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!