2010, nearly a month gone already!!

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

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!

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

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"

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First Tourney in weeks = Final Table!

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

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

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