Waterford Event
What a great few days I had in Ireland. Everytime I go there, I am so envious as the quality of the tournaments is far superior to that in the UK.
The travel costs are cheap as well. £11.98 for return flights (including taxes!) you cannot go wrong. It costs me more than that to drive to Luton and back ffs!
Before I went, I was reading a forum where buying shares in people was being discussed. The discussion was based on "how much" you would pay for a %age in someone, and weather or not the amount ou would pay would include the travel costs. So as an experiment, I offered 20% of myself for 20% of the buyin (€500) AND 20% of the expenses. The 20% was locked up within an hour. I was a little shocked.
Anyway, on with the trip report. The event was being played in Waterford which is Southern Ireland, and being the skinflint I am I booked my flights to/from Dublin as these were £10 cheaper! lol. Well Dublin did not look that far from Waterford - 80 odd miles or so.
I was lucky enough to be offered a lift from Dublin to Waterford by Mike Lacey - top stuff cheers fella!!
The fessie was like this, a satelite for the €500 event on the Thursday, the €500 event on the Friday/Saturday and Sunday with a €250 event on Saturday/Sunday and a €150 event on the Sunday.
Structures were as follows : 15k chips for the €500 with an hour clock. 10k chips for the €200 and 40 min clock, 8k chips for the €150 with 25 min clock.
All the levels were included for all 3 comps with running antes (at various levels for the 2 larger comps)
I decided to play in the satelite which was a €100 buyin with a €50 optional rebuy OR add on. You were given 3500 starting chips and the rebuy/add on was worth 5000 chips so ineffect it was a €150 f/o with 8500 chips.
Half hour clock and with in excess of 100 runners produced 30 seats (although only 20 seats were on offer, 21st to 30th got €500) . As i had pre registered my seat, a 30th place was good enough for me.
It started well and during the first 2 levels I had managed to get to 7k when in the last hand of the level before the forced add on, I got dealt 77 and opened for a raise and this guy called me. He had been playing very strange poker and had somehow got to 7k in chips also - mostly from getting lucky hitting straights and flushes. I do not put him on a big hand as he would of re raised me - probably a medium pair. Flop came down A 6 10 rianbow and I led out for 3/4 the pot. He called reluctantly. The turn came a 9 (giving 2 flush cards) and again I bet out but this time just over the pot and he again called, even more reluctantly. The river was a harmless 3 (non flush card) and I moved all in. He called after a huge dwell up and showed 88.
This left me felted and just the 5k addon to come back with after the break. How he could call all those bets was beyond me, but he did.
With the blinds at 100 200 it was going to be a little hairy for me to get that needed double up early on after the restart, which I got and more! Funny enough, it came from the guy who called all the way with those pocket 8's. His game changed so much after the restart, he was now laying down hands and I took full advantage of this. I also had a very week/tight guy move to my right which helped.
Anyway, we were down to 3 of the bubble and I had a good stack of 38k with blinds 1k 2k (100 ante). It is folded to me in the cut off and I have A K and raise it up to 7.5k. Folded to the BB who moves all in for another 7k more. I have to call. He flips 77 and it holds up. That hand was my ticket, but with 24k although not in danger, things then began to get a little hairy. With the demise of 3 people it was now bubble time. I had 21k with blinds now 2k 4k (with 200 ante) it is folded to me on the button and I have AK and push. The SB had 30k with the BB having 43k.
Obviously I want to just pick up the blinds, the SB passes but the BB asks "how much?" then says "call". I would want AA in his spot to call, and I could even fold AA in his spot as his seat was safe. He had QQ. Terrible call imo. The flop and turn were all blanks, but a K on the river gave me the double up and I sat away from the table knowing I had locked up my seat now.
The guy then proceeded to give me ear ache saying "what are you doing pushing with that hand?" all I replied was " me? what were you doing calling with yours?". Anyway, seat won and a good start to the fessie.
Onto the main event then, and I started off really well, picking up lots of small pots and by the end of the first level I had 17k, end of level 2 I had 19k, end of level 3 I had 21k and end of level 4 I had 25k. Just the start I was looking for.
Level 5 was the bad level for me, I lost a few pots and was down to 15k and it got worse form then on. Totally card dead and with big stacks to my left gave me no oppotunities to gain chips.
