The Fishy Trail Mission Statement

I jumped through all the right loops. I ran in the rat race long enough. My mind's made up. Three more months on the grind. Then I'll take the money and run:

The hard part is over; the decision has been made. All I need is one final confirmation from the Government Office for Employment. At the day job, all documents are signed and approved. In 3 months time I'm free to go. Nothing holds me back. Preparation can finally start. The dream came true. I'm a happy man. The long road ahead is all mine. (Yeah!) It's about time. No more compromises. I'll do as I please. I'll go where I want. Back to the East, of course. Same same but *seriously* different. Done with dope, done with troublesome love affairs. Intrepid traveling on my own terms, like a vagabond in the distance...

(from "Green Light")

Follow The Fishy Trail on Twitter, like the trail on Facebook or add The Fishy Trail to your favorites for more adventure and less poker. It's just a different kind of gamble, after all.

A Quest For Dollars

A Quest For Dollars
Originally uploaded by VagabondBXL

The Micro Stakes Grinder

After a great holiday in Cambodia, I didn't really know what to do back home. From the busy streets of Phnom Penh to the big, lonely apartment in Brussels...

Poker doesn't interest me much these days. But I can't just lay on the couch, smoke weed and watch TV all weekend, every weekend. I need something to do. Something to pass the time while I'm saving my monies for The Fishy Trail. Then I saw an add for PartyPoker Mac software. Tired of dividing my time between Angy Birds and a Murakami novel, I downloaded the software. On PokerNews there's a promotion that promises a free $50 for every new Party-account. I don't believe in 'free money' but followed the instructions anyway. A day later, there was $25 in my Party-account (for the other $25 I'll need to get to 200 Party Points in 45 days, but I'm not complaining). Soon I was playing $4NL full ring cash games and enjoying it. Actually, poker is still kind of fun. I just can't afford to lose significant amounts of money any longer. Before all I wanted was play, play, play and move up in stakes. Now it's different. There are better ways to get the most value out of my hard-earned dollars.

This morning I tried to launch PokerStars only to discover that they are now PokerStars.be. In the light of recent events, I'm very much in favor of government regulation. All the games (cash and tournaments) are still available in the PokerStars.be lobby. No worries. It should be all ruled and regulated now. That's good. It makes me feel safe. I checked my account balance. It's still too much. I don't want to gamble for these amounts anymore. The numbers look different now. Not so long ago, $50 didn't mean much to me. Now it equals two days of living like a king in, for example, Kampot (Cambodia).

If I want to keep playing poker it will be like going to the gym. Exercise, nothing else. Something to keep my brain sharp while I prepare to get away. So I cashed out half of my PokerStars bankroll. It felt good to convert PokerStars dollars into cold, hard euros.

It's a grey, rainy morning in Brussels. I don't mind. I'm ready for Belgium winter now. I got PokerCopilot, PokerStars.be an PartyPoker running. Looking for some games to play. Something like 10NL cash games on Party and maybe a few $3 sit 'n go's on Stars. It's alright. Money comes and goes. Adaptation is an essential survival skill.

Back to the micro stakes!

No Mercy For Those Who've Lost (The Casino)

No Mercy For Those Who've Lost (The Casino)
Originally uploaded by VagabondBXL

The Blissful Poker Tournament

A peculiar series of events have led me to the small, sleepy town of Kampot in Southern Cambodia....

I've been here a couple of days now, staying in the Blissful Guesthouse. It's been a long time ago since I had anything to do with poker. But it turns out there's a weekly $5 buy-in no-limit hold'em poker tournament in this very guesthouse. Of course, I couldn't let this opportunity pass. One more night of pokers!

Unsurprisingly, it was a small event. 12 people showed up. Top three gets the money. $50 for first. Doesn't sound much but, considering the current state of my financial affairs, that's at least two days of living expenses here in Kampot.

We got divided in two six-max tables. The blind structure was alright, rather slow even. But that's probably a smart move from the bar owner. There's no rake so longer blind levels sell more drinks. That's good for everyone.
The tournament itself was uneventful (for me, at least). Your typical low buy-in no-fold'em game. Most players hardly knew the rules. The first few rounds where pretty chaotic. People acting out of turn, splashing the pot, showing cards and doing all kinds of goofy things. An older dude bought a round of beers for the table. A nice gentleman, indeed! If I don't make it to the money, well, at least it got a beer for my 5 bucks. The game went on, I managed to get a little bit of value with a top pair hand but for the most part I played pretty tight. I figured only solid hands would do. Generally the whole table saw the flop and everyone seemed to love to min-bet (and call the min-bets with any two cards or min-3bet etc.).
My key hand came around in the second blind level. Ten Ten on the Button. I raised 4x after a limper. The Big Blind (an English girl without a clue) min-reraist. The limper folded. The flop came Ten-Ace-Five rainbow. Boom! Flopped a set! Big Blind min-donks. I raise. Big Blind shoves. I call. My set of Tens is in good shape against her Ace Jack. Alas, the turn is a Queen and on the river a King rolls of… Her straight beats my set. Oh, well. Severely crippled, I tried to fold my way to a good spot. When there were 8 players left we all moved to one table. I guess you can call it 'The Final Table' but that is a big word for a small game in a quiet town. I dwindled down to 9 big blinds, found 88 utg and open-shoved. Got called by Ace Queen. Ace on the flop. Busto! The end.

Railbirded for a while but soon got bored and went to bed. To be honest, I don't care much about poker anymore these days. Although I'm still very much a fish in the life, I try to avoid filth and gave up on ever getting rich a while ago...

If you're interested in travel stories, a troubled love live, conversations with cows and the life on the road you can find my recent writings over at The Fishy Trail.

Good luck at the tables and thank you for visiting Filthy Rich Fish!

