Looks like you are doing well and have a healthy bankroll, which is great, and I am sure didn't come easy or overnight, so very well done.
Looks to me from the bits I've read that you now play mainly mtt's, (please correct me if I'm wrong), so I would be guessing that this is your best/most profitable games. You mentioned somewhere about wanting to win playing cash, again I have seen you used to play 10nl with some/little success.
What should you play? Which do you prefer to play? Which would/could give you the most profit now or in the future?
For me, I gave up Double your moneys, (and a descent return at the time), to learn how to play cash, and have no regrets as I know that this is the right path for me, as the money is secondary right now but will come in the future...hopefully. Lol
It was hard though and like you I was playing 10nl here and got my butt kicked....alot, so eventually i decided to do something about it. I found the cheapest level i could find (1c/2c) experimented alot, then found some learning videos to watch on u-tube...James 'Splitsuit' Sweeeny, I believe, and now feel pretty good about my game.
Hi mate, thought I'd pop in and say hello. Looks like you are doing well and have a healthy bankroll, which is great, and I am sure didn't come easy or overnight, so very well done. Looks to me from the bits I've read that you now play mainly mtt's, (please correct me if I'm wrong), so I would be guessing that this is your best/most profitable games. You mentioned somewhere about wanting to win playing cash, again I have seen you used to play 10nl with some/little success. What should you play? Which do you prefer to play? Which would/could give you the most profit now or in the future? For me, I gave up Double your moneys, (and a descent return at the time), to learn how to play cash, and have no regrets as I know that this is the right path for me, as the money is secondary right now but will come in the future...hopefully. Lol It was hard though and like you I was playing 10nl here and got my butt kicked....alot, so eventually i decided to do something about it. I found the cheapest level i could find (1c/2c) experimented alot, then found some learning videos to watch on u-tube...James 'Splitsuit' Sweeeny, I believe, and now feel pretty good about my game. Anyway, hope this helps. Keep up the good work, From Ian. Posted by devonfish5
I have tried, on numerous occasions to master cash, all to no avail. I have made the decision to just play and focus on MTT's as this is where my strength lies. I think it is all to do with the fact that there is a winner at the end. I am, and always have been, very competitive and every day I am looking at Pokersuperhero to see where I lie within the various leagues. It is that competitive edge that drives me on and makes me think about every decision. In cash I always tend to get bored and it just becomes habit with little or no enjoyment. I take my hat off to anyone who can start at the micro cash levels and work there way up but to me it just became a grind with no end goal and probably more importantly for me no recognition. Just played the 2 MTT's today and came 9/30 in the £22, £400 Gtd BH and 3/36 in the £11, 300 Gtd BH, for an overall profit of £3.84.
Played 4 MTT's on Tuesday with a varying degrees of success and an overall loss of about £8. Last night I managed to play 3. I came 174/235 in the Main taking 1 bounty. Managed to come 17/494 in the Mini for a profit of £11. Looking back at my exit hand I am still not sure if I played it right. I was about 6th in chips and a smallish stack with about 6 BB shoved all-in, I looked down at 44 and re-shoved, mainly to isolate, and then a bigger stack behind me shoved all-in with QQ. No 4 on the board and it was good night Vienna. Pretty sure it was the right play long term but got this nagging feeling I should have either called or passed. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Did, however, manage to win the £22, £1000 Gtd BH at 7:30pm for a return of £423. I really like this MTT and try to play it most nights. It's funny but I played rather loose aggressive for me and my chip stack was up and down but I just had a feeling from a long way out that I was going to win it. One thing I do need to sort though is how I multi table 3 tables. I seem to struggle when I have 3 tables and can't find a happy solution between tiling and layering. I am not keen on the Mini View and have been layering the tables but I find this harder to manage than when they are tiled. I don't know what the solution is other than to limit myself to 2 tables at a time. It's funny but when I was playing cash I would often happily tile 6 tables but for some reason it doesn't sit comfortably with me in MTT's. Was hoping to play Manchester SPT but it is looking very unlikely I will be able to attend due to work. Here's hoping something changes and I can make it. SKY Poker MTT's Played = 103 Total Profit = £1891.89 Total ROI =135.96%
Live Poker MTT's Played = 34 Total Profit =£635 Total ROI = 57.57%
On the football front there has been good news and bad news. The good news is John Terry signing for the Villa. This is good on a couple of fronts, firstly shows Villa are still viewed as a big club with the ability to attract players of Terry's calibre. Secondly this is the type of player we have been crying out for over the last few seasons, a proven winner, a player with a do or die attitude, a natural leader and perhaps most importantly someone for the younger players to look up to and try and emulate. Can only hope he helps bring the best out of Baker, Grealish, Bree, Green etc, etc. What this does mean though is promotion is now a must and a good start to the season is vital. Now the bad news. AFC Emley are in danger of becoming a nothing club again. This week has seen three of our four best players sign for local rivals Penistone Church, who pipped us to promotion to the Premier League, and with Ashley Flynn also leaving it is a worrying time. There has been no news of any new arrivals and very little noise coming out of the club. The 1st pre-season game is next week, Hall Road Rangers away, so we will have to see what team we put out. There is the prospect of a 'friendly' at home to Penistone Church in a couple of weeks, should be a lively affair, and we also host the oldest club in the world, Sheffield FC, at the end of July. Never went to Newcastle, as daughter has exams this week and thought it more important to spend time revising. Would of been nice of her to decide before I got up at 6:30am on Saturday to take her. One advantage of this was it meant I was up to watch the Lions victory in New Zealand. I am not a huge fan of rugby and very rarely watch it, but I have to say I cannot wait for the final test after watching the second test. What a game that was, full commitment and tense to the very last kick of the game. I have played a few tournies over the last few days without much success and have probably been too tired when I have played to give it my all. I have noticed that I cannot burn the candle at both ends like I used to and often find myself having a little nap in the afternoon on my days off. Due to work I didn't play last night and won't be playing tonight. I am off for five days after today so with a recharge of the batteries I am hoping to return to winning ways over the next few days.
