In Hindsight

The posting of football tips on here is usually good for me. Most, if not all, of them come in.

Last night was a different story, though.

I was appalled at how many I had wrong and the only thing running through my mind is a theory that if I hadn't told everyone my selections they would have won.

As an example I am going to do a similar bet tonight but not announce which teams I have chosen. Then I am going to return here and tell you how I got on.

Tuesday Night's Football Tips

I have decided to post my bets for tonight.

I have put them in a 5p a line super heinz so - if they all win - I could walk away with around £60.

Here are the picks;

Liverpool
Birmingham City
Coventry City
Hull City
Sunderland
Mansfield Town
Notts County

Update - Some abysmal results last night!

And The Winner Is..

The Undertaker ended up winning the Royal Rumble last night. The victory secures his place in the main event of Wrestlemania 23.

I am not sure whether it was sensible to let him win the match as the Smackdown storyline seems to be working out well enough and they didn't need to push The Undertaker.

The Raw main event at Wrestlemania is more of a touchy issue. After Triple H went down with his injury plans for John Cena's opponent had to be rewritten. Hunter was meant to have won last night's match which would have set up the program against Cena.

Maybe the WWE writers didn't have a concrete plan for the WWE title match so thought it would be best to go with the world championship scenario that they know for sure that they are going with. Undertaker facing Smackdown's champion Batista is a match that has yet to happen and is the freshest sounding bout for the premier wrestling event.

The next few weeks will make for good viewing as they try and work out who will be in the other main event at Wrestlemania.

The Rumble Winner

Tonight is the WWE's Royal Rumble. The road to Wrestlemania starts here.

The winner of the thirty man over the top rope battle royal wins a title shot at April's event against the champion of their specific brand.

My pick for tonight's match is for Shawn Michaels to walk out as winner and then begin a feud for the world title against John Cena in Detroit.

Michaels has been showing signs of a renaissance after Triple H has been benched due to his injury. He seems to be ready to once again take the reigns and have a run as the company's top star.

Another thing working in the wrestler's favour tonight is the pay-per-view is taking place in his home town of San Antonio, Texas.

We all know the WWE likes these homecoming storylines. Will it happen again tonight?

I certainly hope so.

More Bounties

I just noticed that Bet365 are holding regular bounty tournaments on onday and Thursday nights.

I enjoyed playing it when I had a game in the days leading up to Christmas.

I'll surely give them a go next week.

Another One

I made a final table finish at Coral Poker last night. My second this week.

It was another $5 tournament but this time there were eight hundred and twenty-four players which is about one hundred less than in my third place finish.

This game lasted an hour longer than Tuesday's game and I didn't finish in a higher position.

I was beaten in ninth place when I went all-in holding two pairs whilst the chip leader called me after making a straight.

I ended up walking away with $61.80 so it was a bittersweet return from the time I invested in the game.

It was a foolish error that made me lose. I should have played a little more tighter against the chip leader and it cost me. Before I went and attacked him I was sitting in second place and it was $500 for that position.

I've prmoised myself to be more careful the next time.

Pro's And Con's

I am still getting over the third place finish in that tournament on Tuesday night.

One of the things that I have been thinking about after the long taxing session is how can anyone make a living out of doing this?

I couldn't bear to play again on Wednesday night because I was exhausted and this was after just three and a half hours of play!

Professional players participate in more games and spend more time than I did in that game. I just cannot see how they keep fresh and focused for lengthy events.

In all the magazines that I have read being a professional poker player is given a glamourous gloss. My small experiences has been anything but.

But then again, I am not a pro. And thankfully, I never will.

Going For Goals

I am going out on a limb here and urging you all to bet on over 2.5 goals in tonight's Carling Cup semi-final between Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal.

The odds on this event happening are evens so it's a good opportunity to double up.

I'll be back later to gloat.

Okay Coral

I have been playing poker at Coral Poker for the last few nights. Monday's game was my most successful performance to date.

On Sunday I took part in a $5 freezeout tournament on the program and ended up finishing in twenty-eighth place. There were four hundred and seventy-one players in the game and the top forty got paid. My placing earned me a return of $17.

