Starting at thepokerfarm

Jan. 17, 2011

Ok, here goes my first ever attempt at a blog.  Been asked by the gaffer (Arron) to provide one, so without really knowing what it should be about I will try to keep it short (improbable) and interesting (highly unlikely!)
 
Well, if you are still reading then i will briefly explain how i came to be here doing this.  Started playing poker probably about 4 or 5 years ago, but only socially at first. My old housemate taught me the basics & that was it, i was pretty hooked. Started playing a bit online shortly afterwards & that coincided with a couple of Poker Leagues starting up in the Warrington area which i used to go to once or twice a week.  One of the league's organisers did a "ROI" (Return on Investment) league table after the first season which i was top of & i soon started thinking i was Phil Ivey.  Not long after i qualified from 300+ runners for $5 into a $100 tourny on PKR.  This was huge for me at the time as my maximum had been like a $10 tourny.  Anyway, out of 500+ runners i somehow fumbled my way to 1st place and a prize of $1,700.  Looking back now I do wonder how the hell i won it cos I was a very ABC player at the time, hmmmm maybe that is the exact reason why i did win it !!   I dont remember much about it now but i do remember knocking out 2 people at final table in the same hand which took me a long way towards the 1st place.  I wish i had been able to use the winnings as a bankroll of some sort but if i'm honest i had no clue what a bankroll even was back then, & i was struggling for money to pay the mortgage on my house so none of the money went on anything extravagent. Although i think my girlfriend at the time got a nice handbag & pair of shoes out of it !!!
 
Hmmm, ok.... other bits of info in my poker "career" to date.  Oh yeah, i VERY nearly won $36,000 playing some Jackpot Sit n Go's.  Basically they are $5 to enter, 10 player tournys with standard Top 3 payout. However, if you win 5 on the bounce you win the jackpot which increases each week. Obviously it stood at $36k at the time. I won 4 on the trot, then came SECOND in the last one.  Oh my god, i was distraught for about a week after it !!   In fact, i can feel a little tear in my eye now about it as i'm writing this  hahahaaaa!!
 
I'm conscious i'm blabbing on a bit now.... so the rest of it involves me playing a few live small tournys locally/casinos, bit of cash games at casino & plenty of cash/small SnG's online.  Have always  kinda hoped someone would stake me as i thought if i wasn't worried about where i was getting the money from then it would help me open up & play a bit better
 
Which leads me to PokerFarm..... I get an MSN (i think) one night off Tyler saying he is moving back up to Warrington from Watford & is setting up an office right here.  Tyler knows me from playing live & he must have confidence in my play to put his neck on the line & ask me to play.  So, i wasn't sure what to make of it, so the next day we are texting back & too and he explains how it works.   Hmmmmm, very interesting!!!   So when he moves back up here & gets the house sorted, he calls all us 'potentials' for a meeting at the house.  He explains how it works then leaves it up to us to make the choice, and we can either play full time or full time.  I opted for the part time option as i was "in between jobs", finished as Store Manager with Phones 4u on 4th December & due to start with Jessops in same role on 4th Jan.  Nice month off for Christmas & time to get some hours in at the Farm!
 
Sooo, starting at the Farm.... Bit weird playing with "someone elses" money, kinda feel guilty losing a big pot etc !!    Also, trying to get used to Hold 'Em Manager was tricky at first although now i do wonder how i EVER survived playing cash online without it !!!!!  First month I only managed to do 11,000 hands due to the ridiculous snowy weather & it being Xmas etc!!    But my general feeling at the start of January was that I was just loving everything about the Farm, all the guys there are really down to earth & we often discuss certain hands etc as well as going over the hands from a session after we are finished.  As the start date for my new job was fast approaching it suddenly dawned on me that I really didnt want to go back to the life of a Retail Manager or any other "normal job", I wanted to be a poker player full time.  I sat down with Tyler & talked to him about it & he said i should definitely give it a go.... so thats what i did.  I told my Area Manager at Jessops that i wouldn't be starting the job & that was it.... i'm now a full-time poker player!!!   Hopefully for a very long time, or as long as the Farm will have me!!!
 
January again didn't start too well, felt like i was playing really well but lost quite a lot of big pots with things like KK vs AA, hitting top sets and getting outdrawn by flush draws etc etc !!!   So, I have moved down from 50nl to 20nl to try to steady the ship & as i write this I have just had my best session here to date, $225 up which is like 11 buy-ins!! 
 
Anyway, few of the lads have just got home from town & are a bit pissed & rowdy!!  Plus, its 5:30am so I'm gonna go home & get some kip ready to get back on the grind tomorrow!!!!!!