blonde poker forum

Seeing as my blog has tumbleweeds rolling through it and as I haven't written anything for ages, I think I have the itch again.

So if you don't mind another diary, only a temporary one, I'm going to jot down some musings from Sin City.

Even if you do mind, I think I'm going to do it anyway.

So yah boo, sucks to you.

 :)up

Good luck this series Keith.

Looking forward to this - good luck Keith

My prediction for the series: This diary is going to be immense.

GL in Vegas Mr Hawkins.

Vbol Keith.

How many events are you planning on playing ?

Thanks.

This is my schedule:

http://blondepoker.com/forum/index.php?topic=57686.0

Although not set in stone, might well tweak it a little.

subscribed :)

In. Looking forward to this so much

GL, have fun :)

Summersssssssssssss hereeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

Going to enjoy this!

Absolutely love Vegas diaries/trip reports GOGOGO!

me too, looking forward to seeing you in good writing form again Keith.

As an hors· d'oeuvre Keith would you mind if I posted those two pieces you once wrote for me on here?

GL Keith, subscribed

I don't remember them!

So sure, go ahead, I'll be interested to read them!

My Poker Life  -  By Keith 'The Camel' Hawkins

My first bet was 10p each way on Snow Knight in the 1974 Derby. The beast won at 50/1. Winning over six quid when I was 6 years old pretty much hooked me on gambling for life.

I started playing poker at school when I was about 15. We played 5 card draw with deuces, fours and one eyed Jacks wild and I remember winning about 3 months pocket money when my five aces beat two hands containing five Kings and five Jacks. Happy days.

After our head of year discovered we were playing poker and promptly banned the activity - we were then driven to playing in each others houses.

This travelling school wasn't the easiest in the world to beat. Two of the six other regular players have become professional gamblers and one is now on the other side of the fence, working as an odds compiler for a major bookmaker.

We started by playing five or seven card stud, but one day Neil "Bad Beat" Channing introduced Texas Hold'em (this was pretty much unheard of in the UK in the early 1980s) to our game. It was love at first sight for me. I was fascinated by the intricacies of the variant of poker and had an insatiable thirst to learn this new game and become good at it.

I discovered poker tournaments when visiting Grosvenor Casino, Reading to play blackjack one night when I was about 23. I hadn't heard of them before but was curious to see what was happening as about 40 players turned up to play poker, but not a cash game! It was only a £10 tournament, but gave you the opportunity to win £500 or more. Looking back, I could probably have picked an easier place to learn my trade. Regular punters in this school included several excellent players and major championship winners such as Ken Cutler, Bob Coombes, Simon Trumper, Graham Pound, Shaun Hayes, "Pacey" Griffith, Simon "Clint" Eastwood and Nour Deen Nouri.

Throughout my twenties, I played Hold'Em as much as I could. I had various jobs after graduating from college but poker in general and Hold'Em in particular proved a great draw. I gradually improved and became a winner.

The first key moment in my poker career was the day after winning a £3,000 tournament at Luton. I was planning on returning that night for another event, but was told by my boss as a colleague had called in sick I "had" to work overtime that evening. I quit on the spot. After all £3,000 represented about 3 months wages! Please don't follow my lead, it was a reckless and probably foolish thing to do and I consider myself very lucky to have been able to make a good fist at being a professional poker player at that time.

I mostly played at a pretty low level (£10-£100 tournaments) with a few shots at bigger events and although I had great fun it was a real struggle to make a decent living.

I played on the small tournament circuit for about 4 years. I was getting a bit jaded and losing my passion for the game when I was offered a dream job for many gamblers, a sports odds compiler for an online bookmaker. Watching sport all day? Yum yum!

Form about 7 years ago I think so some might be dated now but you didn't make a bad job of your tip for the top  :)up

Twenty Questions - By Keith 'The Camel' Hawkins
We asked professional player Keith 'The Camel' Hawkins a few quickfire questions about his poker experiences... here's what he had to
say.
Place of birth?
Isleworth, London

Age?
36

Occupation?
Professional poker player/gambler.

Fav game?
No Limit Texas Hold'em

Record pints in one session?
I lose count after a while, but when I made the final of Bellagio Five Diamond World Poker Classic Main event in 2002 I was ordering 2
bottles of Bud at a time because I play a little better when inebriated, and you can drink as much American beer as you like and never
get pissed!

Best poker buddy?
Especially when you're young and can easily go on tilt it is very important to travel with someone and share your highs and lows, and
have a laugh with too. Paul Spillane and I travelled together a lot in my early years and we had a great craic. He is a great bloke and
was wonderful at lifting my spirits after a depressing beat. I hope I helped himtoo and whether or not I stay in poker for years to come,
Paul will be a good mate forever.

Most satisying win?
It has to be winning the £750 No Limit Hold'emevent during the Poker Classics at the Victoria Casino in 2003. The Vic is the home of
European Poker and has the toughest fields in the World outside the WSOP in my opinion. Winning there made me feel I had really made
it as a poker player.

Last proper job?

I stayed at Blue Square in my "dreamjob" for about 3 years. But, poker started calling again. You cannot beat being your own boss,
working when you want to, travelling to marvellous places and meeting fascinating people. Poker offers all this plus the chance to win
huge amounts of money. Playing poker for a living is an amazing way of life and when things are running bad I always remember this.

Fav poker venue?
Holland Casino, Amsterdam. Their tournament week is the one event I would never miss. The atmosphere and craic in amsterdamis
amazing. It is the one event where you aren't absolutely gutted to be knocked out. Go figure why!

Tip for the top?
The explosion of internet poker means young players can learn in months what it took me years to understand. I amconstantly amazed
how many players who I have never seen before on the circuit can play excellent poker. If I have to name one player who can go all the
way to the top if he puts his mind to it, I would say Julian Thew who really has unlimited potential and impresses me greatly every time I
see him play.

Legs or breast?
I don't really like chicken, but I would pick drumsticks.

Why are you nicknamed The Camel?
When Paul Spillane suggested I was drinking too much, I stated with complete certainty that I could go a week without a drink. He
replied "You must be a camel then!". That week I made my first ever big final and when the MC introduced me, he said "in seat 3 from
Reading, Keith "the Camel" Hawkins". It made me laugh and certainly relaxed me. The nickname stuck.

Toughest opponent?
You can never relax when Devilfish is on the table. He is constantly attacking and if you let your guard down he will whisk your stack
away very quickly. Undoubtedly he is a great tournament player.

Fav holiday destination?
It can only be Las Vegas.

Fav film?
I'man old softy at heart and Films like "Truly, Madly, Deeply", "A Beautiful Mind" and "The Crying Game" are among my favourites.

Biggest influence on your career?
Asher Derei, a terrific player fromIsrael has helped me immensely. We met in a tiny limit hold'emgame at Amsterdamand the next day
he won the main event! He has helped me with all aspects of my game over the years and I can never repay himfor all he has given me.
He is a tremendous guy
.
Fav football team?
Queens Park Rangers of course. Are there any others?

What is the funniest 'Devilfish' line you know?
The Devil was playing a huge pot limit omaha game with poker legend Doyle Brunson. David held AAKQ double suited. On a flop of A94
David held top trips and a nut flush draw. He and Doyle got all their money in.
Brunsons hand was 9874, for two pair and a smaller flush draw. It was a huge pot and Doyle was drawing almost dead. The last two
cards gave Brunson a miracle straight and the pot.
As he got up to leave Devilfish said "Doyle, can you do me a favour? next time you republish Super-Systemcan you make it with a soft
cover so it doesn't hurt when I wipe my arse with it". Even Brunson had to laugh...

If you won the WSOP what would you buy first?
A very large round of drinks.

The next interview like this I did, about 2 years later.. I was asked for another tip for the top.

I picked JP Kelly when he was just a boy playing £20 tournies at Luton.

I might be a crap player. But I'm a good judge :)

Lol, diff class foresight IMO

Looking forward to Ruminator2.

What price couldn't you turn down for the main ?

2 would be very tempting...

Good luck in Vegas Keith , how long are u there for ?

Thanks

2 weeks on the first trip. Not missing Royal Ascot for a pesky poker tournament.

Not booked to go back yet.

I'm out on the 20 th stayin at nugget this time ,never stayed downtown yet

Not a bad hotel, best downtown by miles.

But still, I'd rather have a bit of luxury thanks!

I stayed there for 4 days last year in the Gold Club rooms which are basically the same as the new (2009) Rush Tower and they're great (for downtown). Obviously location is an issue, but I was playing a couple comps down there so it was a lot easier to stay rather than commute each day for me.

The first couple years I went out there I just plotted up anywhere from Ballys to IP and never really cared. Now though I always make a point of having a nice room as I generally spend a bit more time chilling out in it than I used to.  #oldbeforemytime

jp was miles ahead of his time. Used to love playing with him. As a newbie at the time, knocking him out a comp, felt better than winning it. Really nice guy too, hasn't changed a bit, despite his success.

Where do you live now Keith? Never yearn to play a comp at Luton for old times sake? Dougie was there tonight, was even still awake when I left at 10.30 :)

I live in the middle of the countryside on the North Yorkshire/Durham border.. With two horses in the field as my only neighbours (see what I did there?)

Once in a blue moon I fancy playing a tournament at Luton, then I open the window and hear.... complete silence.

No traffic jams, no pollution, no crime, no door to door salesmen, no litter and absolutely no hassles.

Miss Dougsie a bit thought. Great bloke. Might pop down for a few comps at the end of the summer :)

Do you/did you ever play at Teesside?

Good luck in Vegas Keith!

Do you still keep in touch with Asher? Not seem him around for years

Where are you staying?

Fav meal/restaurant?

Fav non-poker thing to do?

I have done a couple of times when they had big festivals but I'm put off going regularly because the tables are self dealt. (is this still the case?)

He doesn't play much poker these days. He has accepted the young kids are too good for him I think.

He and his wife have done alot of traveling, seeing the world.. they've "done" Europe, Australia, South America and Asia for like 3 month trips.

Hope to see him at the WSOP. Doubt he'll play anything bar the seniors though. But he stills kills the sats and the hi/lo stud games.

Staying at the Cosmopolitan. Stayed there last year and was mightily impressed. The rooms are fantastic and th pool one the best In Vegas imo. The clincher is the buffet. Makes Wynn and Bellagio buffets look second rate!

Restaurant: Big fan of Prime at the Bellagio. Also like Fix for a quick snack. The Japanese restaurant at Ceasers is great too. Never miss at least one meal there each trip.

Non poker: A quick flight to the West Coast to catch a baseball game. Seen San Fran, Oakland and the Dodgers. Going to try and get to a Padres games this year. If not, will go and see a minor league Vegas game.

Sorry guys am i going mad, where can i click to subscribe ?

Steve

I had my eye on Cosmo but ended up on Vdara just on price deal, will definitely spend some time on the property this time though.  I don't like eating buffets for lunch/dinner but will give the Wicked Spoon brekkie a bash.

also a fan of Prime, have eaten at STACK a few times, (like Fix, but @ Mirage) and I substitute Mesa Grill (or NN9) for the Japanese @ Caesars - otherwise pretty similar.

Last time I went to Cashman Field, was a good time, but the baseball was poor.  Would be easily persuaded to take in a Dodgers game.

Its just a term "the kids" use, means theyre following thread :)

You can click notify at the top! Little bell.

Click on "notify"?

Learnt something new today then!

I meant what you thought  ;)

It is at Gala - G has some dealer dealt tourneys, but thus far, it's small fields (<30, often la lot less). They managed to schedule the GUKPT in Stockton the same week as the UKIPT with £1MM gtd at DTD and got c50 for it.
They had a £100 buy in weekend before last and got similar.
Shame though, the room is really pleasant and the staff are very keen. The valets are outstandingly good (though Duane is nowhere near as good to look at as the DTD staff)

Camel's blogging again, happy days.

The greatest two blogs - back in the day, not now obv - were Camel, & Paul Dotcom Phillips, who wrote Extempore. (Extempore now deceased, Paul is a proud happy Dad these days, & is probably writing the next generation internet as we speak).

Does Andy Ward still Blog, Keith? That was a pretty good read, too.

Remind who "The Poker Bastard" was, please.......

I stole this photo from some blokes blog.


(http://i1147.photobucket.com/albums/o541/tikay2/warney_and_camel.jpg)

Andy blogs very rarely, but he tweets quite alot. @getitquietly definitely worth following.

And as I said to an even older member of this forum just today. I AM NOT AND NEVER HAVE BEEN THE POKER BASTARD!

If he is still around, I reckon he might have a field day with a couple of the threads on here atm!

Lol, I know it was not you. It was quite radical then, but times have changed, it would not raise an eyebrow now, everyone slags everyone else off & nobody bats an eyelid. Strange times.

And yup, he'd be in his element here. Maybe he is.......

When I was a young poker player, the WSOP was the end of your financial year. It so dwarfed every other poker tournament, it was the chance to repair all the loses of the 12 months previous in one big hit. At the end of the series you could honestly answer, "have you had a good year?"

Now it's not so nearly important. There are monster tournaments virtually every week and if you've been doing it in all over the world since the last WSOP, only a top 3 finish in a bracelet event will have any hope of rescuing the situation.

