Vegas & The Aftermath - Diary

[tikay]

So, I had a sort of half-day on Thursday, not full on work, just dealing with e-Mails, sorting Vegas, & then a full blown proper days holiday yesterday. Now I'm knacker

Worn your plurals out too.

Bugger. ed.

[tikay]

So, I had a sort of half-day on Thursday, not full on work, just dealing with e-Mails, sorting Vegas, & then a full blown proper days holiday yesterday. Now I'm knacker

Worn your plurals out too.

Not to mention his apostrophes and past participles.

Please God don't let Mere see it.

I feel gramatically sloppy this week, but good to see you are policing these internet-ally matters Cos-style.

[tikay]

After that, I went back to my Hotel - still not had a latte! - & spent a good few hours trying to get up to date on my Diary.

It's bloody impossible, it's like painting the Forth Bridge, but I really feel satisfied by doing the Diary, & yearn for more time to write. I wish I could no nothing but write, in fact. I'm crap, but I so enjoy it.

I have a plan to just spend 30 minutes, or 1 hour, on it each day, but my days are so full & so enjoyably satisfying, that I can't seem to find the discipline needed to do it.

I replied to 8 or 10 PM's next door, & a similar number here, though I still have a couple of very difficult & complex ones to do.

You will be amazed, & a little shocked to know, the range of people who write to me about various stuff. Next door, where the poker demograph is very different, it's usually poker advice, & I'm suitably equipped to deal with them, I think. I also counted 11 PM's this week (next door) where players asked, along the lines of, "why does Sky Poker always generate action flops?", "why does the big stack always win all-ins on Sky Poker?", "why are there so many flushes/straight on Sky Poker?". I'm obliged to reply, it's my job, & it's rude not to, but it's quite testing, fielding the same "Area 51" stuff time & time again, & I do get a little tetchy & grumpy about it sometimes, but try not to show that in my replies. Incredibly, about 80% write back sooner or later & say their fortunes have turned, & all is well. 

Here, it's not poker advice - I am deemed a complete poker thicko here, which is fair enough - but more psychological stuff - how to cope mentally with poker when it turns ugly. In fact, I think I'm competent to give good feedback on that, too, as after all, I've been there & done that, & come out the other side as someone who can enjoy poker immensely, win, or (more often) lose. It's extraordinary how serious recreational players take poker, & I find that slightly bewildering.

Anyway, that was Part 2 of yesterday. The day had hardly begun, though.....

[tikay]

Tikay, Thought you would like this

http://vimeo.com/23155536

Incredible! Thank you.

"Trick" photography, I assume?

How do you come acrss these little gems on the internet? Bongo sems to have the same knack, but I never do.

Keep them coming, please.

Just need to follow the right people on twitter

that one was c/o @DaveGorman

Oh and its believed that CGI was involved yes

I need to get my head round Twitter better. I seem to blindly "follow" everyone who follows me - about 900 I think - & so there is so much stuff to wade through, I can't see the wood for the trees.

Is it deemed to be rude to not follow someone who follows me? If not, then I can cull 90% of those I follow, I think. I do follow some interesting people, & lots of pals, but mostly they seem to be randoms. Obviously, I'd follow any & all Sky Poker players, no question.

Anyway, on with my day's jollies yesterday......

[bhoywonder]

I played a beginners freeroll next door tikay....it was fairly populated...I'm curious if most of these players are venturing into online poker for the very 1st time.....it would appear to be if there asking the kind of questions they are...but it is rigged right?.....ahem

[tikay]

Next up?

Three buckets of balls at a driving range.

Disaster-ville, totally.

My hand-eye co-ordination has always been dreadful but now my eyes have totally "gone", it's bad beyond words.

I'd pay a lot of money - & I mean that - to be able to get some lessons to play well enough to hack it round such that I can regularly shoot under 100. For non-golfers, that's a very modest target, but I've just totally lost it.

I adore the "nature" aspect of golf, & that's why I really want to get back to golf, so, whilst hacking a ball round in a manner which is not an embarrassment, I can absorb nature, trees, plants, & wildlife better. That's the main reason I want to get back to golf, but I think I'm doomed.

