blonde poker forum

Inspired by Andrew T and my recent enjoyment of Pleno1's blog, I've decided to do one of these.

My name is Barry Carter, I am 34 from Sheffield. I have worked in the poker media as a writer/editor/marketing guy for about eight years. I am the news editor of PokerStrategy and co author of The Mental Game of Poker 1&2 (With Jared Tendler).

Ok spam out of the way. I thought now would be a good time to do one of these diaries. I have a few blogs, but they are all kinda 'work' blogs with a business intent behind them. I start this one because I love Blondepoker and I am at an interesting cross roads in my life. The problem is - I currently have everything I've ever really wanted and am really happy.

The last two or three years have been a real rollercoaster. My Dad died nearly three years ago suddenly and unexpectedly. Shortly after I released my first book - on Black Friday, literally the worst day in history to release a poker book. I got married last year in New York to my lovely wife Gina. Soon after the wedding Gina had a really shitty year with jobs, losing one and struggling to find a new one. This year Jared and I finished and released our second book. All the while holding down a mostly full time job for PokerStrategy. The books and jobs did well, and as a result I was able to finally buy my first house in April.

So the last three years I was always either working my bollocks off, saving for the house or dealing with something quite major in life terms.

Now after all that time I find myself content and very happy - and I have no idea how to deal with it. I love being married, I love my house, I love my job and have some interesting things on the horizon, I have a great dog, good friends, the family are doing well, health is ok etc. I really am pinch myself happy and am highly motivated to work really hard to hold onto what I have.

But it feels weird. I'm a bit of a workaholic and am not sure to do now I have free time and less stress in my life. I keep jokingly singing to Gina the song 'I just don't know what to do with myself' because I find myself getting bored easily.

So I thought a diary would be fun. Maybe it will help me find a new hobby, or something new to get stressed about (which I secretly crave).

Ask Me Anything! One of my great qualities and flaws in life is that I am way too honest when I am asked something, so that in itself could prove entertaining.

In first. Glglgl.

Is it true you invented the shoe lace ? ;)

No

The nickname DaveShoelace did come from that, kinda.

Once for a 'laugh' I checked into a hotel under a false name. This was obviously years back when hotels didn't always require a credit card for a reservation. Between my friends and I, somehow we thought 'Dave Shoelace' was a funny name, and it stuck. We had a back story that Dave Shoelace's ancestors invented the shoe lace.

In hindsight it's not funny.

Ask Me Anything!


Can I have a free copy of The Mental Game of Poker please. I will even let you sign it for me too. TY.

Ninja Edit - Replace all of the above with "I'm ready to become a father."  It's practically screaming it!

Question: Have you ever considered using the phrase "I'm Barry, from Sheffield" in a poker room environment?

call

Sadly no, nice try though.

Christ, do you know the worst thing? I'm actually 33 still.

That's a sign you are getting old, you get your own age wrong.

We really don't want kids, no inclination at all yet.

No to your other question, everyone would think I was Barry Nev

Do u dye the middle of your hair so u look like peep le pew?

No that's natural, had it since I was 9.

School nicknames included the one you just mentioned, Grandad, tippex head, streak, skunk and barry the badger bastard

Gotta love someone who is happy

Good luck Barry, in this & everything you do.

Happy is good.

Yeah dont have kids they spoil most of the fun!


I remember when u posted about your Dad, very moving.

If only online screen names weren't restricted in length!!

What do you have planned that would come across as 'mid-life crisis'?? Already had a motorbike so tattoo's were first.Now I want to be able to do freefall parachuting solo.

Thank you. It was definitely the biggest moment of my life. All of a sudden I was the man of the family, turned me into a grown up overnight. The whole thing turned me into a workaholic too. Even though I have supported myself since I was 18 I always knew my Dad had my back. Then I suddenly had my mum, sister and future wife to worry about instead, as well as having no safety net of my own. My solution to that was to work really hard, I used to be a bit of a slacker but now I have a super strong work ethic, because I feel a need to support everyone. I deffo work too much, and certainly need to learn to relax better.

It's  certainly made me a stronger person. Dad was genuinely the nicest bloke I knew, and I try and emulate way he lived his life every day which can only be a good thing.

No idea, that's actually my problem, I'm not sure what fun thing I want to do next.

Deffo not motorbikes though, they scare the bejesus out of me.

Whatever you do, it'll be expensive. I've got close to 3k of ink so far and my freefall ambitions are gonna set me back circa 2k. I've got 2 kids and I was 32 when i had the first, they aint cheap either!!!!!

Your ≤5th favourite Blonde poster is subscribed.

A compelling read as ever, Mr C. Suppose I'd better ask some probing questions.


1. Nut seat on a train: forward/backward? 2seater or 4/table seat? Window or aisle?


2. Favourite Playbus stop?


3. Any books or plays at school everyone moaned about having to read and you played along but actually secretly enjoyed?



4. Guilty pleasure song (any from your top five)



5. If you could have been the reporter for any poker hand in history - or fictional in the future - which would it be?

Has to be 2 seater table, facing forward, first class. The Sheffield to London train is only an extra £4-£6 in First if you book early and I LOVE it. You get free tea, biscuits and wifi, I'd probably spend £6 on that anyway on a train.

No idea

A Kestrel for a Knave, better known in its movie form as Kes.

Gotta say in recent years I have really started to enjoy Queen and Michael Jackson. I've always been into quite alternative music so the fact that Wanna Be Startin Something by MJ is played by me once a day is a guilty pleasure.

Also really like Rhianna.

I actually wrote about this last week. Hellmuth runs it 4 times is my all time favourite (http://www.pokerstrategy.com/news/world-of-poker/The-greatest-televised-poker-hand-of-all-time_73081/)

Your top three UK poker unsung heroes? :-)

and how they should move from unsung to sung please, because heck if I know lol

Marty Wilson

Robert Williamson III and Marty Wilson again - had a lock in with both of them, Dusty Schmidt and Jared Tendler and it was one of the most fun nights I've ever had.

Thewy obv but Theo Jorgensen is a tremendously nice guy.

Not nasty as such, but the Devilfish is exactly how you expect him to be.

Interviewed Dave Penly once so I guess him

Jay Rosenkrantz, aka Krantz from DeucesCracked.

Andrew Feldman.

1. Rich 'Tighty' Prew. Unsung, because I honestly think you have been a lynchpin in some many UK poker stories - Blondepoker, APAT, Sky Poker Tour, the ISPT. You work your bollocks off, you post twice as many updates as bloggers half your age, and I dont think you get enough credit for it.

The other two, not sure. Des Duffy is a name that popped out to me, that's another guy who has done loads for poker in the UK who maybe doesn't get bigged up enough. If it's UK&Ireland poker then I'd say Mike 'luckyblind' Lacey, though he is doing other stuff outside of poker these days.

Then you have the guys who are 'sung' heroes  of UK poker who get plenty of plaudits like Tikay, Joe Beevers and Channing.

Michael Jackson is not a guilty pleasure (write your own jokes in your own time, thank you). One of the great musicians of all time. Cop out, that one.

Rhianna would fall under that category tho. Bilge.

I remember Zane Lowe being asked about his guilty pleasure song and producing an astonishing answer:

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KiRyiVgWj6g

Now THAT is a guilty pleasure.

It was London for the filming of the PartyPoker Big Game. I was there with Jared and Dusty in the hotel bar watching golf (Jared and dusty were both former golf pros) and I spot Marty and his missus Katherine. I turn to Jared and Dusty and say 'you can never undo what is about to happen to you' and introduced them to Marty.

Marty told Katherine he would be five minutes and she went upstairs. That was about 8pm. 5am the next morning we are still there. I'm not sure how or when RWIII got involved but he can really put it away.

Not sure how this happens either but the hotel barman, an Egyptian chap, closed the bar and carried on drinking with us too as well as a couple of squaddies who wanted to join in. Pretty much the entire night was Marty telling his stories.

I've had many a night out with Marty, he always has me in stitches. The wife thinks he is brilliant too. He isn't everyone's cup of tea but I have a soft spot for silly sods.

1) How did your career start and progress in the world of poker journalism?
2) What did you do beforehand?
3) The defining moment in your career so far?
4) Your advice to someone else starting out on this road?
 

I was just mad keen on the game and I got really lucky, I wrote a few things for PocketFives as a forumite and WPT magazine contacted me to ask if they could use what I wrote in a paid article. I didn't even really know that poker magazines existed at the time but I grabbed the opportunity with both hands and just wrote and wrote and wrote, and sent them more and more stuff.


I worked as a team leader at Norwich Union. It was a temp job that lasted six years and probably would have lasted even longer if I hadn't got lucky. Funnily enough my wife just started working there and her nickname is 'Barry Carter's Wife'. 

Just everything around The Mental game of Poker 1. I loved writing it, loved working with Jared, loved promoting it, loved the response and loved the money.

Don't wait to be asked. Create your own blog and start writing. Tell people how you can help them instead of hoping to get a break. I know I got very lucky to get started but everything from that point on it was initiative and I really can't be arsed with people who sit around hoping to find work (of which there are many).

I get asked the last question a lot, so much  so I created a blog where I answer the stuff I get asked the most (http://www.pokermediapro.com/poker-media-advice/).
 

So today I couldn't get my contact lenses in for love nor money, eventually decided to wear my glasses.

Just realised that I had actually put another pair in an hour before I tried, which was probably why it was a struggle.

Thanks Barry.  Really interesting answers.

I do plan to get around to following your site more.

Personal productivity

Something I have become a real nerd about in the last few years is productivity. I always had problems managing my time but then I bought a training course called 'Wake Up Productive' and also a great book by Tony Schwartz (http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Way-Were-Working-Isnt/dp/1439127662/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1371208910&sr=8-1&keywords=way+we+are+working+isnt+working).

The last couple of years I have developed a routine which I really think has helped, especially because I am always doing a side project alongside my normal work like the books. Basically I do these things before I check my emails or anything else.

• Wake up, - have a glass of water & brekky.
• Walk the dog.
• Shower.
• High leverage work - proper hokey term. Basically I do one thing which will really benefit me career wise long term, which I would otherwise put off. This is my way to make sure I always do something I am building towards. For the last six months my high leverage work was book number 2. Most of my contribution to that book was done first thing in the morning, before I would get distracted by emails, twitter, forums and my usual day job. Doing it first thing in the morning really helps you focus before distraction sets in.
• High leverage pokerstrategy work - same thing, but whatever my most important job of the day for pokerstrategy is.
• Gym.

The order in which I do them varies (and the one thing that does drop from the routine too often is the gym - this week I've had lots of WSOP stuff to do so the gym is 'hopefully' happening in the afternoons) but this one routine has helped me so much and really removed a lot of stress from my working day. I usually don't read my emails until about now every day. Let me tell you, I think email is the number one productivity killer in the world (I use Skype a lot, which is a close second) and as I get older I am trying harder and harder to reduce the time I spend on it each day. I think I heard it makes up about 60% of most peoples work day.

Thanks for the earlier mention Barry.  I agree with #1.

ps - email me your skype details.

Just had Caribbean food for the first time, can't believe I have missed out on this for 33 years. I have a Jamaican friend who always banged on about how nice Caribbean Rice & Peas were and I dimly assumed it was white rice and green peas. Literally the best meal I've had in yonks.

My and the lil lady are going out for a meal with FUN4FRASER next week, might have to suggest this.

Rice'n'peas'n'tings. Looks nice.What are they?

You going to Vegas this year, either for business or pleasure?

I had jerk chicken, missus had chick pea curry, both with plantains and rice'n'peas'ting. Also had this oxtail thing on the side.

No. This is my third year of not going to Vegas.

This year the excuse was the house, last year the excuse was the wedding.

However there is more to it. The instant information nature of my job and social media has meant that its very easy for me to cover poker from my office at home without actually going to the place. Its really easy to cover the WSOP without going today. Most mornings this week I have put together a curated report like this one (http://www.pokerstrategy.com/news/world-of-poker/WSOP-2013:-Martin-Finger-wins-Event-21:-$3,000-Six-Max_73453/)  really easily.

It's great that I can do my job from anywhere, but in recent years I have become more introverted and in the last few months I have become very aware of that. I think it boils down to what I said in my OP about having had so much to do, and now having free time, I notice it more.

In fact this is one of the big reasons I wanted to do this diary, to put myself out there a bit more and be more social. I think its good for business and my well being.

I need to get to more poker events full stop. I still love the game and love the industry, but I don't play anywhere near as much as I should.

Did you know we've met?

We stood next to each other a couple of years ago - maybe three - at the IPO. You were talking on the rail with George2Loose and I think we were railing differing people in the same table.

We probably exchanged half a dozen words. I went away saying "I just spoke to Barry Carter".

True story.

lol, know I didn't even really know who you were until the last 12 months or so.

That's the oddest thing about poker to me, meeting 'internet friends'. I get people come up to me saying

'hi barry',

I say 'hi, who are you?'

'james'

'james who?'

'wigglebiscuits1984 from blondepoker'

or some such

 

Dave, do you still play poker? if not would that be a hobby to pursue again.

Any old hobbies you stopped doing when you were younger that you would love to have a crack at again. Football  and cricket for me. Haven't played either for years due to a young family and the shifts I work

Online poker, no. I used to take it very seriously indeed but after book+black Friday+my dad passing away I honestly have never really wanted to do it again.

Live poker, yes. I love it more now than ever. The difference is I play for fun now and used to play for money. It's just as well I play for fun because I think I'm probably a losing player these days.

I used to run a lot, pre poker, did a few half marathons.

I do have one new hobby in recent years, reading. I always have a book on the go these days.

I bet!

Yes that was long before my blonde poker celebrity status. I hadn't even heard of this site then. Used to get all my poker news from magazines :D ergo, poker writers were as well known to me as the players.

I don't think we have ever met either.

You're on my list of blondes that I haven't met yet, but would like to.

I think that's what Vin means

Ffs, I was grooming him.

Thanks for calling me back earlier eso...

What is your opinion on the how the industry supports your capacity, in a live update sense?

Do you feel that the market leading companies are supportive of live updates, and value the impact that they have?

I ask because I've always personally felt that they're a very important part of a 'festival', but even more so now -because- of how saturated the poker industry is. It's an element that I don't feel many of the companies really invest or appreciate. Do you think more could/should be done?

Lol journalists

can I give my view George? (not sure why I am asking, I am going to)

(I am biased but) the amount of resource and attention many tours give to Live Updates has waned as the amount of resource and attention given to live streams has risen

This though under-estimates the impact of a good live update, particularly as a matter of record after the event

I think there is a place for both, particularly if the updates are interactive. If I have 20 minutes in the day to check through updates I can do so and ask about a friend who is playing (If the interactive live update is good every question will be answered in under 10 minutes or so) . If I as someone interested in an event spend that 20 minutes watching a live stream I just get to view that one table, perhaps some interviews at other tables if I am lucky, and don't get an overall sense of the competition that a live update can give. This is especially the case if, as often happens, the line up on the stream does not change for most of the day and you see the same faces, predominantly

I do think Live streams come into their own for the setpiece of a final table.

The PokerStarsblog does updates of UKIPTs with very high quality journalism. DTD sees the benefit of live updates and only streams for finals, usually. Community tours like APAT and Sky Poker still do them. Indeed Sky Poker has recently stopped streaming events and reverted to updates only. At the other end of the spectrum the EPT etc remain well supported by PokerNews updates

Yet looking at UK tours Genting stopped updates for the GPS I think and Grosvenor's within the GUKPT blog pages are so half hearted. I think that is a shame, particularly as funding the Live updates isn't very expensive in the context of funding a stream and the cost of putting on a festival overall.

I do think Phil The Tower and team do an excellent job, but a big festival main event without whizz bang updates alongside misses something to my mind

Of course the essential problem is that live updates are seen as a "sunk" cost, extremely difficult to monetise whereas it is felt that you can monetise via streams to an extent (advertising, promotion etc is easier)

(I am biased)  

Tighty saved me a lot of time there. Great question btw.

100% agree that the trend is now going to more instant forms of live updates such as the stream. Not only has that been the trend for people who would normally have bloggers at their event, it has also been a more affordable alternative to a fully fledged TV show on channel 4 late at night.

We are also seeing a 'self updating' trend. PokerNews have an app where you can give them your chip counts, and lots of events have twitter feeds of the players playing in them. Twitter has organically become a great alternative to live updates, one where the user can pick and choose who they follow.

In general the overall experience for the user is improving, but live updates themselves are deffo suffering as a result.

As Tighty said, live updates have never been seen as a money maker, so they are either the first thing to drop or get no help at all from the venues. I've been at many an event where there literally hasn't been an internet connection provided despite the venue wanting live updates. Now the good live updates are top heavy, ie its the big shots who do them well and not much else - PokerNews, WSOP, PokerStars, DTD - all of whom provide a great infrastructure for bloggers. 

There is an exception to all of this, and that's the Rich Prew forum based live update. Blonde single handedly proved you don't need a 20k+ budget to get good live updates. But, and its a big but, there really needs to be a strong community within the forum in order for them to work. It's the interaction, in jokes and community support which really make what Rich does a fantastic all round package. If someone like Grosvenor or Genting tried that on their own it would just be some weird guy on his own in a forum at a casino.

Does the industry support live updates? I think they all wish they could, but as you mentioned its so saturated and margins are so thin, it's sadly the first thing to easily justify to go. Then you have the guys at the top doing such a slick job imo that it just makes it seem like a battle they cant't win. I would like to see more of these 'guerrilla' style updates though. Ultimately all you need is a bloke, a laptop and a cameraphone. You'll never compete with PokerNews that way, but you can still provide something of value.

 


 

which is why people should speak to blonde about doing them for them rather than building the infrastructure themselves and doing it to a "cold" audience without the huge head start that a community used to interactive live updates provides.

Unfortunately going back a couple of years some of the host-tour company updates were pretty sterile. They need a lot of effort, a lot of content to be made to work. Ultimately I expect people stopped viewing the non-interactive ones and the tours saw that as meaning they weren't popular and wholesale switched to streams. The updates can be popular, they just need to be done right on the rightinteractive platform or by journalism of such quality (Stars Blog, Poker News writers) that they remain great reads

True dat.

Since I finished our second book my side project has been self teaching myself tons of web building/internet marketing/SEO/conversion type stuff.

One thing I have learned a lot about is traffic. With respect to people like PokerNews, whom I think are the Rolls Royce of live updates and do an amazing job, a lot of their traffic is here today, gone tomorrow. People check out live updates and leave.

Blonde however has a highly engaged audience. Fewer in number for sure, but much more receptive and likely to 'convert' to a potential advert, new tour, new venue etc. 

The one thing I am sure of is that paying Blonde a couple of grand to do a live update is going to yield much more benefit than using that same amount of money in banner ads or single page magazine adverts.

Quite a few surprises for me in this diary Basza. For instance, I didn't realise you had such a well developed sensitive side. (it's a plus in my book btw.)

I have some questions / comments, but I don't have time to do them atm.

