Summer is officially here. Well, for me it is anyway. Today is the first day of my three and a half months summer holiday. Having just finished doing 6 exams in college yesterday, its fair to say Im delighted to have this break. I plan to squeeze a lot in poker-wise over the next while with the pinnacle being a trip to Las Vegas for the WSOP.
Yes, the never-ending saga continues. The latest edition in this incredible story is a much more favorable one I'm glad to report. Since my sensational throw out of the WSOP, Dom (5starpool) has been busy trying to form a syndicate of backers so that I can indeed travel to Vegas this summer. I cannot thank him enough for this work as it has given me a warm ending to an all together forgettable tale. The syndicate is comprised of some reliable friends and a few new faces alike. When the plans are finalised (they are 90% there) I will thank each member individually for their support. I hope I can reward your commitment with a huge score in the Main Event.
I finalised my travel and accommodation plans for Vegas today. I am flying out on the 22nd June and returning on the 13th July, three weeks in all. My flights are with Aer Lingus from Dublin to LA with a connecting flight to Vegas. For the two weeks of the WSOP I'm staying in the Gold Coast. I chose it both for value and for its proximity to the Rio. They wont however let me stay more than 14 nights (as hard as I tried). I'm not sure to the exact reason why this is but methinks its a policy that will keep fresh gamblers coming in regularly. After all If you are there for more than 14 nights your propensity to gamble has surely diminished significantly.
My accommodation plan for week one has changed several times. I'm using the week to play some tourneys, play plenty of cash and overall acclimatise with Vegas before the WSOP starts on week two. The South Point was my first choice. Again great value but just a bit far out being 8 miles from the Strip. I was looking for somewhere more central. My second choice was the Monte Carlo. It seemed reasonable and was near the action being beside the Bellagio, Ceasers etc etc. There is a lot of construction going on beside the Monte Carlo however and my search continued. Nicky posted on boards that the Venetian was deadly and that their poker rate cuts a significant amount off the price. Indeed it did and now at only $250 dearer than the Monte Carlo for the week I decided to settle. I plan on playing some of the Venetians Deep stack tourneys while I'm in Vegas so I think I have made the correct choice in staying there.
The Gold Coast for weeks two and three should be an ideal spot for the Series as it's on the doorstep of the Rio. A lot of the Irish lads are staying there like John, Chub etc so I will have plenty of opportunities to discuss hands after (rather than during) play each day. It seems like a grand hotel even though its cheap in cost. Sure it even has a bowling alley for gods sake.
This will be my second time in Vegas, having gone last November for a week. The gentle chill of Winter will no doubt seem a distant memory when I arrive this time around. The soaring temperatures should prove interesting to say the least but then again you can always just park yourself in the casino. I plan on running a blog every day during my stay so that those back in Ireland can experience a taste of my adventure from afar.
More laterz.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
The Stewards Enquiry
My WSOP adventure is over. 14 days after I won my ticket on Everest Poker, I received the crushing email from support telling me I was out. They also advised me that my account will now be closed. For days I was longing for justice. A change of decision. A change of heart. Something that the powers to be were lacking.
Its ironic that I should grieve on this blog as this is the very portal which cost me $13,000 and my Everest account. But what happened is history. There is no point stopping this blog or my activity on boards. It is giving in. I toyed with that very idea since the faithful day. I wanted to give up on the Irish online poker community forever. But that would be conceding defeat.
This whole episode has been a defeat. I have been a victim of circumstance. If common sense was to prevail I would still have my ticket. I was FORCED to play in another house. I was FORCED to switch to a third house. I was FORCED to play with other people. I cannot emphasise this enough. As it happens I involuntarily broke the rules. As many people argued this is perhaps manslaughter rather than a murder case (bar the fact I didn't kill anyone). So why must I be given the harshest punishment possible? Account closure and ticket confiscation is a tough punishment for my "crime".
Try as I have, Everest will not budge. I can do no more. I have won the race against 52 other players and won the satellite. I won the package. The stewards enquiry that ensued is what I have lost.
It's now time to qualify again.
Its ironic that I should grieve on this blog as this is the very portal which cost me $13,000 and my Everest account. But what happened is history. There is no point stopping this blog or my activity on boards. It is giving in. I toyed with that very idea since the faithful day. I wanted to give up on the Irish online poker community forever. But that would be conceding defeat.
This whole episode has been a defeat. I have been a victim of circumstance. If common sense was to prevail I would still have my ticket. I was FORCED to play in another house. I was FORCED to switch to a third house. I was FORCED to play with other people. I cannot emphasise this enough. As it happens I involuntarily broke the rules. As many people argued this is perhaps manslaughter rather than a murder case (bar the fact I didn't kill anyone). So why must I be given the harshest punishment possible? Account closure and ticket confiscation is a tough punishment for my "crime".
Try as I have, Everest will not budge. I can do no more. I have won the race against 52 other players and won the satellite. I won the package. The stewards enquiry that ensued is what I have lost.
It's now time to qualify again.
Monday, April 07, 2008
Me, in the WSOP!
Ship the World Series Of Poker ticket, I am going to Vegas!
Cannot believe it, I am just so chuffed to be playing one of the two tourneys I have always wanted to play since the very first time I played poker. That and the Irish Open. They are the two biggies for me and they have always been two huge goals for me. It is quite bizarre that I'm getting to play the WSOP first rather than the Irish Open. I always imagined it would be the other way around. In saying that, I have only been imagining for the last 18 months, before that it was just so incredibly out of the question playing either of them.
It's turning out to be quite the 2008 for me. No matter what happens between this and the end of the year, 2008 will forever be a massive year for me in poker terms. I got a text from Marc today about qualifying and he used the words "you deserve it". I must say that meant a lot to me as I often wonder if people are thinking I'm just getting lucky. In many ways the year 2007 was a real transition for me as a player. I started taking things seriously. I put in lots of hours on the net and read boards extensively, I studied the game offline as well by reading books and getting coaching off hectorjelly. I dunno about "deserve" as I haven't been playing the game that long but what I have done is put myself in a position to succeed. 2007 was the year for building and that was the spring board for success in 2008.
So how did I qualify for the WSOP? I played a satellite on Everest poker on Monday evening. There was 51 players with 7 prizes and one WSOP package. It was $500 to enter and I played it once before the previous week. $500 is not cheap, but I was willing to give it at least one more shot as it seems a bit softer than the Sat's on the US sites. It was effectively relinquishing the previous weeks profits from the sites cash tables for me.
So how did I celebrate? I rang my brother and then I rang Emmett Hegarthy. Then I went home and told my parents. They were all thrilled for me. Then I realised I had a project due for tomorrow. Yep, I spent my evening "celebrating" over a case study on Starbucks. LOL!
I still can't believe it. Even as I write this now I'm getting giddy at the taught of playing with the biggest names in poker, at the most illustrious tournament in the world. Vegas here I come.
Awesome.
Cannot believe it, I am just so chuffed to be playing one of the two tourneys I have always wanted to play since the very first time I played poker. That and the Irish Open. They are the two biggies for me and they have always been two huge goals for me. It is quite bizarre that I'm getting to play the WSOP first rather than the Irish Open. I always imagined it would be the other way around. In saying that, I have only been imagining for the last 18 months, before that it was just so incredibly out of the question playing either of them.
It's turning out to be quite the 2008 for me. No matter what happens between this and the end of the year, 2008 will forever be a massive year for me in poker terms. I got a text from Marc today about qualifying and he used the words "you deserve it". I must say that meant a lot to me as I often wonder if people are thinking I'm just getting lucky. In many ways the year 2007 was a real transition for me as a player. I started taking things seriously. I put in lots of hours on the net and read boards extensively, I studied the game offline as well by reading books and getting coaching off hectorjelly. I dunno about "deserve" as I haven't been playing the game that long but what I have done is put myself in a position to succeed. 2007 was the year for building and that was the spring board for success in 2008.
So how did I qualify for the WSOP? I played a satellite on Everest poker on Monday evening. There was 51 players with 7 prizes and one WSOP package. It was $500 to enter and I played it once before the previous week. $500 is not cheap, but I was willing to give it at least one more shot as it seems a bit softer than the Sat's on the US sites. It was effectively relinquishing the previous weeks profits from the sites cash tables for me.
So how did I celebrate? I rang my brother and then I rang Emmett Hegarthy. Then I went home and told my parents. They were all thrilled for me. Then I realised I had a project due for tomorrow. Yep, I spent my evening "celebrating" over a case study on Starbucks. LOL!
I still can't believe it. Even as I write this now I'm getting giddy at the taught of playing with the biggest names in poker, at the most illustrious tournament in the world. Vegas here I come.
Awesome.
Sunday, April 06, 2008
Running so cold it's snowing
It's been an interesting little week for yours truly. I've been playing a fair amount of poker but unfortunately for me, I have been running ice cold.
I made the switch from 2/4 to 3/6 online this past weekend and I managed to get through 1000 hands unscaved. Despite being down $1000 in the first 30 mins without any huge pots, I ended up getting back on top by the end of my two sessions. The swings are going to be harsh at first for me so I just hope I don't get loads of coolers in my first steps into this new level. I am bankrolled for all eventualities though and if I am not feeling it I can always jump back into a 2/4 or even a 1/2 game should I wish.
