2005 How was it for you?

[hotdog]

i started playin 14months ago
i made bout 8k profit an hav played some big festival tournies including grand prix
many thanks to the monthly 300 f out at wasall it has made me 13 k  i have had 3 cashes out of 5 atempts not bad realy
aim 4 year 2 is to earn more than my salary and get a seat in wpt or world series
i still cant do ne gd in these small rebuys though lol

[foxy_minx26]

My 2005 


Well started off splitting with my long term boyfriend after 4years and for the first time in my life had to live on my own and become independant!!! Boy that made me grow up alot. Before then i had never used a washing machine, iron, dish washer or even learnt to cook ( thank god for microwaves !!).  Then I ended up being involved in a car crash which wasnt my fault having to wait still to this day for an opperation ( nothing too major though ). Also my dad became ill and every day i have my fingers and toes crossed for him he is a tough nut (like me ) and slowly he is plodding through. But now things are starting to look up as i have now decided to leave over 5 and a half years in the casino business behind and change careers. I have acctually learnt alot during the past year and i am really looking forward to the new year ahead although the past year wasnt the best year of my life!. Fingers crossed for the new year not just for myself but for everyone else. I wish you all a good Christmas and New year hope to meet up with many of you round and about.
Take care r x x x

[thetank]

My poker highs for 2005

-Making 5 final tables on the UK circuit from 22 events. 3 of them were in tournaments with over 100 runners so I was chuffed. Nothing higher than 7th though so I've made a loss thus far in ranking events. The experience was something else though, I'll try to play about 4 festivals next year.

-Winning a £500 6 man-freezeout, convincing me that when I get the cards, I can convert them into big wins.

-Having a good run in July on the Party Poker leaderboard. The week that I won it I broke the record for the number of points in one week. (It was broken again by someone else the following week ) The weekly leader gets to play a heads up match for $1k against the winner of the previous weeks match. I had a 5 week run at this taking $4k. The challenger gets to pick the game and matey-boy ended my reign when he picked pot-limit Omaha hi-lo.

Lows

-A bad night in September when I lost £3k online playing video poker (I know, I'm an idiot.) Have not played any other online games but poker since and do not intend to. I beat myself up a fair bit over this night of weakness. I'm not suppose to be a gambler, I'm a poker player. It is my sincere hope that this was £3k well spent as it'll hopefully deter me from playing casino games, for any other reason than to pass the time playing tiny stakes, for the rest of my life. I saw something in myself that frightened me that night, I don't want to see it again.

It was comletely out of character, when playing poker if I'm down for the day I don't bother chasing my money. Tomorrow is another day. That night playing the silly video poker though I just kept on depositing and depositing, chasing and chasing. Trying to break even, probably so as to deny to myself that I ever played the -EV game in the first place. I'm just glad I was able to stop at £3k, I could have easily upped the stakes and emptied my entire bank account into that black hole. I understand a lot more about the gamblers psyche now, I've been there, I know what it feels like.

[wsopin07]

It has truly been a year I will never, never, ever forget!

1) Hangin w/ DC and sending him lots of emails in early 2005
2) Making my 1st live final table w/ any real $$$ involved and bad beating DC twice to take 2nd!
3) WSOP / what can I say
4) Meeting Tikay, Jen, and all the blondites
5) My trips all over the world to play "POKER", what could be better!

I had some real downs also in 2005 but I have to say it was a great year!

##### The best of 2005 is the starting of Blonde and where I think it will go, I am glad I was there at the start###################
Congrats to all that is Blonde, the creators, the members, even the critics, 2006 will be a great year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My predictions for 2006

1) The Rookie wins another bracelet at the 2006 WSOP
2) DC cashes for 2.6 Million or more
3) Tikay gets his eyes fixed
4) Djinn wins 2006 European player of the year
5) All that is Blonde has a great and healthy year, I wish the best to everyone!     

The Rookie

[doubleup]

Highs

Loads of online cashouts - 5 $10k plus cashes
Playing in WSOP main event
2nd place in Stars WCOOP event and $43k
played two EPT events one money finish

Lows
Some bad losses online cash - high limit PLO and NLHE players are good (well too good for me).
Didn't play as many live tournies as I would have liked

[AdamM]

Lows
1) losing my second job through redundancy in six months in february, two months before second baby due.
2) having to wipe out my entire bankroll for the second time due to above.
3) running bad most of the middle of the year. outdraw after outdraw breaking my heart
4) being skint most of the year

Highs
1) After a bad run coinciding with the bankroll wipe out the 4th quater has shown a significant inprovement in finals and cashes.
my game is coming together and I've managed to win christmas for the family
2) getting the T-shirt business up and running. It's not making me a profit yet but it's growing steadily
3) baby Joe arriving in April.
4) Blonde poker

[Suited_Jock]

Highs:

For the first time in my adult life seeing the black in my bank accounts rather than the red.

Having 4 big cashes over £1k , (£1050, £2700, £1000, £1200)

Taking 4th in the Pokerstars Bloggers tournie out of 1473 runners

Winning my trip to Atlantis for the WPT Jan 2006 $12k !!!

Paying for 3 holidays with poker profits inc Vegas

getting engaged

Lows:
Having a piss poor performance in my first decent sized event the Mayrbury festival £1k NL in June. Overvalued top pair twice and was bounced within an hour!!! thats 8000 chips GRR.

