Vegas & The Aftermath - Diary

[tikay]

As I wandered into G-Luton the other night, I was astonished to see a flyer/CD thingy, announcing that Grosvenor have started an Online Card-Room.

How odd! They - or their Parent Company, Rank, already own Blue Square, & work very closely together, as you know. One must assume that the Grosvenor Cardroom is a skin of Blue Square.

So now they have to spread their marketing cost against two sites in the same ownership, & which will compete with each other. How does that make sense? Unless, of course, Rank have plans to divest themselves of either Grosvenor or Blue Square in the near future.......

Watch this space.

It's been around for months, they are spending nothing on marketing outside of the casino, it is a skin of blue square.

Stop watching this space.

James - there is no logic to running the two rooms parallel to each other - you know that, they know that, they ain't daft. So it's the "why" that intrigues me. Betcha "divest" is on the cards.....but which one?

[boldie]

strange but true


There are more plastic flamingos in the U.S, than real ones! 

You'll find a large percentage perched on front lawns in Parma, Ohio...just 25 minutes down the road from my home place,  ffs.  Looking back, pretty sure that was a contributing factor when moving out.  lol

A classy area then

[RichEO]

As I wandered into G-Luton the other night, I was astonished to see a flyer/CD thingy, announcing that Grosvenor have started an Online Card-Room.

How odd! They - or their Parent Company, Rank, already own Blue Square, & work very closely together, as you know. One must assume that the Grosvenor Cardroom is a skin of Blue Square.

So now they have to spread their marketing cost against two sites in the same ownership, & which will compete with each other. How does that make sense? Unless, of course, Rank have plans to divest themselves of either Grosvenor or Blue Square in the near future.......

Watch this space.

It's been around for months, they are spending nothing on marketing outside of the casino, it is a skin of blue square.

Stop watching this space.

James - there is no logic to running the two rooms parallel to each other - you know that, they know that, they ain't daft. So it's the "why" that intrigues me. Betcha "divest" is on the cards.....but which one?

Anyone looking for Grosvenor's online cardroom and doesn't know they are linked with BlueSq will now find something in their google search results. Grosvenor is a big name, they were losing out by just not having a card room with that name.

I suspect they are using all the same support staff for both rooms, hardly any extra overheads.

[Royal Flush]

As I wandered into G-Luton the other night, I was astonished to see a flyer/CD thingy, announcing that Grosvenor have started an Online Card-Room.

How odd! They - or their Parent Company, Rank, already own Blue Square, & work very closely together, as you know. One must assume that the Grosvenor Cardroom is a skin of Blue Square.

So now they have to spread their marketing cost against two sites in the same ownership, & which will compete with each other. How does that make sense? Unless, of course, Rank have plans to divest themselves of either Grosvenor or Blue Square in the near future.......

Watch this space.

It's been around for months, they are spending nothing on marketing outside of the casino, it is a skin of blue square.

Stop watching this space.

James - there is no logic to running the two rooms parallel to each other - you know that, they know that, they ain't daft. So it's the "why" that intrigues me. Betcha "divest" is on the cards.....but which one?

They are not running two rooms, they are running one, it's just the Grosvenor brand is much bigger than blue square. Clever if you ask me.

[jizzemm]

But it looks like they are running 2 sites, as some things on bsq is not on this site, i.e APAT

The other thing is, why have the site and then not promote it, they have a perfect chance to increase the brand by putting gukpt and apat stuff on it.. very strange, seems like a plan is in action.

[Bongo]

The first hit for "Grovesnor Poker" in google is BlueSq anyway, with the tagline "home of the Grovesnor Poker Tour" so I doubt they needed to do it for that reason.

Additionally if it was just a branding thing why would you need to create a separate entity?

