My Quest For Vegas - A Month With Betfair Poker

At the start of June I accepted a challenge, a quest you may say, to win my way back to the U.S of A! Las Vegas in particular and the World Series of Poker.

I was offered a fantastic package on Betfair to get back playing on their site and without bias or bullshit, I don't know why more of you aren't playing here, the platform is iPoker so they have the big weekly games, but it also offers so many promotions its unreal, and they are a cracking way to increase your bank roll or to win yourself a decent prize or two.

Here's a summary of how I got on and the promotions I took part in.

€250 Welcome Freerolls - Played 5, Cashed 3 - Winnings = €33

Footy Shirt Special MTT's - Played 4, Cashed 2 - Winnings = €50 in Free Bets

Vegas Experience Finals - Played 4, Cashed 0 - 22nd, 11th, 6th and 13th - close but no cigar!

Rookie Decathlon (earn 20sp per day) = 2 shares of the €2k pot - Winnings = €37.74

Twister Poker - Played 5 x €5 games, Won 2  - Winnings = €40

So all in all, a great experience and a welcome return to the tables for me, variance is a bitch, but I'm fighting her all the way!

I want to thank Betfair Poker and Anthony Morris for their generosity and fantastic support throughout the month, if you need me again or have any tokens going spare in the future, please let me know and I'll be more than happy to help you or play for you guys.

Also thanks to a few of my mates for the railing and taking part, you fekkers won football shirts after reading my blog telling you to play the events, I failed, grrrrrr!

I never made it to Vegas but I had a great month trying. Thanks again for reading, thanks for the opportunities and good luck to you all at the tables.

Graeme

My Quest for Vegas - Part errrmmmm - Sunday Final 3

So the weekly final was played today and I have to say I enjoyed my poker immensely tonight, even though I was a few hands off a package!

I wanted to stay fresh so decided to just play 2 MTT's in the hope of making a) The final table of both and b) winning a lot of money!

The 1st game was the €250 Welcome Freeroll (4 out of 5 cashes in this) and I was on fire, hands hitting, hands holding up and hands rivering better hands, it doesn't get better than that! Until heads up that is, where I couldn't hit a cows arse with a shovel! So finishing 2nd was ok, it was €18 of free money, and it all adds up!



The 2nd game was obviously the big one, the Betfair Vegas Experience Sunday Final!

2 x €4000 packages guaranteed for just a €150 buy in. 50 players entered in total which meant an overlay of exactly €1k and with a structure so good it allows a lot of play early on, the action was surprisingly crazy at times.

Even when we reached the final table, the blinds were just 250/500 and meant we had around 30bb each, lots of fun! Once the final table began I lost a massive flip, KK vs A10 which would have left me in the top 2 of chips but instead I found myself in the bottom 2 of chips all the way.

I eventually bust in 6th place with 75o in the BB when my 7 made 2nd pair, unfortunately for me, the other player in the hand had the Ace on the flop and it was good game good night. I cant be upset at all by my play, just gutted I never won a package.

 I have one chance left next week and boy am I gonna make the most of it!

Betfair Poker - Blind Rake Race

One Vegas package, one weekend to take it down.

It couldn’t be simpler – accumulate more Status Points than any other player this weekend, and you’ll be spending this 4th of July in Vegas.

Cards are in the air from 18:00 BST on Friday 20 June, then you’ve got until midnight on Sunday to secure your €4,000 package.
 
The winner will be contacted on Monday with the good news!

Just take a look at what your Vegas Experience includes:

Hotel: You’ll have five nights at the Palazzo from July 2nd to July 7th.

Buy-in: to the Series of Poker: Play with the best in a $1.1k buy-in tournament on July 3rd.

Hospitality: We’ll treat you to a limo ride around Vegas with photo-shoot and drinks; you’ll race a supercar around the Vegas Speedway before partying at the top of the Stratosphere on July 4th.

Entertainment: You’ll also be able to choose one of the following VIP events: 1 ticket to MMA Championship, 1 ticket for a Grand Canyon helicopter tour or 2 tickets to Cirque de Soleil.

Cash Credit: €1,000 to purchase return flights to Las Vegas, USA and €500 to use as spending money during your time in Las Vegas.

