$220, HUP MORANS!!!!!

Oh you fucking doughnut, $220 H-UP Sit and Go, down 800-2200 I raise to 90 preflop, Flop comes A 10 8, Action goes Check, Bet, Raise, Call. Turn is an 8, and my final 400 chips or so go in. Oppo has A 10, I have 10,8! River is a blank and I have outdrawn someone! Next hand I re-raise all in with KJ and Oppo calls with AJ flop come KK3! Bingo! Who needs to be any good when you can just cram it in with shite and hit flops!

Running like a God at the moment after going broke last week, I had some bad news on Thursday when our landlord decided to terminate our contract and give us notice. It’s my own fault he had rung asking about the probable length of our tenancy and I had been honest with him and told him that the moment we had sold our property in Essex we would be looking to buy in the area, stupid move really, Note to self, tell more lies.

Anyway I have really loved this house and I find the garden totally beguiling, I will take a picture or two and post and hopefully you will see why I love it so much. Also the last thing I need is the expense and hassle of another move but that’s the situation and will have to deal with it. It was with this on my mind I decided to play some $320 Sit and Go’s (rolls eyes). Lost first buy-in 99 v’s JJ on a ten high flop, probable should have got away from it but it was Nordberg whose a real lag. Second buy in was KK v’s AA, in the small blind and I had limped with the kings to get some action from the Big blind, ohh I got action alright!

Last buy-in was $330 HUP QQ v’s KK, slow played on a 7 high flop, what can you do? I was honestly OK with busting as I have withdrawn some nice chunks this year and planned to take the next six months of from poker to finish of some books I have been writing. Then something weird happened, Full tilt started putting buy-ins back in, I realise the email account set up for this site is my blue yonder account which I lost access to when I moved so I don’t know why it was refunded, have had disconnection problems a few times and suspicions about bot opponents, so could be anything.

Well they put back about $240, I immediately lose $120 + 10 in a 9 man Sit and Go when I button raise with 97 spades and hit a flop of 6S 7H 4S and can’t convince K7 to give up the pot when his check raised for all the money. I play a little heads-up cash and get ahead about $50 or so, then win a $120 9 man for $495 and play a little $8-$16 HORSE, I break about even but split a huge pot in Stud H/L when my oppo keeps ramming and jamming, and if I had won would have been worth about $350. I’m showing 2,4,5,7 four spades and have A 6 in the hole, he has 7,8,K,J showing so I know I have the low locked up.

Anyway I miss everything but bet anyway in case he just has the bad low and king high, he calls and shows a pair of queens, He types into chat “I knew I had you beat”. If I had chat I would have typed in “Yes, nice hand”. What more can you ask for, locked up low and, 3 X A + 4 X 3 + 3 X 8 (he had one) 8 X Spades (discounting 3 and 8). 18 outs to the scoop, that’s why I love this game, and the great things is he thinks his playing well. .10-.25 8/16 same idiots at all levels and don’t let anyone tell you any different.

Anyway the wife thinks we are busted and I have stopped playing which was the plan, I will tell her tonight and probable only play now when both her and Becky are out of the house. Still quite fancy playing at the highest limits but bored with the grinding.

Spent a lovely weekend out doing things, that’s the great advantage of our new location amazing things to do. Went to the Golden Horseshoe at Exford, it’s a horse riding event up on Exmoor, had bacon Sandwiches and Teas for breakfast at the top of the moor and watched some demonstrations till lunch time. We went with friends and this was mainly for my friends wife benefit although we all really enjoyed it.

Then we drove to Porlock Weir and had a lovely pub lunch by the Quays. Then we drove to Watchet harbour and went rock pooling (tons of Crabs for the girls to chase at Watchet) and walked along to the pre-historic coast and found lots of fossils, you can just crack any rock open and seem to find something.

Bloody great day out and home in time for New Gladiators! Lost nearly a stone in three weeks now, makes a big difference getting out and about every weekend.

Breaking Even, But Hey, Just Look at Those Player points!

Taking shot’s again, I have the feeling I’m going broke this week but don’t really mind, I want to hit big or die trying.

Played the $200's last night. Got it all in pre-flop in the push-shove stage with AK v's QQ, Spiked an Ace but they turned a Queen. Then Got it all with A 10 V's 99, Spiked a ten, they turned a nine.

