Poker Blog Round-Up: 26 January

26 Jan 2007

By Hugo Martin

That's the closest Kate Hudson will ever get to your cock

Our regular round-up of what's going on in the poker Blogosphere...

Has Bluescouse really put up his final post? Considering his most recent missive is titled “Final Post” it is a very real possibility. In quite a moving entry (I must be getting soft in my old age) our teenage degenerate writes with candour and sincerity about his game, his dad and his blog.

“I've decided to give up this blog. I can't blame it for my losses, that is down to me, but I know I let it put some pressure on me to play the higher tables. Nearly all advised to drop down but I know that would have made the blog less interesting; I accept also that I have a problem with staying at the lower tables (or even playing there at all),” he writes.

I love the thought that he was playing too-big-for-his-bankroll high stakes poker for us. In a way he was right, most poker blogs are just very boring hand histories from the low limits and Bluescouse did not want to just become another one of those. Real purists like Chris “Jesus” Ferguson play the same no matter what sums of money are involved, but the truth is most players are fascinated by big money games because they aspire to play them. Also, good players like to say the money makes no difference, but the truth is it does. Everybody has their comfort zone and once people are out of that is when the game becomes interesting. Poker Verdict salutes you Scouse - yours was one of the best blogs out there and it shall be sorely missed.

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While we’re on the honesty front let’s check out Roswell 42’s live journal. His most recent entry is dated the same as Bluescouse’s final post and is similar in tone. In an excellent post he illustrates how difficult it is to be a pro poker player. It’s a cliché, but poker is a tough way to make an easy living. When there’s no pressure the game is enjoyable and it’s amazing how other players are just throwing their money away. He gives an account of his last year in which he admits that he lost.

“However, since my job ended and I became a full-time pro, things have gone really badly. In fact, I had a losing year. Initially I blamed bad luck, but I have to admit by now that I'm just not as good as I thought I was,” he says. That takes balls - how many other poker players could write that? Especially when it seems like their friends and peers are getting the lot. I suspect many others have had the same experience but are they as realistic about it as Roswell? Hopefully Roswell will keep playing and blogging as his journal is pretty good and one I have been meaning to highlight for some time.

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ActionJeff is clearly one who has never heard of getting it quietly. His recent entries since claiming he is Fast_Freddie (false, by the way, thanks to several Poker Verdict readers for letting us know that Fast_Freddie is actually Mohammad Kowassarie aka The Terrorist) have all been of the brag variety. In fact, his boasting makes Tony G seem like a shrinking violet in comparison. Screen shots of him sitting with $50k in the $25/$50 no limit holdem game on Stars and breakdowns of his online MTT stats fill up the pages. Also, if you want to see what a bunch of teenage millionaires get up to at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure check out all his photos. Didn't somebody once say youth is wasted on the young?

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The Tao of Poker by Pauly is quite a famous blog and recent entries have been about his time at the Aussie Millions. Pauly seems to spend most of his time with EPT winner Brandon Schaefer and another mate of theirs called Shecky playing Chinese poker. Recently they all got backstage passes for some big rock festival (that’s music I’m talking about, not tight poker players) and can anyone guess what they did backstage? Yep, you got it, they found a table and played Chinese. Who says poker players are nerds? All is not lost as they did watch some bands and were joined by the side of the stage by Kate Hudson. “At one point she bent over in front of me and squatted for a few minutes so she could see Muse. Shecky poked me in the ribs and said, "That's the closest Kate Hudson will ever get to your cock." What can I say? It’s a lean week in the poker blogosphere.

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As usual Andy Ward has written a superb post that analyses some of the WPT stars’ games and how to play against them. Great to read that both Vinny Vinh and Ming Nguyen are both sore losers and that Chau Giang was a little edgy but that was probably “because he had fifty dimes on the Patriots and they were blowing a 21-3 lead.” Andy’s advice on what to do if you come up against these players (Mark Seif and Hoyt Corkins are also profiled) is really good so bookmark this page if you know you will be playing in a WPT event.

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Finally Richard Brodie aka Quiet Lion is on vacation in Thailand. As usual he flew there First Class. The Lion once again reveals his knowledge is not just limited to food and wine and computer programming:

“The go-go bars are much like men’s clubs in America except the girls don’t really dance and they don’t even go topless; they just sway around in bikinis or underwear. There are no lap dances and no rip-off VIP room. Of course 100% of them are hookers whereas in America it’s closer to 50%,” he writes.

Poker Verdict wonders if he knew this statistic while he was married or if he came to this conclusion recently?

Hugo 'Chimney Sweep' Martin

26 January 2007

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