The Weekend

Unfortunately last week I overfilled the landrover with oil, the experts at pub tell me this is serious business, the black smoke billowing from the exhaust would certainly support this hypothesis. It's now being given a service.

Phoned "Raz" the taxi driver from Torquay casino to come and pick me up. He was rather happy to, as earlier in the week he ran his £4 up to £80 flipping coins against me, despite me having negotiated a 3:4 payout scale!

Went out and ended up in "Bohemia" where we are semi regulars. After having sorted a table with bottle of spirits, mixers etc, we were plagued by people trying to ask Scott if they'd seen him on the TV, whilst their accomplices attempted to filch our redbull or help themselves to vodka. We relocated to the balcony where we were adorned with green bracelets to ward off the marauding masses.

The following day, after a very fine cheese and onion sandwich made by Mongy's Mum I headed back to the casino, where a very juicy 10/20 game was running. However, this was just a prelude to the £50 competition with one rebuy. With a field of just 22 players I was hoping to pass the time until the dealer's choice cash game. However, i got riled up early by one husband and wife combination, the wife delighted in telling me that my waterfall shuffle did not constitute a proper cut, rolling my eyes and exaggerated cutting seemed like an appropriate retort. As we got slightly deeper her husband (around 13/15 big blinds) bet/4bet all in the cut-off after I 3bet AK OTB. I Mach5 call, and he quips "that good eh?" before rolling over KK, the board runs out x x x x, but as the river A completes it's my cue to snipe with "It is now.." as he's dispatched to the rail.

I'm dealing the table, and as the final table approaching his wife is pretty tormented, as I am banging out the hands as fast as possible to make sure I bolster my burgeoning stack further. She's moaning constantly at me how "It's not fair, I 'fink' you're really mean" etc. She eventually announces she will be stalling every hand, but after I call clock on her after 5 seconds the first time she tries it, she developed some kind of self-respect or just resigned herself to the inevitability of the situation.

She did make the final table, not much of an accomplishment in a 22 runner field. There was a brief mention of paying the bubble but I soon snuffed out that hope, unfortunately the guy who bubbled is a pretty nice guy, not nice enough, however, for me to tell him opening AQ in ep for 10k out of a 30k stack @ 2k/4k and folding to my shove is probably not so good! Upon making it heads up against another lady in the field I joke to her "Aren't you glad we didn't pay the bubble now? More money for us". She looks genuinely horrified and replied "No. I'm decent and honest and always pay the bubble and I'm....well I better not say that". Wellss he obviously bit her tongue and stopped short of calling me a totalvagabond, but it does amuse me how they think changing a predetermined payout is in anyway honest or decent, strikes me as more feeble and pathetic, some kind of badge of honour for those weak tight nits trying to slime their way into the bubble money. Not on my watch!

Raz had been supplying me with a steady supply of G&Ts so after scooping the tourny for £800 and a £100 ticket to am upcoming freezeout it was not long before I got a lift back with him. The first half of the journey he was busy telling me how it was obvious I was going to win and how next time he plays a cash game he will bring £1k and not let me bluff him out.

Jason Mercier will resume playing today, so fingers crossed his success continues.

Chase The Jase...

My 10% in Jason Mercier is obviously going to be a huge anticlimax...Why couldn't he just fizzle out? Is chipleader at the moment. Can follow updates here: http://www.pokernews.com/live-reporting/2009-wsope/main-event/

Sweet about me...

Finished the Vicky Coren book, was an enjoyable enough read, even all the references to the ubiquitous Hendon Mob weren't too frustrating. Was unaware that she went out with Joe Beevers in the past. Was a very honest, frank account of her life and an interesting take on the live poker scene. The "Vic" featured heavily, so it was disappointing I don't have more of a knowledge of that scene. Now reading "A Bloody Good Winner" by Dave Nevison, a former currency trader, turned professional racing punter. It isn't especially well written and is very poorly organised, however, is some decent stuff in there, so will soldier on with it.

Punted up some money on the forthcoming World Series of Poker Europe main event taking 10% of Jason Mercier and a little piece in a lesser known player. Hopefully may be a Dealer's choice game in Torquay tonight, have read the O8 chapter in Ray Zee's book, but will need to revisit it a few more times I'd imagine to soak up all of that split pot goodness.

Finally, whilst waiting for my daily dose of "Doctors" this afternoon was flicking through channels and came across this advert on "Bloomburg". Hadn't seen it before and seemed worth sharing:

Whilst hardened readers of this blog will have seen the Richard&Judy clip before I can't resist sharing this link again.

