Our local buddy Jak, Jakob Glassl, was long disappeared. He is a close long-time friend to Sebastian "Luckbox and was spending his time with us often before virtually disappearing. Nobody, not even Seb did know anything. His screenname on party remained grey, his messenger off, his cell phone also. Month went by, all trys failed. Rumors, had, well, he was broke and want's to see nobody.

A few weeks ago Seb managed to contact him, convinced him that all is OK whatever it is (as friends should do) and Jak appeared again. He went a few times with us to Schenefeld, playing tourneys. Sunday a week ago he was partying because he managed to qualify for the Aussie Million in Melbourne in the very last satellite so he was going along with Seb who qualified weeks ago already.

After troubles with passports, airfaires etc. on short notice he managed to get there. And now he is there. Sitting between the last 13 players in the big tourney. With a $100,000 guaranteed payday. Wow. That is the best and most deserved comeback for a real cool guy ever. Right now he has only half-average chips but Day3 has closed for now so he can get back some tomorrow with fresh energy. The english PokerStars blog posts live updates about that event.

I myself struggle between hard work, live play and being ill. The flue got me. So hard that I even had to leave a wild live game (yes, with Hassan) yesterday after only one hour. No more concentration possible. Katja stayed, won a little.

Oh and the Real German Championship competition is almost finished, we have four players left now, all in the money. As expected two well known pro's are between those, Thang and Christoph "Sassenage". All results here.

Katja is playing her second day at the PCA today. She is kind of shortstacked with 20,200 and the average at least 40k, also a TV creaw is following her all day, so I really hope she can win a hand or two early on to be able to play her game. She was in much better shape earlier in the tournament she said but there have been two horrible hands that almost busted her, down to 10k. Late in the day she was able to double-up. Otherwise looks like all is OK for her, last night when we talked she was playing Chinese Poker with two guys in her hotel room... the good thing about living with a pokerpro/being a pokerpro is that chance those stories are actual the truth is very high... ;)

I myself still go play live every night. Every night. The action is incredible. I am sure it will slow down over the next days a bit when everybody cools down after the holiday crazyness but right now the game is still rocking.

After that deadly invitation last Monday I had no more such bad nights but several very good ones. Yesterday we played in Casino Schenefeld after their 200 NLH tourney (no score for me, 6th with 5 ITM when I lost 88 vs 96s). Afterwards the pot limit table filled up quickly.

When Peyman 'Chappi' busted out of the tourney in 5th place he also joined the game. Usually we two get along pretty well but not yesterday. Right after he joined the game in seat number #2 (Hassan as always in #1, my seat #4) trouble started. In his second hand he posted the small blind (10) and after the BB (20) I posted a live straddle (40). Several players folded, someone raised to 100, Hassan called. Chappi took a 10 euro chip, announced "call" and throwed the chip. We told him that the bet is a 100. He tried to take back his money. I explained that the house rule is that verbal declarations in turn are binding and that he has to call the 100. He rejected, calling me "idiot" in the process. That kind of bothered me because he was serious. I mean, you got to pay attention. There was a live straddle, announced by the dealer, a raise and a call to the raise and still he missed it all. Throwing that 10 chip shows that he had not paid attention to the hand at all so far. He asked the dealer for a different decision but the dealer said that he has to call the 100. Then he asked the floormen but the floorman also said he had to call the 100. Still not getting what he wanted he asked for the poker manager. We all had to wait until the poker manager got searched, informed and came over. Peyman tried to convince the poker manager by showing him his hand that he would never call 100 with "this hand", lol. The ruling was very clear, quick and the poker manager allowed no further discussion: Peyman had to call.

That would not have been a big deal but somehow he crossed a line. Peyman is famous for his angle shooting (the type of guy that when first to show in showdown is trying to get his opponent show first just to muck quickly if beaten, even if asked to show). I can say that everybody is annoyed by his behaviour but so far nobody took it real serious. I mean this is a live game of regulars with a daily portion of fresh fish and usally we are just accepting our individuel quirks. Not me anymore. Yeah I know, silly boys stuff. Will hurt my game/mood/concentration. Anyway, Chappi, we're at war now >:].

