Ginger Toys

Oneouter.com

2010-10-14T18:28:00.001-07:00

I have started my own site,

Oneouter.com will document my exploits in tracking down and chatting to the very biggest names in poker.

My first interview which is live on the site now, is with Daniel "jungleman12" Cates. He is currently considered by many to be the best online cash player in the world. Some poker sites state him to be up over $3.7 million from cash games alone.

Daniel is also currently taking part in the Durrrr challenge, at this moment in time he is ahead by around $600k.

My personal blog will continue to exist here at

I don't know if/when I will write much on my personal blog, as I will probably do most of my writing at http://www.oneouter.com But I am sure I will have somethings to say now and again!

Pokerindundee.com will get the updates when they do happen.

Please have a look at and follow it on twitter and please like the facebook page... That way you will get to know straight away when a new interview or article is on the site.

Cheers, I'm off to prepare for the team poker event on Sunday......Where I am captain of team Oneouter.com ;)

Good Luck (unless you are playing the team event!)

The Gala Vs the G (DING DING)

2010-09-21T11:31:00.000-07:00

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

2010-09-04T06:59:00.000-07:00

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.

Freerolling, Rolling, Rolling

2010-08-14T06:35:00.000-07:00

I've started to play the Monday night freeroll game at gala, actually it's £2 to get in with unlimited £10 rebuys for first hour now.....So technically not a freeroll, but my recent results in it suggest it's a freeroll for me :P

2nd/73
5th/88
14th/89

Three weeks in a row, brag over :P.....

All joking aside this is probably the best game of the week available in Dundee, certainly the biggest pot, always over £2k (weeks i've played) and was £2800 one of those weeks!! Great pot for a monday night. I advise as many of you to get sick lines ready for Tuesdays (if you work) and play the game :D

Other business.............

The Pokerstars UKIPT Edinburgh leg starts this Thursday 19th August, I have sold 25% of myself just now. If I don't sell another 25% then I wont be playing the main event.........however, tonight (Sat 14th August) there is a sattelite on pokerstars £82 buy in with 25 Seats Guaranteed. I will be playing this game, if I get my seat this way, then I will be refunding my backers and have 100% of myself :D

This is what I've decided regards the Edinburgh games this year, I've already spent some cash on sattelites on pokerstars and a little live.

So here is hoping I get my seat tonight :D.............If not, then I should make it through for one or some of the side events.

Here is the schedule again for the Edinburgh games.

Oh nearly forgot, if you are friends with me on facebook, have a look at my latest photo album, it's look a likes from over 40 people from the local poker scene :D

If you are not friends with me on facebook, then add me, if i recognise your face....I will accept you :P

Martin said he is going to take some of then and put them on pokerindundee.com as a sort of rogues gallery :D

I hope everyone likes their look a like! And takes them in good humour :D

Good Luck at the tables

Cheers

Barry xxx

Taking Shots and why you probably should to!

2010-08-01T09:42:00.000-07:00

August seems to be a massive month for poker in Scotland, local players can look forward to having the latest leg of the Pokerstars UKIPT right on their doorstep. Also, the following week sees Gala put on their August festival.

From speaking to a few local players, it seems that there are a few local players going to be making the trip through, and a decent amount will be playing the main event. (I know Eddie G has won a seat for the main event, so he will be there....although in winning the seat he has probably exhausted his coinflip lives and will therefore pose no real threat at your table :P!!!) Although Edinburgh is a lucky hunting ground for Dundee players, so who knows!!

Here is the full schedule for the UKIPT Edinburgh Leg.

Personally, I will be looking to play the main event and possibly one of the £100 side events..I will probably look at selling %'s of myself up to a maximum of 50% to play the main event.....If I don't do this, buying in for the full £550 will be a decision made nearer the time...(factors will be bankroll, mood and drive).....So we shall see.

One of my friends has recently moved to Edinburgh and has offered me a place to stay if I need it, so I might take advantage of this and look to play the £100 side event on the Thursday and play day 1b on the Friday for the main event.

If i don't play the main event, then I will play a few of the side events and look to play the £100 6-max event on the Sunday, that looks very good and you don't often see events like that in local schedules.

These are my provisional plans for Edinburgh.

Through speaking with a few local players, something hit me, many of them (particularly the younger ones) haven't played any bigger buy in tourneys like the £500 main event.

I'm in my 3rd year of playing poker, but I've played quite a few £500 buy in games and one £1k buy in. I've taken shots playing these events, and have never been properly rolled to play them.... However, the old cliche of "You have to be in it to win it" definitely applies.

What might appear as reckless money management to some, I see it as a massive +EV spot!! and I would advise any poker player (particularly us younger ones, to take these shots)

I see it as such..............

A £550 or a £1k buy in tourney comes around, it gets the juices flowing and you want to play it, you have delusions of grandeur (these are healthy :D).

I would say if you play poker and don't have some sort of lofty goal or drive to do better, then you should just give up! Is that not what it's about?? Whether it's to win a big live tourney, simply play in a WSOP event or make a million playing cash games!

I think every player should have poker goals......and take some sort of action to put them on the road to achieving them.

So ask yourself this, "What is the worst that can happen?" answer??? "probably killed in a car crash on the way to Edinburgh....and if u share a car with Kev Wallace, this is at least a 19 outer with two cards to come!! :D

No the answer is of course "lose the buy in" that is £550......

Now contrary to popular belief and my penchant for fine foods and international travel, I'm not a millionaire :P £550 is a chunk of change, but it ain't gonna change your life or my life........ Put £1.50 a day in a jar, and a year later you will have your £550 back anyway :P (If u need to justify this to a spouse, partner or significant other!!)

Winning a live tourney of standing...might, just might give you a kick start in both life and poker. That type of score gives you a proper roll from to build etc etc, you might then choose to play more live tourneys, make the WSOP and bring a bracelet back to the Gala :P

I'm off on a tangent, but I wont you to dream, as that's mainly what you, me and anyone is getting for their £550 buy in.....A dream, a chance to sit and think, "Fuck, it could be me in this room that is going to bink this"

You see....the downside is £550, but the upside is effectively unlimited!

So spending £550 on a tournament buy in is not for everyone, and may even seem vulgar to those with a non degenerate brain!

But trust me, you won't regret it!!!!

From my experience, I've played a few large buy ins, does it hurt when you bust?? YEP....Do you sometimes take a little bit longer to get into your game?? YEP (the first big buy in i played (£550 game Colin won), i played like gary dalson on his last bullet for the first hour!!!!, But then you should get the same epiphany.......

It's a table, 9/10 handed, 52 cards and little plastic things that u throw in to the middle.

Do I regret the shots I've taken?? Throwing off £550 chunks of my bankroll chasing rainbows??? The answer is no, you can replace £550........but you can't replace a feeling of regret for not taking shots while you can......and indeed probably should.

To quote Michael Jordan "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take"

Now CAVEAT EMPTOR on this advice, and indeed all my blog posts :P........

This is right for me, and my situation etc etc........

Since a young age I've taken what seem like massive risks to other people, in my travelling and buying and selling exploits, I refuse the safety of a 9-5 (no it's not cause I can't get up at 9'o clock, it's because I know there is another way!!)....that's why I laugh when someone called me a nit recently!!

In the game of life, I'm super aggressive, I'll take a shot, a risk a punt, whatever!

I think you should to sometime

Cheers

Barry

An inspiration to all Scottish poker players

2010-07-06T10:31:00.000-07:00

I stumbled across this the other day, it is an interview with Scottish pro Rory Mathews. Some of you will be aware of him, but for those who are not.........Started online with £100 or something, built up through the levels to make millions in online cash games, and has an impressive tournament record.

I just thought I would post it as an inspiration for those of you who see poker as more than just a hobby, or more than a fuck about in the gala.

This guy was from Scotland, started with nothing, worked VERY hard at improving his game....Result??? Has made tons of cash and played at the nosebleed stakes on full tilt against durrrr antonious, ivey etc.

Enjoy the interview, I think it's worth listening to.

Cheers

Barry

No internet for 10 days challenge (well ur allowed a little bit!)

2010-07-02T04:10:00.000-07:00

My wi-fi was off for around 10 days recently, good old virgin eventually sorted it in the end though. In this 10 days something quite strange happened........I didn't miss it :D.......I thought I would!!

I think you would all be surprised at how much time you kill/waste due to aimless browsing, facebook prowling or watching pointless youtube videos (I could go go on).

I noticed something while my Internet was down........I would take my laptop to my friends or girlfriends and I would "ONLY" do things like check email, and maybe some online banking. But that was all I really "HAD" to do. I used the Internet to accomplish certain tasks, deal with some stuff I sold on eBay, check my bank and reply to an email.

I then switched the computer off as I was in someones company and that would be it.

I can tell you after the 10 days I felt something, don't quite know what! But I would describe it as being fresher, I would say I'm guilty of wasting time online....BUT I didn't for those 10 days! I used the net only when I had a task to do, NOT TO SIT AND WASTE HOURS DOING NOTHING ONLINE.

I think you should all try and do it, and see what you miss, see what you get done with the time not wasted online (Read a poker book!, go for a walk, go to the cinema more, watch some classic films etc)

People moan about not having enough time to do things, start my checking your email only ONCE a day and check facebook ONCE a day.

See if you can do it, if a total internet ban for 10 days is too much.........then start by doing just the two things above! If you can't......you must question your discipline and character!!! :D

So in summation.........................

EITHER...........

Try no internet for 10 days total ban

Or..........only time you can log on is to accomplish a task, i.e send an email, or check ur bank account, something that actually gets something done. CHECKING FACEBOOK IS NOT ALLOWED, you get an email when someone contacts you or sends a message, no other sane reason to be on it to look at updates of people going for haircuts or having a bbq!!!!

Try this out and at the end of 10 days u will thank me, if you don't last the 10 days, there is no penalty, u will still achieve MORE than if u had spent the time aimless browsing.

What has this got to do with poker..........you should know.......but if you don't I'll tell you :D

1. Helps with will power and discipline.

2. At the end of the 10 days you will feel fresher/cleaner/something else I can't put my finger on

3. If nothing else gets done apart from you reading a poker book, it will still improve your game.

Cheers

Barry

P.S

STOP READING BLOGS AND CRAP, AND GO AND HAVE A LIFE, READ A FUCKING BOOK :D xxxxxxx

APAT + Something to aim for

2010-06-15T18:41:00.000-07:00

I usually like to write long blog posts, but as it's 2:42am, I can't be bothered! But I've just had an idea, so gonna blog it here so (A) I remember when I wake up, and (B) It's made public so I actually do it!.............

What's been happening.......Not playing much at all recently, couple of small cashes in tourneys, mini profit in a cash session........Been trying to get things going with income source other than poker, that's been going well.

Anyway, on the horizon, I've put my name down to play the APAT game in Aberdeen on Saturday/Sunday. Not sure what travel arrangements etc are yet, will either drive up myself and come home and drive back on the Sunday, or travel up and split fuel costs with person(s) and maybe get a room in Aberdeen. I am going to see Colin tomorrow, so will see if the Wu is planning on playing (15 spots left last I heard).

15k Chips, 45min levels and some added value for winner, good game for the buy in.

So my idea.................................

Martin has had the website changed and it looks much slicker, he's fucking lucky he did! I have just rejected and offer from cardplayer.com to stream my blog posts, he's on his last chance ;) (nice site, well done martins little photshop slave he keeps in a box somewhere)

My idea is to do some sort of challenge, I am a man of leisure and I have relatively tons of time on my hands (we all have 24hrs in a day, but as I am a retired investor living on a pension, I have a pretty flexible schedule!)

As a result, to coincide with the re-design of the site, I'm going to set myself a challenge. It's gonna be pretty much Chris ferguson bankroll challenge, but I wont be starting with a $1..... (too much fucking about and I'm not looking to make that sort of statement!)

Will thrash out the details over the next week or so, and see some peoples opinions on it.

I'm thinking like start with $X and playing cash and sng's build it up to a certain amount. But I can promise you all this.........

I WILL NOT START THIS AND THEN JUST LEAVE IT UNDONE, the only way that will happen is if I go busto in the challenge (NO RELOADS, $100, that's it, build it and they will come!! But I will be using a strict bankroll management so we should get some mileage out of it anyway :D

I'm thinking start with $100, target $5k.............I don't know yet, but something along those lines.....................

I need a challenge just now, and with my tendency to build up small stakes to decent amounts online then either withdraw or LET IT RIDE all the way to bustoville! This should do me good.

As I say, clearer blog and details will appear soon.

If I win the APAT, I might put it off for a while until I have gambled all the winnings from that into oblivion.

Cheers

Barry

When can I SCOOP a SCOOP?

2010-05-15T04:42:00.000-07:00

Not played a live tourney since the £100 monthly game in Dundee, to be honest, this is the only live local tourney I can see myself playing for the foreseeable future. It has a good structure and the buy in generates decent money, the days of me wasting time playing £30 tourneys with fields of 17 are over! Not because I find myself financially free or anything, it's just for time and money invested, I can get better spots online.

I have played a few of the Spring Championship of Online Poker events, or SCOOP as it's known! If you have not been playing any of these, then you have been missing out. Missing out on massive fields, huge prizepools, small buy ins with great structured games. TONS OF DEAD MONEY IN THESE TOURNEYS ALSO.

I have played maybe 4, and have cashed in 3 of them. In one I finished 121st out of 16k+ runners and in one last night, I finished 201st from 10500 runners, cashed for $228, but first was $66k!!

If you have not been lucky enough to go deep in these huge tourneys with massive prizepools, then you are missing out. Last nights tourney cost me $44 to play, 1st was $66k, nothing gives you that feeling of going deep in a tourney, NOTHING. Although I prefer playing cash games, even a winning cash session does not come close to a deep run in a big game.

I've been getting deep, and I feel that I am ready to make a final table in one of these major online tourneys.

The main event final is this Sunday, Full Tilt's mini-FTOPS series is on just now as well. There main event is also this sunday, so I can see a monster online session tomorrow.

I am getting deep, and just need the luckbox switch to stay on a little deeper.

ONE TIME GOD

Good Luck

Barry

3 Degenerates In A Car To Coventry

2010-04-14T09:20:00.000-07:00

As many of you know I'm recently back from playing the £550 main event of the Pokerstars UKIPT Coventry Event. I drove down with the Wu and my brother Blair. We left Dundee early hours of Thursday morning and didn't hit any traffic until just before the M6toll, the journey was fine, listened to pokercast episodes and some good music. Blair and Colin had some power naps, and I think I only fell asleep at the wheel once or twice.

We arrived at our hotel in Coventry shattered, thankfully they got our room ready and let us check in early. I think sprawling out on the leather couches near reception somehow speeds up hotel staff! :D

The hotel was really good for the money, £44 or something for the room. Nice and clean, great shower/bathroom, TV etc. Also there was a big pool, sauna, steam room, jacuzzi etc. We were told it was £5 for duration of the stay for unlimited use, but it turned out to be free when we got there! Was great to unwind and relax for a few days.

Blair and Colin were playing later that day which was Thursday Day 1a, unfortunately Colin bust out shortly after the dinner break. His QQ screwed by AK, he was also in a 60k pot previously where his AA vs AK ended in a chop with both players making broadway! So he does run like us sometimes :P

Blair made Day 2 on the Saturday, which was a good showing in his first really big deepstacked tourney.

I played Day 1B on the Friday, I spent most of Thursday sleeping, eating and sitting around the hotel (just like back at home!)

I built my stack up without showing down a hand for maybe 3 levels, i had 38k, There are two hands I am going to talk about, first one is so................

Blinds 150-300 with an ante of 25, under the gun raiser makes it 1100, he gets one caller. Im on the button with AK, guy before me makes it 3200. My play in my opinion and giving my thought process was muck or raise, I don't like to muck AK in this spot, so I raise. I make it 6400 to go. My thought process is initial raiser had a big stack 80k+ and has shown a wide range, he got one caller, so I'm thinking the guy that has re-raised before me could have anything from 88 through to AK.

