Various - 26/4/2006 - 3/5/2006

I've been a very lazy blogger over the past week and haven't bothered posting at all. Probably have spared any readers from some boring bad beat stories, as now I can't really remember any of the action that occurred last week. On a more positive note, I went home to Galway from Friday to Monday and really had a nice weekend, extremely relaxing, recharged the batteries and so on. As I've recently made the decision to leave my job, my parents were naturally curious as to what I planned to do with myself in the future - as I have no idea at present, I couldn't really enlighten them! I think it takes a lifetime for many people to figure out what they want to achieve in their life, so I am not particularly worried about being in this interesting situation at almost 30 years old.

SE Double Chance - €75+5 26/5/2006

One of my favourite tournaments, and certainly one of my most profitable. Four tables to start, just over 30 runners by my reckoning, was on table 1 with DocO (Donal). Called for my top up almost immediately, so had 4k to play around with. During the first orbit I found K9o on the SB and limped in with 4 others. The flop showed 964 rainbow, which I promptly checked. UTG+1 raised to 300 (total pot 550), folded around to me. I had been thinking of my play over the past week and promising to myself that I would take some time, maybe a few weeks, trying a more agressive game in the sub-€100 buy in tournaments. I'm having reasonable success with my ABC poker, but want to mix it up a little to see how it goes. Anyhow, when action got back to me I didn't fold immediately, as I would sometimes do, or simply flat call, I thought about it for a while, evaluated my opponent, decided he was semi-bluffing and that I'd put the question back to him. I push all in. He thinks about it for a while, and calls with 44 for bottom set! Oops, worst read ever by me. I'm left with approx. 1300. Still in the opening 25/50 level, I find 10 10 in early mid position. I raise to 250 and get three callers (lots of respect after my move a few hands previously!), flop came down 955 rainbow. I had told myself that I was going in on any low flop, there was 1k in the pot and I had exactly 1k left, so in I went. A player in late position dwelt for a while, then flat called, others folded, I turned over my tens and he turned over his nines for a nice flopped house! Out before the end of the first level in a double chance, it don't get much better than that! Olly had just sat down at a different table prior to my exit, I didn't particularly want to discuss my exit so kept my head down on the way out.

SE Double Chance - €50+5 27/4/2006

There were 65+ runner for this tournament, and I promised myself that while I hoped to mix my play up again, I wouldn't be first out two nights in a row! I luckily drew a table with 50% experienced and 50% inexperienced players, with two poor players to my left, ready to have their blinds stolen. I managed to make it to the break without much excitement, though I had built my stack to a very respectable 7k from a starting 3.5k (should have been 3k, but they made a mistake I think. Hopefully they will see the positive difference this made and continue to do it). By the second level after the break we were down to 4 tables, and I was moved to table 3, I had 11k and there were a few big stacks on this table. The following pivotal hand happened during the 300/600 level. Two players on the table had bigger stacks than me and were bullying whenever they could, applying pressure whenever they sensed weakness. I was on the BB with J4o, four limpers including the two big stacks. Flop was J73 rainbow, I checked (with my kicker I just couldn't face a raise if I bet, so checking was the right move here I think) and it was checked around. Turn was a 10, still no flush draw. I bet 2k, folded around to the 1st big stack, who dwelt for a minute than pushed all in, well covering me. The other big stack folded, leaving me with a decision. Was he holding 98 for the nut straight? Maybe a J with a better kicker? Unlikely. How about two pair? Even a set? He was experienced enough to push with a set, hoping that I'd interpret it as a sign of weakness. No, he was weak! Trusting my read, I called, he flipped Q 10 or similar, the river was meaningless and I double up and cripple him. Felt really good to have a read confirmed! Went on a bit of a run in the aftermath and started to bully a little myself, ended up knocking the crippled player out a few orbits later with QQ vs Ax, no A on the board. With 25 players left, I was now the tournament chip leader by a way, having approx. 30k out of 230k total chips.

