Vegas & The Aftermath - Diary

[RichEO]

I remember as a child my dad talking about a 'secret' part of the tube system. It was either Harrods or the Bank of England having a private station for goods in and out and Royalty/VIPs. Urban myth or truth. Anyone know?  I understood it had been closed many years ago.

Think the Royal Mail had something like this too.

Royal mail were running this up until 5 years ago. Think it's completely shut now though

Royal mail had a mini-tube system. Not big enough for people.

[kenjude]

I believe the RM underground is now out of service.

There was an entrance to it (maybe even the control room) by the Mount Pleasant site just next to where I was based when I worked for one of RM's business units. A colleague whose Dad once worked down there occasionally used to have contacts in there to take interested visitors across to see it.

[gatso]

I remember as a child my dad talking about a 'secret' part of the tube system. It was either Harrods or the Bank of England having a private station for goods in and out and Royalty/VIPs. Urban myth or truth. Anyone know?  I understood it had been closed many years ago.

Think the Royal Mail had something like this too.

Royal mail were running this up until 5 years ago. Think it's completely shut now though

Royal mail had a mini-tube system. Not big enough for people.

FAIL. it had a passenger car available. very rarely used apparently but there nonetheless

[Tonji]

If you travel on the Central Line, you can still see the old British Museum station, somewhere around Holborn.

Not the Tube, but I remember hearing about the London Necropolis Railway, built especially for funeral trains.

As ever Wikipedia has the details:

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

[celtic]

Just wanted to be the 5000th post on this great diary!!!!

Keep it up TJ

[tikay]

Dredfully sad that Humphrey Lyttleton - "Humph" - passsed away today, after Surgery.

He was nearly 87.

He'd Presented "I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue" for 35 years, & was, arguably, the funniest man on Radio. He never told jokes, he was just "dry", & sometimes, innocently near the knuckle.

I'm not sure ISIHAC can continue in his absence, he is irreplaceable. The Spring Series had already been cancellled after Humph entered Hossie. I think they knew the end was nigh.

He had a 30 year "running joke" about ISIHAC's Scorer, "the lovely Samantha". I'm not sure Samantha even existed.

He wrote 14 books, mostly about Jazz, at which he was something of a legend. His Radio Show "Best of Jazz" ran unbroken for 40 years, until he stepped down last year. Best of Jazz, & ISIHAC, ran, between them, for 75 years, an extraordinary record of longevity by any criteria.

He recorded over 200 records, & when performing with his Band, which he did for 60 years, he generally introduced his biggest selling piece - "Bad Penny Blues" - as "a medley of my hit".

On "looking him up" today, I found that he was President of a rather unusual Society - "The Society for Italic Handwriting", & his Record Company was named in it's honour - "Calligraph".

A very sad loss.

[tikay]

Huge excitement at DTD tonight as they finalise preparations for the Norweigan Championships.

A massive Marquee has been erected at the side of the building, with direct access from the Cardroom, as a Temporary Dining Area. Buffets will be served all next week in what is usually the Restaurant, & eaten in the rather posh Marquee thingie.

An advance guard of Norweigans were there tonight, & they promised that one J. Lodden would be there next week.

Apparently, three plane-loads of Norwayers - three plane-loads! - are due to arrive at East Mids Airport on Sunday Evening. Has there ever been such an Event in the UK?

DTD have organised extra Dealers, Bar Staff, Valets, & most important of all - Beer.

Going to be some week there. Diary-full-up-ness means I'll miss it. Poo.

[tikay]

The usual Friday-nighters at DTD tonight. Chili, Kinboshi, Kim Costa, Fran, Rob Creed, EvilPie, Redbull Hicks, Richard Berridge, Mick McCool, Basha, Bag of Bollox, & many more, with Nightfly (looking as happy as I've ever seen him), Chubbs Nowab & Mother Hen on Duty.

The £75 Freezeout plays lovely, & my Opening Table was most amiable, perfect Friday night relaxation.

I played right up to my very best early doors, and after bluffing off a third of my stack with nonsense, then gradually clawing my way back, playing the best poker I have for a while - "proper" poker, "look, no hands" stuff, I ran AA into a Set of sevens. I Raised Pre, got two callers, & by the time I'd bet the "safe" flop, & been promptly set-in, I knew I was behind, & let go easily. I'd lost the minimum, but it left me thin.

The next two hours were the most enjoyable I can remember in a while at the Table, as I ducked & dived, danced, squuezed, Stop & Go'd & generally somehow stayed in the game. I adore running uphill. I got back to 3,000 eventually, short but still perfectly capable of hanging in until the inevitable 2xup chance arose.

