blonde poker forum

We have been umming and arring for some time as to whether or not to divide our Forum up into more sections. There are any number of "headings" we could use, & which have been suggested, but views from the Members seem divided.

So, here's what we will do.

First, heres a simple "one or the other" poll. Only two options, even Red-Dog can manage that. Just vote as you see fit. We will leave it there for 4 days, let's say Monday.

THEN, and IF, your votes have decided you want to to break the Forum into more sections, I will put a poll up suggesting a selection of "Headings", & you can vote for them.

Please do NOT jump the gun, & start putting up alternative polls on this matter. I am still scarred by the carnage that arose from the myriad of polls & "jumping the gun" on the blonde crypto tourney.

If you vote for more Headings, please include in your reply what headings you would most like to see, that will help me give a better list of choices when the "Part 2" poll goes up - but that will ONLY go up if you vote for more Headings.

OK, vote away.

more but don't go mad.

Leave it alone, but mend the warning that somone else has posted, and where did the lost posts go?

Good enough as it is in my opinion. Could add an 'Off Topic' bit though to discuss anything completely non-poker related.

just read the lost posts reply, sry

What warning Red?

when you write a reply to a thread and press the "post" button, if there had been other posts on that thread that you hadnt seen a warning would come up in red text, it dosnt now

Ahh, know what you mean now.

If it aint broke then leave the damn thing alone. You have the best poker forum on the net so why spoil it by turning it into a 2+2 danielle negreanoue (or however its spelt) type forum. Keep things simple or you will lose your key customers like ironside and colchester kev. When I started in sales many moons ago the first thing I was taught was KISS- KEEP IT SIMPLE STUPID!!

The voters will decide.......

I have cast my vote, and I am standing in the "If it aint broke dont fix it" corner.
IMHO I am of the opinion that the way threads go off on tangents is the reason why this forum has a "family" feel and I fear the creation of many different sections would sterilise the whole feel of the place.

Well im happy with it the way it is

but if change comes go with it nothing stays the same forever

How about a "spam" section ?

 ;)

Good Idea, we could call it the Ruru & Ariston section.........

no no no no no we fear change. First it was the marathon/snicker thing then emmerdale farm stopped being a farm, when will the madness stop  ???

Now now grandad I aint spammed on here for ages. I mentioned that thing earlier for people to have a look at- it is not poker parsay and doesnt clash with any of your sponsors. It is amusement similar to a slot machine. It is only the same as me posting the link to the "exotic" pictures of shanna hyatt in her playboy days (did that thread get removed by the way?)

I think I'm in favour of leaving things alone but a couple of points are bothering me

1  Will it cope with 2000+ members in its present form? We'll be there soon

2  Do the good threads get pushed off to quickly

3  If we say no now, can we change our minds in the future?

4  I know 3 is more than a couple

Hehe, I hit a nerve there then. Interesting that you AND Ruru posted the same thing on different threads though......

By the way, our sponsors (and the Contrct was for July only, by the way) have given us a 100% free hand editorially, it was clearly agreed that their sponsorship would not give them rights to any sort of exclusivity or censorship. They were happy to leave the decisions as to what was acceptable or not entirely to us.

Our rules on spam are well known, & we deal with it as and when we think we need to. Whether it is poker related or not is irrevelant, by the way. So don't worry Russ, you aint crossed the line. Nearly, mind, but not quite.....

What Shana Hyatt thread? I never saw it, but if it was Porno, I woulda removed it. There are 4 of us with the ability to delete posts, so maybe one of the others did.

Personally i think it does need an extra section.
Firstly i'd like to see a "best value" or similar section that allows us to keep each other informed about sats or just good value comps on the net as at the moment they get bumped off far too quickly.
ian

Dealing with Red's post first - I missed it earlier, as that little red warning "someone has posted bla bla bla" is missing at the moment.

1) Good Question. Not sure, is the answer, but we can always change it if & when. 2,000? Nice thought, don't know if we'll ever get there though.

