Some poker news

Ok, some background for all of you uninitiated, non-poker playing readers out there:-

Online Poker is the biggest, and fastest growing "sport" in the world today! The amount of money involved per annum is more than the National budgets of most mid sized countries.
Games played vary from 50c cash tables to over $1000 a hand cash tables, Sit 'n go tournaments, from as little as ZAR10 buy in, 4 players, to USD 1000 buy in (and more) multiple players (upto 3000).
For big tournaments, because the buy in is so big, satellite games are held, where for a lot less layout, a player can win a seat into a bigger game, and so get a chance to play the big stake games cheaply.
Also, on most sites where this game is played, players earn "points" which can then be used to play "freerolls". These are games where no money is involved, you pay by sacrificing points, and can win some money. Most use this for fun / passtime / whilst waiting for month end so they can reload real money and play real games.....
Four of a Kind Kings. Great hand - a few of these in the big game will welcome.

Now, I regularly play the freerolls. I use it to pass the time, but it's also a way to test new game plays, learn new players plays.
I recently won one of these. No mean feat as there were 804 entrants, so coming first is an achievement. Prize was ZAR 350, AND (and this is why I play) a seat into a satellite for the ZAR2 million game! (Worth ZAR660). Now, you have to play in the satellite, and try and win a seat into the main game. Once again, it's a rebuy tournament, lot's of players (in this case we were 84) and many of them rebuying.
Buy in (if you didn't win a seat like me) is ZAR 660, rebuys are about ZAR250, and a top up, before the rebuy period ends is ZAR250.

Last night I played the satellite. There were 13 seats to the ZAR2m guaranteed.!! With all the rebuys, and then the top ups taken (all this money accrues to more seats), there was eventually 27 seats guaranteed.
I played a demon game, and only took the top up (Spent ZAR250). When we were 29 players left I was begging the guys just to fold their blinds out so that I could at least limp into 27th place and get a seat. 28 players left, I am the smallest stack, and I am small blind. (If you don't know what small / big stack is, LIU). The blind is half of what I have left. I beg the big blind, who does not have too many chips himself, to fold to me, just to keep me in the game. I select "extended time", and watch what is going on on the other table before I make a call. 3 all in's. Suspense, this could be it. Flop, turn, river.....2 players OUT!!! I made it. And my blind ids folded to me anyway!! I thank the player. Now everyone just goes all in. No matter what. They all have a seat, nothing left to play for. During this madness, I manage to get to 17th place. But it's irrelevant.Straight flush - oh, boy, you have to love this hand. It's such a game breaker.

I have won a seat to the ZAR2 million game.

Tournament is on 2 August 2009.
Start time is 19hoo.
Buy in is ZAR2500 + ZAR250 (thats for the house)
Rebuys are ZAR 1500 + ZAR150 - for 240 minutes (4 hours)
Top up / Add on is ZAR 1500 + ZAR 150.
Tournament stops at 00H00 nightly, and restarts at 19h00 the next night, till the final hand is dealt to the winner.
Then the game is on as no one can rebuy, so they play tighter poker.

Currently there are 169 entrants registered. Late registration is open for 3 hours!

Prizes are as follows:-
1st Place - ZAR 1,000,000
15th place - ZAR 25,000
Royal Flush - the best hand in Poker. You get this and you probably knocking out a couple of opponents!

Ok, the problem here is I have to play this as a freeze out, ie. no rebuys, try and win every time I play (only play when I can win) and steal against the strength of the other players. A saving grace could be if I get on a table with other players like me, who can't afford the rebuys.
I need to make sure that I have the Top Up / Add on available in my balance, because if I am in the top 30% by the time the freeze out period starts, I want to have those extra chips in my stack. It's worth it.

So that's the story. For most of you, you probably wont read this. For those of you who do, I hope it makes sense. In any event, wish me luck. A game like this can be life changing, literally!!

Salagatle!

Pasop vir die Boere! (Watch out for the boers!)

Barack Obama was sitting in his office wondering which country to invade next, when his telephone rang.
"Howzit, Barack!" a voice in broken English said. "This is Koos Vannermerwe (van der Merwe) here from the Doringboom (Thorntree) Bar in Welkom , South Africa . I am ringing to inform you that we are officially declaring war on you, boet (brother)!"

"Well, Koos," Barack replied, "This is indeed important news! How big is your army?"

"Right now," said Koos, after a moment's calculation, "there is myself, my cousin Jan, my next-door neighbour Lang Hannes, and the entire darts team from the pub. That makes eight of us!"

