Daniel Girdlestone's Poker Blog

3 tourney catch up

2009-02-24T08:09:00.000-08:00

Alea £20 Double Chance 7/2/09

This tourney didn't go well and i was out before the break after KK busted by an A rag after having my first buy in pretty early.

Alea £15 Freeze out 9/2/09

I had pocket Jacks on the first hand which held up and then went card dead for ages. I got doubled up with 10h 8h when i pushed in pre and was called by A 7, i spiked an 8 on the river.

I then take Milan out with As 7s when i shoved on the button against his SB AJ. I rivered a flush.

I then doubled up with 8d 9d against AJ. The same guy then doubles up through me with AJ vs my pocket 9's rivering a flush.

I managed to make the final table with 68k. I passed 3 hands early on the FT, pocket 6's AQ and pocket 7's when i was beaten into the pot with raises before i busted out in 7th for £30 by James Shaw. I make it 3x BB in the C/O with KK, he jams on the button with JJ and i make the call. He spikes a J on the turn and that was that.

Gala £10 Triple Chance 10/2/09

I lost half of my first stack to Rose when i raised my BB to 400 with pocket 9's, she called from UTG and we saw a flop of A 10 8. I continuation betted 600 which she flatted. J on the turn and i fired out 1.5k, she moved all in so i had to pass.

I get pocket 9's again and push for 2025, one of my 1k chips roll into the middle and rose calls as she only thinks its 1025. A guy in late position re raises all in for a further 1.5k more so rose is priced into call and its on their backs. Rose shows 10c 8c ?? and the other guy has AK. A KQJ flop was not good and a 9 on the turn was even worse. The river was a no miracle 9 and Rose scooped the pot.

I then made the worst fold ever the had before the break. I raised to 600 on the button with KQ and received a couple of callers 1 was a tight player UTG. The flop came down AKQ and UTG fired out 2k leaving 1.5k behind. He looked confident and said he might show if i passed. So i passed my 2 pair face up and he showed Ad 3d. I'm such a douche!!

After the break i was moved tables and knocked off a short stack with AK vs A 10, board K 10 J X J and i was up to 16k. I then moved up to 28k when i shoved with JJ and being called by A 10.

After that i went card dead and ended up pushing with pocket 2's and being called by A Q and Q J i missed the flop and A Q hit the Q and took it down and i was out with about 16 players left.

So up to date with my reports and here is my updated total profit/loss table,

Buy ins (inc rake): £902.50

Cashes : £1704.50

Profit/Loss: £802

Gala £15 triple chance

2009-02-10T07:16:00.000-08:00

Sunday night at Gala was just one of those tournaments. There was a decent turn out with 7 tables starting. My table draw was good and i had singled out 4 people who were good for easy chips.

At the 25/50 level i got AA in late position and raised it to 225 which got called by a limper, the flop came down A Q X and we both checked. The turn was another A giving me quads and we both checked again, the river was a blank and i bet 200 after he checked. He folded and i won a grand total of 300 with Quads.

I then get JJ UTG+1 and raise it to 400 which is called by the c/o. The flop was Q 9 8 and i fired out 600 which took it down.

Then comes my downfall, at the 100/200 level i get AA UTG+1 and decide to limp in as i am certain there is going to be a raise after me. All goes to plan as Graham(old guy who over bets pots and cant lay a hand down) raises it up to 800. It gets passed round to Sean Savage on the BB who re raises to 2300. I slam jam all my stack into the middle(around 6k total), followed by Graham, Sean folds what he says was JJ and its on the backs as Graham flips Ad Jd, WTF?? I am obv in good shape until the board rolls out Xd X X Xd Xd for runner runner suck out. I have him covered by 50 chips and have to re buy another 5k.

It went further down hill just before the break when i limped in the c/o with 2d 3d slightly tilting i decided to try and nail a flop. Flop comes down X 8 Xd and is bet 600 by a lad in early position, i decide to call planning on floating the flop also Dan Kaleda calls on the button behind me the blinds fold and the turn is the 8d, the lad who bet 600 now checks so i move all in for 4.2k more with my FD, Dan dwells behind me before flat calling my all in and i knew i was in trouble. The other lad folds and Dan turns over 10 8 off for trips. I miss my dime and have to get my final re buy so i have 5k to come back to after the break.

Pushed twice to pick up the blinds then push in the c/o with pocket 5's with only the button and blinds to get through. Dan Kaleda on the button calls with A Q off and he hits and I'm out.

Buy ins (inc rake): £822

Cashes : £1674.50

Profit/Loss: £852.50

Gala monthly £100 Freeze out

2009-02-09T10:30:00.000-08:00

After the win at Alea on Thursday night i decided to attend the new Gala £100 freeze out. I sold 50% of my action and only planned on playing if there were 50+ players. I arrived and i was number 37 so it looked like they were going to make the numbers. A total of 65 entered all together creating a £6.5k pot with £2.2k for the win. With a 15k starting stack and 3 30 minute levels starting at 25/50 it provided some patient play early on but 20 minute levels after the break i thought it would become a bit of a crap shoot in the later levels.

My first real hand came in the 100/200 level. I raised to 700 on the button with Queens after 2 limper's which was called my a guy called Ian from York. The flop was 9 5 7 and he checked so i bet out 1125 which he flat called. The turn was a 10 and he checked again so i checked behind (I now know i should of fired the flop but i would have to have made it big to price out any drawing hands). The river was a 3 and Ian now fires out 2.5k which i payed off to be shown 6 4 which got there on the river. I was down to 9.5k of my 15k stack.

We then had a break and Gala provided a decent sized buffet which was very nice.

After the break i became card dead and had to make some moves, i pushed UTG with 6h 5h which got through, the next hand i was on the BB and after Sean Savage had raised i pushed with Js 10s, he layed it down and now i had a few more blinds to last another orbit after shoving with KQ which also got through.

I then get a much needed double up courtesy of Paul Gourlay he had min raised in late position and passed round to me in the BB i looked down at AK and jammed it in, he couldn't pass and called with Kd 3d. I held and now had a decent 19.5k stack. First time i had been above 15k all night.

My exit hand came when i raised to 5.6k with pocket 9's, Sean Savage re popped it putting me all in, i almost folded but had committed 1/3 of my stack so i made the call hoping he was on high cards. He had AA and i was drawing thin, no miracle out and i was down to dust.

The tournament was very well attended, but with 20 minute levels i think this could be improved slightly to allow more play. Congratulations to Brent Horner, Sean Savage, Mel Lofthouse and Paul Gourlay who along with another player did a 5 way chop for £1,070 each. Well done guys.

Buy ins (inc rake): £774.50

Cashes : £1674.50

Profit/Loss: £900

Alea £20 double chance

2009-02-09T10:02:00.000-08:00

Instead of having a few days off i fancied the Thursday night comp at Alea. £20 double chance with a 5k starting stack with around 30 runners.

I managed to delete my notes for this comp but i remember getting my 5k starting stack up to the 15k mark after my add on at the break due to one hand against Grayson Cobb. I had 3 5 in the BB and checked my option and we saw a flop of A 2 6, it was checked round and a 4 on the turn gave me the nuts so i checked again and Grayson bet 200, a few limper's called so i just flatted and a 9 came on the river. This time i bet out 400 which Grayson re raised to 1200, everybody folded round to me i re raised all in a further 3.5k more which he payed off with A 9.

After the break i offered to deal and bided my time and picked up a few pots. I lost a bit pot to Karim after i had raised with AK, he dwelled and pushed all i thought he had a weak Ace or a pair lower than 9's so i called and he turned over KK. I failed to hit and doubled him up. I still had a decent stack left and after making a few moves i made the final table with around 24k.

The first hand of the final table i was in the BB and got to see a free flop with 9 2. The flop came down 9 2 X and after the SB checked Karim bet out, the SB folds so i moved all in and Karim called with 9 10 and bricked out. i just had him covered so i doubled up to around 45k.

I then eliminated a lady with AQ after she pushed short stacked. We were down to 5 and i knocked out another player as he was all in blind on my BB and Faruk called his all in so i came along with some rags which hit the river and knocked him out. I then eliminated Charles Flynn with AJ vs 7 7 AIPF i binked a J on the flop and was now a massive chip leader.

We were down to 3 with Martim, Faruk and myself. After Faruk eliminated Martin we decided to do a chop for the money, each taking £340 and we played on for the league points.

I started off the comp on 2800 points and after Faruk luckily spawned the heads up i received 900 points taking me up to 3700 points. To qualify for the £3000 free roll at the end of February you need 4000 points so all i have to do is turn up 3 more times to get entry into the free roll.

Buy ins (inc rake): £719.50

Cashes : £1674.50

Profit/Loss: £955

Gala £25+£15 double chance.

2009-02-04T18:55:00.000-08:00

Tonight's game at Gala exceeded the guarantee and had 52 runners.

In the first level 25/50 i get dealt AQ off in the SB after a raiser in UTG+1 makes it 175 followed by 2 limper's i make it 675. 3 callers and i fire out 1.5k on an all club flop with top pair. Its good to take down the pot.

Then 2 hands later a weird hand crops up, I raise in th c/o t0 250 with AJ which is flatted by James in the SB, also the BB and UTG. The flop comes down 6 6 10 and is checked around, an 8 on the turn is also checked around. The river is a 7 and James and the BB checks, UTG passes and i flip over my cards and check. James turns over 8's full and the BB turns over 7's full?!?!? How does James not get all of the BB's chips here? He must of smelt a rat!Never check a made hand on the river James!

I then get a gift in the 50/100 level, I look down at 10's in the BB and raise to 600 after Mr Yu flat calls the 600 Shaun re pops it on the button to 2k. I tank for a while before deciding to peel off a flop and i flat call it. Yu passes and we see a flop of 10 3 6 which i check, Shaun then bets out 2.5k so i move all in and he calls off all his chips with 10 2, a 5 on the turn brings a sweat before the Ace brick on the river and i scoop the pot and I'm up to 17k.