My Quest For Vegas - Part 6 - Sunday Final 2

I'm going to keep this blog entry short and bitter!

Todays final could not have been any worse for me.

AK < KQ
99 < KJ
AA < A10
AQ < 78

3k chips < out before the break!

I think I was 32nd of 46 players and couldn't have done much more to change the outcome of the results of each hand. I was given great starting hands and either outdrawn or missed every flop I saw. Couple that to being sat on an aggressive table that liked to bet/raise/re-raise every hand, it was hard to play and not that easy to enjoy.

Still time yet, and whatever happens it cant be worse than it was yesterday!

My Quest to Vegas - Part 5

So its been 5 days since my last update and that's partially because I had a couple of days off to think about my play, to reflect on decisions made and also to review a few hands with a couple of friends who I hope have made me a better player since they began telling me I wasn't as good as I once thought.

I want to start today by reminding you all about a load of added value and endless overlays that this promotion seems to have, and whilst the overlay is great for players, we need people to join in and play or the poker rooms will end up stopping these awesome promos.

Reminders:

• Sunday Final - €150 buy in with 2x€4000 packages guaranteed - overlay last week approx 3k!
• Footie Shirt Specials - €1 buy in with added prizes of a footie shirt and free bets - overlay 3 times per night of approx €50!
• Big Win Cash Tables - Hit a hand better than quad 4's and receive a Sunday Final ticket worth €150
• Big Win Cash Tables - Hit Ac4444 and receive a FREE €4k trip to the WSOP with Betfair!
• Twister STT Tables - 3 handed with buy-ins to suit all bankrolls - random prize for winner of up to 1000x the buy in - crazy!

Please support these amazing promotions, sign up and play and have a blast!! Who know's, if you do well we could all have a beer or 5 in Las Vegas!

Oh, now to my quest, I won another €10 ticket also was 1 card away from winning a trip to Vegas! so damn close! I WILL GET THERE THOUGH! BET ON IT!

And finally - I think someone's taking the piss a little, although it was funny when I saw it!

Betfair Weekly Vegas Final - 8/6/14

Unfortunately I finished 22nd tonight after an ill timed call with Top Pair and an up and down straight draw whilst my opponent held Top Two Pairs. Exiting in 22nd meant I had to sit and watch as the other players fought their way to victory, which although was frustrating it also gave me a great chance to watch how my future opponents played, much like when I commentate in big events. I don't get to see the hole cards but I can try and visualise what they may have.

After 4 hours and 13 minutes, the result was in and congratulations must go to "ubpranked" and "woodsm89" who will now be joining Betfair and thousands of other WSOP Bracelet hunters in Vegas in July.

Congratulations to both players and here's to one of them making their dream come true!

There are 2 Sunday finals remaining with at least 4 packages up for grabs and you would be crazy to miss them, come join us at the tables and who knows, you could be going to Vegas too!

Morls!

My Quest to Vegas with Betfair Poker - Part 4 - Overlay Alert!

The last 3 days have seen me crushing the €1 sats, that's right, crushing the €1's, I'm such a fricken balla!!

I managed to convert 5 of my €1 sat tickets into 3 €10 Satellite tickets and even managed to bubble a token twice, not bad in small fields of around 10-17 players and best of all for you players I've yet to see a €1 or €10 sat meet the guarantee, so lots of added value for you all.

Tonight is my 1st €150 super satellite final and with 2 x €4000 packages up for grabs, I think I have a decent chance of getting myself to Vegas, especially as I haven't seen many players in the lower satellites who I would say I was concerned about meeting at the tables.

With the guarantee of 2 x €4000 packages on offer tonight, the satellite needs 54 players to meet the guarantee, and with just 16 players registered at the time of writing (2.35pm) there could be A LOT OF VALUE!

So, if you are thinking of playing any Las Vegas satellites tonight, make sure its on Betfair Poker, and as always, if you need a new account please sign up using my banner above, not only will you receive a fantastic deposit bonus/package, I will also give you a €10 token on top of that!

