Big catch including GUKPT Walsall

Introducing the wife and kids......

Probably should have done this ages ago but for those of you who don't know I'm married with 4 kids! Yes I'm a sicko and get to play way too much poker- what can I say? I have THE most understanding wife in the world! Here she is:

Despite what it looks like- I promise you she is not ginger! She also plays poker online and has head some sick results in the 35k 10r on ipoker coming 4th for 4k (her biggest score) and 8th last week for 500$. Was a shoot toward the end and had cards run better we'd be looking at 8k easy! She has yet to make the plunge live- finds the whole set up intimidating which is why I've changed my view on women only tourneys. When Ace (our youngest- I'll introduce him later!) is older I'm hoping to persuade Shelley to play on the Betfred tour to help her find her feet live or perhaps the Sky Poker Tour.

My eldest are twins- Esme and Kieran. They're both 11 and without a doubt the best behaved kids you could meet. No really! Here they both are:

Both know the basic rules of poker after asking and often play for fun money online. Esme is a complete fish and will not fold if she has a picture card or if they're suited! Kieran is quite aggressive and will bring it in for a raise. Both have potential but in all honestly I don't know how I'd feel if any of my kids wanted to play full time and as sexist as this might sound, especially Esme.




Next up we have Rio. Yes I'm a Man United fan and that was some inspiration for his name! He;s 4 years old and going through he tantrum stage! Not all kids can be well behaved right?

Rio thinks I play poker for a living often referring it to work. Maybe one day when I have a huge roll but with 4 kids, I need a steady income. Whenever I take a beat in a tourney it hurts- can't imagine what it must be like if you're relying on that money for an income!

Finally we have Ace. Obviously his name is related to poker but it was his Auntie Andrea who actually came up with his name and I'm glad she did. He's just 9 months old and a bit of a handful!

Online Variance

I'm sure many people say this but I can honestly say I'm playing the best poker I've ever played at the moment and had variance/poker Gods been nice to me I'm sure I'd have another 5 figure sum to report on. I've made it deep in tourneys on stars/ipoker but lost big flips late on. I may switch to playing more regularly on ipoker although the tourney schedule sucks. The best tourney on there is the 35k 10 rebuy. Unfort it doesn't start until 8.30 and usually finishes at around 2-3am which during the week is far too late! The players on there are so much worse then stars. You'll get people 4 betting AJ suited with no fold equity! Or calling all in with Q10 suited with about 150 big blinds during the first level.

GUKPT Walsall

I played Day 1B after selling 70% on the staking board on blonde. I played good solid poker making the odd bluff and couldn't have really asked for a softer seond table. However the cards didn't run for me in crucial pots- tourney report below:

Sat down and had a tough table with Neil Channing and Mark Goodwin. They were both to my right and after playing a few rounds I was quite pleased with the draw. Most players were pretty straightforward- and the table was quite solid early.I splashed around a little early- playing some suited connectors etc and set mining. I went down to just over 8 before returning to my starting stack.

First significant hand I played I managed to win a big pot. David La Ronde who cam second in Luton to Sam Trickett opened to my right for 450 out of a stack of 8k from the hijack+1 at 75/150. He has been doing this quite a lot and it was starting to frustrate me as I wasn't able to play too many pots. I look down at 45 decide to make it 1200 out of a stack of 12 in a hope of slowing him down. I hadn't played many pots and knew I had a very solid image. A tight player by the name of Wass flats for 1200 on the button with around 6800 behind. I put him on quite a tight range. 99-JJ. AK, maybe AQ. Possibly even QQ. La Ronde decides to join the party so we're 3 way to the flop. It comes down 653, 2 clubs. La Ronde now leads into me for 1500. I think this a fairly straightforward weak lead- he never leads with a set here imo and if he does he would bet more to protect his hand. I'm happy to get it in with either opponent here. I'd still have 4.5-5k left if I lost and am a slight fave against an overpair so I make it 4800.Wass on the button tanks for an age so I know he hasn't got 99-10 10. Maybe he has AK clubs here but I think with his style he'd have mucked by now so I'm putting him on QQ. He eventually puts his stack in- La Ronde gets out of the way and I call the 2k extra, shaking my head when he asks me if I have aces. He flips KK and I bink a 2 on the turn. I then start using my stack- playing quite a few puts, pushing my opponents about and keeping out of the way of Channing and Goodwin.