Keep it going please, and add some more pictures.

In fact I actually wrote about this last year, and cited Blonde as one of the few places where I'd suggest a small budgeted poker venture to pay money for advertising

http://www.pokermediapro.com/poker-marketing-on-a-budget/

Cheers Red Dawg, I'm a proper big softy. I'll get some pics of the dog up soon enough.

At Red's request.

(https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc1/420645_10150518263988175_181269498_n.jpg)
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(https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/319746_10151681161035459_1269172266_n.jpg)
Wife (Gina)


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Dog (Charlie)

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Wife and dog and me at our new home

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Jared and his wife, Jared was also my best man in New York. Best week of my life hands down.

(http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_8c5MW4tBdYc/TM_h_9aVHRI/AAAAAAAABUA/ixH2SBBKMRw/s320/n559185458_6315948_5600087.jpg)
Late Dad and dog

(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-9G5I7AJ5cj0/T9OF5RfKRNI/AAAAAAAAZ70/Bw8NgvfFUQE/s720/IMG_0821.JPG)
Me, mum and twin sister (who everyone fancied) at the Blonde Bash. This was my mums first ever live poker game and this first big outing she did after Dad died. She had the time of her life and I am so happy I took her. She shared a table with Tikay who she thinks is brilliant and he put on a masterclass of how to treat a new player at the table, a true gent. He even bust her which I think she secretly loved. Chinese Frankie and a few other legends also showed her a fantastic time, for which I am truly grateful.


Got some good family ones somewhere and some actual professional wedding ones, but you get the idea. Sadly we always forget to take photos, except of the dog. On my iphone I have about 1,700 pics of the dog and 12 of humans.

Some great pics there Barry.

I love the fact that we can take pictures whenever we like on our mobile phones. forget the quality, it's the moment that counts. I so wish I had more of my dad.

For want it's worth, i think you're one of those rare people who manage to figure out what's important in life before it's too late to do anything about it.

Edit:

It's never too late, but it's good to get there early.

If you got to the November 9 and had 750k locked up how many people would you fly out I Vegas?

If it was me I'd take you Patrick. Honest.

I bet it's a mutual thing.

















[ ]

Change the names and this is exactly the conversation we had when we met.

Lol, least balla answer ever coming.

Probably just the missus and two mates, and deffo get Jared as a coach. If I had a half decent stack I'd get a few guys from PokerStrategy out there, but I wouldnt really have a rail. I love the rails at the WSOP but Tbh if I played the main, it would be because I had won some sort of media freeroll, that's the only feasible reason why I would. So I would probably be laddering at this stage expecting to come 7th at best, so I wouldn't be splashing out big.

Such things I can't even really imagine these days, my aspirations as a player really amount to wanting to play in a few fun events of the APAT/SKY/DTD deep stack size and wanting to be competent enough that I might be able to make the most of some run good if I ever get a freebie seat into a tournament because of my media connections.

Still love the game and love to play, but my grinder days are over. I worry sometimes that I am probably not playing enough to stay in touch with the game long term, and I do want to play more, but it's hard to commit the time because there are so many things I want to do in the industry work wise.

That said I do have a lot of US and Vegas based player and media friends, so I think I could probably get a reasonable rail if I begged.

Avid reader, really cool diary, not read either book yet but always recommending it out lol.

I'm a huge tommy Angelo fan I'm presuming you've read his books as a competitor? Thoughts? I emailed him once age 17 should have forwarded the story of getting elements of poker at a school prize giving, he would have enjoyed that. I'm working through both books very shortly, blonde and the internet are awesome for being able to talk to people like yourself and pads. Is there anything you regret not doing or an opportunity you turned down?

Tommy is great, he and Jared are good friends, in fact Jared interviewed Tommy for his podcast (below). We actually thank Tommy in the acknowledgements of our book for paving the way and making a book like ours possible.

The big difference really is Jared is purely about performance, he is essentially a sports psychologist and doesn't play himself. Tommy on the other hand is a poker player. Tommy doesn't have the qualifications or coaching experience that Jared does, but Jared doesn't have the playing experience Tommy does. I think Elements is a much broader all around poker book and talks about hands, game selection and other stuff, ours concentrates exclusively on performance. I'd recommend Tommy's book to most players, I'd recommend ours to people looking to make a specific mental improvement. I think a new player would get a lot out of Tommy's book but not ours, I think you need to be an experienced player to benefit from our books.

Would love to get your thoughts on our books after loving Tommy's so much. We know Tommy has a very loyal fanbase and although the two books disagree on some things, I actually think they complement each other quite well.

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

Regret - I honestly don't really have any major regrets. That's not because I make great decisions simply because I have always been quite good at brushing myself off and moving onto the next thing and not looking back. In terms of opportunities I turned down I have twice turned down a huge poker job for double my wage, because I know it would have made me unhappy, the hours would have been immense and I would have been on the road way too much - I've never thought 'what if' on that at all.

Reading books is one of the biggest things I rarely do nowadays, spend most of my reading time on the internet, sigh

Read on the internet.

No need to thank me....

I'll tell you what grinds my gears, people who don't give you that little acknowledgment wave when you are driving and you do something courteous for them.

I pulled in a good preemptive 100 yards on a long narrow street that was double parked the entire way for this bloke and gave him the flashy flashy light and he went past, really slowly, and NOTHING.

Second most hated thing is when someone raises a single finger in acknowledgement from their steering wheel. That's almost like they are doing the bare minimum to recognise you did something for them.

Do love when someone gives you a thumbs up, or when a bus flashes their hazards when you stop to let them pull out at a bus stop.

Hate to say it, but women are the biggest offenders for blanking you when you do something nice.

(http://memecrunch.com/image/50f0001dafa96f240a000005.jpg)

Meanwhile it's a bank holiday in Gibraltar which means it is put your feet up time for those of us who work remotely for PokerStrategy (who are based in Gib).

Very weird place Gib. Its tiny, its sort of British, its sort of Spanish and they have monkeys.

The monkeys on the top of the 'Rock' are hilarious.

I remember the traffic that blonde used to get during the updates, and obviously being an employee for Grosvenor for going on seven years now I'll admit to a slight bias in that regard - but it always felt like the fact that people were running around and reporting on the event meant it generated interest and a following that it doesn't necessarily have.

It's very much the platform that's important, though. Admittedly, pokernews is quite a 'simplistic' design but it has enjoyed a good following and a reputation is built around it - but even then as mentioned I don't believe it has any of the community spirit that blonde has.

However, I think the DTD/Blonde union has meant an inevitable decline in the 'Live Updating' spectrum - which is a shame. Tower and Peekay work hard at what they do, but I've always preferred to actually read the updates because I personally find it more exciting.

Ah well.

PokerNews has a sexy design IMO. It looks simple but there is a hell of a lot that goes into it. They have just implemented a new responsive design whereby if you have the window half open you only see the updates, but if you have it full page you see all the other information like blinds/counts etc.

Its the medium sized events I think are being left out of updates. I think the small events like the Grosvenor Goliath, Sky, APAT etc there is still a market for some sort of stream/updates because the players are really excited to be there and tell their friends, and there is usually a community built within.

Then the big events like WSOP and EPT are events the railbirds give a toss about, so they have justifiable reason to update.

Its the £500-£1,000 events that are essentially the red headed step child. The GUKPT and Genting, and maybe even UKIPT. No really clear audience there imo.

It is just in different places George. I and others have scrimped and scrapped financially to update at GUKPTs amongst others for years, doing them as cheaply as possible, one person updates where the size of the event dictated 2 or 3 people, occasionally doing them as a volunteer too and DTD as part of the package fund them now, something the Grosvenor/some other operators never did (they were approached to do a deal), never would consider and probably (not referring to you) never really appreciated.

Even before the DTD union it just wasn't financially viable for us to update non-funded events, sadly

I miss doing them, fwiw. 

I beg your pardon.

In no way did I mean to imply that I am disappointed at the lack of them because you're not funding them out of your resources. My point, more so, was that I do find it somewhat saddening that the value of updating is not perceived by some of the operators.

Of course, it's also a lot to do with bureaucracy - which invariably DTD doesn't really have on the scale of the major operators.

It's just personally, I feel that there's a missing element to 'poker' as I see it from my perspective. Locally at Luton, and on the GUKPT tour. I think it created a buzz, it added some excitement and it generated a following.

I might try updating my £100 monthly - just to see how that works out.

gotcha, I agree with you by the way. For your £100, facebook updates once a level, big chip leaders, exits, maybe some photos will soon get a buzz going for members of that group.

Yeah this. Use the Facebook tagging feature where you type @persons name so all their friends will see and start a little rail going

No, don't do this.

If people want to follow how Player X is doing in a poker tournament they can choose to do so - don't spam their news feeds.

meh, I'd still spam their news feed if they were a member of the poker rooms facebook group

Actually sorry no I'd do this, but only under the assumption you were doing a small amount of posts per hour, and no more than two @ posts about said facebook fan per day max. Anything more would really clog up news feeds, just like players who tweet their own chip updates every 20 minutes do.

Just took the dogs to the vets for his annual check up. He is very healthy I am pleased to report.

When he was young he swallowed a big dish towel in the park and we had to take him to the vets to remove it. Ever since then (and especially after we had his pride and joy removed) he has been petrified of the vets. So much so I have to carry all 32kg of him in there every single time.

I usually walk him down, its about a mile away, and a few times he has twigged what is happening about 2-300 yards away from the vets, and a couple of times I had to carry him all the way from there because he just plants his feet and refuses to go.

It's all worth it though, the term 'mans best friend' really is an understatement.

(https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc1/302564_10150344375308175_685154583_n.jpg)

      First thing I am going to do when I retire is get a dog.

      You're not bloody retiring.

This is already an interesting thread. Looking forward to reading plenty of updates Dave. Thanks for the mention :)

If anyone is looking for a dog then there always loads looking for homes at the animal sanctuary my partner works at. Here is Rocko, a lovely little thing who is looking for a home. 

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joHJIhh5NG4

Live streaming vs updates is an interesting one. I think in the long run live streams will get more advanced, soon we will be able to follow the action to any table with camera's and commentators easier and the interactivity teaming them up with facebook & twitter can make them as interactive as a forum update.

The best ones we get to do are for Winamax as they have the budget and creativity to make them really interesting. We do one for a freeroll every year in Paris where there are 2000 players and we can get to every table due to the layout of the place, commentators were skateboarding between the tables at one point. The French lap it up and we had over 30,000 views during the two days.

I still read the blonde ones though and they are among the best out there. Really handy for catching up after the fact as mentioned before.

Cant get on VPN as travelling but 5 th podcast innit.

lol that we have now both used our respective blonde threads as a more reliable way of contacting each other about work stuff.

On it obv

This blog is not a place for spam.

But dog spam is always welcome.

The missus and I are hooked to Paul O'Grady's 'For the Love of Dogs'. POG is a die hard dog lover and the show follows Battersea Dogs Home's attempts to rehome dogs who havent had a great start in life.

If somebody likes dogs, I instantly like them. My Dad was always the same, he pretty much only remembered the names of my friends who would make a fuss of our family dogs. I think that is actually a pretty fair measuring stick of personality.

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

For those that don't know, Mike and his team put on some fantastic and dare I say, very affordable live streams for poker events like the GUKPT, Winamax Tours and they even did a live stream of a PokerStrategy event we did.

Aplogies, can't resist if we are on the topic of dogs. We have been missing having a dog for years since our last boxers passed away and then we had the wee one and work got busy etc. Eventually came to the conclusion that any additional effort is far outweighed by the fun with of a dog in the house.....

So meet Dexter, he will probably be getting a brother or sister once he is settled in  :)

(http://i509.photobucket.com/albums/s339/Eck68/Dexter_zpsf89a7132.jpg) (http://s509.photobucket.com/user/Eck68/media/Dexter_zpsf89a7132.jpg.html)

Good name, good breed. I have several friends who have boxers and they are fantastic, boisterous but not aggressive, and very good around kids. Actually they are just like big staffies in that regard (I love staffies too).

My dog is a real wimp but he loves boxers because he likes doing that face-to-face play fighting that boxers tend to do (hence their name).

Yay! A place for proud dad's to post dog pics! Can't recommend having two dogs highly enough. The fun they have together is massive. Every time I take our idiots out they make me laugh at some point.

Archie

(http://i1271.photobucket.com/albums/jj635/jaxiejoint/Archie%20and%20Fib/IMG_0568_zps6574eebe.jpg)



Fib

(http://i1271.photobucket.com/albums/jj635/jaxiejoint/Archie%20and%20Fib/601653_10151954243503776_1060994570_n_zpsfa81b68f.jpg)

Dogs are ace!!!!!


My spaniel is nuts, miss him a lot when working offshore but the greating I get on return is fantastic

Will upload a pic when I get home this weekend

Mick

Love that this has quickly become the shameless dog pics thread.

This is what my sister did to my Mums dog yesterday

(http://img607.imageshack.us/img607/1774/lslg.jpg) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/607/lslg.jpg/)

lol wtf, that is just not normal  :D

I like dogs, but there is some weirdo dog lovers out there  ;hide;  ;nana;

Tis true. We are weirdos, but imo, the right kind of weirdo. I don't dress my dog up or anything btw. Its a generalisation of course but I genuinely believe dog owners are more likely to be friendly/fun/generous. I think most dog owners in some way treat their dog like, or have a dog as, a child substitute. That is certainly the case with me and Gina, at this point in our life we are really feeling the pressure to have children from friends and family, but we don't want them. The dog probably satisfies whatever small paternal urges we have there.

I'm 33 now, Gina is 28, and we obviously don't want to wait too long if we are going to have kids, but the inclination is really not there at all with either of us. I do hate the idea of never having them, but we really don't want them at the moment.   

Never actually followed then unfollowed this particular chap on twitter like he said, but what a delight he must be:

Lee @pokersternfan
@Barry_Carter hey you fucking asshole, you just followed me a few days ago, I followed back and now I see you've unfollowed me

hmmmmmm pretty sure that there is proof on blonde you do! Superman?

That was actually my sister again with my dog, and it was wonder woman.

I'll have to dig that one out actually.

I never get stuff like that. I'm not sure what it is about twitter and followers etc but I want people to follow me for content (not that i tweet often so pretty moot) not because I'm following them. Its playgroundesque behaviour

Wtf of the day goes to this video created by John Mcafee, he of McAfee Anti Virus


YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKgf5PaBzyg

Does anyone here use Linkedin? I mean really really use it, rather than just having an account?

My profile keeps getting endorsed by people, which is nice, but does that mean they are expecting me to say thanks, or endorse them?

it sometimes means this, sometimes doesn't. Particularly a written endorsement (which you haven't asked for...) should lead to at least a 'thanks', but if it's just the 'X has endorsed you for skill Y' then this can just be general button clicking/gamification of linkedin and doesn't really require a response.

that said, i'm basically the rudest human on the planet, so...best person to ask would be Jonas -- he's a power linkedin user :)

Deffo one of the coolest things about this job is you get thrown a few freebies and get in on the ground floor about a few things. I'm quite friendly with Taylor Caby of Cardrunners fame so I managed to get my hands on an advanced screener of the Bet Raise Fold movie.

There have been three poker documentaries since Black Friday (All in: The Poker Movie and Drawing Dead being the others) and I actually liked all three. BRF is pretty much exactly what you expect, told very much from the serious players perspective. I'll be doing a full review next week 'next door' (as Tikay would say) but I think most serious players and most of the folks on this forum will enjoy it.

(http://pnimg.net/w/articles/1/51b/ecbd29601e.png)

Had a lovely night out on Friday with FUN4FRASER and our respective missuses. Fraser and I became friends a year or two back outside of poker at our local gym, in fact he was my gym buddy for a while and I certainly owe a good 5 or 6 of the 20lbs I lost to fit in my wedding suit to him. I bragged about not having had a hangover in over 18 months that night and was of course rewarded with one the next day after a mere four pints....four pints! Amazingly I have ducked a hangover for a very long time, which included my stag do last year where I think I possibly drank more than I've ever drank in my life. To finally be brought down by just four pints was quite humbling.

This is my hangover cure btw:
(http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4mVL0gMX2Uk/SaP3FUDWOqI/AAAAAAAAAeg/_ht3PKXCm10/s400/maple+pecan+plait.jpg)

(http://www.poundland.co.uk/images/7794/original/89701-4PK-Diet-Coke-500ml.jpg)
(http://www.poundland.co.uk/images/1956/original/nurofen-2.jpg)

The hangover I had 18 months ago was the worst I've ever had. It was the European Poker Awards in Paris, I've been a judge for the last four years and I love it, because its just a great do to take the missus and its a free bar. I accepted an award for Sam Trickett that night pissed out of my skull and mumbled something along the lines of 'he's British, I'm British, that's why I am accepting the award, I played against him once in Sheffield and he seemed like a nice bloke'. They then lost his award and I'm starting to think it might have been my fault.

Anyway it was a free bar and we all stayed really late to celebrate Jesse May winning an award, but there was no beer, it was only wine and champagne (bloody French). As a result, worst hangover ever. I was virtually crying the next day it was so bad, all I did the next day was weep, apologise to Gina, and throw up for two hours straight on the EuroStar.

Pictures from said event

(http://resources.pokerstrategy.com/2012/01/30/me_awards.jpg)

(http://europeanpokerawards.com/wp-content/gallery/epa-2011/_MG_2740.jpg)
(Jesse May is literally propping me up as I hide in the background)

(https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/423509_10151206646300459_1824075206_n.jpg)
Gina & Kara Scott, who became good mates. IMO Kara Scott is the best all round poker tottie and a great person, so this pic went into my 'special' collection.

Meanwhile for the dog lovers, here is my impatient mutt as we found him, just before we were about to give him his brekky.

(http://img43.imageshack.us/img43/4751/udoe.jpg) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/43/udoe.jpg/)

Lol, great dog pic!

Brag alert

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awRBDHGJe8A

Guy wins WSOP Four Max event, sings the praises of a certain book in the winner's interview.

It's not the first big win by one of Jared's clients, he has had them win bracelets and EPTs before. In fact he has a couple of clients who have won really significant events, but he doesn't publicly say who his clients are unless they volunteer that information themselves. In fact despite working together for four years, he still doesn't tell me who his clients are (bloody ethics). As you can imagine that's frustrating for me, the marketing side of the operation.

Anyway it'll be interesting to see what impact this has on sales, and more importantly, how am I going to milk this for all it's worth?

Gina  tuts at me for laughing at my own jokes and this was one of them. PokerNews have a very good app where you can report your own stack in an event but I think I spotted a flaw in the design

http://twitter.com/Barry_Carter/status/350000568279891968/photo/1

There are so many cool parts of bringing a book out, I've loved almost every minute of the two I have done. Today I had to do the one bit I have hated so far, which is recording my parts for the audiobook of our second book.

