BEST OF RED

[snoopy1239]

Praise silence for the very best of RED-DOG.

With the help of the magnificent Heid, we have ploughed through the basement to pull out all those words of wisdom, wonderful tales, and hilarious anecdotes for your viewing pleasure.

Everything written below is from RED-DOG and RED-DOG alone. None of it was composed my good self, I am merely the messenger.

This coincides with his recent Hall of Fame entry which I'm sure you will all agree, was richly deserved. I can only echo the words offered by TightEnd. It's a true honour to know Tom, and I hope, at some point, you all get the chance to meet him.

The thread is still under construction and may be added to in the future, so please bare with us.

At the head and foot of each post is a link to the original thread from which it was extracted from. Please feel free to venture back through the thread to read the post within it's original context.

The thread is for viewing purposes only.

Long live the DOG!

Enjoy...

(I think I need a big red book) 

[snoopy1239]

Player Profiles


What is your Blonde Poker username?

RED-DOG, in upper case because the first time I tried to use it on a poker site it wouldn’t accept it in lower case

Which area do you live in?

I live in a sleepy little village nr Hinckley in Liecs, I’ve been here for almost five years now and it’s slowly beginning to feel like home although I will always be a Yorkshire man at heart

What is your marital status?

I married Mrs Red when I was nineteen; it was the smartest move I will ever make. To me, she represents everything that is good in this world. She is blessed with a sunny outlook on life, she is the eternal optimist, her glass is always half full. She doesn’t crave status, money or possessions; I have never been under pressure to fulfil any obligations, real or imagined. She has encouraged and supported me in everything I have ever done, when I falter, I look around and she is there, cheering me on from the sidelines. She makes me feel like I am the greatest man alive; I have no idea what I did to deserve her

Do you have any children and/or pets?

The answer to this question is never straightforward for me; you see one of our children, our only son, died when he was seven

as far as I’m concerned we will always have five children, but if I tell everyone that, they ask their names and ages and such (as you do) and then I have to explain about Tommy, that’s no problem for me, I love to talk about him, but sometimes other people find it difficult, and I don’t want to force that sort of thing on to them when they are obviously uncomfortable with it so sometimes I just say, ‘we have four girls’ and I whisper a silent apology to Tommy under my breath

My girls are my biggest worry and my greatest joy. Don’t get me wrong, they are good girls, Gypsy girls are brought up according to a strict moral code, which they enforce themselves voluntarily, so they have never brought us any drug, alcohol or “other” problems. They are beautiful, intelligent, hard working and they respect their parents. My two eldest are married and have given us six gorgeous grandchildren. We have taught them all to look out for each other (and they do) because Mrs Red and I won’t be around forever, I just worry about the intolerant world they inherit and the fact that they may be the last generation to live a way of life that is being legislated out of existence

as for pets, I grew up surrounded by animals, ours and other peoples, we always had horses and dogs, and my dad is a self taught authority on dogs and birds, especially British finches, which he has kept and bred all his life. When I was a small boy he taught me to catch wild birds without harming them, (Illegal now) and to train and work with dogs, to get inside their minds and think like they do. I used to go hunting (poaching really) with lurchers and terriers and I was so tuned in to them that I was almost a dog myself. This is the first time in my life that I haven’t had a dog, he would be left alone for long periods and, unlike cats, dogs don’t tolerate that too well and it wouldn’t be fair

When did you start playing poker?

I’m not exactly sure (I didn’t keep records back then) but I think it was late 2002, I saw Late night poker for the first time and I just knew instantly this was what I wanted to do. I didn’t have a computer (or a land landline) back then so it had to be ‘in at the deep end’ for me

My first ever game was at Annabelle’s in Coventry, Its right in the middle of the red light district
The first thing I saw as I pulled into the car park was a bloke running down the middle of the road, bleeding, and another bloke chasing him with a chair leg
When I entered the card room a chap was standing on one of the poker tables, trousers round ankles, mooning at the onlookers, the most evil looking bunch you ever saw, but they took me in, made me feel welcome and had endless patience with me, although I’m sure my skin got about two inches thicker from the continual ribbing

I still have a little pink slip, (9th, poker competition £30) my first ever prize money

Where can you be found playing live?

