You know you're running bad when...

Wednesday: Down in Galway for Jaye's celebration party/tourney in the Eglinton. Great atmosphere in the place where they had a presentation for Jaye. Dave Curtis (Legend, and best card room manager in the world) has succeeded in creating something very special down there as he swans around the place looking presidential, or like a benevolent mafioso making everyone offers they don't want to refuse.

Iain was there to record another Irish Poker Radio. Iain deserves an award himself for his contribution to Irish poker this year between the radio show and the rankings.

Tournament itself was very meh for me: hovered around starting stack until I got it in blind on blind with a pair and a flush draw versus an open ended straight draw. You know you're running bad when you expect to lose those 70/30s and sure enough a non flush completing straight card hit the turn and that was that.

Played a bit of live cash to no great effect for an hour before a two table 250 sit n go kicked off. At first it looked like a one table effort but as soon as they realised they needed a second table and volunteers for it, myself and Rob were out of the traps like a couple of Derby contending greyhounds, much to the a or be musement of Fintan Gavin who spent most of the rest of the night abusing us for cowardice. Given that the table we were fleeing from featured not only Fintan himself but also the other two points in the Claregalway triad (Jude Ainsworth and Derek Murray), cowardice was definitely the most plus Ev option at that point. Not that the new table was much easier including as it did Jaye and Matt Dobbins.

Anyway, it played out like a turbo online, Rob went out in 7th shipping A7, while I ended up bubbling with the same hand, priced in to calling and finding myself up against KK. Stayed in the Salthill hotel where we had breakfast with the Legend the following morning where he regaled us with some great stories

Thursday: Fitz EOM. Got off to a good start despite an early Chiefing (76o, gutshot, enough said) I got up to about 17K when average was still around 10k. Then at 200/400 Sean Prendiville raised an early limper to 1300 and I looked down at KK just behind. It's been a while since I played with Sean but one very exploitable tendency that sticks in my mind is he tends to go mental the second or third time you three bet him. Against a more cagey disciplined LAG like, say, John O'Shea or Chris Dowling, I'd often flat in this spot to disguise a strong made hand, but having already come over the top of a button raise from Sean I decided this was a good spot to reraise with a view to inducing a spastic ship. Sure enough, when it gets back round to him he instaships and my chips beat his into the pot. He asks nervously if I have a pair and turns over 7's. You know you're running bad when you see an 80/20 and immediately expect to lose it, and sure enough, a 7 hit the flop to end my night. Well done to Rob who ended up chopping it four ways. Rob's in tremendous form at the moment and is probably playing the best I've ever seen him play. Not that he ever plays badly, but when you're in form you tend to get all the marginal decisions right and Rob is certainly doing that right now. There was one very interesting hand between himself and the impressive Jason Tompkins which was great poker on both sides.

Friday: Carlow. Didn't play all that well. It's sometimes hard to keep the head when running bad and in particular to get the marginal decisions correct. I was left short after I played a hand sub optimally against Bops, betting only when I went behind to a flush on the turn and then making a crying call on the river with top pair when deep down I was pretty sure I wasn't good. Exit standard enough: shipped QJ on the button for 8 bigs and got called by the Carlow version of the Chief with 63o, which won the "race". Again, I never expected to win it.

Been grinding away online to no great effect: breakeven to slightly profitable week so far. After a poor connection interrupted October, I need a good November to get things back on keel.

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