Oops how could i possibly forget

The August Gatsby Awards !!!!!!!

Net Poker Performance Of The Month
Mr Snap who won his second mtt this month - the 200 runner 11.45pm $5 mtt. This followed his win in the 50 euro added. He also reached another final table in the same tournament a few days later and finished 2nd. On top of that a fabulous 23rd in the $50k added special mtt on Crypto returning over $500

Live Poker Performance Of The Month
Bazza for the amazing performance at the WSOP main event where he managed to cash and was very unlucky not to go deeper in the tournament. He has since qualified for the EPT and maybe can go even closer to that massive pay day.

Blog Of The Month
ABC Sex Challenge a mate of Alex Martin who has decided to have some fun with young ladies whilst following to the letter of the alphabet

Nob Of The Month
Roy Keane Played for Man Utd, Was suspended for the Champions League Final, Came home in disgrace from the World Cup and openly admitted to taking opponents out (Apart from when coming face to face with Shearer and bottling it !!!!) Now all that i can forgive but new manager of Sunderland. FFS Roy, you're better than that

Babe Of The Month
Christina Aguilera Well you would, wouldnt you ?

Hero Of The Month
Andy Noble - Rewrote the classic ZX Spectrum games Manic Miner and Jet Set Willy for the pc. Still cant get the 83rd champagne bottle though :-/ Slight downer that he hasnt emailed me back with the cheats :)

Thats it for now, Good luck to all going to the Betfair forum game and all those just slogging it out at the tables online. See you when i get back from Spain :) I fly on Sunday so keep your bloggage craving topped up by checking out the blogs on my links on the right of the page.

Thanks as ever for reading.

Paul

Not To Be

Tuesday was a decent enough night. Bombed early in the 4k gtd so watched the Sky Greyhounds from Belle Vue in Manchester. The 8.50 race i fancied the trap 6 a dog called Unruly a lot and made it my bet of the night. Was expecting evens or 5/4 so when 7/4 was available i thought i would have a slice of that and had £125 to win. A class dog thats a slow starter but is motoring at the end. So just avoid trouble and weave through and we are home.

The hare is running, The traps open and 5 leads as expected but surprisingly Unruly is right there with the leader at the first bend, as they hit the second bend the stripes of my trap 6 takes the lead. Then and there i know its over and ive won. There is nothing more satisfying than seeing a class dog pull away and go further ahead. With the money banked i play a £5 stt and win that and then back another winner (only £2 this time but it all adds up) and then play a couple of £1 stts to wind down , busting early in one and winning the other.

Wednesday night i play some cash and double my buy in and then play the qualifer for the 10k gtd. I finish comfortably in the 19 that qualify for the main event. I play the 8pm £2 mtt and finish 16th out of 492. I had a defining moment when i raise all in with AT and get called by Scarface7 who has AK. No help on the flop but a 10 on the turn and 10 on the river gives me a big stack. 10s were to shit on me later so i dont feel as guilty as i should. The fact that Scar calls soomeone elses all in with 47o a few hands later and hits makes me feel slightly less guilty :)

Onto the main 10k gtd and i start slowly and get dealt JJ after 20 mins , The flop is J86 and i check, the turn is an Ace and i raise , oppo puts me all in and i call , he has AK and ive doubled up. I get to the first break with just over 3k and decide to take no stupid risks and just sit tight for a while. I get KK and with 2 raisers before me decide to flat call. K65 on the flop with 2 spades , I raise and the turn is a harmless red Queen. I raise and am put all in , He has KJ spades and it seems like and eternity for the river. I dodge the flush and im upto 9k.

Thats about it for then and i take 2 pots down on the button and consolidate my position.
Then it happens . AA and there is one raiser before me, i reraise 4k in blinds and he calls.
The flop is 10 8 4. I push all in and he turns over 10 10. No help for me and he takes down the 17 k pot and im out in 89th. Such a fine line at the moment between success and failure. 4th of 88 or out . Ok i got lucky with the 10s in the 8pm but god knows i would reverse outcome of the hands and lose the earlier one to stay in that.