Finished second in a 6 handed $210 game, won a massive pot when In the SB, I re-raise a serial position raiser all-in with pocket 77’s and big blind wakes up with kings the raiser calls with AK. I hit a 7 on the flop and KK calls me a Moran, I know how he feels to be honest but I think my move is understandable in the circumstances.

When head’s up I have a 6,400 to 2,600 chip lead, I called an all-in from my oppo when I had J10 suited to his A5, ace high holds and he takes the lead and wins at a canter. Not sure about my call here, blinds are 200-400 and its lottery time but its still a not much of a call as I think im behind here at least 70% of the time. I Then play a $200 heads-up game and win easily, never behind raising every button. For a second I realise just how damn good I am at head-up poker, the best complement I think I can pay myself is I would just hate to play against my own style.

Play a quick $55 heads-up and I’m back to where I started the evening. Think I ran very badly again but was good enough/lucky enough to even it out over all. I settle into a HA (Hold’em/Omaha PL) round of each $20 tournaments, I am big chip leader when the doom switch is again flipped against me. Guy min raises and the whole table calls as do I in the big blind with J8 diamond, flop comes J 8 8 and it goes in, min raiser has aces and turns an ace, I keep catching 88 monster flops and getting hurt. Good job I have no chat, then I lose when some idiot calls my raise with 9 5 hearts and moves in on a two heart flop and rivers then flush against my flopped two pair.

I’m still above average and somewhat tiltedly raise with 7 5 hearts, flops comes 6 4 3, lovely. I bet and chip leader re-raises me all in, he shows 6 2, turns a 2 and I don’t even have to look to know he hits another 2 on the river. I sort of chuckle as it sums up my recent run and it’s hard to care too much when you have been playing the $200’s.

Weathers amazing at the moment, I walked home because my knee had been playing up and it needs the workout. I get home about 4:30pm and sit in my lovely garden drinking beer on my bench for an hour or so last night as Becky played and all was right with the world.

He Shoots! He Misses! He losses his head!

Continuing to run well in the satellites on full tilt I have been cashing in the $T and on Saturday I crested the 2K bankroll mark and decided to take a shot. I choose three game’s of $330 + $30, two 9 handed and one six handed. If I fail I will go back to 2 tabling the $22 till I get to 2k again and then I’ll take another shot. Well that was the plan anyway.

First game blind down to 1100 not finding a thing, blinds hit 60-120 I raise to 380 from mid position with 44. Max Pescatori with about 1200 in the BB flats calls, and then checks when the Board comes 997, I move all in and he insta-calls my shove for 700 or so with A 10. I know the turn before its dealt and the seven gives him the lead with we drawing to 4 outs for the split and 2 for a win, and ace on the river at least legitimises his win but I hate every single aspect of his play, weak, loose it’s the new solid.

Second game six handed, sitting on 1300 having to fold to a few raises, blinds hit 50-100 and im on the BB with A8. Player with 1850 raises from the cut-off to 350, a bet that just scream’s, “I have shit and will fold to a re-raise because I have raised this amount so I have exactly 1500 behind ie average if you come over the top”. So I re-raise all-in and its 1050 back to him, he nearly times out before calling with K 10. he spikes a K on the flop. WOW.

Third game, third hand or so and my Finnish female friend from the $110 heads-up is sitting on my left. I raise 80 with 8-9 of clubs from the cut-off and she flat calls in the small blind and the big blind folds. The Flop comes J 8 8 two spades, and I’m praying she has smooth called with KK or AA mistaking knowledge of my hyper aggressive heads-up play for how I play S+G. I lead out 110 at a 190 pot, trying to look weak without looking like I’m trying too look weak.

I get insta re-raised to 220 and I move all-in trying to look like I’m on the flush draw, I get insta called by two black nines 99! “Marvellous I think, She’s drawing to one out as I hold the other nine, unless of course she catches runners for the flush or a straight” The second this thought crystallised in my mind another spade appears on the board, followed quickly by a fourth. I almost throw up.

So well I took my shoot and it did’nt work out time to pack up for the night, ummm maybe not. Titling I sit down with $200 at a heads-up table and quickly get owned, I reload another $200 and lose that and another two buy-ins. I’m down to my last $200 and oppo is sitting with $1,000 and im at a massive disadvantage. I roar back though and I take a buy-in off him with a rather well played flopped straight. Then I’m quickly up to $800 when his flopped king is no match for my slow played aces. I end the session at $1,006. Up $6 dollars, what a fucking idiot I am.

