Vegas & The Aftermath - Diary

[Chompy]

My opening Table was mostly Locals, plus Tony Chapman - hitting cards, & playing well

I spotted the deliberate mistake. What do I win?

PS, about a mile the other side of the pier there's a sort of squared off pool thing where you'll find young'uns trying to catch crabs (not the sort the Essex teenagers usually catch). Roll back the clock 10/20/30 years etc. Sigh, happy days innit.

[tikay]

Meanwhile, it was all going tiddley-poo for me, right from the very start.

I found T-T first hand, got 5 Callers, & had to surrender on a A-K-J Flop, amazingly the hand was still 4 handed on the River, everyone Calling all the way.

Later, I crossed swords with Tony Chapman, getting involved with K-T on a Ten high flop. He had Tens in the hole, but it cost me 2k to ascertain that.

Then I found J-J in the BB. It went Raise to 900 UTG, Call, Call, Call, I pop it to 4,500, UTG snap-shoves. Everyone runs away screaming, me included, our man shows K-K. A near identical Coup an orbit later left me down to 6k, at 200-400.

I then found A-Q in the BB, & the UTG man made it 1,200, Call, Call, I shove for my entire 6k, UTG re-pops with A-K, night all.

Those 4 or 5 hands were about all I had in 5 hours.

I argued with myself all the way home about that A-Q exit. Can I stop & go it there? Against 3 players? I doubt it, but perhaps that was the better play. The only other Option was to Pass, which even I could not manage. Perhaps I should have, but it looked a tidy spot.

£540, plus a night in a Hotel, so call it £600, plus diesel, call it £625 down the swanee. Marvellous. I really get a headache thinking about dropping £500 in a Comp these days.

[celtic]

Lol.... nostratikayus.

Please don't compare me with Ex-Members Vinni.

BigMemberus is now FlaccidMemberus.

No no no. It was a reference to you saying a few weeks back that the jacko concert shambles would end in tears. Nostradamus type stuff frrom you there.... therefore nostratikayus. See what I done there? Sigh.

[tikay]

My opening Table was mostly Locals, plus Tony Chapman - hitting cards, & playing well

I spotted the deliberate mistake. What do I win?

PS, about a mile the other side of the pier there's a sort of squared off pool thing where you'll find young'uns trying to catch crabs (not the sort the Essex teenagers usually catch). Roll back the clock 10/20/30 years etc. Sigh, happy days innit.

Behave. Tis true, the best I've seen him play, but he did hit everything, & confidence is all.

He tells me he is opening a new Poker Club near where he lives - Berkshire is it? Maidenhead maybe, or Aldershot, I can't remember. He's had 2 or 3 before, al ended in arguments with Partners of whatever. Was he with Big Slick for a bit? I like him, & his lovely Missus, & he's grand table company,  but I reckon he could be a bugger to deal with in business - tough negotiator, hard.

I remember that "Sea-Water swimming pool" jobbie. Southend was a day out with Grandad Angell, they always went to a big boozer all day whle we messed about on the "beach". Catch the 8pm to Fenchurch Street, job done.

[tikay]

Lol.... nostratikayus.

Please don't compare me with Ex-Members Vinni.

BigMemberus is now FlaccidMemberus.

No no no. It was a reference to you saying a few weeks back that the jacko concert shambles would end in tears. Nostradamus type stuff frrom you there.... therefore nostratikayus. See what I done there? Sigh.

Bugger. I know how Ding feels now.

Sorry.

I'll say my piece on MJ in a bit, but yes, I did predict the Concerts would never happen, & I woulda been right, but I never foresaw that exit.

GG the cost of the tickets all those who purchased them via Secondary Internet Ticket Sites. At least 25% of the ticket-Holders will get a full refund. The 75% can't expect sympathy, they must have known it was a gamble, surely?

[tikay]

On a recovery mission for my £625, I played the Luton £100 on Sunday.

Beautiful atmo at Luton, notwithstanding nobody knows what Comp to expect when they turn up, or what time it will start. We assumed 4pm, & at 4.11 on the dot, off we went.

In contrast to Southend, I hit EVERYTHING.

I have no idea why, but I messed about early with 9-7, & got smoothed. The 10-6-2 Flop gave me outs, so I C-betted, smoothed again. Bugger.

I hit my 7 on the Turn, more Outs, bet again. Smoothed again. I'm done with it.

The River was a purler - another 7. He Bet, I re-popped, he insta-Called with his Kings.

And so it continued, & my 8k soon became 15k.

I then made a dumb-schmuck play with A-Q against Serial Loosey, & done half the stack, damn.

The wheels came off now, & soon I was down to 5k, & on my first hand after a Table move, I found my friend fom Southend - A-Q suited. And a Button Raiser.

I decided to do the Stop & Go this time, Flat him, then shove on any Flop. It was a beautifully innocent T-T-2 Flop, I shoved, he looked at his Cards, said "I Call" & Tabled Quads. Nice.