I add on at the break and have 22.6k to come back to. I get blinded down to about 16k after a couple of table changes and being card dead for a few levels until 800/1600 where i call a min raise from the BB with A 8 off. The flop comes 8 6 X and i push all in and get insta called by the raiser with K 6, he claimed he thought he had K 8 so i double up to 32k. Wp mate.

We then get split down to 2 tables, i managed to take 2 pots down uncontested with AQo and pocket 9's before 2 big hands come up.

First hand and were on the 1.5k/3k level and i have 33k total, there has been a raise in mid position to 11k and it gets passed round to me on the BB i look down at QQ and tank for a few seconds before shipping it in. The raiser then tanks for about a minute before calling the extra 22k with AJ off, my Queens hold.

The very next hand i get pocket 8's in the SB and facing a limper then 10k raise i decide to flat call the extra 8.5k and peel a flop off, the limper comes along too and we see a flop of 8 10 2. I trap check and the limper checks also, the raiser now goes all in and he has me covered. I then move all in and the limper folds. This is a 150k+ pot and i am sent for the final table if i win the hand. I'm nearly sick when the raiser flips over pocket 10's, he makes quads on the river for good measure and I'm sent packing in 16th spot just short of the final table.

I thought i played solidly again tonight and was cruelly coolered just short of the final table. My run of consecutive final table appearances comes to an end and i left feeling totally numb and gutted. I am now going to have a few days off and will probably get back to the grind on Sunday.

Buy ins (inc rake): £675.50

Cashes : £1334.50

Profit/Loss: £659

Gala £10 triple chance.

2009-02-04T06:20:00.000-08:00

So last night i attended Gala's £10 triple chance and was on for my 5th consecutive final table if i were to make it. With 6 tables running the word is getting around about Gala now but the guarantee of £1500 was not met for this tournament.

I managed to donk off my first set of 5k when i was down to around 2.1k and limped in with As 3s, i turned 2 pair on a A Q K 2 (2 clubs) and facing a bet of 1.5k i moved in for an extra 600 which was called by Qc Jc which got there on the 5c river.

I re bought and then added on at the break to have a total of 9.4k.

After the break i got dealt Ac Ad in the BB(300/600), i made it an extra 1.6k to go after 2 limper's and was called by Graham Manson. The flop comes 10 J Q all hearts and i fired out a bet of 1.8k which took it down.

I then get moved tables and Joan who is now a short stack after donking of 20 odd k moves all in for around 2k, the chip leader a scouse lad on my right moves all in to try and isolate Joan. I look down at AA again and snap his hand off! Its on their backs and Joan had pushed with Kc 4c and the chip leader has AK and A on the flop is nice with 2 clubs but i turn a full house to take down a 27k pot.

I then take down a 10k pot blind vs blind when i limped with KQ and Dee pushed in the BB, i called and she flips 10 J. Flop comes QXA turn and river both brick out and I'm up to 32k.

I then double up again blind on blind against Tim Sherwin, i completed with K2 and Tim checked, the flop comes K 2s Xs and i we both check it. The turn is a beautiful 2 and is checked round again, the river is a Q and i now bet out 4k which Tim min raises to 8k, i then move all in and he calls with KQ and I'm up to 64k.

The next hand i get AK on the button and raise it to 12k after a limper in the c/o and he calls, the flop comes X X J and we both check. The turn is a K and he checks to me so i now bet out 8k to find out where i am, the scouse lad calls and another K on the river is nice to see. He checks again and i now bet out 10k which he flat calls with A 10 off for a busted straight draw and my stack is now up to 107k.

I made the final with 93k and was drawn in seat 3 which is bad as I'm in the BB straight away and they will go up on me after one round of the table. This was my 5th consecutive final table and am starting to run pretty well in the run up to the bubble.

I Eliminated Graham Manson with AA vs AJ and i was back up to 109k after losing the blinds. I then lost a 70k pot to Tim Sherwin after he pushes UTG+1 i look down at AK in the BB and call and he shows 10's, the board bricks out and i was down to about 60k.

The final table was now and official all in fest with the chips moving from one stack to another. I managed to get lucky twice beating Andrew James's A 9 off with K 9 suited hitting a K on the flop and then take Ian out in 5th when i pushed UTG with Qs Js, he called in the SB with KQ off and hit a K on the flop but i hit a flush draw which came on the turn giving me a royal flush draw on the river which i missed. I was up to 200k with nearly 1/3 of the chips in play but lost a big pot to the guy on my right when he raised to 40k pre flop at 10k/20k i looked down at 3 3 and decided to jam it all in, he called and turned over A J which hit an A on the flop.

I exited in 4th place and my cousin Ben came 3rd, we had a 50/50 deal agreed before we started the final table so we won a total of £345 which we split for £172.50 each.

Buy ins (inc rake): £632

Cashes : £1334.50

Profit/Loss: £702.50

Gala £15 triple chance.

2009-02-02T03:42:00.000-08:00

So i went to Gala last night in a good frame of mind after Saturdays disappointment in Blackpool. I really like this tournament at Gala and have final tabled it in the previous 2 weeks.

I started off pretty loosely and lost my first set of 5k trying to set mine with pocket 3's. Flop came down J 4 5 and was checked round to a turn of 6, i now bet out 500 trying to take it down but i got re raised to 1.5k. I should of passed to this bet as it came from the original raiser but i flatted with the open ender hoping to take it away on the river. The river came another 6 and i moved all in for 3k representing the 6 only to be called by JJ for a rivered full house. Ooops.

So i re bought and then get dealt KK so i raise it to 350, the short stack on my left then moves all in for 925, its passed round to Graham Manson on my right who flat calls the 925 so i flat call also. The flop comes down J high and Graham moves in for another 1.2k ish so i insta call him, Graham shows QJ and the short stack had 10's and both missed so i was up to 8350.

I then flopped 2 pair out of the bb with K 7 after the board comes K 7 X with 2 diamonds, i fired out 400 which is flatted by a limper who looked interested in the hand. The turn was the 8c and i now over bet the pot with a 1.9k bet hoping the limper is on a strong King but he folds and i increased my stack. I added on at the break and had a total of 11.5k.

At the 300/600 level i made it 2.5k to go with pocket 10's after Kareem had limped on my right(he limps most hands and hardly raises) it is folded back round to Kareem who flats it and we see a flop of A Q X which we both check, the turn and river are both blanks which get checked down and my 10's are good.

Up to the 400/800 level and after 3 limper's i looked down at pocket 8's in the SB and squeezed all in. It gets through to Kareem on the button who had limped then called my with Q J off for his tournament life! A Jack binks on the flop and I'm down to 4.3k and crippled. WP mate, nice call!

I then move all in UTG for my 4.3k with A J off which gets called by Kareem in the BB with 10 J. My hand holds and I'm up to 8.9k. The very next hand i have J 2 in the BB and is passed round to Kareem who completes the SB so i check to see a flop of 2 2 Q we both check, turn is a 4 which is checked. An 8 on the river and now Kareem bets out 2k, i min raise it to 4k which he pays off with A 8.

At the 600/1200 level after 2 limper's i looked down at QQ and moved all in, it gets passed round to Sean Savage in the BB who is short and decides to gamble with A J off, the board comes K x 10 for a sweat, a turn is another 10 so now Sean only has 3 outs which brick on the river and I'm now up to 27.4k.

Then came my biggest hand of the night, at the 800/1600 level i faced a min raise from UTG before looking down at KK, i re popped it to 10k which was followed by an all in from Dan Kaleda on my left, its passed back to me and i say there is only one hand that's beating me before calling. He flips AK and misses the flop, i turn a flush and its all over before he makes a straight on the river. I increase my stack to over 60k before we are broken to 2 tables.

I managed to lose a fair chunk of my stack with the blinds and my first raise at the table which Justin re raised so i had to pass it. I was moving in around the bubble and finally got caught out by Caroline Manson when i pushed my A 8 into her AQ. I was left crippled and went on a mad all in fest shoving my micro stack in around 8 times and receiving no callers. I managed to get my stack up to around 58k before the bubble broke and i made my 4th consecutive final table.

On the final table a player was eliminated first hand as he was the short stack and was in the BB straight away. After he departed we all decided to do a 9 way chop for £220 each which was slightly less than 3rd place money. I was happy with this chop as it had become a crap shoot and i continued my good run at Gala.

I feel that i am playing well here at Gala at the moment and i am hoping my success continues into this coming week.

Buy ins (inc rake): £600

Cashes : £1162

Profit/Loss: £562

January Round up

2009-02-01T06:49:00.000-08:00

So here is a quick round up of January.

I played a total of 15 times making 6 final tables(3 consecutive at Gala) and cashing 5 times.

I made a total profit of £389.50 for the month which took a slight dent with the trip to Blackpool but i am on course for my goal of making total profit for 12 months. Only 11 more months to go then.

My next goal is too start building a roll to be able to afford to buy into a DTD £300 event and to keep attending the Blackpool monthly tournament.

I think my form at present is good and i am hoping to continue my good record at Gala today.

Blackpool Weekend

2009-02-01T05:46:00.000-08:00

£100 Deep stack

Yesterday i headed up to Blackpool for the monthly deep stack. I was staked half of the entry money by Mama G.

A 15k stack and 45 minute clock providing lots of play and with 151 entries it created a nice juicy £15,100.

It was a pretty frustrating for me, every time i raised with a hand i would miss the flop or would have to lay it down being beaten into the pot first.

I managed to win a few pots uncontested, one with QQ after i fired out on a K high board.

My exit hand came in the 200/400 level, i had about 11k of my 15k stack left and i was in the BB. It was folded round to the SB who completed and i checked my option with 8 9 off. The flop came down 10 9 7 and was checked to me so i bet out 800 thinking i would take it down, the SB flats it and we see a K on the turn which he again checks. I still think i am good at the moment and decide to check and peel off another card, the river was a 6 filling my straight and now the SB bets out 1.5k. At best i thought it would be a split pot with the 8 as i didn't think he would have J 8 here so i re raised to 4k, he then moved in and had me covered. I couldn't lay it down and after i called he said he had the nuts and flipped Q J for a turned higher straight. I totally miss read the board and didn't even think about JQ here.