My Quest to Vegas with Betfair Poker - Part 3

Every player who deposits at Betfair Poker receives a welcome package containing a deposit bonus, sng tokens and entry to welcome free rolls, and tonight I made the final table of this weeks welcome free roll. I played it as a bit of fun and a light way to let off some steam, then suddenly it dawned on me that we were in the cash and hey, why not try win a few dollars! An 8th place finish after my missed straight draw failed to help me out, made me a nice little €7 profit.



Today was a slightly better day on the cash tables, with a quick double up ensuring that today would not be a losing cash day. Add to that I also played a few of the Rookie SnGs with a cash in 50% of them to increase the roll ever so slightly. I then managed to convert a €1 Vegas Experience ticket into a win, which gives me another shot at the €10 Vegas Experience Sats, all adds up baby!



Oh....and I did get quad 4's, but no Ace of clubs to send me to Vegas, but for the love of God, I'm gonna get there!

Sign up to Betfair Poker now, and join me in the Quest to Vegas!

My Quest to Vegas with Betfair Poker- Part 2

So, where to begin.... After 5 days away from the online felt I returned on Monday to play some poker and boy what a few hours that was! High hand near misses, bloated pots and bigger fish than Harry Ramsden himself could handle created a mix of elation and pure hatred of the game.

Online cash games have a tendency to swing back and forth and after 2 profitable hours I managed to lose 50% of that profit in around 3 hands, when my flopped 2 pairs seemed destined to be beaten each time by a set or a straight on the river. You could argue I was behind at the start of the hand but that's not the point now is it :D

Today was a new day though and after what felt like only a few hours sleep and even despite my earlier failings to win any of the €1 Rookie SnG's or the €1 and €10 Vegas experience satellites I write with a glimmer or hope. Scrap that, its more than a bloody glimmer, its a big bright glow, its the glow of the Vegas skyline....im almost there....hopefully!

After playing for around 2 hours on the 10c/20c Big Win Cash Table on Betfair I stumble upon KQ and decide to play with a little caution, The flop brings a fairly decent K89 I decide to check call, the turn brings me another King, that's 3 now (keep up eh) again, I check call the turn hoping to maximise a check raise/shove on the river, the river though kills my action, and ill tell you why in a moment...the river is the 4th and final King in the deck.. I now have 4 of a kind Kings and my kicker the Q also plays....boom!

Now the qualification for a high hand is rather complex which is why the 4th King kinda ruined my action on the river, the T&C state:
1) Both hole cards must be used - check (KKKKQ)
2) At least 3 players must be dealt into the hand - 5 players, check
3) The play must go to showdown - hence my check on the river, thankfully I was 1st to act so cant be accused of any soft play.
4) You must claim your win within 24hrs - I sit out and immediately screenshot the shit out of everything haha

That's a rather awesome €150 Sunday Vegas Experience Final Ticket, for picking up quads - NOT BAD AT ALL THANK YOU.



I Then decide to slow down with cash (I had a losing session) and fancied some Rookie SnG's and also the €10 Vegas Experience Satellite too. I played 6 x €1 Rookie sngs and had a nice record of 2 wins and 3 x 2nd places, more profit for the bankroll!

During the rookie games I start the €10 Vegas Experience satellite and double up twice in succession after my AA and QQ hold up, but the next 2 hours is a very hard slog, with just 1 seat up for grabs its winner takes all and after my KK held up 3 handed vs A10 and JJ, I was a 6-1 chipleader going into heads up, even I cant feck that up! Sure enough after around 5 hands heads up, I win my 2nd seat to the Sunday final which means with only 3 finals remaining, I'm securing my seat in at least 2 of them!



So, 3 weekly finals left, 6 packages up for grabs, overlay galore in the sats and fishy cash tables with high hand bonuses, whats not to love about Betfair Poker right now? If you sign up via my banner, let me know and ill even give you a €10 Vegas Experience satellite ticket which is in addition to the already awesome depositing bonuses! Good luck at the tables!

Unibet Open Tallinn Final Day - Final Table With Hole Cards

The final day of the Unibet Open has started here in Tallinn, watch via our Youtube channel above!

If you want to join us in Cannes in September, sign up, play some free games and who knows, you could be there with us at the feature table!!