So I've made it 6400, and it goes back to the initial raiser, 5 seconds of thought and he announces "All in" (with 3 players including me the 4-better! to go after him) He has like 80k, so it is an overbet to say the least!! :D

Original caller folds, and the original 3-better folds. I know I'm folding my AK here, I still have 33k left after making it 6400 (BLINDS ARE ONLY 150-300 REMEMBER :D)

So i say "Show if i fold ?" and he says "maybe" So i say, "well I fold anyway, nice bet!"

He shows QQ and is happy with his play and says "i have the hand, i don't want to see a flop"

I say to the guy next to me "I'd be more worried about someone snapping me with aces or kings"

That was the last hand before the break and 2 guys came up to me saying "how could he play QQ like that etc, its insane, he only gets snapped if crushed, 3 players to act etc"

In summation, although the buy in is £550, there are a lot of qualifiers etc. Some of the play for a deepstack game was bad! And shows that there is actually value in these games, A LOT OF VALUE IN THEM.

So my bust out hand..............

The QQ donk makes it 1100 with blinds now at 200-400 with 50 ante. He gets two callers, I'm in the small blind with QJ and so i call the 900. BB calls and flop comes 10-9-2 (two clubs). The online reporting of the hand says it was checked around, I really can't remember in the haze, but I thought original raiser c-bets the flop. But it's kind of irrelevant!!!!

Anyway, the turn brings King of Spades, giving me the nut straight. I lead out 2k into like 6.5-7k. Big Blind folds, original raiser min raises to 4k. Other two fold.

Pot is now like 10-11k. The guy is a donk, and i figure, I'm getting paid here by a set, two pair, or even the nut flush draw, and if he is drawing, then he is gonna pay for it.........

So rather than make it 9k or something, i do a Hollywood and shove for my last 19k more. He insta calls me..............

I figure it's a chop and he has QJ, because literally NO THOUGHT!

Carla Goddard who does the pokerstars reporting says "Chop pot? both got queen jack???"

I say "I've got the nuts up to now!"

The guys face looks white and probably didn't even see the straight, he had a set of 10s! He was probably so wrapped up in that!

Pot is around 52-54k,...........................RIVER pairs the board, with a 9!

Pretty sick, by no means a really bad beat, I'm only 77% going to the river :P. Just feel it a little more, when it's a £500 buy in game, you have drove down from Dundee and the average at the time was only 24k! and first place in the tourney is £47k :P etc :D

So that was me out...........

Blair returned for day 2 with 130+ players, there were 45 places paid 45th paying £850, and Blair bust out 52nd when he had to shove AJ short stacked and someone woke up with AQ.

I wound him up the whole drive back about playing 14hrs to shove that shit! But it was a friendly needle, and he played well and outlasted the Wu and me, and did good, next time! ;)

We took a leisurely drive home, we stopped off a few times and randomly decided to stop off in Blackpool because we were in the mood of fish and chips! We had some fresh oysters, then found a wee sit in chipper, had fish and chips, mushy peas etc and life was good again :D

The trip was such good fun, we had great laughs in the hotel mucking about. I scared Blair twice, and I'm talking big frights! But I wont embarrass him here :P Safe to say, my planning and lengths I go to for scaring people in a hotel straight out of the shining, ARE ADVANCED :D!

None of us showed anywhere near a profit on the trip and our bankrolls showed a minus, but speaking for myself, Colin and Blair, our "liferolls" showed a positive. It was a great trip, lots of laughs and good times, and at the end of the day, your liferoll is more important than your bankroll ;)

REMEMBER THAT ;)

Good Luck

Barry xxx

Easter Festival and a future special guest :D

2010-04-06T16:50:00.000-07:00

I've not blogged in over a month, been busy playing poker and spending time on other stuff in my life!

Some updates....I came back from vegas with a nice addition to the bankroll, I continued to do well...highlights included 4 way deal in the last monthly £100 game (good for £700) and I got super lucky against LW and a random guy in a £500 pot in a cash game. Long story short, I have KK vs LW's AA and random guys JJ, all in pre. I bink a King on the turn and scoop. Stevie Mc was dealing, I gave him a lift home (for free :P) for his good dealing!

Things turned a bit sour after this, some stuff outside of poker put me a bit on life tilt and it seemed to spookilly slip into my results. I wasn't playing badly, and wasn't tilting......but a downswing seemed to correlate perfectly with other shit that was happening. As a result, I let Dr Chalmers out of the other side of my brain and let him loose. He preceded to blow too much money on the Cheltenham festival (Kauto star, I hope you are dog food and glue by now!)

I also experienced some garbage in cash games, flush against flush, top two crushed by gutterball turn, and two outered on the river.

Top two against bottom set in a tourney also, forgot about that one......NH Don ;) xx

I managed to stop the rot and took a break.......

I played all the Easter tournaments..quick recap..........

£200 Main event......Played my ass off, starting stack 15k, i was never above 23k for the entire tourney, 57 runners, and I somehow managed to get to 15th, I went out when I got it all in with two 10's against Cush's QQ (Cush went onto chop the tourney as one of the bigger money winners and got £2.5k, gg and well played)

£100 Event..... Again, I grinded this tournament, I can honestly say I have never played a short stack as well as I did in the £200 game and the £100 game. I just looked for good spots to make a move in, I was extremely patient. Although I was usually working with a stack of around 12-15bb for most of the levels, I never felt under pressure or forced to make a move.

I made the final table and went in as one of (if not the shortest stack, with like 24k) I then went on a tear up and ran good, my 9-10 beating 99, picked up QQ and then started to pick up blinds with timed shoves.

I managed to get my 24k up to around 140k in chips.........Then carnage!

Blinds 3k-6k, 6 handed, it is folded to me on the button, I pick up AK, i make it 15k to go, sb (aggressive player :P) goes all in pretty much instantly. Back to me and I instacall, he has A3, so I'm 76% :D..........................

Flop, 2........5.........4, and I'm dead to 3 outs for a chop! Brick,,,,and Brick......

I have him covered just, pot was like $220k+ was around half the chips in play, and was effectively the tournament.

I had around 30k left......I managed to grind that up and take out K-Walls AA shove on the button to my BB, i called with Q10 (as i had him covered and 5th paid £370) i hit a straight.

The hand i went out on was also sick, i limp sb with 24diamonds against Jamie (jambizzle-mynizzle-ishoveA3izzle-igettheremynizzle-coziflop-the-wheelizzle-u-gezzile??) He checks, flop 4-7-4. I think B.I.N.G.O, B.I.N.G.O his name is Bobby BINGO......turn is a 6. We get it all in and he has J4.....Goodnight Vienna and GingerToys out in 5th.............

£50 game was a non event, I ship in top pair (Ace) against a habitual gala ban'ee (not GSA or Drummy!) He calls with middle pair J and 9 kicker. He rivers a 9 and im out.

Great games and great structures, credit goes to the gala staff etc, Mr Myles obviously cares about poker (and it shows) Also, Fidel Samstro seems to be enjoying the role of cardroom supervisor, think both of them can make it still be number 1 for poker in Dundee. (If Mr Myles reads this, please feel free to put a few thousand fortune points on my card, a brothers gotta eat :P)

So that was then and this is now................................

I'm off to Coventry for the main event of the UKIPT sponsored by Pokerstars, I was only going to be playing the side events, but have decided to sell % shares in myself so I can play the £550 main event with the orient express Colin WU and my brother Blair (who qualified on pokerstars) Thanks to the guys who bought a stake in me, I can only promise to play well and hope to go deep. I would like nothing better than to come home handing out packets of cash ;)

I will be tweeting updates (see my twitter feed at side of this blog @ http://gingertoys.blogspot.com or on the http://www.pokerindundee.com site where my twitter feed is also shown, or find me on twitter GINGERTOYS and add me there!!.............Or just leave it and ask me how I did next time you see me :D

Now for a special announcement, Martin @ pokerindundee has been wanting to get the Wu on board with twitter feeds for when he plays tourneys etc, but this isn't an option just now..........................SO......................................................

Since I have some time on my hands, and Colin is fast building a reputation as a great poker player, I am going to do a full interview with Haito "Colin" Wu :D

I am going to sit down with the Wu, and go into lots, u name it, and it will be discussed :D

Colin is a good friend, but I'm going to try and be like the Paxman of poker :P I'll ask him lots of in depth questions. Effectively, I will act as the mediator to stream colins thoughts and views on poker to the Dundee poker community :D

Colin has a lot he wants to share and say, but with English not being his first language,,,he doesn't want to sit doing a blog for pokerindundee.com!

So I suggested this way, I interview him and then type it all out and blog it.

I will probably do it in a few parts, because One I'm Lazy! and two ! I want to do it right :D

I want to treat it like a magazine interview, and for someone with his record in GUKPT's, GCBPT and other side events and cash games, (FOR THE NUMBER HE HAS PLAYED, in fact FOR ANYONE TO HAVE THIS RECENT RECORD) I can't believe he is not sponsored/backed YET.

I will look do sit down with him sometime when we get back from Coventry :D

Colin is a busy dad and I like to sleep past 3pm, so we will have to work out a gap in our schedules :D

BUT I WILL GET THIS DONE, I'm sure everyone can learn something from him, and even for my own poker education, it will be worth it.

Good Luck us in Coventry.

And good luck to anyone who reads this.

Barry xxx

Las Vegas...The land of good times, £66 notes, broken dreams and $5 lobster! :D

2010-02-26T07:50:00.000-08:00

Home for a week :D

I made it back alive from my first trip in vegas :D It's such an amazing place, I stayed at the Bellagio and it is one of the best hotels I have ever stayed in (between that and the Langham Place Hotel in Hong Kong) maybe Bellagio just wins because of so much gambling on your doorstep! :D

As it was my first time there, I wanted to see a few of the sites etc. I was also there for M.A.G.I.C clothing exhibition (a show which involves tons of clothing brands/vendors displaying their lines for coming seasons)

I arrived in Vegas on the Monday night, I got a stretch limo straight to the Bellagio, this cost $55 and was worth it for a bit of opening night nonsense!

After checking into the Bellagio I had a quick shower, got changed and headed downt to the card room on site. I played $1-$2, I sat down with $200, and in a couple of hours play managed to cash out at $897!

I am not really going to go into tons of hands, but I will mention a few later on and some comments on the poker there.

The next day I went to the M.A.G.I.C clothing show and that was good fun, lots of freebies etc (all poker players love comps :D) I also spent most of that day walking from Mandalay Bay (where the exhibition was held) right down the strip and to familiarize myself with the layout etc!!

I'll get all the non-poker stuff out the way now!!

I went to see Penn & Teller's show at the Rio, it was really good, some of the tricks were amazing and the on stage banter etc was really good with lots of audience participation. After bribing the ticket guy we got two seats 5 rows from the front for only $45 each!! We were originally quoted $96 each!!! Everywhere I was in vegas, it became apparent that if u tip the right person, u can get lots of stuff done :D

I had lots of nice food in tons of nice restaurants, the restaurants particularly in the Bellagio were really good, notably Olives and Prime. I didn't just eat in the fancy restaurants, I did rough it sometimes $6 burger at binions was a particular local delicacy. I also ate some new orleans street food from a small independent woman selling shrimp with hot sauce and home made coleslaw (beats dundee street food of donner chips + cheese!!)

I also roughed it a bit, I went down to old vegas, freemont street etc. I went into Binions, the home of the WSOP and it still has something about it, a certain charm or nostalgic value. However, it is sad to see all the binons tables and chairs in the poker room through the back, totally empty. The hall of fame is a bit of a disappointment as well! Just pictures on a wall :D I expected that, but surely they can do a bit of merchandising there or some stories and nicer art work on the wall!!

I did well with the binions comp sheet when joining their club! They matched my blackjack bet, and i ran my $10 plus there $10 up to $100 and cashed out! weeeeeeeeee. I also did the really tourist thing and got my picture taken with the $1million they have on a table in the casino, all for free!! It really was like the stories I'd heard of downtown vegas :D

POKER WISE..........

As I said I did really well first night I played cash, and the times I played cash after that (i only played cash at the Bellagio) I was told that this is usually the case, u play where u stay etc. In my opinion the games at the Bellagio were so soft, it was literally like an ATM. Some of the play was crazy.

Example 1....I limp $2 utg with QQ, aggressive Vietnamese female (20's) makes it $26. Going on her previous hands and play, I put her on AK, AQ MAXIMUM HERE, she has been showing bluffs, and trash talking! Really strange to see a female play like this :D So it comes back to me, I flat call the $24 more (my stack is around $311 here) Flop comes J-5-7, I check (with intention to check raise obv) she bets out $40, I make it $40 with $80. She thinks for a bit, then goes ALL IN. I'm playing like $160-$180 more (can't remember exact) and I think it through, if she has JJ then good luck to her, totally eliminated KK and AA from her range (just a few factors, way she was acting pre-flop etc and previous stuff) Dont think she has set of 5's or 7's.

So I'm thinking it's JJ, AJ, KJ, or Ak-AQ. I call, she shows AQ high! Turn and river brick out, and i scoop $600+ pot.

Example 2.......Last hand I played in vegas was weirdly enough my favourite hand (63!) I get dealt 63hearts UTG + 1, I make it $6, one caller in cut off and bb calls. Flop comes 3-3-A rainbow, bb bets out $15, i flat call, guy in cut off flat calls, turn Q. BB bets $45, i raise now to $95(putting one of them on some sort of raggy ace and other guy on under pair) guy in cut off folds, bb calls. River J, bb checks to me, now im thinking he wouldn't check 3 there because of the way he played previously (he was a moron, jamming all in for $100 pre-flop when $6 in pot etc!!LOL) So i bet $95 on river, he thinks for like 3 seconds then calls.............HE TURNS OVER 77!!!! That is just free money, just utter garbage LOL. So again i scooped in a great pot there.

All in all the level of play I saw in the Bellagio was really soft, I maybe landed lucky at tables with fishy tourists with too much money!! But from my experiences you could grind out sizeable profits at the $1-$2 game, playing on autopilot!!!

Tournament wise, I only played one tournament the entire time, I didn't fancy spending 12hrs out of a day when I was only there for 7 days!! However, the venetian deepstack series (part of pokerstars north american poker tour) was on. I signed up for the $350 deepstack event $12k starting stack, 40min clock. 513 players!!!$148,513k prizepool with $34k for 1st place!!

I finished 46th out of 513, and as a result got my debut on the Hendon mob :P http://pokerdb.thehendonmob.com/player.php?a=r&n=100086

It was nice to cash in a tourney in vegas, but the way I went out was brutal. Blinds were 3k-6k with ante of 500 (i think!) I pick up KK early position, make it $15k, guy in small blind goes all in, comes back to me, I call (he has me covered, i Have around $82k) He turns over QQ

RIVER Q :( SICKNESS ENSUES :D..........................

$170k pot with blinds at 3-6k, i'm not saying i would have won it, but I would have fancied myself to get much, much deeper. I'm due such a big pay off in a big tournament, twice when deep in big events I've had over pair against under pair and someone has hit their 2 outer. So gonna save mine holding for an even bigger event :P

Saying that, if I wont the $34k it would have been a while before anyone in Dundee saw me LOL I think i'd probably be like Stu Ungar and found dead in a room somewhere!!! It's that sort of place :D

On the Friday night before I left I decided to go out and get deliberately hammered! The night started with me drinking 7 mojitos before i left the hotel!! And they free pour there, so god knows how much rum that was! My friend then decided to call it an early night (next day he told me because he didn't want to be part of my forthcoming mayhem!!! CHEERS MATE :D)

So i jumped in a taxi and went down to the venetian, all I remember from that is getting even more drunk in a bar inside the venetian,..........sitting drinking and talking with joe hachem and victor ramdin!!