[Doc Bok]

I may be wrong but I thought Rank sold Blue Square about 6 months ago, and have just been working together . Untill now it seems hence the new grovesnor poker site

[TightEnd]

I may be wrong but I thought Rank sold Blue Square about 6 months ago, and have just been working together . Untill now it seems hence the new grovesnor poker site

you are mistaken

http://www.rank.com/businesses/bluesq/bluesqmarket

[tikay]

So, on Friday I found myself at DTD for the £100. I was supposed to go to the Poker Million in London, but, welll, I never got there. And I was kicking myself, because if I'd gone to London, as I should, I'd have ended up at Sky, as the Presenter for the night failed to show, so there was a pleasantly lucrative "spare" shift on offer. In the event, Michelle Orpe did the gig, & I'm pleased for her. She also has 2 Shows scheduled with Sky Poker in January, so she is our newest recruit to the Team in Feltham.

OK, the DTD £100. I'd busted first hand the previous week with a daft play - though if a Diamond had fallen.......Anyway, I thought it was time I applied myself properly in a Tourney, & reverted to my original "grinding" game, though I've added a few bells & whistles. I've been struggling with lower buy-in Tourneys at Luton, as I'm always gagging to nab a seat in the Cash Game, but at DTD, with 10 cash-tables always available, there's no reason to mess up tourneys by worrying about cash seats.

So, I settled down for what I hoped would be a long night. Nice & solid, relaxed, & loved the table company all evening. I was sat next to Adam Lawlor, the one-time Spielers (Southend) Card-Room Manager, now a Pit Boss I gather.

Also on my table was a Gent who I sort of half-recognized, but could not place, so I tentatively put out some feelers, & eventually he reminded me. "Yes, I was a Member at Ormonde Fields Golf Club, & you got me Banned me on your Captain's Day for improper behaviour"........oops.

And there was a guy who, well let's pretend his name was Boring-Dave, from Donny. Not seen him for years, used to play at Sheffield, & when BD approached, folks eyes would glaze over. He's not changed, & persisted in telling everyone how badly they were playing their hands. And "do you remember when I flopped the Nuts in Sheffield & that guy sucked out on me, 1979 I think it was"....An expert, is B-D. Anyway, the Poker Million is on the numerous DTD plasmas, & B-D then asks if anyone seen that shit show on Sky, where they have pretend animated cards, Sky Poker is it?" The rest of the table seem to know the score, there's a few embarrassed grins, nothing is said. But B-D contnues to dig. "It's the commentators I can't stand, what a load of bollocks they talk, there is no way those guys can actually play the game". By now, most of the table are giggling, or exchanging knowing glances. I decide to add a bit of fuel to the fire, & whoosh, off B-D goes again. "Yup, they are all utterly hopeless". Eventually, he clicks summat is amiss. "Am I missing something here" says B-D? God Bless B-D.

I pinched a few Pots in Levels 2 & 3, then settled down with double average Chips. By Level 7, I was below average, a sure sign I'm on my A-Game.

Then I found a nice Double Up, & now I think I can mess about a bit - I have a stacked up Mick McCool two to my left, & his chips are usually "on offer". (By which I mean, "in play"). But the very next hand, Adam Lawlor, who's a bit low now, makes a move with K-3, & I find Queens, & my double-up from the previous hand disappears with the rivered King, & I'm back where I started.

With 12 players left, I'm still in cruise mode - grinding cruise mode that is - but I'm Ok-ish, I have 12k with Blinds at 600-1,200 (Running Ante 100). That's comfort-zone for me.

Then I make the fatal error, when I make it 5k with 7-7, & get smooth-called (eh?, I wonder) by Habib in the BB, a good old mate & super-lag from my Gala Notts days. The checked J-6-3 flop seemed safe enough for a push, but he'd hit his set with pocket sixes, so that was that. I'm not sure I could play the hand any different - except to maybe Pass the 7-7 pre - & so I exited quite happily in 12th. Happily? Well, yes, I'd played as good a game as I'm capable, & that's what mattered. I'd not made a mistake all night, with the possible exception of the last hand, so yes, I was pleased to see my old grinding game was still there. And still capable of bubbling on a good night.

[Slick Kid]

To be honest Tikay, you played a cracker and where very unlucky with the  against Habib as you where a few hands earlier with the  against his  .  You must have seen it many times though mate and your stacks on the Dealers Choice meant you where fairly compenstated by the Poker Gods.

Better Luck tonight.

