blonde poker forum

Life's luck.

The game of poker is amazing.

The real purpose of this blog is not for me to talk about me and my poker adventures, but really a blog for anyone and everyone to write thoughts to help you really think about you as a person and your game. It may seem like a really long pointless entry that is a bit blurgh to some people and the fact there might be another one of this type, but after writing this I feel really good. If this dies out after a day, it doesn't matter. Me reading this entry a couple of times today really has made me feel more focused on life and will gladly revert back to it in times of reflect. The people who just write on here and make the most of it will feel good. If I say don't troll, you will only troll. I haven't broken it in to sections as I have done this for me to look back on and to read as one big reflect. .

A game where anyone can sit down and play. Where its emotional swings struggles to be compared to anything else in life.

Over the years simply by playing cards, I have met some of the most interesting, intelligent and eccentric people in my life.. We sit down to be given two bits of plastic with symbols and numbers on to try and win a bit of money. But, the fact is it's not all just about money for me and most players. Playing in some club in Nottingham soon becomes more than a venue and poker becomes more than just a game.. it becomes a home with a purpose. People that you meet along the way (even one brief encounter, one 'good game, unlucky dude') become real friends and acquaintances that you have shared a moment with. Enemies at the table probably wouldn't kick your head in outside the car park. No, they just hero call you with King high, or show you a sick bluff. That's how we fight. You simply sigh at the fact his King High is good and let out a faint “Nice Hand” as you ship over £534.50p. But wait “OH.. dealer I get to keep the 50p? Many thanks.” Nice rubs.

I honestly do not know what the majority of people that I speak to that go to Dusk Till Dawn actually do. Do you? This is the beauty of the game and of the people that play it..that fact that it does not matter. You do find out snippets from people like who has a wife, kids and pets. But you never know in detail alot about anyone. People do share the most amazing story's, real personal moments and political views with you, even tho the ante's haven't even fucking kicked in and your only 3 Levels in. Its fun though. You can be yourself at the table.
But why is poker so comforting? Why can we be who we want to be, or really, who we really are? The game of Poker, the community and venues (Dusk till Dawn in particular, as some other places clamp down on eccentric) let you take your mask off and let it out. For example. Colburn Tomblin, Rasta Fish, the most eccentric and energetic character there is at Nottingham. He doesn't put a mask on to be the FISSSSSSSSSSSSH, he takes daily life mask off and lets the real FISSSH swim.
He loves it.

People are awesome.

I've been sat next to a lovely woman in her 50's (really she was in her late 60's, but..you know), whilst playing the Incredible 100 she decides to show me her two Chihuahua sleeping on her kitchen floor. I mentioned moments earlier that I have many animals in my home, so she took 5 minutes to work out how to find pictures on her phone to show me her two lovely dogs.

Sitting to the left of Dave 'Devilfish' Ulliott in the 500 Deepstack and as he rakes in a pot, he casually shows me his phone a picture of his wife doing the splits.

I've sat next to a soon-to-be dad playing cash as he shows me his baby's scan on his phone while he shouting at the big screen. And I quote ' FUCKING GET IN, READING HAVE JUST SCORED AGAIN!'

I've been having a nice conversation with one of the dealers at Dusk Till Dawn about hacking organisations and the Anonymous Group as random cheers of 'KILL DEM, KILL DEM' ring around from the opposite side the club. (It never gets old.)

DTD is a place where it is normal for everyone to laugh and cheer when they hear glasses smashing and tables being knocked over! Someone could be hurt? There could be a massive brawl taking place?  Naaaah. Just like home, if there is a spilled drink or smashed glass in another room, we don't worry about it, we laugh at the persons misfortune. Yes, we go have a look if it goes quiet for a few minutes. Yes, at your home the Mrs obviously has a moan about how clumsy and useless I am.

I honestly believe if I fell over and had a Carlsberg glass hanging out of my skull, people would laugh there face off. The after a pause, people would stop playing to check you are alright and a random person that I have never spoken to before would offer to take me to the hospital. It don't matter that the random guy has had 6 pints and probably not the best person to get me there. People care, it's the thought that counts right? I would be alright though, it wouldn't stop me from playing!
Wether it be broken legs, broken fingers, paper cuts and bruises, we still manage to find away to play the ultimate game of skill. Even if you have the worst migraine imaginable, your defiantly not missing a tournament. We are heroes of the game.

Poker is part of a lot of peoples lives, even if only for a brief spell. Learning how to embrace this wonderful gift will make us all better people with experiances like nothing else. Values you gain from the experience of a single hand in poker cannot be taught at school or by your closest family members.

I will never forget playing some good old 50p/£1 NLH back in the day sitting next to this well dressed elderly gentleman. After a few hours, muiltiple reloads and several gin & tonics. He turns to me and says how much fun he is having. If you know me, I can be loud and annoying in sperts when the table allows me to be. But generally, I am quite quiet. I really respect people and love to listen. When anyone is talking, I am always interested and listen no matter what the story.

Avoiding customs, one night stands, how to cook a decent steak, or under going treatment in hospital, you name it I have more stories and facts to re-tell than the guy in the smoking area that has lost every pot he has played in 20 years. Anyway, back to the nice man. He has done a few buyings, as patient as he was, cards went falling in his favour. But reloaded again, and again nevertheless. At no point did I ask his name. There was no need. He always had a smile on his face and just looked interesting, like he had a story to tell. Seemed like he wanted to confine in someone. We get chatting and after a few hours he described how he only has a few months left to live. Cancer. At the club of majority kids playing cards for money, was a pleasant gentleman spending his last few months in the same room. I like to be pretty agro and focused playing poker, but honestly after about 5 hours talking I can't recall a single hand I was in at the table. I didn't even have a cigarette. We talked about his life, his children and his career in the army. From a young kid delivering milk to a serviceman proud to serve his county. Now living in Norfolk, he was proud to be alive and the fact that he embraced life. It was getting late and as his friend had finished his sweet chilli chicken from the lower tier, he grabbed his coat to leave. He simply said 'Good luck kid and take care of yourself ok'. I haven't seen him in the club since. I find moments like this surreal. A real wakeup call to life and the purpose of it. Having lots of money, flash cars, and a massive house is awesome. But honestly, you learn the most basic rule of life playing cards, that spending time with people of this world is the most fore filling aspect of it. I love my partner more than anything and will make it a rule to spend as much time with her as possible. I have never told my mum and dad that I love them and possible do not show it as much as I can. But they would do anything for me, and in the past I haven't made the most of the fact that I have a awesome family.
So time to change.

A few people I have met perhaps haven't made the most of themselves and their abilities, but embrace what they do have and the fact they are alive. On the other hand, people who have been very successful sat with millions in the bank, still play £25 tournaments for the love of the game! Or to possibly get away from the wife for a few hours and have a cheeky pint? Or Serial gamblers getting their daily fix. Students trying to be the next Mike McDermott from Rounders. Elderly folk limping with Aces UTG and still getting paid.

The poker community has such a balanced approach to age, gender, ethnicity and wealth. Yes, there are obvious stereotypes when playing, but when actually learning about a person, that all goes out the window. You listen and learn about them. I love it. Win or lose, I will befriend anyone that plays poker and has time to tell a story.

Anyone can win this game, we will all eventually get there someday.
Wether in life or at the felt sometimes we just needed 'to run good to bink the big one'

gg Sir.

1st!

Lovely Post Tommy, nice original angle, too.

I love the variety and psychology of poker and poker people. Best thing about it, really.

really enjoyed the post, and always enjoy the way you are always positive about poker. Maybe a little tilted at times from sick beats, but always positive, and always the first to analyse your line before analysing theirs. I believe that DTD is one of the nicest places to play poker, not just due to the venue or staff, but the regulars are all incredible, so many heroes under one roof. Bitter tales about people being luckboxes are few and far between compared to other places.

Really look forward to this diary, sure there are plenty of tales to be told. Seen you way too many times with berocca by your side whilst playing poker :D

Thankyou. I know it is a bit deep and will probably sit here, but has helped me think about me and the game simply by rambling on.

In on page one... Now ill read op.

Fantastic op mate, well written and I know what you mean about having those small poker 'wakeup' moments when you find out something about someone that completely changes your view on them or the situation.

 

Yeah I'm not the healthiest and always pretty ill!
Bad beats are fun to me now Jon. If I get slow rolled I really do not care. People are awesome and as long as people have fun, that is all that matters.
The fun needs to be brought back into poker. Nothing better than laughing with completely random people about some guy that has falling off his chair.

I must admit at first I thought "oh great another diary..", then I was like, hang on it's Tommy B, then I actually read it, nice stuff, has made me feel all warm and smiley.

Very nice post

tell us about your poker background, what changed when you won the Grand prix etc etc

That first post ranks up there with the first post of Vaguness and the Aftermath.

Looking forward to reading more.

I started to read Shut Up and Deal last night and got stuck on the Prologue which I read three times. Not because I didn't understand it, but because I wanted it to really sink in.

I can't cut and paste it from anywhere, but if you haven''t got a copy, do get one and have a read. This comes at the end of that Prologue..


