Vegas & The Aftermath - Diary

[The Camel]

Is anyone at Skybet hq a refugee from Surrey Racing?

Sky took them over about 10 years ago.

Fantastic bookimaker, really used to lay a bet and trust their odds compilers judgement.

[tikay]

Is anyone at Skybet hq a refugee from Surrey Racing?

Sky took them over about 10 years ago.

Fantastic bookimaker, really used to lay a bet and trust their odds compilers judgement.

BSKYB purchased "Surrey Racing", "Planet Football" & "OPTA Index" in 2000, & all were re-branded to "Sky Bet" in 2002.

I have no idea if any of the original Surrey Racing staff remain, but I'll ask.

[George2Loose]

Have you read Vicky Coren's book yet?

I'm half-way through it and totally absorbed, I might finish it tonight.

Yes - what a great read it was, too. I doubt I've ever read a better-written book which focuses on poker. Her father was a superb writer, & so is Ms Coren, no ghosties needed there.

I have just finished Roy Brindley's tome, "Life's a gamble". It's a bit light, a skim-read, I read it in 2 days flat, but quite enjoyed parts of it.

Not one tenth as well written as Ms Coren's one - he also wrote it himself, no ghosties - but even so, he gets the story across very well. It's brutally honest, & he does what 90% of addicted poker players do - readily admits he has been, at times, a hopeless & out of control gambler.

Life is good now, with Mags, Sebastian, & Elise, & I'm delighted for him. He seems to invoke a lot of bile & hate from the younger players, presumably because he is old skool, & has outspoken views, but nobody can deny he has really worked hard to earn his money. He had a spell where he was out of control with alcohol - jeez, he was not pleasant to be around at the time - but he seems to have worked through that.

His other passion, of course, is Greyhounds, & I seem to recall he had a falling out with one time Gala Notts regular & fellow Sporting Life tipster/journo, Pete Meldrum.

How is Pete these days? I recall him being very ill at one time, but I think I bumped into him at DTD last year. Pete used to get "quite passionate".

Think the reason roy the boy isnt particulary popular with the kidz is because he was one of the first people to openly criticise net players and continually spoke bs about how bad they were

[ ] good read

[Bongo]

So your point is being made using a made up town and story? Just so I'm clear here.....having said that I agree with the placebo affect

If he'd used real life he could have come up with better examples like pain enhancers working as pain killers if you're told that's what they are.

[tikay]

Have you read Vicky Coren's book yet?

I'm half-way through it and totally absorbed, I might finish it tonight.

Yes - what a great read it was, too. I doubt I've ever read a better-written book which focuses on poker. Her father was a superb writer, & so is Ms Coren, no ghosties needed there.

I have just finished Roy Brindley's tome, "Life's a gamble". It's a bit light, a skim-read, I read it in 2 days flat, but quite enjoyed parts of it.

Not one tenth as well written as Ms Coren's one - he also wrote it himself, no ghosties - but even so, he gets the story across very well. It's brutally honest, & he does what 90% of addicted poker players do - readily admits he has been, at times, a hopeless & out of control gambler.

Life is good now, with Mags, Sebastian, & Elise, & I'm delighted for him. He seems to invoke a lot of bile & hate from the younger players, presumably because he is old skool, & has outspoken views, but nobody can deny he has really worked hard to earn his money. He had a spell where he was out of control with alcohol - jeez, he was not pleasant to be around at the time - but he seems to have worked through that.

His other passion, of course, is Greyhounds, & I seem to recall he had a falling out with one time Gala Notts regular & fellow Sporting Life tipster/journo, Pete Meldrum.

How is Pete these days? I recall him being very ill at one time, but I think I bumped into him at DTD last year. Pete used to get "quite passionate".

Think the reason roy the boy isnt particulary popular with the kidz is because he was one of the first people to openly criticise net players and continually spoke bs about how bad they were

[ ] good read

Possibly. But in 2002, when he said that, he may well have been right. Things were very different then, & Online poker was a very different beast in those days.

