Take a chance on me....

I was having a good chin wag with the Earl of Chestfield recently and it got me thinking about ones decision making process. I am impulsive and believe firmly in fate. Given a situation where I have to make a decision I will go with my instinct and deal with the consequences(if there are any) afterwards.
Every decision is a gamble, but each one has different odds. Some folk, will deliberate over a decision for months if not years, will try and do as much research as possible to ensure they make the correct decision in the end. The Earl has never been known for his hasty decisions, and what he is trying to do is give himself the best chance at making a correct decision. Sometimes old bean, I think the research makes the odds worse rather than better and the first instinct will be the right one.

I have recently made a big decision. I sold my property, and I moved to this fine land. How long did I deliberate over this? around 10 minutes. I had to consult with the people in my life who this would directly affect, and then off to market it went. (The Earl thought I was a fool)

So why do people procrastinate.

CHANGE. People are scared of change. They like to know where things are in the store(95%), they like to know they will earn x per month in their existing occupation(90%), they like to know where the nearest wench they can rattle is(30%) and they like to know where the local Inn is and what scran they can expect when they get there(60%).
It is definitely a Gamblers prerogative to consider the positives rather than the negatives of a decision. I never think 'how much will I lose here', I will always think 'how much could I win'.
Thinking back there are very few decisions that I made in the spur of the moment that were regrettable. Maybe a dalliance or two, or there was a time when few sharp words landed us in a scrape, but nothing that the Earl and I couldn't wriggle our way out of.

It is only early days but I love America. The people are so jolly(not just the ones who want something), the sun shines 6 days out of 7, there is a 50 mile coastline on my doorstep, there is 24 hour poker in five different casinos all within a stones throw and I'll be dammed if the Yankee damsel's don't have the biggest breasts in all of the lands(must by something in the water).
I'm sure there are negatives, but because I'm still so excited by the positives I don't see them or they don't yet rile me.

In the words of Sweden's most famous export, 'Take a chance' fellows and you will reap the rewards.

Be Lucky

Bubbling Hot

The thing about poker, is it is one of few sports where you can play perfectly, not make one mistake, not put a foot out of place and still end up losing. This is why it is such an emotional roller coaster and the ability to control ones temper is imperative to prevent making mistakes further down the line. Now whilst I do have an extremely long fuse, and very rarely do I need to lose my temper to make myself heard yesterday was a testing time indeed.
Having sat in the same seat for 6 hours, whilst 112 players had fallen by the wayside I found myself with 11 players left in a tournament, 10 of whom would finish 'in the money'. In poker terms this is known as the 'bubble', and is without doubt the most irritating place to end up. Good players change their play around this time to put other players to the test, because they know most people want to get some return for their endeavours, and try and hang on for the bubble to burst. Other players are just idiots.
I don't really blame the guy for moving all of his chips in with Ace, 4 because most of the time he will have the best hand and he wasn't a good player, but when I look down at Ace, King I couldn't push my chips in quickly enough. The problem with his play (and I had been lurking in wait for him to make this mistake because he had done it time and again), is that he was 3rd overall in chips and I was 4th. He didn't need to risk such a large portion of chips when he was going to be at best a 25% chance to win the pot, if I called him. The bottom line is, it was a perfect spot for me had the poker gods been smiling on me.
Needless to say the first card out was the 4 of hearts, one of three in the deck he could have hit to win the pot and I had to bite my tongue in gentlemanly fashion and scarper for the door, with a return of $0 before I said anything I might regret. I don't smoke and nowadays lashings with a cat o' nine tails has gone out of fashion, so I need a temper abating solution. I might try a pipe, because you can get some wonderfully fruity flavoured tobacco.

Be luckier than me

Lord F

The Glamour

I'm sure many of you are thinking, surely a Lord would only play in the best establishments across the world.
The poker rooms must have beautiful gaudy décor and crystal chandeliers, and the notoriety of opponent must range from the Count of Monte Carlo and the Duke of Westminster to Baron Von Rothschild.