GG £725.

It never used to bother me, but it hurts now. And I'm glad it hurts. We lose touch with reality in Poker, but £500 is a lot of money for a game of cards however you look at it.

[tikay]

I'm a bit behind with the PM replies - apologies, & bear with me please. Disorganized, innit.

[tikay]

And so to Sky Poker, or more correctly, my job.

I love the job with a passion, & give them energy, enthusiasm, & effort, in spades. Not much in the way of skill, or quality, but the 3 "e"'s go a long way in this world.

And it's worked out just perfect. I give them very good value for money, & so when Contract Renewal time arrives, they have a headache, not me. It's the way I always worked in business, & if you are an Employer, it's a perfect situation. 

And it's gone so well here, I just know the wheels will come off soon, & it will all go tits up., But in the meantime, I'm loving every minute, & my inevitable demise won't be down to lack of effort.

After lengthy toing & froing, I eventually signed my new all-singing all-dancing Contract last week, which will take me, God willing, into my 4th year here. Instead of a bunch of different Contracts, they have all been rolled into one, with a clearly-defined set of responsibilities. There is a Schedule of responsibilities/duties, sort of consultant-based, & it runs to several pages. Perfect. The Show Fees & PTP Fees are a seperate Deal, that remains as before.

I just can't relax, & sit at home doing nothing, I'd vegetate & die within months, I just know I would. Being unable to relax has it's drawbacks, I'm totally restive when I have nothing to do, I can't even enjoy a Restaurant meral, I want to do things, all the time.

Here, in the Office, the Staff are all youngsters, & it keeps me buzzing, just being with them, mixing with them, & I think they see me in an avuncular way. They rib me & tease me, but it's nice to feel wanted.

The problem is travel - it's 3 hours from Derbyshire, & if I had an ounce of common-sense, I'd move nearer, but I'm a bit old for moving house, & anyway, Derbyshire is achingly beautiful, if I did but have time to smell the roses. Besides, storm clouds always arrive when the sky is clearest, & I know it would all go tits up if I moved down. Who knows, it may all end tomorrow, or next week, or next month, so I'll keep running as fast as I can until the music stops.

The Contract runs to a dozen or more pages, all legal jargon. I only need a handshake, but you know how it is with big organisations, everything has to be just so, legally.

But two Clauses are brevity personified.

Area covered by the Agreement - The Earth.

Agreement shall cease in the Event of - Death.

"Death" refers to ceasing to live, I assume, not dying in front of the camera. Just as well, too.

[tikay]

Strangely, for such a big outfit - even, as in this case, just a subsidiary of a big Company - they treat me incredibly well.

I've been wholly right by them, but it's mutual.

Vegas looms, which means I miss 4 Shows, 4 Pre-Records, 2 In-Poker's, & 2 PTP's, that's quite a lump of money. I don't get directly paid for going to Vegas as such, the payment comes via an annual Fee, spread over 12 equal payments, for "jobs" (!) such as Vegas, SPUKT, & Tikay Giveaway nights. So actually I do get paid, but the cash-flow gets very uppity downy during Vegas, & I sort of lose out in the Short-Term. But Sky spotted this, & have found replacement Shifts, so I in fact don't lose a single Show. In fact, they've found a few Shifts on top, & I never say no when they ask.

So, this month has been busy. 13th & 14th were SPUKT Grand Final, then the next 2 weeks both had 2 Shows, two Pre-Records, & a PTP.

And upon my return, it's much the same. In 3 weeks, I have 7 Shows, 3 In-Poker's, & 5 PTP's.

Add to that the behind-the-scenes stuff, & blogging - I am the "official" Sky Poker Blogger! - and it solves a lot of issues for me, & keeps me wonderfully engaged & switched on.

If I manage my sleep-pattern sensibly, I don't get tired, either. Ratty, yes, tired, no.

How the hell did all this happen? I'm well-regarded here, I'm all over the Website, do as many Shows as anyone, more maybe, look after fronting the SPUKT, get to go to Vegas. It's just extraordinary how it all came about, from nothing. How on earth did a doddery old fart end up here, having all this fun, & getting paid for it? How do these things happen?, as they used to say in Lake Wobegon Days, when the fella accidentally left his nsgging missus behind at the service-station.

There are ups & downs, though.

I didf a Show on Monday with Rich Orford, & it was the BEST I've ever done here, & I've done over 150 for Sky Poker. I did PTP the next night, & the Rail was jammed with "great Show last night, you two are the best" sorta stuff. Untrue, embarrassing, humuiliating even, but nice.

I did another Show with Rich last night (Thursday) & that was the inevitable slap-in-the face jobbie, it was pants. We had little technical issues in the Studio, & Rich I I never quite "clicked" as we normally do. It was "OK", but I can't be doing with OK, "OK" is pants.