Social Media Competition - @UnibetOpen #UnibetTallinn
Question - Guess how many kick ups the team managed to do!
Prize - Win the official match ball of the Fifa World Cup Brazil 2014

Live Streaming Freeroll - Starts at 8pm CET (7pm UK)
Password - Olympic
Prizes - Unibet Open Super Satellite tickets (€250 for winner)

Day 2 Unibet Open - Were in the money!

The bubble has burst here in the Main Event of the Unibet Open and all remaining players are in the money, they will receive a minimum of €2k and with a winners prize of just over €55k its all to play for! Watch the live stream here

Unibet Open Day 1b - Live fron Tallinn

Day 1b has started here in Tallinn and you can follow the action live on our YouTube channel.


Social Media Competition - If you could choose one person, alive or dead to play a heads-up poker tournament with, who would you choose and why? Answer us @UnibetOpen and use #UnibetTallinn on Twitter.

Live Streaming Freeroll - Tonight we have a live streaming freeroll on the Unibet Client, the event starts at 7pm (UK) 8pm(CET) The password is - flipschampionship

If you want to play, you can sign up here for a great deposit package and awesome events to join in with, who knows, you could be joining us in Cannes or London for the next Unibet Opens!

Betfair Poker - Big Win Vegas Promotion - My quest!

"Sir Morlspin of Newcastle - We have a quest for you" cried Betfair poker (they didn't say it quite like that but it sounds kinda cool)

The quest should you choose to accept it, is to qualify for the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas. The rules are simple, play poker, earn your prize. You have one month to complete your quest, and if you manage it, you will have the time of your life!

 Betfair are pushing their Vegas satellites, qualifiers and promo's like crazy this year and I want to be part of it! The promotion on offer is unbelievable and I'm slightly ashamed that I never knew about it earlier. The Vegas Experience has numerous ways of qualification and is accessible for everyone, be you a cash game player or an MTT specialist.

Cash Game Qualificaion Via Betfair Big Win Tables.  - Right now, if you make quad fours with Ace club kicker – on our Big Win cash games – you win a Vegas package straight away.  If you make a hand better than quad fours, you win a €150 supersat token (credited the next day).

MTT Satellites - Ranging from €1 to €150 for the super satellites.

The Vegas Experience prize itself should you win, is as follows:

·       Cash Credit of €1500 so you can purchase flight tickets and use as spending money.

·       Hotel.  Fives nights at the Palazzo from July 2^nd to July 7^th. 

·       Buy-in to WSOP Event #62.  The $1.1k Little Drop. 

·       Entertainment, choose one event between:

o   Ultimate Fighting Championship

o   Cirque de Soleil

o   Grand Canyon helicopter tour

·       Hospitality, which includes all of the following:

o   Limo ride around Vegas with photoshoot and drinks

o   Supercar driving at the Vegas Speedway. 

o   July 4^th party which includes fireworks and a meal

 

 

 Be a part of it all, play on Betfair Poker NOW!

Redbet Poker Open Rozvadov 2014 Review

Main Event

The Kings Casino in Rozvadov played host to the latest episode of the Redbet Poker Open. The announcement of a €200,000 guarantee for the Main Event enticed players from all over the globe into attendance, with players travelling from as far afield as The UK, The USA and all over Europe. A total of 782 entries meant a nice overlay for players to contest and with 80 players being paid out there was a great battle to ensue.

At the end of Day 1 our chip leader was Gregors Tomaszewicz leading the chip counts with a stack of 448.000 – a monster stack indeed! Day 2 began with 173 players battling it out to be crowned Redbet Poker Open Champion and with a steady increase in the blinds and antes, players were eliminated thick and fast. So fast that we had NO hand for hand for the bubble, it burst immediately, players cheered, clapped and shouted, with each one now guaranteed a minimum of €582

Day 3 started with 24 players remaining and it took almost 6 hours to reach our final table, which can only be described as a crazy table full of madness and fun. After play reached 6 handed a deal was made by the remaining players to chop the prize pool under the ICM rules which led to crazy scenes of players wilfully shoving all in with reckless abandon. After a second deal was made heads up, it was Mateusz Syc who walked away with the title of Champion, The Redbet trophy and a prize of just over €24000. Mateusz from Poland was playing in his first competitive live tournament and as the picture shows, he was delighted to be crowned the King of Redbet here in Rozvadov.

