Grand Theft Auto 4

Profit: $47

Before I begin this entry I have somewhat of a shocking admission to make. When I keep saying I am teaching, I actually mean I am an English teacher. Worse still, I have a degree in creative writing. Yet when I look back on my grammar, punctuation etc, etc, I am shocked by my own material which is, quite frankly, laudable (as demonstrated by the word 'laudable'. Yes, Gniz, is was very ironic. I'll use your adjective instead - laughable).

But, in saying that, I've never taken this blog too seriously, rarely update it, and always plough through it as quickly as I can when I do write something. Anyway, I'm here to apologise for every violation of the English language before this blog and after it. You'll just have to live with it.

Now, onto the title. Like every male (and some females) under a certain age with crocked thumbs and square eyes, I've mostly been playing GTA 4 over the last couple of weeks. It is, as we all expected it to be, pretty spectacular . But since the GTA series is the 'sandbox' genre benchmark, it hasn't actually improved upon itself. The graphics have been tarted up as expected but the missions are identical, if not worse than, previous incarnations and if I have to take another bloody person out on a pointless date/night out - which is basically, taxing from one location to another to play a really shitty mini-game - I'll lose my rag a take a shot at 0.50/1.00 NL (hurrah!).

I could find more things to criticise about it (and I will, the car handling is cack) but it must have done something right because I averaged three hours a night on it until I finished it at the weekend. It's funny, isn't it, how you can claim you have no time for things, but if something comes along that 'gets' you, you make time.

As for poker, well I'm astonished the above figure is so far into the green. Literally every session I have played since my last entry has revolved around me losing a buyin within 100 hands and then patiently making it back and a little bit more over the next 4-500. I thought I was coming out even or maybe a couple of dollars up, but no, I've been doing all right. Fair enough.

Sadly I can't remember any of the hands (apart from making a great call with a J high flush when the board showed four to the flush and the other guy fired three shells, including a river shove) but I think my general play has been mixing up my flop and turn betting strategies. The only other thing is I don't think I've been running that good. Not horrible by any means, but long stretches of being dealt J5, Q3, K2, 93 etc. Grinding basically. But, I suppose, if I'm an artist at one thing, it's the most uncreative part of poker that I glide effortless through with masterstrokes.

Oh, with prose like that you can tell I'm a pompous bachelor of the arts!

P.S. graph hopefully shows how I've been running - spunking off chips with general play, before winning a nice pot to get back into green.





P.P.S. if anyone would like to stake me to take a shot at a higher level I might consider it. It's the only way I'm going to break the cycle of micro-grinding lack of confidence. COME ON, ONE TIMEEEEEEE!

P.P.P.S. might even be able to squeeze out another podcast this weekend. Raise the River should cross its fingers and hope.