Which site do you play chess? I used to play quite often in my youth, got back into playing recently on chess.com, it’s such a fun game, I really don’t give enough study to it tbh. I’m not that interested in taking it up seriously, just something to pass the time and keep the brain ticking over. Have you got a rating?
Which site do you play chess? I used to play quite often in my youth, got back into playing recently on chess.com, it’s such a fun game, I really don’t give enough study to it tbh. I’m not that interested in taking it up seriously, just something to pass the time and keep the brain ticking over. Have you got a rating?
I'm on chess.com as IWilhelm. Got into it during the first lockdown. My wife would always beat me if we saw a chess board in a pub but I've improved dramatically. I don't study at all but have been playing 5 minute blitz games lately. Rated 864 in those games and 1079 in daily games, so nothing spectacular.
Which site do you play chess? I used to play quite often in my youth, got back into playing recently on chess.com, it’s such a fun game, I really don’t give enough study to it tbh. I’m not that interested in taking it up seriously, just something to pass the time and keep the brain ticking over. Have you got a rating?
I'm on chess.com as IWilhelm. Got into it during the first lockdown. My wife would always beat me if we saw a chess board in a pub but I've improved dramatically. I don't study at all but have been playing 5 minute blitz games lately. Rated 864 in those games and 1079 in daily games, so nothing spectacular.
I’ll look out for you on there, I play the 10min games , is that blitz ? My rating is 1327 at present , but that goes down frequently 😊
Which site do you play chess? I used to play quite often in my youth, got back into playing recently on chess.com, it’s such a fun game, I really don’t give enough study to it tbh. I’m not that interested in taking it up seriously, just something to pass the time and keep the brain ticking over. Have you got a rating?
I'm on chess.com as IWilhelm. Got into it during the first lockdown. My wife would always beat me if we saw a chess board in a pub but I've improved dramatically. I don't study at all but have been playing 5 minute blitz games lately. Rated 864 in those games and 1079 in daily games, so nothing spectacular.
I’ll look out for you on there, I play the 10min games , is that blitz ? My rating is 1327 at present , but that goes down frequently 😊
Sounds like you would destroy me. 10 minute games are Rapid, one up from Blitz. My Rapid rating hovers around 1000 but if we're online at the same time I'd be up for a challenge. Have added you.
Since last Tuesday I have been using my chess game as a sort of litmus test before I start playing poker. If I feel I'm playing well at chess then it's probably a good time to play poker.
I have played three sessions in the last week. On Friday night I made some hugely exploitable plays against a couple of opponents I thought were calling off incredibly light. Not many interesting hands from that session but here's an example of what I mean:
On Saturday afternoon I had a cancelled engagement so decided to fill the time with another session, to carry on the good momentum from the night before. Felt like I played absolutely fine against exploitable opponents but came away a small loser. Here is hand which, at the time, I felt had an interesting decision on the river. I don’t remember specific reads on the opponent but in-running I felt he had a lot of missed draws in his range.
Incidentally, through my work as a filmmaker I had the privilege to meet an ex-England international I used to watch between the sticks at Upton Park. He's probably best known for a terrible mistake against former colony members in the 2010 World Cup. These days he enjoys a spot of gardening at his local allotment. Green fingers.
I played twice in the last week. On Friday night I lost a little less than a pull-up, last night I won a little more than half a pull-up, so a slightly losing week. No real interesting hands but I'll post an embarrassing one below. It was against a reg whose range I thought was weighted more towards worse overpairs than anything that was beating me (I think AA and KK get it in pre a lot of time). I was loving life when the raised the flop.
Player
Action
Cards
Amount
Pot
Balance
deeseelee
Small blind
£0.02
£0.02
£2.82
Djm1221
Big blind
£0.04
£0.06
£1.10
Your hole cards
Q
Q
Torres987
Fold
Kippers
Call
£0.04
£0.10
£2.76
Reg
Raise
£0.18
£0.28
£7.13
Wilhelm
Raise
£0.52
£0.80
£3.77
deeseelee
Fold
Djm1221
Fold
Kippers
Fold
Reg
Call
£0.34
£1.14
£6.79
Flop
5
5
6
Reg
Check
Wilhelm
Bet
£0.72
£1.86
£3.05
Reg
Raise
£1.44
£3.30
£5.35
Wilhelm
All-in
£3.05
£6.35
£0.00
Reg
Raise
£4.66
£11.01
£0.69
Reg
Unmatched bet
£2.33
£8.68
£3.02
Reg
Show
A
5
Wilhelm
Show
Q
Q
Turn
8
River
Q
Wilhelm
Win
Full House, Queens and 5s
£8.02
£8.02
Starting Bankroll: £100 Current Bankroll: £154.10 Hands Played: 3538
It's been a slow week for me professionally. I put quite a bit of work into a music video pitch last week and found out on Tuesday that the artist had gone with a different idea. It happens all the time but this one stung a bit more than usual because I seemed to be a perfect fit for what they wanted and I really, really wanted to make the video.