Well back to grinding the $22 and hopefully in a month I can take another shot.

Online Abuse, Giving it and Taking it

I emailed full tilt and asked them to take my chat away after an incident in a $55 PLHE heads-up game left me quite disgusted with my own crassness. I was playing a Finnish woman, her name escapes me but we have tangled a bit and she sucks nuts,

I looked down and found pocket tens on the button,
I raise the pot and she calls, pot about 300
flops comes a beautiful 10,4,2 rainbow,
She checks, I bet 300, she calls, pot 900
Turn comes Q spades, She Checks, I bet 900 effectively putting us both all in, she calls leaving me about 200 and her about 100 as I had a slight lead.
River come’s J spades. And I last 200 in and she calls and wins the pot having runner runnerd a spade flush with 9 5 of spades.

This set me off, because its hit so many of my buttons. I hate the call pre-flop with crap, raise yes, call no. I hate the flop call with no hand and no draw with no intention of stealing the pot, the flat call committing you both without pushing the rest over the line I really hate as she can’t fol he last 100 can she?

I was left with 100 but instead of playing I let it time out whilst I googled Finnish swear words, I came up with “Runkkari- Paska- Pillu” which is “wanker-shit-cunt”. I felt really ashamed afterwards and felt I might have reached my lowest ebb so have requested the ban myself and it will remain in place until I believe I am once again mature enough to be allowed to communicate with adults.

Online chat abuse is a curious animal; I sat at a table yesterday when one player started abusing another’s play when he had not even been involved in the hand. A quick Sharkscope of both players revealed one had a tremendous ROI and one was a proven loser, can you guess which one? I bet you can.

The play might have looked bad (shoving AK on a Q,10,X board) but it was a stop go with a three across against an opponent who had shown a lot of weakness. AK moves in final ½ his stack after the post flop action hits his J for the Broadway, his oppo had hit the X for a set but matey boy doesn’t know this and thinks he has three live cards as outs with half his stack in the pot, over used phrase but this is all pretty much standard and shows that the abuser really hadn’t understood the situation at all which explains why his doing his brains online.

Sometimes the abuse you receive is just plain curious and points to you abusers complete lack of understanding of the game. I was playing a $110 heads-up on full tilt and about three hands in I raise to 60 with J7 diamonds when on the button. Most people will agree this is a pretty standard play in heads-up poker.

My opponent flat calls and the flop come 10,9,7 rainbow, I bet 90 into 120 chip pot and my opponent calls making the pot about 300 with both of us having 1,200 or so behind. Turn comes 8 of hearts and it’s a very co-ordinated board with no flush draws possible. Having made the jack high straight with no flush draw fears I’m feeling pretty confident I have an unassailable lead in the hand so want to get some money in the pot but also don’t want to lose my customer.

I bet 150 into a 300 chip pot, this is to make the pot 600 on the river so I can bet a nice 300 and be sure of getting called and also to act as a weak lead so as to encourage my opponent into trying to push me off if his holding something like Q 10, top pair with the draw or two pair maybe.

Anyway my oppo re-raises all in and I have to contemplate he has the nuts with QJ, seems really unlikely though has with no draws on board its likely his going to try to play this for max value, saying that I’ve been undone by this kind of logic before and its dangerous to discount the pure greed and incompetence of an opponent.

Well I’m sure I must be ahead and call and sure enough I have the lead, but I was stunned at by oppo’s hand though. Pocket 66’s, he had flat called heads up a standard position raise, and then called a bet with three over cards to hit a gut shot to the idiot end of a straight and find himself drawing to three outs for a split. River bricks and oppo is left with 20 chips.

Oppo explodes in chat abuse, “What kind of idiot raises with J7? You’re an idiot; you’re a joke, an fcking moron, wanker, tard”. It’s quite funny as he goes on a tear wins the next four hand’s and still has a 27-1 deficit to make up! I kill him of with jacks but his reaction stays with me and I decide to look at the hand from his view point incase I have played the hand really badly. #

Oppo’s Point of View

Ok so I have pocket 66’s in heads-up match and my oppo makes a raise on the button.
Well I know I personally would have made a hefty re-raise as my oppo’s range is wider than Jodie Marshes legs, But my oppo flat calls, maybe trying to trap and win a big pot ? or maybe because his not sure of his hand value in this spot? both point to some naïve heads-up experience.

