http://www.gutshot.com/bforum/blog.php This is a Poker discussion forum powered by Gutshot.com en Thu, 28 Aug 2008 04:38:46 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.gutshot.com/bforum/gutshot/misc/rss.jpg http://www.gutshot.com/bforum/blog.php http://www.gutshot.com/bforum/blog.php?b=129 Wed, 27 Aug 2008 20:32:23 GMT So, last night I went to a courier's flat where I'm to stay until I find my own place. It's in Woolwich, which I discovered is in south east London, about a twenty minute train ride from London Bridge or an 8 mile or so cycle.

He lives in a one-bed council flat ten minutes from the station, at the top of a very steep hill. He had been on a three-day pill and coke bender over the weekend, he said as he opened his third beer and rolled another spliff, and was feeling a little rough. He's 42 and hard-up. He doesn't have a lock for his bicycle so leaves it unlocked all over town, but it's such a bad bike he's hopeful even the most deranged crackhead would leave it alone, realising it's not worth a dime bag.

I'll give him some money for the time I'm staying with him, to cover the electricity and just out of gratitude, since it's better than being on the streets.

The toilet in his flat doesn't work. The flush is broken, and the council take time to fix it. To flush it, he said, I'd have to fill a nearby bucket with water and pour it into the bowl. That'd push all the waste through the U-bed. And there was no toilet paper. If I wanted to do a shit, he said, I'd have to wash my arse in the sink with my hands.

Well, I can't see myself doing that. That might be how they do things in Marrakech, but it's not for me. So in short I can't use the toilet.

I'm sleeping on a mattress and duvet on the lounge floor. It's actually comfortable and I slept well. I didn't go to work today, deciding instead to spend the day looking for a flat. I gave the friend I'm entrusting with money another £150, making a total of £900. Then I came to the Gutshot to use the computers to "look for a flat", by which I mean "play poker". Playing $0.50/$1 and $1/$2 I lost £286, which was everything in my bank account and pocket. I always lose when I play during the day, because I'm in the wrong mood and my opponents are better. I'd intended to go into town and buy jeans and a towel - so much for that.

Someone recognised me from across the street when I was smoking outside. A Jewish New Yorker, glasses, skinny, tight-fitting band T-shirt, who'd been on my PhD course. We used to talk about poker, and he saw first-hand my descent into addiction. The first time in four years I'd seen him or anyone from my programme. He stopped in his step, looking to see if it was me. I got up, crossed the road and greeted him.

He and all the others completed their PhDs, and either had or were applying for academic posts. I pointed at the club and told him I was still in my world of vice, but that I was doing a little writing, and hoped one day to have the same fringe literary life I could have had if I hadn't dropped out. We promised to look each other up.

I've just been to look at a flat in Homerton which'd be sharing with four girls - two fashion designers, one who is training for the circus, and another I forgot. I met two of them, and tried not to appear weird. The rent's £360/month including bills and it was a good-sized room with polished mahogany floors and a high ceiling. I'd take it if offered.

I've replied to a half dozen more adverts, too. I think staying somewhere grotty will be good for me, giving me the motivation to try very hard to find a place of my own. Quickly. ]]> luckyjim http://www.gutshot.com/bforum/blog.php?b=129 http://www.gutshot.com/bforum/blog.php?b=128 Mon, 25 Aug 2008 23:43:58 GMT The last fortnight has been great. I've enjoyed the temporary stability of staying in Dean's luxurious flat, and have found a short-term relief to my financial problems.

I moved out of Dean's flat on Sunday morning, midway through covering the GSOP. I'm spending two nights at Michael Selzer's flat, then going to a courier's place in Woolwich until I find somewhere permanent. My belongings have been reduced to a bike, a courier bag, and a rucksack.

Meanwhile my social life has also revived. One night I met with an old friend in a Fitzrovia pub. We'd lived opposite each other in university halls then been flatmates in Archway for nearly three years afterwards. I was a bad flatmate, always owing him money even in those pre-gambling days and usually drunk. Fortunately we've remained friends despite my bad behaviour.

At the time we both wanted to be journalists, but he made it and I didn't. The difference between us is that he worked consistently hard and wasn't sidetracked by vice. And, unlike me, he didn't have a sense of entitlement, and realised he had to diligently follow a certain path if he wanted to succeed. He's now employed by one of the big news wires in Geneva and hangs around with a smart crowd of UN staff and agency reporters.

