A Series of Fortunate Events.

[GlennDuskTillDawn]

ME:

I am 23, currently living from home in a small town in Lincolnshire about 15 miles north of Peterborough.

I am a recent graduate with a 2nd class honours degree in journalism.

I am an avid Peterborough United fan and will be found in the same town/city as the team most Saturday’s and Tuesday nights. It’s a horrible addiction, but I love the thrill, please don’t stop reading.

I’ve broken down the blog into aspects that I feel are important for my ‘poker life.’ I really believe poker is one of the most social games around, from local pubs to the World Series scene you see groups of friends that the game has brought together. Admittedly I believe that all poker players and all professionals in any line of work need a life away from ‘the office’ but there is a fine line which should be crossed occasionally to get full enjoyment out of what you do.

POKER:   

My poker story started at about the age of 15/16. At the time I was good friends with Stato_1’s brother and we began playing £5/£10 SNG’s every month or so at each others houses with a few school friends.

I remember the first one of these I played, I’d like to say it was a day during the school holidays, but it might not have been…

I had a brief understanding of the game from online play money games, and woke up with AA in the big blind against a good friend. I flatted his min raise. A 9 x flop. My friend has A 9 and it all went in. Another 9 on the turn and the river bricked. From that hand I went on to crush the game and win something like £40. I felt on top of the world. I cycled home (45 minute bike ride.) and began to review the game in my head trying to establish how I’d won, naively trying to apply strategy with no knowledge. Like trying to write a novel, without having ever read one.

This £5/£10 game continued for a year or so where I’d say on average I cashed 75% of the time, it got to the stage where there were group celebrations if I bust before the money. Of course, it was all luck.

Upon turning 18 I started playing with a few from the group in a local £10 pub league game run by a friend. I established myself making the league final and coming second for something like £100. Again not chunks, but it was like a third of my monthly wages from my then part time job at Morrisons.

This developed into XXL25’s and the occasional Super50 and Grand Prix at DTD and if I’m being honest, I haven’t moved. This for 4/5 years has been my level, not to be a profitable player but to have a good time and win occasionally. Within these years I have flicked in for the occasional £200 Deepstack, Goliath and APAT events all very enjoyable.
Online I follow the same sort of procedure. If I’m bored or feel like and online session I will choose a target tournament on a site, deposit enough to play it and a few side tournaments, if I win, result, if I lose I won’t be too bothered.

I’ve always enjoyed playing Stars from my ‘play money’ days and will admit I’m a child of the Chris Moneymaker era but until I become a consistent profitable online player it is something that will never compare to live. I love the live scene and the social aspect that local business owners can rock up and compete against student have a good chat, enjoy themselves. There are day’s where I’ll rock up with my headphones, flick Netflix on and play while watching a film, there are other days where I am intent on going in with no electrical devices to talk and be ‘that guy.’ Not quite Will Kassouf style, but a chatty player using speech plays for information etc.

I don’t have a fixed style of play; I have nit tendencies at times and then suddenly think 4 bet jamming 78o with 40 bigs is a good idea. I love the variants the game offers and I love getting myself into spots where I’m drawing and play most suited connectors like the nuts pre flop.

My nit tendencies have got me into trouble and cost me in the past. I’d sit at Final Tables 3/4 handed and still sit and wait for a premium. This is something I want to work on. I have the ability to go deep, I’ve proved that in some of my rec comps but I need to convert when I get there.

WORK:

My official job title at Dusk Till Dawn is ‘Marketing Assistant’ but as many of you will know I adapt my skill set to more than just Marketing.

My first job, after the cliché paper round, was cleaning cars at the local car sales garage. £4.50 an hour (including any change I found in the cars) from 9am – 1pm on Saturday’s. I’d finish at 1, run for the train at 2 and be at London Road Stadium for 3. That was every other Saturday for me.

I then moved to Morrisons which was a huge reality check, as a kid I never liked being taken out of my comfort zone but that holds me in better stead nowadays and has taught me a lot. This was part time Sunday and evening work which paid reasonably well and kept me ticking over while studying. Within 18 months of being in the company I had been placed on the fast track to management scheme and was promoted to Shift Supervisor. At 19 I was a shift supervisor on a checkout department that had 70+ members of staff that had all been with the company years longer than me. That was a learning curve to say the least.

During my part time hours for Morrisons I had enough time to find temporary positions, with Bauer Media and work experience with DTD.

This started as a little work experience project to market, then report the ISPT and turned out as a career path. To be honest I’m happy it has, I didn’t meet one other early 20’s journalism student that wanted to go into the Gaming or Poker Industry.

After I'd finished my degree DTD invited me in for an interview as a couple of staff had left and that brings me to today.

I’m over a year into the job and really enjoying it, I’ve met some great people, been to ‘The Poker Awards’ and started a making connections within some of the biggest companies in the industry.

Personal:

I’m happy with my personal life; I’m three years into a long term relationship and enjoy my lifestyle. The only change I need to nip in the bud is personal fitness. At Morrisons I was always on my feet, walking to the train station and playing football twice a week. Now at Dusk I’m in the car from 9am at work for 10am then home at 7pm. I’m not walking anywhere and I spend the most of my day in the office chair. When I first started working at Dusk I joined the local gym, paid for three months and averaged visits per month of 0.66’%. Since then I’ve been on three spa weekends with my partner and feel that joining a health club maybe more beneficial, not just for the relaxation purposes but because I’ll be spending more money and will want to use the somewhat better facilities.

(SUGGESTIONS WELCOMED HERE.)

So why write a blog now?

