The WSOP is under way and if you didn’t make it to Las Vegas there is still lots of poker to be played. Try your luck at…
Posted by Poker Satellite Centre on Sunday, 14 June 2015
Sky Poker UKPC Six Max £250,000 GTD
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Category Archives: Poker
Siesta time
Well, yet again I’ve been rubbish with this blogging malarkey. Realised I haven’t made a post in 6 months. My plan was to keep everyone up to date with my adventure, but in all honestly not much has happened. Everyone thinks you move to Spain and you lead this amazing holiday lifestyle.
Which it would be very nice if I could go to the beach every day and parties every night, but unfortunately it is just business as usual. My day still consists of running my web design company from 9-5 and then jumping into the poker grind at 7pm for 4 or 5 nights a week. I still have to go out and do my food shopping, go into town to the bank and do all the things you have to do back in the UK, only difference is it is hotter here (and the service is poorer… believe it or not).
I left off on my last blog with people coming to visit. I had an amazing couple of weeks with Jilly, Math, Cha and my parents. It was very tiring having so many visitors in such a short space of time, and spent too much on going out and eating, but it was amazing to show everyone my little Spanish town, I think everyone had a good time.
After everyone left and I recovered it started to turn to winter… which means everyone leaves this little town. I thought Blackpool was bad for seasonal traffic, but this is definitely more extreme. In summer it’s bustling with holiday makers, people partying, fiesta’s going on every week. In the winter you can sometimes walk the main streets at weekends and not see a single person. Most of the restaurants are closed and the only nightclub in town also closes its doors.
To be honest, it’s now coming to the end of February and I’m a little bored… I’m starting to miss the big city hustle and bustle. You don’t appreciate how good it is to get a McDonalds at 3am or even to catch a local bus. Whereas Moraira is one of the most beautiful little places I have been, I don’t think it is really for my age group long term and maybe it will be a place I would like to come to retire.
This year my plan is to move nearer a big city (Alicante, Valencia, Barcelona), which it will be nearer to the airports (reducing costs to come travel for poker more again) and to the casino (need to definitely polish up my live game).
Mid last year, poker wasn’t going so well. I got into a hole with Bankroll Supply (which hasn’t really happened in the last 4 years of playing with them). It was a time also that I really was depending on the money which really increases the pressure on trying to make a profit every month. I think I have been quite lucky as I have played poker over 10 years and it has been the first time I have been in this situation. Mainly because I have always refused to ever make poker my sole income. Although I’m not the most organised person with my finances, I know I couldn’t deal with the full time pressure of not having a more secure income to pay my rent, bills and food.
Psychologically the downswing really got in my head. I don’t know about a lot of you poker players out there that are at least semi-dependant on a poker income, but sometimes I have a dream that one day I might wake up and have literally completely forget everything I know about the game and not be able to win any more. Well this downswing I actually convinced myself that had happened. It was like I had forgotten even my A-game and just couldn’t find my way to a final table no matter what I did.
Overall I think it could have been a lot worse, I definitely could have lost more than I did. I was a good girl and dropped stakes, went to the softer games I know I can beat and took more time away from playing as I started to hate it. I always promised myself if I didn’t win at the game I wouldn’t bother playing any more…. What’s the point!
I would never claim to be a particularly good poker player, however one thing I know is that my bankroll management and discipline has made me through over 10 years of winning, and I do believe that those qualities are if not more important than an actual knowledge of how to play.
At the end of the day we all mainly play poker for one thing (apart from those weirdoes that actually enjoy it) we play to be able to make a long term profit from the game. I have seen it hundreds of times in poker, these so called hot shots binking a tidy sum that could make life a lot easier for a while, to then be picking up chips off the floor for their dinner the following week as they start to think they are indestructible in the higher stakes.
I will agree though, one downside to my admittedly slightly over-disciplined-ness, is that I have probably missed out on some bigger shots and banked my profit rather than played higher buyins, taken deals and chops instead of going for the win.
However looking back at my main aim, to make a long term profit, the decisions and restrictions I have placed on myself have achieved that goal.
