Tuesday 31 December 2013

2013 review!


This montage video sums up the year pretty nicely! Hope you stick it out for the full 5 minutes, I worked hard on this!



Poker wise 2013 has not been very good. 2011 and 2012 were both great years but I felt that in both I had ran very well overall. It set the bar pretty high for 2013 and although replicating either year would've been great, I wasn't expecting to necessarily. Still, 2013 has fallen slightly below what I expected to "earn" in the year.

Facts figures and graphs!

Profit graph for the year. Should've retired in May!
Had a record 5 Losing Months this year which is terrible! Considering I play live a lot, and tournaments a lot I guess it's not that uncommon.

35 hours/week average. Very happy with that volume to be honest, slightly up on previous years, I've definitely worked hard played hard again this year.

Trips abroad and shots




Poker trips to Deauville, San Remo, Marbella, Vegas, Galway, Barcelona, Riga and Prague have been all losing trips except for Vegas which was breakeven after expenses.

Whilst playing on my own money I have taken shots in one 10k wsop main, two 5k EPTs, one 2k, three or four 1500s, numerous 1ks and failed to cash in any.

Whilst all being sensible and good value shots, and I've always sold an appropriate amount of action, and obviously it's like 15 tournaments, it's not really an unusual streak -they're still classed as shots, and to return 0 from over 30k of buyins has been a hit to finances and morale. 2012 was the same tbh, though I mincashed an EPT and WPT Prague, I bricked all other high buyin stuff last year too. Really want to prove myself at that highest level next year. Not that a result in one would prove anything but you know what I mean...(for the variance police out there)

All online festivals SCOOP, WCOOP and both Winaseries have been losing seri too which all add up pretty quickly.

I've ran well in plenty of other areas. Live cash I've continued to do well in until recently. Despite action drying up and other things hampering my ability to make money there, that's been my bread butter again this year. I've had three low 5 figure scores in low/med buyin live tournaments and broken my online duct by winning the Winamax main for my biggest winning day of the year. I've had all my own action for all but one of tournaments too which has helped.

Winning the big game in November. Was still a losing month!


So it's not been a terrible year, but significantly down on my first two years. I've made it though without going bust and still got some left over for 2014, that's the main thing! Also I like to compare how I've done to what I "could" have done had I stayed at Uni and got a job in the city and unless I ran golden in the jobs market, I think I've out performed alter ego Alex this year! :)

Outside of Poker

My life outside of poker in 2013 has been dominated by one person.

Breakfast in Barcelona


Victoria lives in Latvia and every month this year we've met up to spend 4/5 days together. It has been absolutely amazing. A complete break from all things poker, and I've loved every single trip. We've met numerous times in Riga and Tallinn, but also ventured to Krakow, Vilnius, San Remo, Monte Carlo, Stockholm, Barcelona and Prague. My time with her has without a doubt been the best thing about 2013.

Other than that I've continued with the piano, learning the vast majority a piece I always wanted to learn - Chopin's G minor Ballade. As well as working out how to play every song Capital FM have on their extremely limited drive time playlist!

-Sport and Exercise have taken a back seat this year(for a change) and I have gotten a little bit FAT over the past few months! Shocking. I really need to get that in check and when I get to Macau I'll get on it big time. I WILL!

-Made good progress with cooking this year in that I actually do it now so that's good.

-Strengthened family relationships and built some new friendships.

Overall, I guess I've got to say it's been a good year. 7.5/10.

I ordered a whiskey and this is what they bring?!

Next blog will be about my aims for 2014!

Happy new year guys!


Friday 27 December 2013

What's your name?

Festive greetings to you all. I hope everybody has as good a Christmas as I did.

My brothers and Mum at Church on Christmas Morning


Earlier this month I was in Prague for the annual winter poker festival and I arrived on a early morning flight from Riga very tired and not really relishing the prospect of diving straight into a 12pm start for the Eureka main event. If I'm short of sleep I find it really hard to stay focussed and even awake on day 1s. Pre-antes is always much less interesting and you're supposed to play tight blah blah blah so you just end up folding a lot and there's no adrenaline rush of being close to the money or the final table or anything to keep you going so I find it pretty hard. I always try and get at least 8 hours sleep before I play a live tournament.

I had something to eat, drink, some proplus tablets (they do a great job in keeping my eyes open!). I arrived at my table and there were 7 unknown guys at my table and no-one was saying a word. I was really hoping to get a table with someone I knew so I had someone to talk to all day! This is going to be a struggle...