Yesterday I developed a schedule of stuff I can do every day when I don't have any work on; a bit of writing, creative research, learning Russian (my wife speaks really good English but would like any offspring to be bilingual, and I'd like to be able to communicate a bit better with my in-laws). I'm hoping having a bit of routine will help me feel more productive in my slow periods.
I won't be playing at all at the weekend as I'll be live-editing the twitch live-stream of the FIBA 3x3 Olympic qualifiers. I've had a look but can't find anywhere to have a bet on it so I'll have to think of it as research for the Olympics in order to stay focussed on the games.
I've played four sessions in June; the theme of Tuesday night was overbet all-ins. I kept coming up against them with okay holdings against opponents I felt were overplaying. The one time I called, I was correct, they were overplaying. I couldn't beat top pair, but they were overplaying. Nonetheless, I ran quite well and got paid off a few times with big hands and managed to book a decent winning session.
I can't find any hands I was involved in with pots over a pound from Thursday's session, but I managed a small win.
On Friday and Saturday night I probably shouldn't have bothered playing as I was more concerned with getting bets on before Euro 2020 starts. I really enjoy the Euros and World Cup as betting opportunities and try to make a few tournament bets before they start. I remember for Euro 2016 I thought Wales had a great team and were undervalued by the market, and I couldn't work out why an ageing Czech Republic side were second favourites in their group (I think I bet them to finish bottom, and I think they did). I remember laying Roy Hodgson's England (who would go on to be defeated by Iceland) against Wales when the price was pushed to 1/2 on for England to win. Of course Sturrridge scored an injury time winner but to this day I think it was one of the best value propositions I've taken up.
My big angle for the last World Cup was to heavily oppose an ageing Russia side who were overvalued in the market due to home advantage. I laid them for every goal of their 5-0 win against Saudi Arabia, and I think every game they played after that. That wasn't great for me. Of course it has since come to light they were all doping but that knowledge doesn't help my bank balance. I also heard a tip that the African teams were undervalued by the market. I don't think any of them got out of the group. I still ended up a winner for the tournament but my, how different things could have been.
This time around I haven't watched as much football as I would need to in order to form my own opinions, but I try to listen to people who know what they're talking about. It sounds like Sweden, Turkey and Denmark might have decent routes to progress through the tournament. I'm also trying to oppose an ageing Switzerland side, and can't really understand why the Czech Republic aren't favourites to finish bottom of Group D; they've lost to Scotland twice last year and have to play them at Hampden Park. But I've been wrong before.
Anyway, my divided attention means I have played poorly and got my stack in behind twice since Friday night, sucking out on both occasions. I find it difficult to really enjoy these wins as they aren't deserved, but I'll try to think of it as swings and roundabouts.
Starting Bankroll: £100 Current Bankroll: £166.49 Hands Played: 4105
And for anyone interested, my Russian handwriting is progressing well, and I've made a few new contacts with bands and artist who need some video content, so hopefully I can fill June with a bit more than football betting.
Somehow almost two months have passed since my last post. I received a new keyboard today with mechanical switches and I need an excuse to type something.
I played almost no poker for the entirety of Euro 2020. I tried to watch as many of the games as I could and had something riding on almost every game. I did alright in the end with a 6% ROI, which seemed impossible after Gameday 1. I managed to lay Denmark at exactly the right time, and opposing Russia finally paid off. I stopped short of putting the house on Belgium to beat Russia in their opening fixture, despite Belgium going off at better than even money. Even if the Russians were doping again I still think even money on Belgium to win would have been generous.
Other than football, a couple of music videos have been keeping me busy for the past couple of months. I had planned to visit family in Moscow this month but the Covid situation there is dire. I had won a music video pitch, not entirely on the strength of me being in Moscow in August, but I'm sure it helped. Coming up with an alternative video to be shot in London kept me up at nights for a time, but I think I'm over the anxiety-inducing part of the process as the band have since signed off on the new concept. I think I'll take a break form music videos after this one as I'm likely to be quite busy with work come September.
I have seen almost none of the olympics despite managing a live stream for an Olympic basketball watchalong last weekend. Feel a bit burnt out after the Euros.
I dipped my toe back into the Sky Poker waters last night and while not at my best after a couple of months off, I managed a small profit from a small sample.
I wish I had more to say as typing on these Cherry Red switches is quite fun. Hopefully I'll be spending a bit more time at the tables this month.
Starting Bankroll: £100 Current Bankroll: £171.14 Hands Played: 4359
Comments
I used to play quite often in my youth, got back into playing recently on chess.com, it’s such a fun game, I really don’t give enough study to it tbh. I’m not that interested in taking it up seriously, just something to pass the time and keep the brain ticking over.
Have you got a rating?
