Title: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Snatiramas on June 09, 2009, 10:04:42 PM Why is that it is not enough to just have our cake. We have to have our cake and eat it as well. Ladies and gentlemen no sooner have I qualified for a seat in the main event at the WSOP than these thoughts are already storming the Bastille of my poker brain.
My poker brain thinks like this. Poker is all. Poker is everything. There is nothing else of import. The rest of my head thinks, are the family okay, how is the job going, have we got enough money to survive etc. etc. Winning the satellite on Sunday night was superb. I pretty much knew from about an hour and a half out that I was going to win a seat. When at 6.10 am I had won, I was pumped. I mean really pumped. Each year I give myself £300 to try and qualify for Vegas. If that £300 disappears then I do not go. In 2006 I went (by the way I was a 4XL that year). 2007 I blew the £300. Last year due to work commitments I could not even try. This year my company and I had an amicable parting of the ways and time is not the issue. No the issue this year is money. I am currently assessing my job options and looking for the right opportunity in these difficult times i.e. Can’t find the right job. All the time I do not work the reserve goes down. Even so I have budgeted that the Snat household is good for another six months and the £4000 pounds from the rugby/footie bet helped a lot. See the betting forum for details. What is decided, is that I am going to Vegas. What isn’t decided is whether I will play the main event or not. The options are as I see them as follows 1. Play the main event and what will be will be………… downside of this is that now sensible head is in the picture I am not sure I would be free to play my normal game mentally……my game is feeble enough already without guilt taking over. 2. Play half….save half. Play a live mtt satellite and if I qualify I would then have no guilt issue whatsoever. I could then play some deepstack action at the Venetian anyway. 3. Sell 50% of myself anyway on the forum and go to war with the whole of Blonde supporting me……… I have never sold shares of myself as I couldn’t stand the rejection of the silence on the thread. 4. Take the money……..I fear if I do this the poker brain will do a, “what if” number. It would nag at me and nag at me until it caused my brain to explode out of my right ear……..please ensure you sit on my left in the up and coming weeks if this is the option There may be other options of course hence this is the first post. Suggestions always welcomed. On a completely different note it was a remarkable weekend in many ways. Firstly on Saturday I started do the RFU level 1 coaching course. I had an awesome day but I couldn’t walk for the next 48 hours. We had close friends round for supper on Saturday night and just chilled and chatted and drank good red wine…….I love that sort of evening. Particularly as the pain in my body disappeared after the second bottle. Sunday lunch brought my parents Golden Wedding anniversary. I am truly blessed in that I do not have to look too far for exemplary role models. In those fifty years Mum and Dad, have like all of us, been faced with good and bad but have shown fortitude and love and my admiration is absolute and total. Immediate family all got together for lunch there was much laughter. Sunday night I qualified for the WSOP. So this weekend had everything, rugby, friends, family and poker. The weekend mood continued yesterday with Adam taking three wickets for the school in his first ever cricket match and today is my seventeenth wedding anniversary. In life one does not get much right in my own experience. That does not imply regrets, it just means that in review there are often different choices an individual can make. A bit like playing a shoe of blackjack. Should I twist or stick? Well I got the most important thing right. My choice of life partner. Anne Marie I love you. Happy anniversary. Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: DUNK619 on June 09, 2009, 10:08:22 PM play the main and sell some of your action 2 help with expenses whatever you do best of luck 2 u
Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: amcgrath1uk on June 09, 2009, 10:09:29 PM play the main and sell some of your action 2 help with expenses whatever you do best of luck 2 u +1 Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Robert HM on June 09, 2009, 10:12:51 PM just have fun, you need a break, sell 50% to ease the conscience.
Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Colchester Kev on June 09, 2009, 10:14:07 PM Sell 50% but sell it in tiny parcels, then we can all have a bit of your vegas dream :)
Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: kinboshi on June 09, 2009, 10:16:36 PM Sell 50% but sell it in tiny parcels, then we can all have a bit of your vegas dream :) +10000000000000000000000000 Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Girgy85 on June 09, 2009, 10:19:51 PM Sell 50% but sell it in tiny parcels, then we can all have a bit of your vegas dream :) +90000000000000000000000000 FYP Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: tikay on June 09, 2009, 10:24:04 PM Quality pennage Snat, this will be a great read. PS - If it were me, I'd go for Option 2. Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: maccol on June 09, 2009, 10:25:47 PM Sell 50% but sell it in tiny parcels, then we can all have a bit of your vegas dream :) Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: claypole on June 09, 2009, 10:35:53 PM Good post.....I'd go option 2 mate. There is so much good action at moment, if £300 was your roll to qualify, you can do your mega sat and still play 5/6 decent size events at Venetian, Caesars and daily Bellagio - with manageable field sizes, great structures and a chance of a decent payday - albeit not $millions. And you'll play your game! As Robert said, great break, great poker and still $5k in the bin which buys you a few more months. Good luck whatever, know what the job things like.
Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: dan on June 09, 2009, 10:37:53 PM Snatty, Well done in qualifying. Since poker sites stopped buying you straight into the ME I think most people who win a seat have excactly the same thoughts. When I won a seat in 2005 (brag, obv) Hills paid me straight into the ME and I never really had an option so these thoughts were never considered but winning the seat meant I had the buzz of going to Vegas and playing in the wsop.
I think, well I know TBH, that if I won a seat now that I would take the $12k on offer. I would probably go to Vegas, like you are thinking, play a sat, maybe a $1k/$1500 event and a few other decent comps while I was out there with like half the money. To actually hand over $10k cash to play a game of poker I would imagine is a very hard thing to do. Although a large part of the field is quite week there is still like about 6000 people to get through just to see a return on your investment. If you really wanted to play in the ME then selling 50% of yourself maybe a good option, although selling $5k of yourself maybe a hard thing to do. So if you only sold like $2k would you still want to pay $8k yourself?? As for taking the money and running so to speak, thats your sensible head talking but you have had a good run of late with the rugby bet and winning the $12k so why not treat yourself? Whatever you decide to do I wish you the best of luck and hope you either have a great trip to Vegas and win some more $$$ or you decide to take the $$$ and run. FWIW I voted play half/save half. Best of luck :) Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: kukushkin88 on June 09, 2009, 10:40:04 PM Looks a clear option 2 to me. Not the time to be taking on the highest variance live tournament in the world. I reckon you'll have a much better time if you put a few quid aside and play smaller tourneys.
Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: tikay on June 09, 2009, 10:46:33 PM This should be re-named "The Sensible Thread".
Some great Posts already. Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Snatiramas on June 09, 2009, 10:55:12 PM I think I might have come up with an option 2.1a........I will post that at close of play tomorrow or whenever I get back from the Luton Wednesday night donkfest...........I shall be wearing some of my Pokerstars 2006 WSOP wardrobe ......sorry for mentioning a rival site but I do love stars for sats.
Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: cia260895 on June 09, 2009, 10:57:06 PM Phil the love of your family is there for all to see and admire
why not ask them? Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: ItsMrAlex2u on June 09, 2009, 11:11:21 PM Got to play the event.
If you had posted that funds were really tight etc then different story but you havent. You have qualified so you have to play. If you want to have a bit of cash to boost your spends on the trip then sell 25% or something, doesnt have to be 50. At least by selling a % then you wont get tempted not to buy in when you are out there. GL and ship the lot. Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: George2Loose on June 09, 2009, 11:18:25 PM use 300 bucks to play the weekend (200 seats guaranteed). Win a second seat
Have your cake AND eat it :D Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Dewi_cool on June 09, 2009, 11:52:17 PM No Job, No guarantee of a job, as hard a decision as it is , I take the money >:(
Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Karabiner on June 10, 2009, 12:27:13 AM I think that you should definitely play Phil as that is why you invested the £100 in the first place.
Personally I would not sell any more than 25% of my action at this stage if i were in your position as you may well want to swop some %ages over there. Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: jambo22 on June 10, 2009, 09:42:53 AM Its a bit of a double edged sword. Its an amazing experience to play the Main Event, but its a lot of cash to hand over, and as we all know you need to be very lucky to cash.
I had the same dilemma a couple of years ago. I qualified on VC, and they gave my 10k to Jon (http://www.blondepoker.com/blondepedia/blondepedia_view_player.php?player_id=221) Shoreman (http://www.blondepoker.com/blondepedia/blondepedia_view_player.php?player_id=221), I met him in the Rio and picked up the cash. I oppted to pay in to the main event. As with the majority of poker players, I had always dreamed of playing in the main event, but having now done it, I would play a few Sat's and play lower buyin games with the 10k. Cheers Jambo Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: boldie on June 10, 2009, 09:55:05 AM It'd be option 2 for me..but everyone's circumstances are different.
GL with it though Snatty :) Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Claw75 on June 10, 2009, 10:16:41 AM No Job, No guarantee of a job, as hard a decision as it is , I take the money >:( +1 Good luck whatever you decide Snatty! Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: The_nun on June 10, 2009, 10:19:25 AM Quality pennage Snat, this will be a great read. PS - If it were me, I'd go for Option 2. +1 Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Jon MW on June 10, 2009, 10:21:10 AM Option 2 is the sensible option - but in your shoes I'd do this
I think that you should definitely play Phil as that is why you invested the £100 in the first place. Personally I would not sell any more than 25% of my action at this stage if i were in your position as you may well want to swop some %ages over there. One thing I've wondered though is: if you win the dollars, but then you cash out it gets converted to pounds. Then you have to exchange them back to dollars again - how much are you going to lose out from these transactions? Could this affect your decision? Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: celtic on June 10, 2009, 10:34:04 AM Put whatever it cost you back into the bank and look at it as a free shot to set you and your family up for the rest of your lives. Only live once mate and if you don't do it you may regret it.
Sell or swap 25% max imo. Gd luck whatever you do. Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Nakor on June 10, 2009, 12:15:08 PM Snat,
Quality post and I think it would be option 2 for me at about 25% however . . . By making this post I assume the tug of financial woes and family commitments is a heavy one. Your situation although comfortable for the next 6 months or so can you honestly say that 10K would not offer a huge level of security for the next 6 months? Just remember the WSOP is not going anywhere, it will still be there in 1, 3, 5 years time when maybe you will be better placed to take your A game and not worry so much about your home situation, you have qualified before you will again I am sure. Good luck with whatever you decide. Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Simon Galloway on June 10, 2009, 12:58:54 PM VWD.
Can I ask what (super) satellites, steps, or other mtt jobbies you targeted with your £300?? Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Snatiramas on June 10, 2009, 01:08:48 PM VWD. Can I ask what (super) satellites, steps, or other mtt jobbies you targeted with your £300?? I started off with $27 step 2's............three times I got up to level 5 and bombed....then I did $215 double shoot out....what a waste of money........then I finallt did what I should have done all along. $80 mtt into the final $650 mtt. Then the decision was 7 pm or 11pm. 7pm obviously is better for the Europeans but more seats in the 11pm. Left my name in the 11pm and in honesty it was a fairly standard sat. Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Chompy on June 10, 2009, 07:17:03 PM Option 2
FACT imo Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: tikay on June 10, 2009, 07:24:25 PM Option 2 FACT imo We could follow his progress if you had a blog...... Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: AlexMartin on June 10, 2009, 07:28:42 PM sell 50% mate, u are deffo good enough to charge a small premium which would get snapped up. Use the $5k to treat the family/put aside for a rainy day.
Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Chompy on June 10, 2009, 07:31:25 PM Option 2 FACT imo We could follow his progress if you had a blog...... You mean like this one? http://www.racingpost.com/blog/poker/ Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: phatomch on June 10, 2009, 08:00:22 PM sell 50% mate, u are deffo good enough to charge a small premium which would get snapped up. Use the $5k to treat the family/put aside for a rainy day. i would sell 25-30% on here mate and swap the other 20-25% in shares over there, you can put a few k to spending over there and hopefully get a return through yourself or a saver Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: cambo on June 11, 2009, 12:22:26 AM sell 500% of yourself, then whatever you do, dont cash!!!!!!
Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Snatiramas on June 11, 2009, 07:15:39 AM sell 500% of yourself, then whatever you do, dont cash!!!!!! Ahhh!!! the stories we could tell of people who managed to oversell and still cash........in a past life apprently they were the Turkeys who voted for Christmas Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Snatiramas on June 11, 2009, 11:39:03 AM suicide noun 1 the act or an instance of killing oneself deliberately, usually in the phrase commit suicide. 2 someone who deliberately kills or tries to kill himself or herself. 3 ruin or downfall, especially when it is unintentional.
Well they say pride comes before a fall. To say I played badly last night would be an understatement of galactic proportions. I was still so pumped from qualifying that I felt that king five was a reraising hand in a big blind, small blind special. It was good to get this tourney out of the way and I now have every intention of settling down to a more sedate style of play.....Still blonde G league points were gained once more for seventh place. It took play of the highest order to rescue seventh from a nailed on top three finish but on the plus side I would have to say it was great to spar with Gamblor....top bloke. Lots of other blondes there as well......its a good night is Wednesday. So after a performance like last night what can I say other than I had better brush up my book knowledge. Todays classic quote comes from the tome that is Phil Hellmuth Jr.’s “Play Poker Like the Pro’s”. I refer specifically to page 33 and I quote. “Phil’s Animal Types” These are the animals: the mouse, lion, Jackal, elephant, and eagle. I have created these animals because they seem to be the most common types out there right now.” Okay Mr. Hellmuth out where right now exactly. The most common type of animal at the comps I have played in tend to be called human beings . I digress let me continue with the quote “The mouse is like your old aunt Edna, a conservative type who probably wouldn’t even approve of you reading this book” Well let me tell you Phil my old mucker you obviously have not met Evil Edna from Luton. Mouse! Mouse! More like your worst bloody nightmare. With this in mind, it struck me that it would be a reasonable challenge to get a picture of Edna and go and try and find Helmuth and get him to sign it with the immortal words “You are not a mouse and I am sorry”. So this has now become challenge number one for the trip. Anybody who is in Vegas from the 2nd will need to help me locate said legend of the game and hopefully witness said exchange. He after all wouldn’t do an autograph for my son in 2006. The piccy at the bottom is Snattys poker library and I will try and find something to enrich each of my bi daily posts between now and leaving. So onto the poll result. It was interesting stuff and all the options and views are valid. I am going to go for option two which would enable me to have a break in Vegas and play some poker and also play a live satellite at $1060. However I can’t ignore the large number of people who think I should sell shares in myself. So I have come up with Snats alternative staking post which will be on the staking thread. I will be selling 0.5% shares of myself for $50. Nobody will be allowed more than 0.5% and two and a half per cent has already gone. 1% to Reece. 1% to Holly who are obviously my Blonde heroes. 0.5% to Dingdell who puts up with my poker bleating. The rest of you will have to post and transfer $50 to my stars account and pm me. There are fifteen slots. Why bother I hear you cry? Well ladies and gentlemen I believe that to have a dream is crucial regardless of your view of money. Don’t get me wrong .I like money. I like dreaming more. If I manage to qualify for the ticket then the ticket will be played and your share will roll over to any prize money that I might win in the main event. All other monies are solely mine, after all fat bald men are much sort after for image rights. I thought it might be a nice cheap way of getting a few of you to have some fun supporting me during my trip........ Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: gatso on June 11, 2009, 11:57:50 AM I'm somewhat confused by that phil.
