Vegas & The Aftermath - Diary

[tikay]

Big "well done" to Praz for winning the GUKPT thing, he's come a long way in a very short time. Not an opponent you want on the Table, I'd say, I think I'd just close my eyes & jam all-in, he never has it. Except when he has Raised with J-T, & it comes 7-8-9. I think he pushed young Cottonbud around a bit, & it'll do James the world of good to learn from, it's never a bad thing to be shown how it's done by a master. Praz gets inside people's heads, too, tilts them up, which is incredibly important at that level.

WP to Karl, & Jeff Kimber, too, close but no cigar on this occasion.

I read somewhere that this was Jeff's sixth GUKPT Final Table. He must be so lucky......

The 2 hour cash bubble must have been hilarious, with one player begging for the clock to be paused, "we've been playing two days, come on, be fair", & Jeff, Karl, & Co taking it in turns to nick the Blinds hand after hand. Cruel game, poker, but the better players just get the job done.

Thanks boss....not sure I got that lucky to be fair tho probs badbeated someone who reads your diary along the way so I won't grumble. Interesting the amount of really great players in this comp, I mean the younger guys, and yet they all seemed to fall by the wayside. Praz ran really well, but he plays so good, I think he must be the best like tournament player in the UK, don't think he gets the credit he deserves. He's like a sports car the way he just cruises into top gear without anyone really noticing, next thing u see he has the tourney by the scruff of the neck. Guess for the rest of us we're lucky he doesn't always focus like he should and give it his best every time coz when he's in the mood he's really hard to stop.
Playing comps comes in fits and starts for us all, I really think u generally get close a few times before winning one, and u know you're playing well....I got deep in ukipt manc, then deeper here....gonna find out what odds I am for the Irish Open. If it's good enough for don channing-ole it's good enough for me...

A fine description of Praz there, Jeff, nice one.

Now go bink the Irish Open.

[Laxie]

How you feeling today?

[tikay]

How you feeling today?

Better, thank you Dawn.

Back in harness this morning.

I think I have been in bed for about 48 of the last 54 hours, (since 2am Sunday) & slept for most of those. Not eaten a scrap of solid food, but drunk endless bottles of water.

On the plus side, after having been stuck on 12st 9lbs for nearly 3 weeks, I'm down to 12st 5lbs, what a result. Think I might come off the diet now, then start again a month before I head to Vegas. Not even had my Latte this morning, the urge was not there, & not smoked a ciggie for 2 days either.

Remarkable how the human body, & nature, heals itself, & equally impressive how good rest & sleep are as medicines.

Hope all is well with you & yours.

[Laxie]

Not a jot of herbs, tablets or liquid meds by you either.  Reckon scientists should give up on all their other 'discoveries' and just bottle you.

We're grand, cheers.  x

[tikay]

Plenty to do today, though, must clear a mountain of stuff, the incoming e-mails are endless, though I fret when they don't come.

Need to get on 2+2 this morning, too. That'll be fun, mixing it with Team Ferral.

And at 11am - or it may be 10am - into the Studio to commence 7 straight pre-records, on the very basics of poker for complete newbies. I've found my level.

What is a "flop", why do we have Blinds, what is "the turn" & why is it so named, what is a check, a fold, a raise, what is the difference between a bet & a raise, that sort of stuff. The would-be players who need to learn this get mocked big time by the smart alecs, but it's a very important par of the Business Model next door to keep bringing completely new players into poker.

It goes out on Challenge TV, as well as 865, so with two different Licences, & two completely different sets of regulations, not to say completely different audience demographs, we have to make every 30 minute Show - & I think there are 18 - twice, one for 865, one for Challenge.

My partner today is Rich Orford, & I'm doing the Live Shows with him on Thursday, Saturday, & Sunday, too. So, if I flag a bit today, what with the probs of the last few days, he'll carry me, I'm very lucky to work with a great bunch of Presenters on 865, &, now on Challenge TV.

I believe our weekly "slot" on Challenge is straight after some sort of wrestling, or fighting, Show. Excellent, exactly my sort of people. Ish. Hard to imagine what they'll make of me. Not.

OK, 2+2, the e-Mails, & prepping for these recordings awaits, & I'll be done at about 8pm tonight, all being well.

Good to be back.

[tikay]

Not a jot of herbs, tablets or liquid meds by you either.  Reckon scientists should give up on all their other 'discoveries' and just bottle you.

We're grand, cheers.  x

Too right, I don't believe in all that medicine stuff, though it helps to be blessed with good health for starters. Just as well I have always looked after myself, not abused my body, & got plenty of sleep & rest, eh?

[DaveShoelace]

I believe our weekly "slot" on Challenge is straight after some sort of wrestling, or fighting, Show. Excellent, exactly my sort of people. Ish. Hard to imagine what they'll make of me. Not.

