blonde poker forum

I received an email yesterday (along with many others I would assume) about Sky Poker boot camp next month and Im debating whether to go or not.

The main reason for considering it is that its local and ive always fancied going to one of these to learn how to "Raise my game"

The downside is that its £250 tho there are sats available.

Has anyone ever been to one of these boot camps and did they feel that they learned enough to justify the cost?

any idea who the teachers are?

if its predominately the "experts" that present the show, you likely wouldn't be getting value for money.

NICK WEALTHALL AND MATT BOUGHTON

You are good and have proven yourself at sats so it need not cost that much? Go for it and have local fun:)

Kara who I respect greatly as a player will also be there and some old  :tikay: will be signing autographs :-)

You can have this signed photo of me for a tenner...

2 please

Im sure Tony will be cheaper  ;D

Not if you pay by the kilo.

 :redcard:

after i win the £300 at dtd this weekend you can have mine for £0.99

In that case I shall be railing on the update thread  :kiss:

 ;bump;

I really would like some opinions.

Erm I have never been on one of these so called boot camps, so this more like a speculative opinion than anything.

I personally wouldn't go on one, firstly how do you teach a number of people of presumably varying ability. Where do you start? You are in danger of confusing half the class totally or wasting the time of the other half.

Also they just strike me as a bit of PR exercise and have tournaments which seem a bit half hearted.

The two "experts", im sure are reasonable poker players, Nick Welthall while mostly joking about, seems pretty solid. I must admit I have more reservations about Matt Broughton's ability based on the stuff I have seen on sky, though it seems that people on sky poker seemed to have been told (Tikay is guilty of this also) that no matter how badly someone muffs a hand to tell them its been played well(ish).

If it is anything like the "online hand of the week" that was in the mostly excellent poker week, I would pay not to go on the basis I might end up actually listening to it.

All specualtion but if you want my opinion, save your money Suzanne.

Longy has nailed my assumptions. If it were Full Tilt boot camp or the like it would probably be worth going, but I really doubt Sky (http://www.skypoker.com/poker/sky_lobby?aff=1062) Poker (http://www.skypoker.com/poker/sky_lobby?aff=1062) will make it worth your £250.

 Aspades

Players play...those that can

 Aspades

OOps possibly ended that last post a little soon ...by accident of course...

But, how many of the "Experts" teaching the course actually have to earn a living playing poker?
Are they cash or Tournament players? and...would any of the pro`s up and down the country recommend you listen to them?
I read lots of these so called experts articles in mags and online ( Some are good) but,  I have come across very few, if any, during my travels ...especially the one`s who claim to earn a living at the cash games.
As Flushy pointed out in a recent post "Those that can do...Those that can`t teach.
SKY mean well with there show but it`s not really aimed at helping casual players improve to a pro standard, it`s marketed at Joe Public to intrest them in poker...At least that was what they informed me when I dared to question the "Experts" presenting the show.
So I doubt there boot camp will be as strong as you would hope for at £250.
Only my opinion though....for what its worth.

My first question is do the limits you currently play and likely to play in the future really warrant you forking out £250 for this boot camp. I've never been to one and really don't see what the added benefit is in considering the cost when there are is so much free information and advice readly available on the internet.

I think you would be better of saving the £250, maybe use some of it as a bankroll and find a mentor, I'm sure some friendly blonde who's game you admire may/willing to help you anaylsis your game.

£250!!!!!!

I reckon you could get 10 mins with Annette Obrewassit for that and i'm 100% convinced you'd learn more.
If you are intent on spending the money on improving then i'd say join cardrunners or pokerxfactor or even a personal coach, much better value than generic advice to a crowd of newbies.

Well, as you know, I'm connected with Sky (http://www.skypoker.com/poker/sky_lobby?aff=1062) Poker (http://www.skypoker.com/poker/sky_lobby?aff=1062), so any opinion I give may not be deemed wholly subjective - I think that's fair comment. So read the following with that in mind, please.

