Vegas & The Aftermath - Diary

[tikay]

Epsom Derby.

No fun at all, could barely see the racing, the traffic was horrendous. Never again.

 

Aw, Tikay, How can you not enjoy such a spectacle as Epsom! All of is England is there in one glorious riot, all for the most part enjoying themselves 
You can wander round the market and look at the all the gaudy goods on the stalls and outfits on the people, watch the toffs arriving in all their finery on the double decker buses, take the kids on the funfair, then there are the party coaches that line the fields with people out dancing and drinking and cooking delicious smelling food. I'd love an invite to one of the Caribbean ones, the always look/sound the best .
Plus, Gypsies can still stay on the field right next to the racecourse, where else in the world could you look through your caravan window and see the dear old Queen arriving?
Last time I was there we heard Katherine Jenkins sing the national anthem, and then the kids had a little win when Camelot came in, which they thought was the most exciting thing they'd ever seen.
Truly, whats not to like?
Admitidly it did take us two hours to drive off of the field at the end of the day, but even then a little fat hairy topless man did a kind of Greek dance along side our slow moving car, occasional pressing his sweaty belly against Mrs Reds passenger window. Really Teeks, you don't know what your missing!

You answered the question for me!

Seriously though, I just cant be doing with crowds these days. More & more, I'm turning into a hermit, happy alone, with my own company. It sounds sad, but it's not, not at all.

I can well imagine how much you would have enjoyed the Epsom Derby, though.

Years ago, in the 50's & before, the gangsters controlled the Bookies Pitches @ Epsom, & a guy named Jack Spot made fortunes, as did Freddie Foreman, the notorious Billy Hill, & little Frankie Fraser.

Frankie Fraser offered the Bookies insurance, in case, say, their pitches burned down, or someone bashed them on the head to steal their winnings. Very competitive rates, too. And if they decided to manage without, they got a bash on the head anyway. Seems reasonable.

[redsimon]

Epsom Derby.

No fun at all, could barely see the racing, the traffic was horrendous. Never again.

 

Aw, Tikay, How can you not enjoy such a spectacle as Epsom! All of is England is there in one glorious riot, all for the most part enjoying themselves  
You can wander round the market and look at the all the gaudy goods on the stalls and outfits on the people, watch the toffs arriving in all their finery on the double decker buses, take the kids on the funfair, then there are the party coaches that line the fields with people out dancing and drinking and cooking delicious smelling food. I'd love an invite to one of the Caribbean ones, the always look/sound the best .
Plus, Gypsies can still stay on the field right next to the racecourse, where else in the world could you look through your caravan window and see the dear old Queen arriving?
Last time I was there we heard Katherine Jenkins sing the national anthem, and then the kids had a little win when Camelot came in, which they thought was the most exciting thing they'd ever seen.
Truly, whats not to like?
Admitidly it did take us two hours to drive off of the field at the end of the day, but even then a little fat hairy topless man did a kind of Greek dance along side our slow moving car, occasional pressing his sweaty belly against Mrs Reds passenger window. Really Teeks, you don't know what your missing!

You've met Celtic then?

[tikay]

First up, I did one of those little Bankroll Challenge things Next Door.

The challenge was to turn £200 into £1,200, by playing PLO8 DYM's, average buy-in £5.50, at which, eventually, I succeeded, so I drew a line on April 1st, with the Bankroll standing at £1,296, for a profit of £1,096.

On the face of it, step aside Plenners, Scotty, Moorman & Co. 

Except that.......it took me 6 months! And no less than 3,500 SNG's.

Not quite so impressive, then.

Made about £0.31 per SNG on average (31 PENCE!).

Of that £1,096, around £300 came from "Reward Points" (rakeback, if you prefer) & various leaderboard bonuses. Say £0.25 per SNG "earned" then.  Not exactly setting the internet poker world on fire......

Every night I was not working, or doing other stuff, I played for 3 or 4 hours; originally, I played 10 or 15 per night, but as I started to master multi-tabling, & went up to 6 & 8 Tables, I'd often do 40 or 50 games per session.

Not exactly time & cost efficient, then.

But I DID enjoy it, immensely, I'd rush home from work & could not wait to begin my session.

Quite surprised myself by learning to 8 Table, too. Quite pleased, actually, that I could learn to profitably (just...) 8 Table at my age.

But I'm obsessive, & it's all or nothing. Trying to juggle the Challenge, Fred, and real life was a bit much really, so I'm having a little break now, before my next Challenge.

And trying to do my "Fred" stuff, whilst 8-Tabling, was a nightmare, & I messed up a treat. Never try placing bets whilst 8 Tabling, it's a recipe for disaster, as I tried clicking Fred, Oddschecker, & any number of Sports Betting sites, ugh. 

Learning PLO8 ranges (opening, pushing & calling) was worthwhile, too. I've done OK in Vegas the last few years @ PLO8, with 2 WSOP cashes from 3 attempts, & plenty of smaller cashes, & I absolutely adore the game, but I'm pretty sure, despite those rather disappointing returns, I'm a far better PLO8 player now, than previously.