I thought i had played quite solidly up until that point and i will be attending this event again for sure. As i was out and had a room booked for the night i decided to play the £25 freeze out.

£25 Freeze out

With over 70 runners this seamed like a decent tournament and 6k chips and a 20 minute clock wasn't bad but £5.50 juice on a self dealt £25 freeze out was absolutely ridiculous!

I shouldn't of bothered really as i wasn't in the right frame of mind, to add to the misery i was sat on a table of newbies and annoying people with the exception of a fit blond in seat 1, and i proceeded to donk off all my chips on the hand before the break as i didn't want to return after the break.

Congratulations to Charles Flynn who cashed in the £100 deep stack for a tidy sum of £1950.

Well done to him and i will be hoping to do better next month.

Buy ins (inc rake): £552.50

Cashes : £942

Profit/Loss: £389.50

Gala £25+£15 double chance.

2009-01-29T04:53:00.000-08:00

Last night i went to Gala hoping to make it a hat trick of final tables. Confidence was high and the banter was flowing and i felt like i was in the zone again.

I made a few steals and took down some pots uncontested in the first couple of levels an after adding on i had 15,425 at the break.

My first major hand came in the 400/800 level, after a limper and SB completes i looked down at K 10 off and check my option. The flop comes down 9 J Q and i had flopped the nuts, Jamie Millar checked in the SB and i fired out a bet of 1.2k. Both folded which was not what i was hoping for, i should of checked but i tried mixing it up a bit.

Then at the 500/1000 level the c/o raises to 3.5k, the button passes and i have A K in the SB and decide to flat it and shove any flop. The BB passes and we see a flop of Q X X and i move in as i had decided, the c/o quickly passes and i take down an 18.8k pot showing him the AK.

A couple of hands later i get dealt AA in early position and make it 2.9k to go, the BB comes along steam calling after the AK hand. The flop comes down K X X and he bets out 2.5k, i move all in thinking he cant pass a King but he quickly folds and I'm now up to 23.2k.

I then lost a few chips to a lady on my left after making raises, she moved in both times and i had to pass 6's (she showed K Q suited) and A J off (she showed QQ). I then moved all in with Ad Qd and was called by a short stack after me with JJ. I caught my A on the flop and took down a 3ok pot.

I was then moved tables and stole a few blinds before the final table bubble broke and i made my 3rd consecutive final table at Gala on the trot. I had just under average stack with 48k.

The 7th hand of the final table at 2k/4k level, a lad called Richard raised it up to 11k, i flat called in position with AK off and the flop comes A K 7. He moves in and i insta call him and take down the 84k pot eliminating him.

I then eliminated a player in 6th when he shoved his short stack into my BB, i looked down at AA and snap called him. He flipped 10s Js and after a sweat of a flush draw he bricked out and i was over 100k.

It became 3 handed and i found a new gear and began moving in and taking down some big blinds uncontested. I then had a decision after Peter Leonard(similar stack size) moved in on my BB, i had pocket 4's and didn't want to race as i wanted to be the first into the pot so i folded it. He then moved in again a few hands later and i looked down at 7's. I called this time as his range is huge and he turned over Qd 10d, a 10 on the flop and i was left with shrapnel which i got all in the next hand with 8h 6h, Peter called with 10 8 but i hit my 6 and we were back to the same stage.

We ended up doing a chop at 4am as there was only 30 minutes of play left. The big chip leader took £500 and me and Peter both took £440 each so i was happy after nearly busting in 3rd for £280.

I felt like i played solidly again tonight and i got the big score that i was after so i am now going to head to Blackpool on Saturday for the £100+£10 deep stack.

Buy ins (inc rake): £467

Cashes : £942

Profit/Loss: £475

Gala £10 triple chance.

2009-01-28T05:51:00.000-08:00

Last night i decided to head to Gala as i have recent form there and a guarantee of £1500. With 44 runners there was an overlay and the £1500 was not reached.

I felt in the zone from the off, i felt like i was paying more attention than i usually do and it helps with it being dealer dealt.

My first hand came up in the 50/100 level where i picked up AK in the BB, i raised it up to 600 after 6 limper's and then got 5 callers . I didn't like the Q 2 9 flop and it was checked around, the J on the turn was also checked round. A King on the river was also checked round and my AK was good and my stack was up to 7.3k

Then i call a raise of 300 in late position with 4 4, 2 others call and we see a flop of Q 10 Q, it was checked to the raiser who was to my right and he now bet out 1k, i thought he wouldn't be betting out the Q and i don't think he would make that bet with an A 10 so i thought he had AK/AJ or maybe a mid pair so i decided to flat call and see if i could take it down on the turn. The turn was a 4 which was ideal for my hand and the raiser now checked so i fired out a 1.5k bet, he check raised my bet to 4k i then thought for a few seconds before moving all in for an extra 2k more, he couldn't pass and called with AA and he didn't improve. My initial read was wrong but he over committed himself after the turn. My stack was now up to 15.2k.

I then had Kh Qh on the BB and raised an extra 2k after several limper's, i wanted to take the pot down but one of the limper's move in for an extra 1.5k more and i couldn't pass, he flipped over pocket 4's and it was off to the races where i rivered a straight. I was now up to 20k and added on for a further 5k giving me a nice stack of 25k to come back to after the break.

After the break i was moved tables and i took down the first two pots without showdown, i was then moved again and drop a few chips before picking up AA. I took down a decent pot with a 4k bet on a K Q X board against a short stacked lady as i thought she might have a calling hand but she passed.

I then raise to 3.6k with A 10 off in late position, the button then moves in for 19k ish and i have to pass and he shows AK.

The very next hand i get KK and make the same raise to 3.6k after 2 limper's, I'm called by the 2 limper's one a tight lady with a decent stack and the chip leader idiot. The flop comes X 5 A and the Lady bets out 4k, the chip leader re raises all in and I'm nearly sick on the table before passing my Kings, the lady folds and the idiot turns over A 5. Wp mate. Any none Ace flop and i have a nice pot to take down.

I kept my patience and after another table had broken we were now down to 2 tables and a new player at the table raises my BB to 6k, i have played with this guy a few times and his range is anything from KJ-AA and low pairs. I look down at Ad Qd and i move in for 15.6k total, he tanks then calls the extra 9.6k with A J and my hand holds and I'm up to 35k.

The same player then raises again a few hands later and i have A J this time and move all in, he calls with KK and i manage to suck out the Ace ball on the turn to send him packing. I had got lucky but i now had a stack of over 7ok to make the final table with.

A short stack in the BB announces that hes going to ship it all in regardless and i look down at A 10off so i just raise it up to 20k hoping to isolate him. Jamie Millar on my immediate left then re shoves all in for 45-50k, the short stack calls and i have to lay it down. Jamie shows QQ and wins with a Full House. My mistake in this hand was i should of raised the minimum as it was covering the all in anyway, instead i lost about 8k more than i should and if Jamie was shorter than he was i would of been priced into the call and would of been left crippled.

I made the final table with 52k which was around average. The final table had a very unusual feel about it and contained 5 men and 5 women which i think is rare as only 6 Lady's started the comp. With only 8 being paid we decided to offer a saver for 8th and 9th with everybody paying £5 out of their own pocket with the last 2 places taking £25 each.

I was up and down on the final table, had to steal a few blinds to stay alive whilst having to pass lots of marginal hands due to raises or lack of position.

I was crippled when Joan moved all in on my BB for 23k, i looked down at Ah 9h and decided to gamble to try and get a stack for the win! I called and she flipped Js 10s, flop was A X X 2 spades and i knew i was going to lose the hand. The spade on the river sealed it and i lost a decent pot at the same stage as yesterdays tournament. If i win that race then i think i go on to heads up at minimum.

I had 13.5k left and with the blinds just passed me i waited to try and find a hand. My mum was at the final table to my right so i decided to wait until UTG till i shipped it in, that way she has to call and either takes my chips or i double up. I shipped it in UTG with 6 7 off and she had to call the extra 5.5k after everybody had passed, she had Ah 5h which held up and i was out in 6th winning £60

I thought i played well all tournament, i had to lay down some big hands, i did get lucky against the KK with AJ but i wont grumble about that as it happens to me a lot of the time.

Buy ins (inc rake): £423.50

Cashes : £502

Profit/Loss: £78.50

Alea £15 deep stack freezeout

2009-01-27T07:01:00.000-08:00

Last night i played the Alea £15 freeze out. With 50 runners sitting down and 9 alternates, i thought it was a decent turn out as Gala and Grosvenor both had guaranteed tournaments.

So first level of the night (25/50) and i get AK0 in the c/o and flat a raise from the guy on my right, 2 others call and we see a flop of A X Js and its checked round to me so i fire 650 into the pot which is called by the guy to my right. The turn is a Qs and is checked by us both as i thought he could have AQ or AJ here after his check call. The river is the 10s and i bet 1.1k after he checks, he flats it and shows 8 9 for a lower straight.

The very next hand i get JJ and raise it up to 400 after a min raise and a call by the guy on my right, Mama G calls in the BB as do the raiser and caller. Flop comes Q high and is checked to me so i bet out which is smooth called by the guy to my right. Turn is a blank and is checked down, the river is another blank and he value bets and i call paying off the AQ. I should of passed.

An orbit later i get JJ again, i raised in late position which is called by the button and BB, the flop is 6 7 8 and the BB bets out 600 which i raise to 2k and he calls. The turn is a 5 and he checks so i peel off a free card, the river is a blank and we check it down and he shows AQ.

I had added 1350 to my 10k starting stack at the break. After the break i offered to deal for a while.

