Vegas & The Aftermath - Diary

[Claw75]

Is it just me, or does everyone want rid of tikay for a week or so?

well, yes, but for his good, not ours!

[The_nun]

Obv with Virgin miles it would be a lot better but this is what I have so far.

out 20th 10.45 with woolly direct

return 28th again as above £457.50

[The-Crow]

If he is going , I found an economy flight thats really cheap

[tikay]

A Ryanair Tale - but I'm too scared to Post it on the "Ryanair" Thread in The Lounge, I'll get battered if I do.

So, my dear friend (I'm being cooey-ooey because she's gonna slate me) Chili rung me from EMA this morning, en route to Dublin for the IPO.

The top & bottom of her tale of woe was this.

Ryanair allow 15kg in her Hold Baggage (suitcase)  - & she had 19.9k. (She is there for a long-stay - an entire 3 days......).

They quoted her £48 Excess Baggage - plus the same again for the return journey. She was not best pleased, & after a sort of girl on girl tete-a-tete at the Check-In Desk, eventually purchased a rucksack for a Tenner & worked round the problem.  The flight cost was, I assume, about £20, so she was freerolling really.

She thought it was a liberty, but got no sympathy from me.

I said "but you don't have to fly Ryanair". And her reply was typical modern-day head in the sand. "Oh, but I do, EMA is 20 minutes from home, it's an hour to Birmingham". Like, that's Ryanair's problem....

Ryanair don't have a monopoly, nobody has to use them. Loads do, then moan. It makes no sense to me.

And if you want an even more bizarre Ryanair tale, they are now introducing the facility to use Mobile Phones on Ryanair Flights. The cost will be about £6 per minute. A 5 minute call will likely cost more than the flight. (A very handsome Profit Centre for Ryanair).

So, soon, folks paying a tenner to fly to Edinbugh or Paris will be complaining about paying £30 for a 5 minute 'phone call. Which they don't have to make.

Go figure.

Long live Ryanair. They give away the seats for free almost, but charge for everything, booking, checking-in, luggage, "taxes", "Priority Boarding" (watch that Revenue escalate at £5 or £10 per head for a completely meaninglesss "extra"), but the punters still don't realise the score.  If someone offers you a flight to somewhere for a tenner, there have to be "extras" - it can't be done for a tenner. It just can't.

Let buyer beware.

[tikay]

So, Equal Chance it was tonight.

Nice atmo, splendid Valet service, & a well run Tourney.

Faces spotted included Celtic, Garry "Whacker" Bush, (2004 European Player of the Year, but rarely seen these days), Dace Courteney, Phil Stein (running things), Kevin Twigg, John Burberry, James Akenhead, Mick Cook, & a pleasant surprise to see Craig "I Know It" Wildman.

I was sat next to a most splendidly dressed character, "Vinny", who confesses - boasts even - of being nothing but a full-time degen gambler. Some character.

To me, he's Huggy Bear.

[tikay]

We began with 10k Chips, for the £200 Entry Fee, with the 10k Rebuy/Add-on being an extra £100. Call it a £300 20k Freezeout.

71 players, & my opening table had Bushy, Huggy Bear to my right, & a pleasant 9 year-old to my left.

It was utter bedlam.

At 50-100 (Starting Blinds) first to speak made it 1,500 - all Passed - fancy that - & our man showed K-K. He seemed miffed he got no action.

And so it continued, with Huggy Bear soon treble his starting stack, & me unable & unwilling to get involved at this stage. Plenty of time.

I managed, in the SB, to flop a Diamond Flush, holding T-7, & bet every street. I got 3 callers all the way, & come showdown time I was the only player with a diamond in my hand, so my 10k was now 16k.

Then I found KK, Raised it properly, but mega-deep-stack Huggy looked me up, & beat me senseless, with K-4...... So my 16k was now 8k.

But I got them back very quickly, off Huggy again, when my Aces (Card-Rack me) bust his Queens, all-in Pre, & by the time of the first break, I had 30k, including the 10k Add-on. Very nice.

[tikay]

Next up, with Hands being so difficult to play, as nobody would Pass anything, I ludicrously over-Raised on the Button with A-K, (3 Limpers, 150-300, I made it 5k!), & the 9 year-old decided I was at-it, & re-shoved for another 10k. Call, he showed Eights.

The poor lad had 8-8, I had A-K, so how about this Board for a kick in the balls for the poor lad.....

A-A-4-4-........8.

