Vegas & The Aftermath - Diary

[tikay]

4am - Just back from dtd - what a buzz there was down there tonight!

It was the first "open to all" £50-er, & I arrived at about 7pm to find a queue stretching into the Car Park! The Tourney sold out, they added a table or two, there were 20 alternates, & as many again were turned away.

Plenty of faces there, but it was like the Gala Notts crowd had been transported to dtd - almost everyone from Gala Notts was there. It was just like old times, & I adored it. And there were cash-tables galore - 6 or 7 - with everything from Hold 'Em, Omaha Hi-Low, & £2-£5 & £5-£5 Dealers Choice - the whole works. Add to that 5 or 6 SNG's at a time, & over 200 folks in there, & at last, after last week's razmatazz, this was a glimpse of the real dtd. The tmo was thrilling - really - & Rob has clearly hit the spot. Imagine, 200 players there on a Thursday night!

I played the comp, & had the most wonderful starting table, including Thewy & Karabiner, but every one of them was a treat to sit with.

Dave Welch dropped in, as did Pete Singletion, & Rob had his full Team on hand. Simon Trumper was Mother Hen - "seat on a SNG" - "seat available at £1 £2 Hold 'Em" he was announcing over the PA, & Matilde was dealing too, to help out. Yogi was TD, & he's just awesome. Nick & Rob, Chubbs too, are splendid Hosts (thanks for the dinner, Rob), & I had such a lovely evening.

I shall not abandon Luton, where I've been made to feel so welcome by the players & Staff, but when they clash, it'll be a tough call. With 200 players there, dtd really buzzes. Great stuff.

I was on your left on the first table tikay (you brought me a coffee), then when we got down to the last 2 tables & you were on my left (I returned the coffee favour)

Just to echo your thoughts really that it was probably the best venue i've ever had the fortune of playing in, (winning it as well helped I suppose )

It was a pleasure being on the same table with the likes of yourself, an ept winner and other well known names. Where else will that happen in a £50 comp?

Great venue run by great people but more importantly played by great people who are there for just 1 reason & not to pass the time while having a break from the gaming tables.

Hope very much to become a regular down there.

You won it jona? Wow, Good Man You! We were joint Billy Low Stacks for a while, taking it in turn to shove, so my exit was no suerprise, but I'm delighted you got the job finished.

Hope to see you there again soon fella. My turn to buy the coffee.

[tikay]

The APAT UK Championship in Manchester concluded today, & everything went tickety-boo, though I only attended for Day Two, & left all the Day One work to Des & Rich. A great Final was had - they started the Final with the average stack being 19.5 Big Blinds, and the Chip Lead changed throughout. The Chip Daddy starting the Final departed early, & a guy who returned on Day Two with 4 Big Blinds, as Billy Low Stack, won it! Lovely game, this poker, & Lady Luck has a way of evening things out.

[tikay]

Saw a terific Moody tonight, in the APAT Final. Not malicioius, not rude, not out of order, but seriously good.

Gent Raises it up, get's minimum Re-Raised. Original Raiser umms & arrs for a while, then asks me what the payout structure is. "Flat until the top 3 Spots mate".

"Hmm," & he ponders a little longer, before announcing, "OK, I may as well go all-in then".

His Oppo quickly says "CALL", & shows K-K . Original Raiser & structure askerer flips over....... A-A!

[RED-DOG]

I personally would consider that taking gamesmanship too far.

[tikay]

I personally would consider that taking gamesmanship too far.

In fact, it was wholly un-neecessary, as all the Chips were going in at some stage anyway. But I thought it was kinda neat. Mind you if it were pulled on me.......

[tikay]

I drove up to Manchester today, & decided to go across an old favourite road of mine, the Woodhead Pass. It goes right across "the tops" (the Pennines), & is breathtakingly beautiful.

Some six reservoirs are up there, all hugging the roadside, seemingly (but clearly not) near the top of the Pennines, & they catch & store the run-off  & snow-melt, & this in turn provides most of Manchester & Sheffield's drinking water I imagine. The Reservoirs are Woodhead, Torside, Rhodeswod, Valehouse, Arnfield & Bottoms.

Typically for that part of England, the little villages have lovely names - Hadfield is next to Padfield, & there's Tintwistle, Gamestey, Broadbottom, Mottram, & Mottram in Longendale.

I'v always been facsinated by the so-called "tree-line", & certainly as you traverse Woodhead Pass, you are well above the tree-line, thus there are no trees at all. This can be caused by many things - climate (it gets much colder as you go higher), soil conditions (many trees need decent soil conditions which don't exist on top of hills & mountains, where the soil depth is thin), &, and I think this probably applies in the case of the Pennines, prevailing strong & gustry wind. Trees are one of Natures most beautiful creations, & we have hundreds of millions of them in the UK alone, yet most folk rarely give them a second glance. But see the difference when they are absent, & you then realise how they are, really, one of Mother Nature's finest creations.

