runadrum

2009

2009-01-01T13:36:00.002Z

New Year, new resolutions I will probably not keep but one is to get back into blogging so it starts here.

The first target had been to go back to Australia for the Millions but online qualification has not gone well ! I may have to settle for Deauville for the EPT tournament there in January as I have made it into a final qualifier for that on Poker770 next weekend.

Since my last post in March I have been to Las Vegas for the WSOP main event so I will work on a review of my experience there for one of my next posts.

For now, let's just hope for a happy and prosperous 2009.

Day Four

2008-03-03T14:01:00.002Z

I enter Day Four knowing I have won a minimum of 65,000 AUD and if I can go back to surviving ahead of four players I can get to 100,000 AUD and then get aggressive. In hindsight I played my worst poker of the tournament on day four.

Chip leader on my table is Max Bracht with 837,000 and I am in third but after only an hour have lost over 100,000 in blinds and antes, raising once with AQ but getting no callers. Alexander Kostritsyn however, starting the day on 366,000 gets involved in hands right from the start and is up to 1,200,000 by the time I decide to make a stand with AK and am up against his QQ (that hand again).

Alexander had made his by now standard pre-flop raise of around 3 times the BB, which I reraised and he reraised me all-in. I did think afterwards that obviously I could have just flat called his raise and had the chance to get out of it on the Queen high flop. But I’m guessing he would have checked with his trips and I’d have been all-in after the Ace on the turn so the outcome would have been the same.

One of the things I will remember most of the whole experience is the friendliness of all the players I sat with over the four days and I think I was almost as sad to be missing out on the continuing pitting of wits as much as the next payout levels.

I will leave you to look up for yourself how Alexander went on to lift the trophy, and congratulations to him. He was about the strongest player I sat with for any length of time and deserved his victory.

As for me I just want to do it all again as soon as possible. I shall be back in Melbourne next January to defend and improve on my 19th place if I can, but will be playing some UK tournaments before then to see if my game has genuinely improved.

As has been reported elsewhere, I am not foolish enough to think this means I am ready to take on the world’s best but I shall be trying.

Day Three

2008-03-01T14:16:00.002Z

What am I thinking at the start of Day Three ? I want to survive (that word again) into the top 80 and take home some money. It’s nice to win these ‘free’ holidays but I need to start converting them into hard cash !

The biggest name on my table is Kenna James on 114,500 but the table chip leader is Alexander Kostritsyn on 398,500 and one player, Jim Sachinidis, has just less than me on 28,500. Now even I know I won’t make the money without playing a hand or two and I decide to make a move all-in from seat 5 with J8spades when the blinds are seats 7 & 8, Sachinidis and James. The SB thinks for a long time, questioning the speed of my push, before folding (AK) but Kenna hardly hesitates before calling with 77. The flop is x79, the turn is the miracle 10 and I don’t remember the river but I had doubled up.

A small win later I am on about 60k, there are less than 90 players left and I am starting to count my 15,000 AUD for making the top 80. Then came another QQ. Can’t remember if I raised to 10k or called it but 4 players saw the flop of x9J. I bet 20k after the flop and was called by only Trevor Wollard on my immediate left. The turn is a K and I check, Trevor raises me all-in. I think. For a long time. He calls ‘time’ and I decide he’s got KK or AA and fold, showing the QQ. Gasps all round. Trevor mucks without showing and everyone thinks I’ve folded the winning hand. Apart from Trevor who later confirms he had QT and a straight. At that moment however I thought I had messed up.

I can’t remember how many chips I had but it didn’t feel like enough and there were still 4 or 5 to the bubble so I needed to hang on, and thankfully hang on I did. Making the money was such a great feeling. Every fold over the previous two days were now so worthwhile that I could start to really enjoy the game. I must have won a hand or two because when our table broke up I was back on 60,000 or so and I joined a table of players I had not sat with previously.

Then the miracle 6 or 7 hours began. I started getting cards, hitting flops and earning respect. For the rest of that day I started accruing chips for the first time. Pokernews reported my AK beating Mitchell Carle’s 77 as he became the second and last player I would knock out of the tournament. I had won more chips with Aces just a few hands earlier however and all of a sudden I was on 210,000 with confidence growing, even if I was still well behind the average.

Now came three moves of table in what seemed like fairly quick succession, and for the last two I was jumping into Andy Black’s seat – first when he left to go back upstairs on TV and second when he went out in 34th and I took his place upstairs. My second TV showing corresponds with the period when Pokernews incredulously report that Erik Seidel is the ‘loudest on the feature table’ !

I went upstairs with about 260,000 and the game with chips is a lot easier than the game without so I’m hoping if both stints make it to the 2008 Aussie Millions DVD that the new found confidence will be obvious in episode two. Two hands stand out – my best (most valuable anyway) and worst of the day probably. The best was to double up with suited AQ versus suited A7. He (sorry I don’t know who the player was) hit top pair on the flop with his 7, but two of the flop were the spades I needed so we were all-in before the turn, which was also a spade. The turn, however, also paired the board so another the same or another 7 and I would be gone (as he had me covered) but neither came and I was up to over 500,000.

The worst play I made was to call a bet after the river by Erik Seidel of 30,000 with A high. I hoped, and said on camera, that he was holding even less than I had but he had made a straight that I had not even seen the possibility of. It had been a long day and the lights were hot !

Pokernews (sorry to keep quoting them) report that at my peak I made it to 588,000 but I ended the day in 15th of the 22 remaining with exactly 500,000 and on a complete high.

Day Two

2008-02-27T22:51:00.002Z

So now I’ve got two days off and we are kept entertained by ‘Mad Marty’ Wilson and Katherine Hartree on a trip to Williamstown on the Tuesday. The day ends with a game of poker in a pub back in Melbourne, playing in their Pub Poker league and resulting in my first ever win in any live tournament. I keep the cash prize – spending the 25 AUD behind the bar on a round for several of the other players – but graciously give up the chance of a 21,000 mile round trip to return for the regional final ! On the Wednesday we take ourselves off for a day at the races (Sandown).

Thursday starts with a text message from my mate Richard (washman online) who is already at the casino and who won the same package as I, but was unfortunately knocked out on the Monday. Richard in fact was the main reason for me being in Australia as we had both won trips to Goa the year before and when he won his Aussie Millions package on Blue Square I was determined to match him the following week, and that is precisely what I did. The initial $55 qualifier I played on BSq was on the night England lost to Croatia so I had only 11 opponents, and one of those was sat out. There were a few more in the weekly final, but less than 40, so the odds were good and other than dropping to 1400 chips versus 70,000 when heads-up (solved by winning 6 all-ins on the trot) my slow and steady game got me through.

Sorry, that text message from Richard says I am drawn to start Day Two on a star-studded table but mentions no names. I arrive at the casino to discover those names include Thomas Bihl, Joe Hachem and the just about joint chip leaders Andy Black and Phil Ivey !

My 18,200 makes me the table short-stack and I have Mr Ivey (163,300) on my left and Mr Hachem (111,400) on my right. What am I thinking ? I’m thinking I should have studied their games more when I’ve had chance on the telly and that I am probably a fish out of water (in both senses of the word/phrase). But equally I want the experience of sitting down with these guys to last as long as possible so I am not going to do anything silly and bide my time hoping for some premium hands.

I truly believe I make day three because of who I get to play day two with. On a table with ‘lesser’ players and smaller stacks I’m guessing I’d have been out. Not long after play starts we are told that we will be moving upstairs onto the feature TV table at the end of the level – another reason to bide my time and add to the whole experience. My first and about only opportunity during that first level comes with QQ and I end up all-in pre-flop with Phil Ivey’s 99, no help to either on the board.

The TV table is a different world away from the main card room. It is cold but quickly the opposite when the lights are turned on, quiet until Andy Black tries to whip up some conversation (and doesn’t stop trying to do so but with limited success), and we are out of touch with any chip movements downstairs as there is no monitor to follow.

It was the first time I had ever played on a high-sided table (to accommodate the cameras) and I struggled at first to lift the cards so that I could see them ! The problem was I was lifting them so Joe Hachem could look if he wanted to and it needed some stern advice from Andy Black for me to shield them (necessary advice but embarrassing for me). Andy also voiced his concern at the end of that level regarding a bit of a routine I had going with my card guard before folding (wanting me to speed up) but the ‘routine’ was mainly in response to one fold I had made out of turn downstairs earlier that day and I didn’t want to repeat the mistake.

I played pretty solid during our two levels on TV and survived my only all-in with 88 versus Andy Black’s QQ when an 8 came on the flop. I don’t remember being involved in any serious pot with Joe Hachem and he was not happy to leave the table due to running spades giving Peter Ling’s 66 a flush to beat his trip 3’s (two on the flop).

My earlier Queens seemed to be one of a series of hands against which Phil Ivey lost, closing with him slow playing AA before the flop, but ending up all-in after the flop, by which time Gareth Teatum (from Doncaster) had flopped 2 pair with his 48os.

With Ivey and Hachem gone, Andy Black correctly predicted that we would be back downstairs for level four of the day (level ten in all). The only hand of note during that level was another all-in, but post flop this time, against Andy Black who had KK and I got lucky with A6d, two diamonds on the flop and another on the river.

Levels 11-12 were almost a repeat of 5-6 on day one except I went even more card dead apart from QQ once, but unfortunately on that occasion Andy Black refused to double me up for a third time – and said so ! It’s been a long day and I’m very much back in day one mode – happy not to get involved if I don’t have to and wanting just to come back and start again on day three.

At my peak on day two my chip stack was 60-70,000 but I end level 12 on 29,000. Of the 338 who started the day, 96 remain but now only four have fewer chips than me.

Not sure I believed it .......

2008-02-25T21:42:00.002Z

....... but on 21st November I posted that I was "half-way to Oz" and on 23rd November I won the opportunity to go the whole way by winning the weekly Aussie Millions final on Blue Square !

So on 11th January I travelled to Melbourne to play in the Aussie Millions and what follows is my report leading up to and including Day One of the tournament :-

It’s a long way is Australia, especially if you haven’t been before like me (not that it gets any closer if you go a second time). 12 hours to Hong Kong followed by 9 hours to Melbourne, but I’ve always been good at doing nothing so doing nothing on a plane is no great hardship. With Cathay Pacific there are enough films to keep you awake if you wish but one player we met in Oz had flown with a cheaper airline without any video or music the whole way, which might have made the journey a little longer !

For 48 hours before we arrive the temperature in Melbourne had been 40 degrees but for most of our ten days it is a more manageable 23-25 degrees, although it doesn’t matter a great deal when you are in a casino from noon to midnight. I have not yet been to Vegas so the Crown Casino impresses as the largest I have ever been in. Downstairs finds the card room, adding to the lack of sunlight on this trip so it is a good thing that day one has three flights and everyone gets at least two days off.

Most of the players are given the choice of which flight to play but I am just given flight 1A, which actually I would have chosen anyway – the thinking, to be honest, being that I’ve got the rest of the week free if I don’t survive my day one ! As it turns out they continue to hold main event satellites whilst flights A & B take place and the numbers grow each day from 216 in 1A, up to 294 in 1B, ending with 338 playing 1C.

There are some big names playing 1A (according to pokernews), including Allen Cunningham, Andy’s Black and Bloch, Erik Seidel, Jennifer Harman, Jimmy Fricke, John Juanda, Marc Goodwin, Mark Teltscher, Mel Judah, Mike Sexton, Thomas Bihl and Tony G – and I don’t get to sit with any of them (not today anyway !)

Day One is mainly uneventful for me but when my one and only target is to survive to play day two it doesn’t need to be. My wife Helen has been given tickets for the Australian Open tennis so this is the only day when I log my chip count at each break because I send her my progress by text. 20,000 starting stack, 90 minute blinds starting with 50/100 - by the first break I am on 24,100 and I don’t remember how other than taking 100 from the sitting out BB on the very first hand (his stack was removed one hand later).