I'm reading it as the following you're selling 17x$50 shares=$750 you're using the $750 to enter a $1060 sat for ME if you win a seat then you'll play the ME and those shares will be worth a total of 8.5% or do I have it wrong and you're selling 8.5% and playing the ME whether you win a sat or not? Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Snatiramas on June 11, 2009, 12:01:40 PM I'm somewhat confused by that phil. I'm reading it as the following you're selling 17x$50 shares=$750 you're using the $750 to enter a $1060 sat for ME if you win a seat then you'll play the ME and those shares will be worth a total of 8.5% or do I have it wrong and you're selling 8.5% and playing the ME whether you win a sat or not? You are quite right my numbers are wrong........I really need to engage brain before opening mouth.........$5 it is. Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: boldie on June 11, 2009, 12:06:59 PM I'm somewhat confused by that phil. I'm reading it as the following you're selling 17x$50 shares=$750 you're using the $750 to enter a $1060 sat for ME if you win a seat then you'll play the ME and those shares will be worth a total of 8.5% or do I have it wrong and you're selling 8.5% and playing the ME whether you win a sat or not? lol...you idiot...how could you even think this. [ ] I wasn't going to pay 50$ as I read it properly Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: gatso on June 11, 2009, 12:08:02 PM I'm somewhat confused by that phil. I'm reading it as the following you're selling 17x$50 shares=$750 you're using the $750 to enter a $1060 sat for ME if you win a seat then you'll play the ME and those shares will be worth a total of 8.5% or do I have it wrong and you're selling 8.5% and playing the ME whether you win a sat or not? You are quite right my numbers are wrong........I really need to engage brain before opening mouth.........$5 it is. lol. it did look like the worst value staking post ever. I'm loving the number of people who were going to pay it anyway, I'm gonna add basic maths to the basic logic lessons I'm running at the blondebash Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: pokerfan on June 11, 2009, 12:10:54 PM obv typo lol, cleared up on both threads now.
Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Snatiramas on June 11, 2009, 12:12:03 PM I'm somewhat confused by that phil. I'm reading it as the following you're selling 17x$50 shares=$750 you're using the $750 to enter a $1060 sat for ME if you win a seat then you'll play the ME and those shares will be worth a total of 8.5% or do I have it wrong and you're selling 8.5% and playing the ME whether you win a sat or not? You are quite right my numbers are wrong........I really need to engage brain before opening mouth.........$5 it is. lol. it did look like the worst value staking post ever. I'm loving the number of people who were going to pay it anyway, I'm gonna add basic maths to the basic logic lessons I'm running at the blondebash rotflmfao rotflmfao Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Laxie on June 11, 2009, 03:54:55 PM So I shipped $5 based on the other thread, landed over here and freaked...shipping the other $45 straight away. Only to finish reading and find I've sent to much. rotflmfao Upgrade yer coffee to a lunch or dinner and enjoy! :)up
Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: salfi on June 11, 2009, 10:01:27 PM vegas baby. il be flyin out on sunday. i have the roll to play the main event but to be honest i just dont wanta spunk 10k on 1 game. it would be a sick dream having a deep run in that game but im taking the route of spreading my wealth amongst the smaller bracelet events and lots of cash play on top of my fix of tourenys at ceasars. ive built the roll to play online and although ide love more then anything in the world to play this i just cant bring myself to play and part with the money. my mate got sponsership that has to be the best way get forced to play on someone elses stake. all the best in the event may your hands hold up and your suckouts be brutal :) gl
Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Snatiramas on June 11, 2009, 10:40:41 PM vegas baby. il be flyin out on sunday. i have the roll to play the main event but to be honest i just dont wanta spunk 10k on 1 game. it would be a sick dream having a deep run in that game but im taking the route of spreading my wealth amongst the smaller bracelet events and lots of cash play on top of my fix of tourenys at ceasars. ive built the roll to play online and although ide love more then anything in the world to play this i just cant bring myself to play and part with the money. my mate got sponsership that has to be the best way get forced to play on someone elses stake. all the best in the event may your hands hold up and your suckouts be brutal :) gl I wish you everything I wish myself..........is there a better feeling than the anticipation of a Vegas trip..... Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Claw75 on June 11, 2009, 10:47:56 PM had a very vivid dream whilst I was napping this afternoon. I was in vegas and I won $1.3milliion. Was a bit annoyed when I woke up to realise I was still skint - the feeling in the dream that all my money worries were over was so real ;D Hopefully it was a vision of how much you're going to win when you're out there :)up
Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Snatiramas on June 13, 2009, 12:17:37 AM Planning is going well. The passport is up to date. I have found my ITIN number. This little puppy is crucial if you don’t want the casino to withhold tax on any win over $5k, and let’s be honest we never want the tax man to get hold of any money as it is a bugger to get it back. The flight is booked and so is the Venetian. I could stay at the Palms which is Pokerstars venue of choice or take the bag of sand and sort out my own accommodation.
A bit of research and a pm to the chompster soon put me straight and as I intend to play mainly in the Venetian I was soon sorted. The Venetian is quite something, on top of which it is opposite the Mirage and the world famous, though not as good as New Yorks, Carnegie Deli. Sandwiches with half a cow in them are much the order of the day. I have also been scouring the poker schedules. The first time I came to Vegas I really didn’t have enough cash to play the tournies I wanted to. It was the main event some sit and gos and that was it.....well not this time. The programme looks something like this but it is subject to change Thursday 02/07/2009 140 Venetian 120+20 7pm Friday 03/07/2009 369 Caesers 330 + 39 12pm Saturday 04/07/2009 1060 Satellite 8pm Sunday 05/07/2009 360 Bellagio 330+30 2pm Monday 06/07/2009 170 Venetian 150+20 12pm Tuesday 07/07/2009 200 Downtown Wednesday 08/07/2009 170 Venetian 150+20 12pm Thursday 09/07/2009 369 Caesers 330 + 39 12pm For a start will I really want to play the first night or just crash. Last time I just crashed but then I had suffered quite an interesting journey. For those who maybe never saw the story from three years ago it went like this. As I was at the gate my glasses frame pinged open and the lens fell out. There followed quite an interesting ten minute interlude where the entire flight including somebody who looked remarkably like Lucy Rokach scoured the mottle effect floor for a tiny two millimetre screw. Alas it was not found and I spent the entire ten hour flight wearing sunglasses. Got a bad headache. Arrived in Vegas and dumped my stuff at the Treasure Island and went in search of an opticians. Luckily the TI is right next to the Fashion Show Mall and I was soon sorted but that was my day done. A quick bite to eat and I had an early night. This raises another point. I have been asked by a number of people who I am going with. Well unfortunately Anne Marie can’t get the time off work and Ads and Rachie are in school so I will be on my own. For one who is regarded as so gregarious I do strangely like being on my own. It takes away the pressure of having to take anybody elses feelings into consideration. On this trip that may well be a bonus. Now it was suggested to me at Luton that it was obvious when I was bluffing on Wednesday. This may well be true, I thought the clucking like a chicken had gone completely unnoticed but apparently one or two of the more observant members of the table had picked up on it. So it was back to the library and to James A McKenna’s book “Beyond Tells”. He writes some interesting stuff but one passage that I highlighted four years ago sprang off the page at me again. Probably because I had highlighted it. Funny how that system works, anyway the sentence read as follows Folding when there are few or no Outs and Counting odds of making hands. Above all Using your brains, social skills, and common Sense to play, call, raise or fold. So only short of three of those then. Brains, social skills and common sense. For those members of the “Bunch of Fives” staking group Saturday night is the night for fighting. Bloody hell quoting Reg now had better go to bed..........next post Monday after I have finished my RFU level 1 coaching course. Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Steve Swift on June 13, 2009, 07:43:04 PM Thanks for a very interesting thread, and gl in Vegas
Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: AlexMartin on June 14, 2009, 06:53:46 PM Thanks for a very interesting thread, and gl in Vegas +1 Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: The_nun on June 14, 2009, 10:09:58 PM Always enjoy your posts Snatty, also like to say a big TY for thinking of Reece during your special time. XXXX Your wife is a lucky woman.
Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Snatiramas on June 15, 2009, 11:28:30 AM Everyone can remember those life changing moments that periodically happen. You know what I mean. Twenty first birthday. Turning forty. Buying your first pair of varifocal glasses. Ladies and gentlemen it is official my eyes are betraying my age. I realised it when the only way I could read a book was to have it a long way from my body or take my glasses off. So I went off to the local opticians and had an eye test. It was pointed out to me that six years is rather a long time between tests and it confirmed that I needed variview lenses. So I am sitting here typing this in my new glasses. Now I was warned that they take a little bit of getting used to. Not bloody kidding. Any typos are purely down to this and not to the fact that we were out partying at a good friends Barmitzvah party for most of the night.
Something else took place that showed me that my body was not what it once was. The final day of my level one rugby football union training course. Can I tell you I really enjoyed this course. It made me think about the game I love to a different level. The things that you look at as a coach are very different to those that you look at as a spectator or even as a player. So watching the Lions on Saturday afternoon, and knowing that my coaching session was on the scrum half pass, meant that Harry Ellis came under the Snatty scrutiny. He is an international player playing at the most rarefied level and I am the lowest of the low rugby coach. Well let me tell you his pop pass out of his left hand is a thing of truly ugly proportion. His speed of pass is not good enough and he needs to make his decisions must faster. Wow it feels good to get that off my chest. During yesterdays training there was a contact session. How to teach young players to tackle, ruck, maul, lineout and scuimmage. There is an understandable fear amongst parents about rugby being a violent and dangerous game. If coached well it is the most unbelievable team game in existence. Well physically as I sit here not able to see I am also not able to move due to the stiffness in my body. Let me tell you this though, the body may be failing but the mind is still electric. I loved thinking about the various skills needed for coaching. So a thinking book is needed for today. These two quotes are to be found in “Zen and the Art of Poker” by Larry W Phillips. “The way of the wise man is to act and not compete” “If you have the idea of superiority and are proud of your ability, this is a disaster”. It is important after last Wednesday that I get my level head back on through the up and coming few weeks and concentrate on playing my best poker at each of the individual moments that occur in each of the tournaments. Luton tonight............ post on Wednesday will be all about “the beast”. A question for you all. What is the expectation of tipping in a cardroom for both tournies and cash game? I have never quite mastered this one. Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: RED-DOG on June 15, 2009, 06:15:38 PM ul&b;dr
(It's not really, and I did) Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Snatiramas on June 16, 2009, 10:23:34 AM ul&b;dr (It's not really, and I did) Now in some societies this means something...........just not sure what Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: RED-DOG on June 16, 2009, 10:49:42 AM ul&b;dr (It's not really, and I did) Now in some societies this means something...........just not sure what Soz Snat. I thought u wuz down with us kidz. Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Simon Galloway on June 16, 2009, 06:15:57 PM What is the expectation of tipping in a cardroom for both tournies and cash game? I have never quite mastered this one. Some poeple will just follow local custom, culture and expectation. Some will do what feels right for them personally. For me, I like to know that the tip is going to the person(s) I want to reward and not to those that I don't. Assuming this is all tied in with Luton G, their policy is a double-edged sword for the cardroom staff. On the one hand, regs that would really like to tip don't because of the share-out policy, but it is the same policy that sees cardroom staff better off because of a share out from the main pit. Vegas is always a good baseline to compare against on all things poker related. In one tourny I left a generous tip because the staff were excellent, the TD sorted my ITIN paperwork out and the event was a pleaure to play. Another time, I left nothing* and explained to the TD why that was the case - 2 dealers (one incident involving me, one not) had reasonable grounds for instant dismissal and made the event thoroughly unenjoyable for several. Conversely, in another tourny 1 dealer got a really rough ride but was superb in attitude and application, I left a standard tip for the room and the following day in a cash game I took the opportunity to single him out for a reward. It got a bit of a funny look as it was about half the pot, but when I said, "well done yesterday" it got a wry smile and a sincere appreciation. *over and above what they have already scalped from the prize pool of course.. Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Snatiramas on June 17, 2009, 01:23:14 PM Cars are always such an emotive issue. Society has a tendency to measure people by what they drive. Drive something flashy and you are obviously successful. Drive a beat up W reg Ford Mondeo with bust up bits all over the place and you are obviously down on your luck. I took the decision a little while ago not to buy a new car or get myself tied into a deal. I haven’t decided what I want to do life wise yet and why spend money on a car.
Having said that, I need wheels so that I can get around as our bus service operates once a day. So I decided that I would take the three months down payment on a contract and buy something that would need to last more than three months but would then show a profit. I have found the perfect car. Three owners. 110,000 miles on the clock. The fuel cap cover has to be opened and closed through the boot. The passenger window has to be eased back in to place when closing. Various bumps, scratches and dents. People let me in to the traffic with a mixture of fear and compassion but they let me in almost immeadiately. It has twelve months MOT. Road tax to November. It creaks and yaws but the safety aspects of the car all work okay and have been checked by somebody I trust. It has no outstanding debt and has not been involved in a major accident. Well we are three weeks in and I think it may be touch and go. This is the part of the idea that I love. Motoring has become so safe. The cars break down less. I get in “the beast”, named by the kids, and I can never be totally certain that I will get to where I am intending. That element of risk is similar to sitting down at the table, we know where we are intending to go but just can’t be sure whether the wheels will fall off or not. So it was, on Monday night, when with ten left my kings walk into aces. My head right now is in a good place and so much of the game revolves around where your head is at a given moment in time................. Today’s thought comes from David Apostolico’s book “Tournament Poker and the Art of War”. “SUN-TZU SAID: To secure ourselves against defeat lies in our own hands, but the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself” In short you play the cards to protect your stack; you play your opponent to achieve victory. It is, needless to say, a very aggressive book but it does merit as a thought provoking tome. So Vegas update. The dollars are bought at a stonkingly good rate of 1.62 and no commission. This means that it has cost me no money whatsoever for two currency exchanges. One from my stars account into sterling and one back into dollars. This is an occurrence so rare that I think I will play tonight with the commission saved..... Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Jon MW on June 17, 2009, 01:33:21 PM I don't think I've ever paid commission for currency exchanges
Don't they just make there money these days with the level they set the exchange rates at? Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Claw75 on June 17, 2009, 01:38:26 PM I don't think I've ever paid commission for currency exchanges Don't they just make there money these days with the level they set the exchange rates at? yeah, i think commission is a thing of the past Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Snatiramas on June 17, 2009, 01:46:57 PM I don't think I've ever paid commission for currency exchanges Don't they just make there money these days with the level they set the exchange rates at? yeah, i think commission is a thing of the past Indeed they do......but try and get 1.62 Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: TightEnd on June 17, 2009, 01:47:30 PM did you manage to sort out the currency swap as I suggested Phil?
Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Karabiner on June 17, 2009, 02:05:20 PM I do hope that "The Beast" is sporting your personal FFS SNAT coat of arms.
Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Snatiramas on June 17, 2009, 03:12:41 PM did you manage to sort out the currency swap as I suggested Phil? I looked into it as it was a sound idea. HSBC could set me up a dollar account as well. Once I realised that I could convert the currency without a cost I decided to move quickly and just do it one quick manoeuvre Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Snatiramas on June 17, 2009, 03:13:43 PM I do hope that "The Beast" is sporting your personal FFS SNAT coat of arms. Unfortunately not allowed to as the car is older than plate..........shame really they are perfect for each other Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Snatiramas on June 19, 2009, 04:39:09 PM Two separate pieces of information came to together this week leaving me very thoughtful. The first was from a Rabbi who said the classic line “the only people who are not jealous of success are the parents and the teacher”.
