Sorry for the lack of blogs, ive been trying to keep it in mind to blog more but things just keep getting in the way. Will make it a goal for next month to do 10+ blogs or something.
Anyway running is great. I havnt run for about a year but because of an upcoming fitness test I have been going for lots of runs, anywhere from 2-6km. I really forgot how great it makes you feel while your going and after you finish. Its very very therapudic and lifts your mood alot, especially if your running where there is scenery. Ive got a great spot going around the lake which is never boring and a really solid run, and I have done it at least 5 times over the last week or two. Im feeling much fitter and happier. If your ever feeling a bit flat, I highly recommend getting out and going for a run to totally change your state of mind.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Monday, November 3, 2008
House buying dramas
Ok, so I bought a house (yes, another one). Its for me this time. Heres some photos.
Anyway im very excited and all that, but jeeze im having issues with what Im entitled to/what im not entitled to in the way of entitlements. Heres my post on propertyinvesting.com forums asking for advice...if anyone happens to be reading that knows anything about this id love to hear from you.
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Anyway im very excited and all that, but jeeze im having issues with what Im entitled to/what im not entitled to in the way of entitlements. Heres my post on propertyinvesting.com forums asking for advice...if anyone happens to be reading that knows anything about this id love to hear from you.
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Hi, Really need some clear advice on my current situation....
I Purchased an investment unit in NSW in 2006, and purchsed an investment property in NSW in 2007. I have never lived in either of these - they are purely IP's and I have not claimed the FHOG or any type of concessions.
I am about to exchange on my first property to live in (my first PPOR) in latham, ACT. I have lived on ADF service accomodation previously. Now my question is, am i entitled to the FHOG AND stamp duty deferral?????
I want to get the stamp duty deferral because then I can afford a 20% deposit and avoid mortgage insurance, and simply pay the stamp duty at a later date. From the people ive asked (mortgage broker, solicitor) I have not yet got a clear answer. I am confused because on the act revenue site (http://www.revenue.act.gov.au) It says this under the eligibility paragraph for the deferred duty scheme.....
To be eligible for the deferred duty scheme:
- the applicant must meet the eligibility criteria for either the relevant Home Buyer Concession Scheme, or the First Home Owner Grant; and
- the property must be priced at or below the upper property threshold under the relevant Home Buyer Concession Scheme; and
- the duty deferred must be $1,000 or greater (DI2007-248)
.
So, thats fine - I clearly meet criteria 2 and 3...So all i need to do is make sure im eligible for the FHOG right?
Here is the FHOG eligibility criteria...
A first homebuyer, who fulfils the eligibility criteria listed below.
- At least one of the applicants must be an Australian citizen or have permanent residency in Australia. A New Zealand citizen who holds a special category visa under section 32 of the Migration Act 1958 (Cwlth) is considered to be a permanent resident and thus qualifies.
- None of the applicants can have previously owned or currently hold an interest in a home anywhere in Australia.
- Applicants must occupy the home, purchased or built, as their principal place of residence for a continuous period of at least six months, beginning within 1 year of settlement or completion of construction.
- Applicants must be at least 18 years old.
So, criteria 1,3 and 4 - no problem. Now - criteria 2 uses the word "home". I havnt owned a "home", ive only owned IP's. Surely the definition is referring ONLY to a PPOR, not a "house" for other people.
So im pretty sure I am eligible for both of these, if my definitions are correct. Can anyone confirm this and put my mind at ease??
Thanks,
Rohan
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Anyway so thats the situation, the revenue office dont make ANYTHING easy. Will hopefully get all this sorted out this week and exchange on the property. Then settlement should be early dec and the property will be mine....
oh, and if you are looking for somewhere to live in canberra let me know!
Thursday, October 9, 2008
September results and October Goals
September was a pretty swingy month, didnt really get much momentum and was no where as near as good as August. Getting slightly more comfortable at 400nl and the swings that come with it, which is a good thing. I didnt play for the first week of October which delayed my goals post, but here it is.
Review of September -
Passed
Kinda Passed
Failed
25k hands of 200nl
10k hands of 400nl and finish my current staking deal
played all the hands I wanted, didnt run as good as I hoped though.
Start working on my new uni subject
yep, just finishing my assignment today.
Do my (fucking) tax return
Realised ive gotta do some other stuff before I do my return, like get some depreciation schedules done etc...didnt get around to it.
Finish watching "Mathematics of Holdem" DC Videos and rewatch some FR ones
Was lazy with watching videos and didnt finish the maths videos.
Go see my mortgage broker
Done, now all I need to do is find a suitable house in my price range.
Fitness stuff...
Go to the Gym 8 out of the next 9 days, and 3 times a week from then on.
Kept it up for most of the month, but havnt been for a week or so.
Get a new gym program (because im bored with the old one)
didnt get around to it, but ive been enjoying gym for the most part.
Make sure I eat 3 meals a day and have protein shakes
Still in the cycle of getting up late, and skipping breakfast :(
October goals
finish the september goals
- Do depreciation crap/tax return.
- finish mathematics on holdem DC videos
Play 30k hands overall, not too fussed about the limits, ill just play whatever tables are good.
Review sessions/share hands with friends/2+2
Look for houses to buy
Start using holdem manager/Idleminer
Do Video poker bonuses
Finish my second uni assignment
Go to gym regularly/pass my fitness test
Review of September -
Passed
Kinda Passed
Failed
25k hands of 200nl
10k hands of 400nl and finish my current staking deal
played all the hands I wanted, didnt run as good as I hoped though.
Start working on my new uni subject
yep, just finishing my assignment today.
Do my (fucking) tax return
Realised ive gotta do some other stuff before I do my return, like get some depreciation schedules done etc...didnt get around to it.
Finish watching "Mathematics of Holdem" DC Videos and rewatch some FR ones
Was lazy with watching videos and didnt finish the maths videos.
Go see my mortgage broker
Done, now all I need to do is find a suitable house in my price range.
Fitness stuff...
Go to the Gym 8 out of the next 9 days, and 3 times a week from then on.
Kept it up for most of the month, but havnt been for a week or so.
Get a new gym program (because im bored with the old one)
didnt get around to it, but ive been enjoying gym for the most part.