After that win I registered for another $5 tournament on the Monday. This time there were nine hundred and four entrants. More than double the amount of the previous night's field.

I purposely ignored the payout structure thinking that - if I did - it would affect how I played.

I ended up playing for nearly three and a half hours and finished in third place. The prize for this position was $406.80.

Of course, the money was great but the thing I take pride in is the fact that I outlasted over nine hundred players. A sign that I am in form!

A Game Of Two Halves

Last night's AFC Conferene Championship match between the Indianapolis Colts and the New England Patriots was one of the craziest games I have ever seen.

The Colts were down and out. Near the end of the first half they were eighteen points adrift as the scoreline read 21-3. At the break the Colts had put an extra three points on the board but they were still miles away from winning their place in the Super Bowl.

The losers then fought back and managed to tie the game. Then, the Patriots reclaimed the lead. The see-saw shifted back into the middle as the Colts, once again, made the points equal.

Then - in the last minute of the game - Indianapolis scored a touchdown. It was the first time in the entire game that they had been leading and, unlike their rivals, they made sure not to throw away the victory.

They must now face the Chicago Bears in Miami in the hope of winning the Super Bowl. If it's going to be anything like yesterday's game then we are in for one hell of a roller-coaster ride.

The Last Minute

I am gutted.

In my super heinz bet for today one of the selections was for Manchester United and Arsenal to draw.

Mid-way through the second half Wayne Rooney scored for the Red Devils and I spent the rest of the match cheering on Arsenal hoping they would get a goal back.

They did in the eighty-third minute so at one-all I was rubbing my hands with glee believing that I had won on this portion of the bet.

My ecstasy turned to horror when Thierry Henry scored the third goal of the game giving Arsenal a win in the last few seconds of the game.

Bugger.

Bam Bam Bigelow

Last Sunday, I was sitting at the computer chatting to my friend. Joey lives in New Jersey and is a wrestling fan. For a split second I wondered how far from Asbury Park he lived.

Asbury Park, New Jersey is the place that reminded me of Bam Bam Bigelow. The wrestler who wore a suit emblazened with fire. His body as well as the top of his cranium were filled with tattoos.

Joey joked that it was quite far away and that he was too scared to go there because of Bam Bam.

Then, last night, I was chatting to him again and I clicked onto the Wrestling Observer website and was shocked to read the main story read 'Wrestler Bigelow Passes'.

I brokes the news to my friend. We were both shocked.

I saw Bam Bam wrestle three times during my visits to wrestling shows over the years. If you recall, when Earthquake passed away last year I told the story of how they were both grappling each other but something happened in the match and they broke character and were laughing with each other. It's kind of spooky that they both died a few months apart.

I would say that the highlight of Bam Bam's career was when he main evented Wrestlemania XI against former American footballer Lawrence Taylor.

Because headlining the biggest show on the wrestling calendar is the dream of everyone in the business it just shows that Bam Bam will always be remembered as a legend.

Everywhere You Go

I never thought I would waste my time writing about it.

But I am.

I will never forgive myself for typing these words - Big Brother.

Everyone seems to be talking about the racial tension that has been built up due to Jade Goody's treatment of Shilpa Shetty.

I am not here to argue whether it is right or wrong. Anyone with a right mind knows the answer to that. What I am going to observe is the fact about Jade Goody.

She is the most ignorant person on television. She always has been and always will be. The girl made aname for herself for this ignorance so is it really surprising that she is facing this kind of heat?

There are a lot more deserving people in the world worthy of the attention she has been given over the last few years. I hope this is her last moment in the spotlight.

Andy Warhol can finally rest in peace. Her fifteen minutes are up.

Having A Laugh

When Triple H went down injured last week after suffering his quad tear it reminded me of the video they used to promote his return in January of 2002.

The video has U2's Beautiful Day as it's soundtrack and can be found on this YouTube link;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WknXRfOuOCk

When searching for the above video I found this humourous and well made recreation of it using WWE and X-Files toys;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQYjMRN0OXM

Not Looking Good

As I sit here both my favourite football teams are losing in their third round replay in the FA Cup.