I did manage to hang on until day 2 but only had just over 9k.
Day 2 started with blinds 300 600 and running ante of 50 - still plenty of time I was under no pressure. Playing a short stack is not a problem for me. It is funny though, I have no patience in life, but in Poker I seem to have all the patience in the world.
I spent the next few levels just staying around the 10xBB, jumping up to 20xBB but then falling back down. I could not string 2 pots together.
With the €250 comp now taking registrations I knew it would fill up very quickly. I did not want to bust out of the main comp later only to find the €250 full so I made a conscious decision that now was the time to play for double up or bust. Had the €250 not have been going on, I would of played a different game as I was still under no pressure due to the small blind increases.
One hand springs to mind, I am in on the button and UTG limps for 1200. I am shoving my 15k stack here with almost any 2 cards if there is no substantial raise infront of me. I do not put UTG on a big hand. THEN UTG+1 (who I had played with most of the day yesterday and was a good player) looked at his cards, then round the table at the people and stacks behind him. He noticed me and my 15k stack and just flat called. This sent alarm bells ringing to me as he was expecting a shove from me. I folded.
Flop came 10 J Q and UTG moves all in for 15k and is quickly called by UTG+1. UTG+1 had AK for the nuts and UTG had J Q. The turn was a J (giving him a full house) and just to rub it in, the river was the case J giving him quads.
VERY next hand in the cut off I am again shoving with any 2 if it is unopened to me, sure enough it is and I look at my cards before moving all in (As 9s I had). The SB passes and the BB is not even concerned at how many chips I put in, he says "raise" OOpps.
So me and him are on our backs, me with As 9s and him with KK.
Flop is 8 10 2 with one spade, turn is the J spades giving me o/e straight draw and the flush draw + any ace. But it wasnt to be and I was out.
So straight into the €250 where I again got off to a good start, this time running over my starting table and getting to 20k before the end of level 2. All continued well until around 24 of us left and playing the last level of the day I loose 2 big pots (one was a race and one guy caught a flush on me) which leaves me crippled. Finding a PP I have no option but to shove and I am called by AQ. A hits and out I went. Money started at 16.
Next day comes and I am ready for home and look to change my flight to go home a day early, but not for €180!! So I decide to stay and play the €150 event. This turned out to be a good move as again I started well but again just about to break to 2 tables I loose a HUGE pot which left me with 10xBB . This pot would have put me C/L (or very close to it), I had middle set vs flush draw and the flush hit.
I managed to somehow crawl my way to the F/T with only 6xBB. Seriously shortstacked.
A few hands in and I am UTG+1. UTG limps and I look down at 7s 8s. Good enough to push.
Folded back to the UTG limper who had circa 50xBB. He passed! showing me an Ace. Cant believe he folded, so I showed him my 7 8. He was not impressed! Now usually I would of continued to "wind" him up, but him being a well stocky irish lad who someone else had commented on earlier as being "mental" I thought better of it. Now UTG I find KK on his BB. I shove hoping to get a tilt call from him but it doesnt come. I try and get involved in the game but cannot catch any breaks. So down to 10xBB I am in mid position and look down to see an Ace and move all in. It is raised behind me, then re raised, origional raiser moves all in and it is called!. They both flip over AK - one being suited clubs. My hand? A 3.
Flop is a blank, turn brings the guy with AK clubs a flush draw so I now have 2 outs.
River? yep its one of my 2 outs and I more than trebble up!
Now a playable stack I move upto 80k
A couple of people have now gone out and I get the guy in the cut off shoving 80k. I look down to see AA and take him out. I am now stacked well.
We get down to 4 people and Andrew T makes a standard raise, I look down to see AK and move all in, he dwells but then calls. This pot is for chip lead. He has A 9 but the 9 hits and I am out 4th.
No complaints though, had a good run of cards/luck on that final table - although winning that hand and I felt the tournament was mine.
All in all a great few days away, with excellent structured comps. Irish people have poker so good.
Lastly but by no means least, a special mention to the guys running the event - BigSlick promotions. These guys ran a great fessie putting UK tournaments to shame and would even give some of the Vegas tourneys to shame as well. When blinds were getting a little big, they would freeze the levels to avoid a crapshoot, tables were balanced/broken immediately, rullings were decisive and quick.
You will honestly have a real hard time finding a better run festival and I myslef cannot wait to go back.