I managed to turn it back around this year and have got back off to a great start. I managed to win a satellite for a live event but decided to cash it in due to travel expenses. That generally goes against one of my rules; I always believe if you win a seat you should play…. You never know if that could be your big bink.
I’m on the fence about going to Vegas this year; I want to focus on moving house around that time so might be too much hassle. I’ve started to save money just in case. I miss Vegas sooooooo much <3
I’ve also forgot to mention my trip back to the UK (stupid poker rant) over Xmas and New Year. It was really crazy to go back; it felt like a different life. I think I must have got used to the very chilled out and relaxed atmosphere in Spain. I look back now and wondered how I managed doing all that I do as well as the social life I had, going out with friends, going to Dusk Till Dawn.
I do miss things a lot back home and wish I could bring all my friends and some of my old lifestyle here in the nice weather.
I got to hang out at Cha’s which always makes it feel like Xmas. Blackpool is always a fun time, and I have some of the funniest amazing best friends.
I then rented a car and drove to Nottingham to see all that crew, played a tournament in Dusk Till Dawn… I think that was the strangest to go back to. Got to catch up with Alex (Otter) and Rachel, Danny and Poppy among others.
Then it was on to London for New Year with Jilly, thankfully we had a nice quiet time as Jilly had to work a lot. I was exhausted by this point. Then drive back to Blackpool to get the flight back.
I got back on Claudio’s birthday, so went for some cake with the family. I still haven’t learned to speak to them all in Spanish yet so I just sit and smile a lot. (Scary crazy English girl alert)
Things are good at the moment and feeling really happy, looking forward to this year and where it is going to take me….let’s see in the next blog….
The calm after the storm
Well, all I need to do is post this picture and they say a picture says a thousand words. This is the goddamn life. I can’t think of a word that expresses the tranquillity of this place.
I don’t think I could have picked a more perfect location if I searched the ends of the earth. I have absolutely fallen in love with this area and already feels like home.
Don’t get me wrong it’s not always a bed of roses like people think. “Ah MBN sat in Spain in the sun and sipping Sangria”. It’s most definitely not a holiday, it’s pretty much work as usual.
The weather has been pretty horrendous, massive winds up to 80km which kept blowing my playing cards all around the garden. I keep finding jokers under the shrubs to this day. Also pretty heavy rain, the pool nearly flooded and the plastic duck nearly got away.
To get anything done here you need an NIE/NIF number, seriously to do anything!!! Couldn’t even top up my phone credit online without it. To get this it’s a bit of a ballache, so anyone coming over I would advise to get this done before you come. There are plenty of people that will do it online for a small fee. Otherwise you need about 3 trips to Benidorm if you need to get it quick, and when I say quickly, I mean Spanish quick which is a week. Mañana MY ASS!!!
You have to go to the police station, get a form, and go get it signed and stamped by a bank for a small fee. Go back to the police station with the form and then go back after a week to get the number.
Doesn’t sound too bad, but when Spain is only alive about 2 hours a day and they seem to have a bank holiday one day a week, it can get goddamn frustrating.
So I needed this NIE number to get a car, and to get the NIE number I needed a car. Oh that’s a sticky situation. It meant I had to hire cars at €160 a week.
Finally got it all sorted and bought a little run around, it’s quite an old car but low mileage. If it lasts 6 months I’m happy. I’ve named it Tulisa (I watch too much XFactor!!!)
I have also learned a few dodgy car dealers (or flaglettes as apparently the Germans call them) round here, so please msg me if you’re looking to buy a car in this area.
Hopefully will be able to afford a cool car next year if have some nice poker wins. I thought best to start cheap until I get used to driving on the wrong side. I’m bound to have a bump or two.
Flew back to the UK to play the Genting Poker Series in Sheffield, I was really looking forward to this weekend. Had a mishap where the airport bus didn’t show up and cost me €127 in taxi fare. This is still in dispute and won’t be lying down without a fight.
The weekend was a good one, pretty unusually quiet for a poker weekend. No mad benders for a change. Even Darren Craven was drinking tea!!!!