The second was on here on blonde with the discussion on Dan Brown’s ability as a writer. Funny how two such disparate topics should find their way into my subconscious and lead me to think about poker. The first comment of course I know to be true. I mean I had not really tried to qualify for Vegas that seriously, until I started reading Chompy’s thread, which apparently turned into a blog. There he was talking about venues and places I had not seen for three years, waltzing around the poker players Mecca and telling us all about it. It just didn’t seem fair. So with jealousy as a motivator, after all I am not his father and I doubt I have taught him much about the game, I decided to get serious at exactly the same time as fate decided to help me get there. The second piece of information struck a chord because part of a person’s growing up is to test, challenge and question one’s ability. I know loads of people who test and challenge but I seem to spend loads of time in the questioning sector. Let me enlighten you a little. On August 11th 2005 I won £12,000 playing in the £500 double chance in Luton. I had won a total of four satellite seats for this event. It had been a superb event. I watched Jacarama get aces five times in the first two levels. He didn’t lose a single chip with them but still managed to move tables with only 1000 chips left. Note to Sicillian: see you are not the first to be able to butcher a stack. I digress, at this time I was even more one dimensional in my play than I am now. I ground my way to a six way deal. As I got up from the table all flushed with success I heard a young man, who shall remain nameless only because I can’t remember his name, remark “that guy must be the luckiest player on the planet”. He was of course looking at me. It affected me badly. There I was with all this money and I was now questioning my own ability to play the game. Why should it matter what other people think. Yet for a proportion of the population it does. For some it matters what people think of them. For others it matters that people hear what they think. For a lot of us it is both things intertwined. When I read a book, I don’t care about the English or the grammar or whether it is believable or not. I just immerse myself in the characters and let it all wash over me. A period of total escapism. I like Dan’s books. They are an easy read. I know, I have them all. As I do with Michael Connelly, Lee Child, Dick Francis, Bernard Cornwell, Freddie Forsyth and, John Le Carre. I love the works of Douglas Adams and the thought that went into Hitchikers. So where is all this heading? I shall tell you. In the past when I have qualified for an event my play at Luton has deteriorated to such a degree that I have ended up questioning whether I should play the event or not. Strangely when I play the actual event, my game is where I want it to be. I have been tremendously unlucky with outdraws at large events at the exact moment when I needed the maths to hold up. This week saw me in Luton on Wednesday. My head was just not in the game, I was not in the moment at all. I was somewhere two weeks away on a plane leading to a pokerfest. I busted out before the first break and decided no more poker until Vegas. There is no need. Instead I shall read a good book. On the subject of books today’s quote comes from Matt Matros and “The making of a poker player”. Unbelievably I walked into the office picked up the book opened it up randomly and saw these words “The whole reason we think about poker outside of the table is to implement our ideas at the table. I’m not saying you never make plays based on on-the-spot analysis; I’m just saying you have to implement your away-from-table analysis in order for it to be relevant. I don’t mind making a bad play, but i do mind when i don’t play my best”. So Zen is totally in the moment and Matt is deciding strategies for before the moment and Snat is going off to peel the spuds for supper. More on Monday as I have the kids to myself all weekend as Mrs. Snat is off to South Africa on business and is not going to see any sort of lions at all.......life is weird. Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: boldie on June 19, 2009, 09:48:38 PM If only you were to write a book Snatty, I'd happily read it.
And thank you for saving me from Dan Brown like drivel ;) Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Chompy on June 19, 2009, 11:03:47 PM I mean I had not really tried to qualify for Vegas that seriously, until I started reading Chompy’s thread, which apparently turned into a blog. There he was talking about venues and places I had not seen for three years, waltzing around the poker players Mecca and telling us all about it. It just didn’t seem fair. So with jealousy as a motivator, after all I am not his father and I doubt I have taught him much about the game, I decided to get serious at exactly the same time as fate decided to help me get there. A free 10% in the main event as repayment for my motivational skills will suffice. Thank you. Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: relaedgc on June 20, 2009, 08:10:32 AM I also liked "The Da Vinci Code". I was quite readily immersed into the story line and I enjoyed it.
Of course, you often hear the criticisms levelled at the huge success of Harry Potter. Quite frankly, I think JK Rowling performed a service to the entire world with those books. In an age where most children are incredibly reluctant to tear themselves away from a gaming console, she managed to entice children into reading a book once again. That's a remarkable achievement for which, at least in my own opinion, is something to be truly thankful for. Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Snatiramas on June 20, 2009, 08:19:52 AM I also liked "The Da Vinci Code". I was quite readily immersed into the story line and I enjoyed it. Of course, you often hear the criticisms levelled at the huge success of Harry Potter. Quite frankly, I think JK Rowling performed a service to the entire world with those books. In an age where most children are incredibly reluctant to tear themselves away from a gaming console, she managed to entice children into reading a book once again. That's a remarkable achievement for which, at least in my own opinion, is something to be truly thankful for. :goodpost: and many parents too Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Snatiramas on June 20, 2009, 08:21:01 AM I mean I had not really tried to qualify for Vegas that seriously, until I started reading Chompy’s thread, which apparently turned into a blog. There he was talking about venues and places I had not seen for three years, waltzing around the poker players Mecca and telling us all about it. It just didn’t seem fair. So with jealousy as a motivator, after all I am not his father and I doubt I have taught him much about the game, I decided to get serious at exactly the same time as fate decided to help me get there. A free 10% in the main event as repayment for my motivational skills will suffice. Thank you. As they say where I come from "Your reward will be in heaven" Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Rod Paradise on June 20, 2009, 11:19:15 AM I also liked "The Da Vinci Code". I was quite readily immersed into the story line and I enjoyed it. Of course, you often hear the criticisms levelled at the huge success of Harry Potter. Quite frankly, I think JK Rowling performed a service to the entire world with those books. In an age where most children are incredibly reluctant to tear themselves away from a gaming console, she managed to entice children into reading a book once again. That's a remarkable achievement for which, at least in my own opinion, is something to be truly thankful for. I agree with you on the da Vinci Code, up until the ending - that's Brown's biggest failing IMO and lets him down badly. The Harry Potter books are great, but I'll always look down on the adults who buy the ones with a more subdued cover to save them the embarrassment of being seen reading a children's book. Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: relaedgc on June 20, 2009, 11:24:47 AM In fairness, I think the adult covers look far nicer on the bookshelf. However, mine are a mixture. Mostly because I had to grab whichever I could before they sold out.
Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: boldie on June 20, 2009, 01:09:28 PM I also liked "The Da Vinci Code". I was quite readily immersed into the story line and I enjoyed it. Of course, you often hear the criticisms levelled at the huge success of Harry Potter. Quite frankly, I think JK Rowling performed a service to the entire world with those books. In an age where most children are incredibly reluctant to tear themselves away from a gaming console, she managed to entice children into reading a book once again. That's a remarkable achievement for which, at least in my own opinion, is something to be truly thankful for. The general idea of the Da Vinci Code was brilliant..but I hated reading every single page of it. The Potter books are well written, although not something I would choose to read TBH (I have read them all as MrsB made me and I run out of books faster than I can buy them or lend them from the library). JK Rowling is simply on another level from Dan Brown. Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Snatiramas on June 20, 2009, 03:20:38 PM I also liked "The Da Vinci Code". I was quite readily immersed into the story line and I enjoyed it. Of course, you often hear the criticisms levelled at the huge success of Harry Potter. Quite frankly, I think JK Rowling performed a service to the entire world with those books. In an age where most children are incredibly reluctant to tear themselves away from a gaming console, she managed to entice children into reading a book once again. That's a remarkable achievement for which, at least in my own opinion, is something to be truly thankful for. The general idea of the Da Vinci Code was brilliant..but I hated reading every single page of it. The Potter books are well written, although not something I would choose to read TBH (I have read them all as MrsB made me and I run out of books faster than I can buy them or lend them from the library). JK Rowling is simply on another level from Dan Brown. so the question then has to be.....what do you read me old dutch mate.....might turn up something new Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: cambo on June 20, 2009, 05:08:38 PM james patterson books ftw, fast paced easy reading
Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: boldie on June 20, 2009, 07:19:45 PM I also liked "The Da Vinci Code". I was quite readily immersed into the story line and I enjoyed it. Of course, you often hear the criticisms levelled at the huge success of Harry Potter. Quite frankly, I think JK Rowling performed a service to the entire world with those books. In an age where most children are incredibly reluctant to tear themselves away from a gaming console, she managed to entice children into reading a book once again. That's a remarkable achievement for which, at least in my own opinion, is something to be truly thankful for. The general idea of the Da Vinci Code was brilliant..but I hated reading every single page of it. The Potter books are well written, although not something I would choose to read TBH (I have read them all as MrsB made me and I run out of books faster than I can buy them or lend them from the library). JK Rowling is simply on another level from Dan Brown. so the question then has to be.....what do you read me old dutch mate.....might turn up something new In the "dross" section I have; Robert Ludlum; Bourne trilogy and all that. Great fun, not too stupid but not literary genius obv. John Grisham; I read "The Broker" the other day..again it's a bit of dross but you can read it in a few days. Great books; Jian by Eric Van Lustbader. Top class this, fast paced, well written and exciting. Inside, Outside by Herman Wouk. A tremendously funny "autobiography" by a fictional Jewish Character. Mila 18 by Leon Uris. Top class account of life in the Jewish ghetto in Warsaw during the war (fictional account of real events), really, really good. After 1984 my favourite book. Quentin Jardine's Skinner series are great detective novels. Graham Hurley also for detectives. Duncan Falconer's "The Hijack" makes me want to read more of his stuff. Patrick Robinson's books set on Nuclear subs are good fun. (and very well written) Dean Koontz will be well known to those who read dross, as will the Jack Ryan series by Tom Clancy. That sort of stuff, mainly mind-numbing reads before going to sleep and there is the occasional pearl. (as you can maybe tell) I tend to buy most of my books in the cheap bookshops..3 for a tenner type stuff..as I go through 3 or 4 a week and can't really spend £40 a week on books :) If anyone has any recommendations I'm definitely listening as I only have one week's worth of reading material left ATM (picked up 3 books from the library today but it's a small town where I stay so not a big library :( ) Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: boldie on June 20, 2009, 07:20:45 PM james patterson books ftw, fast paced easy reading yeah, they do me nicely as well :) Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: AlexMartin on June 20, 2009, 07:33:10 PM looks like you have a diary phil :P
Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: boldie on June 20, 2009, 07:37:45 PM Oh and various travel books ...though I can never remember the names of those writers as I tend to leave travel books in hotels and pubs etc. so someone else can read them.
Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: boldie on June 20, 2009, 07:38:20 PM looks like you have a diary phil :P About time! I thought Snatty would never start a diary. Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Snatiramas on June 20, 2009, 08:35:21 PM So out of nowhere I suddenly find out that I am entered into a freeroll for a shot at 2 seats in the ante up for africa tourney......so off I toddle and play and dance and grind......and go out 12th of 249.......see it is not always about happy endings....wasn't the rugby disappointing. Vickery let their prop get away with murder. If he keeps turning in on the engage then you smash your shoulder into his face....job done. Please notice Adam Jones came on and they started going backwards.....if only. I might have a little punt on the lions to win 2 -1 at something around 11 to 2......our midfield killed them
Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: TightEnd on June 20, 2009, 08:41:44 PM I was on SA 3-0 pre-series Phil, 6/4 bet of the year IMO
Roberts and BOD were sensational and we missed three golden chances...only needed to score one of them, but I reckon the Saffers improve next weekend too. Our only chance is to have a pop at running them ragged, a bit like check raising all in on the draw really. Might come off but the buggers usally call and then you miss Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: kukushkin88 on June 20, 2009, 09:18:20 PM It was 9/4 when the squad was announced, that was close to the bet of the year.
Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: byronkincaid on June 20, 2009, 09:25:14 PM james patterson books ftw, fast paced easy reading yeah, they do me nicely as well :) wow, I think his books are rubbish. have read 4 or 5 over the years thinking they can't be that bad I'll give him another go, oh yeah they are that bad Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Snatiramas on June 20, 2009, 09:27:51 PM james patterson books ftw, fast paced easy reading yeah, they do me nicely as well :) wow, I think his books are rubbish. have read 4 or 5 over the years thinking they can't be that bad I'll give him another go, oh yeah they are that bad I did that with Elvis Costello concerts........ballards what was he thinking.......where as I don't want to go chelsea....says it all really Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: TightEnd on June 20, 2009, 09:28:11 PM Read Ian Rankin. that is all
Michael Connelly/ Bosch is also infinitely superior to Patterson Lee Child/Reacher is good too Stephen Leather not bad Mark Billingham's Tom Thorne stuff excellent too I like my police procedural novels! Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: cambo on June 20, 2009, 09:30:20 PM noooo alex cross rules!
Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: byronkincaid on June 20, 2009, 09:33:18 PM Quote Read Ian Rankin. that is all Michael Connelly/ Bosch is also infinitely superior to Patterson yay! Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: boldie on June 20, 2009, 09:37:26 PM Read Ian Rankin. that is all Rankin, though a nice fella and great to have at your poker table when completely sloshed, is completely pwned by Quentin Jardine. I paid full price for the last Rebus and was gutted at how bad it was :( Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Snatiramas on June 21, 2009, 01:58:20 PM Happy fathers day all...........I wasn't going to post today but the kids insisted that I recount what just happened at the petrol station in Radlett and turn it into a competition.
It went like this. Had a fabulous lunch at Lets Meat in Borehamwood which is a new kosher restaurant. I have promised the kids a packet of sweets each when we fill the beast up with petrol. Well fill up is a bit of a misnomer. I am only putting in £20 at a time to ensure that if it breaks down I can't waste more than that. So with a crunch and a squeal that accompanies all right hand turns we pull up at pump one. There are two other cars filling up. A Porsche Cayenne and a 911. This is Radlett after all. We open the boot, flip open the petrol cap and Adam puts £20.08 worth in, just to annoy me. Close the petrol cap and shut the boot. Choose our sweets and queue up. Lady in front of us, obviously the Cayenne driver pays up and leaves. As we are paying the lady comes back in and says to the the bloke behind us who is the 911 driver "Is your name Alan?" He says "Yes" She says "?????????" And I promise you it was so totally random that the three of us and the bloke behind the till instantly cracked up.......I promise 5% of any cash win in my first event in Vegas if you get even remotely close. You won't get remotely close. Answer in tomorrows regular post Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: boldie on June 21, 2009, 02:14:20 PM I am your father?
Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: tikay on June 21, 2009, 02:16:15 PM I also liked "The Da Vinci Code". I was quite readily immersed into the story line and I enjoyed it. Of course, you often hear the criticisms levelled at the huge success of Harry Potter. Quite frankly, I think JK Rowling performed a service to the entire world with those books. In an age where most children are incredibly reluctant to tear themselves away from a gaming console, she managed to entice children into reading a book once again. That's a remarkable achievement for which, at least in my own opinion, is something to be truly thankful for. The general idea of the Da Vinci Code was brilliant..but I hated reading every single page of it. The Potter books are well written, although not something I would choose to read TBH (I have read them all as MrsB made me and I run out of books faster than I can buy them or lend them from the library). JK Rowling is simply on another level from Dan Brown. Pehaps you should consider reading Non-Fiction. It's what grown-ups do. Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: boldie on June 21, 2009, 02:17:41 PM I also liked "The Da Vinci Code". I was quite readily immersed into the story line and I enjoyed it. Of course, you often hear the criticisms levelled at the huge success of Harry Potter. Quite frankly, I think JK Rowling performed a service to the entire world with those books. In an age where most children are incredibly reluctant to tear themselves away from a gaming console, she managed to entice children into reading a book once again. That's a remarkable achievement for which, at least in my own opinion, is something to be truly thankful for. The general idea of the Da Vinci Code was brilliant..but I hated reading every single page of it. The Potter books are well written, although not something I would choose to read TBH (I have read them all as MrsB made me and I run out of books faster than I can buy them or lend them from the library). JK Rowling is simply on another level from Dan Brown. Pehaps you should consider reading Non-Fiction. It's what grown-ups do. Fair point..recommend me some books (non WW2 please, they do my head in by now) and I shall have a butchers (As I believe you English say). Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: tikay on June 21, 2009, 02:22:18 PM Read Ian Rankin. that is all Michael Connelly/ Bosch is also infinitely superior to Patterson Lee Child/Reacher is good too Stephen Leather not bad Mark Billingham's Tom Thorne stuff excellent too I like my police procedural novels! I find that incredibly disappointing Rich, & surprising in a man of your mountainous intellect. I expect Boldie to enjoy make-believe Fiction, but not you. I expected better. Deduct two house points please. Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Snatiramas on June 21, 2009, 02:25:24 PM Adam loves non fiction......me i am fiction boy........Rachel fiction......Anne Marie fiction
Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Claw75 on June 21, 2009, 02:28:16 PM "Is your name Alan?" He says "Yes" She says "?????????" hmm - did he have a personal number plate? Perhaps she was admiring it? or something completely random like 'I thought so - you have the aura of an Alan' Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: the sicilian on June 21, 2009, 07:22:28 PM Happy fathers day all...........I wasn't going to post today but the kids insisted that I recount what just happened at the petrol station in Radlett and turn it into a competition. It went like this. Had a fabulous lunch at Lets Meat in Borehamwood which is a new kosher restaurant. I have promised the kids a packet of sweets each when we fill the beast up with petrol. Well fill up is a bit of a misnomer. I am only putting in £20 at a time to ensure that if it breaks down I can't waste more than that. So with a crunch and a squeal that accompanies all right hand turns we pull up at pump one. There are two other cars filling up. A Porsche Cayenne and a 911. This is Radlett after all. We open the boot, flip open the petrol cap and Adam puts £20.08 worth in, just to annoy me. Close the petrol cap and shut the boot. Choose our sweets and queue up. Lady in front of us, obviously the Cayenne driver pays up and leaves. As we are paying the lady comes back in and says to the the bloke behind us who is the 911 driver "Is your name Alan?" He says "Yes" She says "?????????" And I promise you it was so totally random that the three of us and the bloke behind the till instantly cracked up.......I promise 5% of any cash win in my first event in Vegas if you get even remotely close. You won't get remotely close. Answer in tomorrows regular post Can you tell me why my old man bought me this pile of marketing instead of a true Porsche like yours ? Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Snatiramas on June 22, 2009, 01:38:45 PM okay I will give you a clue....it involved an everyday item and an animal
Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: boldie on June 22, 2009, 02:09:47 PM okay I will give you a clue....it involved an everyday item and an animal cucumber and tortoise? Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Dingdell on June 22, 2009, 02:58:11 PM okay I will give you a clue....it involved an everyday item and an animal Were you the person who tried to hoover their pony? OR Were you the person who hoovered up their hamster/mouse/small rodent. Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: celtic on June 22, 2009, 02:59:47 PM Is that car an extension of your cock?
Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: boldie on June 22, 2009, 03:09:21 PM Is that car an extension of your cock? Snatty's reply; "No, but mine is" Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Rod Paradise on June 22, 2009, 03:46:57 PM Is that car an extension of your cock? Snatty's reply; "No, but mine is, it may not be pretty but it gets me there." FYP Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: boldie on June 22, 2009, 03:48:11 PM Is that car an extension of your cock? Snatty's reply; "No, but mine is, it may not be pretty but it'll get you there." FYP FYFYP Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Rod Paradise on June 22, 2009, 03:52:35 PM Is that car an extension of your cock? Snatty's reply; "No, but mine is, it may not be pretty but it'll get you there." FYP FYFYP (http://www.thehuddleboard.com/hb/images/smilies/no.gif) In the end every man, if being honest will say 'if it get's me there it'll do'. Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Snatiramas on June 22, 2009, 09:44:51 PM Well team it went like this
"Is your name Alan?" He says "Yes" with slightly bemused tone in voice At this point family Cooklin turn round in expectation. It was like a good thunderstorm, you just knew something of quality was about to follow... She says to a complete stranger, he has to be a complete stranger as she asked his name, she says to a complete stranger in a voice that sounded expensively educated “you have a picture of my horse on your phone”. Well we creased up. The guy behind the desk the kids and myself couldn’t help ourselves. She shot looks at us that would have curdled milk and we left giggling like three school children which of course we are. The problem is that we missed an opportunity. I mean how did the picture get on his phone? Who took it and why? Does he have other random peoples horses on his phone? Why does she have a horse when she is driving round in a “Posche Marketing” ? How does she know that the picture is there? All very worrying indeed. Fathers day was magnificent but slightly sad as Mrs. Snat is in Suf Afreeka, taking journalists round a hospital in Joburg or something. I never sleep well when she is away. I sleep well when I am away but not when she is away. Must be a control thing. Anyway the pressies were good. The books on Vegas were devoured exceptionally fast but the third pressie was a belter. The Cooklin family are manic about two things. The first is timekeeping. It is said by one of my brothers in law that he married a “talking clock”. The second is a particularly strange and infuriating ability to lose ones keys. On Monday of this week Rachel was bemoaning that there were loads of stories about things that have happened to Adam but not many about her. By Tuesday night she had a new chapter. I pick Rachel up from school at 3.25pm. It means I have to leave the house at about 3.10. At 3.05pm the alarm goes off to remind me to get ready to go and get Rachee. I start looking for my keys. Can’t find them anywhere. Check the car. It is locked. We only have one key for the beast. I am in the house so I must have used the key. Starting to get a little worried as we reach 3.15pm and no sign. At 3.25pm Rachel will start walking towards where I normally park the car and I am stuck 5 miles away from that spot. This is not good. The next five minutes see everything in the house moved in some way. All the cushions pulled of the couches. The covers ripped off beds. I am now completely bloody manic and totally irrational. Phone the school. Get them to keep Rachel until I find the keys. I am now in a foul mood because I know Rachel will be worried. I phone Anne Marie and let her know that it is her fault that I have lost my keys. Of course it isn’t but I have to blow at somebody. Still no keys and it is now 3.40pm. OMG. Phone the local Radlett cab company and organise for them to pick up Rachel and bring het to home. Phone school to let them know but their phone system flicks straight into answerphone mode. Bugger. Anyway taxi driver arrives at school. School phone me. I have his name so we can confirm it is okay. I apologise profusely. Fifteen minutes later I see the cab coming up the road and go out to meet it. As I pass the front door I see my keys hanging from a hook that we never use. What a schmuck. Rachel has another story. Well let me tell you fellow blondes on that morning, before any of this had happened, my wife, on the instruction of my children, had gone out and ordered a key retrieval system for father’s day. You have an alarm that you fit to your key ring and a remote that you press when you need to find your keys. It is brilliant......if I could only find the remote. So to today’s quote. John Vorhaus’ “Killer Poker”. “The only one who can beat you is you Remember, you’re there to punish other players, not yourself. You’re not nearly so much at risk from others’ superior play as you are from flaws in your own approach. Think about it: Other opponents are involved against you only occasionally, but you you’re involved in every hand you play. If you play badly, it doesn’t matter whether they play well or not – you can’t expect to win. Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Dingdell on June 22, 2009, 10:58:36 PM I mentioned pony - do I win?
Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: AlexMartin on June 22, 2009, 11:13:50 PM I mentioned pony - do I win? i think u deserve to win. Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: boldie on June 23, 2009, 08:03:28 AM My main question would be..."How did she know his name was Alan?"
Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: the sicilian on June 23, 2009, 09:50:10 AM Obv when he sexually abused her horse whilst taking horsey porno pic with him featured in said act of perversity for said phone that he then accidentally by coincidence text to her phone in an apparently random error .. she obv recognised him as said abuser and signatory of said text.....
see ... everything has a quite reasonable explanation Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: celtic on June 23, 2009, 01:37:40 PM Obv when he sexually abused her horse whilst taking horsey porno pic with him featured in said act of perversity for said phone that he then accidentally by coincidence text to her phone in an apparently random error .. she obv recognised him as said abuser and signatory of said text..... see ... everything has a quite reasonable explanation Only a reasonable explanation for you as you obviously know what kind of stuff your standard porsche driver gets up to... hmmm, didn't you post a picture of a porsche up once on here? Who did it belong to again? Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: the sicilian on June 23, 2009, 07:47:53 PM Barclays..Black Horse and ex wife... I just got to drive it and tell everyone i had a big dick already
Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Simon Galloway on June 23, 2009, 08:07:21 PM Barclays..Black Horse and ex wife... I just got to play cards like a big dick already Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: the sicilian on June 23, 2009, 08:12:13 PM Barclays..Black Horse and ex wife... I just got to play cards fyp Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Claw75 on June 23, 2009, 08:20:46 PM Barclays..Black Horse and ex wife... I just got to play cards fyp sounds like the perfect evening! Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Simon Galloway on June 23, 2009, 08:29:47 PM Barclays..Black Horse and ex wife... I just got to fold aces with 10BBs [/quote]fyp [/quote] Hmmm. Me thinks if your dick was as big as yer gob you wouldn't go home on your own so much... Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: the sicilian on June 23, 2009, 08:31:37 PM Barclays..Black Horse and ex wife... I just got to fold aces with 10BBs fyp [/quote] Hmmm. Me thinks if your dick was as big as yer gob you wouldn't go home on your own so much... [/quote] Shes waiting for me.. only brought her up once for free coffee.... Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Simon Galloway on June 23, 2009, 08:32:53 PM Shes waiting for me.. only brought her up once for free coffee.... Seems like a fair swap.... Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: the sicilian on June 23, 2009, 08:37:09 PM Shes waiting for me.. only brought her up once for free coffee.... Seems like a fair swap.... I thought so... she didnt... had to return said free coffee.. Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Snatiramas on June 25, 2009, 06:45:36 PM A week to go and I have just been to Tony and Vince in Edgeware for a number twos and a bit of French polish. I have been going there since I first moved down to London. The talk inevitably moved to poker, it always does. Most of the barbers in there play in some way or other and then we moved on to the wider sphere of gambling. Particularly on the internet and the advance of bingo and slots on the net. A couple of stories recounted were really scary. One involving £120k on slots in three years.
Is there a place for gambling in a normal well rounded individuals psychological make up? If there is, does it have to be administered with iron self control? All of us who play poker are to some degree gamblers. Some of us are addicted to it. Is the very fact that we gamble mildly self delusional or is it just a need to be right? Take calling as an example. You do not have the nut hand. You do not have nearly the nut hand. You know to make the call of the large bet on the river is going to damage your stack but you are sure he is bluffing. To lay down would be no disgrace but you think you are right and want to prove it to the world.........so you call. Your king high is good and your opponent shakes his head as yet another bluff crashes and burns with a missed flush draw. In horse racing the need to be right is very strong. I pick a horse. It is now my horse. My judgement. It wins I tell everybody how clever I am. It loses I tell everybody the jockey should be shot. It is the same with casino games such as Roulette or blackjack where as an individual you have various decisions to make, but there are some games that lie outside of selection. Three card poker, bingo and slots I would name as three. Aside from selection of seat, there would appear to be no real selection going on and yet somehow they are just as compelling and even more addictive. As one who, spent his bus fare home in Thomas’s as a kid, understands, the allure of the fruit machine can be very powerful. So this leaves us in a place where I think the only thing that holds true about all gambling is the saying “to thine own self be true”. Well this week I wasn’t. I saw a load of my poker buddies all going off to Luton and instead of being true to what I needed to do, which as I stated previously was not to play, I went to Luton to play. Well my aces were cracked by queens and an early exit was on the cards and like most of life duly followed. Not much of an example to Adam and Rachel when you don’t follow through with what you say you are going to do. Well they repaid me today. They both had outstanding days at school and I am now in a position where I am learning from them. Adam aced his French oral and got a 6C in his latest English piece which was one grade above his stretch target. Rachel trounced a maths test. We have one basic mantra. “If you are going to do it, then do it well and deliver what you say you are going to”. They did. I didn’t. I intend to next time. For the gambler there is always next time. Todays quote comes from Harrington Most flops miss most hands....... Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Snatiramas on June 26, 2009, 08:07:32 AM There is a guy I notice who has gone quite deep in one of the WSOP events called
Randy Haddox I so want to meet his parents to ask what they were thinking Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Snatiramas on June 28, 2009, 10:35:37 AM I just don’t get Wimbledon. I have tried. I can see the amazing athleticism and the challenge of beating an opponent. I can see that it is truly a worldwide sport. I can even see that it is played, on the whole, in the most amazing spirit. It just leaves me cold.
I don’t care if Murray identifies as a Scot or a Brit. I don’t care if Tom Henman’s real name is Tim. I don’t care if there is now a roof or that we as a society chuck loads of money at grass roots tennis to develop nine first round losers. Tennis is probably the only sport that I don’t like. The really weird thing is that I have no idea why. I will sit for hours in front of Skys coverage of ten pin bowling or mile after mile of Eurosports coverage of the Tour De France accompanied by truly inane commentary. I will watch all forms of football, rugby and cricket. I am a definite for the darts and speedway. No logical reason. The problem now is that I have a reason to hate it. I talk of course about female grunting. Not the little noise of air exhalation as one physically exerts oneself. Oh no this is the full on female exclamation like squeal that goes on well after the ball has left the racquet. What are they thinking? Is it supposed to put the opponent off? Well if you are going to do that, you may as well wait for the moment before your opponent is about to hit the ball. I think that might be more effective. The Cooklins have now introduced this into the weekly shop. We used to play bogies. Well Adam, Rachel and I did. Anne Marie stopped coming grocery shopping with us due to the embarrassment level. For those of you who do not remember Dick and Dom in Da Bungalow, bogies was a game where you went into a public place and took it in turns to say the word bogies ever more loudly. We now do the tennis players grunting game. Somebody picks up a random item on the shopping list and gives off a female like squeal. I do commentary on the item in true tennis commentator fashion as though the squeal is just an everyday occurrence. We crease. We also play stare at the floor just to see if anybody will start staring with us. Works every time. Tennis fans I urge you to reclaim your sport and to lobby the LTA to put a stop to gratuitous squealing. Other sport highlights this weekend. The England U21’s winning on penno’s. Unbelievable to lose a three nil lead. Then get your goalie booked so he can’t play the final as well as two of your three mainline strikers being banned. Brilliant. Then there was the Lions. It is with deep sadness that I lost money on the lions this week. Six to one was just too sexy a price. One thing was confirmed though. Vickery can’t scrummage. One last thing to do before leaving this week. I notice in my i pod collection a paucity of classical music so I am off to put it right. Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Snatiramas on June 30, 2009, 12:33:51 PM So a couple of days to go and we are at that most embarrassing time of any trip. It rates up there with dancing like a Dad for total and maximum embarrassment factor. Yes ladies and gentlemen with the last wash load currently underway before I leave, I am left with things that I am not going to take with me. Somehow I have to wear a mixture of these random clothes for the next couple of days.