Then i hit an outside open air bar somewhere between venetian and bellagio, i was drinking some mad punch thing that they poured into a big plastic cup, ($40 for a large quantity of it!!).......Talking with hispanic drug dealers (interesting guys!)....Then I remember being really sick in a toilet.......discussing economics and economic pricing theory with a total weirdo!!! Then that's it, the night ends! Woke up next day, THANK GOD IN MY HOTEL ROOM. Cannot remember going back to hotel, how i got there, how i got passed security (as u have to show room card to gain access to elevators in bellagio). I hope I was well behaved and my name is not mud there!! There weren't any funny looks the next day, and nothing was mentioned at checkout!! LOL :D

Although, if there were any murders, thefts, criminal damage etc on that Friday night. Suspect probably was described as a sexy bastard with ginger hair LOL ahahahhahahahhahaahhaha
All in all vegas was absolutely amazing, say what you want about America. The level of service, food etc All top class, we get so screwed in this country and put up with substandard levels in all those areas.

Also, the American people are so hungry for success and want to better themselves. Just look in ANY newsagent there, magazine titles such as "entrepreneur magazine" "success magazine" "fast company" "Home business magazine etc

What do we have in the uk, "Hello" "Zoo" "Nutz" and that sort of bullshit!! :D

I'm not saying they are the master race, but for people who want to do well and live a great life and become successful. America appears the place to be, it is encouraged and applauded, not derided and ridiculed or frowned upon (like most people in the UK do!!) :D

I love Las Vegas, and I'll be back :D

Fishing (literally) and Viva Las Vegas

2010-02-12T07:24:00.000-08:00

Not played a great deal of late, played two cash sessions and posted small profits both times. Played the £100 monthly game at the Gala, was part of the famous "Dundee chop" 10 way chop for £400 each, me having 11bb, a temperature and feeling dizzy and thinking of it as an extra $600 for Vegas, made me do it!! :P I did say no to a £300 each chop when asked, as that was just too bad :D hahaha

Me and Colin (aka the £300-£1k buy in mtt specialist!!!) decided to go fishing!! I'm not a huge fan of fisherman, but I get the whole relaxation, patience aspect (harder to accept when it's freezing!) When me and the Wu went down to London for WSOPE etc, he mentioned he used to go fishing back home in China all the time, and that he would like to go in Scotland.

My little brother (Bradley, the non-poker playing one) is an avid angler, he has represented Scotland at fly fishing, and has won countless fishing competitions etc. So I told Colin, and he was dying to get out sometime.

I was going to consult Dundee's biggest expert on fishing (Martin Smith) but decided against it.

So I managed to get out my bed before 1pm and we set it up, me, Colin, Bradley and his friend. Fishing is like tournament poker, ur waiting around for lots of the time and not really seeing any action!

It was near the end and we were close to packing up, then we got a bite on one of the roads. We let Colin do the honours and he reeled in a MONSTER sea trout!

Colin had a great time and he exchanged numbers with Brad, I think they are going to go out fishing again and Colin is away to buy all the gear! Who knows, the Wu might retire from poker and just spend his days fishing!

So that was my bit of fresh air for the week!

VEGAS BABY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Next Monday I am away to Las Vegas, it will be my first time in Vegas and I'm really looking forward to it. I'm staying at the Bellagio (obligatory brag picture above :P).

I've heard lots about how good the games are etc, and I am really looking forward to playing some poker. HOWEVER, I have promised myself to not turn it into total poker and nothing else.

As it's my first time there, I want to go see a few shows, see some other sights (maybe go out to the grand canyon) and try and have a bit of a holiday. (so just poker 19hrs a day then :P)

I don't have any major poker goals for the trip, just..... I would like to come back with more money than I left with, and definitely do better than Martin on his last trip!

Tournament wise, I am going to play one of the $340 buy in deepstack games at the Venetian, so looking forward to a proper deepstack game, and have heard these games get quite big prize pools, so looking forward to that.

Apart from this, I will be playing mainly cash games $1-$2 NL and $2-$4, or $2-$5 depending on game, mood, roll etc.

I would like to write a big list of goals etc, but it's my first time and I want to see Vegas, get drunk, have a good time, play some poker.

Who knows, I might roll up and take a shot against Doyle and Co in bobbys room ;)

Good Luck me!

Play Well

Barry xxx

2010, nearly a month gone already!!

2010-01-25T06:28:00.000-08:00

This is my first blog since 31st December 2009..

So far, 2010 has involved staying up until 5 or 6 am and sleeping until 2-4pm in the afternoon. It's been fun for a while, but starting to become annoying! It's difficult to get things done that actually involve going out of the house during the day!!!

But, I have been more productive in the first 25 days of January 2010, than the whole of December and November last year, so what works etc etc....

Poker wise I have not been playing much at all. Live, I have played 4 tournaments at Gala (chopped one, bricked the other 3), I have also played only two cash sessions, but showing a profit in both of them. (please note cash profits were boosted this month by owning Mr Smith at flips, :P)

I have deliberately not been playing as much poker as I have been concentrating on other money making activities, of which I'm not gonna bore my readership with! (just wheeling and dealing and trying to make an honest crust)

Another reason why not playing as many poker hours as previous is I am getting ready for Las Vegas, I leave 3 weeks today. It will be my first time in Vegas and I'm staying at the Bellagio, so looking forward to not only plenty of fun and swings at the cash tables, but also lots of good food, drink and actually try see a bit of Vegas!!

I should play the £100 monthly game first Sunday of February, as this usually generates a nice prize pool and could provide me with extra dollars to gamble in Vegas!

So that's about it just now, next few weeks will involve more of the same, keep up my good efforts outside of poker, pop in for the odd cash game or tourney, and BUY AS MANY DOLLARS AS I CAN :D

Not sure if will blog much in Vegas, I actually want to spend my time doing stuff in the real world there!! But may post the odd tweet, so if u remotely care, follow me on twitter! If you are a true friend, u will be hearing from me on the phone after every pot won or outdraw anyway!! :P

When I get back from Vegas (hopefully with an increased net worth!) I will evaluate and see what I want to do with the rest of 2010.

Cheers

Barry

P.S Don't Flip with the Toys, (ask Martin "Channing" Smith)

Last Blog of the Year

2009-12-31T11:31:00.000-08:00

Not blogged in nearly a month, so may as well do a quick one now!

I started keeping records way back in May! last 7 months have flown in. Im so happy I did this, I can see in black and white that I have made a profit in both live tourneys and live cash games since records began.

Recently, started playing some live tourneys again at local casino, played 3 this week, results 6th/48 (money bubble), 6th/25th(deal bubble) 10th/57 (final table bubble cos someone made a donkey call)!! I don't really care too much, as I am playing well and getting to final tables and putting myself in good situations, also Im willing to go bust on the bubble in a trade off to chip up and make a better score.

Live cash was good this week, played slightly tipsy and posted a profit after 3 consecutive losing sessions! (SO TIPSY POKER FTW!)

2009 was a good year, playing the £1k WSOPE event in London and cash games at the vic! many highs, 24th in the Sunday Warmup, 5th in the $50kGTD, good live cash results and even better live tourney results.

There were no lows really, well my QQ crushed by JJ down to like 11 players in GUKPT £300 game in Aberdeen, for pot that would have made me chip leader. :P Sure there were many more, but I see it all as learning and try and take positives from it (no matter how far way they seem at the time!!!!!!)

2010 should be a great year, I'm going to vegas in February, staying at the Bellagio! So that should involve plenty of fun and games.

In 2010 please can i have.....

My first 10k cash in a tourney (highest so far is 6k)(online or live, not fussy :P)

Continued Improvement in cash game, starting $500 separate in an online site (AND THOU SHALT OBEY BR MANAGEMENT)

Play £1k WSOPE event again in September

Play Scottish leg of Pokerstars new UK tour

Play Inaugural Dundee G casino Summer series GUKPT event

Finally,,,,,,,,,Not to neglect the rest of my interests and indeed life for the sake of poker :D (well not all the time!)

Hope everyone has a good new year, if I'm at your table in 2010 please give me your money :D

Gingertoys xxx

Can't have all your eggs in one basket!

2009-12-03T10:08:00.001-08:00

Just a quick update blog, I have slowly been easing my way back into the local live poker scene. As far as tournaments go, I have played 2 in 2 months, 13th in one, and did a deal in the other one. Played some cash games, I have had mixed results! I have been playing far too much 6-max online, and live full ring feels like a long drawn out affair. I have did well at online cash over the last month or so, but some of my live cash results have been down to errors on my part, the rest is just variance.

I enjoy live cash much more than online. As a result, I'm going to make a few adjustments, try a few different things and try and play more of the local live cash games.

Away from poker, I am back into the financial trading/spreadbetting on everything from share prices/commoditie prices and foreign currencies. I am mainly trading forex, namely the US$.

It's amazing the cross overs between trading and poker, if you want to really get anywhere, it's all discipline, money management and controlling yourself.

I used to trade a lot, and was succesful, once I got into poker I kind of drifted away from it, but the two sort of come together in so many aspects.

It's kind of weird, a few years ago I was into trading and didn't even play poker. Now I'm so glad I eventually started playing poker, as I say it has taught me so much about myself and the disciplines learned/learning/acquiring! are appropriate for my trading exploits aswell.

I did after all obtain a first class honours degree in economics, and even when I was studying for my degree, I alaways so it as learning stuff that I would use to work for myself and make money in the markets etc.

My long term plan is to play poker, live cash, live tourneys and the same online. However, I definitely am putting more hours into trading, the scope is so much bigger.

Ideally, I see myself in 10 years, just playing the markets and playing big live poker tourneys and cash games. Beach house somewhere, couple of million in the bank, you get the idea ;)

It's taken a few years, but I am so glad I did finish my degree, I am so glad I found poker, and I am so glad I am starting to find my way onto steps of a ladder I want to climb again.

Meanwhile, I should be playing the £100 game this Sunday in the Dundee gala, should win it :P

Good Luck

Barry x x

X-Factor here We Come

2009-11-11T18:21:00.000-08:00

Some of us Dundee poker players have finally bust out our bankrolls, some are blaming wives, some are blaming drugs or other vices......BUT WE HAVE CREATED A DANCE ACT, AND WE ARE GOING TO TAKE IT ALL THE WAY TO THE X-FACTOR FINAL NEXT YEAR.

I GIVE YOU "POKER BOYS"

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

First Tourney in weeks = Final Table!

2009-11-02T03:11:00.000-08:00

I have still not played live poker in 5 weeks now!!! :O WTF etc I'm in danger of turning into an online player and talking about 5 bet shoving, equity crap, ranges etc and talking like WTF IMO, FML etc!!

I tried to get down to casino this weekend, but had stuff on the friday night and was too tired to play Saturday, so just left it.

Online cash has been going good on the ipoker site, and have built up a decent seperate online there, so just gonna continue to grind that up.

I did join another skin on the ipoker site, Neil Channing and Nik Persaud's Blackbeltpoker.com It's not only a poker site, there is like a social networking bit for poker players. I think it's a great concept.

Believe it or not it was Neil Channing who personally informed me of a $5k depositors FREEROLL!!! Not that me and Neil are great friends etc, but I have spoken with him and through emails about a few bits and pieces! I think he is a phenomenal player, and lives the sort of life anyone in UK poker would hope to aspire to. (i.e total high stakes degenerate and playing every day in the vic!!! WANT :D)

Anyway, I registered for the site and entered the $5k depositors freeroll with 275 runners. I should point out my girlfriend Jo did aswell!! She has the poker bug, she did play (if u could call it that) before I met her, so i've gave her the gingertoys crash course, and she has had some decent performances, and she finished for 21st out of 275 herself, WELL DONE :D x x x

This was my first tournament, online or live in around 3 weeks I think (played $20k GTD on stars and came 55th out of 1500+ on that)

I managed to play really well, and the structure was better than some buy in tournaments online. 3k starting stack, 15 min clock, blinds start 10/20. JUST AMAZING VALUE and A GOOD GAME!

In the end I managed to make the final table, the final featured Neil Channing and Nik Persaud and another one of their site pros. Again proving that poker is a game of skill!! :P

I finished in 4th place, my JJ>AQ, Q on the river :( That earned me a cash for $300, but more than that it was a great game, with good British banter amongst Channing, Persaud etc (At the final table someone was like, god cant believe Im at final table with you guys, can I have an autograph, obviously intended for Channing!) I responded "Yeah who will I make it out to" :D My comment was well received :D

All in all a great tournament, and Channing and Persaud have a possible little gem on their hands. There was a definite sense of a community on the site (my first time playing on it) and even my girlfriend felt the same and really enjoyed it.

There is always the question as to what is better, Live poker or Online poker. I have always said, "I like live, because of the banter, community, needles with regular friends that play etc"

On this showing, Blackbeltpoker.com appears to be a sort of hybrid of everything positive about online and live poker.

Cheers

Barry xx

Coming Soon To A Casino Near You

2009-10-26T09:17:00.000-07:00

Disclaimers:- Following blog has the sarcasm/tongue in cheek button switched on!!!!

I know a few of you have missed me :D So where have I been! I have mainly been trying to sort out other bits and pieces within my life, when u are a genius/phenom/intelligent bastard like myself :P Then you have to take time away from things sometimes, whether it's poker/or anything else.

I have not played live cash or tournament poker in a month, and I feel great for it. Previous to that I played for near on 4 months solid, and I mean solid, online and live everyday. Thanks to previously discussed record keeping, in the 4 months from May to September I built a very decent bankroll, culminating in me going down to London for the WSOPE and cash games at the vic, London was a negative in financial aspects, but up there as a major positive in my poker life!!

Once back from London I played some cash games in Dundee, through a combination of running way below my usual and I think a sort of anti-climax from playing down in London, I kind of just didn't want to be at the table, for whatever reason.

So I did what I did earlier in the year, I went away and took a break from live play. I don't care what anyone says about online poker, there is no better training ground and more efficient way to play the game.

From the comfort of the bat cave, I have spent a month playing a little cash games on celebpoker (with 30% rakeback, live casinos wake up, we at least need player points for drinks or something!!) Watching high stakes poker (finally got them downloaded and onto dvds so i can watch on 40" screen, it never looked or sounded so good!!!) I have also been reading the odd strategy article, interview with pros etc.

THE RESULT.................

In general, I feel so good to be playing football twice a week and running again, touch wood, my ankle has not snapped again, so I should be able to get back into shape by xmas! Being in shape makes such a difference in terms of mood, concentration and energy etc. I mean I have been killing games as a fat bastard, so when lean, you may as well just send me your money!! :D

I am now ready to play live again, I feel fresher/clearer/centered (and any other new age stuff u want to slot in there) Still clearly insane though!!

Just now I feel I want to actually go down to the casino and play cash games, or play a tournament.

At the moment I am going to continue to build a separate bankroll online, and not make any withdrawals etc from it, and let it build.

The new tournament schedule at the local Gala casino looks very good, and should see a rise in the number of players and pot sizes, so will see how they go and try and make the ones I can.

Expect to see gingertoys at a local casino near you ;)

Barry x x

Less Soul Reading, More Soul Searching

2009-10-04T16:04:00.000-07:00

Since returning from my London trip, I've not played much live poker at all. I did attend the local casino for a few cash sessions last week, but through a combination of coolers and me playing less than my A-game, it culminated in two negative sessions!

I had a look through my live records for both cash games and tournaments, and I am showing a decent profit since I started keeping results way back in May. (BIG THANK YOU TO MARTIN BRINDLEY CHANNING FOR KICKING MY ASS INTO DOING THIS! :D)

As I said I'm not really in a rush to play any of the tournaments in the local casino, I will no doubt come down for the Thursday tournament now and again, as it's a decent game and for the social aspect. Also the cash games are both good fun, and good value.