I’ve always had the attitude that one day I will change from a recreational player and step up to learn the game and develop. With work, social life and minimal time to play I have always palmed it off, ‘we’ll have a go next month.’

I’m not rolled to be playing the circuit, nor do I have the time with work, but I do want to take time away from the recreational game all together to learn and improve so Deepstacks and the occasional ‘Big Comp’ becomes a more regular thing.

In a way I feel this blog will not only help me track my progress but will also help me learn from other posters, so please feel free to comment, criticise (not too harsh tho) and leave feedback. I always try to adapt new ideas and if any pro’s fancy offering free coaching then I’m game.

I don’t ever want to rely on Poker as my only source of income, as enjoyable as the GPS>GUKPT>DTD>GPS>25/25 lifestyle maybe it really isn’t for me. I love writing, I love reporting and I love Marketing so if I’m not playing and event I want be reporting on it or advertising it at least. My role at Dusk is great and there are no immediate plans to jump ship, go pro or find myself working on the Isle of Man.

This blog is merely going to act as the catalyst I need to improve myself in the industry and as a player.

Targets before Christmas are as follows:

READ AND STUDY THE GAME, everything from session reviews to books from the pro’s.

WIN the DTD, in house, Monday night Poker League. I’ve won the first two weeks kind of want to follow that through for personal satisfaction.

Play half a dozen events where buy in is between £50-£100 and cash in at least 1.

Improve fitness to a level where I can play a full 90 minute football match.

WIN THE APAT TEAM EVENT WITH BLONDE.
+ Out drink any other team on nights out associated with this event.

Thanks for reading, tempted to limit people to three questions each should they have any.

Glenn

[verndog158]

Not read yet. But first

[GlennDuskTillDawn]

You can't do that! You need to read it first.

[TightEnd]

you adapt your skillsets huh?!

good luck with this

good luck to kyle vassell too

[GlennDuskTillDawn]

you adapt your skillsets huh?!

good luck with this

good luck to kyle vassell too

Customer Service Wizard tho.

[RED-DOG]

Subscribed.

[verndog158]

Good luck, read. Will see you at Dtd soon, I'll allow a personal interview to boost your diary subscribers

[Sulphur man]

you adapt your skillsets huh?!

good luck with this

good luck to kyle vassell too

Customer Service Wizard tho.

Confirmed.

[HutchGF]

ME:
+ Out drink any other team on nights out associated with this event.

Thanks for reading, tempted to limit people to three questions each should they have any.

Glenn

You'll have to go some to beat the AWOP team. We're the undisputed APAT team game drinking champions.

[KarmaDope]

ME:
+ Out drink any other team on nights out associated with this event.

Thanks for reading, tempted to limit people to three questions each should they have any.

Glenn

You'll have to go some to beat the AWOP team. We're the undisputed APAT team game drinking champions.

Yeah Glenn, that one's not an option. I'm teetotal, blonde cant win.

[theprawnidentity]

glenn tho

[engy]

Subscribed good luck glenn

[GlennDuskTillDawn]

With regards to poker reading as a rec I've been down the 'story book' route.

I loved The Godfather of Poker and Barry Greenstein's Ace on the River as they had a story focus with some strategy included.

I was 3/4 of the way through Every Hand Revealed till it was 'removed' from my car (not stolen I must add) and am now looking at moving to books that cover a more strategical view of the game. The transition won't be easy but once I've got used to strategy reading I will pick it up and embrace it.

Other books in the past, non poker related, I've absolutely rushed through because I just wanted to end the story or absorb information. A recent example was 'From Hobby to Obsession' which was produced by Peterborough's Chairman and was basically his view on the goings on at the club since his takeover. I drove to the local book shop for 9am, paid £15 for the copy and spent the whole day at home. By the time I left the house to go out for the evening at 6 it was finished. I even toyed with the idea of trying to get a refund as I hadn't even taken the stickers off.

Like I explained in my first post I would love feedback, advice etc so if anyone has any suggestions that they found helped their game please include them.

These next couple of week's I won't have any time to play (other than Monday's Poker League) as we are hosting the GPS, so it's a great time to start some sort of reading/studying program. I'm going to also look at a few upcoming events and decide which ones I can pencil into my schedule. I think I'm quite fortunate with where I live at the minute. I'm an hour from Notts, Luton and Coventry and an hour and a half from Birmingham, Sheffield and London so I always have plenty of options.

I'm also looking on a professional level 'to put myself out there' and have a few projects lined up that will allow me to produce some stuff alongside my job at DTD which is quite exciting. This will include freelance articles, features and hopefully some reporting.

If anyone is in the club, busts early in the GPS and fancies a beer during the week I'll be about from 6pm.

[Rexas]

There's a severe lacking of the questions that we actually want to know the answer to itt. Tal used to be a master at this. So, until he gets involved,

What is your:

1) favorite range
2) Standard nando's order
3) Worst film you've seen at the cinema
4) Dream holiday destination
5) Favorite Disney princess  

Limited to three questions my ass.

[GlennDuskTillDawn]

1: The one in Reading is nice compared to others I've been to.
2: Don't see the Nandos fascination, there is plenty of better food out there at that price. On my three visits: Plain whole chicken, chips coleslaw, refillable drink.
3: Robin Hood 'starring' Russell Crowe. Me and my company for the evening left 45 minutes in. Which was actually quite amusing as we were sat in front of her ex.
4: The typical Caribbean dream holiday. Ive pretty much wrapped up Europe and would love the beachside hut in the Bahamas type holiday.
5: Rapunzel steals the show in Tangled.

More of these! Love it.