Work tomorrow - not good. Shirts ironed, alarm set - thoroughly depressing!!
On plus side I did win some money today for first time in a while, mostly while short stacking on NL200. I like this limited brain poker and can see how some of the big rake race winners rack up the points - you can play a gazillion tables and never feel as though you are risking that much money. If I ever start to really suck at full buy in poker then I definitely might consider this as an option - especially as I know Brennan hates people like this!
I also had my first run out of 5 a side football today in 4 months, and I am really really unfit. My chest kills, my legs ache and I'm shattered tonight, but I feel better for it. A couple more weeks and I'll start to get my fitness back I reckon. We'll see.....
Monday, 13 April 2009
No Progress
Lost about 100 euros yesterday after a long 3 hour session, but I have to say it was one of the most boring sessions of play I have ever experienced. I 6 tabled for a total of 1400 hands, and only had 2 hands where I either won or lost more than 50 buy ins. Snore snore. I think I'm turning in to an action junkie like Suddes...
The one thing that kep me playing longer than normal in that mood was the appearance of the jackal on my table. Luckily for me he sat 2 seats to my left, which meant I could steal the big blind whenever I was on the button at will as I know he is an absolute rock and fears me!! :-) Only joking Carl - I always had monsters :-)
Might get some hands in later, but I am now about £30 down for the month so at the moment my April results are not looking fantastic.... still a long way to go though.
The one thing that kep me playing longer than normal in that mood was the appearance of the jackal on my table. Luckily for me he sat 2 seats to my left, which meant I could steal the big blind whenever I was on the button at will as I know he is an absolute rock and fears me!! :-) Only joking Carl - I always had monsters :-)
Might get some hands in later, but I am now about £30 down for the month so at the moment my April results are not looking fantastic.... still a long way to go though.
Sunday, 12 April 2009
Sat Night At Grosvenor
My online form has been patchy at best this month, and despite me logging a fair few hours I'm currently only just above break even. I played a few times when my mind was not really on it (i.e. taking work phone calls, playing when ill) so I'm not 100% downhearted about my game - just need to keep playing and sure the pots will start coming my way.
Decided to take a break from online and went to the casino with Rich and Azz last night for some old fashioned live play. I've not been for a while but the same old faces were there and as I sat next to Mr Cusworth for most of the night I had a good laugh, without much success on the card front. I don't think I helped myself much when I showed a steal with 36 off suit from early position with around 18 players left, as this put a target on my back! I sensibly calmed down my raising after this for a couple of orbits, but got AI pre flop with AK against a guy who wanted to go home and had shoved the last 3 hands (including 37 suited, A8 and J7 I think). Obviously the time he goes all in with me he has a reasonable hand (77) but it looks good for me when I see a King on the first card of the flop, only for a 7 to bink off as the 2nd card. Sayonara amigo!
I left Azz and Rich still there with about 14 left and I would be very very surprised if neither of them took down a sizeable chunk of the prize pool. I know I shouldn't be surprised at the standard of a £25 + £5.50 freeze out but it really was poor. I think I'm going to limit my casino visits to when I go with friends and drink a few beers as a social occasion rather than a serious attempt to win money - the top prize was only £280 and there's far juicier games online on a Saturday night. As I said though, I still enjoyed myself so can't complain too much.
Will log a few more hands in the next couple of days before work again on Tuesday- grim prospect.
Decided to take a break from online and went to the casino with Rich and Azz last night for some old fashioned live play. I've not been for a while but the same old faces were there and as I sat next to Mr Cusworth for most of the night I had a good laugh, without much success on the card front. I don't think I helped myself much when I showed a steal with 36 off suit from early position with around 18 players left, as this put a target on my back! I sensibly calmed down my raising after this for a couple of orbits, but got AI pre flop with AK against a guy who wanted to go home and had shoved the last 3 hands (including 37 suited, A8 and J7 I think). Obviously the time he goes all in with me he has a reasonable hand (77) but it looks good for me when I see a King on the first card of the flop, only for a 7 to bink off as the 2nd card. Sayonara amigo!
