Yorky Pud

First of allow me to apologise for the lack of updates on this latest trip abroad but I have basically been so busy that I simply haven't had time to sit down and write anything even remotely interesting. The past couple of nights have seen us working until 0130 in the morning and if you think I'm going to sit writing blog posts after an 18 hour day writing about poker then sorry but you have me mistaken for someone else!

Of all the jobs I have ever done in my life none of them, surprisingly, have been any fun whilst nursing a huge hangover. And to be honest of all the jobs I have done whilst hungover this one is by far the worst of the lot due to the fact you are on your feet for most of the day, having to count tiny little chips and try to make very uninteresting goings on interesting.

After the shenanigans from Saturday night it should be quite obvious that Sunday was a complete write-off, don't get me wrong I still worked hard but I was in recovery mode. Throughout the day I drank almost six litres of water and I only went to the toilet once during that time and when I got back to my room I slept like a baby. I woke up Monday morning full of beans a full six hours before the tournament started, had breakfast, did some work and felt really good. It's a good job I felt good because 302 players came through the doors (compared to the 180 on Sunday) which meant it was extremely busy and I didn't get into my bed until 0200 after getting up at 0800 the previous morning. That is dedication. Obviously I was extremely tired so went straight to my room, had a glass of wine and went to sleep, , that is after listening to the room upstairs having some extremely athletic sex that I impressed me with the ferocity and length of time it went on for. I almost felt compelled to give them a round of applause.

Yesterday saw 266 or so players get whittled down to just 81 and they will return today knowing nine of them will walk home empty handed. There are still four PokerStars Team Pros in the mix and a couple of known faces from the European circuit but overall it has been a rather subdued tournament, pretty nondescript in all honesty. It feels more like a job for me this time round for some reason, I'm still enjoying it but it seems more serious here in Austria. One highlight of my trip so far has been talking to the Dutch PokerNews guys, Frank Op de Woerd and Remko Rinkema. I briefly worked with them at EPT London during my trial and again in Barcelona but this time we are working opposite each other and they have been a right laugh. The Dutch have a unique sense of humour and its right up my street and hopefully it won't be the last time we get to work together, even if they do take the piss out of my accent, ironic if you think about it!

Before I go I need to mention the most important thing at a poker event and that is the food. Usually I have a bitch about the fact they have raw meat everywhere but the food her is nothing short of amazing and it is all completely free! My only gripe is they still don't know how to make bacon, instead they get the thinnest bit of pig possible and cremate it. It tastes nice but I like a nice thick rasher as a general rule. Austria is also sausage made, they do some crazy stuff with pigs I can tell you. My favourite so far is the “pigs in blankets� that have been injected, yes injected, with can only be described as DairyLea. They sound rank, don't look entirely amazing either but Jesus they are tasty and I have been stuffing my fat face with them all week!

Oh that reminds me, on the way to breakfast yesterday morning I literally bumped into one of my German pals from the Goat Stall. He muttered something to me in German and then realised who I was and looked at the floor. I told him in no uncertain terms that he was a female's genitals that starts with a “c� and rhymes with punt and he went bright red and quickly made off. ****.

Anyway, I'll leave it there as I need a poo and I am going to get myself a €3.50 cup of coffee. This is like any other £0.25 vending machine tripe you get at home except they stick it in a fancy cup and give you a little chocolate with it. Until next time, thanks for reading and best of luck at the tables!