The first live game I played was last Weds in Roy's new club in Newbridge. It was a satellite for the World Poker Open (something on the lines of the Poker Million only smaller, a TV event which will be shown on Setanta later this year). The turnout was poor at 19 which I'm sure Roy will be disappointed over but I think the day that was in it IE. Wednesday and the big Champions League game was always going to affect numbers. The one problem with the low turnout was the difficulty in generating funds for the $8000 package.
The players were made aware of this and were asked an agreed to a re buy/add-on in order to ensure one ticket on the night. Irish Open winner Marty Smyth was in attendance being as gentlemanly and decent as ever, along with Bops and Ken from the Macau. It was none of these players who went on to score the ticket as one by one they fell by the way side. With three left I squared off against Roy and an unknown. I was delighted with my play throughout the tourney despite being ko'd in 3rd place losing a big pot in a classic race situation. Roy went on to the win the ticket so congrats to him. Despite playing well and finishing high I was -€550 on the night such is the joy of one prize tourneys.
I played cash twice this week. Both times in the jackpot on Thursday and Saturday night. In what must have been 20 hours of live play, I can safely say they were amongst the toughest and most difficult I have played in some time. Lots of tricky spots, nothing straight forward. Getting shown bluffs every time I made a big lay down and similarly getting shown the nuts when I looked them up. I guess this is just variance/running-bad as I'm satisfied with how I played, I just seemed to have zero luck in-running. The games were unusually deep for the Jackpot with players buying in for €1000+. With some questionable players/play popping in and out of the game, I do hope this is a sign of things to come in the Montague St club as despite being down several hundred in the game I do feel I would be +EV in the long term should it turn into a regular game for these players.
Also this week I played the Poker Ireland Student Poker Champs in the Regency. It was a nice switch of venue from the RDS. I enjoyed the tournament coming 87th out of a near 300 runners but I would be lieing if I said I gave it 100% commitment. I seemed to spend more time chatting/catching up with players on the rails than sitting down playing some hands. I was glad to be there though to support Stephen McLean in his effort to get big fields for his tournaments. He puts a lot into the organising/running of his games and he deserves players to make the effort. That was my reasoning for playing for sure. Congrats to all the winners on the night.
An extended congratulations also goes to Joe (goodluck2me) and Dara (doke) on coming 1st and 2nd respectfully in the SE end of month game on Saturday night. I spoke with Joe just before the event and gave him the thumbs up on his recent play. Hopefully my compliment helped in some shape or form with his confidence going into the tourney and thus his victory.
I know this blog is becoming much more about me in recent times and less about poker but I think blogs will always swerve this way eventually. I have touched on other poker happenings in this blog and I will be making an effort to continue this trait in the future as it's nice to talk about yourself and others in tandem I believe.
I'll finish with my thoughts of Gordon/Trippie's latest blog entry. I went for some dinner with him last night before he wrote it and I knew a lot of what he was going to right. I guess I could have stopped him but I didn't. As far as I'm concerned if he wants to rant about things on his mind, let him. There is no doubt he has the most controversial blog on the Irish scene and whether you agree with the content or not (I must say I am n/a with most of it) it is unique and brings variety and I applaud him for that. I would not be able to write as ballsy even if they were in my thoughts.
That's my lot for now, hopefully next week will see a change in temperature for me at the tables.
I made the switch from 2/4 to 3/6 online this past weekend and I managed to get through 1000 hands unscaved. Despite being down $1000 in the first 30 mins without any huge pots, I ended up getting back on top by the end of my two sessions. The swings are going to be harsh at first for me so I just hope I don't get loads of coolers in my first steps into this new level. I am bankrolled for all eventualities though and if I am not feeling it I can always jump back into a 2/4 or even a 1/2 game should I wish.
The first live game I played was last Weds in Roy's new club in Newbridge. It was a satellite for the World Poker Open (something on the lines of the Poker Million only smaller, a TV event which will be shown on Setanta later this year). The turnout was poor at 19 which I'm sure Roy will be disappointed over but I think the day that was in it IE. Wednesday and the big Champions League game was always going to affect numbers. The one problem with the low turnout was the difficulty in generating funds for the $8000 package.
The players were made aware of this and were asked an agreed to a re buy/add-on in order to ensure one ticket on the night. Irish Open winner Marty Smyth was in attendance being as gentlemanly and decent as ever, along with Bops and Ken from the Macau. It was none of these players who went on to score the ticket as one by one they fell by the way side. With three left I squared off against Roy and an unknown. I was delighted with my play throughout the tourney despite being ko'd in 3rd place losing a big pot in a classic race situation. Roy went on to the win the ticket so congrats to him. Despite playing well and finishing high I was -€550 on the night such is the joy of one prize tourneys.
I played cash twice this week. Both times in the jackpot on Thursday and Saturday night. In what must have been 20 hours of live play, I can safely say they were amongst the toughest and most difficult I have played in some time. Lots of tricky spots, nothing straight forward. Getting shown bluffs every time I made a big lay down and similarly getting shown the nuts when I looked them up. I guess this is just variance/running-bad as I'm satisfied with how I played, I just seemed to have zero luck in-running. The games were unusually deep for the Jackpot with players buying in for €1000+. With some questionable players/play popping in and out of the game, I do hope this is a sign of things to come in the Montague St club as despite being down several hundred in the game I do feel I would be +EV in the long term should it turn into a regular game for these players.
Also this week I played the Poker Ireland Student Poker Champs in the Regency. It was a nice switch of venue from the RDS. I enjoyed the tournament coming 87th out of a near 300 runners but I would be lieing if I said I gave it 100% commitment. I seemed to spend more time chatting/catching up with players on the rails than sitting down playing some hands. I was glad to be there though to support Stephen McLean in his effort to get big fields for his tournaments. He puts a lot into the organising/running of his games and he deserves players to make the effort. That was my reasoning for playing for sure. Congrats to all the winners on the night.
An extended congratulations also goes to Joe (goodluck2me) and Dara (doke) on coming 1st and 2nd respectfully in the SE end of month game on Saturday night. I spoke with Joe just before the event and gave him the thumbs up on his recent play. Hopefully my compliment helped in some shape or form with his confidence going into the tourney and thus his victory.
I know this blog is becoming much more about me in recent times and less about poker but I think blogs will always swerve this way eventually. I have touched on other poker happenings in this blog and I will be making an effort to continue this trait in the future as it's nice to talk about yourself and others in tandem I believe.
I'll finish with my thoughts of Gordon/Trippie's latest blog entry. I went for some dinner with him last night before he wrote it and I knew a lot of what he was going to right. I guess I could have stopped him but I didn't. As far as I'm concerned if he wants to rant about things on his mind, let him. There is no doubt he has the most controversial blog on the Irish scene and whether you agree with the content or not (I must say I am n/a with most of it) it is unique and brings variety and I applaud him for that. I would not be able to write as ballsy even if they were in my thoughts.
That's my lot for now, hopefully next week will see a change in temperature for me at the tables.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Friendly with the enemy...
I didn't win a WSOP Bracelet, I didn't win the Irish Open and no I definitely didn't walk on water either. So why has my popularity soured in recent weeks? I must say it is very strange. I am struggling to come to terms with being "popular". There is nothing about me that should place me in this category. After all I am largely a dull, unexciting player. Also I have a quiet and shy personality. Yet everybody is talking to me and smiling and saying "hello". I even got 10 comments on my last blog entry, one of which was from Ciaran O Leary. Why does he care about me/or my blog, how did he even find it? What a gent of a man. Very pleasant to me at both the Irish Open in Citywest and the Irish Poker Championship in Galway and now I truly consider him to be one of my friends. It's all rather surreal I must say.
People who I have seen and known for years are suddenly calling me "Gary". Stormin Norman is a perfect example. I have played poker with this man for the guts of three years. Week in, week out. I would be lucky to get a "hello" out of him last year and now it seems he's known me for ages! (Which ironically is true but never before did he acknowledge my existence).
Don't get me wrong, I am delighted people are taking an interest in me. Poker is a game that is packed full of regular, familiar faces and i don't see why we can't be friendly with the people that we clearly know. I've known Norman for years and visa verse so I guess it really makes no sense that we have only spoken in the last few weeks. I do however understand and appreciate the people who liked/knew/was friendly to me back when I began playing in tournaments such as the Merrion freerolls. These are probably the friends I will have for life.
It does have its down-sides though, friendship in poker. Playing cash last Friday I bumped into Mellor off boards in the jackpot. I had only been thinking that day about his help and decency at the Irish Open the previous week. He really helped me out on what was an action packed day two and I thought that his help went a little unrewarded.
So 20mins after meeting and greeting a good poker-buddy I am in a pot with him for all his dough of circa €250 and I have him beaten. I am a poker player at heart and will optimise my profit against any player, in any situation and did so last Friday but I can honesty say it wasn't easy. It's not that I wanted to soft play, I just did not want it to be Mellor in the hand. I think there is an argument for those who believe you should have no friends from poker. Anything which involves solely the taking and receiving of money is risky business and theoretically you would be best served having no friends from poker. It just cannot happen in reality.
