Few more questions...

markycash

What has been your longest single poker session without sleep and stuff? Was it a winning one?

Are you happy to have went down the path you have with poker? Would you happily do it all again?

I would ask for a betting tip for the November 9 but it has to be Bax surely?

NChanning

 Hi Mark,

 I really used to love those TV cash games...The Poker Den ones were just done in one long session. They always invited fun people and the stakes were pretty high. When they made it 24 hours I told them I would play the whole way through and I nagged them to do the Party Pot thing and then became determined to win all of them (once an hour the sponsor just put a grand in each pot...if I played every hour and it was 8 handed then I was getting £125 and hour in ev just to play).

 I was a bit gutted when I had to leave for a big meeting about my business with just one hour to go.

 The next year we did 48 hours and I played for about 28 before going straight into the commentary box and doing 8 hours more. At one stage in that I couldn't see properly and twice I woke up after the flop and realised we were on a different hand.

 Years ago I played about 20 hours straight in a $2-$6 (you could bet or raise between $2 to $6 at any time they call it spread limit) game at Excalibur. I won about $1200 which was an enormous win for that game. I was determined to win my flight and hotel in that session which I did.

 Phil Laak used to love those long sessions and that caused him to eventually take a shot at the world record which he broke. I was there to see him do it...great fun.

 In terms of the path I went down I guess. I mean we can always have regrets...I decided I didn't fancy doing Late Nite Poker in series 1. If I had I think I'd have quit the job I had and played for a living rather than doing it 6 years later. I decided to write a poker column for Bluff magazine for not much money in 2007...it was hard to constantly think of new things to write about but I struggled and did it. That must have lead to loads of other things like the Derren Brown show, various radio 4 things and interview with Time Out, the chance to do poker training days and corporate poker nights. A lot of people wouldn't have fancied the column. After I did a couple of commentaries on TV poker it was Jesse May who suggested I should offer to always do it for free from now on. A lot of people would have said that was crazy as they paid Ok money but I agreed with Jesse. It made them use me a lot and I was very happy to try and do poker commentary in a totally new way (I think). I enjoyed it.

 When Sky approched me I wasn't totally sure and I asked them to call me in 6 months which is what they did. I love the idea of community and people trying to improve and discussing poker as well as meeting socially and mking the game fun. That was one of my better decisions.

 Deciding to start a poker business and giving so much money to a bunch of players who were pretty ungrateful was one of my stupidest ideas and not cutting my losses two years from the end were the worst. In a way though it was good as maybe without BBP Sky wouldn't have thought I was the guy for them.

 I'm cheering for Bax in the WSOP. I think he is a really nice guy. I've played with him a couple of times and we had some good chats about staking as he obviously did loads of that and I was doing some. I doubt he remembers me much and we haven't played for years but he is very good at poker and a decent guy.

markycash

Thanks for the reply Neil. Sounds like it has been an interesting and generally fun journey!

Regulating the length of poker sessions can be a challenge when we often only have ourselves to answer to.

I remember once several years ago I had been out on the Vegas strip on a Saturday night playing cash Badugi and drinking until late on Sunday morning... I finally decided to head home and jumped in a taxi back to the place we were staying at in Henderson and registered for 6 x $215 Sunday majors. Wasn't too happy to waken up some 7 hours later and realise I had fallen asleep just a few hands into the session...

Agreed on Bax. Used to love watching his videos on PXF. He explained situations so clearly and they were always a fun watch.

Was a pleasure to meet you in Vegas and the best of luck to you for the future both on and off the tables!

TwoAnchors

In Response to Re: Few more questions...:

 Hi Mark,  I really used to love those TV cash games...The Poker Den ones were just done in one long session. They always invited fun people and the stakes were pretty high. When they made it 24 hours I told them I would play the whole way through and I nagged them to do the Party Pot thing and then became determined to win all of them (once an hour the sponsor just put a grand in each pot...if I played every hour and it was 8 handed then I was getting £125 and hour in ev just to play).  I was a bit gutted when I had to leave for a big meeting about my business with just one hour to go.  The next year we did 48 hours and I played for about 28 before going straight into the commentary box and doing 8 hours more. At one stage in that I couldn't see properly and twice I woke up after the flop and realised we were on a different hand.  Years ago I played about 20 hours straight in a $2-$6 (you could bet or raise between $2 to $6 at any time they call it spread limit) game at Excalibur. I won about $1200 which was an enormous win for that game. I was determined to win my flight and hotel in that session which I did.  Phil Laak used to love those long sessions and that caused him to eventually take a shot at the world record which he broke. I was there to see him do it...great fun.  In terms of the path I went down I guess. I mean we can always have regrets...I decided I didn't fancy doing Late Nite Poker in series 1. If I had I think I'd have quit the job I had and played for a living rather than doing it 6 years later. I decided to write a poker column for Bluff magazine for not much money in 2007...it was hard to constantly think of new things to write about but I struggled and did it. That must have lead to loads of other things like the Derren Brown show, various radio 4 things and interview with Time Out, the chance to do poker training days and corporate poker nights. A lot of people wouldn't have fancied the column. After I did a couple of commentaries on TV poker it was Jesse May who suggested I should offer to always do it for free from now on. A lot of people would have said that was crazy as they paid Ok money but I agreed with Jesse. It made them use me a lot and I was very happy to try and do poker commentary in a totally new way (I think). I enjoyed it.  When Sky approched me I wasn't totally sure and I asked them to call me in 6 months which is what they did. I love the idea of community and people trying to improve and discussing poker as well as meeting socially and mking the game fun. That was one of my better decisions.  Deciding to start a poker business and giving so much money to a bunch of players who were pretty ungrateful was one of my stupidest ideas and not cutting my losses two years from the end were the worst. In a way though it was good as maybe without BBP Sky wouldn't have thought I was the guy for them.  I'm cheering for Bax in the WSOP. I think he is a really nice guy. I've played with him a couple of times and we had some good chats about staking as he obviously did loads of that and I was doing some. I doubt he remembers me much and we haven't played for years but he is very good at poker and a decent guy.
Posted by NChanning

Yup, happens to me all the time, except I'm playing and not in a commentary booth