July 2010 Archives

Well, I'm in the airport heading back to Vancouver after a great week in California. It seems like déjà vu, as I write this blog in the airport because I've been doing it so many times this year.

Congratulations to petes on winning last week's caption competition with the following entry:

"ya cant raise with a wheelbarrow load of cash, its either a bucket load or a shed load."

For your chance to win €25 and have it deposited in your Boylepoker.com account*, just leave a comment.

My view on poker is that it's my business and I try to run it like a business. The last blog was as such, a review of the business and an assessment of its ability to continue to be profitable.

We had the second instalment of the Waterford Masters over the weekend. This is my local tournament, and with some personal involvement in putting it together, it was great to see it filled to capacity again this year.

Congratulations to Chris Burton on winning last week's caption competition with the following entry:

"Prior to the Full Tilt deal and close to busto, Tom worked part time as a travelling Fortune Teller....''You're going to lose your chips very soon...and meet a tall dark handsome stranger"

For your chance to win €25 and have it deposited in your Boylepoker.com account*, just leave a comment.

Live updates from the Breaffy House Resort in Castlebar, Co. Mayo where on Sunday we will crown the 2011 Western Open Champion.

I played my last tournament on behave of the BOSP II promotion last weekend. It was the UKIPT Brighton Main Event. I was happy overall with the way I played. I always take a while to warm up but I felt really comfortable for most of Day 1, setting up a tight image, controlling pot sizes well with marginal hands and then making some well-timed bluff and semi-bluff raises, particularly on 4th street.

Well, when I quit the job just over two years ago, the plan was to give poker a lash for two and a half years. I felt that even if it didn't work out, I could return to the work-force at 25 with a masters degree, leaving me in relatively good shape for the game they call life.

As Andrew said in his wrap up, when you bust the Main Event - it's get out of town time. It's an odd dynamic really. One minute you're plugged into the biggest of them all, then one hand and ten minutes later you're looking for the fastest way out of the place.

Well, I've finally left Vegas. It's the same every year, after I bust the Main I just want out.

Congratulations to Mark Montgomery on winning last week's caption competition with the following entry:

"If I am getting knocked out this year, at least I am dressed for it."

To see last week's image click here.

For your chance to win €25 and have it deposited in your Boylepoker.com account*, just leave a comment.

Still in Vegas at the moment and it's pretty much all winding down. Everyone is leaving and there are only a few of us left here.

Derek Murray said to me earlier in the week, that the day you bust from the main event, is the worst day of the year for a poker player. He's right but you have to put it into perspective. If the worst thing that happens to you in a year is busting from a poker tournament, then things ain't too bad.

Well, busted the main. Played so well until my exit hand which I butchered and that was it! Now I'm heading on the piss for a few days. Will come back and do a proper review blog of Vegas in a few days but for now I am away to drink away my depression!

Unfortunately things have not got any better over here. I played the 1K PLO re-buy in the Bellagio and had a good run in it, but came unstuck with 9 players remaining when my top set was outdrawn by my opponent's big draw.

Been pretty quiet on the poker front for me since the Irish Open but I am playing the UKIPT Brighton Main Event - Day 1B this Friday. I'll be providing updates at the event by Twitter. It's my last event from the BOSP 2 fund, so hopefully I can make it a profitable one!!

Gutted to see Derek and Tommy whom I'm sharing the house at 2367 Mohigan drive with, both bust today, however it did make me the last of the Mohigans.

Play for free each Thursday in July with Rake Break and win IPO Tickets, Added Cash, Tokens, and Trophy With Mini World Series at Boylepoker this month.

Finished Day one of the main event with 33,925 in chips, which is coincidently within 50 chips of what I finished day one with last year.

Congratulations to james on winning last week's caption competition with the following entry:

"I'll see ur call and I'll raise u this empty bottle and the shirt off my back..."

For your chance to win €25 and have it deposited in your Boylepoker.com account*, just leave a comment.

I made it back for my first day 2 of the WSOP in 3 attempts!!! Unfortunately I have less than what I started the day with, returning with a paltry 13,750 chips.

It's all becoming a bit blurred here at this stage, with my head now unable to differentiate between tournaments and such. How the hell some players play everyday for the series without going bonkers is beyond me, but I guess they all go a level of nuts.

Basically the highlight of my Vegas trip was seeing the A-Team and hearing Cpt. Hannibal utter those words. I've stolen the phrase and have been pinging it out there at least 47 times on nights out. When it started to wear thin with the lads, I threw in a cigar and got some more chuckles! Hopefully it will last until the end of the series.

Somebody really needs to put together a 'Dummies Guide to Hookers in Vegas' for the Irish. Every year out here you hear three or four stories of Irish poker players being fleeced while pissed.

I arrived in Vegas two weeks ago off the back of a nice holiday and full of optimism about the World Series. I'm now without a cash in seven attempts and with only 1 or possibly 2 tournaments left to play here, I'm in desperate need of a late rally to salvage some kind of respectability.

No good in the $5k/$10k PLO and also no good in the $1k PLO Hi-Lo RB in the Bellagio which cost me $5k.

I just busted another shallow starting stack WSOP event a couple of hours ago. Again I broke well out of the starting stalls, amassing more then 3x starting stack after two levels but once again couldn't kick on.

Congratulations to ross j on winning last week's caption competition with the following entry:

"put your shirt back on miss lego, you're in bits!!!"

To see last week's image click here.

For your chance to win €25 and have it deposited in your Boylepoker.com account*, just leave a comment.

Five years ago I went travelling with my then-girlfriend and two friends on a 9 month round-the-world trip financed by the ridiculously soft online cash games that were available at the time.