Closing Time (A Farewell To The Pokers)

This was my first weekend without a single hand of online poker in about four years.
All summer long I've been whining about my financial woes due to the divorce and the closure of a certain poker site (which no longer will be named but... - Fuck you, Howard Lederer! Hope you go to jail and get ass raped repeatedly).
Wel, that was that.
And then there was a horrible run at PokerStars. Lost more money than I'm willing to admit. It doesn't matter how you look at the figures. They are all very red. There's a certain point where it doesn't matter anymore if you played the hand well or not. Money lost equals money lost. Unlucky or bad play, my bank account doesn't notice the difference...

Last Friday I had a great time at a home game. But after losing another three buy-ins I decided to quiet right there and then. Got in this hole also/ largely because of poker. I doubt poker is going to get me out of it. Accept the losses and walk away. That's the plan. Got other interests to pursue. Got a plane ticket in my pocket and a new project I might launch one of these days...

As for the pokers;
it was fun while it lasted.
A rather bumpy (but interesting) ride.
I'll probably be back some day...

Until then Filthy Rich Fish is temporarily indefinitely on hold.

Good luck if/ where applicable!

Drifting In A Different Way

Summer's almost gone. Only a fool believes Full Tilt Poker will ever pay. They are gone. They are never coming back. The similarities between Howard Lederer and my ex-wife are quiet uncomfortable. They both gained my trust than they lied, cheated, took my money and ran...
Though shit. I tried to start over on PokerStars but there's not much fun without heart and commitment. So everyday I play less and less if and when I even play at all. Slowly drifting further and further away from this goddamn desk. Fuck the money. There must be more rewarding ways to spend my time than this never-ending strife for profit....

Forever Delayed

On June 29 the Alderney Gambling Control Commission (AGCC) suspended the license of Full Tilt Poker. Yesterday the AGCC held a hearing for Full Tilt... After an entire day of deliberation, it was announced that 'in the interests of justice and the best interest of Full Tilt customers, the hearing will be adjourned. This is so Full Tilt can pursue advanced investment negotiations, which could result in a better outcome for the players.' The AGCC stated they did not enter into this decision lightly, and will reconvene no later than September 15, 2011.

In other words/ my humble opinion: Howard Lederer stole our money and there's no way we're getting it back.

Being robbed by my favorite poker site left me in a strange state of mind. Shortly after the closure of Full Tilt Poker I stopped smoking dope. Not out of principal or health reasons or whatever, mind you. Just got bored with being stoned all the time. Once the weed was out I quickly lost interest in drinking as well. No more weed and no more whiskey for no particular reason at all. Strange days, indeed. Lastly I paid off some long standing debts from my days as a married man.

The little money I had left I deposited on PokerStars. A month has passed and things have gone ugly. I'm down on my very last money and running four figures under Ev. (That's awful, if you're not familiar with poker lingo). This is the end of the line. Last stop: this grey old town. I'm not asking for sympathy or understanding. Almost every poker player on the planet thinks he's totally awesome but just going through a small downswing at the moment. I guess I'm no different. Whatever the reasons and the intentions; sooner or later one has to take responsibility for his results. ... And results I do have not. Neither in poker, photography or any other part of life (and certainly not in writing blog posts lol).

With the return of my Full Tilt bankroll forever delayed, I rest my case. There's nothing left to say. This story doesn't end with drinking champagne on a tropical beach or with overdosing in a back alley on cheap dope....

Just slowly fizzling out in the Belgian rain.

Another thirty odd years on the dayshift and maybe a pension in the sun, if I'll ever make it that far.

Fish 3.0: Tilt Free

"Totally Fished"

As from today Filthy Rich Fish is no longer affiliated with Full Tilt Poker.

The incompetence of Mr. Howard Lederer and co is not compatible with the values and integrity of this blog (well yeah, there's that and the fact that those motherfuckers fuckers stole my money...) Anyway, all Full Tilt adds, links and rakeback offers have been removed (except those in archived blog posts). There's also a new Vagabond Photography section added and the 'Where to go? What to see?' page got a makeover.

Welcome on Filthy Rich Fish 3.0, certified Tilt Free!

***

The Tilt Debacle

"I never saw a wild thing sorry for itself. A small bird will drop frozen dead from a bough without ever having felt sorry for itself." - D.H. Lawrence

*

We can complain, moan or cry as much as we want. Our Full Tilt bankrolls are not coming back. Accept the loss and move on. That's the only way to go. The Full Tilt days are forever gone. Fuck the money. Write if off as a loss. Yeah, it sucks but there's nothing that can be done.

*

For three years I've been bonus whoring and rakeback grinding. Putting in long, boring hours almost every single day. Sometimes I wondered why. There must be more interesting and satisfying ways to spend my time.

Once you get stuck in the Full Tilt Iron Man Challenge it's hard to leave. I got reeled in by this never-ending promotions machine. There's always more free money just around the corner. Just a few more hands to play, just a few more points needed to unlock the next cash prize...

Fuck this, I've lived at the bottom of the poker food chain for years. Just one tiny step above the fish who fund this volatile, flawed, bullshit poker economy.

*

Full Tilt has been down for about twenty-four hours now. Somehow it doesn't feel all that bad. It's almost like I'm on an (expensive) holiday. No need to hurry through my days to get to grinding, no more Full Tilt Points to gain, no more Happy Hours or other exhaustive bonus schemes. No more playing poker above everything else for just some extra cash.

My money's gone. My rigid playing schedule' s gone.  But, hey, I'm free!

I can do whatever I want. That's a glorious thought. I've been caught up in this shit way too long. Finally freed of the rakeback schackles . Time to move on to bigger and better things, but before we go...

There's only one thing left to do:
Turn up your speakers, play this clip and sing along one final time:

Say it loud and say it proud:

Fuck you, Mr. Lederer!

I'm out.

RIP Full Tilt Poker

Game Over.

The Alderny Gaming Control Comission, which supplies FTP's license to offer poker games, has suspended Full Tilt Poker's license today. As from now Full Tilt can no longer:

• Register new customers
• Accept deposits from existing customers
• Allow existing customer to withdraw funds that are held in their account
• Permit customers to participate in any form of poker game or gambling transaction

All players worldwide are unable to launch the Full Tilt client. On the website the following notice is displayed:

I've said it before and I say it again: 

if you have (had!?!?) money on Full Tilt, you're screwed.