(http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff442/pokerpops/shutupanddeal_zps995d4d5e.jpg)

Great stuff, enjoyed reading that. Had a somewhat similar dawn recently when I decided to not wear my headphones for a change and the banter at a lot of tables can be pretty good wherever you play really.

So in for this!

Subscribed

Favourite Nando's order?

Just incase you ever meet my mate Celtic!

gl Tommy,looking forward to this

Thank you Tommy for such a fantastic post. Really looking forward to reading more. I know that this game, DTD and and the people we meet every week through it have changed and enriched my life beyond measure.  :)

You've implied the most important choice in poker: the choice you made to embrace not just the game but the people who play it.

I have never enjoyed playing online, purely because it is the people that make the game for me. I wish more people took your lead.

If you look round a table and can't find the unsociable sod, it's you.

Brilliant opening post, squire.

Amazing comments, thankyou guys. I will answer any questions anyone has, no problem. But ideally, would really love this to be a place for all to talk about the positives of poker, stories we have to tell and life changing moments that affect how we think. I know its deep, but I am not religious or a peace junkie. Just reflecting on my image at the tables, and how people think about me. I havent always been the greatest at handling a bad beat in the past,  but I always come back, shake hands and wish good luck. I remeber when poker was fun, so bringing that back in my game will make me a winner in more ways than one.

Oi Oii Tommy..

In.  ;karabiner;

I use to play poker with a friend when I was 13. Him, his brother, mum and dad. The guy was super smart, funny thing is he now works along side Richard Branson. Talented guy.
2p limit 7 Card Stud. Random rules that make no sense, but as long as everyone understood the rules in place, the game ran smooth! Read some books and I made £3+ one night and couldn't believe it. Totally hooked! I went to my nearest shop in the morning and bought a pack of Pokemon cards. Didn't tell my mum, cus otherwise she wouldn't have given me £2.50 aswell! Once a hustler, always a hustler!! Its started from that, playing at night at the local Rileys against Taxi Drivers and winning a bunch.

After the Grand Prix I was over the moon. Looked at the updates in the morning and was so gutted that people thought I made a really bad deal. I couldn't stop thinking about how people saw me as a complete idiot. I logged onto DTD two days later and saw over £26,000 in my account. Was so happy. Relieved it was real. I gave 10% to a friend who played the torney to and withdrew the lot. The year before I moved to Northern Ireland with the Mrs and was without a job for 3 months. Didn't play online as focused on joining the RAF. Kinda lost interest lol. Anyway, paid off my loans, paid my mum and dad money for a car that they bought me and spent a load! I was able to buy an engagement ring and proposed to Carly, bought loads of clothes and sorted out the house. Bankroll management never been my strong point, but I have always seen Poker as my part time 'investment' So it wasn't really for bankroll, it was free cash. I felt good about myself and confident as people I had always looked up to were saying now hello to me. With confidence I won a few Super 50's made a few final tables and then 2nd in the 500 Mega Deepstack for over £50,000. My spark seems to have gone out lately, I was leveling myself into thinking, he thinks I think that he thinks that I would do that so why is he betting knowing I will bet if he checks, so I should just fold AK here on A94 flop. Etc. I have got that out my game, I am respecting all players, forgetting what people think about me and focusing on each situation as a new one. I really see this year being a good one for me in poker and life.

The problem is with poker and most things, if you want something so bad, you will eventually get what you want. But, trying to hard will cause damage and distances you from friends, family and the one you love to finally get there. It's never worth the reward. Just let things happen, do your best and enjoy your life and if something is ment to be, embrace the moment when it comes along. I wanted to win so bad, I lost my confidence and became distant from loved ones. Now, simply by writing and reflecting, I am happier than ever.

Nandos..Half a chicken platter I think it is, medium hot, with Coleslaw and Fanta. Don't eat there too much!
Would rather have a smoke and a little walk over to F & B's for an American Hit Pizza. Really, really, nice.

Hi Tommy, as everyone else has said great first post.

I think I've only everplayed at the same table as you once before at DTD. I think it was in the half mill gtd tourney last year. You came across really well and played really well but it wasn't your day. You took your fate like a true gent and it was def a pleasure to play against you.

Thankyou. I love DTD and really think Blonde is a forum not used correctly or enough by some including myself! There are some amazingly talented poker players and some really smart guys on here. I struggle with names but a face i dont forget.

Really hope people use this to write random stuff and get postive feedback.

I look like Celtic but much much better looking obv ;)

Great start. Really like ur thinking. It is important to realise what is truely important in life as it goes so quickly. Defo think people should tell and show their family how much they love them.  Such a simple and easy thing to do but means so much.  I am amazed that some of my friends NEVER tell their parents thay love them and claim that there parents never told them as they were growin up. I always tell my parents every time i see them and i tell my kids I Love them 20 times a day. Love is biggest and most important in my life and luckily its free. Keep up the gud work

+1

Just read this . Tbh , I think it's better then Alex's diary ( SORRY ALEX ). Well writtened and I found it interesting to read . I like Alex blog aswell . Btw , do u always like playing poker ? One day if u get an opportunity to turn PRO , would u ?
What's your biggest dream in poker ? Who's your favourite player/players USA and UK?
Good luck with the diary .

Interesting stuff.

I have one question.  How long did you mull over your blonde username for? ;)

Lol thankyou.
Btw , do u always like playing poker ?
Always. Like TAL, I don't enjoy poker online. I use it as a tool to spin a few dollar or try different lines etc. But live, love it. I think Dusk Till Dawn is an amazing place.

One day if u get an opportunity to turn PRO , would u ?
Really tough question. I really cannot answer that at this time. :(

What's your biggest dream in poker ?
Ever since I started playing I wanted to final table the £1,500 NLH WSOP event! My dream would be to win enough money to buy a farm, with chickens, cows and own a cattery. lol.

Who's your favourite player/players USA and UK?
UK:   Sam Trickett. Remember seeing him in a magazine when he won a GUKPT event and thought how cool he was. Now look at him. Complete Hero.
USA: Negreanu and Sam Farha. High Stakes Poker has been on repeat for the last 4 years for me. Always watch it back. I think Daniel works harder than anyone at the game and can't get the results lately. And I think it backs up my point about, work hard, but don't push it. It will happen when the time is right.

Thanks!

Lol. I struggled with defining who was who at DTD! So decided to be clear with mine!

Awesome. Same views as online. Games are tough too.. lol

In for blog, and in for farm when you buy it.

Always a pleasure sharing a table with you and great company off it.

I dont we've ever really spoke much other than a hello here and there, but I have to say in a way you've proved your own point with this post. The impression I've formed of you, through nothing other than a guess similar to one you'd make at a poker table like "this old guy is probably tight", makes me really surprised to read this post.

Clicked on the link expecting to see something fairly generic, and actually think thats the most interesting post I've ever read on blonde. Mainly because I can massively relate to absolutely all of it. REally eloquently describes everything that I love about live poker, and stirs up memories of some of the most poignant moments of my poker "career".

How old are you? I also thought you were younger than me but you seem way more grown up!!

Your "laissez-faire" attitute should serve you well. I certainly wouldn't worry about trying too hard or w/e... in reality your probably not doing anything different now than you were when you shipped all those tournaments. Those results were down of course in part to luck, and on the flip-side, your recent strife will more than likely be down to bad-luck! Like you say, just keep doing what you're doing, and just play as well as you can, and more success will come.

Enthusiastically subscribed - enjoy

You lose your blonde virginity in my thread and then barely a day later you've slept with someone else :D

Diary was good until you said you don't really go to nandos, then it suddenly became shit :)

No point trying to be friendly with you, like I am with eso, just to get a free meal then!

Like your outlook on poker, similar to mine, I would say.

FYP

Sorry. It's doesn't meant that your blog r not interesting .

Hi Tommy, Amazing opening post!!! Very well written and thoughtful! We have spoken couple of times in the smoking area ( last one being in the 300 DS last month outside DTD next to Romanello's Ferrari :-)) Completely subscribed to your diary, One Dollar Monkey !!! :-)

Monday

Waiting for the DTD Grand Prix Day 1 to start, I was watching the live stream of the EPT. My girlfriend came up to me and asked to play! So.. we picked out a name and signed up to stars (only so she can play on the iPAD, sorry DTD). Anyway, got it sorted and sat down. First thing she says is, how much can I win? lol. Hooked already. We ran through the hands, explaining that 'suits' beat 'a run' etc, bit to early to call it a flush, straight and explaining 3 betting, but she listened. After a few hands she was up! 500 into like 1200. And to be honest, the table wasn't bingo with everyone shoving, people were playing properly. She was even checking where people were from and a guy disconnected and she goes "I didnt know they had internet in Moldova." Next hand, a guy raised and the small blind goes all in for like 9 bb's. She has Q2 off in the BB and has a feeling. She tanks calls (I didn't advise her to call, lol). She flops a deuce and rivers a queen and wins the pot!! She didn't know what happened until the chips came over to her and then she cheered. A terrible call rewarded. But, so what she was so happy. Yes, I know it is play money, but even with with real money, if people call, fold or shove it is there money. They play how they want to play! If some guy paid £1 to win a giant panda cuddly toy at Alton Towers to knock over 6 tins with 2 balls and was throwing them incorrectly, you wouldn't go nuts and say how bad the guy is, or that you want him to die, or that he should not be playing. Just let him enjoy his experience that he has payed for.

