many many years ago all my family used to play kitty nap every saturday night , i watched for one night , then played for coppers from the age of 7 ,with the adults getting merry it was easy money .
I first got into loving poker back in 2008 when @dameflop also known as my wife Lesley , won a package to the Irish Open. I stood behind her now and again and gradually got the hang of what was happening. She was very unlucky as had I known more about the game I could have checked other table stacks etc, as it was she went out around 10 from the money. In those days the Irish Open had top players from all over the world playing, and our own Neil Channing took top spot for just over £800k . I downloaded poker the day we got home and have been hooked ever since . We are lucky that as a couple we both enjoy poker so much , especially when packages are won. Satellites are a great way for recs to play in bigger games, or travel for free poker holidays. Lesley also won a Sky package to Punta Cana , what a treat that was and the other players and Sky team made it so memorable. I have had some small success , love cashing abroad and getting a new Hendon Mob flag, and would say a great bonus from live poker is the friends we have made . Take care all, and G L .
Pretty disappointed @misterpj hasn't turned up yet.Def interested in how he started & more importantly why hes still playing. Prob just me.i'll post my story tomoz, see yesterdays answer will make it clear......
How did you first get in to poker, & how long ago was that?
And why do you play poker?
I first played Poker on a computer game called "Vegas Games 2000" on Windows 98, when I was maybe 6 or 7 (not real money obvs). Didn't have a clue what I was doing, but enjoyed the game.
When I was about 14/15, I was allowed a Sky box and a TV in my bedroom. Sky Poker had recently launched on channel 846, I believe. The first few times, I only watched because there was nothing else on, but I eventually started watching the shows regularly and putting my strategies into practice on the Zynga (Facebook play money) tables.
I resisted the urge to sign up anywhere under my Dad's name. Tbh I regret not signing up somewhere and crushing the games in 2008 given how soft they were - hearing about Annette Obrestad winning stuff back in the day made it really tempting, and in hindsight I probably could've got away with it back then.
Eventually it was the day before my 18th birthday, so stayed up til midnight then snap signed up to Sky at midnight - I literally had my details filled in and waited until the site clock hit midnight to hit the 'sign up' button. Unlike most, I won money from day 1 since I already had a decent enough ABC poker game just from watching Sky Poker TV for years and being a nit on Zynga. I was 9-tabling within a few weeks.
After maybe 4 months on Sky, I won a free seat into the Thursday £110 roller (9pm weekly freezeout) and binked it for £1,770. Bought myself a proper gaming PC with the money, which I'm still using today.
Nowadays, I play because I like money, and Poker is more fun and flexible than working a part time job while I'm at University.
"Eventually it was the day before my 18th birthday, so stayed up til midnight then snap signed up to Sky at midnight - I literally had my details filled in and waited until the site clock hit midnight to hit the 'sign up' button."
Ha, that's incred.
I do recall you used to feature on a lot of the televised tables, mostly cash games iirc.
Watching Poker Million from the Isle of Man (I think). Joined Sky Poker in October 2007. You'd think I might have learned how to play by now ha ha. And, of course, met my husband via Sky Poker. We have been married 10 years this September!!!
"Eventually it was the day before my 18th birthday, so stayed up til midnight then snap signed up to Sky at midnight - I literally had my details filled in and waited until the site clock hit midnight to hit the 'sign up' button."
Ha, that's incred.
I do recall you used to feature on a lot of the televised tables, mostly cash games iirc.
Those games were always great for image building & getting advice on how to improve, especially once the likes of @scotty77 and @lolufold were on board. Even if you punted off a couple of buy-ins, you'd probably be paying more for coaching per hour from players of their ability anyway.
Started watching the early poker programmes c.2003/04. Fascinated by the dynamic between the different styles of players, particularly Lucy Rokach and Pascal Perrault.
I had been a serious chess player, 3-card brag player and card counter, so felt I would have the right skill set, and persuaded my wife to let me put £200 each on 2 sites in 2005-Party and Pacific (now 888) about 2005. Promised would quit if I lost the money.
Long story short, went busto on Pacific in about a month. Did rather better on Party-did eventually go busto on there about 2013, but had withdrawn six figures in the meantime.
