Getting down with the NET

Yes finally I have succumbed to the "twitter".

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You can follow my "tweetings" at:

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http://twitter.com/PokerWannabe

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In fact there is a method in my madness ...

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Instead of aimlessly surfing the net or watching youtube I am hoping that poker commentary may help my game.

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We'll see.

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Keep it Tight!

A Quick Update

I haven't had much time or willingness to post recently due to a serious illness in the family.

However my Mum is now on the road to recovery and I am starting to get my life back in order after the turmoil and worry of the whole situation.

For now I have just updated the records section at the right of my page to include the games I have played last month.

So I haven't deserted blogging and normal posting service will be resumed shortly.

Until Next Time

Keep it Tight!

Grand National Day

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Yes today is one of the racing highlights, if not the racing highlight of the year. It is also one of the days where I have a pure gamble (no betting in running today ... so expect a loss). I will be doing it old style, off to the bookies and then watch the race in the pub!

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I thought this time I would put my picks down before the race, then when I win my millions you won't all think I've been making it up.

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Nothing new strategy wise this year, I have still used my usual philosophy:

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If the horse hasn't run 30 furlongs or more ... scrap it.

If the horse has been pulled up in its last 5 outings ... scrap it.

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This has left me the following 9 runners:

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1. Tricky Trickster

2. Big Fella Thanks

3. Niche Market

4. Irish Raptor

5. Arbour Supreme

6. Hello Bud

7. Joe Lively

8. Comply or Die

9. King Johns Castle

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So I have chosen what I think is the best of the above an have decided to dutch the following each way to the following amounts:

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1. Tricky Trickster £3 ew

2. Big Fella Thanks £4.50 ew

3. Niche Market £3 ew

4. Irish Raptor £1.50 ew

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So any placed horse will show a small profit.

Any two placed horses or more and it will be my round next!

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I also have a real gut feeling about Joe Lively - which is likely to go off at around 66-1. So not ignoring this feeling I will be wagering £5 win and £2.5 ew.

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Good Luck All

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Until Next Time

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Keep it Tight!

I know I said I don't like rebuys .... but ....

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I have been playing mostly cash games recently with very little success.

So last night I was sitting watching TV and had the need to play a multi tourney.

I scanned UB to see what was available and found that the $4K guaranteed rebuy had just started and was accepting late registration. With only 192 players registered at this point I threw my $3.30 into the pot and was prepared for the usual all in fest that was likely to ensue. However I was mildly surprised to find that the play was a little more solid than I was expecting. After the 60 minute rebuy period I had just used my initial buy in and my double add on to get me to around average chip stack (for a total buy in of $9.30).

During the late registration period the field had expanded to 419 players but was already reduced to about 320 remaining players. Now I like my chances with a reasonable stack compared to the blinds and a 300 or so player tournament that is now a freezeout with over a $4K prize fund.

Anyway I just played my usual game in between watching TV and surfing ebay and watched as the other players went to war .

With about 100 or so players to go and prizes paying to 45th I was sitting firmly in the bottom two players and was looking for a double up.

In a short stack situation I never panic knowing that a double up will take me only one more double away from the average stack. I use an "If you wait they will come" approach.

As if on cue whilst in the BB and with the pot folded to the aggressive big stack on the button he does his usual raise and I all in with my AKos. He calls and I double up number 1.

Well I don't know how many times I did this (it must have been 3 or 4) but I managed to nurse my short stack to the final table ... from 100 out.

Hitting the Final Table

Do not let anyone tell you patience doesn't pay off.

I feel I played really solid to the final table and then let myself down with a badly played 77 with 9 players still left.

In mid position I raised 3x and got called by the BB. The flop dropped QTT. The BB checked and I bet 3/4 pot. The BB re raised me all in. Damn ... why didn't I check and let him try and extract chips if he has the monster, who knows my 7 may have come on the turn.

So now I was the very short stack again with just over $50K in chips.

Once again "If you wait they will come."

