http://www.floptech.com/blogs/ FlopTech Blog en-us 30 December 2009 04:12:11 GMT http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss http://www.floptech.com/blogs/ If you haven't seen City Center yet, it's a must-see on your next Vegas trip. We've posted some new photos of City Center and its neighbor Bellagio in the meantime... 30 December 2009 04:12:11 GMT http://www.floptech.com/blogs/ http://www.floptech.com/blogs/ Six great players, 7+ hours of great poker, and only one winner. The newest WPT champion is one of the best all-around players, he's widely known and liked, and we're glad he's finally won a WPT event. 20 December 2009 12:32:51 GMT http://www.floptech.com/blogs/ http://www.floptech.com/blogs/ Ten players were knocked out in five hours, including some of yesterday's big stacks. We got down to the final "TV six" in a rollercoaster of bustouts and triple-ups. And the end result is one of the toughest WPT TV tables ever. 19 December 2009 10:01:51 GMT http://www.floptech.com/blogs/ http://www.floptech.com/blogs/46.html It was crunch time in the Fontana Lounge as the remaining player count was cut by more than half. The lead had changed by the end of the day, and the TV table is nearly in sight. 18 December 2009 09:08:23 GMT http://www.floptech.com/blogs/46.html http://www.floptech.com/blogs/45.html Short stacks, tall buildings. Our roving, railing CEO was on hand for day 3 of the WPT event at Bellagio and also for the grand opening of Aria next door at the massive new City Center complex. Check out the fireworks! 17 December 2009 14:01:26 GMT http://www.floptech.com/blogs/45.html http://www.floptech.com/blogs/44.html Wow, so you can completely skip day 1 of a WPT event, buy in on day 2, and get a full chip stack? About 30 players did just that, and about 10 players also shaved their heads... 16 December 2009 08:55:20 GMT http://www.floptech.com/blogs/44.html http://www.floptech.com/blogs/43.html The WPT is back at Bellagio, and so is our roving CEO railbird. He took more photos of the weird, wonderful, and gigantic new City Center than of the WPT action. But hey, it's only day 1, and there's lots more to come... 15 December 2009 10:07:56 GMT http://www.floptech.com/blogs/43.html http://www.floptech.com/blogs/42.html He's gradually overcoming the "worst rapper in poker" stigma, and Jeff Lisandro wasn't around to threaten him with physical violence. Prahlad Friedman gave a breakthrough performance at the Legends of Poker event at the Bicycle Casino, and we've got some (nearly lost) photos to show you... (Updated) 28 August 2009 19:57:43 GMT http://www.floptech.com/blogs/42.html http://www.floptech.com/blogs/41.html If you're tired of the same old table backgrounds and graphics on FullTilt and PokerStars, then MacPokerTools can fix you up. They've created some way cool themes, including an Apple theme! We think you'll agree that they're awesome, so check it out. http://www.floptech.com/blogs/41.html 10 August 2009 19:02:19 GMT http://www.floptech.com/blogs/40.html We've mashed up a few more shots from the Rio and elsewhere, taken during the WSOP09 Main Event. Pro players, hotties, a hot dog, and one very special bracelet are all in the mix this time. Our next WSOP09 blog might be coming from the Rio in November, if we can schedule another Vegas trip then... http://www.floptech.com/blogs/40.html 23 July 2009 00:34:44 GMT http://www.floptech.com/blogs/39.html Day 8 is history, and the nine survivors of WSOP09 Main Event day 8 will be making more history come November. Even more fan favorites busted as the 27 day 7 survivors were reduced to the elite November Nine. Did your favorite player make it? Read on... http://www.floptech.com/blogs/39.html 16 July 2009 12:42:34 GMT http://www.floptech.com/blogs/38.html We were afraid that day 7 might turn into an all-nighter while narrowing the field down to 27. It didn't, and there was a whole lot