It's finally here folks.



Jumped into a FREEZING cold swimming pool this morning on a dare, which got the blood pumping and the grey matter jumping around upstairs. Hot shower to follow and off to the Wynn to kick off at noon.

My first table isn't saying much yet and I'm not catching anything. With one hour levels and 25k starting chips there's loads of time to settle in and see the lie of the land. Early skirmishes but basically waiting for someone to step on a land-mine is often the best option.



On the neighbouring table, Doug Lee just tripled up, when he flopped a straight with 52, and one guy with 2 pair and another with just AA decided he'd look better with a 75k stack than a 25k one. Must be nice to be Dougie.

Just won a few small ones and 25 now looks like about 26500. Perfect at this stage.

Currently 106 players for day 1b. I'm up to 28k with no stresses. Hopefully dug in for the day. Liking the table so far.

20 minutes into level 2 and cruising along nicely.

Bounced back down to starting stack nearing the end of level 2. All friendly stuff but so far the general concensus seems to be whenever someone else raises everyone folds, whenever I raise we see a flop 6 or 7 handed. Lovely.

First break and I've dropped just below starting stack. 112/123 at present. Coming back at 100/200.

Of course there is a desire in these things to get a big stack early, and just steamroller the table, as I'm sure Doug is now doing next door with his 80k. Observing my table a lot of people would see a flop for 700 or 200 with the same hand, it makes no difference to them what the bet is. This pushes me toward simply seeing cheaper flops and getting value post flop, instead of raise/missing raise/missing repeatedly.

Off again and now up to 128 players.

Back up to starting stack again with nothing major to report, which may not make for the most exciting reading. However I'm sure most people would rather this than "I had QQ, I'm out".

Worst news of the day so far.... They just moved me to another table. Something I hate when I've played a few hours and basically have the measure of everyone there. Jeff Madsen had just moved in but that aside I pretty much had most of the others sized up. This new line up looks both more aggressive and more difficult to deal with.

Midway through level 4 and still on approx 25k. One bright young spark on my table just 5 bet shoved AQ off preflop and KK decided to give him a spin. I'm sure he's an online superstar.

I'm not really a fan of all this super heavy early action against kids who seem to have a diet of maths and testosterone, but having said that I've no qualms at all about kicking shit with the drones if it comes down to it.

As a result I'm now back up to about 28k.

Registration is still open, and currently 127/154 remain.

Sigh. Last hand of the level just lost a 10k pot vs a button raiser with A2s when my AK flopped king high and he made a flush. Disappointing stuff but could just as easily have been a 25k pot I guess. Off for a walk and some sun during the break.



The walk was good for the constitution. Not THE constitution obviously, but just my own. Win the first hand on my rerun when AQ beat A4 for a change, back to 25k at the 150/300/25 level.



Barry Shulman gets moved to the table, and gets an immediate double up with aces. Living the dream...

Getting a tad frustrated right now. Continually getting 3-bet. 17k. Breathe.

Yahtzee. 32,000. My AA beat Barry Shulmans 1010 in a slightly uncomfortable pot where I banged it all the way and it ended up being good. More good news is the table broke, moved again. 108/158.

27k. New table still pretty aggressive, missed quite a few flops.

Level 6, 50/200/400 and my table broke yet again. I'm going to need to cash in this just to pay for the shoe leather I'm using. 25k again with 3 very big stacks on my right. Can't seem to get any momentum going today, but still ok.

My new table is pretty nuts. One guy must've had about 100k. He now has about 20k after losing two ugly pots, one where his opponent wasn't folding aces on just about the scariest flop imaginable. Gotta love tournament poker.

Dinner break in 11 mins, we're down to 99 players from 158 starters.



Now on break til 8pm. I'm on 23k. Not ideal but still in.



