As you may have seen, there is now a forums page. This links to the new MSGWorld Forums.

The main focus of these forums are Poker, Sports Betting and Finance. There are many subforums in each of these categories to keep similar topics close together.

Anyone is welcome to join the forums and contribute. Hopefully we can build up the content really fast and make it a real community.

If anyone has any serious interest and history with some of the subjects and is interested in becoming a moderator please contact me.

I have made some changes to the site and plan on making some more in the future, they are listed and described below.

SUBSCRIBE PAGE

I have also added a Subscribe page to the site. You can sign up for the weekly email newsletter and updates here. I also give some information about RSS and how to subscribe to my RSS feed. There is also some information about RSS and what it does, and some information about my favourite and probably the best RSS reader.

BEST OF MSGWORLD

There is now a Best of MSG World section just on the right side of the blog. This has links to my Favourite and most popular blog posts. So far there are three posts there. My first big article HYIPs (High Yield Investment Programs) and Sports Arbitrage Betting. Part One of my four part post about my Day of poker on PokerStars. Third post there is the one about my Canvas Prints For Sale.

SOCIAL NETWORKING BUTTONS

As you can see in the sidebar of the blog, I have added some social networking buttons. If you click on the share button you will get the option to share this page on a choice of social networking sites, not limited to but including Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, Delicious, and many more. I have also added a Skype button so that you can see my skype status. Feel free to add me to Skype if you would like to talk to me or send me anything. The Skype button will tell you when I am online or offline. I also have a Twitter box a bit lower down on the sidebar that displays my current Twitter status.

WIDGETS

I have added some widgets to the side bar of the blog and plan on adding more widgets in the future if they can be of benefit to the site and to you, the reader. I've added a day calender just underneath the Categories section.
I'm a big fan of good quotes and have added a "Quote of the Day" widget too. For the sports fans out there I have added two widgets lower down on the sidebar. One gives a brief summary of the latest Premier League news from SkySports and the other has a brief summary of the latest sports news from SkySports. These are close to the Betfair banners. I have found Betfair to be the best place to place any bets on Sports, Football in particular. This is because Betfair are not a bookmakers but a betting exchange, so your bets are placed against other people at odds that you choose.

GOOGLE ADSENSE SCRAPPED

I have removed all google adsense links for good. This is because they do not allow people to use adsense if their website has content related to gambling. I thought it would be best to switch ad companies to Bidvertiser and Adbrite as they do not have such strict terms and conditions and provide a service just as good, if not better.

CANVAS PRINTS FOR SALE PAGE

I have been thinking about the Canvas Prints For Sale page. I have decided that I might be moving them from this site onto a brand new website where they can be the main focus of the site, rather than them just being an extra page on this blog. I have created a poll which can be seen below asking you what you think I should do.

OTHER CHANGES YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE

If there are any other changes that you would like to see to the site then let me know using the Contact Me page or leave a comment on the blog post.

I have created a new page on the site. It will be selling photographs printed onto canvas. All the photos available were taken by me this January whilst visiting Torrey Pines State Reserve in California. There are three basic shape categories for the prints; square, portrait and panoramic. I hope to add to the selection available as I take more quality photographs.

The prints are of the highest quality at very reasonable prices. Here is some information about the canvas prints, the quality of the materials, and how to maintain and look after them.

Real artists' stretcher bars are used to make up every frame. We offer a choice of two depths - Choose from our slim frames which are 19mm deep or opt for our chunky frames which are 38mm deep.

We only use 100% cotton canvas. Our canvas weighs in at a whopping great 400gsm - now that's the best there is on the market!

We only use genuine HP Vivera quality inks. These inks are guaranteed for over 100 years and are the absolute best on the market! Our inks help create up to 72 million rich and vibrant colours; helping to bring the photos to life.

To maintain & increase the lifespan of your canvas, do not expose to continuous, strong sunlight or moisture. Do not clean with a wet/damp cloth; a light vacuum with the brush attachment will get rid of any dust on the surface. We provide you with a list of really useful information to help you care for your canvas with your item.

