Vegas & The Aftermath - Diary

[77dave]

That pot took me to 200k   at that point mick went crazy and moved allin about 8 hands in row  doubling up the shortstack once and damon to a chip lead equalling 200k

mick now down to 48k pushes again i call with qj from the bb but not good enough against his 98  he then knocks out the short stack so the 3 of us agree on a straight chop and £1500 each iinto the coffers

So what started out as a really annoying last 2/3  tables having to listen and put up with drunken-idiot  he then blew up in the 2nd final running ended up being a really enjoyable final 8

The drunk was so annoying that Tikay even said he was enjoying the live singer and wnated the music turned up   words im sure were never heard before and will never be heard again   he even got comped for a free breakfast it was hard to get a drink last night as all the valets were fighting over him

Me to drop-dead stunning East European nubile Valet.

"I love you".

She..."Really?".

Off she toddled, never to be seen again.

I thought you said she was outside waiting for you in the car park

maybe her english isnt very good

[tikay]

When G-Luton opened, it got slaughtered, no dealers, no valets, bla bla bla.

But they've chipped away at the problems, & it's slowly become, arguably, & on balance, the best Cardroom in the UK.

What makes a Cardroom "the best", or even good?

Well, lets look at Luton G.

They have, very probably, the best structured 1 day Comps in the UK, week in week out, with buy-ins to suit every pocket.

The Prize Structure needs a little tweaking. With £7k in the kitty last night (about 90 runners for a £75 Freeze), 9th, 8th, 7th & 6th only "laddered" £50 a spot. The top 3 is, as with every Venue in the UK, top heavy, but that's not a problem, as it always ends up in a Deal, so it's self-sorted really. Eventually, a Venue will cotton on to why 80% of all comps end in chops & deals & actually flatten the Prize Pool. But we can cope until then, we just keep chopping, no sweat.

100% dealer-dealt at last. It took a while, but they got there.

The players there are terrific fun - that's so important in a Venue, a good bunch of lads.

The Staff are trying very hard to please.

Valet service is the achilles heel, it's horrendous. I waited 3 hours for food or drink last night, & eventually lost it, & complained. Result? A comped brekkie, hard to complain when they do that! Of course, when I asked for a brekkie, after waiting 3 hours for service, I was initially told "nope, it's too late/early for Brekkie, you should have ordered earlier".......!

I'm 100% fine with session charges, & paying for drinks if need be. I'm NOT fine with waiting 3 hours for a drink.

All in all, I'd put Luton down as the best UK Venue at present. The "Premiership" of UK Venues at present is, probably, Luton, Walsall & Blackpool, all Grosvenors as it happens.

Well done Luton.

Dare I do a "bottom three" of UK venues? I think not......

[Indestructable]

Valet service is the achilles heel, it's horrendous. I waited 3 hours for food or drink last night, & eventually lost it, & complained. Result? A comped brekkie, hard to complain when they do that! Of course, when I asked for a brekkie, after waiting 3 hours for service, I was initially told "nope, it's too late/early for Brekkie, you should have ordered earlier".......!

 

[tikay]

Oh, & I forgot to add, as to Luton-G.

We have enough ROOM.

UK Venues, almost 100%, squeeze WAY too many players into a small space. We sit there, unable to move without banging into the chair behind us, unable to leave the table because we are trapped in. WSOP Bracelet Winner John Gale, a mild-mannered man,  actually walked out of a UK Venue recently mid-comp, in protest at the appalling way we were squeezed in.

And it's a fire hazard to be so packed in that we cannot leave the premises quickly. I tell you, if a Fire Officer walked into most UK Venues at the start of a Major Tourney, he'd withdraw their Fire Certificate. Meaning, the Venue closes down. I'm serious, that's the Law.

So well done Luton, where they have room for twice as many tables, but they keep it comfy. We can wander around, stretch our legs, have a chat, & don't live in fear of a fire.

Ever sat in the top floor of the Merrion Club, in Ireland, in a full comp?

[MANTIS01]

Posted by: tikay

What do you do when?..........

Poker is a game that involves people. What an obvious thing to say. But it is often forgotten.

People are so incredibly diverse...both in appearance, culture, outlook, emotion and in every which way. When ten people sit at a table there is a coming together of such diversity. As such many factors may clash...because people and their differences don't live in harmony.

