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"More and more people are now playing your curious little game"
No biting. You hear me?
Decided, as I had not played this week until last night, to go for 500 points this week, which would give me a bonus £5, these fivers & tenners all add up over time.
Three nights, & 500 points, so I decided to go for around 170 points on each of Friday, Saturday & Sunday.
Made 168 points last night, bang on target, & the games were good, so I was tempted to stay on & play another hour or two, but I also wanted to watch the PGA golf. It was about 11pm, & I was still feeling fresh, but the golf beckoned, so I drew stumps, cooked my dinner, & sat down to watch the last 2 hours of the golf.
And the very moment I sat down to watch it......play was abandoned for the day, due to an electrical storm.
Marv.
Another 170 points tonight & we'll be nicely on target, but I'll try & get them early, so I can watch the last few hours of the golf.
Love watching golf on TV, though I much prefer the BBC's coverage, Peter Alliss is so good, the camera positions are better, & we are not plagued with all those adverts & that odious, schmaltzy background music they have been using for years, which does my head in. Pictures, commentary, that's all we want. No background music, right?
Whoever invented & thinks we want background music needs shooting. I mean, does anyone think all that background music on TV enhances our enjoyment of the Show?
Normal service was resumed last night & we resumed the very slow but steady progress northwards. Played 36 games & won 22 of them (61%), & made £17, which is just shy of £0.50 per game. Bit of a relief that, after I bombed so badly last weekend. Trouble is, it will take me a week to claw back last weekend's hit, but that's the nature of the game I suppose.
4 games ran @ £11, (won 3) so that was pretty good, but I gave a bit back in the £5.50 games, winning just 7 of 16. Fortunately, I won 12 of 16 @ £3.30, so overall, that'll do.
Hope to see a few of you tonight, & enjoy your Saturday.
I'm a huge fan of both Alliss & Ken Brown, & the BBC coverage of The Open - 10 hours per day - is just wonderful. Those little cameos "Ken on the course" are just fabulous. Hazel Irvine is good, too, much less wooden than her counterpart on Sky. They covered the Ladies Open the next week, too, I watched every moment of it.
I rarely diss Sky Sports, they do so much stuff so very well, especially Football & Cricket, but my oh my, their golf coverage does my head in. They just seem to flit from green to green, & all we see is a succession of players putting out, often effective "gimmes".
Part of the attraction of The Open is the BBC coverage, & I fear it will never be the same once it transfers across. Still, Sky did a great job with F1, perhaps they will do the same with The Open.
I planned my schedule this week especially to watch all of the USPGA, and was really looking forward to it, but after 2 hours on Thursday evening, I gave up & went to bed. And oh my, those cheesy player interviews.......
I'll tune in around 10pm this evening, & see if I can see it through to the end, but HIGNFY might win the battle of the zapper.
The difference with Sky Sports, of course, is they repeat it time & time again. Watch any live golf on Sky, & we get the same music during every leaderboard graphic, & the intro & outro to commercial breaks, so we hear it 50 or more times in one evening's viewing.
I'm sure the Producer has never sat at home & watched the Show, he'd realise immediately how grating it is.
Had an interesting session last night.
The plan was to get around 170 points, leaving me the same again today, which will get me the £5 Rewards Bonus.
Unforch, there was almost no traffic at £5.50 & £11, so it took me a whopping 46 games to reach the target. That was not part of the plan.
Started off like a train, winning the first 7, which followed from winning the last 4 on Friday, so an 11 game winning streak.
At that point, the train derailed. Everything that could go wrong, did. Just when we think we have this game beaten, it bites us.
Be careful what you wish for, Part 937.
I was regged for 2 x £11ers all evening, but no joy, & then, suddenly, on my 40th game of the session, one started.
I exited the very first hand.
But wait - within minutes, another one started, yay. Game 42, that one.
And I busted on the first hand of that one, too.
Good aces both times of course - what else - but I took high variance lines both times, which I suppose was the mistake. I am generally very cautious early doors, but in both cases, the villains were known to me to have very wide ranges, so I kept pressing that jolly old pot button. Will I ever learn?
Anyway, bla bla, the net result was....
P46, W23, = 50% win rate. Lost £24.80, which is £0.54 per game. So that cancels out - with a bit to spare, Friday's excellent numbers.
What a game, eh?
Back later, to get the 170 points I need, see you guys then.
Will start early, so I finish in time to see the end of the golf. What a thing it would be if Spieth could take this down. That boy is different gravy. Nice kid, too.
Its amazing how many people say the same thing to me - NLH can get a little stale & one dimensional after a while, but PLO8 & PLO are just so much fun, & the players seem to be of a different mindset - they are there to enjoy themselves, win or lose. We almost never see "bad blood" or nasty comments in them, either.
Hopefully, might see you again tonight. Going to watch Arsenal first, not sure about Man C v Chelsea, and the golf later on, with poker in between. What a life.
Been busy this morning, with "work" jobs, PM's & e-Mails galore, but I'm done now, so it's Sunday Funday now.