It is an interesting topic, "friendship in poker" and is being discussed on boards at present.
Elsewhere I am pleased to report that I've got my second ever article in Cardplayer magazine which is available for inspection now in this month's yellow edition of the popular poker player's mag. When it gets uploaded to the web, I will post a link here. I appreciate any feedback I can get so please feel free to drop me a comment if you have read the piece.
People who I have seen and known for years are suddenly calling me "Gary". Stormin Norman is a perfect example. I have played poker with this man for the guts of three years. Week in, week out. I would be lucky to get a "hello" out of him last year and now it seems he's known me for ages! (Which ironically is true but never before did he acknowledge my existence).
Don't get me wrong, I am delighted people are taking an interest in me. Poker is a game that is packed full of regular, familiar faces and i don't see why we can't be friendly with the people that we clearly know. I've known Norman for years and visa verse so I guess it really makes no sense that we have only spoken in the last few weeks. I do however understand and appreciate the people who liked/knew/was friendly to me back when I began playing in tournaments such as the Merrion freerolls. These are probably the friends I will have for life.
It does have its down-sides though, friendship in poker. Playing cash last Friday I bumped into Mellor off boards in the jackpot. I had only been thinking that day about his help and decency at the Irish Open the previous week. He really helped me out on what was an action packed day two and I thought that his help went a little unrewarded.
So 20mins after meeting and greeting a good poker-buddy I am in a pot with him for all his dough of circa €250 and I have him beaten. I am a poker player at heart and will optimise my profit against any player, in any situation and did so last Friday but I can honesty say it wasn't easy. It's not that I wanted to soft play, I just did not want it to be Mellor in the hand. I think there is an argument for those who believe you should have no friends from poker. Anything which involves solely the taking and receiving of money is risky business and theoretically you would be best served having no friends from poker. It just cannot happen in reality.
It is an interesting topic, "friendship in poker" and is being discussed on boards at present.
Elsewhere I am pleased to report that I've got my second ever article in Cardplayer magazine which is available for inspection now in this month's yellow edition of the popular poker player's mag. When it gets uploaded to the web, I will post a link here. I appreciate any feedback I can get so please feel free to drop me a comment if you have read the piece.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
The Irish Open on the rails
My Irish Open experience was spent on the rails. It's so much fun spending time with all the great players and faces of the poker world. They are an incredible bunch it has to be said. I hope I have many more days to come with them in the future.
I was doing the blogging for Paddy Power for the weekend and although fun, I was a little bit annoyed with how it turned out. We got a lot of stick on the site and it was largely unfair. The people who were giving stick did not understand the problems we were having on our end.
People ranted a lot about the lack of pictures. Fair point. Me and mellor went around taking loads of pictures but we could not get them on to the site. There was a technical error. This was not my problem, there was a problem with the site. I took the photos, just like I did for Blonde, just like I did for Poker News, if I could have got them up I would have. The blog would have looked better with photos but it was not to be.
The other thing people attacked me over were the hands posted. The suits didn't come up for me and I posted a couple of hands incorrectly. Big deal. That is just a simple mistake and one which I got far too much abuse on. Quite frankly, it would put me off doing blogging again. I like the job. I am a poker fan. I could well be one of the biggest fans out there. I know all the faces, who they are and what they eat for breakfast. This is why I like writing about the happenings and the charecters. I do not like getting attacked over mistakes though. It was the toughest blogging gig. All our team was amatuers, myself included. How can people expect it to run uber smoothly like Blonde when this is the case. Also I was responsible for updating both the production teams and the commentators. I was effectively responsible for running three blogs. Needless to say I didn't even have enough time to eat!
That is it for a while though I would imagine in blogging terms. I'm planning on getting loads of live poker tournaments in over the coming months now. I'm looking forward to three games in particular. I think these would be the smart place to invest some of the dough from Drogheda and it means I get several quality tournaments for less than an IO buy in.
JP Irish Masters. €750 main event. May 3rd
Waterford Open 2008. €500 main event. June 13th.
Irish Winter Festival. €1500 freezeout. October 25th.
Along with a selection of end of month games in the Fitz, the SE and the jackpot should they bring their back. Should be interesting times ahead none the less.
I was doing the blogging for Paddy Power for the weekend and although fun, I was a little bit annoyed with how it turned out. We got a lot of stick on the site and it was largely unfair. The people who were giving stick did not understand the problems we were having on our end.
People ranted a lot about the lack of pictures. Fair point. Me and mellor went around taking loads of pictures but we could not get them on to the site. There was a technical error. This was not my problem, there was a problem with the site. I took the photos, just like I did for Blonde, just like I did for Poker News, if I could have got them up I would have. The blog would have looked better with photos but it was not to be.
The other thing people attacked me over were the hands posted. The suits didn't come up for me and I posted a couple of hands incorrectly. Big deal. That is just a simple mistake and one which I got far too much abuse on. Quite frankly, it would put me off doing blogging again. I like the job. I am a poker fan. I could well be one of the biggest fans out there. I know all the faces, who they are and what they eat for breakfast. This is why I like writing about the happenings and the charecters. I do not like getting attacked over mistakes though. It was the toughest blogging gig. All our team was amatuers, myself included. How can people expect it to run uber smoothly like Blonde when this is the case. Also I was responsible for updating both the production teams and the commentators. I was effectively responsible for running three blogs. Needless to say I didn't even have enough time to eat!
That is it for a while though I would imagine in blogging terms. I'm planning on getting loads of live poker tournaments in over the coming months now. I'm looking forward to three games in particular. I think these would be the smart place to invest some of the dough from Drogheda and it means I get several quality tournaments for less than an IO buy in.
JP Irish Masters. €750 main event. May 3rd
Waterford Open 2008. €500 main event. June 13th.
Irish Winter Festival. €1500 freezeout. October 25th.
Along with a selection of end of month games in the Fitz, the SE and the jackpot should they bring their back. Should be interesting times ahead none the less.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
BSB-esque tipping blog entry for today's races at Cheltenham
Back Master Minded in the 3.15 at 3/1.
That is all
That is all
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
Don't Open it this year...
I have decided not to play the Irish Open. Thank you very much for the advise that I got with my decision, it was not an easy one. The reason this wasn't an easy choice is because my current form is very over powering. I have been both winning and playing well. It is at these times that its pretty easy to get carried away. Prior to Drogheda the Irish Open was a no brainer. After the deepstack game it was a resounding yes. I'm glad I didn't rush a decision though as I'm now confident I have chosen the right option for me.
So who or what swayed my decision?
I made the decision on my own. I got plenty of advise and for that I am grateful. I was in a position to take either path and was given good reason for both options. Either decision has its merits and downfalls, pros and cons. So I had to make a choice. I thought about if over the weekend and came to my decision on Monday. Here's why:
The Irish Open is a tournament that means a lot to me. As a poker fan, this is the most exciting time of the year for Poker in Ireland. Citywest will be buzzing amidst the players, the stars and the anticipation of a spectacular tournament. To witness this occasion the best seat in the house IS NOT table number 28 seat 3. Yes, it would be awesome to play but then it becomes just another tournament. The best seat in the house, is the one on the rail. After all Noel Gallagher has never been to an Oasis concert.
The buy in is steep and I am not bankrolled for it. This was the most obvious cause for concern and one which is important. One off or no one off if I was to lose €4500 I would find that pretty hard to take. No matter where I came in the tourney I would not enjoy the Irish Open unless I won it. That in turn ruins it as an occasion.
Another option was selling off a % of myself. Thank you very much indeed to the kind offers from Dara and Noel/Collie. Without them, this would not be an option. This was an avenue I really did not want to go down however. I have never borrowed money in poker and I have never, ever sold a % of myself. The reason for this being simple. If I didn't have enough money for the entry I didn't play. I hate the idea of selling % as it is selling some of your edge. If you are in a position where you need to sell a % then the tournament you are playing is too pricey. I was probably in that boat and I am now holding through to my word by not playing the Open.
I want to enjoy the festivities next week. The only way I can guarantee this, is by not playing.
So what are my plans for the Irish Open?
I am working for Paddy Power as part of their blogging team for the week. This is a job which I will enjoy as many of you know. It gives me a chance to witness the Irish Open first hand, and be given accommodation and expenses and meals and get paid. This is something I am looking forward to and a job which seems made for me. I've done it before and I will do it again. Thank you Noel Hayes for the opportunity.
There will be plenty more Irish Opens in the future and one day I hope to play one. I'm still only 21 after all. With my consistent success over the past 18 months I see no reason why I can't play and be bankrolled :) for this tournament in the future. Until then I am going to sit tight.
Over and out.
So who or what swayed my decision?
