blonde poker forum

Decided to pop a short blog/diary of the next few days...even if i end up talking to myself i don't mind...not quite Vegas but my biggest poker trip to date.

Who are ya???

Known as smurf/papasmurf to some i would describe myself as a recreational player who enjoys the game, my name is Gordon and i am off to Lloret de Mar tomorrow to play the 550 euro deepstack open.

I  made a decision to try and play less online and more live at the start of the year.

40ish years of age, married with 3 adults (they were kids but now at 17,19 & 22 can't be called kids).

I set myself some goals at the start of the year

- satellite in to a high buy in tournament....tick...got in to the sky £1K tournament for less than £3.
- play 10-15 live tournaments...this doesn't seem like many i know but living 50 miles from DTD and with family and work it is far more than i could normally play
- cash in live tournaments...tick...cashed in 3 out of 6 so far.
- satellite in to a package in Vegas...not quite tick as there wasn't any sats on the sites i play on.
- bink a big score either online or live...no tick yet...but i never give up

Not quite the "win a WSOP bracelet" goals you read about but i like to keep things real.

Here we go

I am playing this tournament partly by accident, i was playing online and didn't have much in my account and noticed a 5.50 euro rebuy tournament that was about to close its late reg...i think there were 4 players and 1st won a 100 euro ticket and 2nd 80 odd euro so i joined to try and hit 2nd but it went on to pay 2 seats after add ons and i won then won the final and binked a 1250 euro package.

Initial feelings were pure excitement telling the wife we have a weekend in Spain for free (well 10.50 euro is nearly free)..then she didn't think she could get the time off work and i realised it started at 3pm  and we wouldn't really see each other, then i felt guilty about going so considered not bothering...but poker is something i  do enjoy ...so i decided to go...a tad nervous but also excited to be playing the tournament and enjoy the experience.

So here goes...i fly out tomorrow night (unfortunately during the England game), I've got a room till Monday and play day 1b on Friday...

This short diary isn't expected to be a hand by hand guide...more a general overview of the whole package experience from England to England...so now i am off to pack.

Will follow with interest! Gl!

Best of luck sir, I will be reading for sure, always nice to see nice guys (you sound like a nice guy) do well.

Up tick from me!

Will be following. Very best of luck and more importantly have a great time.

Subscribeamundo'd.

good luck gordon

nice place llloret de mar, say hello to juan diego the card-room manager..knows a lot of us from the APAT tournament held there

why are you known as smurf, btw

Similar ideology so subscribed. Good luck

Good to see a bit of interest...not exactly sure why I am known as smurf...I just remember one of the kids pointing at me and laughing once and saying papasmurf. It's stuck since then...but I did love the smurfs as a kid.

Already removed my England shirt from the case after Spain got knocked out tonight - I can be daft but not that daft.

GL and enjoy

this may help
dos cervezas por favor

fixed ;)

GL Gordon! One of the genuinely good guys!

Alright vin - not seen you online for a while crushing those micro sats

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Day ahead - woke up early and given breakfast in bed by the wifey, case pretty much ready and I must have checked my documents at least six times now. Removed most of my cards from my wallet in case I lose it (dad taught me that when I first started visiting pubs) and topped up my spare phone (take an old phone in case you lose it was another of his).
Got to nip to town to get a two pin plug adaptor then a quick gym sesh. Off to the airport mid afternoon giving myself 3 hours for the 1 hour drive just in case there is bad traffic lol.

Will update from te airport providing I get a signal

Good luck me and very importantly good luck England tonight.

Good luck.  Plenty of updates please

as a man in very similar life situations as yourself, i'm loving this diary

enjoy the experience mate, enjoy!!!!!

Change flight surely :P

GLGLGL, enjoy.

Well I made it to departures and currently sit with a cold pint of peroni - had to smile at charging me £5.30 then putting the change on a plate for a tip...not where I come from pal

Lost my car keys for twenty minutes earlier - I'd got back from the gym (bad move I was knackered) had a shower then went to pre programme the sat nav and couldn't find them. Retraced my steps four times and even turned off the washing machine to check in there...then a sock fell of the clothes airer and as I put it back I found them on the cats scratching post - haven't got a clue why I left them in there.

Got to the airport carpark and sat in what I thought was a queue for ten minutes with the engine running then after thinking it was taking a while noticed the car in front had its mirrors turned in - casually got out pretending to stretch and realised all the cars were parked and I had to leave the car there and walk to reception and leave my key.

I have however already had a win - I hit the Ryanair queue seconds before a group of 30 odd school trip kids hit and managed to get through without incurring any of their hidden charges. Whoop whoop.

Should land in time for the last half hour of the footy so long as it is on in the airport.

