More Minimum Wage Fun On PokerStars

Tournament.........$250,000 gtd
Date....................Sun 29 March
Start Time............21:30
Entrants...............29,683
Entry Fee..............$11

Busted.................454th
After....................4 Hours
Paid.....................$29.69


LOL
Beat 29,000 + and dont even get 2/1 return

3.388 runner $50k Gtd Uk & Irish Open

35th for $95

Was 14th at the time and a big flip AKd vs TT. Couldnt hit and was crippled. Now what was it i said on previous post about long slogs on Stars for nearly payouts lol

Big congrats to Roll001 from the Newcastle Poker Forum who played a fantastic game to win the whole lot and take down the $7k first prize. Well done mate.

Back to short bursts on Ipoker tonight me thinks.

Post Crypto

and it just doesnt feel the same. Getting used to the new ipoker. Maybe in years to come will become fond of it but dont think it will ever have the same affection as Crypto. If there are any billionaires out there then please buy the software. I guarantee you have 4,500 - 6,000 players within the month !!!

But its gone so what are we left with. Boss i cant stand and Full Tilt just doesnt do it for me.
Stars is supreme but is so long and top heavy. Take a shot to qualify for a big guaranteed or save up for a promo game then its a joy and the chance to win big is there. But me i only really play Stars if im on hols as even a $3 rebuy (7.15pm GMT start) is on till about 5am if you go deep.

An 8-12 hour slog is a special occasion not a daily occurrence !!! Am not knocking it as there are times i want to do that but there were also times where i logged on the old Hills just wanting to play the 9.45pm £5 hour tournament or the 10pm £2 thunder . I didnt want to get in late and have to play for 5 hours. I just wanted the odd hour fix here and there.

The other think bugging me about the new software is i dont know anyone.
I could play most of the £2 comps on Crypto and i would know at least 5 or 6 of the players. Ok i mightnt chat to them all but come across them enough to have notes or to have a clue how they played. Now its foreigners, strangers or familiar people with new ids who are saying nowt.

Maybe im being harsh, the software is ok and the teething probs once solved might make it a top rated software. Maybe Crypto was shit but like the Diana / John Lennon affect of being remembered as the best ever after its demise.

I like to play in £s and pence too. Fuck the Euro, Im English and who cares about the dollar. Arent most yanks banned from playing online anyways. So if you're reading Mr Hills Rep

a) Give me some 7pm and 8pm £5 games that last 2-3 hours
b) Give me a couple of Headhunters
c) Give me a couple of all in lottery qualifiers to the big game as well
d) the golden lever to win a lot would be nice too.


To be fair i will give it a few months of playing on the plus side you have

a) Quickcash - avoid the banks and waiting
b) $600 bonus - out for nowt
c) busy pokerroom
plus ive just received an email saying they going to do the following..........


Rebuy Revolution
Starting on Tuesday through to Sunday
we have super-low buy-in tournaments with $6,000 Added every day.
The tournaments take place daily at 13:00, 18:00, 20:00 and 22:00,
all UK times, all small buy-ins, all added value.

WH Points Bonus Bonanza
Starting on Wednesday 25th March to Sunday 29th March
we're giving you the chance to earn extra Bonus Dollars
For every 2000 WH Points* earned
you'll gain a $25 bonus up to $100, each and every day.

Coming Up - MPP Freerolls
We are having a series of freerolls, week commencing 30th March
from $500 to $2,500 depending on your MPP amount

SuperSeries
The old Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday Hills Only SuperSeries games are back



Football part of blog....
We're fooked - that is all


Good luck all and thanks as ever for reading.
Paul

Ipoker

Player name is UkgatsbyBlog (Ukgatsby is gone from an old BlueSq account i had)
Got in tonight and the whole transition period was very smooth. Sounds like i had been lucky as some had a nightmare trying to switch.

I fired up the Crypto and got the message that there was a software update. Left it running but it went through very quick. Logged in and had a look around. You will see above the banner that there is a message about the (upto) $600 bonus for new players / old crypto players.