Cardiff City are losing 2-0 at White Hart Lane and Newcastle are losing by one goal to Birmingham City.

I hate writing teams off but it's safe to say that at least one of them won't be there on May 19th.

Going Global

The NFL announced today that London will be hosting a regular season game in the 2007/8 season.

The teams haven't been announced but it is rumoured to be the Miami Dolphins against the New York Giants.

I would love the opportunity to go and see this landmark moment. It will be the first time a game will be played in a regular season outside of the Americas.

Textual Healing

I wrote an entry a few minutes ago where I mentioned how I had found a book in my living room entitled the 'ltle bk of txt msgs'.

The book is about how you can use punctuation marks to simplify your words when sending a text message.

I had wriitten that the examples were weird and then proceeded to post a few examples. Once I had done this I read the post and the whole site had a line through every word!

I had to delete the post in order to save all my work from being ruined.

I'm too scared to even attempt to type one sign of this text language so will assure you that whoever wrote it had too much time on their hands.

If only I had thought of doing it first!

The Mood For Poker

I haven't been keen on playing poker the last few nights.

I'm assuming it's because I am toot ired to play and am aware that when I am feeling this way I am prone to make some silly mistakes.

I keep telling myself to 'wait until tomorrow and then play an afternoon game' but when that time arrives I decide to play later on and then the cycle repeats itself where I decide a day-time game would be best.

I think I'll play my next game tomorrow afternoon...

Written Off

The Indianapolis Colts were the favourites to lift the Super Bowl trophy before the season started in September.

Now they are far from it.

The team play the Baltimore Ravens in the divisional play-offs tonight and they have been listed as the underdogs.

Pundits of the sport claim that the team have no chance to progress in the post-season because they have a terrible defence. They claim that - even though they do have potential - they need to tighten up and stop the bleeding off points they concede.

I am still holding out hope that these insiders are wrong and the Colts win the next three games in order to become champions.

Becks To The Future

I noticed that the Major League Soccer federation from the United States had stopped having a restriction on the salary of their players at the end of their last season and it got me thinking.

I realised there and then that this action was to pave the way for David Beckham to join the ranks of US soccer.

The player has his football academy on the site of the Los Angeles Galaxy football team and I was telling everyone that he would sign for them once his contract at Real Madrid was up.

I was right!

He signed a deal that will pay him £128 Million over five years and will surely be his final big money contracr as a player.

People are critical of this price and I tend to agree but - looking at the positives - it will bring a lot of attention to a league that is eleven years old. A lot will be gained from the mainstream appeal of Beckham.

I hope that there is going to be television deals of the MLS in this country. I have made bets on the matches quite a bit over the years and it would be great to watch the games on the box rather than listening to audio streams over the internet.

The Inkling

I was foolish.

I needed to say that before I continue with today's story. There has been a lapse in my rules of gambling and I paid the price.

You see, I have this guideline where I refuse to bet on teams when they are odds on and away from home. I decided that Chelsea were the exception to this rule.

As the current champions were playing Wycombe Wanderers I thought the Blues were going to run rampant in last night's Carling Cup match so I placed all of the money I had left in my Blue Square account on the win.
All £43 on a result that would only have made me a little over ten pounds profit.

As soon as I did the bet I had doubts but I rode with it. Them - after Chelsea scored late in the first half - I thought I would go onto Betfair and bet someone that Chelsea wouldn't win so as to break even or make a little profit and end the evening in the black.

I then fooled myself into thinking that they would win so I decided against laying them when they were 1-0 up.

By the late seventy minutes I started worrying. I had this feeling that a draw was possible so I decided I would risk it and lay the team.

Too late.

The goal went in before I had time to do anything and my £43 went back into Mr Blie Square's pocket faster than I had won it on the weekend.

The moral of the story is to trust your feelings.

Oh, and there is never te odds on away win rule.

PKR Player

I have been playing the new generation of poker software and it is amazing!