SKY Poker MTT's Played = 116 Total Profit = £1748.88 Total ROI = 110.59%
Live Poker MTT's Played = 34 Total Profit =£635 Total ROI = 57.57%
Played 10 tournies on Wednesday with an overall loss of about £18. Best result was 6th in the 7:30 Bounty Hunter. A question that raised its head again, and for which I still aren't sure of the answer, is at what point are you happy to re-shove all-in to an opening raise with AK. I did it again, when in the money, to an initial raiser whose range appeared quite standard. I had about 20BB at the time and he had me covered. Should I be calling, OOP, or doing as I did and getting it all-in. Had first ante post bets for the new season - Chelsea 7/2, Villa 7/1, Bradford 11/1, Luton 7/1, Tranmere 3/1. 5 x £4 fourfolds, 1 x £5 EW Accum. EW terms on SKYBET at moment are very favourable, with 3 places on the Prem and Conf and 4 places on Champ, Div One and Two. To me Chelsea were by far the best team last year and with their intentions of tightening up the back and the possible signing of Lukaku they seem long at 7/2. As a Villain I very rarely back Villa but think with Terry and the rumours regarding Hart, and if they make a decent start 7/1 will seem huge. Bradford, like Sheff Utd last season, must be due a promotion soon and likewise Luton, who I have backed for the last 3 years. Tranmere should walk Conference. The place accum pays roughly £500 and should keep me interested all season. For a bit of fun I have also had an EW Accum with Federer at 2/1 for Wimbledon and Dan Martin at 20/1 for the Tour De France. Anyone who watched Wednesday's stage will have seen how strong he looked and 20/1, 1/4 first 3 seems a decent price. Tonight I will be playing a few MTT's on Sky so wish me luck.
SKY Poker MTT's Played = 126 Total Profit = £1730.50 Total ROI = 100.81%
Live Poker MTT's Played = 34 Total Profit =£635 Total ROI = 57.57%
Been 6 days since last post as was going to post the other night but forum wasn't working correctly. On the poker front it has been very 'meehhhh' Played 15 tournies with a loss of approx. £80. Best result coming in the Mini on Monday where I came 7th. Looking back I should have done better. I had work next morning so had to be up at 6am and we were playing 7 handed for what seemed like ages, I made the ultimate mistake, got impatient and became ridiculously aggressive, and paid the price. Brings me back to a previous point that it would be so useful if in the lobby there was an indication of the normal length or finishing time of the tournament. Still not played live lately and seemed to have lost the urge, although with the WSOP updates, excellent work by FCHD, I can slowly feel the urge returning. Looks like Federer is nailed on for Wimbledon following today's events, and still think Martin has a good Each Way chance in Le Tour, big stage tomorrow in the Pyrennes. Villa and Emley begin their pre-season campaigns tonight and it will be interesting to see how Emley get on against decent opposition and with a new look team. Villa have 2 teams out against Kidderminster and Telford, don't think we will learn much from them. Spent last weekend outdoors, due to the lovely weather, Saturday afternoon at Skelmanthorpe Cricket Club watching their 1st team play Hoylandswaine. Got ridiculously burnt due to the wind that can blow up here. Sunday went for a lovely walk with our lass from Marsden to Slaithwaite along the Huddersfield Narrow Canal and also took a look at the Yorkshire end of the Standedge Tunnel. This is a tunnel some 3 miles long that basically runs under the Pennines from Yorkshire to Lancashire linking Huddersfield with Manchester. It really is an amazing piece of engineering and has many quirky features. It was built without a towpath and the horses would trek across the moors to meet the canal at the other side. This meant that for the barges to make it from one side to the other, men would be employed as 'leggers' and basically lie back to back across the barge and shuffle across the roof of the tunnel to get the barge to move. Due to the narrowness of the tunnel it was agreed that they would operate a one way system with access from the Yorkshire side only allowed in the early morning and late evening. Two films come out this week that I really want to see, Dunkirk and the new Planet of the Apes. I am not a huge film buff but Dunkirk looks really good, is my type of film and my daughter also seems really keen to see it and as it appears quite educational and a major part of this country's history I am all for her seeing it. Planet of the Apes, I have seen the others and really enjoyed them so can't see why I won't enjoy this one. For those that are interested in my regime to become the new body of Baywatch, I have currently lost -1/2lb and only been on my bike twice in last week. Tomorow I am off so I will be back on the bike, but I am toying with the idea of a breakfast at the local cafe. When I say cafe it is actually a little restaurant in the local garden centre that uses all locally sourced products and is delicious, not at all your greasy spoon breakfast. Probably still won't help with my weight loss but at my age you deserve a treat now and again. Must be knocking on as got a text from Drs today informing me that their records indicate you are elligble for an NHS Health Check. Already out of Main and Mini but currently 5/17 in 7:30pm £1000 BH, so lets hope we run deep.