Well, as for me I'm in a better state than I was when we last met. He said he was pleased I was no longer temping, because it had ensured my life went nowhere whilst giving me the money and misery to indulge my worst impulses.

We'd lived in a three bedroom flat, and for six months the smaller room had been taken by my oldest Neapolitan friend. He's now living in Milan, and last week I saw him too, for the first time in five years. I'd met him when I was 19 and found myself at a record company party. He was the friend of a friend's friend. He offered me his email address, and said "If you contact me that's it, we'll be in touch for life." What an odd thing to say, I thought. But he became perhaps the most influential figure in my 20s.

He was involved in the art world, the fashion world, and the music industry, and through him I went to parties and met people I'd never have accessed otherwise. He was a master networker, but most of all he just liked to talk, to anyone, wherever he went. He was totally without fear. It was through him that I met the Italian crowd in London I'm friends with to this day; and through him that I met the Neapolitan DJ I talked about here: http://luckyjimm.blogspot.com/2008/0...nt-to-see.html

He showed me how to live well, and that one's quality of life needn't be about money. He always eat well, travelled a lot, went out a lot, had friends everywhere. He knew how to treat people. After an exploratory 20s, he moved to Milan to set up an art/fashion magazine, took a job with Nike, married his longtime girlfriend, had a son, got a mortgage, and then was invited by Gianni Agnelli's grandson Lapo Elkann ( http://www.dandyism.net/?p=793 ) to become co-director of a communications company.

Many times he tried to help me, asking me to write for him. I did a little here and there, but made little of it. I remember him phoning me one night in 2005 when I was back living at my parents, having thrown away my life through gambling. I was in bed when he called. He said he'd heard I was in trouble with poker. He told me to quit, that he'd seen a relative destroyed through gambling, that nothing good could come of it, that it was a waste of my life.

I didn't listen. I'd left my PhD, my job and my houseshare, moved back to the much-loathed village where I'd grown up and thrown myself wholeheartedly into destructive gambling. I didn't want to be reminded of someone who could show me all the possibilities that life had to offer. I just wanted the darkness. I felt very sad when we ended the call, realising I wouldn't be able to listen to him.

We didn't speak or have any contact for four years. I remained friends with his friends, and last week I was invited to join him for dinner in Archway. I was delighted to see him and his wife again, and to meet his young son. Straight away we got on as well as before, the same humour. He reminded me of that phone call, but didn't specifically ask if I was still gambling.

The next day we met in a Kings Cross pub with a very charming friend of his I see every few years who's in charge of several markets for a well-known haute couture fashion company. This guy told me about a recent trip he'd made to Perm, Russia, where he'd been sent to evalulate the market to see if it was ready for a boutique. His head kept turning, he said, as so many people in the streets could have been models.

Then we went up to Highgate, they in a taxi and me on my bike, racing up Archway hill past the old flat we'd lived in. We went to the large flat of a clearly very successful Greek digital artist whose lengthy Wikipedia page I looked up later. When he heard that I wrote, he asked if I'd like to work with him. As we left my Italian friend said "He's asked you to work on a project. I suggest you do it. Be consistent!" and told me he was giving me three months to sort myself out.

So I emailed the artist later and proof-read an exhibition text for him, and expressed interest when he suggested he'd pay me to edit a novel he's writing. This opportunity came about simply because of who I was with. I see I'd do well to take it.

The next day, Sunday, I found myself once more in elevated company, going to a joint birthday party round the £3.5 million three-bedroom Battersea riverside flat of the lady who owns the gallery where another friend frequently exhibits. She's an artist and collector. By my reckoning she has two spare bedrooms and several sofas - perhaps I could move in! It was a very pleasant day, in the company of many of my English friends, my mind removed from my own homelessness.

Earlier that day I'd cycled through Shoreditch Park and chanced upon the start point of a 15 kilometre ride through Hackney, organised as part of some festival. I had time to kill so went on the ride, slow though it was, and found myself in Hackney Marshes for the first time. One of the marshalls had a fixed wheel, but all the other riders had dodgy old mountain bikes and hybrids, and moved at an unsustainably slow place. I got talking to a 40-something guy who worked in I.T. When we stopped at a checkpoint before I knew it he'd pulled out a camera, handed it to the marshall, positioned his bike next to mine and got me in a photo. Then he asked for my Facebook details. I was rather afraid.