I made the decision on my own. I got plenty of advise and for that I am grateful. I was in a position to take either path and was given good reason for both options. Either decision has its merits and downfalls, pros and cons. So I had to make a choice. I thought about if over the weekend and came to my decision on Monday. Here's why:
The Irish Open is a tournament that means a lot to me. As a poker fan, this is the most exciting time of the year for Poker in Ireland. Citywest will be buzzing amidst the players, the stars and the anticipation of a spectacular tournament. To witness this occasion the best seat in the house IS NOT table number 28 seat 3. Yes, it would be awesome to play but then it becomes just another tournament. The best seat in the house, is the one on the rail. After all Noel Gallagher has never been to an Oasis concert.
The buy in is steep and I am not bankrolled for it. This was the most obvious cause for concern and one which is important. One off or no one off if I was to lose €4500 I would find that pretty hard to take. No matter where I came in the tourney I would not enjoy the Irish Open unless I won it. That in turn ruins it as an occasion.
Another option was selling off a % of myself. Thank you very much indeed to the kind offers from Dara and Noel/Collie. Without them, this would not be an option. This was an avenue I really did not want to go down however. I have never borrowed money in poker and I have never, ever sold a % of myself. The reason for this being simple. If I didn't have enough money for the entry I didn't play. I hate the idea of selling % as it is selling some of your edge. If you are in a position where you need to sell a % then the tournament you are playing is too pricey. I was probably in that boat and I am now holding through to my word by not playing the Open.
I want to enjoy the festivities next week. The only way I can guarantee this, is by not playing.
So what are my plans for the Irish Open?
I am working for Paddy Power as part of their blogging team for the week. This is a job which I will enjoy as many of you know. It gives me a chance to witness the Irish Open first hand, and be given accommodation and expenses and meals and get paid. This is something I am looking forward to and a job which seems made for me. I've done it before and I will do it again. Thank you Noel Hayes for the opportunity.
There will be plenty more Irish Opens in the future and one day I hope to play one. I'm still only 21 after all. With my consistent success over the past 18 months I see no reason why I can't play and be bankrolled :) for this tournament in the future. Until then I am going to sit tight.
Over and out.
Sunday, March 02, 2008
To play or not to play, THAT is the question
This week has seen my first two adventures back into the world of live poker tournaments since the Green Joker festival. The first tourney I played was the €270 Fitz EOM on Thurs eve. Now the Fitz is a place I have never warmed to for some reason. I cannot put my finger on why that is, I just don't seem to feel comfortable there. It's very clannish with a lot of regulars and a community spirit which seems great if you are in the loop but a little bit distant if you aren't. Anyway it is an issue which matters little as I play poker and they run poker tournaments. I was very happy with my performance in what was a tough field for a €270 tournament. A lot of the runners will be in action again at the Irish Open this Easter which makes it all the more sweeter that I've hit another final table. The second was a trip to the Emporium last night for their EOM game. Isn't is just ridiculous how the three big EOM tournaments in Dublin are on three nights in a row? Nothing to write home about from the SE game. Standard tournament exit just after the first break.
My good form of late has got me thinking however (always dangerous I know). With the Irish Open upon us should I be so hesitant in dismissing the thought of playing it? It's been a manic start to 2008 for me and has turned my poker world on it's head. The IO was something I would not have dreamt of playing 3 weeks ago but I guess times have changed. The €4500 is a hefty entry though, that is the problem. They say to be adequately bankrolled for tournaments you need 100x the buy-in and this is something I most definitely do not have.
If i was to play it would be a shot. It would be a gamble and it would be a risky one at that. 90% of the players will be going home unhappy which is a big percentage. I do however have strong form on my side. My confidence is as high as its ever been and I cannot think of a better preparation I could have had going into this tourney. I have the money to pay the entry now without going broke or changing anything drastically. Is now the time to take a shot?
People have recommended satellites to me but I am not interested. The biggest waste of my poker adventures to date has no doubt been satellites. I have never qualified for anything, ever, in a satellite and I have spent a lot of money trying. Quite frankly i do not like them. They are often poorly structured and because they have the label "Irish Open Satellite" on them, the standard is infinitely higher as a result too than say a standard €250 tourney. My decision is whether I am going to buy in or not. I've already player my "satellites" as such the last few months and its now a decision whether to take the ticket or the cash alternative.
The last option I can think of is buying in and selling %. I have never done this before for anything and it is not something which I am up to speed with. (I have visions of me knocking on doors with a sponsorship card and all the old dear saying "Is it the Marathon you're running? For cancer research is it? How lovely. What do you mean poker?"). Is this advisable I wonder, i don't like running with out the ball so to speak IE not playing for myself 100% but it may perhaps be an option I am obliged to take should someone be willing to invest.
Would love some comments on my Irish Open dilemma, even anonymous ones!
My good form of late has got me thinking however (always dangerous I know). With the Irish Open upon us should I be so hesitant in dismissing the thought of playing it? It's been a manic start to 2008 for me and has turned my poker world on it's head. The IO was something I would not have dreamt of playing 3 weeks ago but I guess times have changed. The €4500 is a hefty entry though, that is the problem. They say to be adequately bankrolled for tournaments you need 100x the buy-in and this is something I most definitely do not have.
If i was to play it would be a shot. It would be a gamble and it would be a risky one at that. 90% of the players will be going home unhappy which is a big percentage. I do however have strong form on my side. My confidence is as high as its ever been and I cannot think of a better preparation I could have had going into this tourney. I have the money to pay the entry now without going broke or changing anything drastically. Is now the time to take a shot?
People have recommended satellites to me but I am not interested. The biggest waste of my poker adventures to date has no doubt been satellites. I have never qualified for anything, ever, in a satellite and I have spent a lot of money trying. Quite frankly i do not like them. They are often poorly structured and because they have the label "Irish Open Satellite" on them, the standard is infinitely higher as a result too than say a standard €250 tourney. My decision is whether I am going to buy in or not. I've already player my "satellites" as such the last few months and its now a decision whether to take the ticket or the cash alternative.
The last option I can think of is buying in and selling %. I have never done this before for anything and it is not something which I am up to speed with. (I have visions of me knocking on doors with a sponsorship card and all the old dear saying "Is it the Marathon you're running? For cancer research is it? How lovely. What do you mean poker?"). Is this advisable I wonder, i don't like running with out the ball so to speak IE not playing for myself 100% but it may perhaps be an option I am obliged to take should someone be willing to invest.
Would love some comments on my Irish Open dilemma, even anonymous ones!
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Jumping back into the sea, just like flipper
It's been two weeks since my last entry. A long time by my usually regular posting patterns. The reason for my inter web absence is that I simply have not been playing poker. I think I've played about 3 hours of live poker and less again on the net since Drogheda. There is no solid reason for this other than that I've been busy and a little dis-interested. My plan is to get back to my usual playing routine this week (ie a couple of thousand online hands & one evening cash session at the weekend). It is that solid base which has served me well throughout 2007 and I need to get back to this routine before I get rusty.
My plan is to dive back in for smaller stakes. Unibet have a great promotion on at the moment with a €2000 sign-up bonus. I estimate I'll need to play approx 20,000 hands at 50/1 withing the allotted time frame of 30 days. This will serve two purposes for me. Firstly I will get plenty of practice playing in order to clear the bonus. Secondly should all go well (ie break even or better) I will get €2000 for my troubles. It seems like a solid plan to get me back into the swing of things on the online poker front where I played around 70% of my poker hours last year.
I was in Waterford last weekend for the team event. It was my first time working for Blonde Poker which was fun. I got to work with snoopy who seems to be Mr. Blonde at this stage with the amount of work he does on the site. Hopefully after I get a few more of these Irish events behind me I'll be able to update some EPT's in the future. Congrats to Big Slick on another well run tourney. The team event concept is still one I'm undecided about although. It may well be the last one they run due to a poor turnout outside of Waterford players. It should be interesting to see how JP's team game goes down. Anything bar a great response from players could well see the end of team events and a return to traditional poker tournaments.
I only just realised why Flipper was calling me "Fogul" throughout the event. Grrrrrrrrrrr. Himself and Nicky Power took turns in jeering me and labeling me that spastic from Super Bad who I'm not like in any shape or form. The pair seem to be each others idols which I certainly wasn't aware of. Playing pitch and toss in his room for big books, the likable dolphin and his family guy compatriot are two sick gamblers and sick poker players to boot. They make an ideal couple you could say! Perhaps they could go on a date together?
Anyway that's enough blabbering for now. I'm off to order some poker books and some dvds off amazon for the afternoon. Feel free to leave me some suggestions..
My plan is to dive back in for smaller stakes. Unibet have a great promotion on at the moment with a €2000 sign-up bonus. I estimate I'll need to play approx 20,000 hands at 50/1 withing the allotted time frame of 30 days. This will serve two purposes for me. Firstly I will get plenty of practice playing in order to clear the bonus. Secondly should all go well (ie break even or better) I will get €2000 for my troubles. It seems like a solid plan to get me back into the swing of things on the online poker front where I played around 70% of my poker hours last year.
I was in Waterford last weekend for the team event. It was my first time working for Blonde Poker which was fun. I got to work with snoopy who seems to be Mr. Blonde at this stage with the amount of work he does on the site. Hopefully after I get a few more of these Irish events behind me I'll be able to update some EPT's in the future. Congrats to Big Slick on another well run tourney. The team event concept is still one I'm undecided about although. It may well be the last one they run due to a poor turnout outside of Waterford players. It should be interesting to see how JP's team game goes down. Anything bar a great response from players could well see the end of team events and a return to traditional poker tournaments.