Quick note whilst I'm waiting for my food. As always the Wynn run great events. I see a lot of the same faces playing in them, some of them are clearly tournament regulars. Maybe it's just the changing face of poker where I'm seeing (even in a main event) some guys simply determined to go broke with a pair, or top pair with a good kicker. Not shoving short and getting called mind, calling all in with a huge stack, often drawing dead. I guess it must be good for the game and certainly good for the poker economy but I still don't see myself ever just shrugging and calling off trying to invent a hand that I might be beating. Maybe that's why I don't have lots of chips, but likewise that's maybe why they're out, and I'm not. Meh.

Now back from the break. I've so far been moved tables FIVE times in seven levels, making it very difficult to get a bead on anything. Just dropped down to 19k when AK missed everything despite me trying to take it away pre and on the flop.

The standard open at 50/250/500 seems to be 1100-1400, getting popped or re popped every hand so I've just bolted down for a while.

Of all the tables I've been on today, I'd say his one is certainly the most measured and least likely for players to spew off chips. Pretty much everyone can play, so I'm biding my time and likely falling back on the old tried and trusted system of having the best hand and having it hold up.

Since the aces about 4 hours ago, I've basically been for looking down at unsuited 6 gapped dogshit. This as you might surmise, can be a tad frustrating, when the whole table is making plays and dancing all around, and you can't even see a flop for the most part. I've been here many times of course, I just remember that it's how you finish these things,not how you start them that counts.

Now on level 8, 75/300/600, and still looking at J5,K2,83 etc. not great and I've dribbled right down to about 13k. Not necessarily do or die time, but I certainly don't plan on being anted away to matchsticks.

This is the situation. I'm certainly not having a great afternoon/evening. Now over half the field is gone, we're on 76/158, but I'm quite simply bleeding to death. There are a few serial raisers, so I'll say now if I exit the event the hand might not be a stellar one, but I'll certainly be the one getting it in first.

Huzzah. Found a gambling hand. Well, KK, but the way I've run all day it felt like gambling. 33 gave me a spin and the unthinkable didn't happen. Back up to a better 19k.

Just reached the next break and a colour up. 17k.

Now 66 players left at 100/400/800. A bit more breathing room with my 19k after winning the opening hand upon return. Still far from ideal obviously, but I'll take being in the pack and ok over being on fumes and waiting to get called light any day.

Now 62 players left and I've played 2 pots and dropped to 14k again. Michael Sinclair busted on my table QQ vs KK, and he's been replaced by yet another big stack, who seems to be playing every hand for a raise.

This won't do. Although I'm not in the danger zone yet I'm not going to be continually spending 2-2500 seeing flops and folding. We'll likely play for all the marbles again and just have a real hand. If I was on 40 or 50k I'd have the luxury of peeling a few flops, but the day has basically been AA once,KK once, AK once, and a smattering of baby pairs. Not ideal for 11 hours of tournament poker. If I get out the blocks with a stack of course, then the cards are to a degree irrelevant, but without the chips I'm stuck playing the poker I don't enjoy.

Just decided enough was enough. The pot had some chips already in and a pretty aggressive kid made it 2800 with one caller. I jammed about 9500 with 77. Everyone folds to him and he tanks. I'm pretty sure he's super light. I talk to him a bit and he finally calls with the monster that is K10s. The board runs out, and on the turn I have to fade a king, a ten or a queen.



River is a six and I'm back to 27k.

Just about to start the last level of the day, which is 100/500/1000. We're on 58 players and I'm on 26k.

30 mins until the end of a day I'll be glad to see the back of. 54 players left and I'm holding my own on 27k.

These boys certainly aren't afraid to get it in. Whatever that means I don't know...



3 way pot, AQ, AK and 1010 manage to get 60k in preflop at 100/500/1000. The AQ is allin and the others both call.



3 rags flop and the AK jams and the 1010 calls. Immediate ace on the turn and he triples up. The stuff of dreams, or nightmares depending on your viewpoint.

They just paused the clock, and all tables are playing a total of 4 more hands before we stop for the day. This is often a good spot to either get chips or spiral out horribly after 12 hours play.



I avoided the avoidable.



We've ended the day on 1/3 of the average but I don't care. It was a real slog from start to finish with about 6 good hands in 12.5 hours and I'm through. Off home to sleep. Restart at noon today in 11.5 hours.