of rapid-fire action as players' Main Event runs came to an end. Some fan favorites thrived, others perished. Our man was there with Nikon and iPhone... http://www.floptech.com/blogs/38.html 15 July 2009 12:13:51 GMT http://www.floptech.com/blogs/36.html We've posted a bunch of photos of some of the people, places, and things that are part of the World Series of Poker experience. These pix didn't quite into the "official" event blogs, so here's a mashup of our favorites. More daily pix from the Main Event and elsewhere in Vegas coming next week... http://www.floptech.com/blogs/36.html 09 July 2009 16:50:48 GMT http://www.floptech.com/blogs/35.html Everyone expected a grueling fight to the finish, but maybe not quite THIS grueling. Apparently this was the second longest final table in WSOP history, proof of just exactly how tough and determined these players were. After all, they weren't just playing for money and a bracelet. They were playing for a place in poker history... http://www.floptech.com/blogs/35.html 04 July 2009 08:56:02 GMT http://www.floptech.com/blogs/34.html TV coverage or no, the $50K HORSE event at the World Series of Poker is the true prestige event. It's a shame that ESPN won't be airing this event, and that many top pros didn't enter because of lack of TV exposure for their backers. But we love the event just the same. Rocket Boy got some pretty good shots of the players on day 3 and 4, and he'll get more of the final table. http://www.floptech.com/blogs/34.html 30 June 2009 10:55:25 GMT http://www.floptech.com/blogs/33.html Would David Williams win his 2nd bracelet? Could Greg "FBT" Mueller win his 2nd bracelet of 2009? Or would Millie Shiu win her first bracelet? It was a final table full of historic possibilities and the win didn't come easy. http://www.floptech.com/blogs/33.html 29 June 2009 21:00:41 GMT http://www.floptech.com/blogs/32.html Getting stuck in traffic is bad. Getting stuck in traffic in CD-warping heat is the worst. We've put together some Vegas travel tips and staff favorites for you, in case you'll be driving or walking around Vegas this summer. http://www.floptech.com/blogs/32.html 22 June 2009 19:58:52 GMT http://www.floptech.com/blogs/30.html The final ten players at this year's WPT World Championship made up one of the toughest WPT final tables ever. Eight poker pros from around the world, a living legend, and one amateur sat down to do battle. All incredibly tough, all totally focused on making the TV table and winning the whole thing. http://www.floptech.com/blogs/30.html Tue, 28 Apr 2009 23:53:52 GMT http://www.floptech.com/blogs/29.html Seen a good poker movie lately? If you did, it was probably released in the previous century. Seems like there haven't been any good poker flicks since MCMXCVIII. Yeah, it's been that long, and Webmistress "Troi" thinks she knows why. But there is still hope. Two upcoming films just might bring the genre out of the muck. http://www.floptech.com/blogs/29.html Tue, 07 Apr 2009 20:21:13 GMT http://www.floptech.com/blogs/28.html It's official: our hard-core WPT fanboi CEO "Rocket Boy" is a masochistic sicko. He sat in the stands for 12 1/2 hours and 319 hands at Bay 101. All the way to the bittersweet end. But hey, Kathy Liebert bought him a beer! http://www.floptech.com/blogs/28.html Sun, 22 Mar 2009 21:43:28 GMT http://www.floptech.com/blogs/27.html Silicon Valley is hurting. Venture capital has dried up, but poker-wise things are still A-OK for the World Poker Tour and Bay 101 casino. Rocket Boy rolled down to Bay 101 to watch the Shooting Star pros battle it out with the local heroes. And a pretty interesting mix made the final table. http://www.floptech.com/blogs/27.html Fri, 20 Mar 2009 20:03:28 GMT http://www.floptech.com/blogs/26.html Our railbirding CEO "Rocket Boy" busts his Commerce WPT cherry and tells us all about it. People were actually falling asleep in the