2) Possibly, but they don't go away. I always have a butchers at anything that has that blue "NEW" sign on it, even if it's not on the front page. And once a reply has been posted, it bumps back to the top.

3) Of course. Peeps make suggestion, we are always happy to listen & act if need be, the Members run the place.

4) You've got me there.

Ian - good point. I know this sounds Irish, but even if the vote is "no, leave it as is", it's not beyond the bounds of reason that one extra section is added. We'll decide that after Monday. I mean, suppose it's a big "No", then I may put a poll up & ask "OK then, what about ONE extra section, if so, what would you like it to be". Which is VERY different from multiple extra sections. I looked at a Forum today that had 11 sections - I hated it. Sorta like a family living in a big house, you never know who's at home & who's not.

i gotta say that it is a winning formula as it is and i really don't wanna spoil it, BUT i do feel it can be GENTLY tweaked but only to offer info, and to encourage folks to offer info we would all appreciate.
Multiple sections is a definite no no and will hurt, the other thing i was thinking was a section for RED DOG and colchester kev (like a kennel) and if you feel a little detatched from reality you can pop in and talk to folks on the same level.
Ian

Well we muist not pre-judge or pre-empt the vote, but the "multiple sections" peeps look like they are struggling - so far.

But I LOVE "The Kennel", for the nutters. Trouble is, - well not trouble, 'cos I quite like it - but a lot of threads start out sensible, & then descend into surreal insanity, or Red-Dog-ness. We had one once which began on some genuine subject, & veered to stocks & shares, Rolls-Royce working practices, steam engines, frozen chickens, NASA, and the price of tomatoes. (Yesh, Red-Dog was pre-eminent). I know they are not everyone's cup of tea, but I cant help but enjoy them.

I enjoy cups of tea too

What brand of tea bag are you partial to Red ?  I favour the PG pyramid..... im not a lover of loose tea, all that fannying around with tea pots and strainers Pah !!!

Did you know that tea drinking was invented in China in 1200 and frozen to death bc when a few leaves fell from a tree into the Emperors daily bowl of hot water?

Im a PG man too (you hum it son, I'll play it)

did i mention that "the kennel" should be kept locked at all times just in case there's a daring escape bid?

i feel it is time for some "TEA QUOTES"

"Tea is drunk to forget the din of the world."  T'ien Yiheng
"A man without tea in him is incapable of understanding truth and beauty."  Japanese Proverb
"A true warrior, like tea, shows his strength in hot water."  Chinese Proverb
"Love and scandal are the best sweeteners of tea."  Henry Fielding
"If you are cold, tea will warm you. If you are heated, it will cool you. If you are depressed, it will cheer you. If you are excited, it will calm you."  William Gladstone
"Tea is one of the main stays of civilization in this country"  George Orwell
"Computer... Tea, Earl Grey, hot."  Jean-Luc Picard

OMG, they're off again. And that stuff about tea dropping off a tree into the emporors hot water (which, by coincidence, he just happened to be drinking at the time) is all just nonsense, utter made up garbage.

But I refuse to be left out, so here's MY tea-story. (Everyone else can go to bed, Kev & Red have to read it).

I have a thing about Tea in foreign places - you know, a cup of hot water, with a tea bag separate. It hacks me off BIG TIME. Because it's NOT TEA. It's a cup of water. You don't get coffee seperate from the water, do you?

So whilst in Vegas, I got invited out to dinner one night, with Ben Walton (sporting odds.com), Tony "Midge" Ure, (formerly Ladbrokes, then Boss Media, now something or other Poker Network). Kevin O'Connell was also present, with his better half. Dinner was at Wynns, in the "Lower Parasol", which I would guess is one of the most exclusive and expensive dinnery's in Vegas. The cheapest starter was about 90 bucks, that sorta place.

So, we finish dinner, then it's time for brandy, coffee, or whatever. I'm teetotal, but I was aching for a nice cup of tea. Surely a posh place like Wynns could manage that? "A cup of tea, sir? No problem, one cup of tea it is". Whahoo, my first cup of proper tea in weeks. But before I go, I grab him - he's dead posh, sort of stoopy, with a waistcoat, and a tea-towel over his arm jobbie. "Excuse me, but can I have the Tea Bag IN the cup, rather than separate, please?". "No problem Sir, of COURSE". Off he trots.