I consider Walsall Grovesnor to be my ‘Home’ card room, but I like to play the festivals at others, Luton, Blackpool, London, (Gutshot) etc if I can afford the buy in or win a satellite. I would love to play some of the events around Europe and I am so jealous when blonde goes on its travels. The live updates go a long way to making me feel a part of it all though

What is your favourite online site?

I would have to say Ladbrokes, they don’t give much away and they make some decisions that seem so stupid as they defy belief but I think their customer service is fantastic and they offer plenty of multis with a good range of buy in’s to suit all pockets. Having said that, I really like the 10k and the 15k on Crypto, and Blue Square run some great value satellites to prestige events, oh and I like Stars for stt’s

What is your handle there?

RED-DOG everywhere

What is the harshest beat you have inflicted on an opponent?

I travelled to Blackpool with a couple of friends and before we left I had a very volatile curry

Who are your poker heroes?

I have many poker heroes,these are just a couple, the latest one is Andy Black, I met him at Cardiff and I loved his interview on 425, not only is he a world class player, I think he cares about people, he’s a nice guy on his own right

Ironside, Who demonstrates every day how to take really bad beat, I admire his determination integrity, loyalty and kindness. He is a shining example to us all

Who is your best friend in poker?

I have made more genuine friends through poker than I have ever had in my life, I’m grateful

What are your greatest accomplishments in poker?

I’ve made a few final tables in ranking events and a handful of other ‘biggies’ Online I’ve won the $50k ‘Sunday Lunch’ won the $45k a few times, had a 2nd and a 3rd in the ‘Daddy’ plus a lot of smaller stuff. My greatest accomplishment is managing to make a living from poker for almost a year now (Please don’t make me go back to work)

What is your most embarrassing moment in poker?

OMG, don’t remind me, there are so many.

Calling all in for a club flush without a club in my hand

Sitting at a poker table for two hours then going to the loo to find a huge bogey swinging from one nostril on a long slender thread

Finding out that my new sponsor was never actually going to pay for anything

Listening to men who should know better talk filth in front of young female dealers

Which Blondepoker thread did you enjoy the most?

What’s in a name?

The one with tikay's unticked box explanation

Rob Yong’s diaries

Say something nice about the person above you

This one

The thing I love most about BlondePoker is?

The community spirit, the sense of belonging. There is no class system. Beginners and experts, rich and poor, black and white, even the Scots, all rubbing along together

My biggest pet hate in poker is?

Players who are nice when they’re winning and nasty when they’re losing

Players who blame everyone but themselves when things go wrong

Players who think a bad beat is losing a hand of poker

What are your main interests outside poker?

Outdoor survival skills, music, reading, eating, travel, people, and I have a strange fascination for wristwatches, not the mot expensive ones, but the most practical, well made ones

Tell us something about yourself none of us would know

I can tickle trout

Some song lyrics and poetry make me cry (but they don’t make me sad)

I can hold my breath for over two minutes

I have spent several days in the company of Lord Avebury, and the Duke of Devonshire came to our caravan for a cup of tea, then he invited us back to his gaff, nice place, (Big garden)

I am a crack shot with a catapult

What is your favourite pie filling?

Steak and kidney

Who is your favourite singer?

Too many to mention

What is your favourite song?

Again too many but for lyrics it would be something like The Rose, by Bette Middler

Somewhere over the rainbow, by Eva Cassidy makes me go cold and the hair on the back of my neck stand up

Bat out of hell by Meatloaf and Teenage Kicks by The Undertones really do something to my brain; they leave me breathless

Who is your ideal man or woman?

Apart from Mrs Red, the woman I most admire is Ruth Altbeker Cyprys, a young Jewish mother who survived Auschwitz, not really what you asked I know but I am unashamedly plugging her book ‘Jump for Life’ and I urge you to read it

What is your favourite holiday destination?

I loved New York, vibrant, exciting and strangely familiar, like walking on to a film set. Egypt is just stunning

If I could change one thing about myself I would?