The video pretty much says it all. And with such a lovely English accent too.



I eventually played no poker at all today, which I'm fine with. Drove into the strip to see a few people, and buy in for tomorrow, to avoid any lines in the morning. Met up with a pal for a very nice meal at the Italian restaurant high up at the Palms, overlooking Las Vegas at night (even nicer as dinner was comped-somehow food always tastes a lot better that way), then we went to the cinema downstairs to see Keanus new film John Wick. Didn't know much about it, but I always like to give a Keanu Reeves film the benefit of the doubt for some reason, I've heard he's a good guy with a troubled past, so for whatever that means, I'm more inclined to see his film. Anyway, it was a bit far fetched, stick your brain in a jar at the door and collect it on the way out kind of action, but was good enough to kill a few hours and certainly no regrets. The bad guys in the film were Ruskis AGAIN. My wife will not be impressed at all at her comrades being the villains once more in film. It's their fault for having such a Machiavellian accent I guess.



Home pretty early, before 11, so chill at the house, up in the morning and some exercise methinks, bit of grub, few errands, then drive to the office to park up at table 9 seat 8 before noon. Let the games begin.

Off and running at noon today. Currently 147 players, and one guy on my left has already busted out with his crappy two pair on level one. Crash helmets at dawn it is then.

Sal de Carlo and a couple of other familiar faces at my opening table. 2 orbits and there are no obvious weak spots. Plod time.

Sal is a good player anyway and to make matters worse he just got the full double up with aces allin preflop. QQ wasn't folding, ever. Nice on level one.

I'd like to be more active today. Obviously it's table and situation dependant.

Yesterday my only moment of doubt was the 1010,99,88 hand where I was 50/50 on shipping it in preflop or just calling and opted to call. A lot of modern players would say that calling 25% of your stack is just horrible, but then 90% of these guys haven't won 20% of the money I have in live events, and at the time to me calling just felt right given the table and it being a 3 handed pot. Shipping was also an option, I just didn't take it. I felt even losing that pot I had scope with a few spots at the table to get the chips back again. I guess fate had other ideas.

Level 2 and I'm still on start stack of 12k. No need to spazz out yet, plenty of other to do that for me.

Sigh. Been a while on this trip since I've had AA shredded. The guy with 33 knew he was going to make a backdoor straight with me betting the whole way. 7k.

Stole one and rallied a bit, then lost it again with AK.

Now on level 3 at 100/200. 213 entrants and they're still coming in.

Just lost 2k when I turned a flush and an old fossil reg who pretty much plays his cards face up made a bigger one when the 4th diamond rivered. Could have lost more. Now on half my start stack. Certainly not getting blinded down to nothing today.

Today's is starting to feel like the bad old days again.

Just raised with A2 and got two callers. I flop the wheel and bet out, one caller. Turn is the absolute worst card in the world for my hand, putting 4 to a straight in the board and me just with the low end. I get moved in. A lot of people will just sigh and go broke. I'm now on 3500, not living the dream.

Out, last hand before the first break. People are getting up and leaving. I jam a double gutter on the turn and my opponent had turned 2 pair. No miracles, It felt like today simply wasn't my day. Not going to cry about it.

Here we are then for flight 1b of the Classic $400 event. 90 players so far, but with three start days and a $100k guarantee I'm pretty sure it's going to fill up steadily. My opening table isn't very talkative yet, but we'll see how that unfolds once we loosen them up a bit.

I still maintain that the gap between the way I see tournament poker, and the way a lot of other people see it is simply stratospheric. That isn't to say that I'm amazing and everyone else isn't, it's just to say that we view hand values and situations totally differently.

So far on this table with a 12k starting stack in level one I've seen:

AK go broke for his 12k on an ace high flop to an obvious set. Well, it was obvious to me anyway.