I only just realised why Flipper was calling me "Fogul" throughout the event. Grrrrrrrrrrr. Himself and Nicky Power took turns in jeering me and labeling me that spastic from Super Bad who I'm not like in any shape or form. The pair seem to be each others idols which I certainly wasn't aware of. Playing pitch and toss in his room for big books, the likable dolphin and his family guy compatriot are two sick gamblers and sick poker players to boot. They make an ideal couple you could say! Perhaps they could go on a date together?
Anyway that's enough blabbering for now. I'm off to order some poker books and some dvds off amazon for the afternoon. Feel free to leave me some suggestions..
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Locking up cash and daydreaming about blogging...
It’s been a couple of days now since the Drogheda ME yet I am still a little bit dazed by it all. It hasn't really sunk in I suppose. There are a lot of little things that I keep getting flash-backs of which make me smile. The weekend was packed with happy memories and ones which I'll look back on with joy for some time.
In response to the comments I received on my last post (a record nine for me!!) I'd like to thank Fran, Smurph, Lloyd, Glynn, Graham Clarkson, Nicky Power, Noel Hayes, Paul Mac and Dara for their congrats. I will pay you back your tenner Paul, don't worry but surely EW ftw (or is that a contradiction!)?? In relations to Dara's point, I agree my final table play was uber-tight and not one which I had planned. I was quite card-dead for the duration and needed to play my good hands ultra aggressive as a result. You pulled quite a nasty move on me when I had 66 and you may not believe it but I seriously considered pushing. I knew you were aware I couldn't play with you but I am never afraid to risk my chips if I think I'm ahead. On another day I think I would have but with your tight image and my increasingly delayed hesitation it became tougher and tougher to pull the trigger.
So, I've been thinking about what I'll do with the money. Winning that kind of money is obviously important but not as ground breaking as it may appear. I've been chatting with luckylloyd on boards about what he done after GJP1 and he seemed to make some good decisions. My decisions depend on my circumstances I believe. For instance, my online bankroll has never been better and I've pretty much been playing 2/4 exclusively for the last month leading up to Drogheda. It's a tough level but it’s one which I'm conservatively bankrolled for. I certainly will not be subbing my account in order to move up as I am yet to establish myself in what is a vital, transitional level in online cash. My live bankroll prior to Drogheda I would also consider perfect for what I do. That is, pottering around the 1/2 tables one or two nights a week with the odd €200 monthly tourney thrown in for good measure. I will bolster that a little with my win, but again I will not be going too crazy.
So what will I spend my money on? I could buy a new car perhaps. I could live out one of my dreams and play the WSOP Main Event. I could play in the Irish Open this Easter. Hell I could even try marry Jen Mason as Marc and Lloyd suggested! Quite boringly however I've decided to take the unexciting option. That is put most of it away in a savings account for the time being. It just seems like the sensible option to me. After all I'm still in college for the next two years at least and I don't want poker to turn me into a drop out. I still want to write article after article in the hope of getting my name in poker magazines and I still REALLY wanna be a top poker blogger (Jen Mason stylie-LOL). Its so mcuh fun giving some colour commentary. I will be putting money aside for a couple more blow-out tourneys with a leg of the GUKPT being top of the list. Other than that I don’t think I'll be doing anything out of the norm.
In a way nothing has changed. I'm still the same person despite a very tidy win. I'm still learning in all areas of poker and I still haven’t achieved anything substantial yet. I see this win more as foundation for the future. It cements my position for the time being and that to me is what is important.
In response to the comments I received on my last post (a record nine for me!!) I'd like to thank Fran, Smurph, Lloyd, Glynn, Graham Clarkson, Nicky Power, Noel Hayes, Paul Mac and Dara for their congrats. I will pay you back your tenner Paul, don't worry but surely EW ftw (or is that a contradiction!)?? In relations to Dara's point, I agree my final table play was uber-tight and not one which I had planned. I was quite card-dead for the duration and needed to play my good hands ultra aggressive as a result. You pulled quite a nasty move on me when I had 66 and you may not believe it but I seriously considered pushing. I knew you were aware I couldn't play with you but I am never afraid to risk my chips if I think I'm ahead. On another day I think I would have but with your tight image and my increasingly delayed hesitation it became tougher and tougher to pull the trigger.
So, I've been thinking about what I'll do with the money. Winning that kind of money is obviously important but not as ground breaking as it may appear. I've been chatting with luckylloyd on boards about what he done after GJP1 and he seemed to make some good decisions. My decisions depend on my circumstances I believe. For instance, my online bankroll has never been better and I've pretty much been playing 2/4 exclusively for the last month leading up to Drogheda. It's a tough level but it’s one which I'm conservatively bankrolled for. I certainly will not be subbing my account in order to move up as I am yet to establish myself in what is a vital, transitional level in online cash. My live bankroll prior to Drogheda I would also consider perfect for what I do. That is, pottering around the 1/2 tables one or two nights a week with the odd €200 monthly tourney thrown in for good measure. I will bolster that a little with my win, but again I will not be going too crazy.
So what will I spend my money on? I could buy a new car perhaps. I could live out one of my dreams and play the WSOP Main Event. I could play in the Irish Open this Easter. Hell I could even try marry Jen Mason as Marc and Lloyd suggested! Quite boringly however I've decided to take the unexciting option. That is put most of it away in a savings account for the time being. It just seems like the sensible option to me. After all I'm still in college for the next two years at least and I don't want poker to turn me into a drop out. I still want to write article after article in the hope of getting my name in poker magazines and I still REALLY wanna be a top poker blogger (Jen Mason stylie-LOL). Its so mcuh fun giving some colour commentary. I will be putting money aside for a couple more blow-out tourneys with a leg of the GUKPT being top of the list. Other than that I don’t think I'll be doing anything out of the norm.
In a way nothing has changed. I'm still the same person despite a very tidy win. I'm still learning in all areas of poker and I still haven’t achieved anything substantial yet. I see this win more as foundation for the future. It cements my position for the time being and that to me is what is important.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
A resounding success...
The last few days have been fantastic. The biggest tourney I ever played turned out to be my best so far in poker as I came runner-up in the Deepstacks Championships in Drogheda. The field was strong and the stucture sound making for a very interesting few days.
Paying a €1500 entry was a little nerve wrecking I have to admit and there was spots were I did not feel comfortable. But being uncomfortable obviously works for me as I believe it spurred me on for a strong result. I was jumping up and down like a rabbit for three days straight as things became gradually better. It was like as if everything was coming togther before me and I was finally going to prove myself. I knew it could happen though and those who follow this blog closely will understand. You cannot fight the luck element in a given tournament but if you continue to play solid poker there is no reason why it can't be you that gets lucky.
I never give HH's in this blog and I will not be making any exceptions here either. I don't want to discuss them almost as much as I suspect you don't want to read them. I know Marc will want me to discuss the massive hand we played at the end of day one but its just so boring. I lost the head 100% and put my chips in with the worst hand. The only important thing about the hand was that it gave me a wake-up call not to mess up again. I should have been eliminated for playing some woeful poker and I was adament I would not fall into the same trap again. I never did make such a big mistake for the rest of the tournament.
No secrets, no hero calls, no sick reads just three days of solid poker got me the biggest result of my life in poker and I'm just so damn happy! There was a number of people within the poker world that helped me stay optomistic and focused throughout the tournament and for them I am most greatful. Without their belief and confidence I may well have let my play drop and thus my result slip. Thank god for good friends.
Congratulations to GJP for taking the chance with the big stacks. I think it worked well and will be seen again very soon. Congrats also to the final table players who I'm sure we will see again and again. Dara played a tight game yet still appeared desceptive. Lloyd can finally shut up about being a poor poker player as his results play stark contrast. Tony Baitson has been knocking on the door for some time now and I suspect is growing frustrated with his near misses. I just hope he can take the positives from his performance. Fran/jackyback and I clashed alot it, I just kept picking up hands in his BB, honestly! He seemed overjoyed by all accounts and why shouldn't he. A fine result and having qualified for the Irish Open already this month it appears he is having a nice February. Marc however I have to stay was the star of the show. His fearless gameplay will no doubt lead him to BIG things.
So.
What the hell am I going to do with all this money?
Paying a €1500 entry was a little nerve wrecking I have to admit and there was spots were I did not feel comfortable. But being uncomfortable obviously works for me as I believe it spurred me on for a strong result. I was jumping up and down like a rabbit for three days straight as things became gradually better. It was like as if everything was coming togther before me and I was finally going to prove myself. I knew it could happen though and those who follow this blog closely will understand. You cannot fight the luck element in a given tournament but if you continue to play solid poker there is no reason why it can't be you that gets lucky.