To me though, it is still the end of the year. The Christmas for poker players.

And boy oh boy, do I need to find some pretty neat presents under the tree this Christmas.

Financially I've had the worst year since giving up work for the second time.

During the last year, we have built a house from scratch. We had the land already.. getting planning permission was a royal pain the arse.. it's in the middle of the countryside with no neighbours anywhere close.

The only way we could be granted planning permission was to build the house with an agricultural order. Meaning the people living in the house must work in agriculture. That's just fine... my partner is a farmer. But the downside is that the house is only worth about 25% of its intrinsic value. Added to my way of making a living, getting a mortgage was virtually impossible. So, the bankroll had to be plundered mightily.

Long term it will be great. No rent or mortgage to pay. And we have a a fantastic house, designed just how we want it.

But at the moment I'm as skint as I have been for a very long time.

Gambling has been pretty terrible too this year. Haven't played much live poker this year; but the one big shot I had.. the Lido in Amsterdam with about 400k to the winner. I was chip leader with 20 left. And came 20th. 77 < A3, TT < JJ and AK < AA all in the space of one orbit of the table. Marvellous. Long time since I've been as gutted as that.

Online poker is just too tough these days. After Americans were ridiculously stopped playing poker in their own living rooms (They can go out and buy a gun and ammunition capable of mowing down a whole school but can't play a $10 sit n go - Land of the free, don't make me laugh) it became good again for a while. But now it's even worse than ever. A large percentage of the skilled American players have migrated to countries where they are allowed to play poker but obviously the fish still aren't playing.

And I'm coming off the worst football season ever. My big long term positions last season were sell Bolton pts, buy Barnsley pts, buy Brighton championship index, buy Bournemouth pts and Barnet to be relegated. At Christmas I looked like winning the world. I could have closed out with a huge profit. But greening out is not for me. You are just pissing equity against the wall. Luckily my biggest position of all was Man City to win the Premier League. If Aguero didn't pop up with that last minute winner against the R's I would probably have been off down the job centre. Not that anyone would employ me!

It was still an eye watering loss on the season, doubly painful because I looked like winning the lot half way through.

So that is the background to this trip to VEGASSSSSSSS. I can't remember being more pumped or excited for a trip. I need a big score badly and historically, when I need it the most, I play my best. When I had my mega week in Luton 7 years ago I was borassic. When I came 4th in Amsterdam for 100k I had just written off my car the week before.

My frame of mind couldn't be better. So as the kids say:

Let's do this.

Moarrrrrrrr plz, great read.

VBOL in Vegas.

Do you think you'll always be playing poker to such a high level ?

Do you spend much time studying the game ?

If Bolton had've won their game would you have wanted Aguero to have scored that last minute goal ?

I have never met Andy Ward and you are correct that he rarely blogs but when he does it is amongst the most intelligent writing on gambling I have ever read.

Very much so, but as far as I know, & as Keith suggested, it's dormant now.

Last entry I can find dates back to 2010.

His blog had a great sub-title.

Football, bollocks, and a bit of poker if you're lucky

http://www.getitquietly.blogspot.co.uk/

Best of luck out there Keith and hopefully you'll get the lot!!




Exactly the same as that, I used to love reading both of his blogs too. I really need to get on with this twitter as it seems all the cool kids are doing it, I've got an account but never use it really.

http://www.secretsoftheamateurs.blogspot.co.uk/

Lovely stuff!

Thanks Simon. 

Reading the "tips for tikay" thread, it seems if you have a couple of winning bets online, punters suddenly get restricted to £1.56 e/w.

Given you live in the middle of nowhere Keith, I don't suppose you get out to the high street bookies much?

...so being a pro punter you must need to place sizable bets...do you mainly use the betting exchanges? or how do you get decent bets on?

(if its not a secret  :) )

Keith, you got any photos of your house - because I'm a nosey bastard? :D

Gl I'n vegas what's your routine before a big 3/4 day comp

Not read all the pages but at this juncture can i just say, bring back The Poker Bastard.... i'm not saying you were he or anything but just bring him back, you must. Know where he is:-)


Oh, and good luck in Vegas.

Best of luck in Vegas Keith and I'm sure everyone is shouting for you.

This diary already has the feel of Rob's epic WSOP diary from several years back and very much looking forward to living it.

What's your strategy for choosing which events you'll play?

haha quality

An hour in the gym, bit of cardio, a couple of miles on the treadmill and some weights.

20 lengths of the the pool and a 40 minute Thai massage.

:)

Had forgotten this story.

Devilfish is a bit of a tosser if truth be told, but he comes out with some cracking stories and one liners occasionally!

Might give the G casino a shot then.

Which day has the best tournament?

Nice start, the best diaries are the ones that give you the full picture. Most people like talking about their good runs but they often go quiet when they are knocking it in.

how much do you currently play online? I saw you playing some mtts this Sunday.

How do you exploit your image "old man :P" in live tournaments vs young guys? Any fun hhs?

I don't know. It's sad really. When I think back 10 years, the edge I had was so big it was ridiculous. Chris Bjorin put it best when we were chatting about the changing nature of poker tournaments "10 years ago for a main event at the Vic I knew before I sat down I would be the best at the table. Now I'm happy if I'm the 5th best". He's obviously being a bit false modest with that comment, because he is still the guvnor, but I definitly know what he means.

It used to be, if you looked round the cardroom and recognise very players you'd be rubbing your hand in glee. Nowadays, it probably means they are all internet wizards. the sam tournament Chris mad the above comment, they was a young Scandi on our table who played awesome poker. He looked about 12. I asked Chris if he knew him, because he played really well.. "he should be quite confident.. he won 1.5 million playing cash games last month"!!!

It is quite good for morale that playrs like Flushy and Keys are still prepared to pay a premium to buy my action. Actually was most happy when Middy bought a big piece in something I was selling earlier this year, because I've played alot against him on Stars, and presumably he must think I'm not totally dead money. Either that or he was pissed when he posted it (Lil Dave's excuse!).

Certainly flattering when a guy like Joe Ebanks asks my advice about a hand (happened at Amsterdam) or Jake Cody asks me how I think he played a hand (happened at WSOPE).

Maybe the best story happened a couple of years ago in the 10k HU at the WSOP a couple years ago.

I was playing a young kid (who turned out to be Tom Marchese) in the first round.

We went backwards and forwards for hours. Never really playing a single big pot.

We one of the last 3 or 4 games still going out of 250.

A mate wandered past and said. "Finish him off Camel".

Marchese sat back in his chair with a slightly puzzled look on his face. Then he looked at my gold Camel card protector.

"Are you The Camel on pokerstars?"

I gave my stock answer.. "I might be, does he owe you money?"

"FML. I thought I was playing some random old guy, and it turns out I'm playing the fucking Camel!" :)

He won of course.


As I've spent ages answering the first question, I'll give much shorter answers to the other 2.

2. Not enough. Will be rectifying this.

3. I'm ashamed to admit yes. The Championship was good fun anyway. You actually go to games thinking you've got a chance of winning :)

When you said something about your hotel having the best pool in Vegas I had a picture in my head of you showing off to all the poolside babes by doing somersaults off the high diving-board in your speedos.

Ha, after Pleno's post i tried to find that story, Jesse May told it in his old PP column.

Great reply.

To see such humility & modesty is like a breath of fresh air. 

Loving the Diary Keith.

Gettt the lot in Vegas.

I can get on with spread firms. And one online bookmaker will lay me to lose virtually unlimited stakes.

If I need to get on with someone else, got about 10 people who can get on for me.

Last resort, enlist the help of the blondepoker massive :)

I haven't at the moment I'm afraid.

They are all on the old computer, which is "poorly".

I'll try to rustle some up before I go to Vegas.

You'll be alright.

About time you changed your username. You're the oldest "junior" I know.

Not sure I should reveal my strategy.

But I will.

Basically, over the years I have accumulated a shedload of Virgin airmiles.

Had nearly 500,000 at one point. (although managed to use 200k on an upper class trip to Oz and another 100k going to NY)

Problem is, you could virtually never use airmiles for Upper Class flights to Vegas. There are so few seats, they normally don't need to fill them up with peeps on freebies.

However, around Christmas times, I saw they had opened up some dates for Upper to Vegas in May and June.

Despite checking every bloody day, the WSOP steadfastly refused to put up the schedule.

I knew these seats would go quickly, so eventually I gave up waiting.. I assumed Royal Ascot wouldn't change their dates and I definitely wanted to be home before then.

So June 1st for two weeks seemed to work perfectly. (Except I'm missing the Oaks and Derby for the first time in about 30 years! FML)

And when they finally published the schedule, I picked every tournament with "holdem" in the title and decided to play those.

Because I'm rubbish at everything else.

GL keith i still remember my first ever poker trip and you sat on my right on the first table you totally kicking backside
then scotty nguyen getting moved to my left and him trying to take over table captain role untill you 5 bet shoved on him
i was so proud when i won my first pot getting you to fold to my 3bet

please bring a bracelet back

Thanks Iron. Don't really care about the bracelet. Gimme the cash!

It was really weird Scotty and Men the Master randomly showing up for a Vic tournament wasn't it?

We showed em!

As the original blonde one once said.

"Bracelets are for girls. I prefer money"

They look like cheap tat too  :)

 I remember "Menski" turning up to the Vic to play the European 7-Card Stud Championship. I just spent a while searching the result.

 Action Dave was very excited to be playing on his table where he found himself sitting next to "The Master".

 Being Action Dave he couldn't resist asking him "How are you going to get on over here without all your mates to help you?".

 Men looked a little shocked and then he replied:

 "I guess I'll have to win one straight".

 I think they chopped it.

 http://pokerdb.thehendonmob.com/event.php?a=r&n=1488

There was another one apart from the Marchese interchange.

Was playing a 6max tournie at the WSOP last year.

Guy raised in the cutoff and I callled on the button.

Flop came very cordinated and he cbet.

I missed the flop but called.

It came a very dangerous card on the turn and he chaked. I potted it and he passed.

His mate pipes up "he floated that flop, and took it off you on the turn".

I feigned looking puzzled. "What does floated mean?"

"Cmon man, of course you know"

"Nope. I don't think I've come across that word in a poker sense"

It ends up the two guys bet $500 with each other as to whether I knew what floated meant! :D

 (what you did there - that was floating).

...just helping an old codger out.

wow. Some all time heroes in that final.

While you're here.

Can you see fit to lend an old pal a few quid?

how old are you keith?

44.

I'll feel alot younger once you've weighed me in that £60.

haha - i sent you a PM asking could i send you $90 on stars?

I don't want to change money at the Bank of Outragous! Lousy rates there.

Ship it!

 Lend you? I wouldn't want to insult you! Take it...how much you need?

 I'll do better. Dinner at Ocado in the Wynn. Eat what you like.

Agree about The Championship, we all loved it when we were there, then again not hard to when your abs crushing, bit like poker.

Quoted so you can't delete.

I remember offering to buy Poochie dinner once when I copped a result on something.

We got to the restaurant, he checked out the menu and said

"Well, normally I would have steak and chips which is £16. If I have a salad, which is £4, can you give me the £12 difference?"

That's awesome.

Looking forward to more posts in this diary.

Gl at the WSOP I shall see you out there.

sorry  -do alot of rounding in the day job - its infectious - $94 it is

are you thecamel (no spaces) and still basil brush?

Space, but still Basil.

Keith, can you name the three bands Vince Clarke was in after leaving Depeche Mode? I remember you asking me that when I was managing Hills in Ascot,probably 1996, when you used to come in late afternoon. Good luck in Vegas!

$94 sent

Who is this??? And why did I ask you that?

Yazoo, Erasure and ummmmm I'm going to say Communards, but I think I'm wrong.

haha that's brill.

I hope you bought him the steak n chips and gave him 12 quid too?

It was The Assembly with Fergal Sharkey. Its Bill Oliver. I used to work with Ray Everest and Elsa in Hills.

Blimey. That takes me back. (The Ray, Elsa and you bit.. not Vince Clarke!)

Why on earth did I ask you that Bill?

I couLdn't remember tbh. Probably filling in time waiting between the last two at Pontefract on a Tuesday afternoon. God only knows why it stuck in my mind.  Do you know what Ray does now? Without a doubt the funniest person I ever worked with!

I live up north now (nearer Ponte than Ascot by far!), so I've lost touch with him too.

Saw him 3 or 4 years ago and he was managing an independent bookies in Bracknell. Probably spending more time punting himself than managing if I know Ray.

I worked in that shop too, many moons ago. Ray would make me cry laughing sometimes.

What are you up to?

I was area manager for a chain of a dozen independents in sunny sussex, the Hills bought 10 of the so I'm area manager of 2 shops now!!!! I'd like to catch up with Ray sometime, he was a nice bloke. Anyway good luck this summer!

Best of luck in vegas Camel !

Inspired by samurai reminding about The Assembly, I have made the decision to intersperse this diary with a touch of music.

How could Feargal Sharkey combining with Vince Clarke not be outstanding:

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIJc4Hx3OVc

And why not some laughs too:

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYLMTvxOaeE

Quality music postage. Love that the intro to that song lasts for almost two minutes.