Matt & Nick are both, imo, very good "teachers", in that, though they may not claim to have the best game in the world, they CAN explain the basics & intracies pretty well. IMO, of course. They do both, however, earn a nice living playing Online Cash. Devilfish is considered by many to be the UK's best Tourney player, but few would claim he can teach the game well - there's the difference.

The weekend will cover not just "at the table" play, but many, many, other things, including, for example, what I consider to be THE most important side of Poker - Bankroll Management & Bankroll Discipline, & much else besides.

£250 is a lot of money (it includes accommodation), but the idea is that players can, if they wish, try & win their Seats on Sky (http://www.skypoker.com/poker/sky_lobby?aff=1062) Poker (http://www.skypoker.com/poker/sky_lobby?aff=1062) Satellites.

The "experts" at Sky (http://www.skypoker.com/poker/sky_lobby?aff=1062) Poker (http://www.skypoker.com/poker/sky_lobby?aff=1062) are in fact called "Analysts" these days on the Show. Same peeps, different words, because I know many of you decent players would not call me an Expert.....but, surprising as it may seem to many, even I have the ability - & patience - to teach those at a certain level (entry level, perhaps) the fundamentals. Nobody who knows me even quarter well would expect me to claim I could teach anyone of medium & above ability too much about poker. And I would never try. I would, though, consider I'm able to teach Bankroll Discipline to players a hundred times better than I am - note how many very good (much better than I) players end up skint, or nipping 24/7./ Collectively, the Sky (http://www.skypoker.com/poker/sky_lobby?aff=1062) Poker (http://www.skypoker.com/poker/sky_lobby?aff=1062) Analysts have helped the Sky (http://www.skypoker.com/poker/sky_lobby?aff=1062) Poker (http://www.skypoker.com/poker/sky_lobby?aff=1062) players, as a body, to improve enormously over 12 months, though I shan't complain if my contributions are excluded from any credit for that.

The main body of tuition over the Boot Camp Weekend will be dione by Matt & Nick. Kara & I will be there, Kara on Saturday, & me on both days, to perform quite different roles. There will also be a camera Crew from Sky (http://www.skypoker.com/poker/sky_lobby?aff=1062) Poker (http://www.skypoker.com/poker/sky_lobby?aff=1062) there, hoping to interview as many players as possible.

Longy (I think) mentioned our (Sky "Analysts") reluctance, when on the Show, to tell players they've mangled a hand, instead suggesting we tell them they played it "well-ish", based on instructions from above. That's slightly disingenous, but I can see where that notion arises, & in fact it mirrors the endless debates about the blonde Poker Hand Analysis Board, namely, for example, does it really help when someone says "you muffed that, you idiot", or is it better if someone, carefully & patiently, explains "why". The instructions we all have at Sky are emphatically clear. "Do NOT be rude or offensive to the Sky (http://www.skypoker.com/poker/sky_lobby?aff=1062) Poker (http://www.skypoker.com/poker/sky_lobby?aff=1062) Players, because they are our Clients". But yes, we can point out that "maybe there was a better way to play that hand, have you considered this way?". It's all a matter of how it's said, rather than what's said.

I hope that explains the situation from an "insiders" perspective better Suzanne, though I remind you, again, that my Post has to be seen in the context that I work for Sky. The Weekend is NOT aimed at players who earn a living from the Game, it's more those who play at lower levels & are keen to try & improve quickly. These guys get ignored by so many in poker, but they happen to be, numerically, the majority, & that's why I have such pride in what Sky & indeed APAT has done.

I will bring this thread to the attention of Matt & Nick, & Sky (http://www.skypoker.com/poker/sky_lobby?aff=1062) Poker (http://www.skypoker.com/poker/sky_lobby?aff=1062), too, as they may have something to add, in the hope that it helps answer Suzanne's question.

