First attempt at a blog

Suppose I'll start off with a little history.......

Some of you will know me from boards.ie where I believe I dominate the BB sticky thread with my tales of woe... in particular my "big pairs!" I actually find it a great help for my game hence the posts.... I used to throw the mouse... kick the cat... the dog would run for cover..... etc etc... now i just laugh and say one for the BB sticky!!! and then it's over and done with.... I've come to reaslise no matter how I play AA or KK I'm going to loose 1 in 5 of them anyway!! and Sklansky claims in his theory of poker that good players get drawn out on much more then bad players.. I guess he's kinda know a bit about poker so that makes me feel a bit better....

Others would know me from the live poker scene which I play very little of now...... as the man with the hat....... which is now missing presumed dead!!

I started playing poker in collecge in Kevin Street when I was there studying electronic engineering... sometimes spent more time playing poker than actually going to lectures.... I played in a band since I was 17 and was one fo the "rich" guys in college as I had some form of income which was rare enough in those days... I went on from college to get a very good job with fancy cars and all the perks and some form of temporary insanity made me go and work for myself!!! I spent about 7 years building up my own business in which a lot of the time the only people making money were the guys working for me....... Unfortunately due to a "bad beat" of a large robbery in 2005 I had to close down but thats another story....

Back to poker... I hadn't played holdem much really and came from the old school of draw poker but had played a good bit of 7 card stud which gave me a platform for holdem.... my first holdem game I think was in about 2004 when I was away for a weekend in the Cahir House Hotel in Co.Tipp and I noticed there was a game on that night.... The place was packed with poker players of all types all around the place and I decided to give it a go.... It was run by the now infamous CPT... but I have to say in fairness to them the setup wa very good and it was the first time I had seen such a big event with over 200 players and all the fancy tables etc etc.... anywayhow I don't know but I managed to luckox my way to the final table and finished 4th for my efforts winning 600 euro... I was absolutely delighted and I also got a ticket to their next event in Wexford which I went to and also cashed....

The poker bug had me!!! for a spend of about 200 euro i had made about 1000 euro... easy!!! I then started to play more regularly mainly in the Merrion and was a regular casher in the tourneys there and very seldom left the cash tables without profit... I don't think this was really anything to do with skill but more my starting hand ranges which was AA KK and QQ with the off AK thrown in....lol... I remember one week cash in 5 tourneys and winning two of them and cashing every night at the cash tables..... I think also a lot of my succes in the early days was also that I was playing for pure fun... I didn't need the money as I had my own business and while not rich from it I always had cash flow and if I would also go with a lot of draws because if they hit I got paid and if they didn't I just reloaded...... I'd say the regs loved to see me coming ....;)

I remember my first tourney in the emporium where I final tabled with the now imfamous chief and the Jaymanator.... I remember chief sticking me all in with his 33 vs my KK and filling a 4 flush with his bloody 33! sound familiar? anyway ended up spliting that one with Jay in the end if memory serves me rightly.....

While still not really knowing what I was at poker wise I managed to cash quite regularly in the dublin cash games and was enjoying it.... Shortly after my business closed down and I was left without an income and couldn't go and get a job either because my tax affairs weren't in order as yet and couldn't go and sign on till my business had been properly closed down which took several months......

So with a small bankroll I went to the the Card rooms of Dublin Most nights and while never setting the world alight I managed to knock a living out of it for almost 12 months playing live and a little online... I was a very small winner online playing on PPP on the old tribeca.... During this 12 months I educated myself the best I could by reading books/reading 2+2 and reading boards although I never really posted..... I used to actually enjoy people whinging about "Paul in the cap" but never really replied.... but I know who you are!!! ;)

Towards the end of last year I arranged some coaching with the infamous HJ and decided to give it a better stab online as the previous year although profit I made prob what a guy would make working in a supermarket for the year and I needed to improve on that...... some decent pointers from the great man and a lot of hands later I seem to have the hang of it although still only grindng a living out of it at 200nl..... I find it very hard ot build a bankroll when I have to constantly withdraw to pay the bills.......

Hence project 400nl........ I want to be playng 400nl by this time next month... so I've decided and made a plan not to withdraw at all for the next month .... no matter what.... and with a new deal done for bonus/cashback should help greatly.......

So thats the history of my poker carear so far...... I'll try and update regularly...... and keep it interesting if anyone want to add it to their favourites and check in every now and then....