DAVE "EL BLONDIE" COLCLOUGH - European Player of the Year

[charmaine]

Definitely depends on the woman   ie if they affect you play/time playing .
Its not easy being the one sitting in most nights when your partner is out having a good time , well thats how it feels sometimes .
If Paul wants to go out of the UK to play i must admit to pining for him till he comes home , but i still say go for it and have fun .
He's now playing more and more live , tournament's and cash games , how can i stop him from doing something he enjoys so much i cant and wont , but when I'm really in a bit of a mood and he goes out I'm sure it affects his game .
I guess its all swings and roundabouts 

No words can say how bad i feel for you Dave 

[elblondie]

Well I got off to an above-average start in my new single man poker life.
I played the £300 at Walsall, was falling asleep at the table saturday night, but maanged to pull through to today where I finished 5th.
Respectable but no banana. Probably proves nothing.

In answer to Brain's question on why dont I ever get chips at the start of a tourney any more...
This is a pet hate of mine and I'll offer 2 excuses.
1) at the start of a comp I get too much 'respect'    At EPTs expecially within the first hour, I've probably had my photo taken 10 times, just to make sure that everyone at the table knows who I am. If I re-raise anyone they just pass. I just cant seem to play a big pot.
2) again in EPTs. I have a policy of calling all small raises in the first 2 levels with small pairs or suited connectors trying to flop a set or a straight or a flush BUT I just acnt remember the last time it happened in a major. In walsall last night no problem. flopped a set in level 1 and increased my stack by 50%. I can only remember flopping 2 sets in EPTs... both middle set against top set, and doing my stack.
Just cant catch an early breaks
......... but I can feel things a changing.

Thanks everyone for all the nice comments.

[M3boy]

Brave to come on and post that Dave.

Sorry to hear.

As for Poker/women a good combination,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

I have a good un, yes I am sure it bothers her when I go and play, but she is behind me 100%. Yes if we are arguing or she is in a mood cos I am going to play then sure it does affect my game, even now it still does.

I'm 100% confident your poker results will improve Dave, but like me I am sure you would rather this never happened. I would be devistated!

Chin up

See you in Luton next week for the Spring fest?

[wsopin07]

OK, here are a few more questions for you:

1) We have had conversations about the "old pros" becoming to tight and the game passing them by, can you explain that?

2) Has this very thing happened to you in any way at the tables?

3) How does a good player get himself off a bad run and what is the key to staying on a good run (besides running good)?

4) What do you think has had the biggest change on your game in the past 12 months (running bad, marriage, starting Blonde, ect)?

I think the most important thing in in a persons poker makeup is the ability to except criticism, adjustments to the poker "environment around them, and the network of poker conversations they are involved in ( friends, forums, books, ect). How have these types of things effected your poker in the last 12 months or so?   

[elblondie]

Wow Brian..you know how to put a guy on the spot.. but I'll go for it amd give you my thoughts...

Firstly I wouldnt consider myself on a bad run. I would consider myself on a 'below average run'. However
this year I have won a comp in Brighton, finished 4th in the Braodway, 5th in Walsall at the weekend and 3rd in one in Poland and thats not bad out of around 20 entries. Its not great, but its better than a whole swathe of other people I could mention.
Nov. 2006  I came 2nd i the Dublin EPM for 56,000 euro
Jan 2006 I came 2nd in Party Poker TV event for $77,000
In between I rememebr a 5th in Turks&Cacos for $28,000, a third and a fourth in big comps at the Vic (both above £15,000) and several other money finishes. This is not a bad year. Rankings wise I think I was 10th. It's not really that bad that I need to start looking for a job yet.

Having said that, I do distinctly remember telling you and many other people that the game changes over the years. And as the style of play changes around me, I have to think, analyse and adapt to beat it. I am constantly doing that and have slightly different strategies for playing in UKGPT events or an EPT or in a US Major. This varies depending on my view of the ability and the aggressiveness of the players around me. However it may also change within a comp as the personel at the table change around me. I dont think the game has passed me by just yet but when it has I will change.
I do feel that I am running bad in EPTs and hopefully that is not too much of an excuse. Day 1 of Monte Carlo I had a big problem on my mind (my marriage) and just managed to survive. On day 2 I thought I played perfectly and started to build very well. i dont remember 1 mistake. I was next to Andy black all day, so maybe someone should ask Andy for a comment on that. I would be interested in his opinion.

