It's easy to forget just how bad the standard is over here. We're not talking Seb-bad, or even The Sicilian-bad, this is tragic stuff.
No joy in the $330 yesterday, lasted around four hours, never much above starting stack. Didn't do a lot wrong but didn't do anything earth shattering either, not quite there at the moment but it will come (hopefully).
Anyway, about half an hour in, a big beardy dude came in to my right having just bought in. He didn't do a lot for a while, then the blinds hit 100-200 and he starting going for it a bit.
In two hands he managed this.
Raise to 625 on the button, BB called, 1350 in the middle. Flop jack high. BB checks, beardy bets 3000, BB calls. Turn nothing exciting. BB checks, beardy puts BB all in, BB calls. Beardy KK, BB JJ.
Beardy now down to 4600. Folded round to him. He goes all in, yep, that's 4600 into 300. BB calls with JJ. Beardy reveals his stunning 77 and duly turns the set.
Just LEARN HOW TO BET PROPERLY FFS.
Another one that stuck in the memory from later went like this.
Blinds 300-600, big stack min raises. BB re-min raises. BS re-min raises. BB calls. Flop comes ace high three spades. BB checks, BS goes all in, BB with about 10000 back calls. BS has 55 with a spade. BB has A5.
Turn is a spade. BB goes ballistic and I mean ballistic. LMFAO.
Otherwise they've completely ballsed up the evening tournament at the Venetian. It was speedy enough before, when it was $180 buy in, 30-min levels. Now they'vre made it $120 buy-in, 20-min levels. No interest in that nonsense, so have just been hunting around for alternatives.
Tonight it will have to be Caesars, where they at least still have 30min levels.
Tomorrow will be here, $200 with 30min levels (should have this every night).
Saturday Binion's, which looks a good one. Always try to get there for at least one tournament each trip.
Bellagio $500 apparently only got 18 runners yesterday, which ain't much cop.
The Luton foursome arrived yesterday and, after fillet mignon x 4 at the Grand Lux (good choice), hit the satellite table. Crazy scenes imo, take it easy first night. Mega looked shattered (unusually) and didn't last long (not unusually).
Celtic and Mrs Celtic arrive later.
Gym now, that six pack didn't create itself you know.

Always seen Chompy more as an "A" level type.

LOL. Not sure how out loud I just laughed, as I'm ipod-ed up in the Venetian business centre, but at least two turned away from their VDU in my direction.

The flight was less eventful than last time, no teeth chipped by toberones or knees crushed by 110-year-old asian women.
I wasn't sure how flying in on election day would alter things but it looked bad when the queue to get through passport check was about 1000-long. Saw a queue jumper get nabbed and shunted to the back of the line but, as always with the Yanks, they had it under control and everyone was through within an hour.
I probably wouldn't go through Washington again. It means two flights of seven hours and five hours and the second one is a killer. Probably best to go through Denver or San Francisco and keep the second one as a shorty imo.
The worst thing that happened was finding out Mama Mia! was the in-flight movie from Washington.
Didn't think it would be my sort of thing and it wasn't. I remember seeing it advertised at Huntingdon Cineworld during the great film drought of September as follows:
Deluxe screen: Mama Mia! (singalong): 3.00pm 6.00pm 9.00pm
Most of the stars were just there for a singalong too imo. Julie Walters sings Mrs Overall, Pierce Brosnan talks along and Colin Firth does Hugh Grant doing karaoke.
I just don't get musicals. Always liked that line about Moulin Rouge. "I went to see Moulin Rouge the other night but some idiot ruined it for us all by shouting the whole way through. It was Ewan McGragor."
Ready for action now, $300 Venetian at midday. They've been getting around 350 runners apparently, which is about right. The $1,000 on Sunday only got 75 but that still compared favourably to Caesars' $500 the same afternoon, which only got 80.
Time to run like MDD...

Ok folks. We're doing it all again!!! Chompy is off tomorrow & I follow out on thursday. A few other lutonians going on wednesday and will be concentrating on the venetian deepstacks.

We will be updating our progress (or lack of it in some cases) on here as we know how much you enjoyed it last time and we wouldn't want to disappoint you all. Photo's will appear this time, any requests then feel free to ask and i'll see what i can do.

Good luck us!!!!

Here's a brief intro to the Lutonian folk going on this trip...
Jim McBride - Very solid, quality player who's rarely been dry in recent times but is on a barren run at the moment. Fancy him to do well.
Mel Fowler (aka Swerve) - Hot and cold but, like his Circus Circus room buddy (nice choice of location, lol) comes here cold. If he starts well the results will come, if not he could lose interest and switch to blackjack imo.
Keith Miller (aka Megladon, aka Megadong) - Watch out Vegas, here comes Mega! Ever heard 600 players simultaneously asking 'You still in Keith'? Well, get ready.
Vints Calenti (aka Celtic) - Hooped shirt packed and ready for action. Action being sit down, fold aces, queens, queens again, stand up, smoke fag, retire to room.
Dominic Ricepierse (aka rice'n'peas) - the unknown quantity to some extent. Played with him a few times at the western and at the G and seems above average to me. Sharing a room with Megadong.
Me - Totally out of love with the game for some weeks now, so taken a break from live poker, and now ready to go again. Awful player but due a run of luck imo. If I see MDD or anyone that looks like him, I'm playing roulette instead.
Also present - Kevin O'Leary

Nice one.
Just got a PM from The Sicilian saying you must have been lucky and wouldn't have won if he'd been in the heat.

Those Rusky fellas from the Western have been regular fixtures at Luton of late, seen at least three of them down there, not that I've been there a lot.
Last time I played at the Western a couple of months ago one of them was involved in the chop, they're all pretty wild players.

Bello, bot's boing bon bere ben?

Edna's in? Only one winner for me then, all aboard the evil express, woo woo

Crewe v Posh - any other score at around 7-1 on Betfair

Surprised he's still been getting work after all that bully boy stuff. Think he'll have to lower his sights now.

PS, QPR, hands off Fergie Jnr, you can't have him, he's going nowhere.

Multi-dimensional opponent had a similar stack. Anyway, I just called looking to play the double-up game, knowing that he'd probably bet his usual amount of 1000 on the flop, which he did.
He had  on a  flop. I moved in he called, bye bye me.

Starting stack 7,500, blinds up to 150-300, no antes, average stack 10,000. It's your BB, you have 5,200.
Multi-dimensional player makes it 800 from early position, folded round to you. You look down at KK...

Nothing more annoying than sub-standard editorial staff/proofreaders. I always double check my weekly copy to a certain paper and they always manage to butcher it.
This made me avoid sending the copy over until closer to deadline time but that only made things worse. Photos that don't match the copy, key paras that I'd never written, etc. Grrrr

I never knew you wrote articles - may I ask upon which subject?

No, let me guess.

Gambling? Greyhounds? Trichology?

LOL @ Trichologoy. Greyhounds? No no, too common for me, horseracing ftw

He then smothered the remaining half with marmalade, and ate it with relish.

not sure about that mix imo

Nothing more annoying than sub-standard editorial staff/proofreaders. I always double check my weekly copy to a certain paper and they always manage to butcher it.
This made me avoid sending the copy over until closer to deadline time but that only made things worse. Photos that don't match the copy, key paras that I'd never written, etc. Grrrr