Smoothplease Poker Blog

Moved again!!!

2009-01-14T10:23:00.000Z

Hi all, ive moved again,catch me here....i thankyou.

http://bigblackdogpoker.blogspot.com/

Moving Blogs

2007-12-13T15:10:00.000Z

Hi readers,i have moved my blog to here..

http://smoothpleasepoker.ukpokerscene.co.uk/

please feel free to pop over and take a look!

A mixed bag!

2007-12-09T00:31:00.000Z

Logged on too late for the $4 mtt on Laddies so i had a stab at the $1 turbo mtt,i fucking hated it!! Wont do that again,its shove or dump with the 3 minute blinds obviously,on a 10 seater with players in a dream the blinds were increasing every orbit!! Out of 250ish people i busted in 130ish,no cards etc blah,blah!!!! So it was on to the $20stt, i finished in the top 5 for $40 which was a result,no dramas at all,just play tight early doors & give it the beans as the blinds kick in,i think i only played 3 hands before the bubble,nice & easy does it (as the Stranglers once sung!)
So after looking around i plumped for a $5 stt deep stack job! 4000 chips to start on a stt is different for me,i kept raising as if i had started with the normal 1500,then seeing people re raise all the time!! Never mind 4 or 5 times the BB raises,players raised more as they had more!! O well,after shedding a few chips when i should not have i finished in 2nd for $15 which i cant grumble at.My BR stands at $416 which is double what i started at,pissing about trying to learn the cash tables nearly screwed me (no more of that!) but 2 final table cashes in 4 days in the $2k gtd freerolls have built me up. Nothing risky till the new year then maybe concentrate on mtt,s (if i can find any on Laddies that is!!) gl all ...laterz

120th? lol!

2007-12-05T22:10:00.000Z

I found a little mtt to have a bash on this evening,$4 +40cents, 4000 starting chips & 15 min blinds,269 of us sat down for some action!! On hand 6 i get KK,i raise a fair bit & get to see the flop with 1 other,it comes A74 rainbow!! i decide to bet the pot and get re raised all in! time for a big lay down,i fucking hate having KK,i never win with them and always see a poxy A on the flop!! That was the only real drama early doors,no need to go mental with so many chips & small blinds.A little pot here & there and i advance to 6k,then lose a fair bit when yet again my KK gets rivered to give shorty a set of 6's! So 1st break & i'm on 3k (below average & only 131st)
Not many cards come my way so i shove AI like a donk with 66 & get called by AJ that fails to improve,now i'm up to 83rd of 125.
Then just as i'm getting some rhythm its all over!! I limp with A8,flop gives me A86,i slip a big bet in and for some reason get a re raise!! o well,i guess he's got squat as he also limped so i call,the turn is a 2,so again i bet a load,matey goes AI but has me covered,i call & he shows A10 the mug!! You can guess the river!! gg me.....!!
Thats the way it goes!! Shame,i reckon i could have gone on to cash,but theres allways tomorrow! No harm done,i start up a $5 stt & cash for a massive 10 bucks,so i paid for the mtt!!!! gl all ...laterz

Oooops i did it again!!!!

2007-12-03T19:48:00.000Z

After thursday nights heroics i decided to have a bash saturday night,and fooook me i made the ft again!! take a look at my last hand...

** Game ID 881983340 starting - 2007-12-02 02:21:55** $2000 Player Point Freeroll[1559616]:Table 25 [Multi Table Hold 'em] (30000.0060000.00 No Limit - MTT) Real Money
- smoothplz sitting in seat 2 with $119279.40-
pradaz sitting in seat 3 with $356341.44 [Dealer]-
mrscott2 sitting in seat 6 with $769379.16
mrscott2 posted the small blind - $15000.00
smoothplz posted the big blind - $30000.00
** Dealing card to smoothplz: 4 of Clubs, Ace of Hearts
pradaz called - $30000.00
mrscott2 raised - $105000.00
smoothplz went all-in - $119279.40
pradaz folded
mrscott2 called - $149279.40
mrscott2 shows: 10 of Spades, 10 of Hearts
** Dealing the flop: 6 of Spades, Jack of Diamonds, 7 of Clubs
** Dealing the turn: King of Hearts
** Dealing the river: 7 of Heartsmrscott2 wins $328558.80 from the main pot
End of game 881983340

Maybe a wrong play but any A i figured was ahead & worth the risk! i cashed for $166 which i reckon was a right result...2 top 4 finishes in 3 days (this time against 645 other players is fucking fantastic for me) its only my 3rd 2k gtd freeroll on Laddies so im well pleased!!! What pleased me was the discipline i had to show,in the first 20 mins people were going mental,multiple all ins with A4 v J7 v 98 made me laugh,i kept out of the way and hammered any time i suspected i was ahead,this gave me plenty of power later on and the occassional pot size bet etc easily took down loads of good size pots.i hit the ft in 6th which was not the time to get a poor run of cards but hung on for my best & biggest cash so far,if only Laddies had a few more half decent Mtts that actually attracted some decent numbers id do ok i think,my BR has now doubled so maybe i should lump it all on Stars again!!!! gl all...laterz. Oh,if you read this Amatay,the other good result was The Glorious Blues stuffing some East London Donkeys!!! lol!
gl all ...laterz

An ok friday!

2007-11-30T23:01:00.000Z

Bit tired tonight so only 4 stt's,all 10 seaters & top 5 gets double buy in etc. So 3 x $10 & 1 x $5,i won 3 & lost 1 $10 game for a total profit after buy ins of...... wait for it.......$11.50!! Better than being down & it does push my weeks challenge above the $100 level so wp me!! gl all...laterz

661 runners & i was 4th!!!!!

2007-11-30T10:07:00.000Z

** Game ID 880568941 starting - 2007-11-30 02:03:13** $2000 Player Point Freeroll[1549243]:Table 9 [Multi Table Hold 'em] (16000.0032000.00 No Limit - MTT) Real Money
- raceking sitting in seat 1 with $414932.68-
Megakulema sitting in seat 4 with $356927.45-
therock83 sitting in seat 8 with $336898.19 [Dealer]-
smoothplz sitting in seat 10 with $189241.68
smoothplz posted the small blind - $8000.00
raceking posted the big blind - $16000.00
** Dealing card to smoothplz: Jack of Clubs, Jack of Diamonds
Megakulema folded
therock83 raised - $64000.00
smoothplz went all-in - $189241.68
raceking folded
therock83 called - $197241.68
therock83 shows: Ace of Diamonds, 10 of Diamonds
** Dealing the flop: King of Diamonds, Ace of Clubs, Ace of Spades
** Dealing the turn: 6 of Clubs
** Dealing the river: 6 of Hearts
therock83 wins $410483.36 from the main pot
End of game 880568941

That was my exit hand from last nights laddies $2k gtd freeroll!! Am i chuffed or what!! But a little gutted to have lost that one,double up there & i could have gone on to 1st or 2nd!!
The prize for 4th was $124.40 which was good but more importantly ive proved i can go deep in a huge field of like minded donkeys!! Loads of important hands went my way for a change,i even got AK to hold up against small pairs etc and had the sense to fold at least 4 sets to better hands.What with a small $5 6 seater win earlier and my $100 challenge for the week is back on track.... im as chuffed as fukc!!!!! gl all ...laterz
EDIT. off work today to look after my poorly daughter,laddies realy empty so i played $5 stt (lost when my 10,s got called by 77 only to river a 7!!) then a $2 stt lost when AI with AK,called by A9 that flops a 9!!) then played a $20 stt that i cashed for $40(thank god!!) to show a profit of $11,(every little helps!)please remind me not to play micro stt's....fucking donkeys the lot of them!!!

The best laid plans & all that!!

2007-11-26T22:37:00.000Z

What an arsehole of a start to my week!! 2x $20 stt's and i bubble in 6th in both of them!! All i had to do was 5th in both for $40 but instead i'm $44 down,what a pile of crap!
The 1st game ends for me when trying to bully the BB with A10 suited that i run into AA ffs!! (maybe should have waited but the game was so slow the blinds were on 100/200 & i had about 1400 left) then the 2nd was very similar,i wasnt that short but again decided to make a stand against the chippy... I had AQ and shoved on a Q high flop,fuck me he calls with K rag & the turn gives him the K to shaft me again!! After that i gave up before anymore damage was done,
A $100 for this week??? i will be lucky at this rate to have any thing left! gl all....laterz

Yuk!! (But ive got a plan!!)

