Stickering the EPT

I'm blogging for PokerStars at the London European Poker Tour event next week. Last time I wrote on the PokerStars official blog, about the World Cup of Poker I was stupid nervous.

That's a Steve phrase, 'stupid' this and 'stupid' that.

I like it.

Anyway...

This time I'm not exactly nervous, it is daunting writing for lots of readers, but it will be a lot of fun too.

The hardest thing is to keep it interesting when it's just a lot of 'this player has chips', and 'this hand happened'. I have a few ideas...

I want it to be fun and a 'me' thing, and the best thing is that PokerStars can't sack me as their blogger. You see, chances are I won't be able to write another one. If I was young free and single I'd love nothing better than to go around the world writing blogs about poker, but I have Amy. If Amy's dad wasn't already employed by the EPT TV people, if my boyfriend wasn't at all the EPT poker tournaments already, maybe I could... As it is, Amy has to come first. There's only so many times I can ask my Mum to stay the best part of a week caring for her, and anyway Amy would miss me, and I'd miss her.

The advantage of all this is that the pressure's off. I can write what I like about this London poker tournament. I can enjoy it, knowing that this is my 'one time blog' so I'm not going to feel bored about trotting out chip counts, or finding new ways of saying, 'there was an unlucky card on the river.'

And as I don't mind if I get sacked as PokerStars blogger, I'm going to be able to mess about a bit. Expect a photo of Tooting Bec tube station, an unnecessary use of the word 'frock' and also a few stickers stuck on players backs when they're not looking.

Hmm, stickering Phil Ivey...

A friend remarked that I had an unusual fascination with Isabelle Mercier's bottom last time I blogged about poker. Only this wasn't 'messing' about at all, it was an accurate report of this star poker player. Isabelle started it - she had the bottom fascination..! It was simply good journalism to write about it.

I hope she's there again. I was too scared to interview her last time. In fact the first few days I barely dared say 'Hi' to anyone I didn't know. By the end of the event, and desperate for something to write, I was chatting to anyone who'd stand still for a minute, who might be able to tell me how a hand went. It was just the 'celeb' players who scared me still... This time I'm going to stick a camera in the famous poker player's faces, tell them I'm writing the PokerStars blog, and demand that they say something interesting. They can have a sticker if they do!

It'll be strange working with Steve. He'll be reporting on the tournament for the Gutshot site. I don't think I've ever spent more than five minutes in the same room without hugging him. The toughest bit of the whole event will be resisting the urge to kiss him when he shares chip counts, or tells me who some famous player is that I don't recognise.

It will be weird, yes. He takes his work very seriously, and so do I. If you see me writing expect nothing but a 'grunt' if you try to interrupt. I've seen Steve with his 'writing head' on too and he's the same. If we get through the four days without a row I'll be surprised. We haven't had a row yet. Five months without a 'first row' do you think that's some kind of record? I don't think either of us are 'row' types. But if we do have a row expect to read all the action here on the happy, silly, (magic), fun blog. And if you want to hear how many chips a PokerStars FPP qualifier from Georgia has you need to go to PokerStarsblog.com... Anyone from Georgia will now be stickered. Need to get busy preparing for this event, where are my pens..?