For my final mtt of the night i play the 11pm special $3k gtd with 326 entrants (top 40 paid) I finished exactly 40th for a profit of 27 cents lol.

Finish work 5pm Thursday and then im on holiday, Bit of shopping on Friday and chilling on Saturday and i fly to Alicante on Sunday. The idea of 3 weeks in the sun with no net or poker is very appealing although i am flying back in between for a mates stag weekend on Friday 15th where we are all going upto Stirling. Back to Spain on the Monday and then back the following weekend for the wedding.

Will probably win shitloads over the next couple of days and update before Sunday with tales of world class play and monster payouts or maybe not. If not then enjoy your poker and dont miss me too much as i lay on an airbed in the pool as i drink champagne (ok San Miguel)
Its a shame that i will miss the Betfair Forum live game in Croydon but had this break planned for a long time.

Good luck all and thanks as ever for reading.

Paul

Better End To The Weekend

After the Saturday shambles i woke up on Sunday. I need to review where it all went wrong.
You cant allow for muppet play or cruel outdraws but should be calm, relaxed and focused and whilst i would imagine none of the play tilted me its blatant from my post that it did.

I probably shouldnt have played the 11pm on Saturday but i did and because of the final table finish i did go to bed feeling better and slept like a baby (waking up every 2 hours crying - copywrite any crap jokes book)

Sunday i got up and went out and watched Newcastle away to Villa (See link for Arab Tv)
It looked like a ground full of optimistic fans, Villa welcoming the arrival of Martin O'Neil (strange how he knocked back Newcastle, Spurs, Villa, Leeds and Liverpool but said yes to Villa)
Newcastle fans were full of optimism because of a fantastic record at Villa Park and of course seeing the new £10 million man Obafemi Martins. Well in true Newcastle style it went tits up with Villa scoring early, controlling the game, scoring again and then Martins being stretchered off. What is it with Newcastle United and injuries. Do they train on ice and concrete, are the medical staff shite, did Fat Fred call a toon shirt wearing gypsy a dog and thus get cursed.
God knows but one day it must get better.

Onto the poker and to keep it brief.....

qualifer for 50k gtd - 191 entrants with top 19 getting a seat into the main event. With 22 left i was 16th so by no means comfortable and the blinds were eating in. I had 10k and reckoned one more double up was needed for safety when i got JJ on the button, Everyone folds me and i decide i dont want anything fancy so i fire all in. Small blind has QQ and im out.

Cash tables were kind and i made about £25 . My other 3 mtts were

5pm - £2 mtt - 254 entries - finished 9th
7pm - £4k gtd - 343 entries - busted out in 192nd when AA was beaten all in by 47 pre flop
8pm - £2 mtt - 432 entries - finished 8th

As i write first attempt of Monday night was the qualifier for the 15k gtd which i just got busted

Rob260528: raises to 900
Ukgatsby: raises to 3285 and is all-in
Rob260528: calls 2385
Ukgatsby: shows [Qd Qs]
Rob260528: shows [3c 3h]
----- FLOP ----- [Jc 7h Qh] oi oi , avoid 4 hearts on the board
----- TURN ----- [Jc 7h Qh][2h] uh oh
----- RIVER ----- [Jc 7h Qh 2h][Kh] :(
nice runner runner flush
----- SHOW DOWN -----
Ukgatsby: shows [Qd Qs] (Three of a kind, Queens, King high)
Rob260528: shows [3c 3h] (A Flush, King high)
Rob260528 collects 7220 from Main pot

So there you go either 7k at the break or out and the poker gods decide to laugh at me again

Oh well it can only get better, cant it ???

Good luck all and thanks as ever for reading.

Paul

Sometimes i hate this fucking game

and the stupid fucking wanky players that play it.

Done alright on the cash tables on Friday and then today i decided to try for the 4k and 15k.
The 15k qualifier was £7 to enter with top 13 getting seats to the main event, Never in danger in and qualified comfortably.

