Rock The Coast Poker Run

Jonathan Little has over 4 million dollars in lifetime winnings . He was the WPT Season VI player of the year. Born in Pensacola Florida, a mere 24 years ago the sky is the limit for this young pro whose online handle is jcardshark. He also is a poker coach at sngicons.com.

Shannon Shorr has almost graduated. That's bad news for the poker world because he's terrorized the circuit while also being a full time college student. With all his focus on poker look out.

Kai Landry is a funny man. He's also a force on the felt. One of the best live tournament players in the region, Landry pulls no punches in his blog. One of our favorites enjoy the read.

THE CHEMIST83

Jeremy Gaubert is one of the world's best online players and a rising live tournament star. Known as thechemist83 online, Gaubert resides in Thibodeaux, LA. He has just under 2.5 million in live and online winnings. In 2009, he won the World Poker Open for almost 200k. Gaubert is well known as a backer, an entrepreneur, and a stand-out poker player.

Jason Mercier is one of the most feared players in the world. The youngster from Florida has had a meteoric rise in poker that nobody has ever duplicated.

Getting his footing in European tournaments before he was 21, Mercier is now poised to take over the United States too. There is no stopping him as he takes no prisoners and offers no merc-ier. Yeah, we know that's cheesy. Forgive us..

Brandon Adams, a Harvard professor, who grew up in Gulf Breeze Florida, is the thinking man's poker player. He graduated university at 17, he's written a poker novel, and he's won in high stakes tournament and cash games.

His blog isn't much poker related but it does give you a fascinating insight into what he's thinking about. Always a learning experience..

The reigning World Series of Poker Player of the Year, Frank Kasella recently can't be stopped from cashing.

His blog offers rare insight into what it means to be a grinder who has finally made it over the hump. One of the nice guys in poker, Kassela is easy to root for and amped up to repeat his success in 2011.

Poker, Casino, and Betting

Jena Delk, isn't an up and coming poker player on the Gulf Coast because she's arrived. A Florida native, Jena is a fixture on the circuit. Her blog chronicles her travels around the country pursuing her poker jones.

FADE EVERYTHING

Bobby Toye is a former LSU student and a rising online/live tournament player. Toye has six live cashes to his name half of which are three first place finishes. The aspiring screenwriter offers a well-written window into the life of a young poker player.

Poker, Casino, and Betting

Jennifer Gay is a poker player, poker room supervisor and Ante Up Magazine Poker Columnist local to Tunica, MS. Her blog covers the sometimes personal and always comical reality of a life fully centered around poker in the South.

SCOTT CLARK is a GCP friend from Saint Louis, MO. A pro since 2007, his blog features poker related videos, player interviews, poker gossip, and tournament reports.

BRIAN HEPTINSTALL has been called the Nolan Dalla of the Gulf Coast. His informative blog provides the latest news from an insiders point of view of the poker industry. His tournament coverage is second to

Da Rock, tells it straight from the dealers' box and the winners' circle. He's dealt world series final tables and hopes to one day win one.

none.

JASON LIPSCOMB gives you a chance to talk with a tournament director--directly. Lipscomb will keep you abreast of all the happenings at Harrahs regarding tournaments and poker. Check here for updates.

Benton is not just a roving gambler, he's achieved most of his success in one place, in front of his computer screen. Benton is from Thibodeaux, and been just about everywhere, but currently lives in Mobile.

POKERBAT

THE POKER BAT is an online player from Northern Louisiana who is trying out blogging to help him with his game. Bat will delve into hand scenarios and discuss issues facing today's online player.

Player N, the online handle, of our Poker Fiction writer. Player N has written screen plays, books, and other words he is capable of spelling. In this bog he tells tales of grifters, sleaze balls, and beautiful card sharks all hustling on the Coast.

...Email here!

THE LONELY ROAD

Virge's road is the internet highway, he's now one of the top online (formerly) local players. This vagabond nomad has come from Texas and discovered himself in Thailand.

This Baton Rouge native tells the awful, honest, brutal side of poker. He gives a realistic look at grinding every day in home games, a little bit on the Internet, and in Casinos around the coast.

BRANDON'S BLOG

ReidG ...who was raised in New Orleans and lives in Mobile brings his perspective on the Gulf Coast scene to GCP.NET.

RECOGNIZE AND REACT

A new title but the same blog, Goondingy or Big Smoove is pure aggression on the felt. The man examines live poker action from around New Orleans.

BRYAN LANOIX

Is there such thing as an Honest (Poker) Player? Parfait treads the line between deception and head games. An up and comer, this Honest Player excels at hand analysis and table reads. You like pressure? Play with him, you'll feel some.

