OFFICIAL TOTAL PLAYER THREAD

acebarry10

In Response to Re: OFFICIAL TOTAL PLAYER THREAD:

In Response to Re: OFFICIAL TOTAL PLAYER THREAD : 3 excellent picks David. With the standard of player selected so far, it looks like it's going to be a tremendous competition.
Posted by MereNovice

+1

unknown_username

glk to everyone ...  and well played ..

FlashFlush

In Response to Re: OFFICIAL TOTAL PLAYER THREAD:

In Response to Re: OFFICIAL TOTAL PLAYER THREAD : well done all, all high stakes again but well done , now seems they messed up in terms and conditions , states you must be over 18 years old to enter competition   , but if you win the the prize you cant play in wsop , unless you are over 21 years old. soz boylebag
Posted by IRISHROVER

Go to my post in the thread called "Total player?????" I don't feel any of the low staked players were good enough this week, and the 3 picks were definaly right.

DELTA

just seen the picks may i say very well done to ben n phil 2 great guys. and to jackally who i have not come across. well done all. del

J-Hartigan

Two observations...

1)  I like the fact that David was quite critical of his players.  He's clearly selected three talented guys who he thinks can improve; who he can genuinely mentor.

2)  I don't really understand all this whining about "high stakes" players being picked.  I want to see the BEST players go forward to the next stage of the competition, regardless of what level they're playing.  So far, the mentors have made excellent choices.  And, for the record, I don't think they've selected a single "high stakes" player - try telling durrrr and Isildur1 that £1/£2 NLHE is high stakes poker :-)

IRISHROVER

In Response to Re: OFFICIAL TOTAL PLAYER THREAD:

Two observations... 1)  I like the fact that David was quite critical of his players.  He's clearly selected three talented guys who he thinks can improve; who he can genuinely mentor. 2)  I don't really understand all this whining about "high stakes" players being picked.  I want to see the BEST players go forward to the next stage of the competition, regardless of what level they're playing.  So far, the mentors have made excellent choices.  And, for the record, I don't think they've selected a single "high stakes" player - try telling durrrr and Isildur1 that £1/£2 NLHE is high stakes poker :-)
Posted by J-Hartigan

is having a different of opinion whining ?

is durrrr or isildur1 in this competition ?

is this competition about established or improving players ?

do you need to be 21 years old to enter wsop vegas ?

how come 18, 19 and 20 year old poker players are wasting their money and time in this competition ?

james do you not think it would be better,
 
to answer the age rule concern first before ,

attacking someone with a different opinion to yours ?

DOHHHHHHH

When Tikay was talking about the winners prize last night, he mentioned flights to Vegas, and Accomadation, paid for by sky, but then he said "and enough money to enter the WSOP main event".

- He didn't say, and entry to the main event. - Am I nit picking here, is there an option to take the entry money rather than the tournament entry?

I know its the whole romance of the idea which makes the tourny entry appealing, its everyones dream and all that, but in the real world, 10K in ur pocket (or watever it is) wud be more beneficial to most. Maybe 2/3 k to enter some smaller events and enjoy the holiday in Vegas, n the other 7k to use to bankroll future poker play?

I notice he chose his words carefully, - but I presume the winner will be followed by cameras and things for 865, am I reading too far into this? (this wud explain the 18,19,20 yr olds being allowed to compete as well).

IRISHROVER

In Response to Re: OFFICIAL TOTAL PLAYER THREAD:

In Response to Re: OFFICIAL TOTAL PLAYER THREAD : here they are Total Player Terms Sky Poker’s Total Player promotion (the “Promotion” is subject to the following terms and conditions.  Rules and terms and conditions 1. The player selection period (the “Selection Period”) will run between 12 December 2009 to 13 February 2010. For each week of the Selection Period (and each week will run from Thursday until Wednesday, 50 players will be short-listed by Sky Poker for consideration and entry into the next stage of the Promotion. Sky Poker will use the following criteria for selection (the “Selection Criteria”) (real money play only is eligible for consideration): a. Top 10 Cash players at low blind level (2p/4p to 15p/30p); b. Top 10 Cash players at medium blind level (20p/40p to 50p/£1); c. Top 10 Cash players at high blind level (£1/£2 and above); d. Top 10 Single Table Tournament players (Sit ‘n’ Go); and e. Top 10 Multi Table Tournament players. 2. The top 10 players in each section will be determined as those with the highest total profit  in that week, within that level of play. 3. In order to be considered players must play at least 10 separate sessions at the same level of play in the week. 4. Each week is a ‘clean slate’ i.e. if a player does not meet the Selection Criteria in a given week, he or she could still eligible in future weeks. 5. Sky Poker will analyse the play of the players in each of these sections and will pick two in each group to be pre-selected for consideration for the next stage of the promotion which is selection by a “mentor” for that mentor’s team (mentors are presenters and analysts appearing on the Sky Poker Channel). 6. In order to be considered, players must be contactable for marketing purposes and have a contact telephone number on their account. Pre-selected players will be contacted after each week of the Selection Period between Friday and Saturday. 7. Pre-selected players will be required to provide identification details (hand ids) for 5 hands that they feel best demonstrate their level of skill.  The player’s hand histories must be provided before midnight on the Monday following their pre-selection. 8. Pre-selected players will be considered for selection based on a number of factors, including but not limited to their weekly playing performance and individual player traits.  Mentors will announce the names of their selected players live on the Total Player television programme during the Selection Period. 9. Players who are not selected by Sky Poker at this stage may still be eligible for future weeks if they meet the Selection Criteria in subsequent weeks during the Selection Period. 10. Analysis by both Sky Poker and the mentors will include on air consideration of the hand history of all players participating in a competition and not just those under consideration for the Promotion. 11. If the players selected cannot be contacted or do not answer phone calls (no messages will be left), we will move to the next ranked player. This may be repeated if more than one player cannot be contacted.   12. All players selected for the later rounds of the Promotion will be required to sign clearance forms in connection with appearances on the Sky Poker television channel. 13. Sky Poker’s decision in relation to the selection of participants for the Promotion will be final and no correspondence will be entered into. 14. The Promotion is only open to residents of the UK aged 18 and over and to players who have registered and opened accounts with Sky Poker. 15. The Promotion is not open to employees or agencies of Sky Poker, their family members or anyone else connected to the Promotion. 16. The winner(s) of the Competition will receive an entry to a Sky Poker Tour event up to a value of £100, an entry to a professional scale event up to a value of £1,000 and an entry to the main event of the 2010 World Series of Poker in Las Vegas up to a value of  $10,000.  Reasonable hotel and travel expenses will also be provided.. 17. The winner will be announced on [Saturday 6 March 2010]. 18. The winner will be selected following an online vote where each Sky Poker player will be eligible to cast one vote. 19. The prizes are non-exchangeable, non-transferable, and are not redeemable for cash or other prizes. Sky Poker accepts no responsibility for any costs associated with the prize and not specifically included in the prize, including, without limitation, meals, living expenses, insurance and transfers. 20. Sky Poker retains the right to substitute the prize with another prize of similar value in the event the original prize offered is not available due to circumstances beyond its reasonable control. 21. For all prizes that include any form of travel, the winner  must have a valid passport and carry all necessary documents (including visas, if necessary). The winners of this prize will be expected to organise their own travel to any departure destination and will be responsible for all additional costs and expenses associated with using this prize including travel to and from the airport, transfers, meals, hotel mini bar and/or phone calls, travel insurance, loss of usage. We suggest that the winner should arrange suitable travel insurance to cover the trip. 22. Participation in the Promotion constitutes permission for Sky Poker and/or their associated, affiliated and subsidiary companies to use the names and photographs of participants for publishing purposes at its discretion. All winners may be required to participate in such publicity as Sky Poker reasonably requires. 23. Sky accepts no responsibility for any damage, loss, liabilities, injury or disappointment incurred or suffered by you as a result of participating in the Promotion or accepting the prize. Sky Poker further disclaims liability for any injury or damage to your or any other person's computer relating to or resulting from participation in or downloading any materials in connection with the promotion. Nothing shall exclude the liability of Sky Poker for death or personal injury as a result of its negligence. 24. Sky Poker reserves the right at any time and from time to time to modify or discontinue, temporarily or permanently, this Promotion with or without prior notice due to reasons outside its control. 25. If any provision of these Terms and Conditions proves to be illegal or unenforceable, this shall not prevent the remaining provisions continuing in full force and effect. 26. Sky Poker may rely upon and enforce these Terms and Conditions. 27. The promotion will be governed by the law of England and Wales and the parties submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English courts.
Posted by 35suited

soz dohhh but above rule states non exchangeable.