[tikay]

To be honest Tikay, you played a cracker and where very unlucky with the  against Habib as you where a few hands earlier with the  against his  .  You must have seen it many times though mate and your stacks on the Dealers Choice meant you where fairly compenstated by the Poker Gods.

Better Luck tonight.

Thanks Mick.


Yes, I never looked at it that way - QQ beaten by K-3, & 7-7 by 6-6, but as I said, I played as well as I'm able, & the table craic was excellent, that's all that matters. Other nights it'll be me with the K-3 & 6-6, what goes round comes round. It turned out to be a stroke of luck for me, as it happened, as I did OK in the Cash-Game.

[tikay]

The Friday Cash-Game at DTD - it was "tikay is a luckbox" time.

Imagine this bizarre scenario.

4 card High Only Omaha, I'm holding 

Our flop is 

Not bad. There's a Lag round the back who picks up all the orphan pots, so I check, awaiting his inevitable bet. Anyway, it's too early to big up this pot yet, my hand remains very vulnerable, & I've got 4 players behind me.

The lucktastic Turn is......

How nice was that? OK, let's check again & await Mr Pot-Stealer. He does not disappoint, & Pots it. Dwell, act, call.

You thought that Q was nice? Think again. What about this River, then?

 

For some odd reason, I sling £100 into this Pot now. It's about £400 by now I guess.

What does the round the back pot-stealer do now? Yup, Pots it........!

Later, I'm holding  in the same game.

It comes

I Pot this one immediately. And get re-Potted. We dance.

And that's how much luck there is in Poker. At Luton one night last week, I did nothing wrong, & dropped £1,100. On Friday I did nothing particularly well, & bagged £1,700.

The DTD game was good for other reasons though. My buddy Jim McShane was on the table - the poor sod got in a big hole, mainly when kis Kings full were rivered by Quads. But Jim has taught me so much about Dealers Choice, so I always enjoy his company, & want to do well to show him I've improved my game, thanks to him. At Luton, I'm in most Pots, but I played much more selectively on Friday. Why? I think it was because Monty Burns was on the table. Nobody wants to play anything exceprt their best poker when there is a Poker Icon sat there. And, if you share a Dealers Choice table with el blondie, well, you are a fool if you are not all ears. Golden titbits were falling from his lips, & I grabbed the lot. Awesome, especiallly at the Stud games. I stayed pretty clear of him in the bigger pots, but took him on when I thought I had the goods. The great thing is, good players like him can pass when they need to.

He dropped a lot of money, just rank bad luck, & it was interesting to see how he dealt with that. He just turned the gamble button up to maximum, & within 15 minutes, he was caked up again. Lovely to watch, & learn.

Rich EO learned some expensive lessons too. He was going nicely, but Omaha can be cruel, & you are nerver a big favourite going in. He lost a massive pot to DC - I never saw the hand play - & was in bad shape, his £1k+ had dropped to a few hundred. Then, at 6 card Hi-Lo, he rammed with A-2-3-4-5-x. He hit his nut low. And so did TWO others. & he got sixth-ised.

Such is poker.

[tikay]

This really happened.

My, how times have changed.

I was at a social "do" last week, & two young ladies were nattering, & I was sat with them at the time.

Girl One was openly explaining - I kid you not - the virtues & attractions of her new, err, "rabbit". And I don't know where to look, or what to say. It's actually rather jolly, the honesty of youngsters, but for us of rather more mature vintage it's all a bit odd.

So Girl One says to Girl Two, while removing a shrouded device that lookled like a rolled-up umbrella from her handbag, "feel that texture, & those little nodules, it's gorgeous".

Whereupon Girl Two replies "ooh no, I don't know where it's been".

I'm not entirely sure of the correct retort from Girl One there. I just started a train story. It seemed the right thing to do.

[boldie]

Whereupon Girl Two replies "ooh no, I don't know where it's been".

I thought it would be obvious where it's been..

[Dingdell]

Whereupon Girl Two replies "ooh no, I don't know where it's been".

I thought it would be obvious where it's been..

Actually these 'handy helpers' are made of open cell plastic and shouldn't go where you think they might. Can be carciogenic. In the USA they are now manufacturing these things with closed cell plastic - much safer - and can go where you might think they should go.

Lesson ends.