There is a really attractive social scene on the poker circuit and new friends are in abundance. But let's not forget that when you take your seat at the table you are entering the business end of things. As ideal as it would be to always experience a jovial atmosphere at the table this may not be the case and is something to just deal with. The way I deal with it is to be completely passive and unemotional. I just sit there like a neutral observer allowing the habits of the other people to just wash over me. You classify the guy you're talking about Tony as a drunk and a bore and this seems a pretty accurate assessment. There are many drunks/bores in life, the same way as there are poor loosers, fidgeters, indecisive people etc etc...But I think there is a major difference when sitting at the poker table between assessing a person and letting that person affect you. Because then you are bringing emotion to the table. And I think the less emotive you are the better.

Do I like drunks/bores?...No. Does a drunk/bore have the ability to piss me off?...No. He is what he is. A thoroughly undesirable dick...but that is his affair, I don't have to live with him and I wouldn't choose to socialise with him. So I kinda just smile, listen to all his free blatherings, thank my lucky stars I am not in the same mould, and wait for him to contribute his chips to me. In fact is there anything better than busting someone like that?? Table hero status beckons for the slayer of the superdick.

The thing is people are people and it's ok to recognise their bad habits. But to get too emotional is not a good thing in poker. You may start wetting your pants when you pick up aces. People who get really really narked when they loose show far too much emotion imo. Surely to leave emotion at the rail is the sign of a good player?..and in fact shows the person you are. Those players who take bad beats like a gentleman/lady always gladden my heart...they are impassive...and to them the drunk/bore is an inconsequential nobody. Getting angry with someone who is angry doesn't make sense to me.

[celtic]

  mantis

[hans47]

still icing my fingers from the cookie jar slamming shut on them last night! LUTON is a very good card room plenty of room friendly lots of people willing to part with there money bonus! Plenty of fish there with tikay leading the school!
I past the valet on the way back to chelmsford she was walking around stunned by the comment all disorientated from the shock!
The last hand wasn't the killer the hand  vs  was the killer first race i lost all night ouch that hurt had the fish on the line and he got off!

[tikay]

A much-respected blonde, a winning player at medium Tourney Levels, wrote to me. He's tinkering with the idea of moving up to bigger Events, EPT's & such like.

I'm all against shooting for the stars, thats the reason so few Tourney players turn a profit, why so many go skint, & is the root cause of the scourge of poker, serial-nippers. Thrse guys are addicted, they feel they HAVE to play Big Events, even though they are skint, & they keep chasing those rainbows. Real life ain't like that. Think about all the guys that appear on the scene, net a few decent cashes, play the Big Buck Events, borrow off everyone, then disappear. I can think of half-a-dozen blondes alone who fit into that category. My friend, however, has his feet on the floor, & Bankroll Management is high on his agenda. I'm not sure I'm qualified to answer his question, but I did, & here's an edited (de-personalised) version of my reply.

I have discovered that although it's said widely that it's not possible to win "long-term" at Tourney Poker, in fact, it IS possible, as I have proven. But NOT at the highest level - well, not for mere mortals like you & me. I can consistently make a profit in under £500 Comps, more so in under £250. So can you - I GUARANTEE that, you have precisely the game, patience & mindset (strength of character in adversity too) required.

The EPT's these days are €8,000 (£5,500 roughly) & attract 400 to 500 players each. Over a Season, playing, say, 8 "ordinary" EPT's & the Grand Final, it would cost around £50,000. Of the 4,000 seats sold during an EPT Season, how many could make more than £50,000? A handful?

I say forget the EPT's & & Big Buck Comps & go bottom-fishing. You'll have more fun, less stress, & make enough to grind out a very pleasant living.

Many of the kids who play the Big Buck comps have no regard for money, & the EPT's sometimes play like a £20 Rebuy. In the £75, & £100, & £200 comps I mainly play, we get half the field who just have no idea how to play, & given reasonable luck, we can out-think & out-play the rest.

