In the beginning

[nosey-p]

Have just looked at the beginning of this blog and allot of my posts have vanished, any ideas?

[Chipaccrual]

Have just looked at the beginning of this blog and allot of my posts have vanished, any ideas?

Censored to protect the innocent

On a serious note, when the forum was migrated to a new version, we sort of lost some posts.  They are retrievable if requested so they will be visible again.  Just drop Matt a message and he"ll add them to the list of ones to do.

Sorry about that Wayne.  Technology hey ?

[nosey-p]

Have just looked at the beginning of this blog and allot of my posts have vanished, any ideas?

Censored to protect the innocent

On a serious note, when the forum was migrated to a new version, we sort of lost some posts.  They are retrievable if requested so they will be visible again.  Just drop Matt a message and he"ll add them to the list of ones to do.

Sorry about that Wayne.  Technology hey ?

ok Leigh, thanks for letting me know, it would be good to get them back

[nosey-p]

With all this talk about the Team Championships (I wont be there) I thought I would cheer myself up by planning my schedule for the WCOAP. Since it moved to Stratford I have not played in it so looking forward to playing it. The one game I cannot wait to play is Razz, never played it live so this will be my highlight of the week, what day is it on O wait it's not on the schedule. With the disappointment of the Razz I look to see what else takes my fancy. Horse is the next on my list Wednesday at 2.00 means I will need to take a day off work so I put my request in and it gets rejected due to other staff being off. So on to plan C the main event, Day C is my choice but then the Mrs says I cannot play that day due to other commitments. I also cannot play on the first Saturday so that leaves me with the Sundays,   thankfully they is a day 1 on the first Sunday. So the plan is play the main event (Day 1A) then hopefully day 2 and 3 but if I do not make day 2 then I will play the Pot Limit Omaha High/Low.

Good luck to anyone playing in Blackpool, I'm going to miss it, it's the best tournament of the season and it's going to be the first time I"ve missed it for 6 years. YPC was not lucky enough to get in this year.   

[nosey-p]

WCOAP 2017 (Part One)

As already said in previous posts, I was looking forward to playing the WCOAP now it was back up north but due to work and other commitments I was only able to play over the Bank Holiday weekend. The plan was to play the main on the Saturday then if/when out play the Hi/Lo on the Sunday then if/when out jump into the cash game.

In the run up to the WCOAP I played a 25p sat which turned in to a £5 then a £30 and the a £110 seat. I also won a £55 seat with APAT last year which meant that I was freerolling the weekend.

Since it only cost me 25p, the plan was to play the main very loose and build a big stake (which we all try to do) or bust out so I could play the Hi/Low on the Sunday.

The main started and the plan was going well, not getting a stake but on the way to busting. In the first 2 levels I was in a lot of pots but all loosing ones and before I knew it I was down to 14K (20k starting). But more importantly I was playing out of my comfort zone and I was not enjoying it. So I could continue with this strategy which would probable lead to me to busting before the first break or revert to my normal game.

Back in my comfort zone I started to recover very slowly (always behind the average) but feeling like I was in control. I had been in the same seat and with some goings a comings of people, the table settled down and some good banter started to flow. By early evening my chips was still behind the average but I was not in the danger zone when a incident happened.

I had to take a comfort break and on returning to my seat the dealer was still dealing the cards but my first card had already been dealt. Upon sitting down the 1st position player made it 3k and said to me “you are out of this hand” I had not looked yet at my cards, and asked the deal to which he said “you are ok to play as I was still dealing when you sat down” I looked at my cards AQ then went on to call. The other guy then kicked off about this, (everyone else folded). Before the flop he kept on saying this is wrong and I should not be in the hand. The flop came down Ace rag rag, before he made any action I said “to keep things friendly if he checked it down so will I” He did not accept this and fired another 3k. With this I put him on a Ace so unless he had a King I was confident that I was a head. But I still said to him I will check it down if he wanted to, and called his 3k. He then went it to over drive about how I should not be in the hand. Turn was check check, river was a Q now I knew I was miles ahead but he checked and true to my word I checked. He showed A J, when I turned over the A Q he went on and on about how I should not be in the hand and kept on at the dealer that he was wrong. The dealer ask for the floor to confirm the ruling, the TD backed up the dealer by saying I was right to continue with the hand.

The rest of the table could not believe that I checked it down and that I could easily had taken this guy out (which would have boosted my chips considerably) but in the APAT spirit thought that checking it down was the right thing to do. The guy soon quieten down when he got his chips back from another player.