I left Azz and Rich still there with about 14 left and I would be very very surprised if neither of them took down a sizeable chunk of the prize pool. I know I shouldn't be surprised at the standard of a £25 + £5.50 freeze out but it really was poor. I think I'm going to limit my casino visits to when I go with friends and drink a few beers as a social occasion rather than a serious attempt to win money - the top prize was only £280 and there's far juicier games online on a Saturday night. As I said though, I still enjoyed myself so can't complain too much.
Will log a few more hands in the next couple of days before work again on Tuesday- grim prospect.
Thursday, 9 April 2009
Bad Day All Round
Alas, the good variance from my last post has ended abruptly, with Murphy's law deciding to use me as a practical example yesterday.
Work Hell
I know I have coplained on here loads about having to return to work next week after 3.5 months off, but I did actually have a decent job lined up for when I returned. Until yesterday. I get a phone call from my one of the bosses telling me that they have made some organisational changes and the job they had lined up for me is no longer available. They also say that they know I'm returning to work next week but at the moment they don't know where I'll be working - and that maybe I'll just have some menial office work to do next week until they get something sorted. It looks like I could be the best paid, most qualified photocopier in the whole of Newcastle next week!
I know there is a bit of a recession on and that jobs are hard to come by at the moment, and I know the decisions that effect me in big companies like the one I work for is not taken by my direct managers, but it is still a bit of a let down. I think I'll now end up in a department I hate in a job I don't want with limited career progression opportunites. I'll see what happens in the next couple of weeks but I might need to start taking serious stock of where I'm heading work wise.... something that was not on the agenda after all my time off.
Car Tax Hell
This one is kind of my fault. It's not that I hate cars - I mean, some of them really do look good and it's a pleasure to drive a fast one - but I do hate the amouont of time and money the SOB's cost. If there was decent cheap public trasnport then I think I'd seriously consider jacking them in, but as the UK is a hell-hole with shit weather (who want's to wait in the rain / wind for 30mins every day for a bus that costs £2 for 5 mins??), I guess I'm stuck with my beat up Peugeot 306 for a bit longer.
The down side of not caring about cars or car related things is that I'm very care-free with my 'important' car related documents. Which I have found is not the cleverest thing to be when it comes round to taxing the bitch. I usually tax it online as they have a record of your MOT etc, but this time the renewal form you need for this got sent to an old address and I've been unable to get it back in time. Queue frantic searching through all my old bank statements, phone records, gas / electric bills and old Xmas cards that I haven't thrown away in order to try and find the car information I need - all to no avail. I am missing a log book and a valid MOT certificate, and no idea where they are. My filing system is definitely going to get an overhaul.
Anyway, I need to get all these sorted before the 14th in order to avoid a hefty fine from the government's fancy computerised missing car Tax chaser - the one they show on TV all the time crushing your car etc etc. I've therefore booked my car in for an MOT now, 2 months before it's due one, and hoping to get the certificate back soon so I can get the car taxed at the beginning of next week. Easter holidays have come at a bad time though as everyone is shutting up shop for the weekend, so not sure if I'm going to get it back in time or not. My car also died on me the other day so I'm hoping there's nothing seriously wrong with it as I could do without a major expense fixing it. The new log book is also going to cost me £25 minimum to get sorted. Grrr
Poker Hell
To top things, I also dropped £500 at the cash tables yesterday - all within one 90 minute session. This also coincided with the time I was playing while taking the above discussed work phone call, so I guess I should have known a bit better than to play while distracted. To put it all down to a lack of concentration though would not be fair, as I was £300+ in the hole before I took the call! At my stakes (NL100), I think that to lose that amount of money over a 90 minute session not only requires bad luck but also some bad / misstimed plays. This session was no exception, and for every KK I ran in to AA, I also check raised bluff someone who can't fold with air.
This is still an area I need drastic work on - i.e. to keep my head right when a few situations go against me and I lose a buy in or two. I'm still a bit too results orientated and start chasing my losses straight away rather than have a losing session, which is not logical as this usually only compounds the problem. I'm going to make a conscious effort to take a step back next time I lose a few buy ins and make sure my head is right before carrying on playing that session - otherwise log off and start again at another time. Easier said than done but it's something I'm going to seriously promise to try and do this time (unlike Briggs' diet promise....)