Joined Sky in about 2014. A work colleague (Acegooner) recommended it. Sky were running a promotion at the time, put £20 in, give you £80. Used up all my luck early-2nd in Sunday Major 1st week, won it the week after. So my £20 becane £7,600 in 10 days...in shock news, couldn't keep running like that
Play it because i enjoy it. Constantly evolving game, constantly evolving sites, play-what's not to like?
I first played poker with some friends in a home game, probably around 15 years ago. We used to have gambling nights where we would take it in turns being the house in Blackjack and other games. We would come up with all sorts of twists to the rules that usually included a way of winning the dealer (being the house).
After a while we started playing poker too. Although it definitely started as 5 card stud, it must of quickly moved to Texas holdem because I don't remember playing much stud. Eventually the gaming nights became poker nights. I dabbled a little online too and went through a phase of studying strategy, with a little success but nothing to write home about. I was the type of player that would stick £50 online on a friday night if I wasn't going out. If I won i typically withdrew most of whatever that was and If i lost, it was the same as a night out.
When I finished Uni, I moved to the Cambridge area for work. I didn't know anyone outside of my work colleagues, who were mostly a lot older (and mature). So I started going to pub poker games, mostly to build my social circle that matched my more degenerate nature.
After a while, a few of us formed quite a close friendship and it drove me to learn more about poker. Mainly so i didn't have to endure endless bragging. I also started to play online a lot more again and had my first patch of winning a good amount of money. Again, it was nothing life changing but it was a big deal to me at the time. I think it was somewhere in the low 5 figures, over the course of a couple of weeks, with some pretty big swings in the middle. I had no real bankroll management and quickly lost almost everything I hadn't withdrawn. But I had caught the bug properly this time and saw a path to making a living from it that was never there before.
I had been working in Cambridge for a few years by this point and didn't really enjoy my job anymore. I still went back to my home town every other weekend to go out with friends and see family so I felt like i needed a change, but couldn't see any way out - There wasn't many IT jobs in the area, and I had spent 6 months doing a long commute previously (student placement for the same company) I really didn't want to commute to London either. So I put my head down and tried to get good at poker.
Moving to sky really helped, the tournaments were smaller, so the results were more consistent and there was less bigger buy ins to tempt me from burning a hole in my bankroll. After a while I had built up some savings working in the day, and playing poker at night, enough to quit my job with 6 months+ expenses and a bankroll - I'm sure it has taken years off my life as I would regularly turn up for work on a couple of hours sleep.
I'm glad I managed to get to the point of handing my notice in when I did, My wife was pregnant and wanted to move closer to home too (coincidentally, both our parents live 20 minute apart even though we met at university in a different county). My work performance had started to slip - it was becoming obvious my heart wasn't in it anymore, and its hard to concentrate when your so tired all the time. The day I handed in my notice, was the same day we got the keys for our new house in Essex, a few months from the due date of our first child.
That was around 6 years ago now. Obviously the primary reason I play now is to pay the bills, but I still enjoy playing too most of the time. I enjoy keeping on top of the constantly evolving strategy and often find myself thinking about how I could of played a hand better long after it happened.
Too good an opportunity to ignore. Click Tikays's name on the link he posted above and you get this gem. I know I posted it before but reading it again still makes me laugh so for anyone who has not seen it before, enjoy.
Comments
i watched for one night , then played for coppers from the age of 7 ,with the adults getting merry it was easy money .
In those days the Irish Open had top players from all over the world playing, and our own Neil Channing took top spot for just over £800k .
I downloaded poker the day we got home and have been hooked ever since .
We are lucky that as a couple we both enjoy poker so much , especially when packages are won. Satellites are a great way for recs to play in bigger games, or travel for free poker holidays.
Lesley also won a Sky package to Punta Cana , what a treat that was and the other players and Sky team made it so memorable.
I have had some small success , love cashing abroad and getting a new Hendon Mob flag, and would say a great bonus from live poker is the friends we have made .
Take care all, and G L .
When I was about 14/15, I was allowed a Sky box and a TV in my bedroom. Sky Poker had recently launched on channel 846, I believe. The first few times, I only watched because there was nothing else on, but I eventually started watching the shows regularly and putting my strategies into practice on the Zynga (Facebook play money) tables.
I resisted the urge to sign up anywhere under my Dad's name. Tbh I regret not signing up somewhere and crushing the games in 2008 given how soft they were - hearing about Annette Obrestad winning stuff back in the day made it really tempting, and in hindsight I probably could've got away with it back then.
