Vegas & The Aftermath - Diary

[tikay]

I promised a mini-Tourney Report from the Walsall £200 on Monday, but "things" happened, an extra Meeting had to be slotted in (another all-day job), & this & that & the other went off, & it's now Thursday, & old news is about as interesting as Bad-Beat Stories. But I'll write it anyway, just briefly, then I'll Update the Diary & get some of the Posts answered. I can't believe where my time goes, it just disappears somehow. I was in the Studio from 10am until 5pm yesterday, then, like an eejit, drove up to Walsall for the Omaha, & then back down to my Feltham hotel, & up for a 10am Meet today. I'm very tired & jaded today again, & I need to work on this sleep thing.

I had an extra Meet this morning in Feltham, (which went superbly) & I'm doing the Show tonight, with Richard Orford.

Even that has caused a few headaches, as Chili, due to appear tonight, is not too well, & has had to cancel. We've managed to get an excellent replacement, though, & Claire (Claw75) will be appearing, along with Linda Iwaniezevzckxyxk.

And before I do the Tourney Report, I'd just like to send special Birthday wishes to Maria, & hope she soon feels better. She's a lovely Lady, has battled through bankroll management & variance, & has got through a tough patch, & is now in Cruise Mode. She's found her level, & mainly plays Cash these days, grinds out a nice little Profit most weeks, & chooses very selectively her Tournaments. She's as honest & straight as the day is long, & has enviable principles & morals. She's one of my very few really close friends, & she's always there for me. I'm very proud to have her as a friend.

Happy Birthday Chili.

xx

[boldie]

Do we get a spot prize for best monkey related questions tonight then?

[SuffolkPunch]

I have not played The Open for AGES - reckon I might have a little go tonight (if I can remember my login and password, that is!)

[Dingdell]

I have not played The Open for AGES - reckon I might have a little go tonight (if I can remember my login and password, that is!)

How sad is that - playing poker on valentines day night.....I'll see you at the tables...

[tikay]

Do we get a spot prize for best monkey related questions tonight then?

I do believe she may be escorted to the Studio by a Monkey.

[boldie]

Do we get a spot prize for best monkey related questions tonight then?

I do believe she may be escorted to the Studio by a Monkey.

hehehehehe...oh the fun to be had.

[kinboshi]

And before I do the Tourney Report, I'd just like to send special Birthday wishes to Maria, & hope she soon feels better. She's a lovely Lady...

Lady?

[tikay]

Inbound text from Jim McShane (77dave) who's just arrived in his new home, in Vegas.

"Cat & Family made it safely through Customs yesterday, she is loving her new house, & has not stopped exploring it. I'll be back Online in a few days".

So the Cat's OK. No word on the Wife.

[matt674]

Do we get a spot prize for best monkey related questions tonight then?

I do believe she may be escorted to the Studio by a Monkey.

hehehehehe...oh the fun to be had.

wont you be cooking the dinner or washing your hair or something?

[Colchester Kev]

hmmmmmmmmm a live on air proposal, It is leap year after all , I will be enjoying this. ... im getting the emails in ... i think the word i am looking for is REVENGE !!!

[boldie]

Do we get a spot prize for best monkey related questions tonight then?

I do believe she may be escorted to the Studio by a Monkey.

hehehehehe...oh the fun to be had.

wont you be cooking the dinner or washing your hair or something?

Never to busy to asked Claw how monkeys celebrate Valentine's day...and if I see a sparkly diamond in that ring she's wearing.

[tikay]

I played Walsall's excellently structured £200-er on Monday, & much enjoyed it, but the luck pendulum was firmly on the "bad" side of the swing, & I was never really at the races. I must have moved Tables 6 or 7 times before exiting 3 or 4 tables from home, with no complaints.

I sat next to Ash Pervais for a while, the Table was ultra-passive, & he murdered us with finely timed steals & bluffs, & I was sat next to el blondie for a while, too, but, like me, he was short-stacked & card-dead.

I eventually found my stride 5 or 6 Tables out, &, though sub-average, I was in ok shape. Time, then, once the maniacs had settled down, to try this gear-change thing, see if I could try a bit of gamble. I got a nice 2xup with Tens v AK, but then made a move too many against portfolio who pushed confidently, & I instantly Passed my A-8, (fibbing that I held A-J) & he showed QQ. But now I was in the thick of it, busy busy busy, & I soon recovered losses, & determined to push on, come what may.

