submitted by tifuforreal to london [link] [comments] |
This is about 9 months out of date but I wrote this to help consider my results and then couldn't decide where to post it. Having recently got myself a Reddit account, this seems the place. submitted by Hubbyhog to poker [link] [comments] ---- A little history: When I was 20 I considered dropping out of Uni and becoming a poker player. I had earned £18K profit across the previous year, and that is a lot of money for a student! Especially in the UK, where because poker is classed as a game of luck there is no tax on the winnings of gambling, it felt more like £25K. A significant “salary” for any 20 year old. Then I started looking at the data behind that and realised that I was averaging almost 70 hours a week grinding 6 tables simultaneously at small stakes to make that profit. In fact my income per hour was just £5.37. Not awful, but hardly worth dropping out of Uni. Suddenly that profit didn’t feel so great anymore. I tried moving up in stakes, from $20 buy-in’s to $50 buy-in’s, but in a month I lost £3K. The next level contained professionals, and the UK Government can pretend all it wants, but when you’re playing many thousands of hands, skill starts to overcome the short term coin-flips and variances. It was brutal. It was humbling. I wasn’t good enough, simply put, to do it full time and make decent money… so I decided to focus on graduating. When I was 30 I decided I would try a bit more seriously again, but in casinos. I’d played in casinos sporadically over those 10 years (actually ended up in one with the woman who is now my wife, after I “accidently” missed my last train home when I saw her in a London pub), and although I felt I was a profitable and solid player, you need to be mindful not to kid yourself. So I approached things systematically, recording data for 12 months to see what stood out and lessons I could learn. The results are in! · I am indeed profitable. The data told me I had made a total of £8,279 in profit. · I am fairly consistent, achieving a winning session 53 times from 77 visits, or 69%. · I played 337.75 hours, meaning an hourly profit of £24.51, or annualised a take-home salary of £48K after tax, which is £68K before. · I earned on average 14 “big blinds” an hour, a key metric for cash game players. At small stakes, anything over 5 is respectable, over 10 is great. I’ve heard it said 80% of small stake players are loss making, which seems a bit high to me, but I can easily imagine 60% are. Better still, my graph has very few swings. Interestingly though, I only had 2 amazing nights where I won >£1500, which probably means I played slightly too safe. I confess I did seek to minimise variance where possible, feeling that I was better than 80% of the players I was against, so I didn’t need to take 50-55% marginally favourable coinflips. Now because my sessions were of different lengths, it’s not immediately obvious if a £100 profit is good or bad. I mean if I’ve played 4 hours, it’s average, 2 hours, it’s fantastic, and 8 hours, pretty meh. So I took another look and blended the sessions instead across number of hands played, producing the below graph, showing a level of consistency I am genuinely proud of. Roughly speaking, I make £1 per hand played. OK Great, but what did I learn from this? Data is lovely and all (as is £8K!), but really you want insight from that data you can action to improve performance. Wait, I did better at larger stakes? Well firstly, there are a few things I found counter intuitive. Take the below, which shows the stakes I played at. In theory, you earn less the higher your stakes go as competition increases, but I didn’t see that at all. Playing at stakes 50% higher (£3 an “orbit” versus £2 an orbit – more significant than it might sound), my hourly was a whopping 600% higher. Put another way, I played just over twice as much £1/£2 as I did £1/£1, but made 13x as much profit! Surprising indeed, and massively unexpected. I am planning on playing some £1/£3 and £2/£5 once I grow my bankroll this year, it’ll be interesting to see if this trend continues, or if there’s something else going on not immediately obvious to me. Day of the week – weekends are worse?! Another unexpected development was found when looking at the days I was playing. I had expected that I’d be much better on Friday and Saturday when more amateurs would play and I’d be able to target them, but I found the opposite. Friday’s I made £2.47 an hour, Saturday’s £12.52, both way off my average, and across quite large sample sizes too (>55% of sessions between them). Meanwhile Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday all had ~10%+ of sessions, but saw hourly profit doubling my averages. My best hourly is Sunday, although I have never lost money on a Wednesday, so a close call as to which is my best. https://preview.redd.it/v10rt8fkgod51.png?width=600&format=png&auto=webp&s=8f3b3c4e57acd27dd00a70c1bc6fe05276270c38 