Jeez, there are some stories amongst that final table!

Bruce Atkinson - he stlll cashes every year in the WSOP in Vegas - Mike Magee, who I bumped into recently in Luton, Pete Costa, ("Uncle Pete" to Chili) had become a health freak last time I saw him, Terry Burke, & Ray Brown, who won the big Stud Event in Baden in around 2001, for 6 figures, which was a serious sum back then. I've seen Ray a fair bit at DTD recently, where the kids all think he's a "fish", because of his age. Good luck them. 

Pack it in Neil, it makes we want to write stories.

Tikay that final table was my first view of poker in the vic, I remember getting introduced to peter it was days after he had won a limit holder event with at the time a world record field of about 1000 players think it was a 50$ or 100$ buy in

Correct, 1,166 runners.

There were load of Limit tourneys back then, they are very rare beasts these days. In Live poker, Peter ruled the world in about 2001-2003. and he still played the tenner rebuys in Gala Notts, quite often playing what he called "no look" poker.

Monday or Friday are the two that are dealer dealt - Monday this week made a prioze pool of £510 at £30+£5, last Friday I am told made close to £1000 at £20+£5 with a lot of re-entries...

Like I said, field size is an issue. last night there were 13 runners for a £10+£10+£10 which has a decent structure and plays pretty much as £30 comp with 12000 25/50 start level and 25 min x 3 then 20min levels whilst Gala got 68 plus re-entries for a £30 with, I think, 8000, 50/100 for the first two 30 min levels and what should be a crap shoot after the break but which turns into a fold-fest as the bulk of the field reduce themselves to <6BB
Cash wise - it's a .25/.50 table currently but there are moves to have a £1/£2 which shiuld bring some more of the Gala regs across

You're off to LV soon, GL  - save your trip to Grosvenor till you get back, by then the numbers might be more encouraging.

Great diary did you ever get involved I'n spread betting with sporting index or IG . What's your thoughts on it . Considering having another bash on it

Haha. Is that an option to change?

If Daniel Negreanu can still rock kid poker at his age I reckon I'm ok with this at 33.

If Joey Barton ever needs a caddie then you are the man, Sir!

Nice tweetage. Hehehe.

Alex

ffs, some of us are about to eat.

It was weird in the late 90s - it was all pot limit in the uk and the majority was limit in vegas, both cash and tournies.  I think it was the pokermillion that really started no limit. 

some things dont change


New fans of poker know Andrey Pateychuk as one of the up-and-coming superstars of the game. He's earned himself about $2 million in the past year, winning two major titles along the way.
Chris Bjorin has that beat. The Swede has long been counted among the best players in the world, and his $5+ million in career earnings give Pateychuk something to aspire to. There's also those two bracelets that Pateychuk still lacks. So far, at least.
In any event, we just watched the two men mix it up in a good pot. It was sixth street before we walked up to these boards:
Pateychuk: (x-x) /     / (x)
Bjorin: (x-x) /     / (x)
Bjorin was the one doing the betting on sixth and seventh streets, and Pateychuk paid him off.
"Trips and a six-low," Bjorin announced as he showed    /    . Pateychuk took one quick look to make sure Bjorin knows how to read a Stud/8 hand — he does — then tucked and mucked.


Read more: http://www.pokernews.com/live-reporting/2012-world-series-of-poker/event-4-seven-card-stud-hi-low-8-or-better/

Excellent read.  Thank you Camel!  Look forward to more

He would have a 3rd braclet if it were not for that pesky Matt Perrins :(

Chris bjorin currently second in chips in stud hi lo ,you have to admire the way he gets it quietly

When Matt and Chris were heads up someone shouted from the rail

"Come on Matt, you can't lose to a former member of Abba!!"

Got a decent shot at a good start to the series.

Bought 4% of Bryan Pellegrino is a few early events and he's one of the top 5 or 6 stacks in the $1500 PLHE

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AphmWJY3rs91dGUtN1Y1VHRCRUVlV2RuVDlkSjcyOWc#gid=0

Gogogoogogo Primo! Might make it to Vegas in time for the final to rail him!

Very nice, hope he gets the lot.

Would definitely be in the running for nicest guy in online poker

Woken up by a text message saying the flight is 2 hours delayed.

Marvellous.

Switch on computer to find my horse is chip leader in the $1500 PL HE with 17 left.

(With my least favourite player in the world directly on his left with a huge stack... bust him plzzzzzz)

Gogogogogogo Primo.

And John Duthie is one the chip leaders in the 5k mix max!

Could be some fun railing tomorrow!

Groan @ 2 hours delay.

Enjoy Vegas.

PS - Just  $189,000 to the winner in that $1,500. ;)

FMFL

Primo's AA v Negreau's KK allin pre

We do not win.

At least it went to one of your favourite & most admired players.


(http://i1147.photobucket.com/albums/o541/tikay2/Daniel-Negreanu-1280x960.jpg)

That might be the most horrible disgusting thing I've ever seen,

Not if you knew someone had wiped their arse with top $100 bill :)

From Pokernews: Pellegrino Doubles Through Werthmann In Biggest Pot of Tournament

Zinggggggggggggggggggggggggggg

1    Bryan Pellegrino       760,000
2    Tommy Vedes       325,000
3    Brant Hale       315,000
4    Daniel Negreanu       300,000
5    Nick Jivkov       294,000
6    Jonathan Aguiar       260,000
7    Mike Allis       235,000
8    Keanu Tabali       180,000
9    James Mackey       160,000
10    John Eames       100,000


 http://www.pokernews.com/live-reporting/2012-world-series-of-poker/event-5-pot-limit-hold-em/


gl to the horse!

Back on top, Eames and Pellegrino 1-2 then!

Add another hour to the delay.

FML I just want to gambooooool.

The poker news reporting of the PLHE is ridic biased.

"All eyes will be on Negreanu".

What a load of old bollocks.

Hardly a word about Primo.

If you have to be delayed, the clubhouse at least takes the sting out of it.

Tough life, but someone has to do it.

Pellegrino was on my right on day 2 of last year's main event. I'm glad I had position that's for sure. Seemed a rly nice guy and obv top player.

gl keeth

Safe travels and best of luck in Vegas. 

Another hour added to delay.

Knocking it in playing hyper turbos on Stars.

On tilt before I leave Blighty.

Smash it up over their Keith, all the best mate.

+1

Morale will be super high once you step out of the terminal and are on the way to Cosmo  8)

#bigsummercoming

I absolutely love my first day in Vegas.

Always wake up early after a good kip, when Vegas is at it quietest and cleanest. It is almost serene at 6am.

Because I'm so skinto atm, made a concious decision not to do any staking this year.

Only weakened twice. Once for Stuart Rutter who put up an amazing value package, and once for Primo, I had just backed a winner, he's a great player and a good kid.

And it was a very sweet start to the trip for him to snare second for a approx $4500 payday for me.

No doybt he'll be gutted he didn't win the bracelet, but having been on the wrong end of two coolers v Negreanu and Eames, he did great to battle back for the silver medal.

Sure a bracelet is in his future if he sticks at the game.

It must a good omen for Rutter too!

Quiet day today. Just off to the Rio to buy in for tomorrow. No poker. (Hopefully no craps or blackjack either!) Plenty of lounging by the pool and we are off to see Love at the Mirage tonight.

Jealous! Fckn love Vegas

Nice one ,I don't like Beatles music (dunno why) ,but saw that show and it's very good so booked again this year ,also elvis in the aria show
Gl Keith

Are you planning on playing any cash Keith or just chilling in between tournaments?

Best of luck for the trip, hoping for some Camel-induced shoes-off action!

#wsop2012yearofthecamel GLGL

Saw it last month and thought it was excellent.  There's so much going on that it'd probably need multiple viewings to spot everything.

I also recommend Absinthe at Caesars.  A mixture of comedy and some CirqueDS-type acts.

That kid you backed was on my table on day 1, the whole table was having great fun chatting away etc sharing jokes. He sat there wearing a cap with a hoody over the top of it, over sized sunglasses and headphones over the top of his hood. He was the only player at the table wearing a sponsors logo, they must be delighted with the selection

You play house games much ?

How do you know it was a sponsor? He could just be wearing a badge for a friend, bit like I do for Karl :)

What's wrong with not engaging in table banter?

Sunglasses is the only thing there that tilts me.

Yup, saw Absinthe last year.

Highly recommended by me too, surprised health and safety haven't closed it down tbh!

Have actually seen Love before. But want to let Jake have the chance of seeing it. He'll love it I'm sure.

If I'm in a cash game, you should jump straight in. If I had half the money I've lost lifetime playing cash games, I'd have a lot more money than I have now!

Days off from tournaments will be mostly chilling out, possibly a bit of SMG action. Those sats are super weak in my experience.

He's a really good kid, believe me. Just takes poker very seriously atm.

As he matures a bit, his personaity will start to emerge from behind the hoogie and sunglasses.

Nah, not much. Playing a bit of Pai Gow or Blackjack when I'm pissed or a bit tilted.

Dice is the only game I ever crack up on. Steering clear if the craps table is my number one priority.

Thanks for the good wishes guys.

Bought in for tomrrow and I'm super excited to play.

Let's go!

goooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo


(http://img222.imageshack.us/img222/5375/joecamelendinline.jpg)

Good start with the stake and GL in event 1.

They also got press/news on his performance. I'm not too sure his sponsor will be hating life that he didn't chat to the other 8 people at the table. Its hardly like a major star presenting himself poorly.

Yeah he could have done far worse by wearing a patch of a firm that could have ripped everyone off and telling everyone "it will be all fine, and people don't know the full facts yet". That might be worse :)

QFMFT.

Jake fell asleep an hour before Love started and couldn't be roused.

I was left with 2 spare tickets.

I phoned and texted Trigg to see if fancied going but he wasn't answering.

So I scuttled down the Mirage theatre and did my best Stan Flashman impression.

"Anyone need tickets for tonight? Got two spare, anyone want cheap tickets?".

The septic tanks looked at me as though I was mad.

Finally went up to two women in the queue for tickets, a mother and daughter, They actually wanted tickets for the late show, but the daughter sniffed a bargain.

"Two tickets, face value $114 each, you can have them both for $180"

"I haven't got much cash, I was hoping to pay withcredit card"

The mother then interjected...

"What if they are forgeries? I mean this is highly irregular"

So I was forced to tell Judy and her mother the full story. Bought the tickets for my gf and little boy but he wasn't fully on US time yet and was fast asleep.

The mother was still dubious so I had to show pictures of Jake on my phone!

Meanwhile Judty was rooting around in her bag for any stray dollars, desperate that the bargain didn't slip away.

Ended up offering $153, which I took as I was worried someone might call security to take out this fat bloke trying to scalp tickets in a very surreptitious manner.

It actually worked out ok. They were really nice and bought me a pack of honey roasted peanuts.

The show was awesome as usual.

My favourite part is Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds:

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oja42AeG0qA

This doesn't really do it justice, but at least gives a flavour of the girls amazing athleticism.

Gutted Jake didn't get to see it, he would have been totally blown away I'm sure. no more performances before he goes him unfortunately. Might squeeze in a trip to the Elvis CdS show, although reports I've heard are that it's not in the same league as Love. The fact it's closing soon seem to reinforce that.

Anyways, the real fun starts today. Time for poker.

Let's go.

ROFL @ Honey Roast Peanuts....

Best of luck today!!

Yeah made me chuckle, especially when i thought $27 for the bag! Mini bar might have been cheaper (but its prob close)

Finished the day with 17400.

And a very controversial and bad ruling which cost me about a quater of my stack.

Will type the hand up if I have time in the morning.

Very frustrating day, didn't play great tbh. Should have 40k plus prolly.

Start again at 1pm.

Good luck today Keith.

Didn't play well and still in, not a bad outcome.  Hope today goes better.

Ok, here is the hand in question.

Blinds 400-800/100

There is a dead small blind.

UTG I make it 1800 to play with KK.

Everyone folds to the button who is chip leader but a bit of space cadet.

He throws 5 x 500 chips in without saying a word. (He also admitted not saying a word, normally in a spot like this they claim they said "call").

I am nearly 100% sure he didn't see my raise.

BB passes and I annoubce "reraise" and attemot to put a decent size raise in.

Button causes a huge commotion.. "I only wanted to call!"

Ruling saught.

As he put in 2500, which was more than half my initial raise, he should have been forced to complete the raise to 2800.

I kept quiet while the decision was being made because I was 100% certain that was what the ruling would be and didn't want to give away the strength of my hand by forcing him to come to the correct decision.

But no, the floor chose to let him take the chips back and make it a call.

The flop came AAx.

I led out for 3200 or something and he called. It went c/c on the turn and then he made a huge bet on the river and I folded.

He might well have bluffed me on the river, but that is not the point really. He obv didn't have a premium ace, because he argued so strongly against his bet being counted as a raise. So he would probably have folded for my 4 bet.

It isone of the most basic and common sense rules in no limit holdem and the WSOP floorman just totally fcked up.

Really really annoying.

Amazing how quick the mood in Vegas can change. From being super positive and on top of the world, I am now snappy and grumpy.

All because of one incompetent floorman at a poker tournament.