Twitter and Two Plus Two have been buzzing with comments and opinions all afternoon but there's really not that much to say. 

Full Tilt is gone. 

That's the only fact we have for now.

After Black Friday, I found it very hard to leave. I was planning to but... The games were good. Easy money is hard to resist. Still had some bonuses to unlock, some fish to stack. There was always a reason to keep playing. I made a few cash outs but not enough. Not everything. The rakeback, the bonuses, the smooth software... I really didn't want to leave. It's sad to say but Full Tilt Poker has been one of the few constants in my life over the last few years. Something that was always there. Something I could count on. Deep down I believed everything would turn out allright. It turned out I was wrong.

Sometimes I wonder why 

I have to learn everything the hard way.

RIP Full Tilt Poker/ Bye bye $$$...

Sunday Link Dump: Poker & Other Topics

What can I say? I feel like a Full Tilt spokesman. We'll get back to you when we've got anything to say. In the meantime, all I got to offer are just a few links:

• The WSOP 2011 has started but the biggest news so far is Phil Ivey not playing. Tao of Poker has an excellent piece on Ivey's Titanium Balls

• In related news: Howard Lederer, only a few months ago chosen by Bluff Magazine as the most powerful man in poker, is still nowhere to be seen. There are rumors that he's spending his time (and our money) hanging out with his homey Kim Jong Il... Check QuadJacks.com for more on this.
• WSOP.com broadcasts all final tables of this year's events on a 5 min delayed live-stream. Perfect stoner TV.

• Unrelated and somewhat irrelevant: I've got nothing to say so I shoot pictures instead, they can be found on Flickr...

• Lastly, this life needs a 'Quick Fold'-button... "You wake up in the night with a fear so real.
  You spend your life waiting for a moment that just don't come" - Badlands:

Anyway, have a great week everyone!

Fantasy World Series of Poker 2011

Question: What's better than the Full Tilt Fantasy Poker Competition?

Answer: OwnIvey.com

It's a cool new site, created by respectable DeucesCracked-members, where you'll be able to draft a team of poker players to compete against other teams in the World Series of Poker. It's simple - the team that wins the most money wins. Creating an account is free and will allow you to compete in fantasy poker leagues against others. After creating an account you may draft a team of poker players according to the salary cap format. Your team of poker players may then be entered into as many fantasy poker leagues as you like. You may also create multiple teams. Fantasy poker teams score points based on the total amount of gross cash won during the World Series of Poker.

If you want to enter real money leagues you can easily deposit funds with PayPal. It's completely legal, even for US players, since the he UIGEA that passed in 2006 gave a special carve out to fantasy sports competitions as a game of skill...

So head over to OwnIvey.com, create a team and enjoy the WSOP excitement like never before. Just beware of The Angry Panda Express, that's my team and I've got a good feeling about crushing this...

Good luck!

Hipster Archive

The Filthy Rich Fish archives got updated. All shiny and fresh, five new ways to browse it like a hipster:

• Timeslide
• Sidebar
• Snapshot
• Mosaic
• Flipcard

The Micros: All Episodes

All the episodes of this awesome poker comedy series back to back...
Perfect cure against tilt, downswings, bad temper and/ or lousy days. Watch until smiling. Repeat regularly if necessary.

Donkdown Radio

There are a ton of poker podcasts out there. And then there's Donkdown Radio...
It's a poker radio show based on free speech and uncensored content. Where other poker media are always careful to keep the sponsors happy, Donkdown Radio is the bull in the China shop. At times awesome comedy, sometimes covering breaking news in the world of poker and (that's how it goes with free speech) sometimes completely wild, crazy, insane and chaotic nonsense.
Almost always entertaining nevertheless.
Todd "Dan Druff" Witteles, Bryan "The Icon" Micon host this show every Wednesday. If you're looking for some excellent pokertainment in these post-pokerpocalypse days, Donkdown's the place to go...

Movie Night : The Tunnel

When monkey tilt is lurking around the corner and there's nothing much to do, Vodo delivers with a new independent movie. This latest release was financed by fans, contributing $1 per frame to enable production. The Tunnel is a horror movie, set in the abandoned tunnels beneath Sydney.

"In 2008, chasing rumours of a government cover-up and urban legends surrounding the sudden backflip, investigative journalist Natasha Warner led a crew of four into the underground labyrinth. They went down into the tunnels looking for a story -- until the story found them.

This is the film of their harrowing ordeal. With unprecedented access to the recently declassified tapes they shot in the claustrophobic subway tunnels, as well as a series of candid interviews with the survivors, we come face to face with the terrifying truth."

The Tunnel is entirely new. This week it's being screened in Cannes, shown on Australian TV - and released through VODO. It's a cool horror flick. If you like it (or maybe even if you don't?) please consider supporting the film with a donation...

Check it out for free here

WSOP 2011 Fantasy Poker Competition

We're only 10 days away from the WSOP 2011. If you don't have the bankroll or the time to go play in Vegas, there's the Fantasy WSOP competition at Full Tilt Poker. I wouldn't go as far as to say it's the next best thing but, at least, it's free. Plus, you can win tons of
prizes, including freeroll tournament entries and a seat at
the 2012 WSOP Main Event...

In order to participate, you'll need a Full Tilt Poker account.
If you don't have one, head over to www.fulltiltpoker.com,
download the free game software and then sign up for an account.
Once you're all set up, go to the game Cashier, click on the
My Promotions button and then follow the Fantasy WSOP link to
register for the competition.

Once you've registered go to the Groups page at
http://contest.linkrd.com/fulltilt/wsop11/groups
and join the group called "FilthyRichFish" that I've
created. The group password is: vagabond

Good luck and see you in the game!