KK vs QQ get it all in on another rag flop. Fine they have big hands but they both also have 120 big blinds. I guess I'm just old fashioned and I still don't see how the KK getting this all in on the flop whilst sighing "ok, show me your aces" to his opponent is just a standard thing. To me it isn't but to most people they'd rather get the bad news, shred a buy in and just leave with a story thinking they were unlucky. I just don't subscribe to most peoples view on this stuff. But you already know that don't you? :o)

One guy on my table has literally been gifted a TON of chips so far. He must be on 60k when average is 12,300. The last hand he had JJ on a 467 two spade flop. There's a 3 way all in on the flop so I'm looking for sets and monster combo draws.they roll over:

JJ one spade

10 8 offsuit

As2s



Miraculously the JJ holds and the others are left re-entering feeling hard done by.

Clearly there are only so many pictures of chip stacks, card rooms,my ugly fizzog, and chameleon giraffes that you can post in order to make these updates mildly amusing. I do my best of course.

Now 127 players and I've swashbuckled my stack up to around 16k and got a few people talking. Average is 13,400.

Bit of a wobble. Back to starting stack after 2 or 3 nice starting hands airballed on flops multi way. Not overly fussed, just have to be selective when dancing about as I don't want to be well below the average this early, but also want to see flops to bust the guys who seriously overplay one pair or a shitty draw.

I've flopped 2 massive combo draws (up and down straight flush kinda stuff) and lost both. Down to 7k. I've played them kind of passive, and looking back in one case the guy with a scabby Q10 was certainly going to go broke if I got there anyway. I missed both times and now am on the back foot. Antes have just kicked in so more chances to steal, but I'd rather have more chips to swing with. There are still a few good spots here, but my stack means I might need a slice of luck also.

Little to say on level 5. I've ran my stack back to 10k and the average is 18k. Plenty of decent spots on the table still. The 60k guy lost a couple of ugly hands and is now spewing a little and has lost about half of it.

The big stack just lost another hand with KK vs 2 overs and the nut flush draw when the draw got there. He lost another 12k or so. It always amuses me to see how peoples persona changes when they run bad or are losing. He was pleasant enough with a huge stack, and when he lost the KK hand he then several times announced to the table how he was surrounded by donkeys, to the point where the dealer had to warn him about his conduct and rudeness. I mess about with people sure, but pretty much insulting someone directly at the table is most certainly not a cool thing to do. Poker really can do some strange things to people.

They just announced so far on the combined two day ones there are 306 entrants, with one more start day still to go.

Bleeding to death drop by drop. This is a pretty great table to be getting chips on, I just have no breathing room. I am confident I can get busy if I get enough chips to get going, but right now I'm just utterly card dead and waiting for a hint of something to work with.

I actually just doubled up when I raised against a good spot who was the big blind, and got called by another guy who I have pegged as value. I had 10 9 offsuit, and jammed my last 3200 on an 8J3 two club flop. The other guy called my shove which I'm not loving, and then tables.....



K9 of spades!



I river the straight, but he's talking to his neighbours and the table about how he's sick of getting outdrawn every hand, and that he was really unlucky. People are looking at him a bit warily. I think it's pretty obvious that he'd actually misread his hand at the start and had unknowingly called with King high being good thinking he had a flush draw or something. I just stacked up and said nothing much.



Break time and I'm on about 9k. Average is 24k. Now 81/165 left. Still liking my table, but I have to ride out the dead spell. 50/250/500 next so it may be do or die time.

77 left. I lost 55 vs KK and still keeping it tight. If I had 30k instead of 7k I really feel I'd be making it rain on this table.



The original big stack just lost another pot 77<55 to the guy who can't read his own hands, and who threw in a 5k by accident, and decided he had to get the other 20k in preflop as well, then spiked a five. He now has a huge stack, and the initial table chip leader is chopped right back down to 11k. Looking like a plate of over-steamed broccoli and not at all happy with life. Karma perhaps for the rudeness. Who knows.



I've ground like a bastard and stolen at the right times (mostly). I'm back up to 12k and finding a new gear.