I've just scrolled over this post and it's a long one so I'll cut this short now. My last gripe though is that I still have man flu <> <>. When it rains, it pours......
As they say, today is a new day though so here's hoping the sun shines on me a little brighter than it did yesterday.
Good luck to all and congrats to Mr Pud on his new arrival.
Work Hell
I know I have coplained on here loads about having to return to work next week after 3.5 months off, but I did actually have a decent job lined up for when I returned. Until yesterday. I get a phone call from my one of the bosses telling me that they have made some organisational changes and the job they had lined up for me is no longer available. They also say that they know I'm returning to work next week but at the moment they don't know where I'll be working - and that maybe I'll just have some menial office work to do next week until they get something sorted. It looks like I could be the best paid, most qualified photocopier in the whole of Newcastle next week!
I know there is a bit of a recession on and that jobs are hard to come by at the moment, and I know the decisions that effect me in big companies like the one I work for is not taken by my direct managers, but it is still a bit of a let down. I think I'll now end up in a department I hate in a job I don't want with limited career progression opportunites. I'll see what happens in the next couple of weeks but I might need to start taking serious stock of where I'm heading work wise.... something that was not on the agenda after all my time off.
Car Tax Hell
This one is kind of my fault. It's not that I hate cars - I mean, some of them really do look good and it's a pleasure to drive a fast one - but I do hate the amouont of time and money the SOB's cost. If there was decent cheap public trasnport then I think I'd seriously consider jacking them in, but as the UK is a hell-hole with shit weather (who want's to wait in the rain / wind for 30mins every day for a bus that costs £2 for 5 mins??), I guess I'm stuck with my beat up Peugeot 306 for a bit longer.
The down side of not caring about cars or car related things is that I'm very care-free with my 'important' car related documents. Which I have found is not the cleverest thing to be when it comes round to taxing the bitch. I usually tax it online as they have a record of your MOT etc, but this time the renewal form you need for this got sent to an old address and I've been unable to get it back in time. Queue frantic searching through all my old bank statements, phone records, gas / electric bills and old Xmas cards that I haven't thrown away in order to try and find the car information I need - all to no avail. I am missing a log book and a valid MOT certificate, and no idea where they are. My filing system is definitely going to get an overhaul.
Anyway, I need to get all these sorted before the 14th in order to avoid a hefty fine from the government's fancy computerised missing car Tax chaser - the one they show on TV all the time crushing your car etc etc. I've therefore booked my car in for an MOT now, 2 months before it's due one, and hoping to get the certificate back soon so I can get the car taxed at the beginning of next week. Easter holidays have come at a bad time though as everyone is shutting up shop for the weekend, so not sure if I'm going to get it back in time or not. My car also died on me the other day so I'm hoping there's nothing seriously wrong with it as I could do without a major expense fixing it. The new log book is also going to cost me £25 minimum to get sorted. Grrr
Poker Hell
To top things, I also dropped £500 at the cash tables yesterday - all within one 90 minute session. This also coincided with the time I was playing while taking the above discussed work phone call, so I guess I should have known a bit better than to play while distracted. To put it all down to a lack of concentration though would not be fair, as I was £300+ in the hole before I took the call! At my stakes (NL100), I think that to lose that amount of money over a 90 minute session not only requires bad luck but also some bad / misstimed plays. This session was no exception, and for every KK I ran in to AA, I also check raised bluff someone who can't fold with air.
This is still an area I need drastic work on - i.e. to keep my head right when a few situations go against me and I lose a buy in or two. I'm still a bit too results orientated and start chasing my losses straight away rather than have a losing session, which is not logical as this usually only compounds the problem. I'm going to make a conscious effort to take a step back next time I lose a few buy ins and make sure my head is right before carrying on playing that session - otherwise log off and start again at another time. Easier said than done but it's something I'm going to seriously promise to try and do this time (unlike Briggs' diet promise....)
I've just scrolled over this post and it's a long one so I'll cut this short now. My last gripe though is that I still have man flu <
As they say, today is a new day though so here's hoping the sun shines on me a little brighter than it did yesterday.
Good luck to all and congrats to Mr Pud on his new arrival.