2007-11-26T12:12:00.000Z

Bit of a bummer saturday night!! AK loses to A9 (he miracled a flush!),a flopped nut flush (i held the A),getting rivered by the straight flush!! and KK getting rogered by a straight! 3 $10 stt's where i thought i played well but ended up $33 down due to no fault of my own....Grrrrrr! O well i did play a $5 five player game and somehow won for $17.50!! Maybe i'm too desperate to get back up to evens with my BR,(currently about $90 down) i play well (imo!!) and get some good results,then lose a few and my good work is for nothing! Will i give up....not fucking likely! at $5,$10 &$20 stt's i am good enough to rule the world (well Ladbrokes anyway!!) This week i can play monday,thursday,friday & saturday evenings,i want $100 clear profit,so here goes...it starts tonight.....lets rock!!! gl all...laterz

Give a little,take a little!!

2007-11-23T23:54:00.000Z

Just a few games tonight,won a $5 stt,then lost one when my AIPF with KK was called by the mighty Qs10s He only had me slightly covered so i was surprised about the call,but not that surprised when the flop came 3 spades! gg me! I then blew another $5 game by getting far too attached to AQ and getting done by AK,i was struggling at the time & only lasted 3 more hands before donking of the last few chips with 95!!! So it was up stakes to a $20 stt,(top 5 all getting $40) this one went well,nothing spectacular but a comfortable cash to end the night slightly up.
I dont know why but i find it easier to do well in the higher buy in stt's,its a bit risky as my BR cant sustain too many $20 losses but this seems to focus me more,i play just as aggro when i need to,but my oppo seems to get tighter which suits me a lot more!! The mini buy in punters call every bet regardless which is fucking fustrating when they get lucky (see above!!) so i may just concentrate on $10/20 stts and make sure i play my AAA game!! gl all...laterz

Ha,Ha,Rivered him for once!!!

2007-11-20T21:29:00.000Z

Heres the HH from last nigts last game,i went AI,he called behind but flops some help, but the river gives me 1 of the 2 outs i need! my faith in the Random Number Generator is restored............. (like fuck it is!!!)

** Game ID 873766107 starting - 2007-11-19 22:17:57** 10 PAYS 5 (Equal Payout)[1543263]:Table 1 [Sit & Go Hold 'em] (100.00200.00 No Limit - MTT) Real Money
- Noddyg sitting in seat 1 with $1290.00 [Dealer]-
smoothplz sitting in seat 2 with $1755.00-
hitmandan sitting in seat 3 with $2208.75-
MasterWoods sitting in seat 4 with $2145.00-
Llooser sitting in seat 5 with $2035.00-
Morchebe sitting in seat 6 with $1568.75-
thewellman sitting in seat 8 with $2182.50-
jazziza sitting in seat 10 with $1665.00
smoothplz posted the small blind - $50.00hitmandan posted the big blind - $100.00
** Dealing card to smoothplz: Queen of Spades, Queen of Diamonds
MasterWoods raised - $400.00
Llooser folded
Morchebe folded
thewellman folded
jazziza folded
Noddyg folded
smoothplz went all-in - $1755.00
hitmandan folded
MasterWoods called - $1805.00
MasterWoods shows: Jack of Hearts, Ace of Spades
** Dealing the flop: Ace of Clubs, King of Hearts, 4 of Clubs (O SHIT!)
** Dealing the turn: 2 of Spades
** Dealing the river: Queen of Clubs (PHEW!)
smoothplz wins $3710.00 from the main pot.

Down the river!

2007-11-19T22:43:00.000Z

The river card is cursed by many and loved by a few i reckon! I lost the 1st 2 stt's tonight,once when i ran 10 10 into AA (i raised big preflop,he re raises so of course i dont put him on an overpair,o no,i just shove like coco the fucking clown!!) so thats my fault. The second was a classic,the blinds were starting to bite so i shoved OTB with AK & was called by the mighty 68 of! Which obviously made the impossible straight on the river (i then typed in 'bollox!'-- i take it that doesnt register on Laddies swear dictionary as it appeared,& the cheeky twat said sorry!!) So i decide to play just 1 more game,off to a good start and in the top 3 by level 2! theres no point playing siily buggers in these games,any good hand needs to be hammered and chips taken from the fishes imo,so when i get QQ its time for action!! the blinds are still quite low but he raises to 400,i raises AI so he calls for possibly all my dough,he shows AJ,the muppet!! the flop has an A so im in deep poo,turn is a 2 and ive got 2 cards to help me...........and would you beleive it,for the 1st time this fucking century the river gives me the Q!!!! i'm smiling instead of swearing at the lappy. I ended up slighty down but tonight it's good to know that sometimes the river can help you as well as shaft you!! gl all laterz

Smooth 3, Nemo's 0!!

2007-11-18T01:10:00.000Z

Great night by me,3 stt's & finished in the top 5 in them all for a profit (after fees etc) of $31.50!! I never seemed to put myself in any tight spots,suffered a couple of bad beats but stuck with it and did the business. 2 things have helped me imo,the 1st was getting hammered a few weeks ago & losing a big chunk of my money!! We can (& do) moan about beats but it was a mixture of them & my bad play,perhaps i had won a few then got complacent with regards to positional play and a lack of discipline etc. It didnt help poncing around on the cash tables! no more of that for the time being,best i learn more about sng's & tourneys,at least ive got half a clue playing these!! The 2nd bit of help was an article i read in the current issue of the 'WPT POKER' magazine.It was written by Frankie Armstrong and covered a 9 player sng that he played,he wrote about every hand whether he played it or not.Reading his thoughts on strategy as the blinds increased and his analysis of his play and his opponents was very helpful. I love to play but i read loads about the game to hopefully improve,time will tell if i can implement this knowledge and be a better player not a losing fish!!! gl all....laterz

Finding my form!

2007-11-16T22:52:00.000Z

Hi all,just a quick update,only played a bit so far this week,2x $10 stt on wednesday,good for $20 profit,tonight i won a $20 stt (pays top 5 $40) then lost 1x $5 & 1x $10 same format games!! So i switched attack and took down a 6 seater $10 stt for $30,overall a winning week and my BR is nearly back to where i started after getting hammered a few weeks ago!! Last night i had a bash at Laddies player point freeroll for the 1st time($1500gtd & $325ish to the winner)..that is me and 513 other fishes!!!! the standard was dreadfull,i'm no Hellmuth etc but jeez,this was unreal! I made it to the 1st break in 121st place of the 174 remaining but a little short! Luckily soon after i land AA and i take a good pot to be 69 of 155 and on 7k,blinds are still only 150/300 so i'm ok (ish!) It pays down to 99th (although not a lot!) so i reckoned i could make it if i was patient & kept my discipline..
Players were going thick & fast,i was 66/128 but not happy that the C/L was on my table!! As i said the payouts were not worth FA till later so i needed to double up & progress.
Then in the space of 4 hands i was finished,i get JJ early and raise to 750 (5x BB) the C/L goes all in for 30k,....o shit!!! i was stuck,i fucking hate JJ,I reckon now i had him beat but tbh i cacked it & folded, 3 hands later and FFS i get JJ again - GRRRRRRRRR!! this time no messing about,AIPF,it goes muck,muck,muck and then 1 caller,and fuck me,matey has got KK!! no help for me and its gg & g nite from me in 109th place,a shitty 10 places from the money!! Was i unlucky or just a bit of a muppet with that play? i needed to advance and i thought i would. the geezer who called had not been on the table for long so who knows,if it happens again i hope he has 10- 10!!! An enjoyable game though,just wait till next time!! gl all....laterz

Nearly the BIGGY!!!

2007-11-12T22:55:00.000Z

Been reading a few other blogs for inspiration/help or just a laugh but its sad to see people who are getting the rough end of it,i just hope they get the breaks they deserve.
It was back to basics for me this evening,two huge $5 stt's,top 5 places all get equal $10 each blah,blah! The 1st was relatively easy allthough i was lucky on 1 very big hand..... i had Jc10c (a hand i realy like!) 1st to act i raised to 150 (blinds only 15-30) only 1 person left to act who raised to 300,we both had rougly the same 2k left so this was an easy call,the flop comes AcKc7d!! for the 1st time in my fledgling time i could make the BIGGY!!!! Not wanting to scare matey off i bet 200 and he insta called AI, now i'd like to find any one who wouldn't call like lightning with that because i nearly punched a big hole in the keyboard!! Matey shows AA for the set and i hope for the 9c!! the turn is red but the river is 3c,i won the hand but was dissapointed!!! so close to my 1st royal,o well,another time!! Matey typed FFS as i'd rivered him but thats the way sometimes & for the last 2 weeks ive been losing to some wicked beats & doing my conkers so ul pal,get over it!! The 2nd game was fucking painfull!! i cashed for $10 but hated the way it played,4 or 5 players took so long over every decision it just dragged on & on,luckily i doubled up fairly early because we got to 200/400 and still had 7 left,when you only start with 1500 & the blinds go up every 10 mins time is of the essence,by all means take it slow at 10/20 but not all night!! still,thats there problem,hope i play them again but please speed up a bit!!! gl all....laterz

Fiddlers elbow!