A big pot unfolded at the 200/400 level, Charles limped UTG and i look down at Ac Qs and raise it up to 1600, its passed round to the SB who calls for 1600 then Charles moves all in for 5.6k total. I decide to call and then the other guy calls so there is about 16k in the main pot. The flop comes down Xc As Jc, the SB fires 1k into a dry side pot so i flat call it. The turn is a Xc and he checks and i now move all in with top pair and the flush draw, he tanks and then calls with 9c 9s and was drawing dead to a 9. Charles turns over Ax Kc and was ahead at present, the river bricked out and Charles took the main pot and i scooped the side pot and showed a slight profit.

Then came my exit hand, a guy to my right who had been opening a lot of pots, raises it up to 3.6k at the 800/1600 level. I look down at Ks Qs and decide to move all in for around 14k as i think he will fold marginal hands like A Q off A J and 7 7 lower and i have a decent image. Its folded around to him and he makes the call for 70% of his stack with A Qoff. The Q hits the flop but no K or spades to help me out and i was dust.

I thought i played ok and could of folded the JJ in the first level, also i think my play with the Ks Qs was fine but i did have enough chips at the time to pass and find a better spot. I am going to work on trying to make folds when i think i am behind because my read is usually right but i find it hard to actually make the fold.

Buy ins (inc rake): £401.50

Cashes : £442

Profit/Loss: £40.50

Gala £15 triple chance.

2009-01-25T18:45:00.000-08:00

Another full house at Gala tonight and this tournament is proving to be very popular. With 70 runners it was looking like the £2k guarantee was going to be made.

I started off the tournament pretty well, at the 25/50 level i made it 250 to play in the c/o with pocket 10's, the BB min raises it to 500 so i move all in and he calls an flips QQ. A guy says he has passed a 10 but i manage to bink the one outer on the river to send me up to 9425.

I reached the break with 8.4k and added on another 5k to make it 13.4k. The total prize pool was over £2400 after all the add ons.

After the break at the 200/400 level I'm on the BB with JJ and make it an extra 1.6k to call. I get 1 caller from UTG+1 who had limped in, the flop came 8 8h 2h and i moved all in as i had the player covered. He called with Ah 4h and bricked out so i was up to 22.6k.

Two hands later and i get dealt pocket 8's in the c/o and call a min raise in position. The flop comes 4 3 2 rainbow and the raiser leads out for 2.5k, i have him on AK making a standard raise and decide to flat it to see the turn. Turn comes a 7 and i still think I'm ahead so i call his 3k bet, the river is a Q and he slows down and checks, i now think he has 99-JJ and opt to check behind and showdown my hand and he takes it with JJ.

My table then gets broken up, at the 600/1200 level i get pocket 9's UTG+1. UTG has flat called so i decide to jack it up to 5.2k, a guy in mid position then moves in for 9k and its passed round to UTG who says its time to gamble and moves in for under 9k. I didn't like my spot and didn't want to race 2 players but i was getting the correct odds to call and i was up against UTG's J 10 off and the re-raisers A Q off. The J 10 gets there and makes 2 pair and I'm down to 5.9k.

The very next hand i am in the BB, early position raises up to 5k and then Caroline moves all in for another 13 odd thousand on top of the 5k, its passed to me and i look down at JJ so ship it all in for 5.9k. Its back on the original raiser who tanks and then calls Caroline's all in, they both show AQ and im in good shape and after the board bricks out i treble up to 18.3k.

Were now at the 1500/3000 level and after a limper in mid position the SB completes and i looked down at Ad Kd in the BB. I move all in and the limper folds then the SB calls with J 5 off as he needs to go, this is usually where i write a bad beat story but the AK holds and I'm up to 45k.

I'm moved tables again and at the 2k/4k level a lady with lots of chips makes it 10k to go in early position. Its passed round to me in the SB and i look down at JJ, i know she is probably pretty tight but i decide i need to get chipped up for the final table as i am not taking enough gambles when nearing the bubble. I ship it all in for an extra 25k or so and she calls with As Ks, the flop is a not so nice 10 10s 6s and i have lots of cards to dodge. The turn pairs the 6 which is good for me and a nice blank on the river and i scoop the 79k pot. Jamie Millar said he passed A 10 in the BB so I'm glad i decided to move all in.

I made the final table with 82k and drew seat number 2 so i was SB and in the 3rd best seat.

The first hand was pretty interesting as Jamie doubled up off the chip leader with 77 against KK on a 7 3 2 3 X board. He then began to use his big chip stack well and also had a nice rush of cards until he had a big decision with 10's after a massive all in. He decided it was a flip and called and the guy turned over As Js and hit the flop and doubled up to around 360k and had nearly half the chips in play. Jamie still had 60k left and would probably won the tournament if he wins that coin flip.

I had to pass AJ twice with raises in front of me and managed to get down to the last 4 after stealing the blinds a few times and a double up with Kh Jh against the chip leaders A 10 off.

My exit hand came after the chip leader had raised UTG to about 34k i re raised all in for another 60k more with A Q off and the chip leader called with Qc 10c. A 10 in the door wasn't nice to see and i failed to hit my Ace and i was out. Another big score (£830 FTW) eludes me and i fail to get lucky at the crucial times. I cashed for £217 though which is a boost i needed badly.

Buy ins (inc rake): £385

Cashes : £442

Profit/Loss: £57

Alea £20 Double Chance

2009-01-25T18:33:00.000-08:00

Thursday i went to Alea for the £20 double chance. This tournament was pretty much a non starter for me and was short stack for most of it. I couldnt find a spot to get my chips in good.

Buy ins (inc rake): £352.50

Cashes : £225

Profit/Loss: -£127.50

Gala £25+£15

2009-01-22T16:09:00.000-08:00

Last night i decided to try the £25 with 1 re buy of £15 at Gala. With a 7.5k starting stack and a guarantee of £2k i thought it provided better value than the £40 freezeout bounty at Alea.

I managed to spew 2/3 of my stack away in the first level then at the 50/100 level i limp in late position with Ac 5c, the button jacks it up to 350 3 other callers so i call the extra 250. Flop comes down a beautiful Kc Jc 2c, its checked round to the button who fires out 500, everybody folds so i flat it. Turn is a blank and i check again he puts in a bet of 2100 which i have left in front of me. I insta call with the nuts and he turns K 6 and is drawing dead.

I then get 9 9 UTG and raise it up to 400 and get one call. Flop comes A J X and we both check(i know i should fire at this flop to see where i stand), turn is a 5 and i check thinking he is trapping with an Ace, he checks behind. River is a 7 and i check again and he value bets a small amount and i pay him off and he flips 7 5 for runner runner WP mate.

Next hand i tilt call a mini raise on my BB with 9h 2h, flop comes 9 3h X i bet out 500 which is called by the button. Turn is a heart giving me the FD a bet of 1k takes it down without showdown.

At the break i had managed to build my stack back up to 7250 and i added on a further 7.5k taking me up to 14,750.

The first hand after the break (100/200) and I'm dealt AA in the cut off, Stacey makes it 700 in late position, i flat call it and the blinds also call. Flop comes 9 high and the blinds check then Stacey bets out 1.6k, i re-pop it to 4.6k and take it down without showdown. Up to 18.5k.

I then went card dead and moved tables, picked up some blinds with AJ twice. Another table change and after a few orbits at the 800/1600 level UTG moves all in for 10.4k(this is 3rd all in within about 5 hands) it gets passed round to me and i look down at 10 10 i ship it all in and he flips 10c 9c. No miracle and i take down the pot and I'm up to the 30k mark.

Id slipped down to 13.5k and shipped it in UTG+1 with K Qo its folded to Brent Horner who says to me " GG girgy GG, WP mate" then he flat calls my all in. Everybody folds and i flip my K Q Brent slowrolls his AA, a King on the flop gave me some outs but it wasn't looking good until i binked a Q on the river and doubled up to around 33K.

I busted on the Final Table bubble when Brent got his revenge for my suck out against his aces. I moved all in on the button with K J off and Brent found A 10 in the BB and called. No help this time and it was game over. GG Brent.

Buy ins (inc rake): £310.50

Cashes : £225

Profit/Loss: -£85.50

Charles Flynn's home game.

2009-01-20T16:48:00.000-08:00

So last night i decided to head off to the Chazmeisters home game at his 3 storey mansion in some posh area of Leeds. I arrived late due to other commitments and the game was well under way 6 handed.

The game was a £5 re buy and i bought in for £10 straight away for 2k in chips. I donked about for an hour trying to build a stack and i reached the break with about 3k in chips and i was in for £25.

The only real hand i want to discuss is my exit hand. This came 2 hands after the break. I was on the button and it was passed round to me, i looked down at 9 9 and jacked it up. I received 1 call from Christian Gregg in the BB. The flop came 7 4 2 and Chris checked it to me so i bet 700 into a pot of about 1100, Chris then dumps a big stack into the middle putting me all in, i insta shove Hellmuth style and am pleased to see his shockingly played K 4 off. Bink and there is the King on the turn and i don't hit one of my 2 outs on the river. I couldn't of played this hand any different but was a bit pissed off with the outcome.

I hung around a while before heading off down to Alea to find some cash action. I proceeded to donate £40 to the cash game before calling it a night and heading off home.

Gala £15 triple chance.

2009-01-19T05:40:00.000-08:00

So yesterday afternoon i went to Gala for the £15 triple chance. I was expecting another 30-40 player turn out but when i arrived it was quite busy with some good solid players already milling around.

I sit down at my table and have Fran on my right and Justin 2 to my right, i have 2 solid players in the blinds when i am on the button so i have lots of opportunitys to nick their blinds if i get the chance.

We start of at the 25/50 level and a few hands in i am dealt 8 8 UTG+1 and raise it to 200, button and blinds cal and we see a flop of 7 9 K, we all check to see another K on the turn, the BB comes out betting 400 and i decide to give it up and he takes it down.

An intresting hand then arises, im in the BB with Qs 7s after Justin makes it 250 in cut off i decide to call as do 4 others. Folp of 7 6 5 is ok for my hand so i fire out 500, Justin re pops it to 1500 and i flat call deciding to try and take it down the streets, a 5 comes on the turn and i ship it in, Just folds JJ face up and i take it down and blatantly lie to him that he was behind.

