Just got in from Newcastle and as per here"s how it went.
Got back with a 30 bb stack but the two big stacks were late arrivals so we were playing short handed for 30 mins, only had enough chips for a raise fold once, raised A 10, flatted by j10, was checked to the river were I put a small bet in, the j on the flop was good, so I am now in a 15/20 big stack mode which I am quite comfortable with.
The table breaks and I am moved were I gain a few chips in a limped pot, this was the only limped pot of the day, I was in bb and hit a 10 on the river, I thought I had the straight, so I bet out original limper folded, when I checked my hand I hadn"t hit the straight I had 9 high, learn from that one, always check your hands.
Pretty card dead but get a table move, I have Irish Tom to my left and a few other players who I recognise from streams so I know it will be tough, again pretty card dead until there is a min raise utg and a flat, then a 3 bet fro AK, I have 88, with 11 bigs, it"s a shove spot for me but could be easily dominated, but luckily I wasn"t and win the race with 88 v AK.
We are moved to the live stream, I raise 77 utg, Tom 3 bets me, I have a look at his stack and it looks like he is committed, I can fold here and have 17bigs to re shove in a better spot, I fold, later I find out he has EIGHTS, doesn"t he read this thing, I raise utg, minimum I have is trip aces, and that"s pre, nh sir well played.
I am down to 10 bigs now and have KQ diamonds in bb to a mid position raise, again could be dominated but also could be flipping with a good busy player with chips, I jam he calls JJ, happy with that, even happier with the KQ flop, faded the 10 for the straight and back to my normal 22 big blind stack.
33 are left 28 are paid, after another frustrating run of poor cards and spots, always a raise or a 3 bet before it reaches me I am pretty much hamstrung in what I can do.
Check screen 30 left, I hear 2 all in and calls on the other 2 tables, and breathe a sigh of relief when the td cries 2 down, wiiii, made the cash, was never my intention to try and grind into the cash, it just happened to be the nature of the beast.
Again no spots for a while I have 12 bigs, get one or two shoves through, inc j8 suited, and A6 spades, I get a double with JJ v A10 (18bigs now), then a mad 15 mins, I have just raised 99 and got through, I then look down at AQ diamonds, again a standard shove, unfortunately I run into AA, flop all low black cards, Q,turn, Q river, wow made up for my loss with AA v AQ on the ft of the 25/25 series, variance innit.
I have 220k now, I raise JJ utg, and it gets through not before a snide comment by someone indicating it must be trip aces, it"s the first time I have raised without shoving, he was right but given my stack earlier it was just standard stuff.
My demise follows, raise Utg, flat sb, I have AK clubs in the bb, it"s just such a standard shove or 3 bet spot but I decide to be clever and just see the flop which is Ace high, unfortunately for me villain had raised with A 10, and by the time I jammed on the river he obviously snapped me off, if I shove pre I gain an extra 50k uncontested if both fold which they should considering my image, so that one mistake cost me, but if it holds which it does 70% of the time, I have a 400k plus stack and a real chance, it wasn"t to be, hey hoh, worse things happen at sea.
Finished 17th I think for £1250, after paying a few people who had invested I should have £800 for myself.
If you are still here, thanks for reading, run good, be lucky stay healthy.
Going to be difficult to return to the G after that game, it really is a great structured tournament and well worth playing if you can get to one.