My Monster Size Omelette - made from "hens eggs" - arrived just as I changed Tables, & was much admired by all, it's as big as a Pizza. Distracted by the meal, simultaneous with a Table Change, & generally blathering away to all & sundry, I found A-T suited first hand on the new Table & thought this was a good squeeze coup, with 3 limpers already in. Shame I never noticed that the man to my right, Mike South, had yet to act. No matter, my 3k bet stood, & I was not bothered, I just apologised, & turned to admire my Omelette.

I nearly choked when Mike said, "Raise", oops, & the Omelette nearly regurgitated itself when I distinctly heard him say, "1,200 to play". What? WHAT? After I'd Raised out of turn to 3k? WTF? He could only have one hand, & he had exactly that. Talk about cross with myself. There were 60 players left When I had my AA accident v Sevens, & there were 28 left now, & I'd played perfect poker, only to be undone by a stupid loss of concentration on my part. Donkey.

I played £5-£5 Omaha, 4/5/6 after, with Chili, Greek Jack, Basha, Latif, etc. I began with £400, & gradually worked it up to £1,100, after some early yoyo-ing. Really pleased with myself, I played good.

Then another loss of concentration bombed me completely - but this time, it was the other guy who lost concentration. He was a very tidy player, one you could "trust" to do the right thing, if you get my meaning. I had the absolutes, with double extensions, on the Turn, & the money was shovelled in. I was a bit shocked when he re-popped me - he can only have the same hand, & I had the extensions locked up. It Paired on the end, & he scooped he lot. When his Hand was exposed, he said he'd had the nuts on the Turn, only to now realise he had the under-straight, but had got out of it when the River paired the board. My £1,100, soon-to-be, or so I thought, £2,200, was now nothing. That's what comes from counting my chickens. Or admiring my Omelette.

I pulled up, & then Richard Berridge gave me a "sporting call", & my Top Set got rivered by the wheel., & that was me, Busto.

Character building stuff.

[tikay]

Had a very satisfying day pre-DTD, getting loads of my Sky stuff sorted.

I wrote my weekly Sky Poker Blog - 3 days late, & a "tease" for the Sky Poker Live Three, at Brighton, on June 7th.

We had a Teleconf Call at 2.30, which went well, & I spent the rest of the afternoon sorting out bits & bobs for Brighton, & exchanging e-Mails with Harrahs, the WSOP peeps in Vegas, & the Sky Film Crew. Very satisfying.

For once, I'm just about up-to date with my Sky BTS stuff, & I feel much better for that, as latterly I've been a bit behind.

A busy 10 days in prospect now.

I do the Sky Poker Show today (Saturday), & we have a Sky Pub Quiz - HUGE bragging rights - in Teddington on Monday evening. The "Divas" Team includes Norman Pace - eh? & my Team, "tikay's Teminators", with Richard Orford, James Taylor & Michelle Orpe, are second favourites. The favourite? Studio Floorskins. I kid you not.

Thursday I have a big meeting in Fetham, all afternoon, & on Friday I do a Pilot for a new Show in the afternoon,  & "The Open" in the evening. Two shifts in one day, lovely.

I then, somehow - not worked out how yet - have to get to Edinburgh by Midday Saturday for APAT Scotland at Gala Maybury, who looked after us so well last year.

The plan is to find a way to get back to DTD on the Monday evening for the Day Two Finale of the 3-2-1 Weekend.

Busy is good. As long as I don't lose concentration.

[kenjude]

A very sad loss.

The departure of favourite radio presenters always seems a bigger loss than TV presenters to me. I wonder if it's because radio listening is often a more solitary passtime than watching TV.

I always felt that Roger Scott was broadcasting just to me when I recorded his Sunday night Radio 1 show for listening in the car to and from work during the week and  really missed it after he died. I feel much the same way when listneing to Bob Harris's show.

For all the advances of satellite TV and other broadcasting media, radio is still really like an old friend and you can't beat it.

[celtic]

I thought you could take ur 3k back if the action changes in front of you?

[boldie]

I thought you could take ur 3k back if the action changes in front of you?

yeah that's what I thought as well..we just had a discussion about this on the board not that long ago, no?

[gatso]

I thought you could take ur 3k back if the action changes in front of you?

yeah that's what I thought as well..we just had a discussion about this on the board not that long ago, no?

  wrong ruling surely.

[boldie]

I thought you could take ur 3k back if the action changes in front of you?

yeah that's what I thought as well..we just had a discussion about this on the board not that long ago, no?

  wrong ruling surely.

To be fair Mr Kendall didn't say the ruling was he had to stick the 3k in..it could just have been him being stubborn.

[tikay]

Just wanted to be the 5000th post on this great diary!!!!

Keep it up TJ

memor.

quinque-k? qualitas vis quinque.