The header photo on the top of this website is also available for print onto canvas at the same prices as the panoramic range. Shipping is guaranteed within 8 days, as it takes time to get the photos onto canvas and process payment. Paypal is the accepted method of payment for now, although other payment processors may be added in the future if demand increases. I'm really happy with how the photos have come out and look forward to providing you with some great pieces of artwork to hang on to hang on your walls.

My favourite three prints are shown below with the cheapest (smallest) print available for each.

I have decided once again to enter another scheduled tournament on PokerStars for a $5.50 entry fee. I joined very late, after 55 minutes had already passed. Just in time for the break. First hand after the break I doubled up. I limped in with 10 3 suited and flopped an open ended straight draw, called a bet and the turn gave me a flush draw too. I check raised all in. I was unexpectedly called and hit my flush on the river to double up. This was a risky move and I wouldn't normally do it, but I had a lot of outs and also suspected that the opponent was bluffing and wouldn't call my all in bet. Just hit a bad bit of luck now though.

I had K8 in the small blind and called the blind and got to see the flop, which was 3K9, I made a bet and was called, the turn was another K so I check raised all in again, thinking that there was no way that he had the other K. Unfortunately he did and I doubled him up. His kicker was a Q and he left me with only $1,100 chips left. Still, no reason to panic.

No reason to panic only because I just got knocked out once more :-(  I had made once successful steal and built my chips up to $1,500. I found myself with 1010 and thought it was the ideal opportunity to go all in. I was called by a player with QQ. No luck for me as none of the two remaining 10 cards came up on the board.

Instead of starting a new post for Part 5 I will include it in this post too. I have just entered a $5.40 double or nothing Sit and Go. I haven't played many of these games and know little about effective strategy. I think the general idea though is to play very tight. I'm not sure if I will play like this though as if that is how everyone else will be playing. I am going to test out the strategy I talked about earlier for being on the final table of a 27 man tournament. As everyone else will be playing tight I will play a more aggressive game. I will wait until the blinds are big enough to be worth stealing first as there is no point in risking chips when there is little to gain.

That strategy failed once again, but only because of more bad luck and this was my last poker game of the day. I had 67 suited and raised preflop. The flop was 627 and I raised again on the flop. I was called and the next card was an A. I checked and then the opponent bet, I raised all in and was called. It turned out that the other guy had A2 and had also hit two pair. It was very unlikely that that would have happened. He shouldn't have even called my bet on the flop when he only had bottom pair. The river didn't help me as it was another A and I was knocked out of another game. No more poker for me today. Only have $3 left in my account. I might try tomorrow to build that up to $5.50 in a micro stakes cash game in order to have one more attempt at recreating my bankroll from nothing. Not a big deal though as I haven't actually invested any money into this and am only playing with profits from a previous winning streak a couple of weeks ago. Would be nice to build up a bankroll from nothing though.

Part 3 of my day of poker. Have moved onto the 27 man Sit and Go tournaments as I wasn't having much luck with the bigger tournaments. Was only a $5 entry and the top 5 will get paid. From previous experience playing tournaments with this format, I have learned that the best strategy is to just be patient and not play too many hands. It is not too hard to get onto the final table by just surviving. Then once onto the final table it is time to step it up a gear and start playing more aggressive. This is because most people will slow down their play at the final table. Most people get afraid of getting knocked out right before the money starts so will fold a lot more hands, this is the time to exploit that weakness and raise the pot a lot more often as it becomes a lot more likely that people will fold. A lot of extra chips can be gaines on the final table before the last 5. I should be able to talk about actually doing this soon.

There are currently 16 players left and I'm in the middle of the field. Just had a chance to call someone all in for $600 in chips but decided against it, I had A8 suited and it was very likely that their all in was a bluff, a desperation bet made because they were low on chips but I don't want to take any unnecessary risks at this point in time. I've fallen into the bottom 3 now, 10th out of 12. Only 3 more places to go and it's the final table and I can start being more aggressive. I might have to start upping my game early though as I have a small amount of chips relative to the big stacks now. They may call me just for the chance of knocking me out if my stack gets much lower. Final table is on the horizon though.

