ukipt newcastle - Sold out

[Geo the Sarge]

Regged for the tourney then headed back to the station and met up with Monda and Dan. I always enjoy metting up with blondes, all the more so when it's someone I haven't met before. Had been impressed with Dans posting on the forum and had an idea of the sort of lad I'd be meeting and was not disappointed.

Headed for breakfast and had a chuckle when Dan and I order standard breakfast and Monda orders the "extra breakfast" then proceeds to tell the lass "but no egg, beans, etc etc" that's what you get with Raymondo tho and why he's top of my list of blondes.

Breakfast and chat done we head to the tourney.

My table for day 1 included Vicky Coren and Nick Weathall (sp?) at the other end of the table, with plenty of chat between them, I was dissappointed to be at the quiet end of the table as I like to treat my time at the table as a bit of a social event and love a bit of chatter. I was stuck between a young Brazilian currently in Oxford studying maths and English and another young lad from the Ukraine who spent most of the time chatting about their supernova status on stars.............sigh.

Between Nick and Vicky was a gentleman I believed to be Russian, a few giggles and raised eyebrows as he called pre on a couple of hands then mucked when being first to act. also at 50/100 throwing in a 500 chip without saying a word and having to be told that it constitutes only a call. He then raises unopened at same level to £1k then shows KK with a sigh when everyone quickly folds. Irony being that Nick assists by giving the guy some pointers and is usually the case by the end of the day Nick has departed and the Russian guy is one of the big stacks at the table.

No great hands of note during the day picked up KK first hand after sitting down but picked up little from it. The proceeded to pick up a multitude of small to medium pairs throughout the day, rarely provided with a kind flop/board.

One hand I played against Vicky was noted on the stars blog

Vicky Coren and Matt Perrins are at tables next to each other and both played out hands at the same time.

Coren opened to 425 whilst saying she felt she had some new found luck, only to be called by George Dixon in the small blind. The 4♥K♣7♦ flop came out and Dixon check-called the Team PokerStars Pro's 600 c-bet.

Both players checked the T♠ turn before Coren folded when faced with an 800 bet on the Q♣ river.

I had AK here.

To be continued......................................Need to go pick up grandaughter from school


Geo

[Geo the Sarge]

For the remainder of the day I drew very few cards or found few spots to try to exploit. At 200/400 With QQ black I had re-raised the young Ukranian's opener of 1100 to 3500 only for him to flat call and we seen a flop of A 10 K all diamonds.

I bet out with 5700 but had to fold quickly when he repopped another 10k.

Meanwhile Vicky had been questioning Nick about Amsterdam, a windmill and a mouse, it was if they were trying to connect all three so I gave a short rendition of "A mouse lived in a windmill in old Amsterdam" and it seemed to provide her with the answer she was looking for. "Benefits of being a grandfather" says Geo. "really? you don't look old enough to be a grandfather" was her reply..........gotta love the lady. I have always liked Vicky's tv stuff and this only enamoured me more to her.

The day finished with me on 16k, below average going into day 2 and looking for a favourable table draw.

I popped into the Italian restaraunt next to the casino and sat down to a large Calzone pizza and some creamy garlic mushrooms and a pot of tea. I had a think back through the day and was quite pleased that I couldn't think of any stage where I had got myself into a tricky situation albeit I had only improved by 1k in chips.

Team Eureka and friends soon entered the restaraunt and Monda invited me to join them but as I was almost finished my meal felt it would be a bit of an intrusion. I did join them for a cuppa at the end of their meal though. Good to touch base with Alex and have the chance to thank him for bringing a bit freshness to the forum with his diary. Also introduced to James Keys what a lovely chap to be talking to and it was interesting sitting betwixt he and Monds as I love listening to people who are knowledgeable in what they do and if I can offer any input I feel merits it I do although that doesn't happen often.

Back to the hotel through waves of scantily clad lassies and drunken louts, memories of what was so many years ago now.