Laters then.

Decided that as I enjoyed the peroni so much I should treat myself to a second - which I have done. I did however have the exact amount of £5.30 this time - not being put under tipping pressure again  ;nana;

Boarding soon - come on England - convincingly ahead when I land please

Arrived at the hotel last night in time to catch the last twenty mins of the game  >:( 

Realised Spanish taxi drivers don't care too much for speed limits, using their phone while driving or keeping between the road markings

Just going for breakfast then for a walk to see what is about and where the casino is.

Hotel looks nice from first impression

View from room

Found the casino, not quite right next door as described but a twenty minute walk ( I am ok with walking though) looks very impressive from the outside. Kick off 2pm UK time so paid 6 euro to use the spa which consists of 4 exercise equipment, a sauna (in this heat), a jacquizi (out if order today) and a roof top with six sunbeds - but well worth it cos I am on my own with stunning views and pure peace.

Found a back street with 1 litre Bacardi limon for 13 euro so brownie points from the wife are heading my way

Hope to update later during the game

View from the roof

It's a really nice casino. You're not too far away, for the APAT we were staying the other side of that headland in your pic above, first night we'd 2 hours of walking before we found our way over to the casino side.... Taxis from then on!

Lived in Lloret de mar for a couple of years.  Cracking place, but can get a bit mental and scummy in August when its packed!

Rockerfellas, Queen Vic and Orient express are places I can recommend, mind you, that was over 10 years ago now so I bet a few things have changed!

Good luck today.... plenty of pics please.

50,000 chips 50 min blinds 13 levels today - we're off

Best of luck, Smurf!

(http://fc05.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2012/019/a/9/sketch_42___lucky_by_invader_jyca-d4mx55r.png)

Great pic red dog

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Steady start, nothing much to talk about

Didn't get paid with  Qs 4s on a  Qh 4c  Ac 8h 4h board

Bluffed off a pot once and he kindly showed me then tried it again a few hands later so I obligingly called with second pair

Really nice casino, fab structure and most the players seem friendly...pretty much like a DTD comp without the sun

96 runners yesterday and around 180 so far today so a decent field

Quick break

Dinner time - been up to 70 down to 40 now back at 57k average 58k

Aggro player was just tilting when lunch hit - he wanted to gift his chips to someone I'm sure if it

The dream lives on - bagged and tagged






Well not quite "lives on" to be fair - crushed in a three way all in on the last few hands and dropped to 7k but got back to 46,000 before the day ended.

Blinds re start at 1500/3000 but I'm always the optimist, an early double up and away we go  ;sexybanana;

How these kids stay up so late I really don't know, I'm sure if I had a pillow at the table yesterday I would have happily nodded off for an hour.

Didn't mention how it nearly kicked off at the table in the final round.

Three of us in a pot with player 1 all in for 29700, player 2 calls and so do I. An ace on the flop and player 2 checks so I shove and he snaps me off with AQ to my AJ to player ones AK.

Player one wins the main pot player two the side

I get up to leave and realise I have some chips left over (7,000)

Dealer deals the next hand and mr local boy ( not even in the hand) who could only be about 12 starts arguing with the dealer

You got it wrong that man should be out (pointing at me) big argument ensues (I just kept quiet) tournament director called and dealer says I definitely had more chips, I back him up cos I did...bit of childish temper tantrum from local boy and it goes on for five minutes or so until the director says I must back my dealer as you both say different things - he calls for the cameras to be used and gets told no

About three hands later he suddenly says "I fucking know it now" it was him not him.

Pointing at player one who hadn't played a hand since but sat with 125,000...and he must have been right this time as player one had 25,000 (one blue chip) more than his pot would have been

Local child then continues and it takes another local man to tell him enough is enough and shut up or we will take it outside...local child continues then to throw chips and cards in the middle (the dealer looked like he wanted to thump him)

This was all a few hands from the end of the day...no apology came my way and if I hadn't been nearly drifting off after 13 hours I would have made more of it...player 1 must have been worried cos he bagged and tagged in record time and shot off whilst the local child was still moaning on .... And I thought we were all supposed to be enjoying ourselves

Good luck today, hope you get a nice early double!

It wasn't to be  4c 4d beat by  3s Ahrt

Really enjoyed the format and a great experience...and all for 11 odd euro

UL Gordon! Bet you enjoyed sunny spain!!!!

It's nice here and the hotel and casino are great...got the usual groups of stag do lads totally smashed by lunch time making a lot of families look uncomfortable but they mean no harm

Just got a day to fill tomorrow before I fly back on Monday - think I would try to win one again but try to bring the wife that time...bit boring on your own.