Live Game

On Monday night I didn't play one hand of poker and instead got stuck into Resistance 2 on my new PS3.I did watch a couple of sngicons training vids and both Spacegravy and Kenny05's vids were excellent.Kenny05 is on a downswing at the moment and I actually found it quite comforting to check Sharky and note that although he's up over $200k from sngs,he's down about $5k over his last 600 odd games.Variance really is a biatch.Even for one of the worlds best!

Last night I grabbed a roll + burger in batter and a roll n chips after work.I listened to a bit of the football phone-in and then headed to the Wabash club in Glasgow for some live poker action.It was my first live game in a poker club for quite a while and although I didn't cash,I really enjoyed the experience.

Including rebuys the game cost me just over £20 and I certainly felt I got my moneys worth.For quality trip reports see High on Poker or other fine blogs.My memory isn't good enough! I do recall raising from the sb with A3 when I thought the action had folded to me,only to realise the utg player had limped.I made a straight on a 2 4 5 7 board and had visions of raking a big pot until the utg player showed 68....

I ran 88 into QQ after that before sucking out bigtime with 99 v kk.A king fell on the flop and I was almost out the door before I realised I'd hit a fluke flush on the river to win.I lasted a few more orbits before raising from late position with 10c8c.The board was Kc Qc Js and I led out with my draws.The guy on my left struck me as a pretty competent player and I wasn't happy when he called my continuation bet and another Jack fell on the turn.I reckoned he would have raised a King or Queen on that flop and could very well have spiked trip jacks on the turn.That didn't stop me shoving most of the rest of my stack in and losing a big pot when my draws failed to hit v J10.

Overall I don't think I played great poker but I'm glad I made the effort and went along.It's so easy after a long day at work to just want to sink into the sofa and do nothing other than surf the net/play poker.

At Xmas I had my sister and Mum lecturing me ( obv just looking out for me) about getting myself more of a social life.It's certainly not so easy when your single.The ex Mrs A and I had a few other couples we used to see on a semi-regular basis whom I don't see anymore.Other friends moved away or lost touch.I've always preferred having a few close friends rather than a large group of aquaintances.

When I was younger there was always a mix of male/females in my group and I never hung out with a load of other lads and got into the pub scene.( clubs n raves maybe but not pubs) Standing in a crowded place unable to hear myself or friends,drinking over-priced alcohol has never really appealed to me.Give me a nice smoke and somewhere social to enjoy it with my friends any day.I should have been born in Amsterdam!

I don't think I'm particularly anti-social although I do find parties full of strangers can be quite toe curling experiences.Perhaps it's because I'm not great with small talk.I like to cut to the chase and get through the bs.That's probably why poker appeals to me so much.The cards speak and the rest is just waffle.

Anyways enough waffle for one day.Back soon...

Pushed to the ( Fixed) Limit!

I watched another fine Spacegravy vid on Sngicons last night before grabbing a quick 1/2hr of sleep and then hitting the tables at Party.As I was feeling so tired and chatting to Rosie I stuck to the $22's with a few $11's thrown in and despite the usual beats and suckouts I came out about $100 up overall from those games.

At some point Rosie suggested playing a $6 ,$1k gtd MTT.I'd come close to registering for both the Daily $50k gtd on Stars ( $55 entry) and was tempted by the $55,$18k gtd on Party, but had opted to play turbs instead as I wanted action not a fold fest!

I agreed to play the $1k gtd as it was only $6,seemed to have a low number of entrants( 260 starters) and I could keep playing turbos too.After getting the blame for landing Rosie in a slow speed ( now turbo format) Double or Nothing game on Stars the other night I think it's only fair to point out that the $1k gtd Mtt Rosie insisted I must play ( well not quite but it helps the story!) turned out to be FFL! ( that's Fixed Fuckin' Limit)

The only other FFL games I've played have been by mistake too and although it's still Holdem I don't have much of a clue as to how to play FFL profitably and had never played an FFL Mtt before.Thankfully the player pool seemed populated by donks who hadn't seen a deck of cards before and around 300 years after we started, Rosie and I had somehow made the top 20.I think it definitely helped that we were both gunning for the top 3 and not too worried about stalling to make the top 30 and a $9 ( or whatever it was) profit.

I think Rosie went out around 14th and headed off leaving me to battle my way through more donkeys before hitting the final table.To cut to the chase I came second for $211.I would have saved a screenshot, but in all honesty as soon as the game was over I was more annoyed at myself for not closing it out properly against a player I reckoned I had an edge over.On reflection it was 5.30am,I was shattered,hungry and have little FFL experience so I should have been more pleased by my finish position.I rolled up another to celebrate and took down a wee $14 super turb on FT before bed.

Just watched Rangers go down 1-0 to St Mirren.We didn't play well and they hit their two outer and scored with their only shot on target.

Almost time to walk my boy and give Step A a lift home.If I stop and buy the Yorkie Puds ( not the famous Betfair blogger!) the ex Mrs A has promised Sunday dinner which sound like a tastier option than the ready made carbonara I had planned!

I'm not sure if the s-man is visiting yet tonight.If so I don't expect I'll be too focussed on the Bloggerment and RTR games but I will be there!

Back during the week.Thanks for reading....