Squawky, I'll come down to the West Country if you really think you can sort me out, & I'd pay good money, but I think I'm a golf basket-case.

I've played on over 300 different golf-courses, by the bye. I'm a little scared that if I could get my golf swing fixed, that'd be bye-bye poker, & hello retirement, attempt # 2. Maybe best to defer for a while.

[tikay]

I played a beginners freeroll next door tikay....it was fairly populated...I'm curious if most of these players are venturing into online poker for the very 1st time.....it would appear to be if there asking the kind of questions they are...but it is rigged right?.....ahem

Behave!

But yes, Sky Poker attracts an enormous amount of players who are completely new to poker, hence the questions which tend to frustrate a little, but I deal with them all patiently & politely, & invest a lot of time so doing, & these players then work it out for themselves, & end up as players loyal to the site, friends in many cases - & when that happens, I've done my job well, & it delivers a feel-good vibe. I cannot resist adding that business next door is good, good beyond our wildest dreams & expectations, & way way above Forecast, & even further ahead of last year, & the feeling of being part of, & having contributed a little to, something so successful is beyond words, it delivers a wonderful buzz.

Of course, every site has it's resident trolls, they are an internet cancer, sad souls with nothing better to do than mess with other people's time, & I'm afraid I give them short shrift.

I was at Luton last night, & one player told me how the 'Stars "turn card" is always rigged, whilst another, next to him, argued that was bollox, as everyone knows that the Ladbrokes river card is rigged. Yes, yes, of course, you thick twats, I'm thinking, whilst nodding politely. These are peope who were in a £110 Tourney....

Yet another player, some weeks ago, told me that when he played on blonde the river was always dodgy, so for that reason, he took his money off blonde & only played on Boyle. Both sites were on the same network.....

How on earth do these people manage to tie their shoelaces each morning?

Anyway, back to yesterday. It still had plenty to offer......

[tikay]

Before resuming yesterday's day of wonder - the best is yet to come, though only if you enjoy nature - a slight diversion.

Sky Poker got a licence from Rank to run GUKPT Quallies, & in 4 days, I think we managed 4 qualifiers for Walsall GUKPT, an excellent start, so I argued persuasively & successfully, against their better judgement, I think - to the Suits, who had not been keen, to run quallies for the GUKPT Summer Series today, in Dundee & Brighton.

In 4 days, we got 1 for Brighton, & an excellent three for Dundee, & a 4th player bought in directly to Dundee, so we have 4 runners up there today. (And two at Brighton, as another paid in directly, Gliterbabe, via Team Sky Poker).

The total startng field at Dundee when it began, I've just been informed, was 22 runners....

One of the lads in Dundee is keeping me Updated, & after late entries, the field was 26 - but the Casino is insisting that they stop play at 8pm & return for a Day Two tomorrow, which seems kind of ridiculous, if true. Sigh.

Talk about egg on my face, bugger bugger bugger, I feel so daft now.

[tikay]

Back to yesterday.

So, at about 6pm, I hooked up with Tom to show him the heron, by the Weir, at Luton Hoo.

The heron was not present, or not showing himself, so that was an epic fail, but that apart, it was the most memorable hour or so I've had in an age, save for a rather spectacular hour a few weks ago, but that's another story......

No heron then, but never mind, because we saw SO much to please the eye & mind.....

[tikay]

Last time I took Tom to Luton Hoo, we must have seen hundreds of jackdaws, they were everywhere.

But yesterday there was but one. I wonder where they all go?

[tikay]

....we also saw, right up close, front-row seats......

A cock pheasant

[tikay]

...several pheasant hens.....

[tikay]

....and a grandstand view, right up close, of a partridge......

[tikay]

One of these - a speckled thrush. Increasingly rare these days, Tom tells me.

[Chompy]

Probably a stoooopid question but, if you got the right specs/monocle, wouldn't your eye-hand co-ordination be OK? You might even be able to get a hand on your chips more regularly.

Any plans for the Eurovision tonight?