This thread needs some laughs

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z61e1Hv6gIQ

Terrible ruling...

Good luck on Day Two though :)

Don't what to rub, but this is irrelevant imo.  Obv he just didn't see your raise and is a lying pos saying he was just calling.  So the ruling should have been based on him not seeing your raise (and some might rule that he can call).

It doesn't matter if he didn't see my raise or not.

The ruling was straight forward and simple and I've seen it made 100s of times.

It should have been considered a raise.

He can easily angle shoot me. If I don't want to reraise, he knows I'm weak and he's getting more chips in the pot in position. If i do want to reraise he cries he doesn't want to raise.

If I had to put money on what was going through his drug addled mind I would guess he thought I was the bb and the actual bb was the sb. (I was raising utg and there was a dead sb).

If he'd realised I had raised utg, he would have folded.

Roberts Rules

12.  A player who bets or calls by releasing chips into the pot is bound by that action. However, if you are unaware that the pot has been raised, you may withdraw that money and reconsider your action, provided that no one else has acted after you.

That does refer to cash tho.

I put more than double the bb in the pot and the dealer announced "raise"

What more indication does he need?

wats a space cadet btw?


I had some really extreme experiences with the floor staff at the wsop in general I found the cash games had excellent floor staff the tournaments definitely not so. :s GL

lol

Someone who's mind is in space, whether it be through drugs or just a natural dopey bastardness like my mate Anil.

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=space%20cadet

lol so amazing


but rather one who is so easily lost in reverie that he or she loses all awareness of the surrounding physical world.



man that's a great skill to have for live poker.

Been for a swim and now refreshed, with a positive mental attitude and ready to slay some dragons!

(http://jeffwalker.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/slaying_dragons.jpg)

I'm 358 of 514.

342 get moniez. Let's go!

gl keefy orkins

Jamie Sykes had a similar ruling go against him at DTD but he was in space cadets position. Guy mins to 1200 at 300/600, jamie puts in two 1k chips and says nothing, gets ruled as a call.

I didn't agree with that ruling either fwiw but they quoted some bs about them all being the same denomination chips and that if it was one less it'd be a call so it was taken as a call.

gl today!

100% the correct ruling by tda rules even though I think the rule itself is terrible

see discussion here from 2 days ago

http://blondepoker.com/forum/index.php?topic=57979.0

rule is

39:   Multiple Chip Betting
When facing a bet, unless a raise is first declared, multiple same-denomination chips is a call if removing one chip leaves less than the call amount. Example of a call: preflop, blinds are 200-400: A raises to 1200 total (an 800 raise), B puts out two 1000 chips without declaring raise. This is just a call because removing one 1000 chip leaves less than the amount needed to call the 1200 bet. Placing mixed denomination chips in the pot is governed by the 50% standard in Rule 37.

keith!

I bumped into your cousin Brian today at Yorkshire Wildlife Park - he asked me to say hi! (pics to follow)

(http://i371.photobucket.com/albums/oo151/outragous76/Camel2.jpg)

lol wp Guy

Sorry Keith, but you've been around the block too many times to allow yourself to be put in the position where you are vulnerable to a bad ruling.

When the 5x$500 chips get thrown in, you should clarify with the dealer if there is any action on you before attempting to make any further action yourself.  You aren't giving away your hand strength by showing an eagerness to 4bet or otherwise and you don't give the other guy a chance to wheedle out of it.

Any time there is ambiguity ( a "possible" all in that isn't clear, a "possible" re-raise or whatever) just ask the dealer "what's the action to me?"

I  have seen guys ask the dealer "is he all in" and the dealer only hear the "all-in" bit and the enquirer was held to be all in :)

Whilst you got a bad ruling, you should have more than enough miles on the clock  to swerve the situation.  "What's the action to me?" would have got you an "there is no action sir, he called and closed the betting" (in which case you could question the validity of that) or an "I have taken that as a legal raise to 2800" and you can wait for the guy to object/get a ruling/make good on the bet before popping it again.

In my limited experience, the dealers haven't been wonderfully enthusiastic or vocal most of the time (with a lot of variance tbf to the best dealers) but protect yourself at all times...

think i would play it as keef did, think u give away your strength if u ask what's the action on me, coz if some dopey dealer says it's a call and u start through gritted teeth saying it fkin isn't u know, it soon becomes obv what u want. Also, there would be no action on u if it's taken as a call, he would get some change and we'd see a flop. Mw you're scrambling round shouting oi, is that not a raise, while trying not to look strong. Most of the dopey Vegas dealers just do with the flow, so if u take over and say reraise they'll just let u get on with it, thinking to themselves I was gonna take that as a call but I see what u mean, get on with it then. When u know what the rule is it's best to play it cool, just seems u got one of the idiot floormen, they have a right mixture. I remember JP going mental at one last yr, he doesn't lose his cool often but it was a horrible ruling with like 50 left in the main event...he got the guy in the end tho

Gl Orky

If I thought it was a borderline decision, I might have said something.

I thought there was zero chance the floor would consider it a call.

That's why I kept my mouth zipped.

I could have argued after he made the decision, but these Vegas floor guys are so macho, they would just see it as a challenge to their authority and start a slanging match.

I think keeping quiet was the best move in this spot.

Busto in 199th for $3500.

Never really had much more than 20 bbs all day and it was pushbot mode pretty much from the off.

Every time I got to the 6-8 bb level I found a double up.

After the 4th one I had 15 bbs at 1000-2000/300.

Cutoff pushed and I called otb with AJ. He had 77.

I flopped an ace, he turned a 7.

Painful way for it to end, but not unhappy as I was probably a slight dog to cash at the start of play today.

Onto the next one!

Well done for cashing.

WP and save the heater for the $10k imo!

You will not think so, but a cash right out of the traps looks like a good start to me, most would take that, or swap with you, Keith.

Onwards & upwards.

Is the $1,500 Shootout next?

Absolute classic. I laughed without even needing to watch it

Decent start Keith.

This poster would.....0/8 and we are barely a week in

oops.

Chin up James.

Pass more, imo.....that's the secret to my poker success.

Had another pretty comedy ruling in a sat for the heads up. Blinds 200/400 I accidentally only put out 200 for the BB. Villain throws out 400 thinking he's minraising and the floor rules that we're going to play this hand out as 100/200 rather than it going as a call.

nice cash mate, ul not to go deeper but nice to get off to a good start. gl in the shooty.

Here's the hand against Men the Poisoned Dwarf.

Any value for a river shove by me?

150-300/25

Men has a little less than 20k. I have him covered by about 5k.

He opens in the cutoff for 800.

I *felt* he was weak so I made it 1900 to go. He tank called.

My hand is essentially irrellevant.

Flop comes AJ9 with 2 clubs.

He checks. I bet 2200. He called.

Turn card was a complete blank. An offsuit 3 or something.

He checks, I decide to really put the pressure with a 5800 bet.

He tanks forever and calls. I sigh internally and I'm done with the bluff. He surely can't be drawing now, and he's getting stubborn with a weak to middle ace.

River pairs the ace.

Now he really shocked me and led out for 4000 leaving 5500 behind.

I mean, really, wtf?

I have zero showdown value, so it's either shove or fold.

Could a shove be profitable? Does he really bet a fifth of the pot with an ace here?

Good start, more and better to come mate.

C'mon The Camel.

I think i'd rather bluff call than shove.

I don't think he's calling a shove without an ace (or better obv).

I don't think that feeling his open was weak is justification enough to 3bet bet/bet/think about jamming for 66 bigs in this sort of event. You hand is still relevant enough to post it whatever it happened to be. Men might be a poison dwarf but he has been around a while. I think he's gunna be aware how FOS he looks when he leads this river.

The fact that you were definitely giving up on the bluff if he checked but now you're thinking of jamming (or would be thinking of calling if you had some showdown value) makes it a much better play for him to lead river with Ax?

Yep, you are probably right.

Been playing a long time, and rarely seen such an unusual line.

Normally when you see a line so weird, they are bluffing or have the absolute nuts. I guess quads is a possibility here.

My hand was Q2o.

He asked me later what I folded. I said QQ. He laughed hysterically (and genuinely imo), and that caused me to regret shoving a bit more.

Is anyone going to lay some bets on the last 32 of the HU at the WSOP?

Matches I'm interested in betting on:

Vedes v Hastings
Selbst v Saul
Landfish v Jaffe
Parker v Radoja
Block v Venovski

Been a busy couple of days.

On Monday we went to Cashman Field to see the Las Vegas 51s against the Reno Stars.

Baseball is a fascinating sport. You can watch it at so many levels, the tactics and nuances are beyond my comprehension somewhat. But still the athleticism and talent of the players is still a joy to watch.

Watching games live (rather than on tv) you apprecaite the speed the pitcher is hurling down the ball and the hand/eye co-ordiation needed by the batter to whack the ball out of the park for a home run (there were 5 or 6 homers in the game on Monday) is quite remarkable.

Las Vegas play in the Pacific Coast League. It's AAA baseball which is one level below the major leagues. Players from the 51s move up to the Toronto Blue Jays when the major league club needs a replacement for an out of form or injured player.

At the moment this guy is playing for the 51s http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vladimir_Guerrero. He's been a big star in the major leagues for the last decade or more. And was league MVP in 2004. He's been out of form for quite a while though and is trying to have one last hurrah in the bigs. He got a standing ovation every time he came to bat, and people are obviously willing him to succeed. He went 0-3 though..

Can't recommend an evening at the baseball highly enough. $10 tickets, no queues for beer or hotdogs and all in all a great and cheap alternative to the usual Vegas nights out. Jake certainly was engrossed all the way through.

Vegas lost the game 6-2. The Reno pitcher was dominant and very difficult to hit. He pitched a 3 hitter through 8 innings. Top stuff.

I was a bit puzzled at the Las Vgeas teams nickname.. the 51's. So I googled it and discovered this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Area_51

Interesting stuff.

Yeterday, was the $10k heads up.

Formally my favourite event at the WSOP.

But I feel the value has gone from this event somewhat. The field looks stacked and I can't see too many soft spots.

And I hate the 3 bullets thing. Just give the players their chips and let them play imo.

I don't regret missing it.

Instead, we went to Viva Elvis at Aria.

Bit disappointing really. The theatre, although impressive, doesn't really lend itself to cirque de solieil productions imo. And alot of the routines seemed forced, jemmied in. Whereas everything seemed to fit in perfectly for Love.

And Elvis's music just isn't my bag in the way the Beatles is.

It was enjoyable enough though and glad I saw it. However, if Love is a definite 10/10 must not miss.. I would give Viva Elvis maybe 6/10.

Back to the Rio today for the $1500 NL shootout. Haven't played a hand of poker besides the the first tournament I played. Feel fresh and motivated and ready to go!

Great stuff Keith, & I adore live Baseball, seen it in San Francisco & LA.

PLEASE don't mention Area 51 though, it's the bane of my life next door, it's the name for the "Conspiracy Theoristrs" board on the Forum, & you've never seen anything like it.

"There was a pause before the river whilst the software found the card to beat me......."

Can't believe I've been to Vegas upwards of 30 times and never been to the ballpark before.

Thoroughly recommended.

I never even knew they had a Baseball Team. Might go & watch me a ball game.

How big would a Vegas crowd be for AAA baseball Keith?

AAA is mainly up and comers preparing for the majors (A,AA,AAA leagues as a progression through the minors)

Can't imagine how the young guys stay focussed on baseball with Vegas/distractions on the scene

Guerrero a big name though!

Probably 2500 people there. Maybe 3000. I'd guess quite a few purely to see Vlad though.

I lived in Toronto at the time they got the expansion franchise and formed the Buejays sometime in the mid 1970's. My best buddy Kal Kirsch was a bookie and absolute baseball nut and got tickets for the Bluejays first game which was held in the stadium on the site of the CNE, the Canadian National Exhibition.

That was my first ever live baseball game and Toronto's makeshift team of misfits and cast-offs from the other team's rosters managed to win by something like 10-9.

I've only been to one baseball game, at Yankee Stadium, and it finished 1-0, with the run in the top of the first, which we missed while looking for our seats. We didn't even know it was 1-0 til about the seventh innings. Though we might be there all night. Really enjoyed it still tho, drunk the beer seller dry, ate a hotdog longer than my forearm and we managed to introduce some football style chants to the locals. Mariano Rivera was playing for the Yankees, so with a bot of research, he became "Rivera, woah-oh-oh-oh, Rivera, woah-oh-oh-oh, he comes from Panama, he hits the ball dead far". Think he was a pitcher tho. Knoblauch was our fave but harder to get a song going about him

God, I wish I could play these shootouts every day.

This is the third time I've played it, on the last two occasions I got heads up on my first table with the chip lead and lost both times. Once I played terribly but last year I got ridiculously unlucky.

This year I made it!

My table was great. There were four guys who were at least 50/1 to win the table.

I won one pot in the first 3 hours, but that wasn't so bad, seeing as I only played 2.

Then found KK in the bb, made a small reraise to the buttons raise and he shoved with the bobbies. Jack in the window :( King on the river.

Slow played aces shortly afterwards v Jacks on a nine high board. And he commited harikiri. Anotherf ull double up.

