Recent Posts

well played Emma this evening.
Watson is scheduled for playing in Wimbledon qualification  https://live-tennis.eu/en/wta-schedule  she is down at 484

Oh, I got tapped up last night by one of the USA PLO8 crew.

Decent player actually.

"I want to play the $10k Big O tomorrow Tony, but need to sell some action, I can let you have 50% at 10% mark up if you fancy it?"

Very kind of him to bear me in mind.

There was a time when I may have been tempted, but as always, I learn my lessons - eventually.

I'm glad golf isn't a test.

Too right.

Amazingly, I play with at least 2 players who don't need a scorecard, they can remember their score at every hole. (Ralph & "Jac" aka Paul Jackson not the Poker Player).

By the time I get to the next tee, I can't remember what I scored on the previous hole. Probably just as well, I'm even worse at golf than poker.
 

[At least from next month I should be free of all the mundane paperwork and FCA regulations.]

I am currently still working, I was due to retire in January but was lied to by the company taking over my business so pulled out of that deal and had to sort another one out. I managed to do that and, in theory, we complete the sale at the end of this month, fingers crossed. I will be staying on for a few months to make sure all the clients are happy, although that will be in an unpaid capacity. At least from next month I should be free of all the mundane paperwork and FCA regulations. 

I don't think there has ever been an organisation I despise more than the FCA. You'll feel good not having to deal with all their pointless crap (I appreciate they do some good, but with an overwhelming amount of crap thrown in)

I never knew you were in Financials? If it's not too personal, doing what?

How's the Eric Clapton tour going? I'm still curious why folks like him &, say, Rod Stewart or Tom Jones still do Tours & gigs. Rod & Tom are definitely loaded, & although EC stuck millions up his nose he's been clean almost 40 years now. I guess they just love the buzz of performing in front of a crowd.

I was involved in the motor industry for a little while (which the FCA regulated). Been out of that for 4 years though, thankfully! One of my best friends still works in insurance for one of the big players in the UK. It's crazy the hoops they have to jump through due to FCA regs. A customer could call in and spend 30 minutes talking and not even get on to the subject of actual insurance, just by saying the things that trigger all their 'FCA alarms'. It's mental!

I don't think we need to worry about EC; he's very deep 9 figure loaded haha.  Tour is on a break until late August when the Norfolk gig happens, and then off to the US for that leg.

...and eventually, last night's poker.

Won't trouble you with too many details, but it was a $250 PLO8 @ MGM, which attracted just 74 entries with 9 paid.

Was a real battle all night and I was in OK shape with 13 left at 10.20pm. It then took 2 hours & 40 minutes to get down to 9 players, including an hour on the actual bubble. A FT of 9 of course means we were playing 5 handed for over an hour, so you have to somehow keep replenishing your stack. (BB Antes too). Tremendous fun though.

The hour long bubble eventually deflated when I bust, only to then realize that a lad on the other table was UTG & had half a BB. But I think I was correct to make the play I did with a lovely hand even though I whiffed the board completely.

So the tl;dr version is "no good".

This morning I have the mother of adrenalin hangovers, or maybe just emotional exhaustion, could barely crawl out of bed. I used to be able to throw all-nighters at poker, straight to work, then rinse repeats, but age has taken it's toll.

Today's poker fayre is $240 Big O here at Orleans.

Here's the point at which I departed last night. It's not as if I missed big money, but the buzz from late stages of poker tourneys is amazeballs, & it's a novelty I never tire of.

I'm glad golf isn't a test.

[At least from next month I should be free of all the mundane paperwork and FCA regulations.]

I am currently still working, I was due to retire in January but was lied to by the company taking over my business so pulled out of that deal and had to sort another one out. I managed to do that and, in theory, we complete the sale at the end of this month, fingers crossed. I will be staying on for a few months to make sure all the clients are happy, although that will be in an unpaid capacity. At least from next month I should be free of all the mundane paperwork and FCA regulations. 

I don't think there has ever been an organisation I despise more than the FCA. You'll feel good not having to deal with all their pointless crap (I appreciate they do some good, but with an overwhelming amount of crap thrown in)

I never knew you were in Financials? If it's not too personal, doing what?

How's the Eric Clapton tour going? I'm still curious why folks like him &, say, Rod Stewart or Tom Jones still do Tours & gigs. Rod & Tom are definitely loaded, & although EC stuck millions up his nose he's been clean almost 40 years now. I guess they just love the buzz of performing in front of a crowd.

Well this has been a tremendous find. One of the things I miss so much about the 'old' forum was your Vegas stories Tikay, so it's great to find them here. I read through all this visit's posts and it was a grim start but the last cash has righted the boat, now to power on and get some deep runs.
Good luck Sir!

Morning Paul, & thank you.

I've not been writing much from Vegas this year even though I love writing & (I think) I have such a bunch of fascinating stories. Fascinating to me, obviously, but not necessarily to others. I'm just not sure folks are that interested in Forum Diaries these days, especially by someone of my age. It's the WhatsApp age, everything has changed. A close friend of mine just wrote his autobiography (just for friends & family), & I've been mulling the idea of doing the same. I really have had THE most amazing life one way & another with some extraordinary twists & turns, & a whole bunch of "right time, right place".