I read about this on the Betfair forum, many thanks to Canary for that. Because Hills isnt just about the poker. I didnt have to deposit but transfer from the sportsbook account. Once i had done that the clock was ticking. 2 months to release the bonus.

The strange thing is though. you have to transfer each time you log on, so original account was back to Sportsbook. This means you could then transfer $20 to play a couple of mtts but earlier (first) deposit / transfer was the one that decided the amount of bonus avail. So a bad beat for Canary but very decent of him to give everyone else the heads up.

Took a little getting used to overall and still will. Its not Crypto but SuperSeries remains. There are lots of tournaments. Plus there is still the quickcash option to fund /withdraw which is good.

Beginning bonus seems generous. There are loyalty payments (posh way of saying cakeback) and VIP levels and a lot more. If you dont have an Ipoker then give it a spin.
I know Hills are looking at loads more incentives in the future so if you aint already got a "grandfathered / protected rakeback" account from elsewhere then download via the banner at the top

Good luck all and thanks for reading.
Paul

1st Tournament of New Ipoker Era - 525 runner $7,500 gtd

Crypto MTT lobby as of 23.43 on Wed 18th March 2009 :(

Thats Cheltenham For Another Year

Shame Denman couldnt do it in the Gold Cup. Kauto Star was just too good but the way Denman was written off from January onwards it was a magical performance. BUT !!! next year if Denman is 100% then who wins the decider. 1st and 2nd for both over the last 2 years. Hopefully they both make it safely through the winter and line up for the battle of the legends..

Overall Cheltenham was decent. Couple of places on betting slips where another win would have win made all the difference especially on the Tuesday and Friday. That said it was my best ever meeting....

7 Wins
MasterMinded (4/11)
Cooldine (2/1)
Quevega (2/1)
Wichita Lineman (5/1)
Zaynar (11/2)
Oh Crick (8/1)
Silk Affair (11/1)

6 Seconds
Celestial Halo
Denman
Isn't That Lucky
Karabak
L'Ami
Voy Per Ustedes

1 Third
Rite of Passage

1 Fourth
Three Mirrors


15 placed out of 26 with the most winners ive had in my life at Cheltenham over the 4 years.

Highlights
Denman doing himself proud in the Gold Cup
Kauto Star showing himself to be a class act in the Gold Cup
McCoys amazing "almost last to first" ride on Wichita Lineman
Ruby Walsh having 7 winners after a crap start


Lowlights
Not being off work for this years festival - the holidays are booked for 2010
No Inglis Drever in the World Hurdle this year
too many seconds haha
Television coverage - Surely C4 or E4 should do a block programme 9am-6pm


So thats it , Kauto joins the lists of Legends. But to any real race fans out there then watch this video of the 1989 Gold Cup - a certain grey called Desert Orchid. Enjoy !!!


Weekend Football Review..
Hull City 1 - 1 Newcastle United
Two shit teams , playing shit, not really doing much for eithers cause.

Arsenal and Chelsea next up for the Toon. 2 Defeats there then
After that we play Stoke City - Lose and we are down.

Someone did send me a link for the BBC prem table predictor thing but it was more a case of what i wanted rather than what i think will happen


92 Man Utd
82 Chelsea
73 Liverpool
56 Newcastle
-----------------------
56 West Ham
55 Fulham
54 Arsenal
------------------------
54 Aston Villa
54 Hull
53 Wigan
53 Everton
49 Man City
47 Tottenham
45 Bolton
45 Blackburn
44 Stoke
44 Portsmouth
-----------------------
39 West Brom
33 Sunderland
29 Middlesbrough


I did originally do 1-0 home wins across the board unless
a) away team was Newcastle in which case they got the victory
b) home team were Mackems or Boro in which case they got the defeat

But that meant Newcastle just finished mid table so had to go back and alter manically the results and adjust them to get Newcastle up there. It was more like an effing Suduko

Then again maybe the gods are just protecting my fitness as if you will recall i did promise to wear a Sunderland shirt and do the Great North Run if Newcastle finished in the top 6.
I should have asked for a stake or bonus for bottom 6 as thats more likely !!!!

