Sunday, February 28, 2010

It took almost as much time to get out of Orlando airport as it did to fly across the Atlantic ocean yesterday!

You get your bags back once then you have to give them back again and off they go again on another conveyor belt whilst you get a tram to the terminal building where you finally get them back for a 2nd time. Not before they've made you take your shoes off again mind!

Anyway I'm here to play some poker not worry about the immigration process!

Today was my 'fun' day. No grinding till tomorrow so today was just a sit down and see how the game was. A $2/$5 had a seat available at 8.30am so I sat down with my $100 and, over the next 4 hours, proceeded to win $220.

I was grateful to the local guy to my immediate right who found himself on tilt for $500 and was happy to call my $100 ott bets with A-9 & K-K with K-5 and J-4. On these ocassions he got what he deserved which was a good slap and $200 lighter!

There are 3500 slot machines in the Seminole. After leaving the table at 12.30pm and playing in the $100 lunchtime tournament with no luck I played the slots till 4pm and won $100.

A nice start but the proper stuff starts tomorrow!

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

With a little over 3 days to go to my mini adverture I'm reminded of the time when I FIRST attempted to become a 'professional poker player'.

Ah yes...I've tried this before you know!

Back in 1997 I decided that I'd had enough of the rat race (sounds familiar) and wanted to do something different with my life. I'd been playing poker for around 5 years already and decided that I knew enough about the game to try and make a living at it.

Not for me the boring clubs of London & Reading that I'd been happily ensconed in during the 90's but I fancied a bit of sun to go with it. With this in mind and a bankroll of $10,000 I set off for the bright lights of Los Angeles and the Hollywood Park Casino Racetrack.

I won't bore you with the details as to how I knew the place but on the several ocassions I'd been there previously, for a day here and a day there, I'd always 'appeared' to do well including the time in May 1996 when, on my way to Vegas, I spent one night there winning almost $7000 playing $15/$30 Limit Hold'Em against the worst players I'd ever had the pleasure of playing upto that point in my life!

Anyway, with these thoughts in mind, I arrived in early Dec 1997 to attempt to play for 40 days until I was due back at work in early Jan of 98.

I must admit that limit poker was / is not really my forte. No-Limit games were non-existent, as were Pot-Limit games, so it was a case of trying to make do.

The trouble with limit poker though is that there's no creativeness. If you catch cards you win and if you don't you lose. In the $8/$16 I played for days and nights on end I came across several players who would NOT fold under ANY circumstances. They'd always say that there was too much in the pot to fold and would chase distant draws and two-pair hopes like they were going out of fashion.

Pots over $300 were not uncommon and with 8 flop callers, 5 turn callers and 4 river card callers you could get quite rich if you won your share. Trouble was I never did!

After 20 days of losses I called it a day and went travelling with a friend of mine upto San Fransisco where we had a great Crimbo and New Year and then I headed back home $15k lighter!

Theres no doubt the intervening 12 years have taught me a lot and I'm ready for another go. If I fail this time it'll be when I retire, in 12 years time, before I get ANOTHER go.

Quite symetrical don't you think!
 

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

My girlfriend Karen is coming over with me for the first two weeks of my attempt at a 90 day grind playing cards at the Seminole.

So I say to her the other night..."Listen if I win enough money I'll buy you a ticket to come over to Florida and see me for the last two weeks of my stay there". She says "But darling I'll ALREADY be there for the last two weeks of your stay!".

She thinks shes a comedian!

With 10 days to go before my adventure in poker playing begins I'm grinding my way through my last few days at work and counting the days. My funding ($5000) is in place as is the hotel, car hire & flights (scheduled to return on March 13th but I can change that for €50) so all thats left between me and my date with Florida is time!

I'm glad to see that the weather there is gradually warming and its projected to be in the 70's once we get there. Here, in Dublin, its freezing EVERY DAY! Day AFTER bloody day its the same miserable 3 - 5c. Although I'm not planning on seeing that much sun whilst in Florida at least I know that when I step out of my hotel of a weekday morning and head the short distance to where I'll be plying my trade the sun will be shining, it'll be warm and I'll be hoping that the day will never end!

Such dreams indeed! Roll on next weekend!!!