Listen more and talk less


November 5th 2005

[snoopy1239]

Strategy For Shootouts


Below are some points that I think you should bear in mind during a shootout

1 Try to take position behind the horse trough

2 keep your head below the level of the trough, especially whilst re loading

3 watch out for the man on top of the saloon with the rifle

4 only fire at people wearing black hats

5 when there is only one baddy left, stand up and walk towards him

6 Deliver a monologue on good v evil

7 Allow him to shoot you in the shoulder (gun hand if possible)

8 Finish him off with a single shot that flings him backwards through the saloon window

9 stagger into saloon to hear his last words

10 walk out of saloon to applause from grateful but cowardly townsfolk

11 Hug beautiful girl who has a crush on you, but dont kiss her

12 ride into sunset


August 5th 2005

[snoopy1239]

How Long Can It Last?


This is a great thread, I am very interested in peoples views on this subject, more please

I believe it is possible to make a money online but you really have to apply yourself, it isnt always fun and it certainly isnt easy

I started playing fulltime poker at the beginning of this year and I have kept detailed records of my wins/losses

I had an amazing run during Feb/Mar when I turned a profit of $90k, but I knew that was just a blip, reality is a little different, but Feb/Mar aside, my online "earnings" work out to $4470 per month (so far)

A fellow blondite sent me a PM asking me what my thoughts on "Full time" online play were, for anyone who is interested, I have reproduced my reply below

Hi, In answer to your bankroll question, I suppose I initially just threw a couple of hundred into an account, and when it was gone I threw in another couple, remember, at this time I had no intention of playing poker for a living, I was just trying to see if I could turn a profit, if I built my bankroll up to five or six hundred I played bigger games and if I got skint I went back to the smaller stuff, I tried not to deposit more than 100 per week

By the time I decided to go "full time" I had already had some success and had a good idea of what games suited me and what I thought was a reasonable expectation, I figured I needed 10k to give it a proper bash, I only play multis online so the paydays can be quite far apart and you have to realise you will lose a lot more times than you win

This brings me to what I consider to be the most important aspects of online play for profit, but please bear in mind these things suit me and my type of game, you might have to change/modify them to suit yourself

1 if you started poker as a live player and had some success this can be a disadvantage, online players dont have the ability to lay a hand down like live players do, its so easy to press that call button and they dont have to face the ridicule of the other players face to face at the poker table, also, if they get knocked out they dont have to get into the car, drive home and wait until tomorrow night for another game, so dont try to make moves early, and bet your monster hands big, they will call

2 Gather as much information as you can, restrict your play to one or two sites initially, you will find that the same players play in the same games night after night and you can soon get to know their games, dont play two games at once, dont watch the telly between hands, and concentrate even if your not involved, make notes, MAKE NOTES!

3 Dont make the mistake of playing any old game thats available at the time, the value varies enormously, plan your schedule and stick to it

4 Try not to get angry, upset or frustrated, Its so easy to go on tilt but so hard to recognise or admit it, Dont play when you are too tired, or have something else on your mind, If your game isnt what it should be, have a day off.

5 Find the best games, the ones that suit you and offer the best value, watch out for guaranteed freeze outs that dont have enough entrys to make the guarantee, take advantage of other peoples "bad play times" i.e. 9am on Poker stars, when its 3am for the Americans and they are tired, losing, and tilting, or midnight on Ladbrokes when they come back from the pub

6 Keep records, where you played, how well you think you played, your results, where you make your best profit and your biggest losses, Be totally honest with yourself

7 please keep it in perspective, dont play with money you cant afford to lose or when its loss will affect those around you

I hope you dont think Im setting myself up as some sort of oracle here, I am the last person to give advice as a rule, these few points are just meant to something for you to take on board as you develop your game

I wish you the very best of luck and if I can help in any way, please feel free to ask

Tom


July 27th 2005

[snoopy1239]

Your Forum - Do You Want To Change It?


About 12 years ago I was invited to go to the states to stay with some Native Americans for a few weeks. Although they are modernised now they still try to keep there history and identity alive, so for a month or so each year they erect tepees on tribal land and live the old way. They let me join in with many of their activities including a form of rugby where the whole tribe takes part, the women can run with the ball (rawhide stuffed with grass) but when the men have it they must stand still and throw it. We hollowed out box turtles to make rattles and, honour of honours; I took part in a POW wow.

