Friday, May 19, 2006

Rolling on

Back on Wednesday and immediately back to the tables.
Played at least 12 hours in three days, partly because I took Thursday off to have my fridge delivered.
Mainly played Omaha H/L $2/$4 limit on Absolute where I booked a couple of solid wins (around $50 to $70) before leaking some of it back again yesterday (Thurs).
Most of the table are rocks but there's usually at least one fish on every table playing every hand.
Sometimes they get lucky, but it always ends in tears.
My biggest weakness is when its heads-up blind v. blind. I hate being bullied and twice called off stupid bets with nothing, convinced my foe had nothing.
The rake is huge on Absolute, but so is the deposit bonus so it seems to attract the odd fish to play.
I've been playing the Hold'em limit tables - 50c/$1 too - with success, mainly because of the lack of big NL tables.
I have three days left to clear $60 bonus before I'll prob move to somewhere with more traffic and less rake.
Although I've earned $40 rakeback this month alone.
My bankroll currently stands at $220 and I'm managing to stay off the blackjack!

Friday, May 12, 2006

Prague

No poker or work for the next five days as on a five-day trip to Prague.
The weather is gorgeous and there are honeys galore.
Just before I left my bankroll started moving in the right direction with some solid Omaha and Hold 'em play.
Won a Omaha Sit 'n' Go, while three tabling (the most my brain can take) on two ring games.
The break will be good cos I was getting kinda loose by Wedsnesday night out of boredom.
The only downer is that I missed a blogger freeroll on Virgin which has a WSOP seat up for grabs. I tried to get my brother to play for me but he was playing football that night.
I have the next few days in Prague pretty much planned out. Cinema tonight to see a Czech film that I've been dying to catch.
And a theatre performance on Sat night which I'm filming for a friend.
Intermingled, I hope, with lots of boozing and flirting with the Czech honeys here.
One of my few talents is that I speak Czech fluently which helps.
Plus I'm spending Mon and Tues with my sorta Czech g'friend,
Prob no more updates until I'm back in the UK on Wedsnesday.

Wednesday, May 10, 2006

Five days of nothing

Five more days of my life - most of it spent in the newsroom. I was w'end reporter so no boozing and very little playing.
But I did end up with my byline on the first four pages which I s'pose is an achievement.
When I did get back on it on Monday my play swung wildly from diabolical to err...not so diablolical.
I dropped $50 at NL, but won it all back playing $2/$4 Omaha H/L.
The worst hand was losing $30 with Ks on a Q9x flop to a player with Q9.
My notes on him say: 'So tight it hurts' so when he re-raised my post flop pot bet I shoulda laid down. Something I've been good at over the past few months.
But no I carried on betting, and another 9 then a Q came and I lost it all.
I then donked off another $20 for good measure.
I played a $6 rebuy tournie with 13 players on Absolute which I bubbled out at 4th.
I was sitting pretty with five players left as 2nd high chip stack, all without a single rebuy or add-on.
But I went TOTALLY card dead, and my chips frittered away as the blinds were huge.
Looking back at my hand history I shoulda made a stand somewhere along the line as one guy kept raising all-in, and no-one was calling.
O well.
My roll on Absolute stands at $140 and $140 on Ultimate where I qualified for the semi-finals of there $1m guaranteed.
Back to work now.

Thursday, May 04, 2006

Bank Holiday doldrums

Mixed bag on the tables over the Bank Holiday weekend.
Eeked my rool on Absolute to about $180 with no real highlights.
Came 3rd in 27 man tournie and won a bit on the NL and omaha H/L tables.
But got my hand caught in the cookie jar trying to slowplay flooped trips and losing to a rivered full house.
I've also found a feature that hides the blackjack tag - yippee - but also printed of the full, blackjack basic strategy table which I'm sooooooo tempted to try out.

As for work, we have a new associate editor starting in June who made her first visit to our cheery newsroom today.
Its his first appointment since he came over from a bigger, regional daily.
First impressions are mixed. Bouffon hair that didn't move, power dressing and saggy.
But as she'll be in charge of all content - features and news - I'll need to show her what a top guy I am...