Anyone who doesn't have a shot at this is certifiably mad!!!

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You can qualify for free at Dusk Till Dawn Poker, where 1,000 €300 Day One seats will be guaranteed in satellites between May 6th and May 24th.



To win your seat, all you have to do is:



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3. If you win a €300 day one seat you can use it online or live in one of 10 day ones being held. You can win multiple tickets as this is a re-entry event.



Good luck and see you at Wembley! 

WBCOOP 2012 Event #12 7-Card Stud Hi/Lo

Managed to bink another $5.50 SCOOP ticket in this tournament. Thats 3 x $5.50 and 1 x $22 SCOOP tickets from 6 events. Sweet.

WBCOOP Event #9 PLO Hi/Lo

Managed to bink another $5.50 SCOOP ticket in this to add to the 2 tickets already won.

That's 3 tickets out of 4 events.

Just as well these guys can write about poker, cos they sure as hell can't play it!!!   lol.

Go out with AA24 vs A2QQ

Board comes 77QK6  lol. Sick.

WBCOOP 2012 Event #7 Resumé

Well tbh this was a very uneventful tournament. Only hand of note was when on a 5c8s5d3d6c board I call a Russians bluff with A4 & was right. Ofc I gave a little needle telling him that I had "pwned another ruskie". He makes the fatal mistake of replying and getting involved in a discussion whereby he insists he isn't bothered that I had pwned him. Well he certainly was bothered 2 rounds later when I caught him at it again and knocked him out, lol.

Anyway ended up getting a bit short. SB had open shipped when folded to him for 3 rounds so I am just looking for a hand to catch him. I get KQ which is well ahead of his range & snap call his predicted shove. He has J9o. Window card is J then A and of course 4 bricks to follow, gg me finished 12th, so locked up a $22 SCOOP ticket.

WBCOOP Event #7 6-max NLH

Due to family visiting missed the 3 events  yesterday, particularly gutted to miss the 8-game, but a bottle of red wine ensured I was asleep on the sofa by 11pm.


Anyway today gonna give the 6-max a bash, not that I particularly like 6-max, but hey ho we'll see how it goes.

WBCOOP Event #3 Badugi

Ok guys you know the score. If you would like to rail the username is GiMac on PokerStars.

Damn just short of cashing in this one. Sigh.

WBCOOP EVent #2 PLO 6-Max

Ok so PLO 6-max it is. Bring it on!!!!

1st priority is to cash and get a ticket for the main event itself.   DONE!!!

2nd priority is to get as nice a SCOOP ticket as possible.   $5.50 SCOOP ticket obtained!!!!

Ok not bad for 1st event, ended up coming 93rd.

Now for the Badugi Tournament at 23:00.

Ok so the World Blogger Championship Of Online Poker 2012 starts today.

With 31 events in total it has loads of value. (note: If you cash in any of the 30 side events you get a free ticket to the Main Event which will have a $5k prizepool).


Up for grabs in every side event are SCOOP tickets from $5.5 up to $215.


With only 10 tickets per player, game choice here could be crucial. I am tempted to avoid the usual donkem No Limit Hold em tournies, where luck plays such a large part and concentrate where I have a bigger edge in the Pot Limit and Mixed games.


Unfortunately I am going to have to miss the first game this afternoon at 3pm which is a NLH, 10k chip start stack with 15 min clock tournie. Nice structure but work has to be done.

Tonight there is a PLO game at 7pm GMT and a Badugi game at 11pm GMT, so will decide later whether to play them or not.

What country do our PUBLIC SERVANTS work for?