Im upto 7675 after taking the blinds and a limp with a button raise with KJ. An orbit later im in the SB with 6s 5x and make up the blind, a flop of 9s 8s Xs is checked round to the cut off who bets 250, i decide to flat call and evaluate on the turn. Another spade on the turn and i check hoping to take it down with the small flush, the CO bets another 250 so i just flat call, a red ace on the turn and again i check with intent to call, the CO bets a 1100 and i dont think he's value betting a flush so i flat call and he show A 8 for 2 pair and my flush is good. Up to 9500.

At the 50/100 level and Justin raises upto 350 in early position, i look down at Ad Kd and jack it upto 1k, its folded round to Justin who says he's going to make a big laydown then folds JJ face up again. I show him my hand and said we would of been racing. I dont know why he is not shipping it in there as he still has a rebuy.

Then comes a MEGA hand, its a multi limped pot and im in the BB with A 9o and decide to check my option, a scary flop of Ad Jd 9d gets dealt and i decide to bet out 350 to see where i am at, i get called by the rock 2 to my left and a short stack guy in the cut off. Turn is an A filling me up and i am no longer scared of the made flush and i check hoping that the flush gets there, the rock then bets out 1k and is followed into the pot by the cut off for around 1.6k, i think before re raising all in and i have the rock covered who says ive gotta call. The rock has 7d 5d and he is drawing dead and the CO has Kd 10d and needs a miracle Qd for a one out Royal Flush, an 8d river is a bit scary but helps neither of them and i scoop the pot and im upto 16.9k.

I then eliminate a player, I raise in early position to 600 with A 10, Chris Walker to my left flat calls and Sean Savage moves all in for 1600, back to me and i call the extra as does Chris an AXXXX board is checked down between me and Chris and i beat Seans A 7 with my 10 kicker.

At the break i added on and im upto 28.9k

With the blinds at 200/400 i get QQ in early position and make a standard raise to 1200 which gets respected and i take the blinds.

I then went card dead for a few levels until the 800/1600 level where i picked up QQ, UTG limps then the man next to me jacks it upto 6k, i ship it all in for about 24k and its folded back round to him and he calls for about 10-15k more and flips KK, im in bad shape and with no help on the flop im looking like im going to be left with a bowl of rice until the Q binks on the turn, i have to dodge 2 Kings on the river and after the blank comes im upto 51.6k with 2 tables left.

With 870k chips in play and an average final table stack of 87k, im looking in good shape. I float about between the 40k and 60k mark, and should of taken advantage around the bubble but i lost my bottle a bit and was probably playing to cash instead of trying to go for the win!

The bubble burst and i made the final with 48k and i drew seat 4 which wasnt good as i was going to be in the blinds early. I was the second shortest stack as Justin had made the money but was crippled due to a bad beat on the bubble. He was the first one out and we were down to 9. I never picked up a decent hand and the blinds were about to go through me again so i made a stand UTG with 2s 3s, i was looked up by AJ which held and i was out in 9th for £50.

I felt that i played solidly throughout the tournament and was lucky to win the QQ vs KK hand, i think i should of become more aggressive nearer the bubble to try and get upto about 90k but with some people willing to call with marginal hands i didnt want to risk it. Im due a big score soon and i hope its going to be sooner rather than later.

Buy ins (inc rake): £267

Cashes : £225

Profit/Loss: -£42

New Alea £20 double chance

2009-01-16T05:29:00.000-08:00

So Thursday night i tried the new £20 double chance at Alea. With a disappointing 15 runners i saw a good chance of making the money and some valuable Alea Freeroll league points.

Both tables started 7 handed then a late entry was added to our table making us an 8. Our table was the loosest of the two. Had Christiano and Jonny Salfi at my table who know my game pretty well and also resumed the battle with Mama G.

My first big hand came up in the first level, i picked up KK in mid position and made a raise to 350, i found one caller in Mama G who was in the blinds and cant let a hand go to save her life. I took it down with a bet after she checked the flop.

I then played a 4s 5s on the button in a limped pot, the flop came down K 7 8 and was checked all round, a nice 6 on the turn gave the idiot end of the straight and when Christian bet 600 i decided to jack it up to 1600 to see where i stood, everybody folded and i took down the pot.

I then get JJ in early position, i raise it up and find one call by the loose guy with plenty of chips, I check the flop of K 8 8 as does my opponent, a nice looking J on the turn is checked by us both, a Q on the river fills in a few straights so i check with the intent to c raise him, he fires in 500 as i thought he might and after a little dwell i bumped it up to 2k, he made the call and his Q 10 was no good and i scooped the pot.

I was up to about 12k and then added on another 5k at the break.

After the break i found JJ and took the blinds, and after a few eliminations we were down to the final 9 and i had made the final table with 14.2k after losing a few blinds etc.

I only had 2 real hands on the final table, at the 300/600 level i found AQo UTG and raised it to 2600, i received 1 caller from mid position then an all in from the BB i elected to lay it down and wait for a better spot.

Then came my exit hand, the player that went all in over my 2600 raised it up in early position, i looked down at 7 7 and decided to gamble with my 9500 short stack so i moved all in, it got folded round to the raiser who called an extra 5k or so and flipped 8 8. No miracle 7 or straight and i was eliminated in 7th.

I felt like i played well and was unlucky to run into a higher pair. Still some valuable points towards the Freeroll next month.

Buy ins (inc rake): £234.50

Cashes : £175

Profit/Loss: -£59.50

Gala £15 triple chance.

2009-01-12T06:03:00.000-08:00

So yesterday i decided to try the new Gala schedule, the £15 triple chance with a £2k guarantee and dealer dealt starting at 5pm seamed like an ideal Sunday tournament.

I had a fairly soft table, but did include the rock that is Mama G. I started off pretty well after being down to 2775 at the 25/50 level I found A 10o on the button, i raised to 275 with the intention of getting an extra 5k if i lost the hand. 5 callers to the flop of A 10 8 all hearts, blinds check to a guy in mid position who bets out 1k, next man folds and i ship it in for 2.5k, SB then tanks and ends up calling with AK no heart, turn was an 8 and river an harmless 5 and I'm up to 7.4k.

50/100 level and I'm dealt Jh 10h in the BB in a limped pot so i just check my option, the flop comes down K 9 8 2 hearts so i fire out a bet of 400 which takes it down without a caller.

Last hand of the buy in period and I'm dealt KK in mid position, i raise it to 375 and all fold.

With less than 40 runners and a guarantee 0f £2000 there was a nice overlay of £800.

100/200 level and i receive Kc Jc on the button and i just flat call as its Mama G's BB. Flop comes down X Xc Xc SB checks, Mama G bets 200, i flat call as does the SB. Turn brings a J and both blinds check so i fire out a 600 bet which i s called by the SB only. The river is a blank and the SB checks so i just check behind happy to take down the pot with a pair of J's. SB missed a double gut buster and im on 14.7k at the break.

Then came my downfall and the first hand after the break i found A Qo in the BB and I'm faced with a 1200 raise from a lady who had sat there pretty tight so i should of proceeded with caution, i called the raise from the BB to see a flop of J J X. I decided to check and see what the lady does, she bets out 1k and i don't think she has a J but i should of maybe put her on AA KK or QQ, i called and a K on the flop gives me a few outs. She again bets out 1k so i just flat call again, i miss everything on the river and she bets out another 1k, the pot is pretty big and i know i can only beat a bluff but i decide to call for information to be shown Kings Full. Lesson learnt.

Then came my elimination hand, at the 300/600 level with a stack of around 10k i limped in late position after 4 limper's with Ad 3d, the SB calls and Mama G in the BB checks her option. The flop comes down 6 K 3 rainbow and is checked by all, the turn is an A and I'm hoping somebody has just hit their Ace, to my surprise Mama G bets out 2100 from the BB, its just less than a pot sized bet and i don't know what to make of this bet, its folded round to me and i decide to flat call hoping that she slows down on the river. We are heads up and the river is a blank and Mama G fires out a 5k bet, I'm left with 8k and decide to ship it as i have put her on a lower 2 pair than me, i don't think she has AK or trips as she would of raised from the button, we both announce 2 pair and she flips A 6 which has my A 3 crushed and I'm out.

Maybe i should of flat called the 5k and saved myself 3k to play on with, or maybe we should have checked down the river as i would of liked. I hate being on the same table as Mama G as this thing is bound to happen sometimes. She eventually went on to come 2nd for a tidy sum of £470 which was nice as i had a share of it so no harm done in the end.

Buy ins (inc rake): £192.50

Cashes : £175

Profit/Loss: -£17.50

Gala Freeroll and Alea £25 Triple Chance

2009-01-10T05:43:00.000-08:00

So last night i planned to attend the Gala free roll and set off early in anticipation of having to queue for a while, I got there at 6.20pm and already found a queue in access of 120 waiting for a seat. I decided not to bother and headed off to Alea instead for the £25 triple chance.

I arrived at Alea about 7pm and found 20 already signed up so i thought the backlog from gala would soon follow. The tournament reached its max capacity of 70 with still around 10 alternates waiting to get in.

I had a decent starting table and was drawn in seat 1 so i decided to deal as i think i play better when dealing. I had Justin Sevilla to my right and a few loose players making up the rest of the table.

My first big hand came up when i had 7 7 UTG and decided to limp for 100, I got so see a flop of 7 5 Q rainbow which was beautiful. Blinds checked as did I and a mid position limper bet out 500, which was called by the button and the SB, i just smooth called with no danger out there. The turn was an A which was good for my hand and SB checked as did I, the bettor fired out another 500 which was again called by the button, the SB folded and i decided to re raise to 1500 hoping for one of them to push with 2 pair. The bettor now folded and the button called the extra 1k, the river was a J and i moved all in, after i made this move i thought i was in trouble as now a straight might of got there but the button folded and i took down a nice pot.

I reached the break with around 11k and added on for another 5k. A nice pot of over £3600 had formed with the top 9 being payed and a nice £1400 for the win.