Barack paused. "I must tell you, Koos, that I have one million men in my army waiting to move on my command."

"Blikkiesfontein!" said Koos. "I'll have to ring you back!" Sure enough, the next day, Koos called again. "Barack, my china, the war is still on! We have managed to acquire some infantry equipment!"

"And what equipment would that be, Koos?" Barack asked.

"Well, we have four Hilux double-cabs, two kombis, an old Case bulldozer, and Vet Gert's John Deere tractor".

Barack sighed. "I must tell you, Koos, that I have 16,000 tanks and 14,000 armored personnel carriers. Also, I've increased my army to 1,5 million since we last spoke."

"Liewe erdvark! (Dear Anteater) " said Koos. "I'll have to get back to you..." Sure enough, Koos rang again the next day. "Barack, ou swaer, (old brother-in-law) the war is still on! We have managed to get ourselves airborne! We've modified Doepie's ultra-light with a couple of shotguns in the cockpit, and four okes from the Virginia Hengelklub (Fishing club)have joined us as well!"

Barack was silent for a minute and then cleared his throat. "I must tell you, Koos, I have 10,000 bombers and 20,000 fighter planes. My military complex is surrounded by laser-guided, surface-to-air missile sites. And since we last spoke, I've increased my army to TWO MILLION!"

"Slaat my dood!(Beat me to death)", said Koos, "I'll have to ring you back." Sure enough, Koos called again the next day. "Jis, jis, jis, Barack! I am sorry to tell you that we've had to call off the war."

"I'm sorry to hear that," said Barack. "Why the sudden change of heart?"

"Well," said Koos, "we've all had a long chat over some klippies (Klipdrift Brandy) and coke, and decided there's no way we can feed two million prisoners of war!"

Salagatle!

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Salagatle!

Middle Aged White Male Living In Africa

Things (life) has been a bit of a rollercoaster of late. Financial and emotional turmoil and stress are the order of the day. it seems, the more we try / put in / "come to the party", the more the goal posts get moved.

Not too sure what I want to say here, suffice to say I have a lot going on, and can't see the light at the end of this damn tunnel. I also found a payslip from July 2004 the other day, whilst clearing out my bedside drawer, and lo and behold, I was clearing, after taxes and deductions, the same then as I do today. So, taking inflation and rising costs into consideration, I'm probably 30% down on earnings? Fuck, no wonder everything's such a mess.

What I wish for is for a big union (like Cosatu) to come into my employers space and recruit workers. I am convinced that once they start, there will be a mass migration to join them, I'll be on that list.
We are truly being abused, and whats worse, guys like me have no option but to put up with it. I mean, where is a 49 yr old, white male going to find another job today?

In discussions with the Princess, she who takes care of me, we came to the agreement that should I find a job overseas, that pays well, I can take it. This might mean being away from home for prolonged periods of time, but it all comes down to money now. Financial freedom (now there's an oxymoron for you).

The more I "tow the line" at work, and this year I really have been behaving myself, the more it seems my damager pants to trip me up. There is this culture of "the sales people dont know what they are doing, we need to treat them like children" in the office, and I'm really getting very pissed off with it. But that goes back to the MAWMLIA situation.

Spent some time over the past weekend with a friend, who's into new mining / prosessing innovation. He has, for some time, told me he wants me to go work for him. he knows what I am capable of, and is keen to get me on board. I have repeatedly told him that I would want a) as a minimum, my current salary, and b) assurances of at least 24 months empployment. On Saturday I told him what I earn so that's out of the way. I think he thought I was earning a bit less, but then he knows what I can bring to the party, so it shouldn't be a show stopper.

What is good news from him is that one of his latest "inventions" / "desighns" has been quite successful in pilot phase (about 5 kg per hoiur product) and he has generated enough interest in it to have got an order / funding, for a larger unit - about 1 - 5 tons per hour. If that works, and there is no reason why it shouldn't, then it's 25 tons per hour, and many, many machines. In fact the first oreder would be for about 8 machines. Build, install and commission would take about 18 months. During this time, he is sure that further order would come in from other clinents needing the same, so the business would feed itself, and I could be busy till I retire - now there's a thought. I also made him think a bit wider, throwing ideas at him, and now he's doing a test on a different product, and if that's successful, he will have doubled his possible client base.

All very exciting - let's just get on with it....... More to follow.....

Salagatle!