From the HU hilo souls
For those wondering "what are they on about?".......
Sky Poker have now introduced a £1.05 PLO8 HU SNG. The minimum previously was £2.10.
Kaggy was of the view that a lower entry level would encourage more players to try the format.
Doubt Sky Poker will make a fortune out of them, at a shilling per pop, but a dripping tap & all that, & besides, if it helps players get a feel at low cost for PLO8, it's all good.
I'll reply one at a time, as & when time permits.
I'll ignore the "guess you were late 60's" jibe though.
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/85004/age-discrimination-ban.pdf
Here's a whopping great smiley, just in case anyone gets whooshed.
Well it's all relative.
Think of golf. Jason Day was 20 under in a major last week. 20 UNDER. Tough course, been toughened & lengthened, but he still broke the record.
Have a look at the progression of the winners score to par over the last 50 years, here....
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PGA_Championship
4 or 5 under, sometimes even 1 or two over, was the norm in the sixties.
The last 5 years? -20, -16, -10, -13, -8.
And that is despite the courses being toughened up & lengthened.
Why? Equipment, coaching, prize money, learning methods have all improved. The players, as a result, have all improved. Relative to each other though, they are the same as they used to be.
Same with poker.
It's often said that 10 years ago the game was easier. And it was. But the point that misses is that in relative terms, it was as tough then as it is now. We were ALL less skilled then. They are ALL more skilled now. But it's the same thing in relative terms. It was tough to win then, it is tough to win now. And it is SUPPOSED to be tough to win. Those who work hardest at their games will yield the best returns. It was always so.
So in some ways, no, it is not any tougher.
But wait, more follows.
Rant incoming, clear the area.......
Tougher to win these days? (contd....)
Well I'm a huge admirer of Pokerstars generally. They built a fine, fine, business there, no question about it. And what they do, many others follow.
Is it tougher to win on there these days? Yes yes yes. In fact, I'd say it is nigh on impossible for a recreational player to win long term on 'Stars. The pros are getting the lot, the recs have no chance. This is not sustainable.
Did you know that they permit 135 - ONE HUNDRED & THIRTY FIVE - different types of third party software? What chance has Mr Recreational got against that? Take a seat in any cash game & in a heartbeat, the table will fill with regulars who know exactly what you do, how you do it, everything.
I'm dead against it. And I believe, eventually, 'Stars will realise that, & curb many, if not all, of those artificial aids. And all the others will insta follow.
Meanwhile, all the other sites are suddenly waking up to the fact that online poker exists because of the recreationals, the small ball players. That's the base of the pyramid upon which online poker is founded. Money feeds UP, not down or across. Destroy the recreationals & you destroy poker.
Sky Poker got a bit of flak in the past because they did not allow any of these third party aids. But it has been established beyond doubt, that traffic would significantly reduce here if they were permitted. And that is one reason why globally, online poker has seen a 14% decline in the last 12 months, whilst Sky Poker is on the other side of the graph, with much improved y-o-y numbers. For the time of year, the numbers have never been better.
And Sky Poker don't do that because they are nice people. They do it because they want their Business to grow. And it is.
More on that when we get to "will online poker fizzle out?".
I played snooker 7 nights a week, then my eyes went. I was never much good, mind.
Golf was next, I was playing 4 or 5 rounds per week. I was just so bad though, no hand-eye-ball co-ordination at all. I adored golf - fresh air, companionship with your playing partners - you get to chat a lot in a 4 or 5 hour round. Beautiful scenery, wildlife, loved golf to bits. And best of all, great store in etiquette, spirit of the rules, good manners & dressing properly. I would start again today if I could, but I simply can't hit the ball cleanly. Utterly hopeless. The only 2 things I don't miss about golf are....
1) The men's locker room, especially on Seniors day. A dozen old blokes walking about nude with their shrivelled willies is not the most edifying of sights.
2) It's almost compulsory to go into the Lounge after a round & have a pot of tea & chat. And just as we have aftertimers & people droning on with flop stories in poker, in golf we had those sorts who wanted to tell us every chuffing stroke they played. If I said I hit a great tee shot at the 8th, Mr Drone would tell us he hit a better one. Yikes, I used to dread that part.
Poker?
I've loved it. Travelled a great deal, met some wonderful people, & have great memories. Mostly though, meeting some great people who have become very good friends. Scores, maybe hundreds of them. And I'll see a good number of them this week at UKPC, which is wonderful. An enemy or two, too, but that's OK, such is life. Again, not much good at it these days, but good enough to enjoy the game immensely - or most parts of it.
This might sound a bit chirpy, but it's my Diary, so too bad. I was able, via APAT, initially with Des & Tighty, latterly with Leigh Wiltshere, to really do something for poker, for the little guys. Hard to recall, but back in 2006 when we started it, recreationals were treated shockingly in live poker. For £10 or £20, we got 1,000 chips & a 15 minute clock, for £100 we got the same. For £1,000, we got a proper structure. Why were the small guys discriminated against so? We - APAT - changed all that. And I'm extremely proud of that. I should add that Des, Tighty & Leigh did far more than I ever did, I just swanned around doing the cooey-wooey & impressing folk with my dress sense. But I gave up - literally - well over a hundred days at weekends (unpaid) for the cause. Worth it though.
