View Archive |
Home
| Blogs | Neil Channing
Neil Channing
Top Ranking
By Neil Channing
Neil Channing chases European Ranking points at the GUKPT while keeping busy at the Vic....
I just looked through my diary and counted. I have played twenty-one tournaments that carried European ranking points this year. From those tournaments I have managed five final tables and two other cashes. The five final tables have given me almost six thousand rankings points. Jason Mercier, who is currently top of the rankings, has probably played far less tournaments than even an old cash grinder like me. He has four final tables and has cashed for one million, eight hundred thousand euro.
Must be nice being him.
After I got back from Ireland I started to map out a campaign. There are over two thousand names on the list of European ranked players. I've never even finished in the top twenty. I don't think I've ever played as many as twenty tournaments before. I certainly don't remember winning the Irish Open before. It would seem a shame not to at least have a crack at finishing number one. I may need to get to 7500 points.
First up it...
more...
Back Down To Earth
By Neil Channing
Neil Channing plays the TV cash games and returns to the scene of his greatest triumph....
When I finished fourth in the £1500 nlh event at the WSOPE I won £44,588. That is, at least, what it says on numerous websites and in most of the enormous number of poker magazines. In none of them does it say that I swapped 3% with five different people, four of whom doubled to 6% shortly before their untimely exits. There's also no mention on any of the sites, or in any of the magazines, of the seven people I staked in this tournament, all of whom gave me nothing but a dissappointing and uninteresting story of their early demise.
My diary for that week reveals some rather hairy swings in the cash games, eventually resulting in a healthy profit, news of which hasn't, until now, featured in print.
With the games at the Vic playing so big at the moment, it's quite possible to win or lose ridiculous sums, without anyone really noticing. I upset one player, whom I much respect and like, when I showed a slight lack of tact at around the same time...
more...
Army Manoeuvres
By Neil Channing
Neil Channing tries to balance his stable with the juicy cash action during tournament season....
There's pretty much nowhere I'd rather go to play poker than the Vic during a big festival, (ok maybe The Rio during the later stages of a WSOP event, possibly Melbourne, Bahamas or Aruba if I'd ever been to any of those places and, just maybe, the CityWest Hotel in Dublin, but apart from those obvious exceptions...), and it doesn't really get much bigger than the EPT.
The clash with the WSOPE is awkward. On the one hand it does mean that lots of Europeans and Americans are likely to stay over and have a long trip to London, meaning the cash games are busy and the room is constantly buzzing. On the other hand it has meant that, inevitably, clashes in schedule do occur. My trouble is I just want to be everywhere at once, playing in all the tournaments while trying not to miss too much of the juicy cash action.
My way to enjoy the main benefits of all the frustration, annoyance, hassle and occassional glimpses of excitement and fun that tournaments can bring...
more...
The Empire Strikes Back
By Neil Channing
Neil Channing blogs on his productive WSOPE....
If anyone decided to employ a private detective to follow me, that private detective would soon prove themself to be totally lacking in initiative if they didn't simply doss around on the sofa all day before sending off the odd report to their client describing how I went to the Vic at about 4pm and got home around 5.30am. They might throw in the occassional day where they report how I visited twenty-two shops connected to the William Hill organisation, and hopefully that I then walked round roughly fourteen of them a few hours later.
In the last couple of weeks the lazy private detective would have been found out. My routine was turned totally upside-down and I started getting up at midday to head to Leicester Square and the lovely Empire Casino, where I hung around until returning home at about 5am.
The WSOPE wasn't much fun for me last year, I played in only the main event, and the fact that I managed to buy-in for less than the £10k entry fee...
more...
A Short Break
By Neil Channing
Neil Channing reviews his Vic strategy and gears up for tournament season...
A few people have asked me why I havn't written a diary recently. Some of them have said very kind things about how they enjoy reading about my travels, and that they've been wondering what's been happening lately. Others are probably secretly thinking, (and hoping), that I've been doing my bollocks and I've been too miserable to write. I did actually hear recently that I lost £85,000 in the Vic in August and that I was doing a good job of losing all the Irish Open money. Althouigh I have tried hard to lose over the last three days, I still seem to have a little bit left.