Unfortunately, this is where my luck ran out, as I went card dead. I also donked off 4k just before the final table formed, when I didn't believe a player's flop bet, believed his turn bet and was shown the nuts! At least I didn't compounded my mistake. Two players were knocked out simultaneously when we were down to 5 and 5 on the two tables, so the final table formed with 8 players. I was shortstacked, and was knocked out in 7th when I pushed with 77 on Willow's big blind, she called with A8o and caught an 8 to send me packing. Received €100 for 7th, a pity as I should have done a lot better considering my situation with 25 to go. Happy with most of my play though.

4 Aces €60+5 29/4/2006

Decided to visit Galway's own 4 Aces on Saturday night, never had been there before. The place was quite nice, but practically empty when I arrived at 9.25pm. Tournament was due to start at 9.30, but due to low numbers and no sense of an anxiousness to get started, cards were in the air at 10:10, with an eventual 22 runners. For some reason, although it was a €60+5 tournament, I only paid €55 in total, this must have been a mistake, only realised later when I went through my change. Anyhow, strange tournament structure, we got 9500 chips, but the 20 minutes levels were as follows: 25/50, 50/100, 100/200, 200/400, 300/600. That's as far as I got, I was home by 11:30. The players were 50% good 50% poor, but the 50% poor were really, really bad. I should have taken their chips but others got there before me, I didn't play well and was knocked out when I found 99 on the button, a MP player raised to 3k (1/5 of his stack) pre-flop, I read him for AK/AQ/AJ and pushed my 3.5k, he actually had QQ. Didn't cover myself in glory in my home town!

Fitz Double Chance €50+5 2/5/2006

Hadn't played in the Fitz for a while so really enjoyed playing with the usual suspects again. My starting table included DocO and NTLbell and a few others I half knew. Not many interesting moments, as I didn't play well and was completely card dead in any case. During level 2 (25/50) I limped in on the button with KJs, five players in total saw the magical Q 10 9 rainbow flop. I checked with the nuts, BB checks, UTG+1 throws in a bet of 300, folded to me. I give it loads, staring at the bettor for information, dwelling, rubbing my nose, the whole hog, and flat call. BB folds. Turn is the K...BOLLOX. I check again, he bets 500, I push my remaining 1300, he calls with his J2s to split the pot. God damn it! My theatrical efforts were for nought! Motherfungling sweater monkey! On the 2nd last hand before the break, there were 4 limpers before me sitting in Button +1, I find AQo, I had not yet received my topup so I pushed with 1300, happy to either take the blinds or have a single caller. NTLbell thought about it but folded and I made a tidy 550 profit. Took the topup and went into the break with 3275, the starting stack had been 3300 including bonus chips and topup. Olly gave me a review of his recent home game downstairs during the break, gotta make the next one, sounded like a lot of fun.

Played terribly after the break, gave away chips, particularly to the villain who jammed that K to destroy my nut straight earlier. I got the feeling he thought he was shít hot, which slightly grated on me and unfortunately contributed to my happiness to call his bets. When the table broke I was left with 1150 with the blinds at 150/300, downstairs to table 1, I was in on the BB, one limper, Olly raised to 1200 from the button, I found K10o and pushed, the limper called. Flop was K rag rag rainbow, limper checked, Olly bet (protection for my top pair!), limper folded, he turned over KJ, no 10 on the turn or river and I'm home for half eleven. On a positive note I got to see a good bit of the Gary Lineker / Diego Maradona interview on BBC.

Still going to mix it up slightly in my play over the next few weeks, after which I'll re-evaluate. Online play going well, back to making a tidy profit on the STTs, also playing some of the PokerStars double chance low buy-ins to win super sat WSOP or weekly €1m tournament tickets, as long as you win your first table you should make a profit on the final table of these tournaments, buyins are $15+1 or $10+1 and the standard is very soft. I also was given $50 free from PartyPoker, mine if I played 500 raked hands over 7 days. I got through the 500 raked hands in 3 days (little to do down in Galway!) and turned the $50 into $60 multi-tabling the $.10/$/25 cash games! Free money is always nice. Will keep it in Party for the moment, probably continuing to play the low limit cash games for experience.