From then on it was plain sailing. The others knocked each other out at regilar intervals until it got heads up.

The geezer I was playing seemed pretty useful, but had no clue heads up. I just raised every button and he folded or call/folded.

Think we had one showdown in an hour playing heads up.

Then at 40 - 5 up got it with 9Ts v K9o. I flopped 678. But he rivered a ten for a chop.

Next hand he shoved the button with T7s. I called with KQ. And flopped trips.

Obviously tomorrow (round 2) is going to be a lot harder. But really happy with getting through and pocketting over 5 bags.

1% chance of winning 300 large!

A good time to use my one time I've being keeping in a box for so long?

Excellent news, save the one time for the final and just clear out the next lot unaided :D

GL Keith

Pob Lwc

Gl mr camel

Ooooh, going along nicely Mr Hawkins!

One cash in the bag already, another here, great stuff.

Good luck.

Great stuff Keith, keep it up.

Well played Sir and good luck.

GL today Keith!

oioiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii

Nice work keith!

niceeeeeeeee mate

GL Camel!

wp mate good luck today

Come on Keef. Stick it up em.

VBoL

Yuh, gl Camel sir

keefy orkins keefy keefy orkins!

gl gl

Gl humpy one

Marvellous.

Just seen the seating draw for today and some bloke called Phil Ivey on my immediate left today. Hope he hasn't got pointy elbows.

Although having checked his Hendon Mob database, he only has like 3 cashes in the last 15 months.

Perhaps he's gone at the game? :)

From Twitter


Phil Ivey ‏@philivey

FML. Got TheCamel on my table today. Only thankful he is to my right!

glgl

A+ would read again :D

Thanks for the good luck wishes everyone. Probably will need them!

Gl Keith, Keep us informed pls.

Best of luck Keith.

 ;goodluck; ;goodluck;

Gl Keith

GL Keith

Best of luck!

Gogogo The Camel!

Best of luck Keith

All the best Keith, bring home that dough,

good luck Keith.

I don't want to add too much pressure but you do realise that the entire fate of tikay's fantasy team is in your hands?

Great start Keith....class is permanent and all that :) - very best of luck today, another sigh at missing your staking thread as too slow.

Played Ivey twice before.

The first was this event:

http://pokerdb.thehendonmob.com/event.php?a=r&n=1472

I was chip leader with two tables to go, when we redrew.

Ivey gets the seat two to my left.

It was the very start of the "poker boom" (season one of the wpt) and Ivey was young and hungry for success. He was completely unplayable.

It felt like my cards were face up to him. Every time I had a hand he folded, every time I had little enough to fold to a reraise he put the pressure on.

I was almost in tears of frustration after 6 or 7 hours of this.

He took a huge a proportion of my chips but suffered 2 huge beats in the space of 10 minutes to bust about 12th.

I prefer to recall the other time I played against him. It was at the starting in a side event at the WSOP about 3 or 4 years ago.

He was distracted, looked he wanted to be anywhere else than at that poker table.

He pissed away his chips in about 20 minutes and went to play craps or bet a million on a basketball game or something.

Hopefully Ivey mkII shows up today. Although reports I've been hearing are he's in full beast mode at this series.

*gulp*

Ha! Didn't realise Tikay had picked me.

A perfect example of blind faith:

(http://katerawlings.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Blind-Faith.jpg)

Go keef, get them!

VBOL Keith

Get rid of Ivey first then dispatch with the rest of them glgl!

Iirc he made you captain , you can probably have his " one time " .  :D

Sounds like option 2

Ivey Out
Posted 2 minutes ago by joseph.hurless     
Phil Ivey was just seen leaving the tournament area, the chips in his former seat are gone along with his dreams of this event giving him his 9th bracelet. We asked around the table what happened to see the poker superstar exit early and we were told that his opponent three bet him all in preflop and Ivey called with . Ivey's opponent held  and when the board blanked out Ivey was sent packing.


Read more: http://www.pokernews.com/live-reporting/2012-world-series-of-poker/event-14-no-limit-hold-em-shootout/

AJ vs AK for those that can't read the invisible ink.

I suppose there is no chance the oppo is Keith as I think he was on the worng side to 3 bet him.  1 time on the misreported hand.

News From British Twitterville
Posted June 07 2012 by MarcC
John "@johneamespoker" Eames: "Back to 40k after getting two easy streets of value. 9 left, blinds 400-800."

Ben "@TFPbenji" Jenkins: "Weak start. 35k at first break 6/7 I think. Predictably everyone's playing pretty good, except Tom Schneider who punted hard to cada."

Keith "@keiththecamel" Hawkins: "The Ivey problem lasted less than a lvl. He was in pissagainstawall mode. Calling allin pre for 50bbs with AJ. He didn't have the best hand!"

Followed by:

"If only I had enough money to do that! Played one pot and lost it. Got about 35k going back to 400-800/100."

 

Sigh...

Keith Hawkins      Busted

http://www.pokernews.com/live-reporting/2012-world-series-of-poker/event-14-no-limit-hold-em-shootout/

Damn that's a couple crossbars, must be due a goal in the $10k!!

Depressing day.

Katharine and Jake left today, which upset me more than I expected. They either don't come on poker trips or stay for the duration. So this was difficult.

Was geed up by a text message from them at from the aiport and that lifted my spirits accordingly.

Settled down to play and won the first pot I played 3 betting with AK and winning it with a bet on flop.

I then plumped up my cushions to watch the Phil Ivey Self Destruction show.

He nearly went out very early.

Guy opens, he calls in MP and BB calls too.

Flop 944. He and the bb proceed to get allin. Ivey had 74 the bb had J4. A nine on the turn saved his bacon.

Undaunted he proceeded to get involved in pot after pot with pestes until he had ironed out 40% of his stack.

In the first five minutes of level 2 300-600/100 guy opens for 1600 in LP.

Button calls.

Ivey with approx 28k makes it 6k to go from the bb.

Original raiser shoves. Ivey tank calls with AJ. aying "I feel like gambling". What's new (apart from you've got to do it with your own money now, not money stolen from FTP players by Howard Lederer and Chris Ferguson).

He did not have the best hand and busted.

The other "name" player on the table also busted ridiculously. Putting in about 80 bbs on a flop of KQ8 rainbow with AK. I would have bet all of Flushy's wealth that AK was no good there. And he didn't look remotely surprised when the geezer turned over QQ.

I struggled mightily for the next 3 hours. I was dealt total shit and when I tried to 3bet with air, I got 4bet almost inevitably.

The only spot I might have played differently was with 22bb at 600-1200/200. I opened for 2500 in MP with AJs. By far the tightest player at the table shoved 18 bigs from the button. My initial instinct was to call, but I talked myself out of it. Poss a mistake.

Then, a couple of orbits later, I shoved 14 bbs with AQs. Got two callers, one of whom had 55 and she flopped a set. GG, mind you don't trip up leaving the building.

Really thought this was a great shot at going deep. And it was. There were 3 super weak players at the table. Plus Ivey and Nam Le obviously couldn't give a damn.

The guys who had the chips were obviously very strong players though. But I had position on both, and if I could have got hold of some chips I would really have fancied my chances.

Ah well.

Tomorrow is the $10K PLHE. Really looking forward to this. An in room movie and an early night for me!

The more you write this stuff, the more I miss "Ruminates", your blog, you have a lovely flowing style of writing, Keith, direct & natural.

Must have been pretty upsetting to see Kath & Jake go home, ugh.

If I could but find it, I have a photo of you & Jake at his first Live Tourney, I suspect. It was in Deauville, at Hotel Barriere, we were there for the EPT in, I think, '05 or '06, & Jake was just months old at the time as I recall.  You were in that corridor just outside the restaurant, & we had brekkie with you, Bambos, & that grey/silver haired chap from The Vic (he cashed I think) who is an old mucker of Karabiner's, I forget his name.

I rather liked Deauville, but it was the nut wrong time of the year, very cold. Think I was rooming with snoopy, Jen & some others that year, in some dreadful dosshouse. Yikes.

Ul mr Camel great read ...apart from the bust out obv

Great Blog keith, keep it coming... Gl in the 10k,

Chin up Keith,good luck in the next one.

Is there a more frustrating game than poker?

In the first tournament of this trip, I played really badly and cashed.

The second tournament, the shootout, I played ok on day 1, but ran red hot and I would have had to play woefully not to succeed. Day 2 was like torture. But at least I cashed.

Now, today was the big one. I played great. Couldn't have done any better. My table, for a 10k PLHE event which everyone kept saying was the one hardest of the WSOP, was fantastic. At least 5 players who, in the wise words of Francis Rohan "I'd like to be locked up with them".

So, why the fuck am I busted from the tournament?

Circumstances beyond my control I suppose.

I chipped up from a 30k starting stack to over 50k only ever showing one hand. And that was top set.

It was perfectly plain sailing.

Then 10 minutes before dinner I doubled up a short stack. And all the hard work was gone.

Back to starting stack, i proceeded to double up a micro stack.

Then after 8 hours I find kings utg. Get 3 bet and 4 bet. I shove 24 bigs. The 4 bettor had AA.

Door card King. Underneath an ace.

If I had 100k, I would have lost it. That's the only tiny consolation i guess.

But FML poker is a fickle mistress.

PS. If you happen to follow me on Twitter, don't believe everything I say.

The chip counts will be accurate, but I give out Stalinesque misinformation about hand details if I think anyone at my table might be reading my feed.

I said I floppped 4 sets.. it was actually only one.. and they saw that.

The ultimate cooler vul Keith

Hadn't thought about it before, but great way to create/reinforce an image, social media propaganda!

Tournaments are so frustrating.... Unlucky Keith

Ooooooooh you fibber  ;D

The problem with writing a poker diary is if you don't win, you can easily end up sounding like a whiny bastard and that's the last thing I want.

Probably best to write nothing if I haven't got anything interesting or enlightening to say.

Apologies.

Enjoying it so far.

Obv your diary, so you can write what you feel like. For my 2cents I love reading about what players do away from the tables, so even if you aren't winning there's still plenty to write about :)

enjoying it too keef. Just take some pics of the lovelies around the pool to publich rather than moaning

Haven't spotted Trigg or LeKnave by the pool yet, but I'll keep a lookout for you.

Keith

I agree with Tikay and the others - we all enjoy your news be it poker related or any other matters - all immensely readable.

Sounds like a bit of hard luck in the $10k.

Look forward to a deep run in the next you have the game.

Cheers
Malc

Money aside, which of the following 3 things would you like to do the most?

Score the winner for QPR in a major cup final.

Ride the winner in a major horse race

Win the WSOP main.

1 ainec

I love horse racing, but have zero inclination to ride in a race! (If a horse could talk, they'd tell you they have zero inclination to have me as a jockey!). They go bloody fast you know and it's a long way down if you fall off.

Safer enjoying it in the stands or on tv imo.

WSOP main event. I don't really "get" poker fame. I was on the next table along from Negreanu yesterday. He must have signed 100 autographs and had his picture taken with 50 railbirds.

I mean really wtf? Why would you want the autograph of a poker player? He happens to be good at a card game? Would you want the autogrpah of the world bridge champion? Or the world snap champion?

I love poker. But I wouldn't want to be famous for playing it. Honestly, gievn the chance if I was heads up for the main event title, I would offer to split the money and let them have the title.

got 3 different bridge team sigs if you want to make an offer

tree fifdy?

Been sat with Ray B. today and he has just got in from Vegas. He also is an avid reader of this thread mate. It's all quality stuff if poker related or not. Gl

Must admit I love it too.

I actually lolled properly when you wrote that you hendon mobbed Ivey before you sat down next to him and were none too impressed with his recent form.

Class. Just bink one for us Keef.

Alex

Stop reading 2 + 2 please  :D

Have a look at the size of his hands Jase. Get a pic if you can. They are absolutely huge if I remember right?

Plead the fifth, keep it cute & keep it mute

Sigh too late mate. What a gent and great person to be sat chatting to at the table. Then 2nd bullet I sit next to Tikay and loved every minute of that too. I can't remember actually winning Many hands whilst in their company but I did not care and could listen to both guys for hours :)

each?

Yesterday was a good day, well until the end at least.

Had to change hotels for a night.

The Cosmopolitan wanted the best part of $1000 for the night yesterday.

Demand for hotel rooms forced the price up and the Electric Daisy Carnival is in town.

I looked at the EDC website and had heard of precisely zero of the featured acts but as long as the EDC attracts people like this:

(https://encrypted-tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSuEPQU1HpEutg0NCzJU6PN3HKsH1vvYapuKbaL1uffzTySSA-I4Q)

It gets my ok.

But of a pain moving hotels, but it does have it's advantages.

I moved to the Marriott hotel. That rarity in Vegas: a hotel without a casino!

The good thing for me here is the pool.

If you have played poker with me, you might well know I have this disease: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psoriasis

It has been the bane of my life for the last 25 years. It was one of the main contributing factors in the depression I suffered through my twenties and early thirties.

It can be painful and uncomfortable. It is also unsightly and embarrassing. It is however not contageous and cannot affect others. (Apart from not being very nice to look at)

I love swimming. It is the only form of excerise I enjoy. I would like to go swimming every day. It is the one time I feel almost free of this condition.

