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

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

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)

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

• http://www.pokerhand.org/?4650718
• http://www.pokerhand.org/?4660947

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!

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!

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!

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

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