SKY Poker MTT's Played = 141 Total Profit = £1655.59 Total ROI = 83.36% Live Poker MTT's Played = 34 Total Profit =£635 Total ROI = 57.57%
Not been doing too well on the old poker front in the last week, with the only highlight being a 4th place in the 7:30pm £1000 Bounty Hunter on Thursday. Last night got home after a long and tiring weekend in work with the intention of playing 3 MTT's, having a quiet beer and generally relaxing. After starting my 1st tournie my internet connection went. Ended up playing on my mobile and found it really hard compared to playing on the laptop. Have to say the service I received from my internet provider was appalling, took over 3 hours to actually get through to a human being. To be fair to them once I was through they determined the fault lay on the line before it entered my house and said they would get through to OpenReach and they would have to fix it. Whatever they did worked as this morning I woke up to full connectivity. Does make you realise how much we rely on the internet when you haven't got it. My daughter cannot believe I spent my entire childhood without the joys of being online and was bored within 10 mins. Intention is to play a few MTT's tonight as I am on lates tomorrow. So will be diving into the 6:30pm Bounty Hunter, 7 at 7, 7:30pm Bounty Hunter, Main and Mini and depending how I run maybe another one or two. As I am off this weekend I have agreed to play the £33, £1000 Guarantee at my local casino in Huddersfield along with my son. He is a budding poker player but struggles with patience and seems to prefer cash. Having said that the last time we both played this event I finished 9th and he cashed in 5th place. Overall he knows deep down I am still the better player but it does add another dimension to the game, particularly if we are on the same table. Had a couple of bets this week, £2.50 e.w. on Francesco Molinari at 100/1, 1/5 odds 1-7 for The Open and then a £5 accum on the following for the 2017 footie season, thanks to Sky Club for my Free Bet, Fulham Top 6 @ 5/4, Bradford Top 6 @ 6/4, Forest Green Top 7 @ 5/2, Tranmere Promotion @ 11/8, Southampton Bottom Half @ 5/4 which will hopefully return just over £520. My previous bet with Federer and Dan Martin is looking in doubt after todays stage where Martin lost 50 secs to all his rivals. A poor piece of riding meant he got detached from the leader's group and with a strong cross tail wind he was never going to get back to them. Needs a huge couple of days in The Alps to have any chance of that Podium place. Anyway off to the tables now so wish me luck and if you're on my table say 'hello'
SKY Poker MTT's Played = 154 Total Profit = £1603.69 Total ROI = 71.55% Live Poker MTT's Played = 34 Total Profit =£635 Total ROI = 57.57%
Steve Stricker 100/1, 10 places on Sky, came 7th last time at Birkdale, coming off the back of 5th in John Deere Classic last weekend and a very early starter tomorrow when the weather should be at its best.
Stricker never really got in it, was always 2 or 3 shots of the top 10 and ended up finishing 37th at 2 over par. Will be receiving another £5 Free Bet tomorrow and this will be invested ante-post on the footie. Villa look like they are moving in the right direction and have made a few astute signings this week, Whelan from Stoke the sort of steady, work-horse player we need to get out of this division, Elmohadamy from Hull who has won promotion with Steve Bruce before and Samba, who looks an absolute beast. Him and Terry at the back would seem very difficult to pass at Championship level, the only problem being once you are past them they aren't going to catch you. Having watched the two games we played today in the Cup of Traditions in Germany we do seem to be moving in the right direction. I do think that Boro have made some very good signings to add to a pretty decent squad they already had. Can see them being the team to beat. On the Poker front I have played a few tournies on Sky over the last few days with a fair degree of success. Best results have been a 3rd in a £500 BH on Friday, never got to the casino as got home form work too late and knackered, and 4th in the £22, £1000 BH last night. Feel I have been playing pretty well last couple of nights and although I have got lucky in a couple of spots feel that I am defo running adversely in the big 50/50's. Hopefully this may change tonight when I am going to play the £5.50, £1000 BH, 7 at 7, £11, £1000 BH and the £33, £6000 BH. Congratulations to Mr Bromley on taking down the MPNT at Grosvenor Manchester, following on from the success of the SkyPoker team in Vegas. This is fast becoming a breeding ground for the successful transformation from online to live poker. Its now 3 weeks until our annual 2 week break, the 1st week being spent with 30 other people in a 4 villa complex in Italy about 45mins from Pisa, for our best friend's eldest daughter's wedding. The 2nd week will be spent at my Dad's in Exmouth, where I may bump into Devonfish. Already looking to book next summers jaunt and will be looking to book a 2 week cruise around the Eastern Med taking in places such as Dubrovnik, Venice a couple of ports in Montenegro and Croatia and then a few of the Greek islands. We are looking to go with Thomson Cruises all-inclusive and adult only. The ship we will be on is the Thomson Celebration. As we will be 1st time cruisers if anyone has been cruising before and has any tips such as which cabin to get etc it would be appreciated. Currently looking after our friends 3yr old Cockapoo for the next 2 weeks and even after just spending a couple of days in her company it has cemented our thoughts about getting a Cockapoo next May. They really are such lovely, friendly good natured dogs and a real joy to be around.
