Back to Earth

After the somewhat boast post that preceded this one, a fall was due.

Went down to Galway for the WSOP satellite. Great place, I'd thoroughly recommend it. Casino very plush, and crammed with many of the worst players I've ever encountered (as well as a few good ones: Keith McFadden and Jude Ainsworth were there, as was Roy the Boy. It seems to be an unwritten law that if RTB is in a tournament, he must be at my table). But they all seemed to be running like God.

Never really got going. Kept losing pots when outdrawn by hands I was dominating preflop. Kept getting away for the absolute minimum. In terms of how I played, I think it was one of the best ever, but great laydowns don't win you tournaments unless followed by big hands or hero calls or killer bluffs. Played one hand with 8's in the SB when shortish pretty well. Russh from Boards (very solid player) raised almost 4 BB earlyish, a raise I immediately associated with AQ or AJ. I've got 8's in the SB. The raise is almost half my stack so normally it's an automatic push but I decided to go for a Stop and Go instead. The determining factor that the big blind was an atrocious player with a dose of chips, and we had a bit of history. He was the main culprit for playing shite like QJ behind my raises or reraises but then outflopping me, and I think he'd somehow picked up from my body language or something that I thought he was a donk. So I reckoned he's gunning for me and with a dose of chips would call very light to have a shot at taking me out. So I flatcall and true to form, so does he.

Flop's about as good as I can hope for without an 8, K62 rainbow. No ace, so I push. Donk folds, Rush has a very long dwell before correctly reasoning I don't have the King and he's more or less priced in to call with a probable two overs. So he calls with AJ and I hold to almost treble through.

Unfortunately that was as good as it got. Got no cards and my marginal raises kept getting snapped off. Down to 6 BB, I pushed over an early limper who was limping almost every pot. Most of his early limps were Ace rag. I had 109s, not the worst hand against ace rag, and I thought my push over a limper looked stronger. I also thought he'd have to bin Ace rag as there are so many hands I could have like a better ace or a pair higher than rag that crush him, but I was wrong. He called with A7o and held up.

Afterwards I went to play in a very wild very high quality cash game that included Keith McFadden, who played very well. Managed to lose my first buyin on the first hand, pushing two pair hard to protect against a flush draw into someone who already had the flush. Doh!

Recovered from there to end up about 300 Euro overall, more or less my satellite buyin, so almost a breakeven night.

Played the Fitz 500 on Saturday. Horrible table draw, surrounded by good players like Ghostfaceste from Boards, Paul Leckey, Adam Fallon, another good LAG I've played before whose name I've forgotten (I'm shit with names). Quickly got up to 25K on a rush of cards, then took a big hit in a BSB hand against Leckey, and called away half my chips with a nut flush draw and two overs that never came. Eventually I pushed with AJ, Noel Hayes (who arrived after Adam's departure: table just didn't get easier) isolated with 55, and held. Had some good banter with Gentleman Liam Flood before during and after, who confessed he played horribly against me in SE last week. At one stage I sauntered over to see how the brother was doing, Liam asked me how much I had. 23500 at that stage, he said "Is that all?", I said "You're not at my table today Liam" which cracked him up, so he can take it in as well as dish it out which is great in someone who has achieved as much as he has in the game.

Played some cash after and managed to gradually 150 due to not hitting anything mainly.

The brother played absolutely brilliantly. Despite being card dead for almost the entire duration, he went very deep, unfortunately only to bubble (annoyingly just after he'd got some chips together). Well done to all who cashed: glad to see Marc won enough to get to Vegas.

On Sunday I played three online sats, for WSOP, Luton, and Macau Classic.

WSOP on iPoker: sweet early double up (AK v AQ and after checking behind on an AK4 flop, got all his chips in drawing dead on the turn) but ran out of steam and out in high 20s (102 starters I think).

Luton GUKPT: arrived at final table with (marginal) chip lead but out on 6th (2 tix).

Macau Classic: final tabled with big stack which became behemoth when I flatcalled with Q10s when down to 6. Other big stack called behind, shorty in BB went all in, we both called. Flop was J9x, check check. Turns a K for nuts so I bet, other big stack raises, I call. Blank of river, I bet 2K (pot), she raises to 6K (over half her stack), I shove, she instacalls with so played aces. Got heads up with 18-to-1 chiplead, but was biting my nails when some allins when I was ahead doubled him up and was down to 23-15, but eventually came good to win ticket. If I'd lost it after that chiplead I might have been forced to sanction myself.

Yesterday played Waterford satellite in Luke's. Only 12 starters, truly sad to see the place apparently dying on its feet. Great club, best dealers in town, hopefully it'll turn around. No luck for me, made a pretty bad call for my shortstack at the end. I had two pairs but wasn't beating much. I talked myself into the call because the board was very drawing and the guy was betting strong at it, something I'd seen him do with drawing but not made hands. Unfortunately the reason he was betting so strong at it was he had a made straight and was afraid I was on a flush draw. Earlier I made a marginal laydown with 10's to a reraise from Marc AKQJ10's best friend Brendan. His reraise looked like either AK or JJ. AQ, QQ or 99 were less likely, I thought. Against that precise range I was more or less exactly getting the pot odds to call, but in the end I folded.

Played some cash in the Fitz afterwards and managed to lose 75 Euro. Was up until a car crash hand against Bad Beat Joe who stayed in on the flop with a gutshot, hit on the turn, and I paid him off with top set. Then another crazy hand: flat called with 7's early. Flop is 852, not bad for 7's, so I bet. Chinese lady who was playing every pot and calling with any pair or draw called, and Chinese guy who had just arrived at table in SB did likewise. Turns a 9. Not a good card for me, so I check to see what happens, Chinese lady makes a small bet which we both call. River's another 9, checked around to Chinese lady who bets small again. I'm preparing myself to make a crying call when the SB moves all in! Easy fold for me, or so I thought, but Chinese lady called with 5 (second bottom pair!). And it's good! Unreal.

After that, got no cards and withered away like a houseplant in the attic.

Looking forward to Waterford on Friday, where hopefully Nicky Power will teach me how to play with no cards.

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