In The Crow's Nest with.......

[The-Crow]

                                                        Pocketlady again

I met Danni Allen at the G in Luton last weekend,

 and I looked up her interview after RED-DOG's and spotted she had done rather well in 2 years.

She had said "Last year I came 3rd at the Poker 6 in Bolton for £12k"

This lady has started at the top with the best players. No wonder she was so cool playing the A.P.A.T. players

I decided to find out more. (with her permission)

Can you tell us more about the poker 6 in Bolton

Did you win a satellite to play there? Yes, I won a GUKPT satellite seat on Bsq from a magazine freeroll.  As it was during the WSOP the GUKPT was on a break for a month, but they had a filler event instead, The Poker 6, so I used my seat to play a satellite for that, and then won the satellite.  It was the first comp I had played over £100 so it was a huge thing to me then.


How did it go the first day best hand , worst hand etc.    The first day was a bit of a roller coaster.  On day 1 it was a six handed shootout, so you had to win your table to progress.  About half an hour in and I had already taken a hit when I folded my QQ to Liam Flood on a J high flop.  I'd never played him before but I soon realised that that was probably a huge mistake.  My most memorable hand from day one was a pot against Mickey Wernick where I got him to pay me off on an AAxxx board when I had A10.  It was me, Liam Flood, and Mick Fletcher three handed, which I found incredibly difficult because they are both such strong/aggressive players to begin with, let alone 3 handed.  Finally Liam was gone and Mick and I were heads up.  At one point I was down to 5k chips with 36 in play but I hit one lucky double up to put me back in the game, before eventually managing to beat him somehow!  I must admit I did get lucky heads up, but you've gotta have a bit of luck surely!

How was it on day 2 .    On day two it returned to a normally six-handed tournament format (not a shootout) and we were deepstacked with 36k and the blinds starting at 100/200.  It was a very long day!  The lowest point I got down to was about 16k, but over the next few hours I managed to knock a few people out and reached the final table as chip leader.

Did you get on the final Table?    Yep, A little while into the final and my chips had slipped and I needed to do something about it.  I made a raise in the cut off with AK and David Smith pushed all in on the button.  He had me covered by about 3k.  I dwelled for ages, and it was one of the most nervewracking desicions ever, but eventually I went with my gut and called.  He turned over AQ, happy days!!  Nothing hit and I as good as sent him to the rail.

Eventually we got down to three handed.  I had been dominating the table all night, but I was getting a bit low again.  The button raised and I looked down at JJ.  I shoved and he instacalled me with A10.  First card out was an ace and I was going home.  We had done a deal earlier in the evening and there was only about £6k difference between 1st and 3rd, so not a bad result for my first bif tournament.  I was chuffed to bits!

Did you get Interviewed? Yep, it was shown on Sky Poker, but then my silly mum deleted it from the Sky Plus box which I was not very happy about!!

What are your ten starting hands?  Favourite?  AA, KK, QQ, 1010, AK, AQ, KQ, QJ, J10, J9

Which hand is your favorite? J10 or J9 if we are being sentimental, if not AA all the way

Which hand is your lucky hand?  7d5d Northampton Nut's

What hand do you hate getting                JJ definitely.  I'm terrified of it and always over play it preflop and then find myself overcommitted on a dodgy flop.

Who taught you to play poker ?              Lol, well I was first introduced to poker by Blonde's very own sharplea.
 He taught me the basics when we used to go to a local pub league.  The person who taught me the most about more advanced poker was circuit pro Kevin 'Lovejoy' O'Leary.  I learnt an awful lot from watching him.  Must say that Blonde has been a huge resource to my game
 over the last year as well.

They did a good job,  you showed no fear up against those  APAT players on Saturday

Did you win a satellite to play in the APAT pro-am at Luton?               Nope, I got staked for 50% on Blonde and put up the rest myself.

Do you know Chiprich and Leknave?               Hmmm..I was a bit drunk at a  blonde bash so not sure I ever actually got a chance to speak to them,
 but I know them from their sheer fame of course!

End of part 1

[The-Crow]

                                                                    Pocket Lady part 2

Danni has started a thread called" Teaching,"( See September 23rd in the Lounge)


Can I do a second Interview ?                                                  Go on then..

Do you play any musical instruments ?                   Yep, I've played the Violin for 17 years,
                                                              the Clairnet, the Piano, and I also sing and play acoustic guitar.

Do they ask you to cover and teach another subject?

 When I originally went to uni I was studying molecular biology   as all my A-Levels are in Science, but I changed to Music halfway through my course.  You're not normally asked to teach  lessons  other than your speciality but you cover illness etc, and the normal teacher leaves work set for the kids.    But I'm hoping to get some Science experience in during my training so I can teach both.

