Vegas & The Aftermath - Diary

[tikay]

I was weak with laughter when that trophy broke!!!  I still can't figure out HOW you broke it.  Caught some mention of it being in yer pants, but not sure how or why it got there.  Guess I was too busy laughing to get the full story.  Any chance of an explanation? 

I secretly placed it on the floor, by my left foot, so Orford could not see it, planning to gently nudge it so that it fell over & "clanged". But it broke in half.....

We tried to make the gag run for a while, but Sky are very hot on Health & Safety, broken glass & all that, so the Floor Manager crawled across the floor - literally, he was on all fours, out of camera range, to retrieve the trophy - both of it.

I've written to Sky this afternoon & arranged to have Rich's Trophy replaced.

[Laxie]

Both of it ....................   My kids are starting to wonder about their mom

[boldie]

Last night I dreamed I played Chris Moneymaker heads up. As is the way with dreams, it did not seem at all strange that we were playing with chicken nuggets instead of chips.

After one huge hand, all he was left with was a few breadcrumbs. I was afraid he would use them to make a miracle comeback so I bought them from him for £100

lmao..you're a strange man, Mr Red.

[tikay]

I read somewhere today that within the weekly PokerStars Tourney Schedule, there is a $10,000 Heads Up Tourney, 16 seats, & it pretty much sells out every week.

Has the world gone mad? $10,000 a pop, Heads-Up, & 16 folks are happy to pay it & play it? Every week.

That's a deposit on a house!

What a strange world poker is.

[Bainn]

I have been hearing Skypoker will be bringing us cash game action at some point, is this true ?

[tikay]

On both Saturday & Sunday morning, I had Brekkie in the Ibis Hotel, Bristol, where I was staying for the Sky Live Day.

On both occasions, I watched an identical scene enacted.

Sat in the Breakfat Room is a Mum & Dad, & their two kids. The kids were about 5 & 7 I'd say.

Both Kids have a Gameboy (or whatever), & are sitting there, transfixed. Jaws grimly clenched, eyes almost cross-eyed on the screen (both the kids were wearing spectacles), oblivious to all.

"Eat your breakfast" says Mum. No reply, not even an acknowledgement.

"EAT YOUR BREAKFAST". Ditto, no reply.

Dad chimes in. "Come on, you must eat some breakfast". No reply, no acknowledgement. These kids, remember, are like, 5 & 7.

Eventually Mum & Dad finish eating, & it's time to go.

Thery both get up, "come on kids, we have to get ready to go out".

The kids both get up & follow at a distance - still without removing their grip on the Gameboy Buttons, still staring transfixedly at the screen, still totally mute.

Half an hour later, as I'm leaving the Hotel, I see said family again, off for a Tourist day in Bristol. Both kids still staring at their gameboy thingys, still totally mute, still with jaws grimly clenched.

What chance do those two kids have of growing up as well-balanced adults? They'll have no social skills, won't understand what eye-contact is about - eye-contact unlocks a million doors a day - won't understand the value - to both parties - of smiling, or talking, or just relating to others.

Now THAT is child cruelty of the worst kind. I'd lock up the parents, throw away the key, & have the kids adopted by proper parents. Jeez, it makes me so mad so to see such awful parenting.

PS - OK, OK, I know, I've never had kids, so I don't know what I'm talking about. But I do know that if I had kids, & found them watching Big Brother, American Wrestling, or any other such mindless, banal, tripe, I know I'd have failed as a Parent to give my kids the start in life they deserve. Kids entire lives are made or broken in their formative years.

[Claw75]

I agree with you Tony - not the best example of parenting.  But 'child cruelty of the worst kind'?  I don't think so.

[tikay]

I have been hearing Skypoker will be bringing us cash game action at some point, is this true ?

It's true. It'l be fairly low stakes though, I imagine.

The Poker Geeks love to watch High Stakes Poker, & EPT's & WPT's, fair enough, we all do, but at the lower buy-in levels, there is so much fun to be had.

At the Sky Live 2 Day in Bristiol we ran maybe 15 or 20 SNG's. In each case, I told the players "choose your stake, you can play £5, £10, or £20, it's up to you, but £20 maximum please". (Because I did not want players who could not afford more to feel uncomfortable). Each SNG filled within seconds, players wre sprinting to the table to nab a seat.

Of the 15 SNG's, I'd say the players chose £5 or £10 in 90% of them. And they had a tremendous time, to judge by the whooping & hollering going off.

And that's why Sky Poker has been so stunningly successful (I refer to the CardRoom, which has astonished the industry with it's figures), because it's worked out that poker can be hugely entertaining at the lower buy-in levels.

[Bainn]

I have been hearing Skypoker will be bringing us cash game action at some point, is this true ?

It's true. It'l be fairly low stakes though, I imagine.

The Poker Geeks love to watch High Stakes Poker, & EPT's & WPT's, fair enough, we all do, but at the lower buy-in levels, there is so much fun to be had.

At the Sky Live 2 Day in Bristiol we ran maybe 15 or 20 SNG's. In each case, I told the players "choose your stake, you can play £5, £10, or £20, it's up to you, but £20 maximum please". (Because I did not want players who could not afford more to feel uncomfortable). Each SNG filled within seconds, players wre sprinting to the table to nab a seat.

