I got inspired by Raising for Effective Giving to think about charitable donations. I don't give a lot to charity - I have a couple of direct debits set up and was more or less content with that. Via their site I stumbled upon a TED talk about effective altruism. Like a lot of people, I'd say I don't give much thought to charity, problems elsewhere in the world, and diseases/illnesses that are common (or uncommon) but I or someone I know don't have.
read moreAppallingly this is the longest time I've been without a post since the inception of my blog in 2005. Like a late school boy with no completed homework, I have little to no excuse, and can only plead for your forgiveness - not that either of us owe it to each other. I should further admit that this post is almost out of obligation as I was invited to attend the UK Poker Awards after a nomination for best blogger. Gone are the days when Bluescouse/The Poker Bastard would be able to walk that one in...
read moreOld chum James Keys came up to visit me in sunny Scotland to complete our RYA level 3 course down at Port Edgar sailing school. Unfortunately for us, the skills we had picked up in Australia weren't quite to level 2 standard and we were also a tad rusty. The instructor deemed it better use of time if we polished off our RYA level 2 and then started working towards the level 3.
read moreAt the end of July I attended the Scottish Poker Series. I'd been taking a bit of a hiatus after a gruelling summer in Vegas and fancied something local and fun. A £275 in the rougher part of Edinburgh sounded perfect, drinking optional. I headed over with my friend/neighbour Thomas Partridge at around 6pm, just before late reg closed to maximize the day-time pitch and putt sessions while the weather is still nice. The field wasn't huge on 1A, around 80 started, but I still recognised a few names. Notably Robbie Bull, Deanosupremo, Firaldo87, and a few of the Edinburgh local lads. We started with 30k chips and within the first two hours I was up to 90k after making a somewhat absurd call down with bottom pair when the other chap put in 2x pot on the river. The dinner break was a meagre 30 minutes and rather than negotiate the toils of the buffet we opted for the casino restaurant to devour a cheeky steak. The waiter wasn't really putting up with my poor banter and made a few smarmy remarks about how long it would take and we wound up eating about 30 minutes into the next level, to the point where Martin of pokerinedinburgh called Thomas to inform us we were blinding out. No bother though as I ended the day as chip leader. I had a night out on the lash at "Why Not?" on our day off where some lad in the VIP section claimed to recognise me off TV, asking if I played poker. I'd never had that happen before, let alone in Edinburgh where almost no one outside of poker should know me, so it was quite flattering - particularly as half the Rangers team were hogging the area. Solidly hung-over and facing the daunting prospect of another day if my success continued, I decided to play pretty terribly on day 2. On day 1 I'd become accustom to playing 70% of hands and just stealing the blinds as I pleased. It seemed that I didn't fancy adjusting to my now much more solid table and was happy to let myself get 3-bet about a third of the time I opened. I lost a lot of chips just playing too loose and eventually busted in 14th after an ill-timed jam with AJ. Overall it was a great fun experience playing with the local lads, not really giving a toss if I busted, and generally not being under much pressure. Being deep in the tournament and playing pretty splashy is also fun from time to time but probably not the best idea in the long run and not the best applied practice for the next EPT! Of course most of all, I was delighted to finally add the Scottish flag to my repertoire on the Hendon Mob.
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