The Gala Vs the G (DING DING)

Here are my thoughts on your gala vs the g debate!!

OK, firstly poker players are creatures of habit. Many of the field that play the gala tourneys are guys who simply feel more comfortable at the gala, they know the faces, the staff, been going for years etc etc.....So until the gala closes they are going to stay their for regular games. UNLESS ONE OFF SPECIALS BY OTHER CASINOS LIKE £1k freerolls etc etc

So that portion of the field in my opinion are going to stay at gala, regardless of structure of games offered etc. BECAUSE SIMPLY THEY DO NOT TAKE THIS ASPECT OF GAME SELECTION INTO ACCOUNT......Their game selection is, "where have i been going for years, and i feel comfortable etc" Answer for them is the gala.

Also, take the £33 buy in game on a Saturday. YES....this is a much better game than the gala has to offer, structure, dealer dealt etc.......BUT, again to that portion of the field and many others playing. £11 extra as a buy in actually does sway SOME people......Money is a motivator etc etc, so they wont go for that reason.

NOW....................

That covers only a % of players, usually older guys/girls who wont budge from their gala home.

There are other players from the younger crowd etc, who do tend to take more account and interest in structures etc.

Yes, they would rather play the G sat night game......BUT if it's getting 8-15 players, then they wont

So it is a sort of catch 22 situation, where by we would all like to play the sat game for all the positives mentioned......BUT that doesn't make the game popular with other players to create a big enough field.

Also, the Saturday night game is a bad night for poker for a lot of people. For people who poker is not 99% of their life, they like to go out with friends, have a drink, go to the cinema or chill somewhere.

So it's never gonna get massive fields.

The way I see it is such.........

Everyone knows Dundee is not big enough for 2 casinos, let alone 2 poker rooms.

Natural forces will take place here, namely the gala closing down. When this happens, players will be forced to migrate to the G casino and poker cardroom.

Until then, both casinos will have to put up with dilluted fields and have to offer extra incentives to try and win the higher player base.

Gala had first mover advantage, they also offer the £500 added every week. The fields speak for themselves, and the gala is winning clearly at this stage.

On a personal level, I've not played live poker on a Saturday night in ages. The only live tourney i play regularly is the monday night gala game as the value there is just too good.

Also the beauty of poker is to select what game you play WHEN YOU WANT TO and WHERE YOU WANT TO.

It's up to the cardrooms to set out their stalls and let the public decide.

You can't ever guarantee yourself to pull in a poker crowd, because we are a fickle bunch ;)

Cheers xx

I want you to read some stuff

Not been playing a huge ammount of poker, I've been working on a few ideas I've had for some time. I recently made the decision to acutally run with some of them and see if they are viable.

PLEASE....if any of you get/have an idea, then please take action on it straight away. If it fails, then u have got it out of your system and can go onto something else.

There is nothing worse than procastination (this basically means "putting things off" for some of the less educated or younger readers :P) Putting off starting or finishing an idea is SO BAD....

I think it leaves your mind cluttered in some way, that you still think of it from time to time, but as you never take action on it, you go round and round in circles.

I did play some of the gala festival, no scores..Decent tourneys and the fields were ok for the games I played. I like the look of some of the new G schedule games and may get down to play those.

I said I wanted you to read some stuff, and I think this is aimed mainly at the younger players (below 30, so sorry MJS :D) JOKING ASIDE, this is relevant for ABSOLUTELY ANYONE......as it's never to late to do something great with your life.

I found a couple of things that deal with issues that maybe some of you think about/face.....

Here is the first one... It's on finding your true passion or life purpose.....

Some people ask, “What if I haven’t found my
true passion?”
It’s dangerous to think in terms of “passion”
and “purpose” because they sound like such
huge overwhelming ideas.
If you think love needs to look like “Romeo
and Juliet”, you’ll overlook a great relationship
that grows slowly.
If you think you haven’t found your passion
yet, you’re probably expecting it to be
overwhelming.
Instead, just notice what excites you and what
scares you on a small moment-to-moment
level.
If you find yourself glued to Photoshop,
playing around for hours,
dive in deeper. Maybe that’s your new calling.
If you keep thinking about putting on a
conference or being a Hollywood screenwriter,
and you find the idea terrifies but intrigues
you, it’s probably a worthy endeavor for you.
You grow (and thrive!) by doing what excites
you and what scares you everyday, not by
trying to find your passion.


The second one is an excellent little poem, I advise you to not just read it...but read it without any background noise......and really take it in and think about it ;)

The Man in the Glass

When you get what you want in your struggle for self
And the world makes you king for a day,
Just go to the mirror and look at yourself
And see what that man has to say.

For it isn’t your father or mother or wife
Whose judgment upon you must pass.
The fellow whose verdict counts most in you life
Is the one staring back from the glass.

You may be like Jack Horner and chisel a plum
And think you’re a wonderful guy.
But the man in the glass says you’re only a bum
If you can’t look him straight in the eye.

He’s the fellow to please-never mind all the rest,
For he’s with you clear to the end.
And you’ve passed your most dangerous, difficult test
If the man in the glass is your friend.

You may fool the whole world down the pathway of years
And get pats on the back as you pass.
But your final reward will be heartache and tears
If you’ve cheated the man in the glass.


So that's it, read those two bits, that's your homework for this week.

It's my birthday on Monday, I'll be 27, Tempus fugit

Cheers and good luck, in life and at the tables.