Wednesday, January 9, 2013

2012 RECAP

-2012 Recap

     It all started in February when I met Lee Childs and was introduced to his Inside the Minds training classes. I felt my game was good but I was looking for an edge so I attended and after getting great knowledge from the likes of  Lee Childs, Gavin Smith, Dwyte Pilgrim, Jason Young and Matt Glantz.   I was off and running.

     7 out of 42 cashes in tournaments that register your resutls for $42,775 including a win in Vegas at the Rio deep stack for $34,166 (tried to chop but they wanted to play it out) and a bunch tournaments with near misses.

   19 out of 36 cashes in tournaments that don't register your results for $29.238 including  8 final tables 6/147...9/277...3/233...5-way chop/257...4-way chop/151...1/49...3/56...3-way chop/87 and a final table bubble at 11/191

Total in my first Full/Part time season was 26 cashes out of 78 tournaments for $72,013

I Did not cash in my 4 WSOP events in Vegas including my first Main Event but I did play well

I played in theWPT Main event at Parx in August and missed day 2 by 2 levels as I ran into the Aces of Henry Lu who ended up day 1 chip leader. I also played in the WPT Main event at Borgata in September where I got knocked out right after the day 2 dinner break of  and finished roughly 290/1197. Some Big game tournament expierience was priceless but again with my Inside the minds training I felt like I had been there before.

     Another big Poker move for me came when Blue Shark Optics reached out to me to become a Team USA Pro for them and I thank Kerry again for this amazing oppurtunity that has and is opening a few doors for me including my first radio interview with On Tilt Radio which went well. Blue Shark Optics (TEAM BSO) is well ran by Kerry and Monica and they are the #1 Poker glasses in the world  again Im so proud to be affliatted with the BSO family.

2013 goals are to continue to respect this great game who's path has been paved by so many great everyday grinders, Do the best I can and to earn the respect from fellow players. The cashes will come and they will get bigger but being respected is very important to me.

So in closing I would like to thank Lee Childs for all his help as he has guided me in the right direction on and off the felt, and all the new Poker friends and players that I have met in 2012.

Fighters Fight, Players Play but it takes a Winners to Win

Keep an eye on me   Antonio "Anthony' Payne

               -Team ProPayne
               #2013 Its Our Turn

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

APAYNE KICKS OFF THE WPT SEASON IN THE MAIN EVENT AT PARX

     This is my pregame blog about the WPT main event at Parx which starts Friday August 10th 2012. This will surely be a East coast battle Im not trying to start in poker wars but most of you know the the east coast rocks with ballers.
     As most of you already know I have thrown my hat into the poker ring since December, ($ 39,584 registered tounament earnings and $49,809 total tournament earnings I'm actually ahead of schedule. My play has been limited due to a regular job and owning a Photography business (Paynes PhotoVision) So I get it in when I can. I have said it before and I will say it again I have the utmost respect for the Pros in this game that grind it out everyday.
     I did manage to get to Parx last week for a couple of days  and I must say that Parx put on a great show, tourneys were smooth and went off without a glitch it was like it was on autopilot. So when the WPT rolls in on Friday it will be a great match, we all know what a great job there star studded crew does @VinceVanP_WPT @Bond_18 and the legendary @MikeSexton_WPT @Kimberlylansing and dont forget the @royalflushgirls
     I will be playing in the Main with the B group on Saturday and will be looking to put a big stamp on this great game. But even if the poker gods put my big plans on hold you will be hearing from me shortly. This is a highly skilled game where the % of luck seems to bite you in the butt more times than not and if it was that easy then the same players would always win but as we all know thats not the case.                                           A great mix of patience and agression added with table image and swag;)  is needed to succeed and of course picking the right spots, getting paid when you dont have it and getting max value when you do.
     So thats a wrap for now.....Stayed tuned for what will hopefully be a story book ending to this tournament.