After Vegas I really needed a break. Everywhere I went, (obv I only went to places that were infested with poker players), people would constantly ask how I got on in Vegas. Some would ask me if I enjoyed myself. They were really missing the point. I am actually one of the few people I know who could really ENJOY forty-nine nights in Vegas playing twenty-four... more...
Dead Beat
By Neil Channing
Neil Channing is rueful over a 100k cash and reminisces about the good old days...
Luckily Monte Carlo came along to remind me how incredibly stupid and annoying tournaments are, before I started to get at all carried away. I decided to have a week back at the Vic, burying myself in the game, and attempting to bring a bit of normality back into my life. It also offered an excellent chance for the regular punters there to laugh openly at me over the semi-naked pictures of me in this month's Bluff Magazine. After five long, losing days I'd soon remembered how poker can often be and really didn't fancy travelling off to Manchester for the GUKPT event there. It would break my record, as I'm the only person to have played all of these so far, but I just didn't feel like it.
With all plans for the weekend cancelled and Nik Persaud, now permanently wearing the lucky PokerVerdict colours, busy with a big stack in Manchester, I was free to play my heat of the Party Poker World Open on Saturday afternoon. Nik... more...
Breaking The Bank
By Neil Channing
Neil Channing finds Monte Carlo is no match for the Vic...
Despite the lack of obvious sleep, I bowled over toward my EPT Grand Final starting table with massive enthusiasm. I was still enjoying receiving the plaudits from virtually everyone I came across who hadn't seen me since Dublin, and if I got bored of that, for even a second, I could soon tune in again to a fresh person telling me how brilliantly I was playing and how they'd seen it coming for ages.
Some people enjoy France for its scenery, the capital for its culture and shopping, the south of the country for the mild weather and generally for the cuisine. I like to come here for the French poker players. My first table contained a typical selection of the species. There was no way any of these people could pass A10 pre-flop, or top pair on the flop, and if you could just flop a set, you were guaranteed a full double-up. It also meant that only an idiot would attempt to make any kind of bluff. God knows how I resisted that... more...
Monte Cardiff
By Neil Channing
Poker Verdict's Neil Channing continues his sick run, this time in the Nations Cup...
After a week of being The Irish Open Champion I was totally knackered. I'd already anticipated this eventuality, even before Dublin, as the GUKPT at the Vic followed by the Cheltenham Festival had meant I hadn't slept well for a fortnight. When you threw in a trip to Dublin, the aquisition of a large trophy and an even larger cheque, and four days spent on the 'phone I was starting to need a break.
My plan had always been to visit my parents, my sister and her family for a few days, the timing was now perfect though. My niece and nephews seemed very impressed that Uncle Neil is a millionaire, although I think they always thought I was. The farm that they all live on is in a beautiful part of North Devon and it was great to spend a short time there.
The trip had to be short though because I had to get back to town to sort a few things out before heading off to... more...
Fool's Gold
By Neil Channing
Irish Open winner Neil "Badbeat" Channing reflects on his famous win...
"Anyone who plays tournaments long enough will eventually win some championship or other. Then three years will go by - you'll win nothing, lose all your money - and suddenly all you've got left is the delusion that you are a champion."Apparently these were my words, and they were quoted in an edition of Time Out magazine of November 2004 which was dedicated to gambling. I was reminded of these words yesterday. It's been a funny week.
Last Wednesday Tony Phillips and I sat in a reasonably good 250nlh game attempting to squeeze every last drop of value out of the remaining punters. It wasn't going totally to plan though, and by 4am it was time to grab an envelope of readies and head-off to the airport. We were to be part of quite a large Vic assault on Dublin and I felt geniune warmth eminating from the needy and greedy who wished us a good trip. In retrospect they were probably just glad to get a break from us - we've both been getting the cake... more...