Make sure I eat 3 meals a day and have protein shakes
Still in the cycle of getting up late, and skipping breakfast :(
October goals
finish the september goals
- Do depreciation crap/tax return.
- finish mathematics on holdem DC videos
Play 30k hands overall, not too fussed about the limits, ill just play whatever tables are good.
Review sessions/share hands with friends/2+2
Look for houses to buy
Start using holdem manager/Idleminer
Do Video poker bonuses
Finish my second uni assignment
Go to gym regularly/pass my fitness test
Monday, September 22, 2008
September Progress
Weird, (yet character building?) month at the virtual tables so far. Just a week or two ago I was totally demoralised and having a horrible time. A 40,000 hand breakeven stretch starting from mid August through till a week or so ago, and just a ton of beats saw me have by far my worst run ever. Very hard to get through. Anyway in the last week or so things have totally turned around and I just finished my best session ever. Im also back in the hunt to beat last months record so fingers crossed for the next 8 days or so. Variance, and the luck in poker never ceases to amaze me about how much it can change your results.
Anyway Heres my session. $1600 from 400nl and $320 from 200nl (approx).
Anyway Heres my session. $1600 from 400nl and $320 from 200nl (approx).
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
August Results and September Goals
August was a pretty good month, ran great for 3 weeks and then had a totally brutal 20k hand breakeven/downswing for the last week. My biggest downswing ever, which included losing a incredibly painful $800 pot when I was a 96% favourite on the flop. It was totally demoralising and a very tough week. Still, it was a record month for me so I cant be too unhappy. Outside of that, ive had a cold which has sucked. Here are my August goals and how I did, and my goals for September.
Passed
Kinda Passed
Failed
Play 10,000 hands of 400nl required for staking.
About 70% of the way through, probably would have finished by now if I had not run crap, but my confidence was hurt so I thought it would be best to sit out of 400nl for a few days.
Increase confidence playing at 400nl.
Getting there, still feel like im playing slightly weak, and im afraid to lose a stack.
Play 25,000 hands of 200nl.
Easy, played about 35,000.
Go to the gym min 3 times a week.
Failed, I was on track at the start of the month but I have a cold which has seen me out of gym action for the last 10 days or so. Feel lazy and unfit, looking forward to hitting it again this month.
See my mortgage broker and start preparing to buy a house.
Kept putting it off and didnt do it.
Finish my current Uni Subject.
Handed in my last 2 assignments and got credits.
Watch more DC videos and actually pay attention.
Passed. I have been taking notes watching the "Ringside" and "Freestylin" vids which is great, I have also been watching the "Mathematics of Holdem" series which has helped my maths game alot.
September Goals
25k hands of 200nl
10k hands of 400nl and finish my current staking deal
Start working on my new uni subject
Do my (fucking) tax return
Finish watching "Mathematics of Holdem" DC Videos and rewatch some FR ones
Go see my mortgage broker
Fitness stuff...
Go to the Gym 8 out of the next 9 days, and 3 times a week from then on.
Get a new gym program (because im bored with the old one)
Make sure I eat 3 meals a day and have protein shakes
gogogogo
Passed
Kinda Passed
Failed
Play 10,000 hands of 400nl required for staking.
About 70% of the way through, probably would have finished by now if I had not run crap, but my confidence was hurt so I thought it would be best to sit out of 400nl for a few days.
Increase confidence playing at 400nl.
Getting there, still feel like im playing slightly weak, and im afraid to lose a stack.
Play 25,000 hands of 200nl.
Easy, played about 35,000.
Go to the gym min 3 times a week.
Failed, I was on track at the start of the month but I have a cold which has seen me out of gym action for the last 10 days or so. Feel lazy and unfit, looking forward to hitting it again this month.
See my mortgage broker and start preparing to buy a house.
Kept putting it off and didnt do it.
Finish my current Uni Subject.
Handed in my last 2 assignments and got credits.
Watch more DC videos and actually pay attention.
Passed. I have been taking notes watching the "Ringside" and "Freestylin" vids which is great, I have also been watching the "Mathematics of Holdem" series which has helped my maths game alot.
September Goals
25k hands of 200nl
10k hands of 400nl and finish my current staking deal
Start working on my new uni subject
Do my (fucking) tax return
Finish watching "Mathematics of Holdem" DC Videos and rewatch some FR ones
Go see my mortgage broker
Fitness stuff...
Go to the Gym 8 out of the next 9 days, and 3 times a week from then on.
Get a new gym program (because im bored with the old one)
Make sure I eat 3 meals a day and have protein shakes
gogogogo
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Official biggest pot ever won
Not much to write about lately, im about halfway through my current staking deal and its all going well so far. Here is a hand i just played, im pretty sure its the biggest ive ever won.
Seat 1: Mr.Skuda ($977.80 in chips) | |
| Seat 2: mylo1 ($974 in chips) | |
| Seat 3: 00oasis00 ($731.40 in chips) | |
| Seat 4: debbadegurkn ($381.45 in chips) | |
| Seat 5: callu2see ($329 in chips) | |
| Seat 6: goravensgo ($539.50 in chips) | |
| Seat 7: Faldy ($410.50 in chips) | |
| Seat 8: RaiderDuck ($589.50 in chips) | |
| Seat 9: freds129 ($394 in chips) | |
| Seat 10: Andy1718 ($390 in chips) | |
 | |
| |
| |
| ANTES/BLINDS mylo1 posts blind ($2), 00oasis00 posts blind ($4). PRE-FLOP debbadegurkn bets $12, callu2see folds, goravensgo folds, Faldy folds, RaiderDuck bets $48, freds129 folds, Andy1718 folds, Mr.Skuda calls $48, mylo1 folds, 00oasis00 folds, debbadegurkn folds. FLOP [board cards: 2C,8D,5S ] RaiderDuck bets $86, Mr.Skuda calls $86. TURN [board cards: 2C,8D,5S,AS ] RaiderDuck checks, Mr.Skuda bets $140, RaiderDuck bets $418, Mr.Skuda bets $703.80 and is all-in, RaiderDuck calls $37.50 and is all-in. RIVER [board cards: 2C,8D,5S,AS,9H ] SHOWDOWN Mr.Skuda shows [ 8C,8S ] RaiderDuck shows [ AC,AD ] Mr.Skuda wins $388.30, RaiderDuck wins $1,194. | |
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
August Goals
Slightly late for a monthly goals post, but doesnt matter. July was a excellent month where I won at 4ptbb at 100nl and 200nl for pretty much the whole month, and it was a record in terms of $ won. Hopefully I can break that in August. I have recently been given a 50% stake for 10,000 hands of 400nl to be completed this month so I am very excited to be doing it. So the Goals for the month are..