So the flop comes closely co-ordinated with three over cards, my oppo bets 90 into a 120 chip pot. Personally I would have re-raised this as it’s a very standard continuation bet and it’s the cheapest time to find out where I’m at. But oppo decides to flat call, now I don’t know if his calling to hit the 6 which makes his set but make’s a scary board of10,9,7,6 or the 8 which gives him the ignorant end of the straight. Either way neither’s a very good draw and at no point have I made an effort to test by opponents strength.

Well an 8 comes on the turn and this must have been the card my oppo is looking for as his reaction to a weak lead is to move all-in, a bet that’s actually only likely to get called by a J or QJ, which surprise, surprise is exactly what I call with.

I think analysis show’s its probable not possible to play this hand any worse, he optimised his incompetence and the played the hand Uber fishy and his lack of understanding of the game shines through. Maybe I’m the same, I just don’t see the logic yet of calling to playing crap hand passively calling to hit runner ,runner flushes regardless of pot odd’s etc and its me that’s the fool.

Running Well and Making the Maximum When You Need it the Most

Playing quite a bit lately, the two big withdrawals from Full Tilt and Party have given me the confidence to play at a higher level and the wife is happy that poker has seen us over a bump in the financial road. Money banked (And Spent!) and FT is back up to a playable level now in matter of 3 weeks which is good going, I’m seriously considering my next step in poker, my tournament NLHE game is really good right now and my HORSE is also very strong so not sure but I’m thinking about seriously investing in some big sat’s, the WSOP $5K HORSE being my favourite but Sat’s are scarce. I have tickets for the Stud H/L and Omaha FTOPS event coming up so maybe I will just use the $T from them.

I have been playing head’s up 3/6 HORSE on FT and some of the play is just clueless, it’s genuinely softer than .25/.50. Mind you I also flopped two straight flushes in a week which probable means I’m running well don’t you think J. One was in a $110 head up NLHE game, 3rd or 4th hand I raise to 60 with 10 8 diamonds, oppo min re-raises to 120 and I insta call the extra 60. Flop comes 9, 7, 6, of diamonds and my oppo moves all in, 1,400 in to a 200 chip pot. He has two black aces, nice to get a bit of luck in a big buy-in (for me) game like this.

Interesting hand in a satellite for the $150+$15 40K guarantee on full tilt last night.

Situation: 7 players left with 5 getting a seat
Blinds: 1,000 – 500, 100 running ante
Stack sizes: One monster on 30K, two shorties about 4K, average is about 15,000
You: 14,000 in the BB with pocket jacks. Solid player UTG raises 10 4.5K of his 10K stack.

What would you do? Personally I think it’s an easy fold but my oppo re-raised all in and I called with KK and left them crippled. I thought my call was quite easy as I was in the big blind left and would have had 3.5K if I had to fold both hands and would have been a shorty. Anyway I was sure I was a long way ahead.

I won the ticket but cashed it in as the 40K started in 50 minutes and I was knackered. The main reason I picked up the seat was when sitting on about half the average I played a pair of queens with the risk throttle fully open and trebled up against a flopped flush draw and a flopped straight draw. Lots of cards to fade but it was worth the risk in this situation.

In Hold’em you so often sit patiently waiting for your on average 1 in 74 pair of AA,KK or QQ, slowly blinding down you pick up a big hand, raise from under the gun and everyone passes, or you re-raise a position raiser’s minimum raise and all you pick up is a min raise and the blinds. And as frustrating as this small reward for patient play is for the most part you will have executed correct strategy in consideration of the risk reward ratio.

But there will be times when you just simply have to maximise the return on your hand and let risk be damned. Its probable quantifiable by some ratio of big blinds + consideration of the average stack but its most likely just best left to your own judgement, you will often just know you need to double or triple through.

I know most of this is pretty obvious but anyway here are some ways you might be able to convince an otherwise skilful and cautious opponent to get you back in the game.