In the 4k i busted out after 30 mins when my AA was busted by the monster that is 47o.
What can you do, you want action, you want to be dominating but to be called all in by that preflop and see a flop of 742 its unreal. Dusted down, picked up and composed ready for the 15k

Nowt first hour, no pair or AK, AQ, AJ, KQ
After the break, 1400 chips, I get 89s in mid pos, Its folded around to me and i push all in.
Get called by AJo and i hit 2 pairs. Very next hand guy before me raises 3xbb and i reraisehim with AKd. He runs the clock down and folds.Im upto 3400 and feeling better.
Next level i get KQ and pick another round of blinds
4.1K , 55th and now thinking about moving up a bit. 10 mins later i get AKc UTG.i flat call 200 chips, its folded around to the SB who raises to 600, the BB calls thati push all in, SB thinks about it, runs clock down and pushes all in (he has me covered by50 chips)
BB folds and he shows AT
TJ8 (2 Clubs) give me slight hope but cant find the king or a club and im out.
He takes8.5k pot and im out. Ive played 4 hands at that table in 90 mins and to get busted like thatby such a clueless fucker hurts.
Sometimes you look at this game and think whats the fucking point of it all.

Maybe i need to stick to £2 mtts as at least there you can console yourself with occasional shite play but these are meant to be the cream of the entire poker room, What a fucking joke.

Out tomorrow for the match (Toon vs Villa - appearing on an arabian channel near you)
Dunno if i will play , see how long it takes me to get over the tilt and anger.

Good luck all (unless youre Mr Wanky AT man in which case i hope your nob drops off) and thanks as ever for reading.

Paul


Late Update (Edited 2am Sun)

Wasnt going to enter anything else but had pre-registered for the
11pm $10 special $3k gtd with 308 runners (top 40 paid)
Ended up 8th winning $92. Obviously wanted to win it but happy enough with the game. When you take into consideration 3 tournaments before cost a total of about £25 i did end up in profit so maybe rant seemed a bit OTT but was how i was feeling at the time so its logged :)

STT heaven and ZX Spectrum Nostalgia

Busted out the 4k gtd tonight just after the first break, Had no decent hands in the first hour and scrambled to the break with about 2.5k in chips somehow. 10 mins later i get 99 in mid position and raise 4xBB , everyone folds round to the big blind who calls. Flop is 755. I push all in and get called by JTo , Crazy call !!!! 4 on the turn and killer 10 on the river.

I decide to play STTs as ive missed the qualifier for the 10k gtd and am flying. Results are

£10 stt NL
Played 6
1st - Once
2nd - Twice
3rd - Twice
Busted - Once

£5 stt
Played 2
3rd - Once
Busted - Once

That hot on heels of playing 2 omaha stts yesterday (£10 & £5 buy in) and winning them both.
I can see why people say they are the most honest, true and profitable and yes of course slightly boring :)

Rounded off the night with a couple of £2 mtts and best was in the 10.45pm £2 sixpac thunder. 464 entrants and i busted out in 3rd despite being down to 150 chips after the second hand when my AA lost to QQ. All in all a decent day. Busy tomorrow and then Newcastle playing in Europe on Thursday so will be back to the tables on Friday just in time for the pub crowd :)

Away from the Poker and if you 30ish then one of the first computers you probably had was the monster that was the ZX Spectrum. Anyone who has kids now will see them play on Playstations and Nintendos and know they will never have to wait the 5-7 mins we did to load a game by cassette.
Anyways some of the greatest games ever were available for the ZX Spectrum and a guy called Andy Noble has rewrote 2 of the modern day classics and updated them fantastically for the PC. If like me you were a total Manic Miner or Jet Set Willy nut then click the links to download the modern versions. Absolute computer nostalgia :) The only downside is you dont have the cheats for infinitive lives but see how many items you can collect in Jet Set Willy

Good luck all and thanks as ever for reading, Hopefully by the time i next play Newcastle are one stage nearer to Uefa Cup Glory ;)

Paul

Nice Sunday

Woke up at 2pm and went out shopping, came back and had dinner and then watched the football. Chelsea look good already this season and i have to concede that its probable that they will edge out Newcastle for Premiership glory. Oh well looks like the Toon Army massive will have to settle for winning the Uefa Cup, FA Cup and the league cup. Hold on im sure thats my nurse shouting to let me know its time for my medication.................

