All I want for Christmas is fooooood baby!

The end of the year is getting closer, there's no doubt about it. I mean it's the 13th December after all, so I think it's not ridiculous to suggest it. In fact I would go as far as say we are within touching distance of the end of the year. At least in comparison to the 13th March we are.

Poker has been going well for me lately (touching some wood here). I came 2nd in the aforementioned tournament of my last blog entry, the €300 end of month game in the Jackpot. It was an intriguing affair getting to play with Norwich Fan Robert, Halibut2, and of course Roy the boy. It's fantastic to have him on the Dublin scene more as he's such a cool character. I believe he's as good a poker player you as will find in this country and he has a top personality to boot. More importantly though for the boy, it seems the curtains have been drawn on operation Ben and Jerry's overkill once and for all. I must get some tips. You see I'm no stranger to this eating lark myself!

The tourney itself took me down memory lane a bit. Having gone down the route of pub games and onto the Merrion Freerolls and other such cheap casino tourneys, there has been a lot of faces I've met and seen since then. Many I got to know and many I didn't. But a lot of them I have lost contact with or haven't seen. One player got to know at this stage was Donal O Connor.

At the time I thought of him as a top tournament player. One of the first tournaments I played in, he was there, giving me a bit of needle. It was great to play with him again last Friday as we've had almost identical transitions through poker. How apt it was that me and Donal would end up heads-up for the tournament come the end of the night. It was like the freerolls of old all over again. My opinion of him hasn't changed since the very first time we played. I think he's a top player and one of the best up and coming players we have in this country. Let hope he can continue the transition to become one of the most feared players period in years to come.

Elsewhere in Irish poker it appears everyone has gone to Prague (although many didn't appear on the entry list for their ME???). All the jackpot 2/5 players seem to have gone anyway. I went in last night for a game and all I got was a meal. Don't get me wrong, the pasta was worth the trip. Also it put to bed an old myth. "There's no such thing as a free lunch".

Although I suppose it wasn't exactly lunch either at 9.30pm. Damn. Thought I was on to something there. Congrats to Nicky Power on another good performance of those who did play the ME. No cash but the performance is what counts and he's showed he can mix it with the big boys for long periods of these tournaments.

Not much else to report as of yet. I may drop this blog a line over the weekend.

Until then here's an Xmas vid to get ye in the spirit

I am not McLovin!

One thing which I have yet to touch on in this blog is a subject which annoys me! I've been trying to sweep this under the carpet for over a few months now but just like a bad joke it keeps resurfacing. I do not look like McLovin from Superbad, nor have I ever looked like him at any stage in my illustrious. When I saw the film with a friend some time ago now, he immediately pointed it out. At the time, I fobbed it off quick-smart as being nonsense and it stayed that way 'till I played Waterford. I believe it was Mike Lacey who began spreading these stupid rumours (lets be frank I don't look like him) to updates site blondepoker.com and now everybody is bloody calling me it! It is a myth that everyone wants to believe but just isn't true, kinda like Peter Maughan owning more than two hoodies.

Speaking of hoodies a new thread started on boards today by robdcu seeking a "paddypower, boylesports or poker stars hoodie". A refreshing post by the newbie boardster who clearly doesn't jump about when it comes to pullovers. He knows what he wants and he wants it now. Me wonders weather he'd "take" a Green Joker or Ladbrokes hoodie. Anyway the whole thread brought me back to a bizarre incident that happened in the Sporting Emporium last summer. It was so weird I decided to write an article about the incident on poker Ireland. Check it out its quite a bizarre story.

Elsewhere it appears my blog is nominated for poker blog of the year on boards. I'm delighted people are at least reading my blog let alone that they like it! Thank you indeed for the nice comments, it keeps me motivated to keep up the writing that's for sure. As regards the award I think its gonna be very tough as players like Big City Banker and Nicky Power get a lot of hits and are very popular guys indeed. Then you have guys like rounders and el stuntman who have been writing excellent stuff and of course the ever-controversial trippie's blog. It all makes for a wide-open contest.

No crackers this Christmas especially for Norwich Fan Rob...

So its Monday eve now and I'm just getting settled again after my trip west. Seems to take a few days to get this jet lag lark out of your system. I suppose it didn't help landing at 8.30am on Friday. It was a great trip though, a lot of people hate Vegas with its fakeness and in most cases the blistering summer heat but I didn't find it that way. Namely cause it was November and not July but also cause I was prepared for the money monster American attitude of big business casinos. The town will never be genuine, if you understand that you will appreciate it more for what it is. Know that you'll be tipping the taxi driver, cocktail waitress', concierge, maids, tour guides and lollipop lady before you go instead of grunting when you see them standing there with palm outstretched. People are working for tips, its as simple as that so tip them and get over it.

So December is all about the holiday season (gotta get this yankness outta me). Christmas only comes round once a year but that's still one time more than the Paddy Power Christmas cracker in the Sporting Emporium. Its a tragedy they aren't hosting it this year as I would have got to play it for once! I remember thinking about it as early as June as one for my poker calender. It was one of the only (if not the only) added money tournament of the year outside the Irish Open another Powers event.

Elsewhere established poker pro and tournament hotshot Rob Taylor is in lukewarm water having put a premium on his EPT Prague shares. With traveling expenses for a week and his undoubted above average expectation I think a €500 share for €600 is a very fair price. Others disagree but I'm fully behind Rob on this one, best of luck in Prague.

Speaking of Prague, Mike Lacey got my hopes up in Waterford recently when he told me I could possibly be going to the Czech capital for the EPT. I was very quick to inform him that ladbrokes were not sponsoring me this year and that I'd be delighted for greenjokerpoker.com to buy me in and..... What you mean blogging? It was in fact doing some reporting for poker news that he was on about. Flattering none the less! Alas it wasn't to be however as the more experienced Nicky O' D got the gig. Hopefully my day will come...

So not much else to report only that in general I'm running goot at the moment and plan on playing the 2/5 game tomorrow night and then the 300 freeze out in the jackpot on Friday eve. All going well then its off to Shelbourne on Saturday for the semis in the Comerford Cakes National Puppy Stakes (has a ring to it doesn't it?) for some mindless gambling. Anyone interested in heading along for a night at the dogs feel free to give me a shout.

Till next time...