Worth Trying With Late Position Big Pairs

Flat calling a raise/or not raising in blind on blind confrontations with a big pair and stacking your opponents flopped with top pair.

Flat calling a raise with AA or KK in the blinds and stacking your opponents flopped top pair or bluff.

Worth Trying With Early Position Big Pairs

Flat call from EP with a big pair and re-raise all-in, effectively playing aces or kings like most people play AK-AQ. It seems obvious but people still have trouble reading it as strong.

Worth Trying With Mid Position Big Pairs

I like to min raise with AA and KK in this spot, theory being that all the big ace combo’s and smaller pairs will see this as thievery and put in the re-raise. Anyone calls then the pot will probable be big enough to shove at on the flop.

Flat calling if a similar stacked opponent is in BB or SB as they may be shoving AX to a flat call here and even then you might get a flat caller to put it all in with top pair on the flop.

Small Pair’s and Big Aces

With a nice big stack I sometimes like to flat call a late position raiser with AK and stack his AQ-A10 on a ace high flop when he just can’t believe you have flat called with AK from there, but when short stacked get the money in pre-flop with small pairs and big aces as you just can’t afford to fcuk around.

Probable Not A Good Idea With Big Pairs

Min raising from early or just the blinds, most people will see this move for what it is as the min raise always alerts other players that something odd is going on.

Min raising from EP, might get you action if someone’s sitting behind with a top hand but otherwise will just alert people that something funny is going on and the big hand will give you action whether you flat call or make a real raise either way.

Swimming Upstream.

If your key demographic is males aged 18-40 then surely my new site’s marketing campaign can’t fail!

At last years EPT I meet the poker room manager of Littlewoods poker (LWMAN), can’t remember his name as I was three sheets to the wind but I Do remember he was also the manager of former Republic of Ireland striker and now Littlewoods Poker representative Tony Cascarino and he cared passionately about the prospects of both.

We argued at great length about poker room marketing and I think he probable put me in my place. I argued that the way for a small room to attract attention was to provide there players with tools and training (Sharkscope and PT type tools as signup) and try to position the room as the place that players came to refine there game.

I argued that in shared player pools like the Crypto logic network, that if they are seen as helping there players to perfect there poker game and thus win from the other skins ‘fishes’ then players would flock across to them. I also stated that tapping into the UK forum scene by running free forum comps and offering achievable buy-in value added events for punters rather than just trying to get banners on sites like Blonde was the way to go.

LWMAN laughed at me, told me I was talking shit and that getting TC on a final table would be more cost affective and bring more new players to the site than any of my ideas. The truth is his probable right, but look at the obstacles to overcome to get your one sponsored pro to the TV table (and to be fair he would probable have to win). Last years London EPT was full of famous Poker Stars sponsored Live Pro’s and Poker Stars linked online talent, the fields are massive as it is in then you are also effectively taking on the Stars team on EPT turf which is like there home ground, In short its juts very unlikely.

I actually remember TC as much for his superb book The Secret Life of Tony Cascarino which was an honest portrait of a footballers life and I believe was shortlisted for book of the year. In the end Tony Cascarino finished in the EPT money, he played a good grinding game then got all his money in with the best of it and was outdrawn, he received a solid round of applause from the crowd gathered at the Vic as people realised what a solid grinding game he had played when the cards juts where not co-operating.

Its funny but seeing Barry Carter recently signed by VC makes me hope they ask him to write a candid diary of his ‘Sponsored Pro’ adventures. That I most definitely would read.

I think the Virgin poker approach (and it’s a shame because the Boss Situation is most likely going to hurt them) has been very successful and shows how talented and knowledgeable Joe and his team are. They have really tapped into the heart of the UK poker scene and I hope they navigate the rocky path that might lie ahead.

Back to Black, Country (The Coachman game, which was in Northwich and I know that’s not in the black country but I had to go to Brum to get there,OK!

If somebody you know decides to travel 2 hours by train and then a further two hours by car to play a £10 pub freeze out, that even if they do manage to win would still not come anywhere close to covering there accommodation and travel costs then it’s a fair bet there not doing it for the money.

And there in lies the problem with making a commitment like this, if even the slightest annoyance begins to detract from the fun then you feel a little robbed. When it’s a huge un-ignorable annoyance then it’s difficult to feel anything then aggrieved and of course it’s everybody’s problem but there’s little you can do that won’t make things worse. At the end of the day something’s/people are best ignored and you have to try to get on with having a good time anyway, which I’m glad to say I still managed to do, although there is always a lingering feeling of “just imagine how good this could have been”.

