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September 2010 TIPS ambassador Paul Pitchford made a good run for a WSOPE bracelet at this year’s £1000 event.

Here is an extract from Paul's blog!

Good morning all,

As those who know me will know, I'm not the most prolific forum poster. I like to lurk around in the background, occasionally jumping on seat exchange's. However, I thought that being as APAT have put me into WSOPE event #3 it was only right that I give some sort of a report so that you know how I have gotten on.

Pre Tournament:
I have to say I don't feel nervous at all - a little excited but not nervous! I remember when I played the £1k Monte Carlo at Dusk Till Dawn last year, I felt nervous on the run up to the event because it was the highest valued tournament I'd played. Having said that, I played a $1500 NLHE WSOP event prior to this but that was different. I was on holiday spending my holiday money in a massive field where I wasn't likely to bump into anyone too challenging till later on in the event. I knew at the Monte Carlo event at DTD, that I was likely to have a tough time of it. Although the same applies here in that there will probably be around 200 great players on my day 1c, I'm really not that nervous. I think the fact that I've been to the Empire casino during the WSOPE before (but not played) is probably helping a little as I will be acquainted with the place.

I was going to go on my own originally but my father has decided to come with me so we are staying in The Cavendish Hotel London which is a short walk from the casino. Whilst this is convenient, it is costing an arm and a leg! Let's put it like this, my car can stay in the car park for the same price as a night in a Premier Inn somewhere else in the country!! At least we'll be real close to Leicester Square and we'll be halving the bill! A friend may also be meeting us so that will be good.

On a final note, I was following event #1 updates Tuesday and Wednesday. The starting stack was 7,500 as opposed to our 3,000. All WSOP event's starting stacks are 3 x the buyin for those who don't know. However, this isn't what surprised me. What did surprise me was that Phill Laak and Pras Bansi managed to get 15,000 each all in pre flop (30k pot) at 100/200 blinds with both holding AK!!! 75bb!! I was right in thinking that early on I need to be my usual aggressive self!

March 2010 Paul Zimbler wins Pot Limit Omaha at the Irish Open

Following a disappointing Main Event at this year’s Irish Open, I decided to grind out the good cash games to try to make the trip worthwhile.

Naturally, I was gutted as I had spent the past nine weeks seriously preparing and focusing on winning a trophy in the Emerald Isle.

In preparation for my trip, I had been teetotal for more than two months and felt  that I was ready to win Europe’s oldest poker tournament. However, following my Main Event elimination, I had had enough of the teetotal business and ordered a double Black label on the rocks.

This tasted sooooo good and naturally enough, led to a few more being downed. Quite a few actually, As you can imagine, I got drunk very quickly, but a good night was had which meant than for once, I handled a devastating defeat rather well.

The following day, I was playing in the cash game, doing ok picking up some of the free money on offer and walked over to see how my friend was doing in the PLO. An old friend/investor asked me why I wasn’t playing the event. I explained that I would rather use €825 to play cash with than use as a tourney stake.

He knew how much I wanted to win and, perhaps more importantly, that I was capable of winning, so without any further thought, he said “I’ll buy you in for this event if you want.” He offered me a decent freeroll, so I had little hesitation taking him up on his offer.

I dashed back to the cash game and removed my winnings then took my place on Table 1, seat 9. This was a great seat as the organisers break tables in number order, so I would not move all day. I like this and it is a big advantage. However, I wasn’t able to really get going and played only one hand in the first four levels. Card dead in PLO is horrible but I wasn’t going to change my game just because I wasn’t getting the cards. I was in no hurry and was conscious that you can earn a lot of chips very quickly in this game, so I remained patient.

As the opening day came to an end, I was still low in chips. We finished the day with 32 players remaining from 148 starters and I only had half the chip average.

I went out with some friends that night, had a drink but didn’t get drunk and got home at a reasonable hour. I woke up remembering the crazy dream I had which involved me going from no chips to chip leader just before the final table and then heading into the final with one third of the chips in play and taking down the tournament.

