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Congratulations to all of you! Sponsorship points can be redeemed for a sponsorship in a major poker tournament anywhere in the world. You can earn them by being one of the top players in your PokerSchool Online league. In order to use the points, you need enough to cover the entire buy-in to the tournament on a one-for-one basis. So start learning, start practising and start winning now! You can read more about Sponsorship Points here or take a look at the Sponsorship Point Table.
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The Big One III
The Big One III can only be played in the PokerSchool Online and PokerPages Software. If you have not downloaded it yet, please do so here.
Starting today, PSO begins the Big One III. Its much like the previous Big One Tournaments but with a new twist. This year, there will be 3 major tournaments instead of one. We call them finals: The Spring Final, Summer Final and Winter Final. See dates...
Players will qualify for the Finals in three different ways. The first, is by placing high in a monthly tournament or satallite league and then playing in a Round Two Event on a selected weekend. The second is by playing in the annual members tournament held on the following weekend. Finally, the third way to qualify is through Last Chance Tournaments held at the beginning of the month of a Final Event.
Qualifying by League
To try to qualify by playing in the league, all a PSO member has to do is play at least 5 PSO tournaments and/or 10 PSO satallites by the end of the month. This will put you in either or both the Bronze League and Satallite League 3. There are 8 leagues total. The league you are ranked in depends on the number of games you've played. If you are one of the top players in a league, then, not only will you win sponsorship points, you will also have qualified to play in a Round Two Event. The leagues will qualify up to 160 members to play in each Round 2 tournaments. Read more about leagues...
Placing high in a Round Two tournament will qualify members into the next Big One III final tournament. There are 4 types of qualifications available. Your qualification deturmines the amount of sponsorship points you can win. There is a great deal more you need to know about Round 2 tournaments, including exciting heads up events that can upgrade your qualification. Read about them here.
Qualifying by Annual Tournaments
Annual Members-Only Qualifying Events will be held on the Saturday and Sunday once a month on the weekend following the Round 2 events (held every month). Only Annual Members can play in these events and qualify directly into The Big One III. Read More...
Upgrade your account to participate if you are already a monthly PokerSchool Online member.
Qualifying by Last Chance Tournaments
Last chance tournaments are for those members have not yet earned a qualification to the Final Events.
They begin on the first day of the month that contains a final and held 3 times a day. Last Chance Qualifiers will be able to try for an 'A' qualification or 'X' qualification. But will be unable to earn B,C or D qualifications. So it is to your advantage to excel in the leagues and annual events for a higher qualifiaction.
Read More
If you are interested in reading more about the Big One III, please check the PokerSchool Online site. A link to the Big One III can now be found on the upper right hand side of most pages. Or just use the links below.
Big One III Information
Big One III Calendar
Big One III Qualifiers
Sponsorship Points Table
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Members Redeem Sponsorship Points!
Top League players and winners of Big One events can accumulate sponsorship redeemable at major tournaments. Read more about them here.
Click on this link to see which members are redeeming
their points and lets watch out for the good news once they have played in
these live events, PokerSchool Members are players now to be watched, as
they are very capable of winning any of the major poker events now.
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PSO Tournament Announcement
PSO tournaments can only be played on the PSO Software. If you have not done so, please download the software here.
We have now implemented a new tournament schedule, please be sure to check
it out here. The Stud events are now included in the leagues.
Regarding the Satellites, we will be changing the payout structure whereby
prize money will be paid to the top 3 finishers.
1st = 50% , 2nd = 30% and 3rd = 20%.
We have also included in the schedule some new structures for the multi
table tournaments, so there is longer playing rounds.
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PSO Convention Updates
Be sure to sign up for the convention here. The sooner you let us know what your plans are, the better able we will be able to accommodate you!
For the first time ever, PSO is planning a convention for the amazing community of PokerSchool Online. The convention will be held at the WPO -GoldStrike in Tunica, Mississippi.
The live PSO tournament is a $100 No Limit Hold'em, with a $20 entry fee. This will be held on January 9th.
We are now full to capacity of 100
members that are signed up to play in the event.
If you would like to add your name to a wait list, then please email
Tina@PokerPages.com
There are still more places available for the Seminar and if you wish to
bring a guest to attend the Seminar then there will be a $25 charge.
Please click here to see the program of events for the PSO Convention.
We will also be passing out Seminar evaluation forms at the end of the
Seminar, your feedback to us is essential in ensuring that the next
convention will be even better if that is possible.