At the start of every month, I modified my ranges, & my aggression factor, just trying to find the best blend. I got a bit over-aggro eventually, & never limped or called at all, just POT POT POT. Went a bit too aggro, really.

Tremendous fun, I needed the break when I had done, but I'd not have missed it for the world.  Did my self-esteem & confidence no harm, either, even though the returns were pitifully low.

Next case.

Just out of curiosity how much rake did you pay whilst completing your "bankroll challenge"?

Regarding playing too aggro playing PLO, I used to know a guy called Chris Truby who once won a WSOP bracelet during the 1990's(I'm not sure what the game was but he beat devilfish HU), and he only ever bet the full pot when playing PLO.

Well the average game was £5.50 + 10%, so 50p Reg fee. (I played £3.30 & £11 too, but it averaged £5.50, & always 10% Reg Fee).

I played about 3,500 games, so, roughly, £1,750 in "rake", of which I got approx £50 per month back, so £300 or so returned in total from the £1,750. It has only just occured to me, answering this, that I "invested" over £19,000. Strewth. I was making about £50 per week, netto, so I was happy enough though. Like a little pension, really. When I retire, which may be imminent, & can play more, & I could maybe make £500 per month. That'd do me nicely, tbh. No hassle, all alone, nice & peaceful, with nobody to blame for anything except myself. Lovely. 

I know "full pot" is not always correct, before Lord Conk arrives & tells me off, but these DYM's play very shallow, "basic is best", & with 6 or 8 Tables binging & bonging, I did not really have time to bother with more subtly sized bets. Once the Blinds get big the Ave stack, 4 handed (3 get paid) was often 5 or 6 Bigs, so you don't really mind if you get no action, as you can increase your stack 25% or 30% by forcing folds all round.

However, when I play "live" PLO, with a good structure, I almost never "pot". Different game completely with a proper structure.

I got called fairly wide too, wider than most, but unless I was short-stacked, my range normally beat those who flatted me. There is a horrendous tendancy in PLO8 for players to think a low drawing hand is a nut drawing hand, & many players happily call all-in with A-2-5-x. 

You'd think it'd be easy to beat those sort of players, but I actually found it really hard, as witnessed by my microscopic return.

Fun though. Can't remember the last time I was profitable online.

Visit the Online Staking Board, & we see folks desperate for funding to play small MTT's. I'm pretty sure most of them could beat DYM's though, albeit the return is small & the rake is high. It's still poker, & its still a win though. And most of all, it gives us that poker buzz we all crave so much, our "fix". In this case, I got it for free. Loved it.

[Redsgirl]

Epsom Derby.

No fun at all, could barely see the racing, the traffic was horrendous. Never again.

 

Aw, Tikay, How can you not enjoy such a spectacle as Epsom! All of is England is there in one glorious riot, all for the most part enjoying themselves  
You can wander round the market and look at the all the gaudy goods on the stalls and outfits on the people, watch the toffs arriving in all their finery on the double decker buses, take the kids on the funfair, then there are the party coaches that line the fields with people out dancing and drinking and cooking delicious smelling food. I'd love an invite to one of the Caribbean ones, the always look/sound the best .
Plus, Gypsies can still stay on the field right next to the racecourse, where else in the world could you look through your caravan window and see the dear old Queen arriving?
Last time I was there we heard Katherine Jenkins sing the national anthem, and then the kids had a little win when Camelot came in, which they thought was the most exciting thing they'd ever seen.
Truly, whats not to like?
Admitidly it did take us two hours to drive off of the field at the end of the day, but even then a little fat hairy topless man did a kind of Greek dance along side our slow moving car, occasional pressing his sweaty belly against Mrs Reds passenger window. Really Teeks, you don't know what your missing!

You answered the question for me!

Seriously though, I just cant be doing with crowds these days. More & more, I'm turning into a hermit, happy alone, with my own company. It sounds sad, but it's not, not at all.

I can well imagine how much you would have enjoyed the Epsom Derby, though.

Years ago, in the 50's & before, the gangsters controlled the Bookies Pitches @ Epsom, & a guy named Jack Spot made fortunes, as did Freddie Foreman & little Frankie Fraser.

Frankie Fraser offered the Bookies insurance, in case, say, their pitches burned down, or someone bashed them on the head to steal their winnings. Very competitive rates, too. And if they decided to manage without, they got a bash on the head anyway. Seems reasonable.

I imagine there are just as many gangsters and shady goings on there today as there was in the 50's, or the 1850's for that matter.

Click to see full-size image.

It all adds to the atmosphere.

@redsimon, even as I was typing those words, I knew someone would say that!

[tikay]

I mentioned a few London gangsters earlier, here's their Wiki pages.

Fascinating reading. 



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frankie_Fraser



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Hill_(gangster)


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freddie_Foreman

[tikay]

Epsom Derby.

No fun at all, could barely see the racing, the traffic was horrendous. Never again.