Later, he got one of the first Online Pro deals, with Laddies, & that was a long-lasting relationship, after which, I would have thought, considering he is pretty bright, he would have been more circumspect.

Bit ironic, too, at "net" players disliking criticism, if you think about it.......

[DaveShoelace]

In Roys book he talks about how he felt victimized by established live pros (namely one Mr Negreanu) for being an online player. His first time in Vegas was ruined by KidPoker taking the piss out of him for wearing a Ladbrokes shirt (before Danny was the household butter wouldnt melt name he is now).

Loved Brindleys book, got to know him a bit after he wrote it and a nice guy too.

(But yeah he tilts me pretty hard when he talks poker in general, very results orientated)

[thetank]

It's Garrison Keillor not Harrison Keillor innit

Is warmed that tikay is using fiction to make his point. 'Stories' may have something to teach us after all.

[tikay]

It's Garrison Keillor not Harrison Keillor innit

Is warmed that tikay is using fiction to make his point. 'Stories' may have something to teach us after all.

Bugger. I can never correctly remember that name. I bet I get it wrong 95% of the time.

Fiction? Bugger. Owned again.

They were, it must be said, a wonderfully written & narrated seriers of little anecdotes, & I enjoyed them immensely.

I have absorbed some fiction in literature. Papillon (excellent), Banco (less so), Lake Wobegon Days, at one time, ashamedly, every single Dick Francis novel, & all the early Jeffrey Archer stuff, which I thought was terrific. But I just graduallly started to find non-fiction better & better, more fulfilling, there is so much interesting stuff to learn.

A friend, by way of a "thank you", & knowing how geeky I am, recently gave me a 14 disc (!) Bill Bryson* box set of "At Home". It's absolutely top-drawer, but very much "geeks only". It is sort of ASHONE but confined to domestic stuff, & the history of it. It might sound boring, but it is as good as it gets, & I highly recommend it.

* I have just realised Bill Bryson is now an OBE.

[tikay]

Day One at Cheltenham for Sky Bet was probably as good, or less bad, as they could have hoped, with Ruby Walsh getting three home, followed by a Man U home win. Close to level on the day sounds like a result, imo, the main thing being to avoid a pasting.

Round 2 starts today, & CL football tonight, too.

Turnover yesterday was (in relative terms) huge. I really wonder where all the money keeps coming from. A "flat" day for Bet is OK, too, as money migrates across to Vegas & Poker.

[Karabiner]

Day One at Cheltenham for Sky Bet was probably as good, or less bad, as they could have hoped, with Ruby Walsh getting three home, followed by a Man U home win. Close to level on the day sounds like a result, imo, the main thing being to avoid a pasting.

Round 2 starts today, & CL football tonight, too.

Turnover yesterday was (in relative terms) huge. I really wonder where all the money keeps coming from. A "flat" day for Bet is OK, too, as money migrates across to Vegas & Poker.

That's interesting as one of the big Irish on-course layers said that turnover was down about one third on Day One.

[tikay]

Day One at Cheltenham for Sky Bet was probably as good, or less bad, as they could have hoped, with Ruby Walsh getting three home, followed by a Man U home win. Close to level on the day sounds like a result, imo, the main thing being to avoid a pasting.

Round 2 starts today, & CL football tonight, too.

Turnover yesterday was (in relative terms) huge. I really wonder where all the money keeps coming from. A "flat" day for Bet is OK, too, as money migrates across to Vegas & Poker.

That's interesting as one of the big Irish on-course layers said that turnover was down about one third on Day One.

Quite likely, but by "in relative terms" I was referring to daily Sky Bet turnover on Horse Racing. Against that, it was massive. At this stage, I don't have numbers v LY.

Meanwhile, planning in Bet continues in readiness for Grand National Day - turnover for that is always monsta.

[the sicilian]

Tikay... just a general question as ive often wondered about 'telly people '... don't want specifics obv and u can tell me to gtfo if you want..not meaning to pry ..just curious thats all..

how do telly deals work? do you get paid per show or appearance or do you have a salaried contract ?... do you have an agent like real telly stars ? and do the other sky presenters have agents ?