2007-11-12T12:58:00.000Z

Not much poker over the weekend,i played 2x $1o stt's on friday and cashed them both (finish in the top 5 for double the buy in),then did the same on sat night.My problems occured when ive been dabbling in the cash games, last week i managed to spunk at least $80,some by playing like a moron but a lot of this is being very unlucky,i lost 2 buy ins having sets crushed by flushes,i got it all in miles ahead only for matey to make his flush on the river.....twice!!!! i guess it was the old 'implied odds bs'that made them both call when days behind!! Until i recover a bit i will be staying on the stt's and low buy in mtt's on which i have improved 100% (in my humble opinion!) gl all...laterz

Tagged!!

2007-11-09T12:26:00.000Z

O no! BurnleyMik tagged me so here goes! (rules 1st)

The rules are:A) Link to the person that tagged you and post the rules on your blog.B) Share 7 random and/or weird facts about yourself.C) Tag 7 random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs.D) Let each person know that they've been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

A. Already linked to Mik & rules posted!!

B.
1. As a kid i appeared live on 'Songs of Praise' from All Saints church in Maidstone!

2. I passed my m/cycle test & car test 1st time.

3. My all time favorite film is Get Carter & i know all the dialogue.zzzzzzzzzzz lol!

4. I went to 'Stringfellows' club in London,gut whacked out my nut and threw up under a table! (haven't been back since!!)

5.I used to play sunday league football and could have made it as a professional (if i wasn't shit!!)
6. I once had a drink with pop girly Holly Valance (ok,she just happened to be in the same Fulham boozer as us!!)

7. I support the mighty blues (Chelsea!) and was gutted when Jose bailed but reckon if we can keep the team together then we will be a huge domestic and Euro force!

Thats all i could think of (without giving too many things away..you never know who's reading!!!)

C.
I will tag 3 people...
sttrow
gaz billingham
pokertaswegian

1 small step for man,1 giant leap for me!!

2007-11-08T14:33:00.000Z

I was on a day of yesterday so i thougt i'd have a bash at Laddies $10 mtt,84 runners,2000 stack with 8 min blinds. My very first hand was AK suited,i had 1 bet before me of 120 (not very big considering the 2000 start) there was no way i wanted to bomb out early so i just called,the flop was A38 rainbow,matey bet 240 so i made it 500. he took all his time then shoved AI,if he's got a set then i'm done but i reckon most players would slow it to get all my money (i hoped!) i called and he had AQ!! Fanfuckingtastic!! After 1 hand ive got 4k and chip leader! And thats how i carried on till the 1st break,no foul ups and being carefull not to play like a donk! after a few well timed plays i was up to 10k and on the break i was 12k and 15th of 35!
Then as the blinds went sky high people fell quickly,before i knew it i'd made the final table! my 1st FT on laddies and i was in 5th with 14k. the bottom 5 spots didnt pay that much so i needed to climb the ladder,the c/l had 40k and 2nd had 36k. then disaster struck,OTG i get AQ suited,SB has only 2k,BB has me just covered. I shove it all in hoping to either pick up the blinds or have the SB call and knock him out,unfortunately the BB called with JJ,i get no help & out in 10th for peanuts!! Maybe i should have played that differently,any A or Q and i'm 3rd and in a great spot,just bad timing to run into J's i suppose!! I still think i played ok and a FT is good for my confidence so i'm fairly pleased!
gl all .....laterz

Too much aggro!

2007-11-06T14:22:00.000Z

Hi all,last night i continued my quest to dominate the micro limit cash on laddies!! i wacked my $20 max on and waited patiently for some action!! i was surrounded by very busy Skandies who seemed on boom/bust tactics! only playing when i suspected i was ok i slowly crawled up to a max of just over $40,thats where i should have packed in but i spent a little while poncing around with the table sizes so i can be like the big boys and play multi tables!! 1 of the oppo was doing really well and showing loads of suspect hands,he was AI lots of times but had managed to win every time,he went against AA & KK but allways managed to mug the other poor saps! then came my 1 and only big fook up,i got A10 early so raised to 1.20 which he called (as i knew he would) flop comes 5 9 10 rainbow. Aha,top pair blah blah! i gave it large for £4 (and got the call) the turn was the A! wippee fucking do,top 2, here i go,i put a $5 bet in and he goes AI (with far more than ive got) i'm hoping he's got AK.Q.J etc so i insta call,the river is a 4 i think but the money dissapears his way and im left with '0' under my name! the flopped 9 gave him a set and i'd been well and truly shafted!! my fault for being a fish i suppose and fair play to the geezer!
I didnt reload,i just sulked of to the stt's and thankfully got my $20 back in a 'pays top 5 $40 tables' perhaps i should learn that huge all ins arent allways bluffs!! gl all....laterz

Rockets And Bangers!

2007-11-04T00:21:00.001Z

A good night tonight,wifey was working so i took the kids to a local fireworks display,they loved it so i was pleased! After seeing them off to bed it was time for poker!! Ive been having a shitty time this week on the sng's so i thought it was time for a change. Yesterday i decided to have a pop at the cash tables. Only micro but it was good fun,i managed to blow a bit but felt i knew what i was doing!! same again tonight,i risked half the max buy in (a huge $10!) and lasted till about midnight!! at 1 point i was up to about $30 after a few good plays then lost most of it in 2 hands,1 was trying to trap with a set of 7's,i played it just slow enough for matey to make his straight!! then i tried to be super agg with JJ and got hit by QQ!! WOOOPS! i landed a few top hands and got no action and then flopped a K for KKK but i was so low the double up made no real difference,2 hands later and AIPF with 99 runs into AA and its gg and g nite!! good fun though and i will try to improve. gl all....laterz

Grey Clouds Then A Glimmer Of Sun!

2007-11-01T22:37:00.000Z

As i wrote on monday my play since my short break has been poxy to say the least! And tuesday was even worse,i couldnt hit a cows arse with a banjo let alone hit a good hand which stood up! the 1st 4 stt's were bad,every time i had a chance matey sucked out on me,overpairs flopped,flushes were rivered etc. You all know the feeling and its not fucking nice!! Going in a clear favourite only to end up a badly beaten loser. unfortunately games 5 & 6 were played with me on super tilt with the right hump so they were quickly over! I know 6 games is 2 little to make judgements but to lose them all when i know ive played ok is annoying to say the least! one plumb even wrote he was sorry for calling my KK all in with bugger all but he was feeling lucky (his 76 off flopped 2 pair) that made me feel a lot happier..... NOT!! So i didnt play last night,i read loads of blogs and the excellent 'raise the river' forums. And of course every one has off times,the general rule is shut up and keep playing your best - which is very true! So tonight i didnt change my play at all, as long as i got my dough in when i hoped i was good then that was that,twice i busted players whose obvious flush draws failed,and i didnt suffer 1 bad beat in the 3 games i played & cashed in. It was a bit of a shock to blow 25% of my BR in 1 night but hopefully it wont happen again,be positive and i hope my results will improve!
gl all ....laterz

I am Judith Chalmers!!

2007-10-30T16:51:00.000Z

Well i'm back from our short break,we got a good deal at the Copthorne Hotel in Windsor (strange,it was actually in Slough but they obviously think Windsor sounds better!!!) 3 nights b&b and 4 family passes into Lego Land. The kids loved it,loads of good rides for them,the only problem was i'm scared shitless of heights!! and the kids wanted to go on every scary roller coaster thingys there! fair play to them,they loved them all,and being super dad i had to try to look like i was having a great time,not looking like i was about to have a major heart attack just after cacking my wack!! any how,i,d recommend Lego Land if you;
1.are a real man,not a spineless wuss like me!
2.dont mind 1 hour queues for a 3 minute ride! (tricky to avoid if you have to go half term like we had to)
3.take your own food in,i'm not tight but food/drink in there is a fucking rip off!
4.book a local hotel so you can do all the rides and keep the kids happy!