And so it continued, & at the second break (splendid buffet by the way), I was right up with the Chip Leaders on 55k.

I settled down for a long night, & started to think about returning on Day Two in decent shape for a change.

We re-started on time, & within 10 minutes, I was out.

I'm still reeling from it, not sourly, or sulkily, just bruised, dazed, & puzzled as to how I managed it!

[Colchester Kev]

Next up, with Hands being so difficult to play, as nobody would Pass anything, I ludicrously over-Raised on the Button with A-K, (3 Limpers, 150-300, I made it 5k!), & the 9 year-old decided I was at-it, & re-shoved for another 10k. Call, he showed Eights.

The poor lad had 8-8, I had A-K, so how about this Board for a kick in the balls for the poor lad.....

A-A-4-4-........8.

And so it continued, & at the second break (splendid buffet by the way), I was right up with the Chip Leaders on 55k.

I settled down for a long night, & started to think about returning on Day Two in decent shape for a change.

We re-started on time, & within 10 minutes, I was out.

I'm still reeling from it, not sourly, or sulkily, just bruised, dazed, & puzzled as to how I managed it!

From chip leader to out in 10 minutes .... we call that "Doing a Flushy" round these parts

[tikay]

The first big accident was, I now think, avoidable, but I lost concetration for a moment I think, & my adrenelin was pumping a bit as I had a huge stack, & kept picking up huge hands.

New guy moved to the Table, to my immediate left, no idea how he plays.

UTG Raises it up to 4k (300-600, RA 50), & I re-popped it in the SB to 10k with K-K.

Cool as you like, BB now picks up a chunk of chips & Re-Raises me, (he's Pot-Stuck now) UTG Passes, & without thinking properly, I say "well, if you have Aces, good luck fella, I'm gonna set you All-In". And of course he had Aces.

Suddenly, my 55k is 15k.....

I decide to change gear, & go on a nicking spree, & get my big stack back, sharpish.

Two hands later, I get into a Raising War with Mr Loose Goose, & I refuse to back off with A-K. He had Kings, & I was out.

"Good Luck all" and a wain smile, I departed, tail between legs, hardly able to believe I'd somehow managed to get rid of 55k in 10 minutes with Blinds at 300-600.

Totally avoidable. I think the big stack just went to my head, & I got a bit excited. I just never thought it possible I could lose so many chps so quickly, when in a position to go on & get a tidy cash.

I've sent myself a stiff memo.

[tikay]

Next up, with Hands being so difficult to play, as nobody would Pass anything, I ludicrously over-Raised on the Button with A-K, (3 Limpers, 150-300, I made it 5k!), & the 9 year-old decided I was at-it, & re-shoved for another 10k. Call, he showed Eights.

The poor lad had 8-8, I had A-K, so how about this Board for a kick in the balls for the poor lad.....

A-A-4-4-........8.

And so it continued, & at the second break (splendid buffet by the way), I was right up with the Chip Leaders on 55k.

I settled down for a long night, & started to think about returning on Day Two in decent shape for a change.

We re-started on time, & within 10 minutes, I was out.

I'm still reeling from it, not sourly, or sulkily, just bruised, dazed, & puzzled as to how I managed it!

From chip leader to out in 10 minutes .... we call that "Doing a Flushy" round these parts

The ultimate insult.

I'm so ashamed. Me, a Mini-Flushy.

[tikay]

I stopped for a Coffee at a garage on the Brighton Road last week, & saw this bad-boy.

I asked the owner if I could take some pics, & we struck up a convo.

He'd sort of built it himself, or, more corrctly, re-built it, & it's lovely to listen to an expert - on any subject - waxing lyrical.

But even my eyes ere glazing over after a 20 minute oration.

He rattled on non-stop, staring at his bike all the while, & I believe he may have had sex on it, or even with it, more than once.

I gathered he'd sell it for £25k, it's a 1991 Harley "FatBoy" (a what?), & everything is new except the frame. Oh, & the oil tank. Obviously, apparently.

It was  a bit special, though not to my taste. But I love to see pride, & man, he was proud.

[tikay]

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[tikay]

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[tikay]

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[Colchester Kev]

Tikay, when you find a spare hour, get on iplayer >>>Categories>>> Factual >>>Page 6, "Stephen Fry in America" ... its basically just him visiting all the states and visiting different obscure little places, First episode features some type of steam train which runs on a chain rail ... great programme. this is episode 1, not sure how long it will be available for.