The first wave of federal indictments that took PokerStars, FullTilt, and Absolute Poker out of the U.S. market was called Black Friday. This second wave targeting sites like Doyle’s Room and TruePoker is now being called Blue Monday.

The indictments came from Maryland early yesterday targeting the following sites…

• DoylesRoom.com
• TruePoker.com
• BookMaker.com
• 2Betsdi.com
• Funtimebingo.com
• GoldenArchCasino.com
• BetMaker.com
• BetGrandeSports.com
• Betehorse.com
• Beted.com

Doyle Brunson formally announced his separation from Doyle’s Room earlier this month due to the current legal turmoil surrounding online poker. Obviously, a hallmark of a great player is knowing exactly when to cash in your chips.

The indictments were the result of undercover work done by the Department of Homeland Security. An undercover payment processing business was created called Linwood Payment Solutions, which connected agents with executives inside those gaming operations. The covert processor made around 300,000 transactions in the meantime while tracking financial data.

Of note is the fact that some of these sites operated outside the legally murky arena of online poker and in the much-more-illegal field of sports betting. Charges included money laundering and conducting an illegal gambling business but not the previous accusations of bank fraud or violations of the UIGEA.

Although this attack pales in comparison to the Black Friday indictments, to some they still represent a push against poker as a whole. Others believe these to be the initial parts of the staging phase that ultimately leads to the long overdue regulation of online poker.

Mike Matusow, a card-carrying member of team Full Tilt, has been around the pro poker circuit long enough to earn his nickname as “The Mouth” a few times over. Most recently, he took third in the WPT Bay 101 Shooting Star Main Event, pulling in just under $370k…and talking some serious smack in the process. But when we caught up with him, he had an ironic message for players out there: “Calm down.”

You almost took it all at Bay 101 – what was that like?

I’ve only played three WPTs in two years – one last year and two this year. I went down there and played really hard. I went down there hungry and wanting to win, and I played really well. But I wish I would have caught some cards against the lunatics, the ones who were raising and re-raising every hand.

Tell us about that three-bet that took you out.

I mean, he was just raising at every button, and I thought I had a pretty good read on him. I’d been re-raising and shoving on him left and right. I shoved on him with 2-9. He didn’t have to call me with K-Q. It was still 25 percent of his stack, even if he’s ahead. Most of the time, I’m going to have a pair or an ace there. I didn’t really mind the call, cause once it got down to three-handed, they were playing really carefully against me. They knew that if they opened too much, I’d just keep shipping on them. So they started folding a little bit and limping, and it looked like there was going to be no way I could get chips – especially as card-dead as I was. So I didn’t mind just shipping on him every time he opened the button. I was looking at his face and how he reacted to his cards. I shipped on him six times before, and he insta-folded all six. So I thought I had a tell on him. Maybe that time I just rushed it.

You’ve consistently had good showings at WPT games.

Yeah. I don’t play many. I don’t chase the tournament circuit anymore. As far as I’m concerned, it’s a losing proposition. It’s $750,000 a year to play on the tournament circuit, and you’ve gotta finish at least second in one tournament to make any money.

You’ve been in the game a long time – what are the biggest changes you’ve seen?

I mean, these kids play pretty good, but when it’s a deep-stack tournament, they’ve gotta know when to slow down. We were playing 100 big blinds deep, and they’re going raise, re-raise, re-raise, trying to outplay each other, playing four-handed. I was just hoping to pick up 8-8 or anything, but I didn’t even see a playable hand. I think the best hand I saw was K-10 offsuit. If I’d picked up any hand behind them, I’d have gotten all the chips. It was the greatest spot in the world – I was like in heaven – but then I was looking at 2-7 offsuit for like eight hours.

What spurs that aggressive play?

They’re all used to playing online where you have to 3-bet and 4-bet all the time to stay alive when the blinds get up there. When you’re playing deep-stacked, you’re supposed to just play solid and pick your spots. But these guys were ridiculous. They were so hyper-aggressive it was a joke. It fit perfect into my style. I had two playable hands in 154 hands, and I finished 3rd. If I’d won the hand I went out on, then I’d have 30 percent of the chips and who knows what happens?

Where do you think the game is going long-term?

I don’t know – there’s just so many good players. I think if they just want to keep running $100,000 buy-in tournaments, they’ll have everybody broke within a year. I’m not a big fan of those tournaments. Then, I was saying the same thing four years ago about the $10,000 buy-in tournaments. Everybody would have gone broke on those too, if they hadn’t been satelliting so many people in.

