Not much to report over the last week. I have played a few tournaments and bubbled or crept into the money, but no big finishes and a particularly bad performance in a $5PLO rebuy (cost me $50).

I found a new blog to read (by Andy Ward):

http://getitquietly.blogspot.com

I like reading old posts from 2003 about how things were before the poker boom when £100 and £200 tournaments meant something.

Now in the pro's blogs all you read about is either how they busted out to some random donkey in $10k buy in tournys here, there and everywhere, and how they are suffering $500k swings in the online cash games. £200 tournaments somehow seem more real.

I am starting to think that the top tier of poker is incredibly artificial with half of the so called names being just that - sponsored names with no substance and few recent (or in some cases historical) cashes - whilst the second tier represents the real sole of poker - the grinding pros and rounders.

I'm not talking about the true greats like Chip Reece and Barry Greenstein here or the true ambassadors like Joe Hachem or Greg Raymer, but the plastic Mancs, attractive birds and one hit wonder pros, who happened to win a tournament when poker took off and will be shown in ESPN clips until 2067.

The lucky sponsored few are, however, living the life, which is what we all dream of. I would gladly be Chis Moneymaker (but I'd rather be Sammy Farha).