Of the 15 SNG's, I'd say the players chose £5 or £10 in 90% of them. And they had a tremendous time, to judge by the whooping & hollering going off.

And that's why Sky Poker has been so stunningly successful (I refer to the CardRoom, which has astonished the industry with it's figures), because it's worked out that poker can be hugely entertaining at the lower buy-in levels.

Excellent, looking forward to that.

[Snatiramas]

All electronics are achieved on an award basis after homework is completed.
Never at the table.
I do not like the way my children behave after spending time on these items.
I have regularly taken them away for 7 days at a time along with the computer and television.
They give me a hard time when I follow this path but become so much more interesting in return. Maybe some of this is down to the fact that both they and Anne Marie and I actually have to communicate an artform that is fast dying out

Unless we give our children some idea of reasonable behaviour we will not get reasonable behaviour in return.
Their job is to push the boundaries.
I believe a parents job is to clearly define them.

[tikay]

I agree with you Tony - not the best example of parenting.  But 'child cruelty of the worst kind'?  I don't think so.

Fair point Claire, I exaggarate slightly perhaps, but you get my drift. Of course, physical or sexual abuse is as bad as it gets, but the example I cite is, to my mind, just as bad - because the childs entire lives would not be lived to the full, or optimised, just because the parents could not be arsed to "work" on bringing them up properly, instead just kopping out & opting for a quiet life, "let them do what they want".

Result is two childs lives ruined. That, to me, is as bad as it gets.

PS - I've just got up, & I'm in the "post-getting-up grumpy mode". Just in case you had not noticed.....

[Bainn]

I agree with you Tony - not the best example of parenting.  But 'child cruelty of the worst kind'?  I don't think so.

Fair point Claire, I exaggarate slightly perhaps, but you get my drift. Of course, physical or sexual abuse is as bad as it gets, but the example I cite is, to my mind, just as bad - because the childs entire lives would not be lived to the full, or optimised, just because the parents could not be arsed to "work" on bringing them up properly, instead just kopping out & opting for a quiet life, "let them do what they want".

Result is two childs lives ruined. That, to me, is as bad as it gets.

PS - I've just got up, & I'm in the "post-getting-up grumpy mode". Just in case you had not noticed.....

Remember, Caffiene is your friend....

[tikay]

All electronics are achieved on an award basis after homework is completed.
Never at the table.
I do not like the way my children behave after spending time on these items.
I have regularly taken them away for 7 days at a time along with the computer and television.
They give me a hard time when I follow this path but become so much more interesting in return. Maybe some of this is down to the fact that both they and Anne Marie and I actually have to communicate an artform that is fast dying out

Unless we give our children some idea of reasonable behaviour we will not get reasonable behaviour in return.
Their job is to push the boundaries.
I believe a parents job is to clearly define them.

Terrific Post Phil.

I'd love you to be my Mum or Dad.

[Claw75]

I agree with you Tony - not the best example of parenting.  But 'child cruelty of the worst kind'?  I don't think so.

Fair point Claire, I exaggarate slightly perhaps, but you get my drift. Of course, physical or sexual abuse is as bad as it gets, but the example I cite is, to my mind, just as bad - because the childs entire lives would not be lived to the full, or optimised, just because the parents could not be arsed to "work" on bringing them up properly, instead just kopping out & opting for a quiet life, "let them do what they want".

Result is two childs lives ruined. That, to me, is as bad as it gets.

PS - I've just got up, & I'm in the "post-getting-up grumpy mode". Just in case you had not noticed.....

the other thing to bear in mind (and we're all guilty of it) is that you can't really make a judgement based on a 'snapshot' like that.  Perhaps those kids have just been through some kind of bereavement - burying their heads in their gameboys is their way of dealing with it and their parents are letting them get on with it for a few days?  Unlikely, I know, but we should never make judgements without the full picture.  As much as I strive to be a good mother to my daughter, and overall I know I am, I'm sure there are times where someone could see such a 'snapshot' and make a judgement about my parenting that is not reflective of our relationship as a whole.

[Dingdell]

I agree with you Tony - not the best example of parenting.  But 'child cruelty of the worst kind'?  I don't think so.

Fair point Claire, I exaggarate slightly perhaps, but you get my drift. Of course, physical or sexual abuse is as bad as it gets, but the example I cite is, to my mind, just as bad - because the childs entire lives would not be lived to the full, or optimised, just because the parents could not be arsed to "work" on bringing them up properly, instead just kopping out & opting for a quiet life, "let them do what they want".

Result is two childs lives ruined. That, to me, is as bad as it gets.

PS - I've just got up, & I'm in the "post-getting-up grumpy mode". Just in case you had not noticed.....

Remember, Caffiene is your friend....

Noooooo - caffine is your enemy - artifically raising your adrenaline leading to a bigger drop afterwards which then needs another dose of caffine to make it go up again - it's a nerve ending drug routine.

Try water, life, laughing with and at the world and smiling. All of these are natural highs - I sometimes dance to the radio when I get up (single womans alternative to sex in the morning) and it works wonderfully - have a bop to some crazy band, shout at the top of your lungs and you come alive. Trust me.