The parts in my own voice for both books are quite small, but they take me forever. I'm just not very good at reading out loud, even when I wrote the thing originally. I might save a couple of my outtakes because they have been pretty comical so far. The whole thing makes me really respect Tikay and the gang at Sky for reading from auto cues.

We were very lucky where audio books are concerned, we got in at the start of the 'glory days' of audiobooks. Not only are they fast becoming very popular because they fit in well with iPhones and such, but Amazon are also throwing a lot of money at them right now.

Amazon/audible have this thing where you can download your first audiobook for free, but the author still gets paid. Even better is that if a new customer goes on to buy two more, the original author gets  an additional $25 extra as a kinda of referral fee. All of which means we can give the books away for free and potentially earn more than the cover price for them.

So if you see us spamming a free audiobook and wonder why we are being so charitable, now you know why. I don't think Amazon will be doing it forever but we are milking it for all it's worth.

Oh well, back to the recording.

The mother in law is up from Swanage for four days today, so don't be surprised if you get a few bored updates and random dog pictures.

What I like about that is how you've left the other tab in place 'Take a screenshot with an iPad- wikihow'

lol yes, it does kind of infer that rather than me casually making a joke, I was really really really excited to share my funny as soon as possible.

Had a lovely day yesterday with the wife and the dog (and the in law). We took the dog to this cracking place in Sheffield called Rivelin which I think is the best dog walk in Sheffield if you have a rough and tumble dog that likes exploring stuff and getting dirty. He loves swimming more than anything.

Funny occurrence today. His tail does not go higher than 3 or 9 o'clock. It wags still, and he seems very happy, but I thought it was broken.

Turns out it is very common in Labs, especially when there is a change in temperature, they've been swimming and/or are tired. It's called limp tail or 'broken wag'. By all accounts it sorts itself out in a few days.

Loved the Tennis yesterday, the years I wasted on football when I could have been watching tennis and athletics and the like.

I grew up in Crosspool so spent a lot of my time in Rivelin as a kid . Its a really beautiful place and of course years ago it was was thriving industry with Sheffield Steel Mills powered by the River Rivelin

We went for a lovely walk yesterday through the top end of Endcliffe Park right through to the  Botanical gardens .There we found out there are live "Midsummer Shows " coming soon by a production company called The Pantaloons who do really funky versions of traditional plays . Not sure if you have been but open air theratre is great and these are all bring your own picnics  & booze .

A Midsummer Nights Dream onThe 2nd of Aug or Sherlock Homes on The 8th.

http://www.thepantaloons.co.uk/shows/summer2013.asp

Let me know if you & Gina fancy either of them

Kind of silly to say, given that they were pretty much exclusively performed in the open air of the Globe, but A Midsummer Night's Dream is one of the very best suited Shakespeare plays for an open air summer staging.

Such a romantic play.

No Twelfth Night, tho :)

Really fancy it Tal and of course it would be even better if it had been on The Summer Solstice , but of course they can only perform in one location on that night  :)

Just have to make do with all the Bottom gags, I suppose.

I'm sorry guys, & I don't wish to bring disharmony where there was none, but I must make two points.

1) Shakespeare is bollox.

2) Sheffield folks enjoying culture? Do behave. Sheffield is in Yorkshire. Yorkshire don't do culture.

That apart, do carry on.

Shouldn't you be rangemerging, forsooth?

Nah, that's tomorrow.

Today, I shall mostly sleep. Perchance to dream, even.

Ay there's the rub!
For in that sleep what dreams may come.

Some of his workings can be a hard read for mere mortals  however the guy was an absolute genius

Sheffield is where its at Tony...

We have  lots of Steel here you know and the Snooker once a year more than enough culture for open air Shakespeare outfits to want to come and perform  :)

"To be or not to be ... Still in the main event at the end of day 2...That is the Question  ? "

Should say that play when performed in Sheffield is given a different title

'Amlet

Hehe   :)

I know...too easy...but couldn't resist.

I was totally oblivious to those summer shows, presumably because I am a Yorkshireman who doesn't do culture as Tikay suggested.

Sadly cant do either date you suggested Fras, as I am double booked (in Rotherham of all places) the first weekend and off to Gibraltar for a 'pretend its work' holiday for the other.

Anyone who claims Yorkshire doesn't do culture clearly has not seen or read that masterpiece known as Kes.

Speaking of another classic Yorkshire movies, this scene from Four Lions was filmed about 100 yards from my house:

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNaJcx8yHRc

Rubber Dinghy Rapids?

How can you not like Shakespeare? Hamlet was magnificent when I read it during sixth form. Tom Stoppard's Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead was a lot of fun to read too. His play Every Good Boy Deserves Favour sounds fantastic and I was gutted to miss one of the few performances of this play. It requires a full orchestra!

This is me not biting.

No trains innit

O, train me not, sweet mermaid, with thy note,
To drown me in thy sister's floods of tears

- Antipholus of Syracuse in The Comedy of Errors

“Say she rail; why, I'll tell her plain
She sings as sweetly as a nightingale"

William Shakespeare, The Taming of the Shrew

Now, if you have a station in the file,
Not i' the worst rank of manhood, say 't;


Macbeth.

Hamlet, Act I, Scene 2

Hamlet: But where was this?

Marcellus: My lord, upon the platform where we watch'd.

Romeo: Is love a tender thing? it is too rough.

Henry The Eighth Act 3, scene 1

Grow from the King's acquaintance, by this carriage.

Trainio, since for the great desire I had
To see fair Paddington, nursery of arts,
I am arriv'd for fruitful London Marylebone,
The pleasant garden of Regent’s Park,
And by Bakerloo's love and leave am arm'd
With his good will and thy good company,
My trusty servant well approv'd in all,
Here let us breathe, and haply institute
A course of learning and ingenious studies.
DLR, renowned for grave citizens,
Gave me my being and my Oystercard first,
A merchant of great traffic through the world,
Willesden Green, come of the Junction;
Willesden’s son, brought up in Brent,
It shall become to serve all hopes conceiv'd,
To deck the Jubilee with its virtuous greyness.
And therefore, Trainio, for the time I study,
Virgin and that part of the trip to Euston
Will I take heed of those threats of tube strikes
By virtue specially to be achiev'd.
Tell me thy mind; for I have a fiver left
And am to Paddington come as they say “leaves
on the line” to plunge us into delays,
And with that tannoy seek to quench my thirst.

- Lucentio, opening lines of The Taming of the Shrew

Incredible what he was able to write, that chap.

Look what I started   :)

Incredible indeed.   ;tightend;

Very Very Good...but Tal surely you have too much time on your hands ?    :)

Not at all; just misuse it.

Semicolons itt. Shit just got real.

All bollox.

Most mornings I send my wife a gif from the Simpsons to reflect something which is going on in our daily lives. For the Simpsons fans out there, name the quotes that go with these pictures:

(http://img301.imageshack.us/img301/6103/snapshot20080828032219ez1.png)


(http://i2.ytimg.com/vi/MWYzg5u243o/hqdefault.jpg)


I presume Tal wins this one.

Ooh I'm making people happy! I'm the magical man from happy land in a gumdrop house on lollipop lane!

By the way I was being sarcastic.

(Well, duh!)


- Flaming Moe's.

Can't immediately picture the second one, though...

While Tal pulls his hair out at the Simpsons gif, I used my one time today.

Just been to the gym (lifted some weights with FUN4FRASER) and went to get a coffee from the Costa they have their. Asked for a medium coffee, they only hard large cups to take out, so he filled it to the top. He then stamped my loyalty card before taking payment, and finally the card machine was broken so I got it for free anyway.

Can you giffify the second picture, please, for a clue?

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBZulXg0knc ,

That's a niche one! Would have taken me a while.

So I woke up this morning to find out that PokerStrategy.com has been sold to Playtech. Not formed any strong opinions either way, other than wanting to know more. Generally I like change and there does seem to be a wave of positivity within the company this morning, so I'll take that for the time being.

In keeping with my 'name that Simpsons joke gifs' it does remind me of this one

(http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l66ngaWZu81qc073co1_400.gif)

It happened again! Twice in one week, boooom!

(http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lk6c25yoq71qju9ywo1_400.gif)

Germans have bought the power plant off Mr.Burns and Lenny gets plastic surgery to be permanently smiling for his shares in the power plant. . Lenny says its the worst day of his life in the gif. I think they've all been fired or found Mr.Burns is coming back, not quite sure.

(https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR5Dduf-Vw7NhfaiGq1UZjfpW7A5VE5BugJgsMQKtqD9VeGVpAGiA)

Burns verkauft der Kraftwerk. Guess 1992/3 ish.

Homer sells his shares for $25 while everyone else gets filthy rich. Germans buy the power plant and homer gets fired as safety inspector.

"We have completed our evaluation of the plant. We announce the following layoffs in alphabetical order...
Simpson, Homer. That is all."

Good episode.

I will be truly disappointed if you don't get this one - possibly the best line from the best ever episode

(https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRD6xBIS0OGUjDFvAUivQIPclMjCl5jKSJ_kfZgQwrlNyDxATmr)

Don't be alarmed. Just continue your daily business as if I weren't wearing a hat.

Hang on. This is the Kwik-E-Mart episode, so...


"If it helps, I've learned that life is one crushing defeat after another until you just wish Flanders was dead"

Must win, surely?

Huge fail Tal, I feel bad for ya

"This is just between me and you....smashed hat"

That's what Apu says into the camera, yes, but saying that's the best line in the programme is like saying the best minor Simpsons character is Mr McGreg (with a leg for an arm and an arm for a leg), when it is obviously Handsome Pete.

It's a good episode, but Homer the Great, Lisa the Beauty Queen and The Homer They Fall all place higher up, no?

You'd better run, Egg!

Nope, sorry but you are wrong in everything you have said today. Homer and Apu best episode, Homer Badman a close second imo.

(http://abbeyh91.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/comic-book-guy-worst-post-ever.jpg)

Rowdy Roddy Peeper

:)

Whoah, a fat, sarcastic star trek fan? You must be a devil with the ladies. Gee, I hate to let you down, Casanova, but no receipt, no return.


Homer, you're 38 years old, you don't know how to box and you haven't had any exercise since grade school. Of all the crazy ideas you've had, this ranks somewhere in the middle.


Astonishing you put this episode below those.

(http://i.imgur.com/DRcq6.gif)

Best thing of that episode is when he advises Homer to visualize himself winning.

Also like when Bart says "wait, isn't Dad the one in the black shorts?"

But no, its only a good episode. Flaming Mos, the one where Homer teaches a night class, the one where Homer becomes best friends with Ned, the one where Homer works for the super villain all spring to mind as better, there will be more.

Hank Scorpio. Phenomenal character.

"Oh! The Hammock District?!"

King Size Homer?

"And I think it's ironic that, for once, Dad's butt prevented the spread of toxic gas."

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

So relevant to poker too. Threads back on track :)

I think at least two Sideshow Bob episodes must be top ten also, possibly the one with David Hyde Pierce as a guest stars and deffo the Cape Fear spoof

There we go. Back to common ground.

Made the wifey watch Aliens last night (she loved it). I really think it is a masterpiece and other than Paul Reisers hair, does not look dated at all. Someone on twitter shared with me an awesome bit of Trvia:

Who is the only actor to be killed by the Terminator, the Predator and the Aliens (of the famous movie franchises obv)?

Are you sure she loved it ? Not just a humouring smile ?   :)

Bill Paxton for the win

No she doesn't do humouring me unfortunately. Correct on Paxton.

re our convo the other day, here is the Partridge trailer

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

Alan the negotiator....Probably watched all the "best bits " but Im in obviously

So before poker, I worked at a little place called Aviva for about five years. Pants job, but I loved the place and the people, and made some friends for life there. I was delighted last year when my wife joined and by funny coincidence ended up in my old department where she became known as 'Barry Carter's wife'.

Today the entire department finds out if they get made redundant or not, I think more than 50% of the work force will be losing their jobs.

Gina doesn't mind too much, she wasn't in the job too long, she was in it long enough so that we were able to get a mortgage and if she stayed the chances are she would be moved to the call centre, which would make her leave anyway. She actually applied for voluntary redundancy, so worst case scenario for her today is she has a job or a nice payout (you get a reasonable minimum one no matter how short time you had with them).

However the whole thing makes me feel sick for all my old mates, most of whom I've been chatting to this week, and most of them want to keep their jobs. I just found out the first of many has lost her job who has been there since she left school about 15 years ago.

I was under threat of redundancy twice when I was there, I wanted it the second time because poker was going well. That certainly is one of the best things about being self employed, I like feeling I have control over my own destiny. Of course what comes with that is also having to take responsibility when things don't go so well.

I've got this really big thing about 'future proofing' my life - we are looking into getting a wood burning stove installed soon for that very reason.

Redundancy is so emotive, naturally.

It was my painful task, on many occasions, to make folks redundant, and it was very awkward to do. Remarkable, though, how often things turned out for the better for them.

Everything in life happens for a reason. I often wonder if there is some mighty force somewhere that plans these things. I have been in a hole so many times in life, and something positive always seems to turn up when least expected.

Guess it is partly in the mind.

Fantastic news, she keeps her job and is not going in the call centre. Big relief.

Winner.

Great News

Congratulations!

Did you work at the offices at the bottom of the Eccy Road? I had a summer job in 2002 there, doing very little from what I recall!

Good news on the job front!

I did and I would have been there at the time too

YouTube seems to have someone's top 25 Simpsons episodes:
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqG9tk-8anM

Bizarre number one choice.

Also, A Star Is Burns has one funny moment. Granted, it's a classic. But one funny moment.

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mV1LWhNpTJU

Very tempted to lose a day of my life compiling a top ten.

Until then, some of my fave, quite understated, Simpsons gags

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


YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5izm9kHeHkg

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clZ4rGSdXWc


YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kU8vvR7cPQg

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBNNAQB7jdg

This is a solid top 50

http://www.imdb.com/list/gpXyGDxC_fc/

Good list.

Itchy and Scratch Land is such a good episode.

"We're running out of Bort licence plates"

"We've also arrested your older, balder, fatter son"

With a dry, cool wit like that, I could be an action hero.

Simpsons mad mate

Six of us went to Vegas in June. On the flight, we are in two rows of three. Two of us in the three are huge Simpsons fans and used to spend time at school quoting sections of episodes etc. About twenty mins into the flight, the third person told us he'd be moving if we were going to spend the next ten hours quoting lines!

"Well, when I was ten I got my ear pierced...BUT THIS IS COMPLETELY DIFFERENT!"

Probs my favourite character other than Homer is this guy

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1pxgvB_GtA

I'm a huge Simpsons fan but this beats it imo.



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All glory to the hypnotoad....

"We're running out of Bort licence plates"

Haha - this was a classic - forgot about that :)

Truly enjoyed this bit of wordage today

http://www.cracked.com/blog/6-harsh-truths-that-will-make-you-better-person/

Have you watched Psychobitches, Barry? One of those shows that really tickles me but I know.I'll have difficulty finding anyone else who likes it!

Basic premise is Rebecca Front plays a psychiatrist and is in session in turns with various famous women from history.

Julia Davis's version of Sylvia Plath (playing her as Pam Ayers) is a work of genius.

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ivMx-ouVmk

Amalia Freud, Sigmund's mother:

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9CEjBH0ASM

And the Brontë Sisters:

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

Does this mean I get to date Zooey Deschanel?


And for the record, Yes. I would.



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I haven't watched it, it looks quite hit and miss depending on the character. Reminds me actually of Rock Profile with Lucas & Walliams being interviewed by Jamie Theakston if you ever caught that?

I must say I probably do avoid new comedies by women, mostly unconsciously. I think comedy still has its gender prejudices and I know a lot of women who also avoid comedy by women. I used to work in a comedy club when I was at Uni in Nottingham (lots of funny stories there, the Just the Tonic club at Fletchergate) and the female comics always got a really raw deal from the audience.

Rock Profile was arguably the funniest thing they did, before they turned to shock humour in Little Britain. Reasonably well known that Lou and Andy came from their portrayals of Lou Reed and Andy Warhol.

Psychobitches is quick, so the weaker ones are passed over quickly. The cast isn't entirely female, but the characters are. I find women in character comedy is much less risky as we have some really talented comic actors, but stand up is much more hit, miss and miss.

Why we can't get more Josie Long on TV I'll never know.

Just had a magpie fly into the house through a window. My reaction was about as manly as this

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFfamBDv6O4

Agreed.

I liked the way they either got the characters spot on (Blur, Geri Halliwell, U2), or knew they would never actually do them justice so went completely in the opposite direction (Prince, Bez).

Hate to say it but Jamie Theakston helped the show too.

U2 was brilliant.

I am a huge snob when people misuse the word 'ironic' so this made me lol today

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32LCwZFoKio

And to save Tal the trouble of posting this

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nT1TVSTkAXg

Oh bugger!

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMMN7MDSgRE

You got me looking for something else and I found this fellow:

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYq2d7iKKhk

What I find ironic is he is presenting a 'here's everything you need to know about irony' video in rebuttal of previous attempts to explain it, so that someone who has no understanding of the concept has all the information they need, except he goes at a pace so fast and uses terms only going to be understood by those who already know the difference.

And by 'ironic' I mean deeply disappointing.

It serves even less purpose than the videos he's criticising.

I have been plagiarised a lot in my job, I think it is just inevitable. I wouldn't quite call this plagiarism, much more careless and lazy. Anyway name and shame and all that.

This is my original from July 14,
http://www.pokerstrategy.com/news/world-of-poker/Column:-What-will-the-2013-WSOP-be-remembered-for-_74516/

this is the 'new one' from OnlinePoker.net

http://www.onlinepoker.net/poker-news/wsop-news/happened-tv-pros-wsop-2013/20187

(Mods by all means remove links)

Attached is a screenshot, mine is the one on the right. It's no biggy as it is just a 'puff piece' but even though it was rewritten and some themes expanded on, it's a blatant rip.

(http://resources.pokerstrategy.com/2013/07/22/theft.jpg)

zomg!

Your avatar just reminded me we are only a few weeks away! Ridiculously excited! Wonder if you will be bale to DL on I tunes same day as shown in states?

And if I see spoilers ill be devvd! Best TV show in years

I am actually playing catch up, only started on it about 3 weeks ago and I am already halfway through season 4. Already consider it the greatest show of all time.

Without giving away spoilers, what are you excited about? Is it the start of season 5 or the final episode?

What a pain in the posterior that must be.

Cliffs on the new avatar?

It's from Breaking Bad

In order to tie things up nicely, I recently called it "modern day Shakespeare" on twitter  - just incredible!

Season 5 runs for 8 episodes, but doesn't "end" as such, its TBC,

Seasons 4&5 are the best IMO so you still have much enjoyment to come! Lucky B'#s?/rd

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIom3LSbB0I

Pretty scuzzy.

As someone who is very new to the poker media world, I have been writing strategy and a Wikipedia entry.  Some of the strategy is 100% off the top of my own head, with a little sense checking afterwards.  Some of it has been researched and then written in my own style.

The Wiki entry was cobbled together from the two online news sources.