SKY Poker MTT's Played = 168 Total Profit = £1676.97 Total ROI = 67.79% Live Poker MTT's Played = 34 Total Profit =£635 Total ROI = 57.57%
Played the grand total of 5 tournies since last update, including a £500 BH this afternoon. With no highlight and a couple of lowlights 122/129 and 92/95 springing to mind. Really feel I am running badly at the moment e.g. getting it all in with AA against AK for the flop to come KKK just one example. I am sure everyone goes through patches like this and the key is to ride it out. Then get outdrawn again this afternoon and Cash starts rearing it's ugly head again. So far I have resisted temptation but the draw keeps getting stronger and stronger, especially when you keep reading Devonfish is making a daily profit, all be at micro stakes and only 1 tabling. I know I don't have the right mind-set for cash to be a profitable long term +ve move and I must resist the temptation. Tonight I will, therefore, keep to the MTT tables and hopefully run well. At work we had a visit from the new Regional Director yesterday and although I didn't think my depts. were at the top of their game the visit went well so when we are back on the game I will be expecting a rapid promotion, not how it works I am afraid. Then got an unannounced visit from the CEO and Director of George and GM, my 2 depts, again this went well from my perspective and I got time to chat to them about the opportunities I believe the company has. Have to say that for a man in such a high position as CEO he is one **** of an approachable guy. On the career front I have applied for a couple of new roles with other retail companies as I seem to be getting told I am in the planning for promotion but not seeing any action. I had to complete a video interview yesterday for one of the roles and found it a very surreal experience. Sitting in the dining room with a shirt and tie on talking to a video link. No idea how it went and not expecting the best, but we will wait and see. I am in the fortunate position of not needing a new job so any good news will be a bonus. Had one more Ante-Post bet with a £5 Free Bet from Sky on a double, Hernandez Top Premier Scorer @25/1 and Scott Hogan Top Championship Scorer @16/1. Both are pretty long shots but Hernandez is guaranteed to play every week if fit, is a proven scorer, should get more chances form what I expect to be an improved West Ham team, the key to Hogan is staying fit and being first choice. With Kodija still on the way back from injury and Hogan netting in pre-season I think he will start the season up front and then it is just the small matter of him scoring regularly and making the place his own. He is proven at this level and as long as we 'Feed the Hog and he Will Score' we are on to a winner. Just as a side note does anyone actually read this, and if so any thoughts on how it could be improved.
SKY Poker MTT's Played = 173 Total Profit = £1656.69 Total ROI = 65.17% Live Poker MTT's Played = 34 Total Profit =£635 Total ROI = 57.57%
Played the grand total of 5 tournies since last update, including a £500 BH this afternoon. With no highlight and a couple of lowlights 122/129 and 92/95 springing to mind. Really feel I am running badly at the moment e.g. getting it all in with AA against AK for the flop to come KKK just one example. I am sure everyone goes through patches like this and the key is to ride it out. Then get outdrawn again this afternoon and Cash starts rearing it's ugly head again. So far I have resisted temptation but the draw keeps getting stronger and stronger, especially when you keep reading Devonfish is making a daily profit, all be at micro stakes and only 1 tabling. I know I don't have the right mind-set for cash to be a profitable long term +ve move and I must resist the temptation. Tonight I will, therefore, keep to the MTT tables and hopefully run well. At work we had a visit from the new Regional Director yesterday and although I didn't think my depts. were at the top of their game the visit went well so when we are back on the game I will be expecting a rapid promotion, not how it works I am afraid. Then got an unannounced visit from the CEO and Director of George and GM, my 2 depts, again this went well from my perspective and I got time to chat to them about the opportunities I believe the company has. Have to say that for a man in such a high position as CEO he is one **** of an approachable guy. On the career front I have applied for a couple of new roles with other retail companies as I seem to be getting told I am in the planning for promotion but not seeing any action. I had to complete a video interview yesterday for one of the roles and found it a very surreal experience. Sitting in the dining room with a shirt and tie on talking to a video link. No idea how it went and not expecting the best, but we will wait and see. I am in the fortunate position of not needing a new job so any good news will be a bonus. Had one more Ante-Post bet with a £5 Free Bet from Sky on a double, Hernandez Top Premier Scorer @25/1 and Scott Hogan Top Championship Scorer @16/1. Both are pretty long shots but Hernandez is guaranteed to play every week if fit, is a proven scorer, should get more chances form what I expect to be an improved West Ham team, the key to Hogan is staying fit and being first choice. With Kodija still on the way back from injury and Hogan netting in pre-season I think he will start the season up front and then it is just the small matter of him scoring regularly and making the place his own. He is proven at this level and as long as we 'Feed the Hog and he Will Score' we are on to a winner. Just as a side note does anyone actually read this, and if so any thoughts on how it could be improved. SKY Poker MTT's Played = 173 Total Profit = £1656.69 Total ROI = 65.17% Live Poker MTT's Played = 34 Total Profit = £635 Total ROI = 57.57% Posted by 68Trebor
If you're gonna steal our chants then I refuse to read or post
"....Just as a side note does anyone actually read this, and if so any thoughts on how it could be improved....."
