Thursday 26 June 2008

I told you so....

Not quite as I predicted but here I am. Back almost 2 months later with my second entry. I am going to try and make a mental note to update this at LEAST once a week.

I'm not going to go too much into my biggest live win- the details are outlined in a tournament report I did for blonde:

Ever heard of a superstitious poker player? Or someone who thought they were "destined" for the win? That was me a week before I sat down to play the GCBPT in Notts. Even after I'd managed to bubble a freeroll live satellite holding the chip lead at the final. Maybe that's the sort of belief you need to win a big tournament. I had no doubt from the moment I sat down on at my first table on Saturday that I was gonna win. I still remember the words of my mate - the 'real' Kev Smith who'd made Day 2: "Be patient, despite the buy-in, there's plenty of easy chips out there." Easy chips? I had Ash Hussain sat to my left, local tough players Nick Hicks and Sam Trickett as well as the now infamous Spencer Lawrence - a man so aggressive he makes Ivey look like Hellmuth. After losing an early pot to Ash and not hitting one set with a gazillion medium pairs, I found myself down to 4,200 chips with blinds at 200/400/25. I pushed all-in under the gun with 8-7 of spades. Nick Hicks made the call from the button - please have Ace King! He flipped Tens. I stood up still believing and out came the Flop, 2s-6s-Qs. I sat back down with that guilty pleasure you feel after sucking out.

A couple of hours later the table breaks and I take my 8kish stack to another table. I double through with 8-8 vs 5-5 and am up to a peak chip count of 18k. I actually start raising a few pots, for the first time able to play some poker rather than shove/folding.
The key pot of the night occurred when I re-raised an early position raise of 3k to 12k at blinds 400/800/25 with Ace King. He pushed and I called. He flipped QQ - a loss at this point would have left me crippled. Never has a River been so sweet as the Ace of spades, what a beautiful card. I win another A-K vs. Q-Q confrontation (this time most of the money going in on a King high Flop) and after a quiet last hour end the day on 55k, which was just above average. I'm delighted having played most of the day with a short stack.

I return on Day 2 sitting down on what I believe to be a very tough table. I have James Keys to my right and Dave Colclough sat opposite. I'm praying for some real garbage early just so I can settle in and get a feel for the table. No such luck, third to act I look down at A-K. I make it 5,000 to go with blinds of 1000/2000/200. Obviously the one caller I don't want calls and I'm heads up with Mr Colclough. Great. At least I have positon. Flop K-J-6 with two diamonds. I continue for 7,500 and Dave flat calls. The Turn comes a Three and Dave checks - now I'm pretty sure I have the best hand. I thought Dave might be drawing or he may have flat called me with a set but on that board I think he would re-raise the Flop. One because it's draw heavy and two because it's a Flop I've most likely hit, so I bet a pot-tastic 22k. David counts out a call and sticks it in. Wow. River Six, no diamond. If Dave had now shoved I honestly do not know what I would have done for my last 20k, he could have filled up so I may have passed. He checked to me so I value shoved all-in, I was certain I was in front. Dave reluctantly called. I flipped my hand and he showed a king and mucked. Double up in hand one, now I could play!

The table broke fairly quickly after that and the next couple of hours were quiet with my stack yo-yoing between 120 and 140k. I'm absolutely card dead at another table of death, Maria, Spencer Lawrence and Dominic Kay all in company. After another hour of folding, I look down at Bullets. I raise, Maria shoves and I insta call. Maria flips Kings and my Aces hold. Next significant pot involves me and Lawrence. He has been liberally raising my blind throughout Days 1 and 2 and I have been letting him take it, in Hellmuthesque fashion, waiting to trap him. For about the third time it folds round to the small blind and Spencer raises; I look down at Ad-Jd and re-raise thinking I've trapped him. He goes all in, I am priced in to call and see him flip Aces. Great. Down to just 20k at blinds 4000/8000, I'm shocked and now looking at a 17th place finish. However, I wasn't too despondent. I STILL believed I would win and There was not one negative thought in my body. I fold a couple of hands and end up shoving for 16k with A-3, the small blind isolates with K-4. Flop K-4... I still believed! This couldn't be over?! Third card is a Three followed by a Three on the River! Double up and after a blind stealing spree I shove with K-K for 75k (blinds 6k/12k), get a caller from A-Q and somehow am heading to the final with 270k!!!

I feel like I'm freerolling. I am fairly quiet early and win my first significant pot when a short GiMac [Gordon McArthur] is forced to commit his last chips with Q-8 on an A-Q-2 board. I hold A-Q. I must at this point mention my faithful following who had come down from the best homegame in Leicester: Paul, Yan, Kirk, Neil, Kev and Satman - thanks for coming down. Every time I won a pot there was plenty of cheering and the occasional weeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!! First hand after the break UTG makes it 83k (blinds 10/20/2000). I look down at Kings, Hollywood and then decide to just stick it in. He calls and shows J-J, but my Kings hold. I continue to use the re-steal and open pots infrequently, getting a high percentage of my pre-flop raises through. Three handed I make a shove with 9-5 when James Keys (left) raises from the small blind. He calls thinking he's behind but perhaps live with K-J. You’re very live mate, you have the best hand! Somehow K-J beats 9-5 and now I'm down to 300k with blinds of 15000/30000. Button raise from Keys, I shove A-K, he calls A-Q, what a cooler. Three handed and by far the most active player is an Asian player who has loosened up. He makes it 100k (blinds 20k/40k/4000), I think about shoving A-3 but decide to see a Flop. Flop 2-4-5! OMG, what a luckbox! I check-raise his 100k continuation to 200k and he shoves! I double check with the chipleader that he has in fact gone all in and call. I have to sweat a split when he flips A-K, but my straight ultimately holds up to give me the pot.

A few hands later and I'm heads up with almost a 2/1 chip lead. My recent heads up record was played four lost four. I decided I was going to be aggressive. Not many key hands heads up, I saw a few cards and mixed my play up well. Eventually I re-raise Keys' bet from the button all-in with A-9. He calls with A-7. Nine on the Flop but have to sweat a flush draw on the Turn. Board pairs and it's all over, I am the Notts champion! I honestly believe this was my time. I'd like to thank all the staff at the Gala, the fellow players and everyone involved. What a fantastic tournament. See you in Bristol at the end of the year... George2Loose

Sunday 27 April 2008

I've started A Blog!

Ok I've really been against nobodies starting a blog. I mean, who's going to want to read about me?

Recently winning the Gala title in Nottinham has given me the confidence to start a blog. Even if no one but me reads it- so what? I think it will help me looking back in a years time to see how far I've come.

Or maybe remind myself of better times when I'm busto :(

I'll try and keep this updated as often as possible but I know me being me my next entry will probably be in September of 2013.

I'm going to now write entires dating back to the just before my first major win to the present day.

I hope you enoy reading my blog