I really loved my first time at DTD, when it was an experience and not about just winning. I came 25th+ out of 100+ runners in a £30 freezeout the first year it opened and was so happy at how deep I ran in a proper live torney.

I am really looking forward to playing this weekend, bringing back the fun and make correct decisions where whatever happens, will happen.

I'm nearly 26 Andrew. Yeah, we have played a couple of times before and same with Alex, Paul and Mitch. I don't think alot of people have the right image as me as a person. I can be annoying and irritating sometimes, and spew so bad it is laughable. But, I am really quite a quiet person and just enjoy company.

Best of luck with everything Stato, including online where your winning in a game that is too tough for me.

F&B is next level tasty mate. Sorry.  ;popcorn;

Awesome dude. I need a guy that can milk a cow and cold 5 bet for fun at the same time. Just the guy!
 Ad 9d SIGH....

This!

My first time at DTD was a trip for the Pup Poker League Finals. I drove down with a car full of 20 somethings from our local to support our one finalist. Played some cash and had my eyes opened as to how poker should be organised.
I remember winning my first pot and reaching out to drag in the chips before the dealer had taken the rake. My hands were metaphorically slapped and I learnt my lesson. That was the first time I'd seen someone go all in without having to show their cards too. It was all so new and so exciting.

I played a tourney that day and survived long enough to think that I'd done well (I hadn't, but I didn't know that at the time)

DTD spoilt me for the games I'd been playing (Pub and Rileys) and I've been making more and more drives down the A1/M18/M1 since.
I managed to cash in one of the early Super50s and from then on I was hooked.
It was a trip to DTD that coincided with a Blonde Bash that brought me here too. That place has a lot to answer for :)


I live around 130 miles from Nottingham but played there at least 20 days last year. The atmosphere is always good, but days like the UKIPT or the January DeepStack this year are amazing.
Grand Prix weekends, well, obviously I love them, and, come hell or waters high I shall be there this weekend. With a bit of luck I can spend Saturday playing cash or a tourney in between railing my daughter's attempt to convert her Golden Chip.

Shared a table with you a dozen or so times.  You've never come across as irritating or annoying during those times.

^^^ Yes David ^^^

Honestly, I thought we were going to be playing at the back of a Chinese Restaurant or someones garage. Couldn't believe how big the place was from outside and how welcoming it was.
Same experience in a tourney than you had in cash David, but I kept forgetting to put my antes in. No other place I had ever played live had antes! But, the dealers were always forgiving and helpful.

There is so many new players that we can call bad that now play, but we all started somewhere and the reason we have become good players is probably due to the fact experience players were telling you what you did wrong. Best of luck to them and to the guys taking their shot at the 'bigger' torneys...just like I did a few years back.

Awesome read so far, favourite opening in the post in any diary on here so far!

Although not very impressed you drink Carlsberg...

Ty, Kinboshi.

Haha. I don't. Mostly red bull or water. But the Carlsberg glasses have there logo on them so thought it would be easier to imagine!

Mad writing tekkers bro. Will be givin it up for ya in my diary soon innit.

Feel free to hit it up.

 

great stuff tommy,

that opening post will take some beating,

will tune in regular like!

Great OP... Subscribed...

Think i have told you before Dave but your Daughter is a lovely lady, and if i was single i would marry her just so i can be as lucky as you, see u over the weekend mate.

Yeah same, maybe my post came across slightly wrong. No reason at all to think u were irritating and annoying, and you didn't spew at all either. Can't even really describe it just the post surprised me somehow! Wasnt that I formed a bad impression in any way

You need the number of ["quote"] brackets to match the number of ["/quote"] brackets. otherwise they all get bunched up together, half the time it's a problem with the message you quote rather than something you do yourself.

ty ty. Learning some html coding to.

Learning some English grammar too. Cheers Alex.
Have always enjoyed reading your blog.

those have got to be quoting fail levels

oh fk right off rofl grrrr

Had a two shots at the Grand Prix this week online. Got coolered early on in the first and grinded it out with no success. Then came 17th with top 15 making it though. It wasn't an issue to get busted this late, as for several levels I had a 10-20bb stack that I couldn't get out of. Finishing 17th just outside the 10% threshold gets me a free shot and token for it again, which I though is a nice little touch by DTD. I will be playing on Saturday live as I my online game certainly needs tweaking.

Warm ups and Routines.

Footballers will always warm up for a game, stretch and do exercises wether it be a cup final or friendly. Do poker players too? I find this is something we don't really talk about.
I am not the fittest and to be honest, pretty out of shape at the minute and have been for a while. I eat pretty badly, do little/no exercise and smoke over 20 cigarettes a day. Which is terrible really.
So.. this weekend I am going to have a jog (first one in over a year) before the travel down to Nottingham and drink alot of water while playing. Really get my head into the game again. I'm 25 and struggle at Level 10-11 with terrible pains in my legs. If you ever see me late on, I often am standing up, stretching staring into the abyss. So going to sit correctly and get comfortable.

How to you prepare for a tournament? What do you do that you feel really works? What do you always do before you even leave your home to play? Wear odd socks? Have a Nandos? Go for a run?
What's your routines for the perfect 'run-good'?

 

I think pre-game routine, live or online, is key to preparation.  As you have identified, other sports people - amateur or pro - always have some sort of pre-game routine.  Imagine a footballer just turning up,puttig his kit on and running out for kick-off - no stretching, no drills, no pre-match talk.  Sounds pretty redic right?

Jared Tendler covers the Process Model and pre-game routine is the start of this.  He suggests somthing like this:

Preparation
 
15 minutes pre-game warm up and preparation:
 
1.Review short-term and long-term goals. The session is about playing poker. Remind yourself why you are playing and what your successes will look like
2.Review my A game, B game, and C game. Cut out the mistakes of the C game and instead focus on the elements that make up my A game
3.Make any session goals I want, in line with my current game analysis and coaching
4.Review any coaching notes or hand history feedback that is relevant to the improvements I am working on currently or my session goals
5.Prepare drinks, snacks, and session music
6.Inspire the coming session with a favourite piece of music, short video, or reading some quotes
 

I always stop off at Woodall Services en route for a mug of Starbucks Pike Place coffee and try to arrive in time for a pre tourney smoke.

Last year, on the Sunday morning I was up early and in the M&S at Donnington when a young lad came in asking if anybody knew a reliable taxi firm that would fetch him and take him down the M42 to where his car was. He'd run out of petrol and spent a couple of hours getting to the services to get a can and fuel.
Having nothing better to do for the next few hours I gave him a lift. It wasn't much more than a 20mile round trip and felt like the right thing to do. I turned down his offer of payment and just said that when he next got the opportunity to help someone out he should take it.
I don't believe in superstitions nor in Karma, but maybe there's something in doing a good turn that sets your mind in the right state.

I say I don't believe in superstitions, but I do always have to have my chips turned the same way with the DTD logo on top. That's actually upside down ( by the writing round the edge) but it works for me.

You should write a diary! :D

Yep, I  know of a few people that 1) Clean there chips on the felt before play, and 2) Make sure the logo is facing the ceiling. I have never done any of these, but to be fair in the local cash game there is one damaged chip with a chunk out of it. I always like to keep that.

I have to get rid of the broken chips asap. Really tilts me and I don't even suffer from OCD.

I always park in the same spot at dtd, always get there an hour before doors open, i wear the same pair of England Football socks for poker nights

I do always wear odd socks every morning and do not turn them the correct way. Bit weird.
England Socks, brilliant. I use to have a thing about my hat. My hat was originally black, it is now a worn dirty brown and smells pretty bad tbh. This weekend, a fella did say he didn't reconize me without it on.

No deep run in the Grand Prix live this weekend. Really happy with how I played tho. Stacked up early to 50k after 2 levels. Then lost two key 20k+ pots, first with 44 on a 8 4 2 10 9 board, where I check call river and the guy back doors the nuts with JQo. Then 88 on a 8 high board and couldn't hold vs flush draw.. Finally at 300/600 get the rest in vs a mad Russian with AKcc vs 77 where the board ran out K7J2K. Was nice to speak to a few guys from Blonde and also some guys that had never been to DTD before, so really enjoyed it even tho it was not a Day 2. Didn't wear my Hat and probably punished because of that I recon. :)

Great read Tommy shared a tough table with you a few months back enjoyed a quality leveling war with you after
our pre meta game Nando's. Had been wanting to post something similar recently although it would not have come across as
eloquently as the op here.

Guess what you're post points towards is the amount of good people we have the pleasure to play poker against. And even though
the game is played with the sole intention of winning money the vast majority of players treat one another with respect that is hardly ever
seen in the wider world.

Will keep a keen eye out here very much enjoy Belton's diary so good to add yet another.
Lets hope you don't win the world become souless and turn this into one endless balla brag hey?.