However, I have a few ideas I want to pursue (some poker, some non poker!) So kind of prioritizing these.

So plans for the next few months.

Goal 1, I am back training, running and playing football twice a week, want to get my health back where it used to be! For too long I've resigned to being a degenerate poker player, it's just laziness, and letting it affect your health is a negative EV play! You have less energy at the tables, and mood is also affected. Been at it solid for two weeks and starting to feel better already.

Goal 2, Start with a separate lump sum in an online poker account, and follow STRINGENT bankroll management rules, and this money does not get touched, see where it is in a year! As mentioned previously, my live cash games and live tournaments since may show a substantial profit, but it's too easy for this money to get mixed up with living costs! And get spent on take aways, cinema tickets, car running costs, clothes etc etc! So by having a seperate roll online that does not get touched, will allow a sort of compounding interest to take place, because profits reinvested etc. Going to treat it like as a challenge.

Goal 3, Play more online tourneys, and try satellite into larger events and maybe play some decent live local tourneys.

Goal 4, Work on a few other interesting projects, some money making, some just purely character and soul building!

So to sum up, I am going to put energy into other areas of my life, I love poker.. I genuinely believe I have a natural ability for the game, and with hard work and perseverance, I know I will get where I want to be in the game.

However, I know that like anything in life, it is important to find balance. I intend to put some time and effort into other areas of my life, and the hope is I get more out of life, and as a result, more out of poker.

Good Luck

Barry xx

London's Burning (yeah a hole in my pocket!! :P)

2009-09-20T16:42:00.000-07:00

I arrived last Wednesday, it was the case of getting into the hotel, getting few hours sleep, then hitting the cash games at the Vic. First night I finished down £480 playing £1-£2 NL. Due to a big semi bluff against a woman who had an overpair (and we all know woman and overpair mucked are never in the same sentence!)

I then had a few other sessions at the vic, and manged to get into the groove, and the next day I made £280, and after two more sessions I was in a profit at the cash games for the trip. I ended the trip showing a small profit in the cash games, which was great considering the £480 hole on the first night.

(Side note I just remembered, for all the hours of cash games and tournament poker I played down there, I did not get Aces or Kings Once, I did get Queens 5 times though :P)

SO THE WSOPE £1k EVENT AN GINGERTOYS SHOT AT A BRACELET!!!!!!!

PLAYING ON THE SHOULDERS OF GIANTS!! :D (Top right of pic, should spot my head!)

So it wasn't to be! I managed to register for the £1k WSOPE event at the Empire Casino in London, 3k starting stack, but they changed the structure to blinds starting at 25-25, with a 1hr clock. So it added a bit of play to the game. I played the Day 1A, the Friday, 12 pm start. It was a great experience, Phil Hellmuth was at the table right next to me, and no matter what anyone says about him, every player in that room had their eyes fixated on him, and rightly so. He is the all time bracelet leader, and when it comes to holdem tournaments, he is the best.

It was so good to sit and play in a tournament like that, everywhere you looked there was stars "There is Barry Greenstein, fuck Roland de Wolfe aswell, holy shit it's Erik Seidel" That was the inner conversation I had with myself!!

So anyway, there were a lot of bright lights and poker "celebrities", and what the WSOPE definitely know how to do is put on a show, with all the lights, glitz and glamour.

The tournament was actually pretty uneventful in terms of play for me, the cards (like always) had no sense of occasion, that this was my FIRST bracelet event etc :D They just said nope! My high point in chips was around 3900, made a nice Queen high flush and value bet a guy who was a face i recognise, but cant put a name to him!!

I lasted 3hrs into the tournament, blinds were at 50-100, and it's folded to my AJ suited in the cut off, i raise 3x, button ships me for 1k more, sb folds, bb folds and I obviously insta call with the AJ suited, he has 1010 and the flop is brick city for gingertoys (SIDE NOTE, I finished 24th in Sunday warmup this year (1st place $112k!!) with the same situation AJ against 1010!!! Coinflip away from god knows what in both events!! SIGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH :P

I did manage to speak with WSOP main event winner, and multiple bracelet winner, genius, and genuinely nice guy HUCK SEED!! We spoke for around 10-15 minutes at the break, topics included, golf in scotland, the structure of the tournament, bankroll management and his toilet in his hotel room not flushing! A genuinely nice and inspirational guy.

I also promised I would not act like a fan boy and get autographs of anyone!! I stuck to that!! However, I was on my phone at the break, and Barry Greenstein (LEGEND) and Erik Seidel (ALSO LEGEND) were around, so I grabbed a quick picture with both of them.

In summation, the WSOPE £1k event was everything I wanted it to be, filled with top players, a shot at a bracelet, and I promised myself last year I would play it this year, and Im glad I met that goal.

As usual, I like to set out some plans near end of a blog (mainly for myself like a notepad!)

So.....

I intend to focus mainly on cash games in local casino, I dont feel the tournaments offer me any great value these days, and to put in the required amount of hours of play, for what is in the prize pool, I think I can use the time more efficiently in online cash games or indeed live cash games. So I will be down for as many cash games at my local casino as possible!!

Continue my good work at online cash games, and build bankroll, and develop online cash game

Play more online tournaments (they are + ev, arguably the best form of training for the bigger deeper stacked live games I am planning on playing)

Put money aside from cash/game tournament scores to play bigger events, Coral, GUKPT, maybe even some DTD games etc.

So London wasn't to be, but I wanted to play it, and did. I had a great time, with absolutely no regrets, it was, like poker always is, a learning experience..........And I am still learning x x

Good Luck

Barry x x

London Calling

2009-09-15T16:36:00.000-07:00

Just a quick blog, my train leaves for London in 8hrs 4mins, still got to pack a bag and go to sleep! I have decided to just go to my bed, listen to some music and get some sleep. The past few months have been serious poker degenerate behaviour, going to bed at 5am and getting up at 2 or 3 in the afternoon. Then all of a sudden I need to be up at 8 o'clock and be on trains!!

A little update on the trip, I have always planned this trip to be for cash games, and a bit of a change of scenery and to relax a bit on a poker "holiday" :D....

However, I remember sitting last year thinking, "I really want to play the WSOPE £1k buy in event next year", I have looked at the structure sheet and it isn't the best, it is obviously a shot etc etc, but I do like to follow through with goals that I set! However, stumping up the £1075 buy in myself, is a tad out of my MTT bankroll :D So I did what a lot of players do and sell off % stakes of myself, I wont go into all the details, of who backed me and for what etc. But suffice to say, I am now close to being able to play the event thanks to some fellow players showing a bit of faith, and of course me stumping up the majority of the buy in!!

I say close, because I am not far away from the required amount of % sold to enable me to pay the rest!!

I will naturally be grinding the cash games like an absolute demon aswell! Empire casino offer £1-£2 starting no limit, all the way up, 24hrs a day, 7 days a week. Who needs a hotel???? :D

So it looks like I am actually going to get to play the £1k WSOPE buy in event, it's a shot at a bracelet! Yeah the structure aint the best etc, but 1hr clock and a little bit of luck, who knows...I could come back home with a fucking bracelet :D Sorry but I think it's well worth a punt! :D

Good Luck ME this time :D

Barry x x x

$100 to $1800 easy! Keeping it? (getting easier :P)

2009-09-07T16:03:00.000-07:00

RUN LIKE BARRY BULLETIN!!

I deposited $100 into Pokerstars on 01/09/09, I was in the mood for a game of cash! I have since then, thanks to a large part skill and larger part "RUNNING LIKE BARRY" managed to get it up to around $1800 ($1774 was high point i think).

This happened thanks to hands like these

You will notice that I played some 50/$1 and $1/$2, I also played some $2-$4. Now obviously not bankroll management etc, I put the $100 in for a game, and grinded away until I had around $500-$600, I then moved up to $1-$2. Reasons??? I was running well, and playing well and when the two combine, I'm sure you all agree u just feel sort of in the zone! :P

I then managed to get it up to around $900, then up to $1744.

I took the first sort of major beat, just because it was a large pot, I had taking a few others previously, but not all in pre flop for those stacks.

This is the hand that cost me a $400 pot http://www.pokerhand.org/?4669070

Ok, it's a cooler, nobody likes to see there aces cracked, and certainly not all in pre flop in a cash game. But it's happened to me lots! SERIOUSLY, I SOMETIMES DO RUN JUST LIKE THE REST OF YOU. Well in the short run, and only sometimes :P

However, I am really proud to say that the damage was majorly limited, I was playing two tables of $1-$2 and after that pot, and another beat, I did start to play a bit like Kev Wallace if he loses a flip early on in a cash game. I was playing far too many hands, and bluffing the river far too much.

Now this is not the first time I have ran a small deposit into a decent wee roll, inf act lost count of how many times. HOWEVER, i can only remember a few times where I have actually taking the money out!! As a result I noticed I was playing not great, so I have withdrawn $1k from pokerstars, and popped this nice wee chunk into my live roll. Left the remaining few hundred in pokerstars, and will now drop down levels, and grind it back up ;) PLAN, take out another $1k :P

So regardless what happens, I got $1k for $100 in 7 days, it beats the stock market :P

Oh! I actually managed to satellite into event 1 of the WCOOP from that same $100, so that was another $215 from it :P Although I beat half the massive 8k field, i got punted out after being card dead forever!

So great weeeeee week online, and a timely boost to the bankroll for the upcoming London trip. I must say the week reinforced the sheer magnitude of possibility online poker provides. I consider myself a live player, and I still play much better live than online. However, the sheer ease of which you can get a game (many games, limits and levels to choose from, instantly 24hrs a day) and the speed of hands, probably at least 3 times the amount of hands per hour u get live.

All in all it just feels more optimal!

This blog has dragged on too much, and if u are patient enough to get to this part then u deserve a quick finish! Something I here martin is good at.

OK..... I have been staying away from local tourneys, not getting great fields and not really felt like playing a smaller live tourney with those structures. It's always been a social draw, and I will no doubt play one there soon!

I plan to get down to casino for as many cash games as I can.

Scottish Championships at Edinburgh this week, not sure if I am going to play any of them, for similar reasons to Dundee games, and also perhaps money would be better used down in London games.

I leave for London on 16th of September for one week with Mr Wu.

I hope to come back with trip paid for, and a minimum of £1 profit :P haha

Good luck, and remember "RUN LIKE BARRY" :P haha

Thank God for cash games!

2009-09-02T16:33:00.001-07:00

Dundee Festival finished on the early hours of bank holiday monday, all in all a good weekend of poker.

Tournament results! £500 game that i satellited into for £20, absolute garbage, any time I hit a hand infront and bet (someone folded) then if i hit a strongish hand, I would have to laydown (correctly I may add!!) Lucky I had 20% of a player who went onto do a deal and cash for £1500, so it still shipped me £300!

I played the £100 freezeout on the Sunday night, I wasn't really in the mood and was enjoying another lively cash game, but decided to contribute my hard earned £100 to the donkfest! I was actually playing cash for the first 10 or 15 minutes of the tournament, so missed first few hands. I then decided to take my seat, right into the small blind, dealt AA! :D Cut a long story jack, I re-raise pre flop an early position raiser. Flop comes j rag rag, i bet, he re-raises (EXTREMELY loose mainiac player!) I ship all in, he calls and has JJ :D First hand, left me with few hundred which I put in next hand, and that was that!

Thanks to the cash games on Saturday and Sunday I made a really healthy profit, combined with % of friends tourney cash, festival was a positive boost to the bankroll.

It's my birthday this Sunday, so not sure what poker plans this weekend. I really want to play the $530 buy in WCOOP tournament on pokerstars, we shall see. Cash games going well, and trying to really build roll with them and take occasional shots at some tourneys.

I have built up a nice little roll in pokerstars, so have some options ;) Even thinking of playing the 6 max $215 buy in event tommorow.

So in short this is my schedule/plans for the month.

Play as many WCOOP events as I can
Play some of the tournaments at Scottish Poker Championships
Continue to build bankroll with cash games
Have fun in London, cash games, tourney and who knows, maybe WSOPE ;)

Good Luck

Barry

Anything could happen in the next 72hrs!

2009-08-28T07:39:00.000-07:00

So it's here, the first Dundee festival in a long time! I don't know whether it is an anti-climax, or it's because I am just up and had a losing bet without leaving my bed!! Laptop + betfair + John Mcleans tips = no good! Had to grind it out on the betfair poker tables before I got up, just so i didn't start the day off as a downer! John (IM CHANGING MY NUMBER :D)

Anyway!! There is a £200 game tonight, 30 minute clock, 7500 chips. Not sure how many runners are in yet, really do not know if I will play this yet. Will make the decision once in the casino, check numbers etc etc. I will be going to the casino anyway, as if I do not play the tourney, then I will definitely be playing the cash games.

So as I have mentioned before, tommorow is the (two day) £500 main event, I think there are around 20 registered players now (all from satellites i think). The game has a good structure, so hoping that I can go deep, if not win it ;)

The £100 game is on the Sunday at 8pm, so whether i play that will depend on if I am still in the £500 game! :P

As mentioned previously, booked up for London, going to be there for WSOPE, I have qualified for a super satellite with 10 packages guaranteed for the £1k event. It is on Monday night on betfair, so I really hope to pick up a package for when I am down in london.

So I am off to meditate, have some food and prepare myself for the weekend!! All I ask is that my hands hold up when I'm ahead, and that I suckout big time IF im behind :D

Good luck.

Barry

Luckbox central and Johnny Lodden!

2009-08-17T09:47:00.000-07:00

Things have been going good, getting some very consistent results in local tourneys that I am playing in, also cash game results are seeing more profits than losses. I played the £30 double chance freezeout yesterday, 55 runners, got down to last 4 and did a deal that saw me and another player get £400 each, and the other two shorter stacks got £360 each. I went to the final table one of the shorter stacks, but doubled up to 85k when my KQ of clubs shoved and met a pair of 9's, I hit two pair and got the double up.

Key hand though saw me pick up AA under the gun, i raised to 18k (blinds 3-6k) player flat calls on button and the big blind shoves all in. I go all in, as does player on button! button had 77 and big blind had KK. I have them both covered and neither hit their set. I knock both players out and go big chip leader!! First time picked up aces in a while live, and not a better time than a final table against KK and 77!! :P

The Sunday game is really good structure, although kind of turns into a crapshoot near the bubble/last two tables that involves a shove fest.

Cash results have been good, and I am making a few changes within my game and trying out a few adjustments, and my results have been positive, just so many plays! I LOVE IT :D

After the tournament I came home and played some PLO on pokerstars, Johnny Lodden was at the table! limits were $2-$4, I took a $175 pot from him, weeeeee :P I left the table with a decent little profit, was really just a little fun to wind down!!!

I played another satellite at Dundee for the £500 game, as I already have a seat if I win another I can cash one in for £550 cash, so these satellites offer me great value, as field largely soft. I got 4th and got £70! 3rd was a £100 seat and 1st/2nd £500 seat. Still gave me a £50 profit :P

I am looking to travel down to London with the Wu when the WSOPE is on, going to be staying for a week. I am looking to play some tourneys and cash games, and probably satellite for WSOPE event. Just would be good to have a week away, but still heavily pokered!!!

As I type this it is 6pm on Monday night, I am thinking of traveling to the circus to the £30+£30 tourney. Will decide after my shower :D

Good luck

Barry

Loving The Grind

2009-08-08T12:13:00.000-07:00

It's been poker poker poker, I love the grind :D A while back I started keeping records, this was as a result of a chat with a local cash game player (and tournament fish) whos game I respect. I've read it in many interviews with many top players and they all recommend this. I can say, that my money management has improved greatly, simply by seeing everything in black in white. I have been keeping records (LIVE GAME EXPLOITS ONLY) for coming on 3 months now, and I am happy to say that for both tournaments and cash games I am well in the black.