I looked down at pocket 10's and Justin had raised to 1300 so i decided to flat call and see a flop, the flop came A x x, check check, turn was a blank, check check, river was a J and Justin bet out 1500, i tried to work out what he had and thought he might of had an under pair to my 10's and as id checked it down he might of thought he was good so i called only for him to show AA for a flopped set. After the hand i thought i should of layed it down as he could of had and A or even rivered a J.

Justin was moved and then i eliminated a player after i had limped with AQo in early position, he moved all in with a short stack and i made the call, he flipped Ad 7d and my AQ held.

The players were dropping like flies and we eliminated 4 or 5 in quick succession on our table, i eliminated the former chip leader on our table after he had taken 2 big hits to his stack, he moved in his short stack and i looked down at AKo and moved in after him to isolate him, he flipped QJo and my AK held to take down the pot.

We were down to 3 tables and a new player on our table was Lawrence Gosney who started to bully and dominate the shorter stacks, with the blinds at 1000/2000 then 1500/3000 my 20k stack was starting to look venerable as i had become card dead and the blinds had just come to me, i had to let go of my 3k BB to Lawrence's UTG raise as i had rags. I then found A 5o in the SB after it had been folded round to me, i shipped it in hoping to be ahead of Lawrence who had to make the call in the BB with Ac 7c, the flop was Q 2 3 giving me outs but the board bricked out and his 7 kicker played an eliminated me in 21st place.

I felt that i had played a decent game but the cards went dry at the wrong time for me and a decent cash would of set me back on track for the month.

Buy ins (inc rake): £160

Cashes : £175

Profit/Loss: £15

Alea £10 double chance

2009-01-07T06:48:00.000-08:00

Tuesday night i went to Alea for the £10 double chance, i started of pretty well taking 2 pots off Joan with pocket 6's and QJ against her AK both times. I also made a straight and a flush to build my stack up to the 18k mark after my add on at the break.

After the break my table was broken up and i was moved to another table. After about 10 hands on my new table i was forced to move as i was the next BB and i moved to a table with a few friends on, Jonny Salfi, Mark Oldroyd and Christiano Greggster. I assessed the table for a while before Mark eliminated Chris as Chris had just lost a huge pot, Mark ended up calling Chris's all in with a draw which got there on the river.

Then a hand came up against Mark, he was on my right and he was taking advantage of my button and blinds so i was trying to find an opportunity to play back at him, I found K 10 on the BB in a limped pot and checked my option. The flop came 10 8 5 rainbow and Mark was first to act and bet a strong 4k into a similar sized pot, i had put Mark on top pair with a weakish kicker as i felt he would of made a raise pre with A 10. I thought my only move was all in an i thought the other limper's were going to fold to this move, I thought for 30 seconds then made my all in for around 17.5k. The 2 limper's folded and it was back on Mark in the SB with the decision. As he didn't call instantly i knew i was good and now wanted the call. Mark ended up calling with 10 7 and said after his call i put you on the 8, the turn paired the 5 which was good for me until the river paired the 10 giving us both the same full house and a split pot which tilted me after I had him totally dominated, but i didn't lose any chips which was a plus point.

I was picking up marginal hands and was being beaten into the pot every time so i was in fold mode until our table was split again and we were down to 20. I was moved straight into the BB and was running short on chips, my BB and SB got raised which i couldn't defend.

I found Ad Qd which i folded to a strong raise then i found Ah Qh again in a better position and i open the pot with a raise which was smooth called by the BB with a short stack, he pushed on the 10 J X board and i called the extra to find i had him beat when he flipped K 9 for a straight draw, the board ran out giving me the straight and bumped me up to average chips again.

I then found 7 7 UTG+1 a made a stupid move and limped, the button raised to 6k and after the rest had folded i decided to see a flop of J 8 X, i checked to the raiser who bet 10k leaving himself 4.5k behind, i moved all in and he called with A J and the board bricked for me and i was left with 2k which went in the next hand with 4c 5c i was called by the man to my left and the BB found a genuine hand and moved in only for the caller to move in also. The hands were JJ and KQ i hit a pair and a draw which failed to improve and the river gave the pot to the KQ and that was good night for me. My concentration lapsed and i played a hand horribly and that is something i have to improve next time i play.

Buy ins (inc rake): £107.50

Cashes : £175

Profit/Loss: £67.50

Alea £30 rebuy

2009-01-06T19:40:00.000-08:00

Sunday i played the Alea £30 unlimited re buy. I only decided to play the tourney at the last minute and made the trip to Leeds. With only 26 runners on 3 tables and a fairly tight easy field i thought i would do well in this tournament. A generous 5k starting stack and 2 x 45 minute levels in which you can re buy allows some decent play and not an all in fest.

I started off well and i had built my stack up to 15k thanks to being paid twice with KK in the first 2 levels. I had a slight blip near the end of the re buy period after i had been caught up in a hand with K 7, the board running out K X 8 X 7, facing a bet of 600 on the flop i flat called, i called a bet of 600 on the turn and a 1200 bet on the river after i had made 2 pair only to be shown trip 8's, so i lost around 2500.

I added on 5k in chips for another £30 at the break and was sat with a stack of about 18k. A nice juicy £1740 pot had formed rewarding the top 5 players with payout. After the break i became card dead right until around the final table bubble, at one point i was down to about 10k and with blinds at 500/1k i had to move in a couple of times to steal the blinds in order to survive.

I found A 9 in mid position and moved in and was looked up by pocket 6's, a blank flop and turn was looking bad until the A came on the river saving me and doubling me up to around 28k, soon after we were down to 9 and a final table.

My mum also made the final and started of well taking the blinds with AK. I managed to take the blinds with a hand before my first key hand of the final table, Graham Wilks pushed in the seat next to me for 27k and i looked down at pocket 8's, i felt that my hand was good and decided to move in after him for around 31k and everybody passed and he flipped over pocket 6's so i had him dominated, an 8 on the flop sealed the hand and i was now in contention with a decent stack to play with.

After the next player was eliminated it was agreed that we would take £50 off of 1st and 2nd place and pay the next player out £100 so we were all now in the money. Then came my next key hand, I looked down at AA UTG and decided to limp in hoping that somebody would raise, they player on my left raised to 16k leaving himself with roughly 16k behind, it was folded round to the BB who had a think but folded then it was back to me so i set him all in and he called with pocket 7's, Aces held and we were down to 5.

I then eliminated my Mum in 5th when she pushed her short stack in with Q 10o I had Ah 4h in the BB and had to make the call, I hit 2 pair to seal it and she left £120. I was now the chip leader with 125k out of the 290k in play with 4 left.

Then came my first big hit to my stack, i had 8 9 in the BB and the SB raised it up fairly small so i decided to take a flop, the flop came 8 J X and the SB bet out around the size of the pot, i thought he was trying to steal the pot so i put him all in for the rest of his stack and he called with AA, the turn brought me a straight draw but i failed to improve and doubled him up.

Then after i had blinded down a bit Tim (played against him in Merrion and Charles home game) moved all in for his stack, i had him covered and looked down at KQ suited on the BB and made the call, he had AK which held, i was left with 7k of which i had 5k in the SB next hand when Charles (played in his home game and at Alea and Moortown) moved all in from UTG, I called blind with my 2k and Tim folded the BB, Charles flipped over KK and i asked if i could reveal my hand after all the cards had been dealt which he agreed to. The 4 5 6 7 9 board was quite good for my blind hand and when i turned over the mighty 8 3 off for a 7 card straight Charles was nearly sick LOL.

I then folded the next hand as i was the button, the following hand i shipped my 21k in with Qd 5d and was called by the BB for the extra 11k with 4 5, first card on the flop was a 4 then 2 diamonds, turn gave me a straight draw but i missed all of my outs on the river and was eliminated in 4th place for £175. I was happy with how i had played and was glad to have cashed in 4th for a decent profit. Still a win at Alea eludes me.

Buy ins (inc rake): £86.50

Cashes : £175

Profit/Loss: £88.50

New Year! New Start!

2009-01-06T17:43:00.000-08:00

So with 2009 now underway i have decided to start my updating my poker blog again. I have given up online poker and i am trying not to deposit anymore as i don't think that the game is fair and i don't think i have a good online game. I am going to set myself some poker goals for 2009 and i am hoping to stick to them and also improve my game.

Goals for 2009

Play an APAT event
Play a DTD £300 event
Attend a Blonde Bash
Keep a record of results
Make an overall profit for the year

So i started off the year with a trip to Grosvenor Merrion on New Years Day for the £10 double chance. With the session fee of £3.50, yukky squashed tables, too many starting chips, poor structure which ends in the final table always going to a chip count i have really fallen out with the place but it was the only game in town on the day so i decided to play. Some of the play in this place is absolutely shocking and laughable at times.

I was card dead for most of the tournament and found a half decent hand in KQo so i shipped it in and walked into AQ, the board ran out pretty good and i had a straight draw by the turn and i rivered a K to suck out on the guy. My elimination hand came when we were down to around 14 left, My Mum pushed all in and i moved all in after her with A 10 and was follwed by another player in the BB, Mama G showed QQ and the BB showed AA oooops Flop comes 8 8 Q, turn is a Q giving Mama G the nuts and the river is a meaningless 10, meaning Mama G tripled up and i was eliminated by the AA as he had me covered. So 2009 didn't start of the best but I'm sure its going to be a good year poker wise.

Buy in(inc rake): £23.50

Cashes: £0

Profit/Loss: -£23.50

Dusk Till Dawn Weekend

2008-04-14T10:31:00.000-07:00

I decided to make 2 trips to DTD this weekend as it is my last chance before I go to Australia.

Friday £75 Freezeout

On friday I travelled down with Fran for the £75 Freezeout which attracted 67 runners. I managed to grind it down to the last 20 odd but was swallowed up by the blinds and antes after the lack of any decent cards. I didn't bother playing cash and we headed back up the M1 empty handed.