Once again a few carefully chosen all ins and all in calls and I unluckily went out 6th with my AK losing out to the big stacks AT. A win in this pot would have seen me with about $250K in chips and aiming four 4th place at worst.

I feel a little unlucky going out with the hand I did, but still $207 added to my poker fund.

Has this rekindled my love for rebuys?

Only if they are not all in fests as I would expect them to be.

Until next time.

Keep it tight!

Pokerlistings $1K Freeroll on Titan Poker

Once again I have hit the final table of the Pokerlistings $1K Freeroll.

I got to the final table with one of the lowest stacks but thanks to the big stack in the BB and me getting KK in the SB I managed to double up to take me into fourth position.

Thats when the cards dried up and I was unable to make any moves into unopened pots.

Still a few of the players obliged by taking each other on and I finished a respectable 5th out of 652 starting players.

Thats a free $50 for my time; a welcome contribution to an otherwise struggling month of poker.

Until Next Time ...

Keep it Tight

I don't like rebuys ... "tell me why?"

I really do not like re buy tournaments, in fact I go out of the way to avoid them.

So imagine my dissatisfaction at winning a ticket to the Pacific $12,500 guaranteed tournament only to find that it is a re buy.

I just can't get my head around the fact that players play with abandon in the hope that they might double up and then just buy in again when they are unsuccessful.

Using that philosophy even Leicester City could win in the premiership if they could replay all their matches and keep only the best results (well perhaps not ... but you know what I mean!).

I just can't play in that manner ... and I guess to beat them you have to join them!

So the fact that the majority of the "guaranteed big prize tournaments" on the net are now re buys to get the prize fund near to the guarantee leaves me frustrated for value in qualifying for MTT's. Either that or they finish at 5am on a Monday morning!

I will have to read the small print a bit better before I enter any future satellites.

On another note though ... bonus whoring pays off again.

A while ago I joined paddy power but never really played there and my account has been empty ... until recently. I got an email saying that there was a free amount waiting for me in Bingo. BINGO?!!

Well I logged on and found a free £1. So I bought 6 free 10p tickets and won a great £50. Still leaving me a free 40p for a bag of chips and a bus ride home!

You see, being tight sometimes can pay!

So until next time

Keep it Tight!

Never been so tired!

Last week was the first week of moving our possessions to France.

We had a quotation of £2700 to move us entirely ... HOW MUCH!

So in my wisdom I decided we can do it cheaper by hiring vans and driving the distance ourselves.

Well our trip last week took the route of a Newhaven Ferry to Dieppe.

Collecting the Van on Friday afternoon we then spent the evening loading what we could and retired to bed early to finish loading on the Saturday. Loading had gone really well and continued to go well on Saturday with all of our items fitting nicely without any room for movement, much like a real life game of Tetris. That was until we got to the mattress. Why are those things so damned heavy. Anyway glad that it was one of the last things to load we managed to set off for Newhaven at about 3:30pm to catch our 9:30pm ferry.

We got there OK and on time and were looking forward to our 3-4 hours sleep in the cabin we had booked. After a really good but short sleep we disembarked 2:30am France time and hit the completely deserted roads.

It really is great driving in France with clear roads and 85 mile an hour speed limits on the motorways.

At about 4:30am the tiredness set in and I could hardly keep my eyes open, and added to the that the van was being buffeted by the storm that was hitting the west coast (we later found the storm had been responsible for over 50 deaths at the coastal towns).

The only thing I could think about was sleeping. Have you ever tried to sleep in the cabin of a long wheel based transit. The seats are very upright and it is freezing. The only way I could get to sleep was for Susan to sleep across the seats and I slept in the foot well.

Anyway we made it and got to the house at about midday. We even unpacked it all in about 3 hours (even getting the mattress upstairs). Mind you I paid for it the next couple of days, I ached and was completely exhausted.

We have saved some money (the trip cost us about £700 - £800), but we have got to do it again to take the rest of our things.

Still if we can save a £1000 then it will be worth it in the long run.

Until Next Time

Keep it Tight!