I played my 4th Portuguese Poker Tour event this weekend at the Vilamoura Casino (home of EPT Vilamoura 2010) on the beautiful Algarve. The weather looked kindly on us (24 degrees and cloudless!!!) and the poker was of a high standard. I was joined by debutant GiftedLV.
The tour is sponsored by Pokerstars and they had 3 Team Pokerstars Pros playing amongst the 202 runners
It"s a slightly different format from APAT in that you get 5000 chips for a 110 euro buy-in with one re-buy (50 euro for 5000 chips) and one add on (50 euro for 5000 chips) allowed up to the end of the 2nd level. Each level is 35 mins.
Play is fairly brisk in this initial period as many risks are taken, but as level 3 starts things calm down a bit.
I didn"t really get an awful lot to play with cards wise, but I managed to keep an average stack up to level 5. I got lucky when raising with
and the short stack shoving all-in, which I call, he shows
but a lucky 10 comes on the flop and I"m up to 25k. Levels 6 and 7 come and go without much happening for me but in level 8 I get
and raise the big blind of 600 to 1700. I get re-raised to 5800 and it folds to me. The guy shoving has been very active so I decided to make a stand and shove all-in, which he insta-calls. He shows
and gets no help, so I"m up to 47k.
Levels 10,11 and 12 start to whittle the field significantly with "all-in and a call" seemingly a permanent chorus and before I know it there are just 50 left. It"s now level 14 and blinds are now 2500/5000 with a 500 ante and I have 55k which is average.
We are now told that we are playing down to 30 players before ending the days play which is estmated at the end of level 15.
Soon after starting this level I raise with AK and get a shove from the short stack which I call and he shows AQ and gets no help so I"m up to 75k. I don"t really get much more to play with but the 30th and 29th players go out in a 3 way all in pot, thus ending the session with me sitting in 12th place with 79k. The average is now 92k but there are 3 masssive stacks of 150k plus which distorts, thing slightly.
Off to bed and then back on Sunday for the shoot out.
Blinds are now 4000/8000 with an 800 ante so it"s 18,400 an orbit on our 8 man table. I am in seat 2 with the one remaining Pokerstars Pro in seat 4.
The money starts at 25th place, so with only 3 to go out before the cash, the shortest stacks play pretty tight to start with but we lose 2 more in this level and it"s one more for the money. I"m down to 60k and with the BB 2 deals from me, and the blinds now being 5000/10000 with a 1k ante, things are looking dodgy. Then the words "all-in and a call" ring out again and we all stop to see our bubble boy lose with AQ against AA. Sighs of relief all round. Now we can play. It"s not the amount of money, it"s just satisfying to get a reward for 14 hours play.
I get AK the next hand and with 22k in the pot already I shove my last 58k and it gets through so back up to 80k. We are now losing a few shorties and we are down to 20 on 2 tables. I then get KK again and raise from 12000 to 28000 hoping for a shove which I get. It folds to me and I call. He shows AJ and gets no help, so i"m upto 127k. A few hands later the utg shoves his last 60k and I have QQ. I call and flop a set. I now have 214k and am 4th.
3 more players bust and we are down to 14 when I try to steal the blinds from the cut off with Q7 but get shoved on and have to fold, so down to 187k. We are now down to 11 players and the FT bubble.
I couple of orbits go by with me getting nothing at all and others making large raises and with just 120k left now, and blinds of 15000/30000/3000 ante, I shove all in with A9 from utg. It folds round to the Pro who dwells up and then calls. This now puts him very short as well, he shows A7.
The 50 or so railers now watching give a collective groan as the flop comes 8 4 2 and a J on the turn. I get a smile from my friend Bruno Rilho (capt of team Portugal in APAT 2009 team comp and Pokerpt winner this year in February) but this disappears when the river is a 7..........
The railers go wild, but in fairness they calm quickly as they see my face and realising how lucky their man had been, offer a generous round of applause. I get some really nice comments from the other players which will hopefully help next time round.
Whilst I am obviously gutted to go out like that, the event is very well organised and I think many APATers would enjoy the experience. The Marina in Vilamoura has many lively bars, hotels and restaurants and is fun place to be and is only 15 mins from Faro airport. I will post the 2011 schedule here when it is released in December.