The atmosphere on this table is kind of weird. The guys at my end are all just plodding and playing their hands, joking and bullshitting along with my routine and are generally nice. A few at the other end are pretty sullen and a few nasty personal remarks and F-bombs have been dropped when one or another has lost a pot. It's something you sometimes get in poker, but it's pretty ugly to watch, when grown up men and women act like babies, and always believe themselves to be in the right.



68/165. 12k for me.

The guy who can't read hands just utterly destroyed the former chip leader and also one of the nice guys at my end, when they played a pot with 88 and 44 and he decided to gamble 12k with A5 offsuit preflop. He made trip aces and we now have 2 empty seats at the 25 chip colour up.

Life.



Finally found KK and shipped my short stack. 2 callers, and 2 aces on the flop.



By a small miracle, KK ends up being good. Back to 20k. 48 Players left on level 9. A double up would still be ideal and there's at least 3 spots who'd provide it, but it's still the waiting game.

I just played two red queens very cute in a 3-way pot. A king flopped and a woman I know to be pretty tight/solid has now shoved 30k in on the flop. Her opponent eventually folds AK face up. Could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure me losing 2300 preflop was a bargain.



Down to 17k coming up on the dinner break. Under half the average.

We've hit the dinner break. By willpower alone almost I'm on nearly 20k. Back in 75 mins.

Back from break and I immediately lose AJ vs 98 on a 998J3 board. I kept it fairly tight. Next hand I was in the bb and the button raised me and then the sb called. Neither of them looked comfortable so I decided that 17k was a good number to ship on them with 74 offsuit. They both looked unhappy about this, then went away. I added about 7k to my stack. Timing is everything.

By my estimates, I have just under a 15 bb stack. The big stack next to me is on fire with KK, AK, pocket pairs. He keeps busting guys and is likely on about 120k.

I guess sometimes I can just be too clever for my own good.

I called off 25% of my chips with 10 10, in a 3 way pot which flopped King high. They both took off on every street and I folded the flop. They finally tabled 99 and 88 in a 50k pot. Down to 10 bigs.

Just like that. All over. New big stacks get moved over to the table. I have a 9bb shoving stack and blind on blind I lose a flip QJ vs 88. Out in 34th after 9 hours.



I must say I'm disappointed. My card sense generally felt pretty good but I couldn't get busy enough to generate a big stack. Players were nice guys but some were pretty bad. I think maybe I just gave them too much credit at times but there it is.



Bought in for 1c. Going home to rest up and stay positive.

Not exactly. A semi I suppose. I'm not playing my next Wynn event til tomorrow ($400 1b) so I've slipped into the Venetian daily on my dime just to keep my hand in and stay busy. Even if this went all the way I'd be done by around 8pm. No need for updates really except for the mildly curious, but I'll plug a few notes in anyway as I like to waffle.

Ok start and only 75 players total at present. My 12k is up to 19k and I'm working the table with my inimitable brand of bullshit. Generally loosening everyone up a bit.

Beware of people who have a lot of small denomination chips. They're normally stealing more than their fair share of pots.

Made it to the next break and just spending a few minutes out on the now familiar Venetian steps, enjoying some October sunshine, and watching people take overpriced gondola rides. They're happy enough so I guess Venice in a bottle works for them. I once remember one of the Italian gondoliers telling me how he was actually born in Brooklyn but was good with accents.

My table's been pretty abc but also fairly aggressive with some big pots being played with just basic starting hands. People are talking and I'm getting a few laughs, allowing me to grab the odd emergency big blind when no-one realises it.

Now 25/85 left and coming up on the 200/800/1600 level with about 10k below the 40k average.

I've taken a few hits with decent hands and have dropped to 20k. The average is 51k on level 10 but I've still enough chips to do meaningful damage. I've just been moved tables for the 3rd time today so a new bunch to fathom out and extricate chips from.

20 left and 9 get paid.

Colouring up the 100s, and I'm still bobbing and weaving with 42,000. 17 left.

I guess I should have laid by the pool.



