Pokerpops ponders poker

[pokerpops]

There"s so much going on in my life away from poker just now that it is in danger of becoming overwhelming.
I"m in London this week to meet Dad"s consultant to get the results of his tests. (CT scan, colonoscopy, gastroscopy and blood tests)
I"ve closed down my business, a victim of the recession essentially although doubtless there have been mistakes made by me that rendered it more susceptible to the damage.

I"m a fairly private person generally, it"s never been in my nature to share my deepest thoughts and I"m too old to change that now so I will move on and focus on the poker side of my life.

April was a decent month. Started with two good results in the £10rb dealing both weeks with me taking the bigger share the first week with a good chip lead and getting a very good deal the second week when I was shortstacked.
With a couple of good cash sessions and another cash in the Sunday £15+£15 it all added up to a good month.

I"ve been unlucky/unfortunate/outplayed in the satellites for the Stockton leg of the GUKPT but there is one good chance left in tomorrow"s 10 seat guaranteed game and failing that I will sell a larger chunk than has been my normal routine. The game will be too good to miss with so many of the locals having won seats and not used to playing anything longer than a 30 minute clock. No doubt the Newcastle crowd will turn out, and some from Leeds maybe, but I think most of the field will be local and although that will include some very good players it will bring few surprises.

I"m looking forward to it very much.

[Erimus]

Sorry to hear about your business closing, obviously aware of your Dads predicament and hope everything goes as best as it can in the circumstances, see you tomorrow at the G and hope we can both bag a seat.

In other news turbo snails weren"t turbo enough, mantis shrimp got two of em, nasty little get that one.

[pokerpops]

A visit to see Dad provides an opportunity to visit the Vic and oh I want to move in there and have babies with the place.

Last night I had someone flat call a preflop raise with AKo, flop TPTK, turn two and yet still flat at all opportunities and then check behind on the river
Another, I think regular, reloaded for £50 (for the sixth time apparently), called £8 pre, £12 flop, £15 turn and folded for £15 on the river
And the guy who had sat snug and tight for 6hrs to my right suddenly went mental on a J9x9 board where the only hand I feared when I called his £75 pot sized shove was AJ which he clearly couldn"t have
+£420

Dad is as well as can be expected. I"m returning next week to see the oncologist with him and all steps from there can be considered. Meantime I"m beginning the process of making sure he gets to the Isle of Wight later this month. Has anyone had any experience of getting assistance from Network Rail Station Staff?

[pokerpops]

Those who know me, or who read my thread about Dad on Blonde will already know the reason for the hiatus on posting here.
For those who don"t, Dad passed away after a short and pain free illness on 30 May. His funeral at the Royal Hospital Chelsea was dignified and appropriate and attended by around 60 people. Some had travelled from Northampton and tomorrow at his home church there is to be a Memorial service which I suspect will be very full.
The love and support from those who knew him and the constant use of the word gentleman to describe him have been inspiring.

Poker has been my release over the last few weeks. I"m winning but have no sense of celebration over it other than the satisfaction of knowing that I can continue to fund "poker therapy" and escape to the felt.

[PHIL_TC]

Having been there recently myself I know words don"t make things any easier, but you have the love and support of all your friends. Rest assured if you needed anything we"d be there like a shot x Hopefully see you soon for a hug mate x

[Fatcatstu]

Having been there recently myself I know words don"t make things any easier, but you have the love and support of all your friends. Rest assured if you needed anything we"d be there like a shot x Hopefully see you soon for a hug mate x

+1

says it all really, massive thoughts and hugs with you all, just give me a shout if you need anything at all mate.

[pokerpops]

@Phil & Stu

Thanks guys x love you both and just knowing that you are there is awesome xx


Poker...
Arrived with 5 minutes to spare for Sunday"s game and discovered I was just the second to register. Eventually started around 10 minutes late with 7 players which grew to 25.
I"d built a decent stack when, just before the first break I managed to get one of the lesser Gala regs to put it in with flopped trips vs my nut flush draw, the flush hit on the turn, the board paired on the river, sigh, move on.
The most notable part of that hand (and the reason why playing these games is such fun) was that he had called my preflop raise with A5hh, checked on a 558ccx flop and then raised my 1500 Cbet to 5000, from a stack of 7025...
Despite paying him off I still had comfortably above average and stayed that way right up to being 5handed and ITM. At which point, with average stack being <10bb it all got rather shove fold and I lost two hands in a row pairThe remaining four didn"t wait long before agreeing a deal, which is fine, although they could at least have waited till I left the table.

Thursday will be my last poker for a week or more as I"m off to Glastonbury on Saturday
Seems likely it will be the rb at G again, in search of beer money for the week

[pokerpops]

Glastonbury is always a good week, but this year, with the added benefit of some sunshine and an absence of any mud it was exceptional.
Being part of the Oxfam team that stewards the arrival of workers means that our shifts are completed by Wednesday morning before the gates open to the public and despite being fostered for three night shifts I was up and raring to go on Thursday. The festival site feels so much bigger when the sun shines. It"s more spacious because there is, simply, more space for people to use. This makes for a much more relaxing time and it is so much easier to just wander through the areas up by the railway track and beyond.
Musical highlight was of course being in the front of the crowd for The Stones. If you watched their set on tv and thought it lacked something you"re right. It lacked the other hour and a half that they did. Trust me, from where I stood, they put on a fabulous show.

