I have been a professional internet poker player for 12 years, playing mostly no limit hold’em cash games with buy-ins ranging from $200-$1000 and have been playing online in New Jersey since it was regulated in November 2013. Since Party Poker and Borgata Poker (henceforth referred to as Party Poker) began operating in New Jersey, their software has been plagued with crashes, disconnections and other bugs. Over the past 6 months of playing on Party Poker their software has crashed on my computer approximately 500 times and each time it crashes, the software folds my hand on each of the 10 tables I play simultaneously, often when I have already put a significant amount of money into the pot. As a result of the high volume I play and the frequency of the crashes, the amount of money I have put into pots and folded away as a result of their faulty software has been staggering. This is a problem not just for me, but for players all over New Jersey and all over the world that use Party Poker’s software. I, along with many others, have made Party Poker aware of the software problems for over 6 months by emailing support, tweeting, conversing with upper level management and advising their tech people. Their response has always been the same “there were no technical difficulties that arose from our end, check your computer” or “We are working on it and have escalated it to the appropriate department.” These are the same form responses that I, and many others, have received word for word for over 6 months without any resolution to the problems. Despite these responses, I have gone to great lengths to ensure that the problem is not on my end including purchasing a new computer and changing internet service providers.

When Party Poker software crashes and I am automatically folded, the hand history, the report that lists what happened in each hand in note form, is not written to my hard drive like it is when there is no crash. As a result of this, I only have a rough guesstimate of the amount of money I have lost due to the software crashes and I have no record of what took place in those hands. I have been asking Party Poker for a complete copy of my hand histories for nearly nearly 2 months so that I can do my 2014 taxes and so that I have accurate records. For a few weeks they were “working on it” “escalating it” and “forwarding it to the respective department,” until they started ignoring my emails. Only after contacting the Department of Gaming Enforcement in New Jersey, was I able to get approximately 160,000 of the 470,000 hands I have played on Party Poker in the past year and they have been unable to locate roughly the records of more than 310,000 hands.

I put the 160,000 hands I received into an empty Hold’em Manager database and approximately 14,000 of those hands had the action incorrect or wrong, including every single time the software crashed. The actions, as represented in the hand histories I was sent, were often impossible such as me betting and then calling my own bet or me betting and then folding to no further action. I repeat, there was not a single time where the software crashed that I received a correct hand history demonstrating that, and the only records of hands where the software crashed that exist are incorrect. There is therefore no way for me to account for the money the software crashing has cost me.

I believe that when the software crashes on my computer, the hand history is not correctly written to their servers. This is akin to Gmail not saving your conversation with a friend because the friend signed off in the middle of the conversation. Of the 14,000 hand histories that were incorrect, not all of them were incorrect because Party Poker crashed on my computer. Since the crashing on my computer caused the hand histories to be incorrectly recorded on their servers, when it crashed for others their hands must have been incorrectly recorded as well. Since approximately 10% of the hand histories I received were incorrect, I believe that in 10% of the hands I played in, myself or someone I was playing poker with was disconnected from their site due to a crash caused by the Party Poker software. Based on my own approximate losses, the prevalence of these bugs and the sheer number of players affected, the amount of amount of money lost due to this bug is in millions of dollars if not more.

Regulated internet poker was established to prevent disreputable sites that have little regard for their customers from participating and to protect the players. It is incredible to me that politics have prevented PokerStars, whose reputation and customer service is impeccable, from receiving a license in New Jersey thus far, but Party Poker, who has a history of operating in the manner I have described above have been allowed to operate.

I request that Party Poker finally and completely fix their software bugs and compensate people for the losses they have incurred as a result of their negligence.

These are some of my random musings from the last few weeks:

Tim Kurkjian is an awesome baseball analyst and definitely my favorite to listen to.

Running is so relaxing and I love it.

Selling yourself at a markup when getting staked in poker tournaments is ridiculous because there is very few that have the ROI+ risk + effort to make it worth an investment.  Bring back the Bank of Timex.

