All kinds of Everything

A good bit has happened since my last proper post. One of those things that has happened since is that I had a long post wrote on the satellite to the EPM but of course blogspot decided to crash and become unavailable when I tried to publish it. Always keep a backup, people.

As mentioned, I won a ticket to play in the European Poker Masters and I was looking forward to this. The day arrived and I had taken Friday off to ensure I had a good sleep in before it. When I got to the SE to register at around 2pm I seen Eric Seidel at a table reading a book, Howard Lederer standing at the bar talking, and Mike Matusow doing an interview on camera. I was getting excited at this point. Reading the media waivers and T's & C's amused me somewhat, especially the part that said some thing like 'The Poker Channel has all rights to this broadcast throughout the Universe on all current and yet to be devised forms of media'. I can just imagine the interplanetery lawsuit that might erupt is the denizens of Persius 5 broadcast this over Christmas.

Anyways, on to the tourney. There were 75 runners I think and the following were some of the names in this.

Mike Matusow
Eric Seidel
Howard Lederer
Allen Cunningham
Chris Ferguson
Clonie Gowan
Gavin Smith
Dave Colclough
Andy Black
Liam Flood
John McGill
Peter Roche
A few other notables that I can't think of the names of, as well as a good few other pros of the lesser well known variety.

My first table though consisted of entirely Irish palyers, most of which I had played with before, so it was a strange start. I didn't get too involved in the first level and then our table broke and I got moved into the seat Peter Roche had been occupying at a table that included Howard Lederer, Eric Seidel and Alan Smurfit (of the K Club clan). I think during my first hour at the table I didn't play a hand. In the following 2 before the dinner break I think I played about 5 hands, all of which I won and took me to a stack of about 15k at the first break. We started with 10k and 60 minute levels.

The second hand back after the break was when I got involved in my first big pot. Blinds are 100/200 and I am in the BB. Two EP limpers, SB calls and I check my option with K9 spades. The flop comes a beautiful As8s5s which is checked around. The turn comes 3s and I bet 400 which is raised to 2k by the SB (he check raised me!!). I think and flat call it. River is 6s, so there are 2 unlikely straight flush draws out there (2s4s or 4s7s), but I was not unduly worried about this. SB bets 4k into me, I raise it to 10k (which I thought put him all in but as it turned out he had me covered. I had only about 12k in total behind) and he shoves all in which I call. He shows the QsJd and says 'oh you have the king'. Nice donation.

That put me in good shape and the other key hand of the day for me came when I was in the BB (600) also with about 30k. It was folded to the SB (300 - he covers me), and before I looked I told him there was no shame in folding. He calls anyhow and I look at 66. With the blinds and antes (75) there is 1500 in the pot, so I make it 1800 more to play which is called. Flop comes a lovely 568r. He checks, I lead for 2500, he calls. Turn is another 8. He leads for 3k, I make it 8k. I meant to raise to about 10k, but jsut took an arbitrary amount of chips. He calls. River is a 10. He leads for 5k into about a 27k pot which is very strange I think. I have only about 17k behind at this point and did contemplate pushing, but quickly decided a call was the sensible course of action. He showed 84 soooted and my sixes full take down a nice put. I was in cruise control after that, winning small pots, getting to a high of about 50k. I finish the day though on 45k which put me second in chips overnight, albeit in a very bunched field.

The most embarrassing incident of the day happened only a short time before play ended. I raised from the CO with AKs and it got round to the BB. I was seating in seat 8 (8 handed, so beside the dealer) and started talking to the BB about a hand earlier when he thought he dogged me when I had fuck all in fact. He folded anyhow and I said to him "OK, I'll show you just this once", and proceeded to show my AK. What I only realised when the others at the table started looking and acting shocked is that Howard Lederer had called from the small blind. Oops. A ruling was given that I was not allowed to bet at any point in the hand, only call. Flop comes T high with 3 hearts. Howard bets he turn which is a J and I of course can't call. It was an embarrassing incident, but these things happen occasionally. It just goes to prove that you should always be alert. The most comical aspect of it is that this incident, at 12.30am, on the 7th level of the day, is the first hand I have shown all day when not required to.........