But the embarrassment of having psoraisis and the intolerence of others means I hardly ever do it.

I have been banned from varios hotels swimming pools because of the ignorance of attendants who assume its catching. At one hotel I was told "your skin is clogging up the pools filters". Stupid cow, what does she think household dust consists of?

Anyways, apart from the ignorance, the disgusted faces of people that look at me when my shirt is off is enough to stop me going swimming usually even though I adore it.

But here at the Marriott in Las Vegas it is different. The pool is almost always deserted.

And it was yesterday. I had it to myself for nearly two hours. I swum about 200 lengths and then had half an hour in the hot tub.

Absolute bliss.

I set off to the Rio in uplifted mood to buy in for the 1k and maybe play a few sats.

The queue for sats was longer than the list of people that I owe money to at the moment so I swerved it and decide for once in a blue moon to play cash.

I sat in a very lively 2-5 game with $500.

There was a $10 straddle on virtually every deal.

The first opportunty I got to straddle on the button, I did so.

A couple of callers, before a young lairy looking local made it $40 to go in middle position. I called with 64s as did the other 2.

Flop was 357 with two clubs.

Which was nice.

The lairy kid bet $65.

I don't know why, but something told me to shove. Definitely not the most +ev move usually, but on this table it felt right.

So I did.

He snap called so quickly with KK, he almost burnt the felt.

V Nice.

Stayed in the game for about 2 hours and nearly nicked a grand in total. Very handy.

A dedicated player would have stayed in the game, it really was excellent.

But I wanted to dash off off tp the Venetian to see the Tim Allen gig.

Allen was the loveable father in Tooltime:

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUtxOpASRzQ

I thought it would be harmless fun.

Boy, was I wrong.

Allen turned out to be a misogynist, a homophobe, religiously intolerrant and a borderline racist bigot.

"If I want to call a homo a fag, I'll call him a fucking fag"

If I had any balls, I would have left after 10 minutes and told him exactly what I thought.

Disappointed in myself I didn't.

Think I laughed twice in 75 minutes.

Back to the hotel I decide to watch a movie I missed in the Cinema. "My Week with Marilyn"

It wasn't great, but Michelle Williams was absolutely brilliant as Marilyn. How Streep deprived her of the Oscar I will never know.

Kenenth Branagh overacted terribly and was poor as Olivier though. And the kid you played Marilyns love interest wasn't convincing either.

Worth viewing though.

Off to the Rio for the 1k crapshoot now. These are great value, but you need to get hold of chips quickly.

So it's gonna be gamble, gamble Sol Campbell!

That EDC was on the weekend I arrived last year, was comedy walking through the Palazzo seeing all these girls dressed in hotpants with illuminous bodypaint all over them like those pics. The looks on some of the guests faces was a picture :D

A friend of mine has the same condition albeit quite mild,  he gets highly irritated like yourself at the general ignorance of it and the reaction of others. Must be a nightmare to deal with and not sure I'd deal so well with said reactions.

Still sounds like a bit of a touch moving in the end anyway and best of luck today!!

Yeh the shove sounds fine/great

Long hard grind in the $1000 nl yesterday for zero reward.

It must have been one of the tougher tables in the room.

Gboro, knecht_poker, a local cash pro and a German who plays 10-25 cash online.

I couldn't pick up any of the few easy chips on offer, so was left to try and pick up the scraps.

Got lucky with a double up when I shoved 2k over a raiser and 4 callers. The last caller looked me up with KQ and dominated my K9, but I spiked a nine.

Found a little form after that, four bet shoved 99 and doubled again v 77.

Then about 150 from the money with about 9k I defended my bb with 88.

Flop 865 with two hearts.

I checked, raiser bet 1500 into about 1800, I made 4k, he shoved and I called.

He AQ of hearts and rivered the deuce if his suit.

Painful end to a long, hard struggle.

Not much else to add, except gboro (Steve Gross) might be the nicest, most personable American internet whizz kid I have played poker with.

He actually had social skills! Which seem to sadly lacking among many of his peers. Really enjoyed sharing the table with him.

Last tournament of the trip today. 3k six max. Let's go!

good luck Keith

glgl

Get back on that cash table ,gl today

Time to finish the trip with a flourish and come back with planty of ammo for Royal Ascot.

It sounds as though you're playing well enough, just need some rungood and a little timing.

Best of luck today!!

Good luck today Keith

C'mon  ;applause;

Good luck in the 6max keef.

Another question...

I think its fair to say, that you're a bit of a hero on blonde, who do you admire on blonde, and why?

heard so many times.. on table with guy who plays X online. How do people know and why do people tell? Seems stupid by them, guess its just ego..

Been enjoying the read and so glad you moved to the Marriott and got your swim in peace.  Would you not consider booking there on a regular basis after that?

You know there's a seat draw with people's names on it and Google on your phone, right? If I was drawn next to you and type your name into Google, I can find out pretty quickly you play 400NL-1000NL 6max and HU, etc.

I played the 5k plo last year with a guy who wouldn't even reveal his first name to the rest of the table for fear of them finding out who he was (he had just moved to the table and under the guise of being polite was being questioned). After a break someone found out his name was Ben and put two and two together that he was 'Ben86', nosebleed plo player. Couldn't help but think if he'd just responded 'Ben' noone would have batted an eyelid, he was v good tho

Impossible to pick one person out Vinny.

The list of people I admire on blonde is quite long.

It may sound a bit trite but I would admire anyone in poker who plays the game in the right way, doesn't moan about bad beats, is friendly and personable at the table and above all iis honest and transparent in their financial dealings.

Too many shysters, scammers and angle shooters in the game for my liking.

Yes, I will.

It's just a little way out of the way, and isn't exactly as luxurious as say the Wynn or the Bellagio.

But I'll definitely be back.

A Similar thing happened to me Keith with your  Tim Allen encounter. Last year I took the girlfriend up to Edinburgh for the festival. We had only been dating for a month and this was our first weekend away so I thought this was the place to impress,The very first night I managed to get some tickets for Jerry Saddowitz and we took our seat.In fairness the flyers read "if easily offended please stay away". So the show started Every other word and I mean evry other word was the f word and he went at evrybody mainly the English which was fine but he then turned into a one man insult show that wasnt even funny.Calling black people th n word etc etc and you may re call at the time the London riots had just taken place so it was basically a political rant by a racist Nazi...anyway back to the story...we had been their 15 minutes , my girlfriend was visibly upset I was not impressed and totally embarrassed but unlike you we got up and walked out  which actually lead to others doing the same. Im all for cutting edge and dark humour and I think every poker player has a bit of sick in them but when its just an insult barrage that isnt funny whats the point ?

The post I've been dreading to write, and I'm really disappointed to be writing it so soon.

I'm out of the 6 max, and my WSOP is over for 2012.

I played great yesterday, the best I've played the whole trip, but it just wasn't to be.

Had a tough opening table. All bar one of the players played really well but David Sands was the only recogniseable face though.

He is the absolute opposite of the guy I'd played with the day before, Steve Gross.

He's surly, monosyllabic and moody at the table. Snapping at dealers and answering questions with a sneer.

I understand the need to be focussed at the table, but guys like him just take it too far imo.

He obviously is a really good player though.

I was safely to his left and managed to keep out his way, while making a couple of hands and nicking a couple of other pots.

I chipped up nicely to 15k from a starting 9k when the table broke.

My new table was much softer. Andrew Lucky Chewy (not going to ambarrass myself by attempting his surname!) was there but again he was on my immediate right.

iI hovered at around 15k for a couple of hours when I 3 bet squeezed otb with AQ unfortunately the bb woke up with a 4bet shove I was obligated to call. He had AK and it was back to starting stack after about 5 hours play :(

But I wasn't finished, I went on a 5 minute heater.

Called a raise on the button with 55 and was rewarded with a K65 2 hearts flop. I slow played it like a hero and managed to get more than a full double up as 3 player came along for a 1500 bet on the flop. I raise shoved the 9 spades turn and Chewy reluctantly called and insta mucked when he saw my hand.

Then, like 2 hands later I found QQ v AK for another full double up. I was on somewhere between 33 and 35k.

I was motoring, but was disappointed to see Brandon Cantu take an empty seat at the table.

He's a nightmare. I don't think he's a great player, but he's an absolute maniac.

I made the cardinal sin and tried to bluff him in a big pot just before the dinner break and to be fair to him, he made a good call.

So at the dinner break, I was bang average at 20k.

It was almost inevitable I would clash with Cantu again. And it happened in the first hand after dinner.

He opened UTG, I three bet from the bb with 88 and he shoved. I tank called for 3/4 of my chips. And was delighted to see him curse and turn over A8.

He wasn't cursing when he turned an ace though.

Left with 5 or 6 grand, I susrvived by shoving for a while, before I got a lucky double up against Chewy with AT v AJ.

And shortly afterwards I was back in the game by winning a flip.

Cantu didn't take long to piss away the chips he won off me, and his seat was taken by the ominous figure of Elky.

And it was Elky was delivered the crushing blow to my hopes.

He opened for 1100 at 250-500/50.

I called in the blinds with 67s playing about 20k.

Flop was JT8 with two of my suit.

I check called 1500.

Turn came on offsuit 3. He bet 2250 I think. and I shoved for 12k more.

His first reaction was to fold I think, but he talked himself into calling with AJ.

And he held (obv).

So that was it.

I'm pretty much finished with poker for this trip. Might go down to the Rio and play a couple of sattys if I'm in the mood tomorrow.

I'll try and write a round up post before I leave on Thursday.

BTW, Lucky Chewy is a really nice guy and definitely wouldn't be in the Doc Sands catergory of online poker whizz kids!

Thanks for the updates Keith.

loved reading this Keith, are you not bothering with the main this year?

cheers

Was going to cover this in round up post Phil.

Basically can't afford to play it this year.

Still need to pay for quite alot of stuff in the new house and that has to be the priority.

I could put up a staking post at, say, 1.5.

But even if I sold 60% at 1.5, I would have to find about £750 for flights and another $100ish per night for hotels. Probably all in all £1500 exes for what would be $4000 comp for me.

Hate to miss it, because I suddenly feel like I'm playing great, but have to be realistic.

If I have a stellar Royal Ascot, or bink an online tournie in the next 10 days or so, I might reassess. But at the moment it looks unlikely I'll play it.

Good luck at Ascot mate, I hope you get the lot.

Will you be wearing your pink suit with the black spots this year?

Think I'm going to plump for fuchsia this year.

Hi Cotter

Never heard the tomato one before I must admit! But, I don't like them anyway (except ketchup obv!)
Showers not baths tick
Cotton clothes tick
Never heard the leather sofas one either.. which is annoying, seeing as we've just bought a new leather one!
Tried every lotion you would imagine. As they bring out new ones, I try them. But nothing ever works well for more than a couple of months max.

Thanks for the post and best of luck in Vegas.

Thanks for the sweat Keith and darn good updates too.

Cheers
Malc

It's looking very much like a soft ground Ascot now Keith, they were racing on a bog in the turf races at Lingers today. Might need the overcoat over the Fuchsia ensemble  :-X

U been to a Dermatologist mate? I used to sell various creams for Psoriasis so know from experience that GP's are not great at managing it with their patients as they don't often don't know how to get optimal treatment from whatever cream/ointment/potion they may be using. The senior nurses in dermatology depts are particularly good at showing patients how to get the best out of their stuff. Failing that I can probably give you some basic advice as I dealt with these guys for about 10 years or so and a couple of my family members have it too.  :)

I've got your bank details Malc, I'll ship you the cash as soon as I get home.

Either Wednesday or Thursday of next week. (Staying down south for the first day or two of Ascot)

I have, but they turned out to be the square root of useless.

Went for Ultra Violet liufght treatment twice a week for about 6 months and didn't help at all.

In fact they gave me overdose one time, which could have killed me!

Definitely up for any advice/ treatments I haven't tried before. But I have tried alot!

Ok I write some stuff down for you tomorrow as I'm off to bed now. Sounds you got unlucky with the dermatologist as most do a reasonably good job.

No worries Keith just when you can - or stick it on some guaranteed 10/1 shot at RA for me  ;D

Cheers

Enjoyed the updates keef, ul on the trip, sounded like u were running bad on table draws too, compelety agree with your assessment of Cantu, abs maniac, not partic good, gonna knock himself out, will probs take some bystanders with him

Bushy always talks about players like Cantu as the equivalent of loose horses in the Grand National.

Can't win himself, but can certainly bring down or impede some fancied runners along the way.

Pretty meh sort of bloke as well by my estimation.

Thanks!

Leather is a non breathable fabric and can sweat you up when you sit on it causing heat and itchyness. Keep an old chair just in case.

Ooh, one last one from me:

Don't wash with soap. Instead find a Baby Head to Toe bottle that suits. The non branded makes can be best. Boots own one is very good.

Sorry to hear Vegas/poker is at an end this year!

Do you swim much whilst at home Keith?
It must be a very difficult thing to deal with.

I've had a few small patches of psoriasis since I was about 13, and more after I had kids (stress!) and nothing ever helped them. However, last year I was diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis (after about two years of the symptoms!) and put on methotrexate. This has almost completely cleared up my psoriasis.

