You need to be logged in to your Sky Poker account above to post discussions and comments.
You might need to refresh your page afterwards.
Al take a pint o' Guinness and some run good.
As Thursday arrived alls I could think of was getting away and playing some cards. However this was to be a pretty de-moralizing holiday to say the least. Come Friday I was pretty confident. And being seated on Table 1 Seat 1 meant I was up the stairs, right in the corner and perfectly right next to the smoking area. So that meant any tilt issues sorted straight away.
At 2 shuffle up and deal was announced. To my left was a pretty chatty Scottish lad who helped the day go by, there was also a German player who later I would find out I wanted to avoid pots with. And on my right was a LAG Polish player and an Irish pro (I can remember his name now, wasn’t a major name). Between these players where two locals who just wanted to get to flops. And on the left was a LAG player with Ethnic Origin and a guy who never played a hand till he busted.
I folded first circle except for 2 hands, AJ to a 2.5x on my BB with a caller I flopped top 2 lead out and got no action. And in my SB 2.5x raise again with 3 callers I decided to flat with 89 of diamonds, again I flopped big with flopping my flush + SF-redraw and lead and got 1 caller on flop no action on a black turn. They where my only two winning hands on level 1 that I can remember, although I was managing to hover around starting stack. Mid-way through level 2 however I did get into a major bluff. The table was raise and number of callers so I decided to make a play. Folded to the C/O who was a LAG polish player. I look down at 72o in the BTN and 3bet. Polish player flatted I cbet a KT4 rainbow flop. Polish guy tanked and folded I showed. At this point my image was tight so and I wasn’t getting action for my hands so I really wanted to show a bluff to assist getting action.
And right at the end of the level it paid off. UTG I raise 9s 9h to 250. I get 7 callers. As the flop comes down I said “dealer please be nice” I know I have to flop a set to take any further action in this hand. Flop comes Ah Kh 9d. I c-bet 1800 (slightly over pot) one guy flats, this guy had been pretty active and I can remember thinking, 9 of hearts turn forgetting I held the 9 of hearts but I was sure he was on a flush draw. Turn came down as the J of hearts, Yuk I thought. Everything got there. I checked and he bet 3K, I sigh called. River 8 of hearts. Hmmm. I check my 9s again thinking this is just a check fold, oh I have the 9 of hearts, meh third to nuts and half my stack is in I have to stack, I think. I check and he tanks, and checks back. He shows 56 of hearts, my 9 is good. Finishing for the break on 21K suddenly made life feel a little easier. The next two levels where Quiet bar 2 hands, I cant remember one of them but the first one was a 10K dent in my stack. I min raised TJcc UTG but put just a single chip in and dealer didn’t hear me say raise, it stood as a call. Sigh. 3 limpers. Flop came Kc Qc and 3s/. I really should have bet here but I was annoyed that my raise didn’t stand so I checked. Turn 3 of clubs, Raise form SB and re-raise from BB I thought houses are possible and I just flatted. River Ad. He bet again and I flatted again. He showed A3 for the house. However I recovered back to 15k but I cant remember the hand. I know I was aided by a bluff that made no sense but that was a smallish pot that I wont bore you with.
Levels 5 and 6 have always been horrible to me, and I know this was playing on my mind, its always been 150/300 where I’ve lost a lot and as a result failed to make day 2. I know it was dwelling on my mind and I was fighting it mentally, although to be honest it did help tighten me up. The first hand has to be one of the most overplayed hands in history. Id wished he blogging guys where there just to see the online opinion. It’s the second 150/300 level the one where the antes come in. I’ve done the odd raise fold but mostly I’ve been blind stealing to get by. Its my BB. UTG+1 limps, SB limps, and I can remember thinking, raise any two here. I then look at my cards, AQo hmm wow, well above range. Ok 900 it is. In hindsight maybe 1200 is better but 900 done what it needed to. UTG+1 raises to 2100. As he done so I picked up a tell. He wasn’t comfortable. He’d also been at the table since 100/200 and he’d been seriously aggro and he was capable of doing this was air. SB folds, I think for about 5 seconds, “how much do you have back sir” about 10k is the answer. Ok im all in. He snaps, I thought, wow this was a misread on my part, then he showed pocket 3’s. What the, 12k in pre that’s 40 bigs, really. I didn’t say any of this at the time, in the end his 3’s held and I said nice hand. The whole table was jaws open. The guy next to me (the Scottish guy) said, “I’m sure you only ever have Aces or Kings there, good rep and unlucky” this did make me feel a little better that what I was representing had at least been acknowledged. But to be fair I was bluffing and I got caught. Not sure how but it happens. I decided I have somewhere around 3 or 4k left. I think nearer 4k but I felt I needed to get away from the table. I shoved my SB with a min raise from button (funnily enough I had AQ) and he folded. I then folded the button and went away to re-group.
Upon returning I looked at Ac Ad (or so I though) raised to 750 and 2 callers, flop came AT7 with 2 clubs, I double checked, Ad 4c, oh for the love of, I tilt jam and the first caller folds, the other goes into the tank. Great that either means I’m ahead or he tempted with a similar ace. He eventually calls showing QT of spades, Turn was a blank but a club, which meant I took an out off him. I held and was back to 10K. However this was really to be it. A couple of failed blind steals, (the guy 3 to my left lost his fold button) and blinds going through meant I ended level 6 with 5500 chips. Break time. The good news was the guy who crippled me had busted already, so I took some pride in outlasting him with 4K to his 24-25K stack. I spoke with a couple of people after the break, Dad was in with the chip leaders and my uncle had busted, but mostly players who played higher for a living. Some offered me some good advice, although none could believe the AQ v 33 hand. Anyways a guy called Tony, “just shove when you find a spot” something I already knew but he also told me “I hand 4k at this stage in Edinburgh and I came 6th or 7th so it can be done” great confidence booster just what I needed. I thought I was BB when I returned but dealer informed me I was UTG. No differences still a fold. Next hand BB and I looked early, which is unusual for me, AQhh and CO raises to 1050 (blinds 200/400) BTN and SB pass, and I jam. He snaps, Hes been pretty good, and I later discovered him to be an Irish pro, I wasn’t expecting to be in good shape when he snapped. He showed Kings. And that was that.
I won’t bore you with my side event and Cash game bores, I didn’t make a penny over the weekend. A little bit of run bad but mostly playing bad. The weekend on the whole was good, bar the poker and the prices or Beer/tobacco, but I met some top quality people who offered me some very good advice. Dad is wanted to do the whole tour next season although I’m thinking about taking a year out to focus on improving. I really discovered this weekend, that I’m not capable of playing on that level unless I find a fish or run good.
Comments
Posted by The_Don90
EXCELLENT post/blog Don! Really enjoy your posts. Not sure I understand the bold bit tho. Do you mean a year out from live play?
pad
some intersting hands there ill chat to you later about!
i dont understand how you can turn AQ into a bluff for example
JJ i fully agree, and i think i found myself out of my depth at this event. I was completely not ready. Weather thats been because ive spent the last 3-4 weeks plugging leaks im not sure. Certainly didnt feel like i played optimal poker or to my best.
Ill discuss the cash with you at a later date, but tbh i dont want to do a report as this is where i really crumbled and i find it a little embarrassing.