Been a while since I blogged on here, a lot has happened since my last entry.

Most of it is either bad or really annoying, including everything that happened with Full Tilt, Absolute, and other small things inbetween.

I managed to have a really amazing 2011 even after Black Friday. I cashed for over $150k on US facing sites post BF, even though P5s is missing a bunch of my scores on Lock.

I won a package to the 2011 Main Event on what used to be Bodog, and I just shipped the 2012 Aussie Millions Main Event package last month on Lock.

I’m actually in Melbourne right now, waiting to play the Main Event, Day 1a. It’s 4am here, and I can’t sleep because of the time change. But WOW this city is amazing! Everything is so compact and bunched into small spaces yet it works, traffic flows efficiently, there is a public tram and uses rails embedded into the road allowing pedestrians public transit all over the city. There are motorcycles everywhere, weaving in and out of traffic. Everyone is driving on the right side of their vehicles, and the left side of the road, its a trip.

I found an awesome bar/pub called Insignia just across the Yarra River about 5 minutes walk from my hotel room at Crown Promenade (which I must say is very nice, they have an awesome gym/pool/locker room with sauna etc.) I walked by it on my way to Office Works to get a usb modem and I thought “Man that place looks really sweet”, so I walked in - the barkeep was this real cool guy from Melbourne who likes to watch the US show “Cops”, it was really hilarious when he started singing the song - “Bad boys, bad boys, whatcha gonna do...”

So I just had a single beer which was his recommendation called “White Rabbit” which is brewed about an hour out of Melbourne and I must say was incredible! After the beer I continued on to Office Works. On the way there this younger Japanese guy about my age with a table and a display on the corner waves me down and sticks out his hand, so I shake it and we introduce ourselves. Ends up he is trying to raise money for the Heart Foundation, we chatted about it for a bit but I couldn’t sign up for his program as it is an Australian monthly donation program. I told him about poker and he was very interested, we chatted for about 15 minutes until parting ways, really cool cat.

I get to Office Works and it’s closed! I guess they aren’t open on Sat or Sun. Anyway, back to the pub! I had another Aussie beer (forget the name) and another, and then a few cocktails, amidst good conversation with the “Cops” loving bartender (really cool dude), who eventually told me where I could find a modem elsewhere. So I went there, to “Big W” which is the Aussie version of Wal-Mart just smaller. They were all sold out of the modem I wanted but told me where I could find another. Meanwhile I got some grocery shopping done and bought a swim suit so I can take advantage of this awesome edgeless pool at my hotel.

I was able to eventually find one, but it cost me full price (twice what I would have paid at Big W). Oh well, it was $50AUD so I guess they got me good!

Anyways, I’m going to get some shut eye before taking a jog/swim and then regging for the Main Event in a few hours.

Wish me luck!

GL to everyone else in your own personal endeavors, may it be poker or otherwise.

See you at the online (or maybe live) felts very soon my friends,

Clayton

Follow me on twitter: @claytonhamm for all updates Aussie Main Event related + other entertaining bonus content!

I'm in Hammond, Indiana - for the Chicago Poker Classic.

I busted my first two tournaments in a kind of dumb fashion...ran JJ into AA in a spot where I should have known he had the 1s.....

Then lost a flip in the next one to bust after getting coolered like three times...

But it was ok - because I decided to just crush dreams at 2/5 live cash at the Shoe and ended up cashing out 3buyins+ profit so can't complain!



The real reason for this post is that I made 4 deep runs in Sunday Majors last night. What's even more interesting is that I was playing them while I was driving to meet up with a man I'll call "Sampson"...catch my drift? So we go to meet Sampson and I tether my phone to my laptop and play while we drive what was about 35 minutes...everything goes smoothly and we come back. I end up with heaps in 4 majors deep, which was awesome.

Needless to say none of those worked out - I hate to hear/tell bad beat stories but this one is worth a mention, just because it's that sick.

14 left AP 200k, I have a pretty shitty image and I've been hyper active...I get QQ and open and get shipped on by like a 20bb stack and I snap he shows JJ.

Board runs xxxxJ and a player that folded pre tells us he mucked the case J.

Prettty sick to get one outed on the river for the CL right before the FT of a Sunday Major.

I ended up getting coolered bb v btn like two hands later to bust.


But that's not why I am writing today. The whole point of this post is to reiterate the importance of persistence in poker. I was really bummed after that 1 outer and getting coolered - but shortly after, I had the hunger again, and started a late night session.

I played with a vendetta, but with controlled aggression.

I shipped the $69+6 MET on FTP $20k guar for $6.2k


It ain't a Sunday Major but hey, I'll take the win.

Never stop.

Man this place rules.

Can't even remember how I got back to the hotel last night...

We went out to club "MIX" last night and omgomg it was awesome...

It was so damn packed we decided to get a table and some bottle service...best decision ever, for sure.

Don't really remember much after the first club, because I'm pretty sure I drank about 2/3 of the bottle of Havana Club! Which btw I dont regret at all!

Today should be a good one....heading over to my friends soon to spark some herbal and then grind the majors...maybe go out again tonight hopefully celebrating my major win????? one time???

GL all, and if you get the chance, COME TO BARCELONA!