General: Cinema : G I Joe

Got to see GI Joe : The Rise of Cobra on Saturday.   It is definitely aimed at boys, with lots of loud explosions, carnage, gratuitous violence and a couple of hot girls in tight clothing…. what more do you want !

Nothing more to say about it really… the film really is that shallow, but was certainly entertaining.  If you want a more thoughtful comic book character, then something like Batman is deep, thought provoking, stylish and meaningful (compared to this anyway) but if you want a bit of escapism on a wet afternoon you could do worse….

Poker: the EPT dream is dead….. and a new one starts :-)

I was trying to qualify for EPT  Barcelona as described before, but what with everything else going on, I didn’t notice the date for the last qualifiers and missed the opportunity to try again !!

Looking at the EPT London schedule, unfortunately the date for this event is exactly when I am likely to be moving house, so dare not try to qualify for it as I may face the prospect of not being able to play in the final if I get through the two prior satellites !

So that's it then ? …… well yes for the EPT but luckily there is always something going on in the online poker world and as it happens, the Pokerstars WCOOP is starting on September 3rd :-)

I have spun up a starting bankroll of $55 (which I got as a dividend from some shares I own) to $130 from playing Blackjack on UB (tournaments and cash games),  so have got enough to go straight into Event 6 which is the $1 Million Guaranteed No Limit Hold’em event.   Even the timing works well for me as it kicks off at 17:45 on Saturday 5th September, and the wife has agreed to me spending the evening playing poker :-) 

All the stars are aligned and the omens are good, so maybe I will get lucky ;-)

Poker: Lee’s Casino deflowering

It was not that long ago we last went to the Casino, however Lee is now 18 so decide to organise a trip to celebrate

The best Thursday for us co-incides with the Reading Festival so bit concerned about traffic, but actually the roads within Reading are far quieter than normal… so seems all the locals are avoiding the area :-)

Despite Lee’s photo in his passport looking nothing like him, he joins up uneventfully and can enjoy the full range of facilities in the Casino

My evening started with the Roulette wheel being uncommonly unkind and took my money in about 15 minutes, which seemed to set the tone for the night

The poker players were called around 8:30pm so we all took our seats.   There are 45 players in total.  

I had Alex and Karen on my table and the other people were chatty and friendly so very pleasant table to be playing from the social point of view.   Lee had ended up on a table with Bill, so at least he had one familiar player

I played my normal tight style, although did flat call with some marginal cards on a cheap flop but never really hit.  There were a couple of occasions where my folded rubbish hands would have hit trips or something similar on the flop and would have won the pot, and the good hands I played seemed to get busted.  Had Q-Q against A-T but a T came on the flop, followed by an A on the turn.  My A-Ts got called by 3 players, then Alex bet big on the flop which had missed me, so had to fold.  

The best luck I got before the break was folding A-7.. as the flop came Q-7-x and was checked round… then an A came on the turn, so was a bit unhappy… then another 7 came on the river making me the full house !   Luckily for me, the player next to me had Q-Q for the higher full house, so would have lost all my chips !!

At the break, the average chips count was 4400 and our chips counts were:-

Jon   4300
Mike  5200
Lee    3000
Alex  5600
Sean   2500
Karen   4700
Bill  10800
Andy   2700

Prizes are for the top 7 finishers, with 1st getting around £710, 2nd £390

On resuming the game, my best hand was when I flopped an up and down straight draw on the BB.  Only the SB had called, and he bet the pot.  Despite it being a bit of a loose call, decided to and was very happy to make the straight on the turn and also have the SB bet into me.   When he called my all-in bet I guessed it would be a split pot, and sure enough he had 7-7 !

11pm - Sean knocked out

11:20 – Jon knocked out when his A-Js ran into K-K

11:35 – Mike got knocked out when J-J lost the race against K-Q  (about 25th place)

11:40 – Andy out in appx 24th and Bill out in 23rd

11:50 – Lee out in 21st and Karen out in 20th

We left Alex still playing at midnight, so hope he will update us with his progress

To top off the evening, decided to take the roof off the car for the journey home, but that was a poor decision as well as it started raining on the way back so had to stop and put the roof back on!   When it rains it pours…. :-)

UPDATE

Alex just let me know that his last hand came about when he raised with K-Q and got re-raised all-in which he called… only to see K-K !    Ended up finishing 17th just after midnight

General: Cinema – The Time Traveler’s Wife

Went to see The Time Traveler’s Wife last night at the local Vue cinema.