I am wary of plagiarism and try to avoid it as much as is possible.  The piece you show is clearly over the line.  What about in cases where I am being asked to write on subjects I do not know first hand?  I think I have been on the right side of researching and then writing an original piece.

The thing I love is how unpredictable it is. There has not been an episode where my jaw has not dropped to the floor. Sometimes that is because of a crazy plot twist, sometimes it is because of some incredibly graphic action, sometimes it is from something hilarious and sometimes it is from something really subtle and brilliantly observed about human nature (I remember being just as entertained at the scene where Skylar makes up the blackjack story as I was at some of the major action scenes and twists).

There really is no other show like it, it simply is better than everything else.

:)

It is tough to stay on the right side of the line, especially when a lot of the news is the same, ie. man wins tournament.

The important thing is giving proper citations more than anything. Obviously if you see who made the November Nine on Blondepoker then write about it, you don't have to give a citation to Blonde because it is public knowledge and you can get the full information from WSOP.com, which is possibly where they got it anyway. But if the first place the information appeared is on a site you have to quote the source.

The example today is much worse in one sense, because that piece wasn't news, it was opinion, so it is not like they 'covered the story too' they purposely set out to copy mine.

Clearly.  Opinion vs news I get the difference on.  What path to recompense can you take if any?

Most of the time it's not worth bothering. The legalities of online publishing are sketchy, both websites are in different jurisdictions, the piece is 'different' enough to get away with it, and the piece itself wasn't the most amazing bit of writing in the world anyway.

Best form of recourse is to name and shame.

Hands off, she is mine!


I found the first few episodes of Breaking Bad to be a grind, I really had to battle to get through  the first few episodes of Season One. It didn't quite give me the urge to watch more like Entourage, for example. I feel like such a cretin.

Plagiarism in poker seems to be quite an issue; http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/29/news-views-gossip/i-received-c-d-letter-attorney-pokervip-poker-update-1353767/

I guess because its easy to knock up a semi respectable site and try for some affiliate dough.

The first season of BB I loved, but it is series two onwards it comes into its own. Worth the grind.

Yes I saw that thread on 2+2. There was also a notable one with the iGaming post earlier this year:

http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/29/news-views-gossip/igaming-post-plagiarism-scandal-1301372/

My suspicion with plagiarisers in poker is that rather than trying to get credit for other peoples work, the motivation is much more to appear like a legit content site. For example, the iGaming Post above, I believe they never really considered themselves a content site, but wanted to appear as though they were so as to look legitimate for their awards show which attracts lots of sponsorship.

Happens a lot, I think I wrote about it here but I briefly worked for a magazine who never even sent their magazines out to anywhere but a handful of casinos and the offices of people who bought advertising space to make it look like they had a huge distribution (GX magazine, ended badly as you can imagine)

Many of you will remember me losing about 20lbs in the 'Blonde will make you thin' thread. I went from 15st 5lbs to just under 14st. It was mainly so I looked half decent on my wedding.

That was 18 months ago, I managed to keep most of the weight off for a while, but weighed myself on Monday and I was 14st 11lb. I weighed myself because my jeans started feeling tight. I have a wedding this weekend and I just fit into my suit comfortably.

I've been up and down weights like a yoyo for most of my adult life. Heaviest weight about 19st, lowest weight about 12st 7lbs. I've pretty much always relied on momentum with weight loss. I tend to get really into something (like running, or a personal trainer, or a type of diet) and then keep doing it till I burn out and start putting the weight on.

I mentioned earlier in this blog for the first time in years I actually have free time, so I think I will devote a bit more time to this. The one thing I am never going to do is anything faddy I cant keep up, everything has to be based around building new habits. I kinda did this last time by reducing my bread intake which helped a lot and is probably the reason I haven't gone all the way back to my previous weight (yet). Also I have been lifting weights at the gym instead of cardio, because although cardio burns more calories my understanding is weight lifting has a much longer compound benefit for lasting weight loss.

I find myself a bit sluggish around 5pm to 7pm, and thats also when I start feeling the urge to snack. So the next mini habit I am going to try and build is having a big glass of water and a healthy fruit snack at 3pm. I figured that would reduce my appetite and give me a burst of energy at the 5-7 time.

I'm not going to turn this blog into a weight loss one btw, posting here mainly to keep accountable. But no big goals or challenges here, other than hoping to make a few good habits. 

In ...to support a few good habits

How tall are you Barry?

5ft 10, maybe 5 ft 11 with a fringe

I used to be 5ft 10. Now I'm closer to 5ft 9.

I'm not fat, I'm just a bit short for my weight.

Boom! haggled £60 off my car insurance.

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5MfDn_27X0

Stark Raving Dad now on Sky One.

Not a huge fan of that one (I do like it when he called the guy a baby)

Homer goes to College was on over the weekend, one of the classics.

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4eEnYFMmtYg

That sounded like a pig falling...

Stark Raving Dad isn't by any means the funniest episode, but it is a pretty big moment in TV IMO: John Jay Smith

I have in the last year, lost nearly 3/4 stone weight training(that was peak loss) so it will be beneficial to you in your weight loss efforts. You'd be surprised how many calories you burn if your working out properly. I also read recently  that people often mistake dehydration for hunger, so instead of eating if you feel hungry, try a glass of water which might stop you snacking.

Yes, just in general, good things happen when I drink more water, plain and simple. I neck a huge glass of water first thing in the morning and have a timer on my phone to remind me to do the same at 3pm.

Just got back from the big shop and we are making a concerted effort to reduce the carbs this week. Not restricting them completely, just replacing roast potatoes with parsnips and such.

I didn't even bother with the carbs malarky. I just made sure I had breakfast everyday (porridge with raisins most days, gd for lowering cholesterol levels as an added benefit) a healthy lunch(sandwiches, salads, soups) and a decent meal at night. Mostly chicken dishes with rice/pasta. I also cut out Cheese during the week, treating myself at weekends. I also made sure any snacks was fruit. Along with my training, the weight slowly disappeared without it feeling like a chore. Admittedly, there's been some relapses which has seen me yoyo a bit on the scales but I'm nowhere near where I was. Eat healthier,exercise more really has been the key(especially the eating part of my lifestyle).

yeah this - having a sensible breakfast, lunch and tea without random snacks and half your work is done. That should be enough to maintain your weight, with exercise to reduce it when needed.


EDIT: you will reduce your carb intake doing this, e.g. 3 or 4 potatoes instead of 7 or 20 and no random snacks of toast and suchlike; but I don't see any need to make it a specific aim.

So last weekend was spent in Great Yarmouth for my Father-in-laws wedding. He remarried at the age of 58.

Never been to an 'old person wedding' before. They are a lot more relaxed than all the other ones I went to. Really enjoyed it, other than the fact I have almost certainly got another 3 points on my license courtesy of a mobile speed camera. Being as I drive like an old woman that is pretty annoying.

Great Yarmouth has not changed much since I last went 20 years ago. Places like that must really struggle these days considering how affordable some holiday destinations are these days.

One thing I did witness for the first time was someone actually win at those grabber machines. Turns out Gina has always been half decent at them, so all her family said. I was tempted to try and explain variance to the in-laws at this stage and how Gina was probably just the Jamie Gold of seaside grabby machines, but instead I decided not to ruin the weekend.

Grabby machine variance- so there's a skill? There's me thinking the jaws gripping power is only increased enough to hold one of these toys once enough money has been deposited.

If you weren't pulled over at time of speeding I know a good lawyer who will get you off! Let me know if you get anything thou post

Cheers mate, will do.

Normally I'd just take my lumps but this was a really sneaky one, 50 zone which turned into a 30 and the mobile camera was pretty much next to the 30 sign.

weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

I appear to have ducked the speeding ticket. I contacted Nottinghamshire Police (it was in Mansfield) because having just changed address, I haven't yet changed my vehicle reg docs and I didn't want the ticket to go to the old address, then I get fined for not responding to it. But turns out they have no record of me on any of their cameras.

I normally disagree with people who complain about speeding cameras, but this particular one was very sneakily placed right next to the first sign to tell you to go from 50 to 30, so I felt it would have been a tad harsh.

I also sweet talked my way out of a parking ticket yesterday (the traffic warden seemed to like me asking 'if I drive off before you put it on, do I win?').

Watch and learn chaps

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Haha - Roger the Dodger.  Used to love his books/comic strip as a kid and his numerous dodges taken from his dodge books.

When I was at Uni I worked at the Just The Tonic Comedy Club in Nottingham. When I was young I was obsessed with stand up comedy, I really wanted to be one. However working in a comedy club showed me what a tough and sometimes lonely life travelling comedians had, and it put me off.

It wasn't all bad, we had lock ins with the comedians all the time, including Johny Vegas, Al Murray, Ross Noble and Peter Kay - all before they were famous.

Anyway, my desire to be a comedian faded, but my love of the craft never did. How stand up comedians do what they do is one of the most fascinating things in the world to me. In particular the likes of Jerry Seinfeld and Chris Rock are particularly masterful in what they do behind the scenes. This New York Times article sums it up perfectly:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/23/magazine/jerry-seinfeld-intends-to-die-standing-up.html?hp&_r=2&

Also watching comedians talk about comedy with other comedians is a joy to watch for me. This web show where Jerry Seinfeld does just that is amazing:

http://comediansincarsgettingcoffee.com/chris-rock-kids-need-bullying
http://comediansincarsgettingcoffee.com/ricky-gervais-mad-man-in-a-death-machine
http://comediansincarsgettingcoffee.com/larry-david-larry-eats-a-pancake

This was also great viewing. Gervais ruined it for me. Although I love his work as a writer, he is an ok comedian at best. Meanwhile Rock, C.K. and Seinfeld are in my opinion the best three stand ups of all time.

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKY6BGcx37k

All worth checking out if you find comedy fascinating. I presume Tal has seen them all already.

Such a dick, Shoelace. Such a dick.

:D

Chris Rock's Never Scared is a masterpiece but I haven't seen much else of him. Probably kind of frightened his other stuff wouldn't be as good.

Seinfeld is a hugely underrated comedian over here. So much of what people like about stand up was brought together by him. I'm saying this like the guy who happened to find an old Sabbath album and tell his friends he's far more knowledgeable about music than they. I stumbled across Seinfeld and realised this is a special comic.

Stand up is, queerly, a mutual love. I've spoken elsewhere about my love of Stewart Lee and Lee Evans (proper spectrum, that).

Who's the most underrated comedian? Completely agree about Gervais.

What do you make of these:

Steven Wright
Steve Martin
Jerry Sadowicz?

Have you ever seen The Aristocrats?

Please watch his other stuff, it is just as good if not better. I'm reading a book about how much work goes into his shows atm and he really could be the greatest of all time.


There is something distinctly rock n roll about US comedians. They are very much artists, and the best ones are the best in the world. UK comedians are much blander as a rule, but they are usually a lot better making jokes up on the spot. I prefer the US comedians, but they are terrible at dealing with hecklers, whereas UK comedians are much better at getting laughs from them.


Not a fan of Lee Evans at all I'm afraid.


There is a now deceased American chap called Patrice O'Neil who probably should have been much bigger. In this country, although he was very popular, in terms of respect from his peers I would say Jasper Carrot is the most underrated. He pioneered a style of observational comedy way before anyone else was doing it. Billy Connoly and Dave Allen get the respect for that, but Carrot was equally important. I'd also say the same about Victoria Wood.

Genius. Very influential genius.

Genius before he got really big. Loved his early stand up and Planes Trains is one of my all time faves.

Misunderstood genius. He had a great quote about offensive comedy which was 'being offended is the tax you pay for laughing at other people being made fun of'

Loved it, saw it at the cinema. Sarah Silvermans retelling was the best.

23 July: 14st 11lb
1 August: 14st 8lb

Not getting excited yet as I will be stuffing my face in Gibraltar next week.

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_L3dhFgark

I feel compelled to explain this.

There's an in-joke amongst comedians that seems to have passed down the generations. The basic premise is a family turn up for a talent contest. When asked what they do, this family perform all manner of disgusting, degrading and illegal acts upon themselves and each other, before finishing with a "ta da!" Appalled, the judge finally musters "what do you call yourselves?", to which the response is..."The Aristocrats!"

The in-joke is that comedians fill in the blanks; they decide what the family does and how, going into horrific detail in some cases that lead to the joke taking hours, just to culminate in the punchline known by the entire audience.

It is as varied when told as there could ever be and the documentary sees Penn Gillette from off of Penn and Teller go around asking various comedians to tell it their way.

Now you know what the point is, you can see just how off the wall Silverman's version is.

By definition, this stuff is just about the most offensive material you'll ever hear. That's kind of the point. The more disgusting the act is, the greater the joke of them being The Aristocrats is.

I loved the Gilbert Gottfried version tbh, if only in audio. This is another odd version, but with magic. Gotta love magic.

***again, this content is very much not suitable for littl'uns or the easily offended***

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

I think that the Aristocrats, as with many fashionable/cult things, gets it's status from an 'Emperor's New Clothes' type mentality.

I could quote you a dozen examples of things that are absolute crap, but are regarded as cool because it is cool to do so.

IMHO of course.  ;)







(http://www.bubblews.com/assets/images/news/1585741411_1370914895.jpg)

Great post Barry.  Will follow those links intently.

Did my ever stand-up gig this year and loved it, but not sure I will pursue it beyond that one gig.  

I watched a great documentary recently about life as a stand-up and the art itself - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Am_Comic.  Very good watch.

Love Sarah Silverman.

I'll check that out.

Seinfeld did a documentary called Comedian which was very interesting too.

Please tell us more about your stand up gig

I like the idea that there is a joke comedians tell other comedians, because they must have heard just about every joke there is to hear a dozen times over.

On your point, though, I've never cared for Abba or The Rolling Stones, I watched 15 minutes of The Empire Strikes Back and fell asleep, never watching another minute of Star Wars and I get very angry when I hear some people reviewing modern art pieces with things like "It wasn't that they weren't dancing; it was that they had the potential to dance".

Interestingly, I think one of the most stylish men in the world (apart from Lord Becks obv and Sir George of Lamb) is David Walliams. He just does my proverbials in.

Completely agree. My fave thing about the Aristocrats was the aforementioned thing I love about watching comedians interact with each other.

A lot of comedy is built around confidence, both in the performer and in the audience (who are confident that the comedian will be funny) - that is often the make or break criteria for comedy. As a result, sometimes you only find things funny if you were expecting to.

Reminds me of this (see what I mean about Gervais ruining it)

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8J0RQ4A3jvE

Fun stuff to do in Manchester?

Gina has never been to Manchester, and although I have been to the G Casino loads of times, watched boxing at the MEN and went out with a girl from Stockport before, it has been a good 15 years since I properly went into the City Centre.

So we are probably going to do a day trip and night out next month, the GUKPT weekend so I can pop over and say hi to a few folks and call it a business trip.

Any suggestions what we can get up to?

At the risk of highlighting my nittiness, I went to Manchester about 18months ago to watch Skrillex in an amazing venue called The Warehouse Project, just underneath Manchester Piccadilly train station. A friend and I went from Birmingham city centre to the middle of Manchester by Megabus. Went straight there and cost us about £8 each return. Best. Thing. Ever.

 

Joking aside its a real good  night and vibe down on canal street... gay or straight

http://www.manchesterbars.com/location-gayvillage.htm

So I picked an interesting week to go to Gibraltar

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-23567982

I'm off on Wednesday for the week with the missus to visit the folks at PokerStrategy. It really is a strange - not in a bad way - place. I wonder if we will have any problems getting there after this week's news.


Gibraltar: The 'Party Is Over' Warns Spain
Spain's foreign minister says his country may bring in a border crossing fee and even close airspace to the British territory.

Britain says it is concerned by comments made by Spain's foreign minister in which he warned the "party is over" when it comes to his country's policy on Gibraltar.

Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo said he was considering retaliatory measures towards the British territory, including a 50 euro border crossing fee, amid a dispute over an artificial reef being created by the Gibraltarians.

He told ABC newspaper the proceeds would be used to help Spanish fisherman who have lost out because of damage to fishing grounds allegedly caused by Gibraltarian authorities.

Mr Garcia-Margallo added that tax investigations into thousands of Gibraltarians who own property in Spain could also be launched.

Spain is also considering closing airspace to planes heading to Gibraltar airport, he added, as well as changing rules to increase tax revenue from online gaming companies based on "the Rock".

A Foreign Office spokesperson said: "We are concerned by today's comments on Gibraltar, which we are looking into further.

"As we have said, we will not compromise on our sovereignty over Gibraltar, nor our commitment to its people. We continue to use all necessary measures to safeguard British sovereignty."

The comments come after "disproportionate checks" at the border have increased tensions between Britain and Spain.
Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo Mr Garcia-Margallo says airspace could even be closed

The Spanish ambassador was summoned to the Foreign Office last week to explain why people crossing the border were having to wait up to seven hours in sweltering heat.

Foreign Office Minister Hugo Swire said the delays were "as a result of wholly disproportionate checks introduced by the Spanish authorities on vehicles both leaving and entering Gibraltar".

Foreign Secretary William Hague also called Mr Garcia-Margallo to express concern over the delays.

Britain has held sovereignty over Gibraltar for three centuries and its 2.6 square miles is home to 30,000 people, with an economy dominated by off-shore banking, internet gambling operations and tourism.

However, ownership of the territory has long been a point of contention between Spain and Britain.

The latest tensions began 10 days ago after Gibraltarian boats began dumping blocks of concrete into the sea near the territory.

The British territory said it was creating an artificial reef that would foster fish populations, but Spain said the reef would block its fishing boats and ramped up border checks.

Gibraltar has complained to the European Commission, saying the checks violate EU rules on free circulation.

Spain's previous government took a softer line on Gibraltar and did not discuss the issue of sovereignty, but Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, who was elected in November 2011, has taken a harder line regarding his country's claim on the territory.

The UK has made clear that it will not negotiate over sovereignty as long as Gibraltar's people want to remain British.

An FCO statement added: "Our differences with Spain on Gibraltar will be resolved by political means through our relationship as EU partners, not through disproportionate measures such as the border delays we have seen over the past week.

"We have many common interests with Spain and wish to continue to have a strong relationship at every level with the Government of Spain.

"In the meantime, we will be seeking an explanation from Spain following reports that the Spanish government might target Gibraltar with further measures."

Bloody foreigners!

Just got back from a cracking week in Gibraltar. I have been three times for work but this was the first time with Gina, and also the first time in the summer. I found the place quite boring previously but I saw and experienced so much more of it this time around, and had a fantastic time. Gina loved it even more and she is keen to accompany me on my work trips more often.

(https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc3/1170901_10153099265355459_1320627750_n.jpg)

To give you an idea of what a mecca Gib is for the gambling industry, here is the building PokerStrategy is in:

(http://img600.imageshack.us/img600/9940/rkum.jpg) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/600/rkum.jpg/)

Very unusual at the PS offices. As you all probably know, PokerStrategy was bought by Playtech recently and split off from the parent group Etruvian. As a result, the normally 250 strong offices across three floors was now more of a 60 person start up on one floor. Lots of familiar faces (including Pads) were no longer there and the whole place is a lot less German. The atmosphere was very good though and there was a real feeling that this was a new venture instead of the same old same old.