After reflecting on these trends I started to realise something. Poker is essentially a game of knowledge and imperfect information. A key part of that is “position” (where you sit in each hand), where being later to act means you have access to more information, and “ranges” (what hands your opponents are likely to have), where depending on the position somebody plays a hand in and how they play it, you can start putting them on a range of cards. Nobody sane would bet with 7 players to act behind them with 2 7 off-suit, literally the worse starting hand, for example. More experienced players play more predictably, and I was much better at sparring with them because I have a good grasp of the fundamentals. I think my fairly conservative playing style is also more suited to regular players, as I tend to take fewer risks and so don’t punish mistakes as harshly. Finally, my risk adverse approach also fooled regular players into thinking I had weaker hands than I did, so I was able to mess with their attempts to put me on a range. Likewise I tended to just call, and rarely raise, any hand I wanted to play pre-flop, so I could disguise my hand and out-play after the flop. Again this isn’t traditional at all, but many of my bigger pots came about this way. Central casinos have easier competition Less surprising was my split in where I made the most money. Tellingly, Empire and Hippodrome are based in central London and are tourist destinations. I find the competitors objectively worse than I am, as a whole. The Vic and Aspers are less central, with the consensus being that Aspers was the toughest £1/£2 in London, consisting almost entirely of regulars and semi-pro’s. I mean, who wants to go to East London as a tourist? There’s way more glitz and glamour in Leicester Square and so much more appealing. The Vic is West London so less extreme, but a similar situation, it’s pretty out the way compared to central two. Length of session Lastly, something that was unknown to me was that I would see such an obvious split in hourly profit based on the amount of hours I was playing in that session: https://preview.redd.it/m9cs1n0xgod51.png?width=600&format=png&auto=webp&s=e23b60a18ef1f3cb6f77b32c92e12626f8450f3e Here, we see a jump in profit after 4 hours, and really between 4-8 hours is my sweet spot, running at 50% more than my average. I think after I have played at the same table for 4+ hours, that I am observant enough to spot certain patterns. One of my favourite tricks is to identify regulars targeting tourists, and re raise them. You know their range will be wide to target the less good player, so you take advantage of them trying to take advantage. This is especially good if you have a good position (so act after them), so that if they do call you can play the hand with more information. The drop-off at the end likely indicates that after 8 hours I start making bad decisions. Reviewing this, not only am I probably a bit tired, but I think those sessions I am on “winners tilt”, and I must be winning or else I wouldn’t be there after 8 hours. But when you’re up and doing well, you tend to play hands you shouldn’t and make bad decisions that cost you, it can feel like there’s less cost in getting it wrong because you’re still in profit, even though it can cost more in terms of £s. Once I became aware of this in myself, I started seeing it in others. There’s a regular at the Hippodrome who is a dangerous and good player, but becomes reckless and likes a gamble when they are up. If he has lots of chips, I always try and sit at his table, and look to get it in when I am a 60-80% favourite, and hope my luck holds. What’s next? I’ve taken 2 months away from the casino’s to make sure I don’t have a problem and focus on a work project, and I’m looking forward to starting this year on the 29th November. I suppose starting on a Friday isn’t ideal, but it aligns nicely with my wife’s office Xmas party, so oh well! That said, I will make sure I play the £1/£2 at the Hippodrome for 4-8 hours. As it will be a Friday I’ll look to punish mistakes more aggressively and make fewer assumptions about the other players and their cards if they seem less experienced. Let’s see if I can take the lessons learned across this year, and drive further improvements to make more money, improving on my operational performance, the real purpose of data in my opinion. |
Colour | Traditional Property Name | LSC Line 1 (13 char) | LSC Line 2 (13 Char) |
---|---|---|---|
Brown | Old Kent Road | Yell | Bryan |
Brown | Whitechapel Road | Yell | Horse |
Station | Kings Cross Station | East London | Pub Crawl |
L. Blue | The Angel Islington | Pulling a | Troller |
L. Blue | Euston Road | Blessing | Rains@Africa |
L. Blue | Pentonville Road | ||
Purple | Whitehall | Crobar | |
Purple | Pall Mall | 12 Bar | |
Purple | Northumberland Ave | Empire | Casino |