Unsurprisingly perhaps, it was not my choice of film so wasn’t sure if I would enjoy it or not.  In the end I did find it quite interesting and surprisingly engaging…. although this may have been at least partly down to the couple of pints I had before going in to see the film !

The story is one of those where you get drawn into the “what’s going to happen” aspect of the early stages of the film, but then I found I was making up my own subplots towards the end, as it got a bit predictable (especially as you keep getting glimpses of what’s going to happen by the plot and structure of the story itself)

Lynn enjoyed it and although overall I thought it was OK, it does seem to be one for the girls…..  GI Joe next time for me ;-)

Holiday : Hastings – August 2009

At the last minute, we decided to take a UK summer holiday, deciding on Hastings for no other reason that it is on the coast and we haven’t been there for about 20 years !

We went to Cottages4you.co.uk and found a nice looking place at Pelham Crescent

Saturday 15th August

Left at 12:45 and arrived around 3:15pm so not too bad traffic   M3 was the main trouble spot !   Flat is on the 4th floor, up steep windy staircase… need a rest by the time you get to the top !   Flat is small but functional.  Bedroom is at the back and is quiet as it looks out onto a cliff face,  the living room on the front overlooking the sea so can spy on activity on the sea front :-)  Shower room is a bit small and a bit smelly ! 

Walked out to find the supermarket to get our supplied but ended up wandering aimlessly until we found the tourist information.   Once we had our supplies, went for a walk around the old town, where there seemed to be millions of Fish & Chip shops, so inevitably the smell got to us and we had to have a fish and chip supper.   After that we found a pub in which to steel ourselves for the long trek up the stairs to the flat.

Sunday

Laid on beach as was bright, but is very windy.   Sun was out then got cloudy, so at 11’sis went to find a coffee shop (there are loads around :-) )  Came across the Station and theatre so picked up some brochures then went back to beach as Sun is out again now….. just got to think about where to go for Lunch now…..    Ended up having a Sunday lunchtime Carvery at the Royal Albion pub, as amazingly although there were lots of places doing Sunday Roast, none seemed to do Chicken (which is what we fancied)   After lunch had another lay on the beach, but by now is VERY windy, so after an Ice Cream went back to the flat for a rest from the wind and a nice cup of tea.

In the evening, just went for a long walk round town and found Alexandra Park, which was very pleasant, then to the pub for some refreshment

Monday

Not sure if it is going to be Sunny or Cloudy, so prepared ourselves for a Walking Day and planned route through Hastings Country Park   We went from one side to the other along the Coast, which had spectacular views, but hard work up and down the hills… was very sunny and hot !   We came out in Fairlight Cove so found a pub called “The Cove” for a well earned rest and drink.   We then came out along a road and hooked back up into the Country Park and got back to Hasting about 4:15pm covering appx 10 miles in total.   Needed and Ice Cream and rest on the beach to recover.   Although no clouds, is VERY windy so only stayed half hour or so, time enough for a quick paddle and a rest

As feeling a bit worn out, only managed to struggle down the stairs to the Italian Restaurant next door to the flat, but was very nice meal

Tuesday

No wind today, so declared it to be a “Beach Day” especially after our previous days excursions.

Did get a bit windy, but hired a couple of deck chairs and wind break for the day and was perfect.   The clouds cleared and was glorious day (out of the wind)   Even got too hot, so had several dips in the sea to cool off

After lunch it was back to the beak, with our relaxation only interrupted by the need for Ice Cream

For the evening we had a brief walk round the Old Town and ended up at a Pub called “Ye Olde Pump House” which was very Olde Worlde but did decent food, albeit with slow service

Wednesday

Today is our “History and Culture” day.  It’s nice and Sunny with no wind, so going to be a scorcher.   Started out at 10am for Hastings Castle then time for 11ises at the West Cliff Case.  Walked through to the new town to go to the main Museum after which had a sit in a park at the top of the hill for our lunch break.   Our punishing schedule then took our from 2pm until about 5pm to see a selection of small Galleries and museums, but some were not open on Wednesdays and ran out of time to see others, so not entirely successful but certainly got in  a lot of culture and history in the course of our day !    Ended up at the Fisherman's Museum on the beach front after which we had to rest on the beach.  Did take some photos whilst resting so it counted as “culture” :-)