So back to work/school etc. Monday night back to poker,same old story,$5 stt,bowling along nicely,get KK,i shove AI after a hefty raise,matey calls with 88 & rivers an 8! then a $10 stt,on the bubble but a bit short so i shove AI with 99,matey calls with A4,i flop a 9 to make me un beatable,unless the clown catches 235, which of course he did! wp coco & gd nite!
o well,at least i had a nice break, gd luck all..... laterz

Off on hollybobs!!!

2007-10-24T23:43:00.000+01:00

Gd couple of nights for me,a huge $20 up in 3 stt's!!! now only $5 from where i started from!! may not sound to good but up to $270ish then had a dodgy spell and went down to $165ish,i cant sustain $100 down swings so lets hope i can carry on up! no poker now till monday at least,going away with wife and kids ,the break should do us all good,i hope to come back refreshed and tear up the tables!! gl all... laterz

They think its all over,it is now!

2007-10-23T19:18:00.000+01:00

3 quick stt's last night,won 2,ballsed up the other! i did however register for the laddies Player Point freeroll tourney that started at 9.30. had a fag after the stt's,got another pint of... and prepared to take this baby down!! 743 other people also had the same idea so this could be tricky i thought.I always start ultra cautious but in hand 3 (yes 3) i get AK suited late,matey before me raises to 120 so i call hoping for a good flop,sure enough the flops K high,yeeehaaaa! matey slaps a 200 bet in which i suspect is a c bet so i raise him double,he then shoves the lot in,now whats the chances of;
1.. he's got AA
2.. i call
ans..good and good!! And that was that,not sure i was first out but i must be fairly close to 1st!! not to worry,ive still got enough PP's for another go soon,maybe i'l bust out 4th hand for some improvement!!! gl all laterz.

Nurse,Doctor....Heeeeeeeeeeelp!

2007-10-22T19:17:00.000+01:00

Week off work now so i thought i'd slip a couple of games in this afternoon,1st one a stt,i finished in top 5 for a stella $10!! looking at the tourney schedule i registered for a $5 mtt,78 runners,gtd $300. 2nd hand i land JJ so thought a swift re raise should help....Except i couldnt as it was a poxy Fixed Limit game!! O no,ive hardly got half a scooby playing NL let alone fixed!! so i bet the piddly amount and 5 people called! was i pleased to see a KJ7 flop!! the player before me raised so i just reraised him all i could on every bet and scooped large style!! a few more lucky hands and before i know it i'm 6 0f 69!!! level 4 and by some miracle i'm up to 3rd!! this didnt last of course,i had to tighten as i realised most people hang around like a dogs fart until the river and hope to catch!! i'm used to being a bit aggro with the right cards (and with the wrong ones!!) so FL is a bit alien to me,i eventually run top pair top kicker far too hard and matey does me with a set at showdown,that cripples me and i exit in 40th. o well.NL in a while!! gl all laterz

Not a happy Chappy!!

2007-10-21T00:29:00.000+01:00

Before i start moaning it was possibly my fault tonight for watching the rugby and playing at the same time! But that doesnt help when my AA gets crushed or i go all in well ahead but lose to shitty hands!! i even played 3 HU matches just to break things up...and yes lost all 3,1 on a dodgy play but 2 were when i was ahead,we all know shit happens and ive got lucky a few times,but its fucking irritating when you've tried hard to build up and it goes in 2 nights!! 5 weeks of trying to get better and improve my skills/discipline goes Pete Tong in 2 nights,so thats it,i'm slightly down overall so i'm quitting poker for ever..............well,till monday night!! Seri0usly,its a right arsehole of a game sometimes,ive just got to tighten up a bit for a while and get my bank up,i just hope i can. gl all laterz

I'm a laydeee dont you know!!

2007-10-20T00:50:00.000+01:00

1st the bad news! i lost the $30 i won last night,$20 went when i was on the bubble,the blinds were sky high,i raised aipf but my A9 could not beat 1010! a $5 stt went west purely because of my bad play! My 1st game was a deep stack 5000 chip $5 stt,i was going very well,level 3 and i'm 4th with 7.5k. this was due to me getting JJ and finding someone who called 3 big bets of mine with zilch,the pot was 3500,i even bet only 350 on the river to get a raise but he mucked! a 10 to 1 bet and he mucked,very strange!! he got his own back when i shoved all in with top pair only for him to out kick me,i was out soon after that! So i wasnt best pleased but roll on tomorrow! the good news was the chat on the deep stack game,1 of the players was very busy berating a few other players and justifying it by saying he only wanted a laugh. He then asked if there was any girls on the table,so i said yes, me (this would come as a bit of a suprise to my wife,3 kids & the chaps at work!!) From then on he was as nice as pie,until someone outdrew me and he let rip at them!! every time i won a hand he put 'well played babes' with a few x's!! i'm sure he mucked a few hands to me (which was sweet of him!!!) he asked if i minded being chatted up on line,of course i said no! he was very sad when i busted out,'ul,gd nite babes etc!!'
mind you,i'm taking the piss but he probably went on to win,i didnt hang around in case he wanted some pictures!!( of my 6"2' 15 stone body,now that would have shocked him!!) Very childish i know but i thought it was funny! hope he doesnt read this fucking blog!! gl all laterz.

Dirty 30!

2007-10-19T11:47:00.000+01:00

Well it seems like i'm on a mini-stake mini hot streak!! played 1x $10 & 1x $20 stt last night & finished top 5 in both (pays top 5 2x buy in) The $20 game was actually the easier 1,got a few hands early that got paid off so i had a cushion and didnt have to risk shoving with fa as the blinds got dizzy! With the blinds at 200/400 the last 2 players to go had only about 1k each so they had no choice and got picked off!! The $10 game wasnt quite so easy!! Like a retard and forgetting all my ideas of discipline i tried a huge bluff that went badly wrong-AGAIN! Its only the 1st level and i get 78 suited in late position,i raise to 120 and 2 people call,the flop misses me by about 3 years!! its checked to me so i fire a c/bet of 240!! 1 goes but the other 1 calls! the flop was 510K rainbow by the way.If he had paired his K i reckon he'd raise so bollox to him,i whack 600 in,that will show him!! except he goes all in! far too late i realise ive played like a moron who has only got 500ish left,i cant beat bugger all so i fold and type 'nh' and he shows me 88!!! so with only a small stack the outlook is bleak tbh but with some tight play i some how win a few pots (AIPF with AK and 99 helps) and eventually squeeze through to the last 5! I didnt deserve it & 'honest guvnor',i wont try that cunning stunt again.....well not for a while!! Bank now at $277, gl all laterz

Dead to the Reds!

2007-10-18T11:21:00.000+01:00

What a bunch of tossers!! dont blame the pitch,injuries,time adjustment or any other bs,just put that shirt on and have some pride!! right,rant over!!
Back to a mini win last night,$20 stt and i manage to make all the right moves for once!! tight early on,level 5 and i'm sitting pretty, above average and only 2 to knock out before its $40 to the remaining 5. i get AhQc and the flop comes JQ7,all diamonds,matey's only got 850 left and shoves,i hope hes on the draw so with some trepidation i call,lose & i'm shortish,win & i'm laughing,he has Ad5c! laddies do me a favour & he blanks so i scoop! No messing about know as i take out the last player with 44 that holds to his QJ all in,i ty,$40 to me! While i'm doing this i'm also in a $5 30 player sng (god,i'm the multi table king!!) this goes ok till i pair my J with not much action,try to take it there and the c/l calls my huge overbet with K high! this time laddies shaft me by putting a K on the river so i'm out in about 20th.o well (sh)it happens!! i would love to play more multi player sng's but laddies hardly have enough small stake action (should i jump ship back to Stars etc,all comments welcome!) Just to get that $5 buy in back i sail through a $5 stt with no bother! BR on just under $250. gl all laterz!

Give me carrots & sugar cubes!!

