Bonuses and Babies

I finally ground my way through the Gaming Club $300 introductory bonus. The votes are in and counted, and after claiming the full bonus, my net profit from the grind was $305.

So, $300 bonus, $5 cards. Doesn't say much for my card playing, huh? Well, in my defence, I had some truly atrocious luck along the way. I went through a stretch where it seemed every big pair I got was beat. That makes a big difference when you are playing ABC poker.

When a $50 pot you are an 80% favourite to win on the flop, disappears on the river, it's not only bad for your mental health, but also your bankroll. You really need a fair percentage of these hands to hold up, and over time they will. Which means I must be due a lucky streak soon. Right, poker gods?

What this does prove, is the value of working the bonuses. An otherwise disappointing run of cards has landed me a $305 profit. Profit is ALWAYS welcome.

I've started on the Full Tilt Poker $600 bonus now, and am also planning to attack the Party Poker reload bonus. The Full Tilt bonus has 120 days to play through, so for now it will be my default game when there's no more pressing matters.

Speaking of pressing matters. Today will go down in my memoirs as the day I first felt my son or daughter move.

Mrs Div has been feeling increasingly more movement recently, and tonight I got my first experience of the sensation. She could feel the baby getting more active and told me where to press my hand. Within seconds I felt a kick. Several kicks in fact, in quick succession. Do I play my music too loud? Are we breeding a drummer?

I promised not to get too mushy in the blog, but tonight really did feel special. Mrs Div had a really tough time in early pregnancy, but now she is glowing, and looking forward eagerly to motherhood. I've waited a long time to become a father, and now I can't wait to hold my child. We don't know if it's a boy or girl, and don't care, we are just looking forward to being parents.

Finally, a small appeal. I've been doing my bit for blog PR by making the occasional contribution to a few forums - not all poker related. I also jumped on the Britney and Paris bandwagon to snare a few googlers, and unwittingly enticed in a few Daniel and Natasha Bedingfield fans. It would be nice to spread my audience a bit further, so if anyone is feeling obliging, a link up from your own sites would be appreciated.