Vegas & The Aftermath - Diary

[tikay]

I WILL try not to be too much of a golf bore, but I've been playing a fair bit recently.

I managed TWO birdies inside a week, which is some sort of record for me, though I confess one was a pure fluke, when I mishit a Pitch onto the green & it went into a tree, the ball rattled around several branches then dropped onto the green & one bounce into the hole.  The other birdie was a proper one though, just like a real golfer.

The game is infuriating sometimes. I can hit "adequate" shots with every Club in the bag, but I rarely string 4 or 5 together, there's always a duff ,a fat, a thin or a clunk lurking ready to spoil things. If only I could iron them out. So I end up with a blob or two almost every round, to ruin my card.

The walking, the fresh air, the countryside, the nature, especially such a variety of birdlife, plus of course good company, makes it all worthwhile.

Tom & I play a little track in Leicester which has so many different birds, one day last week we saw a brown woodpecker, a green woodpecker, some kites & buzzards, and a goldcrest I think. We think there's a Kingfisher there too but we've yet to see it. 

typhoon (Miserable Trev) wised us up to an app, "Merlin", just turn it on & it identifies bird sounds & tell you what it is. Amazing piece of kit.

The weather is turning now but I'm still getting plenty of golf, got two rounds booked so far this week, plus, fingers crossed, got another "new" Course lined up with a long-term blonde friend or two. More on that soon.

[tikay]

Meanwhile, as if Golf was enough hedonism, I had the urge to go play an MTT or two down at DTD, & bumped into loads of old adversaries, acquaintances & friends.

And DTD have become SO efficient at the way they run MTT's, it's stunningly efficient, everything happens perfectly & to the second, with the Plasma screens snap updated with every entrance/exit.

Getting in the first time last week (I'd not been there in 8 years) was a bit of a faff - ID, Passport or Driving Licence, 'photo taken, fingerprints (truly), what my job is, what my Salary Range is, da de da. It's all a bit intrusive, but I get it completely, this current "Responsible Gambling" thing has serious consequences for Operators who fall foul of it.

I played three little Tournies - two "Incredible 100"'s & a "Monster Stack" & had a blast in all three. I made the last few tables in each case, & yesterday, with 15 paid, I contrived to make my exit in 16th. Nothing changes... 

More seriously, I was interested in testing myself, I'm at that age when I think daily about cognitive decline. But it seems fine, I played (I think) really well, & seem to have found the gamble I always used to lack. I don't want or intend to play poker too often, maybe once every week or two, but I definitely enjoyed it immensely, & will definitely be going again when time & the Diary permits. There's a lovely buzz in Tourneys when you start to reach the sharp end, it still gives me a bit of a tingle in the undercarriage.

Life remains very good, I can't recall ever being more content & happy. How about THAT for tempting fate, eh?

[tikay]

They have THE most incredible Screen down there, it's more like a Cinema Screen than a TV Plasma, it's curved & it's HUGE, maybe 25 feet long & 10 feet high.

The picture definition is astonishing. I can't begin to imagine what it cost.   

[doubleup]

My course beginning to show its autumn colours.  It's right beside the Clyde, so floods a bit over winter as well, so the clubs won't be out much till March or April.

[tikay]

My course beginning to show its autumn colours.  It's right beside the Clyde, so floods a bit over winter as well, so the clubs won't be out much till March or April.

Golf Courses are SUCH beautiful places, aren't they?

That looks gorgeous.

[doubleup]

yeah the trees on the course are magnificent in the height of summer. Huge mature chestnuts, oaks and sycamores. The course is a bit long for me tbh but a ruined game of golf is always a good walk 

[Eck]

Loving you all getting into golf, got back playing a bit during covid and certainly have the bug. Struggle to play as much as I'd like but love getting out there. If any blondes are ever up my neck of the woods i would be delighted to get fleeced around my club or any other, we have a few to choose from 

https://www.alloagolfclub.co.uk/

Wow, lovely to see you still pop in to blonde from time to time James.

That's at least three of us freshly bitten by the golf bug then - you, Tom & me, as well as all the established long-term golfers, plus those I've been lucky to share a few rounds with.

I LOVE going to different courses with the blondes from back in the day, I really do.

Alloa Golf Club, which I believe is in Sauchey? google tells me...