Early on I remember I was folding a lot of hands pre-flop which would have won, mostly to the benefit of one particular player, so on the second level I must have thought I should start playing and I end it down on 13,450. The only other professional tournament I have played was in Goa in March 2006 – the blinds there were 40 minutes and I lasted three hours (going out with black Aces v red Kings, diamond flush on the river) so surviving longer than that was at least a first target.

Level 3 was kinder, back up to 17,100. Level 4 kinder still as I was up to 27,800 at the dinner break – it was on this level that I took out the first of only two players that I would knock out during the whole tournament. The average at the dinner break was 29,861 and this is about the closest I ever get to it !

Not that I can remember specific hands from levels 1-4, but levels 5-6 see me play even fewer hands and I drop to 24,000 (average 35,800) on level 5 and then end the day on 18,200 (average 44,791). But I have reached my target of survival and if you’d offered me 18k at the start I’d have taken it.

Andy Black leads with 167,800 (45k more than second) and in 22nd on 64,600 is Alexander Kostritsyn, but more about him later. 96 players are still in, including 14 on less than me so I’m happy enough.

Good Luck

2007-12-19T22:52:00.000Z

I've got a few posts to make but this item came up just today so it has jumped the queue :-

North Yorkshire trainer Brian Rothwell is set to stand down from running his own operation and join the team of champion trainer Aidan O'Brien in what he describes as “the job of a lifetime”.

Wexford-born Rothwell, 44, who has been training for 16 years, has put on the market his Arthington Barn House stables at Nawton, near Helmsley, and expects to wind up his business before the renewal date for licences on February 1. “I won't be renewing my licence,” Rothwell said. “I've always got a great buzz out of racing – I always will – and I've enjoyed training. But, although it's not easy to let go, I only have about a dozen horses, which is a lot of hard work for very little reward, and there comes a point when you have to question what you're doing. I felt the time was right now to do something different.”

Rothwell has had his share of winners down the years, and is probably best known for his exploits with prolific winner Queens Consul, as well as handicapper Ochos Rios, Brocklesby Stakes winner Bandon Castle, and chaser Last Try. Winners have proved scarce for Rothwell in the last two or three years, when he has been forced to rely on largely moderate horses (including ours !)

Such headaches and frustrations will be a thing of the past when he returns to Ireland in the new year to take up a position with O'Brien. “Aidan and I go back a long way. We both come from Wexford, our families knew each other, and when he was training jumpers, he'd occasionally send me over one or two that were difficult to place in Ireland,” said Rothwell. “I'm delighted to have got the job. Quite what I will be doing I'm not sure yet, but it's a great opportunity for me. “I was over at Ballydoyle about a month ago, and it's a phenomenal place.It's not everyone who will witness an operation like Ballydoyle in their lifetime and the offer Aidan made me was too good to turn down.”

Rothwell's yard consists of a three-bedroomed barn conversion, 18 stables, complete with horse-walker, and is set in more than 17 acres. “When I will go over to Ireland depends on how long it takes to sell the place, but Aidan would like me over there for the beginning of April when the Flat season is starting, and earlier if possible,” Rothwell added.

Good Luck Brian

Happy as Larry

2007-11-21T23:53:00.000Z

Mentioned the above phrase at work this morning (that place we never talk about) and a colleague looked up its origins on t'internet.

Several on there apparently but we settled for the Australian / New Zealand option of it referring to a boxer called Larry Foley :-

There’s a suggestion that it comes from the name of the nineteenth-century Australian boxer Larry Foley (1847-1917), though why he was especially happy nobody now seems able to say. Perhaps he won a lot of contests? (He was certainly one of those who originated gloved boxing rather than bare-knuckle fighting in Australia and his name is still remembered there.) But this origin is far from certain and the early New Zealand reference renders it less so, without ruling it out altogether.

Thought no more of it until in Ladbrokes at lunch-time and notice that a horse called Happy as Larry is running in the 2.30pm race at Lingfield. Can't ignore an obvious omen like that can you ?

The answer you should be looking for is yes ! Forecast to start 6-1 favourite by the Racing Post, I take the 7-1 on offer, Happy as Larry starts at 14-1 and finishes 14th of 14 !!!!!

Half-way to Oz

2007-11-21T23:12:00.000Z

....... not really, but sort of !

Encouraged by the success of Washman of PL qualifying for the Aussie Millions in January I thought I would try the same route he had.

A buy-in of $50 + $5 on Blue Square into the satellite daily final with only 11 players tonight (presumably due to the alternative attraction of the football) to qualify for the weekly final which has one seat guaranteed.

Only 11 players including one sit-out but still took only five minutes less than two hours to get through it. There were Aces a-plenty and I think they held up all but once. I had them three times and against my better judgement I slow played them on the second and third occasions as I got less action than I should have on the first occasion.

The second time with AcAh the flop came all spades (including the 7 - no action), then the A of spades (so I bet and was called), then another 7, luckily giving me the full house and a few more of his chips.

A few hands later the game froze on me for the second time. We were down to the last 3 and I had KQ on a flop of Qxx when it froze. I frantically try and get back in, breathe a sigh of relief when I do and he hasn't raised , so push all-in to be called by his Aces ! From first to third in one go and all I had to do was let it freeze me out !

I got Aces again when short stacked (25% of the chips) down to the final two. So slow played them and eventually got all-in to win with an Ace high one card flush. From back level I think I might have won every hand culminating with A rag holding up and it's on to Friday's final.

Friday will be my last poker for two weeks as we are off to Newmarket December Sales (bloodstock), which actually include some dates in December unlike last year.

Last poker that is other than the Virgin Festival live poker this Saturday and Sunday !

We were there

2007-11-11T11:25:00.000Z

Had a good day racing at Doncaster yesterday, although not profitable (2 seconds and a third).

Well done to both jockeys who share the title for this year, especially Jamie Spencer in the end who had to ride the last winner of the flat season to draw level again.

Some bookies pay out on a single winner using the number of second places to decide and that title goes to Seb Sanders, who celebrated by travelling on to Wolverhampton to ride the winner of the last race there at 9.20pm !

Wheatus - Teenage Dirtbag

2007-11-09T01:03:00.001Z

Quickest way to the poorhouse .......

2007-10-31T22:01:00.000Z

........ usually !

is it worth it ?

2007-10-28T08:56:00.000Z

A "female Walter Mitty", who lived the lavish life of a footballer's wife after milking millions from two companies, has been jailed.

Sharon Bridgewater, a finance chief stole £2 million after hiding her criminal past to get a job at Bloomsbury-based marketing company Hicklin Slade & Partners. She blew £90,000 on a state-of-the art entertainment system, and similar amounts on luxury holidays and expensive furniture.

London's Southwark Crown Court heard her £100,000 kitchen featured in a glossy magazine write-up as one the best 25 in the country. She also squandered another £150,000 on her live-in lover's birthday, buying him a £70,000 Ferrari Spider to add to their "jaw-dropping" collection of supercars which included BMWs, Porsches and a 50-year-old classic Speedster. Bridgewater purchased properties in Spain and the UK, including a £650,000 converted barn. She also dined at top restaurants, including the Mandarin Oriental and Gordon Ramsay's at Claridges.

Jurors heard the company director's many thefts usually saw money simply transferred to a dormant company she had set up years earlier and used in a previous fraud. Other times she "brazenly" paid for luxuries direct from the company account. Even when the company ordered a round of redundancies to cope with their unexplained cashflow problems, she continued to milk the company for every penny she could get.

Having handed in her notice, she found another job and within weeks the "greedy" 36-year-old "lapsed accountancy student" was milking small West End radio recording company Universal Sound Principles out of £55,000. Her life of crime finally hit the buffers after Hicklin Slade

asked auditors to probe the company's "parlous financial state". Even when confronted by her rampant dishonesty, she did her best to lie her way out of trouble, leading to the arrest of one of her colleagues.

Bridgewater, who lived in Sudbury, Suffolk, before moving to Lomond Close, Basingstoke, Hampshire, pleaded guilty to 16 counts of theft between August 1999 and May 2005. The woman, described by her barrister as a "female Walter Mitty", also admitted two charges of furnishing false information and one of perverting the course of justice by attempting to hide assets following a High Court freezing order after her arrest.

but the main question is : is it worth it if wealth means you end up looking 50 when you are only 36 !

Been Quiet Again

2007-10-09T23:43:00.000+01:00

Not played much poker lately due to domestic duties - extremely unusual for me !

Still play the Hendon Mob Forum League games on a Tuesday on Full Tilt, although had not troubled the leaderboard after 6 rounds. Thankfully I've made the lower reaches of the money in the last 3 I have played so my position is at least now respectable.

The above hand came fairly early on which helped a lot !

Normal service to be resumed when my PC is reconnected ..........

Pokerstars World Blogger Championship of Online Poker 2007

2007-10-05T21:38:00.000+01:00

I have registered to play in the PokerStars World Blogger Championship of Online Poker!

This Online Poker Tournament is a No Limit Texas Holdem event exclusive to Bloggers.

Registration code: 1749361

just one of those nights

2007-09-04T22:40:00.000+01:00

ignoring the calls by Q9 and Q6 to my big raises, albeit with only 88 and A9, both which hit a queen on the flop ........

ignoring the consecutive STTs where I doubled up with the very first hand with trips (fours and eights) and then went completely card dead and was out before the money ........

ignoring hanging on with nothing until finally getting Queens and being called by Kings ........

what I really found frustrating was getting dealt 10 10 and having to fold against a flop of A88, and two hands later getting dealt 10 10 and having to fold against a flop of AJJ, and two hands later getting dealt 88 and deciding to make a stand against a flop of 10 10 4, to be beaten by A 10.

edit - and managing to get my opponent and his 44 all-in against my JJ, for the flop to contain a 4 and the turn is the final 4 !!!!

I definitely don't have the temperament for this game sometimes !

edit - everything is ok again for a short while as AA holds up against 33 but this only lasts as long as my 2 pair with Q3 by the turn is beaten by Q5 due to the 5 on the river ........ I'll be better again tomorrow !

Kate Bush - This Woman's Work

2007-08-30T23:45:00.001+01:00

Tori Amos - Winter

2007-08-30T23:32:00.001+01:00

No Focus

2007-07-16T18:54:00.000+01:00

On PuntersLounge there is a daily MTT selected as a 'focus game' in which members of PL compete for points to be rated the Best Poker Player on any given rolling 28 day period (best five scores taken into account).

The game is usually chosen on the basis of value - although some are PL exclusive league games - and that does not always mean freerolls, although one game quite often chosen is the V-points freeroll on Virgin on a Sunday evening.

I 'cashed' in third this week and managed seventh a couple of months back and the one factor shared by both these events is that the freeroll was not chosen as the PL focus game that night. Annoying as I could have done with the extra points in my quest to move up the PL table but I will settle for the cash (or the V-points which can be converted) instead !

I also played with 17499 others in the $100k guaranteed MTT on Poker Stars and went out in 15000th+ but congratulations to heniek on PL who survived seven hours play to finish 4th to earn more in one night than my poker profit for the last 14 months !

Why I don't love poker

2007-07-08T00:25:00.000+01:00

No different to yesterday really !

The four Sun / William Hill freerolls were a waste of time. The best shot was in the first at 10am as there were less than 500 entrants rather than the usual 1700 but shortly into the game the software moved me to table 3 where my wife was also sitting. The software only allowed one of us to play so we had to log in and out to give the other a chance and I eventually went out in 133rd overplaying AK (which I felt I had to do as I wanted to let the Mrs back in).

Nothing much else to report in the others. My AK lost to A6 but when heads up against the same person her AQ was able to beat my A5. Earlier I had called an all-in with AK and one other complete idiot joined in with what turned out to be 26 (spades) - winning with a 2 on the river.

I had first thought that these continued next week but they don't and for that I am grateful !