Today sees me in a rather fetching get up of turquoise shorts, beige top and a pair of sandals that I think I bought in the late 1980’s. Better than that I have been walking round the centre of Watford in said items which has generated a range of looks from the passers by. The best moment though was some kid who turned to his Mum and said “Mummy do you think that man is colour blind?” It has been a great couple of days on the home front. Adam got two silvers and a bronze at the school sports day. Rachel had five pieces of work put up on the school wall and an outstanding showing at football training, she really is turning into quite a solid centre half. Though I know her aim is to play rugby. I am so unsure about this. Yes I know it is sexist but in a years time she will be eligible to play full contact and there are a number of girls teams run by the club. They are well coached but it is a hard game and you can and often do get your features rearranged. Is it wrong for a father to want his beautiful daughter to stay beautiful? Or should I support her in what she wants to do, regardless of my own feelings. Tough one this. Anyway no rush still got a year. School reports next. I have to be honest. Anne Marie and I shamelessly incentivise our children. If the end of year report is good, we go out and spoil them in some way. They have both had strong years so the prognosis is good. On the poker side of things I have stopped reading or playing and just come on here to find out who is winning what at Luton, and scan a few favourite threads. I particularly like Dingdells thread on professional players and the chat it has generated. For what it is worth my view is that poker for a living would be horrible unless you are staked, sponsored or financed in some way. Poker as a hobby though is just the absolute best fun you can have. Yes I know we bleat about cards and fate and other players and cardrooms and flights and behaviour and payout structures. I mean let us be honest some of the most miserable complaining people on the planet are poker players. The game when you are playing well though, is a delight of bullying, controlling, manipulating and thoroughly politically incorrect actions that are essential to winning. When I play I can and do forget about everything else that is going on in my life. When I win money it is purely as a result of playing well. Oh yes I know that there is luck involved. I know I am blessed in the mazel stakes. I mean there is no point in going on about luck. The last time I played the main event my Aces were cracked by jacks with all the chips in pre flop. It happens. If you want a game without luck then go play chess. I leave you today with two quotes. One from the old bloke from Sky (that is very funny by the way http://tv.pokernews.com/featured-videos/Calling+The+Clock+on+Lynn+Gilmartin/28016970001 )who told me when I was going through a particularly bad patch that “ I never worry as long as I get my chips in ahead” The other is from Napoleon Bonaparte “Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake” Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: cia260895 on June 30, 2009, 12:44:21 PM Great reads as usual Phil good luck in Vegas m8 and WIN WIN WIN and then tell us all about it like only you can
gogogogogo ps i'd try to advise rachel off playing Rugby there are enough rough around the edges type of girls out there no nneed to add to them but hey what do i know about teenage girls???????? Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Matt50 on June 30, 2009, 01:00:07 PM Just read this thread from the start - if anyone deserves a decent win in vegas.......................
a great read and looking forward to more ;applause; Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Dingdell on June 30, 2009, 02:01:35 PM Just read this thread from the start - if anyone deserves a decent win in vegas....................... a great read and looking forward to more ;applause; I suggested to Snatty that if he final tabled I would expect to get flown out on him as part of the railing team. He retorted I could fly myself out as I had a %. Snatty - you should remind everyone who has a piece of you. No pressure on you to win the satts by the way.... ::) Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Chompy on June 30, 2009, 02:05:12 PM Should we start working on a cheering section song, like that oompa oompa thing Peter Eastgate had last year?
Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Dingdell on June 30, 2009, 02:39:19 PM Should we start working on a cheering section song, like that oompa oompa thing Peter Eastgate had last year? OOoh yes. Something like 'Cookie - lets lookie lookie' everytime he wins a hand uncontested. Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Snatiramas on June 30, 2009, 05:45:31 PM I have always liked Jimmy Wheelers
"aye aye thats your lot". to be shouted out when somebody exits Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: salfi on June 30, 2009, 06:01:22 PM hopefully u can enjoy all the luck i didnt. im not a guy for complaining about bad luck due to the fact it was the cards that got me there in the first place. but basically i ran like shit and kings are over rated esp the 10th time u get it all in pre to be against some random dog shit that improves and becomes teh best hand.
my second trip to vegas and more run bad 2d 7c. but il be back next year with all that run good saved in teh bank. i do agrea with helmuth with average luck i could of won them all accept event 34 where ide of had to finish second due to the fact that phil helmuth was playin in this tourney. anyway enjoy the trip and hopefully ul come back sayin u ran like god. 1 TIME Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Lucky on June 30, 2009, 06:14:23 PM I have always liked Jimmy Wheelers "aye aye that's your lot". to be shouted out when somebody exits I always like the one they sometimes shout at The Western, when someone is out. "Van Gogh" Apparently it's short for "Lost one 'ere" Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: salfi on June 30, 2009, 06:18:55 PM Ad Ac
Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Karabiner on June 30, 2009, 06:24:55 PM Rest assured that I am counting on you winning the satty closely followed by the ME.
Not that luck has anything to do with it, but just to be on the safe side VVVVVVVGL. Now ;slavedriver; Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Snatiramas on July 01, 2009, 02:09:54 PM Just read my stars for the week
Week of June 29, 2009: You love to play games of all kinds, Gemini, including board games, puzzles, and jigsaw puzzles. You're a very curious and mentally dexterous air sign and you delight in giving your brain cells a good workout. On Wednesday your clever ruler in Gemini, Mercury, trines philosophical Jupiter and your brain will buzz along on quite a few serious issues. You may temporarily suspend your desire to enjoy life in a lighthearted fashion and become involved in some very thought-provoking discussions with your companions. Your approach to life will take a more emotional turn on Friday as Mercury enters perceptive and sensitive Cancer in your sector of what you value. Your intuition will accelerate and you'll become more aware of the nuances in the actions of those around you. Make sure you follow your sixth sense in the weeks ahead and pay special attention to your dreams, which will be very revealing and prophetic for your life. On Sunday your interest in how you present yourself to others will increase as lovely Venus enters Gemini and your sector of self. You'll be ready to smarten up your appearance and update your image in a way that will accentuate your best features. So I am just off to buy some french polish for the bald patch Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Snatiramas on July 03, 2009, 12:27:40 AM Yesterday was a little tense. It always is just before I go away whether for business or for pleasure but definitely for pleasure. It is the only downside of being such a close family. I spent the day packing. Let me qualify that. I spent the day packing twice. Having packed the suitcase once, I then found that my Delsey leather suitcase, that had faithfully served the family for eighteen years, had given up the ghost. Of course I did not notice that when I took it out of the garage, no I had to wait until everything was packed inside and I was trying to do it up. Okay no panic it is after all only midday the day before I leave. Go and buy a new case.
Why is it that you can‘t just buy a case? Indeed why can’t you just but a definitive anything? The world gets so much more complicated when choice is added to the equation. Online I go straight to the Argos website, here I can check availability and reserve it at my local store. So I do. The only problem is that the one they bring out is turquoise. I definitely ordered black. Lucky I checked what was inside the plain brown box……. Their apology for the mistake was warm and heartfelt or was it non existant. Anyway pick Rachel up from school as I am on a roll. Or make that, I am outside of the house and have the car keys in my hand. We go home and I pack for the second time. I pick up Adam from school and the three of us go to Oscars in Kings Langley for supper. It was great. We played one of my favourite games. We impersonate each other and have to take it on the chin. It is fairly brutal but a better mirror it is hard to find. Anne Marie unfortunately worked late but she was with us in spirit. So packing done I got down to some serious ironing. Nothing like ironing to fill an evening. I now know why nobody likes their washing machine. It produces nothing but ironing and nobody likes ironing. Something else I should add here is that I am now certain that designers of ladies wear have side bets on how awkward they can make a top to iron. A crossover here , a ruffle there and voila something that is impossible for any man to iron. Back to the plot. Whilst ironing I manage to find some darts on Sky. Live from Vegas. Darts - Vegas. Oh my word. I am going to have to do this. The Mandalay Bay…..mental note to sort out. Woke up at 2am. No good that. Not supposed to wake up until 6 am. Went back to sleep. Woke up at 2.45am. This went on until 5.30 at which point I just gave up and got up. Shaved, showered and dressed and the cab arrived on time at 6.50 am. Get to the station. It is a lovely bright sunny morning and lots of suits are going to work. I decide to brighten the morning journey for them. So into a fairly full carriage I blast me and the lethal weapon that the new case has become and with a big grin ask out loud if anybody is going to work today? The newspapers come up instantly. What is it about this country. We just hate to communicate unless it is on our terms. Anyway eventually I start a conversation with Franz who is a delightfully camp bodybuilder from Germany. He is flying to Austria to see a friend. I give up and put on my ipod to Green Day. Easy journey to Gatwick, no hassle, no queue at premium economy. As I am being directed where to go I am approached by a lovely Virgin lady who asks if I am interested in darts. “Well let me tell you” I said to her “I am going to the darts in Vegas if I can get a ticket and result of results she pulls out a letter for two free tickets. All I have to do is turn up at the Mandalay Bay…….Blessed I tell you. Anyway after a good brekkers and perusal of the sports pages. I board my flight. Now this of course is the worst moment of the trip. Will I get the nutter? Well of course I won’t because I am the nutter. Who do I get but Paul who is a senior account manager with Betfair. Thoroughly nice bloke and we while away some time talking poker, betting, Vegas and life. Then who gets on together but Vic Kanwar and Dingdells best mate Luke Patten. It was a great flight. We talked poker and people and Tracey I honestly believe you must have misheard him. Vic helped me get to my first festival final table when he doubled through my Kings many moons ago. The flight left on time. It arrived on time with me having watched three movies which were okay but a plane is never good for movie watching. Just for the record they were, In the loop, Last Chance Harvey and Slumdog (again). The ice cream half way through the flight was a particularly nice touch. Hagen Dazs. Wicked. Particularly as Paul was asleep so I had his as well. Paul is seriously into darts and let's be honest I am not so I let him have my two free tickets as he wasn't offered any. I teased him the whole flight first of course. I was through immigration in, wait for it, 15 mins. Yes 15mins. A new Olympic and world record. Not only that but I bumped into Rab (Luton regular - at least I think his name is Rab, and if it isn’t it should be) and his missus. Straight into a taxi and off to the Venetian. I try Blatchs trick of the $50 and get it politely returned, but I do get the turn down service and a room almost facing the strip on the 32nd floor. It has a good view. I am happy. I love the room number though 32123.………Words and numbers, backwards and forwards, Snatiramas has arrived. Phil is left in the UK. It is now 12.15am your time. I am off to have a look round the cardroom after I have unpacked………… More tomorrow………this is Vegas baby Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Dingdell on July 03, 2009, 02:42:27 AM Luke Patten? I have always said that if I mis-heard him I apologise and I said that to him too, but he didn't seem happy with that which is why he then went on to accuse me a few weeks later- three handed in the final of the £1500 at Luton - of cheating. If you remember the 'cheating' he accused me of was help from yourself and Tighty. Obv untrue. It upset me so much i had to leave the table to compose myself after I was warned officially of cheating - just not my style and I was devastated to have been accused of such a thing.
He told me afterwards (quite vindictively I thought) that he did it to get back at me. Nice. I'm sure he must have improved with age as no one should get your good opinion lightly. I had forgotten all about him, if I came up in conversation I'm surprised. Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Geo the Sarge on July 03, 2009, 09:10:19 AM Mr Cooklin sir,
fantastic writing and there is no one I am rooting for more to do well. Very best of luck. P.S. I am an ironing freak, I love it and do all the ironing in the home.....................and yes, you're spot on regards womens tops............very irritating. Geo Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Snatiramas on July 03, 2009, 05:31:15 PM Good morning from Sin city. I stayed up until 10pm.. Just. Having unpacked and written up the journey, I thought I had better stick to the original plan of staying up and not do what my head was screaming to do which was fall asleep . No poker. Phone home at around 10pm. So I unpack and head downstairs to kill some time. First person I see is Jonny Vac a Luton regular grinding it out in $1/$2 NL hold em game. He says he has been up and down on the trip. He looks well for someone who has been here for quite a while.
Vegas is starting to hum. It is after all independence day weekend and there is going to be a huge influx of people. I really like the range of people you meet here. All walks of life. All ages. It is easy to be holier than thou about Vegas but it is only here because it serves a purpose. I go for a Pizza. It is now 8 pm. Time for a hot bath and a bit of telly. Start snoozing in front of the tv. Get through to Amma and we chat for a few minutes. Not too much news. Get into bed. Fall asleep almost immediately. Wake up to a hell of a racket from outside. Sounds like building work. 4am. Not happy. Rollover and go back to sleep until 6am. Now I am wide awake so decide not to waste the time and put on some shorts and a top and go for a walk up the strip. I need to merge in so I put on my Leicester Tigers t shirt. The thing that you just can’t believe about Vegas is the scale. From my bedroom widow it looks like I can just touch Caesars palace. On ground level it takes forever to walk there and even longer to walk past it. It is 6.15am and it is already hot in the shade. The strip is an interesting melange of drunks coming home and early risers out running and walking before another baking day. I see a very fit older guy running down a street festooned in calling cards for various women all of whom are flashing a lot of plastic. I see two security guards arresting a natural blonde with dyed roots who is not coming quietly. Then I see it. In all its glory. The whole side of the Flamingo covered with a picture of Donny and Marie. Why do we start to think that we might like things that we used to hate. I couldn’t stand the Osmonds and luckily for you lot I still can’t. I walk as far as the Mandalay Bay and cross the road to walk back the other side. It is really warm as I walk in the sunshine. I can see a situation developing a little way up ahead. It smells of trouble so I head straight into New York, New York. First rule of any trip on your own is to avoid areas that look like trouble. The great thing about Vegas is you just walk into any casino and you are surrounded by security and cameras. I come out of New York and go into the gardens at Caesars. They are lovely. Caesars is monstrously large. Or at least gives the feel of being so. I intend to play there at some point. With a nice sweat on I arrive back at the Venetian. I like this hotel. As I arrive back up on the 32nd floor I notice that the layout is a little like Strangeways in that corridors of rooms leave a central circular area like spokes of a wheel. I worry about my brain sometimes. Anyway it is time for breakfast and then what I really came here to do. Play some poker. Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Karabiner on July 03, 2009, 05:58:35 PM That'll be porridge for breakfast then..
I adore your style of writing Phil, keep posting frequently please and tell us more about the trouble that you swerved. Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Snatiramas on July 04, 2009, 04:23:20 PM Poker is without doubt the most maddening of games and it has long been my belief that you have to be some sort of sadomasochist to play it. As I have stated before on this forum you have to be willing to give and receive the most amazing levels of pain. The problem is that pain takes many different forms. Sometimes a slow torture, sometimes a couple of quick blows and that’s it.
