Bounties Ahoy!
7.30pm Thursdays:
William Hill are running an $18+2 comp where five of us have bounties on our heads...prizes escalate...knock out the last remaining Bounty and you win a $4000 Caribbean lite package.
Yum yum.
Use the above link if you need to set up an account.

Hard To Beat
I enjoyed my second trip to Vegas, a $1000 down meaning an almost break even trip, which was pretty good considering the exposure I had. That was my fourth visit over a two year period and what is disappointing is that as yet, I've not managed to snag a decent score in the one town where decent scores are plentiful.
That being said, I did manage to scoop a $2900 pot in a $2-5 game at the Wynn, all-in pre, with K-2s. The White Russians had been flowing and one guy moved-in blind before his cards were dealt. Computer says a king high hand beats the average so obviously I called. An aggressive big stack then shoved three grand in, but with just $700 behind I was never passing.
Anyways, I flopped a king, the big stacks 5's were toast and the blind guy mucked. Happy memories.
Alas I didn't fair so well in the WPT. We started with 20k and despite having Andreas Hagen, Patrick Antonius and Jamie Gold all on my left, the early going was good as I snuck up to 30k.
With one level to go however, I was on about 22k with blinds at 300/600/100 I think. My image was pretty good so after limping UTG with 9-10s, I elected to represent and heave it all-in after two more had limped and one guy with about 17k had over-raised it to 6k on the button.
The limpers all ducked, the raiser then says, "well only a genius would pass this hand", called, flipping up kings, and marvellous, I now had to table my suited connectors. I actually flopped a ten, but it wasn't to improve and not long after I ran jacks into queens.
What's slightly annoying is that in the two 10k's that I played I made just one big move for everything in each and both times ran into a big hand.
Back home now and I had a fair run in the Newcastle UKPT, just about scraping into the last eighteen. I made Day 2 with slightly more than average chips, but never got much going and had good fun just shoving my six to eight BB's in once a round for a four hour stretch. Amazing that I never once got doubled up - hmm, perhaps, despite having such a short stack, I should have been a little more creative with my opening bets.
My last hand was a tad frustrating; I pushed 70k in at 4000/8000/500 with A-Qs, Mazhar Nawab pushed-in for about 140k with A-A and then the BB decided to come along for the ride with A-K. Best hand held up and well done to Maz for going on to win it.

One Week Later
Well the World Series is over for me, although it actually felt like a success of sorts to actually bag up a handful of chips and make Day 2b. I had a fairly steady table on Day 1d with Padraig being the only face I recognised. I’m struggling to remember many hands, but suffice to say, they, and any sweet situations were very few.
Despite the fact that average chips was 55k, my 32k was by no means short, with the blinds at 500/1000/100. Once again I got a steady table with just one other player, another Julian, from Melbourne I think, sat bang on my left.
I got the perfect start, raising to 3000 with Ah-8h, the BB calling. 4h,7h,9h flop, he checked, I bet 5200, he pushed 80k in, I called, his Qh-2h missed, ace high good enough. Unfortunately, up to 60k it didn’t take too long to get a nose bleed and thirty minutes later I was back down to 25k.
Overplaying eights out of position against Julian started the rot; I made it 3000, he flat called. I check called his 6000 on a Q,Q,6 flop, we both checked the turn, I led for 10,500 on the river, he called with J-J. A vintage bad bet by me.
Then I raised on the button with A-3s and the short BB pushed for another 7500 with the boots. Marvellous.
I treaded water long time and right at the end of the 600/1200/200 level I thought I saw the perfect spot; big stack #1 raised to 3600, big stack #2 called - K-J looked just the ticket and I pushed for 25k but once again Julian woke up with a hand, Q-Q, end of.
That was yesterday but this being Vegas, there’s always another tournament and the Bellagio have added a third start day to their WPT event, so hey-ho, one more shot awaits at noon.
I’ve enjoyed the Mirage but the rooms aren’t nearly as nice as Bellagio’s, the bathroom’s are pokey and the towels have all seen better days. Still, it’s nice that the windows open, meaning I get to air my smalls, which is cool as I can eyeball my room from the swimming pool. Useful.
Hand of the trip (thus far) has been in a $1-2 game at the Venetian. Lovejoy and myself had been for steaks at the Outback and, slightly merry decided to rip it up in a $1-2 game. My $200 soon became $500 and I raised it up, $6 to go with J-3. I think I got re-popped but anyway, we ended up seeing an all club flop, something like K,9,6. I forget the flop betting but he ended up shoving $400 in. I had the 3c and of course made an excellent call. The turn and river bricked off. He was first to speak…and mucked, I kid you not. He looked pretty sick when I flipped em up.

Thursday
Checked into the Mirage, so far so good, pool looks cool, will check it all out properly tomorrow.
Had dinner with DC, John Shipley and the Camel and family at Valentino's in the Venetian before heading on over to the Crypto party. A very nice room and view it was from atop the Playboy Tower, but my powers started to wane as the evening wore on and I managed to jump ship with Jiame(?) back to the Rio where I hoped to buy-in to the ME.
We bumped into Roy B which inevitably led onto a few pints at the Tilted Kilt with the Irish Mob and I guess it was midnight by the time I eventually made it down to the Amazon Room.
The queue was a good 200m long but being the sneak I am, I caught the eye of the ever smiling Stevie and got hot-footed to front of the queue in a very VIP like manner, only to then discover that as well as my WSOP ID card, a passport, as well as the 10k in cash was required to enable the purchase of a Day 1d ticket. Sigh.
Still, it was worth it just to cop the look on Dubai's face as I sailed past the masses, arf.
I can buy-in up until 1pm on Monday at the Rio so all that now needs to be decided is whether to play the 1pm $2500 5k stack at the Bellagio or the 5pm $1000 10k stack event at the Venetian....

Easy Money, no really, it is.
William Hill have been running the Julian Thew MTT for the past three weeks, a £15 comp where the winner gets to play me, the following Tuesday, heads-up, for a $1000. If I win, the grand is rolled over to the next week.
Worringly, I'm 0 for 3 so far and before you ask, no I'm not required to take a dive.
Woe is me.