Right having read various blogs regularly which i will post links to when i get round to it i thought it was time i did one for another online poker professional.

Ive been playing poker since Feb 2004 , really got the bug for it when i visited vegas in Apr 2004 and have never looked back.

After six months online i never really lost or won much but then it started to pick up. Alongside my accountancy job i knew i could make £500 - £1000 fairly easily every month from just small stakes stts and multis and thats when i started keeping monthly records of profit in Nov 2004 with the intention that i might be able to do this full time or more likely just part time along side reduced hours at work.

Xmas 2004 i decided to go for it and gave notice to do a 3 day week at work from Feb 2005 knowing i would comfortably make up the difference in my wages. Work knew nothing about poker i just said i needed some time out. I knew that once i put more time to it though there was a good chance the profits would increase and the option of full time poker could come available.

The gamble paid off, the more time i put to poker the more i seemed to make so in the middle of June 2005 i gave notice to finish my office job and become full time from 1 Aug 2005.

To date i have never had a losing month but i know its possible as ive been close lately and play cash more lately which has potential for fair swings as everyone knows.

My first real live poker experience came when i qualified on a freeroll with Party Poker in June 2005 to play on the first amateur late night poker ace show filmed in July 2005 and shown on tv in Sept 2005.

Unfortuately i was taken out by a complete beginner that ironically went on to bascially fluke the whole thing and win. Finished 5/6 in my heat but i will post the hand detail below just to show you how bad this guy was.

blinds 25,50....2k starting stack UTG goes to 200 , i credit him for a hand as hes only been in 2 of the 15-20 hands played so far. i have AK in the small blind (these days i would raise in this position but back in those days i was more cautious especially of missing the flop and being out of position) and decide to just call. Flop is KQ10 with 2 diamonds, scary board for an AK but i still think im ahead. I check he bets 300 , i decide to raise to 800 knowing i can give the hand up if he goes back of the top of me which i would expect from a player with flopped straight , or trips or even the KQ option. He flat calls as a beginner does when they really havent got a clue, i know im probably ahead and i know its almost irrelevant what the next card is i need to stick my other 1k in on turn as the pots just too big. Turn = queen 1k all in, he spends a while thinking then says "easy come easy go" as though he thinks hes behind and calls with Q5std (no flush draw on the flop btw)

It was a good experience and i knew probably the first of many but i was still very gutted at the ridiculous chase he had made.