Seminar to Be Hosted By Lou Krieger
The Seminar will take place in the theatre, January 11th. We are planning to start at 10am. The casino is going to provide an exclusive breakfast for PSO members from 9.00am - 9.45am prior to the speakers starting. Lou Krieger will be hosting the Seminar along with guest speakers, Nolan Dalla, Donna Blevins and Barry Tanenbaum. The seminar is free for School members. Guests must pay a $25 fee. All PSO members who attend the convention will be given a free PSO polo shirt.
Door Prizes
PokerSchool Online wishes to thank the following generous donors for providing doorprizes to the PSO Convention.
More doorprizes are coming, so keep watching for future postings. If you'd like to donate a doorprize, please contact kathy@pokerschoolonline.com.
Bob Ciaffone - Professional Poker Player, Writer, and Teacher.
Email: thecoach@diamondcs.net
a) Middle Limit Holdem Poker (co-author Jim Brier), autographed copy of his book
b) Improve your Poker, autographed copy of his book
c) Omaha Holdem Poker, autographed copy of his book
d) Pot-limit And No-limit Poker (co-author Stewart Reuben), autographed copy of his book
e) One hour of free poker lesson time. Lesson can be taken either by phone, email, or a combination of both. Subject matter is the recipient's choice.
Norman Robinovitz
Website: Carried by www.PokerPages.com
E-Mail: pokerpete123@yahoo.com for these and other poker collectibles re: poker and Las Vegas
Three $5,000 WSOP chips. Retail value is US$45.00 per chip.
Wilson Software
Website: http://www.wilsonsoftware.com
E-Mail: info@wilsonsw.com
Toll-Free: 1-800-735-4430
Turbo Texas Hold'Em for Windows, Version 5. The most powerful and easy to use Hold'em program available. Create players with individual playing styles. Play against 2 to 10 players. Set limits, blinds rake, tokes, etc. Extensive statistical reporting, high speed simulation. Enhanced graphics, sound (with sound board), animation, enhanced data charts, printable player profiles. Full mouse interface. Windows. CD.
The DJ Express Futurity Golf Tournament
The DJ Express Futurity Golf Tournament will be played on the 9th (changed from the 11th) January at a venue yet to be decided in Tunica.
There will be a $10 dollar (or more if you want to contribute) per person entry fee, all of which will be donated to the DJ Express fund.
After careful consideration and taking into account the need to get as much poker in as possible, we (Win4Win and Shoeless Joe) felt that a 10.30am start would enable people to have recovered somewhat from the night before and yet still have time to rest up before the tournament that evening!
The format will either be a Texas Scramble or Stableford (points), ensuring that everyone will have an interest to the last of the 18 holes.
This is a fun outing although side-bets, team bets, individual bets are not only permitted but actively encouraged.
The prizes are somewhat unknown except to say that there will be at least the semblance of a commemorative prize for the winning team (which they are charged to keep safely until the next golf tournament at the next convention).
Most prizes will be won not for the quality of anyone's golf but for having and transmitting a sense of humour, a sense of the ridiculous, for the most outrageous lie, definitely the tackiest outfit and for helping fellow players to enjoy the day. In fact anyone seen to be taking the golf too seriously is likely to be penalised!
There will soon be a post on the forum for players to register their interest and we'll get the whole thing rolling. It would be nice if during the evening at the end of the convention if Mark would allow us the time for a small prize giving ceremony.
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The Big One II
The Big One II concluded in December. Congratulations to all of the winners.
Report by Pokerpagekev
The Big One II was a great tournament even if it did have some hiccups. The excitement built up amongst the members throughout the proceeding week was tremendous and culminated in 554 players lining up at the start. The most notable absentee was DJExpress who had a 'D' qualification and I hope that all is well with you DJ, as the staff and all the members sorely missed your presence.
The 'D' Qualifiers were playing for a 1st prize of 20,000 sponsorship points and many of the regular top line players managed a 'D' qualification, however there were plenty of complaints in the forum about the number of players who were let in with an 'A' or 'B' qualification via the 'back door' namely the last chance events. In fact one player BIGRED31 actually qualified because he was the only player to enter one of the last chance events. What makes this tournament so popular and special is the number of entries with what seems like the whole school playing in the same game. The number of entries will remain the same again next year but we have amended some of the floors in the rules.