I never give HH's in this blog and I will not be making any exceptions here either. I don't want to discuss them almost as much as I suspect you don't want to read them. I know Marc will want me to discuss the massive hand we played at the end of day one but its just so boring. I lost the head 100% and put my chips in with the worst hand. The only important thing about the hand was that it gave me a wake-up call not to mess up again. I should have been eliminated for playing some woeful poker and I was adament I would not fall into the same trap again. I never did make such a big mistake for the rest of the tournament.
No secrets, no hero calls, no sick reads just three days of solid poker got me the biggest result of my life in poker and I'm just so damn happy! There was a number of people within the poker world that helped me stay optomistic and focused throughout the tournament and for them I am most greatful. Without their belief and confidence I may well have let my play drop and thus my result slip. Thank god for good friends.
Congratulations to GJP for taking the chance with the big stacks. I think it worked well and will be seen again very soon. Congrats also to the final table players who I'm sure we will see again and again. Dara played a tight game yet still appeared desceptive. Lloyd can finally shut up about being a poor poker player as his results play stark contrast. Tony Baitson has been knocking on the door for some time now and I suspect is growing frustrated with his near misses. I just hope he can take the positives from his performance. Fran/jackyback and I clashed alot it, I just kept picking up hands in his BB, honestly! He seemed overjoyed by all accounts and why shouldn't he. A fine result and having qualified for the Irish Open already this month it appears he is having a nice February. Marc however I have to stay was the star of the show. His fearless gameplay will no doubt lead him to BIG things.
So.
What the hell am I going to do with all this money?
Sunday, February 03, 2008
Don't forget your "A game", Oz wouldn't.....
So my last blog entry was a little silly. My short term form was a little hyped in my mind and I wrote very bullish as a result. I'm always reasonably confident by default going into any game I play and I guess that's what I was trying to portray with my last spiel. I do also think its important to get a strong result in events like these in order to be recongised and respected on the circuit. In a way I was using my confidence to drive me on. Lloyd's point was important though, you can't put a huge amount of hope or emphasis on one tourney and that's kinda what I was doing and it's that which I regret.
So the first tourney of the two I'm playing in the Drogheda festival took place last night. My opinion of my performance was that I played reasonably well without excelling. I had one very important hand against Lloyd which is being discussed on boards at present. I then made a massive mis-step in a hand just after that which blew most my stack. Finally I got it in with aces and was beaten to knock me out. A bad beat but the damage had been done several hands earlier.
The next stop for me now is the Deepstack ME which I have discussed at length on Poker Ireland recently. It should be a great event and one I look forward to playing in, win lose or draw. The massive starting stacks and the abundance of landmines posed by classy and not so classy players should provide some intriquing play. Hopefully I can play my best and not let my standards drop, an error which cost me in the side event.
The importance of playing your best was championed none more so than by Oz Poker who now brings a badge labeled "A game" with him to every poker tournament in order to keep focused throughout. You could say he's the first player ever that's gauranteed to bring his "A game" with him every time, As long as he remembers his badge that is!
So the first tourney of the two I'm playing in the Drogheda festival took place last night. My opinion of my performance was that I played reasonably well without excelling. I had one very important hand against Lloyd which is being discussed on boards at present. I then made a massive mis-step in a hand just after that which blew most my stack. Finally I got it in with aces and was beaten to knock me out. A bad beat but the damage had been done several hands earlier.
The next stop for me now is the Deepstack ME which I have discussed at length on Poker Ireland recently. It should be a great event and one I look forward to playing in, win lose or draw. The massive starting stacks and the abundance of landmines posed by classy and not so classy players should provide some intriquing play. Hopefully I can play my best and not let my standards drop, an error which cost me in the side event.
The importance of playing your best was championed none more so than by Oz Poker who now brings a badge labeled "A game" with him to every poker tournament in order to keep focused throughout. You could say he's the first player ever that's gauranteed to bring his "A game" with him every time, As long as he remembers his badge that is!
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Two dark horses but are either correct?
Betting was suspended yesterday on Bluesq poker after they installed Micheal Muldoon as 200/1 rank outsider for the Green Joker Deepstack game next week. Needless to say those that spotted the value got stuck in straight away. I was one, mashing the keyboard at a hectic pace. The first bet I tried was €100 each way which was quickly refused. I went in again for €50 each way but yet again the computer said no.
Clearly I was not the only one steaming in as this was the stuff of dreams for poker punters. It was a sea of five and four euro bets from there in frantic desperation to get as much on asap. Just studying my account here I managed to get a full €220 on in the end at 200/1 which is a very tidy bet to say the least. I for one shall be cheering on Dr. Muldoon should the ME not go my way.
But will the event go my way? That is the question I've been asking myself this past while. My opinion is quite strong and quite positive. I think Drogheda could well be a big tournament for me and here's why.
By and large I would say I am about 40/60 in terms of the hours I put in playing tournament/cash poker. I like both and have had moderate success at both. To compete in next week's tournament you will need to have had experience in both disciplines I would suggest. The stacks are so deep with 1000 BB's in spots, this has simply never been replicated in Irish tournaments. Non-cash players will be at sea purely due to their lack of experience in deep situations. I am not one of those.
I have played countless hours of online cash in the past two weeks and am very much in training for next week's unique situations. I've played a hundred thousand hands over the last year of 6-max poker at 1/2 and 2/4 and have held a consistent profit throughout. This should stand me in excellent stead for the 1500 main event and to an even greater extent the 500 short-handed game. The short-handed tournament this weekend is tailor made for my game I would suggest.
The last few tournaments I've played I've been very happy with my play having cashed well in the process. I guess what I'm saying here is that I have the pedigree to win. The same way that hectorjelly must have a great chance. He has the breeding (albeit to a greater extent). The odds makers know this and that is why hectorjelly is 33/1 fav on both blue sq and paddy power. I am 100/1 and rightfully so. After all I'm the unknown quantity. I am the dark horse. It is next weekend however that I'm hoping to change that. Once and for all.
Clearly I was not the only one steaming in as this was the stuff of dreams for poker punters. It was a sea of five and four euro bets from there in frantic desperation to get as much on asap. Just studying my account here I managed to get a full €220 on in the end at 200/1 which is a very tidy bet to say the least. I for one shall be cheering on Dr. Muldoon should the ME not go my way.
But will the event go my way? That is the question I've been asking myself this past while. My opinion is quite strong and quite positive. I think Drogheda could well be a big tournament for me and here's why.
By and large I would say I am about 40/60 in terms of the hours I put in playing tournament/cash poker. I like both and have had moderate success at both. To compete in next week's tournament you will need to have had experience in both disciplines I would suggest. The stacks are so deep with 1000 BB's in spots, this has simply never been replicated in Irish tournaments. Non-cash players will be at sea purely due to their lack of experience in deep situations. I am not one of those.
I have played countless hours of online cash in the past two weeks and am very much in training for next week's unique situations. I've played a hundred thousand hands over the last year of 6-max poker at 1/2 and 2/4 and have held a consistent profit throughout. This should stand me in excellent stead for the 1500 main event and to an even greater extent the 500 short-handed game. The short-handed tournament this weekend is tailor made for my game I would suggest.
The last few tournaments I've played I've been very happy with my play having cashed well in the process. I guess what I'm saying here is that I have the pedigree to win. The same way that hectorjelly must have a great chance. He has the breeding (albeit to a greater extent). The odds makers know this and that is why hectorjelly is 33/1 fav on both blue sq and paddy power. I am 100/1 and rightfully so. After all I'm the unknown quantity. I am the dark horse. It is next weekend however that I'm hoping to change that. Once and for all.
Sunday, January 27, 2008
The handicapper can't spam my chances in Droghada...
It appears I've been hit by the spammers too. My last entry got one comment, not from Gordon, not from Keith Rooney, in fact I've no idea who he was. All I know is that he tried to sell me something or join a site, basically trying to take my money. On the topic of spamming, my yahoo email address gets about 15 spam mails a day. Despite me marking them as "spam" each time, they keep coming back. Is there any way to stop them or at least hurt the senders so they stop with the annoyance to our emails? I'm open to suggestions but not spammers.
Last night I played the Cash League Final in the Jackpot. Dermot scooped 1st place along with strong performances from Conor Broomfield (as predicted by Gordon) Duke (always nice to see him do well) and Troy (who has been on the scene a lot more lately and playing well to boot). I had under the average hours and an inability to play Omaha yet still put up a brave battle which I suppose is encouraging. 70 players qualified and I finished in 14th spot for €250. There are however two ways of looking at this.
The first way would be to say that it was my best finish in three attempts at this tourney. I played my Omaha hands reasonably competently and am getting a little bit more of a feel for the game. I was short-stacked throughout yet I sat patient and never made any desperation plays. Based on pre-tournament qualification hours my expected finish would have been around the 40-50 place mark according to the handicapper (hijacking a BCB type analysis there) so I guess I performed above expectation.
The second way of examining my performance would be to say it was really a waste of time. If I never turned up I would have still got €100 and if I got knocked out after an hour I would have received €150. Also going deep made pretty much no difference until you reached the final table where the prize-pool jumps dramatically. My performance was in vain you could say. It's these thoughts that flow through my head indefinitely as a poker player. No matter what the occasion is in poker terms I'm always battling the positive with the negative sides to my achievements. This is where confidence plays a part as those who look at the bright side excel as the others diminish.