Play 10,000 hands of 400nl required for staking.
Increase confidence playing at 400nl.
Play 25,000 hands of 200nl.
Go to the gym min 3 times a week.
See my mortgage broker and start preparing to buy a house.
Finish my current Uni Subject.
Watch more DC videos and actually pay attention.
Play 10,000 hands of 400nl required for staking.
Increase confidence playing at 400nl.
Play 25,000 hands of 200nl.
Go to the gym min 3 times a week.
See my mortgage broker and start preparing to buy a house.
Finish my current Uni Subject.
Watch more DC videos and actually pay attention.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Back at home
So we got back from vegas on the 4th, after another shocker of a flight. Hui and Andy had bought noise-cancelling headphones so it was slightly more bearable for them. It was a long 16 hours. Thanks to Andy and Hui for inviting me to go to vegas, loved every minute of it. Hopefully we can all go again next year and play a few WSOP events.
Since getting back ive just been working. I have played around 20k hands online and going alright, although had a few ordinary sessions. Still struggling at 400nl, I feel like every time I get on there im about to lose a big hand....pretty negative mindset so probably not the best to have when Im playing. Im very comfortable playing at 200nl now though which is good. Im happy to play there for the future until Im more at ease with 400nl.
So we have another trip planned for November. This time it will be me, sara, andy, emmy, dave and possibly Hui and Nobby. We are going to New York and surrounding areas from the 21st november until the 13th december. So definetly looking forward to that. It will be more of a touristy holiday this time, so less sitting around in the hotel playing online before heading to the casino.
Since getting back ive just been working. I have played around 20k hands online and going alright, although had a few ordinary sessions. Still struggling at 400nl, I feel like every time I get on there im about to lose a big hand....pretty negative mindset so probably not the best to have when Im playing. Im very comfortable playing at 200nl now though which is good. Im happy to play there for the future until Im more at ease with 400nl.
So we have another trip planned for November. This time it will be me, sara, andy, emmy, dave and possibly Hui and Nobby. We are going to New York and surrounding areas from the 21st november until the 13th december. So definetly looking forward to that. It will be more of a touristy holiday this time, so less sitting around in the hotel playing online before heading to the casino.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
David Copperfield
Yesterday we headed down to the MGM pool which is pretty spectacular, its in the shape of a river and you can float round on these inflatable rings. It was great, the temperature here is perfect for the pool even if its overcast. We stuffed around there for an hour or so and then I managed to get through a disgustingly big cheeseburger from one of the shops around the pool area.
After that we played at Excalibur's poker room. I wanted to play at MGM but the waiting list for us was just a bit too long. Luckily for us finding another poker room is as easy as walking 50m down the road and that's what we did. It wasn't as flashy as MGM but the game was good. I had one extraordinary hand where I had AA and 2 other guys had KK. One of them managed to make a good (?) fold on the flop but I still won a pretty big pot.
Around 10pm we entered the MGM theater (well one of the theaters here anyway) and saw a David Copperfield show. He is playing here twice a night for a few weeks I think. Anyway there were probably 500 other people in there and he performed for roughly and hour and a half. We saw him pass through a sheet of metal, make one of the audience members tie dance around to music, make a napkin float and then turn into a rose, made a ring disappear, he told a story about his grandfather having these license plates, and then he got audience members to say numbers out at random. He then got the plates out of the bag and they were the same as the numbers that the audience had read out. That was really good.
The most impressive tricks was his appearance at the start of the show, where his assistants held up an empty (?) box, and then they closed it and he came out of the box on a motorcycle. Another one he made a car appear out of nowhere which was great.
After that we played at Excalibur's poker room. I wanted to play at MGM but the waiting list for us was just a bit too long. Luckily for us finding another poker room is as easy as walking 50m down the road and that's what we did. It wasn't as flashy as MGM but the game was good. I had one extraordinary hand where I had AA and 2 other guys had KK. One of them managed to make a good (?) fold on the flop but I still won a pretty big pot.
Around 10pm we entered the MGM theater (well one of the theaters here anyway) and saw a David Copperfield show. He is playing here twice a night for a few weeks I think. Anyway there were probably 500 other people in there and he performed for roughly and hour and a half. We saw him pass through a sheet of metal, make one of the audience members tie dance around to music, make a napkin float and then turn into a rose, made a ring disappear, he told a story about his grandfather having these license plates, and then he got audience members to say numbers out at random. He then got the plates out of the bag and they were the same as the numbers that the audience had read out. That was really good.
The most impressive tricks was his appearance at the start of the show, where his assistants held up an empty (?) box, and then they closed it and he came out of the box on a motorcycle. Another one he made a car appear out of nowhere which was great.
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Another trip to the Rio and moving to MGM
Yesterday we all went to the Rio and Hui played a couple of satellites. He ended up splitting for first in both of them so nice job Hui. Me and Andy lined up for about an hour to the buffet which probably wasnt worth the wait. On the plus side they had free champagne so I managed to drink probably half a bottle over lunch (well, breakfast for us).
After that we walked over to the poker room and we ran into David Sklansky and I got a photo with him. We also saw Amarillo Slim playing in one of the events. After Hui finished his satellite we went to the bowling alley. Just outside it we ran into Johnny Chan (TV poker pro and founder of the poker site i play at chanpoker.com). I was wearing my chanpoker hoodie as usual and he was pretty happy to get a photo with me wearing it. After that we went bowling and promptly got hustled out of $50 by Andy.
Later that afternoon Hui was playing more satellites at the Rio and me and Andy went to Planet Hollywood to play the cash games. We played for around 2 hours and both finished around $100 in front. It was a satisfying session because I really didnt pick up any big hands, but i was patient and was able to pick up small pots and basically accumulate chips without too many worries.