Lots of us do, but the nature of online interaction is changing. Many folks avidly read everything others write, but don't feel inclined to reply as they have so many other demands on their time.
It's a shame really, writing stuff when nobody responds is disheartening, but it's how life is these days, we have so many ways to entertain ourselves - 100's of TV channels, films on demand, wikipidea, teletext, and if we want to listen to music we can turn on our Walkman.
Keep writing please, it's very good.
Not sure I'd enjoy applying for a job via a video link. Ugh.
Still think a sort of count of how many people have read a thread and when it was last read, a bit like a certain well known forum where the answer is 4, would encourage more posters and also invigorate those that do post to carry on posting. That is of course assuming people are reading the thread, maybe a tad discouraging to realise no-one is actually reading your words. At the end of the day I, and I assume the other diarists, do it for their own benefit whether its because they enjoy doing it, they find it helps them focus or they enjoy looking back to see what they were up to or where they have progressed from.
Comments
I have tried, on numerous occasions to master cash, all to no avail. I have made the decision to just play and focus on MTT's as this is where my strength lies. I think it is all to do with the fact that there is a winner at the end. I am, and always have been, very competitive and every day I am looking at Pokersuperhero to see where I lie within the various leagues. It is that competitive edge that drives me on and makes me think about every decision. In cash I always tend to get bored and it just becomes habit with little or no enjoyment. I take my hat off to anyone who can start at the micro cash levels and work there way up but to me it just became a grind with no end goal and probably more importantly for me no recognition.
Just played the 2 MTT's today and came 9/30 in the £22, £400 Gtd BH and 3/36 in the £11, 300 Gtd BH, for an overall profit of £3.84.
Played 4 MTT's on Tuesday with a varying degrees of success and an overall loss of about £8.
Last night I managed to play 3. I came 174/235 in the Main taking 1 bounty. Managed to come 17/494 in the Mini for a profit of £11.
Looking back at my exit hand I am still not sure if I played it right. I was about 6th in chips and a smallish stack with about 6 BB shoved all-in, I looked down at 44 and re-shoved, mainly to isolate, and then a bigger stack behind me shoved all-in with QQ. No 4 on the board and it was good night Vienna. Pretty sure it was the right play long term but got this nagging feeling I should have either called or passed. Any thoughts would be appreciated.
Did, however, manage to win the £22, £1000 Gtd BH at 7:30pm for a return of £423. I really like this MTT and try to play it most nights. It's funny but I played rather loose aggressive for me and my chip stack was up and down but I just had a feeling from a long way out that I was going to win it.
One thing I do need to sort though is how I multi table 3 tables. I seem to struggle when I have 3 tables and can't find a happy solution between tiling and layering. I am not keen on the Mini View and have been layering the tables but I find this harder to manage than when they are tiled. I don't know what the solution is other than to limit myself to 2 tables at a time. It's funny but when I was playing cash I would often happily tile 6 tables but for some reason it doesn't sit comfortably with me in MTT's.
Was hoping to play Manchester SPT but it is looking very unlikely I will be able to attend due to work. Here's hoping something changes and I can make it.