But I can tell you one thing. If Sky (http://www.skypoker.com/poker/sky_lobby?aff=1062) Poker (http://www.skypoker.com/poker/sky_lobby?aff=1062) players mess up a hand, be it at the Boot Camp, or on the Show, they will never be called idiots or donks or fools. Rather, it will be explained, with care & tact & patience, that it might be worth considering alternative ways to play that hand. I happen to strongly believe that people are much more likely to learn from being addressed in that manner. But I know many disagree with that, but then that's the rub, because we are all different, & neither way is necessarily right or wrong for everybody.

We pay our money (or not, as the case may be) & we take our choice.

LOL at the apat reference :D

Just for you. See, one-on-one stuff. ;)

I refer to my previous post about is it really worth a small stakes people paying £250 as this may represent several months bankroll. I appreciate the boot camp may provide good advice and may be worthwhile if you can get in on the cheap via a sat but for a "typical" recreational player who plays for small stakes means a £250 outlay for such a boot camp shouldn't even be considered IMO. As I said before there's plenty of advice already out there for free if your willing to do the research and more often than not a more experienced players are happy to give advice when asked.

Yeah it was me and while I complete understand sky's viewpoint here as they are promoting a poker site . I wouldn't be expecting poker stars to email saying that I'm a donk after a downswing.

Yet we are going have to agree to disagree about Sky's "analysts" advice being helpful for the most part. Telling someone that they played a hand fine but saying you could have played it like this, generally the person is only going to hear that they played the hand fine and carry on doing that.

While PHA on here no doubt has its problems (i think it seems to have settled down in the last month), I think the way the majority promote their views on that board is alot more constructive. I try (probably very badly) to be constructive in my view of a hand and don't believe I have called anyone a donk, fool or an idiot*, I feel there are ways and means of telling someone that a hand wasn't played well without being rude.

FWIW Tikay you are far too modest about your game, no one makes a consistent profit playing the games you do without having a pretty solid game.


* I'm probably opening myself up to people digging through the archives of me calling someone an idiot.

Thanks Longy. Yes, the PHA Board is coming along nicely, & I'm much indebted to you, amongst several others, for helping it to become a more user-friendly learning tool. I hope you never thought I was referring to you in the context of abrubt, non-helpful, replies, I was not.

As you correctly say, & on this we agree 100%, there are, in my opinion, better ways to help people learn. And you have shown - even if I have not - that you don't need to be a top "name" winning player to be able to help Players grasp fundamentals.

Let me give a single example of a fundamental that many new players struggle to grasp. To anyone who plays the game at "our" level, it's almost breath-taking that it needs explanation - but it DOES. Many new players to Poker don't understand the difference between shoving with any two, & calling with ditto. Yes, I hear all the big boys laugh, "everyone knows that". But they DON'T. And when they learn that very crucial thing, their game changes completely. Obviously!

Now, to those who say so-called experts can't play, so they teach, well fine. I'm no "Expert", but even I'm perfectly capable - & patient enough - to help teach fundamentals like that, & so are Nick & Matt. And you.

Is £250 too much to learn such basics? In itself, probably. But add 100 or more similar scenarios, & maybe it is value, (though I remind all of my vested interest) to those who want the satisfaction of playing the game just a little better. Anyway, whatever happens, the Weekend will be about more than just learning, it will be a fun weekend, & I'm very confident that those who attend will consider it good value. You know me well enough to realise I'd not be (a small) part of it if I thought otherwise.

Hope to see you at DTD tonight. Preferably not on my table......

Suz, looking down the schedule I'd say it's pretty basic level tuition aimed more at beginner level than intermediate. Also factor in that there will be 120 people at the boot camp and this has to reduce the impact of anything that is trying to be taught.

Also remember that your £250 is also paying for overnight accommodation, meals, drinks etc so you're not actually getting £250's worth of poker tuition anyway.