Well, that's my take, & in fairness, just because it's right for me does not mean it's right for everyone. But unless you are sponsored, or win a Satellite, does it REALLY make sense to go rainbow-chasing in Big Buck Events? There's fun, and a living to be made, at lower levels, & I see so much unhappiness caused by folks playing beyond their means. Homes lost, families broken up, jobs lost, the lot. FFS, it's a dangerous game, please be careful. You'd be amazed how relaxing it is to play within your means, & just have fun, making enough to get by.

[Karabiner]

A much-respected blonde, a winning player at medium Tourney Levels, wrote to me. He's tinkering with the idea of moving up to bigger Events, EPT's & such like.

I'm all against shooting for the stars, thats the reason so few Tourney players turn a profit, why so many go skint, & is the root cause of the scourge of poker, serial-nippers. Thrse guys are addicted, they feel they HAVE to play Big Events, even though they are skint, & they keep chasing those rainbows. Real life ain't like that. Think about all the guys that appear on the scene, net a few decent cashes, play the Big Buck Events, borrow off everyone, then disappear. I can think of half-a-dozen blondes alone who fit into that category. My friend, however, has his feet on the floor, & Bankroll Management is high on his agenda. I'm not sure I'm qualified to answer his question, but I did, & here's an edited (de-personalised) version of my reply.

I have discovered that although it's said widely that it's not possible to win "long-term" at Tourney Poker, in fact, it IS possible, as I have proven. But NOT at the highest level - well, not for mere mortals like you & me. I can consistently make a profit in under £500 Comps, more so in under £250. So can you - I GUARANTEE that, you have precisely the game, patience & mindset (strength of character in adversity too) required.

The EPT's these days are €8,000 (£5,500 roughly) & attract 400 to 500 players each. Over a Season, playing, say, 8 "ordinary" EPT's & the Grand Final, it would cost around £50,000. Of the 4,000 seats sold during an EPT Season, how many could make more than £50,000? A handful?

I say forget the EPT's & & Big Buck Comps & go bottom-fishing. You'll have more fun, less stress, & make enough to grind out a very pleasant living.

Many of the kids who play the Big Buck comps have no regard for money, & the EPT's sometimes play like a £20 Rebuy. In the £75, & £100, & £200 comps I mainly play, we get half the field who just have no idea how to play, & given reasonable luck, we can out-think & out-play the rest.

Well, that's my take, & in fairness, just because it's right for me does not mean it's right for everyone. But unless you are sponsored, or win a Satellite, does it REALLY make sense to go rainbow-chasing in Big Buck Events? There's fun, and a living to be made, at lower levels, & I see so much unhappiness caused by folks playing beyond their means. Homes lost, families broken up, jobs lost, the lot. FFS, it's a dangerous game, please be careful. You'd be amazed how relaxing it is to play within your means, & just have fun, making enough to get by.

   I could not agree more Tony.

Folk are happy to move up the levels when they run good, but too many are reluctant to move back down again when things go poorly. Classic bad bankroll-mangement imo, caused in no small part by the poker-player's arch-enemy within, ego.

[MANTIS01]

Ok here's a question with relation to the drunk/bore spoiling the game for everyone subject.

Last Sunday at The Broadway a chap sits down at the table as the tourney is about to kick off...I know him but his name escapes me. He plonks two bricks of £50 notes onto the felt totalling around 20k. This must have been related to the bellowing scream of "GGGEEEEET-IN-THERE-U-BEAUTTYYY" heard from the roulette table some moments ago I think.

He states his intentions..."Just so you all know I'm going all-in blind every hand". And this is just what he does. He wins a few pots, then looses, peels off another nifty and the process starts again. Things start to get very expensive for the regular players and I can feel the intimidation in the air. The guy is clearly ruining the game for everyone who came to play poker. He's not drunk or all that boring and he is certainly not slow to act...often going all-in out of turn. But the game is spoilt. Should this be allowed and how could you stop it? Many of the players didn't want to re-buy and carry on. The way I saw it was that I had my regular £100 budget for this event and here was a guy giving his money away. Sure he was going to get lucky now and again but I was prepared to use my money to try and deal with the situation and pushed/called with any reasonable holding. He doubled me up twice and then I tightened up. If I lost then I go home. Soon he became bored of the tourney and went looking for a new toy to play with.

So there are many ways to spoil a game of poker. This was one way and it is completely within the rules. I think the only way to avoid mixing with people you don't like is to maybe have a home game where you choose the players.