The table breaks and I leave it with a healthy 27k.I then get moved to what I can only describe as a dream table. Very soft, only trouble is I have a guy who likes to see a lot of flops two to my left and another fish two to his left so opening in late position was tricky. However, there was very little 3 betting and no less than 3 rocks. I even had the value of having Neil (Blatch) on the table.After playing quite solid and not getting anything in the way of cards I decide to make a move when UTG (FISH!) opens for 800 at 150/300, 3 to his left calls for 800 and I make it 3200 on the button with 63hh looking to pick up the dead money. They both call! The flop however comes a nutastic 245 rainbow. Action on the flop is check check check. I'm not sure if I should lead here and build a pot? The turn comes down a 7 and fishy fisherson bets 1800 utg, the guy to his left calls and now its down to me.I think one of them has some sort of middish pair so decide to raise for value confident one of them will call so I make it a massive 5400. As expected utg flats, other guy folds. Now UTG checks in the dark and the river is a 4. I'm not worried about a set as I'm sure the money would be in on the flop. He has about 20k left and with about 18k in the middle I decide to shove. He folds pretty much straightaway and I'm a little annoying I didn't bet around the 12k mark which I'm sure a player like him calls cos he has chips behind. I think I need to learn not to keep value shoving as it's much less effective live than online.

I lose 6k when the sb shoves A10 and I call with AJ. Flop JQK. MBN.I sit around the 50k mark for a while. Open a couple of pots light and get re raised on the flop when I c-bet so decide to tighten up my range. Next significant hand I play I get dealt aces. I open to 1625 at 300/600/25 in the hijack+1. The cut off, button and small blind decide to join the party which isn't what I had in mind!The flop comes an ugly 7,8,10 two diamonds. sb and cutoff have around 30k each and button is short so after the sb checks I decide I'm going to either check raise or peel a turn card (again should I lead this flop?) off for free. The button decides to shove for 7k- I call. He shows A7. Bink- 7 on the turn. My stack takes a hit back down to 35k instead of reaching the heights of 70.

Playing a little bit tilty I lose a significant pot to the legend Wernick. This is the worst pot I played all tournament. I'm in the big blind and 5 people limp. I check with Q2ss in bb. Flop comes Q, 10, 3. Everyone Checks. K on turn and after it's checked to Mickey on the button who bets 3.6k. With 316 players begind me I decide middle pair bottom kicker is good and call. Everyone else gets out of the way and I check/tank/call another bet of 6900 as Mickey obv shows the straight- J9. Well played George.I'm now on around 25k. Player who has just sat down opens for a massive 3800 at 400/800/50 from 3rd to act and I look at 10,10 in cutoff. Should I be shoving here? folding? Calling? I really didnt know but decided to call. SB also calls and we see a threeway flop of JJ9. I bet 6500 after both check and am relieved to rake in a nice pot.

I kick things up last level of the night as people clam up and try to fold to day 2. I'm back up to around 45k when I find 10,10 again in hijack. Mick McCool is in the big blind and I open for 2650 at 500/1000/75. In hindsight I'm gonna open to closer to 3k cos I was getting a few cold callers when I was 2.5xing at this level. Mick flats out of the big blind with about 12k back. Flop is J65. I c-bet 4800, he shoves I call. He has K6, bink a 6 on the turn. I could not believe how bad I was running and was now down to 26k. Fine- that was average stack.UTG then opens for 4k out of a stack of 16k and I set him in with AK from the big blind. He calls and shows tens. Flop is Ace high. Turn 10. TURN CARD WHY DO YOU HATE ME SO!!!!!

So came back to day 2 with 13k. Blinds go thru me as I can't find a spot to shove. Folds to me in the cut off, button has literally just turned up and sat down when I shove 43 off, he calls and shows AK. MBSFN!!! No binkage and I've hit the rail.