You’ve been at this a long time – what are the biggest lessons you’ve learned?

Everybody glorifies these people who play heads-up and win millions of dollars, but they’re going to lose it, too. Ain’t nobody who’s better than anybody else playing heads-up poker. Poker’s about playing and beating bad players. There’s definitely less bad players now – and there’s a lot of good players. It’s tough to win now; it’s a lot harder to make a living. Lucky for me, I don’t have to depend on it anymore. I wouldn’t be happy if I had to grind and make a living online or even live nowadays. It sure wouldn’t be easy.

Have cash games in Vegas gotten tougher, too?

The mixed games are still good, but the no-limit games are all dried up, unless you get invited to a house game. Poker has become a showdown contest. That’s all it is. It’s just because everybody tries to outplay each other. When I came up, it wasn’t like that. It was about making correct decisions, playing solid, attacking blinds and weakness…just playing good and solid. Now it’s all about three-betting, four-betting, five…Come on man.

Tell me about your nickname – how often do you hit your opponents with the trash talk?

Not much anymore. Though I did it down in Bay 101. Because I just got hot and started making hands. When people play bad against me, I talk a lot of shit. I catch some cards, I’ll rub it in their face. At the WPT, I had a hand where the guy raises under the gun, and three people call so I call in the big blind with Qd-4d. Flop comes 2-4-Q. I lead out the pot, and the guy who raised under the gun calls. The two who came in behind fold. The turn card is 7d, and I have queens and fours on the flush draw. I bet $4800, he makes it $11,000 so I move all in. He calls and shows me three sevens. And I said, “You gotta be kidding me.” Then it’s a 3d on the river, and I start screaming: “That’ll teach you to play bad against me, motherfucker. You get what you deserve. You’re an idiot.” Then I start berating him something fierce. I lead out into four people with a Q-4-2 rainbow. What do you think I’m leading out with, complete air? Like two sevens are any good there.

What have you been playing lately?

I don’t play. I went to Australia and won about a quarter million. Then I went to L.A. and played the cash games there for a couple weeks and won another $250,000 there. Then I went down to Bay 101 and cashed $370k there. So it’s been a good year.

The 2011 World Series of Poker Main Event title has finally been claimed. Pius Heinz, a 22-year-old professional poker player from Cologne, Germany, took the title holding Ace-King against Martin Staszko’s Ten-Seven. Neither hand improved and Heinz took home $8.7 million with ace-high. Not only was Heinz the first German to win the Main, he was the first to sit at the final table.

Over 6800 players from 85 different nations started the event over 13 days, with a prize pool of $64,540,858. The top 693 cashed and the tournament broke, as usual, over a period of five months between the body of the event and the final table, the “November Nine.”

Notably, third-place finisher Ben Lamb was looking to culminate a sick, sick run at the WSOP. He place in five consecutive tournaments, making the final table of four of them, and winning one of them. This unheard-of streak locked him up solidly for the WSOP Player of the Year title.

For the first time, the Main Event was broadcast (almost) live. There was a delay of several minutes to limit the ability of players to exploit the private pocket card cameras. Although this could potentially allow players to learn about very recent hands during breaks, creating a unique angle on the most important final table of the year.

The continuing high turnout of the WSOP is taken as proof that the allure of poker continues throughout the world despite a federal crackdown against online poker.

#PlayerEarningsCountry1

Pius Heinz$8,715,638
Germany2
Martin Staszko$5,433,086
Czech Republic3
Ben Lamb$4,021,138
United States4
Matt Giannetti$3,012,700
United States5
Phil Collins$2,269,599
United States6
Eoghan O’Dea$1,720,831
Ireland7
Bob Bounahra$1,314,097
Belize8
Anton Makiieveskyi$1,010,015
Ukraine9
Sam Holden$782,115
United Kingdom

by Steve Marzolf

As a lawyer, poker pro and self-described “huge dork,” Vanessa Rousso has made a name for herself in tournament poker, earning more than $3.7 million since 2006. Lately, she’s been repping for PokerStars and running poker “boot camps” to raise up the next crop of winning players. We called Vanessa up to talk about her tactics for surviving – and thriving – in the high-pressure world of large-buy-in tournaments.