I had the pleasure of being invited to Mark and Tina's house to watch the Big One II and I thought I was going to have a relaxing evening with a few beers. What started out as a fun night almost turned to disaster when the server crashed whilst balancing the tables at a crucial stage. This is a total nightmare situation and one we were desperate and determined to resolve. With the help of the staff back in the US we managed to get the server restarted and then had to try to hold the game up whilst everyone logged back in. The players left were very sporting in continually clicking the time button to allow their opponents time to get back to the table. In particular the smaller stacks like Ironside on the table I was looking at put themselves at a disadvantage as we had no way of stopping the clock on the current level. I witnessed first hand the efforts Mark and Tina went too to get the tournament back up and to continually inform the players as to what was happening. Their integrity and hard work should be commended not criticised as some did in the forum after the event. There was never any thought or concern as to who the winner was going to be it was just a relief to all that we got things going again.
Onto the tournament itself.
As I said 554 lined up at the start and before I could settle down we had our first casualty as "Shamar" bit the dust in the first few minutes. Better luck next year "Shamar". SANEIGY was another early casualty as I watched his Aces all in against a pair of Kings and a pair of Queens. The Queens spiked a third on the river to knock the other 2 out.
Freddie Boy the 'D' qualifier was marching away with things in the early stages amassing a huge stack compared to the others. I remarked to Mark how well Freddie was doing and he said it would be our best result if he won. This may sound strange as a 'D' Qualifier is our biggest payout but Mark knows the long term value of a player like Freddie winning and so I started to cheer him on.
CRAZYLEGS and Ironside were both doing well in the early stages and if either of these players had won it would have been a good result for them as well so I was watching there progress with interest.
So at about 2.30 over here in Europe the server crashed and panic set in. We really did not want to abandon the tournament at this stage so it was a tremendous relief when things came back up and started again. We had one 'D' Qualifier still left, Freddie Boy and 3 'C's Andrew who was low stacked, Tyro and Drawing Dead. Scarz was the overall chip leader but we started to read on the chat facility that he had to go to work and was going to go on post and fold. This was unfortunate and Tina said she would ring his work place for him to allow him to come in late but he was adamant that he was going to work. He seemed to try to lose his chips but kept winning his all ins and eventually went to the final table with over 1.7 million chips. Drawing Dead was soon out after the restart but Andrew suddenly started building his stack up and made the final with 700,000. Freddie Boy continued to play well and also made the final along with Dutch_Banker, tw41, lion, Rio Rita, chupacabre and Tom Hawk who had only joined the school 3 days prior to the event.
Tyro eventually went out in 11 place and picked up 2,000 sponsorship points for his efforts and Ironside struggled on after the server crash to finish 29th.
So the tables balanced and the seats were allocated for the final and this was critical in affecting the final result. With Scars having double the chips of anyone else and not present I originally thought Freddie Boy had got the plumb draw being on the big blind when Scarz was on the button. I thought Freddie would not be subject to his big blind being continually attacked by Scarz and would be able to manoeuvre himself into a high finish and a nice payout. This proved correct but the plumb draws turned out to be lion and Tom Hawk as they could continually steal Scarz big blind. Rio Rita got the worst draw as she was directly after Scarz and could not pick up any easy chips; she had to rely on her skill and superior play in this situation. So one by one they got knocked out 9th Dutch_Banker, 8th tw41, 7th chupacabre until we were left with six and a critical hand, which turned the balance. Freddie Boy our last remaining 'D' qualifier who could have won 20,000 sponsorship points for winning went all in against Tom Hawk the 3 day rookie holding top pair after the flop. Tom Hawk called with second pair and won the hand when the jack came to give him 3 of a kind. Freddie was desperately unlucky but behaved admirably in defeat and received 5,000 sponsorship points. Congratulations Freddie on your showing and I have been converted to a new listener of your broadcasts since.
So we were down to 5 and Andrew was next to fall picking up 3,000 sponsorship points after climbing back from the brink at the server crash when 40 were still left in. Well done Andrew.
The last 4 saw Rio Rita still in the worst position, as Scarz was amazingly still there posting and folding. Lion and Tom Hawk were battling it out to steal the blinds and eventually there had to come a time where they both had a hand. This culminated in lion getting knocked out in 4th and 2,000 sponsorship points.
The final 3 was a bit of an anti climax as Rio Rita quite rightly settled for second place (6,000 sponsorship points) letting Tom Hawk knock out Scarz by continually taking the blinds.
Congratulations Tom Hawk on winning the Big One III you give every player the hope and optimism that one day it might, just might be their turn. I'm sure Tom would be the first to admit that he got a bit lucky in certain situations but watch out for this guy in the school as he could become one of the top players when he gains more experience. Enjoy the moment Tom and use your sponsorship points wisely when you feel you can take on the top pros.
Tom Hawk against all the odds joined the school 3 days before the event and walked off with first prize and 10,000 sponsorship points. Is this a good or bad thing for the school? Well only time will tell, but for sure just because you have been at the school longer or got a higher qualification does not entitle you to win the event and to make the event something special we need a lot of players and the opportunity for everyone to get in under the right qualifying rules.
