak alive and what a streak that is! I am so incredibly grateful and honored to be a part of such a well-respected show, and I can honestly say first-hand that the reward for their efforts is well deserved!

Hope you all take the time to check out the show on Sunday, the 27^th while you guys are busy playing your Sunday tourneys. I promise that you will be highly entertained, so get the popcorn ready and I hope you guys enjoy it! GO Team PURPLE!!!

In the meantime check out these links below from The Race!

http://www.mariaho.com (My website for the latest)

http://www.cbs.com/primetime/amazing_race/video/?pid=ndO_9nUcerOGh4Vns_FSLnuge23Vzqsh (Meet Maria and Tiffany)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xW4DwHyw808 (The Amazing Race TV Promo)

http://www.cardplayer.com/cptv/channels/13-other-poker-videos/poker-videos/3828-poker-buzz-maria-ho-on-the-amazing-race (Interview with Kristy Arnett from Card Player)

http://www.cbs.com/primetime/amazing_race/ (The Amazing Race homepage on CBS.com)

THE AMAZING RACE SEASON 15 CAST

XOXO

The "Amazing" News!

Mon, 14 Sep 2009 17:04:47 -0700

Guess who's back!!! Sorry for being so MIA as of late, but as some of you may already know, I had a damn good reason! Instead of playing the Main Event at the World Series of Poker this summer, I embarked on the adventure of a lifetime with one of my best friends, Tiffany, and went on The Amazing Race!!!!!! The show will be premiering on September 27^th, at 8:00PM on CBS, so make sure to check it out! In the meantime, you can find bios, pics, and videos of us and the rest of this season's cast on www.cbs.com!

Although things have been pretty hectic, I still managed to make it up to Fresno last weekend for 2007 WSOP Champ Jerry Yang's restaurant opening in Merced, CA with Stephen Baldwin and Christina Lindley. After much planning and hard work, Jerry opened the doors to his very own sushi restaurant, Pocket 8's, aptly named after what else but his winning hand in the 2007 Main Event. The following day Jerry held his first inaugural Celebrity Charity Poker event, to benefit various charities of his choosing in the area. This particular one was for the Ronald McDonald House of Fresno and surrounding cities, and was held at Tachi Palace Hotel and Casino in Lemoore, CA. Everyone between the tournament staff and the avid poker community were extremely welcoming and we had a great time raising money for a great cause!

In the midst of all the exciting things going on, I am hoping to spend some quality time with my family and friends, catch up on the latest movies, and play some more poker! The Hold 'em Series is in town over at the Commerce, run by the very capable Matt Savage, so hopefully I can squeeze in an event or two. Yesterday, I managed to hop online and play in the WCOOP 1k event on Stars, and luckily for me I haven't forgotten how to play poker after all this time. I ended up cashing and somewhere around 300^th place I got it all in with QQ against AK and my opponent managed to spike the 6-outer on the river. Although it was a disappointing finish, I still felt that I had played well despite being a lil' rusty.

I'm fully reverting back to blogging mode, so I'll check back in real soon. Hope luck is finding its way to you all!

The Amazing Race official cast photo provided by CBS:

My Website Launch and Post-WSOP Madness

Tue, 14 Jul 2009 01:40:40 -0700

Hey y'all, I was hoping to get in tons of blogging during the WSOP, but alas, my schedule simply did not afford me the time. However, I hope you guys were able to check out my Blogfessionals on PokerRoad as well as my tweets for some quickie updates. A short synopsis of my finer moments this summer was barely missing the final table by finishing 11^th in the 10k Limit Hold 'em Championship, and the awesome learning experience I had as being an on-camera hostess for wsop.com.

I really wanted to get this short blog in before I head home to the motherland (Taiwan/China), to visit some relatives to close out my summer before it's back to the felt for me.

In the meantime, I have finally launched my official website, so please check out www.mariaho.net for the latest news, pics, and little extras!

Much love and happiness!

Chaos before the Calm...