Had some nice meals in the restaurant with Paul Jackson and the gang, had 3 steaks (not all in one sitting), he does look after me bless him. Had to share one of the steaks with Zimbler as it was so big. In fact it was probably bigger than both of us put together.
Poker was the usual. The main was standard, happy with my play. But was chipped up in the side event and blew it in absolute epic fashion. So mad at myself!!!
I knew my head wasn’t in it; this has been an exhausting rollercoaster. I’ve since come back and got my head into gear.
I was glad to get out of there to be honest; I’m starting to really see from a clear window view all the negative dark colours.
I felt such joy to land back and see the big Costa Blanca rock.
Charlie is away in Prague all this month dealing at the GSOP and WPT. It feels weird being here without her. I think we definitely a good mix of people, we both very similar in a lot of ways (apart from she is crazy) both intelligent logical people, and throw in the fact we have some severe differences in political viewpoint, it leads to some great debates. I think we are very equally matched, and about 1000 games of Gin have proved that.
She also an amazing cook, been eating really good here. I think we have an arrangement that she cooks and I clean up after.
I’m planning on heading back to Blackpool for Xmas and also a few days in Notts maybe. No way can I stay here a whole month and then through Xmas on my own. I would actually lose my marbles.
Although my social life is picking up already, I have 2 friends called George, one English and one German. Out for lunch Saturday with my Cousin and I’m off for drinks tomorrow with my neighbour’s daughter Lelia, she looks like a cool girl and she speaks Spanish, English and German. That’s seems to be bloody standard here.
I had an awkward situation closed in this old French woman’s house trying to ask her about a car for sale, we both didn’t speak much Spanish so was trying to point at things in my phrase book. FML!!!
So from now to Xmas, I’m going to get my head down, learning my Spanish, playing my poker, doing my work and just relax.
I hope the sun comes out a bit before now and Xmas so I can come back to the UK with a bit of colour. Bored of the white jokes already.
Peace out people, I hope you come to Spain soon 😀
Mission Accomplished
Well I’ve done it!!!!! I’m finally here and so far best decision I have ever made.
So to continue where I left off….
Got back from the 10 day trip to Spain after we found our new home. With complete excitement now I knew where I was moving to, it made me more motivated to get everything sorted.
Every day for 2 weeks I allocated 2-3 hours a night to pack and sort things. It was a case of just having a load of boxes and distributing things for storage, Spain, the tip, my friends and the charity shop.
I think it taught me a great lesson on never to hoard stuff I don’t use or need in future, I was finding all sorts of crap that I had kept for 10-15 years, never seen, never used and was thinking “Why on earth did I keep this”.
Had a slight embarrassing moment when I took some bags to the tip and the tip men stumbled upon my “female toys” and decided to wave them about while I was stood right in front of them all. FML!!!!
I think the secret to calmly achieving a huge move like this is just to break down the tasks and not look at the whole picture.
I remember an episode of friends where Chandler is about to marry Monica and he gets cold feet and runs off. Ross goes to find him in his office to try and lure him home. In an attempt to calm him down he says to try and just take it a step at a time.
“Y’know, okay. You’re right. It is huge. So why don’t we take it just a little bit at a time? Okay? Umm, forget getting married for a sec; just forget about it. Can you just come home and take a shower?”
All you have to do is write lists of what needs to be achieved and by when. “Pack box and take to the tip by Wednesday”….that doesn’t seem too hard or scary does it.
A little bit at a time and this is the end result
storage
Click image for slideshow
The weekend I actually moved out was quite a mix of emotions. I was sad to move out of my house, I was sad to sell my car, I was sad to say goodbye to all my friends…but overall just so excited about my new adventure to come.
I stayed at Math, Penny and Nick’s house in Long Eaton for the weekend as my flight wasn’t until Monday and had to move out my house by the Saturday.
They very kindly drove me to the airport, which I really appreciated. Said goodbye and headed on the plane
So arrived Monday night and stayed in a hotel in Alicante. Went to the train station the next day to hire a car and head to the Villa. Everything went swimmingly. Managed to find the place again and get all settled in.