grandstands toward the end of the record-breaking 10 1/2 hour marathon. There were hours and hours of passive play, many brutal all-in suckouts, and the best card-catcher eventually won. Wed, 11 Mar 2009 21:42:35 GMT http://www.floptech.com/blogs/26.html http://www.floptech.com/blogs/25.html That irritating rake! You pay it on every hand, whether you win, lose, or chop. You even pay it when you're sitting out. It's like gravity: it just never goes away. Our frugal CEO, Rocket Boy, shows you just how bad it is, plus how to get some of that rake money back. And it ain't rocket science. http://www.floptech.com/blogs/25.html Tue, 17 Feb 2009 23:43:18 GMT http://www.floptech.com/blogs/24.html To crush single table sit-and-go tournaments, you'll need to exploit key situations as things progress. Because if you don't, a villain will. Oliver MacLennan of Poker Junkie reveals how and when to sieze the moment (and lots of chips...) http://www.floptech.com/blogs/24.html Tue, 03 Feb 2009 20:02:37 GMT http://www.floptech.com/blogs/23.html This year: no Stevenote. Next year: no Apple. Our loose-aggressive CTO went to MWSF09, which just might be his last MWSF ever. The MWSF09 hat he bought? Could be a collectors' item soon... http://www.floptech.com/blogs/23.html Mon, 12 Jan 2009 21:36:53 GMT http://www.floptech.com/blogs/22.html Tahoe is a beautiful place, even if you don't snow or water ski. Our CEO does neither, but he jumped at the chance to sweat the WSOP Circuit Event final table there. The local talent got very deep but a big-name pro took it down... http://www.floptech.com/blogs/22.html Tue, 18 Nov 2008 20:09:48 GMT http://www.floptech.com/blogs/21.html Rocket Boy finally railed the WSOP one time, and he says it won't be the last time. Only one event could get him to go to Vegas in the summer. That's right, baby, it was the $50K HORSE event... http://www.floptech.com/blogs/21.html Tue, 1 Jul 2008 02:16:11 GMT http://www.floptech.com/blogs/20.html FlopTech's Chief Executive Nit, Rocket Boy, took time out from his "busy schedule" to rail the main event of the Bay 101 Shooting Stars event. Again. Like he's some kind of WPT fanboi already... Sat, 15 Mar 2008 02:08:48 GMT http://www.floptech.com/blogs/20.html http://www.floptech.com/blogs/19.html Rocket Boy rolls into Vegas and what does he do? He rails the Bellagio Five Diamond WPT event again. Well, somebody's gotta do it. At least he got some good pix... http://www.floptech.com/blogs/19.html Tue, 24 Jun 2008 21:17:32 GMT http://www.floptech.com/blogs/18.html Our Chief Technology Maniac gets his face up outta the code to ship us the buzz on some Tahoe cardrooms: Montbleu and Harvey's. If this guy could play as well as he programs, he could quit and go full-time pro. (Hint, hint...) http://www.floptech.com/blogs/18.html Mon, 5 Nov 2007 19:58:38 GMT http://www.floptech.com/blogs/17.html How much luck is there in poker? How much skill? Should poker be lumped together with other card games like blackjack, pai-gow, and baccarat? Rocket Boy gives us his thoughts... http://www.floptech.com/blogs/17.html Mon, 15 Oct 2007 19:30:51 GMT http://www.floptech.com/blogs/16.html Vegas, baby! Maniac gives us the lowdown on three incredibly different cardrooms. The Sahara: old school and on the way out. Palms: off-strip so it has to be good. Wynn: weird and wonderful with a great cardroom... http://www.floptech.com/blogs/16.html Fri, 29 Jun 2007 20:51:43 GMT http://www.floptech.com/blogs/15.html Three hands that our intrepid bloggers actually played or witnessed in which aces went down in flames for big pots. Ya gotta remember: pocket aces are only the nuts preflop... http://www.floptech.com/blogs/15.html Mon, 21 May 2007 23:35:50 GMT http://www.floptech.com/blogs/14.html The first in a series of brick 'n mortar cardroom reviews by our Chief Technology Officer, "Maniac". He kicks it off with California casinos in the south (Hustler) and