PKR is similar in look to a game of sims where you can create your own player and then play against other people.

It runs just like a normal poker site where you can play tournaments or ring games but there is a lot more detail into it and it's more like a game than poker, if you get what I mean.

It's easy to work out the poor players from the good players in that you only get to see the hole cards once and if they are constantly checking them after each of the community cards are dealt it is a signifier that these player are weak.

When you play regular games you get loyalty points similar to what you get from other poker sites. These points can be used to purchase clothing that your player can wear at the tables.

Ir's a fun idea to make internet poker this way. i am sure it will draw in a lot of newcomers to the game and that's good for me.

Let the beatings begin!

The Dawn Of Reality

I received the email from the head of marketing of Bet365 today.

It was just confirming that I had won the FA Cup tickets and the £200 in free bets. I just needed to hand over some details to him.

It still hasn't really dawned on me that I have come second in this Gambling God competition. I think the only time it will sink in is when I am sitting in my seat on May 19th.

Striking Twice

At last night's New Year's Revolution pay-per-view event Triple H injured his right leg while performing a spinebuster during his tag match with Shawn Michaels against Edge and Randy Orton.

The WWE have announced on their website that the preliminary diagnosis is that Hunter has tore his quadricep muscle. He is off to see the sports surgeon, Doctor James Andrews, who will determine the severity of the injury.

In 2001, Triple H tore his quad during another tag team match on an episode of Raw and spent eight months rehabbing the injury.

He returned to Raw on the 7th January 2002 episode of Raw which was held at Madison Square Garden. Ironically, last night was the fifth anniversary of this comeback.

It seems the WWE plans are going to be up in the air now. There were rumours circulating that Hunter was set to win the Royal Rumble later this month and then face the world champion at Wrestlemania XXIII.

Third Round Frenzy

The third round of the FA Cup was a profitable one for me as I won on a goliath and an accumulator.

On Friday afternnon I decided that, because I was off work, I would place 5p a line bets on my goliaths until I return. It was a fifty percent cut on what I would usually place on my selections but I felt it was the most sensible thing next to not betting at all. We all know I wasn't going to stop havin a flutter!

So, I picked the eight teams. They were, in n particular order; Yeovil, Bristol Rovers, Norwich City, Bournemouth, Boston United, Bolton Wanderers, Cambridge United and Portsmouth.

The bet cost me £12.35 but as I had thirteen pounds in the account I thought I would place a 65p accumulator on the teams as well.

At the end f the afternoon's games seven of the eight had won. The final selection became void when the game in Cambridge was called off due to poor weather.

I returned £120.34 on the goliath whilst the accumulator generated a £32.33 profit.

Que Sera Sera

Que Sera Sera.

As my parents are in Scotland I have been on a different PC in the house so wasn't checking my emails on Hotmail all day yesterday. If I had then this would have been yesterday's story.

I woke up this morning and clicked onto MSN and checked my emails and there was one sitting there from Paul Cheung.

Paul, if you recall, was the writer at Inside Edge magazine who was responsible for the Gambling God competition.

My participation in the final of the competition was ropey to say the least and when I hadn't heard from him in the weeks following the last selection I gave up all hope of winning.

What will be, will be.

I didn't even want to win. I wanted to finish second so I could go to the FA Cup in Wembley this May. I thought it ironic that I didn't want to win yet was angry that I didn't win anything.

Today's email was titled 'Gambling God' so I clicked on it wondering what it was about. It had been over six weeks since the final so I assumed it was the final leaderboard.

How wrong I was!

Congratulations David, I’m delighted to tell you that you came second in the Gambling God 2006 final and as such have won a pair of tickets to the 2007 FA Cup final, plus £200 worth of ante-post bets. You racked up a very respectable 27.68 pts profit. I have contacted bet365 and passed them on your details. You should be receiving an email from them within in the next few days explaining how to claim your prize.

This has been a few days of peaks and valleys. I collapsed on the 28th December, was signed off on the sick on the 3rd January and now this arrived in the email box!

I have something to aim for now.

