Slick's Picks

Big Slick Gets Trendy!

New for 2008!

Last year in 2007, I tried to set the betting line, as well as pick which order that the players will hit the rails, which was a monumental task. This year, my intentions are to base the picks on trends. To study the stats and determine whose doing well, poorly, or not much at all leading into the month, and based on that, make my decision about who I believe is on the biggest up-trend and has the best chance to win!

This means that the order that I place the players in, is the order of who I feel has the most momentum coming into this month therefore the most likely to win, and the line will be set to reflect this. The person in the #1 spot will obviously be my pick to take it all, that doesn't mean that he will, just that the trends indicated that to me.

You will see one of three symbols by your name indicating whether your stock in the poker world is rising, falling, or it's just holding steady , with my explanation of why I feel this way!

Again this year, Slicks Picks will be a forum for friendly wagering although this is strictly for fun and any actual betting that may occur, neither Slick, nor this web site takes any responsibility! That being said, who wants to bet?

I will be setting the betting line for many of our players. I will also set the “Over/Under”. Understand, that setting an “Over/Under” will be difficult due to player nonparticipation. Example: if I set the “Over/Under” on a player at 8, this means that if you guess the over, the player must finish 7^th or higher and if you guess the under, he must finish 9^th or lower… but if only 10 players show up that month, the odds of winning the over are greatly increased. But since this is for fun anyhow, oh well!

P.S. Understand that the line is the odds of winning and nothing else. Second place doesn’t mean Jack!

Good luck everyone! Don’t forget about parlays!

January 2008

Meaty: (2007 Second place): [Line = 3 to 1] – [O/U = 4]

1^st place

            This was an obvious choice. This guy not only was runner up the last two tournaments, but also has put up 54 points in the last 5 tournaments for a whopping 10.8 points per! He was the second highest money earner in 2007 and finished an easy second overall in Tour Championship points! Expect this guy to be vying for a title come years end!

Big Slick (2006, 2007 Tour Champion): [Line = 4 to 1] – [O/U = 4]

2^nd place

          With two wins of the last three, it’s hard not to find a spot near the top for Slick. Three tournament wins in 2007 and a Back-to-Back Tour Title are hard to discount. Little Hill hasn’t been Slick’s best place to play, but he has had a couple of good results in home field.

Marshal: [Line = 4 to 1] – [O/U = 5]

3^rd place

          It doesn’t seem like it, but he held an average of 8.4 points per tournament,

that if calculated into 12 tournaments instead of only the 7 that he played, he would have earned 101 total points, just 1 point behind the Tour Champion! He also averages only a 6.14 finish placement.

Scooter: (2006, 2007 Third Place) [Line = 5 to 1] – [O/U = 5]

4^th place

          Without even attending the last tournament of the year, she managed to hold on to third place in the 2007 Tour Championship, and with a 5.91 average finish placement, it’s easy to see why. She has also had some luck at Little Hill. The Hill is where she won her only title and not only that; it’s where she has racked up numerous seconds and thirds. Like the slogan says, It’s easy to get on a roll at the Hill! She seems to do that almost every time.

Burmese Buzzsaw: [Line = 5 to 1] – [O/U = 6]

5^th place

          What can I say about “The Saw”? Well, here are a few things! She finished in a tie for 4^th overall for the year, she held a 6.27 average finish placement, while earning 7.5 points per tournament, on top of that, being as reckless and willing to push as anyone on the tour! When the cards go her way, she’s unbeatable!

Turtle: [Line = 6 to 1] – [O/U = 6]

6^th place

          This guy has the third most tournament wins in the S.B.P.T. (3), and has done it in only 14 months. Unorthodox style, yes. But he sure is willing to play back at you, and if you have it you might get paid off but if you don’t, he probably does. He’s the type that plays to win, more than just finishing high. The last few months, aside from a couple of slip-ups, he has had some very good results!

Zug: [Line = 6 to 1] – [O/U = 7]

7^th place

            The S.B.P.T. Givith… The S.B.P.T. taketh away! From tournament champion to 4^th out, that’s what can happen here at this dog and pony show. But have no fear; he should be vying for a few titles in the New Year. It’s early yet for a complete evaluation, but first impressions are that he’ll be a pretty decent player.

Popeye: [Line = 7 to 1] – [O/U = 7]

8^th place

          This guy ended the year with just a 6.00 average finish placement, but after October he had only a 4.86 average placement. So although he had a monster year, he’s a bit on the decline, having not made a final table the last three months. That being said, this guy can play. For 2007 he held the most points per tournament average (8.67)! If he attends every tournament, He should without a doubt be right there at the top.

Cha Cha: [Line = 7 to 1] – [O/U = 8]

9^th place

            New name for 2008, Cha Cha’s stock is on the rise. He missed a few tournaments throughout the year but aside from a few mishaps, he’s done fairly well. He held the lowest buy-in per tournament average ($29.4) for players having played more than once, and held the second highest profit/loss percentage (+69%) for players that played more than twice. He’s not one to re-buy!

Sandy Cheeks (2005 Tour Second Place): [Line = 8 to 1] – [O/U = 8]

10^th place

          The middle of the year, she was unstoppable! She turned around a somewhat lackluster beginning to be well into year-end Title contention. But then had three poor months in a row, each worse than the next to close out the year, and ended up completely out of trophy contention, leaving Scooter to take home third place for the year after having missed the December tournament altogether.

El Guapo (2006 Second Place): [Line = 8 to 1] – [O/U = 9]

11^th place

          Boy, he just can’t seem to get off the snide! He had started to gain some momentum towards years end, until his bullets got cracked and he was watching from the rail. This happens more to this guy than anybody on our tour. He got his money in good but it just wasn’t meant to be. But for trapping his opponent and getting all the money in with the best hand, his stock is rising!

Spongerific (2004, 2005 Tour Champion): [Line = 9 to 1] – [O/U = 9]

12^th place

          With just a few sporadic good results throughout the year, it’s hard at this point to say much about our former Tour Champion. I look for 2008 to be the turn around year for the Sponge. I think that he is tired of poor results and is looking to turn his spongie ship around and sail to a few victories! But until I see results, he’s holding steady!

Toy: [Line = 9 to 1] – [O/U = 10]

13^h place

          Still very new to the tour, he is hard to gage. He started his S.B.P.T. career with a third place finish but was out very early the following month. He held a disappointing 8.0 finish average in 2007, but that was only after just 2 tournaments. We’ll hold judgment until we see more of him.

Sniper: [Line = 10 to 1] – [O/U = 10]

14^th place

          His first tournament with the S.B.P.T. netted him a third place but since then he has struggled. He only made one other final table and on that table, he was first to the rail. He finished with a 8.3 finish placement for the year. He’ll need better than that to compete for a title!

Pretty Ricky: [Line = 10 to 1] – [O/U = 10]

15^th place

          I’m hoping 2008 will be better for Rick Dog than 2007. After 5 tournaments, he held a dismal 9.0 finish average having only made a final table once in his S.B.P.T. career. But this is a new year, with a new beginning, so let’s hope he can turn it around!