Anyway, the point of the story is, Id been warned about the difficulty in getting a proper cup of tea and I cant live without it, so I took with me some tea bags, a small kettle, and a kettle prop (used to suspend the kettle over a fire)

The Indians took great interest in my tea making ritual and sat around with solemn faces as I brewed up, eventually one and then another were persuaded to try a sip, some hated it but some really liked it. When I went home I gave my remaining teabags to the one that liked it the most and he made me a dream-catcher from beads and dried sinews and a tail feather from a whip o will, it hangs above me as I write.


July 22nd 2005

[snoopy1239]

If


Oh Tony
Dear Tony
How I like your profile pic
That nicotine soaked creature always gave me such a kick
I love that frightening monster with his pinpoint eyes of red
And he is oh so happy with Blondepoker on  his head
Oh Tony
Dear Tony
How I shiver with delight
How I smile to see your message in the darkness of the night
My eyes are all a-twinkle, my breath I hold in bliss
When I feel the sweet vibration of your tender virtual kiss
Oh Tony
Dear Tony
How I need you so, my dear
And I long to hear the words you text like whispers in my ear
I promise that I'll love you and I'll promise to be true
Just as long as you will let me keep on texting you
Oh Tony
Dear Tony
Only one thing makes me sad
Your live updates are wonderfull
But your poker is so bad


July 13th 2005

[snoopy1239]

Player Database THE FUTURE!


Modesty aside, (easy for me)

During my first few months of online poker in early 2004 I couldnt seem to show a profit, I was doing ok in live games but I was a failure in cyberspace, so I decided to try to pinpoint what exactly the difference was.

First of all, I was only playing multis live, so I did the same online, no more cash, and no more stt's. Next I thought about which multis would suit my game best, I like a long clock, 15 min or better, (by the way in 15 min online you see about the same no of hands as you do in 45 min live) plenty of starting chips, in most multis you get 1500 but you can get 2000 or even 3000, and I like freeze outs or a buy in big enough to make players think a little before calling my raise (this last only in the later stages and only because of the potential prize money, not the cost of a rebuy)

My results started to improve but I still wasnt doing as well as I thought I should be and I started to wonder if I would have to play differently online, so I spent a few nights watching instead of playing and the thing I noticed most was online players will call, in live play if you have a monster hand you tend to try to disguise it, and by playing it cagey you often dont get full value from it, online, especially in the early stages, players tend to call with top pair even if you bet 1500 all in to a pot of 75, but by the same token you cant push someone off a pot early on. Toward the latter end of the comp I find it best to play as if I were in a live game again.

So I started the second half of 2004 by playing only the games described, I didnt try anything fancy early on unless I knew the player was good enough to put a hand down (I keep extensive player notes) and if I had a monster I just moved in

Unbelievably, by the end of the year I was making more money playing online poker than I was from my small business, by no means a fortune, (my business was a small, one man jobbie) but very exciting, I had never earned a penny before without hard graft being involved, but I just couldnt do both, I was playing poker until 3am and then trying to get up and go to work every day, so at the beginning of 2005 I decided to mothball my little business and give poker a proper go, It wasnt an easy step to take, I've worked hard all my life and it seemed like I was shirking my responsibilities. But, I reasoned, if I dont try it I will always be thinking, "what if?"

Perhaps the poker gods smiled upon me, because in the first three months of this year I won enough to allow me to continue until 2006 and I have been making a steady living since, Its not always easy, there are dry spells, and I have periods when the outdraws make me want to cry with frustration, you have to be dedicated and disciplined, but I'm loving it, I have to pinch myself every morning, I look out of the window when its raining and think how nice it is not to be out there working in it, and I have made some of the best friends a man could wish for within the poker community, ordinary working class blokes like myself, world class poker players, and the odd lawyer or TV star 

I have no Idea if or when the bubble will burst, but our needs are modest, and whatever happens, my life has been immensely enriched, I will have no regrets.

June 30th 2005

[snoopy1239]

What's In A Name...?