That's not to say you wouldn't pick up a few tips but I'd say that Suz there is a definite danger you'd end up sitting there thinking.....hmmm, I know that......hmmmm I know that too.......

For me the Boot Camp doesn't look to be worth £250 for anyone just looking to get poker tuition out of it and as Longy suggests the whole thing is likely to have/be a huge PR showcase.

However for someone who wants to just enjoy what is likely to be a fun weekend with some basic poker tuition thrown in then they may very well consider it worthwhile. Someone that is motivated by getting possible exposure/interview on TV and generally increasing their profile within the Sky Poker community then £250 is probably represents decent value for the package.

Not to mention there will be several poker celebrities there..............and Tikay !   ;)

Seriously though I don't think it'll be worth £250 to you Suz in terms of improving your game. 

Nothing wrong with trying to satellite in though and good luck with that. :)up

I pushed with 7-2o once in a Walsall £300er and got caught by A-K. Flopped a house. Max from Luton was outraged. Happy days.

Thanks for the kind words, Tikay. I took no offence from your post referring to PHA was just drawing comparisons like you did in your original post. Takes a bit to offend me, hell i use to play the pot limit rebuys at Gala Notts regularly, you had to be pretty thick skinned to play them.

I won't be at DTD tonight, mainly as im attending a friends birthday do. Yet i tend not to play the higher stakes MTT's as it is certainly my weakest form of poker and im not really happy with the varience that it brings when my edge is pretty small if I have one at all.

Gl to all blondes playing it and I might pop down tomorrow to see whats going on and play some cash.

I think that quite a lot of the players who play sky poker would be quite happy to pay £250 for a weekend of poker tuition, they don't have bankrolls, they just stick £10 each time they want to play the open. They are not 'poker' players, just regular people who enjoy doing somthing different on a weeknight. They probably don't want to become a poker pro, just learn how to enjoy thier hobby better (and possibly win a couple of quid now and then).

It is amazing sometimes what people don't know, a friend who has been playing for a couple of years told me that 10-J suited was always 50% against any other hand! Even Phil Helmouth in his very early days believed that AK offsuit was better than AK suited because there were two flushes you could hit.

A course like this will help those players stuck in beginner to jump up to intermediate, well worth the money IMHO.

Hi all - Matt Broughton here.

Tikay has already done a sterling job of explaining the boot camp so i won't just repeat all that here. You're right in that it will be tough to make a course that appeals to all attendees, but we are firmly placing this as beginner to intermediate: people that play a little, fancy getting more into it and want to talk in more detail about the power of position, how important bankroll is, the difference between live and online play, tells, hand reading, etc.

Anyone who says to people 'I'm a poker player' won't get a lot out of this. People who say 'I love poker. I'd like to get better' will find this very useful.

Poker has been making a healthy contribution to my income since I gave up full time employment 3 years ago, so I feel confident I can offer some words of help to such people. Nick lived in Vegas for a number of years living as a day-in day-out pro so i don't think anyone can argue that he isn't valid as an instructor. He has also recently instructed at the 888 boot camps, so is familiar with these affairs. Tikay you know, and Kara is a great example of someone who didn't even play poker a few years ago but has now studied, practiced, and enjoyed many successes, so i think her input will also be invaluable to the attendees.

£250 isn't cheap, but we expect a large number to play their way in through the various online sats. The weeked will be A LOT of fun - not just powerpoint lessons. We have lots of interactive sessions, a gala tourney, dinner, Q&As, etc etc. We want it to be a real event on the Sky calendar.

Finally, i can assure you it is NOT a PR excercise. Myself and Nick were very specifically commissioned to create and deliver a solid 2-day course that would help casual players begin to open themselves up to concepts beyond "what hand have I got?"

I hope that gives you a little to go on, and hope it answers the questions you have. If anyone wants to PM me, please do so. You can find more info on the Sky site.