Well last night was made up off a lot of the former followed by a little of the latter but before I get there I need to explain to Ralph how I could tell there was going to be trouble. Hmmm well it could have been the eight young men of different persuasions, or that they were split into two groups that were obviously opposed, or the bottles that they were holding but really it was the testosterone (No that is not a chocolate bar) that was oozing out of the situation like an early morning heat haze. The shouting and the use of a certain swear word (have to keep it a little bit clean in case the kids read this) as some sort of adjective (Adam go and look up the word adjective) as well as a noun (Rachel go and look up noun). All in all it did make me instantly go in a different direction. Anyway have fried egg on toast for breakfast followed by a yoghurt and some melon. The yoghurt and melon were only guilt food. I chat to the kids. They have both had stonking reports. Amma and I chatted about bits and pieces and all too soon it was time to go downstairs and play some poker. The Venetian is like most of the resorts when you hit the casino floor, loud, bright baffling and with rubbish signage. Slots everywhere. The occasional raucous shout from the Craps table (no children, that is not a swear word in this context). I just don’t get dice. Anyway sit down at table 50 seat 7 and instantly know there is going to be trouble between seat 4 and seat 5. Two loose aggressive Chinese women who are raising with nothing and pushing over the top with even less. I do hate to see women fighting unless it is at the poker table, then they can do whatever they like as it will either tilt one of them or better still tilt somebody else. Seats 1 and 2 have good solid players. Seat 3 has a female version of a well known Luton player. Dwells up on everything and has an opinion that is not to be contradicted and she let out whoops of joy when her A8 cracked queens. No class and for the remainder of this post will be known as FTW and that does not stand for For The Win. I am at average for the first ten minutes and then play for the next two hours with no cards whatsoever. Two hours, 460 of the 528 runners still in and the best hand that I have seen is J9 of spades. Marvellous. Down to 12000 from a starting stack of 15000. The table eventually gets broken up and I get moved to table two. Just good solid poker being played here except for Gerd Muller. Well I think that must be his name cos he is wearing an Adidas tracksuit, sunglasses and is very German. Well as luck would have it FTW comes across to my table. Fifty tables left and she has to end up on mine. Anyway she is sitting next to German footballer and they start taking pops at each other.. He keeps raising from under the gun as all good Germans do and she keeps pouting as he steals her big blind. As comedy drama goes this has it all thinks I. I have got a lunatic German, FTW, two Chinese blokes this time and within five minutes a very smelly Frenchman. Adam go away and find out what the French is for “excuse me sir but you have incredibly smelly armpits so please refrain from putting your hands above your head” so that I can use it in case the situation should arise again. Better still I can use it and when the dealer says “English only at the table” I can translate it back to English. Should get a laugh. Anyway a pot develops between Gerd and Chinese man 1 who for the purposes of this story will be known as Bruce Lee. Gerd is in seat 9 and has about 45000 chips. Bruce is seat 2. I am in seat five.14000, a new high. Anyway raise from Gerd and Bruce smooth calls it. Flop Q high and Gerd bangs in 5000. Bruce in a true martial stylee smooths it. Enter the German pout. Adidas track suit, wrap around sunglasses and pouting, I have to look away to stop myself from laughing. The turn comes a rag and there is no flush draw. Gerd has another pop. 10,000 and Brucee baby calls in a flash, in a sort of inscrutable Chinese way. German pout and slight twitch of right index finger. The river comes a six pairing one on board. Gerd checks and Bruce bets out 25000. The mad German calls and triumphantly turns over his AQ. Bruce shows his Kings. At that stage of the tourney this was a big pot. Second interval. Four hours. No Kings. No Aces. AK twice. Queens once and I choose to lay them down as the call would have put me all in against a raiser and a reraise all in. Figure it must be AK for the reraise but just want to be the aggressor. The AK tripped up so whether it was the correct play or not doesn’t matter as I stayed in. FTW got knocked out. She went in ahead and came out behind. I whooped in a friendly sort of English way. She failed to see the humour. How to win friends and influence people. Second break and I have exactly half of average stack there are about 300 odd still in. Just before we go to break I get moved again to a table that has got Jabba the Hut on it. This geeza is massive, not big but bloody huge and dear reader let me tell you one of the nicest people I have met.. He was just a really great person. Anyway we grind away for another two hours and reach another break. 160 left and the money starts at 45. Well it does for those who get to it. Unfortunately I am now down to 10 big blinds. Folds to me, I look at the first card. An Ace. All in says I. Call says the BB. My A6 his pair of 9’s thank you and goodnight. Seven hours of not wasted time as I got a good feel for the players and my reads were good. No cards that was all. Even if I had got creative then I would not have hit. I am on life tilt at this point and decide to get something to eat and steady down. The casino is mentally busy. It fizzes with happy people on holiday having a good time. An hour later refreshed and calm having read the Las Vegas Review I head back to the cardroom. There is a one table $130 sit n go. Two winners get lammers. Lammers are tournament chips and the word comes from the word laminated apparently. Anyway I buy in and chat to the dealer and the young guy who is already there. Who turns up but FTW. Oh lucky me. Then who comes into view but Raj and George from Luton. They are playing in the 7.00pm and are just coming back from a break. Always nice to see friendly faces. There is a lot of experience around this table and a couple of American tourists. The last player to arrive is obviously some up and coming oriental player who sits on my left. You get 2000 starting chips and a twenty minute clock which makes this an uber turbo structure. This is going to be brutal and I am going to make sure it is. Five hands in and I have done nothing. My BB. Limp under the gun by up and coming. Six other limpers who I reckon just want to be in a pot with this guy. I don’t look and go all in. Huge dwell up by the original caller who eventually calls my raise for his tournament life. Everybody folds. Okay lord what have you brought me. Oh my word he has queens and I have yes you guessed it, ace 6. Hit the ace and the six on the flop. Had to smile at the irony, inwardly of course. Looks of disbelief around the table. Silent smirk on the face of the boy from Luton. FTW goes on tilt from just watching the hand. I help her by raising and reraising her hands at any opportunity. In fairness I got bucket loads of cards. Easy game with cards.. ..an hour and forty after we start it is all over. Got my buy in back. Go to bed happy. Wake up this morning and decide to change my plans. I am going to play the 1pm satellite for the main event as I think there will be more runners, with most people wanting to party in the evening. Also I felt better yesterday in the middle of the day than I did at 8pm. I look out of my window and I can see the Rio. I just checked my stars 4 July 2009 It's your lucky day, Phil. With planetary energies aiding you, you could make some real conquests today. You'll feel especially tuned in to the rhythms of the day, experiencing great flow in your interactions with others. Communications will be rapid and will produce real results. You should be able to get a lot done, and finish some extra tasks, too. You might feel like you are in overdrive since your energy and spirits will be high As they say over here “ONE TIME” Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: boldie on July 04, 2009, 07:21:40 PM What a cracking post!
Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: The_nun on July 04, 2009, 07:29:55 PM I stayed up until 10pm..
Wild thing, you make my heart sing.. Bloody loving this thread. Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Karabiner on July 04, 2009, 11:54:25 PM Overdrive !
Blimey one's mind boggles.. Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: tikay on July 05, 2009, 01:47:49 AM Taken this morning, in the Rio's Media Cente. This our Hero Blogger, with Mother Hen. Phil was in good shape in the Super Sat at the first break. He was in bad shape at the second break. I've chatted to him a bit, but I'm really "fairly" busy, so have not had enough time to chill with him properly. Yet. I heard Raj is in Town, too, but not seen her yet, sigh. Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: booder on July 05, 2009, 09:17:59 AM Outstanding write up Phil, looking forward to the next one.
Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Snatiramas on July 05, 2009, 05:27:52 PM Today's post will be quick. It has to be because I need sleep after a bad night. Also my stomach has started churning for no apparent reason other than maybe yesterdays omelette wasn't cooked thoroughly. Could make sitting at the table for hours on end vaguely amusing.
Anyway let's not beat about the bush. You all want to know how it went. It went like this. There were 228 runners and there were 21 seats. The first session I played like a legend and had 14000 at the first break . For played like a legend please translate as I got cards and hit them. Second session played like a legend and ended up with half of the average. I now have 9000 and the average is 18000. In this session I get away from Jacks when the BB wakes up with kings it costs me 5000 chips. I eventually go out 58th. My Jacks in the SB and his Queens in the BB. Very dissatisfied. I make a new friend during the first session who calls me over to play a $100 satellite for the $1000 satellite that happens on Sunday. Last chance saloon stuff. Actually I see this guy as a bit of a lucky omen as I knocked him out of the mtt when my set of tens walked into his set of 3’s. Anyway first hand of the single table satellite. The blinds are 25, 25 and you start with 1500 chips. I wake up with Ad Td. I raise to 75. Two callers round to the BB who makes it 275 to go. We all call. The flop comes down Ac Qc Tc. What to do. I have had enough for one day. I shove. All 1500 there in the middle first hand. Call from matey boy on my left. I know I am in trouble. Second call after a huge dwell up by second player. I know I am in a world of pain. Then the big blind starts shaking his head. He has obviously hit this flop huge as well. He eventually folds. As the cards do on their backs the folder says I folded Aspades Ts. That will be a taxi for one then. The other two guys have 8c 5c for the first caller. Kc 9c for the second caller. I have two outs then. About 7%. On the river comes the jolly old Th. Oh my word, one time and all that stuff. It was plain sailing after that. So ladies and gentlemen this is what is going to happen. I am going to sleep. I am going to wake up and go to the Rio and play the $1000 mtt at 1pm. All "bunch of five members" are to be included in this attempt as a lucky loser bonus package from snatty.com. I will do a full report of both days when I get back tonight from the Rio but for now I need some sleep. As they say in America "Two times" Well they do in my small bit of it. Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: gatso on July 05, 2009, 05:45:55 PM very generous of you phil. glglgl
Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Rod Paradise on July 05, 2009, 05:48:36 PM GL Snat - get it done!!!
Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: The_nun on July 05, 2009, 05:53:50 PM Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Claw75 on July 05, 2009, 06:30:00 PM GL Snat - get it done!!! Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: boldie on July 05, 2009, 06:49:44 PM Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: byronkincaid on July 05, 2009, 07:17:32 PM wow, you da man, gl dude
Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: tikay on July 06, 2009, 01:04:36 AM Phil just popped into the Media Centre, he's goling along nicely, & has just over average, 17k. 120 are left, 25 get a Seat. He made a spite Call with A-Q v K-K, & like all spite Calls, he hit. He's having an absolute ball. Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: The-Crow on July 06, 2009, 02:09:23 AM Have a good trip Phil
I have spotted your room And heres a picture of Strangeways , so you don't get homesick Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: The-Crow on July 06, 2009, 03:06:03 AM heres an interview with Phil
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRtjJgDsDb0 Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Snatiramas on July 06, 2009, 08:16:04 PM I need to start with a rant. We have inflicted many things on the world. Many countries celebrate the fact that they got rid of the Brits. India and of course America spring to mind. Well they think they have got rid of us but they are wrong. Every time I get in the lift in the Venetian songs from their stage show blast out at me. Unfortunately their stage show is Phantom of the Opera. I can’t stand it. Not even a little bit.
Now dear reader I do not want you to think that I do not like musicals. I do like musicals. I love Les Miserables. I hate the phantom of the bloody opera. Also I do not like looking out of my window every morning at a huge picture of Rita Rudnor. Horrible. Now that is better It has taken quite a test of will to get myself to sit down and write up the last two days. It would have been so much easier to just let it slide into a distant memory but having set myself up to write whilst I was away then I think I need to fulfil that expectation. I really gave it a good go. I didn’t do a whole lot wrong, it was one of those things that happens in poker. My best combined with the cards I got were not enough to win the seat. It was good enough to get in the top quarter both times just not good enough to get to the ticket for the WSOP. I am not going to bore you all with hand analysis other than to say I had one hand where I was lucky and one hand where I was unlucky based on the mathematics. It happens. I did however meet some absolute characters. I met an old guy in the hat with the trimmed beard wearing a Jack Daniels shirt who was absolutely hilarious. The young guys all thought he was drunk so went after his chips. Well he may have been drunk but he was no slouch. He was a shark of the highest order. They danced like ants and he trod on them. Then there was Mack from Merrill Lynch. A really nice guy. We talked business and politics. Everywhere I go I talk about Manny Ramirez and drugs in sport. Gets the tables nicely warmed up. Arguments over hear are really funny and there is a lot of posturing and ego as there is at most poker tournaments. The best bit is when they threaten to get their guns. Not happened yet. Something else to note is that we are loved here. The British I mean. I have played the quintessentially urbane British male role since arrival and people just go out of their way to help you. The cashier at the Rio said that the British were the most pleasant to deal with by a mile. Also service over here is so very good. You are not left waiting. They are attentive., Okay so I have only been to top quality places. Today that will change as I head to Binions, what used to be the spiritual home of poker. There are a couple of cheap satellites to a bag of sand event that takes place tomorrow and Wednesday. Get in cheap and play long. I still have the Lammers for a deepstack at the Venetian so all in all we are poker sorted. So now to experience a little more of Vegas. The WSOP dream is over but I already know what this trip is all about and why I won it. I will post all of that stuff on my return. For now a couple of thank you’s. Firstly to Tikay who is incredibly busy for putting up a couple of posts. I had no idea how much hard work it is for everybody on the media side. All the Sky team as always are great and it was good to see Junglecat and Snoopy. Also thanks to all the posters on here. So bunch of fives I honestly gave you your $5 worth. Now let’s go and explore Vegas…. Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: The_nun on July 06, 2009, 08:22:03 PM That's my fix for the day....
Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: gatso on July 06, 2009, 08:22:55 PM ul phil. now go have fun
Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: boldie on July 06, 2009, 09:01:21 PM ul phil. now go have fun This..and may you bring home plenty of sand. Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Claw75 on July 06, 2009, 09:02:08 PM nothing wrong with Binions Snat - I really enjoy playing there and it has, imo, among the friendliest dealers in Vegas. Get a burger from the snack bar while you're there - you won't regret it!
Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Chompy on July 06, 2009, 09:05:34 PM No, if you go to Binion's you HAVE to get a chilli dog imo. No pickle though. Yikes.
Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Claw75 on July 06, 2009, 09:09:04 PM No, if you go to Binion's you HAVE to get a chilli dog imo. No pickle though. Yikes. no, no - burger. Or maybe he'll just have to try both. And cherry sours from the sweetie dispensers. yummy. I heart Binions. Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: boldie on July 06, 2009, 09:18:48 PM No, if you go to Binion's you HAVE to get a chilli dog imo. No pickle though. Yikes. A chilli dog without pickles is just wrong. Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Karabiner on July 06, 2009, 09:26:23 PM Binion's is still cool Phil, and the snackbar chili is the best in town, they also have "beans of the day" on the menu.
The cardroom has qite a few old-time dealers who have been there for decades, especially the middle-aged black guy who says "you de man" when it's your turn to bet and Rhonda the cocktail waitress, who are absoluely fantastic fun and lovely people. I love Binions a little, so please give them my regards and tell them that I'll be back soon hopefully. Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Simon Galloway on July 06, 2009, 09:56:34 PM You lot must have a cast iron constitution.
I ordered a philly cheesesteak in their snack bar about 1999, took one bite and haven't eaten in there since. I can't imagine getting stabbed in the guts could feel any worse. For the hot dog fans, I dare you to go to Slots-of-Fun and queue up for their 99c footlong! Check the terms of your medical insurance before ordering. Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: The_nun on July 06, 2009, 09:58:13 PM You lot must have a cast iron constitution. I ordered a philly cheesesteak in their snack bar about 1999, took one bite and haven't eaten in there since. I can't imagine getting stabbed in the guts could feel any worse. For the hot dog fans, I dare you to go to Slots-of-Fun and queue up for their 99c footlong! Check the terms of your medical insurance before ordering. Been there done that got the T Shirt..99c Shrimp for starters too. Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Snatiramas on July 07, 2009, 02:30:22 PM I liked downtown. There is something more honest about it. Comparing it to the strip is like comparing a Mars bar to a box of Belgian truffles. You just know what you are getting with a Mars bar. I walk into Binions and it takes only the smallest amount of imagination to understand how this used to be the home of poker.
