One post a year!

Forgot all about this. Things were in turmoil for a bit but fine now. I played that $250k game and bubbled. I had a few really tight tables so I loosened up, built a stack and sat comfortable for the money. I didn't want to limp for last place so I raised UTG with AQs on a lame table, 1 caller, I pot bet he reraised me I folded. Left me short stacked (5BB's). Next hand I'm dealt JJ in BB, no raises to me and 3 limpers, I push pre. 1 caller who slow played AA UTG and goodnight. I came 113rd and top 100 paid.

From then I've moved from a freeroll whore to a proper cash player. I'm also moving up stakes but I still won't risk my bankroll. I play $2.50 to $10 STT's and some cash on betfair. I now have a rakeback deal under sexyshazza and get 30% of my rake back.

From my last update, I've lifted £1200 and have a bankroll of £150.

Oh and I eventually got my airmiles to Vegas, 57,000 now. Yeah Baby :-)

One post a year!

Been a while!

Things have drastically changed... more info to follow....

But anyway, poker wise. My game hasn't improved much but I still play. Funnily, the more I learn about the game, the worse my game gets.

Anyway, in the months past, I've been to London twice, paid for a trip to Norway, won my local tournie a few times and won a trip to the England Paraguay world cup game... all through poker. But I've seen a noticable drop in my poker career. Very worrying.

Need to concentrate more and loosen up, I'm a tight git.

The reason for my post... I'm in tonights $250,000 guaranteed on Virgin. Bought my way there for a dollar. Really hopeful and confident I'll get something. Deepstacks and long blinds help my game. I'm gonna win this sucker....

And BTW, did I tell you, I'm 3k airmiles off from going to VEGAS!

Its been a while, so much to update....

Firstly, thanks to Virgin for hosting a WSOP Bloggers freeroll. Its a pity I disgraced myself in 65th out of 70 odds. I tried to bully someone on BB with 44 and got reraised all in. Stupid call by me but thats poker.

Next came my drunken STT win in my local pub. It was only £25 but it paid for my night but didn't help my liver.

Again Virginpoker came up trumps with their Punterslounge WSOP league. A credible 4th spot earned me $50, £67 worth of V points and more importantly a few points on the leaderboard.

My live Friday game saw me finish 7th out of 30. No prize but as usual I got rivered to a bad beat. Good nights entertainment for a fiver.

Lastly, yesterday, I played in a £10 rebuy charity event in my local. Again, I reached the top table finishing 9th out of 75. 9th - 4th all received £50 so I went with the attitude to win the tournament. Looking down I was dealt AK sooted. I hit all in hoping to kill the hand but instead I was called with QQ, KK and AA!

Who says the games fixed!

Didn't fancy playing much today after confirmation of a date and location for the betfair city am game. I gave the betonbet $100 freeroll a go for a first time, mainly because there were no other games playing at 6.00pm. Through a field of 250, suprisingly I didn't see any bad beats for myself. I got aggressive near the bubble and it paid off. I finished a very respectable 4th place and coffered a massive $8 for my troubles.

I spent most of my time between hands trying to get cheap flights to London. Cheapest I could find where £65 but they rose massively in price if I wanted decent times. I'm now debating whether to rough it on the streets of London to catch an early flight or bite the bullet and fork out for a room which I'll probably not use.

Oh well.....

After a nice bonus yesterday thanks to Valiant, and a hard days grafting up and down ladders, I played a few games on cdpoker. One 2nd, 3rd and an unplace has me up around £5. Having an early night after being runner runner rivered on the Stan James Pokerzone freeroll - whats a man to do? All in with a straight on the river, one caller has 2 pair and fills a flush when the 4th diamond hits on the river. Don't think I gave him the odds to call so I'm not too dissapointed.

One final game $1 STT for the evening on bluesquare. I started bluesquare with nothing, played the bankroll booster until I won a dollar, then moved to the STT's and built my bankroll from there. I've had my cash as high as $85 but I've been on serious tilt lately. Down to $38 after moving too high ($5), too quick. Back down to $1 games and I'll stick with these until I reach $50. As per usual, the river kills me. Early stages, in the tournie, I get QQ, I raise 4x, get called by two including the table chip leader bully (and a bit of a maniac)lazycat. Flop comes 5710, he hits all in and procedes to show 108o. Of course the 8 rivers me and its good night.

Diary of a no stakes Poker pro....

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Welcome....

I noticed a lot of these blogger sites and I thought, what the heck, I'll try one myself. Poker has really taken over my life and there's rarely a day I haven't got the internet running with a freeroll in the background. Instead of blisters on my toungue, they're now appearing on my index finger as I click, click, click my way through the tables.

I discovered the game thanks to www.betfair.com. I was gradually making a loss on the site through small stakes gambling and overall I guess I was losing around £150 over the space of 2 years. When poker came on the scene, I took to it like a duck to water and quickly turned my -£150 into a couple of hundred profit. Perhaps it was the fish in me that got lucky or perhaps the ones I was playing where just bigger fish. Nevertheless I was hooked and started to read as much info on the subject and play as many games as I possibly could.

I suppose I could have moved up the levels and try and make even more money (I do venture up the stakes when the value of a tournament is right) but with a wife and 3 kids, its hard leaving the money in your account without the need to spend it. Since then I've discovered other poker sites, some great, some utter shite.

Overall I'm up around £1000 with another couple of hundred profit from playing live. I've also won (although not playing poker) an ipod valued at £240 and a free day at Punchestown racecourse (estimate £80). Betdaq have also been kind enough to send me 4 free £25 bets over the last year so this internet thing is really paying off.

Special mention must go to 2 sites. Betfair forums and punterslounge. Betfair have really helped my game. I learned a lot from some decent players there. Another great site is www.punterslounge.com/forum . Again they have some decent players (some of whom who have won many thousands) and if there is a decent tournament on the net, then they will have it. Thanks to virgin, this blog will gain me entry to such a tournament on Thursday night.

My other great hobby in life is Glentoran FC, their homeground is called the Oval which got me my username on many sites (and I bet you all thought I was a fat bastard). My social life is now based on these two hobby's.

I'm married to Sharon and we have 3 lovely kids. I live on the Lower Newtownards Road in the East of the city. Apart from the occassional riot, its not that bad a place to live.

Well enjoy the blog and don't be offended if I call you a muppet on the tables - I love to wind other players up.

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