Geo

[Geo the Sarge]

I don't know why, however I can be tucked up in a bivvi bag on top of the moors and sleep like a baby but give me a hotel bed and I never seem to get a decent nights kip. Friday night was no different. Woke around 5 and with only 4 tv channels available decided to pop out for a jog round the city. I'm not normally a jogger, gave up all the running when I left the Army but knew if I gave myself a quick 1 hr beasting I'd prob catch another hour or so kip after a shower on return which was the case.

Back showered and a brew and true to form nodded off watching the news. Up and out of the hotel for 9 I headed to the large library to seek some internet time. The young guy at reception logged me on - "on you go sir, you've got 2 hours free" weeee, during the coast to coast blog it had cost me a small fortune when I stopped at some of the libraries then.

Bad news was that the filters recognised the site as associated to gambling and would not let me browse.............damn.

It gave me a bit more time to walk around the city and I found it very pleasant, larger than I initially thought and with some very nice buildings/statues/monuments. I found it surprisingly clean after the carnage I had walked through the night before on returning to the hotel.

As I made my way to get breakfast before going back to the casino I spotted this parked up on the pavement. I had to take pics so Tom could give me some idea as to it's authenticity, the last one I found for him was a reproduction of some sort. So I took some pics of the undercarriage as well

Click to see full-size image.

Click to see full-size image.

Click to see full-size image.

[Geo the Sarge]

As I went to the front of the waggon, it was opened with a lady sitting there, all dressed in what I can only assume traditional clothing offering palm and fortune readings. I thought it only polite to request that I take a picture with her sitting there and with a wonderful Welsh accent she obliged.

We got talking and she asked me from which part of Scotland I was from and did I do a lot of walking. "yes, I try to walk most weekends says I" her reply stunned me a bit "you write about your walking as well.........do you"

Now correct me if I'm wrong but the few Welsh I know that I've heard using "do you" after that pause is usually confirming that that's what they think as opossed to asking the question. " blogged a walk I completed last year" I replied and proceeded to tell her about the C2C.

I'm neither really a great believer, neither would I knock those who do in fortune telling and whilst we chin wagged for a while she would offer a reading or a wish on her crystal which I politely declined, however I gave her a payment for her time. I bade her farewell and she bid me good luck saying I had a lucky face. The poker hadn't been mentioned but that line left me happy that my day wouldn't all be bad.

Click to see full-size image.

[Geo the Sarge]

Back to the poker and day 2. Once in the casino I go look at the seat draw and am pleasantly surprised that there are only 2 40k stacks with the rest of us bar 2 shortstacks around the 15-25k area.

We start at 400/800 and a couple of orbits pass with no cards of note and then I get AJhh in bb. Graeme Morl, who I've known for a while through the forums and sharing a couple of live tables in the past as well as many online games together had raised to 1100 ish and I re-raise another 3.5k happy to take the pot but also knowing with only 10k or so behind I'm not folding.

Graeme shoves after some thought and I feel duty bound to call. Graeme flips 99 and the first card out is the J to double us up

I then pick up a few good hands during the next few orbits but get little action when raising or reraising but chipping away and alls good.

A large guy then moves to our table with quite a lot of chips, probaly 200k + and 2 hands later I pick up queens utg. At 500/100 +ante) I raise to to 3k and he flats from the button. We see a flop of 927 rainbow and I lead out with 5.5k and he jams!!

I went over the hand, I  raise, he flats pre -  927 rainbow. If he flats with small middle pair and has hit a set, would he really jam here, importantly if I call it's for my tourney. I repeated my thoughts, this time audibly and when I got to the "would you really jam here with a set?" his face showed some deflation............................I called, he flipped 66 and we held to put us up to 87K.

That was as good as it got for me unfortunatley. QQ again at 1k/2k and I raised from the button and BB flats. Board of A 10 A and I bet out - called turn another 10 and I bet out again only to be shoved on and obv give it up.

Similar story with 10-10, this time an A J A board -  I cbet and get jammed on and shown the A when I give it up.