Lord F supping his favoured tipple, a Whisky sour which was hand crafted by the hands of a beautiful model, being spoon fed oysters and caviar, as she giggles at his endless wit and charm. Using his cunning to get a few 'hectares from the estate' or the Aston Martin keys 'thrown' into the pot.

It's an illusion I don't want to discourage my readers from having,

                      Baxter contemplates chucking the keys to the Bentley into the pot

AH... I didn't see this

I may not have been quite so enthusiastic to save my $4 had I seen this sign! Oh, and my tips for the Masters should be each way, if its not too late.

Shake, Rattle and Roll

There seem to be two things in this world which one can be really bad at, but still enjoy. Sex and Golf. What better week than the US Masters to write my first post regarding this fabulous past time. (I know Tiger is back but I'm talking about golf)

One of the fantastic things about this splendid country is the pride that people take in their jobs (because of the tipping culture), and it is for this reason I believe that the golf courses are in better condition than their counterparts elsewhere in the world. Of course I think the climate also plays a big part, it must be harder to have carpet perfect fairways, if said fairway spends three months of each year under either snow or water.

Golf is a fantastic sport to bet on, because if so inclined, there are hundreds of opportunities to gamble in each round. On the flip side, unless you know the people you are playing against it is fraught with danger, because people don't necessarily tell you how good they are. 

I did manage to find myself in a real dilemma out there in Rustic Canyon. From one of my stray tee shots with my usually reliable three iron my ball headed deep into the brush. Us British are a resilient lot, and rather than surrender my pro V 1 ball($4) to nature, I grabbed my longest club and strode off into the undergrowth. With a keen eye and a little bit of luck I spotted my ball and had just started wriggling through to it when I heard a sound I had not heard before, but it sure as hell stopped me in my tracks. A rattle. 

Quick process of elimination told me it wasn't a babies toy, and there is only one thing really that I am petrified of, snakes (good only for shoes, handbags and belts). From my frozen position I managed to locate the noisy bugger, about three feet to the right of my ball and we had a good old fashioned stare off. It won, as I rather hastily backtracked through the undergrowth and declared that ball lost.

Needless to say the chap whom I played with, who had 8 pars and a birdie from a handicap of 18, won the round and I returned home with considerably lighter pockets than I arrived with. I shan't mention his name for fear of curtailing his action around the course, but will most certainly be playing with him again as he is a thoroughly nice chap.

From this next paragraph I don't want any of you complaining if my predictions are not 100% accurate, after all I am only human and expect to be somewhere around 97% mark.

As most of you will know it is the Masters 2012 so here are a few each way tips to make your viewing that bit more exciting. I think it is too soon for Tiger, who after winning one tournament is immediately the bookies favourite. I like Angel Cabrera (mainly because he likes fine wine, steak and cigars) at 80/1, Steve Stricker at 50/1, Hunter Mahan at 34/1 and KJ Choi at 70/1.

Be Lucky fellows

Lord F

Quotes to live by

Here are a few quotations to ponder:

Oscar Wilde
"anyone who lives within their means shows a serious lack of imagination"
"always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much"
"genius is born, not paid"

John Hay
"true luck consists not in holding the best cards at the table; luckiest is he who knows when to rise and go home"

T.S.Elliot
"only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far they can go"

Voltaire
"each player must accept the cards life deals him or her: but once they are in hand, he or she alone must decide how to play the cards in order to win the game"

Rest and Recuperation

As many of you will know, the key to being on top of your game comes from being in optimum mental condition (although I rarely stray from this mindset). Having had a somewhat frustrating week at the tables, I thought I would let my hair down and take in some sport.
Sword fighting, Jousting and jesting whilst having my goblet refuelled by buxom wenches was just what the doctor ordered. 

A dozen goblets of ale later, my pockets lined with crisp green-backs thanks to the victorious blue knight and a wench on my arm seemed to straighten the mind out no end.

Back to the tables tomorrow (hic)