This is all your fault Teacake, fancy bringing food up on a poker forum, (no pun intended) and Kev speculated about what I like to snack on whilst playing well...this is by no means complete list but it might give you some idea of my tastes

I like anything pastry based

Anything with meat in it

Things with chocolate on

Fried things

Dairy products

Anything sweet

All sandwiches

Icecream

Chips, (fish optional)

Pasta, all shapes/types

Toast, with little islands of unmelted butter

Bombay mix

Curry....

You know, this reminds me of a time, years ago, when my old mucker Jimmy Calladine and I were re sealing some corrugated chicken houses on a battery hen farm. Hundreds of them there were, and the stench was indescribable, everyone was sick on there first visit, but we didnt mind, we were earning a crust

Anyway, it was heavy, dirty work and too much for the two of us, so we employed about half a dozen lads on a day to day, cash in hand basis.

Now this chicken farm was out in the sticks, miles away from anywhere, which was just as well considering the smell, so we used to stop at a transport cafe on the way there and say to the lads, "eat whatever you want boys, there's nothing else untill we finish"

Well, this particular day we had a new guy, Trevor, stick thin he was, and about six foot seven tall. When he got into the cafe we couldnt believe it, he just ate everything in sight. Sausage egg and chips we had, he had a double portion with extra bread and butter, and after polishing it off in record time it was, "av yer finished  wiv them chips" or "don't you want that sausage"

When we arrived at the farm we all piled out of the van, Trevor got one whiff of the terrible smell and promptly threw his guts up.

After a few minutes he regained his composure, wiped his eyes and stood back to admire his handywork. There, resting amongst the remains if his jettisoned breakfast, was almost a whole sausage.

" I'm not wasting that bugger" he said, and he scooped it up and ate it!

By the way Teacake, welcome to the forum.


June 12th 2005

[snoopy1239]

Decision Time At Walsall


I played the 300 freeze out at Walsall last night, we started at 9:15, by 9:30 I was on the motorway heading home having played just one hand

Please bear with me, Im no Rob Yong, his thoughts seemed to just ooze out across the page like red wine spilled on a white tablecloth, unmistakeable, stark and vivid, mine are more like gravy stains on your tie, smaller and harder to see. A lot of factors contributed to the way I played this hand, Im not making any excuses, I just need to set the scene

First of all, I have been examining my game over the last few months, I have been worried that I play too tight, and this feeling has been compounded by some recent events, one being Lawrence Gosneys fantastic win in Vegas, another was some of the things Rob Yong wrote in his diary, yet another was tikays recent successes and his admission that he had made an effort to change his game because that he felt he could often go deep into a tournament but always ended up struggling with a short stack.

I mulled these things over at great length, trying to convince myself that I had to make some drastic alterations, and the more I thought about it, the less comfortable I was with changing my game and forcing myself to play looser, its not in my nature, I too often go deep into tournaments and end up on the short stack, but by then I have a good Idea of who is doing what at the table, I have had the time to find some proper cards to play, and if I make a move or two I can often get them through because I have established a rock image. I came to the conclusion that, although my game has lots of room for improvement, it would be wrong to try to change the whole nature of my game, I dont think that T J Cloutier would benefit from suddenly trying to play like Gus Hansen, or vice versa, I have shared a table with Lawrence, Rob, Thewy, and many other renowned aggressive players and I have been comfortable in their company and have sometimes been able to take advantage of their attacking style. I resolved to continue to work hard at improving my game, but I wasnt going to make any drastic, out of character changes, I was still going to play it my way and I was happy with my decision

So, on to Walsall, I love the 300 freeze out at Walsall, 6000 starting chips, 45 minute clock, just my cup of tea. I arrived about an hour early and was surprised when several people came up to me and said, Hello, are you Red Dog from Blondepoker?

I enjoyed a terrific buffet with a couple of friends who, for the record, are very good players. Their conversation included lines like Got to get busy early and Dont want to come back to a short stack tomorrow. Then, a magnified voice booms out Will all players in tonights no limit holdem competition please go to the card room, We were off.