This is great considering I have played a few larger buy in events £500 and £300, and played more locally and in Edinburgh/Glasgow etc with bigger buy ins.

So basically, if you want to start improving game and cash management, start by keeping records!

OK........

Paul Hendos home game was the usual blast, 4 tables, I got down to 2 tables, and key hand crippled me, my AK >Chris's 77.........(I know it was Tony but we were winding him up saying it was chris!!) Then I shove 89 off against the daddy Wu's AJ, beating him in a 60/40 is tough :D

Cash game exploits were a blast, a real rollercoaster, I had polished off close to a bottle of smirnoff and was in the mood :D Session can be summed up in 3 key hands!

Hand 1 - Blinds typical £1-£1, I raise to £4 late position with A3 off, few callers, flop comes 3-3-5, checked to me, I fire £15. Martin Brindley flat calls and it's me and him heads up to the turn.
Turn is a 2, he checks, I bet £20, he makes it £55, I insta shove. for like £30 more. Martin has 64 for nut straight. 5 on the river and I hit the house and take the lot. Thank you dealer (Who ironically was Martin :P)

Hand 2 - Standard set up, early raiser, I re-raise, eddie goes all in for £80 ish total, I have Aces and call naturally! :P He has KK, all in pre-, king on the flop and nice guy gaines takes it. Set up hand, and just shrug shit like that off these days ;)

Hand 3 - Raiser makes it £4, like 5 callers, i have 9-5 diamonds VALUE TOWN :P Flop comes 3-5-6 (two diamonds) so pair and a flush draw, and with a bottle of vodka in me, I aint folding. Get it all in again a nightmare sweat! GUY HAS K4 DIAMONDS SICKKKKKKKKK!!
BRICK AND A BRICK TURN AND RIVER, and 5 is good for a pot of around £240.

Sooooooooooooo,

Been playing a bit online again, mainly cash and sit and gos. Anytime I go to register for a MTT I just feel, NAH too long (cos obv i expect to make a deep run :P) So done well not to register when in that mood and just donate chips.

I think alot of it has to do with my fitness, since I did my ankle ligaments for 3rd time! Just not been exercising and definitely have less energy. But been back light training the last 10 days, and back to my football every week. So should shift the injury weight soon and get back to the Barrious Antonius look ;) Any weight loss prop bets or any of that shit u wannabe hot shots want to take me up on, bring it on :P

Looking forward to £500 game in Dundee end of the month, will prob play the £200 as well. I also have, Scottish Championships in September.

ALSO IT IS MY BIRTHDAY 6th OF SEPTEMBER, (all donations needed and gratefully received) :D

Bye for now xxxxx

I'm on a heater, Blair's in hell!!!!

2009-07-29T07:42:00.000-07:00

I know this is my blog, but it is in danger of turning into my little brothers! The less attractive, less intelligent and quieter Chalmers. Although recently, he is setting the competitive poker benchmark pretty high!

So lets get it out the way, well done! After making 3 successive final tables out of fields ranging from 700 - 1800 runners on poker stars, he cashed for around $6k last week. Good game etc!

On Monday night my brother Blair was asking me to go through to the £30 + 1 add on OR rebuy game at the Circus Casino in Edinburgh, a good game that has been getting 80+ runners. I wasn't that up for it as I was tired, but decided to give the online wizard a shot at a decent game out of town.

Good decision :D! There were 90 players in the tournament, giving a prize pool of over £4k. Out of the 90 players, me and Blair managed to get down to the last 3 :D

I went out 3rd for £690, Blair and the guy heads up did an even deal after a bit of heads up and took £1600 each!!

It is the first time at a final table where I was wanting him to win more than me! Seriously, I've had a few good results live, and wanted him to experience a win or the big chunk of change.

A really good night, and a great result, if Blair keeps this up he will be staking me soon :D

He also came 17th out of 700 last night in the $40k on stars for $500+.

OK ENOUGH ABOUT HIM, THIS IS BARRY'S BLOG :D

I am on a little heater myself, although living in the shadow just now :D (Now i know how stuart feels being friends with me hahahahahaha)

After winning the £550 seat to Dundee game for £20 last friday, I got 4th out of 52 on Sunday game, and that 3rd out of 90 in Circus game. So things are going well.

Plans.................................

Paul Hendersons home game Friday August 7th

Dundee Festival (Playing the £500 game with my ticket, weeeeeeee, and will prob play £200 as well) will see

Then Scottish Championships at the Maybury start of September, unsure what events I will play there yet.

Going to play a few online tourneys to try and match the recent family standard :D

Also fit in some cash games.

All in all a good month.

OH BLAIR, just so you know, officialpokerrankings.com (I've still cashed more in lifetime than you :P)

Good luck at the tables (everyone apart from Blair who obviously does not need it!!)

ONE TIME :P

2009-07-25T06:05:00.000-07:00

Just a short and sweet BRAG post :P, I played the £10 rebuy sattelite for the £550 Two Day game to be held in Dundee at the end of August. I was in for ZERO buy ins and just the add on, so the grand sum of £20 :D

Needless to say I managed to get heads up against Kamakazi Ali, and put on a heads up clinic against his aggressive style. Joking aside, Ali's style makes him a crazy heads up player, and probably effective!

The prizes were as follows

1st £550 Seat - Barry Chalmers

2nd £220 Seat - Kamakazi Ali

3rd £220 Seat - John Kay

4th £20 - Stu

What makes it sweeter is I was down to 900 chips with 7 players left at the final, blinds at 600-1200, managed to get a treble up to 2700, and never looked back after a few double ups.

Will be a good game as it's a two day event and is just down the road, so no traveling etc, and I will know most (if not all of the players).

Want to say well done to my brother Blair who is on a sick run online this week, 3 tournaments played, and he has made 3 FINAL TABLES!! Just sick, all of them had over 700 runners, some nearly 2000 runners.

He managed to win one yesterday outright 1st place for $4044, great score and is up like $5500 on the week from around $70 in tourney entries! MUST BE VERY NICE :D

Obviously watching and listening to his big brother is finally starting to pay off!!

Also congratulations to Colin Wu who is now the daddy of two twin baby girls, kids and mum are healthy.

I always said women will never be as good as men at poker, but wouldn't like to play them heads up in a few years :D SICK GENES :D

Good luck at the tables

Barry

Quite Literally Sick!!!

2009-07-21T10:01:00.001-07:00

My ankle ligaments are well on the road to recovery, should be able to start some light running soon and get back to my other love (my twice weekly five a side football :D) Because poker 7 days a week is not balance :D

However, the last week or so I have not been feeling great at all, really bad fevers, sore throat etc etc. Good news for anyone seated next to me, it's not swine flu, but going back to the doctors as I am not right, perhaps just the way I have been living, not getting great sleep and not been eating well. Anyway............

Just a short blog as I can't really be bothered as not feeling great.

Ok had a mini cash in a tourney, nothing to brag about :D

Played a couple of games outside of local casino, Alea Glasgow Friday game and Monday night Circus game in Edinburgh. Both great games, with prize pools in the £4k-£6k mark, as opposed to local casinos biggest prize pool these days £1500. (plan on playing a lot more of these games rather than the local £50 game on Thursday nights)

Cash game results have been good, one hand that must get a mention. Last hand of the night, I'm up around £420, I get AA on the button, game is £1-£1, couple of limpers, I make it £15 to go, get 3 callers.

Flop Q-7-2 rainbow, checked to me on the button, I bet £50. Two sensible players fold, one monkey that cannot control tilt, has serious emotional problems and is also rather ugly, then decides to go all in for £87 total, i obviously have to call the £37 and he knows that. He has 62, so bottom pair 6 kicker, 6 on the turn gives him two pair, and he scoops a £200+ pot.

He muttered the famous lines from several of the dopes down there "had to gamble, was stuck etc etc" He got lucky that time, so he played it really well! :D

Few tournaments coming up Paul Hendo's home game 7th August, then Dundee Festival end of August, Scottish Championships Maybury casino in Edinburgh.

Will play some sort of array from all that, plan on luckboxing a few ;)

GOOD LUCK and HOPE I GET BACK TO FULL FITNESS SOON :D x x xx

Upswinging :D

2009-07-10T10:57:00.000-07:00

Recent results have been good, I am playing very well and Mrs Variance (gotta be a female to play games the way she does :P) has been kind to me.

In the past few weeks I have had a few mini cashes in tourneys in local casino and online, nothing major, and my cash results have been steady.

Then on Monday night I played the monthly £50 rebuy game with (£1k added to the prizepool) at the local casino. I got down to the last 6 players and we did a deal as it had turned into the dreaded crapshoot, that was good for a £700 boost to the bankroll.

On Thursday I got down to last 4 players and we chopped that for £325 each as well.

I have injured my ankle ligaments again and it really is quite painful, and if i sit down to long, the ankle starts to swell up. It is starting to get a lot better though. The last time I injured the same ankle I went on a massive heater with amazing results and cashed for like over £4k in a two weeks, so lets hope it's an omen :D

Looks like next few months are going to be very busy poker wise, Dundee Gala casino have just announced a sort of mini festival at the end of August.

Schedule is as follows...........

Fri 28th August £200 Freezeout

Sat 29th August £500 Freezeout (2 day event)

Sunday 30th August £100 Freezeout

So straight from the off, I look to play the £200 one which I think will get decent runners. Whether I play the £500 will depend on the amount of people who register, and/or if i satellite in.

This is partly because if it doesn't get the runners, then I can get a better game for £500, either a Coral British Masters or the £500 game at the Scottish poker championships in Edinburgh.

But there are going to be plenty of satellites etc, so I will see what develops.

Then the week after this poker festival in Dundee, the Scottish Poker Championships at the Maybury take place. I cashed there last year, so plan on playing a few of those events this year.

Again, there are £100, £250, £500 (2day) and £1k main event (2 day) also Maybury running plenty of satellites for them, so will try qualify for the big £1k buy in main event.

All in all a busy month, I am starting to prepare for both festivals now, the goal is to build up the bankroll, cash big in at least one of the events, and look to play the £1k buy in WSOP bracelet event in London in September.

Good luck

Barry x x

Lets get this post out the way :D

2009-06-20T08:27:00.000-07:00

I played the GUKPT £300 summer series game in Aberdeen, good tournament, good structure. I traveled up with my good friend Colin Wu, and met a few Dundee regulars up there. The tournament went as follows!!

Early stages, found myself down to about 4k before the first break, managed to pick up a couple of pots and rebuild to 8k. All good!

Mid stages, was never really short stacked, but found myself around 15bb at some points, although managed to build up to 10k when the blinds came 200-400 so a decentish stack that i could actually make some plays.

I came back after a break with 10k starting stack and then went on a bit of a rush, picked up some cards (not monster starting hands, but was connecting nicely with flops) Managed to build my stack up to around the 30k mark, double the average, with around 16 players left.

Then this happened...........

Blinds 400-800, 12 players left, I have 26k in chips.

Under the gun raises to 3k, folds around to me in the small blind, I have QQ. The under the gun raiser has around 10k more behind him, so figure the only play is to shove all in, as obviously any re-raise i make he is either shoving or calling, and don't want any K or A scare cards!

So i shove all in for 26k

Now this absolute clown (most of the night when he was big blind was asked by dealer "any raise" he then mucked his cards 9 times out of 10!! The guy satellited in and did not have a clue!!!

He goes all in for 22k, the initial under the gun raiser folds.

Now the way the action has went I am putting this guy on AA or KK, but he was a complete clown and newbie. So could have been Ace rag hahaha To my delight he had Jacks.

Cut a long story short he hits quads against my Queens!!

A 46k pot (average at that time was 22k) would have been 11 players left and I would have coasted to final table.

I was left with 3k which went in few hands later to no joy.

In summation............

I played really well, and never gave up, built up a nice stack, get a guy in drawing to two outs, and he hits both of them :D

It is disgusting, but I took it surprisingly well. I think it's because I got all the money in as a big favourite, and played the hand perfectly. That is all you can do, the rest is up to MR VARIANCE :D (who will need to change his attitude if he wants a xmas card!!)

Until the next time

Barry

I have a sickness...(BUT I DON'T WANT A CURE!!)

2009-06-16T16:43:00.000-07:00

Recent weeks have been strange, have been getting to final tables in tournaments for fun, then been outdrawn spectacularly. Twice went with chip lead, and had guys all in drawn to 3 outers, or two outers, and bang, I'm crippled! Anyway, would be more concerned if I was not getting to final tables, so will just roll with the punches ;)

Funny little 7 days, I have been doing very well at live cash, and not really playing online that much.

THAT IS UNTIL......$120 extra appeared in my pokerstars account, it was as a result of a reload bonus, and have accumulated the required FPP's to activate it.

So I played some 0.50-$1, did ok, up a couple of buy ins, then the fun started!

I'm rolling on pokerstars cash, so decide to take a few stabs!!

What happened after that involved me dipping in and out of $1-$2, $2-$ and even some $3-$6

I managed to roll it up to around $1200, I withdrew some, and sent some to friends who needed dollars in stars, and the gave me the cash.

This left me around the $900 mark, played a tourney ($133)

The last $770-$800 ish, COOLERED OUT THE WINDOW.

Here are some hands that are, mmm, interesting to say the least :D

http://www.pokerhand.org/?4368580 I obviously liked this hand, kind of a cooler for the guy on the river, but a nice hand :D

http://www.pokerhand.org/?4369966 Thought about a little comment for this hand, and could only come up with, "FUCKING DISGUSTING" hahahaha

http://www.pokerhand.org/?4370172 And here is the nicest hand ever!! HAHAH, just sick.

Anyway, it was a nice little ride on stars money, and really thought I was going to kick it on.

I had decided that if I got up to around $2k I was gonna take a stab at $5-$10. Always next time.

Upcoming plans, supposed to be playing GUKPT £300 event in Aberdeen, it is a 2 day event starting Friday night at 8pm.

Nothing much else happening or really on the horizon.

Barry

Same Same (but I keep learning!!)

2009-06-06T10:43:00.000-07:00

Not much happened since last post, had a few minor cashes in online tourneys on pokerstars and celeb poker (if u haven't already, join this site via the link on my blog, will set you up with 30% rakeback automatically into your account, site is full of fish and great tournaments on it) Anyway, I digress!! :P

Yeah, had a few minor cashes online tourneys, getting deep, and maybe switching gears to fast near the bubble, I have played very aggressive (arguably too aggressive) near the bubble in a few tourneys recently. Resulted in me busting out in a few marginal situations, rather than building the monster stack to go on and win the tourney. (So gonna make a few adjustments!)

Cash game has been good, was involved in a great little session last Sunday night. I just went down to casino to register for the £50 rebuy game (Starts 18:15 Monday 8th June, Gala Casino) There were only 7 seats at cash table, and a fair bit of money on the table for the £1-£1 game. So i sat down with the £60 short stack and ran it up to about £150ish.

Then the fun started.....

Aggressive player limps cut off, smal blind makes it £10 to go, I have 1010 in big blind, now small blind is quiet tight, so i just flat call, and aggressive players (cough) fish (cough) in the cut off also calls, so £30ish in pot.

Flop comes K - 5 -3

Small blind checks, I stop myself betting, and cut off immediately fires £25. Small blind folds, I don't put him on the K, 5-3 (well good luck to him) set, nope. I don't want to talk to much about the rest of my decision making in the hand, as I play with him regularly (he reads this blog :P)! HAHA

I flat call and the turn is a King. I check, he fires £55, I tank and call. River is Q. I have £95 left. I bet £35, he thinks for a bit, then places a stack over the line that puts me all in. I think for a few seconds, and then I call.

He showed 10 high, complete air.

I admire him firing the 3 bullets, and the re-raise on the river was a super strong move and he actually read the situation correctly, but I was happy with the way I played the hand also. Result, I scooped the pot of around £320ish.

