A DOG'S LIFE

[snoopy1239]

I LIKE MONDAYS


Today, for the first Monday in a while, I woke up with a smile.

No early alarm call, no sitting in rush hour traffic, no making the coffee, no watching the clock, no death hour, no sitting in silence, no boss looking over my shoulder, no having to eat at a certain time, no being given orders to obey, no photocopying, no faxing, no printing, no scanning, no binding, no replying to boring emails, no looking at spreadsheets, no… well, you get the idea.

I’m not going to start playing online until next Monday. I’m trying to divide my accounts into 3 (live, online, and personal) just so I can keep a better track of any financial activity. I’ve been working pretty hard this year without taking a proper holiday, just the odd day here and there, so I don’t see any reason why I can’t put my feet up for a week.

Of course, there’s always the danger that I lose a few bucks on Monday and then say, ‘I’ll start properly tomorrow.’ But like when smokers are trying to quit or when fatclubbers are dieting, you’re always starting your regime the next day. Definitely Monday for me though, no excuses.

I was at Walsall yesterday and somehow managed to spend 635 squid. Eeeeeeeeek!!!  I bought in for Tuesday’s £300er which, although isn’t a double chance freezout, should be a good comp. Then I did £100 on a £25 satellite and £200 on a £100 satellite.

Amazingly, only 27 turned up for the latter, so just the 3 seats were created. I could have sworn with the festival just around the corner that there’d be over 50 playing this. Stupidly, this put me in bad spirits as I’m not too hot at satellites where there are barely any seats. Also, because I’d been forced to wait around for a couple of hours after exiting the afternoon comp, I was a tad restless and really not in the mood to play. This led to me into the world of…

LaZy PoKeR – argh!!! 

Yep, we’ve all been there. Our brain’s just not in gear and our heart’s not in it. You call a couple of hands you shouldn’t, you don’t pay attention, don’t examine the other players when you’re not involved, you know, generally just fail to focus on the mission ahead.

I eventually went out when I missed a straight and flush draw. I knew the other fella had top pair when he bet out, but I needed a double up from somewhere and with the dead money from the limpers, I was probably just about getting the pot odds to move in.

RED-DOG was also present, feet up on a neighbouring chair whilst he nursed an injured ankle. Old age mi thinks. Anyhow, he eventually exited 9th, after losing another race. He can’t seem to win one at the moment. If I spot a chance of a coin flip with RED on Tuesday, I’d be wise to take it.

A quick anecdote for you. Whilst I was playing the £25 satellite earlier on in the day, one guy came up to me and said, ‘Do you want to hear a good tip for these satellites?’ Eager to hear his pearls of wisdom and learn more about the game, I nodded and leant forward, all ears.

His top tip for the day? And wait for it, it’s a belter…

To put it nicely, he said that before the satellites he… and I still cringe now, ‘interferes with himself.’   

Fanbloddytastic. Cheers for conjuring up that picture in my hend. Just lovely. For a moment there, I really thought that this fella, who’d obviously been around the game for many a year, was going to give me some really tip top advice. Bah.

He ended up on my table. I decided that I didn’t want to win his chips. Not without gloves anyway.

A couple of other, more serious issues that were on my mind last night.

(i) smoking

My clothes smelt smokier than ever this morning. How can that be when it’s a non-smoking cardroom? Well, when you’re sitting near ‘smoker’s row’, you might as well be sucking an exhaust pipe.

What’s the point of making the cardroom non-smoking if they all gather round that one area and blow smoke back into the cardroom? If you sit on that one side, then you’re probably inhaling more than if it was a smoking cardroom.

They should either push them back closer to the roulette etc or give them a designated room where they can go to light up.

Just my 2 cents.

(ii) the already qualified

There may be mixed views on this one  , but, IMHO, if someone has already qualified, then they shouldn’t be allowed to play any more satellites. If they’ve bought in and then fancy trying to win their seat instead, then I can understand, but if they’re playing just to cash in once they win another seat, then I’m not a happy snoppy. 

Personally, I want as many weak players in the field as possible. There were a few admittedly good players participating last night who had already won a seat. To me, this just isn’t fair on everyone else and makes it harder to qualify.