"For Richer For Poorer"

I mistakenly ordered an extra copy of Vicky Coren's new book. I was going to try and bolster my failing roll by setting up a lowest unique bid auction whereby readers ship on stars, however, didn't want to upset Rupert: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/money/a

Therefore, the book will be given away on the basis of Johnny Lodden thinks: "How many salmon will be caught by the Lower Teign Fishing assoction this year" as predicted by my Dad. Guess in blocks of 10, from 10 to 1000 and leave comment on blog. e.g PA: 20-29, TD 150-159 etc. Will close in a week from now or when someone binks it!

Looks like she's very perceptive "I came to understand that tournament poker is a bruising, crippling,endlessly disappointing and rejecting enterprise so you have to embrace the masochism.." Am not really into that myself Vicky, but could probably endure some of it for EPT title and $1M!

DTD Report.

Headed up to Nottingham with mongy on Monday for the English Poker open. Attended the opening party which included a Tony Blair impersonator who bombed in terrific fashion, just as we thought things could only get better,there was a lookalike of the Queen wheeled out. The buffet and free drinks were appreciated, although Barny Boatman seemed to prefer to make his own DIY sandwiches pawing at them with a fork to make mix and match combos, having already barged in front of us in the queue. Obviously we were startled by someone so jaw-droppingly famous barging us and didn't make any sarcastic comments.

The club itself was good. The dealers were efficient and I was impressed by how polite the staff were. Was surprised to be charged £1.70 for a cup of tea in a $5k event though...My table was pretty good, I was running it for the first few levels, I eventually succumbed to Ben Robert's KK with my AhQh with the blinds at 150/300. Also saw exWarwick guys Kanu, Jambon and Simon, was nice to catch up with them having not seen them since Vegas '08.

Headed to Torquay last night for the 1/2 game and ran my £250 up to over £1400. Ended up lending one of the regs £1k to fund his evening's entertainment! Took a £1k pot in an unraised pot pre with 9To vs 88 on QJ8xx against someone who berated me the previous week for check shipping QQ on TT9 and running into AA, having called a 3bet pf 100bbs effective! Have ordered Ray Zee's book on split pot games so I can extend my dominance into their Hi-Lo games!

Running Good

Just driving back from pub and encounter some temporary roadworks, Dad tells me just to run 'em, so give them a flash of headlights and run it. See car lights approaching other set so give a warning flash, lo and behold it's a police car, luckily the lights had changed to red.

However, turning this spot into a bluff didn't work as well...

http://www.pokerhand.org/?4672246

It's probably terrible considering his river betsize, someone who knows about pokers please be telling me the solution. Things will be picking up though as I've changed my background to the motivational ditty at the top of the page.

Failing that James has been spamming me with his usual barrage of obscenities, NSFW if you have a proper job: Looks to me like someone must be doing some decorating, all those dust sheets kicking around, what's with the two heaters too, should probably put some clothes on if it's that cold.

http://thesuperficial.com/2009/09/bfm_enlarged/enlarged-milla_jovovich_completely_nude.php?bfm_index=2

WCOOP

Played the WCOOp $530 on stars last night for 8.5 hrs before coming 960th. Pretty frustrating, cash tables have been really bad during the day as well, so had to play some 200nl to get my fix. A week into the month, and I'm a bit behind on hands, no msn and internet is getting slacker....

Couldn't gamble before Rupert helped me set up holdem manager, so punted up some spreadbets on Friday, which seem to have edged into a bit of profit. They run until December unless I close them out before, except BowLeven which is "rolled over" every day.

Progress?

Was awoken by a delivery yesterday, I eagerly anticipated it being the arrival of Ray Zee's "High Low Split Poker, Seven-Card Stud and Omaha Eight-Or-Better for Advanced Players". However, it was in fact my a new computer. No longer could I tolerate being ridiculed by Rupert for both the weakness of my push/fold game and the inadequacies of my RAM .

Of Course nothing is ever easy and copying my HM database over is taking forever. Someone should set up some kind of business where the computer is shipped to you "ready for war" with all the HM,spadeye etc already installed. Once this is done, I will be primarily moaning about the toughness of the EPO field, seems like there are too many good players, can't table select in tournaments either..sigh

Overheard at Torquay Casino

Whilst at urinal in gents : "That's the trouble with these fucking buttons they strangulate your bollocks".

Later..."We have to stop meeting like this, they'll think we're a pair of ginger beers".

Sadly I missed the guy trying to sell his cocaine stash to fund his taxi home, luckily for him he got a free ride from a panda car that picked him up outside the casino.