Yes mate, I remember. I don't often 6 bet fold lol. Pleasure as always.

 ;bump; ;D

As I mentioned in my opening post, I did not want this to be a diary as such with hand histories purely as I knew my content would be pretty inconsistent as I no longer put in the hours I use to. Really wanted people themselves to get on board and make this their own as interest in it has been really positive. I no longer put in the hours i use to, as I currently own Window Business in the Cambridge area and spend the majority of time doing this. So struggle updating this as much as I would like, purely as Double Glazing is not the most interesting subject to discuss!

I did just want to say how awesome is was for people to ask 'Are you Tommy?' and explain how much they enjoyed the post(s) and comment on their thoughts. Had a load of people make points and talk to me about it, which is pretty amazing. I had a meeting in Mansfield yesterday and had to pick up some bits and bobs from our manufactures and decided to pop along to play the Six Max at DTD. Beforehand tho, (plug..) popped in to Sue's Fish Bar in Mansfield and had Fish and Chips. Honestly, the best fish and chips I have ever had, awesome service to, as Franky loves it. Couldn't advertise it enough as it honestly was damn good. So pop in if your about!

Got to DTD early, with a welcome from Matt 'It's not Saturday dude, what are you doing here?' I was asked to be the bounty a while back in the Beginners comp and decided to give it a go this time.

Awesome.
Learn't a bit and thoroughly enjoyed it! Chipped up early then checked in the BB with 37 and lost on a 337 flop when he turned an Ace ball.. Then A9s on a A2499 board. Both times they had aces!!! They both limped to, trapped me.. was really fun to talk to some guys about how often they play, where they play and where they come from. I see myself 10 years ago wanting something like this. To play in a club! I think it is brilliant that DTD do this torney, as 5 of the 8 on my table were not from Nottingham. All 30 minutes plus away. And to see people laughing and cheering about winning brings it all back about how fun it actually is. Would defiantly do it again and if anyone gets asked, do it. Really fun.

I will be about this weekend playing the Mega Sat on Saturday and playing the following week in the Monte Carlo.
Got a last longer team ( http://blondepoker.com/forum/index.php?topic=60823.0 ), which is a brilliant idea. Me, Liam Batey, Jack Allen and Tim Chung. Some of the teams involved are pretty awesome, so interesting to see how it turns out! Feeling good for the Monte Carlo, I believe I am playing better than I ever have at the minute grinding it out. Good feeling.

i had the pleasure of meeting/playing next to you last night tommy. you told me about your diary and ive read it.
like many have said a great read and you came across so nice on table :) i enjoy banter/talk in poker if that isnt there then its not interesting for me either.
your outlook in poker and life is cool im glad i met you :) im trying to meet more blondes live at dtd i think its fantastic like you say, bringing people from all walks of life together :)

looking back on our table having this guy across from us,leaking chips then getting them back, playing strange and winning, we were both thinking 'plsssss gimme a hand'lol, and guess what???! he got a seat too lol. like you said to me 'look at him!?, look how happy he is? just sitting there playing his game,enjoying the moment' its one thing i dont think about enough and one of my faults not considering others and thinking about other players and there outlook on the game and what they want from it or expect from it. he never once said anything with a attitude looking back did he?lol

anyways it was fantastic to meet you Tommy and i hope we meet again at dtd :) YEAHMAN!!

Wishing you luck for the monte mate! SO many hero's gotta be another hero winner this year.

The guy was an absolute nutter! He loved it. But your exactly right, he never said anything. Blinds at 50/100 and he makes it 1600 utg. Before we knew it, he had ALL the chips! Glad you got a seat dude. Always nice to see someone who puts the hours and effort in online do well. Pleasure to meet you to, always nice to know who you are playing against considering the DTD community is quite small.

Best on luck in the Monte, Il be playing Friday! Yeeeeeaaaaahman.

Thankyou dude. Its a regs torney through and through. Would be nice to see a final table of DTD regs. Epic.
You playing?

I wish! Bit out of my skill level/roll haha! Maybe after I win a deepstack ;)

One time.

im playing fri yeah, cya again then :)

Grinding.

One of those Months April for me. I feel so good about my game at the moment, really feel I am playing my A Game. Last few comps I have been busted in standard spots that are for chunks. Played the 150 on Saturday and my AA could not hold against KK on the river. The only way I am ever going bust out of this torney Day 1. Had a good table that I was in control of, playing super agro and taking down alot of pots if small pots with no/marginal hands. Oh well. Roll on the next one I suppose.

Table Banter.

Really enjoyed my table. A few guys from Blonde inc. Mr Muddi.
We spoke of dogs that wake you up, cats that should really be foxes, beheadings, that poker guy and his wife, cliffjumping, god knows what else. But it was fun, made the time go quicker. And made a lot of people interested in the chat so would fold their blinds which helps! Awesome time, again.. Coming to a swift end in Level 9 with a cooler.  AGAIN.

ISPT.
These satalites have destroyed me. Completely eating up my soul. Finally, after some expert advise from Sir Yeahman and Dame Herbert, I managed to get a seat. Folding like a boss to get in the 200. Yeahman.

What a lovely day.

Took the dog for a nice walk in the fens. Such a beautiful place hidden away. Noone goes there. Just land, woods, lakes and streams hidden away in the village. Gona have something to eat and drop the dog at my mum and dads while I venture out the Milton Keynes this afternoon. My partners stepdad has taken part in a thing called '7 Days of Pain'. Its basically 4 marathons + bike circuits over a 7 Day period, raising money for charity. There are some bits on my Facebook I think if you are interested. Milton Keynes is their last stop, so popping down as a bit of support as what they have done is immense!

Birthday.
Its my Birthday tomorrow. Have nothing planned, don't really do Birthdays prefer celebrating other peoples to be honest.
Closer to 30 than ever before, awesome.

Last nights 150.

Honestly, Tighty delivered the best commentary I have ever listened to. Full congrats to the guys who got there and made some £££ on the Final Table. But, the play was fairly soft, and it did need hand v hand to get anything going. But Tighty was amazing.

The best moments included..

Singing Les Miserables

Banging his head against the Wall and Microphone

learning he would have Stephen Fry in the booth with him

Nick Eaton operating the hand actions in the display for the stream.
He slow-rolled Tighty so much.
Tighty "YES.. HE HAS SHOVED. AND A RESHOVE!!!!!** awkward silence **. NOOOOoooo, THEY HAVE FOLDED AN ACE 3 HANDED TO A BUTTON RAISE. HAVE MERCY!"

Amazing.

Stephen Fry?

Questin to Tighty..

"Alive or Deceased.. Why would you have in the booth with you?"

Oh and my favourite Tighty quote.


BOOOOOOMAROOOOOOONEY

Gotcha. Thanks.

Who would you pick?

Other than Tighty, obv

Bob Marley would be up there!
I think I would probably have Tom Hanks. Really enjoy every film he has ever done and would have aload if questions to ask.
Green Mile is one of my favourite films so would make Mr Hanks a good choice for me. Seems like a nice guy to.

Who would you havea.

Such a hard question really to answer!

I did the dinner party thing in my first RSQ:

http://blondepoker.com/forum/index.php?topic=59485.msg1665680#msg1665680

Obv some would make for better commentators on live poker events.

Fry is a good choice, not least because of his experience with the darts.

If it were a neutral commentary (ie, a hypothetical event), Sid Waddell would take some beating. I suspect Oscar Wilde might grow bored easily. Einstein or Hawking would have both the wit for it, though.

Awesome.

Comedy always works. Joe Stapleton on the EPT live streams does an awesome job, same with Norman Chad on the WSOP.
For DTD and not my own personal reasons, I think Stappleton in with Tighty would be awesome. Get this arranged for the ISPT!

The mythical blog!!!!!!  Good table on Saturday, was a laugh.

I knew I hadn't imagined hearing something about this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_McAfee (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_McAfee)

A great guy to have on the table. Never seen anyone sound so depressed by betting! Played well mate, unlucky not to run deeper.
Thankyou for finding that guy! I think having a laugh and talking to people at the table is so important. Always good to have someone else that will talk random to.  2h

The table talk is the only thing that keeps me awake!!!!

As for my looking depressed when betting:

(http://images.wikia.com/darkheresy/images/0/0c/Its_a_trap.jpg)

This ;)

You only want me for my easy money :(

Amazing. lol.

I can now quote correctly Alex.  :)up
Have fun in Monte Carlo!!

Very nicely played

Happy Birthday To You Today Dude. Hopefully our partnership and friendship will last forever . Time for you to bink something for your mate !!! Make a wish today and hopefully it will come true. Come on wembley .

Thankyou buddy. A friendship that will last I am sure.
Lets WEM-BINK.

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fN-xq7t6pKw

Based on our discussions at the table I have a feeling you might like this (if you haven't seen it already).  Not so much for the music, but the content of the video is sooo fucked up / hillarious!!!

Re Above.

Never seen that before and what a way to start my morning! One of the most random music videos I have ever seen.. topping Basement Jaxx, Where's your head at.
Anymore!? :)

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g98QXm42mmA

We don't need roads where we're going......