Day two started. It was slow for me and survival was key. Stage 1. Make the money. If it went wrong from there, at least I could have played the next event, the €1500 and had a freeroll in that.

We weren’t playing long before the final, money-guaranteed 16 remained, although from there it was slow going to the final.

In fact, I was still struggling, although I managed to double up (to about 50,000) when we were 12 handed, but this was still only half the average. At this point, I was on a good table with players playing tight and on the other table there were two monster stacks, so I suspected the average chip level wasn’t so important. Just then, I was moved to the other table where I sat to the left of the big stacks. All I knew and was thinking about was getting the chips from the player on my right who seemed to be playing or over-playing every hand.

I managed to double up twice through this player and then got a big double up to seriously cripple him in a pot where I flopped a wrap against his top set. The truth is, he was never going to get away from his hand no matter how it was played. He was not happy to say the least and he tried to start a form of fight which I found very amusing. (Doesn’t he know I’m a lover not a fighter hahaha).

By now, we were 10 handed and I took out my pal Marc Goodwin. This meant we had our final 9 and would you believe it: chip leader with one third of the chips in play was none other than me, Paul Zimbler. As predicted and visualised in my dreams. Weird.

The final table went on and on and on and on. We must have been 9 handed for two hours, 8 handed for a further two hours, 6 handed for another three hours. In total, the final took more than nine hours. However, I managed to sustain my chip lead through the event and with my focus in tune I made my aggressive timing perfectly to win and take out my opponents.

Finally, we got heads up with my stack now looking like a million dollars (literally) while my opponent had around  500,000. I offered him a deal to take second place but he was advised to play for a bit. I warned him that he wasn’t going to win and that he should take my kind and generous offer, but I guess he wanted to play for the title too. I did make it clear there was no business going to take place financially unless he took my offer. He declined and over played his kings only for me to take the title down after one hand heads up. “Thanks for coming”

I clearly remember the words he said as soon as we finished. “Wow. That was the quickest eight grand I have ever lost” What could I say? I did try and help but his desire to win (and probably take the title) took over. I was happy to win this a bit more, as just being given the title may not have felt so good.

So after having Neil Channing telling people about our meeting the other week where I went to his house and had a photo taken with the Irish Open Trophy so that I could put this on my vision board and visualise my win, all the people were laughing at me saying it was all a load of rubbish. At around 5am I tapped Neil on the shoulder while he was in the cash game and showed him my new trophy. He was, of course, very pleased for me and took back all his sarcasm. Apart from the obvious comment: “seems like you focused on the wrong event”.

I think the room cleaner must have thought I was nuts considering I had pictures of me and the trophy up on the walls and mirrors with post it notes saying “Thank you for this win” and “I am the winner” written on them. No doubt they were surprised to see the big cheque and trophy sitting there.

The weekend in Ireland was great and I picked up my first major event trophy and finally had a drink again.
I should say a big thank you to my backer and now we can move on to win bigger and better events.
I have had some great talks with Andy Black over the past few years as he is one of the few that focus and meditate/visualize and understand what I have been doing. We spoke in Ireland after my win. He was very happy for me and explained that this was the event that he took down two years ago which prefaced the start of his long winning streak. Prior to this, he had not won any majors so let’s hope I can follow in his winning ways.

February 2010 TIPS sponsors its first graduate

The International Poker School has confirmed that its ambitious sponsorship programme is now up and running following the company’s decision to sponsor one of its most impressive graduates, Paul Pitchford. 

Announcing the deal, poker pro and TIP'S director Paul Zimbler said: “We knew Paul was a very good player after he bagged the Omaha title at the APAT World Championship of Amateur Poker. Once he had attended a couple of our seminars, we realised that here was a guy with enormous potential and we took the decision to sponsor him in a variety of tournaments across the UK.

“Our role now is to support and mentor Paul as he negotiates his way through professional poker’s occasionally choppy waters, but he knows we’re there for him 24/7.”