Why I love poker

2007-07-07T00:51:00.000+01:00

I don't always and that's mainly because apparently 44 is better than JJ, any two hearts lower than 9 are better than AK, and most noticeably K4 is better than AA.

The Sun newspaper are promoting some freerolls on William Hill wiith cash for the top 100, a seat in a final for the top 50 (to win a trip to the Caribbean) and either an i-pod or plasma tv for each freeroll winner.

Tonight was the fourth night of playing them having been out well before the money for the first three days. Tonight I was 156th in the first and was leading in the second before hh beat my AK (ok I have to blame myself for that one for not raising until after the AK4 flop all hearts), and 44 beat my JJ due to a board which contained 5678 and K4 beat my AA due to a 4 on the flop and another on the turn. $4 for 88th is hardly compensation.

It even annoys me that 90% of the players have signed up with William Hill simply for these freerolls and haven't had the imagination to pick a name that isn't the first three letters of their real first name and 6 random numbers. I'm sure 'stu070411' wanted to play as just 'stuart' but when told it was already taken couldn't think of anything better than the alternative suggested by the software.

Four more freerolls tomorrow so won't that be fun !

Stallion Obituaries

2007-06-29T00:17:00.000+01:00

Taken from the Thoroughbred Times :-

Grade 1 winner and sire Waquoit dies at 24

Waquoit, a multiple Grade 1 winner and Maryland sire, was euthanized on June 14 at Northview Stallion Station in Chesapeake City due to the infirmities of old age. He was 24.

Winner of the 1987 and ’88 Brooklyn Handicaps (G1) and ’88 Jockey Club Gold Cup Stakes (G1), Waquoit sired Grade 1 winner Halo America among 30 stakes winners. In 16 crops of racing age, Waquoit sired 348 winners from 445 starters who have so far earned $25,319,706.

Halo America earned more than $1.4-million while winning nine stakes, including the 1997 Apple Blossom Handicap (G1). Halo America produced Grade 3 winner Quick Temper and stakes winner Marino Marini, who finished second in the 2003 Malibu Stakes (G1) and stands at Rancho San Miguel in California. Waquoit also is the broodmare sire of 2006 Illinois Derby (G2) winner Sweetnorthernsaint. The Relaunch horse out of Grey Parlo, by Grey Dawn II, stood for $5,000 in 2007.

Bred in Kentucky by Frank Mackle Jr., Waquoit was a $15,000 purchase by owner Joseph Federico in the 1984 Keeneland September yearling sale. Trained by Guido Federico, the owner’s cousin, Waquoit won 13 stakes and earned $2,225,360 in a 30-race career that he capped with a 15-length win in the Jockey Club Gold Cup and a third-place finish to eventual Horse of the Year Alysheba in the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1).

Possibly the best mare to ever visit Waquoit was Pas De Nom, the dam of Danzig. The result of this union was named Binary Star and he is the father of eight of our foals, one of whom we still own.

Australian Group 1 winner Catbird euthanized

Catbird, the winner of the 1999 Sydney Turf Club's Golden Slipper Stakes (Aus-G1), was euthanized at Yarraman Park Stud in the Hunter Valley of New South Wales on 9th June due to laminitis.

Catbird, a ten-year-old Danehill horse out of the Marscay mare Fitting, reportedly injured a leg some weeks ago after becoming cast in his stall.While recovering from that injury he developed colic, and subsequently was diagnosed with laminitis.

Catbird retired to the Mitchell family's Yarraman Park Stud in 2000. From six crops, he has sired ten stakes winners, who between them have won 16 stakes races. His only Group 1 winner to date is Mount Franklin Lightly Sparkling WATC Western Australian Derby (Aus-G1) winner Cats Fun. Catechuchu, a filly trained by David Hayes, has won two Group 3 events; Collate and Diego Garcia also are group stakes winners.

Catbird, who stood for $16,222 (Aus $19,250), was Australia’s leading first crop sire by individual winners in the 2003-'04 season and was regarded as a consistent sire with 177 winners from 283 starters to date. Catbird's death “is a major loss to Yarraman Park, and I think it’s a major loss to the entire industry,” said Harry Mitchells, Yarraman Park Stud master. “He was just a lovely horse."

Catbird is a full brother to Danbird, who is the father of our 2007 foal born on 23rd May.

My time in the Sun

2007-06-26T23:43:00.000+01:00

I signed up with sunpoker last week to play with a free $10 on offer (details on PuntersLounge) but lost it apart from ten cents after only four STTs.

I started playing on Poker770 due to a similar offer, although multiple offers there ended up at a total of $70 free, which I have since turned into over $400 so I thought I could do the same again !

Sunpoker rang me tonight inviting me to deposit $20 which they would match (no mention in the conversation of any raked hand requirement for the matching bonus, but of course there is one). So I made the deposit and tonight won the only STT I played ($5+50c), finished 54th out of 1503 in the $100 freeroll (for $0.40 !) and was lying 5th of 578 starters when the qualifier for Saturday's $250 freeroll finished with the top 50 going through.

I think they wanted me to enjoy it tonight .......

Bestest Ever !

2007-06-25T00:38:00.000+01:00

Tonight has to go down as my best session of continual online poker play as it involved not taking a break from 7.00 pm until a bit after 11.30 pm.

A freeroll started at 7.00 pm on Ladbrokes, supposedly exclusive to readers of Poker Player magazine with the winner getting a $6500 package to one of the supporting tournaments at the currently ongoing World Series of Poker in Las Vegas (ie. not the main event). I came across a player from Sweden though who wouldn't admit where he got the password from and there were comments that a few in the last 20 didn't know what the prize was !

Then at 7.30 pm a $5000 freeroll started on Bet Direct which is the same software as Ladbrokes but (unusually) I could play both at the same time on the same computer. The weekly V-points freeroll on Virgin also started at 7.30 pm so I played that on my laptop but it didn't distract me for long !

I qualified for the $5k freeroll by playing in two $10+$1 MTTs on Bet Direct during the week (one was sufficient to qualify) and I was the second one out in one and I think fifth one out in the other !

Anyway, it basically helped that both tournaments were on the same software as I didn't have to switch screens and look for the fold (or raise) button in different places. Having said that I did once put in a big raise on Bet Direct with 45os and a board of AK4 (which was rightly called and punished) when I should have been putting in a big raise on Ladbrokes because I had flopped three Queens (I did get there and win the hand in the end !).

At one point I noticed I was lying 5th of 25 left in on Ladbrokes and 5th of 21 left in on Bet Direct. My highest position on Ladbrokes was to be third as I eventually went out in 19th. I don't think I could have taken up the Las Vegas trip but there was a share of $1000 for 2nd-9th so was disappointed not to make the final table.

Having gone out on Ladbrokes I could concentrate on Bet Direct and I think I hit the final table in 4th or 5th. Had a couple of reverses, including an A4 v AQ when the AQ asked his mate viewing if he should play it, thus announcing his hand whilst others were still to act - tut tut. He then got upset a little later when I took him out with 68clubs on a flop of 68T because he had minimum raised 20k pre-flop with ATos - he seem to think any raise should have been enough even though I had about 3x the chips he had !

That started a good run of cards which saw me take out the finishers in 6th - 3rd inclusive and had about a 5-1 lead going in heads up, which was soon back to something like my 600k in chips versus his 500k. I am now on the small blind with A rag (A5 I think) and go all-in to be called (not surprisingly) by his KK. Then the miracle A on either the flop or the turn, I forget which, and the first prize of $1209 is mine !!!!!

It was the most solid I have ever played, beating even the two Goa freerolls in which I finished second and first. Long may it continue ........

Spot the Difference !

2007-06-18T21:53:00.000+01:00

I've been playing a series of weekly freerolls on Pacific Poker / 888.com exclusive to readers of Poker Player magazine. Not been doing particularly well in them as they always seem to take second fiddle to another game and suffer as a result.

There were 1291 entries tonight and I went out in exactly 200th place. With 109 left in exactly 100 were blonde males wearing blue shirts and sunglasses !

For anyone who knows me personally, I accept that my avatar (bottom left hand corner) looks nothing like me but at least I have been bothered to change it from the one you are automatically given initially by the site - can you guess which one ?

I think they call it Variance

2007-06-14T00:37:00.000+01:00

Tonight's post was going to be all about how the cards were against me tonight. You know, rubbish about folding winning hands and getting sucked out on the river on hands I did play.

Then I read a post on Punters Lounge where someone had folded quad aces post flop (a bit like I folded quad fives post flop in error last month) but in his case because his laptop mousepad would not respond and he got timed out !

So then I was going to take a screen print to include here as evidence that his bad luck put my so called bad luck into perspective.

But when filing the screen print I found the three above that I had taken on 12th May that I had intended to post on here but never did - and it is evidence that if luck is anything it is temporary and changeable .........

In the order they were taken I had called them "Didn't Fold 1", "Didn't Fold 2" and "Did Fold 1". (it is too small to see but in the example "did fold" I was holding 8 10).

There are always going to be days where I will be rubbish regardless of the hands I am dealt and I have to learn to stop blaming everyone else but me. As it turned out tonight I won the last two STTs I played which got me back to within a couple of buy-ins of being level on the night so things are never quite as bad as they seem.

Not this year Part 2

2007-06-13T00:29:00.000+01:00

Played in the 20 seat PL exclusive qualifier on Virgin tonight to win a seat at the Scottish Poker Championships in Edinburgh at the end of June.

Was one of those nights when little went right on the hands I played but I was flopping full houses and straights on the hands I folded ! I finished 18th.

The evening wasn't completely wasted however. I continue to win more than I lose on DTD (DuskTilDawn) Poker ...... oh and I mowed the lawn !

Not this year

2007-06-11T23:28:00.000+01:00

Had a good weekend in London playing in the Full Tilt Horse series final, with the winner earning a seat in the final event of the WSOP - and for a long while I thought it might be me !

I really enjoyed the game but of course it helps if the cards are being kind. The starting stack was 10,000 and one hour blinds (later on they were half hour with antes). I played very tight for a level and a half until my QQ held up against AQ to get me to 15k.

Not much later I got the action I wanted with AA because an opponent (unfortunately Fenners of PL) held KK and by the lunch break I reckon I was chip leader with around 34k. At this stage I started getting maximum respect from the table so a series of minimum raises with A rag kept bringing the blinds my way.

I remember flopping two pair a couple of times, once with 10 2 from the SB which I didn't bet into enough (the BB had top pair with A kicker so he flat called 1k each time) and then with 34os from the BB which I probably bet into too much when reraising all-in to a bet of 3k, to be met with a fold. Not long after another QQ beat JJ and I peaked at 64k (out of 290k).

Then the cards were less kind. Just before the second break a third QQ lost to AK, and not long after with 10 7 from the SB I flopped top pair but lost to a flush (admittedly on the turn). Anyway, I made the final table of nine with about 30k but went out in 7th when my 44 was beaten by the chipleader's K9d (K on the flop). Fenners said later that he had seen some of her cards and she was pushing with a lot less than that so I'm claiming I was unlucky !

Punters Lounge was represented by four of the nine players on the final table and it was a bit disappointing we finished 7th, 6th, 5th and 4th ! - but it was good to share the day and evening with friends.

523

2007-06-03T12:58:00.000+01:00

When I posted on 31st May it had been a gap of about about three weeks. The counter showed 523 and still shows 523 today.

Either the counter has stopped working or I am talking to myself - mind you haven't I always known that ? !

ouch

2007-06-02T01:56:00.000+01:00

I should have mentioned on Thursday that during the PL live game last weekend I won with KK v AA (both all-in pre-flop) - although it was the 'honest' way with a K on the flop or turn and not by a sly flush on the river as happened against me in Goa. Anyway, if I can remember, I hope never to complain about losing with Aces versus Kings again. Preferably because it never happens again, although .....