Anyway, moving on, presumably you'll have tickets for Wimbledon which starts in a few weeks? Any views on likely winners?

You still playing much tennis?

Everything OK on the Country Estate & Private Zoo?  Mrs Tune OK?

Still working, or are you retired now?

You really do need to write an autobiography Tikay, from your postings over the years it would definitely be an excellent read.

No Wimbledon for me, I have been many times over the years and don't really miss going there to watch now. It's a much easier trip to go to Eastbourne for the tennis and I often go there to watch County Week, which is an excellent level of tennis. I'm still playing although it's now about trying to maintain a decent (ish) level, whilst the body starts to slow down. No tips for Wimbledon from me I'm afraid, I generally support the outsiders and the brits, so little chance of a winner.

Everything is fine at home, we have a new(ish) German Shepherd dog who we rescued last year and is a work in progress, and an old GSD who is the dog equivalent of my tennis, still tries to play with the youngsters despite being slower and weaker. Currently have about 20 ducks, two moorhen broods, two different herons visiting and swallows nesting in the stables. Down to just 4 cats now and two horses. Thankfully Beaula does most of the animal chores, it keeps her fit and happy, apparently.

I am currently still working, I was due to retire in January but was lied to by the company taking over my business so pulled out of that deal and had to sort another one out. I managed to do that and, in theory, we complete the sale at the end of this month, fingers crossed. I will be staying on for a few months to make sure all the clients are happy, although that will be in an unpaid capacity. At least from next month I should be free of all the mundane paperwork and FCA regulations.  

Anyway I'm off to Kent for a client meeting now, good luck with the poker today, I miss out PLO8 DYM evenings.

Your menagerie sounds idyllic.

The Herons - do they come for the fish in your ponds/lakes, the duck & moorhen chicks, or both?

Bloody love Herons, but they are mean buggers. Saw a video once of a Heron eating a rabbit. To be fair, it did drown it first, perhaps to help it slide down.

Bet you are looking forward to retirement? Been so good for me. Trouble is, it only lasts so long...

Those PLO8 nights we used to have? Wow, what fun they were. And then Churchy came along & ruined it all.


http://www.youtube.com/shorts/DJdsnMyVSQ4

The herons come for anything they can creep up on, it's quite upsetting watching them take ducklings and young moorhens but that's nature I'm afraid. They're one of the reasons I've never bothered putting koi in the ponds, having to watch a heron make a breakfast out of your prize (and expensive) koi must be depressing. I remember once seeing a video of an otter taking a heron, so karma is always there somewhere.

I am looking forward to retirement, one of the main reasons is that I don't like watching my clients get old or suffering from dementia and I'm slightly wary of still working if I get to that stage. I'd like to have a few good years first.

I know you hate bad beat stories but last night was, for me, a bad one and the saying is a problem shared is a problem halved so you're going to get it, like it or not! I'd freerolled into the Sky nightly main event (which was a mystery bounty hunter) and was lying 17th out of 20 with 18 paid. Smallest stack in early position shoves and big stack shoves to isolate, I have AK and know that I can't fold there. I sigh knowing that this is likely to be it and when the cards turn over I see the small stack has KQ and the big stack has A8 so I dominate BOTH of them. Of course the first card out on the flop is the 8 and that's it I'm out in 19th. The real sting in the tail was that the short stack's bounty was the second biggest in the tournament, you know just to rub it in. Currently hate poker, so off ttom play tennis. Have a good day!

Morning Paul.

Herons & Otters etc - correct, it's just nature doing it's thing, but crikey it's harsh. And it always seems to be the cute cuddly things that get eaten.

A friend of mine routinely shoots all sorts of animals & birds, he believes he is helping nature by protecting some species & killing others. I don't think Nature works like that though, leave it alone, it's self-regulating.

Retirement & potential dementia. You are so right, it is about the only thing that scares me. Problem is, if you do get it, how do you know? I sort of try to self-test regularly but it's a bit hit & miss, isn't it? I tend to think Poker might be a decent test actually.

Have you been existing on your morning sticky buns in starbys?

Not had a single one.

When we were in Hawaii they had delicious real cream vanilla puffs which were unbelievably good & I was on 2 a day. Now I somehow have no appetite for anything less. When you "move up" it's hard to go back down.

Made up for it with Haagen Dazs Choc Ices though, had one every night, usually around 1 or 2am after dinner.

PS - we don't have a Starby's in The Orleans, it's a "Java" which is slang for Coffee I believe. It's definitely a Starbucks in all but name though, and the cups & branding all have the Starby's name & logo of the green mermaid or whatever she is.

 

Has there been much chatter about the World Cup in the Cardrooms?

Morning boo bloke.

I spoke too soon when I said zero chatter.

I was in MGM Card Room last night, immediately adjacent the Sports Bar whilst USA were playing, and the cheering whooping & hollering was amazing, especially after each goal. Afterwards, there was a huge conga, with everyone chanting USA USA. Quite the atmo.