The Coming of the Online player

Firstly, a huge congrats to Jared "The Waco Kid" Hamby who has absolutely dominated live poker this year, and just got to his first TV final table and took 2nd. Thayer (last name is real hard to spell so I won't bother-and how many thayer's are there) took 4th in that same tournament-the Mandalay Bay WPT. PrtyPSux and Daut barely missed the TV final table finishing 8th and 9th respectively.

Going into tommorow's first WSOP Final table, and 2 online players are still kicking. PearlJammer (famous for 16 tabling MTT's profitably and being the 6th ranked internet MTT player) is one of the short stacks after getting sucked out on the FT bubble. MrSmokey1 (who many consider to be the best internet combo player - mtt, sng and cash) goes into the ft 4th in chips. In 2nd place chips wise, is 2006 PCA winner, Steve Paul Ambrose, trying to dispell the myth that he only plays good poker one week a year. (He has gone deep back to back in PCA finishing 20th this year.) Good luck to them all.

Going into day 2 of the 1500, Alex Jacob (who is questionably an internet player-having started online, but really making a name for himself live w/ multiple big ft's and a win in the USPC this year- he is also infamous in my mind for absolutely schooling me @ the Foxwoods WPT a year or so ago where he went on to finish 2nd to Victor Ramdin). Basebaldy is also one of the chip leaders w/ 150K+ and average @ 33k.

It shouldn't be a shock to anyone following the poker world - and it is waaaaay obvious to me - that online players are gonna do well @ this years WSOP. I just hope that I'm one of them.

However, if there's one thing that's not gonna change this summer, its playing online on Sundays- the holy day of online poker. Of course, I'll be playing all the majors today, and both the Stars and FTP Horse tournies.`

Interesting hand of the day: I was in the aformentioned Mandalay Bay WPT, and I came into Day 2 very short. So anyways, here I am sitting w/ 8500 on the button, the blinds are 400-800 w/ a 100 ante, and Jaime Gold opens from the Hijack (or-1 from there) for 2500, I look down at AJ, and I take it as a given that I am well ahead of his opening range. However, instead of auto pushing, which is the standard move, I make it 5000 to go. It gets back to the World Champ, and he laughs at my bet, and calls. The flop comes q94, and he check folds to my 2500 bet (I had 1k left behind).