Luciano my taxi driver told me a lovely story of a guy that he regularly drives for, who comes down for the WSOP every year to play in one of the minor events. For the first twelve years he never made day two. In the thirteenth and fourteenth years he made day two but had to head home as he didn’t think he would qualify for day two.. Anyway this year he actually played day two. Luciano said that the guy couldn’t have been happier. I got to the cardroom just in time to play the 2pm sat for the $1000 main event. This room is filled with grinders. It is a relative cornucopia of MDD’s. The standard of play was higher than anything I had seen so far at either the Rio or the Venetian. Actually that is not necessarily fair. They just play the game differently. This was an old school, old school event where people could fold to a reraise. Got close enough to taste a ticket and then made a big error with A9 having hit two pair on the flop. I think it may have been my first serious error at the table and needless to say I did not get lucky and crack the other guys set. I should have realised that my two pair were no good as the dust flew off his chips as they went into the middle. Ho hum. I walk up and down and Fremont Street. It is great. I really like it. Pick up a bit of nosh for my room at a price that is not hotel rate. I walk a little ways off from Fremont Street. It is not great I am afraid. It is the other end of the great gamblers dream and should not be forgotten on this trip. My journey back to the Venetian is conducted in the company of Eduardo the first F1 racing driver from Cuba. He has been in Vegas for seventeen years and he is just crazy. Needless to say he offers to get me girls for this evening. Kind gesture but no thanks Eduardo. Back at the Venetian I play the $120 that Blatch goes on to split (well done him). George and Raj are there as is Yoyo. Nice people all. One should absolutely not underestimate how creative or bad or different the play is in this tourney. You could take the Tuesday night at Luton and lower it a few notches and you still couldn’t play as badly as the German on my right who ended up with thirty thousand chips in the first 45 minutes and busted out an hour later. Anyway same old same old for me. Went in ahead came out behind. Decide to sort out my buy in for what I thought was $330 buy in deepstack only to be told it was a $550. Ouch as I only had $300 in lammers. Have to play a one table sit n go and try and win more. Just missed a table that had George, Raj and Julian on. Bugger that would have been great fun to play. So I sit down at the next one to start and just chat to the players as they arrive about America and England and poker and life. We laugh a lot. They mistake me for placid Brit. From the first hand there is no doubt in my mind that there are at least three fish on the table who are a little out of their depth. Lovely lovely people all but they are bringing their home game strategy to Vegas. Just got to dodge the guy on my right who is called Archie. Get the strong feeling he has got ability. A couple of hours later and I am three way with over half the chips on the table. I let the other two get busy until I find a hand and that as they say was that. I sit here in my room with enough lammers for the $550. Caesars will just have to wait until Thursday. Am I bored of the poker yet???? Not a chance. Have I eaten in Binions......oh yes I have Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Chompy on July 07, 2009, 04:36:28 PM It is a relative cornucopia of MDD’s...
WP sir. Burger or chili dog ftw? Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Claw75 on July 07, 2009, 04:53:50 PM Burger or chili dog ftw? this is the question on the nation's lips. Can't believe you've left us on such a cliffhanger! Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Snatiramas on July 07, 2009, 05:00:58 PM It's a secret
Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Chompy on July 07, 2009, 05:04:48 PM -1 league point for every further hour we're kept waiting...
Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Claw75 on July 07, 2009, 05:09:21 PM -1 league point for every further 5 minutes we're kept waiting... fyp chompy - you were being far too generous imo. Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Snatiramas on July 07, 2009, 05:54:14 PM Just had a lovely breakfast in the hotel..................but it wasn't a patch on yesterdays late lunch at Binions...........and I don't care about points......I retain my rights to secrecy and a gentleman never reveals secrets
Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Karabiner on July 07, 2009, 06:18:52 PM It must have been "beans of the day" imo.
Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Bongo on July 07, 2009, 10:44:57 PM You lot must have a cast iron constitution. I ordered a philly cheesesteak in their snack bar about 1999, took one bite and haven't eaten in there since. I can't imagine getting stabbed in the guts could feel any worse. For the hot dog fans, I dare you to go to Slots-of-Fun and queue up for their 99c footlong! Check the terms of your medical insurance before ordering. Do you think it would be any worse than the £1 kebabs in Nottingham? Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Simon Galloway on July 08, 2009, 01:48:10 AM I hope I never find out.
Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Snatiramas on July 08, 2009, 01:18:07 PM Why is it always so hard to admit to myself that I have messed it up. Well I did yesterday. I was playing really good strong poker. Let the right hand go at the right time and found my victim early and attacked him until he snapped on a 44J flop I bet 700 with KK and he repopped for all his chips with 99.
So happy days. Get to the dinner break with a little over 50k which is about average . The first level after the dinner break will be 1k - 2k with a running ante of 300. First hand back after supper and a power nap in my room. AK I raise the whole table folds. Very nice. The very next hand AK again this time under the gun. I raise to 6000. Sanchez the rude Mexican reraise to 17000. Then the geezer in seat 3 who looks like Craig Stadler the golfer rereraises all in. Now this guy is my classification of Chompy player. Will do this move almost with any two but it is probably Queens, or better. Easy fold for me right. Give it up and move on. Oh no. Brain still addled from power nap now decides that the unmade hand is the absolute nuts and I am going to make a stand right here. Idiot. I call with not a thought for what Sanchez might do. Well by calling I have given him a problem. He dwells. I know it is not Aces. Hang on my mistake might just get him to fold. Two minutes, then somebody else calls clock. The last possible moment he calls. He has pocket kings, Stadler has pocket Queens. Cooklin you are an idiot. The flop comes down Ace high. Cooklin you are genius. Play bad and win big. Oh yes it is my one time. I sit still, no whooping here. It was terrible play and I know it. The turn comes a 2. The river comes the one and only King left in the pack. I hate playing on the internet, it is just like this. So I don’t cash. I leave the table smiling and wishing everybody luck and absolutely killing myself mentally. If only I had a little more discipline. If only I had a little bit more luck. I have not decided what I am going to do today yet. At the time I was not going to play again but now I think that would be unwise. I came here to play and one mistake is not going to change that. Neither is the upset stomach from Binions. I can do this. Chompy was right, this deepstack is right up my street. I have a couple of lammers. I think numbers may be fewer today due to Caesars starting their $1k mega stack championship which will not finish until my flight leaves. So today will be a bit of shopping in the Fashion Show Mall and one last crack at the Deepstack. I really believe that we do not know why certain things happen. Why in some cases bad things happen to good people. Of course I am not just talking poker here. Some people say it is fate. Some people would put it down to their lord. Some would take the scientific approach and some wouldn’t. I believe that we are given challenges to prove to others how to come through them. To set an example to show indomitable spirit. Well in my poker challenges I say…… Bring it on. Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Steve Swift on July 08, 2009, 06:51:27 PM Great posts sir, i am not in Vegas but i feel that i am with the quality of your penmanship.
Keep up the superb work. Steve Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Snatiramas on July 08, 2009, 07:08:00 PM Great posts sir, i am not in Vegas but i feel that i am with the quality of your penmanship. Keep up the superb work. Steve Most kind of you sir. Slight change of plan. As I was walking through the casino to go shopping, there was a one table $130 satellite about to start. Well it would have been rude not to. These sats are ridiclulously soft. I had a lovely couple from Alabama who wanted to try and win a seat in the big comp at lunchtime. I regaled them with stories of England and I took all their chips. Hopefully I did it nicely and they will try again. The game needs a few nice people. The other guy who won it was an absolute tosser who didn't tip the dealers. What can you do 12 noon I will be back at the game. Yet anothe $560 buy in that cost $120. I love satellites Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: boldie on July 08, 2009, 07:27:32 PM GL mate.
Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: cia260895 on July 08, 2009, 07:31:07 PM Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Snatiramas on July 09, 2009, 03:59:58 PM Oh what it is to be young and playing poker in Vegas. Today I sat next to a young man called Jeff who when I passed my hand post flop told me why I had to call for my tournament regardless of if I was winning or losing. It was the optimal play he told me. One hour in and down to 5000 chips from a starting stack 15000. Oh happy days. What is worse I have got young Jeff telling me everything he knows about poker.
He has turned down a request to be on high stakes poker. He doesn’t care about money. He doesn’t mind losing as long as he makes the optimal play. He is full of something but for the life of me I can’t think what. I watch him slowly get blinded away as I start to accumulate chips. Like ships that pass in the night our relative stack positions reverse and I start to really enjoy myself. Jeff goes out with 6/7 suited reraising an under the gun raise from a true rock. I mean dust fell off the chips from the utg raise. I say good game as Jeff’s hand fails to beat kings. I think nice optimal play you fool. Reraise one of the two loonies at the table, not the table rock. I am very relaxed as I play today. Just out to have fun and play well. Dinner break comes up after seven hours play. Average stack and I like my table. The next hour I go card dead. I steal a couple of blinds, one with a Nordic button raise from under the gun with the Chompy hand, just to see if I can do it. Oh and I can, but at this stage the Antes cripple you and you have to keep busy. Unfortunately I get down to around thirty thousand chips, blinds are 1200/2400 with a 300 ante. I wake up with a pair of fives. Not ideal but the other Englishman at the table has raised it to 6000 and I know he is good enough to fold to the shove. I shove. He dwells. He dwells some more. Then he calls with ace queen of spades. Okay a race. Well it was a bloody short race when two queens come on the flop. No five and out 75th of 420. Strangely I feel very calm. My game is good. I have proved this to myself. My doubts about my image and ability at any level now have really been dispelled on this trip. The guy who took my chips early on is out. It was a good bet by him. Well done sir. I got those chips back and more when I made the exact same series of bets and he came over the top and I called with the nut straight. He used an expletive and kicked himself. He badly misjudged me because I folded the first time. Bless. Today after a really good nights sleep, my first in a week, I am going out shopping and visiting Caesars and maybe going to the I poker thingy but I am not much of a party person……..didn’t I say that I was going shopping yesterday. Welcome to Groundhog Day Vegas style. Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Dewi_cool on July 09, 2009, 05:01:38 PM Phil,
I'm one that said you should have kept the money and stayed at home, I'm so glad you took no notice, great read. Enjoy the rest of your stay :)up Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Snatiramas on July 10, 2009, 01:31:54 PM Phil, the money sweeter.I'm one that said you should have kept the money and stayed at home, I'm so glad you took no notice, great read. Enjoy the rest of your stay :)up Thx mate. Yous of course was the sensible option. Well ladies and gentlemen the only thing the trip was missing was an mtt win. Tonight in the 11 pm tourney at Caesars there was a five way chop at 5am. $1400. Niot alot but never was money sweeter. I will write it all up when I get home including a picture of my 1st place in Vegas. Right now sleep. pack . Get ready to come home. Can't wait to see Amma and the kids. Thank you all for reading andcommenting.....loads of posts next week. Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Karabiner on July 10, 2009, 02:17:23 PM Nice one Phil, shall I pencil you in for November then ?
Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Geo the Sarge on July 10, 2009, 03:36:46 PM Great thread Snats and well done.
Safe home Geo Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Laxie on July 10, 2009, 03:49:29 PM Great thread Snats and well done. Safe home +1 xx Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Claw75 on July 10, 2009, 04:44:17 PM Thanks Snat, great read. Could only have been improved by you telling us what you ate in Binions!!! (oh and winning the ME obv :D)
Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: boldie on July 10, 2009, 05:42:16 PM Great thread Snats and well done. Safe home +1 xx +2...and you can even have a kiss if you want. Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: tikay on July 10, 2009, 06:55:52 PM Snatty featured heavilly in a Blog I wrote elsewhere last night. He is nothing but trouble. Cough. Cough Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Snatiramas on July 13, 2009, 11:39:14 AM So my final day in Vegas and the shopping is still not done and on top of that I still haven’t played at the legendary Caesars Palace. Shopping first. I have to get an array of Abercrombie and Fitch, and Hollister attire for my poor hard done by kids and something nice for my long suffering poker widow of a wife.
Off to the fashion show mall. Five minute walk. Two pounds lost in body fluid. The heat is fierce but dry and I find it easier to deal with than in the UK. The last time I came here the place was heaving. This time it was not so busy and having chatted to lots of people that is a fairly common trend. No surprise really. I do what I normally do when shopping in a new place. Walk the whole place to see which shops I want to go in. This is done at pace. Okay the good news is there are only two stores I need to visit and they have already been named. Exactly twenty five minutes after arriving I am leaving with four carrier bags full of goodies. Guilt pressies I know, but without Anne Marie and the kids I wouldn’t be nearly as happy a bloke as I am. After all here I am in Vegas playing poker and they are all grafting at home, I would suggest that makes me a little bit of a spoilt bunny. Talking of bunnies one of my favourite moments of the whole trip was turning round to a young man in seat one and saying in a massively over pronounced English accent after he had raised for third hand running, “busy bunny aren’t you”. Table banter really took off after that moment of genius. Needless to say busy bunny knocked himself out early. I have seen this a lot on this trip. People want to chip up or ship out. Maybe they think it is optimal play. Maybe it is. The key is spotting those that play like this and deciding whether you are going to dance or not. Anyway quick as flash I have the bags stowed in my hotel room and I am off to Caesars. Caesars is great. Busy. Crazy. I mean where else can you have massive moving statues depicting old time Rome with a bright red Neon sign above. The shops at Caesars go on forever. There are fountains everywhere. If the Venetian smells of vanilla talcum powder, Caesar’s smells of chlorine. Honestly I kid you not, all the fountain areas smell of chlorine. Classy. So my first visit to the Caesars card room and I instantly get grimmed for the massive amount of $15. I am putting the money back into my wallet when a hand reaches out from behind me and just nicks it. I turn round to have a fight, and there opposite is a nice little old man and to be honest I just did not have the heart to hit him. Needless to say Tikay on his day off had also come to play Caesars. With my $15 restored we sat down at adjacent tables. At this moment my favourite incident took place. On Tikays table was an Oriental lady who I can only assume was of a slightly nervous disposition. I say this because somebody sneezed at this table and she instantly whipped out a surgical mask. I kid you not. Well cue outrageous coughing for the next fifteen minutes. He kept telling her that I was a butcher intimating that I might very well be a carrier for swine flu. It was a picture taking moment but unfortunately I missed it. The tournament went badly. Knocked out. I decide to play the cheapy at the Venetian as my last event. Forty five minutes. What a bloody disaster. I am now going home without multi table cash. I know I caned the stt satellites but I really wanted an MTT cash. Just one. I head to the bar. It is at this point that a person I had not seen for so long I did not recognise him, approached me at the bar. Richard Pipe and I used to play at Luton but he plays less now and somehow our paths hadn’t crossed for a few years. Anyway we go for dinner and have a good bitching session about poker and card rooms and faces. It was great fun. He is staying at Caesars. He tells me there is a $120 tourney at 11pm. I really should go and pack............ Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: AndrewT on July 13, 2009, 11:54:56 AM On Tikays table was an Oriental lady who I can only assume was of a slightly nervous disposition. I say this because somebody sneezed at this table and she instantly whipped out a surgical mask. I kid you not. Well cue outrageous coughing for the next fifteen minutes. He kept telling her that I was a butcher intimating that I might very well be a carrier for swine flu. It was a picture taking moment but unfortunately I missed it. Seen this a lot lately, both at Heathrow and in South Africa - Japanese tourists (nearly all women) walking around with the masks on. Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: cia260895 on July 13, 2009, 11:55:07 AM HE WHO DARES SNATTY,HE WHO DARES.........
Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Snatiramas on July 13, 2009, 12:01:44 PM On Tikays table was an Oriental lady who I can only assume was of a slightly nervous disposition. I say this because somebody sneezed at this table and she instantly whipped out a surgical mask. I kid you not. Well cue outrageous coughing for the next fifteen minutes. He kept telling her that I was a butcher intimating that I might very well be a carrier for swine flu. It was a picture taking moment but unfortunately I missed it. Seen this a lot lately, both at Heathrow and in South Africa - Japanese tourists (nearly all women) walking around with the masks on. I reckon it is the new hoody Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Snatiramas on July 13, 2009, 12:08:57 PM Well Carpe Diem as they say. Packing can wait. Richard and I battle the 10pm crowds on the strip. Get to Caesars and he goes off to change his glasses and I don’t see him again. Must be my light and witty repartee. Anyway not to worry. I buy in. Over 90 runners. 5000 chips. 30 minute clock. I played no better or worse than the rest of my visit. The maths held good. I got lucky when I was short chipped at the final table my Jacks sucked out on queens when all the chips went flying in on an 8 high flop. I also had a moment of class timing with Aces against Ace King and Queens. There were three Brits and an Irishman at the final table. The atmosphere throughout was good fun. At 4.50 am we sorted out a deal. Tired but immensely happy with my winnings, I strolled down the strip and got propositioned by three different prostitutes. Business must be bad.
So to bed and sleep, packing, and flight. I have my room booked until 1pm so no problem. Well that’s what I thought............... Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: cia260895 on July 13, 2009, 12:17:16 PM Well Carpe Diem as they say. Packing can wait. Richard and I battle the 10pm crowds on the strip. Get to Caesars and he goes off to change his glasses and I don’t see him again. Must be my light and witty repartee. Anyway not to worry. I buy in. Over 90 runners. 5000 chips. 30 minute clock. I played no better or worse than the rest of my visit. The maths held good. I got lucky when I was short chipped at the final table my Jacks sucked out on queens when all the chips went flying in on an 8 high flop. I also had a moment of class timing with Aces against Ace King and Queens. There were three Brits and an Irishman at the final table. The atmosphere throughout was good fun. At 4.50 am we sorted out a deal. Tired but immensely happy with my winnings, I strolled down the strip and got propositioned by three different prostitutes. Business must be bad. So to bed and sleep, packing, and flight. I have my room booked until 1pm so no problem. Well that’s what I thought............... ;hattip; ;hattip; ;yippee; ;yippee; ;yippee; :dd: ;karabiner; ;sexybanana; Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: boldie on July 13, 2009, 12:25:25 PM Well Carpe Diem as they say. Packing can wait. Richard and I battle the 10pm crowds on the strip. Get to Caesars and he goes off to change his glasses and I don’t see him again. Must be my light and witty repartee. Anyway not to worry. I buy in. Over 90 runners. 5000 chips. 30 minute clock. I played no better or worse than the rest of my visit. The maths held good. I got lucky when I was short chipped at the final table my Jacks sucked out on queens when all the chips went flying in on an 8 high flop. I also had a moment of class timing with Aces against Ace King and Queens. There were three Brits and an Irishman at the final table. The atmosphere throughout was good fun. At 4.50 am we sorted out a deal. Tired but immensely happy with my winnings, I strolled down the strip and got propositioned by three different prostitutes. Business must be bad. So to bed and sleep, packing, and flight. I have my room booked until 1pm so no problem. Well that’s what I thought............... ;hattip; ;hattip; ;yippee; ;yippee; ;yippee; :dd: ;karabiner; ;sexybanana; Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Geo the Sarge on July 13, 2009, 12:41:52 PM Brilliant Phil, just brilliant.
Geo Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: AlexMartin on July 13, 2009, 12:51:13 PM Well Carpe Diem as they say. Packing can wait. Richard and I battle the 10pm crowds on the strip. Get to Caesars and he goes off to change his glasses and I don’t see him again. Must be my light and witty repartee. Anyway not to worry. I buy in. Over 90 runners. 5000 chips. 30 minute clock. I played no better or worse than the rest of my visit. The maths held good. I got lucky when I was short chipped at the final table my Jacks sucked out on queens when all the chips went flying in on an 8 high flop. I also had a moment of class timing with Aces against Ace King and Queens. There were three Brits and an Irishman at the final table. The atmosphere throughout was good fun. At 4.50 am we sorted out a deal. Tired but immensely happy with my winnings, I strolled down the strip and got propositioned by three different prostitutes. Business must be bad. So to bed and sleep, packing, and flight. I have my room booked until 1pm so no problem. Well that’s what I thought............... ;hattip; ;hattip; ;yippee; ;yippee; ;yippee; :dd: ;karabiner; ;sexybanana; Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: tikay on July 13, 2009, 05:53:08 PM So my final day in Vegas and the shopping is still not done and on top of that I still haven’t played at the legendary Caesars Palace. Shopping first. I have to get an array of Abercrombie and Fitch, and Hollister attire for my poor hard done by kids and something nice for my long suffering poker widow of a wife. Off to the fashion show mall. Five minute walk. Two pounds lost in body fluid. The heat is fierce but dry and I find it easier to deal with than in the UK. The last time I came here the place was heaving. This time it was not so busy and having chatted to lots of people that is a fairly common trend. No surprise really. I do what I normally do when shopping in a new place. Walk the whole place to see which shops I want to go in. This is done at pace. Okay the good news is there are only two stores I need to visit and they have already been named. Exactly twenty five minutes after arriving I am leaving with four carrier bags full of goodies. Guilt pressies I know, but without Anne Marie and the kids I wouldn’t be nearly as happy a bloke as I am. After all here I am in Vegas playing poker and they are all grafting at home, I would suggest that makes me a little bit of a spoilt bunny. Talking of bunnies one of my favourite moments of the whole trip was turning round to a young man in seat one and saying in a massively over pronounced English accent after he had raised for third hand running, “busy bunny aren’t you”. Table banter really took off after that moment of genius. Needless to say busy bunny knocked himself out early. I have seen this a lot on this trip. People want to chip up or ship out. Maybe they think it is optimal play. Maybe it is. The key is spotting those that play like this and deciding whether you are going to dance or not. Anyway quick as flash I have the bags stowed in my hotel room and I am off to Caesars. Caesars is great. Busy. Crazy. I mean where else can you have massive moving statues depicting old time Rome with a bright red Neon sign above. The shops at Caesars go on forever. There are fountains everywhere. If the Venetian smells of vanilla talcum powder, Caesar’s smells of chlorine. Honestly I kid you not, all the fountain areas smell of chlorine. Classy. So my first visit to the Caesars card room and I instantly get grimmed for the massive amount of $15. I am putting the money back into my wallet when a hand reaches out from behind me and just nicks it. I turn round to have a fight, and there opposite is a nice little old man and to be honest I just did not have the heart to hit him. Needless to say Tikay on his day off had also come to play Caesars. With my $15 restored we sat down at adjacent tables. At this moment my favourite incident took place. On Tikays table was an Oriental lady who I can only assume was of a slightly nervous disposition. I say this because somebody sneezed at this table and she instantly whipped out a surgical mask. I kid you not. Well cue outrageous coughing for the next fifteen minutes. He kept telling her that I was a butcher intimating that I might very well be a carrier for swine flu. It was a picture taking moment but unfortunately I missed it. The tournament went badly. Knocked out. I decide to play the cheapy at the Venetian as my last event. Forty five minutes. What a bloody disaster. I am now going home without multi table cash. I know I caned the stt satellites but I really wanted an MTT cash. Just one. I head to the bar. It is at this point that a person I had not seen for so long I did not recognise him, approached me at the bar. Richard Pipe and I used to play at Luton but he plays less now and somehow our paths hadn’t crossed for a few years. Anyway we go for dinner and have a good bitching session about poker and card rooms and faces. It was great fun. He is staying at Caesars. He tells me there is a $120 tourney at 11pm. I really should go and pack............ From a Blog entry I saw.... I entered the 7pm jobbie, & ended up sat next to a really strange lady. She heard a man cough about 4 Tables away, & suddenly said "I have to put my mask on", & immediately went rifling down her handbag, & out came this surgical mask, & on it went. Handling dirty, germ-ridden chips never bothered her - but a man coughed 4 Tables away, & on went the mask. Sheesh. I asked her if she always donned it when someone coughed, & she replied - "mmm mmmm, mmm, mmm" - or I think she did. It's tough to hear what people say through a mask. Now, - stick with me please - at this moment, I heard raucous laughter from the next table, & recognized the deep chesty laugh of an old friend. It was Phil Cooklin, you will have seen him on the Channel, he's "snatiramas". You can just see him behind Miss Mask's right ear - hoodie, not much hair (I'm being polite here), & bins. So I wandered across, "Hi Phil", hugs & kisses - we are very dear friends of long-standing - la de da. Then I told him about Miss Mask. Phil looked at her, & I could tell right away he had mischief in mind. I was about to play my Button, when I heard "cough", "cough cough", "COUGH", "COUGH COUGH COUGH". COUGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. Cough. And I'm thinking "behave, Phil". But Phil is in full stride now, coughing, sneezing, & heaven know's what else-ing. I shot a look at him, his face was dead pan, but the look Miss Mask gave him would turn a man to stone. And she turned to me & said - "you think I'm mad, but germs spread so easily". Well I was in stitches, Phil was too, now, & I fessed up. Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Snatiramas on July 13, 2009, 11:49:36 PM So there I was sleeping the sleep of angels when the maid crashes in and wakes me at 8am. Marvellous. Two and a half hours sleep and I am now totally disorientated. So I start to pack. Like a bloke. Hmm. Minor problem. Can’t get all the clothes in without folding some of them. I am in Vegas. My feminine side does not exist. It is all alpha male poker player. Take up screwed up t shirts and screw them up even more whilst managing to get them in the dirty washing holdall.
I am packed. It is 10am. Not planning to leave until 1pm. Go downstairs for one last breakfast. The queue is massive. Forget that. I go to the takeaway place. Vegas is in weekend mode. It is busy too. Eventually get served some very average food. Not what I had in mind for my final day. Not even a little bit. I go back to my room and look at the packed bags on my bed. Very depressing. So I do the only thing I can. I put the privacy sign back on the door and go back to sleep. Oh come on you didn’t expect me to go and play poker did you? I sleep for a couple of hours. I feel a whole lot better. I go and pay my bill and get a refund. I left cash behind the desk and didn’t spend $85 of it. Result. Get a cab for the airport and whilst checking in find out that the flight has been delayed by three hours. Well bugger that for a game of soldiers. Drop off the bags. Check in. Straight into a cab and head for the Mandalay Bay. Not spending four hours in Las Vegas Terminal two. It is worse than Luton. So I get to the Mandalay Bay and the build up for The Ultimate Fight Club championship fight is in full swing. The place is hopping with a huge number of muscle bound tattooed lunatics. If you think poker players are weird, this lot are a completely different class. So I have a nice meal and decide to spin my $85. I play one of the casino games and start chatting to a delightful young man who keeps getting interrupted for autographs. He tells me his name but my memory leaves something to be desired so I can’t remember it. Apparently he is the Oscar De La Hoya of UFC. That makes him one hard SOB in my book. Nothing was too much trouble. He was class with the fans. I get it to $200 and decide to play $1/$2 No limit cash. I have an hour and a half. If I lose, so what. Well I finally get up at 5.45pm with an extra $500 in my pocket. I love cash. Well the dozen times I have played it in the last six years. So back to the airport. The plane leaves with lots of people who have been sitting in the airport for a long time. I buy an expensive bottle of perfume for Anne Marie. I watch Gran Torino over dinner. Enjoyed it a lot. The movie that is, not dinner. I then fall asleep and do not wake up until inedible snack time. An hour and a half to go. I had slept for about six hours. Pick up my bags and go home. Anne Marie and the kids met me in. It was great. So that was that. Now in no particular order a few Vegas observations. The people I met who live there love it. No dissenters. They love the sunshine and lifestyle. Vegas is a mental city. Apparently all gambling towns are. That would be Vegas then. Do slip a highish denomination note into your passport when checking in to see what sort of room is available. It works. I did not mind tipping as the service was so good. Doing well in a Vegas tournament, no matter how small, is the best fun. The STT’s are immensely soft and should be used at every opportunity. The big hotels are tremendous. All of them. The cardroom at The Venetian is amazing though I would say if you are visiting for the first time they can be a little frosty at first on the front desk. The payout structures are too top heavy. You can never have enough $1 bills. The food downtown can do bad things to a nervous stomach. The American people are warm and courteous and will have a conversation with a perfect stranger. They genuinely love the British particularly when we behave differently to a fight fan or football supporter. No matter how many bad beats you get, losing with good grace makes a lot of friends. I chatted for hours with people just for the sheer common joy of playing poker. So as I sit here back in the swing already Vegas is already sliding into a distant memory. It was great fun. I would do it again tomorrow. I would loved to have won more money but didn’t. That’s poker. This evening I took Ads to the doctors. Nothing serious. An infected toenail needed clipping. Whilst we were there my eye was drawn to the following sign....apparently it is not a porno movie. It would have been in Vegas. TYGG The End Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: celtic on July 13, 2009, 11:54:05 PM Great thread Phil.
Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Geo the Sarge on July 13, 2009, 11:59:21 PM ;applause;
Many thanks Phil Geo Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Chompy on July 14, 2009, 12:30:22 AM WP Snat, splendid diary work imo. The second best Vegas blog I've read this year.
That'll be that until November then... I'm currently working on MDD to try and get him out there at the same time. I want to see just how far his curmudgeonly dial will spin to when he's faced with Vegas donks for a week. I reckon he'll get up to a Spinal Tap-like 11. Before exploding. Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Simon Galloway on July 14, 2009, 01:47:55 AM +1 on Gran Torino on the flight home. Not quite what I expected, but enjoyable. shame I fogot headphones, Virgin's are the worst.
Why a maid wants to get into your room early on check-out day I have no idea. A decent verbal volley and tip revoked imo. Last day, food needs to be planned so you get a repeat of your fav meal, avoid random cafe let downs and are full enough not to want to eat on the plane imo. Current favourite is Town Square, salad and chops in Brio or salad and pizza in the new CPK there. Quick mosey around the shops and a short ride to the airport. Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: boldie on July 14, 2009, 08:25:42 AM top thread Snatty, thanks very much.
Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: booder on July 14, 2009, 10:03:18 AM top thread Snatty, thanks very much. Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Rod Paradise on July 14, 2009, 10:13:59 AM top thread Snatty, thanks very much. +1 Really enjoyed this Diary Snatty!!! Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Karabiner on July 14, 2009, 10:53:37 AM Yet another terrific diary Phil, I thoroughly enjoyed savouring each and every post.
Now you are one person who really ought to make the time and write a book. PS BA's sale ends at midnight tonight if you were considering going back in November. £379 return. Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: cia260895 on July 14, 2009, 11:44:03 AM Cheers Snatty :)up ;applause;
Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: the sicilian on July 14, 2009, 01:12:59 PM Class as always Phil...
Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: ripple11 on July 14, 2009, 03:21:22 PM great read ...very enjoyable :)up Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: maccol on July 14, 2009, 07:40:57 PM great read ...very enjoyable :)up Title: Re: Snattys unfeasibly long and banal Vegas posts Post by: Steve Swift on July 15, 2009, 05:03:22 PM Great read, ty sir.............MORE, MORE, MORE.
|