Cheers

Matt B

Two small points from Miami:
We don't criticise players because they are also our customers. We all know when we play a bad hand. Sky Poker analysts and presenters are very careful not to rub our noses in it and that's that.
Tom Sambrook is also coming to the Boot Camp to offer advice and help and yet another Sky Poker personality to be confirmed will be added to the mix to work with Tikay, Matt, Nick and Kara.
See you in Brissle (flights from Orlando permitting),
Vic from Miami

That's says more about the individuals who are willing pay £250 for a bit of poker tuition rather define the boot camp as a value for money excercise and cost effective way to learn more about the game. Maybe they have more money than sense. Maybe they just want to go on a weekends jolly which includes their hobbie.

For what I believe you will learn from this boot camp I believe your better off saving your money.

First of all thank you to all who replied.

Can I just outline my poker route up till now and explain why I thought this might be a good idea.

I started playing online about 3-4 years ago and did it purely for fun..$1 stts and had a great laugh at the table with no idea what I was doing. We were a fun group and I really enjoyed it, that was back in the VC lobby days.

Some of my online mates back then have gone on to be very good high stake players and I take pleasure in watching them from the rail now and again.

I wasnt and im still not in the position to up my game because I simply dont have the cash to do it. I wasnt brave enough back then to step up my game but more important I didnt have the time to study and learn how to improve so I was left behind.

The result is I gain more knowledge every day and improve as a player but playing at the stakes I do I get sucked out all the time and this has eroded my confidence to the extend that I find im folding to most reraises unless I have the nuts...not good.

I would like to think im an intermidate player at least so Im not sure how benificiary this course would be coz like Keithy said I would be sitting there thinking "I know that" but im just desperate to get back the confidence I once had.

I will try a couple of sats and see how it goes.

It looks like it will be a fun weekend and if I can get in cheap a hug from Tony will make it money well spent   :kiss:

I'm sure you underestimate how much you know about poker. (It's only about a week since you won your last MTT isn't it..?) I'm absolutely positive you'd be better off, in terms of your poker education, reading a couple of poker books or spending a few hours trawling the main poker sites, than going on this course.

(Not to say the course won't be done well, I'm sure it will - but as a regular member of Blonde I'm sure you're well above the average "beginner to intermediate" standard that they're targeting).

I have to agree with most of the posters in here.   You could join a training site (CardRunners, PokerXFactor)for a year for £250 and I'm sure you'd get more out of it.  Also, didn't someone say there was 120 people turning up?  That's a huge number for a training course, hopefully that wasn't correct!

You obviously know the basics to poker Suzanne, I thnk you'd be better off saving the money, unless you qualify via a satellie on the cheap of course :D  I'd be interested to hear a review from someone that went.

That's my Boss. Please be nice to him.....;)

Hi Mr. Bossman.  I'm sure you're a lovely lad and would agree that Tikay deserves a raise.  He's not getting paid half enough.   ;D ;angel;

Laxie gets the idea fairly rapidly.......

It was a no goer for me as already taking Mrs Indy away for the weekend. But i think there are a lot of players like me that would like to be better, and could read poker books,  could make use of various poker sites such as card runners,  could read my poker magazines properly etc. Many things that i could do, but don't do. I am in favour of poker boot camps as having face to face training forces you to learn. Also bearing in mind you have paid for it you would imagine that you would be giving it your attention. only thing I am unsure of is cost in that i have no idea what a good price is for a boot camp including accommodation. Not aware of any cheaper than £250?
Good luck to anyone trying this, would be interested to read feedback for future events.

I had the pleasure of playing live tonight...first time since the womens tour back in November and I can honestly say I played sooooooooo bad.

It was a £25 freezeout with 24 players so nothing too scary but im sitting here thinking I played like a complete donkey. Admittedly I was a bit card dead but I folded too many hands that were raised to me..only decent hand I got was TT and the flop came down AAx with 3 of us in the pot LOL.