Saw AA v KK three times tonight on three different sites. The score was 2-1 to KK, including one against me and the one above.

The game when I lost with AA took me down to 240 chips but I came back to win. I was playing a $20+$2 6 seat STT on Sporting Index Poker with a free token they had given me because it was a while since I played there - so all the sweeter !

20th Century Boy

2007-06-01T00:23:00.001+01:00

definitely not 21st Century !

2007-06-01T00:18:00.001+01:00

Testing this still works - and it only did if I didn't add any comments !

This takes me back !

Picking Up

2007-05-31T22:52:00.000+01:00

Not been the greatest start to my poker financial year - calculated from 1st April. April was very up and down, with up only just coming out on top !

May however has been a big improvement, mainly due to a couple of MTT wins in promotions on PuntersLounge. The first also earned me a seat in a 20 player MTT on Virgin to win a seat at the Scottish Poker Championship in Edinburgh at the end of June. The other also took me to the top of the monthly league sponsored by Sporting Odds and is the main reason for the profit this month.

Also this month I played in a live game with other PL members and for the first time in a live game made the final table - finishing 5th, with money down to 3rd. Really enjoyed it apart from going out when pushing with an unnecessary bluff (was fairly comfortable in 3rd and could have waited to make the money first) and the wife finishing 4th !

Next stop for live poker is London on the 9th of June to try and win a seat at the World Series of Poker .....

Not to be repeated

2007-05-11T00:33:00.000+01:00

I made what will have to be my worst ever fold in a STT this evening.

Only a 5 seat $3 game and was dealt 55 and the flop came 655. I am just pondering how long to wait before calling a bet of 4x the bb when I hit the fold button like a complete moron.

Hopefully I will get over it someday soon ...........

Time to get going again

2007-05-08T00:33:00.000+01:00

Managed to scrape a profit of only just over a tenner in April but May has started well with a top ten finish in the V-points freeroll on Sunday for £70.

I fell out with Virgin in April because their software refused to seat me in several tournaments in a row. Not their problem apparently so I withdrew what money I had in there and I will only now play freerolls on Virgin so that I play for their money not with mine.

So the £70 is all the sweeter !

There's a first time for everything !

2007-05-02T00:47:00.000+01:00

I only play Freezeout No Limit Hold'em.

Rebuys reward bad play, Omaha is ridiculous and the way the guy with the worst card showing has to open the betting in 7 card stud is just annoying, as is the fact that it is basically a limit game.

So tonight a miracle happened in that I enjoyed a game of 7 card stud, finishing 3rd in the end in a field of 183 having led for a good while before and during the final table. It was a freeroll on Full Tilt sponsored by InsidePoker magazine, with the winner getting a $4500 package to Vegas for a WSOP tournament (won by VoiceofJoe of PuntersLounge).

The final table of eight all won entry to a live game in London in early June, and the winner of that wins a $12,000 package to the WSOP main event. There are 5 such qualifiers (this was the 4th) based on the H.O.R.S.E. games so the live final should only have a mximum of 45 players as some are 9 seat FT's.

And the game to be played in London ? Just as well I only play Freezeout No Limit Hold'em .....

Not my Game

2007-04-15T22:56:00.000+01:00

I started the month playing in a League format on BetOnBet poker which is good value with $1300 guaranteed on a buy in of $10 + $1 and only 20-30 in each night (Sun-Thurs inclusive).

Only problem is that for the first hour it is a rebuy ($10 a go) and there are players willing to rebuy a dozen times if they have to and so consequently, in my opinion, bad beats abound.

I am not willing to throw money at trying to guess how deep someone's pockets are and so apart from finishing 4th in one did not enjoy any of them. Even 4th didn't get me any money as less than 30 runners only pays out 1,2,3.

At the end of the month there is a $5000 freeroll for the top 10 in the league overall - and I had been in the top 10 - but for the good of my sanity I have had to stop playing in it !

I now need to get back what I lost by playing STTs on the same site, and so far so good .........

Not quite deja vu

2007-03-29T23:47:00.000+01:00

Last night I was playing in a MTT when I was dealt JQ and flopped 2 pair so ended up all-in to be beaten by AA, with an A on the turn.

It leaves me less than 400 chips so I end up all-in on the very next hand with K6 after flopping the top pair, to be beaten by another AA (different player) with another A on the turn for good measure.

So I move on to another MTT and after a while get dealt the black aces a la Goa and more a la Goa find myself all-in against red kings (and AJ). No diamond flush this time but a straight forward K on the river to put me out.

I played the latter MTT again tonight ($100 freeroll on Poker Satellites) and finished 2nd for the second time this week. One notable hand on the final table with AK, the board ended up AKKAK .......

The Goa Experience

2007-03-28T21:31:00.000+01:00

Goa was great. Great weather, great hotel, great beaches, great company. Goa was great.

Unfortunately, poker-wise, I wasn't.

First slight disappointment was, having been drawn on the feature table, that the cameras weren't set up ready for the start of the tournament so I began on the table furthest away.

Mistake number one, and I would say my only mistake during my three and a bit hours of play, was to persevere to the bitter end with 55 with no help on the board, to be beaten by AA. He also had had no help from the board and the fact there was a possible straight may have saved me from losing more chips than I did (around 2000). My opponent, Richard En, made the final table two days later.

Shortly after, our table broke up (the first to do so). I had better luck at the next table although it was the one I went out on ! I won a decent pot with 66 v AK after a flop of xK6 and then lost a small pot when with a board of four spades my 10 (with Ad) was beaten by the J.

Then came the final hand before the first break when I was dealt QQ, raised and called the short stack's all-in to be faced with AA. For good measure he picked up an A on the turn. Just a few hands before I had been on over 12k (starting stack was 10k) but went into the break on 7k.

On the return to action I bluffed a few and was given respect, and on other occasions I bluffed but was reraised, so folded.

By the time my final hand came I was down to 5k and was happy to see (black) Aces. My opponent had raised something like 3xbb, I reraised to 1500, he put me all-in and I called. He had (red) Kings. The flop had the A of diamonds, plus two more diamonds ! The turn was a K but of course it was black so that's ok. Obviously I'm still ahead, the river can pair one of the rags to give me a full house, but of course it doesn't - it throws out another diamond (the 6) and from nearly being back to 10k and starting again, I am out of there. 121st out of 142.

The only thing it does do for me is give me more time by the pool or on the beach !

The colleague from Punters Lounge, Richard, that we travelled with made it to day two but unfortunately his final hand was also AA v KK. The flop included QJ, an A on the turn was unnecessary, as all it did was leave the door open for the 10 which came on the river to give the Kings the straight. What made it even more amazing was that someone else at the table confirmed he had folded Tens so there were only two left in the pack !!! The winner of that hand went on to win the whole tournament and $320,000.

It was a great trip though and if the tournament is repeated next year my plan is to be there .....

Cardiff

2007-03-13T22:13:00.000Z

I enjoyed Cardiff and the APAT live tournament at the end of February.

The casino was handily placed for the etap hotel and the waterfront and I'd be happy to go back for a better look round.

Re the poker I played woefully up to the first break - the worst sin was with 22. After the break I got my first piece of luck with AK catching a K on the flop to beat 77 and then a ridiculous call really with ATc with two clubs on the flop knowing I'd have to get lucky - but the guy who had gone all-in had A7s (no 7 or T came but the other card on the flop was a spade as was the turn so it got a bit hairy !).

I joined the table I went out on with about 3.5 hours to go on the first day and soon more than doubled up to get to over 50k with AJ v KT. Shortly after came one hand which could have made a difference - I was dealt AJ under the gun and should have been first to act from seat ten and whilst I was mulling over how large my raise should be I heard the short stack in seat one say he was going all-in, which was not a surprise as he only had enough for one blind - 3k. I heard him but from where I was sitting could not see him so didn't know he had pushed his chips. Next thing I know everyone has folded round to the BB - I'm confused thinking I've made a mistake and the BB more so as he mucks his cards and takes his chips and those of the SB not knowing the short stack had called ! The ruling was that he had mucked so his cards were dead as were mine as everyone else had folded theirs ! The BB was holding KQ and agreed he would have called my raise so who knows !

After that I couldn't find another hand I wanted to play and for the last 2.5 hours my blinds just went leaving me 22.5k at the start of day two, in 30th of 32 left in. The one hand I played was from my BB with 58, calling the SB's all-in after a flop of 665. He had 39os and hit a 9 on the turn. 58 got me to Goa and for a brief moment I thought it might get me to the money in Cardiff (down to 22nd) but it wasn't to be. 28th place was 4 places and about as many hands further than I got in the first APAT tournament in Birmingham and apart from playing too loose early and too tight for the last four blind periods on the first night I think I played ok.

Only advantage of being out early on the Sunday was that I got away before the end of the Carling Cup and beat that traffic, and I still needed to pack for Goa !

7

2007-02-20T02:18:00.000Z

(oh so close)

Seven days to go to the trip to Goa for the $1m Asian Poker Classic and I have still to be paid the expenses part of the freeroll prize I won in December.

I have spent money on visas, insurance, airport parking, flights, hotels for the extra nights we are there (going for 7 days rather than 4) and malaria tablets - so we are definitely going whatever happens !

The four nights in the main hotel is about half of the total expenses so the balance will not cover everything else anyway. I reckon we'll be paying for one flight and all meals other than breakfast out of our own pocket, so still not bad for a week in India with the chance of winning a few hundred thousand dollars.

Before then it is a much needed bit of live practice in the APAT tournament in Cardiff this weekend, which I am looking forward to and hope to make day two unlike last time !

88

2007-02-04T19:25:00.000Z

Played the weekly V-Points MTT on Virgin which is not a tournament I have done well in in the past.

Tonight I had to fold 88 three times after the flop contained 3 overcards each time. I got lucky with runner runner clubs to give me a flush with A4 to nearly double my starting stack - although it dented the BB who had called my 4x raise with 9 10 offsuit (and proceeded to bet with a 9 on the flop) so I think justice was done ! But then I lost the best part of my chips with K 10 and a board of 10 8 x 8 10 - beaten by 88 !

AJs v AKos a few hands later - no help for either on the board - and it was all over.

Now just have to work out how the next post can be titled '8' ........

888

2007-02-03T13:20:00.000Z

Been a quiet couple of weeks. Both can be summarised as significant (for me) losses over one night and spending the rest of the week getting them back, to be level again at the end of the week.

Last night started with the same sort of feel as I made an early exit from a Prima wide MTT being shown on Sky's Poker Night Live. I thought the night wasn't going to go my way when I folded my very first hand of 89 hearts (having told myself I would start by playing premium hands only) and the flop came 888 ! One player made a full house so I think all his chips would have been mine.

The only other game I played last night was the weekly Premier League of Poker on Betfred which goes on until May and has monthly prizes in addition to the weekly shareout. I finished second in this a couple of weeks ago and repeated the feat last night. I think I played well, perhaps overplayed a few hands but in general no-one called so was safely in the top 6 from fairly early on. Also managed to take out the current league leader (the guy who beats me heads up a fortnight ago) so I should now be in the top 6 overall.

Going into the final 4 last night it was fairly even - three of us on 50k approx and one on just under 40k - but suddenly we were down to two as my opponent took out both the others in one hand and he had 3 times more chips than me. Took a chance with Q 10 to be faced with JJ and it was all over.

Rest of the time has been trying to organise Goa which is now less than a month away and signing up for the next APAT live tournament in Cardiff as practice !

(Betfred) Premier League

2007-01-20T00:50:00.000Z

Seems to have been a while since I had a decent showing in a MTT so a second place in the Betfred weekly league was very welcome.

Have said many times before that I like this software so played it generally steady and waited for the right hands and worked my way into the top 20 and the money.

Then came a huge slice of luck when my all-in with 77 was called by AA (although I just had him covered) and my diamond made a one-card flush to take me from the bottom five to the top five, where I stayed.