Places that sell things who don’t have enough minimum wage employees to sell the goods still shock me.

No matter how well I learn how to swim, swimming in the open water in July is going to be scary.

Having read I am Malala, she deserves every accolade she has been given.

I don’t want to hear anymore about Joe Flacco’s great record when the defense is so good.  You know who is great in my 2 on 2 basketball league? Me and LeBron James.

Comparing historical football records is ridiculous.  Do you think it matters today that my team is on a 7 game losing streak against yours when the time period is 60 years?

Physical Therapy is the act of taking something that looks very easy and making it very, very hard.

Learn, adapt, conquer.  Repeat.

He considers sitting but not playing anyone unethical, a charge which I find laughable.  There are no rules in poker stating that you must play anyone who sits with you, continue to play or play in a specific manner.  I am sure this player would like it if I went all in every hand, but calling it unethical because it does not conform to what he would like to see is silly.  Of course, this player does not play everyone who sits with him, play in every game, or play at the highest possible stakes, but only plays against those players against whom he thinks he has an edge.  This player, like every other poker player, does things at the table that others would consider wrong or unethical.  While I may not always agree with his poker or life choices, I do not feel it necessary to attack him for them.  In fact, I believe it is a compliment to his game that I believe he is a good player and that there is more money to be made elsewhere.

Below I will repost some of what I previously wrote on the topic:

“I often sit at empty tables in an attempt to start new games to increase the total number of tables I am playing.  When regulars that I do not match up well against sit down to play, I will often decline to play them.  Lately, several regulars have berated me for not wanting to play  them 1 on 1, “heads up” in poker terms, called me a bumhunter, and said they were going to sit at all my heads up tables so that I couldn’t play anyone else.  Most have said to me, “I will play anyone” and in the online poker world, it seems to be a badge of honor to be willing to play whomever sits with you.  I wonder how they would they feel if Phil Ivey (the best poker player in the world) came down and said, “I play anyone, so you should play me now.”

My reply lately has been to ask why these players aren’t in Ivey’s Room in the Aria Las Vegas where the buyins are hundreds of thousands of dollars.  Clearly these players exercise some choice in who they play, and their willingness to play anyone extends only to playing people they believe they have an edge over.  In fact, many of these players do not play every available game online in New Jersey, but are using criteria for game selection that is not primarily concerned with profitability.  Though I find it irritating to be berated, especially by people with whom I have been friendly, I believe that they are less skilled in achieving the end goal of playing poker professionally: making money.

I believe there are 2 sets of essential poker skills, hard skills and soft skills.  Hard skills encompass everything related to playing a poker hand like whether or not to bet, how much to bet or whether you think your opponent is bluffing.  Soft skills are everything else involved in playing poker, like being in the correct mindset, where to sit at the table and how not to tilt.  You need both sets of skills to be a successful professional.  For example, someone who is great at betting, but who tilts off their whole bankroll when they take a bad beat, has soft skills that counteract their hard skills to the point that it is going to be tough for them to be a long term winner.

There are many, many situations that occur at the poker table, and as a professional, it is my job to know which ones are profitable and to try to put myself in those situations.   I have spent thousands of hours doing analysis in order to figure out where the money is made and how best to make it.  For example, there are many players who I would not like sitting on my left (acting after me) but who I am happy to have on my right (acting before me).  Does that mean that I will never sit with them on my left?  Of course not, but there needs to be a something positive that counteracts the money I lose (or cannot make) because of the tough player on my left.  If you are not consistently not discerning about these small edges that frequently occur, they quickly add up  and really eat into the bottom line.

Before I play a hand, I try to determine whether or not it is profitable for me to play in a game.  Into that calculation goes some of the following: Am I a favorite in this game?, Will it distract from my other games?,  Do I have enough games going now?,  Will I learn something from playing here?,  Will the game start if I play heads up?, in addition to many other things.  I do the mental calculation to figure out if  I think it is profitable, and if it is, then I play, if not, then I don’t.