SOUTHPAW ROUNDER

POOL AND POKER PLAYER

DEREK 'GRINDER' RIDLEY is a local pool and poker player who plays mostly MTTs online and is as adept at stick as he is at poker.

Philly Tom, won a local satellite tournament and went to the WSOP's Main Event. Read all the details about his journey there...

Wild Bill is Gulf Coast Poker's co-owner and founder. A poker coach with live cash games as his specialty. His blog offers reflections on poker, sports, and issues facing the Gulf Coast:

Eugene Dudek is co-owner and founder of GCP.Net. An experienced pro who took on the game pre-Moneymaker effect, he is happy to give his outlook on the local and national poker scene.

AUSTIN MARTIN

Austin Martin, former owner and operator of an online poker site brings his expert knowledge and home game expertise to GCP.

The Flip Assassin Eric S is a Mississippi King of poker. He's got a steely gaze, a steady hand, and a stable temperament. He's not afraid to play bluffcatcher or push you off a hand. But he's not Jesus, he's the other guy.

Ross L strips down poker to its core, essentially a constant emotional struggle for superiority based on mathematical computations and interpreting intrinsically incomplete information. The thinking man's blog.

Joey Gross takes you to the wild side of poker. This tournament rounder isn't afraid to tell you how things really are on the poker road. He brings a keen and honest eye to his blog and a refreshing take on live and online poker. Buckle your seatbelt it's a fun ride.

(UPDATED: 12/09/09) Austin Martin, former owner and operator of an online poker site brings his expert knowledge and home game expertise to GCP:

'If you have been reading along the last few weeks, you know I have had a terrible run. Finally, I have made a bit of a comeback. I amended my bankroll strategy for the Sunday million double shootout satellite tournaments. It is $11.70 to enter, and there are two seats guaranteed. Late at night and early in the week, these only get about 3o players. So, you are getting a good overlay as well as only having to beat 1 or 2 players to get into the second table. I played four of these tonight and won two of them.
In case you dont know, you can win these and then unregister and get the credit in tournament dollars. My bankroll is back over $500 and I am feeling good about the direction my luck is moving online. I will play a few more of these over the next few days and then covert the tournament dollars to cash in the 45 man sit n go's again'[+]

'Is poker all about math? Is poker all about feel? Position? Your cards? Your opponent?
I could go on and on.....
I wanted to talk a little about feel. I think I'm more of a feel player than a math player(I'm not saying this is the better way to be). I will review a hand from the Full Tilt 50-50 tournament I managed to squeak my way through. I'll try to set-up this hand just a little:
At the moment, I have never used PokerTracker. I'm not apposed to it. Actually, I plan to use it in the future when I plan to give online poker a legitimate run. But I have no stats on the 'villain' in this hand. What I can tell you, is that this hand is played early at the final table. I don't have much prior history with him/her. I start this hand 4th in chips.[+]

YOUR AD HERE:

'I have always thought that many players who play six max no-limit hold’em are still trying to play post flop poker too much. There is nothing fundamentally wrong with this but you really want to be playing post flop poker with either the initiative or strong implied odds and so calling raises is not really going to be profitable. This is especially the case at the middle limits where more and more players fire double barrels and triple barrels where they stack off.
Sure their ranges may be polarised but it is still tough to call players with jack and queen high. I love players who have PokerTracker statistics in six handed NLHE of around 24/10. They get good VPIP but achieve it in totally the wrong way and call raises too much and limp in too much trying to take small ball too far. Irrespective what anyone else tells you, when you play no-limit then your PFR should not be too far behind your VPIP figure.' [+].

'I sit down with $500 in 1-2 game and this asian girl Linda is at the table with $260 or so. I see 2 hands played and she raised both times to like 30 to 40 bucks preflop. I know plenty about her and know she always goes broke along with her husband who plays fast like a madman too.

Well my first hand i get AK, young guy with over 300 in front of him makes it $15 under the gun. I call. It gets around to Linda on the button and she of course reraises to $50. (i dont think she ever puts anyone on a hand) young guy calls,I call. Flop is all spades low board. I do have a spade but its the King. Initial raiser checks ,I check, Mrs Saigon makes it 100.