Poker? Didn"t play any for a fortnight. Not even a HU v Lucy. Which at least saved me another beating.

Returned to action at the G on the following Thursday and the break appears to have done me good. I"m playing a more disciplined style lately and it"s paying off. A succession of final tables and,  i think because I am perceived as reluctant to deal, I"m getting some great deals in terms of equity.
Eg £10rb
Chopped 5ways - stacks 80, 60, 40, 40, and me with 24 . Deal done £230, £210, £190, £190, and I got £180. And they say I never deal.....

Missed out on the money on the £100 last weekend although I did get half my entry back from my 10% swap with Brian and managed to scoop a ridiculous pot on the cash table which more than covered my day.
My decent run in that tournament was derailed by Brian as reported in his Fossil"s Tales. Suffice to say that I took it quietly and shoving Q5ss the next hand wasn"t in any way indicative of me being tilted...


Another deal done on the FT of the Tuesday game where one of the regs who was second at that stage was so keen to deal that four ways he took £400 leaving £435 for two of us and £500 for the monstrous chip leader.
It can"t last forever but while it does I"m happy to keep losing myself in the poker...

This weekend I"m off to Sheffield to steward at Tramlines http://2013.tramlines.org.uk/ but will be driving over to Nottingham this evening to play a live Day1 for the last of the their Summer Deepstacks.
I played online on Monday and made the last 7 but couldn"t quite make the push to be one of the three to progress. I did get my entry refunded though under the 10% rounded down rule hence another shot tonight. I am, I think, much better love than I am online. Making Day 2 would guarantee £300 and give me a shot at £12500 so I"m looking to bring my A game to it tonight.


I"ve rambled on enough.

[Chipaccrual]

Good luck tonight

[Fatcatstu]

Crush it tonight please pops x

[pokerpops]

Crush it tonight please pops x

No crushing occurred.

Managed to get myself to an above average stack when I limped in late position with 88 behind two others, cut off shoved and utg re shoved. I figured that cut off was making a move and that utg was more likely to have AK/AQ type hands and held vs Q7 and AKs flopped an 8 and dodged the inevitable flush draw for Mr AK.

Crippled when calling an allin with QQ vs AJ ( A on flop )
Blind all in next hand with my remaining 1600 and won with J9ss which flopped a flush vs 77
But out the hand after with K 10 inevitably less than A 10.

Had some fun times at G Sheffield on Saturday night though. Their £25 tourney has 20k stack and a steep structure. I late reg"d and picked up chips early with some raises and c-bets and some 3 betting before this happened.
Guy two to my right had just been bemoaning the fact that he"d had aces cracked by 63 the night before when I picked up   and opted to open with it in mid-position. Two callers and a flop of   looked enough for me to c-bet confidently which prompted one caller to shove for 7400 and the other to call.
I re shoved for just shy of the caller and he eventually called too.
I was ahead, but only just because shortstack had   and the other guy had   so I needed to dodge around half the deck...
Happy days on two bricks and shortly after I get moved tables and have a young un to my left with a big stack and decide to take him on. I raise (cards immaterial) and he 3-bets, folds to me and I 4 bet and continue on 10 10 6
He calls, I bet again on the 8 turn and he calls, I jam on the K river and he snaps with 7 9 for the turned straight....

Yin and Yang, Yin and Effing Yang...

Made a quid or two on the £1/£1 table though despite a couple of coolers and the table being 50% occupied by people sitting with the minimum of £20..,

[pokerpops]

Great run from Brian yesterday and although he fell late on I would back him to go really deep in something at this level before too long. I hope to emulate him later as I am off to DTD shortly for Day 2 of the £50 mini deepstack. I have c160k at 3000/6000/1000 which may or may not be enough given that this tournament allows players to merge stacks from multiple day ones. I know that Greek Jack has played more than one and suspect he will have merged and there are likely to be others.
On an "if you can"t beat them, join them" basis I did have a crack at a second day one myself but the 3 way all in with AAvA9vKK foundered on the xKx flop...

In general though, I don"t think the merged stacks idea is good for most of us. It was kind of ok when players had to make the last 10% of the field to make Day 2, and those who did it twice sacrificed their second share of the prize pool, but now it"s 14 levels it feels like there"s an advantage to players with deeper pockets...

[Chipaccrual]

Aces busted in a Mini Deepstack Day 1, I can only imagine how that must feel  

Good luck today sir, win the lot.

[PHIL_TC]

Good luck today sir, win the lot.

+1 x

[pokerpops]

Aces busted in a Mini Deepstack Day 1, I can only imagine how that must feel  

Good luck today sir, win the lot.

Irony in the thread

Leigh raised utg I call from BB with   and flop top pair on Jxx one heart, Leigh c-bets as i expect him to and i call, turn is a heart and I check call another bet, river is a third heart, I lead, Leigh calls...
As I said at the time, I didn"t think he was that strong!!