Today we checked into the MGM grand, its the best place we have stayed in during the trip by a mile. 3 Plasmas, an actual kitchen, 2 bathrooms. Really good pool and gym facilities etc.. We are here for the last 4 nights of the trip. Tonight were probably just going to the gym and then play some live and the tomorrow we are probably going to a show.
After that we walked over to the poker room and we ran into David Sklansky and I got a photo with him. We also saw Amarillo Slim playing in one of the events. After Hui finished his satellite we went to the bowling alley. Just outside it we ran into Johnny Chan (TV poker pro and founder of the poker site i play at chanpoker.com). I was wearing my chanpoker hoodie as usual and he was pretty happy to get a photo with me wearing it. After that we went bowling and promptly got hustled out of $50 by Andy.
Later that afternoon Hui was playing more satellites at the Rio and me and Andy went to Planet Hollywood to play the cash games. We played for around 2 hours and both finished around $100 in front. It was a satisfying session because I really didnt pick up any big hands, but i was patient and was able to pick up small pots and basically accumulate chips without too many worries.
Today we checked into the MGM grand, its the best place we have stayed in during the trip by a mile. 3 Plasmas, an actual kitchen, 2 bathrooms. Really good pool and gym facilities etc.. We are here for the last 4 nights of the trip. Tonight were probably just going to the gym and then play some live and the tomorrow we are probably going to a show.
Friday, June 27, 2008
Rides and Poker at Stratosphere
Yesterday Me and Andy went to the Stratosphere, which is this big building in the middle of the city kinda similar to Centrepoint tower. Hui was still a little sick so opted to stay at home and sleep it off. The Stratosphere is a hotel and casino with a big outdoor lookout point at the top, and it also has 3 rides on the roof - The Big shot, which shoots you up in the air up (kinda like a backwards space probe from wonderland), and the X-Scream, which is kinda hard to describe but you sit in these seats and it tilts over the edge of the building. The other ride was closed, but it could be described as an upside down cha-cha that goes over the edge of the building. Anyway the 2 rides that we went on were good and scary.
After the rides we went downstairs to the poker room and played some 1/2NL, I finished up about $40, it should have been a lot more but a hand just before we left I folded 3 tens when i was 99% I was beat by a straight or flush. Turned out the guy only had a pair of queens and it was pretty devastating. The hand only cost me $40 or so but the fact is I should have won around $300 and didnt because I gave my opponent way too much credit, overthought the hand and tried to make a "hero fold". An expensive lesson, and I felt very bad since I played the hand badly as well as costing myself and Andy around $150 each.
Today we had a look at the gold nugget (the actual goldne nugget) inside the golden nugget (the hotel where we are staying). Pretty impressive. Interestingly it was found in Bendigo, VIC in 1975. Also watched Hui playing some highish-stakes BJ which was good. Tommorow we are going to the Rio to finally go bowling and maybe meet up with John, another 2+2 friend.
After the rides we went downstairs to the poker room and played some 1/2NL, I finished up about $40, it should have been a lot more but a hand just before we left I folded 3 tens when i was 99% I was beat by a straight or flush. Turned out the guy only had a pair of queens and it was pretty devastating. The hand only cost me $40 or so but the fact is I should have won around $300 and didnt because I gave my opponent way too much credit, overthought the hand and tried to make a "hero fold". An expensive lesson, and I felt very bad since I played the hand badly as well as costing myself and Andy around $150 each.
Today we had a look at the gold nugget (the actual goldne nugget) inside the golden nugget (the hotel where we are staying). Pretty impressive. Interestingly it was found in Bendigo, VIC in 1975. Also watched Hui playing some highish-stakes BJ which was good. Tommorow we are going to the Rio to finally go bowling and maybe meet up with John, another 2+2 friend.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Meeting up with WCG|Rider
The other day me and Andy got up early and Doug Polk (WCG|Rider on 2+2/pokerstars) came with his friend in their hire car to take us out to the Morongo casino in California. We had to go there because they are both only 19 and this casino (on an Indian reservation) allows 18+.
Doug is a professional online poker player and is very well known in the community because of a $20,000 bet he had a month or two ago saying he could make $10,000 in a month at very low stakes. He didn't win his bet, but it did turn him into a bit of a celebrity in the poker forums. Doug is a great player and has done very well online, showing maturity beyond his age and racking up a huge amount of experience against top pro's online in a short time.
The games at the casino were very disappointing, it was a 1/3NL game with $100 max buy in and a ridiculous rake. I managed to lose an Ace high straight to a royal flush, and twice lost AK to QQ and then JJ for a total loss of around $400 for the day. Andy managed to play well for the team and finished up about $150. Despite that, it was well worth the trip purely for the poker conversation on the way there and the way back. It was great to see how Doug thinks about the game as he is a great player and has recently been employed by the training site www.cardrunners.com to make some instructional videos for them.
So thanks to Doug and Jessie for driving us out there, it was great to meet you both in person.
Yesterday was another quiet one, we had a plan to go to a bowling alley but somehow managed to miss it completely as we walked down the street. We ended up going for dinner at a restaurant at Binions which was really good, It was up on floor 20-something and you could see right across town. So we didn't make bowling yesterday but 100% are doing it today. Went for a swim in the golden nugget pool earlier this afternoon which was pretty sweet. its got a massive fish/shark tank in the middle of the pool and a water slide that goes through it. Will have to get some photos tomorrow.
Didn't play any poker yesterday either online or live, because the Internet here is pretty slow and I didn't really feel like it after my unlucky session out at Morongo. Today I got back into it and played around 2 hours online this morning. Had a ok session, playing 2,500 hands and finishing up about $650. After bowling tonight me and Andy (and Hui?) will probably play some live downstairs in the poker room.
Doug is a professional online poker player and is very well known in the community because of a $20,000 bet he had a month or two ago saying he could make $10,000 in a month at very low stakes. He didn't win his bet, but it did turn him into a bit of a celebrity in the poker forums. Doug is a great player and has done very well online, showing maturity beyond his age and racking up a huge amount of experience against top pro's online in a short time.