This hand just reminded me, recently I have been experiencing a sick run of cards and getting outdrawn etc, but when it comes to the crunch, it's playing the player (especially live) and u only need any two cards to play, AND WIN! The rest is up to you ;)

Will probably play some cash tonight, and have the £50 rebuy game on Monday, capped at 100 players which it will probably get. The game has around £3k added, so I think the prize pool will be well over £10k.

I final tabled the last one and did a deal, I plan on final tabling this one as well.

I will be bringing my A-game ;) x x x

Cards don't discriminate

2009-05-26T10:21:00.000-07:00

Still experiencing a kind of bad run, but it's just part of the game. I got 2nd in a small 38 man tourney at my local casino. Played well, and ran well overall. My K9 beating QQ 3 handed to take a player out, but the heads up was kind of brutal, had the guy dominated twice and he hit. But 2nd was decent.

There was cash game after it, but the tourney took longer than expected and I was really tired, so just headed home and got some food. (Really good move, starting to master the not playing tired or when not really in the mood! Positive EV ;))

I did however play the cash game (£1-£1) on the sunday, two key hands,

I'm on big blind, limp city, i raise to £8 with A10 spades, two callers (cut off and button) Flop comes 5-6-7 (two spades) I check, cut off checks, button bets £25 into a pot of £30+, I re-raise all in, £40 something more. Button calls he has 34 and I brick twice.

2nd hand

I limp with KJ, few callers, bb makes it £8, i call, button calls. Flop A-Q-10 (two hearts). So flopped the nuts! BB raiser bets £15, i flat call as does button. Turn 9 diamonds. Button bets £50, i'm all in for £70, button calls!!!!!!!! :D

Board pairs on the river and I know it's game over, BB had AA, Positives :- I didn't have more money behind me :D, and also I got all my money in with two callers with the nuts as an 80% favourite with one card to come. All good :D

I just left as I was down £195 for the day, and that was a £280ish pot, and felt going home was the better option. Why tilt off another £200 :D

So, the weekend was strange! It was in a small tourney and although the 2nd place cash prize was not earth shattering!

However, it served more than money, it showed me that I or indeed you do not run bad at any given time, and nobody runs bad really.

Don't get me wrong, it is fine to say you are "running bad" or whatever. But what you, or I really mean is that we are just experiencing the ugly side of variance. Think of times when you have needed two outs etc against someone, and hit it! That is just variance, the cards do not know who it is hurting, or who is "running bad" etc. It is just a snapshot of the game, and sometimes it's you, sometimes it's the other guy!

I have the £50 rebuy game in Dundee on 8th of June, should be a big prize pool (£10k plus) I will be trying to play more and more online this month, specifically tourneys. Planning to play GUKPT summer series, atleast the £200 and £300 games, £500, will depend on situation at the time.
Good Luck

Barry x x

It wasn't to be!

2009-05-18T11:04:00.000-07:00

So I decided to play the £550 main event of the Edinburgh leg of the Coral British Poker Masters.

A small crack team from the Dundee cardroom made there way through for the main event, they fought bravely :P

Barry "gingertoys" Chalmers

Colin "power" Wu

Martin "quads" Smith

I was really positive about playing the event and really thought I was going to make the final table, now to expect it is asking a lot! Tournament poker, flips, hands have to hold up in key situations etc, however I really did expect it.

The tournament went something like this for me, getting off to a great start, I was up to around 27k after 3 levels, this was double the average stack! Then I went card dead for 3 and a half hours.

Now before anyone comments, I totally agree, poker is not about the cards, but it is about the situations, so if you like.

I WAS SITUATION DEAD FOR 3-4 HOURS!!!

Any time I raised with garbage or a marginal hand, I was re-raised, just as I readied myself to defend a possible re-steal in position, another player went over the top twice! Both players had hands, both times AA vs KK and AA vs QQ!!!

I just could not build on the 27k or even stop the rot, i was diluted down to around 13k.

I picked up 99, biggest hand in around 3 hours lol! Short stack goes all in, i go all in to isolate, he has AK, FLOP 6-7-8, river K :( F*********CK :D

I was down to around 5k, blinds 400-800 at this point, shove Q7 folded to me on button, SB wakes up with AA ahhaha, i end up hitting runner runner miracle straight with the 7 to get me up to around 12 ish.

My last hand was a microcosm for the last 3-4 hours of my tournament, folded to me, i have to shove any 2 cards with less than 10bb in my stack, it happens to be 72 of diamonds :D Big blind looks down and finds jacks!!! JUST SUMMED UP MY LAST 3 HOURS IN THE TOURNAMENT!

So I hit the rail in 33rd place from 105 runners, not the worst, but not what I aimed for, or was after.

So negatives from the experience :-

Just the result, I would really have liked to get to day 2 and put myself in a position to make the final table, some of the play I saw there was very poor, and justified me buying into play in that field as there was plenty dead money.

POSITIVES :D

Met a few great guys and got chatting with plenty like minded people, particularly the online high stakes cash player "the mole" Just a genuinely nice fun guy, and good to have at the table, we got on really well and had the rest of the table looking at us like we were in a mental institution!

It served as more motivation for me to play these big events and do well in them, the play is different, and yes the buy in is large, but the poker you are playing is true poker. Not short stack crapshoots that require more and more luck!

No regrets, if I didn't play, then I would be sitting wondering. Atleast I got my answer :D Money is replaceable, experiences are not ;)

I LASTED LONGER THAN MARTIN AND COLIN (LAST YEARS CHAMP) :D

SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Back to the grind, next 4 weeks goals and to dos!

I will continue to play the local thursday game £50 Deepstack freezeout game, keeps my live tournament game ticking along.

I will play more of the live cash games at the local casino.

I will play more online tournaments

I will only play online cash games when I am 100% in the right frame of mind and ready to play a long session.

Upcoming tournaments...........

The next added money tournament in my local casino is early June (8th I think) £50 multiple rebuy, and there will be around £2500 added. I cashed for £800 in it last time, so will be going for outright win this time.

The GUKPT are having their summer series in Aberdeen 18th-21st June

£200 game, £300 and £500 main event.

45 Minute clock in all events, I will definitely play the £200 and £300 games, I might not play the main event as 45 minute clock is not great for that buy in. Would rather play a £500 Coral British Masters, but when I win the £200 and £300 games I will probably play it :D

It's been a crazy 8 weeks,

POSITIVES : decent tourney scores online and live and good live cash game results.

NEGATIVES: Online cash continues to be a rollercoaster, and of course my bankroll management needs evaluation ;)

Good Luck and take a shot now and again, it's good for your poker education ;)

Barry x x x

Decisively Indecisive

2009-05-08T10:35:00.000-07:00

Ok quick recap.

Paul Hendersons tournament (ZERO CASH)

Gala £100 game (ZEROR CASH) Cash game losses sunday night £240 (don't think i was behind once, made a call when re-raised on river by nut straight, i had low straight, pay off wizard!!)

Key Hand that cripples me, I raise from the cut off with 3-3, button folds, and small blind folds. (have raised this persons big blind a few times and have it in my head 99.9999% sure he is gonna re-raise me with pretty much anything.

Blinds 400-800, I have 17k, I make it 2400, sure enough big blind makes it 2400 with 4000. I tank for a bit, as I say i think he is doing this move with any two cards. I re-raise him all in (he has 12k left. He calls with AK, ok he has a hand, but i'm ahead :D Board double pairs on the river and he wins with his A kicker, my 3's counterfeited.

I have 5k left, very next hand, guy raises, i shover for 5k with AQ, he calls with KJ, trip kings send me to the rail.

Cash games online, stuck in a small amount, ran it up, bust it out! Cannot even be bothered discussing it, no real amazing hands or bad beats (apart from a guy calling my all in on a Q-J-rag flop) I had Top two pair, he had AK, 10 river, what is it with some people refusing to fold AK :D)

So not been a great week and a bit, but it's just variance, playing really well and experienced a bit of a rough ride with flips, but I run sooooooo good in the long run that I don't care :D

OK POSITIVE MINDSET NOW :D

I really want to play this £500 main event of the British Masters Edinburgh leg, I really should try and sattelite into it or make the buy in elsewhere (believe me, I'm trying :D) As buying in with £550 of my own roll plus expenses is a bit of a shot, but you have to play these main events and take shots like this, if you want to make that score that could set you on your way in terms of the next level.

All in all, it really is going to depend on my mindset. The main even starts at 3pm on Saturday 16th May.

SO............If I remain confident this week and feel good about myself and my game, then I am buying into this tournament, it comes once a year, and I fancy it. Have always taken risks, and I want a shot at it :D I can make the £550 back if I work hard on those cash tables and stay disciplined in other tournaments! So it's just like a £550 loan from future winnings :D (SHIT I SOUND LIKE NICK LEESON :D)

Anyway, nothing much else to speak of, just really going through a lot of decisions, long term vegas for 2 month minimum plan (but that's another blog!!) When I win the £500 main event, i will just get a flight the following week ;)

Good luck at the tables, and TAKE RISKS AND FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS ahahahah xxxx

Breaks can be good!!

2009-04-25T08:56:00.000-07:00

So after a little rush of good tournament scores, I went back to the cash games. I then lost $1100 online in the cash games. So I emptied my stars account (so at least u have a 5 day cooling off until it hits your bank account :D) But I imposed a 10 day ban on cash games, which I can't believe i stuck to :D

So i just played small sit and go's and the odd tourney, nothing major at all.

Played the local £50 freezeout on Thursday and took first place, good for £800, there were no deals or savers, so was a good result. I got heads up with the gentleman Paul Henderson, who provides his home for an amazing home game every few months. (next one being next Friday May 1st)

The heads up was a good battle, and I overcame a 3-1 chip lead and won.

So plans.

Well, I was thinking of setting myself a challenge, like deposit $500-$1k in stars, and then play within my bankroll (5% max rule of bankroll at table at any one time) and try and spin it up, and really follow bankroll management strategy.

However, I dipped into those sort of stakes and it really is bad, all in blind for stacks etc, so I cannot see it benefiting my game or furthering my education as a poker player!

As a result, If i am playing cash online, i am going to be in the right frame of mind, and play minimum 50-$1 NLHE, up to $3-$6NLHE. Depending on, mindset, game selection and of course bankroll :D

So upcoming tournament plans..............

Next Weekend is busy, local casino open 24 hrs a day from May 1st right through Bank Holiday weekend!! I really hope after pauls home game (which finishes early hours of sat morning) I do not end up in casino and there right through until monday! That would be kind of sickness personified :D But you never know :P

May 1st - Friday Night, Hendo's Home Game, £50 + 1 add on/rebuy, usually 30+ players so £3-£4k in the pot, great night and lively cash games also.

After Hendos, probably head down to casino, it's open 24 hrs a day from May 1st - 5th May, if a few boys fancy it, they are putting on a breakfast buffet and cash games and sit and gos 24 hrs a day :D Should be fun if busy!!

Saturday:-Might be playing cash games all day, Hatton fight at night and tourney next day, although gonna have to fit some sleep in somewhere!!

May 3rd - Sunday, £100 freezeout in Dundee Gala Casino, 10k chips 45 minute levels, should be a good game, tons of dead money etc etc.

I am looking to download Coral Poker software and start to play some satellites for the British Masters Poker to be held in the Maybury 15th-17th May Main Event is £500 buy in, 10k chips with 1hr clock, love tournaments like this. Made day 2 last night, and made a squeeze/type blow up that i would never do now. So really want to get to the Maybury and avenge that :D Side events are £100 and £200. Not sure if i will play them, they always turn into crapshoots, will see though.

So a few decent tourneys coming up, and a few opportunities for decent live cash games.

Lets hope my next post is a brag post and all about taking down a few things and juicy scores at the cash tables ;)

Good Luck

Barry x x

Round 2, Gingertoys 5th, Mig.com 563rd :P

2009-04-01T21:47:00.000-07:00

UPDATE, now uploaded video of me on final table, please ignore some of the babble :D Those of u that know me will get some of the jokes :P
To watch, go to this link http://www.esnips.com/doc/a311dead-a304-4c3f-a27c-d9349a54e159/$50k-GTD-on-Pokerstars

Just finished playing the $50k GTD on pokerstars, $55 buy in. 990 runners, I finished 5th for $2620, played so well, I actually think I played as good as, if not better, than the 24th place finish in the Sunday Warmup. I made some great reads, and made a few moves, kind of standard squeezes etc, but was really feeling it.

As with any tourney, I also got super lucky in a couple of spots, notably on the final table. JUST SICK HANDS EVERYWHERE.

I have recorded the whole final table with my babbling commentary on it, I will need to watch it first as I was talking constant garbage, hopefully I can post it here anyway. If not, friends can have a private screening :D

Here is a timeline of a few key hands in the tourney that got me to the final table.

http://www.pokerhand.org/?4056372 :- This hand was relatively early on in the tournament, I had a read on the guy, and went with it, i think he has flush draw at absolute max, or complete air (going on previous hands with myself and others)

http://www.pokerhand.org/?4056772 :- Ok, I am a luckbox and it is amazing I have not won a major yet :P (actually player named st@ rk, had been 3 betting me alot whenever i raised, so I was delighted to pick up AA, obviously lucky he was as strong as KK this time lol)

http://www.pokerhand.org/?4056875 :- Stutter step, to show I do not play perfectly, I kind of bottled it on the river, perhaps he calls anyway, I think in hindsight, firing the turn was needed.

http://www.pokerhand.org/?4057655 :- AND I'M OUT :( kind of ironic, or some sick jibe by the poker gods, 1010 put me out my deep run in the warm up, and this time i go out with 1010 :D

Final thoughts, I played very well, and have been doing so for the last 3-4 months, I am starting to see results. You are never going to play every hand perfectly, there were times I got super lucky, especially on the final table when I was short stacked my AA cracked USCPHILDO's AA, another online superstar got a taste of the toys ;)

Really, watch this space. If I continue to learn, develop and improve, and keep going over my game. I know that a final table, and maybe, just maybe, a 1st in one of the majors ;) xxxx

Good Luck at the tables.

P.S RUNNING LIKE ME HELPS :P xxxxx

The Dust Settles.........BACK TO REALITY :D

2009-03-26T09:16:00.000-07:00

Ok, so it's been a few days since I ran very deep in the Sunday Warm-Up, that's done and dusted. Back to reality :D Since then my cash results online have been up and down like the proverbial Dutch working girls undergarments. I have in fairness ran into cooler after cooler, flopped straight crushed by board pairing, and turned straight crushed (again by board pairing) KK beat by 78 and just stuff like that! So I have lost around 5 buy ins at totalling $500, nothing major, but definitely taking a break from online cash for at least a week. If I'm playing online, it will just be tournaments in the short run.

I will play the £50 freezeout at the local casino, won it last week for £650, so hope to do the same tonight (would certainly take the sting out of the 5 buy ins coolered off) :D

Side issues, I am now goldstar (and not that far off platinum on pokerstars now) BIG WOW, I have enough FPP's now, to get a few books or clothing items HAHAHA

mmm, Oh, huge shout out to Colin Wu, called me last night and told me he won the £300 1/rebuy/addon event at the Grosvenor side event in London, good for £30k, the Wu done good again. Will come in handy for all the nappies he is going to have to buy the twins that are on the way :D

The last month has been very good, I have built up a decent bankroll from the local cash games, couple of tourney scores and the $1800 cash in the warm-up.

As I say taking a break from online cash just now, I totally expect it is a bit of variance, but it is starting to affect my play a bit in the online ring games, so I am going to do the sensible thing and have a break, so that the bankroll is preserved.