Often when I do start a game and the weaker player sits, I find myself in a poor position and not able to make money, while someone else who sat later will get one of the more profitable seats and therefore reap the benefits of my playing heads up to start games.  I don’t generally play in a game with 5 other tough regulars, not because I don’t think I can win in the game, but because its not worth my time and mental energy to win at a small rate (and endure a lot of variance),  when I could be focusing my attention on more profitable scenarios.  If my opponent does x, and I have trouble reacting to x, I am not going to go out of my way to play them heads up, a.k.a. giving them money.  Once I figure out a good way to counteract what they are doing, I might play them heads up to challenge myself and see if my solution works.”

I immediately emailed support on July 6th (before the sale was over) informed them of the problem and told them that I wanted to purchase the bonuses at the discounted price, and asked if they could do it for me manually. That was over a week ago and I have since inquired 2 additional times and have been told twice that the issue has been escalated to a supervisor and that I should have an answer soon.

I have lost what little faith I had in Party Poker and Borgata Poker. I have been playing on Party Poker(and Borgata Poker, which shares a player pool) since December and each time I have had a problem, I have been told it will be escalated to a supervisor and I have not heard back from them. It has now been nearly 8 days since my original email and given their history of ignoring problems, I would like to make this issue, along with many of the others that I have experienced over the past few months, public.

Here are just a few of the problems:

1)When I caught a player cheating by playing on the same table under a different screen name, I informed them and to my knowledge, there was nothing done about it.

2) The geolocation software, which ensures that the players are in NJ while playing, intermittently cannot locate me in NJ and therefore disconnects me from my games frequently. Because of a Party Poker software glitch, I must leave the table(losing my seat) in order to be geolocated in NJ. This does not happen on the 2 other main sites.

3)Their software crashes on me at least twice a day, they refuse to fix it and the reimbursements that I have asked for have also been escalated to a supervisor and ignored.

4)There is a phone number to call for support but no one ever answers it.

5)The security email that ensures that you are the one logging into your account(as mandated by NJ law) often arrives 5-8 hours after logging in, providing no security and ensuring that if your account is hacked, nothing can be done.

6)There are more software glitches than I can name, from prizepools being wrong, to clicking on the lobby making the software freeze, to the login window not opening until you restart the software several times.

Because of the limitation on the number of available games, I am forced to play on Party/Borgata in addition to WSOP/888 Poker and I understand that I make more money using their crappy site than if I boycott them.

Back in 2006, I made a conscious decision to no longer play on Party Poker because of their horrendous customer service, terrible software and lack of concern for their players. I chose to go with PokerStars, who left no stone unturned in attempting to become the best site out there for the players and whose reputation for customer service is impeccable. It is unfortunate that the politics of gambling in NJ has forced me to resume playing on Party/Borgata.

I know there are many out there who have expressed similar complaints about Party Poker NJ and who are excited for PokerStars to enter the market.

I have heard that PokerStars might be granted a license to operate in NJ soon. Be very afraid Party/Borgata, because I will be moving there and I am definitely not alone.

The Spartan Race was super fun and a really great experience.  I would definitely do another one!

The course was very hilly and at every point on the course, it felt like I was either a)climbing up a hill b)trying not to fall down a hill or c)doing an obstacle.  I think the course was steeper than hiking up Table Mountain (which I did 5 years ago) and very, rocky.  I had to be constantly vigilant to be sure that I stepped down correctly and, for me, it made it more about completing the race, than actually racing.

I was proud that I was able to complete most of the obstacles and that my hard work paid off in a few important spots like climbing the cargo net and getting over the 8 foot wall.  I will recap some of the obstacles along with my predictions.

I will finish(98%) I was really happy to finish and it was pretty cool to be in the top 18% of competitors.  The chances of me finishing were probably lower than estimated given given the rocky uphills and downhills.