Going into the heads up we had 100k approx each and must have been 10-15 mins before the first all-in contest when my AJ was up against KJ. I was saying gg and wp and counting the money when I noticed he was still in and we had somehow split the pot ! (a straight clearly)

Was only a few hands after that when I lost my head and overplayed A3clubs and was up against A 10 and it was all over.

But after the 77 I have no right to complain .........

dull dull dull part 2

2007-01-15T23:39:00.000Z

I effectively wasted two hours of my life this evening playing in a deep stack, slow blind MTT on Ladbrokes poker.

Now I have wasted several hours of my life playing unfruitful online poker before now but tonight's game must rank as the worst for not getting any playable hands.

In two hours I saw a total of four pocket pairs - 2's, 4's, 7's and 10's (in that order). The 2's and 4's in quick succession, both folded to pre-flop raises. The 7's were a long time later and won me some chips, the 10's saw me leave the tournament when up against K's. I saw a dozen Aces, no more, and the best was AQ suited (once) and AJ (once).

The only good thing was that I played two STTs on the site first, winning one and finishing second in the other so the MTT ended up costing me nothing.

Bluff all you like but eventually you cannot win without the cards.

Ace Seven .....

2007-01-11T01:02:00.000Z

..... is close to being added to the list of hands I don't play !

Over the last couple of days I don't remember winning a hand with it but I do remember going all-in with QQ and JJ in two different tournaments and being called by A7 each time and of course an A appeared each time.

I wouldn't mind but they both called a large amount and didn't deserve the result.

and then there was the idiot who announced he would be all-in every hand because he had to go and watch TV - why don't these morons just sit out ?

just ticking over ....

2007-01-06T00:44:00.000Z

.... and not much happened worth reporting.

Twice tonight in two separate tournaments I found myself all-in after the flop with QQ - the first time my opponent had KQ with a K on the flop, and on the second occasion I was up against AQ with an A on the flop.

Neither time did the turn improve either hand.

And the river ?

Both times ?

Was the final Q !

It can be a funny old game !

Happy New Year

2007-01-03T00:37:00.000Z

Coming Around Again

My poker improved no end in 2006 so I'll settle for the same improvement again in 2007 !

A good end to the year

2006-12-27T23:34:00.000Z

Been a bit quiet over Christmas on the poker front although I did continue to play the PuntersLounge MTT League on Sporting Odds (the Paradise version) this month.

I consider it another step forward that I have managed to win the league for the first time after four out of four final tables - although the highest individual placing was second. Did little more really than hang on tonight and although my 8th place didn't improve my overall score (best 3 from 4 counting) I hung on longer than the possibly 5 or 6 players who could have caught me mathmatically.

It could have been my last game of 2006 tonight but a good way for the year to end. Roll on 2007 ......

My first ever Poker interview !

2006-12-16T23:04:00.000Z

Copied from the PokerPlayer magazine website :-

PokerPlayer in association with Maharajah ClubFreeroll winner

Duncan Godfrey is off to Goa in March after winning the PokerPlayer Maharajah Club freeroll

By Chris Marais December 2006

Duncan Godfrey of Bradford West Yorkshire will be hoping to get Christmas out of the way and crack on in the new year as he’s off to Goa to play poker in March courtesy of Maharajah Club and PokerPlayer.

Godfrey, who plays online as ‘runadrum’ won the Maharajah Club PokerPlayer freeroll on 3 December.
The prize was a $7,500 package to the Asian Poker Classic (APC), which will be held at The Grand Resort in Goa, India from 1-4 March 2007.
The APC is the first major professional poker tournament to be held in India and will include players who have won prize packages via satellite tournaments held on the site.

Godfrey, like many people started playing about 3 years ago after watching Late Night Poker on TV, but he says "it took me a while to understand that while any two cards are entitled to win it does not mean you should play them all!"
He only plays No Limit Texas Hold'em and all his wins have all been online, playing live only six or seven times including the final of the Poker Player Grand Prix II.

The freeroll consisted of a field of 200 runners and Duncan’s main aim was to make the top ten places and the money and then worry about winning. He set out to play it tight, but his stack took some heavy dents early on.

He stuck at it though, and came through a tough final table, and he tells the story of an interesting hand to win the tourney:
“I held 5-8 offsuit, so not a classic, but flopped two pair and then made a full house on the turn. Luckily my opponent went all-in after the turn before I could and I can't tell you what hand he held!”
“I was stunned to have actually won as heads-up had been nip and tuck and I thought I was booked for second at one point when I foolishly slow played AA and lost.”

His wife Helen also plays and so she has bagged the place as Godfrey’s travelling companion.
We suspect that poker is not Duncan’s only gambling activity as he continued: “Our main holiday each year involves Newmarket horse sales in November so I am looking forward to spending some time with my wife in the sun for a change.”

“It will be my first tournament of this magnitude so I hope to take in and enjoy the atmosphere, take a big name scalp or two and then worry about winning if I make the final day. If/when I go out I want it to be to a good hand."

“I am very much looking forward to it especially as I have only been abroad twice in the last ten years. I don't know how much of the country we'll get to see but I suspect it is a place you would need to visit more than once.”

but still no word from the poker site about details of the trip !

Long may it continue

2006-12-15T00:23:00.000Z

Almost been avoiding making another post because the Maharajah Table looks so pretty !

But have to move on (until the trip in March) and no better way than winning another freeroll - and a PuntersLounge exclusive, which are always tough.

This was the freeroll for bloggers sponsored by www.Free-Money.co.uk but only available to active members of PuntersLounge with a current, updated blog.

I also managed to take out the nominated bounty along the way (although I just swept up the debris after someone else took most of his chips) so things definitely went my way.

Time to Goa

2006-12-07T23:14:00.000Z

...... also in my mind was that if I got home in good time on the Sunday I could play the PokerPlayer magazine version of the freeroll qualifier for a seat at the MaharajahClub Asian Poker Classic in Goa in March in 2007. You may recall I came second in the InsideEdge magazine version so was keen to have another go .....

didn't exactly forget about this but have been trying to get a proper hand history without success. so all I am going to say is that I won it !!!

Newcastle

2006-12-05T23:47:00.000Z

Went up North for the APAT live tournament at Aspers Casino in Newcastle on Saturday and Sunday.

I was conscious of my effort in the first of these in Birmingham when I survived to the Sunday, only to go out on the very first hand of the second day. That was partly the result of being short stacked in comparison to most and I was determined to either build up a decent stack with which to attack the second day, or go out on the Saturday as a result of trying.

Only a couple of highlights to report - first winning an all-in with A9 v A6 with a flop of A96 (to get me back up to 12k) and two hands later folding AK post flop (AQ10) after a reraise by an opponent holding the straight.

I never got above 15k in chips and went out when the blinds were 800/1600 in what I think was 99th place when my raise with 1/3 of my chips from the SB with A4 ran into an all-in reraise from the BB with KK. I knew I was behind but had bottled out two of the previous three hands so took a stand. I have a good poker face in that I don't believe I give anything away when looking at my cards but I now think there must be something in the weakness of my betting that is my downfall (although the Kings were going to call however strong my first move had been !).

Also in my mind was that if I got home in good time on the Sunday I could play the PokerPlayer magazine version of the freeroll qualifier for a seat at the MaharajahClub Asian Poker Classic in Goa in March in 2007. You may recall I came second in the InsideEdge magazine version so was keen to have another go ..... and I will leave that report until tomorrow !

Money Money Money

2006-12-05T23:02:00.000Z

Got back from Newmarket late last Friday but only now had chance to post an update on here following a weekend away in Newcastle and a business trip down to Berkshire today.

The second week of the bloodstock sales was for broodmares and fillies in and out of training and saw the highest prices of the fortnight - 4,600,000 guineas and 3,000,000 guineas - both horses bought by Lady Serena Rothschild, buying through an agent.

Magical Romance (above) broke the world record for a broodmare when she was was sold for 4.6m guineas ($9.4m) - she won the Group 1 Cheveley Park Stakes, is a half-sister to the English, Irish and Yorkshire Oaks winner Alexandrova and was offered in foal to Pivotal (the most expensive stallion standing in Britain with an advertised covering fee of £85,000).

We weren't in the sale ring to see the sale topper go through but we did see the second highest price - the 3m for Spinning Queen, who had won the Group 1 Sun Chariot Stakes by an easy seven lengths at Newmarket on her last racecourse appearance. Her purchase price set a European record for a filly sold at public auction.

We also saw Short Skirt sell for 1,400,000 guineas to Sheikh Mohammed. The filly won two Group 3's in 2006 - the Musidora (beating Alexandrova) and the St Simon Stakes - and finished third in the Oaks at Epsom and second in the Yorkshire Oaks.

All in all an expensive or profitable week for some people - depending on which end of the transaction you were !

Upwardly mobile !

2006-11-24T17:44:00.000Z

Managed to play one game of poker yesterday using my laptop and a free internet connection at the sales ring in Newmarket - an STT on Betfair, just to make sure I qualify for a freeroll on there in December.

Not much changes - not that it is weeks or months since I played - as I was comfortably dominating the table until a couple of unlucky (for me) hands took me down and then out.

Tried to get the laptop to work in a pub with a wireless connection last night but it refused to let me log on so I've still got work to do there, but I can't say that I am missing not playing so no addiction here !

Money is being spent on foals by wealthier people than me here today - top price so far 350,000 guineas with a few over 200,000 and several over 100,000. In our breeding enterprise any of these prices would put us in dreamland but it is what keeps all small breeders going - the hope and possibility that you could just strike it rich with something your mare might produce.

Been quiet again

2006-11-19T21:55:00.000Z

Not had much to post on here as I have not played much poker recently (not successfully anyway) but that changed this evening with a second place in a freeroll on a new site (to me anyway) - Maharajah Club.

Places 2-10 were worth $111 so it put me in profit, for now, for the month.

There were only 60 entrants which was surprising as the first prize was a $7500 package to the Asian Poker Classic in Goa in the first week of March 2007. It was won by a fellow PuntersLounger, Washman - really well played mate and good luck in the live tournament.

My next few posts are most likely be on the subject of horses as I will be in Newmarket for the Tattersalls 'December' Sales, which end on 30th November !

Then on 2nd December it is up to Newcastle for the second APAT live tournament where I hope to last longer than the first hand on the second day ......

Not what I had hoped ......

2006-11-09T01:23:00.000Z

..... for my 100th post on this blog

because it is about how poker can drive you crazy some times !

No-one plays without getting what they consider 'bad-beats' but tonight it was the hands I didn't play which laughed at me.

Twice I folded 22 to large raises and both times I would have beaten the AA I would have been calling. Worse than that, in the first instance not too long later the same player got me all-in with his AA v my KK, and in the second example the same player got me all-in with his KK v my 77. No surprises that in neither case did my lower pair get lucky when it mattered.

But what can you do ? Just accept it, sleep on it, and hope for better luck next time.

Shoe

2006-11-04T15:47:00.000Z

If you don't usually follow my link to the cartoon 'Shoe' try it now - on the homepage you need to click on 'The Strip'. I think it's been really good this week, especially 1st November (you can navigate back though the whole week and further back).

Almost !

2006-11-04T14:42:00.000Z

13th August : "Played in the PokerRoom / PokerPlayer Team Challenge on Wednesday and made my second final table in the last three tournaments, improving this time to 5th from 10th two games ago (nowhere inbetween). The winner of each tournament gets to represent PokerRoom in a live game against a team of Norwegian players - plus there is a $1000 prize fund in each qualifier (freerolls)".

7th September : "Played in the PokerRoom / PokerPlayer Team Challenge and made my third final table in the last four tournaments, again finishing 5th despite having been chip leader with 6 left in. Made a series of poor decisions at the end and was lucky with 88 v KK - 8 on river - to keep me in the final 30 or so, so can't really complain. One more to go next month and then this particular gravy train reaches the end of the line !"

