4 September 2012 - Aspers Newcastle, 5 seats guaranteed Satellite to UKIPT Newcastle ME
I arrived to register around 15 minutes before the advertised start time and was #6 on the list. "We need 15 to run it" I"m told. "It should happen, but we can"t start without 15 in".
Eventually at around 8.20 we have 20 runners and we"re off, still 5 seats guaranteed and if only they"d taken my suggestion and locked the doors this might be a very different report.
The numbers continued to grow and by the end of the buyin period there were 43, no overlay and a 6th prize of £550.
I exited in 30th after an eventful night in what is possibly the poorest environment for poker that I have experienced to date. I know I"m spoilt at the moment. My recent long hours at the table have been at DTD which sets the bar pretty high for the rest; at G Stockton where the levels of service are great and the failings in organisation can be smiled off because of the personality and keenness of the staff; and at Rileys where the game is small, "ours", and not to be taken too seriously.
The buy in was £50+£5 with an option of one rebuy and an add-on. Starting stack and rebuy of 5k and an add-on of 8k meant that even for those who didn"t need a rebuy this was effectively a £100/£150 tournament.
Self-dealt.
That"s right folks,
Self-dealt.
My starting table would have sat through the first level with the cards till spread across the centre had I not volunteered. So away we go.
I lose a few chips, win a few chips and eventually, having raised 77 from the cut off and HU v button I check raised an A high flop. Led the turn and jammed the no flush no straight river - he called, for 2/3 his stack with the words "I can beat one pair but I"m out-kicked so often here..." A 7. Nice hand sir.
I take my rebuy. Chip up with three streets of small value with KJ on a K high board with a stubborn caller showing down K4, and again when my AQ outkicks A9 and then, last hand before the break, I make a dealer error. I fail to see that there is a third player in a hand that I thought was just me and one other... It gets messy and the story won"t be told here. Suffice to say it was my fault and it had an impact on me. Had I not already passed over my add-on money I probably wouldn"t have played on. Play on I did, however, but when one of the cardroom staff arrived asking for "Next big blind" I opted not to take "dealers privilege" and to move.
I was calming down now, someone else was dealing and I breathed deeply and settled in for the duration. Still 40 runners at this stage, so it was going to be a long haul, but I had an above average stack with plenty of playability.
Had little to work with on this table and resorted to some creative 3betting and opening. I was picking up chips but missed a tonne of value when 3betting Mr Tight with
and seeing a flop of
. He checked, I bet (WHY WHY WHY?) he folded.
Ran into the most surprising set of Queens ever for around half my stack and finally jammed around 8 bigs with K 10 from cut off to be called by AJ. K on the flop, but the A on the river sent me home.
How did I feel about that I hear you ask...
In a word, relieved.
As I drove home I was, truly, relieved not to be faced with a noon start tomorrow and 12 x 1hr levels of deepstack poker. I know that were I playing I"d have looked for the zest and energy, and I"d have tried for the focus and the commitment. Especially had I played it on a staked basis. BUT, I don"t believe I"d have found that zest, nor would I have summoned up the focus. The last few weeks have been long and tiring and UKIPT Newcastle would have been a bridge too far.
So they will have to muddle on without my involvement. I"m sure that Liv, Vicky and the rest of the field will breathe a huge sigh of relief to hear that.
Looks like it"s a weekly donation to the "nobbers" then. Or a break for a few days to recharge the batteries.