Onto the felt i played a couple of tournaments on Hills. Finished 12th of 150 ish in the 10.45pm sixpack thunder and the following night busted in the 9.14pm HH when JJ walked into 99. Three diamonds on the flop and im holding the Jd so only the 9s kills me. Bang on the turn it appears but hey ive had one outers before too so no biggy.

Going to try the 7.30pm SuperSeries tonight (Wednesday) as i have a funny feeling Wednesday 18th March 2009 might just be the last ever night of Crypto. Fire the lobby up and there is nothing there beyond 11pm and no sats to further stuff :

So Wednesday is Poker night. Been a while since i truly hammered the Mtts so heres to some March success or about £30 in buy ins down haha.

Thats it for now, good luck all and thank as ever for reading.
Paul

Cheltenham Gold Cup - The Rematch

between Denman and Kauto Star. Unfortunately the former is still not the force of last year and the latter isnt exactly brimming with confidence either. I stuck with Denman last year and got rewarded and if (and it is a big if) can overcome that poor Kempton run then you never know :)

7 Races till the festival is over and so far im standing on 5 wins, 5 seconds and 2 thirds before Fridays action kicks off. The pin has landed (put the mockers) on the 7 below. Prices are Hills as they been doing guaranteed odds every race. Betfair if you want your singles but i like my micro stakes each way trebles n up as well :)


13:30 Zaynar (5/1) - 1st
14:00 Sunnyhillboy (15/2)
14:40 Western Charmer (14/1)
15:20 Denman (6/1) - 2nd
16:00 Southwestern (16/1)
16:40 Carrickboy (20/1)
17:15 Oh Crick (12/1) - 1st



Few other things since last nights post. Sick of Uefa whining on about English domination in the CL saying too many foreigners. Inter Milan were at Old Trafford last night and they played 1 Italian !!!!

Anyways why worry, Its not like Newcastle going to be back in it anytime soon. We play Hull away on Saturday and defeat with upcoming fixtures could well mean relegation. Reminds me 1992 when we nearly got relegated to division 3 !!!! Thankfully we had a saviour named David Kelly that day and his late goal against Portsmouth meant we went to Filbert Street on the last day of the season with our fate in our own hands. Although it was an injury time own goal by their centre back that confirmed our safety. The reason for the history lesson........

Time, things happened in football quicker back then
May 1992 - Avoid Relegation last game of season vs Leicester
May 1993 - Win Championship at Grimsby then twat Leicester 7-1 at home last game
May 1994 - Get 3rd in Premiership with Andy Cole banging in 40 goals.

In the space of 2 years its nearly Div 3 to 3rd in Prem but that wont ever happen again.
If we do go down then its a Sheff Wed or Leeds with many years in the wilderness.
Decent (????) players will leave, overpriced shite will stay as no one else will want them or their wage commitments. 1 Parachute payment then no sky money, Corporate hospitality chucking it due to credit crunch or lack of interest. So where does the money come from.

Season ticket sales ? Well a lot will be disallusioned , plus you have about 10,000 that bought bonds and jumped the queues when we were beating Barcelona and putting 5 past Man Utd, they wont want to watch Newcastle away to Preston etc.
We also have a hardcore of loyal fans who were priced out and couldnt afford season tickets.


When i was a kid, i went to the match with family member, then when about 13 or 14 went with mates. Stood behind Gallowgate then mid 80s i started work and got a season ticket in the Milburn Stand . Everyone my age seemed to do it. One of my cousins is 10 years younger than me, him and his mates have decent jobs and tend to do the abroad weekend away or trip to races or music festivals etc. These are the kind of people NUFC would be looking to attract, but because they didnt / couldnt go as kids they grew up and got used to doing something else with their Money / time.