All in or Fold (Side Event)

 

Normally side events go un-noticed at major poker festivals, but a special mention has to go to the €25 buy in All in or Fold side event here at the Redbet Poker Open. These events are usually played by a handful of unskilled novices who enjoy a gamble, not here though! 126 players entered, creating a prize pool of €3200 with the winner walking away with a massive €781! Cheers, shouts, madness and fun would be the best way to describe the atmosphere during the early stages of the event and if any other poker companies are reading, an event like this is a sure fire way of giving the players the fun they crave.

The Venue

 
Well, what can we say about the Kings Casino in Rozvadov that hasn’t already been said before? The service was first class, the casino has everything that’s needed to host amazing events and the hospitality was second to none. The buffets, the hosts, the drinks ladies, the dealers and the staff were amazing and if you’re anywhere near the Czech-German border, you should pay a visit to the casino in order to see for yourself. We here at Redbet cannot wait to return in the future, that’s for sure!

With Thanks

Special thanks go to the following people who contributed a lot of time and effort into making this event an amazing success, Marcin Jablonski, without his vision, the event would not have taken place, The Kings Casino in Rozvadov for being fantastic hosts, Ivonne Montealegre for her appearances on the live stream and at the bar, Graeme Morl and Keith Hathaway for the 1^st ever English Commentary, Rafal Gladysz and guests for the awesome Polish commentary and lets not forget Borys Drabkin who arrived as a high stakes Omaha player, but left as a friend of us all.

Until the next event, we wish you all a great summer and the very best of luck at the tables!

Redbet Poker Open Rozvadov April 29th to May 4th

So happy to have been announced as the new commentator for the Redbet Poker Open which is being held in the Kings Casino in Rozvadov on the German/Czech border.

On Thursday Redbet had this to say:

"The team here at Redbet Poker Open would like to welcome Graeme Morl to the team! Graeme is well known on the UK Poker scene and will bring experience and personailty to the coverage of our massive €200,000 guaranteed event coming up in Rozvadov. Those of you who have played on or watched live events throughout Europe will be familiar with Graeme. We are delighted to announce Graeme as the lead commentator for the English language feed for our live stream when we will be bringing the Redbet Poker Open to the Czech Republic for the first time, in Rozvadov"

The event will run from 29th April to 4th May and a full tournament schedule will be played, it looks to be a great event and one I am looking forward to working with. Full information can be found here:

http://redbetpokeropen.com/

$88 Free and 100% Deposit Bonus up to $400!

Download 888 Poker and get $88 free!! Deposit a minimum of £10 and receive an awesome signup bonus too, click the banner below.

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Aspers and WPT National UK Event in Newastle - Charity Donation

 

Many of you know my good friend Gary Graham. He is currently fundraising for different Cancer Charities over the next 12 months and so far he has been featured in the local press donating his time delivering fast food to those with hangovers, playing golf for charity and also hosting sportsmens dinners with both Andy Goram and Frank McAvennie.

Today we are proud to say that both Aspers Casino Newcastle and WPT National UK's Lee Johnston have donated a seat into their forthcoming event in Newcastle over the May Bank Holiday Weekend and whatever money we win, we get to donate to Cancer Connections

The event is to be played over the weekend of 1st-4th May 2014 at Aspers Casino in Newcastle and full details can be found here: WPT Poker Newcastle Info

Key Notes:
£50,000 GTD and only £200 per entry
Prize-pool expected to be over £100,000
Daily Seats Guaranteed on PartyPoker
WPT National Aspers Accumulator Format
May 1st-4th Bank Holiday Weekend
Twitter #WPTNUK

Get a great sign up package when you play Unibet Poker

Sign up to Unibet Poker now for some exciting free offers!

Download and Sign up to the new Unibet Poker with their exciting new stand alone client and you will not only receive a generous deposit bonus but you will also receive the following:

£10 Welcome bonus for all new players

Download our new fantastic Poker Client and benefit from our Welcome Package which includes £10 Free Cash Ticket + Free Roll Frenzy + New-Player Missions + up to €500 Bonus Money! Same Game, Whole new experience.