The affable Paul Pitchford was delighted with the news of his sponsorship. “Thanks to TIP'S support, it means I get to play in a number of the UK’s most prestigious tournaments,” he said. “Naturally, I’m really looking forward to that, but I don’t feel as though I’m suddenly cast adrift because both Paul Zimbler and several other TIPS’ pros will be there to advise me as I hopefully make progress throughout the year.” 

TIPS’ long-term aim is to sponsor and mentor a number of players who have graduated from its acclaimed poker schools. The company has already identified at least two other players who have shown great potential at its seminars as being ready to receive its financial backing.

“This is another aspect of TIPS that a number of good amateur players perhaps need reminding of,” commented Paul Zimbler. “We’re here not just to coach, train and educate players; if they’re good enough, we’ll back them with our own money, so enabling them to take the first steps in the game’s professional ranks too.” 

January 2010 Peter Sharkey - National Sports Writer and Journalist

Lots of people talk about learning the game, but let’s face it, poker is not exactly complicated, a factor which accounts, at least in part, for its universal appeal. Once you have a basic grounding of features such as hand rankings, a grasp of probability theory and an eagerness to do well, it’s possible to start playing and enjoy the game.
 
What fewer people discuss is being fluent in poker, ie applying what you learn and experience every time you play in a more effective manner. It was the prospect of becoming more fluent in poker that persuaded me to head to London town and experience a day at The International Poker School. (TIPS).
 
A Saturday morning, pre-TIPS poker seminar reminded me a football team meeting up before travelling to an away fixture. A welcoming hum of constant banter filled the air as football affiliations engendered conversation, ensuring there was little in the way of pregnant pauses.

If it wasn’t for the fact that everyone was casually dressed, we could have been delegates heading for a sales conference.
 
The atmosphere was relaxed; no-one was clock-watching and the banter continued until some late arrivals bounded in, grabbed a coffee and made their way to the seats. We were on our way.
 
Paul Zimbler is a very accomplished speaker, his lucid delivery made even more impressive as he appears not to use any notes at all. He instinctively knows what he’s talking about and he prefaced the seminar by telling us to ask questions at any point throughout the day. That duck was broken within five minutes, after which everyone piped up periodically, the answers provided either by Paul or one of the three other pros on show: James Browning, John Tabatabai or Paul Jackson.
 
To give an example: at one point, Paul was talking about betting patterns and the wealth of information that can be collected from them, when someone put their hand up and asked a question about risk. It was an ideal prompt for John Tabatabai to show his colours. He explained why, in the instance Paul had shown us on screen, it was worth taking a risk and raising rather than checking. His delivery was methodical and encouragingly comprehensive, as was that of Paul Jackson who went on to describe the on-screen situation in terms of odds.
 
Here were three established poker professionals interpreting specific game situations with a unique insight that could be used time and again to help the assembled amateurs play with greater fluency.
 
Naturally, it’s difficult to prevent a Geordie having his say, so James Browning was almost chomping at the bit when an opportunity came for him to have a word about how we can understand the language of betting.
 
It was a day filled with concentration and plenty of note-taking. Applying what we had learnt by retiring to one of several tables where we contested games of poker in a short tournament format was particularly very satisfying. There was laughter, side bets galore. We also enjoyed that rarest of treats – loads of opportunities to collar a high-profile pro and ask him about a specific game situation, or how he would bet in such-and-such situation. No question was considered foolish by these guys; they couldn’t do enough to ensure that everyone enjoyed a fulfilling day.
 
I was very impressed by the whole set up and congratulate TIPS on an outstanding day.

November 2009 TIPS student cashes in WSOP Europe 

Complete beginner Shen Sidana attended TIPS first ever seminar back in September along with other poker enthusiasts. Not only did Shen “Learn and Earn” but he also had the real life experience of meeting some of Europe’s top poker players. Shen had the opportunity to put his new skills to the test on the day of the seminar where he won a seat to the WSOPE. He then got to play in one of Europe’s most prestigious events with many of the biggest names in the world of poker. He came a very respectable 41st out of a field of 608 players, earning himself £2,803. WELL DONE Shen!