 

Aw, Tikay, How can you not enjoy such a spectacle as Epsom! All of is England is there in one glorious riot, all for the most part enjoying themselves 
You can wander round the market and look at the all the gaudy goods on the stalls and outfits on the people, watch the toffs arriving in all their finery on the double decker buses, take the kids on the funfair, then there are the party coaches that line the fields with people out dancing and drinking and cooking delicious smelling food. I'd love an invite to one of the Caribbean ones, the always look/sound the best .
Plus, Gypsies can still stay on the field right next to the racecourse, where else in the world could you look through your caravan window and see the dear old Queen arriving?
Last time I was there we heard Katherine Jenkins sing the national anthem, and then the kids had a little win when Camelot came in, which they thought was the most exciting thing they'd ever seen.
Truly, whats not to like?
Admitidly it did take us two hours to drive off of the field at the end of the day, but even then a little fat hairy topless man did a kind of Greek dance along side our slow moving car, occasional pressing his sweaty belly against Mrs Reds passenger window. Really Teeks, you don't know what your missing!

You answered the question for me!

Seriously though, I just cant be doing with crowds these days. More & more, I'm turning into a hermit, happy alone, with my own company. It sounds sad, but it's not, not at all.

I can well imagine how much you would have enjoyed the Epsom Derby, though.

Years ago, in the 50's & before, the gangsters controlled the Bookies Pitches @ Epsom, & a guy named Jack Spot made fortunes, as did Freddie Foreman & little Frankie Fraser.

Frankie Fraser offered the Bookies insurance, in case, say, their pitches burned down, or someone bashed them on the head to steal their winnings. Very competitive rates, too. And if they decided to manage without, they got a bash on the head anyway. Seems reasonable.

I imagine there are just as many gangsters and shady goings on there today as there was in the 50's, or the 1850's for that matter.

Click to see full-size image.

It all adds to the atmosphere.

@redsimon, even as I was typing those words, I knew someone would say that!

Sorry, but we don't allow art here.

This is a Diary for discerning grown-ups.

[tikay]

More Racecourse gang bits. I love this stuff!



...The meeting ended abruptly when Kimber was shot by Solomon....

http://www.thefreelibrary.com/WHEN+GANGS+RULED+THE+RACECOURSE%3B+As+Britain+emerged+buoyant+from+the...-a0147586279

http://www.epsomandewellhistoryexplorer.org.uk/RaceTrackGangs.html



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birmingham_Boys

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Sabini

[Redsgirl]

More Racecourse gang bits. I love this stuff!



...The meeting ended abruptly when Kimber was shot by Solomon....

http://www.thefreelibrary.com/WHEN+GANGS+RULED+THE+RACECOURSE%3B+As+Britain+emerged+buoyant+from+the...-a0147586279

http://www.epsomandewellhistoryexplorer.org.uk/RaceTrackGangs.html



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birmingham_Boys

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Sabini

This appears to be the inspiration for the beebs 'Peaky Blinders' programme, Billy Kimber was the name of a character and the stories are similar.

[rfgqqabc]

2k-12k in Stars plo8 mtts? I'd say you could do it in 6 months if you played a lot. Of course you'd need to check scheduling and it wouldn't be done on Sky. Impressive ability to grind and very solid results. Could we get a graph too?

[edgascoigne]

Oaks > Derby

[mulhuzz]

Story about £1k in fivers for FA Cup tickets incred.

More stories of working as go to man for that Boss please.

[booder]

Another set of photos for you Pops..........

http://news.distractify.com/people/complex-humans/?v=1

[77dave]

http://luxemodo.com/40-bizarre-historical-photos/

[tikay]

Another set of photos for you Pops..........

http://news.distractify.com/people/complex-humans/?v=1

Thanks David.

They don't 'arf make you think, eh?

Poker is so addictive, many of us get caught up in poker, & it becomes the most important thing in our lives, & minor irritations become, in our minds, huge things.

Then we see Photo Galleries like that, & they are a proper reality check.

How are things in your parts, & your family? Still got the job?

I always think of you when I see Willie, from The Simpsons.......

[tikay]

http://luxemodo.com/40-bizarre-historical-photos/

Thanks Jim.

Sometimes, thanks to the miracle of internet searching, we can see behind these photos.

This one here, for example.....





....which we've all seen many times before, is simply horrifying on the face of it.

When we research it, though, a slightly different picture (pardon the pun) emerges.  See.....



http://www.wyrmis.com/blots/2013/08/blot42351-monson-monsters.html


The dreadful racial prejudices - which were, relatively, very recent - were abhorrent, & we all wanted them to cease, & perhaps these "invented" scenarios helped. Personally, I'd rather the facts spoke for themselves. 

Thankfully, that situation has improved beyond recognition in our lifetimes, but they have been replaced by other, equally abhorent, prejudices, & the internet has fuelled these. 

Bit of a two-headed beast, this internet thing. On the whole, though, a good thing, which has changed the world for the better.