Maybe not :-(

I went all in with KQ on the button, first person to act too. The big blind called for an extra $1,500 chips and had 44. Turns out that it's not my day when it comes to 50/50 hands as I lost again. The opponent managed to hit a lucky straight against the odds after I had already hit my pair. I would have doubled up if they had not hit the straight on the river and it would have been plain sailing to the top 5. Nevermind though. I guess today is just not my day for poker. There are good days and bad days. I can't be too upset though as I don't think that I have played badly today, just got unlucky at some crucial moments. On another day I would have won the hands that knocked me out today and would have made the money in at least one of the games. Can't decide whether or not to play another game today or to leave it until tomorrow. I think I will update with Part 4 later, gonna have an extended break to eat and focus on other stuff for a while.

I have decided to try my luck again at a scheduled tournament on PokerStars instead of the Sit and Go that I said I would probably do next. I have entered a tournament with only 500 players maximum for a $8.80 entrance fee. Only 54 players will get into the money and top prize in this one is $767 . With only 500 players in this tournament there is a decent chance of doing well if I play well. Updates on the way.

Bad news once again :-( Just got knocked out in 350th place. Someone had raised before the flop $300 and I had AK suited so I decided to push all in as it was very likely that this person would fold to the bet and I would have won a nice pot. Unfortunately they called the extra $2,900 chips and it was 77 against AK suited, a 50/50 hand. The flop was JQ3. Now I had more outs than before. Any 10, K or A and I would win the hand and double up. Unfortunately the next two cards were a 6 and a 4. None of which were the suit that I started with 2 of. Nevermind.

I think I need a little bit of a break after those couple of losses. I only have $13 left in my account after making a withdrawal recently so I don't want to be risking that money whilst I have the disappointment of previous losses still in my head. Think I will go and do the washing up and then try again a bit later.

Today I have decided that I will spend most of my time playing poker tournaments on PokerStars. I have just entered a scheduled tournament. I play these tournies often. It is a $5.50 entry tournament. The entry carries on for an hour after it starts so the field gets pretty big. I joined after 12 minutes and there were 1400 entrants at that point, there are now 1800 entrants and 300 have already been knocked out and it is only 22 minutes in. From experience in these $5.50 tournies I can predict that there will be between 3000 and 4500 entrants by the end of the tournament.

I've not started off well, everyone starts with $3,000 chips and I'm already down to $2,600. It isn't really a big deal at the moment though as the blinds are only $25 and $50 so my stack relative to the blinds is absolutely massive. My stick relative the the two big blinds is 2600:75 this ratio is called your M ratio, which when worked out properly is 34.66. The M ratio is probably the most important number in poker as it determines the way in which you should play. If the M ratio is above 20 then there is room to make a few errors in judgement and play can be a little looser. When the M ratio dips under 10 then it is time to play a lot tighter. Less gambling and less flops seen. When the M ratio goes below 5 then there is only one style of play that should be used. Whatever hand you have, when you are first to act put all of your chips in the middle, go all in. Hopefully everyone will fold and you will steal the blinds. Either that or someone will call you and you will hopefully have a 40% chance of winning the hand. The chance will be 40% if the opponent that calls has two random cards that are higher than yours. At this stage though if you have managed to get yourself in a position with such a low M ratio then you should just be hoping for a bit of good luck to get you out of that position. Time for another tournament update I think.

The first break has just finished after an hours play. I had got my stack back up to $3,000 but just lost $500 in a hand a second ago. The total amount of entrants was 2895 and there are 1500 players left. The top 414 players will get paid and first prize is $2281.45. The only other prizes over $100 are on the final table, so there is only one real aim and that is to get to the final table. I just had a couple of good hands, doubled up with AQ versus Q10 and got up to $3,900 chips, then I knocked someone out with 1010 against KQ and built my stack up to $6,500, have $6,000 now and the blinds are up to $100 and $200. My M ratio is about 20. Time to concentrate on the poker for a bit and take a break from writing unless something exciting happens. Bad hand just now.