Not sure if you can get it without being diagnosed with PA but if the psoriasis is bad and nothing else works it might be worth asking about?

I used the UVB treatment for mine and it worked a treat comes back after a few months but you learn to time it around holiday seasons. Although obviously a risk with UVB skin cancer etc.

Can confirm methotrexate is meant to be great, and is available to all psoriasis sufferers from a GP, following a blood test.
Heard its good but havent used it yet.

Misclicked scrolled to this and thought I'd read it all -

Cracked up at the 'space cadets' story :D

R.e - Psoriasis - My friend has it, he says that sun beds can help contain it, the cold brings it out loads tho, agree it's disgusting how narrow minded and incompetent some people can be regards to this or any other related skin problem for this matter. My middle brother had a terrible skin problem about 4 yrs ago, it all came from some tablets he took apparently, yet no doctors could ever find a cure for it, it's a real long name that I can't remember, he even considered going to Texas to find a cure it was that bad. He couldn't go out in hot weather, couldn't travel to Thailand or any other hot climate country, couldn't eat spicy foods, drink alcohol, just kept coming up in red blotches all over his body, was literally the worst time in his life. Luckily it just started to fade away after 2 yrs, still gets a little irritating at times but nowhere near as bad as before, so maybe hope for u yet.

Loved reading this, please start up a blog again, it was great, gl if you are going this year, I am trying to win the Sunday million so I can go this year ha! X

Meet the new member of the Camel household:

(http://i1349.photobucket.com/albums/p753/thecamel67/BC87E5D9-5189-4827-8C18-27A50F8CFB18-974-00000208A9E2D32C_zps9dfb2e4d.jpg?t=1365963962)

(http://i1349.photobucket.com/albums/p753/thecamel67/584E08C3-0E29-4418-A339-D55977C60FA1-974-00000208CB0EACFC_zps5a56015f.jpg?t=1365963983)

Think his name is going to be Robbie, I prefer Badger or Brock, but I've been outvoted.

Quality, what breed is it Keith?

Border Collie.

He'll be a pet until he's about a year then work on the farm.

Nice, we've just gotten our 3rd cocker last September and he's the most like a working dog of the three that we have had.

He is an absolute nightmare in the house, and so full of energy. He has worked out that I can't chase him anymore, so nips at me when I'm sat in the office and also barks incessantly :D

He'll grow out of it, but it's been a trying few months and he definitely needs a lot more open air time than he's gotten through the winter.

Yeah Robbie is already full of energy.

Needs to be out and about and kept busy.

Very eager to please though.

FML he never even paid.

Cheapskate.

Same as Max, but he's also extremely mischievious and testing.

Ours is eager to test, but he's excellent around my niece who is 3 and that was the thing we most worried about.

I guess he needs to be let loose in the outdoors a lot more, and that should calm him down some around the house.

GREAT to see this Diary back.


9 years ago - NINE YEARS - you started "The Camel Ruminates", which was the 2nd best Poker/Life Blog ever. And I have read, HUNDREDS, if not thousands of the things, so top two is really rather good.....

 

....and it was 9 years ago when you wrote these words.....


The final problem is how the other players percieve me. A year ago, I was getting away with alot. Stealing pots, semi bluffing, check raising were all working. But, now I'm not getting the benefit of the doubt, good players are more inclined to think I'm at it and are prepared to call me down with little.

I think I've devised a strategy to combat this. Obviously, I'm not going to reveal it here, but hopefully I can reap the benefits eventually.

Playing against the best tournament poker players is a hard business. They exploit weaknesses ruthlessly and relentlessly. My aim is to tighten up my game to return to the level I was at 12 months ago. Time will tell if I can do it.

Strange how the wheel turned full circle, & you found yourself back in the same spot recently, when you said & did almost exactly that.

Biggest compliment has to be that you survived in poker for so long. What is it, over 20 years now?

I just re-read your July 2004 Archive. Jeez, some blasts from the past there......


Gutshot

Mark Strahan

UKPOKER.com

David Young. He is never wrong

Mike Magee

Debbie Rogers

Jim Britton

Dave Welch



So many stories......

Border Collies are the ultimate dogs - cute, loyal, fast, clever, tough and full of energy.

And the Sam Grizzle story......

Sam had just sucked out on someone in a huge Omaha cash pot, Matey Boy had a proper hand, Sam had a bag of spanners & got there.

His foe screams blue murder "How dare you call me with that shit? You can't play poker! You are useless! Why not go and play craps you idiot?" and continued the rant until Grizzle finally snapped.

"Just shut up! You play your money the way you want to and I'll play other peoples money the way I want to!".

And Camel got ripped a new arse because he - wait for it - he sold some action at.........


1.2.

Stories? A ton of them here.


http://www.camelpoker.blogspot.co.uk/2004_07_01_archive.html

I'm reading some of those posts like someone else wrote them, I literally have zero recollection of some!

Can't deny that is a funny Sam Grizzle story though..

You should be ashamed of yourself, trying to sell action at 1.2. Pfft.

Remind me, I keep forgetting - who was "The Poker Bastard"?

I'd heard it was Julian Thew

Have played a fraction of my former volume in the last 3 or 4 years, I suddenly have an irresistible urge to grind.

I need some money for Vegas - flying out on July 2nd

How about mixing the two and someone laying me a prop bet.

My current balance on Stars is $215.90 plus 7,409.6 fpps (worth about $85) - plus I'm 3308 vpps from a Stella Reward of $50. (doubt I'll earn enough vpps to get another)

Without reloading even one penny (ie if go broke in the account I lose) what odds will someone give me I can turn this balance into $10,000 before midnight on June30th?

I can play any games I like and use the fpps in any way I like (either cash bonuses or playing fpp tournaments)

Don't want a huge bet, just a little side action.

Any offers?

If I go for it, I'll log my progress here.

Sounds fun n all but why not just top up the acc and play a wider range of stakes, if youre profitable at the higher stakes i think you would have a better chance of actually making some money than just trying to grind out a micro roll? even with side bets etc. I wish you gl either way :)

Because I feel like a challenge.

I'll be playing very high variance in the first couple of days, if I go bust I lose the bet and reload.

Looking for 20/1, definite value for the layer.

How much do you want to bet?

Would staking work too? Ie you send 50 to Dreenie nd she wins 10k

It should be really soft Keith as all the regs are heading to Vegas so you could go to 1.5 ie 30/1

£50 @ 20/1

Was going to send Dreenie by bank transfer, so no.

Be starting in the small games, so doubt the regs in those games will be at WSOP mate.

But if I get the roll to 3k or so, then yes, it should be a bit easier than normal.

You'll be ok as long as you don't run into John black

Setting off today.

We're going to a friends wedding in London tomorrow and I'm on the Virgin flight on Sunday.

The plan is to chronicle my trip in this diary. Downs as well as ups.

I promised Kinboshi to upload a couple of pictures of our new house about a year ago, so never one to break promises here they are:

(http://i1349.photobucket.com/albums/p753/thecamel67/null_zpsb1cf54cc.jpg?t=1372422824)

(http://i1349.photobucket.com/albums/p753/thecamel67/null_zpsf522fb2b.jpg?t=1372422992)

Grass needs mowing! Heaven knows how overgrown it will when I get back from Vegas..

(http://i1349.photobucket.com/albums/p753/thecamel67/null_zps630e0920.jpg?t=1372422882)

View from upstairs. Nearest neighbour is a horse (see what I did there?)

Next post will be from Las Vegas!

love your writing Keith, looking forward to reading about lots of winning, best of luck out there

Looks lovely and quiet..what part of the country is that Keith ?

It is incredibly peaceful. Only traffic jam we get is if we get stuck behind a tractor.

It's on the North Yorkshire/Durham boundary edge. The river that marks the boundary actually runs through one of the fields of the farm.

It's about 5 miles from Darlington.

must admit it looks fantastic... does middle of nowhere = crap internet?

It's not super fast, but it's relaible.

Not gone down once (apart from during thunderstorms) in the 15 months we've been here - touch wood.

Run good lol

This will be a terrific read.

Good luck Keith, & have a safe journey. See you Sunday I hope, & I'll square you up with what I owe you for the stake(s).

PS - The house looks fantastic, what a location. And the bonus of no neighbours. In an ideal world, neighbours should not exist, & if they did, they should all be shot.

I have quite wonderful neighbours, very helpful, looks out for my house when I am away, everything, could not wish for better or nicer people. But they have a dark side, as most neighbours do. They talk to me. Want to chat. Stuff like "hello", or "how are you?" Can't be having that, especially in the morning.

Nice looking place you got there Keith.

Good luck in Vegas - Im looking forward to the road trip reports.

Cheers

How's the kitchen?  ;)

Best of luck in Vegas, looking forward to all the stories, take care :)

House looks lovely Keith, is it made from local stone?

All the very best of luck in Vegas.

Looking forward to your updates, hopefully ones with happy endings.

Looks a lovely place!  Best of luck in Vegas, look forward to seeing the updates :)

Nice gaff keefy. I. Fairly sure I drive near there on the way to scotchland. Is there a nandos nearby? ;)

Good luck in Vegas.

Fantastic house!

What a difference 24 hours can make.

Went to a wedding yesterday. It was a great event and a good time was had by all.

But..

One of my mates who I hadn't seen for a 3 or 4 years got a bit pissed up and started jokingly laying into me

"I can't believe you are STILL going to the WSOP, you're yesterday's man mate. You have no shot against the internet wizards".

Although he was taking the piss, it was massively depressing and I took it badly to heart.

Morale had never been lower the night before flying to Vegas.

But I check my phone on the way to the airport this morning and my old mate Barmy Barny won a bracelet overnight.

If Barny can beat the whizz kids, why can't I?

Then somehow the flight was an hour early landing in Vegas, there were zero queues at immigrations or check in at the hotel plus I got a free upgrade to a suite.

That sounds like WIN WIN WIN WIN WIN to me. (Might be one too many wins there)

From morale being as low as a snake's belly, it now couldn't be higher.

Going to grab something to eat and watch the baseball game in bed and going to go get em tomorrow.

GL me!

nice youre feeling good! where are you staying?

I'm at the Cosmo until July 4th, but they wanted a monkey for that night, so I'll have to find somewhere to move to.

Ha! The kitchen is there in boxes.

I'm assured it will be fitted by the time I get home, but I won't be holding my breath!

The house is built from reclaimed stone from a West Yorkshire Mill.

The lintels over the doors and windows are made from locally mined sandstone.

The windows are hand made and really worth seeing, magnificently crafted.

You'll have to come and visit Ralph.

oooh cosmo is very nice.

the tapas there is v good (jaleo)


gl keef all you have to do is run hot and no wizard can stop you!

Good luck Keith!

Wouldn't class you as a old guy though :)

GL Camel!

Beautiful house Keith. wpwp

GLGL at the tables, pretty sure you will be fine, but remember the result of one tourney def wont define you as a player. So don't get down about stuff!

Will be funking hard for you in the main

Great place!

Who was telling u this at the wedding Keef? Don't listen to the doubters ya big softie, wtf they know. Think Barny is a shining example, ask your mate if Barny winning 550k changes his oppo on the oldies. Fortunately not every internet wizard is as good as the Squid, Vamplew or whoever...

Dinner last night with La Coren, Kirsty Thompson and Flushy.

The range of topics of conversation were eyebrow raising to say the least. But you know the old saying, what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.

Venue was Sinatras at Encore.

Food was good but not exceptional. Overpriced imo, not recommended.

Slept like a big fat log and fully acclimatised to Vegas time now.

$5k NL today. Excited and ready to gogogogo!

good luck in the 5K

Good luck today

Good luck today Keith!

Let us know your Table please, & I'll come & settle up with you, & get a photo for your Stakers.

If you prefer not to do business at the Table, I'll be in the Media Centre from now until around 2pm. Speak to Jeeves, he'll let you know if I am taking visitors.

Good luck!

Good luck

Jeeves granted an audience to The Man, so I agreed to see him.

Never seen or heard him so pumped up, confident, & happy.

Will try & get a photo at the Table shortly.



 (http://i1147.photobucket.com/albums/o541/tikay2/NEW%20ALBUM/Keef2_zps36ad12f2.jpg) (http://s1147.photobucket.com/user/tikay2/media/NEW%20ALBUM/Keef2_zps36ad12f2.jpg.html)

Looking good in the lucky shirt.

I really hope you get some shizzle ripped this year Keith.

 ;goodluck;

Table Keef follows......


(http://i1147.photobucket.com/albums/o541/tikay2/NEW%20ALBUM/Keef3_zps5115321f.jpg) (http://s1147.photobucket.com/user/tikay2/media/NEW%20ALBUM/Keef3_zps5115321f.jpg.html)

(http://i1147.photobucket.com/albums/o541/tikay2/NEW%20ALBUM/Keef4_zps3c5381db.jpg) (http://s1147.photobucket.com/user/tikay2/media/NEW%20ALBUM/Keef4_zps3c5381db.jpg.html)

(http://i1147.photobucket.com/albums/o541/tikay2/NEW%20ALBUM/Keef5_zpsffdd7297.jpg) (http://s1147.photobucket.com/user/tikay2/media/NEW%20ALBUM/Keef5_zpsffdd7297.jpg.html)

People should keep still when I am taking photographs.