So you’re primarily a tournament player?

I would say I’m only a tournament player. I can play a cash game or two. But to be honest with you, I play so many tournaments as it is, that if I play cash games too, it’s just too much poker. I like to have balance in my life, and there just aren’t enough hours in the day to play tournaments, cash games and do all the other things I like to do.

Mike Matusow was complaining to us that high-buy-in tourneys have gotten too risky to profit on – what do you think of that statement?

My results are skewed toward high buy-ins. I find that in the smaller buy-ins, I don’t do as well. The higher the buy-in, the more pressure and the better I play. I guess my own particular strategies are more suited to high-buy-in events against better players. So, for me, I’d rather play fewer events that are higher buy-in.

What do you think it is about your style that matches up so well with those events?

I think it’s probably rooted in logical ability. Basically, the higher the buy-in, the deeper the chip stacks, right? So, there’s more opportunity for telling stories with your bets and raises, and there’s more opportunity for tricking and trapping your opponents. In smaller buy-ins, you have to play more ABC optimally and just exploit the mistakes your opponents are making. At the higher levels, you’re not really waiting for your opponents to make errors – you’re more trying to trick and trap them. So it’s a little bit more of a mind game. I guess I don’t have the patience to play the ABC right way that I should in the smaller buy-ins, and then in the bigger buy-ins, tricking other thinking opponents is enough of a challenge that I give it my A-plus effort every time.

But you cut your teeth playing sit-n-go’s, right?

Well, I started off playing on the internet for free when I was in college, and then when I turned 21, I started playing live – that was when I was in law school in Miami. The first casino I played at was the Seminole Hard Rock down there, which had sit-n-go’s. I’d play on the weekends, and that’s how I built up my first bankroll.

Why did sit-n-go’s work for you?

They really had a definable, optimal strategy. Once you figure them out, there are only so many dynamics that can come up in one 10-person, set-blind-structure, $150-buy-in game. There’s just not that many ways it can go down. It took me a couple weeks to figure it out, but once I did, it was a formula that I could apply to that situation. And it was pretty consistent at making money.

For beginners who want to follow in your footsteps, what sit-n-go advice do you have for them?

I’m really big into reading the books and preparing for poker the same way you would for any money-making opportunity. People don’t just jump into investment banking without any schooling about it. I read like 30 books in a couple months before I started. Also, you need to be a lot more patient than people think you need to be. People come in to play, and they try to take advantage of the low blind levels to play hands that are a little more speculative. But really, the chips are worth next to nothing when the table is still 9- or 10-handed. For instance, many people may find that they double up or even triple up early on in a match, but then don’t even make the top three. Because that early on, those chips just aren’t worth anything. Therefore risking chips to accumulate those early chips isn’t worth it. It’s profitable to play much, much tighter than you think in the early stages.

Once your career got moving, was there a moment when things really came together for you?

I think it was when I came in 7th in the $25,000 buy-in WPT main event back in 2006. It was the first time I’d taken a shot on the pro circuit, and it worked out. I won a quarter-million dollars, and that pretty much launched my career. It gave me the confidence to continue playing the circuit. Then later that year I won another 400-some thousand in various events. So 2006 was really the big year for me.

Can you describe the processes running in your mind when you’re at a game like that and trying to get a read on your opponents?

Getting a read all boils down to two categories – are they comfortable or uncomfortable? Because, if they have a good hand and they’re an experienced player, that’s a situation where they’re going to be super-comfortable. Good players have had aces a million times, so their hands aren’t trembling at aces anymore – it’s just something that makes them feel confident. Whereas even a good player can get nervous when they’re in on a big bluff, because that’s a situation that’s less in their control. On the flip side, inexperienced players will be a lot more uncomfortable with good hands because they’re not used to getting aces, kings, queens. The adrenaline’s been released. And since beginners tend to think poker is a lot more about bluffing, they can actually look pretty comfortable holding nothing. Good players, though, know how easy it is to get caught bluffing. So, if you can put your opponent into the comfortable/uncomfortable category, and then determine whether or not they’re an experienced player, it can really help you decide whether they have a hand.

Is this the kind of stuff you get into during your poker boot camps?

Yeah. I break down tournament strategy into a logical formula and give people guidelines to follow. Rather than vague principles, I give them specific strategies to follow. Mostly, I try to simplify the extremely complex game of tournament poker. Some of the things they can expect to learn are how to use “M” in hand selection; I cover some advanced reading techniques; I cover some game theory and poker stuff, as well. If anyone’s interested, they can get more info at www.bigslickbootcamp.com.