5 hr 10 min (302.8 mi) via A1(M)
P
But hey-ho, I'll almost certainly venture up, then I get to play a new Course (or two) & share a few hours on a Golf Course with you. Not sure I can do it this side of Christmas, but early next Spring would almost certainly work, & the weather will be better then. Not be much fun driving 300 miles in November only to find it's rained off...

You seen Messrs Russell & Bopkin much, did you do Vegas with them again this year?

Yeah still pop in to see how people are doing, haven't seen Matt or Stu for a while 2016 I think was my last trip with them. Doubt I will be back to Vegas in a hurry now. I took my daughter there for her 21st a couple of years ago as I had always promised her I would. Hardly play any poker now and was never much of a gambler so don't really have the urge to go much more. Holidays now will probably be more golf related had a lovely couple of weeks in Portugal earlier this year playing golf most days as the family sunned themself. Hopefully going to head to Tenerife in November and do the same for a week if we can find something 

Be lovely to see you and any other Blondes but definitely best to wait till the weather improves, courses not going to be great fun unless we headed to the coast and you are really leaving yourself open to the conditions. Bring big Matt with you he keeps threatening to come up and I think he would have if he hadn't sadly lost Jett.

Yeah Alloa golf club is in Sauchie lots of small towns all growing into one. Sauchie's claim to fame is it was the home to Alan Hansen who used to host a regular pro-am at Schawpark (what the locals call Alloa golf club). You will have plenty choice Alloa has 2 clubs for a town of about 15k people and there are least another 5 clubs within 10/15 minutes drive. Further afield just over the Ochil hills lies Gleneagles and we are about an hour away from St Andrews on one side of the bridge or the East Lothian clubs on the other. So yeah plenty to choose from.

[GreekStein]

Do you ever use your Twitter Teeks?

[tikay]

Do you ever use your Twitter Teeks?

No. I peruse Twitter, especially for the USA Election stuff, but I never Tweet these days. Happy to keep my head below the parapet, so to speak. I do occassionally Tweet for Sky Poker though, but on their account, not mine.

Good to see you on blonde, an Internet Policeman Diary Update would be a joy to behold.

x

[redsimon]

FFS!

I didn't know the Mad Yank was a mu-diddly-urderer.

Based on the 10 years mentioned he should be due out of jail now too.

Yes, he should be back at home now, though where "home" is I've no idea.

I was really surprised to see Tom say he was not aware of Mad Yank's misdeeds, I assumed everyone knew.

Whilst we are on the subject of poker playing murderers, here's another who is due to be released this year. Tom WILL remember this one though, as he was a DTD regular. The difference between him & Mad Yank was Mad Yank did his murdering AFTER we knew him, whereas this fellow did it before we got to know him. It had not come out on top at the time of course. His victim's head was found in the Nevada desert, but her body was never found as I recall. The US Police said they "suspected foul play". Well yes.

The photo was taken after one of the Wm Hill Grand Prix qualifiers  - there were 4 of them, & Phil Q recruited me to help out with them. Some fun stories there, especially after one when half of the prize pool mysteriously vanished.  

Click to see full-size image.

 

He made day 2 of APATmain this weekend

[tikay]

Wow, Simon, really?

Good grief. Wonder if there were any awkward moments, or unsavoury comments?

[tikay]

Actually, on reflection, I doubt anyone remembered or recognised him.

I got on well with him, as most players did, he was generally quite amiable, although of course that was before the news came out.

[StuartHopkin]

Wow, Simon, really?

Good grief. Wonder if there were any awkward moments, or unsavoury comments?

If I remember the story he shot himself too?

[tikay]

Wow, Simon, really?

Good grief. Wonder if there were any awkward moments, or unsavoury comments?

If I remember the story he shot himself too?

Morning Stu.

 
According to news reports, yes.


"The next day a maid found Bebb-Jones in another hotel room, with a "self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head", according to details of the court documents reported in the local newspaper, the Daily Sentinel, in 2010."


From....


https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-22377857


And here's a more colourful version, exactly as you'd expect from the Daily Mail...


https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2320034/British-poker-ace-Marcus-Bebb-Jones-perfect-murder-got-away-16-years.html



I'm really not at all sure how I'd react if I found myself sat next to him at a poker table. Probably be just fine, I'm pretty chilled these days & try to avoid conflict where possible.  
 

[TightEnd]

Became a grandad last night

Meet Oscar Prew, unlikely to be a jockey but probably the Leicester City and England goalkeeper at the 2044 World Cup

Mum and baby doing well!