My strike rate is fine, but my run good is fading a bit. Just busted in 11th 2 off the money with A5 vs A8. The flop came A33, we got it in and I couldn't even fashion a chop when it ran out turn 4 river 7. Ho hum. Was a fun table, players were entertaining and competent enough, just came down to the key hand I couldn't win.

Off to the Wynn to buy in for tomorrow's 1b in the $400 Classic, then rest it up.

Feeling good with my game, looking forward to tomorrow already.

Giddy up.

Currently 103 players and we've lost 10 on level one today. Not coming in as late as yesterday of course, so things are more steady, but still seeing the lemmings do their thing. One guy on another table just dusted off his stack with AK and came over to tell his buddy how unlucky he was to bust out 2 hands into the day. I wonder sometimes, I truly do.

A bit of early larceny with Q4s makes me a flush and I'm up to 14k. Now 109/124 left.

Down to 10 again when JJ couldn't beat 73 and QQ on a Q77 flop. Lost the minimum and the 73 was telling his pal he was unlucky because he flopped a set (he didn't).

Won a race and back up to 15k

I love the Wynn. It's a great room run by a great team. Joe, Gary and the guys and girls run these events REALLY well. If I really had to complain about something, and I'd try to do it in a nice way, it'd be about the quality of some of the newer dealing staff.

I fully understand that everyone has to start somewhere when learning their trade, but some of them are clearly out of their depth or don't really care about doing the best job they can. It can be a stressful job granted, but sometimes I wonder how some people make it through an audition.

This might sound harsh, and I'm NOT talking about the regular or established ones, of which there are many in the room. Maybe these ones are temps. Maybe they're fresh into dealing, but it shouldn't cost the players in an event where money is involved, and indirectly sometimes, it does.

The girl I've just had on my table hardly spoke. Just sat and smiled looking a little lost and out of her depth. Every time there was a raise she wasn't even looking, so she didn' t announce anything. She didn't collect the 25 antes in order, so kept confusing herself when someone hadn't posted. When we helped her by getting the exact amount for her she glazed over and looked even more confused than before. A player got up and folded out of turn and just walked off, she said nothing at all to him on his return. In fact I'm pretty sure she has no idea he's done anything wrong even. She dealt at a snails pace, and then when my AQ just lost to KQ, she pushed the pot to me, instead of to the winner.

I don't want all this to sound like sour grapes. It isn't and most dealers know me as someone who tries to always make their job easier, not harder. There are enough dicks in the poker room so I make an effort to not be one more of them to the staff or other players. Having said that, no limit tournaments are literally the easiest thing on earth to deal, even for a competent beginner, so I get pretty irked when they make something so easy into something so difficult. That's my 10 cents, or 30 dollars if we're paying by the word.

Anyway. I've said my piece (and wrote this during the break).



After all that typing my AQ<KQ hand has shredded me down to 3k.spin up or use the 2nd bullet in the next 45 minutes.

Went down to 2200 and played a pot versus the KQ villain. 7c5c couldn't crack his AJ so bullet no 2 it is on a new table.

99/153 left at present, coming on level 6. I just got reshoved on first hand on my new table as a welcome, so I shall start on 8k instead of 10k. Lovely.

Short and sweet. Wasn't to be on my new table. I dropped to 6500 at 300/600 and found what I felt was a good jam spot versus a raise and 2 calls. My 1010 ended up being called by AJ offsuit and he flopped a jack. I've only accounted for one extra bullet and even if I hadn't I'd think re-entry at this point after spending $200 would be pretty stupid. That's not to say some people wouldn't do it anyway, I'm just not one if them.

Thought I'd start afresh on a new page even though I haven't left the building. It is a new event after all.

This one looks like it'll be played fast, at least in the early stages. It's a one day event, I start with 10k and we're already on 100/400/800. Bodies everywhere already. Seems like a shove fest but we can cope with that.

Fast and furious indeed.

I just doubled up with KK. Wrong tournament!

This event has 170 players and they are already down to 80. Buckle up.

This event is certainly crash bang wallop.

72 left and it's shove city. I just lost 4k with QQ when I was probably supposed to lose all of it. Still in the hunt.