I'm going to make a change today and behold the positive. I had a tidal wave running against me last night and in performance terms I gave quite a good account of myself. With Droghada edging ever closer on the horizon I'm excited about my chances. A Ralph Lauren structure, no variation in starting stacks and of course the absence of Omaha! We'll be going off under level weights in Droghada in both the €500 and €1500 tournaments and the stage is very much set. The handicapper beware, I might just spring a surprise when the balls in my court!
Last night I played the Cash League Final in the Jackpot. Dermot scooped 1st place along with strong performances from Conor Broomfield (as predicted by Gordon) Duke (always nice to see him do well) and Troy (who has been on the scene a lot more lately and playing well to boot). I had under the average hours and an inability to play Omaha yet still put up a brave battle which I suppose is encouraging. 70 players qualified and I finished in 14th spot for €250. There are however two ways of looking at this.
The first way would be to say that it was my best finish in three attempts at this tourney. I played my Omaha hands reasonably competently and am getting a little bit more of a feel for the game. I was short-stacked throughout yet I sat patient and never made any desperation plays. Based on pre-tournament qualification hours my expected finish would have been around the 40-50 place mark according to the handicapper (hijacking a BCB type analysis there) so I guess I performed above expectation.
The second way of examining my performance would be to say it was really a waste of time. If I never turned up I would have still got €100 and if I got knocked out after an hour I would have received €150. Also going deep made pretty much no difference until you reached the final table where the prize-pool jumps dramatically. My performance was in vain you could say. It's these thoughts that flow through my head indefinitely as a poker player. No matter what the occasion is in poker terms I'm always battling the positive with the negative sides to my achievements. This is where confidence plays a part as those who look at the bright side excel as the others diminish.
I'm going to make a change today and behold the positive. I had a tidal wave running against me last night and in performance terms I gave quite a good account of myself. With Droghada edging ever closer on the horizon I'm excited about my chances. A Ralph Lauren structure, no variation in starting stacks and of course the absence of Omaha! We'll be going off under level weights in Droghada in both the €500 and €1500 tournaments and the stage is very much set. The handicapper beware, I might just spring a surprise when the balls in my court!
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Some quick random thoughts
The cash league final has come round once again and takes place tonight in the jackpot. Round being the operative word as that's what it is, round of each. I'm not gonna dig up the old debate again about if the tourney should be pot limit hold'em as if anything the popularity of Omaha has increased. I;ve Been playing 50/1 Omaha today just for some practise and for the first time ever I kind of enjoyed it. There is something not right in my overall approach to the game. I feel so uncomfortable. It's a type of game I need to read up on and put in 20,000 odd hands before I'm satisfied. I suppose I'd want to feel comfortable by then although my wallet mightn't feel as nice!
Gordon told me this morning that he will win the league final. A man with confidence is twice the player you would imagine but it is Gordon so I guess that gives him an even chance. You may notice Steve Madden has been giving me tips on slagging Gordon so I guess I'm off to a nice start. But then again Madden is a pro when it comes to the slags so I must try harder perhaps.
Elsewhere Keith Rooney is a complete legend. His interest is dipping with our not so beautiful game which is quite disappointing I reckon. Lets hope he perks up his game and confidence over the next few weeks and comes back to his true self. The "Doctor Who" tapes may be just the remedy for the jackpot's most popular regular.
Gordon told me this morning that he will win the league final. A man with confidence is twice the player you would imagine but it is Gordon so I guess that gives him an even chance. You may notice Steve Madden has been giving me tips on slagging Gordon so I guess I'm off to a nice start. But then again Madden is a pro when it comes to the slags so I must try harder perhaps.
Elsewhere Keith Rooney is a complete legend. His interest is dipping with our not so beautiful game which is quite disappointing I reckon. Lets hope he perks up his game and confidence over the next few weeks and comes back to his true self. The "Doctor Who" tapes may be just the remedy for the jackpot's most popular regular.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Spot the Joker on GJP... (I'll eat my sat)
My errand for the day was a trip to the gym. Another simple task that requires a whole day of commitment. I've come to realise that if you eat loads and dont exersise, you put on weight. Simple. You are in a position where you've got to change one or the other. The truth is I'm not giving up eddie rockets or subway or four star pizza so it looks like the gym is the only option. Hell if all else fails I might look into Gordon's chewing gum diet.
Today I made a deposit into green joker poker, a site I have never made a cent on but have lost at least a couple 100$$. Today was no different as I donked away some money in $50 and $10 rebuy sats for fun. Not going to play on the site again till Sunday after that tat. Nice to see Adam Fallon (thechamp87) still permenantly resident on the site. ANY of the times I've logged on hes been there potting away. I'm planning on playing some sats to the GUKPT and the Sunday grand final sat should be my next adventure on the site.
I'm not sure on the optimal strategy for such online sats. That is any time I've played one I've never gone even close to the big prize. Maybe I'm playing too loose in the early stages as it's usually a steadily dipping slope of chip donations until an inglorious exit. Must try harder I believe.
Dave Callaghan added me as a friend on facebook today which was nice. His buddy Conor Doyle took several months and countless pleas before adding me. This time around also took time but with rather less effort. Maybe if I surround myself with name players, people might actually think I'm good too?
Heading into town now to play some Tuesday night jackpot fun. Could be a tournament, could be a 1/2 cash game, could be a 2/5 one. Tuesday night madness, you just never know what you'll be playing. The only problem for me is, avoiding the subway en route.
Till next time....
Today I made a deposit into green joker poker, a site I have never made a cent on but have lost at least a couple 100$$. Today was no different as I donked away some money in $50 and $10 rebuy sats for fun. Not going to play on the site again till Sunday after that tat. Nice to see Adam Fallon (thechamp87) still permenantly resident on the site. ANY of the times I've logged on hes been there potting away. I'm planning on playing some sats to the GUKPT and the Sunday grand final sat should be my next adventure on the site.
I'm not sure on the optimal strategy for such online sats. That is any time I've played one I've never gone even close to the big prize. Maybe I'm playing too loose in the early stages as it's usually a steadily dipping slope of chip donations until an inglorious exit. Must try harder I believe.
Dave Callaghan added me as a friend on facebook today which was nice. His buddy Conor Doyle took several months and countless pleas before adding me. This time around also took time but with rather less effort. Maybe if I surround myself with name players, people might actually think I'm good too?
Heading into town now to play some Tuesday night jackpot fun. Could be a tournament, could be a 1/2 cash game, could be a 2/5 one. Tuesday night madness, you just never know what you'll be playing. The only problem for me is, avoiding the subway en route.
Till next time....
Monday, January 21, 2008
A death in the community
I got my hair cut today. How come I have to assign a whole day to what effectively takes 20 mins? The whole of last week I have been designating Monday as haircut day and little else. The joys of a week off college, don't I fill the days well. So with that job out of the way why not do a blog entry too for the entertainment of my devoted fans methinks. All two of them.
Been playing a fair bit of live cash as I'm sure all the regs have noticed thanks to their inflated pay packets this past week. No its actually been going well. Have had a lot of niggly sessions where I have been behind in the games from the offset and it can be tough to stay confident. Luckylucky has discussed the problem at length recently and I can relate to a lot of his sentiments. It can be very hard to chase the game in poker esp over long periods of losing sessions. Im glad to say that I did persevere in all sessions and got back even on what otherwise should have been a losing night.
So what's been happening on the tables I hear you ask (or is that the voices in my head again)? Well Mick Stephens had a particularly tough time at the tables this week thanks to some real coolers from the hit and run brigade. It's when you see them incidences before you that you really become content with a break-even night. Staying above water can often be a great result if the cards have gone cold on you. That is something I'll be drilling into my head more in the future. Gordon has gone the other direction lately, leading from the front throughout his sessions only to break even on the night. Marc and Ross have been they're usual unpredictable selves bouncing from one extreme to the next. John O Shea and Chub also made a late night visit which involved dancing on tables, relentless abuse, random shouting and general drunkeness. I have to admit though I did laugh more than once.
The most poignant moment of the week though was the death of Sean Jethi. I played with him quite a few times over the last few months and it is quite sad to see one of your fellow players pass away. He had a strong will and a big heart as Tony G would say. Good game Sean, RIP.
Been playing a fair bit of live cash as I'm sure all the regs have noticed thanks to their inflated pay packets this past week. No its actually been going well. Have had a lot of niggly sessions where I have been behind in the games from the offset and it can be tough to stay confident. Luckylucky has discussed the problem at length recently and I can relate to a lot of his sentiments. It can be very hard to chase the game in poker esp over long periods of losing sessions. Im glad to say that I did persevere in all sessions and got back even on what otherwise should have been a losing night.
So what's been happening on the tables I hear you ask (or is that the voices in my head again)? Well Mick Stephens had a particularly tough time at the tables this week thanks to some real coolers from the hit and run brigade. It's when you see them incidences before you that you really become content with a break-even night. Staying above water can often be a great result if the cards have gone cold on you. That is something I'll be drilling into my head more in the future. Gordon has gone the other direction lately, leading from the front throughout his sessions only to break even on the night. Marc and Ross have been they're usual unpredictable selves bouncing from one extreme to the next. John O Shea and Chub also made a late night visit which involved dancing on tables, relentless abuse, random shouting and general drunkeness. I have to admit though I did laugh more than once.