Poker's Not Dead: Big Tournaments In May

Yeah, PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker no longer operate in the US but that doesn't mean this is the end of online poker. This weekend both poker rooms launch a series of multi-table tournaments at reasonably priced buy-ins. Last chance to hit a big score before Summer!

The PokerStars Spring Championship of Online Poker (SCOOP) is back for 2011. This year’s series includes 38 events and a massive guaranteed prize pool of $25,000,000. Each tournament has a low, medium and high buy in level, which makes SCOOP the series that everyone can play. Check out the full schedule here.

Full Tilt runs MiniFTOPS XX this May. Get in on the action and win your share of millions in guaranteed prize money. MiniFTOPS XX features seventeen Multi-Entry Tournaments, each allowing you to register for the same tournament numerous times, giving you multiple chances to make a big score. Additionally, eight events are scheduled as Rush Poker Tournaments.
See the full MiniFTOPS Schedule for more details on all 45 events.

Good luck at the tables!

Pioneer One "Triangular Diplomacy"

Pioneer One is a serialized drama produced and distributed online through VODO. Downloaded almost 2.000.000 times and winner for Best Drama Pilot at the 2010 New York Television Festival, this show is independently produced and financed by viewer donations.

This awesome project continues in Episode 4 "Triangular Diplomacy"...

Halfway through the Calgary quarantine, the media begins to question whether the story about the crashed satellite is the real truth. Meanwhile, Secretary McClellan starts to play hardball with the Russians in pursuit of his own truth. But everything hinges on what Yuri, the frightened boy at the center of it all, might have to say...

Enjoy the new episode and don't forget to support the project!

Circles

It's a beautiful and sunny Spring in Brussels but I just keep running around in circles.

A few days have passed since Black Friday. Nothing really changed here in Europe. Got a mailbox full of messages from European poker sites to offer large deposit bonuses and to assure that my money is safe with them. I think I'll just stick with Stars and Full Tilt for now. I'll keep an eye on what will be happening with these companies but I'm just to lazy to move my funds. Too much trouble to start new loyalty and bonus programs on different poker sites. I prefer to go down with the sinking ship if it ever comes to that...

It's a beautiful and sunny Spring in Brussels but I just keep running around in circles.

On Black Friday I was told by a friend that the collapse of online poker might be a good thing in my case. It is quite rare that a big fish is able to walk away from the game with a profit... I've lost a lot these last few weeks, that's a fact. A combination of bad luck, bad play and a general lack of confidence (in anything) led to a huge downfall. Now I sort of left the game of poker behind. It didn't play a single hand since last Friday. I'm not even affected by the poker ban but this is as a good a time to quit as any other. Looking for different ways to give meaning to my bleak existence I only found alcohol and smokes...

It's a beautiful and sunny Spring in Brussels but I just keep running around in circles.

Still stuck in the same old day job. Keep telling myself I can do other things if I want. Turned thirty somewhere last month, still driving around in a van. Today, as a final act of humiliation, I had to deliver a package to my ex-wife on her new address. Seven years ago we arrived together in this city. I was going to be king and she would be my queen. Now she orders shoes from China and I'm just the delivery guy...

It's a beautiful and sunny Spring in Brussels but I just keep running around in circles.

The End

If you visited pokerstars.com, fulltiltpoker.com or ub.com yesterday or early this morning this was all there was to see:

PokerStars and Full Tilt (and UB, bet let's ignore that cheating site from here on) can no longer accept American players in real-money games. Outside the US these sites are still available (for now) but the action is slow (I'm currently staring at the 200NL Full Ring Rush lobby, only 30 players are seated) There are strong rumors that Full Tilt and PokerStars will shut down globally somewhere in the next 30 hours. In short, the future is highly insecure. There's only one piece of sound, reliable advice bouncing around Twitter and the forms at the moment:

If you have a significant amount of money on any online poker site it's probably best to try to cash out right now (if you still can, that is)...

Good luck!

Taking Down The Tilt Monkey

Seven weeks ago I got back from Cambodia. The return to the day job and the daily poker grind quickly turned into a big cluster fuck. The first few weeks, the memories of the beach still fresh and alive, were all right. Then there were a few bumps in the road. Where running bad slowly turns into playing bad turns into feeling low and miserable...
Bleak days on endless monkey tilt.
Fuck this.
Why lose hundreds of dollars a day playing poker when Angry Birds is only €3,99 in the App store?

After Angry Birds I was still not #winning so I ended up taking a few pictures here and there. This made me feel strangely at ease.
When the shutter closes there's only now. The lens provides perspective. Framing shots requires considering different points of view. It's hard to stay stressed out while looking for the bigger picture... There's more in life than online poker after all.

Enjoy today to keep the tilt monkey away...

Pioneer One "Alone In The Night"

Episode 3 of 'Pioneer One' got finally released. It was a long wait but it was well worth it...

If you have no idea what I'm talking about: Pioneer One is a unique project, the next step in tv-making. It's a dramatic sci-fi series entirely community-funded and released on the Vodo-network as a torrent download. Pretty amazing what some creative minds can do with the support of an audience...

A mysterious spaceship has entered Earth's atmosphere. A US Department of Homeland Security investigation has uncovered a live human being in a Soviet space suit in an unstable condition. A note in Russian, found at the crash site, claims the man is the child of cosmonauts living at a base on Mars. Now quarantined to the Calgary base for two weeks, Taylor and his team have bought time to get answers from the supposed Martian cosmonaut. But who can get him to talk?

The story continues with this new episode 'Alone In The Night', funded and distributed by the online community. Producers Josh Bernhard and Bracey Smith have built on the success of episodes one and two, released through Vodo since June 2010 to an audience of millions.

Episode 4 is expected to be released within a month. Bernhard and Smith have now raised almost $20,000 of the $60,000 they need to finish episodes 5 & 6...


