Pud the publican?

Pud's Poker Progress / Matthew Pitt / 02 November 2008 / 2

Any of you who have read any of my old blogs or know me personally, will know that I have spent a lot of time in the pub trade over the years and think of the pub as my home and the customers as my extended family.

I first started out as a glass collector in the local working men's club when I was 13 for some extra cash and then progressed to barman and eventually I became an unofficial assistant manager of the pub I lived in and I helped in the day-to-day running of it.

Now I am 27 and have been part of the pub trade for 14 years and I still have not grown bored of it. On Friday, Mrs P and I went to Wigan to visit the landlord whom I lived with for over a year to see how he was getting on. We do not get out that much due to family commitments and lack of free cash so it was a nice change for us.

Anyway, after surprising him and having a couple of beers, Mrs P and I had a look around his new pub and were quite impressed despite it being very quiet for a Friday night. The place was massive upstairs, more than enough space for a small family and it got us both thinking.

Whilst people rant on about the pub trade dying, a rumour that to some extent is true, there are good opportunities for those who are willing to knuckle down and see the rocky times through. What other job can you get that pays you, gives you a free house, no power bills, free Sky TV and loads of new friends coming to see you everyday?

Now, the hours are often long and if you end up in a run-down area then you have to brace yourself for a bit of trouble now and again but overall there are a lot more positives than negatives, especially during this horrendous credit crunch we are currently all going through. I need to do some more research into getting my personal licence and also the vacancies of pubs and the terms and conditions attached to them but it is one avenue I am going to actively pursuit I think.

Back to the poker tables! October was much kinder than the horrific September I endured and I showed a profit of around $120. I will not be able to retire any time soon but it is much better than losing and I would have been happy with a solitary dollar if it had been the case.

November seems to have started off pretty well as I have just finished 6/377 in a tournament for a $45ish win but it would have been much more if I had not have been coolered to death!

With blinds at 3,000/6,000/600a, I am in the small blind and find Kh Ks and rub my hands together in antipation! Everyone folds to the cut-off who shoves his $32,000 stack into the middle! Kerching! I also go all-in for my $93,000 stack and I am already spending my extra chips!

But, the Poker Gods (amen) had other ideas and decided to make the big blind get involved. WTF could he be calling his entire stack off with when there were two players already all-in? Of course he has Aces! FFS, I am so rigged! The initially shover shows Qh 8d and the BB has Ad Ah.

The board runs out Th 6h 3h 6c Jh so all of us have a flush, just Mr AA has the higher one and I am crippled with just 11,000 chips left. If the BB had not woken up with bullets, I would have had the chip lead and I honestly think I would have won as I play mainly short-handed games and a lot of heads-up. But instead of $240 for winning, I got $45. Still not a bad return for $3 but I see it as $195 lost not $45 won. Meh, there is always next time!

I will leave it there for now. As always, thanks for reading and best of luck at the tables.

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(2)

lukybugur | 03 November 2008

Ahh, the variance of Omaha :)

GL getting your license and your own pub. RTR Live games at your place (lock-in)?
Isgrinder | 12 November 2008

The pub seems like a natural fit for you... aww in! baby. nh gg sir.

think of any names yet?