Stayed home all day to rail Simon almost all the way to glory. Two 20k+ scores in 2months is some feat. Pity he couldn't hold in those big pots where he was ahead, as it would've been the difference between 3rd and 2nd/1st which is a huge amount of money. But he knows he ran like god to win all the flips/ 70/30s he did on day two, so he's certainly happy with the score. Well played.
Feel a bit bad hearing that the cabbie who won was upset by some of the comments on the blog. It's sad to think what must've been an amazing day/weekend has been soured in anyway. I don't think I wrote anything personally, but I certainly agreed or at least felt inside the same as the people who were criticizing his play. I really didn't want either of the final 2 to win to be frank. Whenever I rail these tournaments I firstly want my friends to win, then failing that, the best players left in. There's enough injustice in this game as it is, it's always great to see skill prevail on an important stage. Just like with any sport or game, the best team / player deserves to win. It's surely normal to be frustrated seeing bad players being rewarded, especially when it's a close friend paying the price. Of course it's nothing personal against Alan, who sounds like a decent guy and it's a marvellous story. Anyway, I played online allday bumhunting, 1table usually, made about $200 then once Deadman had busted Andy and I snapdrove to DTD and played cash. I finally got there with a big draw in a huge pot. Don't get many £400 pots on the DTD 0.50/1 but I managed to get there to scoop this one. Felt very very good
Was losing before that but ended up up £180. So a great start to the month, carry on please!
Hi Alex,
I just HAVE to get this off my chest, I'm sorry. You gotta protect me from the inbound avalanche of flaming though, OK?
I read that Update, in fact I was present, Tableside for most of it, as you know. And I was absolutely squirming with embarrassment. What the hell right have people got to serial-diss the guy Alan?
Let's firstly agree a few things.
1) I was originaly rooting for "my" (Sky Poker's) man, Ryan, aka Scotty. But I had already said to both Simon & Nick, "guys, if Ryan does not tid, I hope you two chop it up". I like them both immensely, for all the obvious reasons. We all do.
2) So we LIKE Simon & Nick, but what right does that give us to diss Alan? How does that work? Is there not some middle ground where we can show him a little, umm, respect?
3) Simon was quite probably the best player at the Table, or nearly so, yes? Nick very close to him, maybe slightly better, slightly worse, whatever, yeah? All agreed, yes?
4) Simon was
crushing the Table. (Like that, "crushing"?). 6 or 7 handed, he had nearly a million chips, yes?
5) Simon failed to close the deal. Why? Was he desperately unlucky? Nope. Did he play bad? Nope. Was Alan a "better player"? Nope.
Poker does not work like that, it just does NOT. All the high-faluting hooting Level 5 fancy-nancy poker theories in the world will NOT help anyone beat a player like Alan. It just won't!
Yes, we love Simon, love him to bits. Yes, he's a better player technically, if you like, if that sort of label is important. (It's not). Yes, he had a big chip lead. No, he made no mistakes, & no, he did not get serial unlucky.
And that's the thing, poker is so much about luck, & on their day, almost anyone can win. They can.
And yet.......time after time after time we see "bad players" being dissed, being described by almost everyone as "fish". And yet, even with the wind behind him, our Hero did nothing wrong, & yet could not seal the deal.
You ever considered why that is? Here's my take on that. We call them clowns & fish & idiots for one reason, & one reason alone. Because we can't beat them. If we could, we would not diss them all day & night.
I think where I'm driving is the modern trait whereby we show absolutely no respect to our opponents.
I loathe that lack of respect with every ounce of my body.
I truly think a little more respect might help us all. And failing to respect our opponents is always going to jump up & bite us in the todger. It just is, that's how life works.
I thought the latter part of that Update was just horrible, & I hated myself for being part of a Site that allowed such rudeness, & lack of respect to a regular guy enjoying the biggest poker day of his life.
But afterwards, when the thread suddenly realised what had been said, it got really beautiful, as player after player recognized how wrong it was to be so down on the guy Alan. And then, as he always does, Stu Rutter absolutely nailed it, & got bunches of deserved +1's.
And so.....
I read all the Diaries, by young & old, I enjoy them all in different ways, but & I just cringe at the total lack of respect we pay to our opponents in poker. They are NOT all "fish", "clowns", or idiots", if they were, we'd all be millionaires, & we are not.
I read on blonde the other week that "
all the regulars at 50NL on 'Stars are tez". Oh really? Or "
so & so site is a confirmed super soft site" It is? Cough. Who confirmed that? I think not, or everyone would play there, & be shovelling cash into their bank accounts.
You'd be surprised how far a little humility goes.
None of this is particularly aimed at you, by the bye.
OK, I'd better disappear now, before the baying mob get on my case. Toodle pip.
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