I didnt take advantage of position, I didnt even try to bluff and now Im wondering why?? Im counting on my fingers here how many live games I have played..3 p4c games, 1 charity game Matt D ran, 2 blonde bashes and 5 games in the women poker league (which have been my last 5 games)..is it possible I was scared off by a table full of men? Its got me thinking.

It was good fun anyway and it was nice to see Matt, Nick, Lee and Robyn again, I enjoyed the evening so thats the main thing :-)

I still havent had a bash at the sats yet but I will, im not sure if the course is what im looking for but im a bit like Indy..I dont have the time or patience to sit down and read books or study the internet, something like this would force my attention so im still quite keen to give it a go...if I get in cheap.

IMO £250 for two days / 1 night, with activities and food laid on for all of this time is decent value - if you are really interested in poker as a hobby.
The fact that you get to meet some people off the telly, and improve your game as well is an added bonus.

If you want to try and judge it on an EV basis, against Cardrunners / books etc..., then go ahead, but I think you are seriously missing the point.

Poker is a fun game that can be a way of meeting / interacting with like minded people. This sounds like it's right down that street.

I had not played any live poker up to last September, but decided to trip down to Bristol for the Sky Live event, in order to break my duck.
I had a good time at a really well organised event, and met some really nice people.

When Sky do something, they tend to do it very well.

Self deal?

I should cocoa!

The Tourney will be fully Dealer-dealt. Hope to see you there.

Did you know that there is a Brunel Ship iin Bristol, on display? And that the Clifton Suspension Bridge was one of Brunel's masterpieces? Or that Bristol has two Railway Stations, the newer Parkway, & Temple Meads, the latter being another of Brunel's creations? I'm thinking of having a Brunel morning on the Sunday, we could go & look in awe at the Bridge, & I'll do a talk on railways & bridges. Should be fascinating. The Bridge has a Samaritans 'phone at each end, too.

Aspades

I see your point of view Vic and I fully realise that Sky is all about entertainment and not aimed at teaching people to "Earn a living at poker" but...
If people actualy knew how badly they had played a hand then surely they would benefit from constructive criticism ...Of course making them feel silly is not what it`s all about, but being honest about their play in a tactful way is surely the way forward.
And to do that...the Analyst has to have a total understanding of all aspects of the game..ie not misread the situation he or she is trying to explain to the viewer..

Is it invite only?  I'm not sure I've had one.  I may well be up for something like this if anyone else is going along and it looks like it's going to a fun weekend.  I don't think a back to basics lesson would do me any harm at all.

Well yes.

In a 4 hour Live Show, analysing, on the hoof, hundreds of hands, mistakes & misreads are made now & then, & I probably head that MisRead League Table. But the Sky Team are very understanding & supportive, & the viewers enter into the spirit of it. Technically, reading hands in the Studio is quite difficult - we read off the floor, which is painted bright, flourescent green, & the table image is beamed onto the floor, in monochrome via a ceiling-mounted projector & operated by the analyst using a hand-held device. Usually a gun, which when well-aimed, fires into our feet. Parallel with that, we are getting messages via an earpiece from the Producer about the next hand, or repo, hard counts to an Aston, from the Director asking for a different camera, slow it down, speed it up, "give me 20 seconds please" (so we have to "fill"), a Floor Manager waving his arms hither & thither, & do the Guests look OK?, can we throw to them? Oh, & don't forget to smile.

I think it's known as E & O E.

PS - Your very good friend Lucy (http://www.blondepoker.com/blondepedia/blondepedia_view_player.php?player_id=251) Rokach (http://www.blondepoker.com/blondepedia/blondepedia_view_player.php?player_id=251) had a spell "up-front" on Friday night, Analysing, & I think she'll confirm, it's a bit tougher than it looks.