The biggest joy I think poker has given me is travelling and meeting new people from different walks of life. Whenever I can take Gina somewhere other than a casino and meet people who are not all English, we have a good time. We had an amazing night out with the most mixed group of people you could encounter:

(https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/1146611_10153099270545459_1775188116_n.jpg)

In order you have a Catalan, a German, us two Brits, two Dutchies, Czech Republic and Poland (missing from the pic was another German and a Russian girl). How lucky we Brits are most people can, and are prepared, to talk to us in our native tongue (Funny aside, you would not believe how many people asked me if I could understand Pleno1s accent because they could not).

We went out clubbing and drinking champagne, the club was full of hot women. I remember at one point seeing this sliightly overweight middle aged guy dancing and thinking he looked really out of place. You could imagine how gutted I was when I realised it was me in a mirror.

Gib is such a strange place. It is basicaly Britain, how it should be. Warm, relaxed, friendly - but with our TV.

To give an idea, here is my view from the apartment - nice right?

(http://img821.imageshack.us/img821/3812/f4vd.jpg) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/821/f4vd.jpg/)

Same view from a different angle:

(http://img819.imageshack.us/img819/8695/z19p.jpg) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/819/z19p.jpg/)

We did a guided tour up to the top of the rock, highly recommended. Especially because of these guys:

(https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/1150995_10153099287460459_994535852_n.jpg)

Back to normal now. I have another work trip in September, but my next pokering will be in two weeks. I'm treating myself with a couple of APAT events for my 34th birthday - anyone else going?

Typo on the birthday fella

I'll be there all weekend for the APAT with Joobs (although she isnt playing) so if Gina comes down Joobs will always go shopping!

(http://img46.imageshack.us/img46/1256/0yhc.jpg) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/46/0yhc.jpg/)

Not sure I want to know the answer, but how old would you have me pegged for?

Haha, you just keep throwing me ammo! How was prison?

As for the age, it's more a case of me hoping you were more like my age!

Its funny really, when I was 15, I looked 30. Then the older I got, the younger I looked. However time is catching up and I am now starting to get proper grey hairs.

I might start wearing those low riding hip hop jeans to bring the average down a bit.

oh dear, when I tell Joerg you called him Dutch hes gonna kill you!

Is he the alien on his left?  Did think that was a bit of an oversight when talking about how mixed the group was.

(https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/1146611_10153099270545459_1775188116_n.jpg)

What kind of establishment were you in? Photos in the background look intriguing.

My bad, I'm sure someone told me he was Dutch.

A Level Results Day today. I love the tried and tested format TV producers use of getting a really hard working swotty girl to open their results next to a thick lad.

It reminded me of the funny way I got into college from school. When I was at school I was written off academically because I pissed around and tried to make my mates laugh, so I didn't even bother applying to do A Levels. Then in something of a shock I (only just) got good enough grades at school to do them. Unfortunately Norton College, my local and also the best college in Sheffield, was highly competitive to get into and you had to get accepted in principle months before you even did your exams.

Not liking the prospect of having to get a bus to a different college when a good one was literally at the bottom of my road, I hatched a plan. I just strolled down to tell them I would be accepting their very kind offer of a place there to do English, Psychology and Communication Studies A Level. They looked at their records, furrowed their brows, and told me they had no such record.

I looked at them perplexed "but I had a formal offer, I turned down an offer from another college, damn it though I lost the letter". I then proceeded to just look really upset and let down by the education system.

They went away for about 30 minutes, came back and low and behold I was on their systems for those exact three A Levels and had a new letter printed offering me the place. Someone in admin was blatantly worried it was them who made the mistake and quickly went about correcting it.

Sadly it was about the only clever thing I did while I was at college.

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UB8TCRUd9rA

Think you need to take the F out of your thread title. Incredible blagging tekkers.

My cousin is/was a keen photographer. Had all the latest gizmos, digishutter FX87jls-i 37terapixel snapthruster, the lot. A few years ago, he went to a concert (won't name it to protect the innocent, but it was a live event and it had the number 8 in the title). He walked boldly to the front with his camera round his shoulder and, when stopped by security, told them he was the Africa correspondent for the Financial Times. One straight face later, he had the best view in the house.

Feck!  I want a FX87jls-i 37terapixel snap thruster now.

Great stories guys. I love those Winker Watson wizard wheezes.

Ha great story, pretty awesome it worked.

I love my little iPad and the bloody thing broke on the way back from Gib. It is just out of warranty. The repair place in Sheffield have told me it will be £120 to fix, which is a really awkward amount, because I bought it just before the iPad mini came out and I really like those, and they are about £240.

I'd probably get about £30 for it traded in for a recycle. So basically for about £90 more, I could get a new one with a warranty and everything. Had it been £90 to fix I would have gone for it I think.

Does anyone else share my weak ass way of justifying buying a new toy?

If the money's there to do it, I'd go for new every time in that situation.

Me too.

I actually thought you would bollock me and tell me to have a stab at fixing it myself.

Bollock? Moi?


Actually, what have you got to lose by trying to fix it?

Definitely the money to recycle it after I balls it up

Interest weekend. The missus is away at a wedding. A few of my mates commented to me 'must be nice to have the house to yourself' but I work from home, so it just feels like I'm at work.

On Saturday I looked after my Mum's dog. Martha is an Old English Sheepdog, and is a cracking pet. She dominates my dog, but I think he likes it.

My family have always had Old English Sheepdogs, they are a tremenously good natured and loyal breed. When our last one, Oscar, died my Dad decided not to get another. There has been lots of anecdotal evidence that suggests that having a dog extends your life expectancy (the exercise and sense of purpose probably being the reason) and we all firmly believe that Dad was never quite the same after losing Oscar. A month or so after Oscar died, my Dad had a blood clot in his eye, which the doctors said was stress. That ended up not being a problem, but he was never quite the same after. Even then, I was glad to say he really enjoyed the company of my Dog Charlie for a while before he passed away (in fact he drew a halo above the head of a picture of Charlie the day he died himself - many would have read way too much into that but I'm quite the rationalist, but it does freak me out a little) during his last year.

Dogs are amazing. Charlie really helped me in that difficult first six months, and even more he helped my Mum. I took him round most days and let her look after him. We are both really grateful to the daft dog for what he did for the entire family. In fact it was during this time that Mum decided to get Martha, and the breed will always make us remember good times with Dad. Its been nearly three years since Dad died and I think Mum has picked herself up brilliantly and I think its all due to having a dog. She even stopped smoking, cold turkey, the day she got her.

(http://img593.imageshack.us/img593/8120/a6g7.jpg) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/593/a6g7.jpg/)

Today I went to the Christening of a friend's baby. It was not only my first Christening as a guest, it was the first Catholic ceremony I have attended. I must admit I did have this perception we would be shouted at and made to feel guilty about something, but it was quite a pleasant laid back affair (and I was chuffed when we didn't have to sing). It's always a little awkward for me at these things because in the last 18 months I 'came out' as an atheist, and I have a real conflict because I have really strong views about religion, but in equal measure I have really strong views about respecting and not trying to change other people's views. I always feel a tad hypocritical at church events, but imo its about friends and family. 

Anyhoo, currently helping plan a Stag Do. We are very likely doing dodge ball at some point in fancy dress, possibly London. The groom is looking for suggestions of non standard things to do that will make this one memorable. 

http://wish.co.uk/zombie-battle-london/

That could well be happening actually

Dogs ftw

He said non-standard things to do Tom...

So I have just started some personal training sessions at the gym. I used a personal trainer to help me get into my suit for my wedding and he (and gym buddy FUN4FRASER) really helped me a lot. In fact I weighed nearly 16st when I started and got down to 13st 13lb. I am currently 14st 11lb, which is sort of a success in that I havent put ALL the weight back on.

The advice is great, the motivational slogans being shouted at you are great, but personal training is worth it because of the accountability. Knowing I have a hard session coming up next week makes me work harder this week, because I don't want it to hurt like hell.

Anyway, after the wedding I used buying a house and writing our second book as the excuse for not keeping up with it. Now I have no excuse, and as I mentioned, I have some time on my hands. So I re-signed with Jon Ainsley my trainer and just had my first session. He asked me what my goals were and I just told him 'do whatever you would do if you woke up tomorrow with this body'.

He took some measurements and is getting me doing some boxing and weight-circuity-things. He has set me a challenge to lose 6lbs and 3inches from the measurements he took by the first week in October.

He is emailing me my measurements later today. I'm between about 42-44 in the chest/waist area but cant remember.

One thing which surpried me was my bodyfat %. I've never had this done before, but I knew 'good' was between about 18-24%, so I expected to be just outside of that range, maybe about 27%. I was actually 20.8%, which really surprised me because I do have a few 'wobbly' bits. I guess it is all down to body type/composition, and I suppose it shows that any single measurement of health alone is unreliable.

Anyway, I am absoluteley shagged, its been a long time since I pused myself. I enjoyed it but I feel a bit sick.


 

And just so I have even more accountability, here are my starting stats from yesterday:

Weight - 94kg (I'm 5ft 10" btw)

Stomach  - 43.5"

Belt line 43.5"

Chest 44"

Body fat - 20.3% - 21.8%

The aim is to lose 6lbs and three inches (combined across the three measurements in any order) by October 7th. 

34th birthday today (Yes Mr Johnson, thats the actual age)

I am now officially mid-thirties. I quite enjoy being in my thirties.

My twin sister (Did I mention I'm a twin?) always goes away for our birthday, in fact I havent seen her on this day for at least ten years. She is going 'zorbing' today, whatever that is.

A lot more low key for me, I went and had a nice costa coffee (Did I mention I was addicted to costa coffee?), took the dog for a walk then had a sausage sandwhich round my mums. Other than that, its just a normal working day.

All my friends are coming out tonight for the Caribbean night at the local cafe. I also have one of the very first instances where my poker friends meet my non poker friends, as Frasier is coming with his missus. My friends are an odd bunch, so he will fit right in.

This missus got me this as a joke, which has backfired because I am looking forward to filling it in:

Good Fun at the local Caribbean...We all loved the food and Mr Shoelace was doing well knocking back the tequila infused beers. A cake came out and we all sang happy birthday and retired to the local .

He was still going strong on the beers but then got presented with a big shot of Jagermeister . After knocking it straight down he was told  by his mate  " They didn't have any Jagermeisters so I got you a doubleTia Maria instead "  After that he seemed to go off the rails slightly and was last seen muttering  "not sure if Ill make the poker tomorrow"

Great Night   :)

Yep totally wimped out from going to DTD today shaking off a hangover. I hadn't had a hangover in 18 months, but have had two in about six weeks, both on relatively tame night's out with Frasier.

Great fun last night, a few of my mates were quite skeptical of Caribbean food going into it, but every single plate was empty at the end of the night.

Have the Rolling Stones killed...

Caffeine withdrawal.

About a year ago I went to the hospital with really bad palpitations, had an ECG and everything. It was in no small part to the amount of tea and coffee I drink. I switched to decaffe, then only had coffee in the morning, then gradually switched back to having tea in a normal manner.

They came back a few days ago. I realise that slowly and unwittingly I had started to replace that tea hit for diet coke (probs in part because its been quite warm). So now I am officially ditching the diet coke and currently three days without any caffeine of any kind. Diet coke is really crappy for you in other ways anyway, so its a good move.

I could barely stay awake yesterday, and the headaches from a caffeine withdrawal are really intense. I am going to allow myself a cup of Joe today, but that's it for the diet cokes.

No tea and no diet coke make Tal something something...

I have a lovely week ahead of me, as most of my 'next door' colleagues in Gibraltar are away most of the week for a team building event.

I love all of them, they are both lovely people and talented colleagues - but having a few days of not being distracted by emails and the ping ping of skype is going to be heaven. Apparantly half of most us sedentary types working week is spent on emails, and I find whenever I can shut them out completely I get twice as much work done.

I drink a fair amount of diet Coke. Wassup with it?

A KILLER IN YOUR FRIDGE

SWEET POISON..A MUST READ !!!

In October of 2001, my sister started getting very sick She had stomach spasms and she was having a hard time getting around. Walking was a major chore. It took everything she had just to get out of bed; she was in so much pain.

By March 2002, she had undergone several tissue and muscle biopsies and was on 24 various prescription medications. The doctors could not determine what was wrong with her. She was in so much pain, and so sick she just knew she was dying.

She put her house, bank accounts, life insurance, etc., in her oldest daughter's name, and made sure that her younger children were to be taken care of.

She also wanted her last hooray, so she planned a trip to Florida (basically in a wheelchair) for March 22nd.

On March 19, I called her to ask how her most recent tests went, and she said they didn't find anything on the test, but they believe she had MS.

I recalled an article a friend of mine e-mailed to me and I asked my sister if she drank diet soda? She told me that she did. As a matter of fact, she was getting ready to crack one open that moment.

I told her not to open it, and to stop drinking the diet soda! I e-mailed her an article my friend, a lawyer, had sent. My sister called me within 32 hours after our phone conversation and told me she had stopped drinking the diet soda AND she could walk! The muscle spasms went away. She said she didn't feel 100% but, she sure felt a lot better.

She told me she was going to her doctor with this article and would call me when she got home.

Well, she called me, and said her doctor was amazed! He is going to call all of his MS patients to find out if they consumed artificial sweeteners of any kind. In a nutshell, she was being poisoned by the Aspartame in the diet soda.. and literally dying a slow and miserable death

When she got to Florida March 22, all she had to take was one pill, and that was a pill for the Aspartame poisoning! She is well on her way to a complete recovery. And she is walking! No wheelchair! This article saved her life.If it says 'SUGAR FREE' on the label; DO NOT EVEN THINK ABOUT IT!I have spent several days lecturing at the WORLD ENVIRONMENTAL CONFERENCE on 'ASPARTAME,' marketed as'Nutra Sweet,' 'Equal,' and 'Spoonful.'In the keynote address by the EPA, it was announced that in the United States in 2001 there is an epidemic of multiple sclerosis and systemic lupus. It was difficult to determine exactly what toxin was causing this to be rampant. I stood up and said that I was there to lecture on exactly that subject.

I will explain why Aspartame is so dangerous: When the temperature of this sweetener exceeds 86 degrees F, the wood alcohol in ASPARTAME converts to formaldehyde and then to formic acid, which in turn causes metabolic acidosis. Formic acid is the poison found in the sting of fire ants. The methanol toxicity mimics, among other conditions, multiple sclerosis and systemic lupus.

Many people were being diagnosed in error. Although multiple sclerosis is not a death sentence, Methanol toxicity is!

Systemic lupus has become almost as rampant as multiple sclerosis, especially with Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi drinkers.The victim usually does not know that the Aspartame is the culprit. He or she continues its use; irritating the lupus to such a degree that it may become a life-threatening condition. We have seen patients with systemic lupus become asymptotic, once taken off diet sodas.

In cases of those diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, most of the symptoms disappear. We've seen many cases where vision loss returned and hearing loss improved markedly.

This also applies to cases of tinnitus and fibromyalgia. During a lecture, I said, 'If you are using ASPARTAME (Nutra Sweet, Equal, Spoonful, etc) and you suffer from fibromyalgia symptoms, spasms, shooting, pains, numbness in your legs,
Cramps,
Vertigo,
Dizziness,
Headaches,
Tinnitus,
Joint pain,
Unexplainable depression, anxiety attacks, slurred speech, blurred vision, or memory loss you probably have ASPARTAME poisoning!' People were jumping up during the lecture saying,'I have some of these symptoms. Is it reversible?'

Yes!
Yes!
Yes!
STOP drinking diet sodas and be alert for Aspartame on food labels! Many products are fortified with it! This is a serious problem. Dr. Espart (one of my speakers) remarked that so many people seem to be symptomatic for MS and during his recent visit to a hospice; a nurse stated that six of her friends, who were heavy Diet Coke addicts, had all been diagnosed with MS. This is beyond coincidence!

Diet soda is NOT a diet product! It is a chemically altered, multiple SODIUM (salt) and ASPARTAME containing product that actually makes you crave carbohydrates.

It is far more likely to make you GAIN weight!

These products also contain formaldehyde, which stores in the fat cells, particularly in the hips and thighs. Formaldehyde is an absolute toxin and is used primarily to preserve 'tissue specimens.'

Many products we use every day contain this chemical but we SHOULD NOT store it IN our body!

Dr. H. J. Roberts stated in his lectures that once free of the 'diet products' and with no significant increase in exercise; his patients lost an average of 19 pounds over a trial period.Aspartame is especially dangerous for diabetics. We found that some physicians, who believed that they had a patient with retinopathy, in fact, had symptoms caused by Aspartame. The Aspartame drives the blood sugar out of control. Thus diabetics may suffer acute memory loss due to the fact that aspartic acid and phenylalanine are NEUROTOXIC when taken without the other amino acids necessary for a good balance.

Treating diabetes is all about BALANCE.. Especially with diabetics, the Aspartame passes the blood/brain barrier and it then deteriorates the neurons of the brain; causing various levels of brain damage, Seizures, Depression, Manic depression, Panic attacks, Uncontrollable anger and rage.Consumption of Aspartame causes these same symptoms in non-diabetics as well. Documentation and observation also reveal that thousands of children diagnosed with ADD and ADHD have had complete turnarounds in their behavior when these chemicals have been removed from their diet.

So called 'behavior modification prescription drugs' (Ritalin and others) are no longer needed.Truth be told, they were never NEEDED in the first place!Most of these children were being 'poisoned' on a daily basis with the very foods that were 'better for them than sugar.'It is also suspected that the Aspartame in thousands of pallets of diet Coke and diet Pepsi consumed by men and women fighting in the Gulf War, may be partially to blame for the well-known Gulf War Syndrome.

Dr. Roberts warns that it can cause birth defects, i.e. mental retardation, if taken at the time of conception and during early pregnancy. Children are especially at risk for neurological disorders and should NEVER be given artificial sweeteners.

There are many different case histories to relate of children suffering grand mal seizures and other neurological disturbances talking about a plague of neurological diseases directly caused by the use of this deadly poison.'

Herein lies the problem: There were Congressional Hearings when Aspartame was included in 100 different products and strong objection was made concerning its use. Since this initial hearing, there have been two subsequent hearings, and still nothing has been done. The drug and chemical lobbies have very deep pockets.

Sadly, MONSANTO'S patent on Aspartame has EXPIRED! There are now over 5,000 products on the market that contain this deadly chemical and there will be thousands more introduced. Everybody wants a 'piece of the Aspartame pie.'I assure you that MONSANTO, the creator of Aspartame, knows how deadly it is.

And isn't it ironic that MONSANTO funds, among others, the American Diabetes Association, the American Dietetic Association and the Conference of the American College of Physicians?

