afternoon all, am not going to talk hands today, am going to talk a bit about myself and how i came to play poker.
it all started about 3yrs ago, i used to play part-time football for a local team, i the front man and very competitive player. football was everything to me, stepping out on to the pitch was a dream no matter where i was playing.
3 yrs ago i was playing in a football torney, the very 1st game and about ten minutes in i went in for a tackle, and with a loud crack i crumpled to the ground in agony, i knew instantly what i had done, my heart sunk as i let out massive yelp! "Its over " i said to a team mate hovering over he said "what?", "its gone its gone" i replied he knew then what i ment, i had torn my ACL and interial medial ligaments.
i was devisated and depressed for awhile,then two weeks after i had done the injury i got a letter in the post, i opened the letter and no word of a lie i cried, i was inconsolable, the letter was what i was waiting for, for over 6 months, leeds utd had offered me a months trial! my soul was crushed.
it took me a bit of time come to terms with what had just happened to me in the space of two weeks.
about 8 months later i was down a mates house playing PES and watching the wsop, i loved it watching the river come down and the pain and enjoyment it gave to people playing, i was engrossed by the game and try to learn as much as i possible could. then the next weekend me and my mates sat around a round glass table and started to play poker for the 1st time, i loved it,i was hooked! all would talk about was poker.
two weeks went by and went to the local book store and got myself a book called Winning texas hold`em, i was pointed to this book by a bloke also looking in same section,he asked me how long i played for, i said not long and he said this is the book to get me started, he went on to explain which books i should get after playing and getting expierince.
at bout six months of playing home games , made the choice to go to my local casino and entered a torney for a tenner, i was shaking all over, my mind went blank, the game only lasted five minutes for ok it was the very 1st hand i got AQos and a big smile was tattooed across my face, the was a raise in from the UTG2, so i re-raised only for him push all-in, so i call to see he had a pair of eights, he won the hand and was out. i was fuming but kept the smile on my face and left the casino, i started to walk home and all i could think about was why and how?. i got about half way home when i stopped and turned around, "NO! i said to myself and walked back, i refused to give up and i had already paid a five pound session fee, so i went back and and put my name down for a SnG.
as i sat down at the table i felt switch, the smile i wore before dissappered and i started to concentrate on what i was doing and remembering what i hand learnt from the book and put into practice,it worked i took down my SnG, it felt awsome!(i used to feel this when i scored a importent goal). from that point onwards poker was what i wanted to do in a competitve way.
that night i want to sleep with biggest grin on my face and woke up the same way. the next night i went back to the casino and play in the same torney again and told myself to relax and i did, i enjoyed the feeling of lifting my hole cards to see what i had been delt, the felling of raising someone and them looking at you a cross the table then throwing there cards away.
this night i hit everything, i just could not miss and took the torney down winning just over £300, i felt inviceble, my head wouldnt fit threw the door of the toilets, i stood there for awhile trying to take in what i had just done.
i was about to leave the casino when someone asked to i would fill the remaining seat in a SnG, i said hell ya, i felt i was running so hot i had to play.
i played the SnG the same way i played torney tight until i got to the last few people. in the end the guy too my left was the same guy who i was heads up with at the final table, he grined and said "this ones mine", smiled and said "ok" looking down at AKos, and raised only for him to re-raise me so i pushed he called so quick i almost fell off mt chair, you guessed it he had AA, well you know the rest, and lesft the casino with a wallet that would not fit into my pocket and a head the size of a massive water melon.
and that is more or less how i fell in love the game of poker.
"roll with the punches, let the punhces roll"
).
