tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85447602009-02-21T09:02:37.785ZDiary of an Amateur Poker Player.Eyeofsauronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13539905792782895946noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8544760.post-1052475431194298552007-07-08T21:17:00.000Z2007-07-09T11:44:51.870Z

7th July 2007 - G Casino, Salford, Manchester£5 No Limit Hold Em Rebuy Tournament Compared to the previous night, where the casino was bustling with activity, the whole place was virtually devoid of people. Perhaps it was too early in the day, being 3:00pm when play commenced, to attract the numbers I'm used to. Nevertheless, three full tables were filled when the time came to shuffle up and

Eyeofsauronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13539905792782895946noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8544760.post-3621311217884251092007-07-07T08:51:00.000Z2007-07-08T21:20:58.979Z

6th July 2007 - G Casino, Salford, Manchester£3 No Limit Hold Em Rebuy Tournament In the last few weeks, I've been looking for any excuse to get out of the house. My old car, a yellow Fiat Cinquecento, was becoming too much of a financial burden by constantly fixing repairs to keep on the road. I didn't enjoy driving in it during the last few years, as it felt like sitting in a small tin box with

Eyeofsauronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13539905792782895946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8544760.post-5216731204855568962007-06-26T21:37:00.000Z2007-06-26T22:49:53.423Z

Well after tonight's facade on PokerStars, as their servers crashed whilst I was playing a $315+20 turbo sit and go, I've decided enough is enough. I'm throwing the towel in, with regards to playing online poker, and instead concentrating more on playing live. It will also give me incentive to update this blog more often, as I often use this to recall certain events during a game. I never get the

Eyeofsauronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13539905792782895946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8544760.post-3168948749494788032007-03-04T23:28:00.000Z2007-03-05T12:56:57.426Z

23rd February 2007 - Grosvenor Casino, Cardiff, Wales£30 No Limit Hold Em Double Shootout and£20 No Limit Hold Em Single Table TournamentI was in a foul temper this morning. The previous day, my mother had an accident. It was raining heavily, and she had slipped in a grate whilst on her way back from work. Unable to walk, she had struggled home via taxi. After having a cup of tea and some lunch,

Eyeofsauronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13539905792782895946noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8544760.post-1165441258426908672006-12-06T21:34:00.000Z2006-12-06T21:49:11.383Z

(Photograph published with permission from APAT)Shortly after this photograph was taken, all of my chips (out of view) were in the middle of the table. The chap sat on my right decided it was a good time to take them from me!

Eyeofsauronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13539905792782895946noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8544760.post-1165343588405641412006-12-05T18:27:00.000Z2006-12-05T19:51:41.843Z

(Photograph published with permission from APAT)Congratulations to Max Ward from Manchester, who won the APAT UK Amateur Poker Championship.For his efforts he has won:A cheque for £3,750 - Engraved Championship Cup - Gold Medal - World Series Of Poker Package - 18 ranking points - Significant Media Exposure.The WSOP package comprises an expenses paid entry to the World Series Of Poker main event

Eyeofsauronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13539905792782895946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8544760.post-1165343025836205502006-12-05T18:18:00.000Z2006-12-08T07:53:22.363Z

2nd December 2006 - Aspers Casino, Newcastle Upon TyneAPAT UK Amateur Poker ChampionshipTo date, this was the most important live event which I've had the opportunity to play in. This was the second of a series of events which are to be hosted internationally, with an emphasis on offering affordable, prestigious tournaments aimed solely at amateur, recreational players. The Amateur Poker

Eyeofsauronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13539905792782895946noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8544760.post-1163887301232527952006-11-18T21:58:00.000Z2006-12-05T19:46:08.220Z

15th November 2006 - The River Card Club, 29-33 Church Road, Stanmore, Middlesex£20 No Limit Hold Em + £10 Rebuys + Optional Single or Double Add-onThe Eric Entwistle Benefit TournamentOnce you've learned to ride a bike, you can never forget. The same is simply not true with poker. If you have any aspirations of improving, then only with diligent practice have you any hope of succeeding. I have

Eyeofsauronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13539905792782895946noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8544760.post-1163687364286296172006-11-16T14:28:00.000Z2006-11-16T14:30:29.973Z

Testing, testing, one, two, three..............

Eyeofsauronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13539905792782895946noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8544760.post-1133120319475618982005-11-27T19:29:00.000Z2006-01-15T16:14:28.703Z

IntroductionA few months ago, I realised something wasn’t quite right with the way I approached poker. Despite playing for almost five years, I hadn’t really had much to show for my efforts. I’ve tried to improve my game by brushing up on my reading. I’ve won tournaments and can handle myself at a ring game. I’ve even cashed out cheques. But one thing I can’t state is that playing poker has made

Eyeofsauronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13539905792782895946noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8544760.post-1114212960031763422005-04-22T23:33:00.000Z2005-08-11T17:11:50.166Z

28th March 2005 - Salford Casino, Manchester, UKPot Limit Hold Em - £10 Rebuy TournamentHigh up on a bookshelf, sandwiched between a couple of books, gathering dust, lies the only trophy I have ever won. On it are inscribed the words “Best Solo Trumpeter 1992”. I remember those days quite fondly, and the painstaking effort it took just to win such a simple award. It wasn’t just a case of standing

Eyeofsauronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13539905792782895946noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8544760.post-1107990159063521862005-02-09T22:58:00.000Z2005-02-09T23:02:39.063Z