Same demographic, blokes with time on their hands and not a woman in sight. My advice is you refer to yourself as the Rick Flair of poker and you will get a ton of new players signing up.

[RED-DOG]

Not a jot of herbs, tablets or liquid meds by you either.  Reckon scientists should give up on all their other 'discoveries' and just bottle you.

We're grand, cheers.  x

Too right, I don't believe in all that medicine stuff, ('cept countless Nurofen & Rennies) though it helps to be blessed with good health for starters. Just as well I have always looked after myself, not abused my body, & got plenty of sleep & rest, eh?

FYP

[DaveShoelace]

Talking of cross channel sky stuff, do you ever think poker could be reported on sky sports news along with regular sport? Obv poker is on sports channels all the time, but I always think the likes of Sky Poker and more so Matchroom missed a trick by not reporting their shows winners/plugging the build up to their shows alongside the regular news. The 'is poker a sport' debate aside, I always figured they would welcome the additional content as well as potentially some potential financial incentive to do it from the sponsoring poker rooms.

ESPN do it, but I think perhaps the ship has sailed now.

[tikay]

Not a jot of herbs, tablets or liquid meds by you either.  Reckon scientists should give up on all their other 'discoveries' and just bottle you.

We're grand, cheers.  x

Too right, I don't believe in all that medicine stuff, ('cept countless Nurofen & Rennies) though it helps to be blessed with good health for starters. Just as well I have always looked after myself, not abused my body, & got plenty of sleep & rest, eh?

FYP

Sorry, Tom, but I quit both Rennies & Nurafen on January 6th, & have not had the need or desire to resort to a single tablet of either since. Prior to then, I concede, you would be right. Eating better seemed to solve all my problems. Until last Saturday, that was.

[tikay]

I believe our weekly "slot" on Challenge is straight after some sort of wrestling, or fighting, Show. Excellent, exactly my sort of people. Ish. Hard to imagine what they'll make of me. Not.

Same demographic, blokes with time on their hands and not a woman in sight. My advice is you refer to yourself as the Rick Flair of poker and you will get a ton of new players signing up.

I had already decided I'd need to do some research on these fake-wrestling dudes, so good shout, Barry.

I just looked up Rick Flaiir, & I caught your drift straight away.....

[tikay]

Talking of cross channel sky stuff, do you ever think poker could be reported on sky sports news along with regular sport? Obv poker is on sports channels all the time, but I always think the likes of Sky Poker and more so Matchroom missed a trick by not reporting their shows winners/plugging the build up to their shows alongside the regular news. The 'is poker a sport' debate aside, I always figured they would welcome the additional content as well as potentially some potential financial incentive to do it from the sponsoring poker rooms.

ESPN do it, but I think perhaps the ship has sailed now.

Not in a month of Sundays. Barry. Poker is not nearly as important, as interesting, or as popular, as poker players, in their insular world, think it is. The TV viewing figures for even the biggest TV Poker Shows are miniscule, they don't even exceed the minimum measureable threshold on the viewer-meter thingie.

ESPN have a vested interest in so doing, to be fair, given how much they waste/spend on WSOP coverage. Which covers almost zero, but pisses off almost everyone who plays, covers, or watches the Event.

[RED-DOG]

Not a jot of herbs, tablets or liquid meds by you either.  Reckon scientists should give up on all their other 'discoveries' and just bottle you.

We're grand, cheers.  x

Too right, I don't believe in all that medicine stuff, ('cept countless Nurofen & Rennies) though it helps to be blessed with good health for starters. Just as well I have always looked after myself, not abused my body, & got plenty of sleep & rest, eh?

FYP

Sorry, Tom, but I quit both Rennies & Nurafen on January 6th, & have not had the need or desire to resort to a single tablet of either since. Prior to then, I concede, you would be right. Eating better seemed to solve all my problems. Until last Saturday, that was.

So you did believe in all that medicine stuff before Jan 6th?

[tikay]

Not a jot of herbs, tablets or liquid meds by you either.  Reckon scientists should give up on all their other 'discoveries' and just bottle you.

We're grand, cheers.  x

Too right, I don't believe in all that medicine stuff, ('cept countless Nurofen & Rennies) though it helps to be blessed with good health for starters. Just as well I have always looked after myself, not abused my body, & got plenty of sleep & rest, eh?

FYP

Sorry, Tom, but I quit both Rennies & Nurafen on January 6th, & have not had the need or desire to resort to a single tablet of either since. Prior to then, I concede, you would be right. Eating better seemed to solve all my problems. Until last Saturday, that was.

So you did believe in all that medicine stuff before Jan 6th?

No, absolutely not. I mean, err, yes.

Anyway, Rennies don't count, they are just chalk.

PS - You are worse than Mrs Red & Kizzy combined when you find a bone to chew on.......

[Laxie]

Rennies deffo don't count or they wouldn't let pregnant chicks eat them like they were candy.