Did actually play poker tonight, well for all of 35 mins. KK utg,. Raised 3 times,. Next to act calls. Someone in mid pos reraises so i push all in. Next calls instantly. Other raiser folds. Im up against A5 , 525 flop and im gone. Guess he knew his 5 was live :)


Out tonight so might have a couple of games on Saturday after the match. Get my crypto fix whilst i can huh. Anyways thats it for now. Good luck and thanks as ever for reading.

Paul

Gatsby Awards n Stuff

Live Poker Performance Of The Month
Sunny Chattha - He has been knocking at the door but finally caved it in by taking down the GUKPT Walsall Main Event for a rather nice £88,150. Many of you will know him as a member of The Hit Squad the younger, hipper version of the Hendon Mob....Only joking Barney !!!


Online Poker Performance Of The Month
Keith A - A regular on our Betfair £2 + mtt thread. One of the most consistant players going. Regularly going deep in the 6k and 9k gtd on Crypto. Two cherries on the cake when in the same week took down the $4k gtd on Betfair twice. Very well played :)


Blog / Website Of The Month
Highstacks - A bit of a dead blog in that its not been updated for over 8 months. But was browsing some of the older ones the other day and came across this and was pissing myself laughing at some of the posts. In the world of listing wins, or posting bad beats its nice to see a little fun, even if the lazy fat git probably wont ever update it again.


Babe Of The Month
Wendy Richard - Sadly passed away last month. Younger readers will know her as Pauline Fowler in Eastenders. Older readers will know her as a) Miss Brahms in Are You being served b) as a model shown here and here c) rubbing shoulders with the pop world here


Hero Of The Month
_FullFlush1_ - Nice to see a Brit giving it to the yanks on the tables and in chat hahaha.
Ok not quite Sully landing the plane on the Hudson or Obama taking the number 1 job on the planet but February was a slow news month and blog is for entertainment only :)


Knobs Of The Month
"Lord" Peter Mandelson - Forced to resign from the c_ffabinet, not once but twice as stories of fraud and corruption overcame his political career. Became an EU Commissioner and once again resigned before proper investigations started. Whether its home loans off friends, dodgy mortgages, scheming meetings with Russian Billionaires. If it involves grubby cash then Mandys your man. Even New Labour not stupid enough to realise he is unelectable so they just bypass the normal process, make him a Lord and that removes the public. The banks are in a mess, the railways are shite, our water companies are owned by the French and yet again a panic measure of sell now and get a quick cash fix and sod the future is the policy.
Kate Winslet - for THAT Golden Globe Awards Speech. Get a grip bint




Thats the Gatsby awards. I still havent played much. Too much going out me thinks. On the personal front, Im still off the cigs, im 35 lbs lighter and just about finished the car crash physio. So ship the compen, get the hols ready and then maybe hit the tables more in the future.

Was going through database and it reads like this...

2007
157 Final Tables - 14 Wins

2008
178 Final Tables - 11 Wins

2009
019 Final Tables - 04 Wins


Playing less and win ratio improving, No crisis or anything, just dont seem to have the time or inclination to play as much.. Maybe it will change when Hills switch to Ipoker. I like the 6k gtd but its a late one. You're looking at a 2am finish if going deep. Same with the stars comps. So its mainly Headhunters or thunders which are a lot more manic.

I also need to make 2009 the year i play live more. I went again and played the £20+£2 freezeout in Stanleys Casino last month but alas it was after an all day sesh after Newcastle drew 0-0 with Everton so was a tad smashed when i started. How i lasted almost 4 hours i dont know.
I need to be focussed and not be pissed. Its not like its online haha


Since last post , its been manic at work so i stayed in like a boring git but i also had my first non smokers cold, not the proper man flu but just a cold. Feels like someone is slicing the back of my throat when i cough. Never had this trouble when i smoked. Am convinced there is a protective nicotene layer there. Ok you might get lung cancer but it stands you in good stead against the common cold.