That may even be possible, though perhaps not (contractual reasons) at ISPT, but deffo, if Rob Yong did not object, at any event held at DTD.

I'll see if I can set it up.

The Greatest Inventions Ever Made - The Nintendo NES and the SNES.

I am a bit of a geek.
I have always loved computer consoles. I had the original Nintendo NES back in the day and played all night. Go school, play football and then play on the Nintendo. There were not many people, let alone 5 year olds that could complete the Original Mario Bros... without dying. I use to work out optimal routes and use 'timing tells' on enemies to decrease the final speed of each level run. I was 5. There were no save game facilities back in the day, so I use to pause it, turn the television off and go to bed. Wake up in the morning and restart. Had Super Mario wallpaper, we use to buy Nintendo Power Magazines (well mum did).. I loved everything about it.

The Next Generation - The 'Super' Era.

The SNES was out a few years before my parents were able to buy it for me. Everything in the early 90's in relation to computers and games, was SUPER or set in Space. My first and only game for a while was Street Fighter II. I use to practice all day. I always used Ryu. He just looked the coolest and was a Ninja. And this helped, as my favorite film at the time was the 3 Ninjas. It felt like I was part of their team.

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwsGiTo7veo

Anyway, my dad couldn't beat me, my best mate couldn't beat me, my mate's dad couldn't beat me. To be honest, noone could. I should have been making money back then, betting for every round I win!
I lost a round or two here and there when I got trapped in a corner, but never lost an actual 3 round fight.

HeroQuest.

I can talk about Nintendo's all day, and will get back to them later.

There was a guy on my street called Lee. He never played football, was a few years older than me and never really played outside apart from 50/50 in a few nights a week.
When your a kid, you will speak to anyone. I noticed one day he had a SNES Controller box in his bin outside his house so knocked on his door and asked if I could play. Haha. We played Street Fighter for a bit, and he didn't want to play me anymore, so he mention about some board games. I picked one called 'HeroQuest'.

I've search on youtube for this game and watched some videos, but honestly cannot make sense on how you really play. But, back in the 90's it all made sense to me.
If you haven't ever seen this game. It's a strategy dungeon game with skeletons and cool shit. You would even paint your characters! Then try and collect treasure from a dungeon avoiding skeletons, traps and falling boulders. It use to take ages to set up, but as soon as you rolled the dice, you loved it. Any strategy game that involved warriors, skeletons, goblins or wizards I would be in.

If anyone enjoyed Nintendos or retro games, I recommend you check this guy out on youtube. He has aload of videos and they all make me laugh and bring back some memories.

Only watch the ones that are 'The Angry Video Game Nerd' as some others are another guy! ENJOY!

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94Y6y1MOoEo

I think it would be a good idea. They would have good chemistry together based on there individual styles.
Would work well! :)

Mad Windows Paint Tekkers

Excellent!

My 10 Favorite Computer Games of All Time.

1) Super Mario Bros 3. - Super Nintendo

2) Duck Tales - Nintendo NES

3) Street Fighter II - Super Nintendo

4) Golden Axe II. - Sega Megadrive

5) Super Mario 64 - Nintendo 64

6) Goldeneye - Nintendo 64

7) Zelda, A Link to the Past - Super Nintendo

8 ) Donkey Kong Country 2 - Super Nintendo

9) Pokemon, Red and Blue - Gameboy

10) Addams Family - Super Nintendo

Goodness me.

Was very much a Nintendo boy.

Zelda: Ocarina of Time was an epic game. The original Super Mario Bros was the best. Completely revolutionary platformer from a user perspective.

No Mario Kart? No NBA Jam?

Goldeneye could be the greatest game on any console of all time. Throwing it out there.

I'd lean towards Street Fighter II or MarioKart, but it is close.

Mortal Kombat used to be available on the Gameboy, too.

Yes, Mario Kart for the SNES was epic. It was either that or Donkey Kong in the top 10.
It's so difficult, as some games I have chosen are based on experiences as a child instead of quality of the game.

Nintendo was so much better than Sega!

I loved the fact it was so difficult to find the cheats or secrets for the games back then.
If you knew the Fatality for Rayden in Mortal Combat, you was instantly the coolest kid in school.

(http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lkvla4lXfJ1qbyl4ho1_400.gif)

Woah, snes chat ITT.

[ x ] in

SF2T best game ever. On any platform. From any era.

Turbo. Interesting. I did enjoy having the better controller...

Never been the biggest gamer ever, although there was a few memories raised from games itt.

My top ten in no particular order.

Paperboy (C-64)
Out Run (C-64, arcade)
Football Manager 1984 (C-64)
Chase HQ (arcade)
Sonic the Hedgehog (megadrive)
Kickstart (C-64)
Armageddon (C-64)
EA Hockey (megadrive)
Donkey Kong (Nintendo Handheld)
Operation Thunderbolt (arcade C-64)

Oh wow the memories, in our house we were not allowed the computer on after 9am on a Saturday, thus having to get up at 6am to load Football manager up for 20 minutes. If it did not crash we would get a couple of hours in.

Good call sir! I remember that day I bought nintendo power magazine and it had the main menu cheat to make the screen turn blue! Memories.

Hello Craig.

Sonic was an amazing game. I protested as a kid, purely as I was Nintendo through and through.

I have a complete C-64, fully boxed with over 100 games tucked away.
One weekend, I will get all my consoles set up and have lonely night getting highscores on games that have been forgotten!

This takes me back to my childhood, as does all the games console talk altho i was deffo a SEGA kinda guy!!! Sonic > Mario back then (Now obv the opposite!)

I was a massive SF4T on the DreamCast, and managed to pwn the world as Akuma. :)

Looking back, the simplicity of the games magic created an infinite lifespan.
I could play for hours.

I have purposely missed off a game from my list.. One that was released on the Playstation One and a game which I have racked up more than 300 hours playing.

The game, in my opinion is the greatest game ever created.

Here's a clue.

Thx for your post S4OOTER.
The dreamcast is the only console I have never owned! I chose the Sega Saturn during that Era.
Do you remember any other games on there which were any good or that you enjoyed playing? Crazy Taxi was on the dreamcast I think?

Confirmed by far the greatest game on any playstation console ever. Could compete with hours spent :)

Yes mate!
Anyone who likes this game is instantly a guy who deserves a drink at DTD sometime.

One of the games I've played for probably 1000 hours with countless replayability is Deus Ex, super old but if you've not heard of it you need a brain scan!

Probably reinstalling it when I get home ;D

Will book in for brain scan next week mate...  ;whistle;
Gona check it out on youtube tomorrow.

Must admit I preferred (significantly) Soul Calibre

We had about 5 games for our Dreamcast at Uni and mainly Fighting Sims.

Dead or Alive (the film is also awesomely awful!)
SF4T
Tekken

These were abused, but also racked up hrs on

Evil Dead
Alone in the Dark

I shared the house with a Gameaholic whom owned every console and we found ourselves racking up hrs on Resident Evil (all games) and obv GTA in the later years, as well as the std Boys nights of WWE and FIFA/Pro Evo tournies.  (I was a pro evo > fifa tho).
Just saw him post a video on Facebook at a recent gaming convention where he got the chance to play the Street Fighter World Champion (Ryan Hart) - He lost 2-0 but was close, so fair play to him

Weirdly the last console i owned was a Xbox 360 (original) in which i hammered NBA and UFC games for a little and then got bored.

My top 10 games ever (all consoles)

1. Sonic 2
2. Resident Evil Series
3. Pokemon
4. Sega Rally
5. SSF4
6. Mortal Kombat
7. GTA
8. Pro Evo
9. EA Hockey
10. NBA Jam

Special Mention to Goldeneye, but i was officially the WORST player ever

Haha, I used to get up 5-6am to grind it before school, sooo good.

LOL, also never played Deus ex, know of it but never played it.

Screen rings bells but not jumping out at me, however at nearly 30 my brain isnt fully functional

Awesome list buddy.
Resident Evil was such an awesome step in gaming and the atmosphere it created, unreal. ResEvil 4 was a masterpiece.

As depressing as it sounds, Getting to Level 99 was one the greatest acheivements of my life. Haha

Soul Calibur was a good game Tal. Didnt think it competed with Tekken tho! But still, a great game.

Yes, 110% f*cking per cent!!

The gameplay was awesome, the levels were tough.  Add in the Ada Wong subplot (and complete game you can unlock) and the Mercenary Games - Just amazing.
I still remember the hours of trying to kill the mutants with the darts and heat scope (you couldnt miss once else you'd run out of darts), hiding in wastebins whilst in the hospital and running away from the maniacs with chainsaws (and feed bags on their heads)

I also remember the final sequence, when you have to drive the motorboat off the island before it blows, and it taking me 45 mins as i kept crashing into the rocks!! lol

I just love beat'emups

Greatest Computer Game Villian?