Date
Event
Tournament
Buy-In
May 27 @12pm
1
Casino Employee No-Limit Hold’em
$500May 28 @12pm
2
No Limit Hold’em
$1500May 29 @12pm
3
Heads-Up NLH/PLO
$3000May 29 @5pm
4
Seven Card 8/b
$1500May 30 @12pm
5
Pot Limit Holdem
$1500May 31 @12pm
6
NLH Mixed Max
$5000May 31 @5pm
7
Seven Card Stud
$1500June 1 @12pm
8
Omaha High/Low
$1500June 2 @12pm
9
No Limit Holdem (Re-entry)
$1500June 3 @5pm
10
Seven Card Stud
$5000June 4 @12pm
11
Pot Limit Omaha
$1500June 5 @12pm
12
Heads-Up No Limit Hold’em
$10,000June 5 @5pm
13
Fixed Limit Holdem
$1500June 6 @12pm
14
No Limit Holdem Shootout
$1500June 6 @5pm
15
Seven Card Stud High/Low
$5000June 7 @12pm
16
No Limit Hold’em Six Max
$1500June 8 @12pm
17
Pot Limit Holdem
$10,000June 8 @5pm
18
Seven Card Razz
$2500June 9 @12pm
19
No Limit Holdem
$1500June 9 @5pm
20
Fixed Limit Holdem
$5000June 10 @12pm
21
No Limit Holdem
$1000June 10 @5pm
22
2-7 Limit Triple Draw Lowball
$2500June 11 @12pm
23
No Limit Holdem Six Max
$3000June 11 @5pm
24
Omaha High/Low
$5000June 12 @12pm
25
No Limit Holdem Shootout
$1500June 12 @5pm
26
Pot Limit Omaha
$3000June 13 @12pm
27
H.O.R.S.E.
$1500June 14 @12pm
28
No Limit Holdem Four-Max
$2500June 15 @10am
29
Seniors NLH Championship
$5000June 15 @5pm
30
No Limit 2-7 Lowball
$1500June 16 @12pm
31
No Limit Hold’em
$1500June 16 @5pm
32
H.O.R.S.E.
$10,000June 17 @12pm
33
No Limit Hold’em
$1000June 18 @12pm
34
Pot Limit Omaha Six Max
$5000June 18 @5pm
35
No Limit/Limit Hold’em
$2500June 19 @12pm
36
No Limit Hold’em Shootout
$3000June 19 @5pm
37
Eight Game Mix
$2500June 20 @12pm
38
No Limit Hold’em
$1500June 21 @12pm
39
Pot Limit Omaha
$10,000June 21 @5pm
40
Limit Holdem Six Max
$2500June 22 @12pm
41
No Limit Hold’em
$3000June 22 @5pm
42
Omaha/Seven Card High-Low
$2500June 23 @12pm
43
No Limit Holdem
$1500June 24 @12pm
44
No Limit Hold’em
$1000June 24 @5pm
45
The Poker Players Championship
$50,000June 25 @12pm
46
No Limit Hold’em
$2500June 26 @12pm
47
Pot Limit Omaha Hi-Low
$1500June 26 @5pm
48
Limit Hold’em
$3000June 27 @12pm
49
Ante Only No Limit Hold’em
$1500June 28 @12pm
50
No Limit Hold’em
$5000June 29 @12pm
51
Ladies NLH Championship
$1000June 29 @5pm
52
Ten Game Mix, Six Max
$2500June 30 @12pm
53
No Limit Hold’em
$1500July 1 @12pm
54
No Limit Hold’em
$1000July 1 @12pm
55
The Big One for One Drop
$1,000,000July 2 @12pm
56
No Limit Hold’em
$1500July 3 @12pm
57
No Limit Holdem Six Max
$10,000July 3 @5pm
58
Pot Limit Omaha Hi-Low
$3000July 4 @12pm
59
No Limit Hold’em
$1000July 5 @5pm
60
No Limit 2-7 Lowball
$10,000July 7 @12pm
61A
Main Event (Day 1A)
$10,000July 8 @12pm
61B
Main Event (Day 1B)
$10,000July 9 @12pm
61C
Main Event (Day 1C)
$10,000

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