Today, the cloud over the Pennines was so low it was like fog, the drizzle fell as mist, & it was bloody cold up there. All of which, added together, made it just so wonderfully beautiful. And so wonderfully English. Stick the Costa del Sol where the sun shines, & give me England's countryside to admire until I die.

Now, I know you all, or mostly, have jobs, & I'm Mr Lucky So & So who's retired & can spare the time to smell the roses - or look at the trees - but please do try & take a drive over Woodhead Pass or Snake Pass before Mr Reaper arrives. It's so beautiful, it could only be in England.

[tikay]

Whilst waiting in Paris Gard de Nord Eurostar Terminal for my train home, I picked up a copy of The Times (70p in the UK) which cost me, wait for it, €4.50!

But it was worth it for this gem alone. Now, I know you probably won't "get" this, & you all think, maybe correctly, that I'm losing it upstairs, but I just adored this little piece, on so many levels. Poker-ists are so insular & parochial, worrying about AK in early Position, or squeeze plays or chopping tourneys, but outside of our little world, there are real concerns. Well, this piece will set many folks minds at rest. And trouble just as many, as to who might worry about such matters.....

This is from "Readers Reply".

"....A. Mills, from Marlybone, asked for the etiquette when seized with a coughing fit in the middle of a concert.

Well Mr Mills, I should not go to the concert if I thought it likely I'd suffer a coughing fit. But if it happens, smother the cough with handkerchiefs & coats, until there is a break between movements. Then leave quietly. The principal thing is not to disturb the music & those enjoying it.

A further reply from David Agress of Newport Beach, California, stated "cough in time to the music as you exit post haste".

There you go, now you can sleep easily.

[tikay]

"Modern Times", also in the same edition of The Times, also provides helpful advice to these questions.

"What is the correct way to eat oysters please?". (And I BET you can't guess the key part of the answer!).

"What would be the polite way to explain to my hostess at dinner that I do not eat fish?"

"What is the correct etiquette for drinking toasts after dinner?". (Replies include, "do NOT "clink" glasses, this is saloon-bar behavioiur".......!).

"My girlfreind criticises the way I hold my knife. What can I do?".

So many questions, so few answers. I think I'll stay up all night & have a good worry.

[RED-DOG]

I drove up to Manchester today, & decided to go across an old favourite road of mine, the Woodhead Pass. It goes right across "the tops" (the Pennines), & is breathtakingly beautiful.

Some six reservoirs are up there, all hugging the roadside, seemingly (but clearly not) near the top of the Pennines, & they catch & store the run-off  & snow-melt, & this in turn provides most of Manchester & Sheffield's drinking water I imagine. The Reservoirs are Woodhead, Torside, Rhodeswod, Valehouse, Arnfield & Bottoms.

Typically for that part of England, the little villages have lovely names - Hadfield is next to Padfield, & there's Tintwistle, Gamestey, Broadbottom, Mottram, & Mottram in Longendale.

I'v always been facsinated by the so-called "tree-line", & certainly as you traverse Woodhead Pass, you are well above the tree-line, thus there are no trees at all. This can be caused by many things - climate (it gets much colder as you go higher), soil conditions (many trees need decent soil conditions which don't exist on top of hills & mountains, where the soil depth is thin), &, and I think this probably applies in the case of the Pennines, prevailing strong & gustry wind. Trees are one of Natures most beautiful creations, & we have hundreds of millions of them in the UK alone, yet most folk rarely give them a second glance. But see the difference when they are absent, & you then realise how they are, really, one of Mother Nature's finest creations.

Today, the cloud over the Pennines was so low it was like fog, the drizzle fell as mist, & it was bloody cold up there. All of which, added together, made it just so wonderfully beautiful. And so wonderfully English. Stick the Costa del Sol where the sun shines, & give me England's countryside to admire until I die.

Now, I know you all, or mostly, have jobs, & I'm Mr Lucky So & So who's retired & can spare the time to smell the roses - or look at the trees - but please do try & take a drive over Woodhead Pass or Snake Pass before Mr Reaper arrives. It's so beautiful, it could only be in England.

I used the Snake, Woodhead or Mam Tor every week for about 7 years.

See it in the early spring when the heather blooms purple as far as the eye can see.

Or just before daybreak in the dead of winter when the light from little stone farmhouse kitchens dot the bleak landscape like fireflies.

I have a few stories about going over the tops.....  Happy days.

[tikay]

There's a good debate on the DTD Tournament Board about 1 or 2 day Events at Weekends, & trying to structure them to suit the majority of tastes. Not easy.

