2009 so far
I had a good start to 2009, came 2nd in a tournament on titan for just under $400 bucks which was nice, quickly withdrew half and paid off some credit card! Played really solid, heads up was over in a flash tho! But for a day off sick at work I made more playing poker than I would have at work for that day!! If only I did that every day and I could be a poker bum.
I continued to play on Tournaments on titan made it deep in 4 out of 6 of them but no big cashes im afraid, but I must have been doing something right! Decided to play some cash games on titan 0.25/0.50 blinds, won $100 dollars, so cashed it out to pay for APAT uk Champ online event.Played a big hand to win all the money I had pocket 10"s, I made a standard rase to $1.50, got reraise from limper, to $4.50 I call flop come 64J, not a bad flop, limper bets pot I reraise double bet to see where im , he flat calls. Like **** king on the turn, he checks I check, River is a blank he shoves all in for $30, I tank strange hand, so decide I have put plenty in the pot and make the call just didn't think this guy was strong, don't know why. But the pot shipped my way Wooohooo. Look at hand history guy had 7 2 im like what the ****!!
Play the next day on titan, down $200 dollars on cash games some sick rivers and had to lay down some big hands.
So I decided to take the rest on cash out of titan and hop back on the fulltilt wagon.I qualified for the sky poker event in Edinburgh, hadn't played live in months, so me and mate decided to go along to local casino for freezout for wee bit of practise. Came 4th out of 50 runners some cash in pocket and bit on confidence for sky event! I doubled up first hand crazy manic loud mouth ****** raised my blind, I look at pocket
blind at 25/50 he makes stupid raise to 400 I decide to call. I say to dealer "flop me a set", the magical first card out 9, the can"t remember other cards. I tap the table guy shoves allin for 5400 chips more, I snap call. He shows queen jack of diamonds, for no pair but a back door flush draw. Diamond on the turn, the whole table shouts no diamond, 3 of clubs pops off pot comes my way, there is always a sweat!!
Next big hand 6 limpers in pot, my moto is punish the limpers. I look down at a ace/king in big blind, I think perfect " Raisie Daisy". I raise to 1000, blinds are 100/200. All fold except the button, the flop comes 569 all diamonds. I check big blind shoves all in for around 4000, I tank and think though possible hand, I say out load I think you made terrible play with like black queens limping into a 5 way pot and the diamonds scared you. So I have ace king two over's and nut diamond draw so i say call. I am not ****ting you he turns over two black queens! whole table goes crazy. I don't know why I put him on that type of hand but I did. Turn was a diamond and I rake pot, NICE!!
Just some standard poker to the final table, when out on a semi bluff, I bet every street, was open-ended on the turn. Player calls my river shove with and under pair to the board. Either a great call or a crazy call! I think he had just decided to play the hand through no matter what!! But I was annoyed i went out on a bluff not my favourite play!!
Well now on to Edinburgh Sky Poker Event, after 1hr or so at table spotted a few week link early door, reraise the player i had spotted and they folded every time. Seemed like a fairly passive table tho. Player directly on my left and right seemed pretty solid. But had manic young guy who I was desperate to trap with a big hand.No big hand really early doors took down some fairly small pots. Key hand came on a blind battle, me small, big blind and button where in pot. All limped in I have 10 7 off blind 100/200, Flop come 10 7 J to spades, but of a scary flop/ action flop. I check, big blind bets the pot, button call"s. So i have 2pair, i was planning the check raise. So I repop for and additional 1000, big blind calls and button folds. Turn is a king but no spade, but does complete a straight, but I think I'm still ahead, I bet half pot big blind shoves for 2500 more, im priced to call and have outs if he has straight. He shows King Queen spades. So he has top pair, 2nd nut flush draw and straight draw, soooooo many cards to make his hand. Good old ACE on the river to complete his straight, me down to 2500 chips.Break in 10 min need to try get some chips, didn't really happen but up to, 3200 at first break.
Double up required, due to my passive table I thought my best option to try steel the blind and ante was to get my chips in first, hoping not to run into a big hand as my table only seemed to want to play big hand. This tactic work every time, raises from late position where respected which helped me build my stack. Got up to around 7000 chips so felt nice to be able to play some hands again, as i felt I could work my table. Finally got the hand I wanted against supper aggressive player, he raised my blind I look at cards 10 9 diamonds, nice hand to see a flop. Flop comes 10 6 8 two diamonds. Perfect couldn't have asked for a better board well maybe 10109 would have been nice, but this one will do. I decide I need to build a pot so I bet 3/4 of the pot guy reraises so I do some Hollywood and shove the rest of my stack in the middle. I get a quick call guy shows Ace 8, just what I wanted against this player!! Turn and River where none eventful, I take pot. Now its time to play poker blinds 200/400 plus ante. Chip stack now around the 13000 mark.