I'm Going to Wembley.

Back To School

During an R.E. lesson at sixth form college one of the topics was about dreams and, after all these years, I still remember something that was said by the teacher.

He told us that the mind makes observtions during the day by placing them on a mental post-it note. Then, when we sleep, our brain opens up this booklet of memories from the day and they may appear in the dream.

That's how dreams work, apparently.

My brain must have opened a very old post-it note last night as I dreamt I was back at school.

I don't remember the whole dream but I recall writing on A4 paper and sitting next to one of my friends, Max.

The thing that caught my attention once I woke from this dream is that on Max's paper the writing style was exactly how I rememebered it. It was as if my mind recalled the exact blue coloured biro he used as well as the curves and form of his handwriting.

The mental note must have been left over from more than twelve years ago so I'm wondering whether there are other obscure memories from school are about to reappear.

As I write this, I am now reminding myself of another colleague of mine who would write using a ruler. He would have the tool underneath his pen and use that in order to write in a straight way. It looked awkward and the words looked weird once they were on the page.

And now I am recalling how I would hate using fountain pens as it made my handwriting look awful as well as turning my hands black due to leakage.

It's funny how one little thing can evoke more memories.

I think it's time to close the notebook now.

Gren

Just the other day I was looking at the signature of Walt Disney. I thought at how iconc it has become of him and his art. Not only does it represent everything that he produced during his life but it also represents everything that has evolved since he passed on.

There is another artist's signature that is symbolic and that is of Gren.

Grendall Jones' cartoons are a part of Welsh culture. They appeared in a lot of Welsh newspapers over a long career. Whether it was politics, television or Rugby, everything in the mainstream got treated to the Welsh cartoonists pen.

He passed away earlier today at the age of seventy-two.

He hasn't left as big an impression on the world as Walt Disney but in Wales his influence burns just as bright and this legacy will live on in every piece he left behind.

The Old Enemy

I hadn't been to the doctors since the spring of 2005.

Until today.

The last few months have been a bit stressful for me what with the court appearance, the funeral and the tooth extraction and its aftermath. I still fought on thinking that I was doing well and nothing could stop me from trying to recapture the old me.

Then, following on from the excitement of Christmas, I collapsed on the bus the day after Boxing Day and it took all the hard work away from me.

I had gone so far but I guess everything took a toll on me. I am now looking at having three weeks off from work to get sorted. I

n 2oo3 I had three weeks off and it ended up being eight months. I'm going to make sure that this time it's going to be a different story. I am in more control this time.

I will be back on track by February. In the meantime I am going to rest up and turn this negative situation into a postive one.

I am down. But I'm never out.

K-Fed Up

On the first episode of WWE Raw for 2007 the world champion, John Cena faced Britney Spears' ex-husband, Kevin Federline in a non-title match.

The bout ended with K-Fed pinning Cena following interference from Umaga who is going to be the Doctor of Thuganomics' opponent at this Sunday's pay-per-view.

There was a lot of debate online about whether it was a good idea having the most popular wrestler on the WWE roster being beat by a celebrity.

I am not too keen on the finish but it probably did bring in a few curious viewers which, ultimately, is why the WWE are dealing with a C-List celebrity in the first place.

One other piece of criticism based on last night's angle was made by someone in a wrestling chat room who said that Vince Russo would never have had the world champion lose to someone like Federline.

This user must have eradicated the memories of David Arquette winning the WCW belt in Russo's era in what was one of the mst ridiculous angles in the history of the business which became one of the many nails in WCW's coffin.

Be thankful that Vince Russo was not involved in booking that match last night. It could have been a lot worse.

January Sails

A whole new month and the second year of blogging!

January is such a boring month. It brings the sales and the cold weather but there is something that I have noticed about it. It passes by quicker than most months.

I think the reason why is because my wall calendar is never up for the full month as I wait until they have dropped in price before I get them.

I bet you are laughing at how tight this may seem but why spend the full price when you can buy them for more than half it a few days into the new year?

There are a few things I am looking forward to in January. You're going to have to find out and see what they are!