Not a bad start

OK.  So as promised here is a brief update on how Karen did on her first casino trip to play poker.  It was interesting.  Firstly she looked stunning (yes thats nothing to do with poker, but she really did). 

Karen started off very slowly - exactly as we had agreed.  Playing poker in a very tight way.  In fact she folded for her first seven hands.  She was starting to get frustrated, but remembered that she simply had to play to the rules and she would statistically end up a winner.

I don't think Karen was really aware of just how much time playing poker in a casino can consume or how tiring it can be.  I had to remind here several times to keep drinking, and only to drink water.  

The competition was quite good, although there were two lads who were part of a stag night that were, shall we say, thinking of other things I suspect :-)

How did Karen do on her first trip to a casino?  Well, she came third from ten and played for three hours for free (she covered her costs with the prize money in the comp).  Had it not been for  a rush of blood to her head and playing a weak hand too aggressively Karen could well have finished second.  Not a bad first showing for her, and she left keen to play again as soon as possible.  Her next lesson with me is next week - stand by for more on her poker odyssey.

Best

Poker in Luton

Of all places.  Poker in Las Vegas on the Wednesday, Poker in Luton on the Thursday.  Thats Poker!  The opposition in Luton though is really tough.  That's what people forget, just because Las Vegas has a lot of poker players doesn't mean that they are any good.  Many is the time I've won $5k in Las Vegas and lost it in a local casino in the UK.

One of the things that my team and I always say to our students is that the venue for poker is not completely irrelevant, just largely irrelevant.  The main thing is that you prepare for each session in the same way.  Positive attitude, drink plenty and be rested.  So for tonight I am taking one of my students to play her first session at a casino.  Update tomorrow on how she does, but I have cautioned her to take only £20 and that's her lot for tonight.  It's a mini-tournament, so maybe she will be out quickly but who knows?  She has to start somewhere and as I say with the course that we sell we show you how to make your first £10 playing poker.  

Good luck Karen.  You can do it, and I'll be there to watch.

Best

Lucky cards and major skill.

UK tomorrow

2 weeks in Vegas and now 2 weeks in the UK.  Never sure where to call home really.  Having been born in the UK, lived in the USA and Australia I think that I would prefer to call Australia home.  But for now I spend 2 weeks in the UK then 2 in the USA, so it's an odd life.  When I'm in the UK I want to be in the US because I miss the casinos and when I'm in the US I miss my family.

That's not to say I don't like the UK or the USA but simply that Australia is for me a better place to live.  The UK is just way too expensive and crowded to live, or even visit.

The casino scene in Australia is still quite limited and I'm hoping that the Australian government will soon be enlightened enough to allow online poker playing in Australia.  That would make my life a lot more enjoyable really.  

The best part of my job for me is meeting some great people when I fly to train them or they come to visit me in the UK or USA.  Most people are just keen to learn poker, which is why I am making a series of videos now that I am going to make available online for people that don't want to travel or can't travel.  It should be a nice way to learn how to play poker and a great poker course.

Anyway, time to pack and go for a last session at the tables.  Then its off to Virgin Atlantic for a jolly flight back to the UK and the nightmare of a journey on the M25.

Best, lucky cards.

Well here it is - my first ever blog comment.  And its probably not that interesting.

Poker players from around the world will maybe find something of interest here.  The travelling is a nightmare, so I figured that writing a few lines about the life of a professional poker player would be interesting (and to be honest fill in a few blank hours while I wait to play).

I often get asked what its like, and most people seem to think there is an element of glamour in the life.  I guess in all honesty there is a little bit of that, but nowhere near as much as people would like to believe.  The bottom line is that basically you play cards to make money.  Not for fun, for dough.  I've never deluded myself that I am a sportsman (I think that is reserved for people like David Beckham, Tiger Woods and the like.  BUT there are a lot of similarities.  I always tell the guys (and girls) that I tutor, even though you aren't an athlete you have to think and act like one.  Hydrate regularly, have a proper diet etc.  I imagine that seems strange to most people but laying cards is a mental thing, as is much of any sport.

Well thats it for my first post.  Written in the Bellagio (and no I'm not staying here, I've just finished playing and wanted a quick salad before heading home).  I just figured for a first post the venue had to be right.  Its downhill from here on in.

Best, lucky cards.