This afternoon : Played in the final PokerRoom / PokerPlayer Team Challenge qualifier and made my fourth final table in the last six tournaments, this time reverting to finishing 10th for the second time.

What was supposed to be the final qualifier last month was the same evening as the Betfair / PokerPlayer Grand Prix live final in London so couldn't play, but there was some problem with the site not allowing non-depositors to play in error so the extra one was held this afternoon.

The tournament proved yet again that it likes me (until the final table !) with the following hands standing out along the way (my cards first) :-

Q2 v A5 : flop of 234 gives my opponent a straight but he just calls my smallish bet. With a Q on the turn giving me 2 pair I put in a larger bet and he raises all-in, which I call, and am saved by another Q on the river !

KJ v J6 : put my opponent all-in after flop of J6x, which not surprisingly he called, to be saved by a 10 on the turn and another 10 on the river - so now both got 2 pair but my K is the bigger kicker !

Ad10 v AA : my opponent raised me all-in pre-flop and after a flop of xdxd10d I thought the flush might save me, but instead it was the 10 on the turn !

and to get me to the final table : was lying 7th and decided to put the guy in 11th all-in with my KJ only to be called by A 10, but was saved by a J on the river !

First two hands on the final table were AQ and KJc so raised to 4k with both and got no callers so now lying 3rd or 4th. Next hand I get A3h and debate whether I can get away with a third raise on the trot, but in the last one of these I just sat back while my chips just eroded away so decide to just go for it - but then got carried away when risked another 8k calling someone's raise all-in, and was sunk by 10 10 (although had a straight draw after the flop !).

Thoroughly enjoyed this series though and rather than withdraw today's $20 I shall invest it in a few more MTTs on PokerRoom. Not much point playing their STTs because I can't crack 5th place ! Watch this space ......

I still love ......

2006-11-02T00:25:00.000Z

...... Poker 770 !

I got £5 from them just for logging in a couple of weeks ago and then £10 tonight 'for Halloween'.

Played my usual 5 player $5 STT (just one) and won getting the following hand along the way :-

heads up and dealt 67os, opponent calls my BB - flop comes 676 !

I check, so does he.

turn is a 7 !

I check, so does he.

river is the final 6 !

Do I go all-in ? No, like a moron I bet 100 thinking he might raise big, but of course (I realise now) he just calls. Doh !

I wait for his 'nh' in the chat box but it doesn't come, but he didn't win another hand so I didn't really mind !

Carnival Dancer - Flo's Choice ('05 filly)

2006-10-29T22:20:00.000Z

We travelled down to Newmarket on Friday for Part 3 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sales as we were selling our Carnival Dancer filly on the Saturday morning. Unfortunately there weren't a huge number of buyers and although a few people came down to her box to have a look at her you could tell she didn't take their eye.

She did sell however, although only for a couple of bids more than the minimum, marked down to a UK bloodstock agency acting for the Chairman of the Hungarian Jockey Club. We would obviously prefer her to stay and run in Britain but we can't be choosy and at least Hungary is a recognised racing nation, having held race meetings for over 175 years. It is also good that she has been bought by someone wanting to see her become a racehorse as that is what she was bred to do.

We wish her all the luck !

AA part 2

2006-10-25T19:54:00.000+01:00

Out of the $7k freeroll on DreamPoker this evening when beaten by AA twice in the space of 3 or 4 hands !

Lost with pocket 3's and then BB with 8 10 - pairing the 8 on the flop. No 3 or 8 came to the rescue in each case.

Not going to be my night .......

Wanna Play in Singapore 12-17 November ?

2006-10-24T23:53:00.000+01:00

Seat for sale on ebay if interested - just search on ebay for 'Betfair Asian'.

Won by GotAFancy? from PuntersLounge as reported here a few days ago, but he is now unable to go so an opportunity for someone who was going to go under their own steam and buy-in anyway to effectively get free accomodation and a few hundred dollars spending money.

Me ? - not enough spare cash and can't have the time off work either !

much the same

2006-10-24T23:23:00.000+01:00

Not much poker this evening (and none yesterday).

Finished 47th of 120 or so in the Hendon Mob tournament so not even points this week !

Played two 5 seat STTs on Titan, finishing 2nd in both but was briefly disconnected when heads-up in the second and was not paid out when it was over. Reported it to online support but apart from the initial hello got no reply for 15 minutes so gave up, and then couldn't get support to reply at all when logged back in. Five minutes later my balance updated to the correct amount so I left it at that.

I presume by the long period of silence that they had several people all raising the same query as me at the same time. Not a huge amount of money by anyone's standards but just goes to show how much we rely on the poker site to manage our funds correctly.

I'm not sure the much quoted adage about gambling debts not being recoverable at law applies any more but if a poker site just decided to stop trading and keep all the deposited monies how many would bother to chase them for it ?

Not much to report ......

2006-10-21T22:17:00.000+01:00

...... as it has been a quiet poker week for me. Played 3 freerolls today - and the best result was in the 6000 runner $5k on Bet365. I was out in 462nd after the chip leader on my right raised and then called (for another 7k) my pre-flop all-in with his 9Jh v my KK - and made his straight on the turn !! Not a sparkling result but my best showing in a MTT of this size for a long time !

A good day for one player on PuntersLounge - GotaFancy? - as he won the Inside Edge / Betfair freeroll, earning a seat at the Betfair Asian Poker Tour in Singapore in November (congrats).

I was going along ok in the same game but as work commitments mean I cannot have the necessary time off, and there were no money consolation prizes, I risked all my chips for the first and last time on 27 offsuit. I found myself up against A rag, flopped a 2 but then the right result with an A on the turn !

You will notice I call it 27 offsuit, because saying 72 seems to justify playing it as a better hand !

Should have done the Euro Millions Lottery .....

2006-10-14T21:20:00.000+01:00

..... last night because I don't seem to have been able to lose today, but without winning much, and at least a Euro Lottery win of £56 million would have got me some real money !

I turned a £5 free bet on Betfair into a profit of £16 with a couple of place only bets on the racing at Newmarket and then won the only two $5 STTs I played - a 5 seat on Titan and a 9 seat on Poker Stars.

I had planned to play the APAT MTT on Poker Stars but then realised I was $2.50 short of the $22 entry so played the STT to win the extra rather than mess about trying to deposit with Neteller, which I find a real pain. The win now puts me on $36.50 so I can play next month !

By the way I fibbed about not playing the Euro Millions Lottery last night because I did - and I won !!!

£6.30 for matching one number with both the 'lucky stars' - and the jackpot is £64 million next Friday !

2006-10-13T00:15:00.000+01:00

Light Relief

PL Bloggers

2006-10-12T22:35:00.000+01:00

Sponsored by www.free-money.co.uk there will be an exclusive $1000 freeroll on Betfair every other month for participating members of Punters Lounge who have an active blog and who put certain links to other sites on their blog.

Full details can be found on the Punters Lounge forum and if you sign up mention that you read about it here.

Do me a few favours though :-

1. Don't sign up to Punters Lounge just because of the freeroll - play an active part, participate and have a good look around.

2. Don't create a blog to just sit as a link to the other sites and nothing else - tell the world about yourself, or just your poker self, or just get things off your chest. Anything but leave a blank space !

3. Don't leave it until the last minute and expect to get in. Now is ideal as you have two months to get generally involved first.

4. Have a look at the linked sites - see over to the right (from Punters Lounge to Free Casino Chips inclusive).

The first freeroll was tonight and I finished in 4th place, with the top 5 being paid (plus one bounty prize). I put a huge amount of pressure on myself to finish in the money because the Mrs, AvonGirl had to sit out when she joined my table. Betfair don't allow us to play on the same table because we share the same internet connection and could be colluding - little do they know that we practically live on different floors of the house and never talk to each other when playing. Pot luck really because if I'd been moved to her table it would have been me stuck on the sidelines.

So on that basis I was pleased with 4th, but truthfully disappointed because shortly after Avon was forced out I had built up a healthy lead, and then after dropping back I lead again briefly when down to the final four.

I would have a moan at my AK being beaten by the eventual winner's Q 10 (suited) but I got lucky against him earlier when my Jx caught a J on the turn v his 55.

So in summary - take a look around Punters Lounge and sign up if you like what you see and are prepared to become an active member. Then get your blog going, with the links, and wait for the next freeroll. Don't leave it until the last minute or you will not get in - and prepare yourself for a tough game in the next and every freeroll !

Full Tilt

2006-10-11T19:46:00.000+01:00

Played on Full Tilt for the first time last night in the Hendon Mob Forum League Tournament and it has a nice feel to it.

The Hendon Mob League game was the second of 26, with your best ten finishes contributing to your position in the overall league. $10 + $1 entry (133 in last night) with money for the top 18, points for the top 30 and $10 and 5 extra points for knocking out any of 'the' Hendon Mob.

After playing steadily I finished in 27th when my AQ was beaten by AJ (all-in pre-flop, J on turn). That gave me 4 points and 49th place in the league !

Favourite Poker Sites

2006-10-09T22:54:00.000+01:00

at the moment

in alphabetical order

Betfred, Poker770, Titan

enough said !

AA

2006-10-08T23:04:00.000+01:00

One slightly crazy hand today - and the easiest money I ever made out of AA :-

Playing a 5 seat STT on Betfred and was chip leader of the final three, holding 2300 approx, when was dealt AA from the small blind - think the blinds were 100-200. The short stack went all in for about 1100 so I called and amazingly the BB raised all-in so it cost me another 500 or so to call.

Is it AA v AA v KK ?

No, the short stack had AK - so his all-in from under the gun is understandable - but the BB has KQos which makes his raise completely ridiculous.

Nothing came on the board to help anyone so I won the tournament there and then.

Did the Sunday night usual and tried to play too many games at once - two started at 8pm and two at 8.30. Had to concentrate on the one I'd paid to play but in the end they all suffered ......

deja vu

2006-10-07T21:13:00.000+01:00

When I first got interested in horse racing (aged 9 so I was far too young to bet), and for about 20 years after, I preferred the National Hunt (jump racing) season to the Flat season because the horses tended to be old favourites who returned year after year. The sprint handicappers would race for several seasons but the real flat stars were packed off to stud, usually at the end of their second season, so you did not have quite the same attachment to them.

Now I much prefer flat racing because of the breeding aspect and today was an example of why ........

I can't remember if there are posts on here about how bad my memory is, but my memory tells me that the first horse I personally backed in a betting shop was a sprinter named Ahonoora and he won (of course !). Great things were not necessarily expected of Ahonoora when he went to stud in Ireland but he far exceeded any initial expectations by becoming sire of Derby winner Dr Devious, 2000 guineas winner Don't Forget Me, the successful sire Indian Ridge and is a leading broodmare sire (his daughters breed successful racehorses).

It was after Ahonoora went to stud that I realised the extra enjoyment and interest to be had from flat racing was to follow the offspring of your favourite horses, and then theirs in turn, etc.

In the final crop of Ahonoora (he died in Australia in 1989) was a horse owned by Sir Robert Sangster and trained by Peter Chapple-Hyam named Chaddleworth. He won his maiden race over 6 furlongs at Newbury as a 2 year old and was then injured, returning at 3 to run well enough in the Craven Stakes at Newmarket to be a leading fancy for the 2000 guineas but he finished in midfield behind the great Zafonic. The Craven and Guineas are run over a mile so he was stepped back to 6f in a three horse race at Newbury but was injured again when finishing second. He returned in the Abernant over 6f at Newmarket at the age of 4, before finally winning again on 2000 guineas day but in a Listed race over 7f at Haydock. He then ran without further success at York, Royal Ascot (in the Royal Hunt Cup), Tipperary and Goodwood. Apart from his final race at Goodwood and his first run at Newbury as a 2 year old I was present (mostly with my wife) at all of his runs so he gave me a lot of fun and interest and was the reason we bought our first broodmare (who was already in foal with the original Runadrum).