The travel costs are cheap as well. £11.98 for return flights (including taxes!) you cannot go wrong. It costs me more than that to drive to Luton and back ffs!
Before I went, I was reading a forum where buying shares in people was being discussed. The discussion was based on "how much" you would pay for a %age in someone, and weather or not the amount ou would pay would include the travel costs. So as an experiment, I offered 20% of myself for 20% of the buyin (€500) AND 20% of the expenses. The 20% was locked up within an hour. I was a little shocked.
Anyway, on with the trip report. The event was being played in Waterford which is Southern Ireland, and being the skinflint I am I booked my flights to/from Dublin as these were £10 cheaper! lol. Well Dublin did not look that far from Waterford - 80 odd miles or so.
I was lucky enough to be offered a lift from Dublin to Waterford by Mike Lacey - top stuff cheers fella!!
The fessie was like this, a satelite for the €500 event on the Thursday, the €500 event on the Friday/Saturday and Sunday with a €250 event on Saturday/Sunday and a €150 event on the Sunday.
Structures were as follows : 15k chips for the €500 with an hour clock. 10k chips for the €200 and 40 min clock, 8k chips for the €150 with 25 min clock.
All the levels were included for all 3 comps with running antes (at various levels for the 2 larger comps)
I decided to play in the satelite which was a €100 buyin with a €50 optional rebuy OR add on. You were given 3500 starting chips and the rebuy/add on was worth 5000 chips so ineffect it was a €150 f/o with 8500 chips.
Half hour clock and with in excess of 100 runners produced 30 seats (although only 20 seats were on offer, 21st to 30th got €500) . As i had pre registered my seat, a 30th place was good enough for me.
It started well and during the first 2 levels I had managed to get to 7k when in the last hand of the level before the forced add on, I got dealt 77 and opened for a raise and this guy called me. He had been playing very strange poker and had somehow got to 7k in chips also - mostly from getting lucky hitting straights and flushes. I do not put him on a big hand as he would of re raised me - probably a medium pair. Flop came down A 6 10 rianbow and I led out for 3/4 the pot. He called reluctantly. The turn came a 9 (giving 2 flush cards) and again I bet out but this time just over the pot and he again called, even more reluctantly. The river was a harmless 3 (non flush card) and I moved all in. He called after a huge dwell up and showed 88.
This left me felted and just the 5k addon to come back with after the break. How he could call all those bets was beyond me, but he did.
With the blinds at 100 200 it was going to be a little hairy for me to get that needed double up early on after the restart, which I got and more! Funny enough, it came from the guy who called all the way with those pocket 8's. His game changed so much after the restart, he was now laying down hands and I took full advantage of this. I also had a very week/tight guy move to my right which helped.
Anyway, we were down to 3 of the bubble and I had a good stack of 38k with blinds 1k 2k (100 ante). It is folded to me in the cut off and I have A K and raise it up to 7.5k. Folded to the BB who moves all in for another 7k more. I have to call. He flips 77 and it holds up. That hand was my ticket, but with 24k although not in danger, things then began to get a little hairy. With the demise of 3 people it was now bubble time. I had 21k with blinds now 2k 4k (with 200 ante) it is folded to me on the button and I have AK and push. The SB had 30k with the BB having 43k.
Obviously I want to just pick up the blinds, the SB passes but the BB asks "how much?" then says "call". I would want AA in his spot to call, and I could even fold AA in his spot as his seat was safe. He had QQ. Terrible call imo. The flop and turn were all blanks, but a K on the river gave me the double up and I sat away from the table knowing I had locked up my seat now.
The guy then proceeded to give me ear ache saying "what are you doing pushing with that hand?" all I replied was " me? what were you doing calling with yours?". Anyway, seat won and a good start to the fessie.
Onto the main event then, and I started off really well, picking up lots of small pots and by the end of the first level I had 17k, end of level 2 I had 19k, end of level 3 I had 21k and end of level 4 I had 25k. Just the start I was looking for.
Level 5 was the bad level for me, I lost a few pots and was down to 15k and it got worse form then on. Totally card dead and with big stacks to my left gave me no oppotunities to gain chips.
I did manage to hang on until day 2 but only had just over 9k.
