blonde Poker 2011 Advent Calendar

[ACE2M]

Nice to see you saving me up for big names nearer the actual day, i'll be fairly chuffed with xmas eve but thinking xmas day seems pretty nailed on tbh.

[Claw75]

Nice to see you saving me up for big names nearer the actual day, i'll be fairly chuffed with xmas eve but thinking xmas day seems pretty nailed on tbh.

you can share the january 32nd spot with me and delboy

[ACE2M]

Nice to see you saving me up for big names nearer the actual day, i'll be fairly chuffed with xmas eve but thinking xmas day seems pretty nailed on tbh.

you can share the january 32nd spot with me and delboy

it will be an honour.

[Delboy]

Nice to see you saving me up for big names nearer the actual day, i'll be fairly chuffed with xmas eve but thinking xmas day seems pretty nailed on tbh.

you can share the january 32nd spot with me and delboy

 

[Delboy]

Congrats Dan & Ray

Thoroughly deserved

[smashedagain]

 Not many know that much about him probably because that's how he wants it.
He let me down when I got into the double standards mods and the rest of the forum  have debate with tighty.
How the hell can gatso get away with saying that" I asked tighty.
[X] turns out global moderator was gatso's self appointment and is really one of us good guys

[gatso]

Not many know that much about him probably because that's how he wants it.
He let me down when I got into the double standards mods and the rest of the forum  have debate with tighty.
How the hell can gatso get away with saying that" I asked tighty.
[X] turns out global moderator was gatso's self appointment and is really one of us good guys

lolz herb, just reread the pm you sent me after you'd talked to tighty about my preferential treatment as a mod. you really were an internet noob a few months ago

thanks to all for the kind words, all are much appreciated, it's a proper honour this, I'm in esteemed company

I told claw I'd write a speech but I'm not going to because she wouldn't post the video of me she was supposed to so I'll just say thanks once again and leave it at that

who's next?

[Claw75]

Nice to see you saving me up for big names nearer the actual day, i'll be fairly chuffed with xmas eve but thinking xmas day seems pretty nailed on tbh.

you can share the january 32nd spot with me and delboy

 

aw sorry del - though it was your prediction   ace2m can take the 33rd then.

that counts as a speech to me gatso

[Graham C]

Nice inclusion of gatso, a great guy.  Quite clever too, I always enjoy reading what he's got to say.

[Joobie538]

Nice inclusion of gatso, a great guy.  Quite clever too, I always enjoy reading what he's got to say.

+1

he looks great in pigtails too..

Click to see full-size image.

[RED-DOG]

Amazing fact - gatters makes it into the advent calendar.

[TightEnd]

behind door number 18

[TightEnd]

is someone I have never met, but nonetheless has left a big impression on the forum this year by dint of his sheer expertise, in the Betting Tips and Sports Discussion board

Click to see full-size image.

Stuart "redarmi" Doyle

As recently as October he started the "Diary of a Professional Punter" on Betting Tips

see http://blondepoker.com/forum/index.php?topic=55312.0

The diary begins

"Been contemplating doing this for a while because I want to get into the process of recording my daily betting processes and the psychological side of the business.  I have been a professional gambler of sorts for much of the past ten years although I normally have other income that is derived from providing odds compilation or advice to either bookmakers or, more recently, punters and syndicates"

Over 750 posts later, and with approaching 17,000 views, it is required reading for many

Moreover redarmi has time for everyone, and palpable respect for many of his fellow posters.

An interesting post in the early stages of the diary gave a lot of details about redarmi

"My real life circumstances are pretty complicated.  I am married, no kids but my wife is in the States and I spend about 50-60% of my time there as my green card application can't be processed until the middle of next year.  The rest of the time I split between my parents in Cumbria and hotels/friends in London.  This is fairly recent and has only been the case for the last year or so really.  Before that I led a slightly less nomadic existence and lived in either Birmingham, London, Leeds, Antigua, Kuala Lumpur or Gibraltar for the previous 12 years affter leaving college.  Mainly working for bookies as a trading director or for betting syndicates with lengthy periods where I just bet on my own account.

 Your point about perception to risk on changing circumstances is an interesting and important one.  The first time I took the plunge and bet for a living was in 2001 when I was single.  Frankly, the thought terriffied me and I remember the very first day I started I woke up at 430am with my mind racing.  Over the next 7-8 months I worked fairly hard and did okay but I was fairly cavalier with regard to treating it as a job and I took long periods of time off and if one of my regular working friends had the day off and fancied going to the punb for the day i can't ever remember saying no.  Whilst i made enough to live and went racing at least four days a week I wasn't really taking it seriously.  Over the next couple of years I met my wife in Antigua and since then every time I have relied on betting for my living I have taken it a lot more seriously but it wasn't until I reached my thirties that I really spent time working on my staking and approach to risk to the point where I am as disciplined as i am now.  Milligan mentioned earlier in the thread that there won't be as many tales of degeneracy in this thread and he is right but, like everyone, I have been through that to a degree and was certainly guilty of having bets for an interest but since I met Lisa I have realised that it doesn't just affect me anymore and I need to be a bit more responsible and treat it like a business.  I am 36 now and, since we have decided to move to the States (mainly for family reasons), I have realised that gambling and bookmaking is pretty much all I can do to any real level and starting again in another business isn't really an option unless I really want to start at the bottom of the tree earning £20k a year so i have a duty to myself and my family to do this right.  To be honest it is a pretty sobering reality.  A bit like some of the young poker players on here I pretty much coasted through my twenties and was making money and doing alright but when you get to your mid thirties and realise that all of a suddden you are too old to get a 'proper' job even if you wanted to and the only real salaried profession you have ever known (bookmaking) is largely illegal and the domain of organised crime in the country you are intending to move to it is a bit of a wake up call!!!!"

If you haven't read the diary, take a look. It is far more than betting tips. One thing is assured, redarmi will give you a warm welcome

[Geo the Sarge]

I am an avid reader of all the diaries although only feel qualified to comment in a couple.

Redarmi has produced some of the finest reads this year as well as contributing to many other threads.

Well deserved.

Geo

[Claw75]

I rarely venture on the sports/betting board so haven't seen Redarmi's diary - he has made some very good posts elsewhere though and seems to be a sound guy - sent me a v supportive pm after I decided to do Berlin, even though I don't know him, which was cool .  wd stuart