The games at the casino were very disappointing, it was a 1/3NL game with $100 max buy in and a ridiculous rake. I managed to lose an Ace high straight to a royal flush, and twice lost AK to QQ and then JJ for a total loss of around $400 for the day. Andy managed to play well for the team and finished up about $150. Despite that, it was well worth the trip purely for the poker conversation on the way there and the way back. It was great to see how Doug thinks about the game as he is a great player and has recently been employed by the training site www.cardrunners.com to make some instructional videos for them.
So thanks to Doug and Jessie for driving us out there, it was great to meet you both in person.
Yesterday was another quiet one, we had a plan to go to a bowling alley but somehow managed to miss it completely as we walked down the street. We ended up going for dinner at a restaurant at Binions which was really good, It was up on floor 20-something and you could see right across town. So we didn't make bowling yesterday but 100% are doing it today. Went for a swim in the golden nugget pool earlier this afternoon which was pretty sweet. its got a massive fish/shark tank in the middle of the pool and a water slide that goes through it. Will have to get some photos tomorrow.
Didn't play any poker yesterday either online or live, because the Internet here is pretty slow and I didn't really feel like it after my unlucky session out at Morongo. Today I got back into it and played around 2 hours online this morning. Had a ok session, playing 2,500 hands and finishing up about $650. After bowling tonight me and Andy (and Hui?) will probably play some live downstairs in the poker room.
Monday, June 23, 2008
Andy wins the high hand jackpot!
Yesterday we moved from the Plaza into the Golden Nugget, the rooms are way nicer here. In the arvo I had a bit of a snooze then we watched a couple of instructional poker videos from a guy from the 2+2 forums called VinnyVT. After that we got room service for dinner which was ordinary. The spagetti was greasy and crap and Ive got a bit of a cold so I didnt feel like eating that much.
After dinner we went downstairs to the casino and got sat at seperate tables for the 1/2NL game. We played for about 3 hours, I didnt play any big hands at all and finished with a small win, but andy made quad 5's on one hand which not only let him win a big hand, but it qualified for a jackpot! yay for Andy.
After dinner we went downstairs to the casino and got sat at seperate tables for the 1/2NL game. We played for about 3 hours, I didnt play any big hands at all and finished with a small win, but andy made quad 5's on one hand which not only let him win a big hand, but it qualified for a jackpot! yay for Andy.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Yesterday and Today
Yesterday morning I took the photos below from the balcony and then went to bed, got up about 10am. Me and Andy finally decided to be proactive and go to the gym. It was alright, pretty small room that was cold because of the air conditioner. I was kinda tired from not sleeping that much.
We were planning to meet up with our friend Doug who lives here. Doug is 19 and plays poker full time, we got to talking with him through the online poker forums. We were going to meet on monday to drive 2.5hrs to an American-Indian casino (legal age in USA is 21 but the indian ones are 18 for some reason) but unfortunately he rang Andy last night to tell him that he had just been in a car accident in the car that was going to drive us to the casino. His friend was driving and the car was pretty buggered, but everyone was So no trip tommorow. I think we will just meet up with him locally in the next week or so.
Me and Andy had another go at playing 2/4NL last night and ran crap again, we didnt pick up any hands and then lost an $800 pot with KK vs AA. I dont think we are playing badly, we just havnt had much luck in the split sessions in the last few goes. I fell asleep after that about 12 midnight watching curb your enthusiasm.
This morning I got up around 7 and had a monster session online, playing 2500 hands and recording my biggest win in a single session, just over $1500. Crickets a funny game, I basically played exactly the same style as the night before with a totally different result. I played probably 15 really big "all in" hands in the session and in almost all of them my hand was a favourite and it held up.
About 11am we checked out of the plaza and moved just down the road to the golden nugget. The room looks alright, no fridge or anything which is kinda annoying, but the hotels here just dont seem to have the same level of facilities that they do in Australia. We are here for the next 7 nights. We will probably go play a live game tonight and then go bowling or something tommorow.
We were planning to meet up with our friend Doug who lives here. Doug is 19 and plays poker full time, we got to talking with him through the online poker forums. We were going to meet on monday to drive 2.5hrs to an American-Indian casino (legal age in USA is 21 but the indian ones are 18 for some reason) but unfortunately he rang Andy last night to tell him that he had just been in a car accident in the car that was going to drive us to the casino. His friend was driving and the car was pretty buggered, but everyone was So no trip tommorow. I think we will just meet up with him locally in the next week or so.
Me and Andy had another go at playing 2/4NL last night and ran crap again, we didnt pick up any hands and then lost an $800 pot with KK vs AA. I dont think we are playing badly, we just havnt had much luck in the split sessions in the last few goes. I fell asleep after that about 12 midnight watching curb your enthusiasm.
This morning I got up around 7 and had a monster session online, playing 2500 hands and recording my biggest win in a single session, just over $1500. Crickets a funny game, I basically played exactly the same style as the night before with a totally different result. I played probably 15 really big "all in" hands in the session and in almost all of them my hand was a favourite and it held up.
About 11am we checked out of the plaza and moved just down the road to the golden nugget. The room looks alright, no fridge or anything which is kinda annoying, but the hotels here just dont seem to have the same level of facilities that they do in Australia. We are here for the next 7 nights. We will probably go play a live game tonight and then go bowling or something tommorow.
More Photos
Heres the latest photos.
This is me standing in front of the Golden Nugget, where we are staying for a week, and Binions Horseshoe. They are both a couple of the oldest casinos in downtown Vegas.
This is a photo around 5:30 am from our balcony at the Plaza.
Andy standing at one end of Fremont St, the main street in downtown Vegas.
This is me standing in front of the Golden Nugget, where we are staying for a week, and Binions Horseshoe. They are both a couple of the oldest casinos in downtown Vegas.
This is a photo around 5:30 am from our balcony at the Plaza.
Andy standing at one end of Fremont St, the main street in downtown Vegas.
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Latest happenings from Sin City
Important stuff out of the way first, I just got home (3am) and checked NRL.com to find that the Raiders beat the bulldogs 58-18 in Sydney! 2 weeks ago Raiders had lost 3 in a row and were written off from making the finals. Since then we have hit form with an excellent win against the Broncos at home and then a rare away win against the Bulldogs in Sydney and are now just 2 points out of the top 8.