He's back 10 minutes later, I'm salivating at the thought of this proper cuppa. He puts a pot on the table - I assumed it was tea. And my cup in font of me. The cup was empty - except for a tea bag, sat in the bottom. I look at him, non-plussed. He says "as you asked sir. Tea bag IN the cup, hot water in the jug"......

Oh & while we are rambling & all the good peeps are in bed, here's a REALLY interesting thing about Wynns. The Lower Parasol is downstairs. A sort of grand Hallway job, with what you'd expect to be a sweeping, curved, staircase at each side, down & up which the posh guests glide. But it was not stairs - it was two CURVED escalators. Think about that, curved escalators. If you know how escalators work, thats a real neat trick. The thing is, as they were a matching pair, so to speak, do you think it was ONE escalator, going round and round, or two seperate jobbies? Fascinating, eh?

There was a lovely little stray terrier dog around our way once, he wouldnt let you touch or feed him but he was an expert at opening dustbins as scattering the contents everywhere. I didnt really mind but one weekend we were going away, leaving Friday evening and returning late on Sunday, I didnt want to have rubbish everywhere when we got back so before we went I put a breezeblock on top of the dustbin lid

The following Monday morning I took some rubbish out to the bin, when I removed the breezeblock and opened the lid the terrier shot out like a rocket. For a moment he seemed to hang in the air, cartoon like, his little face a mask of horror and accusation. Then, this small, furry, and slightly stained detainee legged it over the horizon as fast as he could go 

I never forgave myself, and we never saw him again

I loved the tea story Tony, you should do a bit of writing

Nah, cant. I learned reading, but was absent when they taught writing. As you can tell.

just as a slight aside, have you ever tried to order straight coffee in america?
I tried (the bird, a yank, i was with ordered some double white mocca with a twist of chocolate something jobbie) and they had to ask me 3 times!! what i wanted, just straight coffee and starbucks were nonplussed!

This has deffo become a "Kennel Thread".

lol, just lost 2 sng's in 5 mins!!
good job i'm just venting my anger in $5 jobbies

also the "septics"  have no understanding of what a white coffee is, you ask for a coffee and they ask " how would you like it" you say "white" and they look at you with a blank expression and ask again....then after 2 minutes of a stand off they say do you mean with cream....... Im sure its US that should celebrate independance day not them !!!

i got on a bus (cuz the tram was bust) in minneapolis and asked if i could use my ticket from the tram on the bus (i was told i could beforehand) and the driver asked me 3 times to repeat myself (said "huh" 3 times) before someone behind me said "it's ok he's english" and translated for me.
The driver said "ahhh", and said louder (like i was hard of hearing) "you should have said that in the first place"
muppet, the urge to beat him round the head while singing rule britannia was overwhelming

About 12 years ago I was invited to go to the states to stay with some Native Americans for a few weeks. Although they are modernised now they still try to keep there history and identity alive, so for a month or so each year they erect tepees on tribal land and live the old way. They let me join in with many of their activities including a form of rugby where the whole tribe takes part, the women can run with the ball (rawhide stuffed with grass) but when the men have it they must stand still and throw it. We hollowed out box turtles to make rattles and, honour of honours; I took part in a POW wow.

Anyway, the point of the story is, Id been warned about the difficulty in getting a proper cup of tea and I cant live without it, so I took with me some tea bags, a small kettle, and a kettle prop (used to suspend the kettle over a fire)

The Indians took great interest in my tea making ritual and sat around with solemn faces as I brewed up, eventually one and then another were persuaded to try a sip, some hated it but some really liked it. When I went home I gave my remaining teabags to the one that liked it the most and he made me a dream-catcher from beads and dried sinews and a tail feather from a whip o will, it hangs above me as I write.

as barmy as a barm pot

I'm sure this is just a bad dream. It started off as a deadly serious thread, and looks where it's ended.