After producing Runadrum, the mare Runabay's next foal was a colt by Chaddleworth which we named Baychester. Baychester went into training with Garry Woodward and ran three times but without beating one horse home, bless him ! His first run was in a maiden over 1 mile for two-year-olds at York on 6th October 1999 and he finished last of the field of 26 - beaten 59 lengths by the winner, Miss Lorilaw. The Racing Post said of Baychester that day - "started slowly, always tailed off" - which summed up his performance.

The winner of that race, Miss Lorilaw, was also having her first run and won once more over a mile and a half in a Listed race at Newbury the following year. Like Chaddleworth, as a Listed winner she was entitled to a place at stud (although she also ran respectably in Group races) and her second foal is a colt by Desert Prince, named Victorian Prince.

Victorian Prince ran for the first time today (7th October), winning a maiden over 1 mile for two-year-olds at York - and finishing in last place of the field of 13, beaten 42.5 lengths, was a horse (Steel Silk, said in the Racing Post to have been "slowly into stride, always behind, tailed off") in training with Garry Woodward !

One thing I would just say is that Garry is a more than capable trainer given (like every trainer) the right ammunition. Although we have no connection now with his yard, I think I can promise you that Steel Silk is a far better racehorse than Baychester, will not be last home in his next two races and I would expect him to end up winning a race or two.

Poker Player Grand Prix

2006-10-05T22:11:00.000+01:00

Played in the PP Grand Prix II final sponsored by Betfair last night at the BiGSLiCK cardroom in Purley / South Croydon. This time I played as solid as I could and was beaten by the cards, not by me pushing a self-destruct button as it was in the APAT tournament.

Started with 2500 chips (30 minute blinds) and after two hands I was down to 1900, after twice trying to play Ax suited. Don't particularly remember any hands after that up to the first break at 90 minutes but I was up a little to 2000.

The only hand I remember up to the second break was raising the BB from the SB and calling his 99 all-in with my K-10 suited. By the river I thought I needed a K to make top pair or a J for a straight, completely forgetting that a 10 made me a good enough pair also, and a 10 duly came. That helped me to 3500 at the break.

Then the one funny hand (other than one when I was staring into space because I had folded in my head, but not in reality !). I had lost track of the blinds and when I thought the dealer was asking me for my 800 BB - and I gave it to him - he was actually asking if I wanted to call ! As I had been doing from the BB I just put my guard on my cards without looking at them until I had to and then realised the real BB had gone all-in, probably because I had just limped in ! Fully expecting to see 35os and cursing the waste of 800 of my 3500 chips I was surprised to see I was holding 77 - so made the call, faced AK and doubled up to 7400.

Then came the move to my second and last table. I raised to 5000 under the gun with AQh and was called all-in by the BB to 4000 with 69c. The flop came Q5x so I am further ahead, then an 8 on the turn, and someone tempts fate by saying a 7 would make him the straight, so sure enough the river is a 7 !!!

So now I am the BB for 1200 with 10 3 os. Three seats away goes all-in, so I hum and hah and fold.

So now I am the SB for 600 and get 55, so I call the attempt (by the 69c player two hands ago) to put me all-in and he has a respectable AJ. The flop is 8 9 10 and the turn is a 7 for his J high straight. J on the river would give me a split pot, but it is not to be, and I am out in 16th. My nemesis went on to finish second.

I got to meet old friends and new from PuntersLounge and was at least the highest placed PL representative. I got a shirt to mark that I had played and several free glasses of coke until the free bar ran out and a free buffet and a four hour journey home at 2am to make sure I was back for work this morning ! The PokerPlayer guys were also good company and I hope to qualify for the next one.

Back to the horses

2006-10-01T22:48:00.000+01:00

Our mare Flo is in foal - good girl that she is - so we hope for a healthy, correct (all four legs pointing in the right direction) colt foal next year by first season sire, Danbird.

Danbird is a son of Danehill, who is also sire of Dansili, the sire of Rail Link which won today's Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe so it is the sire line of the moment. Danehill himself died a couple of years ago so his sons are going to grow in popularity as stallions themselves. This is the Danzig branch of Northern Dancer so they get no better in my view.

Flo's yearling is by Carnival Dancer so this is the Sadler's Wells branch of Northern Dancer. Sadler's Wells has been a lot slower to have a serious stallion son but there are more than high hopes for Montjeu and Galileo. Both stand in Ireland and are more than a little out of our price range so we settled for Carnival Dancer - a first season sire when the yearling filly was conceived and this year's foal is a full brother. The filly is the better put together and will be a bargain for someone at the sales at the end of October.

Our other yearling is still struggling with life at night on her own so will now be staying at home. The trauma of being orphaned so young is obviously still with her and needs a lot more time and patience. Don't expect to see her on a racecourse until she is at least three but do expect to see a goat or sheep in close proximity !

The paragraph above originally ended this but after posting I checked the rest of today's results from Longchamp. If I have any regular readers with good memories they may recall that Carnival Dancer has a half-brother called Desert Lord, and he won today's sprint race the Prix de l'Abbaye at 25-1, and yet again I let it run unbacked !!!!!

a bubble burst

2006-09-30T23:13:00.000+01:00

September is over and it was my first losing poker month since starting to keep proper track in April.

I was still holding a small monthly profit until losing on Poker 770 yesterday and, to a lesser degree, again today.

The loss for the month overall would have been a profit if I had not paid to play in the APAT tournament in Birmingham - although I only count the £75 pure entry and not the £90 hotel, £30 petrol and £120 to replace my sunglasses !

APAT Birmingham

2006-09-30T22:43:00.000+01:00

Had a great time in Birmingham last weekend and it has taken me so long to post on here that I'm afraid I am going to cheat and the following is reconstituted from my posts on the Punters Lounge Forum ! :-

The weekend ended (strange place to start) at about 2.00am on Monday morning as Avon (the Mrs) and I stayed to the end to see the winner crowned (actually cupped and medalled) - a lad called Daniel who I think lived local to Birmingham. We enjoyed meeting all the Punters Lounge players and supporters, some for the first time, along with people from other forums / gaming rooms and I didn't see anyone playing or watching (which I did too much of on day 2) in anything but the right spirit.

We had a few M6 traffic problems going down but not too bad, compared to the traffic jam at the casino trying to sign up with membership forms from the APAT email or off the casino website - which they no longer accepted. Perhaps the one area that could be improved on. On my first table I was sat next to PL player Danarama and opposite BurnleyJoe. Don't have a great memory for hands but do remember Dan's AA getting beat by 56 (2 pair) so when I got them only a few hands later I effectively over-raised and got no calls. KK a few hands later picked up 2 or 3 more blinds and was around 11k when our table broke up and I was sent to the 'table of death' (where the first two out, and four of the first five out, had been sitting - chip leader already over 70k).

The hand that basically kept me in overnight occurred quite a bit before the 7pm break when with QQ I called PL player MoneyIvey's AK raise to 2400, only for both of us to be put all-in by the guy on my left, who had JJ. No A K or J to be seen on the board but a Q on the turn I think for good measure. That put me on 23k, dropped to 20k by the food break, and ended the day at 11pm on 22k - but happy to have survived.

Then the Sunday disaster. Straight away I am the BB for 3k and the guy in seat 2 or 3 raised about his fifth pot in a row - 4 last night and the first today - up to 7k. I hate Q suited, and don't play Q suited, there are threads on here in which I confirm I don't play Q suited - so of course I called with my Q8c ! Flop is J 8 5 with the 5 the only club. I now have middle pair which is more than I had 2 minutes ago so I announce all-in and he calls before my chips have moved ! KJos gives him top pair and although the club on the turn gives me hope the 9d river seals my fate. He did go on to finish third after being chip leader at the food break and chip leader when down to three.

I'm was annoyed with myself (and put it down to my brain still trying to get over having finished full english breakfast at 11am followed by the chinese buffet arranged by APAT at 1pm) but have still enjoyed it. Can't say the same a few hours later when I spill a whole coffee latte down me and have to go back to the car to strip and change into yesterday's clothes ! Coming to a CCTV show near you soon !

Even more annoyed when around 7pm we discover someone has picked up my glasses case and walked off with my prescription sunglasses - hope they give them a headache. Mind you they might have been after the lipsyl I also keep in there ! If you see a man wearing sunglasses, bumping into things, but with glossy lips, in the Birmingham area let me know.

Playing live is very much still a learning curve for me but I look forward to getting back on this particular horse in the PokerPlayer Grand Prix final in London on 4th October.

Refreshed

2006-09-19T22:55:00.000+01:00

Back after three great days away at the seaside and didn't think about poker once and certainly didn't miss playing.

Played in the final PokerPlayer Grand Prix qualifier last night, finishing 99th after overplaying A 10 h so didn't add to my total points tally, other than the 5 everyone gets for turning up. Top 33 qualify for the live final and after my third place in one qualifier I am hopeful I will just scrape in. Only dropped two places to 20th after the last one so hard to think I will drop 13 places now, but it is not impossible. Suggestion was that the final was to be on 4th October, which I might not be able to make anyway due to work commitments. Although my work meeting on that morning is in Reading which is a lot closer to London than Yorkshire !

Big game this week is the APAT live tournament in Birmingham on Saturday, and hopefully Sunday ........ watch this space !

And something that won't ........

2006-09-15T01:37:00.000+01:00

for my wife on our anniversary x

It had to end ......

2006-09-15T01:12:00.000+01:00

First losing session on Poker 770 tonight - played six 5 seat STTs and lost three, second in two and won one (in that order !) for an overall loss of 50 cents. In the first couple of games I lost twice with AA and when my flopped full house (77 with flop 7 10 10) lost to a straight flush courtesy of runner runner I thought I was being punished for withdrawing funds earlier this evening !

Now looking forward to three days without poker as I'm off to the seaside.

First Love

2006-09-11T22:44:00.000+01:00

The last three days were effectively spent back with my first love - racing at York for the transferred St Leger meeting (from Doncaster) on Friday and Saturday and then Sunday with our horses.

No winners at York but only had 3 bets over the two days so wasn't breaking any bank.

Assuming our mare Flo is still in foal (some indications she might not be) we have a covering fee to pay at the end of the month so I have been making withdrawals from some poker accounts (first time for a good while) which should be enough to pay half of it.

We have two yearlings entered in the sales at Newmarket at the end of October - the Tattersalls part 3 sale (Part 1 is the real big money stuff, and Part 2 prices far exceed Part 3, so we go more in hope than expectation). Flo's yearling looks more the part of the two so I would hope someone will take her on.

The other yearling was orphaned at two months which does seem to have affected her progression generally to the stage where she now frets when in a stable on her own. Not ideal for a racehorse !

That's no Lady .......

2006-09-07T00:14:00.000+01:00

I need to offer belated congratulations to my better half - AvonGirl on most sites - for recently winning her first MTT and then coming second in the Sporting Odds monthly $2500 freeroll in reasonably quick succession. This after having played for only about 9 months.

She does have an annoying habit of showing hands unnecessarily (she will say not !) but apart from that is a solid player and probably prone to fewer mistakes than me - but I do think I am slightly the better player still (financially anyway) !

Repeat Performance

2006-09-07T00:04:00.000+01:00

13th August : "Played in the PokerRoom / Poker Player Team Challenge on Wednesday and made my second final table in the last three tournaments, improving this time to 5th from 10th two games ago (nowhere inbetween). The winner of each tournament gets to represent PokerRoom in a live game against a team of Norwegian players - plus there is a $1000 prize fund in each qualifier (freerolls)".

Tonight : Played in the PokerRoom / Poker Player Team Challenge and made my third final table in the last four tournaments, again finishing 5th despite having been chip leader with 6 left in. Made a series of poor decisions at the end and was lucky with 88 v KK - 8 on river - to keep me in the final 30 or so, so can't really complain.