 Aspades

Tikay, I`m not criticising any of your analysts...I know its a tough job ( A sharp mind and a sense of humour is very helpful) and mistakes happen but, you have to look credible...again directed at no one in particular.
We appear to be going off track a little from the origional thread i.e. letting people down gently when they play badly
Bad play is bad play no matter how you dress it up...we are all guilty of it even after 20yrs I still make some crass plays but... I have no problem admitting it, and if I do it on TV... I can accept all the criticism levelled at me.

As a bit of friendly criticism, what I notice most often is players saying that they are always getting their money in with he best hand but still can't win tournaments. Analysts tend to reply that they are obviously doing the right thing and to keep plugging away. Whilst it would seem to me that they are probably doing something wrong either calling instead of betting, getting blinded down waiting for big hands, not isolating players with big hands or not putting down big hands when they miss the flop.

I fully appreciate that they might not have time to fully answer the question posed by the player and it can also be hard to tell what kind of level the player is at and give appropriate advice without being condescending. But I do feel that the above phrase is over used.

BTW I think that the analysis of hands as they are played is usually very good.

Thank you Pete. It's a matter of perception really. If we feel they played a hand incorrectly, we tell them, quite clearly, but in a polite & constructive manner - what we think they should, or could, have done, to play it better, & how they might consider playing it differently next time. There are no circumstances in which we are gonna tell them "you mangled it". It serves no purpose. There are not pro players, or even wannabe pros, they are folks who play poker purely for fun. And it's sort of interesting to help them with their game in a manner which serves two purposes - to improve their poker skills, & to do so in a way which optimises their desire to stay with Sky Poker, & at the same time, the viewers find interesting. It is, after all, about player acquisition & retention, combined with entertainment. The Sky Poker success story - & I speak of the Cardroom, not the TV Show - has stunned the industry with how fast it's player base has grown, almost all of them new to poker, starting from scratch without the benefit of liquidity an existing network brings. The TV Show has contributed greatly to that. 

As to the suggestion you made that the Analysts need to be able to understand the situation, & not have misreads, I certainly stand guilty as charged on the latter. The current Analysts Team have a real in-depth knowledge of the game, with the likes of Matt, Nick, Tom, Ed, Tim, Grub, & others about to be augmented by, fingers crossed, two potential new recruits, in James Browning, & Compo. In that expanded Team there is experience, skill, personality, tv nous, & appalling dress-sense.

Oh, & it's our first Birthday this week.

Fair comment Grier, & as you suggest, time is our enemy, on a Live Show.

But that's about to change, & via a different medium, & very soon - weeks rather than months - we will have as long as it needs to properly go into the questions you suggested we are not currently, for whatever reason, giving enough time to, on the Show. Watch this space, we are nearly there, & it will solve the problem to which you refer.

I completely agree with you Pete which is why I was so surprised to see and hear your commentary from Spain last year. IMHO I thought that the commentary was way too soft and forgiving bearing in mind that it was a pro match.

I did wonder actually if life was being made difficult for you and that you couldn't see the game from where you were sitting when your co presenter had to prompt you to say something as you seemed to have gone very quiet for quite some time. Were you away from the action? As it wasn't broadcast live I'm surprised they didn't do some of it over again, especially the mis-reads on the hands. If you're not doing it live they should give you an opportunity to make it look really good. 

Are you doing it again this year? Please get closer to the action - I would love to hear you in full flow.  ;D

any chance blonde will do a boot camp?

Flushie might have some camp boots if that's any good.

too expensive for me!

looked at it in 2006, at which time costs of running were prohibitive (and management resource was scarce)

tbh its not on our list of priorities. Not to say we wouldn't do it but we are flat to the decks behind the scenes on a whole host of initiatives with potential partners, and we are running with those for the time being

As I said earlier, I sent this thread to Sky. We had a pow-wow on Monday about it - with every level of Management present, right up to Sky Bet Board Level - and they've now decided, in the light of the comments in this thread, & the advice from Matt & myself, taken on board by the Suits & Suitesses,  to reduce the capacity to 60 maximum. This will enable the participants to spend more time with Matt & Nick, without compromising the community feel to the weekend.

