Born 30 something years ago into a card-playing clan in the North of England: the low-roller's poker odyssey has taken him from the school common-room via down-trodden Midlands' casinos, smoky Cotswolds pubs, celebrity Soho drinking spots and of course the ubiquitous world of cyberspace to the home of poker itself, Las Vegas. Join his search for juicy take-downs, great pot odds and the occasional back-door straight as he goes for glory.
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Monday, June 30, 2008
Lie Back and Think of England
Gary is sunning by the pool, thinking of England and the £28,000 Fernando Torres has just netted him. He has been making this bet on Spain for the last two years, never adding more than £50 at a time, getting odds as high as 17-1 in the early days. So the best steak-house in Vegas has been booked and Gary's buying. Like me this is his third year in the WSOP main event. He has been all-in pre-flop with Aces and called by an internet punk with King-Jack, and then with Kings - a guy called off his whole stack with Queen-Jack with Ace-King-4-2 to hit his 10 on the river, all of which goes to show there's some live ones out there.
The villa is a cracker - the internet duo of Sean and Jake are playing 24 tables between them, while watching Ricky Gervais on Utube. I have internet elbow, which is marginally better than the RSI that struck after May's marathon of online action - much of it fruitless. My most profitable month ever has been the month I played the least - 3 sessions last May netting me the 10K that persuaded me it was a good idea to come play last year's main event. 95% of players lose - don't join them. It is an addictive world which I would recommend to no-one - we live our lives engrossed in The Screen, whether it be the TV, the puter, or the windscreen as we hurtle at 70 mph along concrete. The Off button is your only true friend. Still here in the screen with you there is some creativity emerging....
My plan has changed - rather than play Tuesday's $1500 WSOP event, starting with a paltry 3000 chips and wading through a field of a few thousand, I am heading to the Bellagio deep-stack for a grand tomorrow and again Tuesday - then some head-together before July 4th and the big action. This year the main event will be radically different because of the delayed final table - 9 people will leave the Rio in the early hours of July 15th, all guaranteed a million, all potential winners of ten million, the biggest prize in 'sport' - if shovelling chips can be called a sport.
My numbers are going up, 71 at the last count and a few more come Monday morning as the inbox beckons the uninitiated. Apparently I have readers in France, the Philippines, Switzerland and South Africa, as well as some random accidents in Bulgaria, Finland and Germany - who are you and why are you here? Welcome anyway, thanks for your support and Chris I will make it to Hawaii one day soon....oh and if anyone likes my website, my most loyal reader Dees is a genius and will do you a cracking job - the brown bottle was Coors light by the way, and no Gary won't be lending you his hard-earned reddies any time soon, though he may yet be in the market for a website, once he makes that Final Table. Here's to Mr. Torres and some disconsolate Germans....Schadenfreude is a beautiful word
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