Ainec

(http://i955.photobucket.com/albums/ae36/s4ooter/1102835591-03_zps6acda30f.gif) (http://s955.photobucket.com/user/s4ooter/media/1102835591-03_zps6acda30f.gif.html)

Dr Wily and all Megaman bosses!
Megaman was pretty incred.

What an amazing intro to a game! The song is awesome.

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8Ao63nmzuE

How did i forgot Streets of Rage 2!!!

(http://i955.photobucket.com/albums/ae36/s4ooter/streets-of-rage-2-virtual-console-20070529045545990_640w_zpscea94fd3.jpg) (http://s955.photobucket.com/user/s4ooter/media/streets-of-rage-2-virtual-console-20070529045545990_640w_zpscea94fd3.jpg.html)

Awesome game, i was always Skate...sad eh!

Also found this on youtube, for all you SF fans!
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qwKCQ4M2Nw

Skate????

No one is Skate!

That's like saying your favourite member of Oasis was Whitey.

Hardest character to complete the game with imo....bet you were Blaze!! :)

Max ripped the shit out if everyone! Slow, but so powerful.
Worst one was that old guy with long metal arms in Streets of Rage 3.

I am thinking of so many amazing games that I missed off.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time
Megaman 2
Mario Kart
New Zealand Story
Streets of Rage
Super Mario World
Double Dragon
Altered Beast
Castlevania IV
Gran Turismo


There are so many good games!

Was Turtles in Time the Arcade one?! That was AWESOME!

The problem is I played the original and Axel was at that time just about the coolest name in the world.

Upto 4 players!!! also released on the SNES.
Shredder was a mean boss on that game.
I had a good emulator on my old laptop with them all on. :(

I think the music in those games made them so good.

The song

Moon
In Duck Tales for the NES gives me such good memories.

I actually own EVERY Duck Tales episode on DVD, thats all 3 series and the specials!

My Mother in Law is awesome, best xmas pressies ever!!!

Duck Tales - woohoo!!!

Was my birthday on Tuesday, might have to invest a few quid on em!

Happy Burfday sir :)

ty

Beachball Mode on Tekken 3 (quality)
NHL 95
World Cup Italia 90
Fifa 96 (Megadrive)
There was a game called Jaguar XJ320 (or something similar) for Mega Drive with Mega CD (which my mate had)
Micro Machines 2 (The one where the cartridge had two extra controller ports in it)

All passed a countless amount of hours!!!!

Ah, a sports gamer.
Do you remember ever playing Sensible Soccer?

I was never this good as a kid, but this is what I would do.
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcmKPmj9yeE

Unfortunately I never played Sensible Soccer.  I found the old mega drive in the cupboard just before Christmas and decided to set it up.  I think the last time me and my step brother played NHL 95 was when we were about 13 and 11.  And I have to say picking it back up aged 25 and 23 was as though nothing had changed!!!

Oh Yes....

Captain N was amazing.

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8Bk9-cX9IU

Sensible Soccer was a pretty cool game! However, I have never played any hockey or Madden games.

(http://thepunkeffect.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/AlexKidd1.png)

Another favorite.

Do you recon there is any chance DTD will allow us to set up a few games of Tekken or Street Fighter at the club on the Big Screen?
People can bet on who will win etc etc. lol

Get a proper torney going!

Entree fee, reg fee, and prizepool?
Ship some money for charity etc.

Tekken 4 rollz.......

I think it would be fun!

Rastafish VS Chinese Frankie? How sick would that be!

Knockout League, Quarters, Semis and Final.

I will defo kick that *****man ass !!!

Sounds like it'll be on like Donkey Kong!

The DTD Tekken Tekkers Torney?

Hey Tommy,

I have now read the whole thread .... Amazing op mate!

I really enjoyed talking to you yesterday your a really genuine guy and made my uncomfortable day a hell of a lot more enjoyable thanks.

Now subscribed !

Lee.

innnnn

need some practice but I was a little handy with Law, Yoshimitsu and Paul.

:D

Gonna own you all with Nina, soz.

Street Fighter >>>> Mortal Kombat >>> Killer Instinct > Soul Calibur > Tekken > Spitting Image

(http://www.digitaltrends.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/killer-instinct.jpg)

I am in.....altho a bit of a drive for me!

Should be good

 :hello:

u mad?
killer instinct> soul caliibur and tekken?

xmen vs street fighter FTW

IPST - Day 1A

Arrive in time and take my seat. Pretty cool table, Raj Dhiri, Derek Kavanagh and Lee Williamson are already sat down.. Derek already with his pint of Guinness. First hand I end up losing 20k against Lee. Click, Click, Click and he ends up rivering gin. So good start to the day. Anyway, I'm not going to talk HH, how I bust and such.

Haven't really spoke much to Lee before, other than just a hello here and there, but after donating 20k to him first hand, it was the perfect ice breaker. :) Was really nice to have a proper chat with a decent guy and learn alot about him personally. Again, like a comment in my OP, there are some things you find out about people and their family's, that some of there friends may not know, or even make the effort to even find out.

The table (mainly me) did not stop talking, and really enjoyed it. The tables around us were beige. No talk, no banter, hoods up, glasses on and grinding. Which is fair enough, but this is a big torney for alot of people, and I just feel, being comfortable with the players around you is so important. It works for some people, but I don't like to feel isolated at the table. The main point to this is, if you are comfortable at the table, other people become comfortable at the table, open up and talk to. Whats the benefit for me as a poker player? With me, I find that people become too comfortable with me? I could isolate a guy several times and insted of being stubborn and putting it in my eye, they fold. Make a comment like "You talking the piss now Tommy, ok. Next time then." Etc. The next time I have it. Always. I do not try and have fun at the table purely for poker reasons, I just enjoy spending time with people. Raj played very well and glad he got through to Wembley. Was also nice for Derek to come over and comment on how much he enjoys being at my table and that I am a nice kid. Which was pretty nice of him. And he ended with the thing we mentioned at the table for a while.

KARMA > Everything else.

For me, like a said, no poker hand histories. Just a sigh.. 

Flanagans Shenanigans, featuring Jack 'Fucking' Allen and co.

Busto from the torney, head over to the cash tables to have a browse at DTD talent. A table full of hero's. Deep as hell, 1/1 game. Jack, Nik and company.
The table was pretty funny. So many levels could have sat there all night. Nik might get something written up in his diary. So don't want to take any hand histories or table banter away from his blog.

Check out his diary if you haven't done already.. http://blondepoker.com/forum/index.php?topic=60636.255

Loddens Guess, I think it was? Epic game.
 Qh 3c

Marvel Vs Capcom?

Lol you whale. It's "Lodden Thinks", because originally they were betting what Jonny Lodden thought, but they needed a replacement for Lodden as he wasn't around for Day 2. And voila the game was born.

And ahem.  Qh 4c I don't play trash like Q3o

Boom.

In mortal kombat:

(http://static.giantbomb.com/uploads/original/11/118253/1687313-subzerofreeze.png)

#FuckTekken

A pro evo or FIFA comp at DTD would be incred. I would pwn so hard.

Gamer Torney?

I haven't asked DTD or seen if it is able plausible, but would genuinely be interested to see how am people may be interested in this. Wether it be FIFA, TEKKEN or Call of Duty?
We could do it proper, so a £35 comp, £5 reg fee and £10 of which goes to charity. Depending on how many players, think it would be great to raise a little cash and maybe go Toys R Us and buy some board games or even something like a Nintendo Wii for a childrens home or charity.

Side bets and such.. cash, torney entrees or even a bonus match. Rob Yong Vs Simon? Loser has to dress up as Super Mario for a torney?

Sounds incred, think £35 is a deece amount as well.

Imagine being in the FIFA final, playing on the big screen with a sick rail.. too good.

IN for everything.

Sweet. Hopefully get some numbers sorted and then will ask them.

5 so far, marv  ;nemesis;

Obviously in for all, despite being generally shit at gaming would be worth it for the laugh!!!!

Finally had a decent bink today. Been a while, been getting pretty deep but never got there.
I have Won Two Bottles of Beer and a T-Shirt from Mad Marty Wilson on the Genting Live Feed at Sheffield.

What a life.

Sick heater.

I haven't got sound on at work, didn't have a clue what was going on!

fwiw I did and still didn't know what was going on.

Haha, I like the time in which there was a big hand playing out, so he turns the camera off and puts it on him. Amazing.

Cars.

Bit of advice anyone.
Currently have a 2009 Honda Civic 1.4 SI Petrol with about 49,000 miles on the clock which I have had since new. Valued now at about 7.5K apparantly.
A good friend of mine is a professional boxer and sponsored by our local car dealership, where he will do swap deals based on the value he pays for a car insted of the actually resale value.
ie. he buys a car for 7K, but sells it in his place for £10,000. Meaning if I want it I will pay what he pays for it. £7000

Really wanting to get a diesel as I am doing about 30,000 miles a year now. He has a 2010 Mini Cooper 1.6 Graphite Diesel up for £10,200 and said he can swap mine for it if I want.
What do you think?

The £7,500 value on my car is only a punt on Webuyanycar, and haven't spoken to him properly so will hopefully be worth alot more. So anything over he will pay cash.