2007-10-17T11:52:00.000+01:00

When you play like a donkey you deserve to lose and there's no excuses!! I played 2 micro stake stt's last nite,the 1st $5 i ballsed up by completely over playing 44!! you know how it is,raise pre flop,the flop has an A so i bet heavy to represent it only to find out Mr call station's got the ace and calls for a large part of my stack!! This is quite late on and the blinds are huge (200/400) so i have to shove with QJ that gets done by K5.Totally my fault for not being patient!! Next game was even sadder play by me, i flop A10 suited in the BB,its limped to me so i raise to 150 (only level 1 so 10/20) folded round to c/o who re raises to 500! i consider he's having a chuckle so push the lot in (about 1250),he calls with AJ. Oooooooo fooooooook!! its only a $2 game but thats not the point,i played like a donkey!! England v Ruskies later so may not play till tomorrow. gl all laterz

Moving on up!

2007-10-15T23:30:00.000+01:00

1st game tonight & i decide to play a $20 stt,it nearly backfired as i didnt get a hand all game! i had to work really hard to survive and hope the others knocked themselves out,luckily they did,why late on 2 of the big stacks went to war with each other i dont know,in this format the last 5 get double the buy in back,there was 7 left,2 of which were down to about 3xBB,this helped me to hold on for my $40 return,ironically after we had all cashed,my next 2 hands were AA & 10 10!! could have done with them earlier to stop me sweating! Next game was a disaster,only $10 and full of lemons! i waited for ages then got AK suited,i raised early to 150 and got 1 caller,the flop was 48Q,hoping it missed him i bet 300 more,again he only called,the turn was a 10,so i bet 400,and yes he called again! river was a 5 but i'd given up by now,i knew he'd do whatever i would,we checked and he had 87 for a pair,all that fucking way,all those calls and he couldnt lay down a poxy pair of 8's!! Maybe i,m the lemon for overplaying AK but maybe not!! a little while later & i,m all in for my last 500ish again with AK that fails to out do QQ! Ho Hum,next plz!! Finally a $5 game (no $10 or $20 available) i start slow as i keep getting A5,A3,KJ etc but dont want to risk it too early,the standard here is dire!! 2 medium stacks go all in and both show the same hand KQ o/s! Maybe when the blinds are high and players are short but its not a hand i'd risk that early!! Eventually we lose a couple,i'm in the BB with A7 suited & shorty goes all in for his last 450, he could have anything as he's near death so i call,he has A6,WHAT A CALL,I'M GOD!!! Except for the 6 on the turn so i kindly double him up!! however i remain calm and when another small stack goes for it,i call with AQ,looks like i'm Father Fucking Xmas again when he shows AK but i spike a Q and he's out,most players go ape shit when they get out drawn or get sucked out but seem to forget when they go in behind only to finish on top!! that lucky Q put me nicely safe and its not long till the 6th player exits, 2 from 3 isnt bad,i'm now on $234. Progress is painfully slow but its only been about 5 weeks on Laddies,much more to come i hope!! gl all, laterz

Three little ducks!!

2007-10-15T00:19:00.000+01:00

A couple of small stt's tonight,1st a huge $2 game!! no problems here,more important for me to be disciplined and wait for hands(strangely enough i was dealt A9 o/s 3 times in a row in the 1st level,all early position and didnt play them once!! hows that for low stakes discipline!!!?!) for $2 most players will call any bet so bluffing is fairly pointless! next a $10 game,finish in the top 5 for double the stake etc. to start of everyone was tight (must be reading the same books/forums as me!!) then at level 3 (25-50) half the table goes loopy! i just wait for a biggy and go 'loopier' knowing i'm miles ahead and will get a call! 10/10 and a A104 on the flop was enough to double up,matey called my all in with A7 off,ty fishy! i then tightened up again,played hands hard when i got them and let the others spew their chips!!ty,give me my $20!! i said that this week i want to play higher,maybe stick to $10 games and knock the $2 & $5 ones on the head,the level of play is no more of a threat to me but the rewards are more (even these are small,must multi soon or play mtt's!) BR is $222 (hence the blog title!) gl all laterz.

WSOP glory!!

2007-10-13T01:59:00.000+01:00

Well it was actually on the tele as i played!! a couple of quick $5 stt cashes, 1 $5 loss,then a $10 stt win.gg me, as they are equal top 5 payouts its not a fortune but my BR is now $215, i only lost the one game because of getting outdrawn,the rest of my wins i thought were fairly easy!!
maybe from next week its time to up the stakes again or try multi table sng's. its a tricky call,i know i'm good enough but all it takes is a bad run at $20 tables for my $200 BR to dive pretty quick,of course i could win!! gl all laterz!

Doctors and Nurses

2007-10-13T01:41:00.000+01:00

Never did get the home game going,wifey was taken poorly so i had to cancel,will have to re arrange it soon.I did play on line of course,won 4,lost 2!! it was the equal payout to the top 5 stt's, the 1st ($5) one i ballsed up by betting far 2 much with 66,matey waited till the river to get his flush! i was out soon after when my 99 all in was beaten by 10 10! 2nd game ($10) in the 1st level i got JJ, there was 2 all ins before me (even that early!) i guessed AK & maybe 10,s or the like,well it was AK and 66, with my luck that early in the game i mucked!! the flop had a K but the river was a J!!! could have had a right result,oh well. then in level 3 i get the dreaded KK! no messing i'm all in and get 1 caller with JJ,again the river has a J!! & thats good night for that game!! poxy KK,it never holds for me!! from then on (game 3) it went better,winning 4 on the spin,allthough 2 were only $2 games. i actually went all in with KK and they held (about fucking time!!) so i ended on $202.

Not winning,but winning!

2007-10-11T07:19:00.000+01:00

hi all,only managed 1 game yesterday,a piddly $2 stt where the top 5 get equal payout ($4),hardly a fortune but it killed 20 minutes! obviously at these levels players tend to be errrrr....whats the word? .........oh yes ....SHIT!!! (sorry but they are!!!) in the 1st level 1 went out after calling an all in with KJ,and by level 3 there was only 7 left! the good thing was i was 4th in chips and i hadnt won a hand!! in fact i'd only played 1 hand,mucking A8suited on the BB after my 120 bet was re raised all in (i was probably facing 84 off but who knows!!) so after the 6th player donks all his chips off we all get $4,1 hand played all game,i hope to meet these players at $5,$10 & the $20 stt's!! no lappy poker tonite,a homegame at mine,will let you know how it went. laterz

Reading and learning!

2007-10-09T19:03:00.000+01:00

Only had time for 1 $5 stt last nite,i have been reading loads of forums (the excellent raise the river.com and a few others) and poker sites for any ideas to improve my game. i seem to be playing pretty much as they suggest,being very patient for the 1st few levels then opening up as the blinds increase and numbers fall. I still beleive i can beat the larger stake stt's but with only a $200 BR it seems i should stick here and maybe $10 for the time, again advice from the forums. last nights game was a bit of a doddle tbh,the only hand i played in 3 levels was 10 10,i bet 4x BB (25/50) pre flop,the BB called,flop came A5Q,not good with overs so i just called,like me he hadnt played a hand so when he bet 250 i mucked and showed my 10's and he showed his AK! Saved a few chips there!! i was quite happy to play tight until level 5,(folding if i suspected i was behind or if a draw was missed) a few people had been rash and payed the price so i waited for a biggish hand and doubled up,its good to appear weak with a mini raise etc,people then try and blast you off the pot,i re raise and they pay no attention at all before shoving what they have left which then becomes mine...ty!! the last hand before we all got $10 shows the level,SB goes all in & the BB calls, its 5/7 suited against 22!!! Neither of them were desperately short but another player didnt have enough to complete both the blinds when they got round to him!! A bit of patience and they would both have been ok. Crazeeeee!! oh well thats their fault,long may it continue!! Bank is $200,no play tonite,roll on wednesday.gl all, laterz

I Khan do it!!!

2007-10-07T01:56:00.000+01:00

Great telly 2nite,watched the French do the All Blacks then Amir Khan clinically dispose of a slowly moving punch bag!! Love or loathe the French,they were behind and getting outplayed but came back strong and showed guts and determination to end up winners (is that a lesson to all of us when we are going through a rough time on the tables!!) We face them next sat in the semis,should be a good one!! anyway after that i could only be bothered to play mini $5 stt's. at that level its a good exercise in patience,you know half the table hasnt got a fucking scooby and will call anything,so i sat through 3 levels,picked my spots and moneyed twice. the only hairy moment was going all in against the chippy with 99.he called and showed QJ. 50-50 i guess till he flopped a Q!! but hey presto a turned 9 came to my rescue. to end the night i nipped down to a $2 game (what a big hitter i am!) i was taking the piss really,raising nearly every pot if i had any part of the flop or any decent 2 cards pre, then bluffing like a loon if i was anywhere late! i made the last 5 after about 20 mins & took $4!! so 3 games,3 cashes for $24(minus $12 buy ins) BR now at $195,still a fraction down but i'm learning to be more disciplined/aggressive as the situation needs it. gl all laterz

Kids,dogs and hamsters!!!

