I"ve neglected this blog for a while..pure laziness on my part but....
That “Oh, Sh1t, it’s me” feeling!The APAT World Champtionships are always a special event in the APAT calendar and this was especially true for Season 6.
The WCOAP was the final event, nay, festival of the APAT season and expectations were high. Held at the always welcoming Dusk Till Dawn in Nottingham, arguably the best poker destination in the UK.
A full five days of poker beckoned. For myself, I had decided to only attempt a maximum of 4 events, the 7 card Stud, the NLHE Main Event itself, the Pot Limit Omaha and, as a fall-back to the PLO, the Razz event.
All being well, I wouldn’t need the fall-back and even more being well, I could make Day 2 of the Main Event on the Monday.
Things did not go according to plan.
The travelling and hotel were fine. In fact, the Travelodge Riverside beat my expectations. From a dodgy memory, I recalled an almost complete lack of amenities and freezing various body parts on a previous stay.
For that reason, I have always preferred the Holiday Inn or Premier Inn in Castle Marina. However, money WAS an object this time around and £160 for 5 nights couldn’t be matched...in fact, it wasn’t even close.
Now, I’m not saying that the Travelodge was, by any means, luxurious but a kettle plus coffee or tea in the room was a surprise and not something that I had expected.
Sure the housekeeping was a little perfunctory but you pays your money and you take your chances.
I bombed out of my chosen events in mid-field for the most part but that’s not the reason for actually bothering to do this write-up. No...my reasons are entirely personal and, in all honesty, quite humbling.
APAT had announced that there would be a series of APAT Awards during the WCOAP. In all honestly, I hadn’t given them much, if any, thought.
As it was, Saturday night rolled around and my friend, Richard “Curlarge” Baker had been tapped to do the announcements.
Best Media Provider, Best Poker Community (that isn’t APAT
),Best Venue etc.
Easy decisions all round.
Then the APAT Awards that were closer to home were announced and, without any sucking up, I couldn’t argue with any of them...even if I had wanted to.
My friends, Ger Smyth, Suzie Hayward, David Amos and Carl Pilgrim were all given their rightful due.
These are the people and players who make the most of, and give back to, the APAT community and make the APAT forum a class above any others on the interwebz. I’m in plenty of the forums (fora?)on the web and I should know.
Then....
The APAT Hall of Fame Award.
Richard is expounding on the attributes that the winner has and as he lists them off, one by one, I’m running through names in my head....until, about 4 or five sentences in, I twig,
I sit there, open-mouthed turning to Mark “The Shark” and utter the immortal words...”Oh, Sh*t, it’s me”.
Me?... the APAT Hall of Fame...can’t be! In the words of Wayne Campbell. “I’m not worthy!”
I just sit there stunned but still laughing my head off at the sheer ridiculousness of the idea until Richard actually says my name and I have to waddle up to the stage, shake some hands, take some pictures and collect my undeserved (in my mind) award.
Sure, I love being a member of APAT, being a regular (if not persistent) member of the forum and adding whatever contribution I can but this is something I hadn’t even dreamed of.
However, here I am.
Now I have to live up to it.
