Just wanted to share........Update......

.....this with you.

I have a girlfriend here in the Philippines who goes by the name of Roxanne, she is 27 and a dealer at the local casino in the town we reside in. It was not my intention when I came here to have a relationship but for a "white guy" its almost inevitable, it seems every filipina wants to marry an "American", I got fed up ages ago trying to explain the difference!!!!!

I have been totally honest with Roxanne from the start and told her marriage is highly unlikely as I will probably have to return to the UK at some point, she was/is cool with that, this girl is a "real diamond" and like most filipinas is very hard working, happy go lucky and sees good in all people.

Now to the point of this post, Xan has always shown an interest in my online poker and will sit and watch for ages when I play, asking all types of questions etc. As I have said in an earlier post I am restricted to playing mainly freerolls now, but pokerstars have 3 or 4 "Hubble freeroll tournaments each day, so this is more than enough for me. For those that don't know "Hubble freeroll is a tournament where the top 99 players progress to another tournament which has a $2,000 prizepool. Yesterday morning (Tues) I played and won a seat into the next tournament finishing 21/12,000.

Last night I registered for another tournament and told Xan she was going to play it, so at 11.30pm (Ph time) she takes her seat. I stay downstairs out of her way watching TV. At the end of the 1st hour (1st break) I go to check on her progress, she has just over 4K in chips, and from a max field of 12,000 there are about 5,000 left in. I explain to her that whatever her result she has done well to "survive" the first hour. I decide to sit with her for a while as I explain to her that she now needs to try and accumulate chips in the next hour. On the restart it becomes evident that 5 of the 9 players at her table are "sitting out" so with some aggressive play and a couple of all in wins she gets to the next break with 30K in chips, giving her time to still play tight.

So it's back downstairs for me to the TV, 2am here and we get reruns of premiership football so I am watching Derby/West Ham from whenever when. All is quiet from upstairs, so I am assuming things are going OK. Just after 3.30am football has finished I return upstairs and Xan is still at the computer, she has 40K in chips and they are down to just over 200 players, wtg. She tells me she dropped to 18K but doubled up when she pushed with AK, a quick look at the maths and its obvious that she still needs more chips to be comfortable, she gets dealt AK of clubs, flat calls from middle position with the intention of going all in if there is a raise, no raise and she flops the Nut Flush, one player bets into her on every street and she check raises on the river and gets paid off, other player holding Q 4 clubs, very unlucky, this puts Xan up to just over 80K, and I reckon she can now fold her way into the top 99. At just after 4am the bubble bursts and Xan has qualified with 38K in chips and the blinds at 6k 12K, what a performance, I am so pleased for her (she lacks confidence in many things she does), Her reaction!! you would have thought she has won the "world series" and I am convinced with all the screams she wakes up the neighbourhood, so at 4.30am she is texting all her family/workmates telling of her achievement (I am sure they are best pleased), she busts out 81/12,000, but what an intro into the world of poker.

Well Done Xan, I am very proud of you. (she loves to read through the blonde forums, though doesn't always understand everything, especially the humour).

Just wanted to share this with you, as I know the majority of new are quick to encourage and support newcomers into the game.