And whats a "dream catcher"?

Im not telling you, you didnt believe me about the sand boy

No, & I was correct.

I looked up sand flea in the OED. "another name for the chigoe or the sand-hopper". No mention of sand boy.

I looked up sand boy in th OED. "Jolly". No mention of sand flea.

Don't mess with tikay, see?

Oh go on, tell us what a dream catcher is. We promise to believe you.

HAPPY AS A SANDBOY
[Q] From Niki Wessels, South Africa; a related question came from Robert Metcalf in Singapore: Our family recently discussed the expression happy as a sandboy, and wondered where and how it originated. My dictionary informs me that a sandboy is a kind of fleabut why a boy, and why is it happy?
[A] Let me add an explanatory note to your question, as American readers have probably never heard this saying. It is mostly known in Britain and the Commonwealth, though it is not so common these days even in those countries. The first examples we know about are from London at the beginning of the nineteenth century. Another form current at the time was as jolly as a sandboy. Both are proverbial sayings that suggest a carefree and untroubled state of mind.
None of my reference works hint at a connection with fleas (sand fleas exist, of course, but they hardly seem relevant). However, a writer in Notes & Queries in 1866, answering much the same query as yours, comments that: Sandboy is the vulgar name of a small insect which may be found in the loose sand so common on the seashore. This insect hops and leaps in a manner strongly suggestive of jollity, and hence I imagine the simile arises. So your dictionary is part-right: it was once a colloquial or dialect word for a sand flea.

I will accept a formal apology

seein as tom has gone about summat else lol it seems lol a dream cathcher is sorta similair to a mobile that you usually hang above a babies bed, or a windchime without the bells. Usually made from bone and other natural items they were made by native americans in the belief that they "caught" bad dreams and enabled the owner a nightmare free sleep.


See i'm not stupid

Thank you BlueWolf, I was waiting for him to say I made the whole Indian thing up, (I have the photo's)

Reddog - you could have left him a wee basket wi a bone beside the bin - dogs is getting fussy these days

and this midge ure chappy is it because he` was wee and can sing high notes ir just that there is a swarm of besties follow him. I`d just like to know in case i meet the chappie,

vote cast  - if it aint broke dont fix it....ibble ibble

Back to the original question?

I'm in the camp that would like more sections, but this is clearly a minority

Whilst mine is not a strident view, I see problems and limitations of the current set up once the forum expands to its next level, say 1500 posters, which I think will be around the end of the year

The "one more section" perhaps for off-topic might be a nice compromise, with a view to reviewing the need to expand sections later

Noted Tight-End.

Red, many thanks for your attempts to justify the meaning of sandboy in 1866. I was thinking more of something a couple of centuries more up to date. The entire language was different in the dark ages.

And how can a dictionary be part right? Is that like part pregnant, or fairly dead?

So in the words of Tom Petty. "I won't back down, no I won't back down".

Don't hea rmuch of him these days, either on MTV or VH1. Mores the shame.

Listen Buster, just because a word or phrase falls out of use does'nt mean it ceases to exist.

So you dont hear much of Tom Petty these days? does that mean he was never there in the first place?

A real heartbreaker.

I wanted my 500th post to be memorable...so i think i will just say ................ Red Dog I think I love you XXX

just found this:-
As a butcher puts down sawdust to soak up droppings a saloon owner will put down sand to soak up stale beer. Small boys, "sandboys", will bring in buckets of sand and be paid with small amounts of beer which can make one smile excessively, hence the "happy" part of your phrase.

and this:-
Not surprisingly, sandboy refers to a peddler of sand. Why would folks be interested in buying sand? It isn't a big item now, but once upon a time folks counted on the abrasive sand for scouring pans and scrubbing floors. If you're guessing this sort of housekeeping took place a long, long time ago, you're right. Sandboys and their vocation fell from favor more than 150 years ago. Still, the simile as happy as a sandboy remained a popular saying for some time, especially on British shores.