Also, looking to go to vegas on 19th of June for 9 nights, leaving Edinburgh Airport, staying at Harrah's Hotel and casino, cost is around £580, so if anyone fancys it, get in touch. Few boys from casino going already, so looking for a room mate :D

Good Luck at the tables, and keep the head ;) xxx

Gingertoys Vs Moorman1 and mig.com :D

2009-03-22T19:42:00.000-07:00

So I used my $215 tournament ticket to enter the Sunday Warm Up, WHAT A RIDE :D

Just recently knocked out of the Sunday Warm-Up game on Pokerstars $215 buy in event, $750k GTD 4353 entrants, I finished a brave 24th. ABSOLUTELY SICK.

Poker is the only game where you can satellite into an event for $11.70, cash in 24th place for over $1800, AND FEEL GUTTED :D

Were lots of highlights, won a big pot against the UK's Chris Moorman aka Moorman1, one of these online player of the year, triple crown people! I shoved to a few of his raises, and think he finally got sick of it! I had AK though on that occasion, he had A9 http://www.pokerhand.org/?4014172

I also clashed with another online monster that is mig.com! Again, I was either shoving or re-raising when he was entering pots for his standard raises. I did it with AJ (at this point blinds 30k-60k, ante 6k. I have a little over $1million in chips at this point, he makes it $150k, I shove all in, he tanks for a bit, then eventually calls with 1010. http://www.pokerhand.org/?4014640

In the cold light of day I will be happy with the $1800 for my minimal investment! However, last time i felt like this was cashing 5th for $6k when first was $24k. Well first was $112k, and I went out 24th!

DAS IST POKER :D

Back to the grind, and expect to see me deep in more of these events ;)

Almost forgot, a big congratulations to cush aka 2fingerz 2u, who final tabled the $109 $50k GTD and walked away in 6th place I think for a nice score. Obviously watching me and discussing hands is finally paying off for the young goldfish ;) Keep it up ;) xx

Thanks to all my railers, Blair, Niall from UK Gambling forums, Steve, Cush and Ant and notably El__Z0rr0 he was a calming influence at times, and had his heart in his mouth with some of my plays :P Thanks to the people at skype, thanks to my mum (as it's mothers day :P) and thanks to my lord and saviour the divine energy :D Thanks to Clarkes the bakery for providing catering. :D

All in all a good week on the tournament front (see previous post)

Love and light :P xxxxxx

Coming along nicely

2009-03-21T18:33:00.001-07:00

Been a really good week, after cashing for £800 on Monday night in the 80 runners tourney, I followed it up with 1st in the £50 freezeout on Thursday, good for £650. Couple of nice scores on the tourney side this week, and cash games are going well. I have also qualified for the Sunday million for a bargain $11.70! :D (through one of those double shootout things). Not sure what I am going to play, maybe just use the tournament ticket for the warm up instead.

Kind of strange today, just played online (some PLO, mixed results :D, qualified for a $215 game on pokerstars and got a few 1st's and 3rds in a few sng's)

I planned on playing cash at the local casino, Saturday night usually a lively game with a few fish :D But been really tired, I am on painkillers and they are making me feel very drowsy! It's fine for playing in tourneys (as my results over the last week will testify BRAG AGAIN :P) But for a cash game, I like to be 100% alert and playing tired is not a great idea. So I have shown tremendous discipline and not went to the casino :D

Instead, I just went to a friends house (even a non poker playing friend and talked about non poker playing stuff, FUCK WAS THAT WEIRD:P)

Anyway, maybe go down to local casino tomorrow (well today now!!!) Maybe play their tournament and then cash game after it (depending on tourney situation on poker stars) Kind of be nice as I usually play football on a Sunday (thus letting all the other players down there have a chance) But really having trouble with my neck and shoulder just now, so not gonna make it this week.

I plan on taking out my frustration on the Sunday regulars, they have had it too easy with me not attending :P

Good luck x x x

A little later than planned!

2009-03-19T11:13:00.000-07:00

I had planned to post much earlier, it has been well over a month since my last post! So what, only my poker buddies have this link and they have probably heard enough of me lately :P

I have been playing really well recently, not really hitting the deck, but making good decisions. (God help boost eating monkeys when I also hit the deck :D)

A few interesting hands in local cash games, I ran a major bluff on a fish down there, Top pair with 10 kicker, flush and straight board, he bets river, and i re-raise all in.

Anyway, had to get that out the way cos I know he reads this :D (the only one :Dhahaha)

Played the biggest game my local casino has seen in a while, £50 plus one add on or rebuy, with £2900 added to prize pool.

The game got the full 80 runners and was capped at this level, i got to final table and a deal was made, I cashed for £800. The game was a crapshoot from the start, and it kind of forced me into playing a style that I do not usually enjoy (short stacking it, shoving now and again to pick up blinds and having to fold nice hands to a raise!) But I did enjoy the challenge and was determined to make it to the final table atl east, £800 cash was a nice result.

Online cash sessions have been very swingy, up $1300 in 4 days, and lost $700 of that in a few days, I was taking shots here and there so not reading too much into it.

Started to be more disciplined and playing away both online cash and live cash, although my results at live cash are still FAR more consistent.

Future plans, looking at possibly going to Vegas on 19th June, definitely going this year, just looking for confirm a date. 19th of June is a definite possibility as a few poker playing mates are already booked for there, so would kind of make sense, we shall see.

On a side note, I am feeling really mellow when taking a bad beat, although I think it's due to the painkillers I am on just now! SERIOUSLY they are very good, and definitely positive EV ;)

Good luck at the tables.

Will post again soon, (hopefully some bragging thread about a few more tourney cashes and a massive heater at the cash games ;) xxx

High Stakes For The Win!

2009-02-10T14:37:00.000-08:00

Been over a month since my last post, reasons??.......Playing poker, Watching poker, and trying to have a little bit non poker related fun (it does exist if u give it a chance :D)

No results to speak of, cashed in local tourney, playing cash in local casino! Which is quite a lively game these days, blinds of £1-and £1, but usual raises £6-£12 range, it is actually like a $3-$6 or even $5-$10 game essentially. (providing the right mix of players are in the mood!)

In summation, a little bit here and there online (profit) a little bit here and there live (down a little bit for the month)

Anyway forget all that, I have started to watch all the GSN high stakes poker seasons again, seriously THANK GOD FOR THIS SHOW :P As entertainment goes, (particularly if u love poker!) It is unmatched, I think Poker After Dark is amazing as u see effectively a full 6 handed sit and go (i.e all their folds etc, like 90% of the hands)

But high stakes is just the business, Gabe Kaplan is a comic genius... "I know poker players that lose a $1.40 and can't sleep" "Hey AJ, do u ever just throw money around? I do some days I just go mad and buy a toaster, or even tip the valet guy $2, just cos I can"

The new season is due out soon, I seriously cannot wait!!

(Just thinking!! Jesus christ it means that much to me!! :D)

Upcoming events, Paul Hendo's home game, should be another great game, made the final table last two times i've played there, great game, great group of poker players together, drink, karaoke and food.

I really do not know where u can have a great night for a £50 + one add on or rebuy, plus u can get close to a grand if u win!! If anyone knows of a better poker night, I'd like to see it.

Planning on really kicking up the grind online towards the end of the month and for the whole of March, have a few targets and goals, multi-tabling.

I MUST ALSO PLAY MORE MTT'S ONLINE, I HAVE NOT PLAYED ONE IN OVER A MONTH AN THAT IS NOT RIGHT! :D

To close, sad to see Gala cancelled the GCBPT this year, terrible. It was a great tour, with great games, and the main events had good structures.

Positive, the Grosvenor have a summer series in Aberdeen, £200, £300 and £500 games, will definitely play the £500 game. Depends on structure of the other ones.

Good Luck at the tables, life is good ;) xxxxx

Hello 2009 (all I ask is you to be fair!!)

2009-01-02T08:59:00.000-08:00

Happy New year to everyone!

Recent results have not been great, lost £200 in local cash game (but left with £300 still in my pocket, it was just one of those nights when you really should up and walk away :D) Sets flushed away and rivered a few times :D

I played the £200 game in Aberdeen, really did not like the structure. This is a shame, because I have always thought International casino in Aberdeen put on a great game with a great structure, but it was really botched this time. Also the inconcistencies in their rulings are crazy. Anyway, 5 of us from Dundee made the trip, and were all knocked out.

I played the £100 game on the Monday night at the Maybury in Edinburgh, wont even start! Short story I built my stack up to around 15k, blinds were at 200-400, got into a pot with a guy who called my 5xBB raise with Q7 diamonds!!!!!! I had 99, needless to say he chased a flush and hit. Knocking me out, luckily a few other dundee boys were knocked out and we headed to the bar.

Also as a side note, the guy who knocked me out built a monster stack that should have cruised to the final table, he blew up and went out 1 or 2 spots before final!!!! Justice proving plays like that cant get u there in the good old long run ;)

Online cash has been a bitch lately, nut flush cracked twice by houses and two pair against AA, running paired board on the turn and river to ship the pot away from me.

So not a great end to 2008, but I can't complain, have ran well, had many, many scores in online and live tournaments, played my first major two day tournament and have improved my game so much.

In 2009 with my local cardroom basically on life support, I see me moving more and more online, both tournaments and cash games. Also looking to play atleast 1 GUKPT this year and a few of the GCBPT's (if the tour gets the go ahead again, so fingers crossed)

I will still play the Thursday deepstack game, mainly for the social aspect and it is the only really decent game there. I will also attend as many of the cash games down there as I can.

I will be posting a clear outline of my goals for 2009, but I really want to think about them first, and then post them.

Good Luck at the tables, and in life in 2009.

Barry

Festive Period!

2008-12-21T18:35:00.000-08:00

Been a while since my last post, just been super busy (both poker) and other extra curricular activities! (Very exciting and fun, but poker still my first love :P)

Updates first, played the satellite for Bristol (played so bad, just never got going and did not qualify (always next year!)

Tourney results, continue to do very well at local Thursday £50 freezeout game, it's a 10k starting stack, blinds start 50/100 with a 30 min clock. As close to deepstack as u will find in my local casino, and kind of takes the donkey factor out of the game. Cashed in it pretty much every week, last Thursday got heads up, had chip lead and did a deal.

Cash Results: Can't remember a losing week both live and online, so will just keep grinding away there, I plan on taking a shot soon at $5-$10 NLHE, I will be doing this when I am feeling good, everything else out the way so I can sit down clear headed and play my A-Game. Will post results here GOOD OR BAD :D So watch this space!!

Coming plans, goals and games....

Sure there is a tournament on xmas eve!! haha (BUT I WILL NOT BE PLAYING ANY TOURNAMENTS OR CASH GAMES UNTIL SATURDAY 27th (AT THE EARLIEST!)

Options......

Saturday 27th December £100 (plus one add/on or rebuy) game in International Casino Aberdeen, 5pm kick off. Generally a good game, plenty of dead money, had decent results up there. However, have night out with a lot of the guys I play football with on the same night. So may decide to have a social life and miss that one.

Sunday 28th December £250 deepstack (2 day tournament in Maybury Edinburgh) sure I will just play this one instead, spoke with Ally the manager regards structure, said 20k starting stack which is a monster stack, 40-45 min clock, so a lot of the luck/donk/ factor should be removed. Will play this one as I have not played a large 2-day tourney since Edinburgh GCBPT, and will be good practice, as I plan on playing more events next year (GUKPT and GCBPT'S)

I was gonna fill this post with goals for 2009 etc, but I am going to wait. I don't want to post something that I am not 100% committed to, so gonna have a think and if i post them in February then so be it!

Every new day is a chance to reset and change or go in another direction, it saddens me why so many people wait until January the 1st, do something today ;)

Good Luck, and I hope Santa is good to everyone, and the xmas elves keep bad beats to a minimum.

Merry Xmas.

Barry

Lady Luck Is My Bitch!

2008-11-27T09:58:00.000-08:00

I have been quite ill over the last few weeks, but that has not stopped the positive results.

Tournament successes since last time:- I did not play the sattelite last Thursday for the GCBPT final in Bristol, instead went down to local casino and played the deepstack, again down to final 3, chip leader and we did a deal.

Went throught to Edinburgh casino and played the freezeout on Tuesday (result 5th no prize, I did knock out a good friend with 45 spades after a flop of 445, he was also designated driver for the night so that was fun :D)

Friday £10 rebuy game, 57 players, £2500 in the pot, I got down to last 6, blinds started to increase, I was 2nd in chips, decided to to a deal for around £400 each.

Cash results :- Played the local cash game, sat down with £110, left with £385, pretty cooler hand, again for my good friend who I bust with 45. He flat calls £4 straddle, I raise £4 with £16, he goes £50 total. I go all in for £160 more, (I have KK) he doesn't instacall so know it aint AA, he calls with QQ. Quite a cooler, and board does not improve him, shipping me a decent pot.

Online: HAS BEEN GOING SPECTACULARLY WELL.

I am managing the money better, not depositing, actually withdrawing some! Not tilting, really happy with results recently. I have also been running like Jesus (as usual some of u will say!) so that helps.

Few interesting hands from online sessions.

http://www.pokerhand.org/?3492892 600 euro pot with A10, ship it ;) (going through hand again, it was one of these mind games and he thought i thought he thought ones! Unfortunately it was on the boss network, so no idea what he had. Thinking Worse A (as no draws there) or one of those that cant lay KK in that spot.

http://www.pokerhand.org/?3502131 (When u play 45 of clubs, it helps to flop the flush :D)

http://www.pokerhand.org/?3508477 ($200+ pot, yeah I call with bottom pair, 5 kicker, Kenny Tran would have been proud with that one. Again I'm going with my reads, he button raised alot, and max I was giving him credit for was A high, although I was trying to get him off it by representing the 10!!! His button raise with K7 diamonds cost him $100 :D

http://www.pokerhand.org/?3500305 (just to show how well im running when i get big hands!)

http://www.pokerhand.org/?3508490 (Always nice to flop a set)

In summation!

I am playing well, and I believe that there is a spot of me running well, but I've earned it, I ran bad for 3 months and it almost broke me, but I tweaked parts of my game, and if I get tagged a luckbox like ivey then I am happy with that company ;)

Tonight I play the sattelite for the Bristol main event, if I qualify in this form......they may aswell start writing my name on the winners cheque ;)

P.S

I'm still ill and not feeling great, so lucozade, grapes, oranges (any fruit actually!) and little cute texts are all welcome ;)

Good luck

Barry xx

Rolling, Rolling, Rolling

2008-11-20T10:12:00.000-08:00

Things have been good recently, playing very well, making good decisions, and getting my money in ahead most of the time!

I have been in top 3 of last three deepstack games at local casino, and got a 2nd in the sunday game, final tabled game in Edinburgh (went out 5th) and my cash game results have been good.

It is a definite mindset shift, I am now playing within my bankroll, and dropping down limits if need be, and just generally feel very positive about my game.

The GCBPT main event is in the first week of December, £1500 buy in. I really want to play this game and have the money available to directly buy in (something I would not have hesitated to do in the past) But spening £1500 on a buy in for a tourney plus hotel and travel is just negative EV!!

I can use this money to further build my bankroll towards the target of vegas next year!

As a result, my only option is to sattelite in!

I am playin the $150 sattelite on gala poker tonight, so hopefully my next blog is about how I am so great and won a package to the main event in Bristol ;)

Watch this space :P

Good luck at the tables

Barry xx

Just Variance!

2008-11-04T15:47:00.000-08:00

So I played the £100 and £75 freezeouts at the Aberdeen Masters, never really got going in the £100 game, pushed 10bb with 910 hearts, AK called, he hit a house! £75 game, was just brutal, I was the victim of set over set! (Only second time it has happened to me live, and in same casino!!) just a cooler, even knocked out Negreanu in the main event this year :P.

After a superb prior week of cashing for $1k for 2nd in the Betfair $5k GTD, £580 at tournament in Dundee, I was starting to add to the roll.

