blonde poker

 

I went to Luton yesterday to have a meeting about the club with a poker table supplier. I had told myself that I would not play the £750 NL event and purposely did not take an overnight bag. However, I ended up playing and going out 11th, typical. I was 2nd chip cleader and clashed with Geoff Duvall, the chip leader, getting all my chips in with a set of 5's v top pair only for him to hit runner runner gutshut straight and knock me out. I think I was around 96% favourire when all the money went in on the flop and I'm gutted. On the positive side it shows me how much the game still means to me although the club has sort of taken over most of my time the last 6 months. God to play with a few blondites aswell.

Tournaments at Dusk Till Dawn will be significantly different from the current structures and rules that exist at the current festivals. In fact, some of the rules may be quite controversial, but we'll make the brave decisions to implement them. I'm not knocking what is currently out there, I think Blackpool, Luton, The Vic and Walsall do a great job in their festivals, but we will be looking at what is best for the poker player in the long term and although there will always be luck in a card game, we must try and make the outright winner of the tournamant most likely to be the best player in the long run.

For example, if Dave Coleclough and 8 random players played 10 final tables, I do not believe that the current structures would yield an accurate result of the % differences in poker ability. There are a number of variables that effect the outcome of the winner, the clock, the blinds and the possibility of a deal being done.

We will have our own club rules. Dare we say "NO DEALS ALLOWED or you are BANNED FOR LIFE" Who knows, we may not have the guts to do that, but anything is a possibility with a blank sheet of paper. In other sports do deals happen? Could you image Stephen Hendy saying to mark Williams when he is wining 11 - 8 (first to 13), "hey Mark, you take £20K and I'll take £27K" and we'll play for the £3k, okay?"

I can here you say "but deals always go on, you'll never stop it". Thats rubbish, it CAN be stopped, but only if the payout structures are adjusted to disincentive deals being done, and once we have the balls to ban 1 person for life (some poor souls would have to be made an example of), believe me, the deals will reduce by over 95%. I can also hear "but you'll never be able to prove it". Thats the same with many other rules, BUt we still have them. Hey, these are just thoughts, everything will be up for debate.

On a very positive note, I had a phone call from a professional poker player who I have offered the job of "Poker Host" to. This is a person that I have been speaking to for over 9 months, and we have now managed to agree for him to join the Dusk Till Dawn team, on a part time basis in 2006, and full time when the club opens. He will be ensuring that the Card Room is run for the PLAYERS, arranging major festivals, running a poker school for beginners, teaching all forms of poker, doing seminars and much much much more. He will be the "face" of our Card Room and should be a great help to our card room managers. "Who is this person?" - I can't say at the moment but as soon as I can, I'll let you guys know.  He's not really a guy who Blondites will know that well, but I know he'll do a good job in this role.

Anyway, main event at Luton tomorrow, maybe do a little better in that. Spoke to Nick today and he said the meetings with the refurb contractors went really well, so overall, not such a bad day (how the hell can you hit a runner runner gutshot with top pair top kicker?)