SB V BB I raise with 10 J ss and he flats. Flop of A 10 A (again) and I lead flop and turn - called 9 7 to the river and no flush and I bet out again only to be reraised all in which I eventually let go - he later tells me he had QQ when I was leaving the table.

This left me with 19k which I nursed for another level before blinding to 13k and shoving A8cc from mp and BB making the call with A10 and holding and I finish around 120 from 623

An enjoyable 2 days and another well run tourney by stars, always good to meet up with a few old and new faces. Would have liked to have made some monies but hopefully didn't disappoint too much

Thanks again

Geo

[celtic]

haha, great write up Geo.

[leethefish]

Nice write up Geo

Unlucky in the tourney !

[DMorgan]

Nice meeting you this weekend Geo, great trip report too. One day i'll actually see some of these places I travel to I'm sure!

[tikay]

Geo,

Thanks for a really interesting, & original, TR.

[nirvana]

Looks like an enjoyable trip Geo

Good run in the tourney too

Thanks for posting up the report

[mondatoo]

Get back to that diary you once had plz.

Good to catch up.

[AlexMartin]

love the fact you go for a run when ur tired.....

[Geo the Sarge]

love the fact you go for a run when ur tired.....

yeah, don't get enough sleep, hence I'll never look as good as you mate 

Hope your well

Geo

[scotty2hatty]

Got into Newcastle about 8:45 and had arranged to meet Monda for breakfast at 10 along with Dan Morgan. As I usually do I went straight to the hotel to see if I could get booked in prior to the  12 reg time.

Got lucky as the room allocated had not been used the previous night and in little more that 5 mins was booked and heading to my room. This gave me time for a wee wander round and then head to reg at the casino before meeting up for breakfast.

Only been to Newcastle twice before, once as a young soldier in the 90' where I seen nowt but the inside of various drinking establishments and once for APAT where I spent all my time in the casino. Whenever I visit another city I usually make time to wander and look around.

During my wanders from casino to hotel in my previous trip I had passed a circular brass plaque marked "so and so passed this spot xx times during the month of July 1968. On 28 July 1968, he looked up" Not totally accurate wording from me but hopefully you get the jist. I couldn't work out what he was looking up at or why, I looked up at that spot, viewed 360 degrees and didn't really see anything of interest.........................I was bemused.

As I wandered further around the city this time I came across a few more of these plaques and the penny dropped.

Click to see full-size image.

Please explain, I'm lost

[Geo the Sarge]

Got into Newcastle about 8:45 and had arranged to meet Monda for breakfast at 10 along with Dan Morgan. As I usually do I went straight to the hotel to see if I could get booked in prior to the  12 reg time.

Got lucky as the room allocated had not been used the previous night and in little more that 5 mins was booked and heading to my room. This gave me time for a wee wander round and then head to reg at the casino before meeting up for breakfast.

Only been to Newcastle twice before, once as a young soldier in the 90' where I seen nowt but the inside of various drinking establishments and once for APAT where I spent all my time in the casino. Whenever I visit another city I usually make time to wander and look around.

During my wanders from casino to hotel in my previous trip I had passed a circular brass plaque marked "so and so passed this spot xx times during the month of July 1968. On 28 July 1968, he looked up" Not totally accurate wording from me but hopefully you get the jist. I couldn't work out what he was looking up at or why, I looked up at that spot, viewed 360 degrees and didn't really see anything of interest.........................I was bemused.

As I wandered further around the city this time I came across a few more of these plaques and the penny dropped.

Click to see full-size image.

Please explain, I'm lost

Lol Scotty, I was too until the penny dropped.

They mean nothing really, these people maybe never even existed, I think they are just there to bewilder and then make you chuckle when you realise that they are in fact meaningless, set to make you chuckle.

Have searched for more info, but can't find an explanation for them being there.

Other plaques are:

“Anne Huxtable. Waited for a friend who did not arrive. 8th December 1952″

“Nathan Walker walked past here 47 times during 1968, on 21st May 1968 he looked up”

“David Williams. Watched the rain from here. September 1979.”



Get it?

Geo