north (Lucky Chances)... http://www.floptech.com/blogs/14.html Wed, 11 Apr 2007 22:37:37 GMT http://www.floptech.com/blogs/13.html Come on, admit it. You guys at FlopTech are spooked by little ole me, Webmistress "Troi". Dont'cha wish your reading was hot like mine? http://www.floptech.com/blogs/13.html Fri, 30 Mar 2007 18:32:38 GMT http://www.floptech.com/blogs/12.html Our CEO, "Rocket Boy" drove to Bay 101 and got in a whole lotta quality seat time in the WPT grandstands. The thing ended way after last call, so Sexton and the gang toasted the winner with apple juice... http://www.floptech.com/blogs/11.html Sat, 17 Mar 2007 20:22:27 GMT http://www.floptech.com/blogs/11.html Everyone says poker is a people game, and in this blog "Rocket Boy" explains how you should play, not how he does play. He'd be so much better if he practiced what he preached... http://www.floptech.com/blogs/11.html Tue, 27 Feb 2007 11:59:01 GMT http://www.floptech.com/blogs/10.html Resident chip-slinger and CTO "Maniac" just lets it all hang out. And he's such a mild-mannered guy at work. It's always the quiet ones you need to watch out for... http://www.floptech.com/blogs/10.html Fri, 09 Feb 2007 13:57:10 GMT http://www.floptech.com/blogs/09.html "Rocket Boy" teeters right on the edge of whininess in this one. "Oh, woe is me! If only I hadn't changed seats I would have been a big winner." Been there, done that too, buddy. Some seats can just be hotter than others... http://www.floptech.com/blogs/09.html Mon, 29 Jan 2007 18:40:09 GMT http://www.floptech.com/blogs/08.html "Rocket Boy" gets all cosmic as he ponders the checks and balances, the yin and yang, the light and dark, "I'm a Mac. I'm a PC." Well, OK. Not quite that cosmic... http://www.floptech.com/blogs/08.html Mon, 15 Jan 2007 19:53:58 GMT http://www.floptech.com/blogs/07.html Our roving CEO "Rocket Boy" busts his WPT cherry (but only as a spectator, not a playah.) If he were as good an executive as he is a photographer, he could, uh, well maybe I won't say anything career-limiting right here... http://www.floptech.com/blogs/07.html Fri, 22 Dec 2006 22:44:22 GMT http://www.floptech.com/blogs/06.html Maybe I'm extra sensitive. Maybe my eyebrow barbells help me channel people's vibes. Whatever. Yes, I can read people pretty well, but it's not because I have an extra big brain or anything. Call me now for your free readin'... http://www.floptech.com/blogs/06.html Fri, 15 Dec 2006 18:12:34 GMT http://www.floptech.com/blogs/05.html Uber-geek "Maniac" tries to explain the math behind the madness. Why would you call 20% of your stack if you know you're at best 50/50? (Hint: it's not because you're pretending to be a maniac...) http://www.floptech.com/blogs/05.html Mon, 20 Nov 2006 18:07:29 GMT http://www.floptech.com/blogs/04.html "Rocket Boy" doesn't get to play all that much any more, but he does vaguely remember the good old days with juicy, exploitable games. He tries to explain it all for us... http://www.floptech.com/blogs/04.html Thu, 02 Nov 2007 18:17:16 GMT http://www.floptech.com/blogs/03.html Yours truly has fended off more than one aggressive move in her time. And she didn't do it by being weak-passive, let me tell you. But she will admit that she wants weak-passive opponents to be her BFFs on the felt... http://www.floptech.com/blogs/03.html Tue, 24 Oct 2006 19:29:51 GMT http://www.floptech.com/blogs/02.html Some players don't know when to quit, and others don't care about winning. It's important to be able to pick a good time to get up and leave but above all, play to win... http://www.floptech.com/blogs/02.html Mon, 02 Oct 2006 20:51:39 GMT http://www.floptech.com/blogs/01.html Ouch. Our CEO, "Rocket Boy", saw a pretty nasty river card come out up in the high country. At least the dreaded words "I'll gamble with you" gave advance warning... http://www.floptech.com/blogs/01.html Mon, 25 Sep 2006 19:58:35 GMT