So were these porters and purveyors of loose granular material truly happy in their work? Probably not. Etymologists believe any happiness associated with the hardworking sandboys was either ironic or a byproduct of sandboys' reliance on alcohol to medicate their aches and pains.

it's getting like call my bluff, "happy as a sandboy, is it A)......................."

this one sort of rubbishes Red-dog's theory though:-
http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-hap2.htm

How sad am i?

MTV, VH1?

 Dont think I missed your thinly disguised attempt to sound trendy

Coming soon...


Pimp my Ride with Tikay

Cribs with Tikay

Thank you Iifm, at last an intelligent response. And it makes sense. The debate would appear to be closed, another case won. But thank you for "ruibbishing Rd-Dogs" response. Hehe, love it. That was his thinly disguised attempt at sounding intelligent.

MTV Cribs. Don't you just love those pads?

Hang on, have I entered the Twilight Zone?

Did'nt ifm's link prove my point?

Depends how you look at it. Not at all would be my view.

MESSAGE FROM ADMIN - THIS THREAD IS CLOSED.

Is it?

note to ADMIN who do you think runs this forum

Oops, sorry Boss.

What a marathon. I have just caught up from the begining of this thread and see the gossip from the Emperor's hot water, matching escalators, sandbays, patriotic assaults on foriegn tramdrivers and all the bits inbetween. I was going to vote for a change into sections, I can't see how I can now! It was all so brilliant. Now you can see why this is the bestest forum on the 'net.

Oh and for non-believers, or slightly interested:-

http://www.cia-g.com/~gathplac/dreamcatcher_legend.htm

Not even slightly interested.

Ok, I've given this a great deal of thought for several days now, and the answer is, if it's my forum, no.

It is yoir Foorum.

But "no" what?

No more sections? Or don't leave it as is....??!!

Don't know if this has been mentioned as right now I cant be asked reading thru 5 pages........ but how bout an off topic as well as the main two sections?

I know this thread is now closed but, for what it is worth, I think we need more sections. Topics do not stay on the first page for long (which is great as it means that people are using the site!)
I must be honest, I tend not to go to page 2 or beyond so probably miss a great deal.
I guess the other alternative is to have more threads on the first page.

f it was my fourm i would split the tourny news into 3 sections

live updates
trip reports
and future events (both B&M and online)

and leave general forum alone as an all in 1 off topi and on topic ramble

I am very surprised by the results of this poll.

Personally, I feel many would benefit from a hand analysis section. I find these discussions to be immensly useful and I learn heaps from the wide range of feedback.

Do I stand alone in this view?  :)

nope i like hand anaylsis but many players dont as it gives too much info away
you are likely to find its only us novices that chip in and the pros rarely do

Although im not suprised at the result of the poll, I am suprised at the small amount of votes 54 total votes out of a member list of over 700 is poor.... but like politics, its all down to % and the pollsters will say that 72.2% of the membership of this forum voted to leave it as it is ... so the people have decided :) 

As long as the ones who didn't vote don't then moan about it.....which seems to be what happens in politics.

well the post was permanantly on top of page one, there is no excuse for anyone to say they didnt see it, if they are not happy with the result, then like politics , they will have to wait until the next voting process comes around.

I would have voted but was away on holiday.

I think to give all 750 members a chance, the vote should have been open for longer, or perhaps a gentle email to each member would have got more respondants.

I would have liked to have had a vote.

But as you say the process has been and gone.

Perhaps you could do 2 more votes and make it the best of 3!! Just to give us slow coaches a say.

 ;)

I think another poll would be worthwhile as I think many wouldn't mind just 1 or 2 extra headings.

Al comments, for or against, plus the useful alternatives suggested by you, noted.

We will be busy for a few days, and the decision has been made to leave things as they are, so that's that. Or is it........?

Even some of those who wanted to leave things alone seemed of the view that maybe just one more section may be beneficial. Let's give it a few days & then we will decide how to deal with this. In the interim, further comment is encouraged. It's important to get this right.

Think I've moved into the "maybe one more" camp

Wot about a postal vote so there isnt any controversy???