The night continued and I'm still behind the average but had a good read on the table and my chips was on the up, the chat was flowing and I was really enjoying myself. In particular with a  young guy in seat one (I'm in seat 4) who had been up and down in chips but had managed to forage ahead and was the table leader. When the dreaded call comes “Next big blind please follow me” which was me, so after 10 levels I had to move table for the last 2 levels of the day.

I didn't know anyone on the new table but after a few hands it was plain to see that they all was trying to see the day out and make day 2. Very little flops was being seen it was either all fold or one raise then all fold. Right from the first hand of the day I was always behind the average but had enough to take through to day 2 with about 75k, however I saw this table as an opportunity to take down the blinds and get over 100k, well that was the plan only the rest of the table didn't see it that way and every time I made a play I got shoved on. As we entered the final 1/2 hour of the day me chips had dwindled down to 50K so it was time to twist or stick. Is 25 big blinds ok for day 2? That was the question I was asking myself, normally I would say yes but with the Hi/Lo the next day (which was a game I really wanted to play) I wasn't sure. 

I decided to fold my way to day 2 with the intention of playing fast to chip up or bust so I could play the Hi/Lo. The fly in the ointment was that the Hi/Lo started an hour before day 2 started (with a 2 hour late reg) which gave me just an hour of late reg or a possibility of multi-tabling but don't think that playing a Holdem and a Omaha Hi/Lo at the same time was a good idea.       

[nosey-p]

So we have made day 2 with 25 bigs, looking at the web site it's not actually in bad shape, yes theirs some big stacks but I'm in the mix. I decided to forget about the Hi/Lo and concentrate on the main.

I get to the casino to be told that the seat draw had been done and I was sat next to the chip leader who was Paul    Haycock (on my right) and JP Round to his right. I sore this as a positive, I need chips and there's plenty on my table. Before the game started I ran in to the young guy from day one, he was very hyper and looking forward to the day ahead. He had manage to chip up to 140k and was in the top 5. But then is excitement turned in to despair has he was told that he had been withdrawn from the game, the reason being that he had played in the Main 1B and with this not being a re-entry, he was disqualified. He was not a regular APAT'er in fact I think it was his first and said he did not know about not being a re-entry but how did the poker desk allow this to happen?  

The main starts and I settle down to play passive /aggressive, fold until i get aces then get a double up from Paul well that was the plan, only before I even get the seat warm the table broke. The new table was full of unknowns (apart from Linda) but continued with my plan. For the next 2/3 levels it was fold fold fold  since I was card dead. By now the bubble was in site but I would not get there with me chips now being about 12 bigs. Then came what I was waiting for AA and I get the double. I could have now just shut down and make the cash but instead I go on the attack picking up some small pots uncontested. We are down to about 35 with 27 getting paid, I have about 100k and the blinds are 3k/6k. The play starts to slow down as people start to see the money, so I start to be more loose unfortunately every time I play a hand some one has a better hand. This is an example, on the button with AQ so raise it, SB shoves, I had already decided that I was calling but the BB (who was table leader) also pushed, after some time I folded to see SB had JJ and BB had KK. If I had called the JJ I would have been out.

The bubble seem to take ages with all ins but no calls including myself, eventually the bubble burst and we are in the money but not in good shape down to 12 bigs again. New table and the first hand I get KK in first position, made 2.5 raise but no takers. The blinds are now 5k/10k I have 120k, on the button I look down to see A rag, with the SB having about 100k and the BB being table leader.  My thought process to this had is that the SB has just gone thought the blinds and therefore does not need to play the had unless having a big hand. The BB has loads of chips but will not be willing to put them at risk unless he as a big hand. I could have done this play with any 2 cards but having the ace helped so I push. SB thinks then calls BB folds. I was expecting to see a pocket pair or AK, AQ. He had A 10 which surprised me. Yes has it happened he was in good shape but for me it was a poor call. After this hand I had 2 bigs, a few hands later I was out (cannot remember the exit hand).

The positives of this game is this was my 3rd cash in 4 main events finishing 3rd, 10th and now 20th. Which I think shows that I have the game for the longer format but I'm always grinding short stakes, something I'm going to have to work on.

Even though I have been playing for over 10 years now I still class myself as a novice since I only play 3/4 or 5 live games a year, but looking back at the game a think I played at my top, tried to mix things up but when it was not working reverted to my normal play and grinded my way back into the game. Looking at the A rag hand I think I played it correctly, the A 10 was a loose call (in my opinion) and would make the same play again.

So that's another APAT season over with, o no it's not we have the online, now that's another story.................