The most poignant moment of the week though was the death of Sean Jethi. I played with him quite a few times over the last few months and it is quite sad to see one of your fellow players pass away. He had a strong will and a big heart as Tony G would say. Good game Sean, RIP.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
What's the story, blogging for glory?
Jeff (ditpoker) started a thread yesterday which basically ranted about people's inflated egos when it comes to poker. These sentiments are most commonly found in blogs it seems. In general, blogs are just an excuse for people to self-indulge and wax lyrically about their successes. Roy sums it up here quite well. Most blogs refuse point blank to discuss losses and only discuss wins when in reality most people (myself included) would rather read about people's losses. You learn more from losses than wins.
The main reason I write a blog is because I have several friends and family that ask me how I'm getting on as they are interested in poker. A blog gives me a chance to keep a diary of what I'm doing in poker for myself and a source for these people to read too. Like my last entry for instance. This really summed up where I'm at in poker and reads very much like a diary entry. To explain that to somebody it would take a long time as there is a lot happening. The blog is kind of the best method of communication for me personally.
Saying all this I'm more against them than in favour. I think the coverage they get is extremely limited and overall it would be much better to get a website where everybody can submit content. That I feel is the future of the situation.
Talk is rife about Chub and John O' Shea getting involved in something like this. A one-stop website which discusses Irish poker, particularly from an alternative stand-point. Eoghan O' Dea may also be involved in this project which would make for a particularly interesting addition. There is a lot of intriguing players out there on the Irish poker scene and some fine writers too. The market is there, I think its time for a change of pace in inter web discussion of our game.
The main reason I write a blog is because I have several friends and family that ask me how I'm getting on as they are interested in poker. A blog gives me a chance to keep a diary of what I'm doing in poker for myself and a source for these people to read too. Like my last entry for instance. This really summed up where I'm at in poker and reads very much like a diary entry. To explain that to somebody it would take a long time as there is a lot happening. The blog is kind of the best method of communication for me personally.
Saying all this I'm more against them than in favour. I think the coverage they get is extremely limited and overall it would be much better to get a website where everybody can submit content. That I feel is the future of the situation.
Talk is rife about Chub and John O' Shea getting involved in something like this. A one-stop website which discusses Irish poker, particularly from an alternative stand-point. Eoghan O' Dea may also be involved in this project which would make for a particularly interesting addition. There is a lot of intriguing players out there on the Irish poker scene and some fine writers too. The market is there, I think its time for a change of pace in inter web discussion of our game.
Tuesday, January 08, 2008
Interesting times indeed...
The last 10 days or so have been challenging, rewarding, tiring, head wrecking and pretty damn interesting. That's a lot of funny emotions to go through in 10days! I can still feel each one as I think back now, it has been an eventful little period that's for sure.
It has been challenging because I'm getting involved in new ventures within poker. As some of you know (or perhaps don't) I was doing live reporting for pokernews.com last weekend in Galway with Nicky O'D. It sounds straight forward doesn't it? "Live reporting". Well to be honest I didn't view it that way. Yes, it was something I wanted to do but I was quite nervous about it. I'm not sure why that was the case, I guess it was cause I'd never done it before. Another thing that has never happened before is being commissioned an article for Cardplayer. Things like these make me apprehensive as I'm eager to impress. It's a challenge. Also I was going to be very active for the entire weekend in Galway which was hardly ideal prep for a Marketing Management exam that I had in Dublin at 9am on Monday morning. A challenge indeed.
The reporting work for pokernews was frantic. I could barely get a glass of water over the weekend! I would imagine that's down to lack of experience. I couldn't count chips accurately, I didn't know any ones name bar Mike Sexton, Roy Brindley or Smurph (hence the extensive reports-LOL!). By day three however I was feeling much better. I discovered that I was capable of doing live reporting and I actually can't wait to do it again! By the time I got home from Galway, it was a case of "out of the frying pan and into the fire". Last minute study was in order and I gave it as good as I got. The exam on Monday morning went really well and the last minute effort payed off. A very rewarding end to the weekend.
By Monday evening I was exhausted. It felt like the whole experience had caught up on me and I was quite drained. It was the type of tiredness that you get when you feel like you've been hit by an elephant. You just feel beat up rather than drowsy and sleepy. I'm sure there's a more impressive medical term to describe all this but I like my description better!
Now for the head wrecking part. Well I suppose my feelings in the previous paragraph should have helped my decision making process on whether to play a Monday night tournament or not. Nah no point methinks sure I just gotta be able to say things like "raise" "call" fold" etc. I'll be grand. To a certain extent, I was correct. I was chip leader at the break with 2 tables left from the 31 runners. Clever thinking indeed. Then it all fell apart. I started playing 3/10 poker and it was "good night Vienna" from there. It wasn't just the tourney that was annoying. My play in general has been poor lately. I've been losing live, losing online and generally performing way below par. I want to get back to winning ways as this is turning into somewhat of an unwanted downswing. In short, it's head wrecking. Especially considering what I have planned for next month.
Yes February shall be a busy month. As Big City Banker once famously said "November is not the month to run bad in". Well for me February is that type of month. I've decided to play the Green Joker Deep Stacks tournament in Droghada. I know a lot of people are unsure about this tournament but I'm a fan. Deep stack poker is fun and it really gives you every chance to prove yourself. With 50,000 chips I reckon you could make (under normal conditions) several tournament costing mistakes and still be in and have a chance.
I'm also going to play the €500 short-handed tournament on the festival's under card and will surely end up playing the Big Slick team event too later in the month. It's not a cheap project for me but I've been planning a blowout for some time and it's a shot I'm looking forward to taking to be honest. Any monies I make between here and Feb I shall be putting towards the venture so expect to see me busy on the cash tables over the next while. Lets hope I can recover some form in the coming weeks. Interesting times indeed.
It has been challenging because I'm getting involved in new ventures within poker. As some of you know (or perhaps don't) I was doing live reporting for pokernews.com last weekend in Galway with Nicky O'D. It sounds straight forward doesn't it? "Live reporting". Well to be honest I didn't view it that way. Yes, it was something I wanted to do but I was quite nervous about it. I'm not sure why that was the case, I guess it was cause I'd never done it before. Another thing that has never happened before is being commissioned an article for Cardplayer. Things like these make me apprehensive as I'm eager to impress. It's a challenge. Also I was going to be very active for the entire weekend in Galway which was hardly ideal prep for a Marketing Management exam that I had in Dublin at 9am on Monday morning. A challenge indeed.
The reporting work for pokernews was frantic. I could barely get a glass of water over the weekend! I would imagine that's down to lack of experience. I couldn't count chips accurately, I didn't know any ones name bar Mike Sexton, Roy Brindley or Smurph (hence the extensive reports-LOL!). By day three however I was feeling much better. I discovered that I was capable of doing live reporting and I actually can't wait to do it again! By the time I got home from Galway, it was a case of "out of the frying pan and into the fire". Last minute study was in order and I gave it as good as I got. The exam on Monday morning went really well and the last minute effort payed off. A very rewarding end to the weekend.
By Monday evening I was exhausted. It felt like the whole experience had caught up on me and I was quite drained. It was the type of tiredness that you get when you feel like you've been hit by an elephant. You just feel beat up rather than drowsy and sleepy. I'm sure there's a more impressive medical term to describe all this but I like my description better!
Now for the head wrecking part. Well I suppose my feelings in the previous paragraph should have helped my decision making process on whether to play a Monday night tournament or not. Nah no point methinks sure I just gotta be able to say things like "raise" "call" fold" etc. I'll be grand. To a certain extent, I was correct. I was chip leader at the break with 2 tables left from the 31 runners. Clever thinking indeed. Then it all fell apart. I started playing 3/10 poker and it was "good night Vienna" from there. It wasn't just the tourney that was annoying. My play in general has been poor lately. I've been losing live, losing online and generally performing way below par. I want to get back to winning ways as this is turning into somewhat of an unwanted downswing. In short, it's head wrecking. Especially considering what I have planned for next month.
Yes February shall be a busy month. As Big City Banker once famously said "November is not the month to run bad in". Well for me February is that type of month. I've decided to play the Green Joker Deep Stacks tournament in Droghada. I know a lot of people are unsure about this tournament but I'm a fan. Deep stack poker is fun and it really gives you every chance to prove yourself. With 50,000 chips I reckon you could make (under normal conditions) several tournament costing mistakes and still be in and have a chance.
I'm also going to play the €500 short-handed tournament on the festival's under card and will surely end up playing the Big Slick team event too later in the month. It's not a cheap project for me but I've been planning a blowout for some time and it's a shot I'm looking forward to taking to be honest. Any monies I make between here and Feb I shall be putting towards the venture so expect to see me busy on the cash tables over the next while. Lets hope I can recover some form in the coming weeks. Interesting times indeed.
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