I also dont think that my marriage really affected my poker, but it may have done. I do however feel that struggling with The Cincinnati Club and Blondepoker last year definately led to me having a dreadful WSOP. I feel I really was not in the right frame of mind.

Ok? did I cover everything?
 


 

[wsopin07]

Thank you sir, I didnt mean u were playing bad, maybe it is just the lack of "results" in the bigger comps, and as we all know that is where the big $$$$$$$$ is. Thanks for the post, just wait for that 1st $1mil cash, then u can laugh at all of us!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Royal Flush]

this year I have won a comp in Brighton

Fluke.....

[bobby1]

Ok I have been told to update the thread to generate some interest, so I am doing as I am told. 
got home from monte carlo to catch my mrs. with a 26 year young chap called james.          We have a generation gap problem. She has more to talk to him about.     God I feel old...(43 before you ask) 
I guess i'll be able to concentrate 100% on poker in the future no girlfriend/wifey distractions....so just wait for the improvement. I think the Irish Open may be a little early but get your money on me for the Bellagio WPT Grand Final. I genuinely think I am going to win it....The poker Gods  are perparing me for something big. I know I'm 
So what do the public think? Are wives/girlfriends detrimental to your poker play? Are the poker gods gay anti-women? That Andy black fella is leading the EPT Final , he aint got a girlfriend. I cant see Jamie Gold with a girlfriend, Most of these scandie machine gunners arent old enough to have girlfriends?
Who thinks I'll win a major in the next 3 months? Honesty is good. Right now I can handle anything thrown at me.
If this doesn't generate interest I'm gonna quit poker.
May the cleansing process begin.
 

I am really sorry to read this Dave, I hope you are ok.

[bobby1]

Probably not what you want to hear, i came into this year on a 47 winning month steak (no shit) i split up with Ginger in mid Jan, Feb and March have both been losing months for me......

As long as you can stay off "life tilt" you'll be ok.

Sorry to hear what happened.

I'm sorry to hear about this too.

[Indestructable]

this year I have won a comp in Brighton

Fluke.....

 
Fair play to Dave on this one, when he came to my table he was down to a chip and a chair. He then went all in with pocket 6's and had two callers (one was me  )
A 6 came on the flop (i think) and he trebled up. But even then he could have only had chips to cover a few blinds.
Couldn't believe it when I heard of the final result. Shame it wasn't televised as would have made good telly. 

[Royal Flush]

this year I have won a comp in Brighton

Fluke.....

 
Fair play to Dave on this one, when he came to my table he was down to a chip and a chair. He then went all in with pocket 6's and had two callers (one was me  )
A 6 came on the flop (i think) and he trebled up. But even then he could have only had chips to cover a few blinds.
Couldn't believe it when I heard of the final result. Shame it wasn't televised as would have made good telly. 

It was an impressive come back, and the toughest final table lineup i have ever seen for a £200 comp.

[TheChipPrince]

I wouldnt say that having a girlfriend for me makes any difference to the way I play poker or how I feel during a game, but it makes a huge difference to the hours I can put in...

But maybe on the other hand it does have an effect because maybe I try and play 'catch up' in the time I do play, knowing I cant play as often as i would like, so trying too hard when I do play.. Umm, or is that just plain confusing?!

[elblondie]

errr....yes

[Junior Senior]

Hi Dave, long time no see (the girlfriend doesn't let me out any more! :-)).  Sorry to hear about you and Rhow and sincerely hope you get things sorted and go on a streak soon.

For me there is no doubt that being in a stable relationship with commitments to fulfill totally ruins the poker game but I guess it all comes down to priorities and what you deem to be important in life (poker does not = life no matter how good you are or how seriously you take it)

All the best, hopefully we will lock horns soon!

[stewart]

its good to see the big name pros go threw the bad patches like all of us, i think you are dealing with it very well dave, there are allways them DTD girls anyway lol