Yesterday was the quietest day of the trip so far, consisting of sitting around the hotel room (Vegas Club), sleeping, watching episodes of Curb your enthusiasm, and playing poker. Only left the room at dinner time to get something to eat. Ive got a minor cold (as does Hui) so it was good to have a quiet one. Last night Me and Andy had a go at playing some higher stakes together online, we played well but got some sick beats and ended up a little in the red.
This morning I got up and played online again, and had one of those sessions you dream about. I played for around 2 hours and made just over $1000. After that we checked out of the Las Vegas Club and into another place just across the road called the Plaza. The first rooms (we booked 2) they put us in absolutely reeked of smoke, but a few hours later we ended up moving rooms which was good. Me and Andy had another go at the 1/2NL game at the Golden Nugget and Hui joined us about an hour in. I worked my $200 stack up to around $450, then made a couple of weak plays which saw me finish $23 down overall for the night. Disappointing to be up that much and then to lose it, but I know where I went wrong so ill try and correct that for next time.
The Sun is coming up now so it must be time for bed. Not sure what we are up to today, but hopefully in the next few days we will book some tickets to see Jerry Seinfeld performing.
Yesterday was the quietest day of the trip so far, consisting of sitting around the hotel room (Vegas Club), sleeping, watching episodes of Curb your enthusiasm, and playing poker. Only left the room at dinner time to get something to eat. Ive got a minor cold (as does Hui) so it was good to have a quiet one. Last night Me and Andy had a go at playing some higher stakes together online, we played well but got some sick beats and ended up a little in the red.
This morning I got up and played online again, and had one of those sessions you dream about. I played for around 2 hours and made just over $1000. After that we checked out of the Las Vegas Club and into another place just across the road called the Plaza. The first rooms (we booked 2) they put us in absolutely reeked of smoke, but a few hours later we ended up moving rooms which was good. Me and Andy had another go at the 1/2NL game at the Golden Nugget and Hui joined us about an hour in. I worked my $200 stack up to around $450, then made a couple of weak plays which saw me finish $23 down overall for the night. Disappointing to be up that much and then to lose it, but I know where I went wrong so ill try and correct that for next time.
The Sun is coming up now so it must be time for bed. Not sure what we are up to today, but hopefully in the next few days we will book some tickets to see Jerry Seinfeld performing.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Vegas Day 4
We left Tuscany in the morning and arrived downtown about 12. I was bloody tired since staying up all night seemed like a good idea at the time. Luckily they let us check in early, so we dropped our stuff off and got a taxi to walmart. We shopped for about an hour, on the way out we were waiting for the taxi and saw 2 cars nearly collide trying to steal each others parking spot (it was a good spot). The guy jumped out and started abusing the women in the other car and then sulked off. It was pretty funny.
On the way back we had this crazy taxi driver who asked us if they have walmarts in london. He was having a bad day for some reason and we all had to squish into the back seat of the taxi to make room for his Mcdonalds which took the front seat. It was a fun and entertaining trip back.
When we got back I had a snooze and then me and Andy had another live session, this time at the Golden Nugget, one of the old school casinos. It was an uncapped game, which means you can buy in for any amount. Andy bought in for $300 and I bought in for $200. There were several players with over $1000 in front of them at the table. The game didnt seem that good at first, except there was this one huge fish who was playing every hand and raising around 80% of them pre flop. I can only remember 2 biggish hands I played, the first was AQ in a multiway pot where i flopped Q33 and won around $120, and another hand where I had AK and flopped 2 pair and won about $170.
Andy had one really big hand where he played played brilliantly in a pot against the fish at the table, he made a full house vs the fishes straight and won a pot of about $700. We made friends with 2 guys at the table that were very good players who play online. They had lived in Hawaii but have moved to LA and were in Vegas for a few nights on their days off work. We will probably see them there again tonight.
We both finished up with wins just shy of $250, giving us combined winnings over around $1000 for the trip, which is an excellent return for just 3 live sessions.
After we quit the game around 3am we went to the local maccas and got a feed. The "Large" size here really is...large. We got some photos of the flashy casino lights and then came home, watched a few episodes of Curb your enthusiasm and then went to bed. When we were at the wall mart we bought a sleeping bag/air mattress for Andy since we only have the 2 beds in the room. He was originally going to sleep on this fold out bed which the staff brought up, but after we discovered it was hilariously uncomfortable (well i thought it was hilarious) we thought we better buy a mattress. I woke around 7am this morning to see a very frustrated and tired Andy sleeping on the floor on top of a deflated air mattress explaining that we needed some special pump to actually blow the thing up. Oops.
On the way back we had this crazy taxi driver who asked us if they have walmarts in london. He was having a bad day for some reason and we all had to squish into the back seat of the taxi to make room for his Mcdonalds which took the front seat. It was a fun and entertaining trip back.
When we got back I had a snooze and then me and Andy had another live session, this time at the Golden Nugget, one of the old school casinos. It was an uncapped game, which means you can buy in for any amount. Andy bought in for $300 and I bought in for $200. There were several players with over $1000 in front of them at the table. The game didnt seem that good at first, except there was this one huge fish who was playing every hand and raising around 80% of them pre flop. I can only remember 2 biggish hands I played, the first was AQ in a multiway pot where i flopped Q33 and won around $120, and another hand where I had AK and flopped 2 pair and won about $170.
Andy had one really big hand where he played played brilliantly in a pot against the fish at the table, he made a full house vs the fishes straight and won a pot of about $700. We made friends with 2 guys at the table that were very good players who play online. They had lived in Hawaii but have moved to LA and were in Vegas for a few nights on their days off work. We will probably see them there again tonight.
We both finished up with wins just shy of $250, giving us combined winnings over around $1000 for the trip, which is an excellent return for just 3 live sessions.
After we quit the game around 3am we went to the local maccas and got a feed. The "Large" size here really is...large. We got some photos of the flashy casino lights and then came home, watched a few episodes of Curb your enthusiasm and then went to bed. When we were at the wall mart we bought a sleeping bag/air mattress for Andy since we only have the 2 beds in the room. He was originally going to sleep on this fold out bed which the staff brought up, but after we discovered it was hilariously uncomfortable (well i thought it was hilarious) we thought we better buy a mattress. I woke around 7am this morning to see a very frustrated and tired Andy sleeping on the floor on top of a deflated air mattress explaining that we needed some special pump to actually blow the thing up. Oops.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Photos
Ok so no real exciting photos yet, but here you go anyway.