That being said we have made some necessary rule changes for the Big One III to hopefully deal with the concerns that most members have without changing what is a successful formulae for a great tournament.
Lastly it gives me pleasure to announce that we want to repeat the excitement of the Big One II and have decided to hold this event 3 times a year in 2003 so we will have the Big One III Spring, Summer and Winter Tournaments. How's that for value, 3 shots at winning a seat in the WSOP Main Event or any other event of your choice.
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 thehazyone
We are pleased to announce that PSO member, thehazyone, will be contributing his creative works to the PSO Scoop and PokerPages newsletter on a monthly basis. thehazyone is a 32 year old poker player and creative writer from Minnesota who knows how to tell a good story. You can read his previous releases here.
Flying Away
by thehazyone (Aaron Hendrix)
I am flying. Not like an eagle soaring high above the sky seeking out its prey. No, I am nothing as majestic as that. I am more like the wounded bird with the broken wing, falling slowly, plummeting towards the ground. I have no parachute. I have no safety net. I am flying. Away.
I stand perched on the bridge contemplating all that has been. Underneath me, I see the wind blowing across the surface of the water, creating a slight ripple of waves. The sun is rising up over the horizon and a bright glow of red reflects off the water. Rocky cliffs jut out over the bank creating a feeling of isolation, of being alone. I am alone, I think.
I won the World Series of Poker not once, but three times. I was hailed by many as the greatest poker player ever. It was a dream come true, wasn't it? I thought I was the best poker player in the world, and I had people telling me it was true. Money poured in, and so did the friends who wished to ride along my coattails. But you know, it was never enough. I always had to have more. If I was winning at a 100-200 game, I had to move up to a 1000-2000 game. If that became stagnant, then I had to make insane proposition bets.
And then something happened. I woke up one morning and realized I was alone. No one loved me. No one cared who I was as a person. No one wanted to be with Michelle the person -- no, they wanted to be with Michelle the poker player. My family had long since abandoned me. My Mom and Dad wanted nothing to do with me -- they didn't care I had made a million dollars ten times over. My two sisters rode along the initial high with me at first, but then they too abandoned me, telling me the life I lived was not any way of living at all. To @#%% with them all, I thought at the time.
It always came back to Alex though. So many nights I would dream of his hand upon the glass of his apartment window. I wondered what he was thinking or doing. I wondered if he missed me half as much as I missed him. I'd had many lovers since then, and many so called boyfriends, but like so many others in the world I lived, they were only along for the ride -- they didn't truly know what love was. For that matter, neither did I. But if I had any idea of what it was, I knew it began with Alex.
My life had turned into one never-ending vicious cycle. Wake up at 2 in the afternoon, grab a cup of coffee or a shot of some imported alcohol, or both at the same time. Run down to the card room and look for the highest stakes game I could find. Sit there, hour upon hour, staring at two #@&*&$! pieces of plastic cardboard, thinking this was all there was to life. Laughing as people hand me their money. Laughing at how pathetic everyone is. Stupid people. Smiling at their girlfriends as they toss another grand to me. Their girlfriends acting as if it's no big deal. Money is everything woman, get it through your thick head. He's a loser. And so are you.
And then I realized something today. I shouldn't be laughing at them. I should be laughing at myself. In fact, the whole damn world should be laughing at me. I'm the pathetic one. I'm the one who has no friends. I'm the one who is alone. I'm the one who treats a plastic chip as if it were her lifeline. I'm the one who loves a good game of poker more than a roller coaster or a movie that makes you laugh or the smile of children or a good book that makes you cry. None of that $#%& means anything to me. Nothing meant anything to me.
I see a seagull swooping down over the water. It is alone, like me. Yet it seems content somehow. I wonder what would happen if I turned around and went back home. I wonder if my Mom and Dad could forgive me. I wonder if Alex and I could be friends. I wonder if I could have my life back. I wonder if I could love, or be loved. I look back at the seagull, and part of me thinks that the answer is to join the bird in flight. To swoop down into the water and disappear. Then everything would be alright. I waver on the edge, uncertain. The water invites me. The wind blows against me, though, almost telling me to turn back. I don't know what to do. I am flying. Away.
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Signing Off
We hope you enjoyed our monthly newsletter. If any PSO member would like to contribute to this newsletter or has any suggestions, please email tina@pokerschoolonline.com. So until next time, PSO members, be lucky!
Sincerely,
The PokerSchool Online Staff.
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