I tried to log on and register for the 4k gtd tonight but Crypto was down so i didnt bother and by the time it got back on my main focus was on the 7.30pm qualifer for the 10k gtd. With 186 hopefuls putting up the £3.20 entry fee this meant that 22 would go forward to the main £25 buy in event. I was totally in the zone and with some nice cards early on i was chip leader at the first break. I then just pushed every other hand, stole blinds at will and just generally ran over the table whilst mid stacks folded to try and survive. With 30 left i got dealt KK , Limped from mid position saw a flop of K84 and then nearly doubled up. 1st place with such a massive stack i just sat out and went and made a cuppa and by the time i got back it was over and the 22 of us were through.

Whilst waiting for the main 10k gtd event i played a £0.25/£0.50 cash table and bought in for £50. Within 15 mins this happens..... (I dont want this blog to be littered with hand histories but posting it to give insight of how i played it in various stages and what was going through my mind at the time)

----- HOLE CARDS -----
dealt to Ukgatsby [8d 6c]
4 players call, rest fold
Ukgatsby: checks
----- FLOP ----- [4d 7d 5s]
(Wallop !!! Stone cold nuts , now to get paid max)
TheHunger: checks
Ukgatsby: checks
(Dont want to scare anyone off)
danick: checks
meetubeat: checks
Luckybeb: bets £1
TheHunger: calls £1
Ukgatsby: calls £1
(Right lets see a hopefully harmless card)
danick: calls £1
meetubeat: folds
----- TURN ----- [4d 7d 5s][3c]
(Still the Stone Cold Nuts)
TheHunger: bets £4 (I credit him here for the 6 or two pair)
Ukgatsby: raises to £25
(If its a flush draw then i make it expensive)
danick: folds
Luckybeb: folds
TheHunger: calls £21
----- RIVER ----- [4d 7d 5s 3c][3d]
If he has flush, expect £5-£10 raise
TheHunger: bets £26.25 and is all-in
(No doubt now Hes got the lower straight)
Ukgatsby: calls £26.25
(I cant have it wrong, could he call initial £25 on a draw)
----- SHOW DOWN -----
TheHunger: shows [6h 2h] (A Straight, Seven high)
Ukgatsby: shows [8d 6c] (A Straight, Eight high)
Ukgatsby collects £106 from Main pot-----
(Panic over, i was right (it does happen sometimes)

I leave not long after that with £130 , ready to play the 10k gtd. 430 are entered having either bought in or qualified and the top 50 will get paid. At worst its £32 at best its £2,700.

Start is as usual slow and cagey then just after 15 mins i get KK in the BB and the button has been outdrawn in the previous hand goes all in. I call and he has A5. Ace on the flop and one on the turn leaves me feeling sick but a King on the river gives me a full house.
Maybe lucky but surely hitting an ace against KK is just as fortunate.I get to the 1st break with pretty much the same chips as after that hand and whilst on a safe 3.2k its hardly knocking on the door of the leaders.
The 2nd hour is pretty much the same, dont get a single decent hand in the entire hour but manage to see a couple of cheap flops and steal a couple of pots and get to the end of the second hour with 6k.
Third hour and i limp with 77 and hit a set of 7s on the flop. I call an all in and im up against AK. Bearing in mind the flop was J73 im in pretty good shape. 4 on the turn and ive won the hand.
As we get to 55 left i go all in with AK in mid position and take the blinds and antes. Do the same on the button a bit later with AQ and 5 mins later we are in the money. I then slow down a little as normally when everyone is guaranteed something they seem to go all in with anything and i dont want a marginal all in.
We get into top 40 and then 3 hands later its time to go for it.
AK of spades in the small blind. 2 limpers and i go all in for my last 9k. 1 caller and im up against AQ. 20k pot so im either 17th after the break or out. Queen on the flop and im out 34th of 430 for £64. A bit of fortune there and who knows but its been fun and i cant complain. My only resolution is to one day win this comp and surely i will eventually.

