SE Double Chance - €75+5 10/05/2006

Finally getting around to writing up a report on this!

Wandered in to the SE last Wednesday night, as I often do, ready for a spot of double chance action. A few of the usual suspects were in attendance, Olly and ocallagh (Niall) from boards and the rest of the runners I recognised as regulars. Only 23 runners in the end, less than usual but enough to make it an enjoyable enjoy game of poker.

I started off well (as I often do in these double chance tournaments, for some reason) and had increased my starting stack of 2k to about 2.8k within the first level. I was on table one, with ocallagh two seats to my left. I consider him a strong player, better than I am, so am very wary of tangling with him. However, I did just this a while after calling for my topup, bringing my stack up to 5k or so. I limped with AT of clubs, an initial mistake, as I should have raised being the button +1 and with only 1 limper in front of me. Ocallagh completed from the small blind and the BB checked. The flop was 99x, two clubs. It was checked around to me, I took a stab at the pot, only ocallagh called. Danger danger! The turn was an Ace, we both checked (I think), I being wary of trip nines. The river was the 10 of clubs, giving me the nut flush. Ocallagh checked, I was confident of being infront so made a 1/2 pot sized bet. He raised fairly quickly to 1.5k. Alarms were definitely going off in my head. He must know I hit a draw with that 10. However, I had to flat call just in case...he had 9T and his house crushed my weak nut flush. Damn that 10 of clubs! :) I had lost 2k and was down to approx. 3k, less than my starting stack. I managed to win a small pot or two (mainly stealing the blinds) before the break started to get back to 4k.

We were down to 2 tables soon after the break, I avoided both Olly and ocallagh (thankfully) and was sitting with some SE and Fitz regulars, most of whom I had played with a good few times before and knew their games (as they knew mine, I'm sure). I started motoring on this table right when I needed to, as the blinds started to move up, catching some premium hands to grind my way up the ladder. I knocked Eamonn (Fitz / SE regular) out when he made a move on my BB with 88, I had 99 and he didn't get any help. I knocked out another two players from that table to make it to the final table in good shape, with approx. 13k. Only 4 were getting paid, so a long way to go.

Both Olly and ocallagh were also there, both with pretty big stacks. Olly was chip leader I think, sitting two to my right, with ocallagh to his immediate right. My blinds were going to be terrorised! Ocallagh in particular is an asute positional raiser, and one of those players you know is probably robbing you, BUT could also be making the same move with a premium hand, so you really have to be sure when you defend your blinds against him! There are a number of players like this who I face regularly, and I hate having them two or three seats to my right. Anyhow, I went card dead as the blinds kept on increasing, with Olly maintaining his chip lead with some strong play. With blinds at 400/800 (or 500/1k), ocallagh made another attempt to take my blinds, raising to 2.2k on my BB (he was on the button, down to 7 at this stage). Olly folded. I had Kx suited, and had quite a decision to make. I only had 8k or so left, and needed to double up. I also needed to show I wouldn't be pushed around that easily. BUT again, although it may be button steal, he may actually have something, he had been fairly quiet recently! I decided to flat call and see where I stood. The flop came down KJx rainbow I think. Jackpot. I checked, he bet 3k and I pushed my remaining 6k in without hesitation. Despite the size of the pot, he knew he was well beaten and folded, showing 98s. I was now back to being healthy for the time being.

Down to 6, Olly was still doing well but myself and ocallagh were really in trouble, as were some of the others. Ocallagh was next to go, and now we were on the button. I was being blinded away so had to start playing my typical shortstack game - get 'em in when you can and hope for a double up! I was extremely lucky when my A5 faced AJ and escaped with a split pot, and tried to keep the pressure on pushing with position and whenever I saw decent cards. Olly made a nice laydown when I pushed UTG with AQ and he folded AJ after dwell up. I wonder would he have done the same if I had been on the button and not UTG - guess we'll never know! A SE regular, an English guy who called my all in with the AJ, and I kept on butting heads during this period, as he called a few of my all ins with Ax hands.

At one point 5-handed I noticed all of us had similar sized stacks, but didn't suggest a deal, with 5 of us it would have been difficult to agree I think. My night finally came to an end when I pushed with AQs from MP, the English guy calls again from the SB, he has TT and I don't improve. Damnit anyway, I would have definitely cashed if I had won that race, after surviving that long with my shortstack I was feeling very confident.

Oh well, home I go, only to receive a text from Olly 10 minutes later telling me the remaining 4 agreed to a split, €400 apiece! Double damnit. Still, not as bad as the 1st Vegasnights monthly €50+50 I played earlier this year, I was knocked out in 5th for €350 odd after playing a blinder, two of the remaining 4 players were absolutely rubbish, and the remaining 4 did a deal netting each of them a cool grand apiece. That really left a sour taste in my mouth!