Seat 3 table 4, I was pleased with my table, one or two unknowns, a blondite, (Kojak) in seat 2 another blondite (Riverdave) in seat 9, and the rest were Walsall faces that I know quite well but cant really name.

I didnt play the first hand, but it is relevant so I will describe it as best as I can. I fold, seat 4 calls for 50, seat 9 (riverdave) raises 200, seat 2, Blondite Kojak, re raises for 700, seat 4 and Riverdave both call. The flop comes 568 rainbow, Kojak bets 1000, seat 4 re raises for 2000, Riverdave folds and Kojak calls. The turn card is a 7, making a board of 5678, Kojak checks and seat 4 bets 2000, Kojak dwells for a minute or so and moves all in, then seat 4 dwells before calling. On their backs Kojak shows KK and seat 4 shows JJ, the river is a blank and Kojak doubles up, exit seat 4.

I think seat 4 can get away from this hand, he would be on a very short stack, but when you think about it, he has to know he is behind, if Kojak holds any pair above  with the exception 10s, he is beaten.

I pass my big blind to a small raise and then on my small blind, only the third hand of the night, I find AKo, the action moves around the table and picks up 1 caller, Kojak, on the button, raises 1300 into a pot of 125. This move proved to be the catalyst for all the things I had been fretting about over the last few weeks, What now I asked myself, why would he bet so much into such a small pot, has he got a monster, if so, why scare us off? I wondered if he had AK or possibly AQ, the size of the bet really threw me, I even thought for a moment about putting my AK down but I knew that wasnt really an option, so it would have to be a flat call or a raise, and at that moment all my doubts about my tight game came flooding back, I could see snatches of match reports saying how aggressive the winner had been, I heard again the words of my friends, Gotta make chips early Dont want to come back tomorrow to a short stack I could see Thewy pushing his chips into the middle, I could see Lawrences bracelet, I had to be bold.

I raise, I said, 3000. Before I had finished counting out my chips Kojak had moved all in. By this time I was incapable of rational thought, I hadnt realised how much I had struggled with the idea of making drastic changes to my game until this precise moment, now I had to decide whether to call a 9000 pot for my last 3000 this early in the comp with AKo or lay it down pre flop, I called, Kojak flipped over aces and I was out

Driving home I felt purged, I had exorcised my demons, I now knew for sure I wouldnt be changing my natural game by trying to play in a way that I was uncomfortable with, It wasnt that one hand, That was just the point where it all came to a head, my mind was clear now, I felt free.

It was still early when I got home, so I entered a multi online and won $1000, and I know I played better than I had for a while, I seemed to know what I was doing again. On Sunday I played another and won $2000. It was nice to get the results, but what really made me happy was the way I felt as I played, I enjoyed it. Im not Devilfish or Crazy Horse, Im RED-DOG, come and get me.


July 25th 2005

[snoopy1239]

Live Update From The Sofa


Its all very well and good...but this morning I'm faced with a pile of washing up, should heve done it last night I know

My dad gave me this advice once. (How to decide who's turn it is to wash up) "Look down your trousers, if you have a willy, it's not your turn"


June 21st 2005

[snoopy1239]

Odds


Scientists at NASA have developed a gun built specifically to launch dead chickens at the windshields of airliners, military jets and the space shuttle, all traveling at maximum velocity. The idea is to simulate the frequent incidents of collisions with airborne fowl to test the strength of the windshields.

British engineers heard about the gun and were eager to test it on the windshields of their new high speed trains. Arrrangements were made. But when the gun was fired, the engineers stood shocked as the chicken hurtled out of the barrel, crashed into the shatterproof shield, smashed it to smithereens, crashed through the control console, snapped the engineer's backrest in two and embedded itself in the back wall of the cab.

Horrified Brittons sent NASA the disastrous results of the experiment, along with the designs of the windshield, and begged the US scientists for suggestions.

NASA's response was just three words, "Thaw the chicken".


June 16th 2005

[snoopy1239]

Gutshot!


I made my first visit to the Gutshot card room tonight to play in the 200 freeze out sponsored by William Hill, and, by the way, if your going to sponsor a tourney, adding 25% (5k) to the prize pool is definitely the way to do it, I have to say I was really impressed.