Anyways thats my day and feeling a hell of a lot better than i did 24 hours ago, Maybe i just need to moan a bit more as i always seem to do a lot better after a bad day (or varience day)
Anyways the weekend has turned round, we've had some fun and even shown profit and as ive said in the past, if the worse thing in your life is a shitty outdraw on the river then things aint all that bad :)

Good luck all and thanks as ever for reading.

Paul

Inconsistant

A couple of decent stt results over the last couple of days and also a nice return on the cash tables but mtts been very sloppy. Busting either just before or just in the cash. Mixed it up, sat patient for 4 or 5 levels and in others went manic trying to build up chips but lady luck not been giving it up at mo. Where sitting tight the cards havent come, where going for it the outdraws have been sick but its called varience and it will get better. It has in the past and it will in the future.

I do accept the bad beats as its right what they say that they linger a lot longer than the fortunate draws do. I just gotta keep cracking on.

Away from the poker the Premiership started on Saturday and it was a lovely day as Newcastle beat Wigan 2-1 and Sunderland got hammered into the bargain. I dont give them a 3 week headstart and we still get points on the board before them. A cruel jibe doing the rounds is that Juventus (starting with minus 15 pts) will probably be on positive points before the unwashed from Wearside. Now that would be nice.

Looking to play live in the not too distant near future, to get some practise handling cards n chips just in case i get to play a major live tournament this or next year, well you gotta dream aint ya.

Gl all and thanks as ever for reading.

Paul

Thats Better + Make sure you getting your rakeback

Played a satellite for the 10k gtd last night. Got through over 100 players to get one of the seats to the main £10k gtd event. Have managed to qualify for this a few times but not had a decent result in it for ages. Got a decent stack in the first hour and was upto 6k in chips after seeing QQ and AK and then flopping a set with 99.

I dont know what i done or who i pissed off but after that break i had the worst cards imaginable and for the next 2 hours i didnt have AK or a single pocket pair. With 462 entries and top 50 getting paid this turned into a total slog. Its hard as you have some big stacks at the table you know will call with any two cards and have to pick your spots. Done some outrageous blind steals and at one point reraised someone after the river with total junk and sat there with breath held waiting for him to call and bust me out. He folded and i managed to survive to near the bubble. (Holding breath might be a slight tell in live poker btw)

Was one of the shortstacks and it was twice folded round to me . The first time in the SB i have A4 and push all in and get the blinds and antes. The second time in the button i have QJ and get called by QT in the big blind. This is enough to take me through the safety of the bubble and ensure a cash. I then sit back as all about goes loopy, dunno what it is but some people once guaranteed the minimum payout will then go in with anything. 5 mins of folding normally gets you to next level.

Once we have 30 left my next target is getting top 20 and trying to increase chips. I push all in on the button with 78s and get called off both blinds. 278JK board and i treble up. I then crash and cant get reconnected so have to reboot. Eventually get back and im 20th of 22. I get junk and am about to push twice but each time someone else goes in first so i have to fold my junk. A couple of big stacks tangle and one of them goes out and then a small stack is anted out and im guaranteed £104 for top 20. I now just want to get chips and get myself on that final table.

Cant get a hand and eventually my last 3k goes all in on the button with 97d and im out. 19th place out of 462 after beating over 100 to qualify is no mean feat but i want to repeat the final table appearance earlier in the year. Game is getting there and with cards and a bit of fortune who knows.

As a small stakes player i dont get that much rakeback but its always better in your pocket than theirs and £50-£100 a month is a nice little bonus. If you play on the crypto network then these are the links you need to get rakeback on the various site skins. Click on them and get in touch with the individual and they should be able to sort you out with 30% rakeback.