Would the Mini come with free lipstick and a Chihuahua?

Pretty much what my Mrs. said. lol. She was alot harsher on me. Thanks mate.
What diesel hatchback with good MPG, would anyone recommend?

My mates got an Ecomotive Ibiza thats quite nice.  If you're after something thats cheap to run then any of the 'eco' cars would be a good shout.  You dont have to pay road tax on them either.

Haha yeah what Tommy didnt say is that he is taking up a new vocation as a Hair Stylist in which case this fits perfectly well  ;)

All the animals will never fit in the mini anyway!

Or he will swap this one for me?

Well this is going well. Completely getting slaughtered.
Fuck it, might buy a guzzling Jeep and some man boots.

:)

(http://fantasyshoe.com/media/catalog/product/cache/6/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/m/e/men_s_blue_and_silver_glitter_70s_boots.jpg)

Man boots?

Haha, very suave.

Tommy is probably one of the only male Blonde's I know who could carry off a pair of Ugg's IMO

Give us another hour Tommy I reckon we could have your whole life sorted out!!!

Yeah and he will have 300 posts for the staking board  ;whistle;

It's like Gok Wan and his assistant.
Blonde is so comforting.
Cars to lipstick, to boots, to SORT YOUR LIFE OUT TOMMY.

 :)up Cheers guys.

 ;topman;

Tighty?

Thoughts on an Audi A3 Diesel? Anyone got one or know if they are any good?
Ideally, didn't want to get a BMW or Audi, purely based of the cost of parts if anything goes wrong, and the fact I'm sure they drink and not to good on the ol' MPG?

That's almost more ostentatious than I'd wear.

Uggboots and Make Over, as styled by Tomsom and Eso

No hat?

Volkswagen Golf?

Good call, thankyou.

I have had a VW previous and had nothing but problems with it.
I like do the new style golfs, but the prices on the new ones are quite high. Since I have this contact, really just wona swap the car instead of putting money towards one, so gona see what he can sort out.


Would you rate a Golf over an A3?

Optional. :)

I won't buy  or order any car now . I will wait after the ISPT poker tourney finish b4 considering what u wanted !
Probably u will buy a better car n a nice house to . Just bink it dude n decide later .
WIN THE ISPT # wembley wembley wembley

No comparison Tommy!!! Golf (any 1.6) ALL DAY over A3 for sure.

my experience of these type of company is that you could prob put at least 1k on this price mate

 4h 5h 6h 7h 8h Would you bet this for thin value on the river or check it down?

I think checking is fine. Balances your river value bet ranges.
What a misread! Haha. Guy had air anyway so was cool! Complete misread!!!

Saturday

Busted ISPT at 250/500. Didnt win a hand all day. AA < KQ, 36s on a A45sss board v J10o. JJ < 56 on a J74 board. Etc etc.

Decided to play 1/1 and only had £80 on me.
Didnt leave till 5AM as game was pretty awesome. Ended up with £740 played solid low low varience all night, which really worked on the table. The game was running at 1/1/2/4/8 for alot of the night and people were swinging from £600 down to nothing in like 4 hands. Was at like £800+ then lost 2 back to back to shorties gambling. Get rivered by 9 outers.

To be honest, was leaving at about 3, but a guy called Stuart sat down and was instantly chatty like me and a proper nice guy. Honeybadger. Nice to meet you sir. We discussed details about rake of 1/1, which was a point made by Belton last week also, along with the dynamic of recreational players in the regs game. Read various posts on his blog this morning, but yet to read infull the remainder on Alex's blog. Really interesting stuff and will touch on it all soon.

Had a good night overall. Promised the Mrs. I would watch Les Mis tonight, so off to town I go.
Have a nice day.

Get me to Wembley!!!

Les Mis is incred! If you like that sort of thing...

The kids got unbelievable tekkers!!!

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

Hi Tommy. Thanks for your kind words. It was a pleasure to meet you and to share a table with you. I only intended to sit for half an hour whilst waiting for a friend, but ended up staying until the end because I was enjoying chatting to you. I was extremely impressed by your attitude and general demeanor at the table, as well by as your nuanced understanding of how gambling works (and I don't mean how to play your cards well). You were a pleasure to play with: respectful, friendly and warm to your opponents. You seem to get it. Not many people do.

Lord Bing can pull anybody

(http://i955.photobucket.com/albums/ae36/s4ooter/slater_pimpin-1_zpsbbef8c61.gif) (http://s955.photobucket.com/user/s4ooter/media/slater_pimpin-1_zpsbbef8c61.gif.html)

How i see TB :)

'Sup preppy?

More like Screech tbh mate. :)

(http://cdn.wl.uproxx.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/saved-by-the-bell-poker.jpg)

The first scene, which includes what I call 'Rap Battles', completely put me off to start with tbh. It took a while to get into it just based on that. I did enjoyed the story and film as a whole, but really disliked the fast passed musical sections with Russell Crowe.
Overall tho, the Mrs. loved it even though she has seen it multiple times, and Hugh Jackman was pretty awesome.

Always wanted to take Carly to see a musical in London, so will be on my list of 'To Do's' for us.

You to mate, thankyou.
Your knowledge is pretty immense, you should put up a presentation for Rob and Co. regarding Longterm Cash Game Dynamics and Requirements. I have looked at the torney aspect, as there are aload of micro/low stakes locals that are crying out for a fun, sensible and realistic weekly schedule.

Mate, I can't even pull off a Min Cash.

saved by the bell ITT <3

Nickelodeon and Disney Channel was awesome as a kid.
Saved by the Bell.
Kennan and Kel.
Smart Guy.

(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/1b/Smart_Guy.jpg)

What a life we once had.

City guys
USA High
Hang time
Heathcliffe
Rude Dog and the Dweebs
Round the twist!!

Classic Kids TV

Dafuq.  I would lead out with fresh prince.......

Better than Sister Sister?

Rude Dog and the Dweebs ITT!

If it's a niche cartoon off you want...

Gravedale High
Jason and the Wheeled Warriors
Galaxy High
Toxic Crusaders
James Bond Junior

That was truly woeful

Hangin' With Mr Cooper was better than that

Not even close imo.

Don't forget:

Blossom
Boy meets world

I also should add in a few of my sisters' programmes..

Moesha
Sister sister
Two of a kind
Sabrina

Anyone remember this guy?

(http://cdn3.iofferphoto.com/img/item/152/692/447/teen-angel-complete-ntsc-best-set-29322.jpg)

Fresh prince wasn't on Nic or Disney was it?

yah ainec

Oh, if we are going into any channel, then sheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet, I will be here all day!

Teen Angel. Epic.

I was pretty sure I had seen it on Nic at some point, possibly made it up though.

I think the station was called 'Trouble'?
Had all the american stuff on it.

Just been on Wikipedia.  Confirmed airings on Nic in several countries including UK.  Bink......

oh yea,  trouble!! incred channel.

Gotta love Sky, best parents a kid could ask for!!

Rude dog and the dweebs is an incred shout, forgot that even existed. YouTube time.

Fresh prince on Nic. Well I never.

Showing your (lack of) age.

Trouble replaced The Children's Channel in the mid-nineties. Fresh Prince was finished before then, although it was repeated on there.

By that point, of course, lime green hats and purple shellsuits were soooo passé

What a twisted show!
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynCRCkHD57Q

And is this guy the coolest character ever?

(http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/JohnnyBravo3.gif)

troubllllllle - amazing.

wp sir.

+1

Love your new avatar!

Thankyou mate, lol. Was either that or Marv from Home Alone.

boo > all

This comes close.
(http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nJLGJOxc1is/TSTdv4yQBJI/AAAAAAAAAHc/WUWKK4grqSE/s1600/bullet+bill.jpg)

in our house, we troll each other quite often, and the following image from the same universe is used everytime someone bites unnecessarily:

(http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--mSw-tuYoh0/UQ1iBp5K6BI/AAAAAAAAAhc/a_GigiyZJwM/s1600/cchompy.pngp)

ccccccchommmmmp yoouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu

Unfortunately, my opinions and efforts are not recognised or valued by some people :(

That Johnny bravo pic is my stars avatar :)
Teen Angel was awesome!!

Oh dear

Thought I would just put some pictures on to introduce you to our family!

Monkey, Niah, Leo, Jinx, Lady and Maxi.

Monkey

Niah.

Leo.

Jinx.

Lady.

Maxi.

i understand how you can tell the difference between Maxi and Lady, buit what about the rest. I can barely tell people apart, nevermind animals.

Pics itt make me want a stew.

Investing for the future my friend. If times get bad.. Why have beans on toast, when you can have matured rabbit?

Haha. They're easy to identify!

Who did this? Amazing.

Hitler at the ISPT.
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIpKpwgyC7M

WSOP and ISPT.

Not gona be playing anything major this next month I don't think, so bought a lil piece of a few decent players for up coming events.