Wed, 27 May 2009 18:29:34 -0700

Wow, what does a girl have to do to get some free time around here? I am now finally able to take a few deep breaths, sit back and relax, and update this blog of mine. So what is this tornado of chaos I have been swept up in? Well, getting ready for the World Series of Poker, obv!

For my last week in L.A. before my move to my summer house in Vegas for 7 weeks I attended a celebrity charity poker tournament that benefitted the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. The turnout wasn't as great as the organizers had hoped, but all in all it was a fantastic event for a great cause. Then I spent my Memorial Day weekend running errands and packing in preparation for Vegas.

I packed my mom's SUV from end to end with mostly clothes and shoes, and left for Vegas early Monday morning. Luckily for me there wasn't too much traffic as most people are coming back to L.A. from Vegas for the long weekend instead of the other way around. I am super excited about the place Tiffany and I got for the summer. It has a pool, Jacuzzi, and BBQ, and is a short 5 minute drive to the Rio.

After I arrived, I got to unpacking immediately, which is sooooo much worse than packing btw. I really wanted to get settled in and have all my stuff ready for me when I got back because I had to go back to L.A. on Tuesday night and wouldn't be able to come back until the 1k NL on Saturday. I had to be out in Vegas earlier because I had a video shoot Tuesday morning for a new training site that I am a part of, Deep Stacks University. I am very excited to be a part of this new and innovative site and look forward to teaching the game.

So onto some WSOP stuff, I have 17 events on my schedule including the Main Event, consisting of a variety pack of No Limit, Limit, H.O.R.S.E., and a 2-7 thrown in there as well. I am hoping to make a lot of day 2's and 3's so realistically the number I actually play will be less. Aside from playing lots of poker, I will also be taking part in hosting duties for www.worldseriesofpoker.com. I will be interviewing players and doing daily updates and recaps as well. I am looking forward to being part of the team, and although I am a player first and foremost, this was an opportunity I couldn't pass up. I am hoping to bring a very knowledgeable poker background to the interviews that I do, and am hoping I will make it more informative for the viewers who would like to learn something from the pros.

I will be blogging here on Poker Road about every event I play, and hopefully most of the stuff in between, so check back often! Oh, and thanks to the Seebs for making me one of his picks in Poker Listing's "Best Bets for the WSOP' articles, http://www.pokerlistings.com/sebok-picks-pokerroads-wsop-best-bets-41465 , hopefully I will live up to that! I am incredibly focused and have a renewed passion for this game lately, so I expect great results! No matter what, this will be an amazing and unforgettable summer! Good luck to you all, and feel free to come and say hi at the Rio if you see me!

If you have any comments or questions please feel free to email me at mariahopoker@yahoo.com. I would love to hear from you guys!

All dressed up and laying low...

Tue, 05 May 2009 03:17:15 -0700

Yep. That's my sister, my best friend, and I all dressed up at the Britney concert in Anaheim, CA. What girl doesn't take advantage of an opportunity to dress up? Circus Britney, Baby One More Time Brit, and Womanizer Brit had an amazing time. My only gripe was that Britney seemed to be less than enthused to be performing for a sold out crowd that paid anywhere from $100-$2000 to see her in all her post train wreck glory. She wasn't really dancing full-out and was clearly lacking energy, and quite frankly considering everything is lip-synced people are obviously there to see a great show. And she did not put on a great show. Oh well.

After that slight disappointment I hurriedly packed my bags and headed to Vegas to celebrate Lacey's Dirty Thirty at Lavo. It was an awesome time as always as shenanigans ensued per usual. While I was out there I got to root on Christian Harder and Shannon Shorr at the final table of the WPT Championships. Congrats to them both for getting 4^th and 5^th respectively!! They played great and it is only a matter of time before they both take one down.