I'm usually pretty sociable at the table. In the UK and certainly at DTD you'll never see me with headphones on, hoodie up etc. I'm always trying to have a laugh at the table, I think it's really important for so many reasons, the main one being - it just IS more fun than sitting in silence!

In foreign countries it's a bit more difficult because of the language and cultural barriers but still I'll never shy away from a bit of table banter, but I'm not usually the one to start it if at a table of unknown Russians or Czechs!

45 minutes in, PKR pro Sofia Lövgren sat down and still nobody said a word. Then she asked the most simple question in the world to her neighbour.

"What's your name?"

And from that one question the entire day was improved. She and the guy chatted for a bit, limited English on his part wasn't really an issue, they found things in common despite being from different countries and different ages groups. Then I found something to latch onto and join in and before you knew it, everyone was talking to each other. There was some country banter about scandi's, greeks etc, and not only was it so much more enjoyable, it was massively useful too - learning where someone's from, their poker background etc. is really helpful when playing pots with them. I learned that one player was a satellite qualifier and he said this was by far his biggest ever tournament. He was a lovely guy and he showed us pictures of his two young children and the whole table was sorry to see his cruel bust out with the nut full house vs quads. Even the guy with the quads!

It was rather sad that the 8 adult males couldn't spark this conversation by themselves and it was down to Sofia to get the ball rolling, and also how easy it was once the ice was broken. Everyone was sociable and friendly really, but at the start it would appear that everybody was rude and sullen.

So I guess the aim of this blog is to encourage everybody else to do the same. It's absolutely fair enough if you prefer sitting in silence, being 100% focussed on the job in hand and get irritated by small talk etc. I'm not trying to criticise those people.

But if' you're like me and you DO prefer having a good laugh at the table and like meeting new people - then next time you're at a table where nobody is talking, ask the guy next to you his name. Ask where he's from. There's no downside and there's plenty of upsides. You can still be focussed and concentrating. It actually helps me focus because it stops me drifting off, day dreaming, going on facebook/twitter etc. And if you're at a table with me and I'm being moody and unfriendly, then talk to me and snap me out of it!

Yes, those are my pants


Plans for the rest of the year include the DTD £500 Christmas deepstack tomorrow. A Sunday grind online. A trip to Oxford to visit the Grandparents and then it's NYE. Next blog will probably be wrapping up 2013.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!


Saturday 21 December 2013

Gap yah!

I've never blogged about my gap year really which is strange considering what a big impact it had on my life and how incredible it was. I kept a written diary during this year which I've disastrously lost.
However I've got plenty of photos and memories stored up top so I'll share the very best ones with you now.

Teaching in Kenya 

The church I had been a part of growing up had links with a girls primary school in rural Kenya and I wrote to them to see if they'd like a volunteer for a few weeks or months. It was easily set up and I was there for 10 weeks in total. There were no other volunteers, no other white people around for miles and miles and I was totally immersed in the culture there. What an experience. I went back there the following summer to the same school for another stint teaching.

"Teaching" volleyball to the kids. Notice flawless "dig" technique ;)


At the top of Mt Kenya, in time for sunrise

Conservation work in the Jungle, Peru

I then spent 2 months in Peru working on an organised project in the heart of the Amazon rainforest. Too many photos to share. Here's the very best.

Toucan
Some kind of monkey...

Caiman, caught off the side of the boat


Anaconda
Rope bridge up to highest lookout point in the region

































































Travelling in South America

I met some guys in the jungle that were up for a bit of travelling after the project finished, so the following 2 months were spent travelling around Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay, Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay.
El Misti (5800m), Peru

Uyuni Salt Flats, Bolivia

Rio, Brazil

Iguazu falls, Paraguay/Brazil border

Bariloche, Argentina
That's me skydiving!

South America is the coolest part of the world, and it's not even close! Definitely going back there soon.

Hope you guys enjoyed!

Friday 20 December 2013

Business trips!

A large portion of my time as a professional poker playing is spent travelling with my friends to various amazing destinations around the world. It's a real pain.

We calculate the costs involved, our predicted EV for the tournaments and cash games we will play, and then pick the most sensible, and most profitable tournaments to go to.

ORLY?


In all seriousness, the essence of these trips is very much "Work hard, play hard". We play a lot of poker on these trips, but supplement it with nights out, nice dinners, sightseeing, culture etc. The balance is pretty good and the ONE TIME somebody binks one of those damn tournaments...it'll be the greatest thing ever!

Since I started playing poker I've been to the following countries to play in various tournaments:

France (2), Spain (5), Italy (2), Austria, Czech Republic (4), Greece, Slovenia, Latvia (2), Ireland, Las Vegas (3) and Colombia.

