Wednesday, April 02, 2008

Irish Open mostly

I decided to play the second start day at the Irish Open for a few reasons, none of which are really interesting enough to put in print, but that was indeed the day I started. We kicked off knowing there was a big overlay of around €200k, so that was a bit of a boost to start with. My start table was badly designed for me, with two of the most competent players at it directly to my left, including Derek Murray who amassed a big stack early through some nice presents. I also had Thomas Dunwoody, the guy who finished 3rd at my start table as well.

It started off quite well, and within 30 mins I had my 10k stack up to 11.5k, and would have been over 13k had my KJ on a flop of KKJ not lost to A6, and my AQ not lost to 9T (of Dunwoody) when I raised preflop, checked behind on a flop of J96 turned an A and bet it to get called, and checked behind on a river T. After that I was stuck near starting stack for an age. In the first level or two I got AQ about 4 times, JJ about 3 times and TT, 99 a couple of times as well, and I got AK once in this time. The last couple of hours at this table were very card dead, and then I got a bad beat by being moved to one of the later eating tables instead of the early eating tables - I was starved.

Our table got broke just before lunch as I mentioned above, with no real drama involving me, and my new table looked an altogether tougher proposition. I recognised a few faces at it, Namir from the Fitz, Paul Leckey, Runit Somiaya and Fran Egan was there as well. Not long afterwards, Julian Thew got moved there as well, as did Sylvester Geoghgan (sp?). I was extremeyl card dead here as well (a theme throughout) and I doubt I showed down more than a couple of checked BB or SB hands before my brief burst of action. I was staying just below average most of the time and in no real rush as blinds were still low. I raised with 88 on this occasion to 1900 (300/600/50), and the BB pushed for just under 6k. Getting just over 2/1, and sick of folding, I made a reluctant call and was shown QQ. No miracle and I was down to just over 8k. Next hand I make the same opening raise with 99 this time, and get reraised by Rumit Somiaya. At this point I am certainly not laying it down and it's either double up or bust, being in the last level of the day. I won a race against AQ and got back to average nearly.

Then I stole a few k in a battle of the blinds. On a 984 flop, holding 95 I bet out 1000 and got raised to 2600 (I think). I call. Turn comes an 8, and despite it being a fairly risky strategy, I think this is a good card for me so I bet 4k, knowing this guy is a reasonable player and shouldn't make a call without an 8 (or better), and I had 10k behind in case of a disaster push from him which I couldn't call. He folded saying he had J9, and I duly told him I had K9, so nh etc etc. I ended up the day within touching distance of average and was delighted with the end of days play as I had manufactured a reasonable stack from no cards and very little showdown poker, which I couldn't play as I had no cards to do so with. It was incredible how bad the cards were, and surely couldn't be that bad on day two I told myself.

So I thought!!!! My redraw had Glen McCabe (northern guy, good player) and Neil Channing (eventual winner) directly to my left. Also at the table was the well dressed Norwegian who was one of the chip leaders after day 1 with 90k. I started off patiently, bleeding blinds and then I stole a couple of blinds, careful never to go after the same blinds too often (this is something I am paranoid about as I know it irks me when it happens to me until I play back). I definitely did not want to get played back at with the cards I had. A couple of moves went wrong and suddenly I was down to 10000 ish with blinds at 500/100 and about to go up. I played a few hands differently, seeing flops out of position, and stop and going when uncoordinated flops came up, and also by stealing a bit more, and by the time this table broke 30 mins later, I was up to 30k without showing down a hand.

My new table was a lot more unfamiliar to me in terms of faces, but there were aggressive young American players either side of me. I was quite active at this table getting some reasonable raising hands in position, but between one thing and another lost 6k in the first 30 mins or so there when this happened. Early position raise to 4500 (800/1500/100). This guy had lost the last pot after being bluffed out of it, and he also wore a PPP qualifier shirt and seemed unfamiliar with a poker table. this combination, allied to the fact that we now had a similar number of chips, led me to push for 24kish with AQ from the SB. 24k was an awkward stack size there as I couldn't raise without committing more than half my stack, plus I would have been happy taking it there. Surpisingly though, after a think, he called with AJ and when no miracle happened I had doubled up to 51k (almost average again which was 53k). Happy days. A while later I am back to around 35k after a few misadventures, when the TD comes over and says next BB, moving to the TV table, and lo and behold, who should that be but myself.

