Birthday Boy!

Happy Birthday to Me ...
Happy Birthday to Me ...
Happy Birthday to Me .. Eee ...
Happy Birthday to Me!

Yep today is my birthday. One more year until the Big 4 zero. .... And still no major wins to note.

I think if I was trying to play this game for a living I would be one of those "Journey Pros". I'd make a steady return ... but not a world beater.

Still its not the taking part its the winning that counts.

Anyway I'm off now to eat drink and get merry to celebrate the day (possibly off to the casino tonight, but no poker as it will be a family event).

Until Next Time

Keep it Tight!

Healthy Living!!

They say a healthy body leads to a healthy mind ...

Thats why I've decided to join a gym for my time in London to see if it improves my mental game. That, and the fact that I am getting some middle aged spread. Last thing I would want is to win a prestigious tournament and have my lard ass spread all over the covers of magazines ... LOL.

I am trying to make it 3 times a week and am beginning to realise why I have been putting on weight ...

Last night I ate a small Tesco's prawn salad, packet of crisps and glass of orange juice (500 calories).

This took 1hr 40mins of walking and cycling to burn off ... and to think I would normally eat this lateish at night with no exercise.

So what are my targets.

To get from 12 1/2st to 11 1/2st, and to reduce my resting heart rate. I think all the poker over the years has added to my increased heart rate, which can't be good.

Unfortunately this is going to reduce not only my weight but also my playing time, so emphasis is going to be on quality not quantity ... more emphasis on cash play perhaps.

So from a fitness evangelist.

Until next time.

Keep it tight.

Summertime !!!!

Hi everybody ... how is everyone enjoying the weather? Summer is here! Long live summer! Doesn't it make you feel better?

Well I have spent most of the holiday weekend gardening, drinking and barbequeing with a litle time at the end of the day for some poker.

The plan was to go to the boat but the drive out there (usually 3 hours) would have probably taken a 5 hour bank holiday journey. So time to get the garden done instead. I will be going to the boat the weekend after next for a short 4 day holiday.

Now for a short update on my quarter roll experiment at just under 2000 hands whilst there is some good news to report.

My initial $200 bankroll dropped right down to $30 following a couple of big pairs failing to hold up. However, leak number one identified. I am committing all my chips to big pairs (AA, KK) after the flop regardless. I should be able to control the pot size to at least save some back on tricky looking boards.

At this $30 point I dropped down to the $0.10/$0.20 tables and ground back up to a full $50 buy in for the $0.25/$0.50 tables.

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I then had a good session where I took my buy in of $50 up to $109. Just about to cash out and I look at KK. Well the leak I just described about saw me put $40 back when I failed to lay down KK when a guy hit his set holding 99. Unfortunately I hadn't identified the error in my ways at that point, but am not sure the result would be any different now.

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So a few winning sessions see's my pot back at $80 and ready for the next 1000 hands.

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Wish me luck!

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Until next time

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Keep it Tight

An entertainment quickie!

Don't play cards with this guy ...

Keep it tight!

High Stakes Poker and Tom Dwan

Has anyone been watching the 2009 season 5 of high stakes poker?

What a series this is ... and mainly due to the excitement and variety brought to it by Tom Dwan. He is not really a talker but his game speaks louder than any words he could utter.

I can't help thinking he has more than his fair share of luck though. But you cannot question his heart, just watch the largest hand in High Stakes Poker History.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5P_gfwtnAJo

But it has got me thinking ... is Tom Dwan "The Man" of modern day poker?

So many card players have made it to the top of the game over past years. Some came and went and some passed the tests of time and are still a force to be reckoned with today. But only a few earned the reputation and title of being "The Man".

Before poker became a main stream game as it has in this internet and WSOP era "The Man" would earn his reputation. The best players would find out about anothers skill by word of mouth. Challenges would be issued. Games would start in backrooms and basements. Hours would be played and the victor would not only take the spoils, but also the prestige of an increase in notoriety.

So is Tom Dwan "The Man" of today?

Well I think he certainly is putting himself out there for the title. He is issuing the sort of challenges that are set to prove he is "The Man".

Surely he is not prepared to offer the best in the world 3-1 odds (as with his current 50,000 hand omaha match up with Patrick Antonius on Full Tilt) just to make a little more cash. These games are born out of bravado and competition. He is doing this to make a statement to the poker world that he thinks he's the best and to jocky himself into position to show he is THE force to be reckoned with in poker today. I believe he wants to be "The Man" and is doing it in a way that gets him from behind a computer screen and into the minds of players and onlookers alike.

I don't think he is a Stuey Ungar yet ... and he may never be ... but one thing is for sure ... it is going to be great watching this guy to find out.
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Until Next Time
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Keep it Tight!

Update on last month

Last month was my first losing month of the year. As you can see by the graph I dropped about $100 of my profit.

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Due to work I only managed to play 96 games through the whole of April and these didn't contain any qualifiers or Multi Tourneys.

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The losses were mainly due to hitting a barren spell on Party Poker. I could do no wrong in March, then, just as happened on Hollywood, I hit a massive losing streak. No matter what I did I couldn't win a double up SnG, even at the lowest buy in.

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So I cashed out my profits (after taking my bonuses) and moved my allegiance again ... now I am playing on Pacific Poker.

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So far I am playing small buy in 10 man double ups and 6 man STT and sit here feeling like a poker nomad.

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Work is still manic and I have already had to cancel my golf trip. I just can't fit everything in so this holiday has gone to the wall to save the one with my girlfriend the week before.

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A quick note on my quarter roll experiment. I still have a balance after playing about 1800 hands and will do a full report when this gets to 2000.

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That's all for now ... short, sweet and boring ... hopefully I will have something a bit more interesting to write about next time.

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Until then.

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Keep it Tight!

What a busy time ... Unfortunately all work

Frimley Hall Hotel

I haven't been able to tell my arse from my elbow recently.

Been working 10 - 15hr days for two presentations .... one was to about 60 people, what a nerve wracking nightmare.

Any way they both went well.

Wednesday night (the night before the big presentation) the company I am working for put me up in a very plush hotel. Frimley Hall Hotel at £163 a night ... LOL, bit up class for me. Anyway there was a teddybear that was supplied in the room by the Hotel (a tiny little thing in a dressing gown with the logo of the hotel on it). I thought "that's nice, a free teddy bear, the girlfriend will like that!". But next to it was a letter stating that if I wanted the teddy bear it was gonna cost £10. The cheek, £163 a night and an extra £10 for a poxy teddy.

Bank holiday last week I did manage to get a round of golf in. I hadn't played for a year and before that it was probably 4 years. Suffice to say I didn't play great ... went round in 97. A far cry from the 14 handicap I used to play off.

It was a practice round for a golf society trip in June. We will be going to Skegness North Shore with a society run by Steve Cherry ... goal keeper for Notts County early 90's.

Steve Cherry ... 2nd from left (Goalkeeper).

Anyway now the work rush is over I will get back to regular posting and some Poker hopefully.

Until Next Time.

Keep it Tight!