I started my journey early because Im notoriously bad at finding venues I havent been to before, and London is a big place to get lost in. But with the help of directions emailed to me by my dad from a computer programme that he has (isnt technology wonderful) I arrived two hours before kick off. Side street parking was easier than expected and free after 6.30pm, but if you arrive before that time dont forget you have to pay the congestion charge, 5 from any paper shop. Ian, The Belly, Ollenshaw (sorry if I spelled it wrong Ian) told me that when he got to the congestion charge zone it was 6.25 so he stopped and went into a pub for five minuets, Id rather spend my fiver on beer he said

When I got to the door I was met by a smiling tikay who, for some strange reason, was wearing a sensible jacket and long trousers. He introduced me to Phil, the big cheese from William Hill, who was a great bloke and very approachable, as were the rest of the W H crew. They presented me, and all the other players with a nice logoed handbag or manbag or whatever they call them, Ive wanted one ever since I saw Junior fish a kit Kat out of his at Walsall.

The venue itself had 10 poker tables, complete with black baize and nice padded edges to rest your arms on, 6, I think, downstairs in the basement, and 4 in the bar/dining area, there is also a side room with about 10 computers offering online games

I was determined not to look at the menu because Im trying to lose a bit of weight but someone walked past me with the most tempting plate of bangers and mash you ever saw, and I knew the diet was doomed. Still I thought, Ill give the rack of ribs and the fillet steak a miss and just have a burger. When it arrived it was like a cows left buttock in a bloomer, complete with proper chips and a salad, it was a meal big enough to fill an elephant.

So, on to the game, I had drawn seat 8 table chen (all the tables have names) but I thought he said table ten, so I asked the dealer is this ten? Chen he said, ten? I said, Chen he answered. After about five minuets of this I just sat down.

There was not too much action for the first 30 minuets or so, 5000 starting chips and no one was in any hurry, then my first playable hand, AQos in the sb, there were two callers and I just made up the blinds, the bb checked. The flop came Q97 two diamonds, I raised for 500 and the bb re raised 1100 more, the others folded and I took a good hard look at my opponent. He was Jewish, I could tell that from his skullcap and the way he shrugged his shoulders, but thats all the information I got, I called. The turn card was the 10h, I didnt like it but I confidently raised 1000, he confidently went all in, I passed, goodbye half my stack. I took no further part in the game apart from paying the blinds until the first break. I cast a furtive eye toward tikays unusually large stack on my way upstairs; my 10 last longer bet wasnt looking too good either.

When I got back to the bar area I was shocked to find they had laid on a very nice buffet, I didnt want to hurt their feelings so I did my duty.

Back down stairs only to have the table broken, (I had just paid the blinds) and be sent back upstairs to join a table,( whos name escapes me) seat two. By this time the blinds were getting big and my stack was getting small so I was looking for a spot to make my move. It came quite soon, it was folded around to me and I went all in with AQo, 6 players left to act, now pay attention, I want opinions about this. Seats 3, 4 and 5 fold, seat 6 has a little dwell and calls, all in, he then holds his cards up in plain view of seat 7 who has still to act, I call for a ruling.

So, the card room manager comes over and we explain what happened, the ruling is, the hand is live, but must be exposed to everyone. Now I dont like this, seat 7 has free information, now that cant be helped, but seat 8 hasnt acted yet either, why should he get to see them? I cant benefit from this info, Im already all in, and when seat 7 folds there is no reason for seat 8 to see the cards. Anyway, after looking at the now face up hand KJo seat 8 also calls with A7, a J hits the turn and exposed card man trebles up

In the end, it actually worked in my favour I won a small side pot of 800, which I used to pay the bb, 500 and call a raise for my last 300 with 5 3, his pocket  made quads, exit RED-DOG

I had a great time, I loved the venue, Will Hill did a great job, they can add 5k to my prize pool whenever they like

But what do you think about the ruling?


