Poker: Farnborough Club - Oct 2006

Went to TC Poker club (http://www.tcpoker.co.uk/) to play in the £50 NL 2nd chance Freezeout Hold'em tournament last night....well actually, I went to play in the Sit'n'Go games but they are "fine tuning" the games and structures to meet the needs of the players (which is a good thing of course :-) )

The White clan turned up in force as well as Alex, so the CamberleyBoyz were well represented. Luckily for my health and job prospects, there were only 20 entrants so was looking hopeful that the game wouldn't go on to the early hours...

There were two tables of 10, with Alex, Jon, Simon and Andrews father in-law (Jo) all on my table. There was also Samir (a club regular) on my table..... who is a great guy but talks the hind legs off a donkey and seems to play any two cards. Samir and Simon's banter was highly entertaining and almost worth paying £50 just to sit and listen.

The tournament itself was very exciting for me.... around the third hand in I got AQ and raised in early position, the button called then Samir re-raised another 800. I was happy to battle with Samir, but though the button would have a good hand so went all-in. The button folded but Samir showed KK, so I was in trouble. Despite getting a straight draw on the flop my chips were gone and had to use my "2nd chance" to replenish the chips.

The very next hand I got AK so raised. The guy next to me called and the rest of the table folded. When the King hit I decided to bet, but got re-raised all-in. I had to call but was a bit nervous about my prospects.... as it turned out we both had AK so split the pot.... I was quite happy to still have chips !

Couple of hands later I was on the button with 97 suited so called after a couple of other callers. The flop came 9 high rags giving me top pair and a middle pin straight draw, so when it checked to me I put in smallish bet. The big blind re-raised and it folded to me, so I called. The turn came a Q and we both checked.... the river made me a straight so we both ended up all in. Sure enough we had both hit the straight so another split pot.

After that it was a relief to get bad cards for a while, as it is unlike me to be all-in three times in the first 8 hands of a tournament !!

It was all quiet for me until after the break when I got dealt AQ suited. I raised and got called by Simon and Alex. The flop came queen high so when checked to me I went all-in for my remaining 1200 odd chips. Simon thought for a long time then called and Alex called quickly, worrying me for a few seconds until another Q came on the turn! Alex went all-in and Simon called. Simon needed a miracle and Alex has KQ so wasn't far behind needing a miracle, but the river paired the board giving Alex and me a full house and another split pot !! Had I won that hand I would have had over 6000 chips and been well in the game, but as it was I was still the lowest chip count. Oh well, at least I had chips.....

My final hand came against Jon soon after..... I got AK on the big blind and raised 800 into the 600 pot. Jon thought for a while then called, so thought he must have a pair.... the flop came Jack high so I checked. Jon bet 800. Jon was obviously ahead but I was getting 4-1 odds and didn't really have enough chips left back to fold so went all-in. Jon had called my raised with JQ and won with his jacks. I guess he thought I was stealing pre-flop :-)

I was about 16th of 20, which is not a great result but some fun and a story to tell, so will be back

Alex ended up finishing 5th with Jon and Jo both finishing in the money so not a bad night for the Boyz....

However the night was not over for me as there was a cash game going on. I played really tightly as the table was very loose, but didn't really get a hand. After half an hour I hadn't played many pots and never got past the flop when I got dealt pocket J's so raised pre-flop. Got one caller then Joe re-raised for most of my bankroll. Decided to go all-in and only Joe called, showing pocket Aces.... so I went home :-)

General: Ideal Home Show - Oct 2006

Went to the Ideal Home Show this weekend as we haven't been for a couple of years.

Got up at an un-godly hour for a Saturday (7 am!) as we wanted to get the 8:18am train. The journey up was uneventful and was standing outside Earls Court at 9:45am (didn't open until 10am) Quite a few people already there and by 10am there was a substantial length to the queues.

Going in we decided to head for the show homes, as they tend to always have large queues of people waiting to go in. We were slightly taken aback to find that the show was tiny compared to the previous shows we had attended and there was only one show house to look around and it was virtually deserted.....

The floor space of the show was about 1/5 of the previous show we attended so after a couple of hours we felt like we had looked at every stand ! Going around was quite interesting and there were a wide variety of types of stands available, but overall we were both disappointed by the show.

Making the most of the spare time available, we decided to go to Piccadilly Circus and walked up Regent Street, popping into Hamleys of course. The shop was busy but were able to get around and see the goods on offer. There were a wide array of games, toys, models, etc that I would like to have bought, but ended up just buying Lynn her birthday present there (no guesses for what she chose !)

Going along Oxford Street we found the place absolutely heaving and was impossible to enjoy walking along, let alone battling to get into and out of the shops... dread to think what it would be like at Xmas! We ended up walking parallel to Oxford Street and had a nice cup of coffee in Soho Square. This seems to be the place for all the young Goths to hang out as the park there was full of black clad teenagers with died black hair, etc..... The hair-do, clothes and make up I can handle and are sometimes interesting, but their body piercing always makes me cringe and feel sick (must be my age)

After our rest, we made our way to Covent Garden area, which was also very busy due mainly to the street performers, but bizarrely this made it feel more intimate and cosy rather than being overwhelming. Not sure how the knife juggling man in a kilt standing on top of a free standing ladder got past Health and Safety, but he was very entertaining, so well worth a visit if you're around that area on a weekend.

Decided to head back for the train, so walked over Waterloo Bridge for the station. The sun was out and it was pleasantly warm, so was great to stand and take in the views from the bridge.