Sunday £100 Freezeout

Sunday was to be my last trip to DTD and I made the journey with my Mum to play the £100 Freezeout which attracted 59 runners with an overlay of £600 as it is guarenteed at £6.5k. I started of pretty well winning a few pots and building my 5k stack upto the 8k mark. Early doors I was getting some decent cards and using position well to take down a few bluffs. I got to the first break with around 5k after losing a few pots and having to lay down pocket kings on the turn on a very tricky board. Into the middle stages of the competition I doubled through with AK vs 66 a king being the first card out, and the I lost a 50/50 to the eventual winner with AQ spades against 4 4 which some how managed to avoid a lot of bullets, which crippled me and was down to less than 10 BB. i managed to hand around for a little while but eventually busted out in 13th (top 7 being paid) with the blinds and antes swallowing me up. I always enjoy the DTD experience and cant wait for by next visit hopefully to make a final table.

Moortown £20 Freezeout

2008-04-09T08:15:00.000-07:00

Last night I headed off for the £20 Freeze out at Grosvenor Moortown, 20 players started on 2 tables with several on the alternate list. I found myself on table 1 with Ma aka my Mum and my Uncle John. I decided to change my game a bit and become a bit more aggressive than normal as I thought I had the right table to do so, I used position well and raised in spots with any 2 cards often getting through but once or twice getting caught with my fingers in the till. I reached the break with a little over my 10k starting stack. After the break I grinded away picking my spots until I doubled up with AK vs 99 the flop was a blank but an A on the turn then a K on the river was enough to ship me the 20k+ pot. I then played 2 big hands against Paul (the guy who smokes pens) he was to my right and raised to 2k and I picked up a tell of weakness on him so I re popped him to 6k with 8 3 os, everybody folded round to him and after a short dwell he mucked his cards. Then a couple of hands later Paul limped from the SB (500/1000), I raised up to 4k with pocket 7's and Paul min raised it to 8k, I then insta pushed all in and after a think about it for a while he mucked saying he folded AQ. I was up to around the 30k mark and we were soon down to the final table with the top 5 being paid. The first hand of the final table I looked down at 66 in UTG +1 and I raised to 3600, it was passed round to my mum on the BB who looked me up, the flop came A Q x and she checked, I bet out 6k and she folded 7 7 face up so I couldn't resist showing her my under pair lol. I then played a big pot with Mark Lewis (from Gala £25 double chance) he raised it up on button to 3200 which I called with Ac Jc from the SB, flop came A A 4 (2 spades) I checked he bet out which i flat called, a blank on the turn and it goes check check, another blank on the river so i checked and he bet 8k on the river which i just flat called in case he was holding AK or AQ, he actually had J 2 of spades for a busted flush draw. I then made a squeeze play with 6 6 after a few limper's on my BB which got through. Then Justin raised 3 x BB and I moved all in against him with JJ he passed pretty quick. We were soon in the money then my Mum doubled through by taking Justin out with J 9 against his Q 9. We were then down to 3 which consisted of David Bielby, my Mum and Myself. I called my Mums SB raise from the BB with 7d 8d, flop came 2 diamonds and she moved all in which I called she showed A Q and I hit my flush on the river sending her to the rail in 3rd. WP Ma Unlucky. (No colluding when we are at the same table!) Heads up lasted no more than 10 hands after i had JJ busted by a flopped flush and straight draw which hit on the river and I came 2nd for £145. GG and WP.

Congratulations to Richard Hawes on his Victory at DTD.

2008-04-09T08:09:00.000-07:00

Well done to Richard Hawes for taking down the Tuesday £50 re buy down at Dusk till Dawn last night. Rich made that win number 3 down in Nottingham beating Marcus Bebb-Jones and Julian Thew along the way to scooping £2.1k for his nights work. Nice going Rich!

New Gala £40 bounty tournament.

2008-04-06T10:33:00.000-07:00

I decided to try out the new scheduled bounty tournament at Gala last night and with £30 going into the prize fund and £10 as your bounty i thought it was good value for money with a 30min clock and 15k starting stack. I decided to deal and could deal myself and hand, I managed to bluff a few pots and get to the first break losing just 800 from my 15k. After the break i had to fold my best hand of the night AK against Derek aka "Wheels" after i missed all streets and he fired out on the river. Then I was getting short and I pushed in mid position with K Q os only to be called by "Wheels" in the BB with Q J which i was delighted to see until the flop came 8 9 x giving my opponent a gut shot which he hit on the turn as I dealt the 10, I needed a J on the river which blanked out for me. I didn't claim any bounties but i thought i didn't make any mistakes and was happy with how i played.

A small cash game had broken out so as I waited around for my mate on the final table I sat down with £40, a few hands in I found AA in the BB I got heads up and all my money in the middle on a 9 10 J Q K board, I rivered the straight beating my opponents J Q for turned 2 pair. I then payed off 2 players after I miss read the board (all under cards to my JJ but any 7 made a straight) a river bet of £20 by player A was called by myself and player B, the both showed the 7 and were puzzled by my call with the JJ, I explained that I missed the straight, which shouldn't of bothered them as they made an extra £10 each out of me! I then saw a multi way flop with K 3 os and flopped top pair, another K on the turn gave me trips which was good enough to win a nice pot and I left the table with £90 making back my tournament entry money which was better than nothing.

Gala £25 Double Chance.

2008-03-28T10:00:00.000-07:00

Tonight I am going to try and make it back-to-back final tables at Gala. More to follow soon.........

I went to tonight's game feeling confident of matching last weeks final table although I was a little under the weather but I felt good. I lost my first 7.5k with Ac Jc on a J-high flop, all the money went in on the turn of a 10 and my opponent tabled 10 10 for trips and made Quads on the river just to make sure. I re-bought for 7.5k and I managed to make it through to the break with 12.8k. After the break I kicked on and eliminated Ed 'The Crazy Yank' with AK vs A3 I checked and he pushed all in on a xAx flop and I insta-called him, turn came another A and he failed to hit his 3 on the river. I then eliminated another player with AK on a AxA board, turn gave him an open ended straight draw which he committed all his stack with, I called and the river bricked out sending me over 30k. I then moved tables and it went quiet for a while, we were down to 2 tables and with blinds at 800/1600 I limped in mid position with 4 4 with 4 players to a flop of K x x, it got checked round and a heavenly 4 came on the turn, a bet from a tight player in early position, quickly followed by an all in from me was called by the tight player with KJ saying "why did i let you see the turn" a J on the turn gave him a few outs but a blank on the river gave me the pot. A while later after being blinded down to around 10xBB I pushed all in against the same player with the 4 4 from earlier after he had raised in early position i thought he would lay it down as he said "id call anybody but you" but he found the call and my Kh 10h was in bad shape against his A 10, but a K in the window sealed the double up and I was back in it. We were then down to 2 tables and I felt like I could make back to back final tables unto this hand came up, it was passed round to me on the button and i held Ac 10c and raised it up to 18k (blinds 3k 6k) SB folded and Mark Lewis a very good respected player called the extra 12k, I thought he is going to push on any flop and I was prepared for this, the flop came 7 4 7 rainbow and as I thought he moved in for 35k, I thought he wouldn't push all in with a 7 and if he has a 4 then I've got over cards and I thought I was in front so I made the call and he showed 6h 5h for an open ended straight draw, I was happy with my read and he said "nice call", the turn was 9h giving Mark a flush draw and a dirty 5 on the river gave him a pair and left me with a bowl of rice, which i went all in with next hand with 9 10 against Marks A 10 and another short stacks A 8 so I was in bad shape an 8 on the flop and 10 on the turn gave Mark the pot and eliminated two of us to make it the final table. I was happy with the way I played all night and only made 2 mistakes all night but if that hand would of held up i was in good shape for the final table.

Gala £25 Double Chance 5 way chop.

2008-03-22T10:02:00.000-07:00

As I felt like I was running good and I just had one of those feelings like I was going to do well I headed off to Gala for the £25 double chance tournament. I found myself on WSOP Bracelet holder Lawrence Gosney's table which is always interesting. I was in seat 9 but offered to deal for the guy. I got to the break with 15 600 after my add on. After the break I knocked a player out with 10 10 vs 8 8 and then took another player out with A Q hit top pair on the flop against his straight draw, I made trips on the turn and he missed the river and I was upto around 40k. I dealt myself some decent hands and took a few pots down pretty much uncontested, then i got K K and raised 3x BB and got 2 callers, the flop came down K K A for flopped Quads! I could hardly contain myself! I was unable to get much out of it though. Shortly after I was moved tables and managed to drop 10k in chips before I was moved back to my original table when the new dealer kindly dealt me QQ to know another player out followed by AK which i raise 3 x BB and found a raise by the previous player who was on my direct left before I was moved, I put him down as a tight player but had not much experience and it was his first time in the Gala id seen him take a few pots down with strong hands so I put him on QQ JJ AK or AQ and could maybe out play him when the flop came down, the flop was A J x (2 hearts) I check he bets, I call here because he has me covered and want to take the minimum risks, turn comes Q hearts I check again and he bets bigger I flat call again here as now I have a straight draw to go with my top pair, the river is a 10 making me the nut straight, I move all in and he goes into the tank, I start giving him some chat saying i didn't want him to call and don't want him to go home, I now no he's not got a flush or a full house or he would of insta-called my all in so I'm happy if he calls, I call the clock on him and after he says Ive put too much in Ive gotta call he calls me with a set of Q's and I scoop the biggest pot of the night and go chip leader with 140k and were down to 2 tables. I dropped about 70k and were hand for hand when i found As Ks and pushed in for about 50k and was called by Derek a slow rolling old boy in a wheel chair, he calls me with K K and I spiked an A on the flop and we were down to 10 for the final table. I started the Final Table with 114k and drew seat number 3 which is the worst seat as you start in the BB, we got down to 6 players and I picked up QQ and raised to 40k, a guy re-raise all in and after I counted my chips we had exactly the same amount and I called and he flipped over 10 10 and with no help from the board he was out in 6th and I was chip leader with 193k but we were all around the high 100's and a 5 way deal was suggested, the deal was for £495 each which was just short of 2nd place money so I was happy as I needed the cash. If i had of been in a better financial situation the I would of played on for the win but I did not want to risk it.