2007-10-06T08:11:00.000+01:00

I thought i'd have a multi table experience last nite so i loaded 3 sngs and waited to cane them all!! however 10 minutes in and my lovely kids decided now was the time to wake up and disturb lovely dad!! they are normally in bed and thats it but last nite was a nightmare! they wanted a pee,drink,cuddle,story etc before going back up! doing all that made playing 3 tables tricky to say the least,then my 2 dogs wouldnt settle so i had the right hump,i was up and down from the lappy for ages,my concentration was shot!! just when it all quietened down my boy came down again and complained that his hamster was making too much noise!!! In all this commotion i managed to cock 2 games up by not being able to pay full attention and the $20 table (which i should have breezed through!) ended when i shoved on the button and got out flushed!! so $40 down,time for a break,fag and regain my composure before i did any more!
Finally peace at last,time for 2 $20 sngs,i REALLY concentrated this time and finished in the top 5 both times to recoup my losses (- a bit of fees) Tonite there will be 1 table at a time,only $20 tables (lower 1's are full of idiots) and no play till i'm convinced the kids are well and truly asleep!! gl all. laterz.

How many times can lightning strike ffs!!!?

2007-10-04T23:36:00.000+01:00

After getting shafted last night it was straight in for more torture! i started with a $10 1 table sng,level 3 and i'm 1k above average & playing well. 2 hands in & i'm gutted! KQ in my hand,the flop goes 3KQ,soooooooper!! i raise to 450 to show a bit of strength,1 caller(the chippy),turn is a j,now i dont like that card,if mateys got A10 i'm up the creek. so as ive got 4k left i shove 1k more,another call,rivers a low card so if mateys on the draw he's missed ( i hope!) another 1k gets thrown at the pot but this time matey goes all in for 7k.gulp! this could be a go at getting me off! so like a div i call.... and see the JJ. fooook! for the 2nd night i get it all in with what i think is the winner,only to be against a set- o well,gg,gl,blah blah!!!(up till then i was convinced i could get top 3 no sweat so i had the right hump!!) still peed off i play bollox in the next 1 and go out quickly. next a $20 sng,plays the top 5 $40 etc. i tighten up and stroll this without even remembering any key hands!! a bit here,a bit there etc and i'm back!! as its late i play the same format but $5. i really should multi these,its a doddle,20 mins later and ive got double the chips of the 2nd geezer,10 mins later and a huge $10 is banked! all i did was wait for any thing half decent and hammer it,you cant bluff at these pissy limits,every numpty calls,patience pays off! right,i'm over sulking about the cooler hands,bank is $187 so tomorrow i must get it back up. gl all.

Queens are Bitches!!

2007-10-04T13:43:00.000+01:00

Ok,i lied!! While waiting to see the goals that Chelsea thrashed Valencia with,i hit a $20 single table sng,and what a mistake that was!! for 20 minutes i sat and folded (no hands and extreme patience!) into level 3 and im down to about 1400 (any raise and i didnt even try to defend my blinds!) so i,m in late position and get 10 10, hurray,a fairly ok hand!! its called round weakly to me so i raise to 250 (blinds at 25/50) only one caller. flop comes Q105 rainbow,yippee fucking do!! cant scare anyone off but i do want to build the pot so another 250,again matey calls.turn is a 7,i check to get a bluff from him,hoping he's got AQ,A10 maybe 2 pair. It works,he goes all in and i call (ive got him covered) the sneaky tw@ has got QQ for the bigger set,how the hell else should i have played this,i'm destined to lose whatever i do but thats 3 nights on the spin that i'm down and i'm not happy!!! roll down to $182!! laterz

Give it a rest guvnor!

2007-10-03T21:50:00.000+01:00

well after monday nights calamity tuesday wasnt a lot better!! 1st game i managed a 3rd in a 6 seater $10+ 1 sng for a mighty $12! (that will be a $1 profit then!!!) i then procede to run bad through 3 more games before finally winning $10 in a piddly sng,not very good so i wont play tonite, BR down to $213 so i dont want to be on the slide!! laterz

Ooops i did it again!!

2007-10-02T21:29:00.000+01:00

Reading various blogs (RTR etc.) it seems like monday is a pretty shitty day on line!! It was last week for me and last night was a right mare! 5 sngs ($5 & $10 single table) and not 1 cash finish!! Maybe its the low stakes but i cdnt have won a game if i'd have carried on till xmas!! 1 game i went all in with A9(i was the shorty) on a A57 flop only for matey to have A5 so i'l let him off,but the rest was pure pants! I'd get QQ raise 5x get 2 callers then the flop would have A & K! got beat set over set etc. Last game when on the bubble i give it the bejeezus with 99,only to be faced with 10 10!! just 1 of those nights i suppose! get over it and make them pay!! BR down to $230. laterz

Quads are like soooo common!!

2007-09-30T00:53:00.000+01:00

Evening all.i make a concious effort tonight to play uber-tight!! So for the two levels i do nothing but watch my $20 pays $40 to the top 5 game! A7,89,KJ,its fold the lot! 3rd level and i get JJ,i'm not keen on JJ but as they all limp to my BB i up it to 400,shorts only got 700 left & goes all in,i call the extra and my J's hold against his A10. next time i'm BB i limp with K8,stone the crows as the flop comes 888,i know theres bugger all out there as no one raised pre flop,sure enough i only make about 300 chips,flopping quads look nice but every one cacks and folds! two more medium pots come my way and before you could say give me $40 its down to 5 and yes.we all get 40 bucks! before i started that game i registered for a $5 30 seat sng,but when i check after a pee,death stick and a beer,theres only 5 people on the list! o well,i'l have a quick $5 single table sng. As a thankyou,ladbrokes deal me AA in the 3rd hand!! i'm SB so i raise to 80,2 callers,flop is J107,i raise to 180,1 caller,turn is a scary 9,could be a straight on the horizon so thats it,ALL IN!! matey dwells and types in mmmmmmmmm? i type call and he does with AJ! no miracle river J so its all mine!! 3.4k and its only level 1! they drop like flys! i put a huge beat on 1 bloke when my runner runner flush shafts his set,i'm well in front and soon the money comes to me, another fag/beer break only to see the 30 seaters only up to 9 runners,where is every body!? i unregister and find the $5 10 handed sng. only the 4th hand & i get 1010 late,raise to 300 (10x the BB!) 1 player goes all in,my turn to dwell! i call and again i'm faced with AJ again.however the flops got a 10 & so has the river! quads again!! just like a london bus,at least i made some $$$ this time! i think i'm set to win but then lose a couple of pots,it's level 6 (100/200) before i know it,i lose a couple of hands that i should not be playing and then i'm out! so 2 wins & 1 loss,bank is at $265.gl all laterz!

Jeremy Beadle & Mr. Donkey!

2007-09-28T23:46:00.000+01:00

Hi all, game 1 tonight was my usual $20 10 player pays top 5 $40,1st level i just sat and folded junk,2nd level was not much better! got 44 late & limped hoping for a set on the flop,no 4 came,38Q instead! it was checked all the way round so i bet 120 and they all fold! same level and i get AA,again in late position,i raise to 180 and 2 call & the short guy goes all in for his last 450,i dont fancy messing about,with my luck i cant beat 3 other hands even with AA,so i push all 1400ish in.that puts me HU against shorty and his 33 cant hurt me, 3 hands later and i scoop more when i flop a K set.I'm happy to be patient and show unusual discipline for a while as the table shrinks to 6,at level 6 (200/400) the only action is when i re raise to 2k to prevent my BB getting nicked with AQ and sit on 4k,doesnt take long for the shorty to push with zilch,get called,lose and its $40 to the 5 of us. felt really pleased with that game,no risky plays,solid but strong play did the biz!! as soon as i continue like that and resist the need to go chasing etc i might win a bit more!! anyways,i had also registered for a $5 30 seater sng which started just after,again i took it slow,by level 3 i havnt played 1 hand!! mainly because the hands are worse than Jeremy Beadles!! i cant get anything,i copped 44 again but didnt play behind a raise and re raise,i cant even defend my blinds with this poo,im bound to get called so i decide to sit & wait some more!! then 10 10! im UTG so raise to 300 and get 1 caller,flop is A high so i shove and win it there,then only 2 hands later,WTF! 10'S again!! no fancy play here,blinds are 100/200 so boooom,i push all in pre flop,1 player whos got me slighty out chipped calls,i dont recall his alias so for now i'l just call him Mr.DONKEY!!he shows Q8 hearts! Buuuuuuuuuuuut! Do my 10's hold? doesMr.DONKEY river a Q? has Kelly Brooke got a sexy arse? no,yes,yes!! i,m out in 20th,but winning these suckers looks to be a doddle,keep out of trouble early doors,try to avoid Mr. DONKEY and i feel the jobs a good un!!! as that cost a huge $5 i play a $5 sng,this is easy after i get QQ and 2 players kindly call my huge raises with nothing!!! i just play sensibly and let the numptys knock each other out!! $10 ty!! the banks on $248 and i feel good about my play! gl all laterz!

