The Devil plays poker

Today is quite a big day in UK history because we could see the beginning of the change with the voting system used in the country’s democratic process. The reason for ths is that there is a X Factor/Strictly Come Dancing/Britains Got Talent type program on TV featuring the 3 main party leaders. Yesterday, I said that Nick Clegg, David Cameron and Gordon Brown all exhibit classic poker personalities. Now we will see how there personality play out in a televised political ‘mortal combat’.

I have said on numerous occasion that poker is psychological chess. it is not as precise as normal chess which is virtually a pure mathematical exercise. While poker is scientific it has a lot more random things chucked in which can throw a game by sheer luck. A bit like life its self, in which a curve ball can come right out of the blue and that upset the apple cart by letting the outsider become the certain winner. Politicians are notorious for managing that risk but sometimes no matter what they do the result will be the same.

In Britain they do not do revolutions, they do procedural motions from which revolutionary outcomes are produced. Tonight on Sky if Nick Clegg solidifies his postion as the ‘man for change’ and Gordon Brown  subtlely promises to ‘resign’ it means that a grand alliance for the ‘progressive’ side of the political devide can be maintained to take out the Conservatives, then we will have seen a truly revolutionary event.

It is clear that Labour appear to be in third place in percentage of votes to be won, however, because of quirks of the voting system, Labour could end up in first place with the largest amount of seats in parliamnet.  This is known in the poker world as a complete suck out in which a river card satisfy the massive odds needed to complete the zero to hero moment. If this did happen it would lead to a definite change in the political voting system because it is unsustainable,

If the Liberal Democrats maintain their present position and even increase their share of the vote they could be the biggest party, which they haven’t achieved for nearly 100 years! If they manage to be in the position to be the king maker in a hung parliament then they can achieve their goal of negotiating a change in the voting system which Gordon Brown has more or less guaranteed Labours support. The Conservatives have to win outright to make sure the system remains the same which basically means the David Cameron needs to up his table image as the dominate person and that he should not be messed with.

The only problem for David Cameron is that to do this, he then has too attack or bully both Nick Clegg and Gordon Brown. Overplaying his hands and getting caught with his trousers down – as they say in poker when a overly aggressive player gets caught out! David Cameron could be described as a massive chip leader that’s just lost a load of chips to Nick Clegg. His performance was so rubbish, he pulled faces at Nick Clegg which was weird and didn’t say anything substantive which said ‘he was a leader in waiting’.  Technically he is still in first place but if Labour and the Liberal Democrats gang up on David Cameron or even the Lib Dems get a second wind of voters making them the biggest party then David Cameron has basically thrown away his chips.

Funnily enough David Cameron is not losing his chips because he is on ’tilt’ or playing recklessly. He is losing his chips because he has been caught out bluffing and was looking to bluff his way to the top. This was never going to happen as Gordon Brown is too strong and motivated player to be easily manouvered out of position. He may not have had the cards to play, but, he hates Cameron’s snobby attitude to Gordon Brown and Brown does not like been looked down at. If it means Brown resigning the Premiership in order to defeat the Conservatives – he will do it at the last moment. Therefore denying David Cameron his ultimate goal of being Premier. Never underestimate the revenge element in politics and part of the problem with Gordon Brown is that he hated being patronised by David Cameron and he holds a grudge- big time, ask Tony Blair!

So today’s debate is a must watch TV and I will be doing a live tweeting (pokerknave) commentary on this fascinating period of UK history.

The Emerald Club

The new experiment for Team Poker is only 2 days away. There is a full compliment of teams and the action will be fast and furious. More info will be updated soon.

From Birmingham City Center, follow the signs for Coventry, taking the A4540 (Lawley Middleway)
Leave the A4540 after approximately 1 mile, bearing off the roundabout and onto the Coventry Road (past the McDonalds)
Bear onto Green Lane after approximately half a mile. The club is approximately half a mile down Green Lane on your right.

There is plenty of free parking and Green Lane is served by local bus routes.

Follow us on the night via Twitter (POKERKNAVE). A video presentation will be uploaded after the night of poker bliss has finished.

Here is a challenge for all Twitter fans out there. Who will be the first to build an Adsense Blocker as Google circle Twitter with aims to eat up this nugget of technological silliness and fun?

I must admit when I first heard of Twitter I thought it was another Second Life type hype aimed at people who have nothing better to do. However, since then I have not only been converted but I am now an enthusiast.

As a poker playing reprobate and degenerate I love the ability to advise punters on ways of bucking the system and making it difficult for bookies and other turf accountants to make money out from the great unwashed.

Likewise with online poker websites, Twitter makes it easier for the latest deals to be announced and help drive down the rakes and graft from poker rooms. This is all good why? It helps stop poker rooms from getting complacent, opens the market for more players and hopefully produce more innovations such as free poker, better technology etc.

This will all end if Google has its way. I do not blame the guys who invented Twitter for taking the money and running – fair play to them, but, you know what will happen once Google has its hand on Twitter, the ads will appear which relate to the subject of your tweets.

So in my case I will be inundated with poker room/tournaments/offers which will not be to my benefit. Because all the money for the players and the affiliates will go to Google – as if they need anymore. Therefore it will be in my and other online poker player’s interest to help develop an ad blocker so hinder Google in their quest for world domination.

Come on all poker playing peasants get of your knees and join me in this good and noble task of preparing for the day when our ability to twitter without hindrance comes to an end. There must be some hot shot programmers who can design a system to block Adsense adverts from appearing on Twitter. I know I am jumping the gun a little and I know I am biting the hand that feed me, but, in this day of post Thatcherite/Reagonomics era ‘Greed is no longer good’ and ‘The meek shall inherit the earth and the mineral rights’.

Jack Reynard presents a April Fools Special with Alan Shearer going to Newcastle United as manager? A bionic frog, a massive compensation award for a cut finger, a computer virus. Jacqui apparently in trouble again and more.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x8ugov

Feed Shark

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x8tz8lThe Political Special Edition – in which the UK MP’s take leave of their senses and decide to give themselves a massive pay rise on April Fools Day. Someone has decided to sell the MP’s expenses details for £300,000, and, Barack Obama flies into the UK to save the world.

We at pokerknave.com cannot knock President Obama because we tipped him at 4/5 (1.8) in August 2008 (check out our Twitter account – pokerknave) and he stormed in making the Autumn/Winter 2008 very enjoyable indeed.

http://pokerknave.com brings you tales of strange justice, unintended funny marketing strategy and Julie Burchill selling her soul to The Sun.