How much Homework do you set ?                      For music homework is normally only set for GCSE and A Level students

How do you deal with noisy students?        There's different techniques that people use.  One of the teachers at my school puts his hand up
until the class notice him and be quiet and put their hands up too.  The school has a system where naughty pupils get their name put on the board.    If they get a tick next to their name they get a 15 min detention etc.

so as well as playing top class poker ,she's a trainee teacher as well.

[thetank]

Life ever get you down Crow?

[The-Crow]

Lifes one big adventure m8. It can be very scary at times.

My Daughter's a teacher in Leicester and teaches English and Media studies to 14 to 18 year olds

She's told me a few stories of children with troubles, can't repeat any of course, Just makes your hair curl sometimes

things that happen. Its good to see some young people doing well.

I think we should run a "Young Guns tournament" for under 25 year olds to help 'em get started

[celtic]

I had the pleasure of finally meeting the crow on saturday. Gotta say, i was impressed. Nice guy & very friendly.

Keep up the good work Rob.

when are me & you going on sky???

[The-Crow]

Thanks Vince I liked meeting you too m8

Not had the invite from SKY YET

Ok Its the man who lives in Norfolk            BOOOODER

How long have you been playing poker ?                           About 4 years


Which sites do you play on                 depends on my bankroll,    but mostly Full Tilt,pokerstars,William Hill and blondepoker of course
                                             

Do you play live at pubs, clubs or Casinos               casinos whenever possible,also quite regularly in a home game


Had any big wins yet              won a seat on a Ladbrokes cruise when i first started playing and have also won a trip to macau. £9k is my biggest live cash and i have had 4 or 5 $5k online cashes


Do you play every day            some weeks i will play everyday,some weeks it may only be a couple of days


Where did you go on holiday this year          Luton twice.Will be having a holiday in Scotland in the new year.


How many miles a week do you drive                  none


Do you prefer on line or Live                               live


Who's your favorite Poker Pro                            Flushy


Ever played a Poker Pro, like Aces or Devilfish        played with most of the top uk pros.


Whats your favorite restaurant,English, Scottish, Irish,Greek, or Eskimo.......Eskimo definately



Can I print this on the web site  certainly sir


Thanks your a Star m8

[The-Crow]

Tonight its the nice Welsh boy              TheChipPrince

Have you always lived in Wales?

Yes, until the last 2 months when I moved to Chester to live with the young lady. Spent 3 years in Wolverhampton Uni too, but finished there 4 1/2 years ago now. Lived in a village called Llandrillo, and i'll always be a country boy at heart I think, but with my girlfriend just starting Uni in Chester, and me working in Chester it was the obvious decision really for the moment.

Do you speak Welsh

My first language is English, as my step-father always spoke it at home as he's English, spoke Welsh in school, but not any more i'm afraid, out of practice... One of the things i'm a little embarrassed about.

Where do you go to play poker Live?

Living in the sticks is not ideal for live poker, but when Jizzemm lived in Liverpool (he's an ex-Llandrillo boy too) i went to Liverpool grosvenor with him severla times. Now only DTD really, am yet to pay for anything there in about 10 visits so far!! Smiley   DTD points FTW!

Is Wales full of Sheep ?

Er, yes, could see at least 3 fields from my old bedroom window!

How do you spell Aberrisswifth ?

Aberystwyth - Been there Crow?            CROW>> yes once, stayed an hour all seaweed on rocks, smelly

How long have you been playing poker ?

Umm, i reckon it was quite early, about 2000/2001 in the early years of late night poker. Played a few stt's in Uni, but been playing seriously for the last 2 years.

Which sites do you play on?

DTD poker and Blonde at the mo. Dont get to play as many MTT's as i'd like because of the time needed, but do play around 1000 STT's a month. Dont play any cash tables, well, very rarely, having never been more than a break even cash player.

Do you play live at pubs, clubs or Casinos?

Casino's i guess, and DTD, whatver class that falls in

Had any big wins yet?

Had about 8 scores over $2k, $4.8k the biggest

Do you play every day?

I try to yep, cant get enough.

Where did you go on holiday this year?

Havent been yet, but still have 2 weeks to book off before xmas so hopoing to go to New York for 4 days before xmas with abit of luck.

How many miles a week do you drive?

Good question. Up until 2 months ago i drove 70 miles a day round trip to work. Now its 5.6!   Depending on where my football is on  saturday my milage can range from 120 miles a week up to 500.


Do you prefer on line or Live?

Online I think, its where 'grew-up' in poker terms, my live experience is nowhere near my online experience.

Who's your favorite Poker Pro?

Phil Hellmuth.                                      CROW>>  HEllmuth !!