In this blog I'll give you my TOP THREE spots on the tour.














San Remo and Monte Carlo

In the Spring, San Remo hosts the IPT Grand Final and the following week Monte Carlo hosts the EPT Grand Final. Now, I've never actually played the EPT Grand Final, but I've played the IPT for the last two years and visited Monte Carlo on my last trip there with Victoria.

It's just one of my favourite regions of the world. That French/Italian coast line, with all the boats, beaches, enormous wealth, incredible food, gorgeous streets and buildings - it's just so beautiful.

My trip with Victoria this year was one of the happiest times of my life, and experiencing Monte Carlo for the first time with her was incredible.


Now as a poker trip is concerned it's got to be up there with the best value stops around. The IPT Grand Final is a 2.2k euro buyin I believe, and I find it sick good value. I've made day two and built up stacks both years, but never got the rub of the green on day two so yet to have a score there but I'll keep trying! I imagine Monte Carlo attracts some pretty rich punters for the EPT Grand Final too, hopefully I'll get to play that this year...












Las Vegas

No surprise to see Vegas make the list, but it's not my number 1. I can't say much more about this place - if you've been you already know what I mean and if you haven't, my words can't do it justice. It's the nuts!

I've been 3 times now and booked my first winning trip this summer yay! It wasn't much, barely covered expenses but still I'm counting it! I played the Main Event for the first time this summer too, made day three but no good. That is one SICK tournament! Had I cashed I reckon Vegas would be number one!

It did leave me free to have the sickest night out I've ever had though. Full report here http://blondepoker.com/forum/index.php?topic=51305.msg1809194;topicseen#msg1809194

Montage of this years trip here I made is pretty epic
















Prague



February 2011 was my first poker trip and it was to Prague. On the flight there we decided to pull 5% of all of our winnings from the main and spend it all on the last night. Keith won it for 60k so we had 3k to blow in one night between 5 of us. Good times!

We have been back three times since and it's always an absolute blast. The winter festival is about 3 weeks where the EPT stops, the WPT stops and the Eureka tour stops too. Last year there was GSOP too! It's absolutely nuts, sick tournaments every day, cash games, and of course, plenty of parties.

It's got a really special Christmas feel of the place as you visit the markets, walk the Charles bridge, or have mulled wine in the square by the tree. This year I even went to the Ballet! The nightlife in Prague is the nuts too. This is us out there last week.



So if I ever had to cut down on these "business trips", I'd make sure these were the last to go. Thoroughly recommend them all if you don't usually go to any of them, or are thinking about going on a poker trip. 

We regularly go to Marbella as well which could've made the list, and the EPT Barcelona stop could be there because Barca is just the best city in the world. But that's all for now, maybe I'll do a slightly less glamorous UK top three next!  

Good luck and Merry Christmas guys!

Next Year?

For the past five years I've been based in Nottingham. Travelling a lot, but Nottingham has been my home, the DTD games my regular games, and all my closest friends live here or nearby. Something has to change next year, and my plans are massively up in the air.

I have had plans to live in about 5 different countries at various points in the last few months!

Living in Nottingham seems unlikely. The live cash scene there and indeed the midlands in general has died to the extent that I no longer think I can make a decent living there. So it seems I'll move to somewhere with good cash games. I've thought long and hard about this. To anyone else London seems the answer. Except I hate London. The games, the people, the cost of everything. I've been many times to the Vic, Hippodrome, Empire and can barely remember a single enjoyable session. The cost of living there is just obscene too.

My favourite city in the world is Barcelona. I love everything about it. I've always wanted to try living abroad and also I've always wanted to learn Spanish. The food is amazing, weather is amazing, it's close and has good access to everywhere. Living there seems like a pretty decent option.


Problems with that are 1) No online poker really 2) No friends! Both quite major issues.

That brings me to the girl in the picture - she needs a blog post all to herself...but there are some options that involve her (she lives in Latvia). If only I was slightly more successful at, and enjoyed more, online poker...

I'd like to live in America one day too. Spent a few days in San Diego before the main event this summer and loved that, places like LA, California or Florida also appeal. Not quite yet though.

Another option I will probably give a go first is extremely exciting. Macau. I've never been and would really love to have the experience. I think it could prove lucrative so I'm going to give it a shot. Will be going late February, early March. Almost definitely.


I'd like to make most of the spots on the EPT tour that I've made this year. Starting with Deauville in January, that's the first trip of 2014.

Next post will be about my favourite three poker destinations!