Constantly having to defend Poker against Friends, Family and strangers alike... It just bores me

[sharpy]

  Suited Jock...I also have a problem trying to explain to friends and family about poker even though I play only for fun(when I start talking about the basic mechanics of the game they lose interest)

  Anyway 2005.....

  Well what a year poker wise....

  I have learn't a lot about the game over the past 12 months and I have ended the year about £200 up.The money aside, I have learn't that sit n go's  are my bread and butter and that mtt's are a luxury.Saying that I love playing mtt's and will endevour to improve in this discipline of the game.

 Highlights....

 Ending the year at a plus money wise even though this is just a hobbie..
 Knowing that sit n go's are my strongest discipline of the game.
 Discovereing Blondepoker...what a great site!!!!

 Lows.....

 Building my bankroll from $40 to $500 over a period of 2 months then blowing it inside 2 weeks...That was a LESSON WELL LEARN'T,(do not play at a level your bankroll can not handle).
 Playing cash/real money tables...see above!!!!

 Aims....

 Over the next 12 months I hope to improve on the mtt discipline of the game.Also to be able to stay away from real money tables...
 I would also like to be able to qualify for a festival/E.P.T event at some point because I believe I am developing my game sufficiently to be able to do this.....
 Anyway the best of luck to all Blondes for the next 12 months...

 cheers  Mike

[snoopy1239]

Highs:

Finding Blondepoker
Being asked to moderate Blonde
Making a heap of new chums on the forum
Contributing to the live updates
Winning 4k at Walsall
Playing my first ranking event and cashing in my first three attempts
Finally reaching profit in online multis
Earning a steady income from online ring games
Being able to give up my job to take up poker full-time
Going from broke at xmas to having a nice bankroll

Lows:
Not going to Vegas
Watching Aston Villa cement their midtable mediocracy

[SKIPPYSKIP]

Up and down fo me!

Spilt with ex in Jan after 6 years bu as the year went on it got better and better, started poker 2 months ago which im really enjoying roll on 2006 cant wait!

[Cupcake]

Wow, My year

 I started playing poker on William hills on Nov 28 04 and pretty much started winning tourney's from the off (cant play cash, so i never do!), entered $11 sat to wsop, won that and another one with about 550 entry's . So now im off to Las vegas all expenses paid, also won about £1000 spending money online just before and Im thinking WOW what a piss easy game ater 4 month's and ive won a free holiday for my young family.
Im not going to bore you silly with all the poker ,However 78 hours of poker in 6 straight day's later ive come 18th in the main event of the World series of poker winning $350,000 that's £195,000 tax free.!!!!!!!!!

How can it get better than that!, but it does because i've met some truely wonderful people on the way, starting with Phil Quale  who was with me all the way, James Lowe, Dan taylor, Paul Tilling, Sheila the funniest woman i've met,Andy & billy (who i still owe a drink ,thanks chaps) and loads more who all work for William hill.
Since July 2005 down to poker my life has completly changed for the better, We have a huge deposit for a house ,new car,new Honda motorbike,laptop,computer and all kinds of crap.
I was also invited to the William Hill Grand prix in Cardiff and had a great time, Ive played in the carribean classic in St Kitts( all most generously paid for by William Hill )where i played the funniest game of golf in my life myself ,Mark Goodwin against Dave colclough(truely nice funny guy's & dave you owe me dinner) and my good friend Brian Wilson. if you think Brian's making up all his play's in his post's  i  can ensure you there all true....i've even called one of his mad raise's with 94 s and i had the best hand !!!, needless to say i lost that pot to his straight.
In St kitts i also spent alot more time with Phil,Julian,steve V,Badgirl,james,Dan where much merryiment was to be had in between that silly card game.

Well i cant go on for much longer the sense of bragging is embarrassing me, and for those who have met me know i dont even talk about poker never mind give it the bigun... Oh i nearly forgot to mention the really creepy guy i met in vegas....oh what was his name again.........you know the one , wears bright coloured jackets, weird colour hair,sleeps with young thai men any chance he get's...........TONY KENDALL (TK) that's his name ......nice bloke !!!.


Well i've had a brilliant year all for $11........and for 2006 im in the WSOP again thanks to William hill.

John Mcgrane (johnny046)......or just Cupcake.

Happy new year all blondites.

[MrMoves]

Great post Cupcake.

Inspirational stuff.

[wsopin07]

I am telling you guys, cupcake is a great guy, very funny also, congrats on a great year Johnnyboy!!!!

[Newmanseye]

for me

( 1 ) got married
( 2 ) went to vegas ( for above and the world series )
( 3 ) Headhunted for a great new job that paid fortunes
( 4 ) Left said job as the MD was a wanker ( 3 weeks later )
( 5 ) Earned my crust from playing poker at the Cincinatti room since November
( 6 ) Had a great chistmas due to number 5
( 7 ) Chuffed with my year and progress playing poker considering I only started playing in May.

[wsopin07]

for me

( 1 ) got married
( 2 ) went to vegas ( for above and the world series )
( 3 ) Headhunted for a great new job that paid fortunes
( 4 ) Left said job as the MD was a wanker ( 3 weeks later )
( 5 ) Earned my crust from playing poker at the Cincinatti room since November
( 6 ) Had a great chistmas due to number 5
( 7 ) Chuffed with my year and progress playing poker considering I only started playing in May.

sounds like a great year!