SKY Poker MTT's Played = 103
Total Profit = £1891.89
Total ROI = 135.96%
Live Poker MTT's Played = 34
Total Profit = £635
Total ROI = 57.57%
On the football front there has been good news and bad news. The good news is John Terry signing for the Villa. This is good on a couple of fronts, firstly shows Villa are still viewed as a big club with the ability to attract players of Terry's calibre. Secondly this is the type of player we have been crying out for over the last few seasons, a proven winner, a player with a do or die attitude, a natural leader and perhaps most importantly someone for the younger players to look up to and try and emulate. Can only hope he helps bring the best out of Baker, Grealish, Bree, Green etc, etc. What this does mean though is promotion is now a must and a good start to the season is vital. Now the bad news. AFC Emley are in danger of becoming a nothing club again. This week has seen three of our four best players sign for local rivals Penistone Church, who pipped us to promotion to the Premier League, and with Ashley Flynn also leaving it is a worrying time. There has been no news of any new arrivals and very little noise coming out of the club. The 1st pre-season game is next week, Hall Road Rangers away, so we will have to see what team we put out. There is the prospect of a 'friendly' at home to Penistone Church in a couple of weeks, should be a lively affair, and we also host the oldest club in the world, Sheffield FC, at the end of July.
Never went to Newcastle, as daughter has exams this week and thought it more important to spend time revising. Would of been nice of her to decide before I got up at 6:30am on Saturday to take her. One advantage of this was it meant I was up to watch the Lions victory in New Zealand. I am not a huge fan of rugby and very rarely watch it, but I have to say I cannot wait for the final test after watching the second test. What a game that was, full commitment and tense to the very last kick of the game.
I have played a few tournies over the last few days without much success and have probably been too tired when I have played to give it my all. I have noticed that I cannot burn the candle at both ends like I used to and often find myself having a little nap in the afternoon on my days off. Due to work I didn't play last night and won't be playing tonight. I am off for five days after today so with a recharge of the batteries I am hoping to return to winning ways over the next few days.
SKY Poker MTT's Played = 116
Total Profit = £1748.88
Total ROI = 110.59%
Live Poker MTT's Played = 34
Total Profit = £635
Total ROI = 57.57%
Played 10 tournies on Wednesday with an overall loss of about £18. Best result was 6th in the 7:30 Bounty Hunter. A question that raised its head again, and for which I still aren't sure of the answer, is at what point are you happy to re-shove all-in to an opening raise with AK. I did it again, when in the money, to an initial raiser whose range appeared quite standard. I had about 20BB at the time and he had me covered. Should I be calling, OOP, or doing as I did and getting it all-in.
Had first ante post bets for the new season - Chelsea 7/2, Villa 7/1, Bradford 11/1, Luton 7/1, Tranmere 3/1. 5 x £4 fourfolds, 1 x £5 EW Accum. EW terms on SKYBET at moment are very favourable, with 3 places on the Prem and Conf and 4 places on Champ, Div One and Two. To me Chelsea were by far the best team last year and with their intentions of tightening up the back and the possible signing of Lukaku they seem long at 7/2. As a Villain I very rarely back Villa but think with Terry and the rumours regarding Hart, and if they make a decent start 7/1 will seem huge. Bradford, like Sheff Utd last season, must be due a promotion soon and likewise Luton, who I have backed for the last 3 years. Tranmere should walk Conference. The place accum pays roughly £500 and should keep me interested all season. For a bit of fun I have also had an EW Accum with Federer at 2/1 for Wimbledon and Dan Martin at 20/1 for the Tour De France. Anyone who watched Wednesday's stage will have seen how strong he looked and 20/1, 1/4 first 3 seems a decent price.
Tonight I will be playing a few MTT's on Sky so wish me luck.
SKY Poker MTT's Played = 126
Total Profit = £1730.50
Total ROI = 100.81%
Live Poker MTT's Played = 34
Total Profit = £635
Total ROI = 57.57%
Been 6 days since last post as was going to post the other night but forum wasn't working correctly.
On the poker front it has been very 'meehhhh' Played 15 tournies with a loss of approx. £80. Best result coming in the Mini on Monday where I came 7th. Looking back I should have done better. I had work next morning so had to be up at 6am and we were playing 7 handed for what seemed like ages, I made the ultimate mistake, got impatient and became ridiculously aggressive, and paid the price. Brings me back to a previous point that it would be so useful if in the lobby there was an indication of the normal length or finishing time of the tournament. Still not played live lately and seemed to have lost the urge, although with the WSOP updates, excellent work by FCHD, I can slowly feel the urge returning.
Looks like Federer is nailed on for Wimbledon following today's events, and still think Martin has a good Each Way chance in Le Tour, big stage tomorrow in the Pyrennes. Villa and Emley begin their pre-season campaigns tonight and it will be interesting to see how Emley get on against decent opposition and with a new look team. Villa have 2 teams out against Kidderminster and Telford, don't think we will learn much from them.
Spent last weekend outdoors, due to the lovely weather, Saturday afternoon at Skelmanthorpe Cricket Club watching their 1st team play Hoylandswaine. Got ridiculously burnt due to the wind that can blow up here. Sunday went for a lovely walk with our lass from Marsden to Slaithwaite along the Huddersfield Narrow Canal and also took a look at the Yorkshire end of the Standedge Tunnel. This is a tunnel some 3 miles long that basically runs under the Pennines from Yorkshire to Lancashire linking Huddersfield with Manchester. It really is an amazing piece of engineering and has many quirky features. It was built without a towpath and the horses would trek across the moors to meet the canal at the other side. This meant that for the barges to make it from one side to the other, men would be employed as 'leggers' and basically lie back to back across the barge and shuffle across the roof of the tunnel to get the barge to move. Due to the narrowness of the tunnel it was agreed that they would operate a one way system with access from the Yorkshire side only allowed in the early morning and late evening.