• The TIPS Team caught up with Shen after the WSOPE and here’s what he had to say....” I first heard about TIPS through a link from a Facebook friend. I went on to have a look at the website and what was scheduled for the first seminar. I managed to convince my wife to buy me a ticket to the first event as a birthday present. 
• The first TIPS event put me in touch with like-minded players who were keen to improve their play. The day, although friendly and informal, really opened my eyes to how online play had made many of my actions almost automatic and robotic. The fact that we all had the opportunity to play live against each other and against the many professionals that were present, was of great benefit in terms of experiencing, observing, and discussing different styles of play. The interactive lectures made me think about the game at a higher level, considering the reasons and consequences of my own actions and those of my opponents at the table, with video hand history reviews and discussions. The talk about Sklansky’s fundamental theorem developed a deeper understanding about minimizing any loss whilst giving greater consideration to maximizing value from a hand. 
• On the whole, the day broke my mode of auto-pilot and got me thinking again about the game. Not only did I gain in understanding, but I also made some new friends, enjoyed the hospitality, which was generous, and won a seat into the WSOPE £1000 event (a chance to put my renewed understanding to the test); a good day all round. 
• The WSOPE experience was fantastic!! Although very daunting at first, it didn’t take long to relax and settle into a rhythm of playing. I bumped into a number of familiar faces, old and new friends. I was ecstatic to get though Day1, even though it had been a long day. To make the money on Day2 felt great and gave me a real confidence boost although there was the bittersweet taste of not making the final table, especially when I can pinpoint the two specific mistakes I made on Day2 which led to my demise in 41st position. It took at least a week to come down from the buzz of the whole experience that started out as a birthday present to a seminar. I now feel drive to improve further and get into some more live tournaments. I just want to add a big thank you to Paul Zimbler, Nik Persaud, James Browning and all at TIPS. I am sure that everyone who gets involved with TIPS will benefit greatly and enjoy the experience. 

October 2009 Mickey’s been tipped!

Interview with Micky Woolfson

TIPS  
How did you hear about TIPS?

MW 
I have been playing poker since September 2008, and I started my poker playing career at Fifth Street in Borehamwood, London. I heard from a friend that there were some free poker lesson’s being given on a Saturday morning which was ideal for me. After 6 or 7 lesson’s I felt the only way to improve was to play for real money in real tournaments with better players and if I lost my money I wasn’t losing too much of it. I immediately fell in love with the game and now play regular live tournaments with the odd online game here and there. I was playing a tournament in Fifth Street on the Friday night but ended up just missing out on winning the seat. Luckily for me, Steve the club owner gave me the seat as he knew I could learn a great deal from TIPS.....Thanks Steve!

TIPS
How did TIPS help you?

MW
I was a little sceptical at first if I’m honest, I wasn’t sure if I would be out of my depth and out of place but Paul Zimbler made me and everyone else feel very welcome with his calm mannerisms and friendly introduction. The poker pro’s were all very informative and helped me with raising techniques, value betting, playing position and how to spot a tell on other players.

I was very impressed with the poker pro’s willingness to help everyone and speak about specific situations during the day. They encouraged everyone not be embarrassed about asking questions, no matter how big or small, they were more than happy to help.

TIPS 
What did you gain from the poker seminar?

MW
The seminar has boosted my confidence unbelievably. I am now able to re-raise and put players off a hand, previously I would only call the bet.

I made some great friends who I now keep in touch with and loved the social aspect of the day. The hospitality of all the staff at TIPS was second to none.

TIPS
How was your WSOPE experience?

MW
Words cannot explain my unbelievable poker journey. I had only been playing since September 2008 and just over a year later I was playing with the some of the best players in the world sitting around me. I had a number of pros on my table and couldn’t believe once again how lucky I was to be in this position.

After the nerves had finally disappeared, I started to relax and enjoyed the day. I never really picked up any big hands, I think the biggest hand I had was A Q suited. The blinds were eating into my stack and I had to make a move, unfortunately my JJ ran into QQ just before the 3rd break and my journey into the big time was over.