[JamesHartigan]

Tikay... just a general question as ive often wondered about 'telly people '... don't want specifics obv and u can tell me to gtfo if you want..not meaning to pry ..just curious thats all..

how do telly deals work? do you get paid per show or appearance or do you have a salaried contract ?... do you have an agent like real telly stars ? and do the other sky presenters have agents ?

Allow me to provide a vague answer, as one of the other Sky Presenters...

Each television deal is unique.  Some involve contracts, while others are simply an ad hoc agreement; some pay per series, others per programme.  The Sky Poker presenters and analysts are paid per show, on a non-exclusivity basis.  And yes, most of us have agents.

I believe Tikay's arrangement with Sky is slightly more complex, as he wears numerous "hats" for the business.  I don't know if you want to go into more detail, Tony?

[JamesHartigan]

It's all gone quiet from you and Tom on the WSOP front.

Have you two ditherers made a decision yet?

Afternoon Keith.

Tom can speak for himself, but he did not really have a decision to make.

As for me, you'll be pleased to know that I've reached a very advanced position of ditheryness. I was momentarily ditherynessless, but I've moved into ditherynesslessness now.

I HAVE decided, unless something serious intervenes, to go out to Vegas 10 or 14 days BEFORE the Sky Poker Team travel out. It'll be my first "holiday" since I re-commenced work 5 years ago, & the first EVER time, in 7 WSOP visits to Vegas, I've gone there to play poker. I cannot begin to tell you how excited I am by the prospect, I'm like a 16 year old on his first date.

I plan to play the Caesars Deepstacks for 10 or 12 days straight, maybe a few Venetian ones, perhaps Binions, too. Sadly, the Deepie schedule has not been published yet, afaic, but as soon as they are, my flight & Hotel will be booked. I'm almost "counting the sleeps" already!

As to the Main Event, no, I've not decided yet, to be honest, I'm really grappling with it right now. It sort of depends on a whole bunch of things, including ridding myself of the notion that I'd "freeze", & coming to terms with my responsibilities to Sky Poker.

Thank you for asking, & I hope my indecision is not seen as apathy or rudeness to all those who offered to stake me, which I took as a huge compliment, given my limited abilities. If I do play it, I would like to think it would be a "Community-based" thing, where a lot of people shared in the success. If any. Winning a big bunch of money there is not the kick, it's just not, but I would love to play it just once.

Well done last night, at The Vic, by the way. Well, almost. I lolled hard at the hero call with Ace high into Quads. Good read, Sir.

How is Katherine, & young Jake?

Does Jake have a QPR shirt yet?

You enjoying Mr Warnock's tenure?

Tikay - I think we'll be in Vegas at the same time!  Definitely up for playing some poker at Caesars and The Venetian.  Fancy swapping 10%? :-)

[tikay]

Tikay... just a general question as ive often wondered about 'telly people '... don't want specifics obv and u can tell me to gtfo if you want..not meaning to pry ..just curious thats all..

how do telly deals work? do you get paid per show or appearance or do you have a salaried contract ?... do you have an agent like real telly stars ? and do the other sky presenters have agents ?

Allow me to provide a vague answer, as one of the other Sky Presenters...

Each television deal is unique.  Some involve contracts, while others are simply an ad hoc agreement; some pay per series, others per programme.  The Sky Poker presenters and analysts are paid per show, on a non-exclusivity basis.  And yes, most of us have agents.

I believe Tikay's arrangement with Sky is slightly more complex, as he wears numerous "hats" for the business.  I don't know if you want to go into more detail, Tony?

Good reply, James, it covers a lot of the ground, & yes, (inevitably), I will go into a bit more detail shortly, after I've done some other hat work.

But you've touched on something that intrigues me greatly - agents. As you say, I don't have one, but most do, almost everyone does, I believe. Given your successful career in radio & TV, 'Stars, ESPN etc, yours has been worthwhile, but in most cases, do you think Agents are worth the fee (a % of each Show fee, I assume) that they take? Would you have secured all those gigs without an Agent?