Two films come out this week that I really want to see, Dunkirk and the new Planet of the Apes. I am not a huge film buff but Dunkirk looks really good, is my type of film and my daughter also seems really keen to see it and as it appears quite educational and a major part of this country's history I am all for her seeing it. Planet of the Apes, I have seen the others and really enjoyed them so can't see why I won't enjoy this one.
For those that are interested in my regime to become the new body of Baywatch, I have currently lost -1/2lb and only been on my bike twice in last week. Tomorow I am off so I will be back on the bike, but I am toying with the idea of a breakfast at the local cafe. When I say cafe it is actually a little restaurant in the local garden centre that uses all locally sourced products and is delicious, not at all your greasy spoon breakfast. Probably still won't help with my weight loss but at my age you deserve a treat now and again. Must be knocking on as got a text from Drs today informing me that their records indicate you are elligble for an NHS Health Check.
Already out of Main and Mini but currently 5/17 in 7:30pm £1000 BH, so lets hope we run deep.
SKY Poker MTT's Played = 141
Total Profit = £1655.59
Total ROI = 83.36%
Live Poker MTT's Played = 34
Total Profit = £635
Total ROI = 57.57%
Not been doing too well on the old poker front in the last week, with the only highlight being a 4th place in the 7:30pm £1000 Bounty Hunter on Thursday. Last night got home after a long and tiring weekend in work with the intention of playing 3 MTT's, having a quiet beer and generally relaxing. After starting my 1st tournie my internet connection went. Ended up playing on my mobile and found it really hard compared to playing on the laptop. Have to say the service I received from my internet provider was appalling, took over 3 hours to actually get through to a human being. To be fair to them once I was through they determined the fault lay on the line before it entered my house and said they would get through to OpenReach and they would have to fix it. Whatever they did worked as this morning I woke up to full connectivity. Does make you realise how much we rely on the internet when you haven't got it. My daughter cannot believe I spent my entire childhood without the joys of being online and was bored within 10 mins.
Intention is to play a few MTT's tonight as I am on lates tomorrow. So will be diving into the 6:30pm Bounty Hunter, 7 at 7, 7:30pm Bounty Hunter, Main and Mini and depending how I run maybe another one or two.
As I am off this weekend I have agreed to play the £33, £1000 Guarantee at my local casino in Huddersfield along with my son. He is a budding poker player but struggles with patience and seems to prefer cash. Having said that the last time we both played this event I finished 9th and he cashed in 5th place. Overall he knows deep down I am still the better player but it does add another dimension to the game, particularly if we are on the same table.
Had a couple of bets this week, £2.50 e.w. on Francesco Molinari at 100/1, 1/5 odds 1-7 for The Open and then a £5 accum on the following for the 2017 footie season, thanks to Sky Club for my Free Bet, Fulham Top 6 @ 5/4, Bradford Top 6 @ 6/4, Forest Green Top 7 @ 5/2, Tranmere Promotion @ 11/8, Southampton Bottom Half @ 5/4 which will hopefully return just over £520. My previous bet with Federer and Dan Martin is looking in doubt after todays stage where Martin lost 50 secs to all his rivals. A poor piece of riding meant he got detached from the leader's group and with a strong cross tail wind he was never going to get back to them. Needs a huge couple of days in The Alps to have any chance of that Podium place.
Anyway off to the tables now so wish me luck and if you're on my table say 'hello'
SKY Poker MTT's Played = 154
Total Profit = £1603.69
Total ROI = 71.55%
Live Poker MTT's Played = 34
Total Profit = £635
Total ROI = 57.57%
Stricker never really got in it, was always 2 or 3 shots of the top 10 and ended up finishing 37th at 2 over par. Will be receiving another £5 Free Bet tomorrow and this will be invested ante-post on the footie. Villa look like they are moving in the right direction and have made a few astute signings this week, Whelan from Stoke the sort of steady, work-horse player we need to get out of this division, Elmohadamy from Hull who has won promotion with Steve Bruce before and Samba, who looks an absolute beast. Him and Terry at the back would seem very difficult to pass at Championship level, the only problem being once you are past them they aren't going to catch you. Having watched the two games we played today in the Cup of Traditions in Germany we do seem to be moving in the right direction. I do think that Boro have made some very good signings to add to a pretty decent squad they already had. Can see them being the team to beat.
On the Poker front I have played a few tournies on Sky over the last few days with a fair degree of success. Best results have been a 3rd in a £500 BH on Friday, never got to the casino as got home form work too late and knackered, and 4th in the £22, £1000 BH last night. Feel I have been playing pretty well last couple of nights and although I have got lucky in a couple of spots feel that I am defo running adversely in the big 50/50's. Hopefully this may change tonight when I am going to play the £5.50, £1000 BH, 7 at 7, £11, £1000 BH and the £33, £6000 BH.