Through a telescope!

2007-09-28T14:42:00.000+01:00

Just wrote a huge blog and then deleted the mf by mistake!! Last nite i lost 1x $10 sng when my ill timed huge bluff and huger cont.bet ran into a hand then a 6 handed $10 sng ended when my 1050 all in after the flop (5 7 10 rainbow) with KK was called by the BB,i'd allready bet 150 then 350,which he quickly called, he had Q10 spades,i was so far in front he would need a telescope to see me!! he then managed to turn/river 2 spades for the flush Grrrrrrrrr!! The next game ($10 10 player top 5pays etc sng) i play tighter than terry tite from titesville!! i dont play a hand till level 3 (25/50) and im allready 5 of 8! i play AK o/s hard pre flop then see AK5 all diamonds,its checked by 3 players so i bet the pot in case there's a flush to catch me again!! they all muck and after winning a bit with KQ on a K106 board i'm soon 4 of 7 with over 2k.level 5 and the blinds are 100/200,the two shortys have to push and 1 then 2 they go,$20 to me! I need at least a $40 win not to show a loss so i plump for my last $20 pays 5 etc. tight start again,win a couple of little pots to be 3 of 8 going into level 4 (50/100) have to be careful,the shortys are all in or fold,AK helps and i'm safe,my ace is too much for mateys QJ!! The only other excitement was when my BB got raised by another shorty so i went all in with 9 5! he got the message but if that was me i 'd call whatever i had,he'd left himself so short that the next blinds he had to go all in,surely its better to make the decision yourself? o well,$40 soon came my way,it did cost me $50 to win $60(and after laddies 10% i cleared $5!) but could have been a lot worse!! Now tonight I MUST NOT play like a lemon!!! gl all,laterz!

I hate mondays!!

2007-09-24T23:31:00.000+01:00

As promised i'm on the $20 tables to start,early doors and i'm up to 2.5k in chips.The play is poor to say the least! On 1 hand i start with 88 in late position so with only calls before me i raise 3x BB (its only 15/30) 2 people call and the flop is AK6,i check and wait,the next player goes all in 1 after that calls,i fold sharpish! lt turns out 1 has JJ and the other only has 33!!! O well i suppose it's only $20 but a little thought may have made 1 of them get a longer game!! Then its my turn to play badly,with bottom pair(77) after the flop i try to get the 2 short stacks to bugger off with a 5x BB bet,it works with 1 but the other 1 goes all in for his last 800 or so then tables K10 diamonds-the flop was only 1 diamond! i call and of course another 10 pops up,thats like a third of my stack gone-woops! onto about level 4 (50/100) and nothing is happening for me,i get A5 and decide on an A flop to shove it all in! Pretty crap play with such a weak kicker,sure enough i get out kicked to send me packing!! After laughing about the bad play of some i lose this game by playing just as bad!! DOH!! Down to the $10 tables for 2 quick wins i hope! A little bit more attention 2 my game i feel, 2 hands show i can do this no sweat!! Early on (15/30) i get JQ,its called to me late so i'm happy to get in cheap,flop comes JK7 rainbow,4 players bet the minimum so i do! turn is a 6,again they all minimum bet so as i know the king is not a worry i raise 3x.this time i get 2 callers so i'm definetly ahead,the river is another lovely J! here they go again with their min bets! so i raise to 250 & get 2 callers! A 1k more to me thanks to the calling stations!! Then with 10,9 suited i call another short stacked players allin on a 10 7 A flop knowing he has not got the A,my top pair beats his 77 and its plain sailing until the money comes my way! The second game is even easier,plenty of raising by me,bluffs and reraising sees me chip leader early,i cant even remember any noteable hands,they just gave themselves up! At level 5 (100/200) 4 had gone,and the short stack managed to not have enough for the BB so that was that! So after losing a $20 and winning 2x $10 tables i finish up on $226 which is -$4 (the tourneys rake)for the night. All i need to do is have a bit more patience and victory is mine! laterz.

Those damn kings...again!!!

2007-09-23T00:39:00.000+01:00

Usual $20 format for me 1st,i dont play any hands in the 1st 10 minutes! I then get AJ hearts in early position and lump on 5x the BB,its folded to the SB who goes all in,easy fold for me here,the very next hand i get A 10 off,again i put in 5x BB,its folded this time to the BB who calls.Flop comes A67 with 2 diamonds,as he only called pre flop i know he has not got the A but could have a flush draw so i decide to go all in,he has got 2 diamonds but my aces hold and i bust him to give me about 2.5k. two hands later i get AA! i raise only 3x BB to mix my plays up but the whole table folds...grrrrr!! 3rd level goes ok,i nick a few blinds by bluffing and start pushing my weight around! its level 4 (50/100) and i'm BB. It folds to the SB who has only got about 900 left (ive got 3.5k!) he raises to 350 and i call with the mighty 9 4 o/s!! Flop comes 4KQ with 2 hearts,he pushes straight away,with only a few chips i reckon again thats he's only got the draw,so i call and yet again i'm right!! No heart comes so my piddly pair of 4s do him! I'm now a huge leader so wait for 2 more short stacks to go and $40 comes my way!! No $20 tables available so a $10 next,I make a right balls up calling a big all in with 99 against KK, those kings are my nightmare but he had been going all in & showing nothing so i gambled and lost!! i'm out soon so i play a normal sit and go $5 table. This goes all bad,i get out drawn twice,lose a few medium pots and end up 4th,no money again! I cant even say if i did anything wrong,just didnt get the rub of the green!! 1 last table,a $5 pays top 5 $10 etc. This time i'm on fire,every bluff works and every deliberate overbet when ive got the nuts gets called! By level 4 i'm up to 5k,3 people have been disposed of by me so i relax and let the 2 short stacks get knocked out to gain me $10. Thats more like it,i now have $230 banked. Next week it will be $20 tables only,no messing about!! laterz!!

Shoot the Kings!!

2007-09-21T23:06:00.000+01:00

Straight in tonight to the $20 table (pays the top 5 $40 10 player etc.) I only played 1 hand in 2 levels,the turn gave me the nut flush so i'm chipped up early and relax!! Level 3 and i river a full house for a tidy pot. On to level 4 and people fall quick,3 go in 5 hands,why do people panic and not realise it pays the top 5,in loads of games ive seen the 2 top stacks attack each other instead of concentrating on the weak short stacked players! o well,it makes it easier for me!! Its down to me to knock out player 6 and its $40 to me and the other 4,its a bigger buy in but the standard of play is no better,plenty of calling stations and people who play bad hands badly!! This is good news for me! On to game 2,same format,but now i cant catch a cold let alone a hand. I lose a few small pots to go to 1300 chips,flop a straight that no one bites on! Soon i'm 6 of 6 but not really panicking. Its level 5 (100/200) so when i get AQ i shove all in,only to face KK,shit,i'm done for! Double up there and the $40 is mine but i'm just unlucky to run into KK. Just to finish off i drop to a $10 comp,4th hand and I get KK,do i get any action...no,sweet f.a! but i did flop another nut flush a few hands later,matey flops the Q high flush so i take all his chips!! 4 go and yet again i bust the 6th player with 10-10 against his 9-9. The whole game only takes about 20 minutes! Only $20 back for that 1 and i'm gutted about the second game but as they all say...thats poker!!! Bank now at $224. laterz!

Playing like a lemon!