Update: 24 hours later Peyman called me and apologized. I explained the situation to him and accepted. As said, silly boys stuff. Still feels better.

Besides this the night was successful - I won a key hand early, played as badly as possible, vs. Hassan: I had K-K, he had A-3 and raised. I only called. Flop was J-3-4, I called his pot sized bet. Turn is another 3, he bets the bet pot again, I flat called. River: K! I move in and he calls. Of course he had the 3, lol, no surprise here. Unusual only that somebody (me) gets even more lucky on the river. Soon after I won a big pot when I chased a flush draw but made two pair on the turn and river to beat someone's aces and was sitting at +4k. Still bothered from the incidient with Chappi I changed my game to my more tight 'A' game (a sure way to win small pots or lose big ones). My alarm bells finally woke me up after I tried to bluff well over 1k with my busted straight draw into a) the nut flush, b) the second nut flush and c) a full house. I was not paying the needed attention and left the game, still winning more than 2k. Back home I played two tables 6-handed 50/100, got stuck soon but recovered finally and booked another winner there.

Today is the first day I might stay home (play the sunday million instead maybe).

Katja left me. On the last day of the year 2006. She found something better. Warm sun, a las-vegas-stlye casino, a big poker tournament, a poker playing greek millionair and a big big family of friends. In one word: the pokerstars caribbean adventure, "PCA". I could not go with her. I have "something better" to do here. lol. Stay tuned to see what I am wasting spending my time with.

So, Katja is gone and I am home alone (well, almost; beagle Paula is following each of my steps now). Saturday, 31st was nice, I slept all day (after a winning session) and went to the new Casino Esplande in the evening. There I played some shorthanded pot limit holdem, winning like 800 euros and then left home to play the sunday million. I got there a minute to late so I could not play. Money saved - almost. Those 50/100 games looked to good to me so I joined them for an hour but I could not get anything going and left about even. New year's eve I was alone with Paula and my cell phone.

After a lazy monday I decided to go to the movies, saw an awfull bad movie (about some dragon rider) and checked out the action in Casino Esplande. There have been two single table tounrey still going on when I received a call from buddy Toni that they are plaing in Schenefeld with Hassan. PLH with 10/20 blinds, "somewhat shorthanded". I said I will wait and see. Five minutes later Hassan called me and said "buddy, you're on fire right now, come here". What does you friendly fish answers here? Right: "Calm down big man, on my way already!". So I went over there (only a 10 minute ride) and there they are: Hassan as usual in seat number one with about 10 grand in front of him, Peymen ('Chappi'), Tony from Pokerolymp, another Tony, Shaine and one more -unknown- player. I sat down, post my live straddle of 40 and with 4 callers I raise the pot in the very first hand, 240, holding A9s. Flop comes good, A-9-T, Hassan checks, I move all-in with my first table stake of 500 euros, two fold but hassan ha his chips in almost faster than I do. No more nines coming, I stare into Hassan's A-T and it's rebuy! time.

Yadda Yadda Yadda, why the hell did he raise with A9, bla bla bla.

Hassan continued to catch miracles like this: I raise Hassans live straddle (40) with Q-Q (150), Peymen comes over the top with 520, Hassan calls, I call. Flop is 4-9-J, both Hassan and I check (you would do the same if you know Peyman). Peyman bets 500 and Hassan calls without any hesitation. I consider my options and finally decide to take one card (folding is a serious option here vs. Peyman). Turn card looks perfect, a Q gibing me top set. Hassan checks, I'll check as I am very positive that Peyman will fire again and there he comes, going all-in with like 1500. Hassan agains calls right away, something not feels right here. The pot has more than 4,500 euros in it and I have only 1700 left. I only call the 1500, knowing that Hassan will not play anymore for this "change money". River is a T and Peyman announces "straight". K-K, of course. Hassan explodes, showing K-T for the straight on the turn, complaing about Peymans incredible luck (lol). I don't even show my hand and just watch as they split the pot, argueing who got more lucky there.

He repeated to catch hands like this (in the process he had kings four times and aces twice, getting full action on them of course from other high pairs) so several buyins later I decide to quit the game for the day and go home. What a nice start into the year.