Brain Damage
12 March 2008 by Neil Channing
Everyone's favourite melancholist Neil Channing recounts a week of the GUKPT festival at home sweet home; the Vic...
In the last few years, since poker went from being a private sickness enjoyed by a select few, to a fashionable hobby of the rich and famous, players have been getting brainier. Virtually every month or so another bright young kid starts playing regularly, and winning, in the games in The Vic. Often these guys are students, and the thought of them skiving off from their valuable drinking time to gamble, makes me nostalgic for my own college days. I studied economics for three years and I often look back and realise that I just can't remember a single thing that I learned.
During the GUKPT London leg, and the festival of tournaments that go with it, I did manage to remember two important concepts that had been drummed into me all those years ago. The first grain of knowledge that has been so important to me as a poker player is the idea of opportunity cost. Opportunity cost can be roughly defined as the cost of choosing one alternative over another equally desired... more...
Otherwise Engaged
Saturday 23rd February by Neil Channing
Neil Channing plays Walsall and talks politics at the Vic...
I was sitting in the Vic quite recently, one Saturday night, (OK, not exactly front page news, but what did you expect?), when the TV got turned from sports to news. This highly unlikely turn of events had also recently happened during the US's Super Tuesday, but that was practically like watching a sports channel, as we only watched with a concern for the "Next President" market on Betfair.
On this particular Saturday Camden Lock was burning down. We weren't really concerned that the Hawley Arms was no longer, and that Kate Moss would need to find a new local, but just quietly watched as the spectacular flames grew higher.
It was Trevor Coles who finally broke the silence.
"Of course, they'll be a lot more of this now the recession is starting to kick-in."
Full House
29 January 2008 by Neil Channing
Neil Channing's first tournament of 2008 didn't go quite as planned...
There were times during 2007 when the Grosvenor Poker Tour was a bit frustrating. In the last few years I havn't done as much travelling round the UK's provincial casinos as some people, and I learnt a long time ago that you can't eat European Ranking Points. I was proud to play in every leg of the tour, I wanted to support it, particularly because of the added prize-money and the great structure, I enjoyed the camaraderie and I was keen to help my sponsors increase their brand awareness.PokerVerdict.com were a little surprised, that when they offered to sponsor me to play all legs of the tour again this year, I responded by telling them I wasn't sure if I wanted to do it. To a recreational player, or a semi-professional searching for a sponsor, I probably sound ungrateful. Here was I being given a chance to play in ten great tournaments, to compete for a million pounds in prize money and to have a free shot at gaining titles, exposure, money - free fun basically. The... more...
I Could Have Been Someone
9 January 2007 by Neil Channing
Check out Neil Channing's first diary entry of 2008...
The last time I wrote I believe I sounded a tad gloomy. Suffice to say, Vegas wasn't my most startlingly successful trip and I was glad to be back in London.
The last part of December was spent explaining to people that I was ok thanks, someone just got me one, at various social events while not playing an enormous amount of poker. For the first time I accepted an invitation to the PokerMillion party, which was a good do, and which ended in a tremendous victory for my twin, and good pal, Joe Beevers. The final line-up was the strongest ever and one highlight for me was witnessing the enthusiasm of the legendary Liam Flood on returning to the party having given it his best. The smile on his face as he was cheered-in to the sound of "We Will Rock You" was fantastic to see.
Christmas was a quiet one down in Devon. I did manage to escape from playing poker, despite the constant requests from my youngest nephew to teach him the game. We settled on...
more...
Bad Beat's WSOP Diary: Part Four
By Neil Channing
Neil Channing is out in Vegas representing Poker Verdict - here's Part Four of his highly entertaining Vegas Diary...
With a large hole starting to open up in my Vegas bankroll thanks to high-variance, large- field multi-table tournaments I decided I would spend a few days working hard to rectify things.