Ok this is somewhat out of character, has no bearing on my immediate life or on my poker bankroll per se, so excuse me this rant, but this type of decision annoys me so much!!! It's being reported by the BBC here (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-17127488) that the MOD (ministry of defence) has awarded a contract worth upwards of £450m for 4 new tankers to be built. Now you would think in these austere times, like many other countries, especially the U.S., Germany and France, that the MOD would look at the bigger picture and not just the immediate cost of the contract, but the associated benefits savings to the exchequer, along with additionally generated tax receipts, etc, and award the contract to a UK company, but no they go and award the contract to a country on the other side of the world!!!! Apparently £150m of "associated contracts" have been awarded to UK companies, but we shouldn't be fed breadcrumbs with the loaf going to a foreign company, should we not be looking after our own? These same public servants will no doubt be out on strike again soon, and will no doubt yet again be asking private sector workers to support their action. No doubt they will, once again, be upset and confused when the private sector says bugger off. Are public sector workers that far removed from reality that they will again question why????

Teenagers

I know I am not the first parent to think this and I almost certainly will not be the last, but why do teenagers either think they know it all, think their friends know it all or think their teachers, at least I was told this spotty geek fresh out of teacher training college was a fully fledged teacher, know it all? I know when I was a teenager I thought I knew it all and my fuddy duddy Dad who had a sensible 9-5 job didn't have a clue about the real world in the 80's, but then that was the 80's, and my Dad was a bit fuddy duddy, this is the 21st century man and I ain't in any way fuddy duddy, am I? Now to let the thought that I might in some small way be considered fuddy duddy is a little bit like admitting that I am getting old & at 43 there is no way I am ready to admit to that, so I return to my original question of why do teenagers think they know best, sigh.

WBCOOP 2012

Well it's that time of year again & the annual pilgrimage to PokerStars.com for the World Bloggers Championship of Online Poker.

This years 1st prize for the best blogger is $5000 and PokerStars would like to now what we would do with it if we won it.

Well for me it is simple. I used to have a bankroll I used specifically for playing online satellites into major events, and I was lucky enough to win seats to major UK and international events, including GUKPT's, European Deep Stack Champs, APT & APPT Main events, & several other large tournaments which would ordinarily be well outwith my normal bankroll level. Unfortunately, due to the recession, I had to use the money in this bankroll for general living expenses & therefore I no longer have this roll.

I remember the experience of qualifying for the European Deep Stack Championships in it's inaugural year, and while I took a horrible beat when getting it all in on the turn with top set vs an overpair+gutshot and he rivered the gutshot, the overall experience of playing in a 50k starting chips 1hr clock deep stack event was fantastic and coming 5th in the PLO side event, which was 20k starting chips, with 1hr clock, was just plainly awesome. When I think it cost me a few dollars to play in that event & the experience of travelling to Ireland, meeting loads of "pros", it just brings home how valuable having that satellite bankroll was. Another instance would be the fact that it cost me all of $55 to travel half way round the word and play in the $1m gtd APT main event in Manila. With $2500 traveling expenses and the $2500 buy in covered by the package I won, the main event was guaranteed at a prize pool of $1m and I was extremely happy with the way I played again. Once again a horrible bad beat after shoving all in on a 457 rainbow flop with pocket jacks only for some rich fish to call me with A8 and river his gutshot draw. But I keep telling myself all I can do is get it in good and hope the other player doesn't get lucky.

Whilst my blog might not now be the best or funniest or most followed blog in the world, $5k 1st prize for best blogger would be a fantastic way to develop my blog by using the $5k to satellite into major events across the world and have followers follow my experiences as I blogged my way of "living the dream".

So if I was to get the $5k it would be used to create a new satellite bankroll, to enable me to again play in these higher level events, where I would once again blog the experiences & outcomes as they happened. Hopefully this time the elusive major bink will come my way and I will be able to blog the success and hopefully give some readers the insight into how it is possible for us mere mortals to bink big if given the chance. Because, like the title of my blog says, I'd rather be lucky than good.

APAT National League on PokerStars.com

Awesome news this week with the announcement of the APAT National League!!! 13 Regions from all over, including Scotland, Wales, Ireland, North East, North West, South East, South West, Europe, etc etc will be taking part in a 15 week league. So every Sunday from March 11th onwards, I will be found playing for Scotland on www.pokerstars.com








Anyone wishing to register can go here to choose their team & register their usernames at http://www.apat.com/forum/index.php?board=109.0

Way to go Des and the crew at APAT for pulling off yet another value packed series of games & with 5k starting stack and 15min clock, let the cream rise to the top!!!

