Meanwhile, I’m putting plans together for a week during WSOP from 8th to 15th June.

It seems to be much more expensive for hotels in that week compared to the following week - does anyone know why that might be?

Are any Blondes planning to be there during that week? Would be nice to meet a face or two for a drink between the comps.

Only just saw tikay’s post about Cuba… thankfully I have 2 passports, so I should be okay - but I’m going to check anyway

Great stuff Alex. Loving the honesty, and that the poker player scumbag myth isn’t a myth. So good that you have so many more strings to your bow, and that you’ve not sacrificed a solid family life. Please also feel feel free to backtrack and elaborate on Gambia or Joe King (although I think you may have touched on JK previously)

Would love to see a blog reboot Alex.

Your Angel investment fund would make an extremely interesting read - to whatever extent you are able to share - in addition to your poker exploits

I only know you through Blonde, but I always enjoyed being a fly on your wall in the past blog posts

Nah

I seem to remember that Scotland played Iran in a World Cup ‘back in the day’. Celtic was probably still in his nappies.

Just out of them. My first recollection of any football was the Gemmell goal v Holland. Didn’t quite appreciate how great it was at the time. Wasn’t enough for me to follow Scotland. Not entirely sure why.

I remember that game very well. I was living in Vancouver at the time, sharing accommodation with two very passionate Glaswegians. The game was shown via satellite transmission at a concert venue, and there were very few Dutchmen in the venue where I was an honorary Scot. The place erupted when wee Archie chipped in his brilliant finish.

Nah

I seem to remember that Scotland played Iran in a World Cup ‘back in the day’. Celtic was probably still in his nappies.

[Not Sunak though.]

It’s time for the Conservative MPs to wake up and smell the coffee. One accepted candidate with a declared set of senior ministers lined up. A coalition of genuine Tory beliefs has to be put together over the weekend and a new leader/PM  confirmed by Tuesday.
Who? Fuck knows. Not Sunak though. Wallace seems sound.

Frankly, I have little faith in this mob who broke Hillaire Belloc’s rule when they let go of the hand of Nurse BoJo. But I have zero faith in the capabilities of Sir Keef Starmer and his ragtag band. Especially since the likelihood is that they will need the support of the LibDems.

Why not?

Just read a lot of really bad reviews for Paris on TripAdvisor. Even discounting for petty peeves, the complaints are justified and I’d steer clear until I read about significant improvements

Cameron Norrie - what a player. Just Djoko in the next round though. I would just love it if he could beat him....

Great effort, Doobs. So unlucky with the final run-out.

Sent.   Ref Scoopios.

Scoopios. The parlance of the Tikay stake makes light of day again. What other delights were there- Mr F.O.S, arsehole ripping are a couple of the excellent phrases I heard in the Staking debriefs.

Well, if we can't have Jeeves, then a lot of scoopios and arsehole ripping will suffice. Looking forward to the updates tikay - even though I missed the boat with my flaming greenbacks....

Can't help but keep an eye on the Canadian players....

Bianca Andreescu had a knee operation after an injury in 2021. She's only just started playing tournaments this year after a long layoff. Nonetheless, she's playing the final of the WTA Bad Homburg Open on grass on Sunday. Yes, she got a walkover vs Simona Halep, but she's hot favourite for the final against Garcia tomorrow. She's not dropped a set in her three matches (Swann and Kasatkina were two of her opponents), and I think she's currently overpriced at 22/1 foe Wimbledon. If she wins tomorrow, that price will be gone.

https://www.sportsnet.ca/tennis/article/canadas-bianca-andreescu-in-bad-homburg-final-after-halep-withdraws/

What are the best websites to check for genaral info, best pubs, best restuarants, activities etc. in Vegas?
Thanks in advance.

I was there in April. I can recommend the following:
A Steak restaurant: Oscars in old Vegas (tbh they’re all very good but quite expensive compared to UK)
Pub: McMullans is great, but well away from the strip - which may be no bad thing
A show: Opium at the Cosmo - great fun & something for everyone

Also, I think Tripadvisor is good as a reference point for everything LV has to offer - always full of opinions. And finally, a lot depends on your budget - you can do a decent Vegas experience without spending a fortune, but if you have a fortune to spend, then there’s a different menu altogether.

I'm never going indirect again, with all the aggro and cancellations with short haul flights in the new world.

Exactly how I see it.  At 5pm when you are stuck at a gate in Chicago and realise you could already be in Vegas if you'd paid the extra hundo..... shudder.

The one I was specifically looking at was BA via Phoenix which is total flight time 13h 12 opposed to the 10h 40 for direct.

1h 2 transfer time seemed potentially a bit tight so what's the risk of missing the connecting flight? I assume they have to sort it if you book both legs as one flight but you could end up hanging around a bit?

This one actually gets you to Vegas more than 4 hours sooner but with the downside of having to drive down to London at about 4am......

Bear in mind that you clear customs and US border at the point of entry, so you should be concerned about that tight connection - even in Phoenix

Try watching the Pitt vs Heard trial - most of it’s shown live on YouTube. It can be very interesting, but it can also be infuriating - particularly regarding the manner in which the questions are delivered by the lawyers. Best watched as edited highlights....