As well as Matt & Nick, Tom Sambrook will be there, & Kara too, & they are hoping to add another face or two.

So Suzanne, in light of your comment....

It looks like it will be a fun weekend and if I can get in cheap a hug from Tony will make it money well spent

....let's hope you Qualify - it would be great to see you there. And it will be a hoot of a weekend, & everyone should be able to impove their game significantly, and have a little fun at the same time. That's a promise.

You talked. Sky listened.

This was the official Press Release issued by Sky today. Sorry about the "ever popular Tony "tikay" Kendall bit. Assume a typo. Sky typewriters don't have "u" & "n" on their keyboards. Or, I fear, "o", "l", or "d".

Sky (http://www.skypoker.com/poker/sky_lobby?aff=1062) Poker (http://www.skypoker.com/poker/sky_lobby?aff=1062) is hosting its first Boot Camp event in Bristol on the weekend of the 8th and 9th March, 2008.

The Boot Camp is strictly limited to only 60 students to ensure everyone gets maximum attention from the Sky (http://www.skypoker.com/poker/sky_lobby?aff=1062) Poker (http://www.skypoker.com/poker/sky_lobby?aff=1062) presenters hosting the event.

Chief instructors will be Sky (http://www.skypoker.com/poker/sky_lobby?aff=1062) Poker (http://www.skypoker.com/poker/sky_lobby?aff=1062)’s Matt Broughton and Nick Wealthall with the ever popular Tony ‘Tikay’ Kendal and Kara Scott also on hand to ensure plenty of one-to-one interaction with the players.

Other familiar faces from Sky (http://www.skypoker.com/poker/sky_lobby?aff=1062) Poker (http://www.skypoker.com/poker/sky_lobby?aff=1062)’s The Open, The Club and Poker Week will be dropping by so it will be a great opportunity for players to meet some of the best known names in poker.

The highlight of the weekend promises to be the Saturday night tournament where all 60 players will play with the instructors and personalities from Sky (http://www.skypoker.com/poker/sky_lobby?aff=1062) Poker (http://www.skypoker.com/poker/sky_lobby?aff=1062). Awards will accompany the bragging rights that go with knocking out Tikay and the other bounty players.

The Sky (http://www.skypoker.com/poker/sky_lobby?aff=1062) Poker (http://www.skypoker.com/poker/sky_lobby?aff=1062) Boot Camp is open to all and costs £250, which includes one night’s accommodation, meals, Boot Camp tournament entry and much more.

For how to qualify or enter, just go to the Sky Poker website, it's all there.

Translation; I'd pay £250 because there are cameras there ;)

Oh yes, I forgot to add. We will have a TV Crew there all weekend, & hope to get interviews - before, during & after - with as many as the players as are willing to be interviewed. These will appear on Channel 846, on "The Open" & "The Club" shortly thereafter.

Thats gotta change your mind Ed???

Not this time, have a trip with the Mrs to the Royal Albert Hall to see Tosca. Not sure what it is but I am going to see it.  :D

I would say as a beginner paying £250 is a lot to fork out. I personally would use it as a starting bankroll and play $5 sngs whist reading poker books i found doyle's super system a really good help on many things and it improved my game loads.Am sure others could recommend some other excellent poker books (i heard harrington's series of books are really good).Just thought i'd put my 2 pennies worth in.;)

Suzanne I think this is a brilliant idea a weekend away playing poker and a night in a hotel away from the wife and kids all for a fiver Result  ;yippee;

Long live the satellite ;yippee;

cia

 If they have a section at this bootcamp on poker etiquette  (especially slow-rolling)
 PAY CLOSE ATTENTION   ;letsparty; ;karabiner; ;nemesis; ;nemesis; ;grr; ;grr;

Please ignore the dancers in the above post   ;madasahatstand;

Why's that????