blonde Poker 2011 Advent Calendar

[brummieboy]

I've made a handful of new, but very good friends as I've spent time playing poker this year - and Paul is at the top of that list. I'd never met him before we roomed, but made a lifelong friend who has been incredibly supportive to me this year on so many levels.....the most important being the extra 5% swap at breakfast on our own "black Wednesday" before his bink when morale was at an all time low. I remember when I busted, he had like 2000 chips and I proceeded to bust the Venetian as well.  All time low, numerous texts swapped - I won the Caesars comp for $7k, got back to the room, he had a stack to and the rest is history.

Funniest Brummie moment, well he wasn't there. Some of you remember he had a aggro hand where he made Melanie Weisner pass a massive hand, I'm shit at remembering hand details, but she was livid (in a nice way) after the hand when he told her after her exit in 12th ish.  Anyway, I bumped into her at the EPT having a ciggie with another online grinder and we discussed the hand, and the fact it was "Brummieboy" of online fame.  At this point she said words to the effect "Jeez, it was Brummieboy? I thought he was just some random, middle aged, overweight Brit football fan who couldn't make that  move"

Nice one mate.

Vegas was so much better this year due to sharing with yourself and I would have really struggled lasting the six weeks in hotel rooms on my own.
Ditto about making a great friend, you'll have to look after me better when out drinking though..   

[SuuPRlim]

Yep, he is partly responsible for one of the greatest nights of my life, and for that, I will be forever grateful. A great guy IMO.

Well done Paul!

was a lengendary night

Yes and this

was absolutely insane lol

[Sheriff Fatman]

Loving the BrummieBoy pick as I can claim 1% of it!

Congrats Paul!

[titaniumbean]

I've made a handful of new, but very good friends as I've spent time playing poker this year - and Paul is at the top of that list. I'd never met him before we roomed, but made a lifelong friend who has been incredibly supportive to me this year on so many levels.....the most important being the extra 5% swap at breakfast on our own "black Wednesday" before his bink when morale was at an all time low. I remember when I busted, he had like 2000 chips and I proceeded to bust the Venetian as well.  All time low, numerous texts swapped - I won the Caesars comp for $7k, got back to the room, he had a stack to and the rest is history.

Funniest Brummie moment, well he wasn't there. Some of you remember he had a aggro hand where he made Melanie Weisner pass a massive hand, I'm shit at remembering hand details, but she was livid (in a nice way) after the hand when he told her after her exit in 12th ish.  Anyway, I bumped into her at the EPT having a ciggie with another online grinder and we discussed the hand, and the fact it was "Brummieboy" of online fame.  At this point she said words to the effect "Jeez, it was Brummieboy? I thought he was just some random, middle aged, overweight Brit football fan who couldn't make that  move"

Nice one mate.

Vegas was so much better this year due to sharing with yourself and I would have really struggled lasting the six weeks in hotel rooms on my own.
Ditto about making a great friend, you'll have to look after me better when out drinking though..   

That needs to be retracted imo.

We dun good imo.


AndrewT wins as usual.

[Geo the Sarge]

A real top bloke and deserving of a spot on the calendar.

Congrats Paul

Geo

[amcgrath1uk]

A real top bloke and deserving of a spot on the calendar.

Congrats Paul

Geo

Totally agreed.

Many congrats Paul

[tikay]

Really pleased for Paul, & this will have cheered him up no end. He's had a bit of a rough ride since Vegas, & is trying for that elusive bink to get himself back on his feet.

He's come really close to it a few times in the last month, & if the Gods of poker are a little kinder, he'll soon bink a biggie. He's in that huge 'Stars Tourney, be nice if it were that one!

My Vegas memory of him - & you understand I don't do the alcohol thing - was him chasing all over Vegas the very next day, to find me, & pay me my %. Camel also asked him if he could pay his % to me at the same time. So, at about 11am the very next morning, head splitting from both alcohol, & a bunch of stitches, he searched me out @ Caesars & paid the lot. I then had to sit on Camel's share - $6,000 - for a few weeks, befiore Camel arrived. It's so good to see such levels of trust. Subsequently, I've taken some of his Online action on a few occasions, & the money gets shipped the the very next morning. "Like".

Tighty really is excelling with this list, he's not put a foot wrong yet, wp him.

I'm sort of itching to ask him who the others will be, but determined not to. I have some "preferences" as to who I hope he includes, obvioisly. Memory issues apart, if 100 names were placed in front of he & I, I bet we'd both choose the same 20.

[smashedagain]

Awaiting the foot wrong choice

[mouth]

Awaiting the foot wrong choice

Chill. You're number 17.

[TightEnd]

behind door number 8?

[TightEnd]

8

is George Dickson

Geo the Sarge yesterday was thanked on a popular diary thread  "the omnipotent Geo, for his always fascinating and varied input"

Actually, he's Omniscient rather than Omnipotent, I think, but the sentiment is valid. After all someone has to allow our foremost diary writers to witter about ephemeral matters and feel that someone is listening......

However, he's not number 8 for being able to discuss hessian and cement, rather the impact this thread

http://blondepoker.com/forum/index.php?topic=54730.0

had on the forum in 2011, when Geo and Jack went Coast to Coast in September.

I am not sure it was the first time that I met Geo, but I first got an inkling that Geo was an unusual poster after the blonde bash held in Cardiff a few years ago. Everyone had gone home, I thought, as I sat in the lounge watching the NFL. Until Geo plonked himself down next to me.

He told me that he had spent the weekend, when not at the bash, in a bivouac in the shrubbery outside to save expenses and had one more night outside before he got an early morning coach back up to Scotland.

Such was the steely determination in his eyes that I think I batted off this news - of someone going to a social weekend and by choice sleeping outside under a bush - as completely normal.

As the years have passed on the forum we've got to know more of Geo, and a picture of a remarkable man has emerged. Only recently on one of the specialist minority-cement-bridge diaries he offered the following information alongside of pictures of himself in full regalia

"For the record, left to right General Service Medal (GSM - Northern Ireland) - 1st Gulf War - Accumulated Service Medal (accumulating more than 36 months on "operational" duty) whilst I completed 23 years service you will have no doubt noticed the absence of the Long Service and Good Conduct medal (LSGC)"

So back to the Coast to Coast.

Click to see full-size image.

Through the thread linked above we vicariously shared the misfortunes that befell Jack and Geo along the way.

tikay described the thread as follows

"This is just THE best read ever on blonde, thanks guys, it is SO inspiring, you two guys battling adversity, blisters, Banjul belly, weather, wet clothes, fatigue, everything, & never once moaning or groaning, never been so inspired by anything"

He's right too. Along with one other thread, it typifies more than any other how blonde as a forum can be so much more than poker, where two men meet as part of a community and end up giving us a tale like this....

Sadly Jack had to pull out along the trip

"Failure wasn't something that I'd even given a thought to, barring a fairly bad injury. I'd looked on it as an enjoyable, if arduous holiday. The weather has changed all that and turned it into something akin to an iron-man challenge."



However Geo continued solo, and eventually made it across to the other coast 17 days later. He then posted up a series of brilliant pictures. The thread is well worth another look.





  

[taximan007]

Cracking choice, Geo = Top man

[millidonk]

Great write up, great guy.

[KarmaDope]

Cracking choice, Geo = Top man

[Laxie]

Another excellent choice.  You're going great with this Tighty!