[Dingdell]

I think the only time a casino can ever gets involved is when the player is drunk - other than that their hands appear to be tied - a player can chose to play how he wants.

I do think that casinos are very often slow to come forward - only when they have to. There was a drunk on my table last week, knocked my chips over, tried to take chips off my stack to get change - a real no no for me - and he was generally a real pain in the bum. I ended up standing up and screaming at him to get off my chips, as he continued to knock them off the table and at no point did the dealer or the card room staff get involved - shocking in my mind.

It was horrible but his behaviour was wrong - so was I for loosing it - but with no support from anyone I was forced to be loud about it. It's not often I get intimidated at the table but that was one time.  I apologised to the table and to him for shouting after a few minutes when i had calmed down but it left a horrible atmosphere at the table.

As for Tikays man last night - I played with him last week - same again - great to take chips off him but the game slows down so badly.

[TightEnd]

Tighty offered to rent out his iPod? I thought this was tighty you were tallking about!!?

Ooh i can feel a ban coming my way!

Don't be silly. Tighty would never Pass A-2 these days.

His Exit last night was a bit odd, & I think he was playing the player, not the hand.

He's ahead from the start with A-4 v J-3 on this flop & turn, & there's been much betting & re-raising.....

 

The river pairs the J..... for  .....

And Tighty's A-4 has been rivered by J-3 man. Very unlucky, but a helluva call by the man alleged to be Mr Rockity Rock Rock. A bad call, too, what was he beating, but as I say, he was playing the player, who was a serial bluffer. My point is, beware of Tighty, this was a call for his Tourney, & he had a big stack at the time. Tighty is a Rock? Not no more. He's become a very accomplished player, imho, & he's do well at any level of the game, & I'm quite sure he turns a nice profit in the up to £250 sector.

Thank you for the compliment but truth be told I mangled my stack to a player I should have patiently waited to trap.

Been trying hard to avoid laying down winning but marginal hands (typical weak tight players problem) and fact was I picked up something after his last bet that made me think he was at it, as he usually is. Its a fine line between a good call and one that makes you look daft

Playing the player? sure, but a horrendous hand really.

and shhhhh, I still have no moves

Its only lack of time and family commitments that prevent me from playing many fessies

In the meantime as you say I do perfectly alright sub £250.

[MANTIS01]

Good point Dingdell. Dealers should be there to control the game not just pass two cards to each player and then stare gormlessly into space while players are doing as they please. A good, quick dealer with personality can control the ebb and flow of a game and that is something players really appreciate. The guy in your example was in your space and that's something the dealer should have got to grips with straight away.

[tikay]

Good point Dingdell. Dealers should be there to control the game not just pass two cards to each player and then stare gormlessly into space while players are doing as they please. A good, quick dealer with personality can control the ebb and flow of a game and that is something players really appreciate. The guy in your example was in your space and that's something the dealer should have got to grips with straight away.

..but when did you eve see a Dealer, or Cardroom Manager (we don't really have TD's) intervene in such a case? Never, because that's not included in the Dealer's training.

[tikay]

I think the only time a casino can ever gets involved is when the player is drunk - other than that their hands appear to be tied - a player can chose to play how he wants.

I do think that casinos are very often slow to come forward - only when they have to. There was a drunk on my table last week, knocked my chips over, tried to take chips off my stack to get change - a real no no for me - and he was generally a real pain in the bum. I ended up standing up and screaming at him to get off my chips, as he continued to knock them off the table and at no point did the dealer or the card room staff get involved - shocking in my mind.

It was horrible but his behaviour was wrong - so was I for loosing it - but with no support from anyone I was forced to be loud about it. It's not often I get intimidated at the table but that was one time.  I apologised to the table and to him for shouting after a few minutes when i had calmed down but it left a horrible atmosphere at the table.

As for Tikays man last night - I played with him last week - same again - great to take chips off him but the game slows down so badly.

We were playing at half the speed of the other Tables thanks to Mr D-B. But we got his chips. I suppose, on balance, he's good for the game, but jeez, what an arse.

"Yup, knew you had Aces" says he, calling all in with A-Ten.....!

After he left, we thought we'd all gone deaf.