Comments on: On The Rail #29 http://www.ontherail.co.uk/podcasts/on-the-rail/on-the-rail-29/ The UK’s leading poker entertainment site featuring impartial reviews of the hottest poker products on the market. Mon, 17 Jan 2011 22:49:51 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.2 hourly 1 By: Peter.Thorpe http://www.ontherail.co.uk/podcasts/on-the-rail/on-the-rail-29/comment-page-1/#comment-85 Peter.Thorpe Mon, 08 Feb 2010 18:27:05 +0000 http://www.ontherail.co.uk/?p=2233#comment-85 now the websites working for me again ill take a swing at sending my 2009 highlight, least now im certian its got through. also apologies to everyone who reads this, mines a far bigger highlight than all the others by a long way (might wanna make this private) its a blog entry from my first ever live tournament, three days past my 18th birthday.... Well after I turned eightteen I swore to myself that I would go to dusk till dawn and test the waters...see if I had some potential. It may sound stupid but I can honestly say the experience has changed me more than I ever would of imagined. After sorting what was a fairly easy membership card out. I entered the main room. Unlike most places (casino card rooms) you enter straight into the main room itself. And any first timer will understand me when I said the place blew me away...I've watched this game for years and now to be standing where dreams are made is truly awe inspiring. I walk to the main desk and buy myself in. £31 for the total, which gets me 3000 chips and a 24 minute clock (which for people who don't understand is pretty good value) and then I sit in the bar...it felt like a new beginning of sorts, I'd spent nearly 3 years preparing for this moment. And now I'm about to step into what could be my future dreams...people who know me know i'm not usually nervous, but that night I had never been so petrified. After half an hour the seats are up. As I walk towards my table I felt the sort of excitement that is hard to describe. Me, in a tournament, about to find out if a 13 year long passion and 3 year obsession was worth it. As I sat down I just stared at my chips aimlessley. Just waiting for someone else to sit down. Would they be friendly? Would there be a pro? How would I play? What image did I want? All of these things should have been in my mind...but they wasn't, I drew a blank. Devoid of all thought I just sat there as the room began to fill. Then at 8:15...I heard the 4 words i'd dreamt of for so long. Shuffle up and deal. Those words felt like a justification of years of preperation...years of dreaming. Many nights I'd lay in bed imagining myself in dream situations. I have songs I listen to that rally my passion and confidence like nothing else. I have moments of sheer terror, moments of doubt, but no more, not now. It was time to show the world how a little kid from a small town with no major financial background. Would take the world by storm. The tournament turned out to be an amazing experience. Every player was friendly towards me and each other (including being nice when I made mistakes, of which I made so so many. I must have acted out of turn at least a dozen times that night) but the 5 hours I lasted felt like nothing I've ever experienced before After the second break about 4 hours in my mind started to think...could I do this? Is this my time, first time out?...it's a feeling I wish to have many times again. With 13 remaining and 10 cashing I decided to make my move. The lad to my right had been suffering alot in recent hands and was forced all in...I thought if I don't make my strike now I'm gonna crumble...I'm not here for 10th i'm here to win. So I went in with KJ against A8... The flop came down with a king...and I'm ready to relax...the turn came a 3rd heart...at this point I'm just wishing everything that the 4th heart doesn't appear...alas the river provided...leaving me crippled and out only hands later. It was bitter. It hurt me. But I've never felt such joy and passion for anything my whole life. I was never a threat during any of it. But I cherished every moment. Every bluff. Every push. Every call. Every moment felt so right, as if I was in the right place. As if this was my dream, and one that deserved to take center stage for many years to come. I walked home poorer but never so happy My first tournament experience...it's like marrage...expensive, hard work, pain and joy...but at the end of it all, something to hold and love...and something to never forget...something never to let go of...something that will last. Forever. now the websites working for me again ill take a swing at sending my 2009 highlight, least now im certian its got through. also apologies to everyone who reads this, mines a far bigger highlight than all the others by a long way (might wanna make this private)

its a blog entry from my first ever live tournament, three days past my 18th birthday….

Well after I turned eightteen I swore to myself that I would go to dusk till dawn and test the waters…see if I had some potential. It may sound stupid but I can honestly say the experience has changed me more than I ever would of imagined.

After sorting what was a fairly easy membership card out. I entered the main room. Unlike most places (casino card rooms) you enter straight into the main room itself. And any first timer will understand me when I said the place blew me away…I’ve watched this game for years and now to be standing where dreams are made is truly awe inspiring.

I walk to the main desk and buy myself in. £31 for the total, which gets me 3000 chips and a 24 minute clock (which for people who don’t understand is pretty good value) and then I sit in the bar…it felt like a new beginning of sorts, I’d spent nearly 3 years preparing for this moment. And now I’m about to step into what could be my future dreams…people who know me know i’m not usually nervous, but that night I had never been so petrified.

After half an hour the seats are up. As I walk towards my table I felt the sort of excitement that is hard to describe. Me, in a tournament, about to find out if a 13 year long passion and 3 year obsession was worth it. As I sat down I just stared at my chips aimlessley. Just waiting for someone else to sit down. Would they be friendly? Would there be a pro? How would I play? What image did I want? All of these things should have been in my mind…but they wasn’t, I drew a blank. Devoid of all thought I just sat there as the room began to fill. Then at 8:15…I heard the 4 words i’d dreamt of for so long.

Shuffle up and deal.

Those words felt like a justification of years of preperation…years of dreaming. Many nights I’d lay in bed imagining myself in dream situations. I have songs I listen to that rally my passion and confidence like nothing else. I have moments of sheer terror, moments of doubt, but no more, not now. It was time to show the world how a little kid from a small town with no major financial background. Would take the world by storm.