Station | Marylebone Station | Shoreditch | Pub Crawl |
Orange | Bow Street | The Reddit | House |
Orange | Marlborough Street | lechef's | Sauna |
Orange | Vine Street | Sheree and | Jess's House |
Red | Strand | The Angel In | The Field |
Red | Fleet Street | Princess | Louise |
Red | Trafalgar Square | The | Cock |
Station | Fenchurch St.Station | Christmas | Pub Crawl |
Yellow | Leicester Square | Meat | Liquor |
Yellow | Coventry Street | Chipotle | |
Yellow | Piccadilly Circus | Bar | Thingy |
Green | Regent Street | Rockaoke | |
Green | Oxford Street | Rebel | Bingo |
Green | Bond Street | Button Down | Disco |
Station | Liverpool St. Station | 24 hour | Pub Crawl |
D. Blue | Park Lane | The World's | End |
D. Blue | Mayfair | Bar 55 |
The British press is run by “reckless gossip fiends” and “barbarians” who blew the Queen's garden comments about the Chinese President's visit out of proportion, a Chinese newspaper has said.The idea that British authorities had deliberately leaked the video to undermine President Xi’s visit was “unthinkable” and would have been “truly rude and crude” Chinese diplomats have mocked British officials privately...but they are discreet The Global Times A common trait among Chinese media has been the tendency to attack Western journalists when China’s reputation is called into question.“Even among Western countries, Britain most frequently reveals its underwear and exposes itself” Queen Elizabeth II on a walk-about in Portsmouth during her Silver Jubilee tour of Great Britain, 1977 The future Britain's Queen Elizabeth II (R) pictured with her younger sister Princess Margaret (L) in 1933Later in that year with the death of her Grandfather and the Abdication of her Uncle Edward VIII she became first in line to the throne, 1936 Getty The coronation of King George VI in 1937, Elizabeth aged 10 became the heir apparent to the throne Getty Elizabeth and her sister arrive at Waterloo station to say goodbye to their parents as they leave to tour Canada. Getty The 13-year-old Elizabeth and her sister Margret address children who have been evacuated from the cities on BBC's 'The Chilrens Hour' She said "We are trying to do all we can to help our gallant sailors, soldiers and airmen, and we are trying, too, to bear our share of the danger and sadness of war.The pairing was incredibly controversial as Prince Phillip had no financial standing and he was foreign born, the prince of Denmark and Greece (though he served Britain in the war and was given British Citizenship), 1947 Getty Queen Elizabeth II (in coach) and her husband Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh are cheered by the crowd after their wedding ceremony, on 20 November 1947, on their road to Buckingham Palace, London Elizabeth smiles at her first child, a month old Prince Charles.It was the first ever coronation to be aired live on television, being one of the most watched events in history with millions gathering around their TV sets to see the new monarch Queen Elizabeth II standing next to her daughter Princess Anne, 1960 Getty President Eisenhower (centre) with the British Royal family (L-R) Prince Philip, Princess Anne, HM Queen Elizabeth, Prince Charles and Captain John Eisenhower, at Balmoral Castle, Scotland, 1959 Getty Queen Elizabeth II as she turns to smile and talk to an unidentified officer, during the Trooping of the Colour by the First Battalion of the Jamaica Regiment at Up-Park Camp, Kingston, Jamaica, 1966 Queen Elizabeth II walking cross country at the North of Scotland Gun Dog Association Open Stake Retreiver Trials in the grounds of Balmoral Castle in 1967 Getty Queen Elizabeth II during her visit to the Chelsea Flower Show in London, a regular fixture in the royal calendar, 1971 Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh during their traditional summer break at Balmoral Castle.The monarch is responsible for introducing a new breed of dog known as the "dorgi" when her corgi Tiny was mated with a dachshund "sausage dog" called Pipkin which belonged to Princess Margaret, 1980 (L-R) the Queen Mother, Queen Elizabeth II, Prince William, Prince Harry and the Prince and Princess of Wales after the christening ceremony of Prince Harry, 1984 Queen Elizabeth II taking the salute of the Household Guards regiments during the Trooping of the Colour ceremony in London, 1985 Diana, Princess of Wales and Queen Elizabeth II as they smile to well-wishers outside Clarence House in London, 1987 Queen Elizabeth II, with Chief Instructor, Small Arms Corp LT Col George Harvey, firing the last shot on a standard SA 80 rifle when she attended the centenary of the Army Rifle Association at Bisley, 1993 South Africa's President Nelson Mandela greets Queen Elizabeth II as she steps from the royal yacht Britannia in Cape Town at the 1995's official start of the her first visit to the country since 1947 Queen Elizabeth II smiles as she visits Bowring Park in St. Queen Elizabeth rides