So I had a 10:40 am train to New Street to catch and feeling a little lazy and also a little delayed due to $55 turbo I was playing on FT (such a degenerate) I had to call for a taxi to the train station a total distance of about 1 ½ miles or so from my house. The fecking cab driver decides to make it an epic journey via a very imaginative route and I wind up paying £8. When I first moved to Birmingham cab drivers routinely robbed me for the first 6 months or so by taking a Jazz style approach to route planning, i.e. going which ever fecking way there mood took them. This regular gouging of my pocket only stopped when I discovered that some disclosure of the correct route knowledge along the lines of “Don’t take park road mate” would inform them that the southern accent was not a green light to ‘Free style the journey’.

This crooked cabbie annoyed me because, and you can call me naïve if you wish but I just didn’t expect it here in Taunton where the cab drivers so far have been so fair that on one particular occasion when I was travelling into town with the wife I gave a cabbie a five pound note when he told me the fare was four pounds, the extra quid being my no verbalised tip. We got out and started walking down a side alley, the driver atually got out and followed me and tried to give back the extra money! And anyway I was charged 4 pounds! I didn’t even think that was possible to be charged this little for a taxi journey this day and age!

So the gouging had robbed me of all but 2 quid and I decided to wander down the road to find a cash point so I had enough money for tea and a sandwich on the train, I kept wandering and was nearly back to town before I gave up. I did manage to find the ‘Private Shop’ which in there quest for anonymity had used techniques which only really served to highlight how different it was to the string of shops along the road, Very private. The people of Taunton must be very sexual beings because there are three sex shops in a town with a population little over 50,000, that’s quite impressive really and probable a little telling that after only 2 months living here I already know where all the sex shops are!

When the train arrives it’s very busy, there’s only one unoccupied seat and it’s taken up by some blokes lap top bag. It really pisses me off when he gave me the roll of his eyes when I asked him to move it so I could sit down. I hate these wankers, I had the same thing on the return journey with some bloke using his bag, I had to ask him “Did your bag pay for a fcking seat? Because I did and I want to fcking use it.” Anyway laptop man starts elbowing me at every opportunity in a rather childish display but quickly gives up when I open a can of coke and hold it perilously close to his precious lap top, which forces him to ungraciously concede defeat in our elbow pushy/shove game long before he disembarks at Bristol Chavway.

Coming into a City you know intimately on a train route for the first time is always a slightly weird experience, the train tracks are placed in areas that are usually quite inaccessible so suddenly you get new perspectives on buildings and areas that you know really well and it’s a little disjointing. Arriving at New street station quickly snaps me back to reality though, it really is an abomination and a disgrace to Britain’s second city, it’s dirty, poorly laid out and once you are past the ticket barriers the information provided is sporadic and dispersed. You have to pay 20p to use the station toilets and this always disgusts me, it’s just so cheap and must leave a horrible impression on visitors to the city.

Rich and Kaz are waiting to meet me and I’m extremely grateful for the lift onwards, we set off but are quickly mired in the M6 traffic and after a few brief yet amusing calls from Tom and Squirmy on the speaker phone Kaz drifts of to sleep and Rich and I get to talking. I hope Rich doesn’t mind me saying this but he seems extremely listless and a little jaded, he talks of his boredom of the poker world and for the first time I believe he really might be serious about moving away from it all.

Whatever you decide Rich I know that if you commit yourself you WILL make a success of it. I’ve found that most skills are transferable and if you’re good at arranging, scheduling and managing people in one field it will transfer across to many others, and anyone who knows what you have achieved in poker rooms across the country will testify to your talents. Needless to say anything I can help with just let me know and if you fancy sometime down in Taunton the spare rooms always ready and there’s Bacardi in the cupboard and coke in the fridge (there’s not, but I’d get some in).

So we arrange to pick up Squirmy from his offices in the centre of Northwich and I am surprised at what a great working environment it is, I suppose I had a mental picture of what a chartered accountants office should look like, my perception being that it would be hidden away in some non descript office block full of giant ledgers, still using ancient type writers and Bakelite phones! So I’m some what surprised when it’s a bright and airy looking building with shop frontage and is splendidly located, Sandwiched between two pubs!