Ever played a Poker Pro, like Aces or Devilfish?

Played a few in online bounty comps etc, but none live


Whats your favorite restaurant,English, Greek, Eskimo,Yeti, Italian ?

Chinese i think, followed by Indian, then Yeti...

Does your wife/partner play poker?

Eer, nope!  But she does encourage me to play as she's on a %!!

Can I print this on the web site?

Absolutely, been a pleasure...


Thanks your a Star

[The-Crow]

Ok nearly got an Interview with                            Ironside


You did a great job on Sky the other night,

Ever thought of being a presenter like Richard Offord ?

I have been trying to get Stake money to interview you , and the 5k is slowly coming.

We have 10k in old Lira from Italy found in a draw will that do ?





Iron>>     5K or no show

[The-Crow]

And now all the way from Devon    its               JIm-D

  Heeeyyyy Jim


How long have you been playing poker ? :                             4 years

Which sites do you play on:                                  Blonde, Stars and Full Tilt

Do you play live at pubs, clubs or Casinos:           Only live games i play are regular home games with 6/7 mates,

                                                    Infact the only live casino tourney i've played was bB3 at walsall (which i made the final 2 tables)
                 

Had any big wins yet:                       Biggest cash was $3700 for a 7th place finish in the old Prima $100k (which i free rolled in to)

                                                    I've had a fair few outright wins but the biggest was $1200

Do you play every day:                    No there's a pesky thing called a fiance that i live with that takes up most of my time,

                                                    so i play when she is on nights which is 2/3 times a week

Where did you go on holiday this year:  Croyde (North Devon)  But i'm off to Vegas on November 6th wiiiiiii

How many miles a week do you drive:                                    300

Do you prefer on line or Live:                              I mostly play for the enjoyment so i prefer live, I've toyed with making a proper go

                                      at earning some proper cash online but i'm easily bored with the grind (plus my couch aint the most comfy)

Who's your favorite Poker Pro:                   Julian Thew, Never met him but seems to play the game in the right manner

Ever played a Poker Pro, like Aces or Devilfish:                        Was at the same table as Paul Jackson at walsall for a little time

                                (which was cool as i learnt a lot from watching him on Ladbrokes when i was starting out)

Whats your favorite restaurant,  armadillo, croc-u- like,spud u like, Chinese,Yeti:         ooooh I remember Spud u like...That was the bo+~*cks,
 
                                 But i love a good chinese

Does your wife/partner play poker:                                I've tried to teach her but she's the impatiant type...So no

Can I print this on the web site:                                  Be rather pointless if you didn't eh... Course you can

Thanks your a gentleman

[The-Crow]

A very quick Interview with                               DINGDELL               Luton APAT


Hi Tracey, not pocket Kings again

I am never ever playing KIngs again

[The-Crow]

And Now all the way from Leicester                           Technolog

Hi Martyn,                                                        FFS it's Jack!

How long have you been playing poker?             Started trying to play in 2005 - still failing miserably.

Please tell any stories of the early days of Blonde             Not been on long enough – the weekend I signed up,

                                              kinboshi won the English Amateur Poker Championship – now that’s funny!

Which sites do you play on.         I play on Virgin, Blonde, Blue Square. My regular game is the €22 Deepstack on Boss but I like to play the blonde forum games.


Do you play live at pubs, clubs or Casinos.           I go to the APAT events as a sort of buffet inspector more than anything.


Had any big wins yet.                    My biggest are around the £1,000 mark – nothing spectacular – I need to be a card rack to win see?


Do you play every day                    Pretty much,I just play the one MTT whether I’m out after 5 mins or 5 hours.


Where did you go on holiday this year                           [Thinly veiled brag post] Vegas baby yeah!


How many miles a week do you drive                                             About 100


Do you prefer on line or Live.              I’ve had more success online but had some fantastic weekends away meeting great people and kinboshi.


Who's your favorite Poker Pro                                            Ram Vaswani


Ever played a Poker Pro, like Aces or Devilfish.                   I played Tikay, does he count? ldon


Whats your favorite restaurant,   Wimpy, burger King, schnizzle-my-nizzle, tripe -U- like, Yeti. All of these are fine – lard ftw.

                                                            You don’t get to 20stone by being picky sir!

Does your wife/partner play poker.               My lodger does. No I’m not gay.

Can I print this on the web site.                 I didn’t use all my ink for nothing!

Thanks , every little helps                     As a Tesco shareholder I may have to report you for breach of copyright.

[The-Crow]

And now                                                          SHERIFF FATMAN

Hi m8

As an early member of Blonde, how has the site changed since the early days

> It still has a community feel to it which sets it apart from the other poker sites.  Growth in numbers brought a few issues along the way but, to me, it's still pretty much the same place as it always was.