DOHHHHHHH

ahhhh well I pass then, worth a try, Im far too lazy to read through all that though. Easier to post on here n let sum1 else do that 4 me hehe

Cheerz m8, just have to wait for the answer then!

DOHH

J-Hartigan

In Response to Re: OFFICIAL TOTAL PLAYER THREAD:

In Response to Re: OFFICIAL TOTAL PLAYER THREAD : is having a different of opinion whinning ? is durrrr or isildur1 in this competition ? is this competition about established or improving players ? do you need to be 21 years old to enter wsop vegas ? how come 18, 19 and 20 year old poker players are wasting their money and time in this competition ? james do you not think it would be better,   to answer the age rule concern first before , attacking someone with a different opinion to yours ?
Posted by IRISHROVER

Rover, I'm not looking for a fight!  You know me - I'm an amiable sort and I certainly wasn't aiming to "attack" anyone.  The durrr / Isildur1 comment was a joke.  You obviously missed the smiley face at the end...

But, it's not actually about "opinion".  The guys who've been selected so far are not "high stakes" players.  Fact.  Personally, I think £200 is a lot of money to risk losing at a poker table; and £1/£2 NLHE is a higher stakes game than many of us would normally play.  But, in the big bad poker world, it's not considered high stakes.

Now, of course the competition is about improving players.  Do any of the finalists consider themselves "established"?  I doubt it very much.  As I said in my previous post, David certainly believes there's room for improvement with his trio :-)

Finally, I would think it's safe to assume an alternative prize would be allocated if the winner was too young to go to Vegas.

You seem very down on the whole concept of Total Player.  And, yes, it does sometimes sound like you're whining (but if that's just my inference, I apologise).  Low stakes players ARE being considered.  But, as Charles observed, none of them put forward a strong supporting argument this week.

IRISHROVER

In Response to Re: OFFICIAL TOTAL PLAYER THREAD:

In Response to Re: OFFICIAL TOTAL PLAYER THREAD : Rover, I'm not looking for a fight!  You know me - I'm an amiable sort and I certainly wasn't aiming to "attack" anyone.  The durrr / Isildur1 comment was a joke.  You obviously missed the smiley face at the end... But, it's not actually about "opinion".  The guys who've been selected so far are not "high stakes" players.  Fact.  Personally, I think £200 is a lot of money to risk losing at a poker table; and £1/£2 NLHE is a higher stakes game than many of us would normally play.  But, in the big bad poker world, it's not considered high stakes. Now, of course the competition is about improving players.  Do any of the finalists consider themselves "established"?  I doubt it very much.  As I said in my previous post, David certainly believes there's room for improvement with his trio :-) Finally, I would think it's safe to assume an alternative prize would be allocated if the winner was too young to go to Vegas. You seem very down on the whole concept of Total Player.  And, yes, it does sometimes sound like you're whining (but if that's just my inference, I apologise).  Low stakes players ARE being considered.  But, as Charles observed, none of them put forward a strong supporting argument this week.
Posted by J-Hartigan

i am not whining just stating the obvious ,

now another obvious which your not aware of once again ,

read above post on your company which you work for rules on competition ,

its states you cant get a alternative prize ,

once again james seems the rules are not clear to you .

Norbit

9. The prizes are non-exchangeable, non-transferable, and are not redeemable for cash or other prizes

James said that the prize might be alternative if they are too young, in the bit you highlighted it does not say anything about an alternative prize if they player is too young. It just says you cant take the cash.

20. Sky Poker retains the right to substitute the prize with another prize of similar value in the event the original prize offered is not available due to circumstances beyond its reasonable control.

Im pretty sure this states you can get an alternative prize.

FlashFlush

As you like reading the T&C Irish, maybe read number 24

J-Hartigan

In Response to Re: OFFICIAL TOTAL PLAYER THREAD:

9. The prizes are non-exchangeable, non-transferable, and are not redeemable for cash or other prizes James said that the prize might be alternative if they are too young, in the bit you highlighted it does not say anything about an alternative prize if they player is too young. It just says you cant take the cash. 20. Sky Poker retains the right to substitute the prize with another prize of similar value in the event the original prize offered is not available due to circumstances beyond its reasonable control. Im pretty sure this states you can get an alternative prize.
Posted by Norbit

Thank you, Norbit - you beat me to it :-)

IRISHROVER

In Response to Re: OFFICIAL TOTAL PLAYER THREAD:

9. The prizes are non-exchangeable, non-transferable, and are not redeemable for cash or other prizes James said that the prize might be alternative if they are too young, in the bit you highlighted it does not say anything about an alternative prize if they player is too young. It just says you cant take the cash. 20. Sky Poker retains the right to substitute the prize with another prize of similar value in the event the original prize offered is not available due to circumstances beyond its reasonable control.Im pretty sure this states you can get an alternative prize.
Posted by Norbit

but the prize is available,

the rules are wrong,

they messed up,

why not just face the simple fact,

they should put their hands up ,

and say they got it wrong.

the prize in question,

wsop entree is still available.

this rule is clearly put in place incase wsop was canceled.

Norbit

But the prize wouldnt be avaliable if your 20years old or younger would it?

IRISHROVER

In Response to Re: OFFICIAL TOTAL PLAYER THREAD:

As you like reading the T&C Irish, maybe read number 24
Posted by FlashFlush

 
hi m8 ,

i like reading the t&c,

because when i first had concerns for the the smaller stake players,

wasting their money in this competition ,

i was told by sky reps ,

the t&c are there for all to read ,

and you know what you are getting yourselves into,

so yes i took their advice and read them.

but it now seems unclear what players have got them selves in to .

loonytoons

Without getting into a slagging match, i would like to ask a perfectly sensible question. In the terms it says that - 

the top 10 players from each section will be determined as those with the highest total profit. Does this mean that if i entered 10 £2.20 deepstacks and all seven 8:15 pm £5.50 deepies and i won all 17 in the week (very impressive it would be too), i would still not qualify in the top 10 in the mtt section as my total profit still would not reach the totals of the 8pm opens / primo r/ups and winners. If this is the case, not everyone has a chance as stated. Another point, at the start, it was implied that the mentors would be 'scouring' the site looking for exceptional play etc etc, and they could be watching at any time whilst you were playing, and that anyone who showed good promise may be 'plucked' from obscurity to represent sky, now it seems that this is not the case, the only players that will concern the mentors are the 50 on the list given to them, and they aren't going out there plucking people out. My last point is, good luck to all that are picked, i hope they do well, i just dont like the way that anyone such as irishrover that questions the impartiality of the selection process is vilified and made to look like a sore sad soured individual, just for daring to speak up against the great mighty analysts in the sky.

mr_mbro

Hi Guys
I think this is getting out of hand, if Irishrover believes this is flawed then that's his choice, and he has a right to post those thoughts. We all have the right to reply to those concerns. In some way there should be an age limit to the competition, seeing as the top prize is a tourney that requires the winner to be 21 at the start of the wsop ME, and im sure that has been the way in the Viva Las Vegas comps, although i may be wrong on that.

For my part, i think that £1/2nlhe ,on this site, is high stakes and it will be interesting to see how many of the final choices will be from the tournament section, bearing in mind that the final prizes are ALL MTTs.
Personally, i dont have a problem with the way this is being run. Why, well in the end the overall winner will be chosen by US, the playing community, and the fact that i know i wont get picked through lack of time playing.
So in finishing, i will say that anyone who believes that players like Pokerbcity,Dantb10,etc would not be in the mix are delusional, it would be nice to see the likes of the Swiss and Angie1970 in the the mix also, but whoever wins will get my backing. 
col

SoLack

Well done to all three, but why were the rules changed to accomodate an extra tournement player, instead of high stakes cash player?

IRISHROVER

In Response to Re: OFFICIAL TOTAL PLAYER THREAD:

Without getting into a slagging match, i would like to ask a perfectly sensible question. In the terms it says that -  the top 10 players from each section will be determined as those with the highest total profit. Does this mean that if i entered 10 £2.20 deepstacks and all seven 8:15 pm £5.50 deepies and i won all 17 in the week (very impressive it would be too), i would still not qualify in the top 10 in the mtt section as my total profit still would not reach the totals of the 8pm opens / primo r/ups and winners. If this is the case, not everyone has a chance as stated. Another point, at the start, it was implied that the mentors would be 'scouring' the site looking for exceptional play etc etc, and they could be watching at any time whilst you were playing, and that anyone who showed good promise may be 'plucked' from obscurity to represent sky, now it seems that this is not the case, the only players that will concern the mentors are the 50 on the list given to them, and they aren't going out there plucking people out. My last point is, good luck to all that are picked, i hope they do well, i just dont like the way that anyone such as irishrover that questions the impartiality of the selection process is vilified and made to look like a sore sad soured individual, just for daring to speak up against the great mighty analysts in the sky.
Posted by loonytoons

this question was asked  before loony ,

and once again not given a clear answer .