Goodbye 2011 and hello 2012

Well 2011 was pretty uneventful. Apart from working to scrape a mediocre living during the recession, poker had to take a bit of a back seat. I managed to do a $50 challenge where I built $50 up to $2k and that took most of the year, lol. Anyway hopefully with the worst of the recession behind us and work settling down a bit 2012 will be a little more poker orientated.

I have started the year by taking onboard some poker coaches and hopefully their help with SNG strategy will bear fruit. Fingers crossed.

I've also joined Team Blue Blood, with added value leagues etc from Blue Square.

The APAT National league has been announced too so Sundays from March 11th onwards on PokerStars, I will be found playing for Scotland.

The PokerStars WBCOOP is coming soon in March, and hopefully I will be allowed to enter again.

At some point in the year I hope to be able to play a couple of UKIPT and GUKPT events, but we'll have to see.

Anyway, it may be a bit late but all the best for 2012 and lets do some damage!!!

Good run of beats continues

Following the nasty beats on Thursday, I decided to play the £15 one rebuy or add on the following night at The Circus Casino in Newcastle. After all I was happy with the way I was playing and surely my big hands and ability to induce the fish to call me when behind would pay off eventually, right?

Was a pretty uneventfull tournament if I am completely honest, I had been pretty much on cruise control, no major hands. Only really got short once, when it folded to me in SB and I shoved with K 10 only for BB to wake up with AJ, I spike the 10 and was back in the race. Anyway, with 13 players left, nearing the bubble, blinds are 600/1200 and I have 18k in chips there is about 400k chips in play so, although not desperate, a double up would be nice to take to the final table.

Then this happens. UTG limps, which generally means one of two things he either has shit or a monster and not much in between. the next guy to act raises to 6k, I look down at AA, now was my chance. I hollywood for a bit, pointing out that the UTG limper and UTG+1 raiser must have monsters, before I "reluctantly" push my chips over the line and go all in. Then the next guy to act, who is a complete fish, goes into the tank!!! Wow he must have a marginal I think. After about 30secs I say to him "If you have to think this long you are well behind", this is the nudge he needed to call me and his chips go in too. UTG folds, so he had shit after all, and the original raiser says oh well I'll gamble with his 44. I table my AA and the other guy tables 1010. Now at this point I am happy although I'd rather be up against one player, but god knows what the guy with 1010 thinks he is doing with that much action before him, at ABSOLUTE best he is racing and is likely to be miles behind. Of course poker rarely rewards great play and the fish binks his 10 on the flop, and I hit the rail again.

Now I've played poker long enough to take beats and move on, but when will the poker gods decide that it's my time? In the meantime I'll stick with the title of my blog I'D RATHER BE LUCKY THAN GOOD!!!!!

Aspers new card room

Ok so went to Aspers, Newcastle new card room. Having only played live once this year so far, was refreshing to journey away from the computer screen for an evening to play the £30 freezeout. I have to say the new card room is a vast improvement on the old set up and a much nicer environment to play in.

So to the tournament. £30 buy in, 7000 chips, with a decent structure. I think it ended up about 57 runners, with first prize just shy of £600. Anyway I don't play a hand for the first round and use this as an opportunity to size up the players at the table. Only one playerI know at the table, my NPF chum Gaz Walker, the rest were unknowns but it became apparent that they were all fairly novice players.

During the 2nd round, guy 3 off button raises to 450, with blinds at 25/50. Huge raise and I look down at KK. I decide to keep pot small and slow play them and call, BB calls too. Q high flop, i think is right in their range, so i check, BB checks and the expected C-Bet doesn't come as raiser checks too, ok so he has an A i thnk. Turn blanks and i lead out for 700, BB calls possibly on flush draw and raiser folds. River the horrible A, i bet 700 again, Bb flats me and shows QJ so I scoop pot.