Follow me on twitter @Anthony_1Payne for updates after every level

Antonio "Anthony" Payne........Team ProPayne

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

2012 WSOP RECAP

Well after making two trips to Vegas for the WSOP I was starting to think that the luck factor was just to much to overcome.
     WSOP Event #31 $1,500 entry...4,500 chips to start. Played well early and picked every right spot, and a great read on a opponet. got up to 14.5K which was very solid. but the poker gods beat me down a couple of times and just decided it wasnt my time and I was ousted in level 5
     WSOP Event #33 $1,000 entry...3,000 chips to start. this stucture is brutal and even though the blinds are a hour your really restricted in your ability to play poker as you know it. So after getting rivered and having jacks run into aces the party was over into level 4.
     WSOP Event #38 $1,500 entry...4,500 chips to start. This one was doomed from the start. I got to play A8s from the blind and after a A48 rainbow flop Im liking this spot. so I bet player calls after the turn I bet more player stays then the river was a Jack and how did I know thats what he had so he bets and I just call. Yep he had AJ. So know I drop to like 1.7K I try and grind the best I could then I was able to qet QQ aipf vs 33 and player spiked a 3 to send me back to NJ until the Main Event.
     WSOP MAIN EVENT #61 10,000 entry...30,000 chips to start... I must say I felt I was ready, I got to Vegas a day early and just rested No poker No blackjack No going out. So it was all business. So as I walked in the Rio I realized The atmosphere was very electric and the tension was thick you can sense that this was the place to be, its the superbowl the world series the Daytona 500 of Poker. There were cameras throughout, reporters and radio stations. So the adrenaline was very high, I just remember tweeting and texting and just wondering when I was going to be grounded. Well as soon as I sat down It all went away I was playing Poker with cards chips and players.
    So 30k start I won my first three hands to move to 34k and after Elio Fox one of the best players in the world had doubled up on my left I was second in chips at the table. Then after getting rivered which I think I lead the league in and c-betting in a bad spot I drop to 14k but then I show fight and character as I get back to 27k. Then after trying to make a move on a big pot with 10-10 Fox folds but another players put his tourney on the line with a call JJ (really) He procedded to spike a J and river the last one for quads for a 70k pot I was not happy with how I played that at all. Then into level six with only  2.1k left I got my A10 aipf only to lose to A6. and I was flushed out. Surely the worst day of my young poker career.
    Redemption-A friend of mine had came down for a few days for support but with my day one exit I really wasnt feeling anything but to go home. But I didnt want to leave Jeff hanging so I said I would stay two more days. So I get up have a nice breakfast, chill at the pool and head off to the Rio deep stack at 2pm $235 entry with 15,000 chips to start. This game felt like a pop warner exhibition game. So I go from super bowl to that, it was tough. so here we go. I put on my shades and go into work mode. from a 15k start I move into the 20k range then the 25k the 40k I knew I was the best player at the table until my nut flush got quaded by aces (Brian Rast in one drop) I was like "What next" with a smile. So I drop to 9k. But I knew I had to fight and fight I did. This field started with 839 players with the top 90 getting paid and $34,000 $21,000 and $13,000 up top. So I went into eastcoast swag mode and made a move. 200 left, 150 left 100 left. Now we are breaking the money bubble. So with 55 players left I get AA dude bets I shove He calls shows 77 and yep 7 on the river which was a 240k pot and dropped me to 65k. So again back to the grind 45 left 35 left 27 left. The structure was crazy the table chip leader at that point had only 12-13 BB so if you had more than 5 you had value. I called a shorties shove and hit a open end straight and thats when I knew It was going to happen. 25 left 20 left 16 left 12 left.
     Final Table chop talk started when we had 9 but the who signs for what tax wise could not be worked out. chop would had been $10,000 each (roughly) so next one out gets $1,300. 8 left 7 left 6 left Im doing ok with chips durning this run beween 600k-2.1m  blinds are high as hell. I polielty tell he table that there was no way I wasnt winning this. 5 left 4 left. now a 4 way chop is $17,000 again cant work it out. 3 left female players husband said no deal keep in mind blinds are 300,000-600,000 there is very little skill at this point. I said to them "your nuts" then I knocked her out. Now we are heads up with the blinds 400,000-800,000 and a 100,000 ante and get this only 12.5m chips in play. At this point my twitter had blow up on the east coast support but all my Vegas peeps were sleeping because its like 5am. 15 hours later Im heads up and playing for $34,166 or $21,000. and after 4 hands it was over the ultimate redemption.The poker gods came through, From my worst day to my best day (so far) It was all about character the will to overcome adversity.
     So I was about to pack up and head home then one of my coaches from the Inside The Minds..Dwyte Pilgrim suggested that I play in the Caesars 1K
     Caesars 1K A day got there late in level 5 which was my first mistake and never got on track. After I busted  my boys were like stay and play again
     Caesars 1K B day much better here got up to 74k from a 30k startimg stack then got knocked down three times and faded. again I felt it was time to leave but my boys were like you put that much in and its a huge tourney. I said ok
     Caesars 1K C day. This was the day where everyone was scrambling to get in this. There were 80 alternates waiting at one time. Many Many Many well know players were in the house. Again I get off to a good start as I move up to 89K then a few hours later after trying to knock out an agressive German I was down to 40K but after looking down at AA and flopping a set and turning the boat and getting max out of it I knew I was bagging something. So the three day entry total was 1,602 players with 166 from the A and B day surviving the C day had only 930 players and only 92 survivors and me:) I bagged 83K
     Caesars 1K Day 2 probably the best poker I ever played I did allot with nothing and I had my mentor at my table Dwyte Pilgrim. I held my own very well picked every right spots folded 3 hands that I would have busted if I played. Started with 83k up to 103k and went card dead for 3 hours but managed to stay even. Players were dropping at a rapid pace so I knew I was going to get in the money so I had to wait for a good spot to shove. We are now at 200 then 190 then 185 then hand for hand then after the bubble broke all hell broke loose players were fallng like 3 per hand so again I knew I had time to look for a good spot and after dropping to 60k I got 99 in vs 55 and doubled to 135k then about 7 hands later with the blinds at 5k-10k with a 1k ante I had about 105k left I looked down and saw AQ hearts and a player raised 25k I shove and he calls with KK but the flop was 49Q (2 hearts) "ONE TIME" I said 14 outs twice and the dream of going back to back was over A 270k pot...I finished 128th for $2,464. First place was $260,000 then $184,000 -$112,00 -$94,000 I really felt that if I would have hit that hand I was going very deep.
     So it was all about redemption and overcoming the adversity and I did that. Poker as we all know is a skill game sprinkled in with bits of bad luck.
    Want to thank all those that invested in me and even though the Rio deep stack hit for $34,166 wasnt in there package they all got paid as if it was. Good guy doing the right thing.
    I put the Poker world on alert a while back because I know I have the game to play on a high level and after some intense Inside the minds training with poker greats like Lee Childs, Gavin Smith, Jason Young, Dwyte Pilgrim, Matt Glantz Im surely ahead of schedule.
    Team Propayne  Antonio "Anthony" Payne