Dinner break soon!10 min before break get moved to new table the action table, with one of the Sky Poker players on it! Time for some decent starting hands hopefully. 2 hands in Sky players raises in early position to 2000 folded to me in big blind I look down at Ace King so I rerasie to 4500, he folds break time.Pretty card dead for two rounds but made button raises that got thought to make my stack continue. Big hand to come sky player pushes for 3600 total, folded to button who call, it looked like he didn't want to make the call, I look down at ace king so I decide time to reraise and get some chips make it 6000 more putting button allin, button looks pissed but calls. Sky player has queen 3, button Ace Jack and me Ace King. King on the flop games set match. Chips my way perfect up to about 27000 chips.
Few rounds of rasies and take down blinds and ante a few times. Blind up to 800/1600 plus ante. I limp with king queen diamonds mid to late position. Small blind completes big blind checks. Flop comes ace queen 6, checked to me I bet just under pot small blind raise but not enough to get me off my hand so I call. Turn come a a diamond so I'm flushing now aswell as my queen, which I'm not to fond of after player raises with ace on board. small blind bet 6000 under half the pot I seen it was a weak tester bet to see where he was. I decide now or never, so I ship my chips in the middle and he quickly folds saying " I had no kicker with it" guess I got away with that one. But none the less up to about 42000 chips, great result after been down to 2500. Sitting pretty chipped up near the top of the chips counts I think.
Few uneventful rounds later not seen a big pair in 5 hours play sucked. Blind where now at 1500/3000/300 getting pretty expensive to play now. Players hitting the rail thick and fast. Next hand was the killer, Blind Vs blind I look down at ACE 10 should be ahead for most other hands in big blind. Player in big blind is pretty lose playing lot of hand showing some pretty weak hand. So I decide to limp hoping for the trap, he kindly obliges and raises to 6000 right on que. I then reraise to 16000, he snap shoves " Phil Helmuth Style". Dam I tank for quite a while I have him covered will only have say 8000 left if I call. Really this is make of break. I cut the chips out for the call. Had had so many though on what he could have but I decided to fold and he shows queens, I sill have enough chips back continue to play. I sort of which I had called his initial raise to see a flop but that could have got me in a lot of trouble if a 10 popped off. I don't mind my play here a bit unlucky for the guy to have a monster.
29 players left bubble burst at 20 not long till cash. I have a few uneventful rounds at table, had a few hand I should have shoved with but I guess I had the money in my mind. If im honest I wish I would have shoved! Bubble burst I'm on big blind button raises, I have King 6 they have jacks I flopped open ended and miss out in 20th £65 in pocket. Played a pretty solid game made a few mistakes but all in all was pretty happy how I played would have been nice to make top 10 for seat to bigger event. But hey!!Well on to apat online event.
UK online Champs, played really solid for first few levels got up to 20000 chips, then was card dead for best part of 50 min got really impatient, which is not good in poker. Got jacks but layed them down to two allins in front off me. Few had later have pocket
, player in question was pushing in a lot I decide to call for around 6500 chips, terrible call in my mind now at best I was raising and had 4 players behind me to act. I lost that pot to kings bad play!! few hand later have 11000 left so still ok I raise with ace king player directly on left pushed for 6000 more and I call. They show queen I miss they win. Out a few hands later. Was pretty pissed at how I played more patience required I think!!! Turned out to be a pretty controversial tourney in the end. Not really in APAT style. The structure has been tweaked so should be good for the welsh.
First APAT league game, great great great, the banter in the chat box was good. Really enjoyed it went out in 16th just before the money and the points bit of a crapshoot in the end but I belive the structure is been changes as well. Key hand to note sorry Eck my flopped set Jacks beat Eck"s Flopped set 9"s. Set over set nice. But great event miner adjustments will make it even better.Last few week online have been fairly uneventfully been playing cash and tourneys up a little but not too much.
P.s I have had ace"s cracked 3 times today it sucks big time!!!Now that's me pretty much got up date with where I'm at for poker a that moment. I'm around $470 up for the year so far doing ok but wanting a big win soon! I hope I haven't bored us with my ramble.
P.S Sorry for me awful spelling have no idea how I managed a honours degree! oh yeah spell check, couldn't get the dam thing to work on this!