After coming home from Vegas I decided to support my good friend and top tournament director Matt Savage and play in the California State Poker Championships before I go on a self imposed no poker break before the series. As expected, Matt made an awesome schedule and the first event was a $335 No Limit Hold 'em, 400k guaranteed that drew over 1800 entries. Team Yo Mama was in attendance, but it was not to be this tourney. Congrats to Tiff though who went deep and cashed!

The three of us just spent the rest of the weekend spending quality time and doing girly stuff like watching Game 7 of Celtics vs. Bulls (boo Celtics), then the Pacquiao/Hatton fight which turned out to be pretty anti-climactic considering all the shit talking Hatton's camp was doing. (gooooo Pacquiao!) Sunday was more of the same of lying in front of the T.V., with some glasses of Riesling and delivery, and rooting on Annie Duke in Celebrity Apprentice. Which, may I add; Joan Rivers has about as much of a chance of beating Annie in the finals as Hatton did against Pacquiao IMO.

Pretty sad that the Rockets beat my Lakers tonight, but we will still win in it 5 is my prediction. Especially since I will be at the game on Wednesday willing every basket in! Just enjoying some good ol' fashioned down time before the series start which is rapidly approaching. I am going to have an extremely hectic schedule this series between tournaments and some other stuff that I am involved in, which I will be sharing with you all in the next couple of blogs leading up to the WSOP. Until then, GOOOOOO LAKERS and good luck at the tables y'all!

Follow me on Twitter! www.twitter.com/mariaho

Too much tweeting...not enough blogging!

Thu, 16 Apr 2009 00:41:21 -0700

Wow...what do I do with more than 140 characters?? For all those who have not fallen into yet another social networking site, twitter is where it's at. Asking it's users to answer the simple question of 'what are you doing' in 140 characters or less, it's like the facebook status update on crack, and with its proliferation through mobile phone connectivity you pretty much get real time updates about everything and anything.

So far my tweets have consisted of random occurrences in my everyday life such as what I see at the moment, or what I am eating for lunch, to chip count and tournament updates as I am playing from the road, with the occasional drunk tweet up in the mix here and there. : O You can find the twitters of all of the PokerRoad fam on the front page and you can follow me by going to www.twitter.com/mariaho.

I can't really think of what else I have been doing other than spending all my spare time on 'twitteriffic', the Twitter app for the iPhone. Ok, ok fine...that might be an exaggeration. After heading home from Vegas after Dream Team, I was determined to keep my butt in L.A. for as long as possible and so far I have succeeded. Not only have I managed to avoid traveling for anything at all costs, I have also managed to escape responsibility and play little to no poker.

Instead I popped down to San Diego, which ok, fine, is kinda traveling but not really, considering it's a quick car ride down and it's absolutely gorgeous there! I went to Sea World where I got to do one of their special animal interaction programs and got into the water with a real beluga whale! That was such an amazing experience, and I am always in awe of how intelligent certain animals are.

I also went golfing with my family and it really brought back this golfer kick in me. I first started golfing 4 years ago when one of my dad's close friends who was an awesome golfer bought our whole family clubs and tried to get us all into it. My dad definitely developed a strong affinity for it, and pretty much has been golfing 5 times a week since then. I, however, was borderline awful the first time I played, and although I love a good challenge, I am not usually very fond of things I am not good at. So I went a couple of times in the beginning and then it just fizzled out. However, there was nothing like a few good shots off the tee last week to get my heart back in the game. I am actually thinking about getting lessons and really looking forward to hopefully getting better.

Easter Sunday was pretty great, as my family is Catholic so it's a pretty big holiday for us. As my sister and I get older and busier, family get togethers definitely have become fewer and farther between so nothing like celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ to bring us together. I also went over to Tiffany's house for a late brunch before heading to dinner with my family and I always thoroughly enjoy my time with her and her family.

So where does that leave me poker wise? Well, I will not be playing in the WPT Champs because I have tickets for the Britney Spears concert in Anaheim this weekend which were bought for me months ago, please don't flame, I am not there to listen to her awe-inspiring vocal ability, I am there to watch a performer entertain. Big difference! Hehe. Anyhow, I will be headed to Vegas next week for Lacey's bday bash and will most likely end up playing the Caesar's WSOP Circuit Event.