Once sitting down in the train we both realized we were absolutely knackered, having walked around over 6 hours, the time cetainly flew by.

All in all, a grand day out, albeit slightly marred by the disappointment of the Ideal Home Show

General: Brooklands Museum visit

We haven't been back to Brooklands since the trip in July (http://sceaga.blogspot.com/2006/07/general-trip-to-brooklands-motor.html) but did manage to get to the Morgan Day at Brooklands this weekend. (http://www.brooklandsmuseum.co.uk/)

Went with Mum & Dad as well, who were looking forward to seeing Concorde again

On arriving around 11am, we found a queue of cars behind a huge coach, so initially worried we wouldn't even get in ! As it turned out, they were just taking time to process the coach party so although it was quite busy, there were not huge crowds of people

Our first stop was to buy a ticket to see Concorde, as there are restricted places. As it turned out we would have to wait until 1:00pm to get on board, but this wasn't a problem as there was lots to see.

Being a Morgan day, there were lots of Morgans to look at ! As I get older, I feel more drawn to the Morgans for some reason, very odd..... I still prefer the "funky" looking Speed 8 so maybe there's hope for me yet :-)

Took the parents round a couple of the main displays and the Sultan of Oman's VC10, which I still find fascinating, then it was time for our Concorde "experience" We convened at the "gate" which was some seats under the body, but gave you the feel of waiting at the airport A very knowledgeable guide then took us in via the cargo hatch through to a display of Concorde atrifacts and short videos on PC monitors. We then got taken through to the forward cabin where we sat in the seats and watched a video about Concorde. A brief peek into the cockpit from afar and the trip was over and we exited from the front door. It was very interesting and seemed very quick, although the tour onboard lasted 30 minutes. A good sign, as it leaves you wanting more.

Being lunchtime we had our picnic in the field by the car park, by now the sun was out so it was lovely to have a rest and soak up the suns rays and the unique feeling of Brooklands.

Suitably refreshed we went back round to the planes and had another general look around (and a visit to the shop) before leaving.

Left feeling like we could have spent more time there, so will definitely be back soon.

General: Petworth House (National Trust)

We joined the National Trust this year as we do like to visit places, so in a bid to get our moneys worth went to Petworth house couple of weekends ago. http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/petworth/

Weather forecast was good, so of course on the journey down it poured with rain ! We were thinking we might only look at the house rather than the gardens... but in the end by the time we got there it was bright and warm.

There is a pleasant walk to the house itself from the car park and entering the house you are struck by the grandness of the place (makes sense I suppose) The house didn't take that long to look around, although we could have spent more time looking around had we wanted to study the artifacts in each room more carefuly (especailly the north gallery which is crammed with statues and paintings) For us it was nice to just see the rooms and pick out a few items to look at more closely. Having done the house, we went across the courtyard to the Servants Quarters which now also houses the shop and resteraunts, but it was the Old Kitchens which was facinating to see. You wonder how they got the time to do anything in those days, everything was done by hand and with some very odd looking implements !

Coming out to the gardens, there was extensive grounds so we walked down to the lake and round to the boathouse. It was a bit wind and chilly outside as the landscape was quite open, but this made for fantastic views from the hill top. There are also herds of deer running around which is quite interesting. They are not frightened of humans so you almost have to barge your way through them if you come across a herd.

After visiting the house and gardens, we walked into Petworth villge itself (the house is on the outskirts of the village) It is an old village and a pleasant walk around. Not many interesting shops but plenty of oppertunity to eat or drink if required and very picturesk

We had a very nice day trip out and feel like we have got some culture now :-)

Poker: October 2006 Home Tourney

With a new strategy in mind, I was quietly confident about having a good result this month. Good job I kept it quiet as my plan didnt quite come to fruition ! Had a good hand early on and trippled up when I hit a flush, but then the chips quickly dribbled away and the rebuys started to come along. Just before the last rebuy I had another good flush and had about 3000 in chips at that stage and felt confident again. Unfortunately I raised Bill who called when I had AQ, the flop came jack high so was easy to call Bills all in bet... he had QJ so only an A would help me. Didnt come so most of my chips went ! Next hand Simon went all in and Bill re-raised me all in, so felt I had to go with my A2. Unfortunately (again) Bill's pocket jacks looked good, so I needed an A until the J came on the turn and I was out in 8th. Felt I played OK overall, but a bit disappointed.

The tables seemed a bit quieter tonight,with no wild moves (although Sean wasn't on my table :-) ) but definatetly most enjoyable game of cards you can have for sure.

The final table was a studious affair, with the chips moving around the players.. Derek got a good win when all-in on the big blind and started to look good for another great comeback.... A huge pot with Sean and Bill all-in saw Andy take a huge chip advantage and knocked two players out. Andy and Jon ended up being the last two players with only about 7 mins to go. Couple of small wins to Jon saw him with a small advantage in chips, but then a couple of folds swung it back towards Andy. The last hand of the game saw the blinds as the difference between the players, so whoever won the blinds would win the game. With neither player able to fold all the chips went in after the all low flop. Jons KQ was behind as Andy had hit a pair. The turn was a blank, but the River came with a K giving Jon the game.

Well done to all, can't wait for the next one... will have my new strategy in place by then.....

Posted results to Statsgenie as normal, see some of you at the Farnborough club but otherwise next month

http://www.statsgenie.com/Poker/ (CamberleyBoyz)