LOL

Having said that, posts are disappearing at an alarming rate, perhaps we do need more than one more

 ??? ??? ???

Let me know what I think

Yeah, the one I posted this lunch time is already at the very foot of page 1 and bracing itself to step foot into the murky depths of the basement.

Sorry if this has already been covered I keep getting an MSN pop up
when I click on the forum topics any ideas how to remove it.

yes im the exactly the same, it a passport login window that appears?? ??? ???

It was all to do with Kevs vehas pics and his profile pic being hosted on Msn which meant you had to log into an account to view his pic, ironside has now sorted this problem out

Yes, the MSN Login Menu that kept popping up has gone now. Kev's fault.

Kev - you coming to The Vic this weekend? If so, I am sure Jen would appreciate a bit of help.

OK, I think the decision is "leave well alone, but ONE extra section would be useful".

So, we will have....

Tournament News

General Discussion

And.....?

Suggestions please. Not rude.

We will add the extra section once we decide what it ought to be, in the next week I guess. And we will take another look at the set up of the Forum as a whole in a month or two.

It sorta depends if the Forum keep growing I suppose. There has beena remarkable increase in Forum Membership recently - if it continues at even half that pace, then clearly we will need to re-think it entirely, as the number of posts will rise accordingly.

Bad beat stories, and other topics.

 ;D

i dont think we need an extra section but feel we need to split the tourniment news into 2 boards

1 for live updates
and 1 for future events, trip reports, online events

maybe call it the "not so live tounry news"

Not sure about the Vic tony, But im pretty sure i will be in Luton.. I will have to get to one of them.

 I reckon with all the free drinks i have been offered, i might not leave the bar though :)

And you know I will gladly help you and Jen out with the updates, apart from playing, its the next best thing... see ya soon
Kev.

I will be playing some of the events at Luton Kev, look forward to seeing you there

By the way. I owe you a JD for Spongebob, remember?

Thats on my list mate, who could forget that thread .... one of the most surreal i think i have ever seen  :)

Look forward to sharing a drink with you soon.

No need to share, I'll get us one each  ::)

Ironsides idea of splitting the Live Tourney section is good. And possibly an Off Topic (ie non poker) section??

Noooooooooo ... we couldnt possibly have an off topic section .... the meandering threads and witty asides are what makes the boards a compulsive read, and IMHO taking those from the threads would leave a very sterile section.

Just my opinion.

And Red, im glad we aint sharing a drink, your tash would take more than its fair share ;)

What happens when a poker topic degrades into a non poker topic, ie " I lost with AA"

"I've lost one of my socks"

"I wonder where they go....? etc

the general disscussions in basically an off topic board

All this talk about topics has given me a choc attack

Whats got a hazelnut in every bite?

Squirrel chit

Not sure it is....unless it's off the Live Tourney Updates topic!

Jiust thought it might be an idea to seperate poker and non poker stuff. What to do about Red's alternating threads I don't know...lol.

Is it funny that, try as we might to stop it, poker still gets mentioned every now and then on the General Discussion bit.

i say again i think we could do with a section to post news of value tourny's (online) and sats etc.
Bloody frustrating when someone says "yeah i qualified tonight for a trip to ****** for 3 weeks and 10k spending money, only 4 runners!"

Some great stuff here, & I laughed my socks off - sorry, we were discussing AA at the time - at Red-Dog & Robert HM's posts. A typical example of a serious blonde thread getting off topic, but being all the more readable (& laughable, as one of blonde's detractors smirkily told me..) because of it.

But I must say that Ian's (ifm) post - the one above this - caught me right between the eyes. How useful would THAT be? The amount of times it happens, too. I met a guy at The Vic tonight - Anthony Nicholls, (whom I have known almost since he was born....), who told me he qualified for The Vic 5k jobbie in an almost empty satellite.

How about a new section for stickies, we have 5 on here at the moment

yeah, leaves little room for other stuff, have to keep going onto the next page

Oops, I'd better do some unsticking I think. After the rushing about of the last month, I am slowly getting caught up. Bear with me, as they say.