After our mandatory cup of tea at the flat, went out for the evening meal to what was meant to be the oldest pub in Hastings in the new part of town (seemed a bit odd to me but thought it worth a go!)  Unfortunately they stopped doing food at 3pm and didn’t look all that historic, so ended up in the Weatherspoons pub opposite

Thursday

Designated a “Shopping Day” (not sure who came up with that idea!) was bright and Sunny, but very windy again

Hit the pavements around 9:50am (someone woke up early due to the excitement I think)  and went to the new part of town first.   Stopped for lunch around 1pm then hit the Old Town, then back to the new town again as is late night shopping on a Thursday !

Despite some temptations for both of us, we ended up only spending about £25 on the whole day… of which more than half went on food and Ice Creams !

We didn’t fancy going far for our evening meal, so went to the Old Town to “Lathams Brasserie” which was very nice and very filling  !

Friday

Woke up to a grey and heavy rainy day !  Today is our “Rest Day” but doesn’t look like we’re doing much resting on the beach, so ended up going back the Culture we previously missed.   Went to the Shipwreck Museum, then the Aquarium, then a walk up the hill to the Caves…. after which was time for our lunch so decided to have Fish & Chips again

Feeling very full, we then walked round the shops in the new town, then up to St Leonard's.   Was a nice walk, but as a destination was quite disappointing, especially as it’s very windy along the sea front

After couple of hours walking, we are ready for our mid afternoon coffee and cake (or two cakes in my case!)

We finish off with another walk down the beach and take in the Lifeboat station (and shop!) All in all an exhausting “Rest Day” !

We have also decided to leave Hasting this evening rather than early tomorrow, so pack up and leave by 6pm, arriving home around 8:30pm having taken the scenic route (A25 rather than M25)

Overall, we had a lovely restful holiday, where the most we really had to think of was where our next food or drink was coming from :-)

Poker : Mansion Poker progress report

In my previous Bankroll/sponsorship entry, I had been playing 4 days and made good progress.

Unfortunately since then, I have gone a bit backwards in terms of hit rate, but has been quite interesting experience so far.   In 10 days I have managed to play a total of 51 STT games (mix of 6 and 10 seaters), cash in with 19 of them, giving me a profit of £88

I am finding that the $20 level of STT relatively “easy” in that although most games are tough, there are normally at least a couple of “donks” who will play reckless and hopefully give you all their chips :-)   

Last night was quite tough for me though, as I went through what seemed like a huge number of bad beats in several games, all at the bubble stage so ended up going from chip lead to being out on the bubble  (actually, looking back I have finished on the bubble 8 times of the 51 games!) !!!   Still, that’s Poker, as they say….

It is quite tricky to play lots of games, one after another, but most of the time is quite fun and most definitely absorbing all the time

Unfortunately am on holiday next week, so will not be having any more games until Monday 24th at the earliest… just hope I don’t forget how to in the meantime ;-)

Will keep you updated how things go in a few weeks time…..

General: Nice meal out

Went to Clocke Hat Restaurant last Saturday.  The service and ambience was superb, choice and quality of food and drink was marvellous so had a wonderful meal.  (even being the driver didn’t detract from the experience)

Was there any downsides ?   Well, it was a bit pricey, but for a special occasion it is well worth the expense in my opinion

Poker : Bankroll/sponsorship

Want to play poker for free but still have the ability to earn from it ?   