Then Fari Badmansour arrived at my table. He's the most amiable & gentle of Gentlemen you could ever wish to meet, but he's some tough opponent. He has two nice WSOP Omaha cashes, including 4th in the 2003 $2,500 Pot Limit for $32k+. He's Iranian by descent, & speaks with a beautiful, quiet voice, with that lovely Iranian accent.

Anyway, ave is 18k or so, I have 12,500, & Blinds are, I think, 400-800, about to go 600-1,200. Clearly, it's time to dance a little, we can't wait much longer.

I'd just won a couple of pots, & when Fari made it 3,500 UTG, I pushed with A-Q. (If I'm Raising, given my Stack, all-in is the only option here I think) I know, A-Q is not a pushing hand after an UTG (meaning not much info) Raise, but I was prepared to gamble, I'm only scared of 3 hands really. He called with A-K - of course - & I missed completely, & the Board came K-high, so even if I were Racing, I'd have lost.

I drove home pretty cross with myself, thinking it was a two option jobbie - all-in or Fold - & I'd chosen wrongly, end of. Could I just call here, take a flop? I don't think so. Could/should I Pass A-Q here? I could, but whether I should is another thing. I've dwelt on it for a few days, & I think it was a Pass. Probably. Or an all-in. Possibly. I'm still not sure.

Maybe it was just bad timing, "one of those things".

[tikay]

I saw this in the paper the other day. I love to see animals which are, I assume, natural enemies, or not natural friends, get along. The puppy is blind, & the Cat acts as it's Guide Cat.

[tikay]

And while I was looking for the pic above (blind puppy), I chanced upon this. The innocence of youth, in cats as in humans. If we get lucky, Red may post a pic of the odd relationship between his Pony, & Kizzy.

[tikay]

Wow, what a lovely week I've had - am having - & I have so much to commit to paper, & so little time.

Anyway, here's an excuse for the Poker Experts & me to cross swords yet again, here's a poker situation I found myself in last night.

In the dtd £75-er, I somehow, bizarre as it sounds, trebled up very early, (I'm still trying to figure out how), & I'm soon cruising in cruise-land with 14k - we began with 4k - at the end of Level 4 - 100-200, on a 30 minute clock, in a beautifully (well, beautiful for me) slow-structured one day Tourney. These are a rarity, well-structured one dayers.

Now, I'm suitably modest about my game, not without good reason, & while I may have a little chirp now & then, I don't do arrogance or confidence too well, because my game is really pedestrian pants, though still good enough to get by very nicely thank you. But I know this - I KNOW this. If I treble up in Level One or Two, even hell & high water will never stop me Finalling, and it will take an unforced error to a degree which only I am capable of to stand between me & the Final. See, there is a tinsy-winsy bit of arrogance & confidence there somewhere.....My whole game is based on low-stack plodding, bullet-dodging, & ducking & diving, so a large stack presents me with unusual decisions. But I WILL Final in this spot. Always. Oh yes. Short, maybe, probably, but I'm gonna Final. I'm nailed on.

OK, that's the scene set, & now, here's the hand.

End of Level 4, 100-200, I have 14k, Rainbow-Man has 8k. "Rainbow-Man" is an oldie, slightly younger than me, maybe, but he was wearing a "Rainbow Casino" top - an original one, from the Rainbow's heyday, when it was the first UK Venue to hold proper Tourneys. I have not met him before, but I put him in a box straight away - old-school, solid, been round the block a few times, knows exactly what he's doing, not prone to daft plays. Nice man, too.

He limps UTG, I make it 900 with J-J, all Pass back to Rainbow, & he goes..err...ALL-IN. for 8k.

Wow. WTF?

I need to think about this, but I pretty soon suss what the coup is. He has A-K. I'm as sure as sure can be, as sure as one can be. It's definitely probably A-K. So I'm ahead, & even if I lose, I still have 6k, which is about average.

And, of course - well you know what I do in this spot. And I did. And he showed me his A-K.

And therein lies my whole game, really. It ain't gonna change, either. "Fit for purpose" as they say.