One more to go next month and then this particular gravy train reaches the end of the line !

suddenly noticed

2006-09-03T22:48:00.000+01:00

that most of my daily titles recently have started with the letter 'S' (8 out of the last 10 including this cheat one) !

must mean something but I don't know what ...........

stunning

2006-09-03T22:42:00.000+01:00

the song and the video (Silent All These Years by Tori Amos)

it may take a while to 'download' the first time so I recommend you let it do it and then play the whole thing through at one sitting - the only way to listen and watch it properly. I think it is worth it !

Sundays

2006-09-03T22:10:00.000+01:00

are too busy again !

Played the Blue Square Bubble freeroll at 4pm, the $1500 freeroll on Nordicbet at 6.30pm, the Blue Square Bankroll Booster freeroll at 7.45pm, Champions League on Sporting Odds at 8pm, a freeroll qualifier to a $100k tournament on Virgin at 8pm, the V-Points freeroll on Virgin at 8.30pm and the Mansion PokerGod freeroll at 9.30pm.

It is now 10.05pm and I have been out of all of them for a while ! The only one I finished in the money in was the Bankroll Booster - $3.00 for 14th so it didn't cover the $3.30 cost of the SO game !

STTs

2006-09-02T22:08:00.000+01:00

Played nine 5 player STTs on Poker 770 today, winning 2 and finishing second 4 times. Did better in the two this evening than the seven this afternoon so I think I will stick to evenings from now on.

Have posted previously that Saturday afternoons not usually profitable for me and was only just today (still not had a losing session on 770) and I don't know if that is because there is a better class of player at that time or I just play a looser game. Anyway it is clear I should be doing better things with my Saturday afternoons than playing poker, which is just as well because I shall be at York races next week and on the beach at Scarborough the following one !

Played my next round game in the Punters Lounge heads up tournament, winning again thanks mostly to AA, AKh and AQs in fairly quick succession, followed by a winning hand of 55 v AJ with a flop of x5J. Into the final eight, with money for the final four - which before the tournament started I pledged to donate to charity should I win any. The money is generously being put up by a member of PL so that the games are completely free.

The really big MTTs continue to be a problem at the moment as I am still playing too many hands early on - today's effort was 9166th out of 9500 approx on Bet365 !

steady does it

2006-08-31T00:45:00.000+01:00

Played one 5 seat STT on Poker 770 and won it - have I mentioned I like that site ? I guess I ought to spend all evening on there sometime but I am scared of breaking the spell !

Played two MTTs - wasting an opportunity in the bankroll booster on Blue Square and coming 6th in the $1 challenge on Sporting Odds, which is used as the monthly League on Punters Lounge. Came 6th in the league overall too, so out of that money but entry to a $2500 freeroll on Sunday as compensation.

Going to finish the month tomorrow in profit for the fifth consecutive month and with my third best score. The slight worry is that my best monthly results are the 'even' months so need to improve that in September ........

oh, quiet .....

2006-08-26T22:54:00.000+01:00

Played the $5k freeroll on Bet365 and finished in the 7000's out of a number in the 9000's.

Played in the Blue Square Bankroll Booster freeroll and finished 3rd of over 300. Can't say I didn't get lucky on a few hands but I should really have won. Huge chip lead when down to last half dozen but spent too much time trying to put out the guy who had really got lucky to still be there, that I went in third and he won !

I am playing in a Heads Up Tournament on Punters Lounge which is on a knockout basis. After two wins I am down to the last 16. The games are on Betfred which has been a lucky site for me in the past and with 5000 starting chips there is plenty of time to get into each game. Tonight's game was nip and tuck and after 55 minutes we were each within 40 chips of where we had started ! The blinds were then 100-200 and the game in a way only started then and luckily that was when my luck held up.

Then again - perhaps I am .......

2006-08-26T10:28:00.000+01:00

Strip Poker

2006-08-26T10:17:00.000+01:00

Congratulations to 'Swampster' from Punters Lounge for eventually 'showing them' at the World Record Strip Poker event recently organised by Paddy Power.

video link : http://strippoker.paddypower.com/

I thought I'd be able to post the video itself but I guess I'm not that clever after all !

somebody

2006-08-25T00:52:00.000+01:00

- thought this would make a change ! - enjoy

I recently discovered YouTube and was keen to see if I could get a video to work on here. One of my favourite songs and in my view one half of the best 'double A side' single ever released - with Blasphemous Rumours on the other side (it's Depeche Mode by the way in case you don't recognise it).

Same old Same old

2006-08-24T02:18:00.000+01:00

Rather than a new post just re-read 28th July and 8th August because the same applied tonight.

Don't know what I would do without Poker770. Don't play there every night and perhaps that's why it remains my oasis when I am wading through desert !

My better half won her first multi table poker tournament tonight. Very well done AvonGirl. I guess I need to watch out although I'm not worried just yet about giving up my title of the best poker player in our house .........

Mansion

2006-08-21T01:21:00.000+01:00

In conjunction with Inside Edge magazine Mansion have a 'Poker God' promotion which is a weekly league that is going to last longer than Maxim's King of Poker tournament on VC, but is at least only one game a week rather than two a day !

Finished 13th in the qualifier tonight so no money (top 9) but scored some points in the overall league (top 27).

Goes on until January, by which time Maxim will have started up again so expect to be completely bored by both in due course !

Ticking along

2006-08-18T01:54:00.000+01:00

Not a great deal to report this week so far. No progress on any of the Sporting Odds leagues and only money which has come my way was for fourth in the 1c entry $500 added MTT on Mansion tonight. Actually, tell a lie, I won $1.74 in the same tournament yesterday so that's now my favourite !

Am back on PuntersLounge which is good, I think.

untitled

2006-08-13T23:00:00.000+01:00

Played in the PokerRoom / Poker Player Team Challenge on Wednesday and made my second final table in the last three tournaments, improving this time to 5th from 10th two games ago (nowhere inbetween). The winner of each tournament gets to represent PokerRoom in a live game against a team of Norwegian players - plus there is a $1000 prize fund in each qualifier (freerolls).

Scored my first points in the August Champions League on Sporting Odds on Thursday and Today - 13th and 3rd - but got a lot of ground to make up if I'm going to get into the money in the overall table at the end of the month.

Made a call during Thursday's game which I did not deserve to win but I got lucky. Called with one-third of my chips pre-flop with K 10 clubs to see a flop of AQA, including the A of clubs. My opponent then put me all-in, and I decided to call. I had outs (ok not many !) and I was going well in a freeroll on Stan James at the same time so if I lost I could concentrate on that. Already said I got lucky, with a J on the turn to give me a straight. My opponent was obviously not impressed (he held A4 os) but apparently considers it the 'worst call in history, this side of Neville Southall' (who made a call on telly that he could not possibly win) - which it might be although I find it hard to believe - and my problem is that whilst I might not make the same call next time that situation arises, I will make it at some point ! I am not considering giving up playing but I am considering 'resigning' from PuntersLounge as it was against a player on there and I wouldn't want to be an embarrassment to the forum !

We sold a three year old filly at Doncaster Sales on Thursday - for the minimum bid so nothing like any profit involved. She has at least been bought by a small trainer so she will hopefully be well looked after and end up racing over jumps which is what she was bred to do.

I still love Poker 770

2006-08-09T00:42:00.000+01:00

Nothing very exciting to report for the last two nights (nothing new there then) other than Poker 770 continues to be my light at the end of the tunnel.

Cannot remember the last time I did not win money there overall in a single session and although not winning fortunes because mostly stick to the $5 + 50c five seat STTs it is a real confidence boost each time.

The once a month PokerRoom Team Challenge is on tomorrow which I have really enjoyed playing the last twice so I hope for more of the same tomorrow.

Gripe of the day is people interrupting my play in the Mansion Dome freerolls to ask me for a password to a completely different tournament on the same site. Not that I have any intention of giving out the password anyway but who is mad enough to think I am going to just type it in the chat window !

Disappointing

2006-08-06T23:55:00.000+01:00

The live poker in Birmingham on Saturday with Punters Lounge did not exactly go as planned :-

The main event MTT - out first having played two hands (with a lot of folds inbetween). Dealt AJos the very first hand and I raised pre-flop and called a raise after the flop but had to fold after turn. Final hand I bet 200 with 44 and was called from the BB (which was 50) with 67os and he flopped two pair so called my 500 bet by putting me all-in. Think I said on here only yesterday that 44 were going on my banned list !

First STT - played cautiously and folded every hand until getting KK. my raise was called by the big chip leader and I should have folded as soon as the A appeared on the flop, but he checked, I bet, he reraised, and I went all-in to be beaten by his AQ.

Second STT - played cautiously but lasted until the bubble so played more hands, but my A5d (which made its flush on the river) was beaten by 33 making a full house on the flop.

Was a good night though if not at all profitable.

Was back in time this afternoon to play in the Bubble Freeroll on Blue Square and I finished in the money in 15th but could/should have done better as I was a big chip leader after the first few levels because I was at the one table with all sitouts apart from me ! Will be looking to get back into this next month because there is good money to be won.

Tonight was the Aruba Classic qualifier on UltimatePoker and after being short stack early on (24 players) I made it into the top 6 and was lying top 10 when made a stand with 88 and came up against KK. A real disappoinment because these opportunities are few and far between.

knew August would be better !

2006-08-04T23:50:00.000+01:00

Finished in the money in the $2k added Poker Night Live MTT on Spin Palace tonight but for the second time in three weeks it was at the minimum level, although still a profit of 50% on my money.

I am adding another hand to those that I am going to stop playing as 44 put a big dent in my chips early on and was the hand I was knocked out with a lot later too. At worst I was down to 175 chips having lost to AA and QQ in quick succession but A rag (paired the A against 77), K 10 (flopped A high straight) and AA v KK put me right back in the top 10. Then had AQ and thought was going to hit the top 5 but A 10 made a set ! Last week I finished out of the money altogether so I'll settle for tonight and hope to get further into the money next Friday.

Last night I had my best return for more than a month when finishing 5th in the $2.5k freeroll on Sporting Odds for $200. So I am happy to see the back of July.

Tomorrow I journey to Birmingham to play in a private tournament arranged by Punters Lounge so really looking forward to it and testing my skills live again.

own-goal poker

2006-07-31T22:12:00.000+01:00

Suitably admonished on PL this evening (generally not specifically) I need to post a warning to avoid the site called Goal Poker like the plague.

They recently refused to honour two WSOP packages that had been won on their site by fellow Punters Lounge members, and possibly others that were not brought to our attention. They offered no explanation (other than 'exceptional circumstances') which is no use to someone who has been invited to THE tournament and then told they cannot go. They were offered seats in a forthcoming Johnny Chan tournament instead but after the WSOP experience where's the guarantee those seats wouldn't be pulled at the last minute too ?

Forget winning seats to play Johnny Chan on Goal Poker, you've probably got more chance of competing against Jackie Chan if you go that route !

2 7 offsuit

2006-07-30T00:16:00.000+01:00

Back to that old chestnut. I don't play them as I cannot think of one good reason to do so. OK if I hold them in the big blind and no-one raises pre-flop and the flop gives me two pair or trips then I will repel all boarders, but that is the only scenario that will not find me ditching 27 without a moment's hesitation.

So I don't play them and it annoys me when others do. Especially in tonight's example when it is a private game for members of Punters Lounge and there is an element of kudos in winning with the worst starting hand on the planet. As much as I object to someone, however short their stack, going all-in with 27os pre-flop and hitting a 7 to beat my K 10 hearts (ok my fault for calling the 800 or so all-in but K suited works for me and I was chip leader on over 5000), it is the applause received for doing so from another player that really grates.

I love 99% of what goes on on Punters Lounge but I cannot join in the heralding of 27 so for the moment I shall leave the private games alone.

I love Poker 770

2006-07-29T00:48:00.000+01:00

same colour as yesterday because Poker 770 came to my rescue again this evening !