Aberdeen cost around £250 inc expenses, cash results from the week live. Up £170 on the Saturday, down £200 Sunday (dealers choice, i was letting off steam from the Aberdeen set over set!) Down £150 Monday night, walked into Ali's quads. SICK! :D

Took a big downswing online cash as well, but I withdrew a large proportion and still showing good profit.

So lessons from all this??

I'M LEARNING!

Poker is a fascinating game, I really love the game, all aspects. You have to see the bigger picture, you cannot go on one pot, or even one week, or a month!

All young players want instant results, and instant success (in everything, not just poker!) But Poker is a euphemism for life.........

And sayings such as "Good things come to those who wait" and "Patience is a virtue" etc all ring true.

I have been playing the best poker of my life recently, what used to be reckless aggressive bluffs (are I hope now educated moves!) and what used to be a fire a 3rd bullet just to win a pot, is now a check muck if i deem that to be the optimal play for the situation.

The key point I remind myself every time I play.... I am in poker for the long run, I have a thirst for it, and no amount of badbeats, downswings or donk plays is gonna keep me out of the game.

What I love about Poker is you can always start from fresh, stick $100 in an online account and the sky truly is the limit. ;)

Plans for this month:-

Played a hell of a lot over the last month, I am going to reduce the hours at cash and only play when I really feel like playing and feel like I will make good decisions and play my top game.

Play more tournaments, in the £20-£50 range online.

Only Live tournament will be Thursday night £50 freezeout at local casino, for the social aspect mainly, and nice to pick up around £800 for first now and again ;)
Good Luck at the tables

Barry

Things starting to click??

2008-10-25T08:22:00.001-07:00

I've read several interviews of top pros, all of them speaking about some sort of point when poker started to click with them, an epiphany, satori or zen like moment!

Well I'm by no means born again, but the last month to 6 weeks have definitely seen me take my game to another level, and it has nothing to do with the fundamentals, pot odd's are still pot odd's and the number of possible outs are the same!

BUT......On a mentality level, in terms of confidence in my game, dealing with variance and money management, I HAVE IMPROVED SO MUCH.

I have had great results last few weeks, several very decent scores from sessions at the local no limit cash game, 3rd and joint first chop two Thursdays in a row at the local deepstack tourney. 2nd in the betfair $5k GTD, and online cash feels like my own ATM at the moment (my own atm atm) in online speak :P

Yes I have ran good, yes my AK has beat KK in a key pot (sorry stu :) and my A9 has beat KK on the same night (sorry kev, but not as much as i had 30k and it was 5BB more to call, as dalson says, "I HAD TI CALL) :P

But I am playing well, not really getting a rush of cards, but I am making good decisions and have a great feel and read on where I am in hands just now.

Next week is the Aberdeen International Open, I will definitely be playing the Thursday and Sunday game. Saturday is dependent on purely how I feel and result on the Thursday, I have learned not to go chasing rainbows (Copyright ZORRO) in large buy in tourneys. Not when I can make so much from cash :D

I hope my heater continues, because as in life, variance is a bitch ;)

Good Luck at the tables

P.S (A special good luck to all the boys down in Teeside this weekend, surely one of you should bubble atleast :D) xxxx

Barry

Cash, positve results,then negative, then positive!

2008-10-05T15:11:00.000-07:00

What's happened since my last post.

Been watching tons of high stakes episodes, god I love that show, that and the main event 2008 episodes are really great viewing, always cheer me up. I can and do watch them for literally hours.

I have been playing a lot of cash, mainly on the site that was my first love, Pokerstars. I have 30% rakeback deals on other sites, but I just love the stars software. Although once I step up a level and/or start multi-tabling seriously, I will be moving over to another softer site where I get 30% rakeback.

Had a mad rollercoaster session, will submit a few hands to highlight what a crazy session it was.

http://www.pokerhand.org/?3270359 (He flats me pre-I thought draw or smaller two pair, I think it's a cooler, in hindsight I should see turn as Q saves me, but I thought I was ahead!

http://www.pokerhand.org/?3265256 (standard beat, i got it all in pre with KK, guy hits two outer, but just posted this to remind myself, I didn't tilt and still had a winning session!.

http://www.pokerhand.org/?3265245 (pretty sick hand, but previous hands with the player, I was never folding, especially after turn)

http://www.pokerhand.org/?3265249 (Sickness!!!!!! Sometimes steam calls pay u well (Disclaimer do not try this at home, if i did not hit big I was finished with the hand, I got lucky, u need that sometimes ;))

Very surprised I did not tilt off when I took beats, and lost buy ins, kept the head and just played the hours. Result was a decent profit in the last few weeks from cash.

On the tournament front, played a couple of times live at local casino, FT but no cashes to speak of. Not really played any tourneys online.

Only played the pacific poker 10k euro birthday ones, 10 euros to play, gets 4-500 runners, and they add 10k! MASSIVE EV+, so im plan on playing the rest of them until the promo ends.

Plans..................

I had planned to sattelite into the GCBPT Teeside tourney, but stuff has came up that weekend, so looks likely that I am going to have to give it a miss.

On a positive note, the Aberdeen International Open is back, I plan on playing the following events.

Thursday the 30th October:- 8pm - £50 + £5 NL Texas with 1 add-on/rebuy

Saturday 1st November:- £200+(One £200 addon/OR rebuy) So essentially a £400 two day, slow structure main event.

There is a PLO game on Friday, I may play this depending how I feel, however the new Bond film comes out on the same night, I may go and see that and get a rest before the main event.

So for the rest of the month, focus totally on the Aberdeen games and taking my A-game there. I have had a £2k cash at the venue before, so hopefully better that this time.

Good luck at the tables.

Barry xx

Indecision + Good Company

2008-09-21T16:54:00.000-07:00

So after planning on playing the £150 freezeout, I did not go!! A combination of tiredness, no one else wanting to go and not enough registered players, I decided to just leave it. Would have been £200 minimum, and once I was up, showered etc just did not feel a need or any drive to go and play. (I HAVE LEARNED NEVER TO PLAY ANY DECENT GAMES IN THAT FRAME OF MIND!)

So i just went down to the local gala casino for their sunday poker (COUGH) bingo game! There are a few bad players, but a few stalwarts who I respect ;)

Made the final, busted out 6th running my AJ into lucky larry's A9 (Obviously he hits a 9 on the river) As a side note first time i've been slow rolled by a dealer, seen the 9 and took an age to turn it over!! RESULT: BUY IN MONEY BACK SAVER!! Sigh...............

Sat down at the dealers choice cash game with a few friendly faces, was a really relaxed game, and mostly 6-O was the game, or 4 card Irish it was my button :D RESULT: SMALL PROFIT (WOOOHOO, CASH GAME HOODOO BROKEN! :P)

I was really shattered when we finishd the cash game, and realised that giving Edinburgh a miss was turning out to be an even better idea, even he thought of driving home feeling like that was too much!!

What today taught me is that yeah the Dundee game is the same old scripit, a few too many donkeys, you can be too familiar with the players that it becomes mundane.

However, I had a great day and night, and it reminded me that I don't go there for the quality of the game, or the prize pool. A lot of it has to do with the social aspect, and there are a few great guys and girls there.

If only they never fell in love with top pair, I'd be even happier in their company ;)

xxx

£150 Freezeout Today

2008-09-21T04:08:00.000-07:00

Today I'm on my way to Edinburgh to play the £150 Freezeout, 10k starting stack and 40 min clock, blinds start 25-50. I really love this sort of structure as I think there are tons of players who enter these events and don't really have a grasp of deeperstacked tournaments.

I seem to do well in deepstacked events, not only in terms of cashing several times in the £1-£2k bracket, but just my level of play seems to be in the zone!! :D

I played some cash down at the local casino last night, I put the straddle on and picked up KK! Good times!! Raise -re-raise, all in and I call. He has QQ, even better times.

He hits a Q on the flop, and that is me for the night.

Again my money in ahead, it's not a bad beat, just variance ;)

Take this tourney down tonight, and it's a distant memory ;)

Good luck at the tables (if ur not a donkey that shoves all in for 200 bb with QQ at a cash game with two behind u) :P

Agghhhhh CASH IS FRUSTRATING

2008-09-10T07:23:00.000-07:00

Recent things to speak about, was playing in the super sattelite for a seat in the 320 euro buy in game on celeb poker, 20 seats available (I finished 24th) Could have been worse and went out 21st :D

Not really playing many tournaments just now, had other things on when the MTT's I want to play are on, so I have resisted jumping into other ones that I don't really want to play in.

On the cash scene, it really is 2 steps forward then about 10 backwards.

I sit and grind up, a few buy ins. Then stuff like this happens, now I consider myself to be in control of myself and resulting emotions and actions (well far better than I previously was!)

But this hand would tilt anyone!

http://www.pokerhand.org/?3171894

What is it with these online donkeys that cannot fold AK.

Before steaming and going through more money, I decided that this idiot and this play was gonna cost me just the 100 euros (£80)

So i logged off and looked at the hand, I don't fault my play whatsoever, maybe some would say calling the 12 euro re-raise pre-flop is bad. But it was 5 handed and the player (like most shorthanded was super aggressive so I'm atleast seeing a flop there)

It comes Q high rainbow, he bets, i re-raise, he goes all in, i call.

Now if he has two pair, set or overpair here then good luck to him.

But the speed of betting, and i min-raised on flop to make look like i was making a play, knowing that he was going to atleast re-raise/if not then go all in (which is what he did)

That is why i insta-called, for the donk to have AK and hit a J is just brutal (bad play rewarded)

What is it they say, I got my money in ahead, I'm up in sklansky dollars, long run blah, blah blah.

Next live tournament I intend on playing is the £150 freezeout in the circus casino Edinburgh (40 min clock 10k starting chips, my sort of game, SHIP IT :D)

As for online cash, back to the drawing board (but it has a hole in it the size of my fist now :D)

Good luck

Barry

The Road to the Rio

2008-09-04T16:16:00.000-07:00

This week I have not played as much as I would have expected after the non stop poker last week. I have played 3 tourneys online, only notable success 4th in the 20 euro buy in Deepstack event on boss network, good for 312 euros. 195 runners, so 4th decent.

It is not the money, it is the results, they breed confidence and momentum, the money follows! Gotta get your game right first ;)

After busting out a five figure bankroll any resulty on the rebuilding road is a positive, and there is something really refreshing in starting again, wiping the slate clean etc etc (atleast that's what my shrink says)

When I had a decent bankroll I would still not adhere to proper management! Buying into sunday million, nightly hundred k etc etc, You just cannot sustain that unless A, u run super good and make a big score early on, or B, u are making money playing cash and grinding the tourneys to atleast make buy ins back (I was good at neither!) I would buy in, play the game and either get deep or bust out early.

What I am learning is regardless of buy in, I am getting the same level of satisfaction and any tourney feeds the competitive spirity.

I've played some cash this week, and suprisingly have not tilted! Infact as it stands I am up this week from cash, been 4 tabling and it seems to be working. Less bored because of the extra decisions and action, stops me trying to play every hand and win every pot, which again I never catch myself doing in a tourney, but online cash something takes over! But Im working on it :D

As a side note I have just finished watching the first two episodes of this years WSOP main event, it just reinforced my goal, Vegas 2009 is a definite, all decisions and actions are gearing towards making the wsop 2009. Will definitely be flying out there, buy in for a few of the $1500-$2500 events, and try and sattelite into the main event.

It is a big goal of mine, and us poker players are lucky that if you really want to do it, it only costs you money!!!!! (and every true poker player knows that is easy come easy go) Golfers can't buy into the open and football fans cant pay to play for their team. BUT POKER PLAYERS CAN PLAY WITH THE BEST IN THE BEST TOURNAMENT IN THE WORLD.

I am definitely commiting to this goal in this public forum which my friends have the link, so this motivates me more to keep my word :D

Good luck at the tables

P.S Stu should have bought Bose headphones, atleast he would have had something :D xx

Letting off some steam

2008-08-30T06:33:00.000-07:00

Ok the talk with a few friends has been that of grinding, building slowly and all the stuff we all know we should do. Actually all the stuff we HAVE to do if any of us who want to actually make it in the sense of having a sustainable decent bankroll and playing at the appropriate levels.

It may come as no shock to those who know me, that this week has sort of been the exact opposite!

I have played great poker this week, infact in the last 3 months I think I have been playing the best poker I have ever played.

The Week

Last Saturday started off playing cash at my local game, highlight was a straight flush against Eddie "the fish" Gaines (or Eddie "GCBPT Edinburgh Champ 2007" Gaines) :P Then a few drunks sat down, stack was up and down like my ex girlfriends skirt. Result (Small profit of £70 paid for the drinks and food :D)

Sunday:- Charlie Findlay sleeps with the fish (got buy in back for £75 game, nuff said on this one :D)

Monday:- Went to sattelite for Scottish Poker Championships £1k main event, £50 rebuy 8 seats, finished 19th, not to upset.

Tuesday: £100 + (£50 add on or rebuy) 138 runners, became a crapshoot, last 17 of us chopped it up for £1200 each good deal. Congratulations to me, Stu the Jew, Kev, Sunny and "had to call" Dalson.

Wednesday: Final Tabled Local £30 (£30 add on or rebuy) tourney, buy in back.

Thursday: 3rd in local £50 freezeout for £240 (bad game less than 30 runners, no value, will only play again if really at a loose end. (so see u all next Thursday boys!! :D)

Friday..................Day of sin, played $1-$2 on full tilt, had a rollercoaster session, result was finished down $400 (could have been worse but stuck on the Bose headphones, listened to some Beethoven and Elgar and took them to school) Still down but felt like a victory.

Some hands from $1-$2 Full Tilt Session

http://www.pokerhand.org/?3117517
http://www.pokerhand.org/?3117898
http://www.pokerhand.org/?3117547

At night went to casino, called in some debts (always a reaction when u lose HAHAHAHA) came home, got up to Step 4 for EPT london on Stars (not played it yet) also played the 3k euros GTD on boss network, 96 runners. I went out on the bubble in 11th, played well, but no reward.

Lesson from Friday, I have to get disciplined and transfer my live game online, my tourney results have been excellent and feel I am playing well, cash feels like a big leak for me just now and that should NEVER be the case.

Plan for weekend, play some cash in casino, don't think I will play the Sunday tourney (same problem as thursday game now, I can get more value online) Also play that EPT step 4 ticket, and play some more EPT steps, they are satisfying the taking a shot part of me :D

Good luck at the tables

Barry xx

It really starts now

2008-08-30T06:09:00.000-07:00

I started playing poker in April 2007, I cannot begin to describe how much I love the game, whether it's holdem, omaha or 7 card stud. I am now obsessed. In the 17 months or so I have played their have been many highs and many lows!! The highs are cashing for $6k for a 5th place finish in the nightly hundred k on stars, £2k cash in my first two day tournament, making day two of the GCBPT in Edinburgh, oh and doing a 17 way chop in the £100 buy in event at the Scottish Poker Championships! :D Positive EV :P

The lows, playing outwith my bankroll far too many times, "chasing rainbows" as a couple of poker friends say!! ;) Buying into bigger tourneys to try and get a bit of glory. When you combine this with a lack of discipline and a total disregard and lack of respect for money, it is no surprise that the result was me busting out a very decent bankroll.

However, I have learned so much about the the game, and hope I am starting to become disciplined!

This new mentality resulted in the creation of this blog, it is my public diary. Somewhere for me to write about and disect my thoughts, results, good plays and obviously fuck ups.

Somewhere that my poker friends (and anyone that stumbles across this) can look at my actions, comment on and discuss with me my actions on the road to poker glory :D

There will be no plan of action for my blog, it will be updated when i take the notion (maybe never! :D) I hope to get a definite list of goals and a plan of action together, so I have something to aim at and follow (currently formulating this!!!)

Good Luck at the tables

Barry xx