2007-09-20T22:59:00.000+01:00

What a night!! A $5 10 seater pays $10 to the top 5 goes west when i overplay a flush draw YET AGAIN!!! wtf am i doing!!? playing as bad as the people i know i can beat thats what,and spewing half my chips for no reason,this has got to stop.I'm soon out of this 1 so i try the same game but $10. I muddle along until with 7 left and me in 6th i decide to go all in with KQ suited after a couple of limpers,but 1 of them calls with AJ so thats another game lost because i played like a lemon!! I then decide to gamble and up the stakes to $20 a game,if i cash im only about even for the night so no pressure!! No messing this time,i play ultra tight to start,mucking A6,A7 etc in early position.My safe play is rewarded when i get KK at level 3 and knock out 2 people,i'm now on 4.5k,i could just wait and win but dont have to;the chip leader puts the short stack all in after the flop,he's flopped 3 Q's against the poor lads set of 3's,a little bit later and 5 have gone,ive cashed for $40 (only about $18 profit after tourney fees etc) I should stop here but thats my biggest win so far on ladbrokes so another game is on,this time only a $10 one,cash here and i'm slightly up! I play safely and after 2 levels have a small lead,then the brown stuff hits the fan!! I flop a straight and decide to bet quite small,the pots getting big with no raising and me slow playing like a pro!! Then the river pairs the board - o shit!! After trying to trap i'm now maybe up against a full house,i put a bigger bet in to put matey all in,he insta calls and shows his quad 8's!!! ouch! i'm raped on the river again!! I should have raised far more after the flop but as he flopped a set the numpty would have called whatever and done me on the river so who knows! Down to 600 but luckily double up with AK then go all in with 1200 holding A6,1 caller who has A7!! This time i river a 6 (sorry mate...f not!!) No more balls up by me,people fall and i keep out of trouble to make the final 5!! 2 back 2 back cashes & i'm up to$219,could have been worse but ive got to up my stakes,$20 tables are still full of fish waiting to give me their money..i hope!!! All i have to do i cut out my mistakes!!! laterz

Tiny stakes= Tiny rewards!!

2007-09-19T22:00:00.000+01:00

Monday night and a few more low stakes games,1st up another 10 player $5 buy in pays the top 5 job. Started ok then completely overplayed a flush draw (AGAIN!!) and i'm down to 500 chips,luckily i soon double up when my 66 goes all in against 99 but i flop a 6 for the set!! By level 4 i,m back to 1500 and only 7 of us left. Level 5 and i'm all in with AJ,get a caller with 33 but A on the river and i'm back flying high!! 2 players get taken out quickly and i bank my $10!! Next up a 5 seater $5 with only 2 payed. 3 hands in and i'm BB,i look down and call a small raise with my mighty 33, the flop comes 223!!! I then bet 1/2 the pot and do the same on the turn and river,1 player calls all 3 bets and is left with $3.0 as my flopped full house burys him!! i'm a huge leader and cant balls this up? Well yes i can!!! I lose a little then lose a lot when my KK gets banged by AA!! Down to 800 chips and the blinds are now 100/200! All in soon with KQ against 10/8 but he nabs a 10 to leave me out in 4th! After such a good start i'm gutted not to win but if you face AA then theres not a lot you can do! Played 1 more 6 handed $2 game,it was pretty uneventful and i finished 2nd for a huge $3.6! i,m up to a mind blowing $210 now,a few more tiddly stakes game then up my stakes next week. Laterz!

Losing my cherry

2007-09-16T07:45:00.002+01:00

A good night last nite,except my 1st game. The very 1st hand i get QQ in 2nd position,my large raise is folded round to the BB who reraises,i shove it all in and he turns over AK! obviously i'm done for when he flops his 2nd K! O well a quick $5 down the pan! I then decide to have a go with a $1 tourney for a laugh. 275 of us sit down and watch as the blinds shoot up every 3 minutes,and its a turbo event! 30 minutes later the blinds are 300/600 ffs!! I steal the blinds and get busy to have 12k and be in 11th out of 97 but then when we are on 1-1.5k blinds i go all in with A10 and lose to AK for a 60 finish. With quick blinds its really all in or fold and thats not my cup of tea!! Next up a $5 6 handed normal game,level 2 and i'm chip meister and the best player there!! No rush and the only hand i play that level is KK that matey takes on with 33,only 4 left and i,m miles in front,no way can i lose?!! Finally its heads up with me slightly behind,i get a lead then with the blinds at 50/100 i get dealt J2,i check and see a flop of 722! we both check (sneaky!) and the turn is a 4,i bet 400 which he calls,the river ia a A! i throw in 1200 and he raises all in and i call in a nano second! Boooom! my first outright win on Laddies,only $15 for 1st but its not the amount, it confirms to me that with time my game will beat these people!! Yes the cards helped but i showed patience and waited to make my moves. Time for 1 more 10 handed $5 game that pays $10 to the top 5,again i wait for the right opportunities,theres no need to risk it all,i only need to outlast half the field and i know i'm far better than 50% of the players here. Needless to say the fishy people get knocked out and in level 4 its over,my bank is at $208,a huge $5 profit but this i hope will improve next week. laterz!

Hanging on!

2007-09-14T23:54:00.000+01:00

Back for a second evening of torture!!! My £100 was converted into $202 with my 1st deposit,i ended last night on $194. Only played twice tonight,a $5 10 seater which pays the top 5 an equal $10 each,started quietly then got busy.I blew 1 big hand by betting far too much on a draw that failed and before i knew it the blinds were huge unlike my chipstack!! Somehow with the blinds 2 away from me i'm still alive with 140 chips only and there's still 6 of us! Luckily the BB goes all in and even luckier gets a call from the chip leader who manages to knock them out and i'm in the money again!! It was my fault i was in that poor position in the 1st place,i must remember not to chase cards (unless its cheap to do so!!) The $10 i won didnt come into it,i must not play like a moron!! Next game was a 5 handed $2. Not much time to hang around here,the blinds get big realy quick. 2 people go and the 3 of us are playing 400/800, with only about 2750 chips each its fold or all in. 1 goes so i'm 2-1 chip underdog. No problem,this KQ should be ok,but not up against AA!! So i'm 2nd for $3!! The bank is now back to $200,happy days!! A few more games and i'm moving up to $10 games.I can beat these people,if i dont i will never play again!!! good luck all.

Same old,Same old!!

2007-09-14T19:11:00.000+01:00

Well my 1st night of action so here goes!! I have decided to play very low stakes sit and gos for a while to get some practice on Ladbrokes. The 1st game is a 10 player huge $2 buy in!! I play very few hands early doors,happy to see the standard of play,i win small with a few hands then the turn gives me the nut flush but this time no one wants to call my bet for a change!! A few hands later and its QQ,lovely!! 2nd to act i lump on 4x the BB,matey next to me calls and only him and me see the J high flop.I bet over the pot and he goes all in,i have to call and of course they have got KK! Thats me shorter than Danny Devito!,99 2 hands later and all in for me!! A10 for matey and an A on the flop and i'm out in 7th!! I know its only $2 tables but its just like play money,people call any opening bet with sweet f.a. and hope the flop helps them!
2nd game very similar,again i get QQ,try to thin the field with a half my stack bet,get 1 caller who has to go all in but cant improve his 33!! Then i get AJ suited UTG,I raise 5x BB and get 5 callers!! I throw in a big continuation bet on a K57 flop and 2 people go all in! I muck, then see a set of 5's beat KK with an 8 kicker,some plum called a big bet and an all in holding K8! God,this should be fun!!! Another $2 game goes Pete Tong so for my last 1 i decide to up the stakes to a massive $5 10 player pays 5 equal game. Bingo Bango!! A fairly good run of cards and some terrible play from others and i'm chip leader with only 2 to get rid of,every one else tightens up far to much and smoothplz (my screen name) personally takes the last 2 scalps for my 1st return - a wallet busting $10 back!! Great fun tonight,the standard of play is pretty dire and i hope i can win a few small stake games,slowly increase my buy in amounts,keep improving my game and who knows where i could end up!! Adios amigos.

The Big Beginning!

2007-09-14T11:01:00.000+01:00

Ok,here i go,my full on attack for poker superstardom! Having done £200 on PokerStars with limited success (a good learning exercise though!) it was back to the books,back to play money and practice,practice,practice! The USA sites are full of absolute retards, no idea chancers who call everything and anything!! So my £100 has been deposited with the mighty Ladbrokes, at least if i lose its going to be to a European player!!! I played my 1st real money games on their site last night,details to follow!