William Hill - Julian "Yo-Yo" Thew
Betfair - Ben Grundy
Sun Poker - Dibble

Whichever site you play through you still get the same tournaments. Just different way to get there. Of course Betfair will be switching to the Pokerchamps site soon so click there or the banner at the top of the page to try it out.

Good luck all and remember, P.M.A , If it goes pear shaped then Pick up, dust down, move on and try again. Thanks for reading. Its all fun but at the end of the day its just a game :)

Paul

A Weekend Of Grind

Paula Abdul once sang about "One step forwards, Two steps back" and thats how it feels.
Saturday i played at the cash tables and doubled up on both. I then said one more round, Big blinds my last hand and duly got shagged for my politeness.

QQ in the big blind i went over the top of the raiser in early position and he called.
The flop came down a beautiful Q82. He raised again and i reraised and he called. The turn was a 9. No flush draw on the board. I decide to push all in and he calls and flips over 99. The river 9 gives him quads and i feel sick. Nothing you can do about it.

Thats it then next time im on a cash table the nano-second i double i quit.
I played a couple of tournaments but couldnt get going and gave up early and decided to chill and watch a movie with some fruit and diet cherry coke. What i wouldnt give for a six pack and a kebab.

Onto Sunday and i had a lovely long lie in bed, as you do. Decided to play the 4k gtd and got upto a healthy 3.5k in chip after less than 40 mins and was feeling good when i pick up AA on the big blind. Cut off goes all in and i call instantly. He has 33 . Result !!!!! The flop is 373 and he has quads. The thing that pisses me sooooooo much about that is that he says "sorry, i was bored" . If you bored do what the old kids programme "Why Dont You" used to say in the 70s...
Why dont you just fuck off and do something else instead. Everyone knows you need 2.5 hours to cash and about 3.5 hours to win so why enter if youre going to be bored after 40 mins.

Oh well, onwards to the 10pm £2 thunder lottery mtt. 462 runners with 50 getting paid. Got a nice stack early on and was around the 30th mark all the way through and then as we got to the final 30 i doubled up a couple of times were KK and 77 survived. This propelled me upto 4th and i just slowed down waiting for premium hands as the final table approached. With 11 left and everyone anxious not to bust out i stole 3 or 4 pots in succession. Didnt get any hands of note at the final table. A few steals and eventually with 6 left i push on the button with A7. Its a mucky hand but i dont have much choice as the blinds will finish me off in 2 hands time. The big stacked big blind calls with A4 and hits trip 4s and im out in 6th. Nice enough profit and better than 456 others but i wanted the win. Oh well theres always tomorrow......

A lot of players go through bad runs, the only advice i can offer is play within your means, enjoy it. Keep up with the P.M.A (Positive Mental Attitude) and after a bad beat just pick yourself up and dust yourself down and start again.

A big shout to my mate Bazza who despite cashing in the WSOP isnt resting on his laurels and is now aiming for the EPT (European Poker Tour) He tried a satellite competition on Saturday night where the top 2 would get a package to the event of their choice and he busted in 3rd with £2k for comfort and compensation. Well he tried again and tonight he nailed it and got the package. Just shows above to dust yourself up and start again.


Gl all and thanks as ever for reading.

Paul

A bit of everything

Newcastle won 1-0 tonight. Titus Bramble scored the goal that gives us the advantage in our Uefa Cup qualifier. Hopefully now the likes of Adriano, Toni, Defoe etc now know we are nailed on for European football and will get off their lazy arses and sign for Newcastle and try and become half the legend our last centre forward was. If anyone can ever come close to Sir Alan of Gosforth.

The other bastard thing about the start of the season is Fantasy Football. Im in a works comp based on the sun rules and debating who to pick etc. Please feel free to post your fantasy football teams and tips and i might blatantly rip off a few ideas.


Looking at those magnificent fans tonight i wondered how long they might be stuck abroad due to some fanatical wanker terrorists who are intent on causing death and mayhem. Its about time we done something and eradicated this cancer. I am all for multi cultural religions and people worshipping as they wish but a few bad apples are making it bad for everyone. This has been made worse by the kid gloves treatment they are given.

