Hurrah!!

Morning all, I wasn't going to post today, but this morning, thanks to some of the generous people who play the game at poker room, my laptop fund has been reached and I just had to share the news with you all! I know it's only low-limit poker, and it's only a few hundred quid - but just goes to show you how this goal setting thing works!

Yes, the money has been transferred to my bank account, so next week I'll be off to my friends PC shop for a new one. So anyone that's played with me will now be impressed by the speed of my play and those embarrasing delays are a thing of the past!

PS - don't tell the missus, I don't want her getting her hands on it, it's her birthday on Saturday - and she can lose money at the Trafford Centre quicker than I can at poker!

Toodle Pip All!!

Well, Well, Well

The tone of this blog has changed considerably from the one I was going to write last night!

I was having what can only be described as a nightmare day on the tables, topped off by, on 3 occasions in the space of an hour, an opposing player hitting runner, runner to hit 4 of a kind. On all 3 occasions, I had flopped a full house, flush and str8 - so was a little outspoken at the random-ness of the site I was playing at.
A poker book I have decribed this as a once-in-a-lifetime bad beat, so to hit 3 in an hour and I was beginning to wonder if something more than bad luck was against me.

I left the table, had a drink, watched a documentary on the National Geographic channel about the miraculous escape of a seemingly doomed airplane, without the loss of a single life, thanks to the actions (and good fortune) of the pilot.

Feeling a little more composed, I return to a 2$ PL table with the strict thought of playing incredibly tight, sensibly and protecting my diminishing bankroll. And boy did I hit some form! A combination of some great calls, well worked bluffs and a lot of luck - and soon I was back to my old self. The earlier thoughts were temporarily forgotton (stored away for future reference mind) and I was on a run of the most amazing proportions. I eventually packed in at 200$ up - so the fund for a new laptop is almost reached.

This morning, the sun was shining, I had a day off and took my little Mia for a walk to the park. Actually, she was so excited, it was more her taking me for a walk (picture the dog straining the leash as it goes for walkies, and you have an idea!) and both Daddy and Mia were having a wonderful time, until she tripped and fell against the railings at the edge of the park, and now has an egg shaped vertical bruise on her forhead. Then it started to thunder and rain, so we quickly headed home where I was chastised by the missus for allowing our daughter to get such a big bruise on her head!

To be fair to Mia, she cried for a few minutes, then was back to running around like a child possesed, totally forgetting the events of a few minutes earlier - which is more than can be said for me on the poker tables!

Enjoy your weekend, and if it involves the Scottish or English FA Cup final, good luck with that too.

The Good, The Bad and the Ugly

Firstly, thanks to Little Acorn Man for being the first to post his comments on my new blog, little Mia now has three poker blogs to read as well as Rosie's and this one!
A prize is winging it's way to you as we speak..... ermm......

So how's the poker today? Well it started real bad then it got ugly. Inside my first hour I had one of those dream starts, first few hands include 2 flushes and a full house. Unfortunately, they all lost. Followed up by several 'two pairs' always running into a set, and within an hour I was over 100$ down :(

Fortunately, then came the good with a couple of hands going my way, then this, on a $2 PL table:

Dealt KK, put in a maximum raise with one caller.
Flop is rainbow A 3 9 - a little unhappy at this, but put in a $8 bet, which was called.
Turn is K - much happier as no flush is now possible, and my $20 bet is called
Flop is 8 - no str8 or flush possible, the only hand I can lose to is AA, unlikely with no raise from other player
I bet 20$ and am raised to £40. I only have $15 left so I go all in, and am called instantly.

What can he possibly have, I think in those few seconds..... 99, 88, AK? Surely not the dreaded AA......

He turns over Pocket 4's

Yes, I looked twice as well, he turned over Pocket 4's and my 100$ loss is now 80$ up!!

....and then he left the table before I could get his name and address to add to my Xmas card list

God Bless em.

Hello Everyone

Or should that be hello anyone?

This is my first ever post, not sure why I am doing it, but as other people seem to be recording their poker experiences, I thought I would give it a go.

After a couple of hours play today, my pressing thought of the day is 'what makes a good low-limit poker player?' Does the size of your winnings count, or that you played the game properly? Are you in this for the long run, or the quick hit-and-run?

Like many players I'm sure, playing on-line can be a very rewarding activity, but damn can it be a very frustrating one. I play fairliy tight, maybe too tight, play the good cards, fold the c**p ones - etc etc. But just lately, I've found that my strong hands are invariably losing to some trash and it got me thinking, why don't I play the trash and see what happens.

So a day later, and calling with the trash - I'm 100$ better off in my bankroll. Is the grief from other players for calling with such rubbish worth the money? I'll bet they've made some incredibly inaccurate notes about me, which could work to my advantage in the future.
Have I just been lucky? I would sincerely hope so and have saved my winnings and am back to the strong hands only.

But it makes you think........