Back at the keyboard

I'm now back at the keyboard after a couple of days of silence and busy playing a little S&G on Pacific Poker as I type this.

My report from the live game on Sunday night is nothing to write home about. Played two £5.00 games and came 5th out of 8 and 4th out of 9 in them. The cards were really cold for me all night and I know the players pretty well so bluffing wasn't much of an option as these guys will call with anything..Ho Hum, I'll get them next time :-). I musn't complain though, my hit rate in live games has been very good recently winning 3 out of 5 games the previous time out and 2 out of 3 the time before that.

My online play over the last few sessions hasn't been up to much though. I had been doing pretty nicely in the $5.00, 5 player S&G's on Titan Poker but my last couple of sessions have been pretty fruitless. I'm having a play at the $8.00, 20 player S&G's on Pacific tonight for a slight change of scenery, I had some success with them last month so we'll see how it goes. Went out on the bubble in 6th place in the first $8.00 game but sitting as chip leader in this one after busting 2 players in the 2nd hand of the game with trip 3's. Down to 14 players now so still a way to go.

Who is the PokerManiac

So just who is the mysterious pokermaniac???

OK so that sounds a bit melodramatic and naff in a Hong Kong Fuey kind of a way. By day I'm a mild mannered geek working at a web design company, by night I'm a self confessed poker addict. I'm 41, married with two young children and live just outside Glasgow in Scotland.

Now that I'm in my 40's I'm a prime candidate for having a mid-life crisis and guess what... yep, I think I'm having one. I've been working in the same place for about 12 years and I feel I'm starting to go a bit stir crazy. I need a new challenge, I want to be my own boss and most of all I want to get away from the monotony of a 9 to 5, mornings never really were my thing.

Have I found a way out through poker? well stay tuned and we'll find out together. I know it's a longshot and probably little more than a dream but it's a nice dream, so don't shatter it for me just yet. It's the one thing that is making my mid life crisis a bit more bearable. In the meantime I'm going to keep buying the books, reading and watching stuff and grinding away online. Yup I'm geting better but I've still got such a long way to go, it should be fun documenting my journey though.

I'm writing this as I play a little $5.00 Sit & Go on Titan Poker but I'm going to have to sign off as I need to finish off the few remaining players and I'll need to concentrate. After that I'm away out to my local pub to see it there are any cash games going. I'll let you know how I get on in my next posting, that might even be later tonight Guinness permitting.

Strip Poker Tournament

So what am I doing sitting here in Scotland when there was a strip poker contest going on in London. On second thoughts it's just as well I didn't go. I'd have been all in first hand and I don't think the female competitors would have appreciated that. Do you think the tournament director would have banned me for making a large raise, or would somebody have just come over the top of me.. it doesn't bear thinking about. Enough of the smutty thoughts...

I remember reading about this a couple of weeks ago, what a brilliant idea. The event arose out of an April Fools gag that Paddy Power came up with and they got so much feedback they decided what the heck and decided to hold the tournament anyway. BRILLIANT.

I've only played strip poker once and it's was a pretty drunken affair. The whole thing came about after a night in the pub when I guess I was about 19 or 20. To cut a long story short my best mate and I ended back at my folks house with two you female acquantences, not girlfriends but I think they both fancied us a bit. Anyway, me an my mate both ended up starkers and the two girls were sitting there in nothing but their panties. That's all there was to it really, pretty innocent and drunken and silly. Nothing happened..at least I don't think it did, but then it was a long time ago and we were all pretty pissed and I can only vaguely remember it. Still glad my dad didn't walk in on us though, god knows what he would have thought :-)

The Journey Begins

So here it is, my first poker blog posting, cue the fanfare and crack open the bubbly. I’ve called my blog “The Diary of a Poker Addict” and that’s a pretty good description of what I’m planning to post here. I only started playing poker a few months ago, April 2006 to be precise, but already I’m well and truly addicted. When I’m supposed to be working, I’m thinking of poker. When I’m with friends I’m talking about poker. When I’m sleeping, I’m dreaming of poker and when I’m online… well you probably guessed… I’m playing poker. Sad huh! Well and truly hooked.

This may only be at the start of my poker journey but I feel I’ve come so far already, over the next few weeks I’ll try and put some stuff up about my first experiences. I’m devouring as many poker books as possible and I can feel my game improving rapidly. The more I learn the more I realise how little I still know and that merely drives me to by more books, read more websites and devour more info.

So where is this fascinating journey going to take me? Well that’s anybody’s guess? Will I ever be good enough to win regularly? Could I ever break free from the shackles of my real world job? Will I ever win a WSOP bracelet…will I ever even make it to Vegas? No matter where I end up I’m sure it’s going to be a blast. It will definitely have it’s high’s and low’s, I hope you enjoy the journey...