In relationship stuff, had a chat with CCG (Car Crash Girl) and she seemed ok. I think she knows i just want to be friends and isnt pushing it. Plus i did meet up with an ex for a drink (before the Newcastle v Everton game) and she is back up here in April. Bloody hell i should just start the tabs up again and pile the weight on. Cant take this famine or feast women thing as i get healthier and slimmer.

Gambling time and its currently Cheltenham so am participating.
Tuesday
2 winners (Wichita Lineman 5/1F & Quevega 2/1F)
2 seconds (Celestial Halo 11/1 & L'Ami 7/4F)

Wednesday
3 winners (Cooldine 4/1, MasterMinded 1/3F & Silk Affair 11/1)
1 Second (Karabak 4/1)
1 Third (Rite Of Passage 5/2F)

Only bet microstakes (each way trebles n upwards) so got a few quid back but not enough for a night out. Some little prices but Silk Affair was a nice one and its all good.


My main bet each year i pick 6 horses from 6 of the main races over the full festival and cover them in multiples...This years is....


2:05 Tue Calgary Bay 6/1 (Still Running)
3:20 Tue Celestial Halo 11/1 (2nd)
2:40 Thu Voy Por Ustedes 100/30
3:20 Thu Fair Along 11/1
1:30 Fri Zaynar 4/1
3:20 Fri Denman 4/1 (nearly double price now but i do have gtd odds. Dont fancy it as much now after its poor Kempton reappearance but having it out of loyalty after it broke Kautos heart last year)


The full Thursdays selections are
1:30 Isn't That Lucky (12/1)
2.05 Dont Push It (7/1)
2:40 *** NO SELECTION *** Already have Voy Por on Antepost bet and its 11/10 fave
3:20 *** NO SELECTION *** Already have Fair Along too plus fave looks tasty
4:00 Three Mirrors (9/1)
4:40 Aggies Lad (8/1)

Disclaimer - i'm cack at horses but like Cheltenham as the whole festival is fun and you know for cash and prestige all the crooked gits are trying for once :) Please dont do your roll on my tips, Ive had 5 winners so far , i never normally get that many in all the 4 days !!!!!

Right bloggage updated, Time for kip.
Good luck and thanks as ever for reading
Paul

Responding To Previous Comments

Normally reply on comments bit to whats left but some good ones so thought i would em here...

YP - Stick with WH i guess. Never really got away with Full Tilt and Stars is more for when i have the following day off. Time difference is cack. It also tilts me to beat 20,000 players in the 100k and go out having just doubled entry buy in. Plus i just can't get 1 million chips !!!!

Gav - Cheers man. Hope you're winning well.

Mair - Ok will do, welcome back

Fenix - Ok linked up too

Anon (Macaroon) - Not heard that myself (honest) but sounds pretty savage. Just found the Blonde Poker Forum Thread about it now Best to stay away from TalkTalk i guess then. AOL i heard too many bad stories about in the past to ever join.

Anon 2 - You should have got an email (to the address you gave when registering) offering you the choice of VIP or Rakeback.You then should receive a further email confirming which choice you make. Personally i think its


The comment from Macaroon was......
I think that people changing to i-poker should be aware that if their ISP is aol or talk/talk they could have problems staying connected.I've been with VCPoker for three years and am having to close the account because my ISP is aol - connection is lost every few seconds with the massage 'Cannot connect to Poker server.'

There is a very big discussion about it on the Blonde Poker forum and another on A World Of Poker. It's been happening for almost a month and despite VC saying the issues have been resolved, and my getting an IT expert in, the problem still exists.

Pity because VC is (was) my favourite site.I will be changing aol when my contract runs out, though, as this sort of thing has happened before, when I couldn't open attachments to certain e-mails - the sender said all his aol customers had the same problem.i-poker sites must already have lost lots of customers over this problem. And of course I can't change my card number to get a refund that way as I can't stay connected. They are going to have to make arangements to pay it into my bank a/c.



Next post will be Februarys Gatsby Awards so tune back in to see which lovely will be semi naked and who has won a comp or acted the hero or the knob :)

Paul