(Looking for more interesting movies and tv? Check out Zenith, a dark and grim sci-fi cyberpunk thriller in 3 free-to-share episodes. Also available for free at Vodo)

The Baller Weekend

*

14th place in MiniFTOPS Event #15 (out of over 12000 entries) / playing with The Ultimate Hipster (Huckleberry Seed) in MiniFTOPS Event #20 / crushing 100NL Rush poker on the side

An excellent return on investment

 for a weekend at home on my own...

*

The Times They Are A-Changin'

In October 2010, PokerStars announced its partnership with Circus Groupe, making it possible to offer online poker under the regulation of the Belgian Gaming Commission. As a result of this, PokerStars launched its Belgian client today. For now it's only a Beta Testing project but on a later date (probably somewhere in April or May) all existing Belgian players will be migrated to the .BE client...

Due to legal restrictions the minimum age will be 21 and new Belgian players are no longer eligible for a first deposit bonus. (So if you're Belgian and don't have a PokerStars account yet, now's your last chance to sign up and get that bonus...) Belgian players will still be able to play tournaments against .COM players but cash games will be .BE exclusive.

Is this the end of online poker in Belgium or a new dawn? It depends. A regulated poker client will attract new, inexperienced players (aka fish aka more money for the regulars). But real gamblers and degenerates don't really care that much about laws and regulations anyway. Will the new players make up for the .COM cash games we are about to lose? I seriously doubt it. If you're a Belgian cash game player on Stars, you're fucked.

There might be a sparkle of hope, though: Full Tilt Poker.

Howard Lederer, the strong man behind Full Tilt and the most powerful man in poker (Number 1 in Bluff Magazine's Power Top 20), has been running his poker client for years in a legal grey (well, grey at best) area in the USA.
While PokerStars's always first to follow new laws, Full Tilt seem to prefer a more relaxed approach. As long as Belgian players can deposit and withdraw I don't see Full Tilt leaving the Belgian market any time soon. It all depends on how hard Belgium will try to enforce this new gambling law... If it's just another dead-letter-law we will be fine. It's hard to enforce laws online (the PirateBay is still here) and when we don't even have a real government (over 250 days and counting). Belgian cash game grinders probably will have to ship there bankroll to Full Tilt but that's about it for now.

No worries, in my opinion.
We still have Rush poker.

(and if it turns out I'm totally wrong about all this it might be a good time to relocate. Life's much better in the sun...)

True Grind

(On Variance)

***

*

Back home and wondering
Where to go? What to do?
Life on the beach was sweet.
Got no fucking clue what to now.
So I focus on poker instead.
I'll deal with life later.

Returning to the grind with a passion.
Exchanged a bunch of Iron Man medals for a big cash bonus.
Excessive hours of 100NL Rush required to unlock it...

It's still hard to put in huge volumes. But I'm working on it. Played about 5K hands this weekend. That's as much as I could handle. My arm hurts from a million mouse clicks, my brain feels fried and my back hurts like hell. The results looked pretty bleak at first. But one great session on Sunday afternoon turned things around. Made about 5 buy-ins plus rakeback and bonus money...
That's about all the motivation I need.
A dedicated return to poker it is.

Grinding out a profit while trying to figure out where to go from here...

"LockDown Weekend"

March on Tilt: MiniFTOPS XIX

Play in the new MiniFTOPS this March for your chance to turn a small buy-in into a huge score. There's $8 million in guaranteed prize money...

Starting on Sunday, March 6th, MiniFTOPS features 45 events.
Series highlights include:

• The new $1,000 + $60 No Limit Hold ‘em Heads Up Event with a guaranteed prize pool of $100K
• Multi-Entry Tournaments
• The MiniFTOPS Two-Day Event, featuring a $200 + $16 buy-in and $600K guaranteed
• The MiniFTOPS Main Event, with a $70 + $5 buy-in and $1.25 million in guaranteed prize money

MiniFTOPS events feature huge starting fields and slow tournament structures, offering a lot of play for a little money. See the full MiniFTOPS Schedule for more details.

You can buy in to any MiniFTOPS event directly or satellite your way in for as little as $0.50 or 50 Full Tilt Points.

Now you can get multiple chances in the same tournament to make a big score with Multi-Entry Tournaments, a tournament format exclusive to Full Tilt Poker. Multi-Entry Tournaments allow you to register for the same tournament numerous times, meaning you can “multi-table” a single tournament...

MiniFTOPS XIX features nine Multi-Entry Tournaments:

• Event #3: $30 + $3 NLH Rush Multi-Entry Tournament, $100K guaranteed
• Event #10: $10 + $1 NLH – 6-Max Rebuy Multi-Entry Tournament, $250K guaranteed
• Event #15: $31 + $2 NLH Super Turbo Multi-Entry Tournament, $150K guaranteed
• Event #22: $12 + $1 NLH Knockout Multi-Entry Tournament, $300K guaranteed
• Event #24: $30 + $3 NLH Multi-Entry Tournament, $500K guaranteed
• Event #27: $100 + $9 NLH Multi-Entry Tournament, $350K guaranteed
• Event #30: $50 + $5 9-Game, 6-Max Multi-Entry Tournament, $50K guaranteed
• Event #37: $20 + $2 NLH – 6-Max Multi-Entry Tournament, $200K guaranteed
• Main Event: $70 + $5 NLH Multi-Entry Tournament, $1.25 million guaranteed

Follow these steps to register for any MiniFTOPS event:

• If you haven't done so already, download Full Tilt Poker and install the game software on your computer.
• Create an account.
• Open the game software and click on the Lobby menu, then select Choose Lobby View > Standard View.
• In the browse area, click on Tournament and then FTOPS.
• Find the MiniFTOPS event you'd like to play in, click the Register Now button and get ready to play for your share of the prize money.

Good luck at the tables!

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• Fold equity & ICM calculator
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Download Slice Poker Equity Calculator for free here

Leaving The Beach

I stayed on the beach for 25 days.
Returning to the place where I got married
to get over my divorce.
Didn’t sound like a solid idea at first.
But it was my best decision ever.