IRISHROVER

In Response to Re: OFFICIAL TOTAL PLAYER THREAD:

I'm afraid I can't quite grasp where Bennydip - who happens to be a good friend of mine - is coming from in his Post above, which is full of innuendo & suspicion. The Rules on how the Total Player Winner will be selected have not been changed, ever, & they seem to me to be crystal clear. The Terms & Conditions have also not been changed, & are prominently displayed on the Total Player Home Page (which is linked to from the Home Page).  This is what the T  C's say as to voting for the winner. "....18. The winner will be selected following an online vote where each Sky Poker player will be eligible to cast one vote....." Personally, that seems pretty clear & transparent to me, & I'm reading it at face value. I wish everyone success in Total Player, but common-sense dictates that those who wish to partake read the Terms & Conditions first - that is the PLAYERS responsibility. I hope you enjoin with me in wishing sucess to the 6 picks to date, & all the remaining picks.
Posted by Tikay10

seems the rules cant be changed going by this .

DOHHHHHHH

Anyone who believes the winner is gonna be chosen by the sky poker community is again very naive.

Sky have got their marketing for this competition spot on! - And whoever came up with this idea deserves a pay rise!

No.1 - The comp is advertised to everyone, "got to be in it to win it" etc - so Im sure that the number of players playing on the site at any 1 time will have gone up significantly over the last few weeks. - Benefitting sky, and everyone on it also.

No.2 - When this comes to a 'forum, community vote' How many new names and faces are gonna turn up on this site? Look at the prize on offer, it MUST be worth at lest 15k! - Every single player on the short list will be getting their Mum Dad, auntie uncle, mates, mates mates, gardner, barber and financial advisor to create a SKY poker account, and vote for them!

Its a huge prize, and altho the regular sky poker users will have 1 vote, so will anyone else in the world who wants to have a vote, Just create an account, and their 1 vote counts as much as anyone whos been on sky poker since it began.

Again, its likely alot of the people who make account will also use the site to actually play cards, thus bringing more business to sky.

Its very cleverly done, and it's so obvious that the comp has been marketed in this way from day one.

Don't take this as a moan btw, I think its a brilliant competition and am glad it's happened, but take ya blinkers off fellaz, put the bits of the jigsaw together - the answers to the low stakes/high stakes argument is staring ya in the face.

DOHH

phil12uk

WOW! I'm still very excited from getting selected last night.  The response and well wishes have been phenomenal to me - both on forum and at the tables.........thank you all!!!!

To address a point made earlier in this thread, I would NOT consider myself a 'high stakes' player and the highest I have played in any discipline of cash, sng or mtt is £100. 

The standard last night (within the second half of the show especially) was extremely high and I am overwhelmed that David sees something in me that he can work with and improve.

I look forward to the challenges which lie ahead

Kiwini4u

In Response to Re: OFFICIAL TOTAL PLAYER THREAD:

In Response to Re: OFFICIAL TOTAL PLAYER THREAD :   hi m8 , i like reading the t&c, because when i first had concerns for the the smaller stake players, wasting their money in this competition , i was told by sky reps , the t&c are there for all to read , and you know what you are getting yourselves into, so yes i took their advice and read them. but it now seems unclear what players have got them selves in to .
Posted by IRISHROVER

I don't understand, how exactly are these players "wasting their money"?  Its a FREE to enter competiton with people playing the games they normally do with Sky/Mentors then picking the best players each week.

Seagull158

In Response to Re: OFFICIAL TOTAL PLAYER THREAD:

Without getting into a slagging match, i would like to ask a perfectly sensible question. In the terms it says that -  the top 10 players from each section will be determined as those with the highest total profit. Does this mean that if i entered 10 £2.20 deepstacks and all seven 8:15 pm £5.50 deepies and i won all 17 in the week (very impressive it would be too), i would still not qualify in the top 10 in the mtt section as my total profit still would not reach the totals of the 8pm opens / primo r/ups and winners. If this is the case, not everyone has a chance as stated. Another point, at the start, it was implied that the mentors would be 'scouring' the site looking for exceptional play etc etc, and they could be watching at any time whilst you were playing, and that anyone who showed good promise may be 'plucked' from obscurity to represent sky, now it seems that this is not the case, the only players that will concern the mentors are the 50 on the list given to them, and they aren't going out there plucking people out. My last point is, good luck to all that are picked, i hope they do well, i just dont like the way that anyone such as irishrover that questions the impartiality of the selection process is vilified and made to look like a sore sad soured individual, just for daring to speak up against the great mighty analysts in the sky.
Posted by loonytoons

