Melbourne Open 2024

The guys discuss their latest face to face tournament, the Melbourne Open and have an around the card table discussion with many great players. Plus Ken's shoe story. Enjoy!

Intro

• The guys open the show discussing their drinks, Gavin's incredible rustiness and a little about the tournament (0 mins 15 secs)
• They mention DBN is having a chat also coming up blow by blow about the tournament (9 mins secs)

Card table chat around Melbourne Open and player experiences

• The guys introduce the card table chat with various players from the Melbourne Open and Ken teases the tale of two shoes. Bear in mind that occassionally with so many people speaking it can be confusing briefly (9 mins 30 secs)
• The chat begins with Karthik Konath (USA), Craig Percell (New Zealand), Ken, Steve (Melboune), Peter (Melbourne), Jamal (Canberra), Goffy (Melbourne) and Robert (Melbourne via London), meanwhile Gavin discusses a skit in Aunty Donna and his poor consistent games at the end of day one (10 mins)
• They begin a debrief on their round 1 and 2 games and observations from the first day (14 mins)
• Sascha (Thailand via Germany) joins the chat and they discuss the international player's views on why they came to an Australian tournament and what they like about Australia from their visit so far (19 mins)
• They talk about the prospects of a WDC in Australia is a few years (26 mins 30 secs)
• Australian stereotypes (32 mins 35 secs)
• They eventually move on to each discuss their first day at the tournament (38 mins 45 secs)
• They move onto how things will change in their gameplay for day two and the additional role to the TD in supporting wellbeing (1 hr 23 mins 45 secs)
• The discussion wraps up (1 hr 53 mins)

Airport Tournament wrap-up (BONUS shoe story)

• The guys give their recollections of the chat (1 hr 53 mins 30 secs)
• They discuss their trip back from Andrew Goff's to their apartment and Ken's Ned the "Shoe Man" Kelly story (1 hr 57 mins)
• Ken announces he came third in the tournament (2 hrs 3 mins)
• Ken flags to watch his second round Turkey game when it airs on DBN (2 hrs 7 mins 30 secs)
• Gavin talks about his first round Italy getting an Italian army in Sevastapol in fall 1902 (2 hrs 9 mins)
• They discuss upcoming tournaments including the Hung Parliament Handicap in Canberra, getting a Canetoad Classic in Brisbane happening in August and another Melbourne tournament in October (2 hrs 14 mins)
• Gavin flags that our scheduling has been thrown out a bit before wrapping up (2 hours 16 mins)

Venue: The Taphouse (Melbourne Airport) and Andrew Goff's place, Melbourne

Drinks of choice:

Ken: Stomping Ground red ale by the Taphouse and so, so many

Gavin: Stomping Ground pale ale zero alcohol and many, many more

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Thanks as always to Dr Dan aka "The General" for his rockin' intro tune.