After about a 15 minute delay for form filling, getting mic'ed up, and waiting til a break in play, I got to sit down. There were a few familiar faces there in Smurph, Padraig Parkinson and Conor Tait, and most of the table besides a short stack Smurph, had me covered. I get a raise with 88 UTG through, and then Padraig sweats me down after I reraise his raise from the button. He thinks for ages, asks how much I have left, counts out a raise, talks some more, then eventually folds. He had 72o I saw later. Tbh, although I wanted him to fold, it was hardly the most nerve wracking experience of my life - I am used to being given the big think at poker tables at this point. My defining point at this table though was when I called an all in for half my stack with AQ, only for Conor Tait to think and fold showing 99. The flop came A94 and would have killed me stone dead, but as it was I knocked out shortie with QT, so happy days. After this point things went wrong for me. Here is an update I put on boards at the time, which also includes some issues I had away from cards.

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Oh god I'm drained. 16 hours of poker, and I have not seen AA, KK or QQ, and AK only once. I was down to 11k at one point, got it up to 30k without a showdown (would have been behind if called nearly every time). I am so card dead it is siiiick, but still in (just).

I got AQ a few times today (as you may have seen) and doubled up and knocked someone out with it. I was up to near 90k with the average at 65k or so, but the blinds were 2k/4k at that stage. I got a few raises snapped off and the blinds took their toll.

Lol, 13.5k left with blinds at 4/8/1k tomorrow. Two all in wins needed to be respectable. Turning into an awful crapshoot though. I have a couple of complaints. Firstly, we were playing 6 handed on the feature table for about 20 mins despite repeated requests for players, we were playing 7 handed most of the rest of the time, and I was there for over 2 hours (including nearly an hour after they stopped filming). Play was stopped several times, once for well over 5 mins, clock running all the time. On the bubble they were playing hand for hand on 9 tables, but the clock was still running. It took 20 mins for 2 hands to be played at one point when I think the clock should be stopped, and the blinds went up during this point. We were ready to go at 2k/4k (I was sb) with 3 mins left in the level, but didn't start until 3 mins into the next level when we had to put in the extra for the new level and ante.

This is the worst bit. At one point during this delay I stood up and moved about 3 feet from my table, no action at surrounding tables, all waiting. I was told by one of the staff (blonde woman with no sense of humour at all I learned a few times over the weekend) to sit in my seat or I would get a time penalty. I asked was she serious and she said "that's the rules".

All in all though, considering the cards I got, and the fact that I escaped the noose at the feature table when Conor Tate laid down 99, I am delighted. I am the shortest of the shortstacks left I'd imagine.Also, heard some of Ciaran O'Learys commentary. I won't comment any further.
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I had made the money, and considering I was in for €205 in total including tip at the satellite, I was at least making a decent return on my money. At the end of play I was the shortest stack left, partially due to a brain freeze trying to move up the money ladder at that point (I was tired, etc etc), but I don't want to go into details really.

Day 3 lasted all of one hand when my J2 was no match for Surindar Sunar's AJ. Ah well, €6500 was better than a kick in the teeth, but I didn't want to only limp into the prize money. Sadly though, I didn't really get a spot with the rubbish I was getting dealt. In theory I could have won with rubbish at some point in a lucky double up, but no point thinking about that now. I never got a spot to put my money in good or push in a reasonable spot, so that is that.

Aside from the Irish Open, I played in the €500+50 game in the SE the day I got knocked out of the IO, but it was a bad idea. I didn't play terribly, but I certainly was not in the right frame of mind to play my best and it didn't go particularly well.

Cash games are going ok for me recently after a terrible start to the year in them, and I am nearly back to even for the year in them, so allied with a healty profit from tournies, this year is a hell of a lot rosier so far than last year was.

Online is kind of in a stopped state for me now, despite me getting my online bankroll to a new level (for me, but still severly underrolled for the games I play). If I do get a bit of conviction to do this and it keeps running as well as it has for the last 3k hands, then it wouldn't be long before I was rolled properly for it. Considering how much work depresses me, and how much I hate getting up early in the mornings (although most people consider my rising time as late), you would think I might put a bit more effort into online poker.

However, there is a large part of me that would not like to play online poker for a living either, despite the fact that I have in no way ever proved I would be able to. In theory it is a brilliant idea, but in reality I tihnk I might be unsuited to it, as I like live play far too much. Ideally what I would have loved was a bigger score in the IO and take 3 or 6 months off work to do some travel, and some relaxation and destress from work, but sadly I fell about 20k short of the target I needed to follow through on that.

I'll keep plugging away though I'm sure, there are always more opportunities around the corner.

That't my lot for now, good luck.

1 comment:

El_Stuntman said...

nice report Dom, some result given the lack of premium cards

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