I have played three sessions in the last week. On Friday night I made some hugely exploitable plays against a couple of opponents I thought were calling off incredibly light. Not many interesting hands from that session but here's an example of what I mean:
Starting Bankroll: £100
Current Bankroll: £155.17
Hands Played: 2833
Current Bankroll: £154.10
Hands Played: 3538
It's been a slow week for me professionally. I put quite a bit of work into a music video pitch last week and found out on Tuesday that the artist had gone with a different idea. It happens all the time but this one stung a bit more than usual because I seemed to be a perfect fit for what they wanted and I really, really wanted to make the video.
Yesterday I developed a schedule of stuff I can do every day when I don't have any work on; a bit of writing, creative research, learning Russian (my wife speaks really good English but would like any offspring to be bilingual, and I'd like to be able to communicate a bit better with my in-laws). I'm hoping having a bit of routine will help me feel more productive in my slow periods.
I won't be playing at all at the weekend as I'll be live-editing the twitch live-stream of the FIBA 3x3 Olympic qualifiers. I've had a look but can't find anywhere to have a bet on it so I'll have to think of it as research for the Olympics in order to stay focussed on the games.
"and I'd like to be able to communicate a bit better with my in-laws"
Not a sentence we see too often.
I've played four sessions in June; the theme of Tuesday night was overbet all-ins. I kept coming up against them with okay holdings against opponents I felt were overplaying. The one time I called, I was correct, they were overplaying. I couldn't beat top pair, but they were overplaying. Nonetheless, I ran quite well and got paid off a few times with big hands and managed to book a decent winning session.
I can't find any hands I was involved in with pots over a pound from Thursday's session, but I managed a small win.
On Friday and Saturday night I probably shouldn't have bothered playing as I was more concerned with getting bets on before Euro 2020 starts. I really enjoy the Euros and World Cup as betting opportunities and try to make a few tournament bets before they start. I remember for Euro 2016 I thought Wales had a great team and were undervalued by the market, and I couldn't work out why an ageing Czech Republic side were second favourites in their group (I think I bet them to finish bottom, and I think they did). I remember laying Roy Hodgson's England (who would go on to be defeated by Iceland) against Wales when the price was pushed to 1/2 on for England to win. Of course Sturrridge scored an injury time winner but to this day I think it was one of the best value propositions I've taken up.
My big angle for the last World Cup was to heavily oppose an ageing Russia side who were overvalued in the market due to home advantage. I laid them for every goal of their 5-0 win against Saudi Arabia, and I think every game they played after that. That wasn't great for me. Of course it has since come to light they were all doping but that knowledge doesn't help my bank balance. I also heard a tip that the African teams were undervalued by the market. I don't think any of them got out of the group. I still ended up a winner for the tournament but my, how different things could have been.
This time around I haven't watched as much football as I would need to in order to form my own opinions, but I try to listen to people who know what they're talking about. It sounds like Sweden, Turkey and Denmark might have decent routes to progress through the tournament. I'm also trying to oppose an ageing Switzerland side, and can't really understand why the Czech Republic aren't favourites to finish bottom of Group D; they've lost to Scotland twice last year and have to play them at Hampden Park. But I've been wrong before.
Anyway, my divided attention means I have played poorly and got my stack in behind twice since Friday night, sucking out on both occasions. I find it difficult to really enjoy these wins as they aren't deserved, but I'll try to think of it as swings and roundabouts.
Starting Bankroll: £100
Current Bankroll: £166.49
Hands Played: 4105
And for anyone interested, my Russian handwriting is progressing well, and I've made a few new contacts with bands and artist who need some video content, so hopefully I can fill June with a bit more than football betting.
I played almost no poker for the entirety of Euro 2020. I tried to watch as many of the games as I could and had something riding on almost every game. I did alright in the end with a 6% ROI, which seemed impossible after Gameday 1. I managed to lay Denmark at exactly the right time, and opposing Russia finally paid off. I stopped short of putting the house on Belgium to beat Russia in their opening fixture, despite Belgium going off at better than even money. Even if the Russians were doping again I still think even money on Belgium to win would have been generous.
Other than football, a couple of music videos have been keeping me busy for the past couple of months. I had planned to visit family in Moscow this month but the Covid situation there is dire. I had won a music video pitch, not entirely on the strength of me being in Moscow in August, but I'm sure it helped. Coming up with an alternative video to be shot in London kept me up at nights for a time, but I think I'm over the anxiety-inducing part of the process as the band have since signed off on the new concept. I think I'll take a break form music videos after this one as I'm likely to be quite busy with work come September.
I have seen almost none of the olympics despite managing a live stream for an Olympic basketball watchalong last weekend. Feel a bit burnt out after the Euros.
I dipped my toe back into the Sky Poker waters last night and while not at my best after a couple of months off, I managed a small profit from a small sample.
I wish I had more to say as typing on these Cherry Red switches is quite fun. Hopefully I'll be spending a bit more time at the tables this month.
Starting Bankroll: £100
Current Bankroll: £171.14
Hands Played: 4359