Next round I look down at AA utg, blinds now 50/100 i have 8500. I limp. UTG+1 raises to 600, and it folds round to SB who calls. I re-raise to 2100, which causes the original raiser to fold his 88. The SB who seems a bit full of himself announces that he only has 3500 (35xBB) behind so needs to gamble and shove all in. Of course I snap call and show AA, SB shows Qd10d. Turn gives him flush on a paired board and I blank river to lose half my stack. No biggie just a bad beat, and I still have 40+xBB, so easily well in it.

3 hands later, guy 2 off button raises to 300, I look down at KK and re-pop him to 900. He thinks for a while and calls. Flop comes down 10 high with 2 clubs. I decide if he checks I am shoving, as I am happy to take it there and then and don't want a scary club shutting down my action on the turn. Sure enough he checks and i shove. He tanks and eventually calls with 77. Turn card comes 7 and I am heading out of the door having played 3 hands KK, AA and KK.

In the short term obviously gutted to get bad beats in this way, but in the long term I know I will benefit from these sorts of player, which is why playing poker is clearly a game of skill, but I'd still rather be lucky than good.

Update

Ok well the new challenege is under way, and it's gonna be harder than I thought. Over 17k hands in and I am breaking even. The standard of play at NL2 is just yuck. It just appears to be full of people who want to chuck $1-$2 onto the table and let it spin. Now this is fair enough, and is probably what I want, but I haven't been getting my fair share of luck. In fact if it wasn't for skill I would be massively down, as I am sitting somewhere in the region of 1000xBB behind EV, yet still managing to break even. Now hopefully when variance swings back in my direction this will help me move up a level, but it might be a while yet. I'll keep you posted.

As for the PokerStars WBCOOP, although I sent in my regsitration over a week ago, they haven't bothered replying to me yet, so unless they are quick I might just have other plans.

WBCOOP 2010

I have registered to play in the PokerStars World Blogger Championship of Online Poker! This PokerStars tournament is a No Limit Texas Hold’em event exclusive to Bloggers, you too can take part by registering on WBCOOP

Registration code: 758183

2009 Review and What's new for 2010

Well 2009 was a tough year, not only for business but also for poker. I made a reasonable return for the year, but boy oh boy was it hard work, as I ran like cr@p. Tournament play ended up the year over 2million chips behind EV, but still managed to return a profit. As for my bankroll experiment ended up turning my $50 into $2479, so wasn't the worst result in the world. Since work doesn't seem like showing any massive upturn for 2010, I am probably going to have to restrict my play to similar sorts of activities, i.e. local small buy in tournies and a new experiment.

2010 I have started a new bankroll experiment. Starting with $50, playing NL2, able to move to next level when have 25 buy ins and must move down when drop to 15 buy ins. This should be fun and we will see how far we can get up the ladder.

Anyway, Happy New Year to you all, best of luck for 2010 and good riddance to 2009!!!!

Bankroll Experiment Update

Been a swinging month with roll dropping as low as $1900 and peaking at $2600. This was to be expected as I decided not to change my strategy and play more MTT's now than sit and goes, as I think my roll can take the higher variance now. Although still choosing my games carefully to maximise edge. Didn't play much cash this month, so might head back there and try my luck. We'll see.

Buyins $21909.89
Total Profit $2338.24
Games 1875 (includes cash sessions)
ITM 578
ROI 11%

Bankroll Experiment Update

Well this has been fun if nothing else. Had my roll up to $2800 at one point then went on an horrendous bad run. Had to drop down levels etc and bottomed out at around the $700 mark. I put this down to playing more MTT's, where the variance is that much higher. So am now only playing 90 player max SNG's and PLO Cash. Doing this I have managed to claw my way back up and now sitting in situation shown below.

Buyins $19293.17
Total Profit $2109.96
Games 1725 (includes cash sessions)
ITM 536
ROI 11%


Onwards and upwards!!!