This has been recently exposed in the New York Times. These [organizations] cannot criticize any additives or convey their link to MONSANTO because they take money from the food industry and are required to endorse their products.Senator Howard Metzenbaum wrote and presented a bill that would require label warnings on products containing Aspartame, especially regarding pregnant women, children and infants.

The bill would also institute independent studies on the known dangers and the problems existing in the general population regarding seizures, changes in brain chemistry, neurological changes and behavioural symptoms.
The bill was killed.It is known that the powerful drug and chemical lobbies are responsible for this, letting loose the hounds of disease and death on an unsuspecting and uninformed public. Well, you're informed now!

Please print this out and/or e-mail to your family and friends.
Like ·

I find the credibility of such articles to be inversely proportional to the number of exclamation points contained within. Interesting nonetheless.

I figured it was on Facebook and its American so it's probably 90% shite

Interesting article, thanks Sid.

Mrs Shoelace is a bit ill at the moment. She has an over active thyroid, which is causing her to wake up in the middle of the night with severe hunger pangs and feeling really weak. Its quite common in women apparantly and according to the Docs it could be much worse, as hers is only on the cusp of being overactive. We are both a bit knackered though as we keep having our sleep interrupted and we have to wait almost a month before she can start to get it treated.

I used to function brilliantly on little to no sleep, now if even the slighest thing disrupts my nap the following day is a real struggle.

prefect training for kids....not had a sleep in or proper sleep for 4 years...:)

LOL

http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/aspartame.asp

^^^^This, best start planning the nursery Barry

Weighed in at 14st 8 3/4lb, which is about a 2 1/2lb loss after about 9 days. Aiming to smash a 6lb loss in total by the first week in October. 

Happy enough, I have been careful with what I eat and have really enjoyed the gym so far. Also been taking the dog on longer walks.

Haven't restricted myself food wise or eaten anything I didn't want to eat. I have a weekend away in London which will be a bit of a test, however part of that will involve running around shooting paint at people so at least there will be some exercise.

I'm trying to change my habits, otherwise this weight will just come back. Currently trying to eat slower by putting my fork down on the plate with every mouthful. Inspired by this video which is really worth the hour investment:
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0wHvrLK6AA

BJ Fogg.

Now that is a name

Off to the big smoke for a few days tomorrow. Stopping with a few friends tomorrow night, then have a PokerStrategy paintball event + drinks on saturday where I will be allowing 15 eastern europeans and Pads to shoot me, then I am doing a bit of the old networking sunday afternoon. Love London, its been a while since I last went.

I'm going to be at a loose end for about 1.5 hours around 2pm tomorrow in the centre - any suggestions how to amuse myself? I can always default to my usual coffee and a book, but if anyone has any suggestions of a fun way to pass an hour in the capital Im all ears. Or if any of ya'll are around and want their picture taken with me or whateva.

Listen to randoms playing the piano in St Pancras.

Visit one of the museums or the British library.

Find a good seat and watch people.

Natural History museum.
http://www.nhm.ac.uk/

Dinner with Vinny?

http://www.nandos.co.uk/postcodesearch/results?input=london&op=Go&form_build_id=form-4ed929dba1da495e1deac082a17c4e7a&form_id=postcodesearch_form (http://www.nandos.co.uk/postcodesearch/results?input=london&op=Go&form_build_id=form-4ed929dba1da495e1deac082a17c4e7a&form_id=postcodesearch_form)

Empire for cash?

(this is a poker forum, had to get the obligatory suggestion in! :) )

What Eso said.

Got my weekend sorted thanks.

One great simple joy in my life is when I can bag a cheap first class upgrade on a train. It's always nice and quiet, roomy, relaxing and I can just have a lovely read while being fed free tea and biscuits. I'm on the sheffield to London train now about to get started on a new book - I've actually been looking forward to this part of the journey more than the stuff I'm going to get up to in the big smoke.

Cracking weekend in London.

I was a total coward at paintball, actually dissapointed myself with how much I hid. When I finally got brave I took a paintball right to the nipple, which still smarts.

We all went out for nosh at this place called Roadhouse, which was basically a steak house surrounded by a Hen Do. Watching Pleno1 ordering food was a joy to behold, everything he asked for he requested that every element of flavour be removed. You should have seen the look of disgust when his plain vanilla ice cream had choclocate on it.

Checked out the new Hippodrome Casino and bumped into a non poker friend who was playing kalooki (or something like that) - known the guys for years, never knew he played cards, despite him knowing what I did for a living.

In other news, the wife has got a new job working for a company called Carters (respec). It is selling wood burning stoves, which I am chuffed about because I really really want one, and now we can get one half price apparantly. She is going to be working Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday (wednesday and sundays off) so I am currently trying to change my usual working hours to mirror that. I think I would quite like having wednesdays off, everythings open but you can park easily and the cinema is cheaper, probably. It will be a good day to do the big shop at Morrisons.

Finally a shameless brag. On Friday Jared and I hit the lifetime sales target we had planned out for our first book before Black Friday (our target was much more conservative after BF), its been in circulation for about 27 months so we are both pretty chuffed. Because we released the book on the morning of Black Friday, we were tremendously negative that we would even break even on it, so the fact we managed to get to our lifetime goal in two years is really special (makes me wonder how well it would have done had BF never happened).

I'm sorry if I've asked you this before...the old memory isn't what it used to..er...thingy

I have always enjoyed writing. It was typically bits of creative writing at school and poetry at home or elsewhere. When I got to uni, I decided to use a summer holiday writing a play and loved it, despite how much hard work it was, editing, rewriting and filling the proverbial waste paper basket. I did the odd bit of comedy sketching, too, albeit probably the poor imitation of the Two Ronnies level of comedic sophistication, rather than anything more talented.

The point I am getting to is that it made me realise just how hard it is to write something really good. I also realised I found a particular show I wish I had written. It just hit the nail on the head for me; not one of the all time greats on those run down lists like Fools and Horses, but it matched my sense of humour and the pace, style and everything that came with it was just so right up my Straße that it made me jealous of the talent of the two writers. I could never have written Drop the Dead Donkey, but by Jove do I ever wish I had.

As an actually talented writer, is there something you look at and wish you'd either got there first on or had what it took to pen yourself? Is there a show you watch that you look at through a writer's eyes with envy?

Hopefully, I've got across what I mean.

Not really, the specifics of what I do has no road map like a 'proper' writer has. I didn't grow up reading poker articles etc, so I have very little to compare it too.

I do know a fantastic resource I think you will jizz your pants over though, this is an amazing podcast, up to 48 episodes and counting where a comedian interviews other comedians about how they write:

http://www.comedianscomedian.com/

Such a loss to Two Pints of Lager or Perfect World, Barry!

Always the scariest day of the year, car MOT day. The garage I take it to is really trustworthy (multiple times they have not charged me when its been an easy fix), but this day of the year always makes me very aware of the big knowledge gap I have when it comes to cars. Plus I've had a really good run of it passing its MOT so I am probably due some costly fault.

Cars in the garage right now.

Edit: It passed, BOOM. Can't beat the 2006 Ford Focus.

I'm having the first half of next week off, just because I don't really take much time off and I am forcing myself to do it. Sadly I also have not much ££££ to entertain myself as I am forking out for a new boiler this month. So I'm starting to wonder what I'll do with the time off.

Deffo going to get some better dog walks in, at better than local locations. Also going to put some decent time in at the gym. Certainly plan on nipping to a coffee shop a couple of times to read the latest book I am reading. Almost all my mates don't work from home which buggers up any potential visits.

Anyone else got any suggestions on how to make the most of the mini break? Only prerequisite is it doesnt involve poker or using the interweb.

I'd put trying to diarrhoea into my own mouth over this, but at 10pm tonight on channel (actually, you can guess this for yourself) the TV guide says:

Celebrity Super Spa
Fly on the wall series. Helen Flanagan, Rusty Lee, Yvette Fielding, James (Arg) Argent, John Burton-Race and Jody Latham arrive at the spa and meet their eccentric trainer.

Very addictive game to play with the missus

http://toys.usvsth3m.com/howmuchisthathouse/

Weighed in at 14st 8 1/2lb today. I am pretty much on course to hit my 6lb loss target, but have only managed to lose 1/4 lb in the last 10 or so days.

My personal trainer has given me a new programme to start today which will hopefully be a boost.

FYI I am not depriving myself of anything or eating any food I wouldn't normally eat. Just being a bit more mindful and trying to eat slower, + all the gym stuff.

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HbYScltf1c

Agree

My step-sister-in-law (if that's a thing) is at University here in Sheffield and we helped her move back into her halls of residence yesterday. That was a surreal experience for me. I didn't enjoy University, and going back into Halls reminded me of it (they have not changed one bit btw).

Probably the most depressing thing was realising that it had been a full 15 years since I had this experience myself. My mum and dad dropping me off at my own halls at Clifton in Nottingham (scary place). I have a bunch of my 34-35 year old friends who right now are larging it up in Ibiza and it is remarkable how some people my age cling onto their youth, and others, like me, probably go a little bit the other way and probably settle into impending middle age a little too readily.

I didn't enjoy Uni because I didn't make the 'life long friends' I expected to, or party anywhere near as much as I wanted. Its partially because I still spent most of my weekends with my group of school friends, who remain my best friends and people I hang around with to this day. It was also because I didn't put the effort in to make new friends while I was there. Lots of people are surprised when they hear my main group of mates has not changed since I was 11, but we really are a tight group with a very rich subtext of in-jokes that span decades.

Something that has really struck me in the last 3 or 4 weeks is the expression 'youth is wasted on the young'. I'm at a stage now where I really think what I know now about life, work and the fairer sex is what I wished I had known when I was 18. I would have worked harder and sought out more fun experiences in equal measure. But, wouldnt we all? No regrets here of course, I'm the happiest I have ever been and would not change anything, but I am very nostalgic at the moment.

Oh well, I have a very busy day and somehow have to fit 75 minutes of breaking bad into it.

With every decade that passes, I realise how immature I was the decade before.

I think this is reasonably common that you either made your life long friends from school or uni but not both. While I had friends at school, I realised when I made mates at uni that university ones were much more my type of people and therefore I am still pretty close with my university mates whereas my school friends are simply facebook acquaintances these days.

Yeah I was thinking about this and I think the reason I expected the lifelong Uni mates was because it is kinda the first time you almost can 'choose' your friends based on your interests and ideals. My school friends and I all have vastly different lives, beliefs etc. However in our case, I think we all have just gone through so many great experiences together and the banter between us is so good, we just all decided thats what meant most to us. Your best friends are always the ones you have the best pisstake material on.

On my first day at uni, one fellow college newcomer asked me as his opening conversational gambit what my school song was.

We haven't kept in touch.

i moved to Uni with 6 friends from school, in the first year we all stayed in seperate halls, but moved in together in the third year. Call us boring but the generic university partying/clubbing banter is very very tiresome.

Been reminded of this today. Nowhere else to post it and not sure whether it ever made blonde before.

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSfoF6MhgLA

Yeah I remember when that came out, loved it. Love Sarah Silverman in every possible way. Also think Matt Damon seems a good egg.

The much underrated (over here, anyway; probably overrated over there...) follow up:

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TwIyLHsk2h4

Never been a huge Jimmy Kimmel fan but I thought this was brilliant.

Yes, impressive because they got Harrison Ford.

Kimmel has lost some hella weight.

Yes, Ford was a coup. Brad Pitt tho

So last week was the first week where Gina and I had wednesday off instead of saturday (and sunday off as always).

Its weird, deffo has benefits.

Wednesday comes round really quickly, which is nice. However you dont feel like you need a break yet. Its going to be a huge benefit for trivial things we do on saturdays like the big shop, getting haircut, etc.

Working saturdays is also quite nice because nobody bothers me on skype.

I suppose the worst thing is no sooner does a day off start that you are preparing to go to work again. But at the same time, no sooner do you start work than you have another day off to look forward to.

In other news, here is the best bits of my fave episode of Seinfeld:

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vyb5dkQZPw

We have this really weird thing at PokerStrategy. We have these different loyalty tiers for our members. There is the usual stuff - gold level, platinum and diamond. The top status, which is our version of Supernova Elite, is 'Black Member' status. If you have this status, you are probably a pro, and you get all sorts of benefits including luxury trips away and a tailored suiit. The 'Black' thing is kind of like 'black tie'.

I think it makes sense in all the countries we operate in, but for English natives it sounds weird. Martin Finger, who won a super high roller yesterday, has this status, and I have had to refer to him today as a 'Black Member Martin Finger'. He is the whitest bloke you will ever see, so it sounds really strange. I remember at a TV thing we did a couple of years back, a poker channel crew interviewed another one of our players, Thomas Tiroch, who also has this status. He is very pale, very blonde and from Austria, and referred to himself as 'the first black member at pokerstrategy' and the camera crew were suitabily confused.

Then today, my colleague Matt Perry reminded me that 'member' is also a euphemism for penis over here. So now calling our most loyal customers 'black members' is even more befuddling.

MGM went with Noir, despite nothing else being in French

(http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9JI7JYvPdA0/UZjbIvsWBkI/AAAAAAAAAwk/9qy1QdDNKQA/s320/uma-thurman-kill-bill.jpg)

Love that film.

Out of interest, have you seen these 5 second movies things? Have only just stumbles across them. A few very good ones.

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UC14Yqt3MWY

Good stuff

If you want to lose a day, search for 'Honest Movie Trailers' on Youtube

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fY9UhIxitYM

That is impressive.

Not to be a pedant, because this thread has Tal for that, but can you not get round it by saying: 'Martin Finger, who has achieved the elite Black Member status on PokerStrategy, (or something similar)

Or is it in the PokerStrategy style guide, similar to having to say Team PokerStars Pro Jake Cody on the PokerStars Blog for instance. When doing a 'who's here' or 'who played' post at an event I always used to write (for example) UKIPT Champion Max Silver. But now I usually write Max Silver, who won UKIPT1 Dublin...A journalist far better than I convinced me that not only was it correct to do it the latter way but also it flowed better.

Also what the chess bloke said re: The Matrix trailer.

 

Yes you can, and yes thats what we do, but its still bloody daft.

If you liked the matrix, then

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQJuGeqdbn4

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YtvsxB9xQY

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FWfg__wKSY
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDqGAUvWKkU

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCS_kif7qfk

And hundreds more where those came from

what about just the icon?

We still need to promote it, it is one of our big offerings, and I don't think it sounds as daft to non English natives

I LOVE translation and language stories (being the incredible, Peter Ustinov-esque dinner party guest that I am...)

Millions of these things about

(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-2x7zjpq6XVA/UVwTKGMPC8I/AAAAAAAAATI/IrrXf3lTFns/s500/strange+english+translation.jpg)

But I particularly like ones with accidental meanings, like the Ikea slitbar:

http://www.buzzfeed.com/brentalfloss/10-ikea-product-names-that-dont-quite-translate-969r?s=mobile

There was famously a sign in (St Petersburg..?) at I think a conference of some form that said "If this is your first visit to the USSR, you are welcome to it"

Last one for now (always leave em wanting more, eh) was in a Japanese zoo. It rightly advised patrons:

NEVER CLOSE YOUR FACE TO THE MONKEYS

i enjoyed this little musing about trying to consume less information.

http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2013/10/01/the-low-information-diet/

Thoroughly agree. I don't actually think the human brain was designed to consume anywhere near as much of the data that we are all consuming with the interwebs and smartphones. I'm actually trying to actively consume less useless information for the rest of the year, as I am working on a fun little side project (more on that soon) and find that not only is it easier for me to concentrate when I narrow down how much mental stimulation I have, I also tend to have more energy too.

Also going to (semi) take the advice in the piece and stop watching news from a commerical broadcaster (ie. Sky News) and stick to the good old beeb instead.

Well at least now I'm better informed about consuming less information.

I was toying with putting this in the man skills thread, but will try here first.

Looks like it is going to be an awful winter ahead, what blokey things should I be doing now to prepare?

I have a big ass snow shovel already.
I have some really good crampons for my dog walks.
Probably get a big bag of sand.
Preservable food, for when the shops are shut/we cant be arsed to shop.
I'm getting a brand new boiler installed tomorrow (that was always happening, just bought the new house and it was the first big to do)
aaaaaand we are getting a log burner installed, simply because my missus works for a company that sells them and we can get installation and the hardware for a ridiculous reduction.

What else? I'm thinking I'll need some sort of weaponary to fend off moutain lions, zombies and other end of the world stuff.

(http://thehyperioneffect.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/the-day-after-tomorrow-5056eba7597ba.jpg)

Probably need the basics, couple of sticks to rub together in times of failed (new) boiler, no power etc....

Getting a new boiler installed this week. Here is part of my old boiler, estimated scrap value £5.

It's outside my house now, I get up about 6:30AM, who reckons it will be gone courtesy of the scap metal chappies by the time I wake up?

Place your bets now

If you lived near me, I'd set the line at when you close the front door behind you.

Went.

Was there when I got up, but gone when I returned from a dog walk.

That'll be that same mystery guy who fills up your rubbish skip overnight.

He don't 'arf get around, too. And where does he get all those mattresses from?

I hope you are planning on gathering your own firewood Dave ?

In which case you'll definitely want an axe, a log splitter, or if you are feeling lazy, a chainsaw.


It's a great way to take out any frustrations you may have with the world whilst ensuring your house will stay toasty warm in the winter.


Oh, and sounds like you should be building yourself a log store  ;)

A special friend gave me a gift of these recently, in time for the winter.

You know, old people, bad circulation, cold plates, da de da. You just pop the slippers in the microwave for a minute, job done, heated slippers.

I don't use them, obv. Hardly ever.

(http://i1147.photobucket.com/albums/o541/tikay2/NEW%20ALBUM/Slippers_zps74a236c0.jpg) (http://s1147.photobucket.com/user/tikay2/media/NEW%20ALBUM/Slippers_zps74a236c0.jpg.html)

Way ahead of you on the log store and gathering firewood. I've already cleared out a shed, put some old carpet down to keep it dry, and now bringing back big sticks on dog walks.

Most of that wood wont be usable for a year, but given the nature of her job, the missus has made some contacts that can hopefully get us some cheaps bags of it for this winter. At least I think thats what she meant when she said some guy offered to give her wood at work.

My Dad had some of them and swore by them, my sister is also a fan.

Me? I just let the dog sleep on my lap.

The Sunshine Boys.

Burns, "You're too old, your blood don't soyculate."

Mattahu, "It soyculates! Im not saying everywhere....."

Brilliant!

And true. My feet & hands are forever cold these days. Getting old sucks. Proper sucks, like.

But it knocks the alternatives out of the park.

Think the wife will be getting a set of these for Xmas.

Why does she need three?

Knowing that you're a big Simpsons fan, I figured you'd enjoy this.

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MQfo97AHAI

Someone from a recruitment company contacted me to ask if I was available for a job with one of the biggest poker companies in the world. They said 'they really liked me' but wanted me to send a CV anyway.