Went to the supermarket to stock up and did an entire shop for €29…bargain!!!
Here are a few random pictures around my new house.
Spain House
Click image for slideshow
I was a bit worried as Charlie left for a job the day I got there so was going to be on my own for 2 weeks. But I was brave and ventured out to the local restaurant to find some friends.
Luckily I spotted a car rental place on the way which I met my first friend Joerg. He’s a nice helpful German chap (that also speaks in 4 languages).
Unfortunately my shipment got delivered on the Friday and it looked like they had dropped my computer tower from a great height…. OMG!!!!
Out of everything that was the one thing I needed to get there safe. Everything else is replaceable. Thankfully I had taken out the main hard drive to carry as hand luggage so I didn’t lose all my files.
Joerg has kindly found me a new case for my computer as I wouldn’t have even known where to go. Things are very different here and will be a huge learning curve.
So on the Saturday I wandered down to the car rental place and we ended up going to a little beach bar for the afternoon. Apparently I was very smiley…. I just feel so relaxed and happy here.
Had a really nice day and then headed to the casino at night. It was a real ballache drive so don’t think I will be doing that too often.
I ended up sat next to a guy from Blackpool that moved here 2 months ago with his GF and plays quite a bit of poker.
Poker didn’t go to well, I shouldn’t play Holdem cash… I’m just so bad at it and then somehow managed to get a little lost driving home which was annoying.
So that brings us up to date. Next week I have plans with Joerg, he’s going to take me to a German beer festival a few towns over. Have a feeling that could get messy, I always try to keep up with the big boys and end up on the floor.
I’m also going to nip over and see my Cousin Helen who lives in the next town.
This move has just been the best feeing ever. You can get too caught up in your own little life bubble where things seem so important and you end up stressing over the smallest things. When really there is so much more out in the world to see and new people to meet, if you are generally unhappy with things then don’t sit about and moan…make changes for the better.
I’m so happy right now :DDDDDD
Insurance Claim….?
Ah man, I’m just too damn lazy to move house. I keep looking at my mountains of stuff and I just feel like starting a bonfire in my garden.
I finally took the majority of my clothes to the hospice today, it just showed the essence of good karma as I bought a nice handbag for £1.50 and also nearly bagged a date with a charming gentleman with dreadlocks that swooped in and offered to help me bring the bags from my car.
I start packing up some of my DVD’s when I stop for a facebook check, as you do every 5 minutes, and find a very intriguing message. Charlie: “Heading to Amsterdam, wanna join and plan our trip”…. I mean how do you turn that down?….really!!!!
So now the plan is, go to Amsterdam, to plan our Holiday to Spain, which is to organise the move there. Life is pretty good!!!
Busy times coming up, planning on visiting Blackpool to see all my friends back home, down to Portsmouth with some other friends. Can’t seem to sit still for five minutes.
Had the weekend in Stoke for the Genting Poker Series event. Brilliant weekend, I love catching up with everyone, the Bankroll Supply lot are all mint. Poker didn’t quite go my way but made up for it with Vodka redbulls at the bar till 4am two nights running. Was definitely ready for home by the Sunday, I’m too old for that shit.
Actually got sad that I wouldn’t see everyone for ages, so I think I have decided I might fly back over for the Sheffield one in November. It will cost about £100 for flights and same for hotel. Have to see how things go.
Had a birthday few weeks back. Also leaving party for two of my friends, Cherry gone off to Thailand teaching English, and Liz gone to Newcastle to teach at a new school. Been missing them already and wish them well in their adventures. <3
Ugh just in between all this NEED TO SORT STUFF!!!!
I just wish I could click my fingers and all my belongings would be in a house in Spain. It really does suck having to sell almost everything.
Keep telling myself that it’s all stuff that I don’t even use anymore, CDs I don’t listen to, books I don’t read. Just clutter that I keep lugging from house to house that sits and collects dust.
I’m tempted to drop the lot off to a charity, super charge my good karma into a new start.