We're still in Berlin for the German Poker Championship 2006. The tournament itself is a joke, badly organized and run. Have you ever played a hand of Texas Holdem No Limit without a Big Blind? No? Come to Berlin, where rulings like this can be made. Have you ever been allowed to take your chips into your pockets and go to diner break? No? Come to Berlin? Have you ever been invited to play a second qualification day if you don't make it on the first day in the official, published tournement flyer but still get no seat because "the computer opens only one seat up"? No? You guessed it - Berlin is your place.

Besides all this €150,000 went into the price pool and will be awarded today to the final 10 players. At 8 pm the final day with 40 qualifiers will start today, 10 in-the-money. Katja made the cut on the second quailification day (yesterday) but is low on chips with 5600. The blinds re-start today at 100/200 so it is not hopeless yet. I tried the first qualification day and made it to the last 35 players (20 make the cut) before I did a bloddy beginners mistake that costed me all my chips (more details in german pokerstars blog).

Katja at Checkpoint Charlie

I had average chips with 12k, the blind being at 500/1000 and I raised in EP to 4k with ATs. The only player having me covered reraised to 11k after some hestitation when a MP player thought for long time and looked like calling. I read this as weakness lol and re-raised myself all-in for 1000 more. He called, showing AA, So much for my super-duper reads. This is one of the worst mistakes I made in a long while (well, imo). I played aggressivly for 3 hours, having only one showdown on my way from 3k chips to 12k. I knew I will get only action from big hands as the players have been all unexperienced ecept Sigi Stockinger but he was sitting on my right and having a low stack so he was no real problem to me. I should have folded my hand. Really, that mistakes still bugs me almost 48 hours later now.

Horst Koch, GPPA

On day one I had the 'honor' of playing with Horst Koch from the German Poker Players Association (GPPA). We knew each other for many many years back in the days when he was the german champion (1998?). Early in the tournament he limp/called with A3 of spades and chased a flush by calling me all the way to the river on every street when the board had two spades (I had top pair K). After that hand (which he lost as no spade came, oh wonder) we started to actually trash talking each other (a little only). Not Tony G. style but still, way out of normal for me at least as I almost never attack other players on the poker table personally. Still, it was fun! Reminds of my friend Matt Maaron trash-talking Phil Hellmuth (klick it, it is a must-read). Not that Horst is like Phil Hellmuth... before trapping myself here let's change subject.

Stardock today anounced a windows skinning set for Texas Holdem. If your enthusiastic about poker and think a nice boot screen will improve your game, go there ;)

Michael Keiner, Katja Thater and Todd Kobrin

The DPM 2006 also brought a meeting of former frieds, then somewhat enemies, now friends again with Michael Keiner, Todd Kobrin and Katja. Katja was in the 888 Nations Cup early this year but when 888 failed to negotiate a working sponsoring deal with Katja PokerStars jumped in. This brought some bad blood, Michael Keiner was also upset with 888 (see his german post at ISA-Casinos here) but finally signed an endorsement deal with them late this summer. There have been some loud word between Katja, Todd and Michael but now the sun shines again and Katja will also be playing in the next 888's nations cup early 2007. Well done guys!