Now 63/170 left. It's any two cards and let's shove according to most people.I'm probably back to starting stack.

Still a bloodbath. 52 left and I'm on 13k. Average is 33k. That's what happens when you turn up late.

41 left and 18 get paid. I haven't got a stack to work with (sound familiar?) so it's down to hands.

I found a hand and decided I had to gamble. Aces. 3 way action. This is the result:

24k now at 300/1000/2000. 32 left.



Now down to 28 so only 10 off the money. My stack won't get me there so here we go again.

I just shoved blind and quite literally talked everyone into folding for next to no chips. I amaze myself sometimes.

6 off the money. Heeeeeelp!!!!!

The table novice just got KK in vs QQ and lost a 100k pot when a queen rivered, leaving him with about 15k. He's throwing up in his seat. The next hand when I get KK and he's clearly tilting his lid off I shove like, 6k and he folds his big blind at 1200/2400. I guess he had a read on me.

I run it up to 13k and find JJ and run into KK. No miracles. Bust 3 off the money in 21st. Good game, good luck everyone, etc. what else is there to say.



Happy with how I'm playing, but need more early chips to open up the gears. Bought in for tomorrow's $200 already, so rest of the day off.

A good sleep and a bike ride round the lake this morning, and I'm back today for day 2. I've lost a small early pot with 33 vs 44 when we both made a flush, and I'm currently sitting on 75k.

We have 45 players left and are currently 5 off the money. Min-cash is almost $1200, and first is $44,000. I actually never look at prize money (really I don't), but for the benefit of stakers I'm doing it today.

Average chips is 127k.

My second event on my calendar is also running today in the room. I'm not going to multi-table as I did in the Venetian a few years back (I was actually playing 3 events at once, one final, the deepstack and finishing a $500 sat. I won the sat, won the final and bubbled the daily!). All my focus is on this event, but if I bust and reg is still open for the other event then I'll jump into it.

We're now on 41 and on the bubble. Doug Lee just lost a huge pot with 88 when he ran it into KK. My table is pretty aggro, but I'd rather make the money first and then open up a bit. I don't really have the chips at the moment to make moves.

Having said that, I want to make the money but am never going to just roll over and be blinded down to matchsticks. I just shipped my whole stack with AK. Nobody wanted to play. 75k again.

Ker-Ching. We're in the money. All the stakers can retire happily, knowing we're whacking up $1200. Everyone can buy a keychain or something. Let's try to aim a little higher.

Higher we go. 34 players left and bumped up to $1400 on the pay scale. My table broke and now on a new table with Alan Cunningham and a few faces I've played with before. I'm on 50k now so can't sit idle forever, but I'm still chugging, looking for a decent spot.



Now on 8 bigs and looking for a hand I like. No complaints really, I've just had no cards this afternoon, and no chips with which to manoevre. Just the way it goes. Watch this space.

Made the break. My stack isn't impressive, but I'm feeling ok. Lap of the gods, back in 15 minutes with a strong right arm.

I just called for my tournament life with A9 in the big blind. He tabled J6 offsuit and I flopped an ace. No horrors and I'm back to a still low but healthier 50k.

Cunningham just busted with AQ vs AK. 27 left and another pay bump to $1596. We have a full redraw.

And I'm out in 26/374 players for $1596. I got moved to a new table and ran AQs into QQ. No ace for the Englishman and that's that. Pretty card dead and would've liked to get further but with my stack that was the hand that was going to decide it. Thanks for the sweat and messages.



I've jumped into my next event, which is the $200 Classic. With 10k chips and me coming in at 75/300/600 it doesn't allow for tons of creativity, and if I bust I likely wouldn't fire the second shell just for the sake of it. We'll see.

Following the advice of those in the know after a chat, coupled with the fact that I'm slightly tired, and that I've also left the giraffe at the house when leaving today, the updates may be a bit shorter and sweeter than they have been in the past. I'm pretty sure they have nothing whatsoever to do with my results, but let's see if we waffle less and focus more what happens. It certainly can't hurt to try,and see how it goes, despite all the love for my rapier-like witty prose.