Pokerstars $4.40 180 man Sit & Go.

2008-03-22T07:26:00.000-07:00

After a slow start and again on my Mums account (i run better on this account than my own) i managed to grind out a 5th place finish for $57 i felt really good and felt that i was running well so i decided and with a bit of persuasion to go to Gala Leeds for the £25 double chance.

Well Done to Nick Carter.

2008-03-22T07:19:00.000-07:00

Another good result for Nick Carter down in Nottingham at Dusk till Dawn in the Thursday £50 freezeout. Nick chopped 4 ways and took home a tidy £1600 to go with the £2.5k he won this month. After a poor February Nick has turned it around and is playing a very good game.

Best online result to date.

2008-03-18T10:06:00.000-07:00

Saturday the 15th and it was back to a bit of online poker. I played under my mums account and i entered the Pokerstars $11 $100k guaranteed tournament, with 3000 in chips and a 15 minute clock i thought that was good value for money. I ran really well and doubled up with AA early doors, and won every 50/50 i was in, mid way through the tournament and at a make or break time i found JJ and was all in Vs AA flop was a blank and i had 2 out to hit, bring on the turn J and just to make sure the case J appeared on the River for runner runner Quads! That set me up and i gathered momentum from there and was chip leader for most of the time with 30 or so left and reached over a million in chips at one point! I reached the final table from over 3000 players and over 7 hours into the tournament i made two mistakes which cost me a bigger win but i cashed in 9th place for $300 which is my best result to date! I was happy with the way that i played and wished i could of made it to my goal of 6th place which was over $1000 but the blinds were high and it was pretty much all in or fold.

Withdrawal Symptoms

2008-03-18T09:51:00.000-07:00

Friday the 14th of March and I Cracked! I couldnt resist the offer of a trip to Dusk till Dawn and so i headed off down to Nottingham with a friend of mine Fran Plant for the £75 freezeout. My bad run continued as i never got above my 4000 starting stack. I paid off a straight with 2 pair on the 2nd hand and dwindled my stack down to peanuts from there on in! My fate came at the hands of this last years WSOP finalist John Kalmar. I also had Top Lady Player and all round nice lady Beverley Pace sat at my table, she was there with funny man husband Norman Pace. Fran busted shortley after i did so it was back up the M1 we went talking about how bad we had played.

Month off from Casino

2008-03-12T10:48:00.000-07:00

On monday night i decided that i needed a month off from live poker and was going to concentrate more on playing online and saving a bankroll to pay me into £100 DTD tournament.

Poor Day Online

2008-03-12T10:26:00.000-07:00

Yesterday wasn't the best day online, with sick beats combined with a few bad plays i dropped over $30 for the day!

I started with $63.72.

$2.25 NLH Sit & Go (6 Man)

Played: 14
1st: 1
2nd: 1
Other: 12

$3.30 NLH Knockout (464 Runners)

My best result of the day was in a $3.30 NLH Knockout Tournament with 464 Runners, I managed to Double UP on the second hand of the Tournament with KQs vs K3c on a board of Kd 4d 9s Kh 8d, took down several uncontested pots, then doubled up I limped on the button with Qd Jh on the flop of 9d Qc 6s a player in late position moves in and i call he shows Qs 10s Turn was 9c River was Jc, I ended up finishing 17th for $8.12 and $1 in bounty's.

Total for the Day: - $30.78

Back to grinding away online

2008-03-10T18:40:00.000-07:00

After i got home from Leeds i decided to try and take down some $2.25 NLHE 6 man Sit & Go's.

I started with $49.62.

$2.25 NLH Sit & Go (6 Man)

Played: 6
1st: 3
2nd: 1
Other: 2

Total for the Day:
+ $14.10

Dealers Choice Cash Game

2008-03-10T10:24:00.000-07:00

Tonight i am going to Gala in Leeds where there is a Dealers Choice Cash Game being dealt by Nick Carter. Games include, Texas Holdem, PLO Omaha Hi and Hi/Lo, Irish, Pinapple, and Padooki. If there is enough for two tables I am going to deal for Rake and Tips. More to follow soon...........................

Tonight wasn't a good night at the felt! I started off well picking up 4 of the first 5 hands and adding a few pounds to my stack, but i was soon felted by my lack of Omaha Hi/Lo Knowledge. I re-loaded for a further £60 on top of the £80 that i started with. Again i was schooled in Omaha Hi/Lo and decided not to start chasing the money and I headed off home with my tail firmly between my legs!

On the way home i decided that i was going to have 1 month off of live poker and save up to play in a Dusk till Dawn event before i go to Australia. So im going to concentrate on grinding away at $2.25 Sit & Go's on Full Tilt.

Cash Tables: - £140

Trying to Build my Bankroll

2008-03-10T07:20:00.000-07:00

Today I am trying to build by Full Tilt Bankroll, I have started with a Bankroll of $53 and im going to concentrate on playing $3.30 90 player Knockout Sit & Go's and $2.25 9 player Omaha Hi and NLH Sit & Go's.

$3.30 NLH Knockout Sit & Go:

Was down to 1645 and moved all in with JJ vs AQ and my Jacks hold up for a change, then I have AK os and there has been a raise to 900, I moved all in for 3200 and was called by the raiser with Jh 6h, he flopped a 6, i turned an Ace and he rivers a Jack for 2 pairs. NH donk!

$3.30 NLH Knockout Sit & Go:

Down to 2955 from the 3k starting stack, UTG raises to 80 (20/40) I re-raise to 300 in UTG+1, 1 caller in Mid Position, BB moves all in for 3360, raiser folds, I make the call putting him on AK/AQ, and he turns over AK. Flop, 6s3sQd Turn 10d River 5c doubling me upto 6310. The very next hand im UTG with KdKs I raise it to 150, UTG+1 moves all in for 1750 SB is all in for his remaining 380 and i call the extra 1600 and im up against SB Ad4h, UTG+1 AsJh. Flop QhJdKh Turn 6c River 5h and im upto 8515 and collect $1 in bountys. I then drop around 4k with 88 on a 4sKs7d4d7c board, i bet every street and was called by the table donkey who moves in on the river so i passed. Down to 2850 and call 240 in mid position with KQos, Mid Position Donkey calls SB calls and BB checks, Flop Kd6s3d, Blinds Check i move in for 2585 more, Donkey calls with Jd 2d Turn is 4d which gives him a flush leaving me drawing dead. Time to try some Single Table Sit & Go's.

$2.25 NLH Sit & Go (6 Man)

Played: 3
1st: 1
2nd: 0
Other: 2

$2.25 PLO Hi Sit & Go (9 Man)

Played: 2
1st: 0
2nd: 1
3rd: 0
Other: 1

Total for the day:
- $3.38

Congratulations to Nick Carter

2008-03-10T06:37:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Nick Carter who took down the Sunday £100 Freeze Out at Dusk till Dawn.

Well done Nick who scooped £2485 for his efforts.

Grosvenor Moortown £10 Double Chance

2008-03-09T10:47:00.000-07:00

Tonight i am going to Grosvenor Moortown to play in the £10 Double Chance and possibly partake in some Dealers Choice Cash. More to follow soon........................................................

Tournament:

Moortown attracted 60 runners and 2 alternates for tonight's £10 Double Chance generating a pot of £1130 after add ons. I started off well picking up a few pots and turning my 5k stack into 8k. With 3 hands announced before the break i raised UTG to 800 (Blinds 100/200) with AKos and got 4 callers including the SB+BB. Flop comes 8 A 8 Blinds both check and i lead out for 1500 leaving 2k behind and it gets folded round to the BB who sets me all in for the 2k more, i call as i still had my re buy and he flips over the mighty 10 8 os for a flopped set, the turn gave me outs for a flush but a blank on the river sealed the deal and i re-bought for 5k in chips.
After the break 2nd hand in and i find AA in mid position and i decided to limp for 400 and there was 6 players to the flop of K 5 5, it got checked to me and i pushed for 4.6k more, i got called by A 5 and with only 1 out remaining my tournament was over. (I was going against the way I play Aces! I always raise but I thought id limp because I thought id get a raise then I could re-raise as I needed to try and get chipped up.)

Cash:

With a few loose fish at the cash table i decided to sit down and try my luck, i sat down with £80 but i was getting garbage and i couldn't get a piece of the loose drunk guy who was donking all of his money around the table. I stayed patient and managed to grind my money up to around £130 at one point courtesy of Olly. I was dealt Ad Kd and saw a flop of 10 J x 2 diamonds, turn came another 10 and a blank on river left be down to peanuts. I managed to grind away for another hour and re-loaded another £30. Then i was dealt AQ os and limped in, i joked that i was going to be all over the flop, the flop came A Q x 2clubs i said that i had nailed the flop and Justin told me to check it as i was first to act, i checked as did Justin, Olly bet £15 which i was waiting for, Stuart and Chris Rhodes both flat called the £15 and then i moved in for £35 total. It was folded round to Chris who called the extra £20, I flipped my AQ and Chris said he had a massive draw, runner runner clubs came and i knew he had hit the Flush, he showed Ks JC, Sick! and my Cash night was over.

Tournament: - £20
Cash Tables: - £110

Girgy85's Poker Blog is Born

2008-03-09T09:07:00.000-07:00

Today i decided to start a Poker Blog to keep up with my Live and Online performances. I am currently playing on Full Tilt and Pokerstars under the alias Girgy85 and i sometimes use William Hills for Poker alias Girgy83 and Sports Betting.

I prefer to play Live Poker and i usually play at either Gala Leeds or Grosvenor Moortown with the occasional trip to Dusk till Dawn when i can. I usually play the Small Competitions and Cash Games and have recently started to play a bit of Dealers Choice Cash at Moortown.

I am going to be moving to Sydney Australia for 12 months in April so i am going to be visiting the Star City Casino in Sydney and im going to be searching out the local clubs for all the fish games.