(Sweet, seedy Sihanoukville... ) For seven years I’ve been coming back to visit the family in law. This time, out here on my own, was far better than any holiday with them. So many people I met here over the years. So many friendly faces. Without family I got to know them all over again and meet many new ones in the process. Got more friends in Sihanoukville than anywhere else in the world. Here I feel at ease. Strong and confident, older and wiser (and yes, ofthen drunk and high too). Burning through the night, speeding on a Honda Dream, visiting a tropical island, stumbling into beautiful temples, ignoring traffic lights at all times, smoking joints everywhere and lingering on the beach with friends. There were no fights, no stress, no troubles, no anger. At most I got a bit annoyed with the languorous, inefficient way of life. But I learned to roll with it. After all, happiness has nothing to do with how much you can get done in one day. Happiness is all about with who you spend the day with.

(Twenty-five days of absolute smoothness)
My married live nothing but a distant memory.
Somewhere along the way I sort of forgot what it was I came here to get way from...

*

Yesterday I left town at the break of dawn.
Taking the bus up on Highway #4 for the final time.
Leaving the beach, back to Phnom Penh.

This time I got no expectations to ever come back here again.
This time I found what I was looking for.
Now I can go home and live happily ever after.
(making that same lame statement since 2003...)

(Final night in Sihanoukville, drinking heavily in a karaoke parlor)
Soeth, my motodop-driver friend, asks how long I’m going to stay in Belgium this time.
   "...I don't know... Probably a very long time, I'm not sure if I ever come..."
He bursts out in happy, drunken laughter
   "you will be back, my friend, maybe you don't know it yet
but you'll be back... soon... I know..." (fuck)

Yes, I found closure for my divorce troubles.
I had the holiday of a lifetime. I'm ready to play lots and lots of poker again.
But I despise the day job. I despise the cold and the grey and the emptiness back home.

I found this burning desire to live life at it’s fullest...
Don't want to slow down now. I'm just getting started.

(Back in Phnom Penh at a fancy hotel on Sisovath Quay...)
Last night I studied poker by watching DeucesCracked-videos and played a decent amount of Rush. Then I drained the mini-bar and worked my way through my last ganja. Alone, stoned and disoriented in the big city once again.

*

Today I sit at the riverside and wonder

So this was my final trip to Cambodia,
what’s next?

The Way of The Hipster

(A month on a beach in Cambodia/ Sun, sand, dope, drinks and dollars/ Stumbling through life on a thin edge/ Slipping and sliding between boundless hedonism and sincere Buddhism/ A simple guide to keep it cool)

Rule #1: You gotta love yourself.

     Changes are no one else is going to do it for you. (In the long run, most people and places just come and go)

Rule #2: When you’ve got nothing to say, remain silent.

Rule #3: Strive for smoothness!

     Keep your emotions in check. Feelings like anger, stress and hate won’t help you anyway. Stay calm and carry on

Rule #4: Being honest and truthful at all times makes life a lot easier.

Rule #5: Say what’s on your mind but keep it cool. 

     There’s never a reason for being blunt. Delivering the message in a gentle way will get you further

Rule #6: Always take full responsibility for your own (foolish) actions.

Rule #7: The safest route has the least to offer. 

     Don’t be afraid to gamble it up. Sometimes you just have to go nuts to stay sane

Rule #8: The opinion of other people is of no consequence at all.

Rule #9: Help your friends whenever they are in need.

     Maybe they’ll do the same for you one day, maybe they won’t. It doesn’t matter. Being righteous is always awesome.

Rule #10: The true hipster walks alone.

Filthy Rich Fish Poker Club

Feel welcome to join the Filthy Rich Fish poker club for Home Games online.

- If you don't already have it, download the free PokerStars software from www.pokerstars.com
- Open the main poker lobby, then click on the Home Games tab
- Click the 'Join a Poker Club' button
- Enter the Filthy Rich Fish Club ID number: 60556
- Enter this Invitation Code: Vagabond

That's it! Once we've approved your membership request, we'll be ready to start playing Home Games online together. We offer low stakes drunken cash games, spaced-out tournaments, a leaderboard and a very friendly and relaxed chat. We even might run a few tournaments with added prizes in the near future...



If you want to find out more, visit www.pokerstars.com/homegames

Return To Normalcy (Exile On Karaoke Street)

When we came back from Bamboo Island she asked
'What are you going to do now?’
'Maybe I'll look for a guesthouse somewhere in town'
(silence and then...) 'You can stay at my place for a few days if you’d like’

So I moved in with Daria.
She’s a skilled pool shark and an occasional sports bettor. In her early thirties, life hasn’t been sweet to her but she carries her burden with grace. She’s beautiful, of course. She has a wicked way of brutally honest story-telling. She nonchalantly lits up cigarettes anytime, anyplace. She tricked me in betting on a pre-recorded Thai boxing match once. She thought it was extremely funny. The game ended in a draw and then I finally got the joke too...

I met her on the beach one night. I was nursing a nasty opium comedown with $0.50 Happy Hours beers when she asked for a light. I gave her one and tried to avoid further conversation. Sometimes life doesn't follow the plan...

She lives in a small apartment up on Karaoke Street.
There’s always someone playing Khmer pop music at max volume. I keep losing small change playing cards with the neighbors. The karaoke bar across the street delivers cold, cheap jugs of beer at home. There’s lots of strange, delicious food around all the time. Some local girls spend ages telling me about their love troubles with barang men in broken English. Speaking not much must makes me a good listener. I don’t mind. It’s a cool way of letting time drift by while stoned...

Life’s strangely familiar up here.
Exile on Karaoke Street. It’s not in any guidebook. It certainly wasn’t part of my schedule. Nevertheless, I’m happy to escape the guesthouses, banana pancakes and the shallow, ignorant backpacking scene for a while. The Khmer lifestyle makes me at ease and relaxed. Life’s good up here. Just mingling with the locals, taking it easy. A life I used to live...