Along with many others - dozens of us - I helped Rob Yong, in the teeth of huge opposition from other local casinos, get his licence for DTD. Rob & I are very close, & for all his foibles & funny ways, I respect him immensely. I think its mutual, too. DTD have done so much for Live Poker its almost unbelievable.
The fact that DTD dropped all other third party partners (except of course their in-house partner in Party) is no coincidence. We are very close. It may not continue, it depends what happens to Party. I still feel, in an odd way, that UKPC is my baby. But nothing will stop Rob & I being as close as we are. And Rob has done as much as APAT has for the small guys, with great structures available from £25.
If I survive another 6 weeks, (Sky Bet go 4/5 both) I'll have been with Sky Poker 9 years, too. That's been immensely satisfying, sometimes very challenging, but overall, a significant part of my life's journey.
I could have done any number of other things (equally badly). Fishing appeals, reading books is another addiction, maybe write a book, but on balance, no, no regrets.
I do think many others could & should do more for poker though, especially the Pros. Give up an evening once a month & go down the local & play the tenner rebuy. Would make a world of difference.
As many know, during a previous UKPC, MAXALLY asked Sam Trickett - SAM TRICKETT - if he would join in with a £10 SNG after Sam had busted a £1,000 event. Sam never hesitated. THAT is what Pros should be doing. After all, effectively, they would be feathering their own nest in the long run.
Jason Somerville is another I hugely admire. He is actually getting new players to take up the game. How good is that?
Anyway, I've rambled too much. Onto the next question.
It won't see the glory days of 2005 to 2008 again, but it will remain viable.
Consolidation is underway, & most of the little independents will disappear. Some of the larger sites will merge, & a few smaller networks will go, too. Party will end up somewhere soon, but it's unclear where at the moment. They are in play though.
Networks generally are going to continue to struggle, because the individual sites can't offer a USP. Each skin has to pay the network a % of their take, so it's less profitable.
Online poker globally is down around 14% in the last year I believe. The biggest network is down far more than that.
'Stars recent results suggested their poker traffic is increasing, & several sites have shown they can buck the trend if they do the right things.
Eventually, Online Poker will be regulated & available again in the USA, too. That will make a big difference. Some of the emerging markets will bring increased liquidity, too, mainly in Asia. Russia will get sorted, too.
I do think that the third party software nettle has to be grasped.
Also, matters such as the Hastings affair don't reflect well on the industry. He told his mates, including several 'Stars Pros, but Billy No Mates was never told, so he got stitched up like a kipper. I've not kept up with the story, it depresses me to follow it, but the last I heard, nothing had been done about those involved. If they have all been allowed to continue, that's just bang wrong. Hopefully, the matter has now been properly addressed.
Overall, no, Online Poker will be around for a good while yet. Poker's too good to disappear.
I have to add, these are all my own personal views, & may not be the views of Sky Poker.
Many of the sites were badly run though. Those have slowly disappeared.
Some sites were, at the time - excellent. In 2004 & 2005, I played a great deal on Ladbrokes, as did most of us in Europe. Something went terribly wrong there though, as all Industry followers know. I'd be surprised if their traffic is 10% of what it used to be.
Now & then, I see posts by dreamers suggesting a rake free model is possible. Really? Not possible. Who pays for the overlay, the running costs, the fraud & CC guys, the credit card recharges, the up-front investment, staff costs, the cost of Licencing & Compliance?
Mansion, when it started, was incred. They ran a $100,000 Guaranteed EVERY day, & it never made more than $50,000 from entries, & half of those were freebies. Lovely bit of software that was, too. Big - HUGE - company though, so they could afford it. They are still around. No idea how they are doing though. They'll survive, no worries there, they are multi-media.
Marc Goodwin - "Mr Cool" had, maybe, the best deal any pro ever had, relative to ability. Several hundred thousand dollars of buy-ins every year, they paid for him to travel to & from events on a private jet, & he only stayed in 5 star hotels.
Not everyone liked Marc, but I've always got on well with him, he treated me very kindly, & we shared some great experiences, especially during & straight after that big thing in Monte Carlo, the one where Ivey & Paul Jackson played that amazing hand. Marc collected about a quarter of a milly.
Marc treated Jen Mason & I to a helicopter trip back to Nice Airport, to save that 45 minute drive. Never been so scared in my life, whilst Miss Mason was sat there squealing with delight.
There you go, questions ramblingly answered.
Next up, UKPC, starting tomorrow, so I'll be up there until Sunday. Excited, nervous, worried, everything.
See you there.
Thanks guys.
With hindsight, it sounds like I'm putting the world to rights, but blame Jac, its his fault, he did ask.