You either need to grind away at the freerolls, or try to get someone to sponsor you

Luckily there are some places that will consider sponsoring you, but you need to be able to prove you’re good enough (and put in quite a few hours of effort on a regular basis of course)

I am currently registered with Black Belt Poker (http://www.blackbeltpoker.com/) but they haven’t opened up the grading process there yet for the sponsorship, but also came across Bankroll Supply (http://www.bankrollsupply.com/) that looks fairly interesting

For the Bankroll Supply, I need to play for a month to prove myself.   So far I have managed to play 21 STT and cash in 10 of them !   Fingers crossed :-)

Poker : Home Tournament – August 2009

Its a typical English August evening… yes, it’s pouring with rain ! but that did not dampen the spirits nor enthusiasm of the Poker players :-)

The evening started out with brisk business for the re-buys as everyone is in the mood for gambling it seems.   I sit back for a while but no cards come my way and find myself drawn into some dodgy draws because of the pot odds.   Soon find myself rebuying as draws don't materialize and am not getting any good hands to raise it up with pre-flop.

As the end of rebuys approaches I am delighted to see pocket A but have just had a rebuy so on 500 chips.   Sean before me goes all-in for 500 so I follow suit and we are called by two others (fairly typical for the night)   The pot gets checked down to the showdown but there are all low cards and a flush possible…. sure enough Sean has has hit his flush and takes a large pot.   In typical Sean style,couple of hands later he is sticking all the chips in the middle but this time looses to Roger, who is on fire tonight !

Sean does show some control by folding to my raise all-in when we are blind on blind, but Derek rabbit hunts the flop cards and Sean's J-7 would have flopped a full house (I was ahead with A-T) 

My big win of the night (I don’t remember winning more than 2 or 3 pots all night) was with 6-4s on the SB   There are about 5 to see the flop, which comes 6 high, so I lump in a pot sized bet and get one caller.   The turn is a K but I only have a few chips left so they go all in and to my surprise win the showdown with my 6 !   That gave me about 2000 chips and is about where I was when rebuys stop.

After the break I am still struggling to get any cards worth playing, especially when calling the BB is 10% of my chips !   I put in a couple of calls to see flops cheaply with mediocre cards, but the flops are never good to me so end up folding.  I do remember winning another hand but that only took me to about 2500 which is probably my peak of the night.   Luckily other people are in worse shape than me, and Derek is the first one out.  It was probably a relief for him as he’d been in pain with his cracked rib all night !   Immediately after, Jon on the other table gets knocked out to continue the reigning champions dire season  (Jon, you must know how Lewis Hamilton feels :-) )

Steve and Sean are the short stacks on my table, both now in the blinds.  Steve makes a move for the pot, but Sean's not great hand is better than Steve’s so another player goes down

More or less the next hand though, Sean is taken out by Simon and Karen gets busted out exactly the same time by Alex on the other table…. slightly spooky ? ;-)

Now with 9 players left, everyone is hanging on for the final table and it looks like I will be the bubble boy… however Bill (on his normal form) helps me out by busting Jock and Alex on the other table, just as I wake up with A-Ks on the BB   Lee has just raised but I am calling but unfortunately his K-K holds up and I am out in 7th

The final table of 6 is unusually early, Bill and Roger have large pile of chips and Steve W, Lee and Simon are under pressure now the blinds are 1000/500  

Steve W and Lee are early casualties and we are already down to 4 with two rounds left to play

It doesn't take long for chips to start flying around, mainly Bill’s but he hits a run of luck to double up against Roger.    He then gets lucky to take out Andy (who had been quiet all night as he was doing well… I am sure this has happened before!)

Roger gets busy as he is the short stack, but despite winning a couple of hands to get into 2nd, he runs into a better hand against Simon and is out in 3rd (receiving all the loose change in prizes , including Sean and Karen's coppers)

The final heads up is interesting but Bill’s luck has finally run out…. he is getting reasonable hands, but Simons are always slightly better….it is all over with 4 hands to play as Simon has enough chips to fold to a win, but even though the hands are played out Bill cannot persuade Simon to take any risks and Bill finishes second with Simon taking another deserved win

Great game, very lively tonight so can’t wait for the next one

General: Cinema “Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince”

Went to see Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince last night at the local Vue cinema

I thought it was a good Harry Potter film, engrossing and following the book (so far as I remember) but Lynn thought it a bit disappointing.   In some ways I do agree, but only in so far as the book on which it is based is slightly weak.    Also the film did not have the climatic ending of the book, so maybe that contributed as well

There were good “scary” moments and some good comedy moments in the film, so I think a bit of something for everyone.   Harry Potter fans will certainly want to see the film, those not familiar with Harry Potter will probably not have a clue what is going on though :-)