Yes it does! I posted on this subject a couple of days ago, pointing out that someone coud win 7 low stakes MTTs and make less profit than someone winning an open or primo and not cashing in anything else. That's why I suggested they calculate profit vs stake as a ratio not as a cash value.

Seagull158

In Response to Re: OFFICIAL TOTAL PLAYER THREAD:

Anyone who believes the winner is gonna be chosen by the sky poker community is again very naive. Sky have got their marketing for this competition spot on! - And whoever came up with this idea deserves a pay rise! No.1 - The comp is advertised to everyone, "got to be in it to win it" etc - so Im sure that the number of players playing on the site at any 1 time will have gone up significantly over the last few weeks. - Benefitting sky, and everyone on it also. No.2 - When this comes to a 'forum, community vote' How many new names and faces are gonna turn up on this site? Look at the prize on offer, it MUST be worth at lest 15k! - Every single player on the short list will be getting their Mum Dad, auntie uncle, mates, mates mates, gardner, barber and financial advisor to create a SKY poker account, and vote for them! Its a huge prize, and altho the regular sky poker users will have 1 vote, so will anyone else in the world who wants to have a vote, Just create an account, and their 1 vote counts as much as anyone whos been on sky poker since it began. Again, its likely alot of the people who make account will also use the site to actually play cards, thus bringing more business to sky. Its very cleverly done, and it's so obvious that the comp has been marketed in this way from day one. Don't take this as a moan btw, I think its a brilliant competition and am glad it's happened, but take ya blinkers off fellaz, put the bits of the jigsaw together - the answers to the low stakes/high stakes argument is staring ya in the face. DOHH
Posted by DOHHHHHHH

Players with accounts on the site on the day the competition was announced should be able to vote. ANyone joining later should not (and they should not be avaiable to be selected either).

DOHHHHHHH

Is that in the T & C ??

(thats a genuine comment btw, cba to read em)

IRISHROVER

In Response to Re: OFFICIAL TOTAL PLAYER THREAD:

In Response to Re: OFFICIAL TOTAL PLAYER THREAD : I don't understand, how exactly are these players "wasting their money"?  Its a FREE to enter competiton with people playing the games they normally do with Sky/Mentors then picking the best players each week.
Posted by Kiwini4u

the games they are playing are not free .

the competition is geared towards the highest profitable players,

hence encouraging small stake players to play more games and play higher stakes ,

and trying to impress the mentors.

they are wasting their money because the higher up players get picked .

DAVID_T

In Response to Re: OFFICIAL TOTAL PLAYER THREAD:

In Response to Re: OFFICIAL TOTAL PLAYER THREAD : Go to my post in the thread called "Total player?????" I don't feel any of the low staked players were good enough this week, and the 3 picks were definaly right.
Posted by FlashFlush

Since I'm new to the site, I really had no preconceived notions going into the competition. I've just been watching people play poker and taking notes. I can honestly say I went with the three players who I think put the most time into their game. Each of them are clearly devoted to becoming The Total Player and this is why I selected them. As for what they play, I could really care less. I know some players who play $25-$50 NL and are absolutely awful.

As for age restrictions, I actually asked about this and was told it made no difference. I was free to select anyone that played on Sky Poker. To be honest, I purposely didn't even know anyone's age until after I made my selections.

One piece of advice - if you are asked to send in hands....don't send in no-brainer hands. Don't send in a hand where the decisions were relatively easy. Pick a tough hand - one where you might have even made a mistake, but tell us what you were thinking. If I know what a player was thinking, that might sway me in his direction. I don't have to agree with him or her - it's just important to know that the prospects are "thinking" about the game. The best way to improve your game is talk about it and think about it. I make mistakes all the time and I'm always talking to my friends about a particular play I made or didn't make.

I love my choices, but that doesn't mean I'll stick with them. If I don't think one of them can win, I'll make a switch. I  pride myself on telling it like it is.

Good luck to everyone - see ya at the Tables!