For those looking for poker content, I’m afraid you are going to have to search elsewhere. I’ve been doing a lot of searching myself in recent weeks…. for remnants of my soul. This blog, a reflection of my thoughts, is going to change shape, metamorphosing into something completely unrecognisable. Sometimes, I may write about poker. Other times, I’ll write about whatever I like. No pressure to

Eyeofsauronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13539905792782895946noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8544760.post-1099268837317194312004-11-01T01:17:00.000Z2004-11-01T00:27:17.316Z

Imagine you are driving down a road which is pitch black aside from the light emitting from the car headlights. No street-lighting, just darkness. The unknown completely engulfing you. Most poker players I’ve encountered over the past three years seem to lack vision. The worst are those who can’t even see beyond the end of their noses. They concentrate only on the cards they hold and are not

Eyeofsauronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13539905792782895946noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8544760.post-1098742785467095452004-10-25T22:18:00.000Z2004-10-25T22:19:45.466Z

I guess it was inevitable that in time the computer boffins would try to exploit the online poker industry with the use of what has been nicknamed BOTs. BOT is short for ROBOT, a definition invented by the science fiction writer Issac Asimov (1920-1992), in a collection of short stories written in the 1940s and onwards, to describe machines capable of independent and intelligent thought. Chess

Eyeofsauronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13539905792782895946noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8544760.post-1098055246222128532004-10-17T23:19:00.000Z2004-10-17T23:22:14.483Z

There are many different variations of poker… 5 Card Draw, 7 Card Stud, Hold Em, Omaha, etc, and many more variations within each basic game. Examples could be the size of the blind bets, whether it’s a limited bet or big bet structure, or if the game is split into high and low pots, or just played for high. You could break this down even further. Suppose you sat at the same game, at the same

Eyeofsauronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13539905792782895946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8544760.post-1097254953226693512004-10-08T17:00:00.000Z2006-12-05T23:54:29.793Z

Monday 29th March 2004 - www.planetpoker.comNo Limit Hold Em - £20 Freezeout PJK TournamentAfter my very poor performance at Salford this evening, the last thing I wanted to do was play another tournament. Sometimes though, you have to simply take punches on the chin, pick yourself up off the floor and dive back into the fray. ~~~~oOo~~~~ The internet can be very peculiar in many ways. I find it

Eyeofsauronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13539905792782895946noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8544760.post-1097103210365208272004-10-06T22:50:00.000Z2004-10-06T22:53:30.366Z

Sunday 28th March 2004 - Salford Casino, Manchester, UK Pot Limit Hold Em - £10 Rebuy Tournament As a young child I would often just simply sit in the living room and play my parents records on the record player. This was before cassette tapes had become popular and a long time before CDs and DVDs had ever been invented. My inquisitive nature always managed to get the better of me. Without

Eyeofsauronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13539905792782895946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8544760.post-1096836909482510682004-10-03T20:53:00.000Z2004-10-03T21:01:54.506Z

Sunday 14th March 2004 - Salford Casino, Manchester, UK Pot Limit Hold Em - £10 Rebuy Tournament I was in a darker, more sombre disposition on this night than my visit two weeks previous. I wasn’t in much of a mood to socialise with any of the other patrons, which wasn’t such problem, as I didn’t really know anyone there particularly well. I recognised a few of the characters walking around the

Eyeofsauronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13539905792782895946noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8544760.post-1096836681772384162004-10-03T20:51:00.000Z2004-10-03T20:51:21.773Z

Mike Caro 

Eyeofsauronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13539905792782895946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8544760.post-1096751880561014402004-10-02T21:16:00.000Z2004-10-02T21:18:00.563Z

Sunday 29th February 2004 - Salford Casino, Manchester, UK Pot Limit Hold Em - £10 Rebuy Tournament My navigation skills are rubbish. Take travelling to Salford Casino as a good example. It sits at a crossroad junction near to a McDonalds and Harry Ramsden’s Famous Fish & Chip Shop, somewhere in Manchester (exact location unknown). Every time I go, I end up aimlessly driving around in circles,

Eyeofsauronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13539905792782895946noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8544760.post-1096751471732751352004-10-02T21:11:00.000Z2004-10-02T21:11:11.733Z

Take a left at the next junction..... 

Eyeofsauronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13539905792782895946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8544760.post-1096674565965236982004-10-01T23:45:00.000Z2004-10-02T21:20:48.936Z

I think it would be appropriate to include some of my past trip reports. At least this way, they are all in one place. These were originally written earlier this year, and are all based around visits to the Grosvenor Casino in Salford. I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoyed writing them!

Eyeofsauronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13539905792782895946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8544760.post-1096664121453134542004-10-01T20:54:00.000Z2004-10-02T21:20:09.356Z

I suppose the most appropriate and predictable thing to do now is post a small introduction about myself. So here goes…. I’m not going to bother! The reason behind this decision is simple. Poker is a game of incomplete information. Those people who I have made acquaintances or friends with whilst playing poker, already know enough about me. Anything or anyone else is largely irrelevant. My

Eyeofsauronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13539905792782895946noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8544760.post-1096597015971905832004-10-01T02:09:00.000Z2004-10-02T21:19:37.056Z

Well I've finally got around to creating my own blog! At present I haven't much of a clue as to what I'm doing so please bear with me whilst I become accustomed to blogging. My intention is to provide a useful guide for wannabe poker players, as I am still very much a beginner myself. If I keep a track of my progress in the form of a diary, I feel it will be beneficial both to myself and anyone

Eyeofsauronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13539905792782895946noreply@blogger.com0