The bottom line is they live in this country and whilst the law should be flexible in some ways to accomodate different religions the overall rule is that of the United Kingdom. Try going over to Saudi Arabia, drinking 20 cans of Stella, pissing in shop doorways, showing your arse at passing cars and see what they say when you say "but i do it in my own country - its a way of life"


The diet continues slowly but surely, i know for a fact i could get it to drop quicker than a whores nickers if i started smoking again as more tabs (geordie for cigarettes for anyone south of Durham reading this) i would eat less and feel more energetic. The amount of fruit, soup and ryvitas i am eating is unreal , Still it will be worth it in the end.


4 weeks till my holidays so i want to lose a bit so i can go OTT on Spanish lager, If anyone fancies a game of poker in Alicante, let me know where the good games are happening and i might get myself down there if i can be motivated.

Ok onto the poker and you will have noticed the pretty "Pokerchamps" banner above. If you havent tried it then click the link and sign up and try the freerolls and see what you think. If you like it then make sure you hammer the cash tables so i get affiliate bonuses and you get loads of gorgeous rakeback. The standard is appalling although to be fair i was only trying out the freerolls and the $0.02/$0.04 tables.

The casino link i purely use just to whore the bonus each month. 1st of each month i deposit £25 and get free £25 and then play a £25 hand of blackjack. Win or lose im out of there after the 1st hand. You could spend about 100 hours or £10000s trying to cash the bonus legitimately but who the hell wants to fart about doing that.

Onto the normal Crypto poker, On Sunday night Snap took his place in the 50k added on Betfair and that was down to me as i had played on his account for him and got him the 500 mpps required to enter as well as the fee. Day of the tournament came and i played first hour whilst he worked. Absolutely card dead and down to 1,100 at the hour. I told him patience and with some juicy pocket pairs soon gathered chips for fun. Only made 1 mistake in the whole tournament when i advised 4xBB button steal with A4d. Small blind went all in. No choice had to fold. About 15 mins later with the blinds creeping up we got AK and got a nice reraise all in and everyone folded. Running down with the payout bubble approaching we got 56d in the Big Blind and as i had other tables open and seen the bubble burst i urged the all in with 4 limpers, with only for 4 more hands he went for it and hit the straight and got a massive pot. A nice couple of pots later took the prize money up and eventually we were out in 19th for $560. A truly fantastic performance.

Monday i covered on last post, i was knackered Tuesday so had an early night and last night just tried the Stt's as according to most this is the way to more profit and less risk but at my humble £3 and £5 limits its hardly life changing.
Tonight back to the MTT's and the 6pm multi i got a runner runner straight against me to bust out after the hour mark. Undeterred i played the 7pm game and out of 302 runners i got 7th.
My 3rd and final tournament for the night i played the 10pm £2 thunder with 502 runners (top 60 paid) and got 32nd. So a decent profit for the night without being too spectacular, still it would be boring to win all the time, ok sod it , it wouldnt , it would be fantastic :)

Anyways thats todays update over for now, If youre reading this on a laptop in an airport departure lounge, or even worse the hotel near it or back home with your dreams of your holiday up in smoke my heart goes out to you.

Good luck all and thanks as ever for reading. If you have a blog and fancy exchanging links give me a shout.

Paul

Yuk

A quiet weekend and back into the swing of things tonight. Played a £7 qualifier for the 15k gtd on crypto and despite getting AA 3 times , getting beat 3 times i still managed to qualify. Happy enough and as i was playing qualifier i entered the £4k gtd (418 entries - top 50 paid) Couldnt put a foot wrong in that and every showdown i was ahead and didnt get any sick rivers.
Eventually went out in 14th for £41 when i tried a semi steal with AT and got called by Q5 . 55 on the board and im a chip and a chair. 3 hands later i get A5h in the SB and push and im up against AK and out.