Rope Climb(30%) I made it about halfway up the rope, and my lack of practice really hurt me.  I think that if I was used to the climbing technique, and to the doing the descent, I could have made it.  Next time I will!

Monkey Bars(50%) This year they decided to make the monkey bars uneven, which I had not trained for, and do not think I could have done.  As it was, my hand slipped so I did 30 burpees and was on my way.

Monkey Net Cargo(15%)  It didn’t seem to be as hard as I thought, though I only made it about 3 lengths before my hand slipped and I fell into the mud.  I think I actually underestimated my chances of completing it.

Barbed Wire Crawl(100%) It wasn’t wasn’t as long or bad as I thought it was going to be and I think I moved through it pretty efficiently.

80lb Stone Carry(75%)  The stone was heavy and awkward, but once I got it up, I was able to get it across and back without too much trouble.

Wall Climb (80%) I needed every one of my practice pullups to get myself out of the mud and up the wall.  It was a great feeling though, because my hard work paid dividends and I pushed myself hard.

Spear Throw (30%) I had one throw and I missed.  More burpees.

Other Obstacles: The Cargo Net Climb was really high(also overlooking a massive downhill) and I am not a fan of heights.  I moved slowly and was extremely careful not to fall.  I am interested to see how the picture of me taken in mid-climb looks.

The Sandbag Carry was straight uphill and heavy.  Probably the toughest obstacle because it required continuous perseverance with a heavy burden.

The Log Carry was big and awkward(I choose my log poorly) and I dropped it, nearly breaking the feet of the people behind me.  The hill wasn’t so steep though and the course was short, so it wasn’t too bad.

The 6 foot, 7, foot and 8 foot walls were pretty easy and I was so happy that I was able to complete them without any assistance.  I made the 8 foot wall by my fingertips and was able to pull myself up.

The organization of the race is top notch.  The route you need to follow is obvious in order to register for the race, get your number, timing chip etc.  There were plenty of showers, changing areas and tents all of which were closely located and easy to find.  The course was well marked with signs and there was no way to get lost.   However, because of the staggered start (200 people leave every 15 minutes), and the one person width trails that caused bottlenecks at a few points, it didn’t feel as much like a race for me as I had hoped it would.

As Coach Flex said, “Now that you have one under your belt, you know what you need to work on and how to get better.  Then you get after it.”  Good words to end this blog with!

I will finish- 98%.  I have no doubt that I am fit enough and have the fortitude to finish, but sometimes a freak injury can occur, so that is why it’s not 100%

Rope Climb-30%. I have done a lot of pullups and simulated rope climbing, but have never actually tried it out for real.  Also, given that it will be muddy, at the end of the race and that I only have one shot at it, I think that number is realistic.

Monkey Bars-50%. I have practiced a bit and have done pretty well, but the monkey bars on the course are a bit longer and probably more slippery than I am used to.

Monkey Net Cargo- 15%.  I watched a few videos and just about everyone failed at this obstacle.  I will give it my best effort!

Barbed Wire Crawl-100%.  I am going to finish it, but its going to be long and awful.  That’s what everyone said last year, and Spartan Race made it harder this year.

80lb Stone Carry- 75%.  That seems heavy, and I have never done anything like it, but something tells me I will find a way to get it done.

Wall Climb 80%.  I’ve done a lot of pullups so I think I should be OK getting started and then it is just climbing.

Spear Throw 30%.  I have never thrown a spear.

Most of the other obstacles will take some effort and will, but I think I should be able to complete them.  If not, I have practiced a lot of burpees just in case!

Lebron James is one of the leading scorers in the NBA, and has been for the past 10 years.  He has been named to the NBA All Defensive First Team for five consecutive years.   This means that his impact on the game on both ends of the floor is enormous and that whomever comes off the bench to replace him is going to be a significant downgrade.  Therefore, when you elect to put him on the bench and to replace him with an inferior player, there had better be a compelling reason.

