Hot In The City

Zoinks. A week since my last post.

In my defence, it's hot here. Damn hot. Too hot to think, too hot to work, but not too hot to play poker - especially on a wireless laptop in the back garden.

Not that I'm complaining, I much prefer it hot than cold. It's just a major inconvenience that the super modern office I'm working in appears to have air conditioning from the dark ages.

At heart I'm definitely a shorts and t-shirt man, and wearing a shirt and smart trousers in soaring temperatures and oppressive humidity just isn't my idea of a fun day.

Still, when the route to work looks like this, it does make things marginally more bearable.

Another benefit of the heat is the comedic effect it can have on the inhibitions, and dress sense, of my fellow citizens.

The office is in a part of the city centre which is probably described by the council as a 'regeneration' area.

This is a euphemism for 'recovering dump' and what it means is a bunch of speculative build offices and luxury apartments have been thrown up in the midst of the red light zone.

Thus the character of the place changes throughout the day. As the office workers depart in the evening, the ladies of the night arrive to ply their trade.

Last week, a couple of the more mature night shift were still on duty as I arrived for work. Forty dressed as fourteen, and not pretty.

I presumed the good weather meant the punters had been out in force, keeping them occupied long into overtime hours.

As I ascended in the glass lift within the office, I was somewhat surprised to see them amble into the building and pass security unchallenged.

Yes, it was a couple of ladies from the call centre, out enjoying a cigarette in the sun before starting their shift.

Gotta love casual dress code in the call centre.

It's not so unusual as people might imagine for it to be hot in Glasgow. What feels different right now is the ferocity of the sun.

As I lazed by the Clyde at lunchtime, it felt more Greek Islands than Glasgow. Fifteen minutes was enough for the heat to become physically discomforting.

As these heatwave images show, it's not just sunburn I should have been worrying about!

Watching the office workers sprawled on the riverside grass, I was reminded of an old sci-fi classic - much underestimated in my opinion - The Day The Earth Caught Fire.

If the North Koreans were testing bombs instead of missiles I may have begun to wonder.

The riverside is amazingly tranquil. The traffic noise seems to blend into the background, and the sound of seagulls becomes more prominent.

Seagulls are horrible, scummy birds, but their distant calls do make the atmosphere more restful - evoking hints of sleepy fishing village rather than bustling urban centre.

The Glasgow riverside really is shamefully under-utilised, though a multitude of grand plans exist to make it a focal point again. Sadly they all seem to be mired amidst funding and planning issues.

It's enough to make one despair of democracy. I often muse that the country would be better off under the rule of an enlightened and benevolent dictator - such as myself.

Trust me people, it would be a fun place to live, and I guarantee the trains would run on time - and often too!

Perhaps I can fund my coup from poker winnings, since whilst not quite running as hot as the weather, I'm certainly beyond lukewarm.

I've dropped the $10 STT completely and migrated northwards to the $20 games.

Playing sets of four I'm generally managing at least two cashes. Which is okay-ish when there's a second and third, but distinctly pleasant when it's two firsts!

My last set showed two firsts, a fourth, and an early exit. The fourth should have been a cash, but for two appalling beats in quick succession, but equally, one of the firsts came courtesy of making a straight to beat two-pair so the cards seem to be running relatively true.

That said, I do fancy a little change of scene, so I might give the cash NLHE tables a shot soon.

Speaking of shots, the PokerStars World Championship Of Online Poker is back in town soon, and the schedule looks inviting - with $10m in guarantees.

September 16: Razz ($200+$15) $100,000 guaranteed
September 17: NL Hold 'em ($500+$30) $1,500,000 guaranteed
September 18: PL Omaha (rebuys) ($300+$20) $400,000 guaranteed
September 19: NL Hold 'em Match Play ($200+$15) $300,000 guaranteed
September 20: Limit Omaha High/Low ($500+$30) $300,000 guaranteed
September 21: NL Hold 'em (rebuys) ($200+$15) $1,000,000 guaranteed
September 22: Limit Hold 'em ($200+$15) $200,000 guaranteed
September 23: HORSE ($200+$15) $100,000 guaranteed
September 23: PL Hold 'em ($500+$30) $400,000 guaranteed
September 24: NL Hold 'em ($1,000+ $50) $1,000,000 guaranteed
September 25: Seven Card Stud ($300+$20) $100,000 guaranteed
September 26: PL Omaha8 ($300+$20) $200,000 guaranteed
September 27: PL Hold'em ($300+$20) $400,000 guaranteed
September 28: Seven Card Stud High/Low ($500+$30) $200,000 guaranteed
September 29: PL Omaha ($500+$30) $300,000 guaranteed
September 30: HORSE ($5,000+$200) $100,000 guaranteed
September 30: Limit Hold'em ($1,000+$50) $400,000 guaranteed
October 1: NL Hold 'em ($2,500+$100) $3,000,000 guaranteed

I did say I'd take a few shots this year, so it will soon be time to get my satellite hat on.

With my work and family commitments a lot of these events are off limits due to time and timezone constraints. Weekend tournaments are more to my taste, so if I'm feeling masochistic I could go for the initial Razz event - and the baby buy-in HORSE event certainly has appeal.

Although, who scheduled it for the same night as the Bash At The Boathouse!? Foolish PokerStars.