32Red Poker Blog

I’ve had a big change in my Vegas plans, and will now be heading out for the last three weeks of the series. In this video I talk a little bit a previous years in Vegas, and my plans and hopes for this year.

I played in Day 1 of the Newcastle GUKPT yesterday, and here is an update of what happened:

First of all, sorry for the lack of videos! I’m still trying to sort out the technicalities, but I’ll have them up soon. (Note from 32Red Poker: We have the technology, Stuart! Enjoy!)

So, it really is galloping up to that time of the year, and I’m feeling fairly mixed emotions about it. I’m very excited, but I’ll be home sick to be spending that amount of time away, and especially in the strange town that Vegas is! My adventure into the random games like 2-7 lowball and 7-stud has been tough, and leaves me unsure as to whether I will play those games or not.  Though they are interesting games, it has made me realise why No Limit Holdem has shot far beyond them in terms of popularity.

So, there is just one more stop before the craziness of Vegas, and that is for the GUKPT in Newcastle this weekend. I have missed this leg for the previous two years, but I think that an event in the corner of the country like this is what the GUKPT is all about, and I’m looking forward to seeing a new city. I’ll be updating on here from Friday, time to start running good!

monte carlo

Well, the Monte Carlo trip provided a lot of fun,and I’ve done the site’s first video about it. Click the link above!

I’ve gone from being a newbie to poker, to being around just long enough to be familiar with the cycle of events. This means that this time of year defintiely has the feel of the World Series coming, and I’m getting really excited about it. My previous post was about how I was preparing to  learn a number of new games, and progress has been mixed on  this front! I feel very ready for the 7-stud event, nearly so for the 2-7 lowball, but still a lot of work to be done on Omaha hi-lo! Either way, it will be interesting, and I’m hoping to update from every day of my trip, which starts on June 1st.

First of all my apologies, it’s been the longest ever run without an update! There are two reasons; one is that this exam-crazy time of year has created lots of parents wanting tuition for their kids, and I’ve been playing the role of maths tutor far more than cardplayer.

The other is that the latest poker plan came tumbling down with the worst possible timing. I fell ill just before the Irish Open weekend, and felt like a child being told Christmas was cancelled. Having travelled to a few random places all on my own over the Winter months, I was really looking forward to the rare chance to go with my brother Tom and the English poker crew. Sadly, I had to cancel, and so it’s been an unexpected long break from live tournaments.

That will be broken, however, on Friday as my favorite poker tour returns. The next leg of the GUKPT is in Manchester, and I’m really looking forward to travelling up on Friday to resume friendships and rivalries alike. After that, it’s the big one, Monte Carlo. Time to start playing good!

I haven’t had a minute to update recently after a busy week of bits of work, sandwiched between a trip to Vienna and a (brief!) trip to London for the GUKPT leg at the Vic. It was a couple of trips I enjoyed alot in the company of Jon Eames in Austria and my brother in London, and culminated in a 9th place finish in the 750 Euro side event in Vienna. (more…)

For kids, it’s Christmas. It’s that time of year when the excitement starts months beforehand, and steadily builds to a fever pitch. For poker players, that special time of year is the World Series of Poker, and the adult equivalent of writing a letter to Santa is to pour over the schedule of events that has just been released. I’ve been taking a look at it myself, and have come to a pretty interesting conclusion.

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I love tournament poker, but it has thrown up its fair share of tough moments to stomach. Yesterday, the cards unfortunately brought a similar fate, but an extra element made for one of the most disappointing moments I have ever had to take. (more…)

The EPT is back this week, and I’ll be going with my girlfriend to Luton airport tomorrow, ready for the Day 1B on Wednesday. Back is the excitement of such a big tournament, but gone the fun and convenience of the poker being close to home. Gone also will be the camaraderie I always enjoy in England. I guess it is only inevitable that the EPT is always a much more serious affair, but it’s always an exciting challenge to try to measure up to the tough standard of play.

I feel that this week sees the most under-rated stop on the tour, as the convenience of a big city does not sacrifice anything in what is a lovely location. I’m really excited to be making the trip, and hopefully will be reporting on some good poker on here, from Wednesday evening. I’ve just got a funny feeling about this one, but we’ll see…