I was in good shape starting day 2, but I got a horrendous run of cards and got blinded down somewhat, and losing a 30k with ATs vs shorties KJo all in preflop didn't help either. When it got down to about 18 players or so I was in trouble and hanging in. Some how though I managed to survive without ever being all in and knocked Andy Black (shortstack) out along the way. I only surpassed my initial chip total for the day in the last 15 mins of play, so that shows what a struggle it was.

I had made the final table!!!!!!

The final table took place not in the SE, where the rest of the event took place, but in the Royal Colelge of Physicians. It was a mad experience, what with filling out a questionairre, doing a pre tournament interview, 2 post tournament interviews, and wearing a heart monitor and a microphone during play. Everything was different. The cards were bigger, the chips were much bigger, there was a glass sheet to put your cards on so the camera could see. There was a dude with a microphone announcing when someone raised (Mel Judah or else Barry who had done the first 2 days), and we were sitting at one of those semi circular tables. We had to do a walk on for the cameras one by one to audience applause.

I actually thought it would be more nerve wracking than it was, but to be honest it was little different when we got down to it. There were a few teething difficulties along the wy, such as starting an hour late, stopping for 10 mins after 3 hands and having to get the cameras looked at a couple of other times, but after the initial hiccups it went smoothly enough.

The final table lineup and approx chip counts were as follows.

1: Dave Colclough 222k
2: Thomas Trings 22.5k
3: Me 58k
4: Tony Baitson 108k
5: Adrian Walshe 120k
6: Alan Smurfit 51k
7: Vera Duffy 6.5k
8: Thomas Wahlroos 169k

The blinds were reset to 1k/2k/200 for the first 30 mins, instead of the 2k/4k/500 we ended at the night before. I made my usual folding start, and it was about a round of the table in when I won my first hand, stealing the blinds. I did this a few times, getting called prefop twice, both times winning with a flop bet, once with an overpair, once with a missed K high on an A high board. The highest I got in the entire tournament was about 70k I believe.

Th crucial hand came for me when I raised with AQd on the button to 10k (1500/3k/300) and Tony on the SB goes all in straight away. Tony had just lost a big pot a few hands ago so I knew a few things.

1. He had a fairly wide range. Any pair, and decent A, possible even decent suited connectors.
2. He knew I wouldn't call unless I had a genuine hand.
3. I was in good shape against his range.
4. He might have thought it was just a button raise.

It was an easy enough call getting nearly 2/1 on the rest of my chips based on the above and he flipped 44 over. I missed and am on life support at this point with only 10k left. We go on a break at this point which I wasn't overjoyed about, as I knew I only had 3 hands at most left so I wanted to get it over with one way or another. When we came back, on the 2nd hand I pick up TT which is loads good enough, so I ship my small stack in. Thomas W reraises to keep Dave Colclough out, and after a think Dave does fold.

Thomas shows KQo and we are in another race. The fop comes all low - lovely - but with 3 hearts and he has the K of hearts, so nasty. The turn is another low red cards, but a diamond and the river is the killer A hearts to give him the nuts, and I am out. Ah well.

In a way I was happy enough because I didn't do anything wrong, I just didn't win a race. Mostly I was gutted though. Very gutted. With 85.5k for first it was disappointing to come away with 6,750. I know that is a nice sum of money and a nice profit on 315 etc etc, but I am sure that most of the readers of this know where I am coming from, as opposed to a load of other people who interpret me saying I was gutted as the same thing as saying "I don't want 6750 at all".

I am on a good run lately, and am feeling confident in my game. I also promised myself that if I cashed in the EPM I would play in the GJP festival main event which is a hefty €1000+75 entry, so I am going to play in that. By way of preparation I play my first Fitz tournie in 2 weeks last night, the €150 freezeout, and for good measure split it 3 ways with Ray and Dennis for 1100 each, so that is Drogheda taken care of :)

I'll report on my Drogheda game at some point too.

Bye now.