Oh well, onto the 15k main event and i get through the first hour pretty uneventful and only have about 300 chips extra from the start. The second hour i pick up KK and get 2 all ins before me. 1 is a short stack and the other has the same as me so i hold my breath and call. AK and AQ and im happy enough to avoid the ace and move up. I just pick up pots where i can and then just before the 2nd hour break i pick up 77. I reraise 3xbb and get 1 caller. The flop comes down 552. I push all in and im up against QQ. 7 comes on the turn and im in the top 10.

The 3rd hour i dont see too many hands and dont add much to the stack, 1 ott blind protector and a button semi steal with AJ. With 296 entrants its top 30 getting paid a minimum of £75 and im sitting in 21st with 32 left when i pick up QQ in mid position. I decide to push all in and i get called by the Button and the big blind. To my horror they have AA & KK. Ace on the flop pretty much seals the deal and im out. 5 mins of folding and i would have been in the cash but i had greater ambitions. Disappointing to miss out but if everyone folds round to you and youre not going to play QQ what are you going to do.

Still im in profit for the night but i should have gtd cash first but i just seen the bright lights of higher payouts. Dont often play the 15k gtd and i know im improving as im no longer in awe of them.

At the time of writing there are 33 left in the WSOP main event and no big names left. There were a few of the players on my links there and unfortunately only Bazza managed to cash. But im sure everyone will dust themselves down, pick themselves up and hit the tables and try and qualify for next year. I know i will !!!!

I will also be getting out and about to play more live games. Apparantly on the back of the poker book the Grosvenor chain of casinos are introducing beginners nights where on Wednesdays you can play £3 mtts. Will be participating to get a feel of the cards and the chips and try and move my game up a level. I am amazed since i started this blog before Christmas just how much my game has improved (unfortunately so has many others lol). Whilst i may never be a pro or a high stakes player i continue my ambition of it being a fun and profitable hobby.

Gl all and thanks as ever for reading.

Paul

Tension

and not even in the hand myself. Watching the WSOP updates on Antes Up (link to right) as the bubble approached in the main event. Bazza managed to cash and outlast Raymer, Ivey etc but busted out. Still he has over 14000 reasons to be happy.

Couple of the Betfair forum guys still in and if you want to keep upto date and follow their progress then get to Antes Up.

Well done all

Paul

The replacement of Crypto

Apparantly Betfair have given notice to quit the Cryptologic poker network. They will be going to Pokerchamps. Not sure at this point whether the likes of Hills and co will be following suit.

To sign up or have a look click the banner above, you can play the freerolls without needing to deposit. Tried a couple of games and it seems ok, Despite the critism i do like the crypto network and whilst i would prob play on Pokerchamps i would like the chance to still play on Crypto so will download a skin that supports them.

There have been a few negative reports about the graphics of PC and easyness on the eyes etc but i guess its just what youre used to. I cant hack the likes of Prima, each to their own i suppose.

On the poker front i played a £3 stt last night and first hand i got dealt 48s, Utg raised 500 chips and the button went all in. I duly folded and the flop was 567s meaning i would have had the straight flush. How come you never get flops like that when you call lol. Anyways i fold junk for the next 4 hands and then pick up AA. I raise to 100 as its still early days and i get a reraise, I go over the top for about 500 and he comes back with an all in. Instant call and im facing QQ.
Queen on the flop and im out. I decide to just log out and quit for the day. Aces arent invincible and have every right to be busted but its just a pain when you get knocked out of a tournament with them.

On the WSOP its getting very exciting as the 1st day qualifiers start to play their 2nd day. 570 Have went through to the third day and tonight Bazza (link to his blog on the right) plays his 2nd day with 65,200 starting stack. I wish him all the luck in the world along with any one else from the forums who is still in with a crack of this life changing magical tournament. The more i watch the updates the more i want to be there next year and i will be ready for the first £2 super super super satellite that any firm runs.

No poker tonight as im off out soon and busy tomorrow so will have to wait for the Friday pub monsters to get my fix.

Good luck all and thanks as ever for reading.

Paul