Yorky Pud

I feel great today, which is amazing considering how rough I felt all day yesterday, and before you ask I wasn't ill through ale, though it probably contributed in some way.

For over a week I've been really struggling with a cold, and since arriving in Prague it has got worse. Twelve to 14 hour days, coupled with crap eating habits, a couple of drinks late at night and the constant air conditioning basically dehydrated me like you wouldn't believe. I'm surprised my piss didn't come out like snot. I felt so crap yesterday that I didn't go for an Italian meal last night with the team, instead I slunk off and had an early night, one with plenty of water and it worked as I'm feeling it today!

The last couple of days in the poker room have been hectic, almost 400 players turned up for Day 1b, including a whole host of “stars” if that's what you would call them. I guess they are stars in our little world but outside the confines of the casino they are just men, and a few women, walking around with the rest of the world. Anyway, a big deal is made of getting the overnight chipleader's photo and all day we hovered around Roberto Romanello and a couple of relatively unknown guys who had stacks of chips in front of them, but when the official chip counts came in there was some dude who had completely eclipsed them all and we didn't have a clue who he was. Some bloke called Dirk Richter had apparently got it all in late on with AA vs KK vs 99 and stacked both players to end on almost 300,000 chips, 100,000 more than Romanello. Oops! I guess these kind of occurrences are rare but still frustrating nonetheless.

Today should be a good day to report on a poker tournament as there are plenty of people to rail. Toby Lewis, Laurence Houghton and Roberto Romanello are ones I will be watching closely if just because they are British. There are 94 players remaining and only 80 get paid so it should be emotional early doors! The plan is to play down to 24 today, which they better hurry up and do as the PokerStars Christmas part is tonight and it's an open bar from 2000 until 0100 so it would be rude not to partake in the consumption of free alcoholic beverages!

Before I go I thought I'd let you know that the hotel is putting me on life tilt, as is sparking mineral water, seriously WTF is that all about. I've never had sparkling mineral water before and I never will again. It's like someone has sucked all the flavour out of some pop and all you are left with is some chemically-tasting water, it's really ****. Oh and the hotel, there are six, yes six lifts in the foyer but they are a pisstake. You press the button to call one and the lift furthest from you arrives so you hightail it over to it and get there just as the door closes. You press the button again and expect it to open the door but the lift has gone and another one opens behind you at the opposite side of the room! Rinse and repeat. I was there for 15 minutes today running around like a right dickhead trying to get in the lift before I managed to get in one. It was worth it though as it took me to the floor where they supply you with plates of dog knobs and solid bacon so all is well in the world again.

Right, Main Event is about to kick off so I will leave it there. As always, thanks for reading and best of luck at the tables!