(http://i1147.photobucket.com/albums/o541/tikay2/NEW%20ALBUM/Keef6_zps6ad91e49.jpg) (http://s1147.photobucket.com/user/tikay2/media/NEW%20ALBUM/Keef6_zps6ad91e49.jpg.html)

(http://i1147.photobucket.com/albums/o541/tikay2/NEW%20ALBUM/Keef7_zpsd6dc54c3.jpg) (http://s1147.photobucket.com/user/tikay2/media/NEW%20ALBUM/Keef7_zpsd6dc54c3.jpg.html)

Jaffa Cake has a son in pic#1 of this set old enough to play in a WSOP $5k?

Ha!

Jeff will be so proud.

There were around 450 runners when I last looked.

Should make 550 easily.

Just saw Trigg going to register.

Gl Keith.  Hope you win the lot.

More photos from this Tourney incoming........

Late arrival. Looks French, so we can assume he is shite.


(http://i1147.photobucket.com/albums/o541/tikay2/NEW%20ALBUM/Keef8_zps4519b32d.jpg) (http://s1147.photobucket.com/user/tikay2/media/NEW%20ALBUM/Keef8_zps4519b32d.jpg.html)

A few tables along.....


(http://i1147.photobucket.com/albums/o541/tikay2/NEW%20ALBUM/Keef9_zps3acfe48a.jpg) (http://s1147.photobucket.com/user/tikay2/media/NEW%20ALBUM/Keef9_zps3acfe48a.jpg.html)

And on the same Table, this chap. If you don't know who he is, you are a newbie, relatively.


(http://i1147.photobucket.com/albums/o541/tikay2/NEW%20ALBUM/Keef10_zps3e950926.jpg) (http://s1147.photobucket.com/user/tikay2/media/NEW%20ALBUM/Keef10_zps3e950926.jpg.html)

I bet these two could tell some stories, & must have been playing poker together for 20 years or more. Same school as Simon Trumper, & Neil Channing I'd suggest, back in the days at Reading.


(http://i1147.photobucket.com/albums/o541/tikay2/NEW%20ALBUM/Keef11_zps7cb7c00d.jpg) (http://s1147.photobucket.com/user/tikay2/media/NEW%20ALBUM/Keef11_zps7cb7c00d.jpg.html)

Good luck Keith!

Love her to bits, what a mind she has.


(http://i1147.photobucket.com/albums/o541/tikay2/NEW%20ALBUM/keef12_zps1a1b05f5.jpg) (http://s1147.photobucket.com/user/tikay2/media/NEW%20ALBUM/keef12_zps1a1b05f5.jpg.html)

(http://i1147.photobucket.com/albums/o541/tikay2/NEW%20ALBUM/keef13_zps2f4c0482.jpg) (http://s1147.photobucket.com/user/tikay2/media/NEW%20ALBUM/keef13_zps2f4c0482.jpg.html)

Have a great time Camel. Really rooting for you Sir.

Barney was the just the appetiser as far as experienced UK live players have to offer the WSOP. 

I follow all the blondes in Vegas every day online but you are the main man for me.

(http://i1147.photobucket.com/albums/o541/tikay2/NEW%20ALBUM/keef14_zpsd6dcc926.jpg) (http://s1147.photobucket.com/user/tikay2/media/NEW%20ALBUM/keef14_zpsd6dcc926.jpg.html)

Not seen Andy look so well in years.


(http://i1147.photobucket.com/albums/o541/tikay2/NEW%20ALBUM/Keef15_zpsbefd6cd4.jpg) (http://s1147.photobucket.com/user/tikay2/media/NEW%20ALBUM/Keef15_zpsbefd6cd4.jpg.html)

Stealing has commenced.


(http://i1147.photobucket.com/albums/o541/tikay2/NEW%20ALBUM/Keef16_zps9753cf14.jpg) (http://s1147.photobucket.com/user/tikay2/media/NEW%20ALBUM/Keef16_zps9753cf14.jpg.html)

Got a fella on the table who owns the biggest tomato producing company in the states.

Nickname is appropriately the tomato king!

It is what the series is all about and can't be bad for business, right? 

Approaching first break still starting stack. Seems like a decent table, frenchie and all.

Brilliant!

Just need a honey importer now, & your life will be complete.

Table looks good. GL Camel

The tomato king has perished unfortunately,  a victim of ace king v sevens on ace king seven flop.

Still, he's got a decent story to tell the boys back in North Carolina at the next lodge game.

Did you have 77?

The clue was in the word unfortunately

Really looking forward to this as I enjoyed last years write-ups.I went to the beatles show at the mirage last year after your recommendation and loved it.This year I went to the o show at Bellagio and the way the floor changes is amazing it was good but not as good as the beatles show imo.Have you any shows planned?Good luck this year and hope you do a barney

 Your mate Daniel also went with AK vs 77 on the same flop.

 Didn't mean to upset you. Sorry mate. Best of luck today.

 Paul was very much a Luton guy, not a Reading one.

 Maybe Camel can tell everyone about the Luton vs Reading Ryder Cup of Poker. Was it 1997 Keith?

Feel goo a out this one gl Keith!

Got you!

Sam Grafton walks by. 

I pick up two red kings.

Lose a six grand pot. 

Standard.

Boom!

A flop of tt8 fitted rather nicely with my jack ten against what I assume was kings or aces.

Raised the flop and bet every street got an 18 grand pot.

Lets go!

I visited Table Keef, needing to pay him some folding stuff, on behalf of several good folks and myself.

Keef appears to be in cruise mode, looked like about 30,000 to me. *

* Give or take quite a few.

It's a bit of a roller coaster ride - just like the good old days.

Got it up to 45k with a bit of a heater but then called a raise with t7 and flopped top two on t73. But got counterfeited on the river against kings. Saved a bet at the end though.

Then bluffed off a few k - geezer made a top call to be fair. 

But got them back with interest when I flopped top set against the same boat and he called all 3 streets.

Nearly 50 grand coming iup to dinner. Phone battery just about to die I'm afraid so will update when I bust/end of play whichever comes first..

Great stuff Keith.

I will pop along in my break and update the thread.

Terrific start, this.

Flopped a flush.

Did not win.

Down to 25k.

 Never can figure out the time people post things. I may be giving old news. It is now 7.44am UK time. I spoke to Keith about 45 minutes ago. He had two hours to go. His stack was 45k. He had just been doubled by Eric Baldwin who congratulated him on his play. Fabrice Soulier and Joe Serock, (that is who it was Keith), were at the table.

Just paid a visit to Table Camel during my break.

306 of 764 remain, Keith has 75,000, about double average.

Gooooooo!

great news neil i hope for more news when/if i wake up

ok sounds even better news lending keith my one time

If when Keith got all in with that Tomato King he didn't say something along the lines of "you can't still ketchup", I'm going to be anti-railing.

Also, GL. Subscribed!

Keith cannot update, 'phone battery dead.

 Messaged Eric Baldwin on Twitter. Finished for the day. He didn't count exactly but he reckons The Camel had about the same as him. Both make day two with 75,000, average is about 48,000.

Great stuff,  thanks Neil.

Never in doubt.  Very best of luck in day 2 Keith!  :)

Actually only finished with 52,800 after losing a couple of pots in the last 20 minutes.

Couple of really noteworthy hands which I will try and jot down tomorrow.

For now? Sleep!

Oi oi - get us all out Keef.

Wp today and gl tomorrow

sending a run good from a fellow portly yorkshireman (adopted)

always like reading these diaries, i'll get mine back on track again soon, off back offshore on friday, but i WILL make the WSOP again one day

win the lot keith gl

wiiiiii gogogogo

GL Keith.

Is Eric Baldwin the ex Baseball bloke?

Keep up the great work

That's the fella. Basebaldy. Used to be with UltimateBet. Apparently from Beaver Dam, Wisconsin.

Ahh, thought so, I happened to engage in convo with him one day last week, & liked him.

Wisconsin? I always ask my Table companions in Vegas where they are from, & follow up with "is that in Wisconsin?" Get some really weird looks from the American sorts. Gets them talking though, which is the whole point. People are precious about their hometown, just as they are about the correct spelling of their name.

Just do it Keef!

Looks as though you have a decent table today for starters Keith.

No names that I recognise as world-beaters anyhow.

Go get 'em tiger.

The Good

Not sure if I should post this hand - it is one of favourite moves but unfortunately I rarely get the chance to use it as conditions have to be perfect for it to work as well as this, but my immodesty dictates that a hand about which Eric Baldwin said "Well played. You took literally the only line which got you a full double up" has to be revealed.

300-600/75

I have approx 28k. Eric Baldwin has me covered easily.

Very loose aggro player in mp for 1500. I call in the sb with KJo, Basebaldy calls in the bb.

Flop KJ3 rainbow.

Checked around.

Turn another jack making 4 spades.

I bet 1200. Baldwin makes it 3400. Opener passes. I call.

I check in the dark.

Baldwin bets 8500, I shove. He calls with AK.

Full double up.



The Bad

Really still not sure about this hand.

It was a little earlier than the previous hand, I had approx 32k at 250-500/75

I open for 1100 with AKs

Baldwin makes it 3300 otb.

Now the sb passes but accidentally flips over a king as he does so.

BB is Joe Serock and he now makes it 8500.

We should??

I folded. But still not sure of the decision.


The Ugly

I butchered this hand so badly I am almost embarrassed to post it. I'm not going to post my thought process, because it was so faulty.

The main villain in the hand was a really unorthodox player. He could show up with any two cards at any time. Very very difficult to read.

The other villain is Fabrice Soulier.

Blinds are 400-800/100 I have approx 45k

Fabsoul has about the same as me and loosey goosey has about 90k.

Soulier opens for 1600 in ep. LG calls on the button and I call in the small blind with 99.

Flop K95 with two spades.

I check, FS checks. LG bets 2500. We both call.

Turn card is an off suit 6.

I lead out for 4200. FS calls. LG min raises.

I call ?!?!?!?!? As does Soulier.

River is an offsuit 8. Checks to LG who bets 11000

I call leaving about 8000. Soulier tank folds and flashes a King.

LG shows 56 for two pair and I win it.

Horrible.


Overall very happy with my play - especially on my first table.

I didn't adjust too well to my second table the weren't the sort of guys to be pushed around and I made some questionable plays - but we are still around to tell the tale!

Cheers mate.

Not sure what having a bookie rooting for me does for my rep.

But I'll take it :)

Love >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> O for sure.

Nothing booked or planned as yet, but ten on I go to a show or two before the trip is out.

Nice one, hope you ship as I have a small bit. :)

First hand you put rainbow but 4 spades on the turn?  I'm guessing u mean 2 spades on the flop and u ship the river praying for a call with somebody who has As?

No.

It was rainbow on the flop, flush draw came on the turn.

I checked in the dark trusting he put me on a draw and it didn't come so he thinks I'm check shoving a busted draw.

All opinion, I'd say the other way round but no big deal.  :)

Ok boss understand.

Out.

Two unavoidable spots.

Absolutely sick.

Unlucky keef.

UL boss

Ul mate

ul  :(

Hard luck Keith

Raised AK.

BB called me.

Flop 832

I cbet, he called.

Turn King.

He checked, I bet, he raised I called.

River x, he shoved, I folded and he showed K8.

Few hands later, I had 30k ish left.

Button minraised I defended with A8.

Flop AQ7.

He bet 2k, I made it 7k. He called.

I shoved a 7 turn, he called with 75.

GG.

Ul Keith

Tough breaks Keith.

I'm not sure how we ever get off these spots, or "put him on" hands like that.

The Training Videos don't explain this sort of stuff.

He can never have 7-5 there.

Oh yes he can......

I really liked my hand on the flop.

I figure I'm only losing to a monster AQ, QQ, 77 possibly a slow played AK, because any other big ace would set me in there and then I think.

I felt he had Ace tiny or KQ/QJ.

Feeling a little better today, was pig sick yesterday for sure.

Not going to bother with one drop, will have a day off - might play the $1500 tomorrow and the main event on Sunday.

ya they do you range them up

villain should be bet calling his whole range on the flop, there is no reason for him to 3bet unless it's as a bluff with weak equity and he thinks hero can r/f marginal hands.

once we c/r the A8 we're going to lose a big pot on that turn, would prefer to just c/c the flop with this hand, it's too strong to c/f and too weak to c/r imo.


gl tomorrow keef

 I'm off to play the 10am Mega Keith. These ones are the best of the lot. You and I would be among the youngest there - I mean who gets up at 10am?

With 32 bbs, what do you think my best play is?

3bet pre?

And lead flop?

Fold pre?

Or c/c flop and do what on the turn when the 7 hits?

I mean, once I've seen the flop I'm destined to go broke here aren't I?

Got to change hotels - Cosmo wanted $600 for a place to rest my weary head tonight - or I would have been in for sure.

Are you grumpy at 10am Neil?

Just wondered, like.

 Pretty sure they'll have lots of time for late reg.

 I'm obviously feeling very cheery. Been up since 7.30am.

 All will be great until somebody fucks it up.