The tournament turned out to be an amazing experience. Every player was friendly towards me and each other (including being nice when I made mistakes, of which I made so so many. I must have acted out of turn at least a dozen times that night) but the 5 hours I lasted felt like nothing I’ve ever experienced before

After the second break about 4 hours in my mind started to think…could I do this? Is this my time, first time out?…it’s a feeling I wish to have many times again. With 13 remaining and 10 cashing I decided to make my move. The lad to my right had been suffering alot in recent hands and was forced all in…I thought if I don’t make my strike now I’m gonna crumble…I’m not here for 10th i’m here to win. So I went in with KJ against A8… The flop came down with a king…and I’m ready to relax…the turn came a 3rd heart…at this point I’m just wishing everything that the 4th heart doesn’t appear…alas the river provided…leaving me crippled and out only hands later.

It was bitter. It hurt me. But I’ve never felt such joy and passion for anything my whole life. I was never a threat during any of it. But I cherished every moment. Every bluff. Every push. Every call. Every moment felt so right, as if I was in the right place. As if this was my dream, and one that deserved to take center stage for many years to come. I walked home poorer but never so happy

My first tournament experience…it’s like marrage…expensive, hard work, pain and joy…but at the end of it all, something to hold and love…and something to never forget…something never to let go of…something that will last. Forever.

]]> By: ourkidsi http://www.ontherail.co.uk/podcasts/on-the-rail/on-the-rail-29/comment-page-1/#comment-84 ourkidsi Thu, 28 Jan 2010 23:19:26 +0000 http://www.ontherail.co.uk/?p=2233#comment-84 2009 highlights (apart from the birth of my 2nd daughter). 2 words, darvin moon, in many ways i wish he had taken down the main event, a fantastic story and it would have been so interesting to see how the poker world would have taken it. looking forward to 2010 and excited to be playing in blackbelt london live in march, could do with some smart headphones for the event! :-) great site and top work on the podcasts, just what i need for the commute to and from work. ourkidsi 2009 highlights (apart from the birth of my 2nd daughter). 2 words, darvin moon, in many ways i wish he had taken down the main event, a fantastic story and it would have been so interesting to see how the poker world would have taken it.

looking forward to 2010 and excited to be playing in blackbelt london live in march, could do with some smart headphones for the event! :-)

great site and top work on the podcasts, just what i need for the commute to and from work.

ourkidsi

]]> By: theswiss http://www.ontherail.co.uk/podcasts/on-the-rail/on-the-rail-29/comment-page-1/#comment-81 theswiss Thu, 07 Jan 2010 12:56:00 +0000 http://www.ontherail.co.uk/?p=2233#comment-81 Highlights/Amusements of 2009 Luke Schwartz being banned from a chain of casinos for stealing a sandwich. The whole poker world all discovering Twitter in the same week. Me constantly busting Richard Orford in some live SNG's. Seeing Phil Ivey misread his hand when he had a flush My pathetic attempts to qualify for the WSOP Ed Highlights/Amusements of 2009

Luke Schwartz being banned from a chain of casinos for stealing a sandwich.

The whole poker world all discovering Twitter in the same week.

Me constantly busting Richard Orford in some live SNG’s.

Seeing Phil Ivey misread his hand when he had a flush

My pathetic attempts to qualify for the WSOP

Ed

]]> By: bigdave696 http://www.ontherail.co.uk/podcasts/on-the-rail/on-the-rail-29/comment-page-1/#comment-79 bigdave696 Mon, 04 Jan 2010 21:47:00 +0000 http://www.ontherail.co.uk/?p=2233#comment-79 wouldn pass up a free brewery trip!poker highlight of the year, surely must be phil hellmuths embarrassing entry (or lack of) at this years wsope main event! would love to see how he tops that this year wouldn pass up a free brewery trip!poker highlight of the year, surely must be phil hellmuths embarrassing entry (or lack of) at this years wsope main event!
would love to see how he tops that this year

]]> By: Somerled http://www.ontherail.co.uk/podcasts/on-the-rail/on-the-rail-29/comment-page-1/#comment-78 Somerled Mon, 04 Jan 2010 14:26:48 +0000 http://www.ontherail.co.uk/?p=2233#comment-78 Well, as we have no comments as yet it may be worth leaving one - particularly as up here by Loch Ness it's pretty cold and headphones would be just the job for keeping my ears warm - I could of course use the traditional method and capture a willing sheep. Anyway, favourite bit of 2009 - obviously meeting you guys briefly at Newcastle even though I was primarily there for the Beer Festival. Poker highlight was the IPO in Dublin. Will be there next year if I can afford Irish beer prices. Looking forward to 2010, I'll hopefully be opening a Brewery in the Spring so as nothing written above is prize winning material, a simple bribe will maybe suffice. Fancy a free trip to a Brewery in 2010?? Well, as we have no comments as yet it may be worth leaving one – particularly as up here by Loch Ness it’s pretty cold and headphones would be just the job for keeping my ears warm – I could of course use the traditional method and capture a willing sheep.

Anyway, favourite bit of 2009 – obviously meeting you guys briefly at Newcastle even though I was primarily there for the Beer Festival. Poker highlight was the IPO in Dublin. Will be there next year if I can afford Irish beer prices.

Looking forward to 2010, I’ll hopefully be opening a Brewery in the Spring so as nothing written above is prize winning material, a simple bribe will maybe suffice. Fancy a free trip to a Brewery in 2010??

]]>