her horse in the grounds of Windsor Castle, 2002 Queen Elizabeth arrives for the world premiere of James Bond movie "Casino Royale" at the Odeon cinema in Leicester Square in London, 2006 Queen Elizabeth boards a scheduled train at Kings Cross station in London, 2009 Queen Elizabeth II planting a tree at Newmarket Animal Health Trust, during a royal visit which marked her 50th year as the charity's patron, 2009 Queen Elizabeth II talking with Pope Benedict XVI during an audience in the Morning Drawing Room at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh during a four day visit by the Pope to the UK, 2010 Queen Elizabeth II visiting the Sheikh Zayed Mosque in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, 2010 Queen Elizabeth II receives flowers from the crowd during her visit to Federation Square in downtown Melbourne, 2011 Queen Elizabeth watches a preview of her Christmas message wearing a pair of 3D glasses, studded with Swarovski crystals in the form of a "Q", at Buckingham Palace in central London, 2012 Members of Britain's royal family (front L to R) Prince Philip, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles cheer as competitors participate in a sack race at the Braemar Gathering in Braemar, Scotland, 2012 Britain's Prince Charles kisses the hand of his mother Queen Elizabeth at the end of her Diamond Jubilee concert in front of Buckingham Palace in London, 2012 Reuters Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge laughs as Queen Elizabeth gestures during a visit to Vernon Park in Nottingham, 2012 Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip attend a service for the Order of the British Empire at St Paul's Cathedral in London, 2012 Queen Elizabeth II meets young people during an official visit to The Shard building in central London, 2013 Actress Angelina Jolie is presented with the Insignia of an Honorary Dame Grand Cross of the Most Distinguished Order of St Michael and St George by Queen Elizabeth II in the 1844 Room at Buckingham Palace, London, 2014 Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh visit the Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red evolving art installation at the Tower of London, 2014 The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh at the State Opening of Parliament, 2015 AFP/Getty (L-R) Britain's Princess Anne, Princess Royal, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge holding his son Prince George of Cambridge, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Harry (back), Prince Andrew, Duke of York (back), James, Viscount Severn (front), Princess Beatrice of York (back), Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh and Princess Eugenie of York (back) stand on the balcony of Buckingham Palace waiting to view the fly-past during the Queen's Birthday Parade, 'Trooping the Colour,' in London, 2015Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham, 2015 AP Photo/Matt Dunham, Pool Queen Elizabeth II arrives at the Broadway Theatre in Barking, 2015 Tim P. Whitby/Getty Images During the recorded comments the Queen was overheard commiserating with a police commander for her “bad luck” in being tasked with overseeing security for President Xi.
Casino at the Empire Review (2021) – Leicester Square, London Overview of The Casino at the Empire One might be surprised by how sleek and modern The Casino at The Empire is. Empire Casino. 5-6 Leicester Square, WC2H 7NA +44: 020 3014 1000 [email protected] www.thecasinolsq.com. Set your pulse racing at the liveliest casino in the UK where the action sizzles 24/7. The Empire offers the best games, top dealers, and round-the-clock-entertainment. There are games to The buy-ins vary to accommodate all gamers. You can buy in from as little as £25 in our cash games and from £28 in one of our daily tournaments, and bigger buy-ins are offered daily too. The Poker Room at The Empire Casino is described by many as the best place to play Poker in London. A stunning Vegas-style casino in London's Leicester Square. Play classic games, enjoy a cocktail in our bars & indulge at our restaurant. Empire Casino in Leicester Square was the very first UK Casino I visited and I normally pop in for either a go on the slots or a beer or both, whenever I am in London.. Bear in mind that I didn’t return back to the UK from Gibraltar until 2006. The Empire is one of several casinos vying for customers in Leicester Square, with the likes of The Grosvenor and the Hippodrome casino competing Photograph 3 shows the stairs on the walkway between the Leicester Square entrance and the Poker Room, Cloak Counter, Slots Room, Reception and Main Casino area. There is/are 3 clearly marked step(s), with handrails on both sides, for access to the Main Reception and Casino area from the Leicester Square entrance and Cloak Counter.
[index] [2639] [964] [257] [7714] [7458] [1565] [4313] [2839] [27] [994]
Copyright © 2024 m.newfridge.site