This time it’s different. This time I’m not committed. This time everyone’s in the know about it. This time I’m just passing trough on my way out of here...

But just

A few more days of lingering on Karaoke Street,
that’s all I need

Out There On Bamboo Island

Here’s some free travel advice for you: if you ever go to a tiny tropical island, make sure to bring a torch.

My trip to Koh Russei (aka Bamboo Island) was nothing what I’d expected.
Nevertheless, I got exactly what I wanted.

A tiny Khmer-style fishing boat brought us out there. Didn’t enjoy the bumpy ride across the waves at all. I do like the sea, preferably as seen from the beach.

On the island I got the bungalow I signed up for but nothing more. Just a wooden shack with a mattress and a mosquito net inside. No bars on my phone, no shops, no roads. Not even electricity. Just a beach with a few bungalows and behind it only jungle. Never mind, the tranquillity got to me straight away. Forgot my worries about the lack of fancy facilities. Rolled a fat joint and spent the whole afternoon watching the waves crash on the beach from a comfortable hammock.
Completely relaxed and at peace.

Only ten minutes after sunset I understood the full consequences of having no electricity. It was pitch black in no time. The battery of my cell phone, my only source of light, died within minutes. There’s a restaurant at the far end of the beach. They have a generator running from sunset till 9pm. Getting there, across the beach in total darkness, was a true adventure.

The first night I found it difficult to sleep. It was too dark, too much strange sounds in the night, too many insects wanting a piece of me. I’m a city dude. Wailing sirens in the distance and cars hissing by my window make me feel at ease. Animals howling in complete darkness, ants crawling on the wooden floor and a gecko somewhere really close make me rather uncomfortable at first...

Luckily dawn came around quickly. An early morning swim washed away the night. Afterwards I was completely in tune. It was a beautiful day on a tropical island. This time I was well prepared when sunset came.

A tranquil beach, the waves gently crashing on the shore.
Great seafood and fat joints.
Mosquitos and sand everywhere.
That’s what’s life really like on a tropical island.
Easy, simple and relaxed.

Think I’m done with going crazy.
Done with running away from myself.
I reel refreshed and alive.
Bamboo Island purified my mind and cleansed my soul.

Want to stay on a tropical island in Cambodia? I stayed at Koh Ru Bungalow Resort on Koh Russei, click here for more information and bookings.

Tangled Up In SnookyVille

Sure, everyone likes the sun. Everyone likes the sea.
But that’s not the only reasons why
I can’t drag myself out of Sihanoukville.

Being a tourist
is just not working for me.

Yesterday I started playing poker again. The plan was to warm up a bit at 50NL Rush before moving up. After 2K hands I'm down 6 buy-ins. That's pretty horrendous. Didn't expect to crush again straight away. But playing this bad hurts. Maybe this is the wake up call I need. It's been two weeks since I arrived in town. It feels like I start to pay the price for all the foolish things I do. Guess I'm in pretty bad shape. It's hard to notice with all these crazy people around me...

First there was this wild English girl who’s name I can’t even remember. She had a great appetite for the sweet filthiness called O... Later one night on the beach I saved a drunk Khmer girl from drowning. Pretty common sense. She thought differently and insisted on rewarding me. Didn't feel any need. Just didn’t want her to drown in the sea. Nothing more. She didn’t understand. She's ignoring me ever since... Whatever. Only days later I met a girl who had just cut her hand on a rusty piece of metal. Took her to the hospital for a tetanus-shot. Afterwards, she showed me the way to a Buddhist temple far out of town. There we got blessed by an old monk near the sea...

When I got off the bus I didn't think there was anything left here for me.
Now I'm way more involved than I ever wished to be.

Fuck it.

The endless happy hours, the spiced-up joints, the happy pizza’s, that filthy O and this iffy relationship I got myself into... This must be the time to leave. The story’s getting old. Going nowhere fast. Restless from too much everything. Did enough partying for the whole damn year...

Knowing when to leave is an art I don't master.

So I'm still here.
Don't want to leave,
staying is insane.

Did the only sensible thing left to do.
Rented a bungalow on a tiny jungle island
just behind the horizon.
Going there in the morning,
taking with me only what I really need
like sunscreen, a Swiss army knife, this laptop
a big bag of ganja
a bottle of fine whiskey
perhaps a few pills
and maybe
(just maybe)
this girl I sort of like
might come along too...

(Offline until further notice)

The Buddha Never Sleeps

Watching local soap operas on TV while getting high with a friend is a great way to escape the afternoon heat until dusk comes around...

They say in Cambodia you’ll find what you want even if you don’t know what is you were looking for. Where the party never ends and the Buddha never sleeps. This place is hard to leave.

Live is relaxed, smooth and cheap. Then there’s this feeling of lawlessness and freedom, the nightly breeze in the air and the everlasting grains of sand on my feet. No desire whatsoever to go on some foolish jungle trip away from here.

It’s getting more quiet anyway. That’s a good thing. The girls from last weeks epic beach party left (most by bus, some out of their mind). The dudes prefer to hang out with other girls (instead of doing speed on the bar and find out who can swim furthest into the sea). It's all good, it's all fine.

So I've got the time to focus on the last remaining piece of the puzzle: beating online poker from an internet shop in Sihanoukville. Studying DeucesCracked poker-videos and working on my game. In need of a sharp mind (for at least a few hours a day).  When February's here it's time to play again...

This search for happiness is running right on schedule:

I’ve got the Fish.
Found some sweet kind of Filth.
Still very well bankrolled for this place = $$$
  
Just like the Buddha under the Bodhi tree,
sometimes you've got to stay put...

Hipster On A Beach

Hibernation’s over.
Ain’t got the blues no more.
Done with feeling sorry for myself.
Burning with desire for life again
right here in SnookyVille
on a beach.

He who lives like a beast gets rid of the pain of being a man.
Hunter S. Thompson said that

For years I’ve been domesticated and tamed like a fucking chihuahua.
One crazy night of drugs and booze with a group of cool boys and girls changed it all.