Congratulations to Mr Bromley on taking down the MPNT at Grosvenor Manchester, following on from the success of the SkyPoker team in Vegas. This is fast becoming a breeding ground for the successful transformation from online to live poker.
Its now 3 weeks until our annual 2 week break, the 1st week being spent with 30 other people in a 4 villa complex in Italy about 45mins from Pisa, for our best friend's eldest daughter's wedding. The 2nd week will be spent at my Dad's in Exmouth, where I may bump into Devonfish. Already looking to book next summers jaunt and will be looking to book a 2 week cruise around the Eastern Med taking in places such as Dubrovnik, Venice a couple of ports in Montenegro and Croatia and then a few of the Greek islands. We are looking to go with Thomson Cruises all-inclusive and adult only. The ship we will be on is the Thomson Celebration. As we will be 1st time cruisers if anyone has been cruising before and has any tips such as which cabin to get etc it would be appreciated.
Currently looking after our friends 3yr old Cockapoo for the next 2 weeks and even after just spending a couple of days in her company it has cemented our thoughts about getting a Cockapoo next May. They really are such lovely, friendly good natured dogs and a real joy to be around.
SKY Poker MTT's Played = 168
Total Profit = £1676.97
Total ROI = 67.79%
Live Poker MTT's Played = 34
Total Profit = £635
Total ROI = 57.57%
Played the grand total of 5 tournies since last update, including a £500 BH this afternoon. With no highlight and a couple of lowlights 122/129 and 92/95 springing to mind. Really feel I am running badly at the moment e.g. getting it all in with AA against AK for the flop to come KKK just one example. I am sure everyone goes through patches like this and the key is to ride it out. Then get outdrawn again this afternoon and Cash starts rearing it's ugly head again. So far I have resisted temptation but the draw keeps getting stronger and stronger, especially when you keep reading Devonfish is making a daily profit, all be at micro stakes and only 1 tabling. I know I don't have the right mind-set for cash to be a profitable long term +ve move and I must resist the temptation. Tonight I will, therefore, keep to the MTT tables and hopefully run well.
At work we had a visit from the new Regional Director yesterday and although I didn't think my depts. were at the top of their game the visit went well so when we are back on the game I will be expecting a rapid promotion, not how it works I am afraid. Then got an unannounced visit from the CEO and Director of George and GM, my 2 depts, again this went well from my perspective and I got time to chat to them about the opportunities I believe the company has. Have to say that for a man in such a high position as CEO he is one **** of an approachable guy. On the career front I have applied for a couple of new roles with other retail companies as I seem to be getting told I am in the planning for promotion but not seeing any action. I had to complete a video interview yesterday for one of the roles and found it a very surreal experience. Sitting in the dining room with a shirt and tie on talking to a video link. No idea how it went and not expecting the best, but we will wait and see. I am in the fortunate position of not needing a new job so any good news will be a bonus.
Had one more Ante-Post bet with a £5 Free Bet from Sky on a double, Hernandez Top Premier Scorer @25/1 and Scott Hogan Top Championship Scorer @16/1. Both are pretty long shots but Hernandez is guaranteed to play every week if fit, is a proven scorer, should get more chances form what I expect to be an improved West Ham team, the key to Hogan is staying fit and being first choice. With Kodija still on the way back from injury and Hogan netting in pre-season I think he will start the season up front and then it is just the small matter of him scoring regularly and making the place his own. He is proven at this level and as long as we 'Feed the Hog and he Will Score' we are on to a winner.
Just as a side note does anyone actually read this, and if so any thoughts on how it could be improved.
SKY Poker MTT's Played = 173
Total Profit = £1656.69
Total ROI = 65.17%
Live Poker MTT's Played = 34
Total Profit = £635
Total ROI = 57.57%
"....Just as a side note does anyone actually read this, and if so any thoughts on how it could be improved....."
Lots of us do, but the nature of online interaction is changing. Many folks avidly read everything others write, but don't feel inclined to reply as they have so many other demands on their time.
It's a shame really, writing stuff when nobody responds is disheartening, but it's how life is these days, we have so many ways to entertain ourselves - 100's of TV channels, films on demand, wikipidea, teletext, and if we want to listen to music we can turn on our Walkman.
Keep writing please, it's very good.
Not sure I'd enjoy applying for a job via a video link. Ugh.
Still think a sort of count of how many people have read a thread and when it was last read, a bit like a certain well known forum where the answer is 4, would encourage more posters and also invigorate those that do post to carry on posting. That is of course assuming people are reading the thread, maybe a tad discouraging to realise no-one is actually reading your words.
At the end of the day I, and I assume the other diarists, do it for their own benefit whether its because they enjoy doing it, they find it helps them focus or they enjoy looking back to see what they were up to or where they have progressed from.
I read it Trebor. Regards the video interview, yuk, I did one a few months ago, not good.