Chipleader

When DTD announced their new ChipLeader concept a few months ago, I was hesitant, and not particularly bothered about playing it.  The concept being that chips for the live final are accrued by playing online games over a period of several weeks in the build up to the final date.  This is a brand new concept, and one that I'm sure will be tried again, albeit with some tweaks.

Having said I wasn't going to bother, I found €50 in my DTD account, and having busted all my regular tourneys one night, and having nothing left to play, had a go at the first ChipLeader qualifier, and won! With entries and rebuys, I picked up 18k for the final. The next day I played another, and won that too - now up to 32k.  And a few days later I won another - up to 45k. Then the dregs of $50 ran out, and I took a conscious decision to not deposit and play any more - after all, 45k was likely to be an above average stack, and I was in pretty cheaply.

That's where the competition started to go pear shaped. Those with bigger bankrolls were able to attack the concept in style, and some spent hundreds, and probably thousands in some cases, playing every qualifier there was, and building mammoth stacks. At the start of the final, my 45k was a tiny stack compared to the 659k of the ChipLeader. I was ranked 120th of 220 starters in the final - so in essence, there were almost as many below me as there were above me - not too bad a place to be I guess..... Just needed a decent table draw.

On a 9 handed starting table, I had more chips than one single player - everyone else had me outstacked. So much for being halfway up the field!  The biggest stack on our table was 220k, and after a few hands, it became clear how he had built that stack!

The very first hand of the day saw 220k matey limp UTG, and with three more limpers before it got to me on the button, I found QQ and went for the big overbet and raised to 1800 (blinds were 100/200). Not sure why I made it so big, but suspect I feared that everyone would call from them mahoosive stacks with any raggy hands, and that I might end up in a tough spot post flop, even with a premium hand and in position - probably a mistake with hindsight.  Matey was the only caller. On a flop of 238sss, and me with the Qs, I figured I was in reasonable shape, but managed to ship him around 7k of my 45k starting stack when innocent red cards came on turn and river - he had called my 9x raise preflop with A6ss.

The day never really got any better than that, although after that I decided to just have fun and see where it might get me.  I ended up busting in level 7 - I called a min raise on the button with QJs from a stack of 30x. Flop was JT8. The raiser made a small c-bet, and I made an equally small raise - he called. Turn was another 8 - he checked, and I made a big overshove, thinking I would make him fold all better Jacks, and possibly overpairs if I could sell the 8...... he insta-called with A9, and rivered a Q for a straight.  Ho hum - that's why we play poker I guess.

All in all the concept works, but does need to be tweaked before the next one. A couple of changes I would like to see:

1) A cap on starting stack - not ideal, but keeps things sensible and is more inclusive to those that can't put in tremendous hours and money online. A capped starting stack could perhaps increase over time as the number of qualified players increases.

2) In the online qualifiers, half the starting stack should go as cash prizes to top three, and the other half to produce chips for the final - this will keep those with shorter bankrolls playing qualifiers, and not make the qualification stage just about who's got the deepest pockets.

I hope DTD run this event again, and I am sure I will give it another go. I do hope they tweak the format a little though.

The friendly face of the civil service...

About a week or so ago, I received an email telling me I had been granted a place at a training academy event. First thought was that this would mean another marathon session trying not be be bored whilst listening to an online presentation, however it turns out that it's for a three day event at HP's head office in Dallas! I had to book my flights at the earliest opportunity - and that's where the fun started.

To book my flights through the corporate agency, I had to confirm my passport. Not a problem - until I discovered it expired six months ago. Cue panic and an emergency passport application! I filled in the form yesterday, and after some online research, was able to print off my passport photos (correctly sized, plain white background, no facial hair, no glasses, no smile, etc etc).  Off to Newport at the ungodly hour of 6am today for an 8.30 appointment.

Having arrived in Newport at 7.15, I had time to kill, so figured that there's nothing better in the morning than a gut full of e-numbers, preservatives, and fat - the full McDonalds fayre!  It almost turned into the most expensive McDonalds breakfast in history as I left my application envelope, complete with expired passport, on the table when I left. The 600 yard dash back to McDs was just about the quickest I've even run, and I was only just in time to extract the envelope from the bin as the kind lady was clearing up.

Foolishly, I arrived at the passport office 30 minutes early at 8am - now the lady on the phone last week told me to arrive 10 minutes early.... I should have taken heed.  When I opened the door, I was confronted by The Friendly Face Of The Civil Service. With a sneer, I was told to leave the building and return 10 minutes prior to my appointment as I would have already been told.  Flippin good job it wasn't raining - there was a growing crowd on the pavement, all for 8.30 appointments. I did smile when a lady turned up and someone asked what time her appointment was, and she said it was 9.30, but she was busy and needed to be seen early - I didn't fancy her chances!

Having gotten through security - yes, security.... inclusive of emptied pockets, removed belt, body scan, etc, I was booked and processed and given a ticket. This felt like a cross between the departure gates at the Airport and Tesco's meat counter!  

With ticket in hand, and my number called, I approached the lady at booth number 2 - and there it was again.... The Friendly Face Of The Civil Service. I handed over my envelope, only for it to be thrust back at me with an instruction to empty it first. FFS did she think I was carry sharp blades along with my passport application? Perhaps a needle or two?   She saw the photo's I had painstakingly printed (and she wouldn't have realised that they were the fourth set I had printed, in my efforts to get them just right!), and passed them back - "they won't do, you're smiling."  Now I probably don't smile often enough, but I do know when I am smiling - and in these pics I definitely was not smiling, as I pointed out to her.... however, as she dutifully observed, the corners of my mouth were higher than the rest of my mouth, therefore the pics were rejected due to a smile. Unbelievable. Onsite photo booth - £5, 3 extra pics I don't need, and we were sorted.

So - paid the price at the cash desk, and was given a receipt with a collection time of 12:34. I really don't know why the lady put six underlines beneath the words that said "Ready for collection no earlier than.." - perhaps she was trying to tell me something. The Friendly Face Of The Civil Service.

Somehow managed to kill four hours - well not quite, I went back early, and collected my new passport at 12:10. (Please don't tell the lady on the cash desk)

I learnt three things from today:

1) Don't let your passport expire without replacing it via postal methods in good time.

2) Don't try and pass friendly conversation with a civil servant during a morning shift - it doesn't work.

3) I will never voluntarily go to Newport again. Apologies to any of my friends that may live there, but four hours was enough! 

Texas in July - weeeeee. If nothing else, it will be a welcome break from the British rain!

Inside out omelette sandwich

An omelette sandwich is a delicacy of my youth - I never thought I would ever cook one inside out, which is what my first eggy bread lunch looked like today!

I think I have a new favourite snack.  Strange that the simplest of things can be so satisfying and desirable.