4-way deal for $2.2k

Chopped this after they asked to chop it 5-ways but I refused. By the time it was 4 ways the remaing players were pretty good imo and I was the shorty so I accepted an ICM chop.

2010 recap/2011 goals coming soon. Had a great New Years and xmas, hope y'all did too!

5th in $19.5k GTD for $1.8k :)

MiniFTOPS Update

Since I'm most of the way through my MiniFTOPS schedule I thought I'd update you on my progress:

Event #1 Wednesday Dec 08 21:00 ET
$20 + $2 NL Hold'em $250k GTD----------------------------2967/15328-----$0

Event #10 Saturday Dec 11 17:00 ET
$20 + $2 NL Hold'em Turbo $150k GTD----------------------2583/8693-----$0

Event #11 Sunday Dec 12 13:00 ET
$12 + $1 NL Hold'em Knockout $250k GTD----------------19449/26000+-----$0

Event #13 Sunday Dec 12 17:00 ET
$30 + $3 NL Hold'em $450k GTD-----------------------489/16,837-----$131.33

Event #19 Tuesday Dec 14 21:00 ET
$50 + $5 NL Hold'em 4xShootout $125k GTD------------------2166/2544-----$0

Event #29 (2-Day) Saturday Dec 18 13:00 ET
$200 + $16 NL Hold'em Two-Day Event

Main Event Sunday Dec 19 17:00 ET
$70 + $5 NL Hold'em $1M GTD

As you can see only 1 event went reasonably well and I busted that with trip Aces vs a better kicker.

On the plus side I cashed for $131.33 which by not entering the $109 6max event has allowed me to enter the $216 2-day freezeout event with 600k GTD. My backers have also agreed that any leftover cashes can be reinvested in either event #33 ($20r) or other MTT's. So 2 events 2 go with potentially more.

In other news, my Gran passed away recently. She was 90 years old and she had a good life. We are all sad to see her go but also happy that she is now at peace.

Just a quick post to say...

Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!

Mini-FTOPS and other stuff

Managed to secure a $329 7 event Mini-FTOPS stake, playing these events:

Event #1 Wednesday Dec 08 21:00 ET
$20 + $2 NL Hold'em $250k GTD

Event #10 Saturday Dec 11 17:00 ET
$20 + $2 NL Hold'em Turbo $150k GTD

Event #11 Sunday Dec 12 13:00 ET
$12 + $1 NL Hold'em Knockout $250k GTD

Event #13 Sunday Dec 12 17:00 ET
$30 + $3 NL Hold'em $450k GTD

Event #16 Monday Dec 13 21:00 ET
$100 + $9 NL Hold'em $300k GTD

Event #19 Tuesday Dec 14 21:00 ET
$50 + $5 NL Hold'em 4xShootout $125k GTD

Main Event Sunday Dec 19 17:00 ET
$70 + $5 NL Hold'em $1M GTD

First I tried to get the stake on 'Part Time Poker' and failed due to having no rep and also because there's been a lot of high profile grims on there lately. So I posted on NPF with the same deal (75/25 in backers favour no MU) and it was snapped up immeadiately.

There are 6 stakers with various percentages of me. Looking forward to this series and have picked only events I feel I have a significant edge in i.e. no 6max, turbo, HU etc.

December is a make or brake month for me in the sense that I need to do well in order to consider going pro next year. Otherwise it'll be time to bite the bullet and find work. Obv if I do get a job then I will continue to play, but a serious MTT schedule and a full time job do not mix well if at all!

In other news: I've had great week away on Rottnest Island, just off Perth Western Australia. It's a nice place with loadsa beaches and not many cars etc. So I've been fishing, snorkelling etc. and generally taking a break from poker to get the downswing out of my system. But I'm ready to get back to the tables now! :)

Update from Down Unda!

Time for a quick update from Down Under.

Weather: Sweet as fook! :D

Stars staking deal: Not so grand, roll is down to around $850 from a starting point of $1.5k. To be expected when playing large field MTT's but still not desireable ofc, for me or the backer.

Full Tilt: Been going deep on a regular basis, but not getting there :( Most notable results were 10th and 11th last week in 28k gtd and 18k gtd... not fun but encouraging none the less! Also just got my first staking deal on PTP, it's only $55 for playing 10 45 man $5.50 sng's but it's the first step in building a rep on that site. Playing these later on today followed by the Sunday grind :)

Other poker stuff: Joined Poker Study Groups which is a site that appears to have potential but a long way to go yet. Am also giving one of it's members a couple of sweat sessions. Poker Pwnage is continuing to stimulate my game :) I have a 6 month membership there and intend to make full use of it!

Oz: Been getting used to my dads powerboat which I'm goin fishing on soon :) Spending time with the family and eating/drinking well.

On a sombre note: One of my best friends mother's has just passed away, it's a very sad time for him and needless to say I wish I could be there for him. My Gran is also v.ill and I wish I could be there for her and the rest of my family. But we can't be everywhere at once and the dietance is huge. Love to all back home.

Backing Decisions

I recently made a decision to seek out a backer. The main reason for this is that after paying off my loan my roll is running low for the stakes I want to play and I need most of it for future living expenses anyways.

The first thing I did was post on the NPF a thread asking for peoples advice where to look for staking. 5 different people showed an interest in staking me almost immeadiately, this wasn't why I made the thread but was a welcome bonus.

Out of the 5 people interested I recieved 2 firm offers and chose to go with the best of these. This offer was a roll of $1.5k to play $22f's and below as well as $5r's and below. The backer asked for a 50/50 split of profits and I agreed.

I am very happy with this deal. I did seek to set up a second deal with another backer on Full Tilt but the best offer I recieved was $500 and 60/40 in backers favour. Upon some thought I decided to stick with one backer on Stars and use the last of my roll on Full Tilt.

I did want to switch to being backed in 100% of my games so I could use the remainder of my roll as a cushion to live on for a while incase varience doesn't swing my way. However the deal I was offered was exclusively on Stars and therefore I would need another on Full Tilt. I may yet look into this but in the meantime I will make a compromise.