The reasoning generally given in situations like these is that you want ensure that he does not foul out so that he can play at the end of the game in case it is close.  I believe this is faulty logic.  Firstly, James has only fouled out 5 times in his 10 year NBA career, for an average of once every other year.  On average, he picks up 2.1 fouls per 48 minutes, meaning that even having picked up 2 early fouls, he is still extremely unlikely to foul out of the game.  It is extremely likely that he will be available at the end of the game, even having picked up 2 early fouls.

Secondly, sitting him early in the game costs his team points in the near term.  Every minute that James is not on the floor and is replaced by a lesser player, he is theoretically costing his team points.  In game 5, James played only 24 minutes instead of the 38 he has averaged during the playoffs.   Since he is averaging 34 points per 48 minutes, and his replacements Udonis Haslem and Shane Battier average 4 and 10 points per 48 minutes, his sitting for an extra 14 minutes cost his team approximately 6.6 points of offense.  Since it is unlikely that they can make up this point gap defensively (given that James was First Team All Defense), it is a good assumption that the cost to his team was greater than 6.6 points.

Thirdly, what about the concern about having him available at the end of the game?  Well, as addressed above, it is still extremely unlikely that James will actually foul out of the game (for more in depth analysis, you can look at the times he picked up 2 early fouls and do analysis of the times he has fouled out, though its a very small sample size).  This means that it is extremely likely that he will be available at the “crucial time.”  Even if James were not available for the final 6 minutes of the game because he had fouled out, that loss would not be more than the expected 6.6 points per game the Heat lost by sitting him(that would mean that the difference between James and his replacement was worth 52.8 points per game).

So if sitting James because of 2 early fouls is a poor decision, then why do coaches do it?  My guess is that since that is what every other coach does, it keeps them out of the line of fire.  Its also much harder to be criticized for losing with your star in the game, rather than losing when he has fouled out.

The best winning strategy should be to have the best team on the floor for the maximum amount of time, and this clearly includes having Lebron James on the court as much as possible.  Given the work done by other analysts like Nate Silver, Stephen Dubner and Steven Levitt, who have proven that there is no such thing as a clutch player or a hot hand, it should be clear that the goal is to create the most point differential throughout the game, not just at the end.

I try not to be results oriented, but the Pacers won by 3 points, 93-90, and that is well within the amount of points that sitting James cost the heat.

http://www.wnyc.org/story/online-gambling-in-the-garden-state-gets-off-to-a-slow-start/

In the past, I have typically focused mainly on running, and then did a bit of strength work and weights, but training for the race has required me to do more full body exercises like burpees, squat presses and pullups and to take boot camp classes with the rest of the Trooper Fitness Team.  I have really enjoyed training with the Trooper Fitness Coaches and I leave each one feeling stronger, fitter, and incredibly, incredibly sweaty.  I feel fitter than I have been in a long time, even more so than before the NYC marathon . I am really looking forward to racing and seeing just how much my work will have paid off!

While watching NFL Countdown today, which was previewing the games, the commentators were discussing how to beat the Denver Broncos.  They unanimously agreed  that what the opposing team (Dallas in this case) needed to do was to score more quickly and speed up the pace of the game.  I believe this is the decidedly wrong answer for two reasons.

Firstly, assuming that Denver is the better team, which the commentators agreed on, Dallas would want each team to have fewer possessions(not more) in the hopes that one outlier (fumble, interception return or 90 yard play) for them would be the difference in the game. Dallas would not want to score quickly and allow each team to have more possessions, which would enable Denver’s (and Peyton Manning’s) skill advantage to have more opportunities to shine through.  To use another sports analogy, in baseball, anyone can win a one game playoff, but over the course of 162 games, the best team usually wins its division.

The second reason why this might not be an optimal strategy for Dallas(and other Denver opponents) is that they are not accustomed to playing at a faster pace and taking more chances on offense.  Attempting to run plays that have little chance of success (though may go for huge yardage once in a while) means the chances of overall success(touchdowns) go down, and then the chance of success(winning the game) goes down even faster when you increase the number of possessions.