SWINGS, ROUNDABOUTS, VARIANCE AND DONKEYS HEADS!.

Absolute Bet: Last week $600; Current $527 (-73)
Poker Stars: Last month $150; Current $144 (-6)

Total = $ 672 (-79)

Profit on the month = -79

Profit on the year = -79

B&M money = £246 (+46)

Life online has been very trying this month. I've played 30 $11 SnG's and ended up down $73. Despite doing well in the Bloggerment, I'm also down a little bit on Stars, as I managed to get sucked into some cash Pot Limit Omaha. I'm a long way short of having a game plan there, so I'll give that a miss in future.

In my "bread and butter" SnG's, it's all the usual "bad beat" type stuff, being sucked out on in key hands where you were ahead etc. The worst run was 7 games without a cash - nowhere near my record, which is twice that. I didn't have an outright win until the 28th game. That is the real cause of the problem. Turning a healthy percentage of cashes into wins is vital. Anyway, hopefully things will turn round and I will get into the black again. I've been here before.

I've certainly turned things round at the cricket club where I cashed in both games played.

However, by far the best craic was the APAT UK Forum Team Championship at the G Casino in Manchester, where I played for the "Raise the River" team. I finally got to meet lots of folk off the forum that I regularly play in the "Bloggerment", including Mair, Hammerheid, Bullmeister, Ant, DoV, dD, Lou Saban and Gorvacorfin in addition to the motley crew I'd met up with in Bolton, BurnleyMik, Snakeyes and NoCash. I certainly took dD by surprise - he wasn't expecting someone even more ancient than himself! :-)

Hammer, Snake and Mik were well up there in the drinking stakes but the prize (to nobody's great surprise I suspect) has to go to NoCash, who woke up the next morning minus his shoes!? Well done that man. The Norn Irish and the Geordies provided some stiff competition for service at the bar too - more of them later.

I was back to back at my table with Ant at the next one. For the first 3 levels we competed very effectively with each other to see who could play the fewest hands - yes, I won :-). I had AQ raised, hit the Q on a two spade flop, bet the pot and got called. Blank on the turn. Overbet the pot, got called. Spade on the river. Bet from opponant - fold. He had the flush of course. Sigh.

Amazingly the first player out was last year's winner, Mair. Glory is fleeting and all that.

For the remainder of the day (it finished at 2.00 in the morning) I played 5 more hands, winning all of them. However, mostly I only took the blinds, as nobody took me to a showdown. Given the ultra tight way I had been playing, that was hardly surprising. The rest of the RtR team were gradually whittled away, until there was only BurnleyMik and myself left.

I was left with a stack of 46K to start the second day with Mik on about 37K. Somewhat surprisingly there were no huge chip leaders among the 31 players (of 160) left - even the biggest only had about 30xBBs. So we were almost all in with a shout. Players were gradually whittled away but I was totally card dead and had to make the odd all in blind steal just to stay with a stack that could realistically make people fold. With antes as well as escalating blinds this tactic is vital to survival. Eventually I had to make a move with about 7 BB's left and went all in with a pair of 6's against a big stack. He called me with a big Ace but a six came on the flop and I was chipped back into it again.

When his table broke up Mik ended up on mine, two places to my right with one of the Irish guys between us. He was getting to the stage when he had to make a move and went all in on my Big Blind. I had A10. Cue major trance as I thought things through. If I called one of us was going out and therefore we would have no chance of going deep in the team tournament (we both needed to figure high on the final table to even have an outside chance). Also, he wouldn't have put me in this situation (for the same reason) unless he had a strong hand. I folded and he showed JJ. Phew - nice pass Brian! However it was all in vain, as Mik was evicted when he raised the Irish lad from the small blind and was called. With two low spades and two on the flop, which included 2 jacks, he checked. So did the Irishman. Blank on the turn. Mik went all in and was insta-called. Irish lad had 2 Jacks for Quadzillas and it was goodnight Mik.

Gorvacorfin from the forum was the last player left that I knew. He was on my left now and just to be friendly I nicked his blinds a couple of times - you have it to do as they say in Lancashire. Players were being slowly but steadily eliminated and we were down to 5 handed when I found myself short stacked again and ready to make a move. K10 told me it was time to shove and in it went - call from a big stack with AJ. AQ on the flop giving him the lead and me 3 outs...but no Jack came and I was out in 12th place, three off the money. SIGH. Sadly, Gorv was the next out, missing out on the money too.

It was great to go deep and have a shot at making the money again. Actually I did make some as I was in a "lasts longest" for a tenner each with the other guys, so at least I got my entry back and £20. All that and two grand day's of entertainment too. Great craic and I will be back for more. Well done APAT.

The Geordies? Grief but they made a noise ("drink had been taken" as my mother would have put it). There was particularly raucous support for a player they insisted on calling "Chipmonk", though he didn't seem to appreciate this moniker himself. He did eventually finish 2nd, so well done. The donkey's head he put on when he went all in a couple of times was entertaining too - as he put it himself - try getting a read on me past that!