Not sure how well that plan is going to go based on the length of my opening paragraph.

Rivered a straight, he rivered a flush. 15k to 13k. Pot control and all that.

VERY talkative first table. Generally good humoured but most of the chat is just Pez-dispenser snippets on what poker is all about, so I'm kind of focused and just in my shell, and the quiet guy at the table for a change.

Won the last hand before the break, back to 16k but still keeping it holstered for the time being.

Halfway into level 4 and I'm on 16k still. Everyone's nice enough and there've been no car-crashes. One guy's had aces 3 times and got action and won them all. Must be nice. No ones doing anything silly so it looks like dig in for a war of atricion at this stage. All good.



Just flopped quad jacks and won a decent pot. If only it were always this easy. Up to around 20k.



The screen says 198 entrants today, and I believe 167 yesterday for the first flight.

Don't worry, I'm not playing the drunken monkey with White Russians. My drink of choice is Baileys & milk (masculine huh?), where you'd feel sick and throw up way before you get intoxicated. Having said that I have used the fact it looks a lot stronger than it is to give off an image at the table and it often can get action one wouldn't normally get in normal circumstances. At this table it'd be wasted right now so it's just nuts and bolts.

We're now on break and my entire table has been moved from the poker room in the Wynn over to the main Encore tournament area. Brighter and airier and generally nicer, not that there is anything wrong with the Wynn room, I love it. I'm now on 24k with average around 24,600. Feeling fine.

My table just broke. Been moved onto a table literally crammed with unspeaking robotic internet droids all sporting headphones, multiple devices and no facial muscles that enable smiling. Quiet as the grave. I hate tables like this but when it's 9 vs 1 even I'm going to struggle. I know of course that adapting to situations is part of the territory, so I guess my iPod is my friend for the time being.

The droids have got me right back down to 20k at the 300/600/75 level. We're down to 99 players from the final days number if 207, and it's about one hour to the dinner break. We didn't need to fire the extra shell in this opening event, which means whatever happens on the rest of the trip, there's over $600 in the kitty to get refunded to the stakers. Feels like a win already.

Boom. Average is 34k and I'm up to around 37k after I flopped a low set and one pair went berserk on me. He was drawing semi-dead to runner runner when it all went in which is rare for me, but I'll take the chips, and keep on cruising.

The unthinkable has happened.

A couple of stoic droids busted, a couple of more animated replacements arrived, I couldn't keep a lid on the chat for ever, and now generally the whole table is jovial and having a good time. Go figure.Level 9 and I'm on 34k. 81 players left.

Dinner break til 8pm. Nothing to report. 30k. Off to Red 8 for some steamed sea bass with ginger & spring onion, and a Del-Boy cocktail. Back in a bit.

Back from dinner and a few early steals get me up to 35k again. Average is now at 51k but I'm not overly concerned. A lot of folk still play AJ off like quads so I'll sit tight.

Another table break. Now 59 players left.

Bit of aggression and now up to 40k. 55 left.

Down to 44 players now and the pace has slowed a bit. I'm doing OK on 60k.

If I had a drink in my mouth earlier I'd have spat it everywhere, which is most unlike me. I just lost it in fits of laughter. One guy at the table in the 7 seat said he couldn't hear what we were saying at our end of the table as he was partially deaf, at which point the player in the one seat said very loudly to him "IS THAT YOUR REAL HAIR?"

Maybe childish but it tickled me. I'm still laughing about it 30 minutes later.

Down to 36 players at the end of level 12.

Average 86k

Me 102k

My table just broke. Again.

Final level of the night now. I'm on 90k on a very aggressive talkative table. I know about half of them, and it's pretty frisky, but I'm doing ok. Average is now about 107k at 1200/2400/400 with 29 players left.

End of day. I bagged up 98,500. Restart tomorrow at noon in the main room. Far too tired to wax lyrical right now. I'm going home to sleep. A lot. Goodnight one and all.