Kid calls, i think he has best hand at the moment with QQ or JJ with a spade likely. I think if my two overs hit im good and hopefully my K spade hits its good so i call. Turn is a rag spade so i got my flush but not that thrilled. The kid moves all in for $160 ,I call and Linda calls her last $109. Nice first hand pot!!!'[+]

'A couple weeks ago I was able to put in a pretty long session at Harrah's with Davey and for the most part it was pretty fun. Didn't get out there till pretty late and it took forever to park but I finally sat down around 10:00 in a really bad game but luckily it broke fairly early and I was moved to a game that much better. I didn't really do anything great but I was able to book a win which is always nice. Never really had any interesting hands except when I straddled and and had 4,6 and flopped open ended with 6 ppl in the hand. I bet it and hit it on the turn and broke the guy next to me who was pretty unlucky and flopped a set. Of course the guy at the other end of the table 'knew' what I had, well he said it was either a straight or a flush.....no shit huh, not to much else beats a set.
I was fortunate enough to be dealt 12 pocket pair in one night and connect for ZERO flops. I guess I wasn't trying hard enough, at least that's what Davey told me. Never really had any big hands either. I got the pleasure of playing with a local by the name of Melvin. Melvin is prolly one of the funniest ppl I've played cards with and he's not trying to be funny. He constantly falls asleep at the table and just brutally honest with people. He's been known to tell people they should stay b/c they play so bad he's guaranteed to win. He'll also call complete strangers sweetheart and just create this very weird vibe for the tourist but we all know it's a joke. There was Russian kid at the table and when he asked where the kid was from and he said Russia, Melvin let us know that 'Russians are fuckin crazy, you can't trust them at all....they're more nuts than China-men'...needless to say he's not very P.C' [+]

(UPDATED: 09/16/09)Da Rock, tells it straight from the dealers' box and the winners' circle.

'DAY 1, AK suited IN THE BIG BLIND, 4 CALLERS, I RAISE 3X THE BIG 3 CALLERS, FLOP COMES A37 OFF, I HAVE 8500(SHORT STACK) LEFT, I SHOVE. 1folds, next player goes all in. I SAY SHIT DON'T TELL ME YOU HAVE 33? YEP I DO HE SAYS. HE HAS ME COVERED TURN, RIVER, COMES BLANK. I'M OUT. DAY 2 same thing, I GET AK suited in the big blind, 2callers, i have 11500, i raise $3500, call, call. flop comes A67, this time i bet $3500, 1folds, next player goes ALL IN. I TANK FOR ABOUT 5MINS. THINKING U HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME, NOT AGAIN. THEN I FOLD FACE UP. HE TURNS OVER 10 8 OFF. AND TELLS ME THAT FOR $4500 MORE HE WAS GOING TO TAKE HIS CHANCES FOR THE GUT SHOT STRAIGHT. BUT I HANG IN THERE FOR ABOUT AN HR, BEFORE I GET KNOCKED OUT. BUT DAMN, THAT WAS SICK..'[+]

'Pot #1: Limp in from the SB with 5,5 (4 other limpers already). BB raises to $15. UTG calls, UTG+1 calls, other 2 callers call and I call. 6 players. Flop is K,5,2 rainbow - pretty ideal for my hand because I think anyone with a king will want to end the pot on the flop. As I'm first to act, however, I don't want to risk it being checked around if no one has a king and then have someone pick up a draw on the turn. I bet $37 into the $90 pot, figuring any king will call or better yet, raise.

I have $77 behind after this bet. UTG+1 calls and everyone else folds. No way he has AA or KK because he would have re-raised the $15 preflop at a minimum. Turn is an A, still no flush draw. I forget the exact action here but it all goes in for both of us and he has me covered. I have a set, he has 3.4 off...wheel straight. River bricks and I'm felted.'[+]

[UPDATED: 10/5/09] JASON LIPSCOMB gives you a chance to talk with a tournament director--directly. Lipscomb will keep you abreast of all the happenings at Harrahs regarding tournaments and poker. Check here for updates.

'I know it has been awhile since my last post, but I here and have some good news. I recently signed on as a pro with http://www.feltstars.com/ and I must say the software is second to none. Yes better than tilt and pokerstars try it out and see it for yourself after all it free to try...

They are offering 300% bonus up to 3k total the largest of any online site and rake back deals too up to 30% and the rake back is added to your acct daily. Contact me for rake back deals @ juiceypoker@yahoo.com' [+}

THE LONELY ROAD

(UPDATED 12/20/09) Virge's road is the internet highway, he's now one of the top online (formerly) local players:

It's fairly obvious since I haven't posted in a while, but I've taken extended break to travel and see the world. I'm more than happy to talk to anyone, but I won't be offering any coaching or any other poker services while I'm away.
Say hi if you'd like to hear some great stories; I may get around to posting them at some point.' [+]