Satellites are comps for seats, not cash, and cash should only be offered under extreme circumstances where the player just can’t make the main tournament.

Okay. Rant over. 

L8ers all. Monday's here, my pockets are lighter, but I'm still a happy bunny.

snoops snoopy

Ps. I drank a Red Bull last night and it made me feel tired and lethargic. Where are my bloomin wings!!! 

[Sunday8pm]

interesting post dogg.

i will read with much interest in the future!

best of luck

ben

[RED-DOG]

I don't agree with not letting players that have already qualified in, if there had been 100 of them in last night's comp it would have made 12 seats

easier to be 12th from 100 than 3rd from 25

[jammer]

Good luck at the midlands masters snoop.

may it be a profitable start to your full time career 

[snoopy1239]

I don't agree with not letting players that have already qualified in, if there had been 100 of them in last night's comp it would have made 12 seats

easier to be 12th from 100 than 3rd from 25

I'm happy for there to be 100 players, because most of them would be fish.

However, the fellas in that satellite who'd already qualified were decent players.


Glad we agreed about the smoking though, RED, cos that really got on my pecks. Non smoking cardroom my ar... bottom.

[snoopy1239]

NO REGRETS


A quick glance at the clock, then a look back at the other one. I might even check out the digital clock on my computer, perhaps that one is faster! Nope, they’re all the same and I have another 3 hours of boredom ahead of me. Guess I could always pop onto Blonde and see if anyone has posted. After all, it has been 2 minutes now, maybe someone has replied to my post. Nope, still the same, no change. I’ll just tap refresh then, click constantly until something changes. Wait a second, the boss is coming, I’d better flick over to a spreadsheet and look busy. Right, he’s gone, back to Blonde. Nope, no change. What’s the time again?

Argh!!! Then I woke up in a cold sweat. These scenes are still in my nightmares. 

It’s been 10 days now since I quit the job and I have no regrets, none whatsoever. In fact, I’m absolutely thrilled with the way it’s all started. I was severely worried that I’d be spending all my time in front of the monitor, playing out potentially tedious online sessions, but that hasn’t been the case. In fact, I haven’t played one single hand online. It’s as if I’m on a junior-esque cold turkey, except without the cold and without the turkey.

Although I was officially planning to commence my new career yesterday, I couldn’t resist purchasing a seat in one of the Midlands Masters events. After scouring the options, I concluded that the £300 No Limit Freezout would be the most sensible option for a fellow in my position. I pulled out my ‘Live Poker’ debit card and swiftly purchased my golden ticket.

Tuesday soon came around and I couldn’t wait to get in and amongst the cards. No matter how much you love playing online, I don’t think you can beat the live experience. Meeting new people, spotting old faces, banter at the table, identifying tells; these are just a few of the aspects that I love and is what motivates me to keep revisiting the live scene, whether I deem it profitable or not.

Due to the high number of players, 163 in all (150 max – hmm), I was on a diddy reserve table. Reminded me of Christmas time when me and my cousins would be shoved onto the smaller kiddies’ table. Hold on, that still happens! Bah! Anyway, I felt like a giant for a while. I just preyed that no ‘big boned’ fellows drew the seat next door, otherwise I’d be crushed for sure.

Luckily, the only large competitor was seated opposite and I was safe, with a slim lad on either side. What a luxury! I had elbow room! A quick glance around and the only recognisable face was Ash ‘The Cash’ Pervais seated to my left. I don’t fear anyone, but it’s always a relief when there’re no dangermen around, just makes things slightly more reassuring. Moments before kick-off TightEnd had texted me to inform me that he was sharing a table with J ‘Wonderkid’ P, Burnley John, and Julian ‘Yoyo’ Thew. I didn’t offer to swap.

I’d decided before the comp that I was going to play aggressively in the hope that when I did get a hand, I’d have more chance of getting paid off. This is a strategy I often have to apply as many correlate youth with rockiness, so having your aces find a customer is sometimes a longshot. However, after a few hands, it became clear that this wouldn’t be too much of a concern. A young Geordie known as ‘Georgeous’ George and his buddy next door were playing almost every hand. In fact, I’m sure they had a side bet on who could knock the other out. >:?