It was back to poker-by-numbers. The no-thinking, tedious $500 one-table satellites would get me out of it. In these ten people pay $525 to enter and the winner gets $5000 in lammers and $120. Lammers are chips that have no monetary value, which can only be used to buy into further satellites of $500 or more (you can't get change from them) or any tournaments (WSOP events or Super Satellites). The lammers are often sold by the satellite winners to people standing by the cage, who were about to use dollars to buy-in to things. Some people try to negotiate, or think there's something fishy going on, but the exchange of them for money between players at face value is normal.
If you enter a satellite of $500 or $1000 you also receive a $10 food comp, so in effect the juice charged is... more...
Bad Beat's WSOP Diary: Part Three
Neil Channing
Neil Channing is out in Vegas representing Poker Verdict - here's Part Three of his Vegas Diary...
The Bellagio Cup is a series of No Limit Hold'em Tournaments scheduled to take place daily at 1pm, smack bang in the middle of the WSOP, by some minor coincidence.
With the bracelet events at noon, there's just enough time for the steamers and early walking wounded to rush over. (remember, always ask your taxi driver for the Bellagio's North entrance. This will not only save you $3 a go on a fare you'll be paying frequently, but also free-up precious playing time).
The tournaments have not been too popular this year but the fields of 50-150 still make for a good prizepool. The events range from $1500-$5000, are all NLH and are based on a one hour clock with starting blinds of 25/50. The starting chips are double the value of the buy-in. One-table satellites are run for the next days tournament, but business has been pretty slow on these so far.
The tournaments are held in the lovely Fontana Room, overlooking the fountains and away from the casino...
more...
Bad Beat's WSOP Diary: Part Two
Neil Channing
Neil Channing is out in Vegas representing Poker Verdict - here's part two of his Vegas Diary subtitled A Guide for the International Poker Player...
My plan on this trip has been to play slightly less WSOP events than in past years, so as to put in some hours at the cash tables. The WSOP events are undoubtedly good value and are full of inexperienced and weak, as well as crazy players. Playing many of them can put enormous pressure on your bankroll though, and variance can mean that even the best players can go a long time without a result. Given that, what chance have I got? The other important factor to consider is opportunity cost. Given that the cash games are so good at this time, and spending a lot of time in the tournaments stops you profiting from this, every day here becomes a balance.
I decided to focus for a few days on the cash. Once I felt I'd confidently mastered the $5/$10 nlh at Bellagio, I stepped up to $10/$20. The minimum buy-in here is $800 although the average stack is around $3500. With no maximum, some people sit with $20k and more. Swings of $4-$5k are not uncommon in this game and at $7...
more...
Bad Beat's WSOP Diary: Part One
Neil Channing
Neil Channing is out in Vegas representing Poker Verdict and hoping to make a few dollars while he's at it. His first diary piece sees him tangle with a relatively small field of 'only' 800 in the $1,500 Pot Limit Holdem event...
Not being one to go for new-fangled things I couldn't embrace the concept of an additional airport at Stansted, let alone a whole new airline, in Maxjet, who fly direct to Vegas, so it was Virgin Premium Economy for me. Nine hundred quid return didn't seem too bad. I booked it straight off the Virgin website, although you need to choose your dates carefully. The day before was a monkey dearer.
I always spend a lot of time worrying on trans-Atlantic flights. I'm not too bothered about the prospect of imminent death, I can barely afford to live much longer anyway, I'm more concerned about whether they'll let me in the country as an unemployed person with no easily visible income and precious few ties to the UK. I settle on calling myself a consultant to some internet companies and sail through.
In the past I've been a retired internet millionaire, a sports analyst and once, foolishly, I proudly announced bookmaker. I may as well have said international drug...
more...
Latest Entries
- Top Ranking
- Back Down To Earth
- Army Manoeuvres
- The Empire Strikes Back
- A Short Break
- Dead Beat
- Breaking The Bank
- Monte Cardiff
- Fool's Gold
- Brain Damage
- Otherwise Engaged
- Full House
- I Could Have Been Someone
- Bad Beat's WSOP Diary: Part Four
- Bad Beat's WSOP Diary: Part Three
- Bad Beat's WSOP Diary: Part Two
- Bad Beat's WSOP Diary: Part One