In case of doubt, fuck it.
John Lennon said that.

Sihanoukville is truly the end of the road.
Beyond here only sea.
A place on the edge.
The small town that never sleeps.
Tequila shots early in the morning hour.
Beer breakfast (at 4 pm) to start the day.
Where sobering up means a vodka redbull and
where even the food is often happy.
Getting some sleep any day now
but let us snort some crushed valium first
(just in case)

There are two ways to get what you want. You can get it or you can stop wanting it.
Buddah said something like that.

It was only when I stopped caring about my loneliness that meeting people became easy. Went for a beer one night around 9pm. Twelve hours later I was still going strong. Hanging out with the hipster dudes, chatting with the cool chicks. Smoking fine dope and drinking cold beer. Even got some romantic vibes (hipster-style) going on...
Burning through the night,
tripping in the sun
Friendly faces all around me.
Life’s sweet out here on the beach.

Happiness is an opium sunrise with a beautiful girl.
I said that.

The Sun. The Sea.

After three days I left Phnom Penh and took the bus down Highway #4 to the sea.
Back to Sihanoukville, the end of the road.
Home of white sandy beaches, laid-back bars and cheap ganja.
Also the home of my ex-familiy-in-law...

Got off the bus and found myself a room. A dirty place with a lousy fan and a filthy mattress but with a great view of the sea, a nice balcony and reasonable wifi. It’s all a matter of trade-offs.

On my first morning in town I made a final visit to my ex-mother in law. She’s a wonderful person and was still happy to see me. But I won’t going back there no more.
It was the family life that made me so happy on previous visits. I’ve never been part of a big, warm family but here, for 1 month a year, I was a brother, a son, a nephew, a part of something good. A family man.

This time around only the sun and the sea are able to soothe my senses (a bit). After all the shit came down back home, I’ve been looking forward to this holiday as a light at the end of the tunnel.
Now I’m here but it doesn’t matter.
My whole world has changed except me.

Being unable to meet new people in a chilled-out beach town is not a good sign for times to come...

Variance’s not on my side. A few days ago I got bitten by a dog. My toes are all cut up and bleeding (from walking too much in cheap flip-flops). I hate sitting alone in restaurants. I hate waking up in the morning and realizing what’s up (not much).
I know I’ve got only myself to blame. (If it’s not working, try harder) Still, I'm tired of traveling. Don't know where to go next.

Paradise’s not a place.
It are people you’re with.
Another lesson learned, too late and the hard way...

Sleepwalking in Phnom Penh

Aimlessly I walk the streets alone.
Nowhere to go, nothing to see.

Can’t be bothered to do the tourist thing over again.
Don't feel like doing drugs, girls or guns.
Not into religion, charity or saving the world.

Just walking and not much else.
Taking moto-taxi’s to random places.
Drinking too much cheap beer
and smoking too many cheap cigarettes.
Going nowhere slow.

Sweet memories crushed
by the bitter taste of reality.

There’s nothing here for me anymore.
This is not the promised land.

Phnom Penh, a town full of losers (just like everywhere else).

No Money No Honey

Only hours away from leaving Brussels.
The reasons are unclear.

(Fish Fact) It is how this cold and lonely winter ends.

(Brag) On the flip of a coin I booked a flight to Phnom Penh.

(Beat) A few days later my marriage was over.

(Variance) Lost my only real connection with Cambodia. No more family to visit. No one waiting for me.

(Fish Fact) But I never cancelled the ticket. Dreaming about a holiday in the sun is hard to give up.

(Breathing In)
Now I’m shit scared.
Like a vagabond, alone on the road again.
A lousy sequel to a story that’s already been told...
One last trip to Cambodia.
No fucking clue what to do when I get there.
Got no idea what is I'm searching for.
I don't really care all that much about money or love anymore.
I’m not looking for answers.
I don’t even know what the questions are.

(Breathing Out)
Might as well spent some time in the sun.
Leave the past out into the night.
Moving on and moving up.
Maybe I’ll spend my poker winnings on a posh seaside resort to read books and grind online poker. Maybe I’ll try to get lost in Phnom Penh nightlife or maybe I’ll make that final trip up river after all...

(Fish Fact) At best, a recipe for disaster. At worst, my best decision ever.

Fuck it. Final round.
It's time to go.

Follow The Fish...

Follow Filthy Rich Fish on Facebook and Twitter to stay up-to-date with the latest in poker, gambling and adventure.
At best, great stories about the world of online poker.
At worst, wild ramblings about trying to beat this game called life...
Nevertheless, always going for thin value.

Movie Night "Same Same But Different"

Time for another edition of 'Movie Night'...

This time I stumbled upon the German independent movie
"Same Same But Different". It's based on the true story of Benjamin Prufer and Sreykeo Solvan. An unexpected and uncertain love story of Sreykeo, a 21 year old bar girl in Phnom Penh and Ben, a German twenty-something on a holiday in Cambodia... When Ben returns home to Germany he discovers that Sreyko is sick and he takes on the responsibility to save her. On this journey he discovers a world where not everyone is dealt the same cards and where things are not always what they seem...

Awesome cinematography and a brilliant soundtrack (the Belgian Vive la Fete, Rammstein, French chansons and Khmer pop music) make this modern love story a hell of a trip.... A must-see movie if you were ever backpacking in South-East Asia. Forget Leonardo DiCaprio in The Beach. This movie is the ultimate, truthful and authentic, 'white dude in Asia' story.
Highly recommended!

You can support the movie by buying the DVD at Amazon or you can try to get a copy at one of your usual alternative download resources...

Money, Money, Money

Got this Beatles song stuck in my head:

The best things in live are free

but you can keep them for the birds and bees

now give me money (that's what I want)

A new year, a new start...
While the rest of my life felt like a series of bad beats, I crushed 100NL full ring Rush poker like never before. A picture speaks louder than words, so here's the graph...
My first week of poker in 2011:

BOOM!