We set off for the Coachman where tonight’s game is to be held and the drive through Northwich reveals quite a pleasant town with some interesting buildings and lots of green areas. When we arrive at the Coachman we find a smashing pub and the accommodation is of good quality, we dump the bags and are soon tucking into the beer.

Shortly afterwards Ting-Tong arrives with Squirmy junior and she’s a beautiful little girl with bright blue eyes. Still not enough to make me want another one though! I found the first few years of parenthood very difficult and am really enjoying the age Rebecca is at now, five is a fun time and we get to play silly games and make bogey and fart jokes all day!

So to the poker, we play a quick £5 Omaha sit and Go and which I manage to river a house on The Brasso for all the money! Sorry mate, but it was nice to cover the buy-in before we got started!

Then on to the main event I got seated next to Danno on my first table which is a pleasure as his such good company, mind you I’m pretty pissed of that he managed to knick my roomie for a spooning session, what did you think I was really coming all the way from Taunton for! Its amazing how quick we slip into the forum banter and the table is a lot of fun, Also sat on the table is Rich who donates all his chips to me early AK v’s J10, I’m pretty sure he was planning to get knocked out of the main event ASAP and into the dealers choice game from the off, he hates NLHE that much these days!

Also seated on my table are happy meal, Laura and 3 pairs, who are all also very good company. I also finally get to meet Bionic Bill for the first time and what a great bloke he is, shame we didn’t really get any table time as we have played a bit online together and I respect his game and wanted to see it live, also he was the inspiration for my favourite MS paint when a bull twatted his motor. (see Link)

http://www.ukpokerlife.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?p=31124&highlight=#31124

I knock out a few players and am getting the right cards at the right time pretty much all night long, then I’m moved tables and am moved next to Mr Mac, who I finally get some proper table time with and was good to have a chat with a man who loves his poker and is developing a very good game. Dave’s a true poker gent and I can’t wait to get up the to the Garage for a game, I’m afraid its going to have to wait a while though as the missus won’t let me out roaming for a while!

Also on my table is The Rage, a man whose company I always enjoy, His really dedicated to improving his game and this makes him very receptive to advice on the play of hands. I knocked him out at the end when he made a small stack shove into my big blind and was unlucky to find me holding JJ that held up against his Q6 suited. The Rage and I talked about this hand later and he felt he had made a mistake in shoving in this spot which I vehemently argued that this is categorically the best play.

I think it’s a good sign for The Rages development as player that his very critical of himself and when he gets the courage of his more aggressive convictions his going to have a very strong game. He just needs to get past the embarrassment of getting caught with junk, that’s the game Sir, 90% of your hands are crap so you got to make the moves. I also saw Rage make a couple of very astute lay downs of mid-pairs in tricky spots, that’s always a good indication of someone developing good card sense.

So to the final table and I had a big stack which I lost when it all went in with my AK cracked by AQ and A4 outrun by K7, no complaints it was a tortuous experience and I was relieved when I went out on the bubble in 5th. And who won it all? Tom of course, he managed, to win the comp, have a bloody good time, keep Ky in check and still make time for a beer and laugh with everyone, hiigghhh fiveee.

So to the dealers choice cash game table, Where The Brasso, Boydy, Rich, Bam (nice to meet you sir),Squirmy and I took up residence. What a great table, what great players and table companions. I’d give my right arm to play with blokes like this every week in a low stakes DC cash game just for fun and the pleasure of outwitting each other, I really would. Anyhow I make a nice few quid trebling up pushing a flush draw that get’s there on the turn in Crazy pineapple and then in six card O making the nut straight, with the royal flush draw against top two pair and a weaker flush draw. I think I run £5 into £40 before I went to bed!

A word of thanks to all the staff at the Coachman, who had to endure some difficult behaviour and did so with the utmost of professionalism and also made a cracking cooked breakfast which myself Tom and Boydy demolished. Also to Squirmy, master of ceremonies who handled some awkward situations with a calming brevity which really was the only approach under the circumstances.

Good luck to the Newkie Virgins this weekend, Kev B, Sleazychris, Tom, Jools and Boydy, Show them why you don’t leave UKPL out of a forum event!