June 10th 2005

[snoopy1239]

Getting In The Money


Hi kid, this is not to offer advice as such, Im not qualified, but to say welcome to the fourm and to offer an opinion

 I see it there are many ways to play this game, I know some excellent players who play very loose, and others who play very tight, you have to play the type of game suits you, but you can try to incorporate aspects from other peoples game and so improve your own

I've had the privlige of sharing a table with Mr Carlo Citrone on a couple of occasions just latley, Carlo has great presence at the table, he seems to hover over it like a hawk, seeing everything, waiting to pounce. He does this thing where he becomes motionless and goes into a long, long dwell as he replays the action in his mind, then when he acts I find it easy to believe that he knows everything and can see right through me

On the other hand, Kieth The Camel Hawkins sits there as if poker is the last thing on his mind, dosnt interupt his conversation as he raises/calls with rubbish. But watch out, Camels may look like beasts of burden but they can be very dangerous, and you try putting one on a hand

Good players seem to have a strong basic game of a type that suits them, and the ability to modify it to suit the situation, and that comes from experience as much as anything

I think learning about poker is learning about yourself, working on your strengths and weaknesses

One last thing, try to keep it in perspective, enjoy the game for what it is, good and bad, you will meet some of the nicest people in the world and certainly some of the most interesting, It isnt all about money and winning and losing

Good Luck, Tom.


May 29th 2005

[snoopy1239]

What's In A Name...?


I think it would be interesting if people told us why they chose their alias. Mine was born when no one played very much poker in this country, at least not that I knew of, It was all three card bragg, shoot, crib, pontoon, crash etc

we were playing these games in a dealers choice sort of fashion but people were coming up with werid and wonderfull games that no one, including themselves, knew the rules to

Not to be outdone when my turn came to choose I said, "Montana red dog" cos Id heard some cowboys in a film say it, of couse I didnt know how to play it, still dont, but, according to the rules I made up, my hand happend to be the best

I did have another alias, bestowed upon me by the regulars of Annabelles in coventry, T.A.P.S.
(thick as pig shit) but Im trying to live that one down


June 8th 2005

[snoopy1239]

The Blonde Forum And Spamming


The truth about SPAM

Some of us, myself included have been slicing the spam a bit too thick of late

We need to remember what spam is, a poor substitute for the real thing

Over doing it is like taking your brief case to the pub and trying to sell your mates insurance. Im not pointing the finger at anyone, Its just that tikays post made me realise that its easy to jump on to this particular band waggon, but its hard to jump off as it gathers momentum

We all have to earn a crust, but by the same token, we all need somewhere to come and relax

For those of you who are partial to the odd bit of spam, I hope you find the following interesting

By World War II, Hormel had sold twenty thousand tons of Spam. Then, during the wartime meat rationing, Spam got popular...
If all the cans of Spam ever eaten were put end-to-end, they would circle the globe at least ten times.
In the U.S. alone, 3.8 cans of Spam "are consumed every second"(assuming SPAM is eaten 24 hours a day, 365.25 days a year).
Senator Robert Byrd of West Viginia eats a sandwich of SPAM and mayonnaise on white bread three times a week.
Residents of Hawai'i eat an average of four cans of SPAM per person per year, more than in any other place on Earth (Elsewhere in the Universe, who knows?).
By 1959, a billion cans of SPAM had been sold. The two billion mark was hit in 1970, followed by three billion in 1980, four billion in 1986, and five billion in 1993. That's a lot of SPAM!
In Korea, SPAM is sold in stylish presentation gift boxes of nine cans each. SPAM stolen from army PXs can be found on the Korean black market. And there are Korean imitations called Lo-Spam, Dak, Plumrose, and Tulip, to ensure that no one need go without.
Nikita Krushchev once credited SPAM with the survival of the WWII Russian army. ''Without SPAM, we wouldn't have been able to feed our army,'' he said.
SPAM is sold in over 99% of U.S. grocery stores.
The SPAM luncheon meat trademark is registered in 93 countries.
Over 60 million people in the U.S. eat SPAM.
SPAM is made in two U.S. locations - Austin, Minnesota, and Fremont, Nebraska - and seven other countries: England, Australia, Denmark, Phillipines, Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea.
In 1989, the U.S. armed forces bought 3.3 million pounds of SPAM.
Over 141 million cans of SPAM are sold worldwide each year.


June 19th 2005