Eventually it was the day before my 18th birthday, so stayed up til midnight then snap signed up to Sky at midnight - I literally had my details filled in and waited until the site clock hit midnight to hit the 'sign up' button. Unlike most, I won money from day 1 since I already had a decent enough ABC poker game just from watching Sky Poker TV for years and being a nit on Zynga. I was 9-tabling within a few weeks.
After maybe 4 months on Sky, I won a free seat into the Thursday £110 roller (9pm weekly freezeout) and binked it for £1,770. Bought myself a proper gaming PC with the money, which I'm still using today.
Nowadays, I play because I like money, and Poker is more fun and flexible than working a part time job while I'm at University.
"Eventually it was the day before my 18th birthday, so stayed up til midnight then snap signed up to Sky at midnight - I literally had my details filled in and waited until the site clock hit midnight to hit the 'sign up' button."
Ha, that's incred.
I do recall you used to feature on a lot of the televised tables, mostly cash games iirc.
I had been a serious chess player, 3-card brag player and card counter, so felt I would have the right skill set, and persuaded my wife to let me put £200 each on 2 sites in 2005-Party and Pacific (now 888) about 2005. Promised would quit if I lost the money.
Long story short, went busto on Pacific in about a month. Did rather better on Party-did eventually go busto on there about 2013, but had withdrawn six figures in the meantime.
Joined Sky in about 2014. A work colleague (Acegooner) recommended it. Sky were running a promotion at the time, put £20 in, give you £80. Used up all my luck early-2nd in Sunday Major 1st week, won it the week after. So my £20 becane £7,600 in 10 days...in shock news, couldn't keep running like that
Play it because i enjoy it. Constantly evolving game, constantly evolving sites, play-what's not to like?
After a while we started playing poker too. Although it definitely started as 5 card stud, it must of quickly moved to Texas holdem because I don't remember playing much stud. Eventually the gaming nights became poker nights. I dabbled a little online too and went through a phase of studying strategy, with a little success but nothing to write home about. I was the type of player that would stick £50 online on a friday night if I wasn't going out. If I won i typically withdrew most of whatever that was and If i lost, it was the same as a night out.
When I finished Uni, I moved to the Cambridge area for work. I didn't know anyone outside of my work colleagues, who were mostly a lot older (and mature). So I started going to pub poker games, mostly to build my social circle that matched my more degenerate nature.
After a while, a few of us formed quite a close friendship and it drove me to learn more about poker. Mainly so i didn't have to endure endless bragging. I also started to play online a lot more again and had my first patch of winning a good amount of money. Again, it was nothing life changing but it was a big deal to me at the time. I think it was somewhere in the low 5 figures, over the course of a couple of weeks, with some pretty big swings in the middle. I had no real bankroll management and quickly lost almost everything I hadn't withdrawn. But I had caught the bug properly this time and saw a path to making a living from it that was never there before.
I had been working in Cambridge for a few years by this point and didn't really enjoy my job anymore. I still went back to my home town every other weekend to go out with friends and see family so I felt like i needed a change, but couldn't see any way out - There wasn't many IT jobs in the area, and I had spent 6 months doing a long commute previously (student placement for the same company) I really didn't want to commute to London either. So I put my head down and tried to get good at poker.
Moving to sky really helped, the tournaments were smaller, so the results were more consistent and there was less bigger buy ins to tempt me from burning a hole in my bankroll. After a while I had built up some savings working in the day, and playing poker at night, enough to quit my job with 6 months+ expenses and a bankroll - I'm sure it has taken years off my life as I would regularly turn up for work on a couple of hours sleep.
I'm glad I managed to get to the point of handing my notice in when I did, My wife was pregnant and wanted to move closer to home too (coincidentally, both our parents live 20 minute apart even though we met at university in a different county). My work performance had started to slip - it was becoming obvious my heart wasn't in it anymore, and its hard to concentrate when your so tired all the time. The day I handed in my notice, was the same day we got the keys for our new house in Essex, a few months from the due date of our first child.
That was around 6 years ago now. Obviously the primary reason I play now is to pay the bills, but I still enjoy playing too most of the time. I enjoy keeping on top of the constantly evolving strategy and often find myself thinking about how I could of played a hand better long after it happened.
@Tikay do you have a book out or anything? Quite a story to tell.