Andy playin poker. not sure whats doing with the date.
Me playin poker.
And here is Hui hibernating in his natural habitat, on the lounge. I think he looks comfy.
Andy playin poker. not sure whats doing with the date.
Me playin poker.
And here is Hui hibernating in his natural habitat, on the lounge. I think he looks comfy.
Vegas Day 3
After coming home last night, i stuffed around on the net for a while and realised i was very tired. I slept from around 11am-6pm and got up and chatted to sara on skype for a while. After that I had another online poker session and then we all headed out to Bally's Casino for our second live session of the trip.
Ive been getting complaints that no one can understand the poker jargon so ill cut it out as much as I can. Me and Andy were sat at different tables. Once again the games were not as bad as I hoped, but they were soft enough. I bought in for $200 and Andy bought in for $300. I only had 1 big hand during the session, where I was dealt KK and ended up winning around a $200 pot. At one point I had around $340 in front of me, but a lack of patience and a few heinikens lead to a couple of speculative hands and a dumb bluff costing me $70, which saw me leave at 1AM with $220. So not a big win, but im happy to be 2 wins out of 2 live poker sessions this trip. Andy didnt catch many hands and finished with a small loss.
I walked the kilometre or so back to the motel around 2am and had a yarn, Hui went out again to watch the end of a tournament at Binions casino. I played some more online for a few hours and despite taking an absolutely sickening beat in a $400 pot (just ask Andy) I managed to book my 5th straight winning online session.
Hui came home about 6am and we started searching for some accommodation on the net, as we are getting kicked out today. After a bit of searching for a cheapish place that offers wireless, Andy booked us into the Las Vegas Club Hotel and Casino on the other side of town for 2 nights.
Its 7am now and we will be leaving in a few hours. Looking forward to going to our new place to have a snooze.
Ive been getting complaints that no one can understand the poker jargon so ill cut it out as much as I can. Me and Andy were sat at different tables. Once again the games were not as bad as I hoped, but they were soft enough. I bought in for $200 and Andy bought in for $300. I only had 1 big hand during the session, where I was dealt KK and ended up winning around a $200 pot. At one point I had around $340 in front of me, but a lack of patience and a few heinikens lead to a couple of speculative hands and a dumb bluff costing me $70, which saw me leave at 1AM with $220. So not a big win, but im happy to be 2 wins out of 2 live poker sessions this trip. Andy didnt catch many hands and finished with a small loss.
I walked the kilometre or so back to the motel around 2am and had a yarn, Hui went out again to watch the end of a tournament at Binions casino. I played some more online for a few hours and despite taking an absolutely sickening beat in a $400 pot (just ask Andy) I managed to book my 5th straight winning online session.
Hui came home about 6am and we started searching for some accommodation on the net, as we are getting kicked out today. After a bit of searching for a cheapish place that offers wireless, Andy booked us into the Las Vegas Club Hotel and Casino on the other side of town for 2 nights.
Its 7am now and we will be leaving in a few hours. Looking forward to going to our new place to have a snooze.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Vegas Day 2
In the morning me and andy had around a 3 hour online poker session. He played around 16 tables on pokerstars and I averaged somewhere around 10-12 on chanpoker. He finished up with 4000 hands and I played 2500.
In the afternoon we went to the Rio, where the world series is being played. It was hot again and we ended up getting a taxi. We saw a number of famous players in the poker bit of the casino inluding Tony G, Barry G, Juanda, Negreanu, Benyamine, Ferguson, Lederer.
Me, Hui and Andy played a $175 sattelite to the $1500 WSOP event. We all played well, we got down to the last 5 before Andy busted out. I had a lot of chips but then lost 2 quick hands where i was around a 75% favourite and ended up busting in 4th. Hui was next to go in 3rd. So a dissapointing result but the fact that almost all the other players were absolutely terrible was encouraging.
In the Afternoon We played a little more online and then had a short lived gym session. We arrived at the gym about 9:50 and at 10pm a security guy came and told us it was closing. We all went to bed soon after that, me and andy set the alarm for 3am so we could get up and play our first session live. We plan to play in the early hours to hopefully run into lots of tired, drunk players at our table that have been at the casino for hours.
For some reason the alarm didnt go off but I woke up around 3:30am anyway and by 4:30am we were buying in for $300 each at a 1/2NL table at the venetian. The table we were at was not quite as soft as I had expected, but still far far easier than the online equivalent. There were probably 3 people at the table playing every hand and the other players were generally weak. There was probably only 1 or 2 other guys at the table that were actually aggressive. Me and Andy decided to split our winnings losses to reduce a bit of variance.
My first and only big hand came about an hour into the game. I had pocket 4's in middle position, and I called a $7 raise from a guy who acted before me. Another guy behind me called too. The flop was a lovely J42 with 2 diamonds. The original raiser bet $10, a weak bet which made me think he was on a flush draw or had a J. I raised to $45 and the guy behind me called as well as the guy who bet $10. I was sure one or both of them had a flush draw, so when the 8 of diamonds came on the turn I was a little worried. It was checked through and then the river was another 2 and I made my boat. The early position guy bet $60 and I raised to $200. The guy behind me folded and it was back to the early position guy. I was 99% sure he had a flush so and thought he would pay me off. After thinking about it for ages he called with the nut flush and I raked in a $600 pot, by far my biggest ever pot playing live.
There were no other big hands, just smallish ones that were won on the flop or turn. I got all in preflop with QQ against a shortstacked guy who had KJ (so i was around a 75% favourite) but he got lucky and hit a K on the flop and I lost a $140 pot. I ended up cashing out $540 and Andy did the same, after winning a pretty big pot with KK. It was a nice session so hopefully we can have another good one later today.
In the afternoon we went to the Rio, where the world series is being played. It was hot again and we ended up getting a taxi. We saw a number of famous players in the poker bit of the casino inluding Tony G, Barry G, Juanda, Negreanu, Benyamine, Ferguson, Lederer.