Apart from the action provided by these two, very little occurred on our table. Even ‘The Cash’ was surprisingly quiet. I’d built my stack up gradually to around 10k, picking up a few chips here and there. Then, suddenly, I got aces. There was a bet, a reraise from George, and then it was around to me on the small blind. Not the worst of situations to be in. I considered trapping, but thought that there was a good chance that I could get George to pay me off. I’d made a few moves on him earlier, so deduced that perhaps he was getting a bit ticked off with me. I stuck in a big bet and crossed my fingers. The original raiser folded and, after a long dwell, so did George. A tad disappointing, but nothing to get upset about. I had climbed up to around 13k from 7.5k, so almost doubled my stack by the break. Considering how tight and cagey these comps start, I was pretty happy with that scenario.

After the break, my table split and I was moved to a much livelier table. Almost every hand saw a preflop raise and few were interested in folding. One hand I was dealt pocket tens. An ultra-aggressive player raised, so I decided to reraise. He flatcalled. The flop came out Q-7-9. His checked seemed weak, so I bet. To my chagrin though, he move all-in. What could he have. I couldn’t imagine him flatcalling preflop with AA, KK, or QQ. Also, I think he’d bet the flop with J-J. On the flipside, would he really put all his chips at risk with a stonecold bluff, especially since I was new to the table and playing relatively tight. In the end I mucked my pocket pair and gave up almost half of my stack. I deduced that if he wasn’t trapchecking with AQ, then he was almost certainly being sneaky with 77 or 99. I may have been wrong, but, at the time, 7k was still a playable stack so I decided to let the hand go. Hmm – that one was on my mind for a while.

I’m not one to babble on about luck, but I definitely received a wink from the poker gods during this comp. Although I lost a chunk with AQ v KT, when I was low I made 3 outdraws, something that I rarely rely upon. First it was K4 v 99, then KQ v AK, and finally 72 (cough – don’t ask) v AK. All three beats raised an eyebrow or two, but there are different ways of assessing luck. Since the break, the best hand I’d seen was pocket tens. So does that make me unlucky too? 

Anyhow, as I’d refused to let myself get too low, these double throughs had built me up nicely and I was given the freedom to play with slightly more panache. It was a bit of a yoyo experience at times, but by the end of day 1, I found my self on 35k and in with a shout. After the outdraws, I could make no complaints.

Day 2 arrived and I was eager to double up early, I just needed to scout for an opportunity. However, after a few all-ins found no callers, I was practically up to 50k anyhow. Junior had run into Kings, Andy Gomm had been sent packing, and before we knew it, there were about 12 players left.

Mickey ‘The Worm’ Wernick was dominating the table, but I was still managing to keep my head above water with 65k. Then came a hand which earned me a few jibes from the table and a couple of railers. With blinds at 3 and 6, I raised 15k with A8 off. Paul Hampton in the big blind had a think, then pushed in for another 30k. Paul is a very good player and capable of making a move with a hand like KQ, QJ, 66, etc, so I decided not to be too hasty in folding. Right, it was costing me 30k into a pot of 69k. That’s more than 2-1 on my money with a chance of knocking someone out. I could easily be a 50-50 shot and perhaps even ahead. Also, if I won the hand, I’d be up to around 100k and in a strong position come final table. I was here to win the comp outright, not sneak onto the final table, so I opted to call. Unfortunately, in all my blurred logic, I’d failed to acknowledge Paul’s acting abilities. I know Mr Hampton to be a very sneaky devil and not adverse to a bit of theatrics, so, in hindsight, I shouldn’t really have been surprised to have seen AK, a hand that most would play in a flash, not dwell over. No 8 came, I was left with 25k, and a few players told me how crap the call was. Aah well, I was still in.

To cut a long story short, I did manage to make the final table. I doubled up with 62 v AK and had a few all-ins unanswered. With 65k on the final table, I actually found a hand in the big blind when I met the cowboys. Mickey raised with AT from the button, the small blind move all-in with AQ and I pushed also. Mickey passed, the flop came down with and ace, and that was the end of me. After dealing out a few bad beats, I was on the end of a stinker myself, but I really wasn’t in a position to moan.