My courier job continues to be fun, although the last week I found myself sitting around for long periods. Other couriers advised me that August was always dead. One evening my last delivery was to the same place in London Bridge as one of my courier buddies. We decided to go to the Foundry pub where all the couriers hang out. Tower Bridge was raised so we joined the peloton of cyclists at the front waiting for it to lower, then raced up through the city. Little fun moments like this remind me how much I enjoy riding my bike. I went to the Foundry again on Friday, and since it'd been a hot day there were perhaps eighty couriers gathered outside, their bikes locked up to the railings, many pulling beer cans from their bags or covertly rolling spliffs.

I saw that the lamppost on Gray's Inn Road which had been decorated with flowers, poems and written tributes to the Dr Charles Lockwood, who died in motorbike crash last month has now been completely cleaned, as if he never died.

To resist the anonymity of urban death, there's a way in which cyclists who've died on the roads can be commemorated: the phantom white bike.

I saw one such bike on Essex Road. It's been painted entirely white, the tyres, rims and spokes included. On the frame is the name of the dead rider, the date he died, and RIP. The date's three years ago. It's a nice thought that nobody's stolen or vandalised the bike in all that time. ]]> luckyjim http://www.gutshot.com/bforum/blog.php?b=128 http://www.gutshot.com/bforum/blog.php?b=127 Sat, 23 Aug 2008 10:03:03 GMT Back in the UK now after what seems like a very long holiday in LA. Actually, it really was quite a long holiday by usual standards - 17 nights plus... Back in the UK now after what seems like a very long holiday in LA. Actually, it really was quite a long holiday by usual standards - 17 nights plus travelling.

No real poker to speak of in that period. I played a bit of limit hold'em as per my previous post and whereas my initial thoughts that Limit Poker is better than nothing, my revised opinion is that No Limit Hold'em >> No Hold'em >> Limit Hold'em.

I am sure that Limit Poker is a very interesting and skilful game in theory but a combination of inexperienced dealers, low stakes, slow play and high rake made it a really painful thing. I did win on the first night (the players were awful, which certainly helped). I lost on the second night and by the third time I played it was pretty clear that I had lost the required patience and in fact I moved over to the Blackjack table where at least I could move "all in" so to speak.

I didn't play online at all whilst I was away. I could have, in principle. Gutshot is open in the States, as is pokerstars of course. However, I didn't even try.
I was relatively out of touch with the gutshot forum as well - which is unusual for me.

Today, though, will be a super-charged shot of poker. I am going into London to the club to play in the £500 main event of this week's"GSOP" (Gutshot Series of Poker). As the name implies, it is modelled on its lesser-known cousin, the WSOP.

What this means in practice is a very good structure - I think it is 20,000 chips with a 90 minute clock and the same blinds structure as the WSOP main event. So the main differences are - 90mins instead of 2hr clock (a small concession to practicality !), 100 players instead of 6,000 (!!) and of course a much higher standard !

I have to expect the field to be stuffed full of high quality players. It is generally recognised that the gutshot events attract a lot of good players, and in these high buy-in events (£500 is high for the venue and of course not exactly low by any meaure) there is a real fish shortage.

Usually in a gutshot tourney I rate myself slightly above average (say 60th percentile). In this field, I think I am solidly in the bottom 1/3rd, probably towards the very bottom. Will have to see what I can do. The hope is that the occasion will bring out my best game !

Being out of the country for nearly 3 weeks means I have some catching up to do on things - I had about 50 emails (I had email access whilst I was away - I just didn't deal with any but obviously urgent things). One was a facebook invitation from someone I know at the club.

I only have a facebook account becuase #1 son (Matt) asked me to try something out on there. I had no intention of joining the facebook world. I strongly suspect I could waste a lot of time on there.

Still, I knew the person and thought it not unreasonable that they add me as a friend, so I duly clicked. Less than 24 hours later, I have over 20 friends and rising fast. I have not really taken any positive action, but already I have a front page burtsing with activity !

So far I must say I am very impressed with the look & feel and the usability of the site. I can easily see why it is so popular.

Unsurprisingly, 90% of my "friends" so far are poker players I know from the club. I have a few requests from people I don't know (friends of friends, literally). So far I am resisiting the temptation to just add all and sundry ! I believe there is an option to befriend all friends of friends automatically (they still have to agree of course). I reckon if I did this, I could have 1,000 friends before the weekend is out !

