Wandering Monsters

Any of you guys play MMORPGs or D&D? Take a look at this Encounter table.

Don't you love it when this happens?

A lesson I've learnt the hard way - beware of the paired board!

sparkie545: posts small blind $0.02
conngent: posts big blind $0.05
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to stephenrhall [9d 9s]

>>000'>J: folds

marquelyn: folds
FlitzeAAA: raises $0.10 to $0.15
TheOne2006: calls $0.15
astralfunk: calls $0.15
ionut_steaua: folds
stephenrhall: calls $0.15
sparkie545: folds
conngent: folds
*** FLOP *** [3h 8h 8d]
FlitzeAAA: checks
TheOne2006: checks
astralfunk: checks
stephenrhall: bets $0.35
FlitzeAAA: folds
TheOne2006: calls $0.35
astralfunk: folds
*** TURN *** [3h 8h 8d] [4c]
TheOne2006: checks
stephenrhall: checks
*** RIVER *** [3h 8h 8d 4c] [9h]
TheOne2006: bets $13.19 and is all-in
stephenrhall: calls $3.57 and is all-in
*** SHOW DOWN ***
TheOne2006: shows [Ah Th] (a flush, Ace high)
stephenrhall: shows [9d 9s] (a full house, Nines full of Eights)
stephenrhall collected $8.11 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $8.51 | Rake $0.40
Board [3h 8h 8d 4c 9h]
Seat 1: ionut_steaua folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 2: stephenrhall (button) showed [9d 9s] and won ($8.11) with a full house, Nines full of Eights

Inspiration

I try to set an example to my children, to encourage them to strive to better themselves, to do their best at whatever they attempt.

Yesterday the tables were turned.

I took the kids cycling in Grizedale Forest. It's the first time that we've done that sort of thing together. To be honest, I haven't done any serious cycling for years. In my early teens I would think nothing of cycling 50 miles; today I wouldn't want to think about such a distance.

Towards the end of the day, we're slogging up a hill. My son has already given up and is walking, and I'm seriously considering joining him. I look up the hill to see how far there is to go, and, ahead, I see my 8 year old daughter, moving her bike up the hill through the force of her own stubbornness. At that point I can't get off and walk. She's going through the pain of moving that bike up the hill, with 6 gears less to go at than me, and a lot less strength and experience (though admittedly an awful lot less excess weight too!). I drag myself and the bike to the top of the hill, and then thankfully call for a rest to wait for my son, heart bursting with pride in my little girl.

And they're off

The big event has started. I was sharing a table with Lou Saban, but got moved after one hand. Rosie has an interesting seat - left of Dr Pauly.
13 minutes in, 32 out.

Update 1
Looks like I gave Rosie kiss of death - she's out in 1311th place.

Wil Wheaton is sharing a table with BurnleyJoe. Any relation Mik?

Otis has shown up as commentator, under name of Blogger Brad!

Playing steady so far. Not taking any risks. Slightly up on starting chips.

Update 2

Playing hardly any hands. I've seen two flops, won 3 hands!

Dropped in on Acorn. He's about level too. BM Similar.

Update 3

Just had a double up on my table, AA takes down KK.
Burnley Mik down to 7000.

Update 4
AQh and I make my first raise for ages. No takers.
Limped with A3h and flop AA3! Only BB in hand. I can't get him to raise, and he folds to my raise on turn.

Update 5
ResdentEvil was all in with a flopped straight and he doubles up.
Wil Wheaton has just dropped the HAMMER!

Update 6
Pauly is out. SuffolkPunch is down at around 8000, as is BM. I'm down to 8800. Nothing I can make anything of.
Two big stacks at table. I've pushed with JJ. One big stack calls with 99. Flop gives him a 10 high straight draw. Turn and river are blank and I double up.

Update 7
BM up to 14000 as he rakes in the chips with AA and another rocket on the flop.

Update 8
First break over, back to folding. I'm being a bit of a masochist, I'm playing Britbloggerment too.

Update 9
This time its me with 99. KK on the flop. I put a couple of small raises in. One person limps along, and I take the pot. Next hand 77 not so lucky, and I lose a few.

Update 10

I raise pre flop with TT. Two callers. Flop is AK4. One instant all in. Must be AK. One instant fold from me. One insane call with AQ. It was AK. It holds up.