Til my next blog, check my twitter! = P

Dream Team and Everything in Between...

Wed, 01 Apr 2009 04:30:07 -0700

I finally found my way home to Los Angeles after several weeks of being on the road, and boy, does it feel great to be back! After the charity event in Reno, I headed straight to San Jose to play in WPT Shooting Star at Bay 101. I played in day 1a and managed to make it through the day with exactly 100 chips more than my original starting stack of 20k, which considering my roller coaster day, was a personal victory.

I came into day 2 feeling extremely positive even with 20bb's especially since I played the shit out of my short stack for two whole days at LAPC and managed to cash there. Within the first level I managed to double up winning a coin flip with AJ against 99 but then lost a coin flip the very next orbit from the small blind vs. the big blind holding 55 against his AQ. That brought me back to my original stack of 20k and at the very beginning of the second level with blinds at 600-1200/200 I shoved against a mid position raiser out of the small blind with 44 and the big blind woke up with 77. Sigh. Such is tournament poker.

However, the whole trip was not lost considering I got to go to two San Jose Sharks hockey games and sit in the second row at the 50 yard line. Siiick. Thanks Matt Savage! Also, I must say as this was my first time to this event, the fans and supporters at Bay 101 are awesome! They were genuinely excited to meet all the players and it was so great to talk to them and see so much heartfelt enthusiasm for a game we all love!

After that I headed up to Washington for a week to visit someone very important to me and although it was much colder than what I am used to, I really enjoyed the landscape and scenery that it had to offer. From there I flew to Las Vegas for the Dream Team Poker Event at Caesars Palace. This was definitely an event I was looking forward to considering I was a part of an awesome team, Team 'Yo Mama' with Tiffany Michelle and Lacey Jones. Very rarely do you get such a strong sense of camaraderie in our usually highly competitive environment, but a tournament like this really provided that and it was extremely refreshing and fun to be a part of. It definitely helps that Lacey, Tiffany, and I have been good friends for a few years off the felt and that coupled with the fact that I think we each have very strong but different styles of play really made our chances look good for a victory.

However, that was not to be, and although 'Yo Mama' knocked out a few people along the way, and 'Yo Mama' doubled up a few times, 'Yo Mama' finally fell to the wayside when I was the last Mama of the team to get knocked out with AQ against 22 all-in pre. I really had such a great time with the girls and I can't wait for the next event!

Tiffany and I road tripped back on Sunday from Vegas, and now I am finally enjoying the comforts of home and catching up on stuff and catching you all up as well! My April plans thus far include staying in Los Angeles as much as I possibly can, but I have a feeling that might not work according to plan. Best of luck to those puttin' in work! Later.

Photo: BJ Nemeth

Also for your viewing pleasure, a funny video of when I was in WA at some bar's '80's night' and I caught some of my drunken friends gettin into the music...

www.youtube.com/watch

Good Times and Great Causes...

Wed, 11 Mar 2009 23:55:58 -0700

Hey PR peeps from Reno, Nevada! I flew in from L.A. yesterday with Tiffany Michelle for the Jennifer Harman Charity Poker Tournament which benefits the National Kidney Foundation. This is a cause that hits extremely close to home as my older sister was born with only one kidney and after having her blood work and several tests done in the last couple of years her specialist has a somewhat bleak prognosis for the health of her kidney in the next 5-10 years.

I was aware that Jen had a kidney transplant but the video they showed prior to the start of the tournament went into some details that I was unaware of. Jennifer has actually had two kidney transplants, the first one donated by her father, and the second one by her niece. She is truly an inspiration and I know I speak for everyone when I say we are glad to see her healthy and well. It was great to be here to support the cause which generated an awesome turnout of over 300 people. Not to mention I am truly enjoying spending some quality time with some great peeps, like Lacey Jones, Alex Lee Behan and our own Jeffy Mad.