After the Show, I dashed home, then packed my bags this morning & headed back South. I stay at Heathrow tonight, & fly away tomorrow morning. From Gatwick. Don't ask how I come to be staying at the wrong Airport, please.

Sorry to ramble, but it's all part of a jigsaw of facts which I need to lay out. It sounds chirpy, but it's not, it's just that I've arrived in a funny spot.

[tikay]

At 11.25 in the morning, I'm off to Vegas. Premium Economy - that's sort of Mini-Business Class (very nice too) - & a suite at The Rio. What a life!

It's my 3rd year in a row with Sky Poker, & my 5th Vegas trip in 6 years. I've never paid to go there yet, & have always come home money to the good.

The schedule this year is gruelling. We have 5 players to look after, filming, phone-ins to the Show from the Rio Cardroom, and Blogging, all daily.

There is a single Rest-Day in the middle, but it sort of depends how our players progress, & how they mix their opening days. The work has to come first, but if I find some spare days, I'll jump a cab & play over at Caesars.

I am as excited as a 5 year old. More by the challenge of the work, than anything - I so badly want do a good job.

I can't think why else I'm so excited. I hate the heat in Vegas, the all-surround music, the noise of slots, & the nippers.

But the Hotel room (Suite!) is my haven, my sanctuary, no music, no nippers, perfect peace & quiet, & a view right across Vegas. The Coffee Shops are good, too. I never Dine in Vegas - I can go whole Vegas trips without a single meal, just burgers, sticky buns & muffins.

And I enjoy the anticipation of the journey too, though Airport queues do my head in.

Well, whatever, I got lucky again, & I'm gonna do a good job out there.

[AndrewT]

At 11.25 in the morning, I'm off to Vegas. Premium Economy

That suggests you're flying Woolly Jumper Airlines.

[Ismene]

Gna miss you! Have fun and remember lunch is a great time for a chat!!!!!

Especially on a Friday ;-)

[tikay]

And so to the awkward bit. I've decided to be unfaithful. Sort of.

Sky Poker needed a Forum - they call it "Community" (capital "M"), & they went & got one. And it's part of my role to be active, & high-profile, on it, help make it work, & help to steer it in the right direction. It's very odd, because unlike here, I have no Shareholder responsibilities, no management Role, no Moderation Hat. It's quite hard to keep my views on the Forum to myself. I can give feedback, give opinions, but that's all, I have zilch "authority" there.

We had it in Beta-Test for a while, & spent that time seeding it, as to tone, tempo, mood & style.

It went Live a few weeks ago, & is coming along nicely. Software-wise, it's very different to here, & I struggle with it a bit. It has a Blog "annexe", which is incredibly simple to input, pictures & all, & I like that.

I'm not, actually, 100% sure what the Moderation Rules are, but the idea is to keep it civil. Civil, though, means different things to different people.

Because, unlike blonde, it's effectively an extension of a large Online Room, the tone of some of the stuff is all a bit new to me. "We want  - we DESERVE more Freerolls", & "this site is fixed" are by far the biggest threads so far. The bizarre theories put forward to suggest it is rigged are, well, eye-opening, to say the least. You can't construct an argument that satisfies a conspiracy theorist.

Anyway, where all this leads is that I'm now leading a double-life, wearing different hats at 2 very different Forums. I feel very uncomfy about that, but I don't know any way round it. I'm not sure I have time to do justice to both, but not doing either is unthinkable. I enjoy both, equally, but in different ways.

My Diary, on here, has suffered of late, too. I am a bit miffed with myself that I lost my discipline on it, tbh.

So, there it is. I'm two-timing blonde, like a tart.

I realy don't want blondes going across there, I need to keep seperation between the two. A few are there already, but legit, as they play on both Rooms, which is neat & fine. What I want is for both to prosper & grow, but to draw from different player pools.

It's become a bit awkward with some of the Mods here, too, & it's not hard to see why, though I'm a little surprised at a few things that went down a few weeks ago. They are aware of my double-life, & I'm no longer sure how some of them view me.

It really does seem a bit like the married fella who finds a young bird, who has a bunch of new tricks upstairs, but he still loves his Missus, where his family, & his roots are.. We want it both ways, but it ain't always possible.

I doubt if a word of that makes much sense to anyone.

On which note, I bid you all goodnight, & hope you have a splendid weekend.

PS - I really want to some stuff about that dreadful MJ thread, which was 5 or 6 pages long before MJ was even cold. But probably best to keep my own counsel.

[tikay]

At 11.25 in the morning, I'm off to Vegas. Premium Economy

That suggests you're flying Woolly Jumper Airlines.

I'm afraid that is correct.

[tikay]

Gna miss you! Have fun and remember lunch is a great time for a chat!!!!!

Especially on a Friday ;-)

Would I be unfaithfu?

Friday it is.

PS - Great Show tonight, as usual.