Which sites do you play on

> At the moment mainly Full Tilt and Party.  I should really play more on blonde than I do, but Kev's lever is vicious!

Do you play live at pubs, clubs or Casinos

> Occasionally at Luton G and the APAT live events.  Try to make it out to Vegas at least once a year.

Had any big wins yet

> My highest profile win was undoubtedly the GUKPT Online Main Event in July, which was worth $18.5k plus a couple of GUKPT entries.  I've also had a few reasonable cashes in European ranking events, mainly at the old Luton Grosvenor.  £7.5k was the biggest one.

Nothing life-changing but enough to keep me ticking along.

Do you play every day

> In the last couple of months, yes.  Prior to that I'd hardly played in about 18 months due to work commitments.  Work permitting, I play for an hour or two after work each evening most days as a way to wind down.

Where did you go on holiday this year

> Going to LA and Las Vegas next week.

How many miles a week do you drive

> Depends on whether I go to the football.  Barnsley FC home games are a 270 mile round trip so that bumps the miles up a bit.  Probably about 18k miles a year.

Do you prefer on line or Live

> I love playing live but don't get that much opportunity to do so.  I'm happy to do both.

With live play I can sit there for hours (10+) and not really notice the time go by.  Online, I tend to play in 2-3 hour sessions.

Who's your favorite Poker Pro

> Greg Raymer is a great ambassador of the game, and a nice guy to boot.  Of the UK players I've got a lot of respect for Joe Grech.  Entertainment wise I also like to watch players such as Marcel Luske and Sammy Farha who are entertaining to watch without being obnoxious.

Ever played a Poker Pro, like Aces or Devilfish

> I played Greg Raymer in a heads up match on Stars when he was world champ (it was a bonus prize after winning the old King of the Zoo league on 2+2).  I couldn't believe how many people railed it (pity, as he wiped the floor with me).

I've played against many of the UK 'faces' in the ranking events I've played over the last few years.  Some, like Joe Grech and Mickey Wernick, are top class.  Many of the others I've encountered are over-rated.

Whats your favorite restaurant,French, Italian, spud u like, Chinese

> Italian, but my wife has coeliacs (gluten intolerance) so we don't often do Italian nowadays.

Does your wife/partner play poker

> She has been known to and understands more about the game than she'd like to admit to.  However, she gets bored after about half an hour of playing and doesn't get any sort of 'buzz' from playing.

She played the first blonde bash event, but hasn't played any of the others she's been to.  She's happy enough to sit in the bar and chat.

Can I print this on the web site

> Given that I've spent literally seconds of my life on it, I'm hoping the effort doesn't go to waste!

Thanks very much      good answers       gold Star

> You're welcome.
Repo

[technolog]

And now                                                          SHERIFF FATMAN

> Italian, but my wife has coeliacs (gluten intolerance) so we don't often do Italian nowadays.

LOL - glutton intolerance - I hear ya buddy, I hear ya!

[Sheriff Fatman]

And now                                                          SHERIFF FATMAN

> Italian, but my wife has coeliacs (gluten intolerance) so we don't often do Italian nowadays.

LOL - glutton intolerance - I hear ya buddy, I hear ya!

No, she's surprisingly tolerant of those!

[The-Crow]

Had a reply from                                                      Simon "Aces " Trumper


Hi , Simon

I have been doing interviews of all the Blonde players and would like to ask a few to you if you have time

When did you first get involved with Blonde?

I have been a member since it started , for more details on my career here is my site www.simonacestrumper.com

Did you know many of the original founders  before Blonde got started

I knew Dave & Rhowena from the circuit and had heard of Tikay but not formally met him.

Are you friends with any of the Hendon Mob,   seen any recently

All of them but more so Joe and Barney who i saw along with Ross at the WSOP-E

DTD is a  great success, It must mean putting in many many hours of planning to make things run smoothly, good job m8

It is a team effort.

Can you tell the story of WSOPE in London, how you managed to knock out Hellmuth, did you beat any others

After bleeding away a few chips to missed flops / draws i was down to 8775 with the blinds still 200 400 , it was the last hand before dinner and Phil announced he was raising blind if no one else did , all folded to me , i finally had a hand AKQJds and raised to 1400 , the cameras were on Phil and he called leaving himself 325 , flop was Q 3 3 , i bet his last 325 and he called saying he was still blind , i tabled my hand but ever the showman he asked if we could see the rest of the flop first before he showed , i agreed , turn was a 2 river 7 , Phil turned over one at a time 4 5 6 6 and was out . This was like scoring an equaliser just before half time , my first real pot worth 4050 taking me back up to 11,100.

great result

thanks Simon