As of right now my plans are to stay in Reno for the 3k event they are having tomorrow, but instead of staying for the 5k main I will be going to Bay 101 to play their 2k prelim and then the main event over there. Shooting Star at Bay 101 is one of the few WPT stops I have never gone to even though it is just a hop and a skip away. I am not sure why this is, as Matt Savage is the TD and his great tourney structure along with the 5k bounties makes it more than worth playing.

So basically I will be on the road for the next week and a half or so which has really been limiting the number of hours I have been able to put into the Bluff Poker Challenge. As of today I am currently in 6^th place with $550.00. B.J. Nemeth was computing some of the raw data off the leader board and let me know yesterday that I was first in per-tourney earnings and today I found out I am second in earnings per hour. I am extremely happy with how I am doing thus far, considering I really don't have the ability to put as many hours in as some of the other people. I am doing very well as far as my averages are concerned, which is important to me. Even though Sno0owman has a sick lead right now I am not counting myself out, but I am also being realistic considering the amount of time I can honestly put into this thing. I think I will be happy in the end with being top 3 in averages and top 5 overall. We shall see, still got lots of play left!

My birthday party was pretty sick, and no, I don't mean I got physically ill, because this girl can handle her alcohol. But just in the general sense, as it was great to see all of the people I love and care about just getting together and having a good time. I am finally starting to understand why some women feel the need to lie about their age, I mean being 22 now and all is pretty old by today's standards...HAHA!

Best of luck til next time!

Joinin' the Club...

Thu, 05 Mar 2009 14:43:37 -0800

Hey there PokerRoad peeps! I am really excited to be a part of this fam and to share with you all the many anecdotes that inevitably surface from my many adventures. It's hard to believe that I started down this crazy career path known as 'professional poker player' over three and a half years ago. It's honestly been an amazing but complicated ride, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

These days I am mainly a high stakes live cash game player, specializing in limit Hold 'em and any combination of that, Omaha 8, and Stud 8. It only makes sense that I am good at H.O.E., and don't worry, I can make fun of a funny last name when I see one, even if it's mine... ;-) I also play a decent amount of big buy-in tourneys and you can see me on the circuit 7 months out of the year at least. I am super competitive, and that is why poker and I are such a good fit. I am constantly being challenged by the game, and by the incredibly talented players that I encounter on the felt.

Now that you guys are a little caught up, time to get to the good stuff. After bubbling two prelims in the L.A. Poker Classic, I finally broke through and cashed when it mattered: in the main event. I got 43rd for a little over 32k, and as I am sure you all have heard before, that's really no consolation when you feel like you got that close. Oh wells...

Right now I am trying to focus the majority of my attention on the Bluff Online Poker Challenge on Lock Poker, and several fellow PokerRoaders, Devo, BeLowaBove, and Adam Junglen are involved in the competition as well. Basically we all get a $200 bankroll, and whoever can turn it into the biggest bankroll after a month playing only MTT's and SNG's wins the cover of Bluff Magazine as well as some other cool stuff. Now I by no means consider myself an online player, let alone a 'top online player' as most of the rest of the competition clearly is, but I am going to represent as a poker player period. I definitely expect to hold my own and give it my all, even though most of my MTT experience is live. The challenge started March 1st, and after 7 hours of play and 5 tourneys I am 5th on the leader board.

I am not sure how many hours I will really be able to put in though, as my March is pretty packed with travel. Next week I will be off to Reno to play in the Jennifer Harman Charity Event benefitting the National Kidney Foundation. I will be staying after to play the 5k Main of the World Poker Challenge which used to be a WPT stop. Straight from there I am headed to Bay 101 for WPT Shooting Star, another great tournament directed by the one and only Matt Savage. Plenty of chances to take it down one time IMO!

For now, I am just at home in Los Angeles, looking forward to celebrating my 26th birthday with friends this weekend, and drinking enough of the good stuff to forget just how old I am! Lol. Take care out there and check back soon!