And.....

in line with everyone quoting fine songs, my addition is here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-W-1nw3u7g&mode=related&search=the%20blue%20nile

Enjoy it. I do.

Please Don't Leave My Table!

I was a bit embarrassed after typing that in. We are on a 25$ NL table at CD and I'm holding AK on a AK5 flop with 2 suited cards, and as soon as he called my 'double the pot' size bet he was on a flush or str8 draw. Sure enough after a similar size bet was called on the turn, he hit his str8 on the river - but still never raised my much smaller bet.
So many things I wanted to type in.
Ever consider the odds for that 3-outer? How can you risk half your stack on such low chance of hitting? Idiot. Fuckwit. You know the feelings, you've all been there. But I knew these are the players we make our money from, so I typed in the above.

He replied 'tyvm' and I replied with 'lol' which I was annoyed with myself for immediately afterwards, as I didn't want him to think about why I said that, or re-evaluate his play. But he didn't seem to notice and carried on with reckless abandon.

45 minutes later, my 25$ was 70$ and my trusty opponent had re-bought twice, apparantly heeding my advice. Most of my winnings had come from him/her, and I was about to leave so I decided to return to the earlier advice I gave him.

Me: Is that 3 buys in now xxxx?
Fish: Yeah, I think
M: Think I've taken a few of those?
F: lol - probably
M: I'm gonna have to go in a minute, and I really wanna stay
F: why?
M: remember earlier, I asked you not to leave this table
F: yep
M: I just wanna say thanks for not going.
F: what you mean?
M: We'll play again in the future, I'll tell you then
F: how do you know?
M: Just as I knew I'd be thanking you for not leaving the table
F: ???????
M: G'nite all

A morale, and financial, victory I felt at the time and I left the table feeling good about poker.

Wish things were working this well at Inter and Poker Room, where I just cannot win no matter what my hand and my opponents is. 4 SNG's at Poker room saw me get knocked out at various stages outside the money in exactly the same manner - my pocket pair beaten by a lower one that hit a set. Don't think I can do much about this so have emptied 150$ from Poker Room (everything) , and 200$ from Inter, leaving me about 140$ there - and not playing any cash games for a while and seeing if this makes any difference to my run.

Had an interview on Wedensday and sat down with the Sales Director and Managing Director, and after introductions were over, they explained that they wanted to get to know me over the next 45 mins. Nearly 2 hours later I left their offices, and I hope this is a good sign! If I don't get a job soon, I'll have to suffer the painful fact that another week at the call centre awaits. I'll put a brave face on, and just do my best.

Anyway, off to the tables CD, happy pokering all.

I Came 2nd !!

Spoilt the ending a bit haven't I - but I wasn't even looking to play a MTT, to be honest. I was sat on a 1/2$ limit table at CD Poker, and running about 70$ up. Cards were hitting, and when I had the nuts, an opponent had the second best had possible, so I got re-raised several times when I knew I couldn't be beaten. It was that kind of night.

I was browsing through the MTT section and saw a 5$ rebuy with $3500 added to the prize pool and there was only 88 people in it with 20 mins to go. That sounds good, I'll have a bit of that - 1 in a 5 chance of winning money I thought, and registered. Over 300 more joined in the next 20mins and about 475 started the tourny.

I came second and won $650, my biggest single win since I started playing poker. Not once did I rebuy, the only person on the final table able to say this. And you know something, I played pretty well, but luck got me to the final table.

Not many hands stand out before heads up, apart from my A 10 taking out AA when I hit a set (he slow played them), but I think the turning point was this one. Sat at 6k in chips and getting close to the bubble, way off the leaders, and got deal AJs on the button. It was folded to me and I moved all in, which I think with my stack was the right thing to do with only 2 players left to play. Both called and one had pocket 10's and the other AQ. Flop was no help to anyone, nor the turn and then a J hit the river. I got lucky and trebled up and never looked back. I folded hands I'd normally play, and played with such patience, knowning that the cards would come eventually. And they did.
Acorn, Rosie and The Edge were around - so thanks for the tips and support guys, especially Acorn who stayed almost to the end. I'd never got this far in tourny of this size (got 2nd in a 100 player MTT once for 50$) and there was some good experience for me to draw on in these 3 players. Even Cathy stayed up with me till just gone 2.30am when it finished. The most excited she's ever been with my poker career. I had $ signs in my eyes, I think she had shopping bags in hers.