So how has it gone?

Considering all the things that could have happened, from going broke and having to give up, to winning the main event - I'd have to say it's gone very well! Especially considering that the former was hundreds of times more likely to happen than the latter.

The main thing is I've survived! I've never gone broke, and I've still got some semblance of a bankroll left with some savings! 

I've played a mixture of things, but I'd say the three main things that I've focused on are
-Live Cash (55%)
-Live Tournaments (25%)
-Online Tournaments (20%)

Live cash has been my bread and butter - pays the bills, definitely the least volatile of the three. About 65% of my cash game volume has been at DTD. I've played stakes between 50p/£1 and £5/10/20 with the majority at the £1/2 level.



Live tournaments I've played all over. Extensively in Europe (about one trip per month on average), 3 times to Vegas, and also Colombia! Buyins from about £100 to $10,000. 

Online tournaments I play on all the usual sites, mainly playing on a Sunday and when festivals are on. 

I was staked for tournaments in the first year, played on my own for 18 months, and am now staked again. I've always played cash for myself. 

I ran my own stable for a while, with 3/4 horses playing online and live tournaments. I had one decent bink out of it, but basically it went badly, and really taught me a lot about tournament variance and that looking after number 1 is so important in this business.

I had an amazing first year with an extremely lucky tournament result in my first ever £1k, the second year was without a big result but I godmoded the cash games so still had an excellent year. This year has been pretty bad, and although I've had a few results, I've played loads of high buy-in tournaments and not cashed in any, cash games have gone badly, and I lost a lot staking. And as always, I've spent absolute chunks travelling around! 



So I find myself looking towards 2014 with a thousand amazing memories, some amazing friends, and a bit of money left over - not too shabby! 

Introduction

Hi everyone!






So I've decided to make a new blog! For the past three years I've had a diary / blog (I was never sure which) on the Blonde Poker forum which can be found here http://blondepoker.com/forum/index.php?topic=51305.0

It started on January 5th 2011 when I was three months into my attempt at a professional poker player career. Just shy of 3 years, 700k views (mostly by me probably) and 17k replies (again, mostly by me) and I've decided to call it a day there and begin this blogspot instead.

I'll kick things off with a brief introduction and then give an overview of the past three years.

My name is Alex Goulder and I'm 24 years old. I could claim to be from Essex or Cambridge really, I lived on the border, but those that know me would say that I'm Cambridge through and through. Depending on whom I'm meeting though, I sometimes try and get the Essex bluff through!  

I grew up assuming I would roughly follow the path set out for me - get decent results in GCSEs / A levels, go to a top 10 Uni, get a 2.1, get a job in the city, become pretty well off and start a family. Sounded pretty decent. 

All was going to plan - I got the results and a place at Nottingham to study Economics. I took a year out before I went to Uni, in which I had the time of my life travelling and volunteering. This opened my eyes somewhat.

Though undeniably influential, I don't quite know how much of an influence that year had on me becoming a poker player, because that is also when I discovered poker. 

I don't have any interesting story about how I discovered poker. Much like everyone else, my friends at school introduced it to me, we played a bit, then played a local tournament in a Snooker club, then played some more, played play money online and then I went off travelling. 

The guys I met travelling also played poker. We played in some of the most bizarre locations you could imagine. 5000m above sea level on a volcano. In the desert. On a salt lake. On a chicken bus. 


I went to Uni at completed the first year with a decent 2.1. A few weeks into the second year I realised I couldn't do two more years of this. I decided to change courses and went for Maths. I was too late to join the current course, so took a year off and got a job dealing at a cardroom 5 minutes away...



I guess that was it. Once I was in that world, I wasn't leaving it. Obsessed, engrossed, immersed. I loved it.

A year later before my Maths course was due to start I got a 3 week gig dealing at the WSOPE in London, and managed to spin up a bankroll in the cash games in my spare time. I absolutely loved those weeks. Dealing to Dwan, Ivey, Isildur etc was incredibly inspiring. Predictably, the Maths course didn't last long and I made my decision to quit for good and give poker my 100% attention in October 2010. 

I knew in my heart that I could be a winner, and I could win enough to get me by to start with, and that I was intelligent enough and loved it enough to get better and better, and I couldnt see any reason why I couldn't become really good one day, and compete with those guys I'd just dealt to at the WSOPE. That was my rationale behind the decision anyway. 

Whilst it may have been a rash and silly decision, and it could have very easily gone wrong - I've been sensible enough, smart enough, and most crucially LUCKY enough to have made it work ever since. 

It's been the best three years of my life.