Down to $4,200 after getting my KK8810 beaten by KK88A. I'm going to have to take a few more risks now. Some preflop raises in order to steal the blinds and the antes. The blinds and antes are $600 in total now and I need to steal this a few times by going all in. Hopefully noone will call these raises and I will get a few more thousand chips.

I've just been knocked out in 850th place :-( I went all in with 88 and happened to come across someone with KK and they knocked me out. Better luck next time I guess. I think the next tournament that I attempt will just be a 27 entrant $5 tournament. They normally only take about an hour and a half and there is a good chance of winning $50 for first place. Wish me luck.

I've just added a selection of Ebooks to the website. I have two categories; Poker Ebooks and Business/Investing ebooks.

The poker ebook Double Or Nothing Sit & Go Strategy Guide! is ideal for the PokerStars website as they have a lot of Double or Nothing sit and go tournaments at many different stake levels. As the name of the tournament suggests there is only one prize amount for these Sit and Go tournaments and that is double the entry fee which is awarded to the top 5 out of 10 entrants. The tournament ends as soon as it gets down to the final 5. The How To Beat No-Limit Hold Em 6-max Cash Games Ebook is also ideal for PokerStars as there are a lot of 6 man cash game tables on this site. I'm more of a tournament player, but a lot of people will prefer cash games and this Ebook has a lot of good information on how to become a much better cash game player. The Ebook that most matches my style of play and choice of games is Project Sng - Online Sng Poker Strategy! I play a lot of Sit and Go tournaments, mainly 27 man $5 entry tournaments. I have been winning a lot more of them recently.

There are also some Business/Investment Ebooks, there is one called Riding The Ponzi - Hyip Investment Guide! that is about beating the HYIP ponzi schemes that I talked about a couple of blog entries ago. This contains good information detailing how exactly to research, and plan correctly in order to beat the HYIPs and make good money. There is another Ebook called Online Auction Profit System - How To Make Money On eBay(R) that contains an easy to follow video course containing information and strategies for becoming a successful Ebay powerseller. The last Ebook that I have available is called Turn $1,000 into $1 Million INVESTING IN PENNY STOCKS! and was created by "The Penny Stock Prophet" and details exactly how to turn $1000 into $1,000,000 by investing in penny stocks.

I hope that some of you will find these Ebooks interesting and will help you create more money to add to your current income.

Last night I made Beef Stroganoff for dinner. It was surprisingly nice considering my speciality is normally beans on toast or jacket potato. I thought it was a good idea to try something new though. I had fun cooking it too. I followed a combination of different recipes and it came out really nice.

First I cut up the onions and garlic into small pieces and put them in the frying pan, not cooking them yet. I put them in the pan while I prepared the meat. Preparing the meat was really fun, I had to put the meat inbetween two pieces of cling film and bash them with a rolling pin until the meat was thinner, then I cut up the meat into small pieces with scissors and then sprinkled some paprika, salt and pepper over the pieces.I started frying the onions and garlic next for a couple of minutes and then added in a lump of butter and some button mushrooms that I had also cut up and fried the mushrooms until they were golden brown. Then I took them off the heat and left on one of the hobs that wasn't turned on. Next I put some oil in another frying pan and put the meat in and fried it for a few minutes, turning the pieces so they were brown on all sides. When the meat was nicely browned I mixed it with the onions and mushrooms in the other frying pan and mixed fried it all together for a bit longer. While the meat and onions were frying together I realised that I had forgotten to start the water boiling in the saucepan that the pasta was going to go in so I quickly put it on the hob. In a couple of minutes it was almost boiling so I added the fresh egg tagliatelle. It only took about 4 minutes to cook. Then I drained the water from the pasta and served it for me and my girlfriend.

She said that she enjoyed it, and I believe her seeing as I thought it was really tasty. Some of the meat chunks were a bit chewy but most of them were lovely. I'll definitely be making it again someday. I'll definitely be trying some other recipes too. Hopefully they will also be a success.