Who knows, you could be joining us in Talinn in May 2014 for the next UnibetOpen!!

 

Frederick Brink Jensen Wins Unibet Open Copenhagen 2014

The Unibet Open returned to Copenhagen last week with a new buy in of €1000+100 and a new 30,000 chip starting stack which saw the event sell out well in advance of Day 1a.

406 players entered the 3 day main event but only one could walk away with the title of Champion and a winners cheque for just shy of €84,000.

That player, was Frederick Brink Jensen from Copenhagen, Denmark. Frederick was the final tables star player, with over $2m in live cashes, which include a 2nd place finish for over $1m in the Aussie Millions 2010 Main Event but more notably a win in the EPT Main Event in Madrid in 2012 for just under €500k. He showed his class throughout and in an amazing final hand that was as much of a see-saw hand that anyone could have possibly imagined he was crowned the Unibet Open Copenhagen 2014 Winner.

He held QJo vs the A7o of Emil Hegedus, the board ran out AQJ rainbow to give Frederick the bottom 2 pair, and Emil the top pair with his Ace. The money went in on the flop and the turn card shocked the rail, a 7!! The pendulum had swang back into Emil's favour and the crowd seemed shocked! However the Poker Gods in Denmark were on their chosen ones side and the Queen on the river filled Fredericks full house and ensured a cheer from an ecstatic rail. The event was a massive success and Unibet agin excelled in giving their poker players some amazing tournaments, fantastic parties and an event that will live long in the memory of every person involved. Congratulations to Frederick Brink Jensen and to Unibet, roll on Talinn!

Photo Credit - Matt Edwards at Unibet.

Unibet Open Copenhagen 2014

Many of you know that I commentate for Unibet on their massively successful poker tour, The Unibet Open. This Month we are in Copenhagen, Denmark for the 1st live event of 2014. Last years event sold out in record time so this year Unibet have increased the number of entrants from 300-400, and guess what? We have sold out again!! Amazing work by everyone involved and here's to a great event with lots of fun. If you cant make it over or would like to watch how the event plays out, you can view it on the Unibet Open website, youtube or just stay here and watch it on this lovely embedded player that I have for you. www.unibetopen.com

Unibet Poker - New Software and My 1st Review.

Unibet Poker, home of the qualifiers to the awesome Unibet Open have recently re-invigorated their online poker room by leaving their old network behind and going it alone by creating their own software (a bold move) and so far I am impressed.

The poker room features everything you would normally see on a poker client, from cash games, fast poker, to SnG's and Multi Table Tournaments. But the feel of the site is different to what players are used to.

The site is more beginner friendly, in fact you can create multiple alias' in order to hide from the data miners and the pro's who frequent most of the online sites these days. This IMO is a fantastic idea and one that will help the amateur players feel more inclined to play here, which is great for the poker industry as a whole.

I've been playing some 2c/4c cash games after receiving a €10 voucher and so far I'm just breaking even, but the money at stake here is not what I'm interested in, its the fun I'm having at the tables, changing my alias, playing different styles and enjoying playing instead of grinding like a chump.

Why don't you take a look yourself and give it a go?

Unibet - Download Here

Bill Quay Poker League - Feb 2014

After badgering me for weeks and weeks to play in the local pub leagues again I decide to go along and try my luck at Bill Quay Cricket Club's monthly league event which is a £15 MTT Freezeout.

Seeing a lot of my old friends for the 1st time in ages was great, the beer is cheap and the banter is 2nd to none, anyone new in the game would be intimidated by some of the chat, but everyone there knows its mostly in jest and a whole load of fun.

I think there were 26 players this month and thankfully I finished 3rd for a win of £65, not bad for my 1st live game in what seems like an eternity.

I may have to try my arm at the Iona league game next week.

Stay tuned!

Guess who's back!

Morlspin's back!

Keep tuned as I get back into the poker scene, playing, reporting and commentating on the game I love.

I've been away for almost 3 years now after getting married, having kids and changing jobs but I have the bug again.

Hope you enjoy and see you soon!

Graeme