So back to the poker. As I mentioned, I have not played for a month or so. I am not sure quite how this will affect my game. I hope it does not make m impatient for action because one certainty is that patience will be a minimum requirement for success this weekend. It's a 3-day event, so my first objective is to give myself the best possible chance to make day2 for the first time ever.

I have booked 2 nights in my hotel - I hope the poker gods see this as good karma rather than hubris ! It's mainly just practicality of course.

Wish me luck ! ]]> pokersmith2 http://www.gutshot.com/bforum/blog.php?b=127 http://www.gutshot.com/bforum/blog.php?b=126 Thu, 21 Aug 2008 08:51:24 GMT PLO you are a dirty bitch. Yes you heard me; you are a thrilling, exciting, frustrating and downright filthy bitch. You make me sick! You make me... PLO you are a dirty bitch. Yes you heard me; you are a thrilling, exciting, frustrating and downright filthy bitch. You make me sick! You make me happy!

The PLO bandwagon has recently pulled me aboard and the journey has been bumpy to say the least. I blogged about how I had battered the PLO MTT on the Gutshot client. Out of the 4 MTT's that I entered, I had won 3 and cashed in the 4th. A very nice result even though it was a low buy-in. The cash games however were a different kettle of fish and in all honesty, I was the biggest fish in the kettle.

The money I made in the MTT's was donated back to the low stakes PLO players. People say you have to pay your dues in poker but when mistakes are costly, it pisses me off. Yes I am a total PLO novice and that's why I have been sticking to ABC strategy.

The old saying of "Keep It Simple Stupid" is without a doubt, the best way to approach PLO at the low levels. The "KISS" approach is slowly starting to improve my game.

The last few days I have been playing well. I have booked winning sessions and made some good profit. My bankroll took a skywards boost and I was happier then a dog with a belly full of piss and a street full of lampposts. It is amazing how the confidence returns after a few decent sessions.

Why such a turn around? Well like I said, Keep It Simple. A simple strategy for a simple mind, and I am pure window licker, that's how simple I am. That is just how I roll.

I try to pick up my fair share of small pots but if I do not have a strong holding or a good draw, I am not getting too involved. Simple really I guess but at these levels playing 6max, 3 or 4 players to a raised flop is standard, so I am proceeding with caution. I try to find my edges in the big pots though. 13 card nut straight draws, top sets with redraws etc, now we are talking. I am pumping these pots like a sailor on leave in a brothel. The results have been good. Play big pots with monster hands, play small pots with small hands.

In other news, I am going to update my CV and see if I can find a new job. I have become accustomed to my slack routine recently and I think in the long run, my career will nosedive if I do not make a change some time soon. In an ideal world, I would not work at all and I would be free to do what ever I want. Sadly, in order to do that I need some serious cash to give me the freedom. So if there are any rich women out there who want to have me as a toy boy lover, get in touch!

Anyway, off to the pub tonight to play some poker and get hammered. Hopefully a nice win tonight will set me up for the bank holiday weekend.

Have a good one all, be lucky,

Ron ]]> Ron_Burgundy http://www.gutshot.com/bforum/blog.php?b=126 http://www.gutshot.com/bforum/blog.php?b=125 Thu, 21 Aug 2008 07:53:22 GMT Life is getting better. I went back to hospital for a second X-Ray and found I haven't fractured my wrist, so I can continue working as a courier. And I now have the money to move flat. In the week I won £75, then on Friday night I won £270 from a £10 deposit; on Saturday I won £385 from a £20 deposit (though I lost £70 earlier in the day); on Monday night I turned £40 into £240; and last night I won £120. So a total win of £950 and I'm out of trouble. I have involuntarily paid off my £260 unauthorised overdraft, the source of so many bank charges, since when a withdrawal went through the bank took the money and won't let me get overdrawn any more. I've paid the £140 I was over my credit card limit. And I've paid my phone bill and been reconnected.

I have benefitted from my current luxurious surroundings which allow me to play poker free from distractions. I play best in the middle of the night, and find the games juciest around 3-6am, but it's a while since it's been possible for me to play that time. I haven't looked at any flats in the last couple of weeks, and have to leave here on Saturday. I'll stay at a Gutshot friend's place till Tuesday. Then I'll go to a courier's place in Woolwich. I've offered him some money while I'm there - I guess about £50 a week - so he won't get annoyed by my presence. ]]> luckyjim http://www.gutshot.com/bforum/blog.php?b=125