Dealt 84 in BB. One limper. flop is 824. Limper pushes. I easily have him covered, so I call. A 9 on the turn and another on the river, counterfeiting my hand and giving him the higher two pair. Down to 11000.

Update 11
Now outlasted half the field, but low on chips.

Last update.
Out in 655th place.

Here are the fateful hands.

Dealt to stephenrhall [Qc Jc]
biobakje: folds
IAMB67: folds
PanamaStone: folds
stephenrhall: calls 600
bbmart60: folds
bighair83: calls 600
Catalina_Day: folds
Leraner: calls 300
quintiliano: checks
*** FLOP *** [3h Jh 4s]
Leraner: checks
quintiliano: checks
stephenrhall: bets 4925
bighair83: raises 4925 to 9850
Leraner: folds
quintiliano: folds
stephenrhall: raises 721 to 10571 and is all-in
bighair83: calls 608 and is all-in
*** TURN *** [3h Jh 4s] [Ad]
*** RIVER *** [3h Jh 4s Ad] [5c]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
stephenrhall: shows [Qc Jc] (a pair of Jacks)
bighair83: shows [6h Ah] (a pair of Aces)
bighair83 collected 23316 from pot

quintiliano: posts small blind 400
biobakje: posts big blind 800
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to stephenrhall [Ks Ts]
IAMB67: folds
PanamaStone: folds
stephenrhall: calls 113 and is all-in
bbmart60: folds
bighair83: folds
Catalina_Day: calls 800
Leraner: raises 4125 to 4925 and is all-in
quintiliano: folds
biobakje: folds
Catalina_Day: folds
*** FLOP *** [Td 5d 2d]
*** TURN *** [Td 5d 2d] [6d]
*** RIVER *** [Td 5d 2d 6d] [3s]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
Leraner: shows [Kd Tc] (a flush, King high)
Leraner collected 2348 from side pot
stephenrhall: shows [Ks Ts] (a pair of Tens)
Leraner collected 565 from main pot

World Blogger Championship

The event starts in less than three hours now. Registration is open, and entries are passed 400 and climbing rapidly.

Plenty of familiar names signed up - Dr Pauly, Mookie99, Kronsdat, ResdentEvil, Mike and Lou Saban, Hammerheid, Kattitude...... No sign of BurnleyMik, Acorn or Cloud yet. I presume they'll be along later.

Dead Hamster

Got a phone-call this morning from my wife, saying that the hamster was dead. This was quite a shock, as it is only two months old, and it was running around on my hands the evening before.

Of course the kids were devastated, and went to school almost in tears.

An hour later I get another call. The hamster is alive! She had gone to put it in a plastic bag before putting it in a box to bury it, and it had moved. It was breathing about once every two minutes.

Turns out that because we had moved it from the lounge to the dining room, the slight drop in temperature, along with the lights being on less, had sent it into hibernation. A quick google for hamster hibernation, and we find that we need to warm it up, give it sugary water and mushy food. The warmth was easy - just plonk it down on the laptop PSU! Much TLC later, and we have a very grumpy, but awake hamster.

Sporting a bandage

My daughter has joined a local athletics club. This involves training twice a week , with transport provided of course by Dad's Taxi. She is settling in really well, and can run far better than I ever could. The warm up last night consisted of a one mile jog before they even started training properly. She is only 8! The club has the 3rd ranked U15 800 metre runner in the country, and my daughter is wanting to follow in her footsteps.

Before training, she told us that she had a sore ankle, she had gone over on it at school. As you do, we jollied her along, told here that when she started running it would be ok, and, off she went, good as gold, completed the session, coach told her how well she had done, and then home to bed.

This morning we felt incredibly guilty as she limped downstairs, ankle sporting a technicolour bruise and swelling. So we had to send her to school with an elastic bandage and a note asking that she be excused PE.

World Blogger Championship

It's time for the Pokerstars World Blogger Championship. I didn't think they were going to do it this year, as last year it was before the WSOP, with the first prize being a seat in the main event. This year first prize is a place at the Pokerstars Carribean adventure.

Last time I finished just outside the top 100 which I felt was a pretty decent performance, but it didn't win me anything. This time a 20 place improvement wins me a duffle bag! 45th and you start to get to the real prizes.