Tuesday, 7 April 2009
Minimal Play, Maximum Pay
Still off work this week in order to ease myself back in to the UK lifestyle, and had the intention of playing a fair bit of poker in order to boost myself up the rake race. Unfortunately I've picked up the killer man flu virus so struggling to concentrate on anything other than where the next Lemsip is coming from, therefore making 6 tabling a bit too much of an ordeal.
I did manage to log 600 hands yesterday though for a profit of nearly £500 thanks to some awesome set up hands in my favour - including my flopped flush versus trips, my flopped straight with 56 after someone slow played KK against me pre flop and flop before unwisely check raising me all in on turn (board 347T - sweet!!). I think the fact I also played slightly more hands than nomal (21/19 vs normal 18/15) meant I was paid off with mosters too.
Same again today would obviously be nice :-)
I did manage to log 600 hands yesterday though for a profit of nearly £500 thanks to some awesome set up hands in my favour - including my flopped flush versus trips, my flopped straight with 56 after someone slow played KK against me pre flop and flop before unwisely check raising me all in on turn (board 347T - sweet!!). I think the fact I also played slightly more hands than nomal (21/19 vs normal 18/15) meant I was paid off with mosters too.
Same again today would obviously be nice :-)
Saturday, 4 April 2009
March P&L
Despite not being able to play for the last week of March due to alcohol / suit then most frustratingly internet connection problems, I managed to hang on for a decent finish in the Rake Race on Ladbrokes to boost my profit nicely for the month.
6max: £2130
Heads Up: £400
STT: -£50
MTT: -£160
PLO: -£20
---------------------
All: £2300
Rake Race: £1100
RTR Bonus: £700
--------------------
March Grand Total: £4100
(125 hours played)
Obviously I'm more than happy with the return, and pleased with how my game has improved since I have been away. I feel confident that I can beat NL100 now and looking forward to getting back playing again soon. Unfortunately I need to withdraw some of my winnings in order to pay for some unexpected expenses (old council tax bills, stolen motorbikes) so I won't be able to move up in limits just yet....
Work on the horizon so my bonus / rakeback is going to be less this month. Just hope my (hopefully) improved poker skills can make up the shortfall!!
6max: £2130
Heads Up: £400
STT: -£50
MTT: -£160
PLO: -£20
---------------------
All: £2300
Rake Race: £1100
RTR Bonus: £700
--------------------
March Grand Total: £4100
(125 hours played)
Obviously I'm more than happy with the return, and pleased with how my game has improved since I have been away. I feel confident that I can beat NL100 now and looking forward to getting back playing again soon. Unfortunately I need to withdraw some of my winnings in order to pay for some unexpected expenses (old council tax bills, stolen motorbikes) so I won't be able to move up in limits just yet....
Work on the horizon so my bonus / rakeback is going to be less this month. Just hope my (hopefully) improved poker skills can make up the shortfall!!
Thailand Adventure Is Over
Well, the time finally came and I've returned home. I've seen some amazing sights - Angkor Watt, Bali, Thailand Islands etc etc - enjoyed the weather (sun and thunerstorms alike) - and had 3 months I'll never forget. Not working all week in the office has also been great!!
If anyone this reading and never been to Thailand then I could not recommend it highly enough. Ignoring the amazing weather and awesome scenery, everyone over there (males / females / shemales) are so friendly, the food is class.... and everything is dirt cheap! I don't think I could have chosen a better country for my sabattical.
Sadly. it's now all over and I'm contemplating my return to work next week. I can honestly say it's a miserable prospect! At least I'm home with K again (no posts this time Soap) so my mood has been lifted, but we'll see for how long with work approaching... I will stay optimistic though!
Results to be posted next....
If anyone this reading and never been to Thailand then I could not recommend it highly enough. Ignoring the amazing weather and awesome scenery, everyone over there (males / females / shemales) are so friendly, the food is class.... and everything is dirt cheap! I don't think I could have chosen a better country for my sabattical.
Sadly. it's now all over and I'm contemplating my return to work next week. I can honestly say it's a miserable prospect! At least I'm home with K again (no posts this time Soap) so my mood has been lifted, but we'll see for how long with work approaching... I will stay optimistic though!
Results to be posted next....
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)