Got a small percentage of Andrey Pateychuk (sick player) at Wembley for the ISPT and a few players for the WSOP Main.
The Day 1's have personally been disastrous for me and destroyed me. haha. But there are alot of goods guys going through for the win, so best of luck everyone!

http://blondepoker.com/forum/index.php?topic=61379.0 (http://blondepoker.com/forum/index.php?topic=61379.0)

Decided to try and get this going, I have a feeling it might interest you  :P

Even got a mention in OP.

Cheers mate. I haven't ignored you. I have looked at various posts but haven't posted myself besides the 'Branding Thread'.
Been so busy with work, had a load of big contracts come in and my head has been fixed doing accounts for 2 weeks with no time for poker.

Will get something up soon when I got a clear head!

Time Away from the tables

Decided to take a break after the ISPT and take a couple of weeks off from playing. Been very busy with work, getting busy which is obviously nice for a new company and getting alot of referrals for work which helps.
Besides working, spent the weekend and night in Oxford for my girlfriends good friend birthday. I haven't drunk for a long long while, so to have a few was really nice. :)

For the last 2 weeks, I haven't really logged onto Blonde or updated anything. Everything seems to be abit blurgh at the minute, decided to keep out from the 'MarkUp' discussions and others and just rail.
Made a thread about DTD Badges and Logo's for players which is going to be implemented which is pretty cool. Found in 'The Rail' - Branding, Badges and the Quality of DTD.

Besides that, really just chilled out and spent time with the Mrs. and family. Decided to bring out Final Fantasy 9 on the Playstation and bash that up. Grinding that too hard at the minute!!!

£100 Deepstack

Played Online last night for Day 1A of the Deepstack this week. Aload in Vegas or playing the GUKPT and sides, so tbh can't see numbers getting too high/quality being amazing. And from last night, knew about 7 people.
77 runners in total I think and literally had no problems. Was chip leader for 70% of the day, taking a hit mid way through and having to grind it out for a while.

7 Players through
5 Players receive token for £100 for next day.

Really really happy with how I played tho - before it came a shovefest, pretty much knew where I was all the time and was back to my agro self. :) Got it in bad once, got lucky, it was a big one so I'l take it! lol.

Ended on 400k+,  Ended chip leader, but how the final two tables went, someone will easily be on 700+ imo.
Feeling good for this weekend.

WP.  I went and did bad.  You just gonna be coming up for the sunday?

I was gona merge and have a few shots. Then sat back and did some maths and it just isn't positive tbh. As there is only £12k upto, putting £300+Reg into it just doesn't work out for me.
With 400,000 pretty happy, and if the skill level is anything like last night I would have been happy with 200k.

Just Sunday it is, more productive to get a good night sleep on Saturday insted of grinding till 3AM for an extra 90k in chips lol :)

Meh, if I make it tonight I'm going anyway, still got that £50 tourney followed by having a look at some cash games.

Saturday there is no other torney I don't think? Just a £25 XXL on Sunday? Maybe wrong.

Day2 starts at 2pm, follow by Super50 at 3pm and XXXL25 at 7pm on Sunday dude . Hopefully this Sunday will be ur Sunday . No coolers please and the throphy is urs. Good luck on Sunday and I will try to make it to Sunday aswell .
#WHOSTHEDADDY

Animal pics ITT <3 gl on Sunday mate

Brilliant post

GG bish.  You played well.  And by well I mean, 90% of hands you played terrible.  The other 10% I was at best ambivalent about.

One word, balance!!!!

Spewers gona spew!

The Summer Deepstack

Sigh.

Really disappointed not to close it up and get heads up tbh, but sometimes it just doesn't work out. Was above average 95% of the tournament and really felt comfortable against the players in the field.
Few high variance plays cost me some chips, but recovered quite easily with some premiums getting paid straight after.

Felt terrible throughout the whole day tho. Legs aching (again!), felt sick and super high temperature. This kind of effected my ability to have some banter with a few of the guys, so couldn't make it as fun as I would have hoped. :)

Ended in fifth for a bowl. Really wanted the win tbh.
Some awesome support though. All you guys from blonde on the updates for me a tomsom, along with the rail cheering ''CODY, CODY'' hahah.


Me and Tomsom heads up would have been awesome.
Thankyou again guys.

Well done yesterday bingers :)

Great OP Tommy and agree with it totally.

Poker is one of them games where people come from all different walks of life to "enjoy" (a lot of us are obviously sadomasochistic). Everyone has a story and 83% of people are happy to chat away and share their views, stories and outlooks on life, poker and the valet who's walking by in the tight hot-pants. Automatically, by opening up, people tend to feel more relaxed, comfortable and have more fun because most stories tend not to be the that of the unfortunate cancer-stricken gentleman (who was still enjoying his time around the table) but rather buoyant, amusing anecdotes.

To be honest, we've only played around the same poker table a few times and I hadn't really noticed that aspect of your table demeanour. This could be because I tend to be a big fan of my own voice - and in the future really I don't want interact with you as the last time we played you uber pwned me limping QQ on the button and enticing a 5 bet jam out of me with some ridiculously awful cards... It's probably knocking on a year ago and I've still not forgot - I obviously blame you as nothing is ever my fault!

On a side note, would you say that 2 week break away from poker did you good?  Obviously you had a deep run on your first tourney back but mentally did you feel refreshed or find yourself overly eager to get involved initially?

Thankyou buddy.

Yeah I think vocally I time my bursts of speech and interaction. There are certain circumstances in which I become the quiet one. There are certain people who play at DTD when they are on the table I become quiet. Tactics/Strategy ( which I don't want to explain ;) ).

I remember that hand buddy. Yeah guy opens MP, gets flatted and I look at you in the BB and flat the button with the mighty QQ suited :) .. SB completes and you chunky 3 bet in their eyes. I click it back (which makes no sense!) and you jam for a ton!  Ts 4s I believe. No sweat which was nice, lol.


Mentally, yeah definitely. People playing poker don't always respect how much time away has on your game. Forget reflecting and reading up on new strategy's during that time. Chill. It totally allows you to refocus, de-level yourself and be equal mentally and technically. Which plays a massive part of my game. I wouldn't take 2 weeks holiday from work and while away look at new door profiles and such. There is a time for that. Spend time with people you love, do things you love to do besides poker and when you sit down to play again, you are ready. No disrespect to anyone that played at all, but this was the softest field I have ever played at DTD, which is a big reason why I ran deep tbh.

ty ty. Good luck in Vegas, enjoying the story so far.

I take back what I said about "ridiculously awful cards" - SUITED! I do remember that the flat, then click back did make no sense to me at all - as at the time I was pretty new to the table and don't think I'd been too aggro (if I remember rightly). And because it made no sense and we'd not really had any history I pretty much made my next decision on how you looked (so bad but most of us do it).

Agree about the refreshment. I used to travel few destinations in Europe to play poker pretty regularly but if I went away on a holiday with friends/gf etc there would be zero poker as I also feel it's important to get have that detox away and enjoy "normal" life for a week or two.

Long may the soft fields continue ;)

DTD Grand Prix

As mentioned in his diary, last night me and Tomsom have agreed to complete a series of NLH Heads UP games on DTD software.
Games will be logged by us with the winner being crowned a mean mofo.
The loser however, will be forced to wear mask/headgear of the winners choosing throughout the DTD Grand Prix!

We played our first game and I absolutely destroyed him tbh.
(http://cdn.wl.uproxx.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Heath_Slater_Murdered_Ryback_Clothesline.gif)

He declined a rematch before the option even popped up.
We will see how this goes, but should be fun!

1-0

Just completed our series of heads up matches between me and Mr Thomas Somervile.
I won the lot and didn't lose a game.

gg Tomsom87.

BTW, your forfeit is fucking awesome imo.

fyp  :P

FYP and all. Much love x

(http://25.media.tumblr.com/1c0ed7fc5ea7be7c3d14c5ee3156cce0/tumblr_mnhn1dd3701s8nfzro1_250.gif)

BUMP!!! Whats happening in your life Mr. Binkam????

Wiiiiiiii a post!

Tbh, I have kept pretty quiet from Blonde. Nothing has really happened! Been really busy with work, it's quiet times and trying to make the most of everything! Been spending alot of time with family and planning out wedding. So crazy times ahead!!

Ps.. Did you wona fuck with me anymore in the mini Deepstack you nutter!!! Haha

LOL... will try to keep away from you... Just got pissed off waiting for a hand and wanted to shut you up for a bit, never thought you would wake up with Queens there :(
Happy times!!!! well, driving down to DTD tonight for last attempt!! you thru already no?

Naah. Could really get anything going. Got hero'd by Raggy in Level 13 ;)
Next comp for me shall be the Goliath. Will be down for the weekend so will be nice to meet a few guys I haven't seen for a while.
GL tonight!

Binkham, give us a wave, binkham binkham give us a wave.......

THIS IS THE BLOG POLICEEEE, IF U NOT BLOGGING HERE ANYMORE , BLONDE POKER MAY HAVE TO REMOVE THIS THREAD . PIGEON

Killing the online slots.

 
Currently unavailable.

(http://i.imgur.com/ImlYX.gif)

(http://i.imgur.com/uv20nGe.gif)

(http://www.empireonline.com/images/features/100greatestcharacters/photos/37.jpg)

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