I mentioned I dont want a new job, nor do I have a CV (Havent needed one for about eight years), but perhaps they could tell me who the company was so neither of us wasted their time.

And......no reply.

Cant have been anyone actually big because I'm pretty certain they would have contacted me direct. Cant have actually liked me as suggested because they probably wouldnt have asked for a CV. The fact that they wouldnt tell me who it was suggests they just saw a job advert, picked me at random, and tried to get me to apply to a job I didnt want and get the referral ££ if I got it.

Always been a bit uneasy with recruitment consultants. Last year I read both James Caan and Duncan Bannatyne's biographies and neither painted them in positive lights (Caan owned one, Bannatyne hated them). My missus has had to deal with lots of them and many of them seem like real chancers.

(Im sure there are good ones too)

Weight - 92kg

Stomach  - 40.5"

Belt line 41.5"

Chest 44"

Body fat - 18.5% - 20.3%

I was a bit down on motivation the last two or three weeks because although I have been working hard, look and feel better, the weight loss just has not seemed to happen. I lost about 4-5lbs early and then it stayed that way for a whole month.

Finally had my weigh in today and officially lost 4.4lbs, 5 inches, and I have gone down a whole bracket for bodyfat %. It wasn't the 6lb loss I had planned, but he told me the inches lost and bodyfat% more than made up for it. Chuffed to bits.

Then the sod made me do some excercises that nearly made me throw up.

Job stuff.

I am making a commitement to doing more interviews from now on, I've realised its probably the highest leverage use of my time is to interview poker people. From a writing point of view, as long as you dont ask the usual boring shit they tend to be easy to write and entertaining to read, plus they always get lots of hits. Then there is the added value 'networking' element to it, though I do hate the term networking. Finally I have a new side project which I will be revealing very soon which will be made much easier by doing more interviews.

Anyhoo, the problem with interviewing poker players is I'd say half of them are either late or simply dont turn up at all. I did Moorman the other week and he was an hour late, and I have just done one with Jason Mercier and he was, wait for it, 16 hours late. Thankfully both of them were cracking interviews.

I actually interviewed Moormans Dad after he won the GUKPT (who was on time btw) and that had to be one of my all time favourites to do, because I got to ask him stuff about what a parent thought of their son being a professional poker player.

Making my way through a few November Niners this week hopefully, and fingers crossed I will be interviewing Greg Merson too, whom we have discovered is a big fan of our book.

Cracking weekend btw, managed to see loads of my mates and family while not being rushed off my feet. At the moment I think my life is about as perfect as it could be, for me, I have no real worries, work and relationships are going fine, all that stuff. The one thing I could be doing better is seeing my non-poker friends a bit more. We have a stag do in two weeks which involves dodgeball and running away from zombies, so that should tick that box.

As subtle as a fleeting glance between secret lovers.

Yeah I know, I figured talking about worky stuff is more fitting with the title of this blog anyway, but I have to get that main event champ brag-a-ment in there somehow.

It was a thing of beauty.

Thanks

I am, however, struggling to find a way to get into the conversation that it was 2013 One Drop champion Tony Gregg who first recommended the book to him, a month before he won the $10k six max and main event.


Have I been banned yet?

Could you remind me which book we're talking about here please?

For balance, you have the writing style of Dan Brown and I found your book useful only as a draught excluder. You should be ashamed of yourself

Also, I haven't read it.

(Should enable you to dodge the ban, anyway ;) )

Do you ever wish to branch out of poker media wise? always seems such an acute field and specialist in so many ways.

Great question.

At this moment in time, poker is doing so much for me, that I cant pass the opportunities up and hopefully they are creating transferrable skills. I have learned about creating websites, SEO, html, the book publishing industry, I have been on TV and worked behind the scenes of TV shows, done loads of interviews, been to fancy awards shows etc. I'm really appreciative of all that, but at the same time I wonder how long I can do this for? I can't see myself wanting to write about poker when I am 40 or 50, but having said that, this is such a new industry that nobody could envisage that really. Deep down there is probably part of me that thinks 'its just a game' or at least, its a young mans game, and it cant last forever (Of course Tikay proves me wrong, and is genuinely my hero in this industry). 

With my old mucker Jared, we do plan to eventually write a mainstream psychology book, so that could be an inroad into something else. However right now I really am enjoying it more than ever. My 'side project' I mentioned is my own book (ie. with me as the main author, not as the 'with Barry Carter' in smaller writing underneath the proper authors name) and I think after I have done that, I may have to consider either branching out, or committing to poker in more of a 'suit' kind of role.

As much as I appreciate the recruitment industry, I really do hate being called by those "Headhunters" trying to sell me the world.  I'd rather be called by one of those PPI's companies..

I'm babysitting my mum's old english sheepdog, so this is the view from my office today

<3 Labradors (and most, larger dogs :) )

That's terrierist.

To be fair I've never had a little dog but I think I'd struggle to get past the 'yap'.

That's just terriotyping.

Anyway, you seem to manage OK with Dawn....


 ;scarymoment;

Oh my.

She's sleeping now. But, given the distance we live apart, I think you'll probably hear her reaction when she sees your last comment :)

I had a dream about zombies, I woke up at 3AM screaming in my wife's face, she said I watch too much horror. This has happened two times before.

My first proper live poker game since I bought the house tomorrow, SPT obvs.

Who else is going? Is my core diary audience of Tal and RedDog going to be there?

Desire to attend = 100%

Likelihood of attendance = 16%

I will be in Leeeeeeeandan for the weekend, I'm afraid.

Our inevitable meeting will have to have a bit of added suspense.

I would add I don't think RedDog and I should be the target audience for anyone who wants to appeal to the masses.

I'm like the first guy on the dancefloor in a nightclub. No one wants to be that guy, however much you admire his commitment and rhythm.

Please note I said "like"

I hardly ever Yap these days.   :-*

Lovely photo of the doggies.  My two favourite breeds in one shot as well.  Although, I'd never get another Old English because it's a lot of work to keep them tidy.

Gl tomorrow.

Cheers boss, just for giggles I might post a few hands when I get back.

Your wife is probably right about the horror films.  Maybe test the theory?  Watch a bunch of mushy films and see what ya get up to in the middle of the night.

Good luck today with the poker.  Rumour has it, they're a soft bunch so get in there and crush 'em or summat.  :)

16%?

Be great if you could come along, Tom, even if it is not to play the Main, there are plenty of sideys all weekend. And if nothing else, you could see Tighty, with his new goatee. Might be some news about the baby I am expecting, too.

Due to some diary problems, I'll be elsewhere this evening, but it'd be nice to see you at some stage over the weekend.

In case you don't recognize me, I'm the slim one.  Maria will be there, too. In case you don't recognize her, I'm the slim one.

(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-CPjlhtkpia0/UmvHlsrUjVI/AAAAAAAANo8/Cq66NzLIT1Q/w896-h597-no/IMG_4623.JPG)

Tighty, how the heck did you take that picture?

 rotflmfao  Took me a sec...

long arms

Great weekend at the old Sky Pokers.

My car was getting new sparkplugs (or something) over the weekend, so I went for my high variance 'get a train there, try and build a big stack before last train home so I dont have to pay for a hotel unless its worth it strategy'. Luckily for me FUN4FRASIER was also going so he gave me a lift down, and I assumed that would be my lift home wrapped up, but he went out in the first hour (Set over set, there were witnesses). Then my old PokerNews chum Matt Pitt offered me a lift back, and proceeded to bust out within 20 minutes of that. Then Guy Johnson offered me a lift, and funnily got moved to my table putting me in some potentials 'bust out for a guaranteed life/bust guy and you have to get a hotel' scenarios.

Table dynamic was funny because there was a young man who was completely wasted, and also colour blind, meaning he didnt really know what his stacks of chips were worth. As such he as opening to 6,000 in the 100/200 levels and calling huge shoves with things like 4-5 off. As a result, everyone was essentially waiting to get in hands with him and expecting to be playing for stacks when they did. He slowed down a bit, quite literally he started to get a bit sleepy.

Anyhoo I found myself on the button with top pair no kicker with about 50 minutes before my last train and I thought it would be a good time to double or go home. I went home obvs. Declined Guy on his kind offer of a lift because he could have been there till the wee hours and Gina had leftover chinese food waiting for me.

Had a great time, but I really have forgotton how to play poker. I have a very one dimensional game these days, I was probably the worst (sober) player at my table. The only thing going for me really these days is I am quite loose, so at least I have a chance of getting lucky. Whenever I tell people this about my own poker game they are really concerned, but I enjoy poker more now than when I was playing 16 tables at a time and working really hard on my game. I have reverted back to a place of blissful ignorance. I like to think I can still talk a good high level game, because of the nature of my work and the company I keep, but in the moment at the tables I am pretty much 'duuuuuh I have a pair I bet, aces are pretty etc'. 

On the last train back it was full of pissheads. One guy was running around with his winky out, a woman was running around with someone elses shoes that she had stolen and someone was smoking weed at the end of the carriage. Every single one of these 'louts' was over the age of 50. I felt a right square sat at the other end reading a Malcolm Gladwell book hoping none of the older boys would make eye contact with me.

Had a good day yesterday - sunday lunch, big dog walk, managed to get in four episodes of the Wire because I woke up stupid early. Only bad part of was being dragged around town by er indoors who wanted some boots:

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

Blissful ignorance every time! Totally with you on that one.

Today will probably always be the default worst day of the year, as it is the third anniversary of my Dad dying.

Popping round my Mums in an hour or two. I'm pleased to say she is doing great, doesn't want to mope around all day, and is really getting on with her life and doing fun things. I'm doing great, really loving life too. My twin sister, I think in relative terms has probably taken in the worst of all of us, but she is starting to get on with stuff too.  

Shocking to think it has been three years. Some of it feels like yesterday, but I can't remember what life was like before this happened. The one thing I am sure of is I have changed personally. On the good side of things I get on better with my Mum (we used to biccer), I am really focussed and hard working (I wasn't before) and I pride myself on being honest and doing the right thing to emulate him. On the negative I do worry more about things out of my control, and I find it hard to relax and just sit still. I think basically the whole experience has forced me into a responsible 'man of the house' mentality, which quite frankly I am pleased about.

One of the nice things for me is seeing myself pick up character traits my Dad had. Whether they are learned or genetic I don't know, but it's nice to carry the good things on for others to see. Even though he was never career minded, my Dad worked hard and respected anyone who made an effort and put in hard work, and I value it perhaps more than any other worky trait. He didn't like moaners or people that bitched behind people's back and nor do I. My Dad was a huge dog lover and that has carried over big time. Most of all he never hestitated to give people help when they needed it and I try my best to do the same.

Day to day, I don't miss him, which makes me feel guilty. However the times I find the hardest are ones where I would have loved him to have been there, which includes when something funny is on TV, when the dogs do something funny, when I need car advice or when a good boxing match is on. Last night was a good example, he loved Tom Hanks movies and 'epic' lengthy movies, and I saw the new Captain Phillips movie which was both. It was the best film I've seen for a good couple of years and would have loved to have watched it with him. Other than my wedding, the biggest time I would have loved him to be there is when his best friend, who in 30 years has never had a girlfriend, one day turned up to Mums with a hot Ukrianian fiance half his age. The entire family was in funny shock, could not believe what happened and we all know dad would have wet himself. I actually think the friend would not have had the guts to bring her round if Dad was still around, as jokes about him buying her would have been rife.

Though I don't miss him on a daily basis, not a day goes by without me remembering the moment Mum told me over the phone. That was the thing that has stuck, and I guess haunted me. The funeral I barely remember, seeing his body when I got home didn't leave an imprint (and I really would have thought it would), but the moment Mum told me I will never forget. Nor will I forget telling my wife, and worst of all, my sister over the phone - hands down the worst moment of my life.

His death was sudden and unexpected. He would have pissed himself, because he had a sick sense of humour, that it would happen while he was watching X-Factor and shouting at the screen. He died with a remote control in his hand, which again he would have found hilaerous. He was 72 and it was a heart attack. Although it was gut wrenching and shocking, sudden and unexpected really is the best way to go. He told me many times that is how he wanted it (He actually wanted to get hit by a bus he didn't see coming). I'm so glad I never saw him suffer or get ill or lose his facultys, I have seen that with some of my friends parents and it certainly seems a thousand times worst. My dad loved dogs and cars and he got to drive his Subaru and walk my dog the day he died, so in hindsight I think it was the best way to go.

Anyway don't worry about me, I'm in good spirits today and looking forward to a big breakfast and a dog walk (Remind me to tell you the funny story about his ashes later). Its good to spew all this stuff out once in a while.

What a great post. So much of it rings true for me, especially this bit.

"Day to day, I don't miss him, which makes me feel guilty. However the times I find the hardest are ones where I would have loved him to have been there"

Unfortunately my dad didn't have the luxury of a quick death. He suffered horribly, not least because of the failings of some mind bogglingly incompetent and uncaring members of the medical profession.

It makes me realise how poingant the line from Kenny Rogers 'The Gambler' is.

Every hand's a winner, and every hand's a loser.
The best that you can hope for is to die in your sleep.

RIP Mr Carter.

 

Great Post Barry and like Tom brings an awful lot back for me as well.

RIP Mr Carter

A lovely post about Daddy Carter.

So true, too, we miss our Dad most when we want him to share something with us, or say, "look Dad, look what I achieved or did" & we know he'd have been so proud.

My Dad has been gone over 30 years now, but I still think of him in those ways, when I do something good or bad, I still want him to judge me.

I think the photo was taken by Lord Milner, Head of Next Door.

Wow, I can so empathise with that.

I'm so terribad these days, but the weird thing is, I've NEVER enjoyed poker more than I do now. Ain't that a thing?

I just play small-ball PLO8 stuff, maybe 10 or 20 STT's a day, £5 or £10 each, but I have an absolute ball, & I don't lose any money. I rarely play more than 3 Tables at once, 4 at most, because that starts to get stressy, & the whole ideas for me is that I relax completely when I play poker.

Guess I must once have been the characteristic "Mr Angry" poker player, swearing & snarling at others players, bad beats, bad calls, da de da, but I've arrived at a much nicer place now, & I love it to bits. The journey was so worthwhile.  My Vegas trips remain my annual highlight, & my game just about manages to ensure I come home every year with a small profit, but a lot of wonderful memories.

Thanks for that Post Barry, it rang so many bells. 

Great post about your dad, Barry. Much of it resonates with my lovely mum's untimely death 20 years ago. RIP Barry Carter's dad.

Very much this.

My Dad saw me get engaged, but didn't see me get married, I'm glad he at least knew I was getting married.

I would have loved for him to have been around when our first book was published. My Dad worked for the family firm, but didn't like it and swore I wouldn't go down that path like everyone else in the family did. Me and my sister were the first of all the Carter family to go to Uni, which I know he was delighted with for pure oneupmanship purposes. I would have loved for him to have bragged about our book to my Uncles.

It's actually been a good day, everyone was in good cheer. That is because my Mum's dog, Martha, has passed a test to become a therapy dog. She is about as docile as a dog gets, she just sits there getting stroked all day, so is perfect to be a therapy dog.

You'll have to excuse the picture, she is so docile my mum exploits her at every turn by dressing her up as people.

Nice post about your dad, Barry.

Did Martha get a better degree than you?

Ok, so funny story about his ashes. This one is in the 'its a bit sick but he would have found it hilarious' category. If there is one piece of advice I think anyone grieving should heed is that be prepared that a grown mans ashes amounts to a hell of a lot of dust. We were asked if we wanted all his ashes, or just a small amount to scatter somewhere of significance. Naturally we went with all the ashes, not knowing how much it would be.

The plan was to scatter him in Graves Park, which is a truly wonderful 5 mile round park in Sheffield on our doorstep, where he had walked dogs all his life. What a lovely final image right?

We had no idea that his ashes would be the size of a small bin and weigh about 5lbs. We thought it would be a small sprinkle of a motion but we quickly realised to get these ashes out would take a good five minutes of banging on the tub like a bottle of HP sauce. The worst thing was the ashes themselves were really dense, and left a noticeable mark, and you are not technically allowed to scatter ashes in the park. We tried to start spreading them in a small river, but it left a big garish stain on the side of the earth. I remember commenting that rather than saying a final goodbye, we were essentially littering. We then went into the woods and tried to scatter them just on the floor but again it was leaving an ugly mark on the ground.

Eventually we found a powerful small rivery/waterfall kind of thing that we figured was powerful enough to take the ashes with it, mix them up and not make a mess. The problem was it was on a really severe slope. I will never forget the image, I'm laughing thinking about it, of my Mum holding onto a tree with one hand, my sisters belt with another, to give her support as she hanged off the edge of where the waterfall and very aggressively tried to scatter Dad into a river and not make a mess, while me and Gina were acting as lookouts to make sure nobody came by.

It was not a success. We managed to empty the urn, but left a really ugly stain on the side of the earth by the river that stayed for a good year. For the next year every time I walked my dog past it, I was presented with a big grey 'Dad stain' which both made me laugh and upset me in equal measure.

Getting the full ashes of a full grown man is not a dignified experience at all, the only saving grace was that if there is an afterlife, we all know he would have been laughing pretty hard at that one.

My degree was in media studies.

So yes.

fantastic post

Stag Do this weekend for one of my best mates. We are doing this:

http://zombieexperiences.co.uk/encounters/reading-shopping-mall/

After about 10 go-karting stag do's in a row, I'm so looking forward to doing something memorable. My own stag do was very tame, but during the day I took the lads for a private game at Dusk Till Dawn. These were all my £10 home game buddies, most of whom have even been in a casino, so they loved it. They were all wearing sunglasses like dicks and pretending to re-enact the scene from Casino Royale.

After zombies we are also playing dodgeball, so it will be memorable even if the night out itself is pretty tame.

(http://zombieexperiences.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Zombie-Shopping-Mall-Experience1.jpg)

Wow. Looks class and dodgeball is a sick touch. Kudos to whoever came up with those ideas!

 ;thankyou;

Stag weekend was amazing, best one I have been to.

The Zombie experience was brilliant, they put on a really great show. You spend the first hour or two following round some 'police' running around pitch black corridors of a disused shopping mall with small flash lights and pump action airsoft guns. It was a real 'less is more' deal where the longer you waited to see a zombie, the scarier it was when one popped out at you. I know it sounds silly a bunch of adults pretending to fight zombies, and for the first hour I was quite skeptical and laughing a bit, but once they get you running around in the dark and confining you in small spaces, you start to really get sucked into the experience. It was genuinely scary (One woman started crying in another group) at times and you had adrenaline pumping around really fast when you were being chased.

The final hour was a free for all, you had to run around, alone a lot of the time, with only ten bullets in your gun, looking for stuff to take back to the base. The limited bullets made it fun, otherwise it would have just been a case of shooting people who don't shoot you back.