Day 2 started with blinds 300 600 and running ante of 50 - still plenty of time I was under no pressure. Playing a short stack is not a problem for me. It is funny though, I have no patience in life, but in Poker I seem to have all the patience in the world.
I spent the next few levels just staying around the 10xBB, jumping up to 20xBB but then falling back down. I could not string 2 pots together.
With the €250 comp now taking registrations I knew it would fill up very quickly. I did not want to bust out of the main comp later only to find the €250 full so I made a conscious decision that now was the time to play for double up or bust. Had the €250 not have been going on, I would of played a different game as I was still under no pressure due to the small blind increases.
One hand springs to mind, I am in on the button and UTG limps for 1200. I am shoving my 15k stack here with almost any 2 cards if there is no substantial raise infront of me. I do not put UTG on a big hand. THEN UTG+1 (who I had played with most of the day yesterday and was a good player) looked at his cards, then round the table at the people and stacks behind him. He noticed me and my 15k stack and just flat called. This sent alarm bells ringing to me as he was expecting a shove from me. I folded.
Flop came 10 J Q and UTG moves all in for 15k and is quickly called by UTG+1. UTG+1 had AK for the nuts and UTG had J Q. The turn was a J (giving him a full house) and just to rub it in, the river was the case J giving him quads.
VERY next hand in the cut off I am again shoving with any 2 if it is unopened to me, sure enough it is and I look at my cards before moving all in (As 9s I had). The SB passes and the BB is not even concerned at how many chips I put in, he says "raise" OOpps.
So me and him are on our backs, me with As 9s and him with KK.
Flop is 8 10 2 with one spade, turn is the J spades giving me o/e straight draw and the flush draw + any ace. But it wasnt to be and I was out.
So straight into the €250 where I again got off to a good start, this time running over my starting table and getting to 20k before the end of level 2. All continued well until around 24 of us left and playing the last level of the day I loose 2 big pots (one was a race and one guy caught a flush on me) which leaves me crippled. Finding a PP I have no option but to shove and I am called by AQ. A hits and out I went. Money started at 16.
Next day comes and I am ready for home and look to change my flight to go home a day early, but not for €180!! So I decide to stay and play the €150 event. This turned out to be a good move as again I started well but again just about to break to 2 tables I loose a HUGE pot which left me with 10xBB . This pot would have put me C/L (or very close to it), I had middle set vs flush draw and the flush hit.
I managed to somehow crawl my way to the F/T with only 6xBB. Seriously shortstacked.
A few hands in and I am UTG+1. UTG limps and I look down at 7s 8s. Good enough to push.
Folded back to the UTG limper who had circa 50xBB. He passed! showing me an Ace. Cant believe he folded, so I showed him my 7 8. He was not impressed! Now usually I would of continued to "wind" him up, but him being a well stocky irish lad who someone else had commented on earlier as being "mental" I thought better of it. Now UTG I find KK on his BB. I shove hoping to get a tilt call from him but it doesnt come. I try and get involved in the game but cannot catch any breaks. So down to 10xBB I am in mid position and look down to see an Ace and move all in. It is raised behind me, then re raised, origional raiser moves all in and it is called!. They both flip over AK - one being suited clubs. My hand? A 3.
Flop is a blank, turn brings the guy with AK clubs a flush draw so I now have 2 outs.
River? yep its one of my 2 outs and I more than trebble up!
Now a playable stack I move upto 80k
A couple of people have now gone out and I get the guy in the cut off shoving 80k. I look down to see AA and take him out. I am now stacked well.
We get down to 4 people and Andrew T makes a standard raise, I look down to see AK and move all in, he dwells but then calls. This pot is for chip lead. He has A 9 but the 9 hits and I am out 4th.
No complaints though, had a good run of cards/luck on that final table - although winning that hand and I felt the tournament was mine.
All in all a great few days away, with excellent structured comps. Irish people have poker so good.
Lastly but by no means least, a special mention to the guys running the event - BigSlick promotions. These guys ran a great fessie putting UK tournaments to shame and would even give some of the Vegas tourneys to shame as well. When blinds were getting a little big, they would freeze the levels to avoid a crapshoot, tables were balanced/broken immediately, rullings were decisive and quick.
You will honestly have a real hard time finding a better run festival and I myslef cannot wait to go back.
posted by M3boy's Poker Blog at 12:23 AM
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