Got to the last 3 and the blinds stopped at 10k (didn't know they did this) and we were at each other for over an hour, just the 3 of us. It was a matter of who would make the first big mistake, and one player did by moving all in with KQs. Player 2 called with AKs and I had AQ on the BB, but decided to fold as they were pretty even in chips and knew that one would be out so why risk it. Ironically, my hand would have taken one out and fatally crippled the other, but hey, I made the right decision.
The payout from 3rd to 2nd was doubled, but I was the short stack. Then two hands later it was all over. Firstly my A4 on a 10 4 2 flop lost to his pocket 6's and then my K6 on a flop of K62 saw me lose to his K7 when a 7 hit the river. A tiny bit of dissappointment prevails, but only a tiny bit mind - I'm chuffed to bits that I turned 5$ into 650$.

Ironically, Rosie and Acorn were having a debate the previous night about the more profitable type of play, MTT v cash game - but I'm not sure my body would stand 9pm to 2.30pm every night, it was pretty intense!!

I actually had a really funny story of something that happened yesterday, but I'll save this for tomorrow. For now, I'm basking in the glory of this wonderful game.

I'm Back!!

Hello avid readers, betcha wondering where I've been, not posting for over a week!!
There has been 3 reasons for this unforeseen absence.

1) My publishing part of the Blog website has been down for 3 days for 'essential maintenance'
2) I've been struggling with inclination and anything to say because of point 3.
3) I am on my worse run since I started playing poker about 2 years ago.

I know, nobody feels that sorry when you're losing, but it has been one hell of a run. I use the words 'has been' despite the fact that I am still in the run, but I'm trying to be positive about it. Can't quite put my finger on why it has gone so bad, especially at Inter where I was flying. The odd couple of hands I've not been paying proper attention, and maybe I've been a bit complacent as you do when you win more often than you lose?
The main reason is that I have been very unlucky. So very unlucky. Freakily unlucky if I'm totally honest. How many times can you lose on the river when 95% ahead of your opponent. How many times can you lose to the single card in the deck to the fishy opponent who's called hoping just to hit his one-outer. Well, I now know the answer to these questions.

Poker Room and Inter are following the same formula over the past 10 days. Flop a monster, bet big and get caught by the miracle card on the turn or river. What can you do? Just try and be strong, I guess and hope I come out the other end stronger and better for it (and not too much poorer, please).
Bizzarely, my CD Poker run continues to get stronger and stronger and I have now quadrupled up my initial stake, so my recent run has not affected my play here. Trying to keep positive here guys.

Away from the tables, taken a temp job in a call centre near where I live as finding a more permanent job is not going to well. Again, 2 reasons here:
1) Recruitment Agencies are the most useless, bone idle profession I have come across. And I am signed up with about a dozen of them, so not just one or two. Don't get me started on them, ranting about losing at Poker is nothing compared to my opinion of these idiots.
2) Wrong time of year for my industry. People go on holiday in July and August, they don't book them now.

Saying this, I do have a big interview tomorrow and another 2 next week, so I'm confident I'll get something soon. This weather has not made me get up off my ample arse and find work, to be honest. I mean, what would you rather do? Back garden with Mia in the paddling pool, or an office reaching 90 degrees? Hmmmm.

But anyway, back to my current place of employment and boy do I wish I was single. I am surrounded by some of the most pretty and attractive (some are both!!) creatures of the opposite sex, I don't want to leave. Not that I actually get any work done, I just sit, stare and dribble at the fine pieces of art that the good lord has created.
Now, please don't think I am some kind of dirty old man or pervert. These girls are gorgeous.
One is a dancer on a cruise ship, temping or a few weeks till her boat get's back to the UK.
One is a Doctor who starts her job in September and is just temping for holiday money.
To be honest, I don't really care what they do, but boy are they great to work with. And, the offices are air conditioned, so the temperature is the complete opposite of outside. Freezing. Which has it's advantages apart from the temperature.

All right, I am a dirty old man. Benefits of not sharing these pages with your family. Anyone looking for a job in the Cheshire area - you'll pay me to work there, believe me.

So I'm off to the tables where my bad run will end and my recent losses will start to be returned by me. But only if I promise to stop ogling the lovely young girls.

Hmmmm, torn now.