If you are ever organising a stag do and want to do something different, please consider this. Should have some good pictures from it in a few days.

http://zombieexperiences.co.uk/encounters/reading-shopping-mall/

Then we played dodgeball, should have some good pics for that soon also as we got dressed up for it. We all took it really seriously (but we still drank during).

Then it was just your typical messy night in London. Cracker of a weekend.

(http://resources.pokerstrategy.com/2013/11/11/photo.JPG)

Looked Like a Great Weekend Mate   :)

90kg atm. Doing my next big weigh-in/measurement around the 16th.

I haven't eaten bread for over a month. It has (almost) stopped me from being hungry in the evening. I have a mate who essentially stopped being 'our fat mate' by doing this so I had to do the same because that title is now mine. I'm amazed how easy it has been actually, the only thing is that it has taken a bit of planning at lunchtimes. Now I have either this nice mixed bean salad thing or an omelete. Simples.

I get plenty of exercise (gym and dog walks) but my job is sedentary. I read a book recently called Eat Move Sleep which has lots of data which suggests long hours of sitting is more deadly than smoking. Really scary stuff like every hour of TV you watch over the age of 25 takes about 20 minutes off your life expectancy and stuff.

So today I decided to raise my desk and stand while working instead of sitting. Two immediate takeaways:

1) I am really energised, I have gotten so much done this morning in two hours. That may be a short term plaebo, however.

2) My back is killing. Even though I lift weights at the gym and walk a lot with my dog, my back is completely unprepared for not sitting. It makes me want to keep going to see just how valuable standing is, and how dangerous sitting.

The book had this really eye opening thing where they studied thousands upon thousands of bus conductors and drivers over a really long period. The conductors who stand and walk all day were 40% less likely to get pretty much every deadly common disease.

btw by 'raising my desk' I mean I have plonked and old TV unit on top of it, it looks pretty stupid

I would imagine that lying on your side is even worse than sitting.

Very good.

Punish these errors, punish them.

From the accounts I've seen of people who have changed to a standing desk, they say that the first week does feature lots of hurty back and feet but that goes away once your body gets used to it.

Out of interest how have you been measuring your body fat %%% was interested in doing this the other day and didnt know how to go about it

My personal trainer does it using calipers, wouldnt have a sdooby doo what to do myself

Sounds like a car bumper sticker.

I can't currently do a single pull-up at the gym. I'm going to try and be able to do 10 good clean pull-ups by the end of January. That's my lil gym goal, just posting it here so I feel the pressure to do it.

Probably going to use the assisted pull-up machine to start off with, seems to make sense. My personal trainer suggests slowing down the eccentric (lowering)/negative reps part of the movement to build strength there, does that make sense to anyone gym-y?

A very kind chappy who is also a personal trainer PM'd me with some advice for this and I think I'd prefer him to share his good advice with my big fan base (ie. Tal).

So question for iRaise and anyone else:

As pull ups are a 'heavy lifting' type of exercise, should I be having rest days between sessions, or can I do them two days in a row?

Ha, for the pull up fans amongst blonde it is. Well I would slightly disagree with pull ups being a 'heavy lifting' exercise. (They are in the sense that you body is a heavy weight, but most bodyweight exercises aren't in the heavy lifting bracket, on a side note heavy lifting in general is totally goal dependant). Body exercises are essential for core strength and functional mobility/strength so should definitely be done at least once a week. Regarding whether you should/could do them two days in a row, that really goal dependant. If you want to be a gymnast you want to do them everyday, if you want to be functionally fit you can do them 2/3 times a week. If you want to complete a challenge whereby you can do x amount of unassisted pull ups by x date I would say do 1 or 2 sets everyday with one day where you focus on 3 to 4 sets and try to do as many unassisted as possible. Rest is obviously when the muscle rebuilds and grows, but if you aren't looking for growth but functional strength, then I would say doing them on back to back days is perfectly fine. In reality you might not need to, could you do two sessions a week with 3 days apart? Also the most important thing is, if you have had a good session you are going to get a good amount of DOMS (stiffness) so you probably wont be able to do two back to back sometimes. Somewhere in there the might/hopefully be an answer.

It is indeed thanks, one thing that has always held me back a little is I have always thought that resting between resistant work days is more important than it is. I tend to do Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, so I probably am getting enough rest anyway. Cool, I'll start to do them every gym day - cheers fella!

Rest is huge for certain aspects. Rest for growth is essential, a few training bodybuilders for example train 3 times a week. On the flip side, for beginners a good workout schedule is always going to be 1 day on 1 day off. Your schedule looks pretty good, and if you want to work that extra bit of body fat, cardio on a wed and sat will fit in perfectly. Its all about balance though and what feels best for you. Habit is a pretty awesome tool once you succumb to endorphins. GL with the pull ups, let the fans know how it goes.

Less of the "big", thank you. I prefer "enthusiastic".

Weight - 89kg

Stomach  - 40"

Belt line 41"

Chest 44"

Body fat - 16.2% - 18.4%

Another successful weigh in, chuffed to bits. Lost 6.6lbs, 1 inch and gone down another bodyfat % since the last weigh in. And 11lbs, 6 inches and down two bodyfat % brackets since I started.

The big changes thus far have been:

High intensity resistance work instead of cardio
Stopped eating bread entirely
Recently started standing at my desk instead of sitting

I guess the other big change is that this is the first time I haven't had an aesthetic target, I am simply doing it to be healthier and improve my energy levels for my working day.

I now want to go somewhere posh as I nicely fit into my fancy suit again.

Lots of fitness wisdom there, you've done awesome. One quick point, High Intense cardio is body fats worst enemy. As an example, 5x150metre sprint with a 2 min rest. Do that 3 times a week and your BF% will go down very quick. And if your sceptical about losing muscle mass, HIIT (high intensity interval training) triggers the same muscle response as resistance training, so we allllll good there. Keep up the good work over Xmas.

Thanks dude. I may be getting my terminology wrong, basically everything I am doing is both resistance work and intense cardio, a minute or two at a time with a minutes rest. For example today I was running with a medicine ball above my head and then smashing it into a punch bag for a minute, with a minutes rest, many times.

TBH one of the reasons I have stuck to it is I have adopted a policy of doing what I am told by my PT. When he asked me what my goal was I simply said "just do whatever you would do if you woke up in this body".

Haha, thats a fantastic response. Yeah put your faith in him, from what he is doing he seems to be working with you really well. And the kind of exercises you are dong will shed BF so quickly, as long as you stay focussed with the nutritional side. Running with the ball is a really good one, works your body so well, and most people would think it to be nice and easy. How many sessions do you have with and without your PT?

I go to the gym about four times a week, and I probably go to my PT 3 times a month for 30 minutes. For me it's not about getting more reps or giving another 10% with him, it is simply to have someone to hold me accountable to go. Plus when he makes me do something hard, I have to practice it on my own otherwise it will really hurt the next time.

Pretty good way to look at it all. Accountability is key, too many people think the trainer/coach is responsible. One question, how tall are you if you don't mind me asking? Puts the measurements into some context.

About 5foot 10inches

Some great improvements there, have you sacked target numbers and just going on feeling now? (I think for the majority of people this is a much better way)

Pretty much yes. I do have an eye on my weight, but not so much. I know 14st-ish is what gets me into my fancy suit and 13st 7lbs is the weight I was when I was probably in my best shape 10 years ago, but other than that I don't have any goals like that. My 2014 goal is actually to implement ten good habits that stick (stuff like drinking more water, not looking at technology an hour before bed etc) rather than any sort of aesthetic goal.

Think you should ditch the gym for a chair.

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOrfPlH5nCk

(Far too good not to share!)

And this is something you've probably seen before, but seems right up your Straße:

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSEYXWmEse8

On Victoria Coren-Mitchell's Twitter. Just incred.

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BbBSoU5IcAAQ9Si.jpg)

I'm a bit of a miserable bastard about Xmas but in hindsight anything that forces me to sleep more and spend time with family and friends can't be that bad.

Walking the dog on Christmas Day morning  is the best, because the only people in the park are other dog walkers. Lots of fun for the mutt and no Homo sapiens ruining anything.

I'm quite pleased I have somehow managed to go to the gym three times this week which will go some way to fixing the fact that I ate like a pig all week. However my pull up challenge is not going well and I still can't manage a proper single pull up.

Off to Norfolk tomorrow to see the in laws, thank god for the iPad.

Were you an Adam and Joe fan?

This was my favourite of their parodies:

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qX9crnz6vQg

Saving Private Lion was funny, though, too.

I was never a big fan actually. I quite liked the characters they did who shouted 'facist' at people.

This was our first year in our new house. The one really amazing thing about it is we have the most fantastic view of the City. We are about 3 miles from the center and we are about as high up as it gets. So last night at midnight we had the most amazing view of the fireworks. Myself, the wife and the dog all sat on a stool and watched them for 20 minutes at midnight. The dog was so fascinated he spent most of the night staring at them:

(https://scontent-b-lhr.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/1557452_10153640211845459_125247518_n.jpg)

Afternoon Ya'll

I'm not into New Year resolutions, but it is impossible not to look towards the future at the start of a new year. I've set myself three goals for 2014.

1) Improve my copywriting skills: Boring worky one.
2) Implement more small 'keystone' habits: I made a lot of small low effort changes this year that had a big impact. I started standing instead of sitting at my desk, I stopped eating bread, I stopped looking at technology an hour before bed, I developed a few easy systems to make sure I drink more water etc. Rather than making some lofty goal, I want to implement more of these easy to do high leverage changes to improve my health and to ensure I stay in better contact with friends & family.
3) Finish my first solo book: I've been threatening to write a book with the working title 'Poker's Greatest Prop Bets' for years now, but a few months ago I decided to finally do it. I have since written eight chapters of it on the quiet and I intend to finish it the first half of 2014. As the name (which will probably change) suggests, it is a non fiction book charting all the funny stories of poker player proposition bets (Amarillo Slim stories, the man with the boobs, Huck Seed stories etc etc). Now is a good time to go public to give me an extra burst of motivation.

Story books in poker traditionally don't sell massively, but this is the sort of thing that always has the potential to have a mainstream appeal too, so as a result I am writing it with non poker players in mind. It is one of those few things where I will not really mind if it doesn't do particularly well, as my main reason for doing it is because I have been saying I might do it for years and I want to shit or get off the potty.

With that in mind, if any of you lot know of any funny prop bet stories I might not have heard about before, I would love you to post them here. Doesn't even matter if its unsubstantiated, I am doing a lot of research for it so it will be something for me to work on.

In other news, my mini challenge of doing 10 pull ups by the end of Jan is likely to fail, still can't do one complete normal one but I have made some improvements on the assisted pull up machine, so I'll set a secondary target of at least being able to do a couple.

Not exactly Amarillo Slim's hustles or staying in a bath for a month, but do you remember Bernie Slaven? He said if Middlesboro beat Man United, he would bear his bottom in the local department store window. They famously won 3-2 and he did as he said he would...

http://www.bernieslaven.co.uk/magic-moments/

(http://www.bernieslaven.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/misc42-300x193.jpg)

Good to hear you finally getting on with book again Barry. Are you keeping it to just poker or adding some other gambling props? Mainstream audience might go for it more if it isn't just about poker.
I'm sure I have another book or two about older gambling props/scams. Will take a look and see if I can find anything for you.


For pull ups do you use the lat pull down bar/machine? Will help to build up strength in this area.
Also try just holding onto the pull up bar and trying to hang there as long as possible, builds up the stamina needed for holding up your body

Right now just poker, because I think it is an interesting side story that people who engage in battles of wits and gambling have prop bets as such a significant part of the culture. I think its just funny that in any other walk of life arguments are settled the normal way but in poker they are settled with silly wagers. That said if I uncover some really interesting stories I may have to extend it to all gamblers.

Hey Baz, what does a proper pull up entail?

(https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcS1nS_E0HXwt1ARq1nfbcfO4onx2h0XtBSqFlgz1y2SVZrKal6-4Q)

This

In my imagination I could do several of those, but the reality might be a little different.

I'll give it a try as soon as I find something to hang from.

Hi

 
Hello

With regards to prop bets I wrote a piece recently and there were a couple I hadn't heard of before.

1) Johnny Moss was sitting in a bar where one of the regulars had a reputation for having never lost a bar fight. A fellow gambler gave Moss 15/1 odds that he couldn’t beat him, with the stipulation that Moss got the first punch. So Moss socked him from behind, but didn’t knock him out and ended up in hospital with broken bones. “Fifteen-to-one was too good to pass up,” he said.

2) As Tiger Woods was coming onto the golf scene John Hennigan gave Barry Greenstein 19/5 on every event Tiger was in for the next two years. Big mistake, Tiger went on a tear and Greenstein banked $100,000 before letting Hennigan buy-out for a further $100,000.

That second one was told me to by Jesse May (and then corroborated by Greenstein) if you haven't already reached out to Jesse on this subject you should as he's an amazing poker historian and has got plenty of pre boom stories that may not be documented anywhere.

Chip Rich in a cupboard was very funny.

The Johnny Moss one I knew and actually features quite prominently.

Hennigan I didn't know but that fits perfectly in the golf chapter of my book

And yep, Jesse is the man, I will be reaching out.

thanks Nick

Of course, how could I forget?

This has to be in there

Absolutely, it was the first one I thought of when catching up on the thread.

Being a poker-media type, every year I am one of the 50-odd people who decides the Bluff Power 20, which is an industry ranking for who are deemed the most influential people in poker. It's a business-to-business type of deal, not so much for the poker audience, more for the industry.

Its very interesting because every year I feel like European poker is not well represented, but every year I tend to agree with the rankings and struggle to think of Europeans who were missed out. Problem is that people like Bruno Fitoussi, Luca Pagano, Channing, Rob Yong and dare I say it, Tikay, are incredibly influential in their native country, because each European market is very different to the next, invariably they dont have as much influence in the rest of Europe.

I'm doing my list over the weekend. Below is last year's official list. I'm expecting Alex Dreyfus of the GPI to debut in the top 10 this year.


1. Mark and Isai Scheinberg

2. Mitch Garber

3. Norbert Teufelberger

4. Harry Reid

5. Ty Stewart

6. Daniel Negreanu

7. Gary Loveman

8. Mark Pincus

9. The Fertittas

10. A.G. Burnett

11. Raymond Lesniak

12. Chris Christie

13. Tony Guoga

14. Brian Balsbaugh

15. Dominik Kofert

16. Edgar Stuchly

17. Guy Laliberte

18. Steve Heller

19. Matt Savage

20. Antonio Esfandiari

I'm not sure why, but I'm always surprised not to see many top players in these lists.

The players - the ones 95% of those involved in the game around the world want to emulate - are the ones who drive the business. If a big name pro came out and said a particular poker venue was full of thieves and was generally rubbish, their word would carry huge influence.

Generally I disagree. I dont think many top players actually have a big influence on whether you play at a poker room. I doubt Patrik Antonius actually got many players to play on Full Tilt for example. Anyone who knows who this people are tend to have already made their poker decisions/preferences.

The exceptions are the Iveys/Hellmuths/Negreanus, literally four or five players with genuine fanbases. And at a smaller level, people like Joe Hachem have influence in Australia. I'll be surprised if more than three players makes the list this year.

As a general point, sure, but it's the superstars who drive the business side of the game. Rafa Nadal, Shane Warne and Ronaldo will have more influence than the majority of sponspred players.

Planning a holiday this summer for the other halves birthday. We are not ones for sunbathing, we like seeing as much as we can.

We are toying with this, as there are several places our group of friends wants to go;

Brussels for a day (because it's easy on the Eurostar)

Then Bruges for a day

Then Berlin for two or three days.

Then maybe Copenhagen for a day or two.

Generally that is quite a lateral trip. The only big stretch of travel is Bruges to Berlin. Anyone know anywhere good between those two destinations that is worth breaking things up with a visit?

Also should we maybe pick Austria instead of Copenhagen as the final destination? Or somewhere else?

Sound of Music tour in Salzburg?

Yes, yes I have

Cologne if you are going by train.

I love being in my 30s. In my 20s I dreaded it, I dreaded being a grown up. Once I got over the line, I love it.

I wonder/worry that I am becoming a boring person. Don't get me wrong, I am quite a whimsical silly fella who shows off when he has had a drink, always trying to make people laugh. I think I am a fun person to be around. But in recent years, I find myself getting excited about very boring things.

For example, I am currently overpaying on my mortgage by £70 a month. Based on current rates, in theory that could shave four years off my mortgage. That's about as boring as it gets, and its the sort of thing that really excites me these days.

Me and the missus are discussing a new car at the end of the year. One of her suggestions is really fuel efficient - that also excites me.

Right now I am reading a book about the school system in Finland.

One thing I have realised in life is that I define 'manhood', 'manning up' etc as paying the bills and taking care of responsibilities. So I guess it comes from that. I actually think I might get an endorphin rush from paying a gas bill or switching energy supplier.

WTF has happened to me? I used to go clubbing in Ibiza.

Hey Shughie, you're fast becoming my fav poster.

I cannot tell you how many times I have recently typed something out to either debate with someone, or just to bate them, but thought about it again and deleted it. Not just on forums, emails, twitter etc.

One skill I think I have in abundance is being diplomatic and being able to bite my lip, though I must say I am finding it harder these days. One thing I have learned over the years from the internet is that you cannot change anyone's mind in a debate. It is a tremendous suck on one's attention and energy to even bother, so I try and avoid it.

The infamous Hitler thread is a good example. I ended up not being able to help myself and posted a bate-y comment after nearly two days of resisting the urge.

I don't mean that I back down from defending myself, far from it, I have got much better at that in recent years - I actually had I big, but respectful, argument today with a colleague (I know it's probably immature to say, but I think I won). But online debates when they are empassioned are usually pointless. Forums are a good example, comments on articles are another.

At PokerStrategy we have to deal with a lot of trolling. It is an inevitable part of the course for a company that has six million+ members. That and having my name on the cover of two books (albeit in smaller letters) has really given me a sense of perspective. I used to be one of those guys who would write something, get nine positive comments and one negative, and I would fixate on the one negative comment for ages. Now through a process of trial and error, I realise these people usually are in the vocal minority.

I've also learned the value of letting some of these people think they've won. There is something very fragile about the human psyche about wanting other people to think we are right, even though they never will. The chap on that Hitler thread was never going to have his mind changed on the subject, in fact it seems to me he was essentially just waiting for someone to say something liberal so he could spout off on whatever agenda he has burning up inside. The most productive thing we could all do on that thread is to just ignore him and let it move off the front page, but we are human and its not so easy. I will say, however, that having dealt with a lot of trolls in the last couple of years, ignoring them genuinely does work (eventually). They are always looking for a reaction.

Deffo my hero in this realm has to be Tikay. I've never known a more easy going and diplomatic fella find himself stuck in the middle of more anger fuelled debates than he has, yet he always manages to stay calm and bite his lip. When the day comes that he decides to go Michael Douglas in Falling Down on the poker community, I'll be there cheering him on holding a banner with his name on it.

Not sure where I am going with this but it's something I've always found really interesting. How people act online and such.