Me, Hui and Andy played a $175 sattelite to the $1500 WSOP event. We all played well, we got down to the last 5 before Andy busted out. I had a lot of chips but then lost 2 quick hands where i was around a 75% favourite and ended up busting in 4th. Hui was next to go in 3rd. So a dissapointing result but the fact that almost all the other players were absolutely terrible was encouraging.
In the Afternoon We played a little more online and then had a short lived gym session. We arrived at the gym about 9:50 and at 10pm a security guy came and told us it was closing. We all went to bed soon after that, me and andy set the alarm for 3am so we could get up and play our first session live. We plan to play in the early hours to hopefully run into lots of tired, drunk players at our table that have been at the casino for hours.
For some reason the alarm didnt go off but I woke up around 3:30am anyway and by 4:30am we were buying in for $300 each at a 1/2NL table at the venetian. The table we were at was not quite as soft as I had expected, but still far far easier than the online equivalent. There were probably 3 people at the table playing every hand and the other players were generally weak. There was probably only 1 or 2 other guys at the table that were actually aggressive. Me and Andy decided to split our winnings losses to reduce a bit of variance.
My first and only big hand came about an hour into the game. I had pocket 4's in middle position, and I called a $7 raise from a guy who acted before me. Another guy behind me called too. The flop was a lovely J42 with 2 diamonds. The original raiser bet $10, a weak bet which made me think he was on a flush draw or had a J. I raised to $45 and the guy behind me called as well as the guy who bet $10. I was sure one or both of them had a flush draw, so when the 8 of diamonds came on the turn I was a little worried. It was checked through and then the river was another 2 and I made my boat. The early position guy bet $60 and I raised to $200. The guy behind me folded and it was back to the early position guy. I was 99% sure he had a flush so and thought he would pay me off. After thinking about it for ages he called with the nut flush and I raked in a $600 pot, by far my biggest ever pot playing live.
There were no other big hands, just smallish ones that were won on the flop or turn. I got all in preflop with QQ against a shortstacked guy who had KJ (so i was around a 75% favourite) but he got lucky and hit a K on the flop and I lost a $140 pot. I ended up cashing out $540 and Andy did the same, after winning a pretty big pot with KK. It was a nice session so hopefully we can have another good one later today.
Monday, June 16, 2008
Vegas Day 1
Hello welcome to my first blog. Ill try to update this regularly for the duration of the trip.
I met up with Andy and Hui at sydney airport on june 15th (sunday morning aus time). Sara and Mum were with me so I said goodbye to them and we hopped on the plane about 1pmm. The flight was ordinary, we played a bit of poker and blackjack on the plane to pass the time, and I also played chess and stuffed around on my laptop. I think I slept about 2 hrs. I think they maybe gave us 2 or 3 kinda crap meals. All in all it was a long 12 hr flight.
We arrived at LA at 11am local time, got absolutely grilled by the immigration/customs guys about where we were from, what the purpose of our trip was, where we were staying etc. I managed to restrain myself from telling any terrorist jokes.
LA to LV - another crap flight, really bumpy and me and Hui especially felt ordinary by the end of it. Possibly something to do with the food on the previous flight. But we made it....to find they had left half our luggage in LA. Andys showed up on the next flight, but mine and Huis didnt arrive to our hotel until about 8pm.
We checked in to Tuscany hotel and casino around 2pm (i think) and spent the next few hours getting a feed, and walking around the strip. there was a temperature thing on one of the buildings that told us it was 47 degrees..yuck...when we were walking back to our hotel at 7pm we saw it again and it was STILL 47 degrees. Anyway the strip basically consists of casino after casino, the ones we went into included the venetian (sp?), harrahs, cesars palace..and that all i can think of. I have no idea what one was what...all i remember is lots of poker machine noises and flashy things. we didnt play any games or anything, just walked through them all.
I think today we will probably have a online poker session then tonight maybe go and try our luck live. Andy went really well in the live poker games last year so hopefully that is a sign of things to come for both of us. Hui is planning to play blackjack aswell so good luck to him on that. We have another 2 nights here in Tuscany then we have to sort out some other accomodation. Its about 5am now (day 2, 16th july) so I will probably write another blog tonight or tommorow morning and give an update.
p.s when we got here we logged on to the net and saw that the raiders had a win over the broncos. woo hoo!
I met up with Andy and Hui at sydney airport on june 15th (sunday morning aus time). Sara and Mum were with me so I said goodbye to them and we hopped on the plane about 1pmm. The flight was ordinary, we played a bit of poker and blackjack on the plane to pass the time, and I also played chess and stuffed around on my laptop. I think I slept about 2 hrs. I think they maybe gave us 2 or 3 kinda crap meals. All in all it was a long 12 hr flight.
We arrived at LA at 11am local time, got absolutely grilled by the immigration/customs guys about where we were from, what the purpose of our trip was, where we were staying etc. I managed to restrain myself from telling any terrorist jokes.
LA to LV - another crap flight, really bumpy and me and Hui especially felt ordinary by the end of it. Possibly something to do with the food on the previous flight. But we made it....to find they had left half our luggage in LA. Andys showed up on the next flight, but mine and Huis didnt arrive to our hotel until about 8pm.
We checked in to Tuscany hotel and casino around 2pm (i think) and spent the next few hours getting a feed, and walking around the strip. there was a temperature thing on one of the buildings that told us it was 47 degrees..yuck...when we were walking back to our hotel at 7pm we saw it again and it was STILL 47 degrees. Anyway the strip basically consists of casino after casino, the ones we went into included the venetian (sp?), harrahs, cesars palace..and that all i can think of. I have no idea what one was what...all i remember is lots of poker machine noises and flashy things. we didnt play any games or anything, just walked through them all.
I think today we will probably have a online poker session then tonight maybe go and try our luck live. Andy went really well in the live poker games last year so hopefully that is a sign of things to come for both of us. Hui is planning to play blackjack aswell so good luck to him on that. We have another 2 nights here in Tuscany then we have to sort out some other accomodation. Its about 5am now (day 2, 16th july) so I will probably write another blog tonight or tommorow morning and give an update.
p.s when we got here we logged on to the net and saw that the raiders had a win over the broncos. woo hoo!
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