So £1500 for 8th and 480 ranking points. Not a bad start to the full-time poker career, but it still hurts when you exit the comp. I had my eyes firmly set on the 18k 1st prize, but it wasn’t to be. It had been a constructive learning experience and I was thrilled to see Julian bring home the bacon  , even if he does deny knowledge of my 30% cut. Well, I guess it was worth a try.

To summarise, I’d played 1 comp since quitting my job and earnt £1200 in one night. Just think how many glances at the clock that is, how many times I’d be checking my watch, waiting for life to pass me by. I’d gained vital experience and had an enjoyable time doing so. I met some new faces in Booderham, 77Dave, and TightEnd, and some old ones in RED-DOG, Junior, Yoyo, and so on. Great fun, great days! 

So, any regrets? I don’t think I need to answer that…

Ps. I also had a laugh with Ian ‘The Belly’ Oldershaw. How can a vegetarian get a name like that?!  And I thought poker was complex…


snoops

[TightEnd]

brilliant post, Well done

Here's to more success next week in Luton, see you Sunday 

[yt]

Enjoyable read. Nice to read the intro as thats what I'm doing right now and it's not a dream. Thanks for that! :
See you on the final table at luton next monday!

[Robert HM]

Nice read snoops, great start

[booder]

great report snoopy       

[The Baron]

Good shooting Snoop Dog.

A real report of a real person trying to make it happen full time. Where else but Blonde eh?

[Nem]

Nice one 

[77dave]

all the best snoopy

was great meeting you at walsall the other day

hope all works out for u
 

[attachment deleted by admin]

[Nem]

LOL, 12 people have actually clicked on the picture to view it.

[snoopy1239]

SNOOPY UNLEASHED

Well, first week over and I’ve just cashed out online for $1005.48. I’m well chuffed with that. I’d been hesitant in starting my full-time online career as I didn’t want to commence with a loss. Not sure why that bothered me so much, but I’m over the moon that it didn’t happen.

I’m open to making huge errors when I’m tired, so, after the weekend’s updating at Walsall, I decided to take Monday and Tuesday off. I have, however, played every day since Wednesday and I’m delighted with the results.

$1005.48 isn’t a massive amount in terms of professional poker, but its more than double I was earning back at the office. Plus, and this is the most surprising thing, it only took up 2 hours and 29 minutes of my time. Incredibly, that’s approximately $400 an hour. Obviously, that’s gonna drop like a bowling ball, but for now, it’s sounds pretty cool.

Before, I’d work 40 hours a week in a job I hated. This week, I’ve worked 2 and a half hours in a job I love and earned more than double. Blimey! I’m glad I made the change. I plan to play longer days, but for now, it's given me some extra time to do some writing and reading, which I also love.

However, I can’t become complacent. I’ve done that before and ended up dumping all my profit, which then makes $400 an hour completely irrelevant. I must remain disciplined at all times. Don’t play when drunk, tired, bored, and so on. Give the tables my full attention and play my best at all times. No excuses.

The tricky thing I find when you’re on a good run is that you tend to treat your profitable sessions as the norm, so when that inevitable bad day arrives, you find it impossible to accept. This can then lead on to chasing, not quitting, playing angry, etc, etc. Not a place I want to be. Been there, done that, and it’s bloomin horrible.

This week, I’ve rated all my sessions at least average. There were times when I tried one too many tricks and a couple of hands where I chased, but apart from that, I’ve play good solid poker. My luck has been steady. Although I’ve received a couple of bad outdraws, these were balanced by a QQ v KK victory when I flopped a third Queen. The forth one on the river was a welcome surprise too.

Anyhow, I won’t blab on about individual hands, good folds, poor raises, etc. Just thought I’d report my progress over the first week and share my delight with everyone. I’m in good spirits and I’m thoroughly looking forward to playing Luton next week.

Hope to seem some of you there…

For now though, here are a few smilies that express my inner feelings at the end of a smashing week.