Which takes me back to the blonde Fessie in Waterford a few weeks back. blonde lay no cliam to how this was organised - our partner, Big Slick (Ireland) did this, but boy oh boy, did they get it right, or what?

Compared to what we usually get in the UK, it was an "Updide-Down" Fessie, & though we get these in Mainland Europe from time to time, they are a rarity in the UK.

It worked like this. The Main Event (€500) was first, & it was a 3 day affair. The next Day, (Day Two of the Main Event), there was a two-day, €250 jobbie. And on Day Three of the Main Event, there was a one day, €150 affair. How neat is that?

What's more, they ALL had identical structures - grown-up, "big-buck" structures, with every level included. All that changed were the starting stacks (15,000, 10,000 & 8,000 respctively), & the clock (1 hour, 45 minutes & 25 minutes respectively).

It don't get much bettter than that. And yet British Venues are still persisting with the usual "start with a crap-structiure £100 jobbie, & build up to a Main Event which only sponsored players, wealthy peeps & nippers can afford to play". It's time Management at British Venues woke up, & started thinking outside the box. And until they do, the UK Fessie scene will continue it's slow & painful descent into oblivion.

If the existing Venues can't get their head round this, others will. I could organise a decent Fessie stood on my head, and GUARANTEE it would be fully sold-out, & so could many others. And we will, if the establishment don't wake their ideas up.

[AndrewT]

This is from "Readers Reply".

"....A. Mills, from Marlybone, asked for the etiquette when seized with a coughing fit in the middle of a concert.

Well Mr Mills, I should not go to the concert if I thought it likely I'd suffer a coughing fit. But if it happens, smother the cough with handkerchiefs & coats, until there is a break between movements. Then leave quietly. The principal thing is not to disturb the music & those enjoying it.

If Mr Mills is at a concert and is having to worry about movements then he has bigger problems than a cough.

[Colchester Kev]

This is from "Readers Reply".

"....A. Mills, from Marlybone, asked for the etiquette when seized with a coughing fit in the middle of a concert.

Well Mr Mills, I should not go to the concert if I thought it likely I'd suffer a coughing fit. But if it happens, smother the cough with handkerchiefs & coats, until there is a break between movements. Then leave quietly. The principal thing is not to disturb the music & those enjoying it.

If Mr Mills is at a concert and is having to worry about movements then he has bigger problems than a cough.

I bet Tikay has been to a Mrs Mills concert

[tikay]

This is from "Readers Reply".

"....A. Mills, from Marlybone, asked for the etiquette when seized with a coughing fit in the middle of a concert.

Well Mr Mills, I should not go to the concert if I thought it likely I'd suffer a coughing fit. But if it happens, smother the cough with handkerchiefs & coats, until there is a break between movements. Then leave quietly. The principal thing is not to disturb the music & those enjoying it.

If Mr Mills is at a concert and is having to worry about movements then he has bigger problems than a cough.

I bet Tikay has been to a Mrs Mills concert

Too right I have! Her actual name was "Glad" or Gladys Mills, & she was managed by Eric Eaton, who also managed The Dave Clark Five. Which, it used to be said, was where the title of the great Dave Clark Five hit emenated.

"And I'm feeling - boom boom - glad all over, I'm feeling -boom boom - glad all over".

Mrs Mills records had far more pedestrian titles - "Mrs Mills Medleys" was my favourite.

[TightEnd]

Sadly the Boon in Mrs Mills' career is now very much erstwhile.

[tikay]

This week's Diary.

I'm on holiday (= unemployed) on Monday, (though I have to get home from Manchester first) so may drop down to Luton in the evening.

Tuesday I'm rehearsing & researching for a Christmas Special I'm making for Sky Poker with Richard Orford, & we record the 2 hour Show during Wednesday daytime. Whoever thought I'd make a TV Christmas Special?! My Dad would have been as proud as Punch. "TK's Baize of Glory" is it's name, & it goes out over Christmas Day & Boxing Day I believe. Anyway, that means I'm in London Tuesday & Wednesday, so will be looking for some poker action at nights. Wednesday I'll do Luton I guess, not sure where to go on Tuesday.

Thursday night I have to go to the Sky Poker Christmas Party, sigh, but as it's in Clapham, & I can take a look at the Station - 27 platfoms I believe - while everyone else is getting bladdered & boorish, & Friday I do "The Open" at Feltham, so that's 3 days work out of 4 at Sky, God Bless them.

Saturday, it's down to The Vic, for the APAT World "ONLIVE" Championship, & so that will complete 5 straight days in London. 

Sunday, back home, & hopefully, get across to DTD for their Sunday affair.

Another week gone, & I've still not been rumbled. My gravy train will hit the buffers soon, I'm sure.