Thursday, June 14, 2012

A day away...Follow me there @Anthony_1Payne

     Finally the time has come for me to embark on Vegas for the WSOP. Im truly ready for the ultimate challenge to put by skills amongst the best players in the world to test. As most of you poker studs know you had to jump in at some point and its my time. I have been battle tested and held my own with many deep runs in a short period of time added with multiple cashes. 1-5 cash ratio. 30% of my knock outs have come at the expense of two cards needing to beat me not one.
     I would like to take this oppurnunity to thank  family friends and investors for there support in my abilities. for those that know me you know that I will leave everything I have on the felt because there is no other way.
     So first up is Saturday June 16th WSOP event 31 $1,500 No lmit Hold em. Follow me on twitter @Anthony_1Payne as I make my mark on this incredible game. Time2Shine...#TeamProPayne

Thursday, May 31, 2012

Dream vs Reality and Davies

     Sometimes In life we attempt to do things that really seem to be far out reach 
but having the drive and passion to succeed at what ever your chosen quest is
the difference in being a dreamer or being on your path to greatness. Work hard but play harder. It's my
time.  -Anthony Payne  TeamProPayne

     It would not be me if I did not give someone else there due. For those that live in a cocoon and don't know Scott Davies you better get to know him. 18 WSOPC cashes this past season and he easily qualified for the National Championship. And congrats to Scott as he just finished 9th at the WSOP event #3 (512 players, match play format) Scott has truly reached that next plateau in his Poker career and is not turning back. He is truly a fierce competitor on the felt and as humble as they come off the tabels. Sounds like he has the right ingredients for the recipe for success Good luck Scott!!!

-APayne

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

2012 WSOP, and much respect to Childs, Stout and Mizrachi

     My first blog ever. Here we go....The 2012 wsop started on Monday May 28th and I will be arriving on June 15th to play in 3-4 events, Then I have to head back home for some business but rest assure I will be back July 6th for my first main event where Im surely will looking to put my stamp on the game.
     First and foremost I just what to give a shoutout to a few players in the game that have taken there game to where I want to be on and off the felt. Lee Childs, Matt Stout, and Mike Mizrachi. All great players with much success and they have all parlayed that into something special off the felt as well. Lee Childs with his incredible Inside the minds training sessions that include instructors such as Jason Young, Gavin Smith, and Mike Wolf. as well guest speakers Matt Glantz and Dwyte Pilgrim and quite a few more. Then there is Matt Stout which has really put the poker world on alert with his Bustout line and lock Poker, All three of these players are incredibly talented in many ways and still have much more to do. And also great job by Jeff Griffith with the Grinder Gear line and Bustout...
     In closing I just wanted to give all the full time Poker Pros so much credit. The grind is amazin and they should all be commended at the highest level and its because of them the path has been paved for guys like me.
     This blog is not about me but the next one will be.        Antonio "Anthony" Payne   TEAM PROPAYNE