Estonia.

I was pleased enough to arrive in Estonia safely and financially solvent, I somehow avoided doing the lot playing Chinese on the plane with mongy, Keys and Rupert. The hotel lives up to expectations and the staff are all friendly and polite.

Out cultural outing was thwarted by the bracing Baltic wind. We sheltered in various souvenir shops and the more frivolous amongst us splurged out on matryoshka dolls. It's not especially cheap here, but I held my own in the cash games and haven't had too many expenses

Am currently sat 3/17 in the Main Event, played with Lodden, flatted his 3bet with AA in postion...Easy Game really, can read about the Thater hand on the stars blog, also managed to get Eastgate to pay off a checkraise on the river to complete my name-dropping escapade.

Interview here: http://www.pokerstars.tv/movies/7ZH/keys-leads-the-field-after-day-2.html

Question Time

Some important issues were raised on "Question Time" this week, yet I was unable to reach a decision on the most important issue. Does Nick Griffin look more like a tired owl or a pork pie? Show was a bit of a farce (like you Andrew Meyers) as it consisted mainly of people moaning rather than examining policy. Thanks to JD for the picture, for those of you that don't know he's currently doing a technical drawing course in Amsterdam.

I picked up a PLO horse on 2+2 this week and am hoping to get some 100NL players to grind it out! Have created a forum here :http://bombtheturn.freeforums.org/ which any readers are more than welcome to join.

XXV-6m

I realised that tomorrow I will be 25 in 6 months tomorrow. I've been toying around with my poker game and decided I'd set some goals until Christmas, then thought well, I'll break them before then anyway, so why not make a 6 month plan.

The plan is to play 100k hands of 400nl by Christmas (no higher). I'm mixing my game up a bit postflop and want to make sure that the fundamentals remain solid(ish)! After this is done I shall put in another 150k hands by my birthday in mid April. It will be a challenge as I'll be in Australia in the New Year and may have won the lot betting on the tennis by then.

Was considering giving updates on the quest on the blog, but it seems evem more mundane than the normal tripe. Seems like a good way to hold myself semi-accountable though. As well as putting in the volume, I definitely want to improve my handreading.

If I achieve this goal I should book a decent profit and will buy myself a ballin' out of control watch. Not sure purse strings will stretch to this, but reach for the stars etc!

Ice Cream Scoop!

Besides giving me the opportunity to make a great pun, Alize "ice cream" Cornet's 4-6, 5-7 loss just scooped me $435, as her opponent did not win by more than 5 games.. Should keep me in 99's for a while!

Simon says "Ship the Gold"

Gilles Simon came through in straight sets 6/4,6/3. Didn't even get a third set sweat, not that one was expected! Profit of $504.

Punted $478 on Alize "ice cream" Cornet vs. Agnieszska Radwanska at +5 games on the spreads.

Cat doesn't make it...

On the way back from DC game last night, coming through Haldon Forest, I managed to run over a feral cat, twice. Admittedly the second time was deliberately to make sure it was totally dead. As it happened had a shovel in the back of the landrover, (plenty of problems buried in that forest, 'nuff said) I scooped it onto the side of the road in case the Gypsy community across the road had any use for it.

Recently listened to Channing on the 2p2 podcast, would definitely recommend it. Suitably inspired to make some headway in sports betting degeneracy I have $800 on Gilles Simon to beat Berdych tonight.

This week I have been mostly...

1. Forgetting rules of hi-lo poker variant. Costly. DC game was moved from casino to private location, got lost obviously.

2. ^ Drawing blood from the beneficiary by hurling an icecube across the balcony at Bohemia and hitting him in forehead.

3. Been drinking G&T.

4. Binking free trip to Estonia. Free in most liberal sense of word, will probs end up blowing a load..

5. Contemplating how to get myself and my possessions to Edinburgh.

6. Coveting nanonoko's greatness/volume/dedication etc.

http://www.pokertableratings.com/stars-player-search/nanonoko

Mercier Beacoup.

Headed up to them Empire on Thursday to watch the final table of WSOPE. met up with Rupert and George, fuelled ourselves up on G&T and shouted "Go on Jase" and discussed the merits of Jason's sunglasses. Went for dinner in a nearby Italian, and dodged 4 of my cards on credit card roulette, one of peachy's horses, Evan, ended up footing the bill after Eric had convinced him there was no point in buying out.

Mercier ended up coming 4th for £267k, which meant a nice payday for me! Ended up heading to Pokerstars party at "Cafe Paris" and indulged in the free bar. At some point, befuddled with drink, George gave his wallet to a Big Issue seller, the guy had the nerve to turn his nose up at G's I-Phone due to the cracked screen.

Rupert and I eventually met him back at the Empire and bumped into Mercier again, who was completely smashed, George and I polished off his half eaten chicken sandwiches before he retired to the press area for a sleep. I caught the train back from Paddington at 5.27, slept for some of the day and had an early night. Woke at 3am this morning and am already up 16 buy-ins...