You'll never win a race in Galway

No joy in the IPT thing in the Eglinton. Out late on Friday. Never really got going in all honesty due to a lack of cards and/or favourable situations. Drifted down to 5K, then worked back up to 11K. Biggest pot was one against Padraig Parkinson where I check-raised him on the flop knowing he'd continuation bet almost any flop. Then lost a biggie to Parky where I thought I was trapping but it blew up in my face.

Defending my BB with A8s, we saw a flop of J84. Since I'd check-raised him last time, I decided to vary it by leading out at it for 1K. He called, and I figured he's either trapping with a Jack or semi-floating with two overs against someone he's seen check (to raise) strength. Turn's an Ace which is a deadly card for me because if he has a better ace he has to think he's good now, so I trap check. He makes a very small bet, 1K, which I read as either a suck in bet (with an ace) or a probe (with a jack, to see if it's still good). I smoothcall with the intention of giving him a big decision on the river.

But it blows up when the worst possible card in the deck hits the river: a jack. Now my two pairs is counterfeited and losing to a bigger ace, and if he was playing a jack he's just made trips, so either way I can't even call his 3K bet on the end, which smells like a jack. Blah.

Total card death and I'm back to under 5K and looking for a spot to shove. Then I'm in the BB with J2 and see a flop for free with two limpers and the SB completing. Flop is J62, bingo! SB leads out for 1K which I figure is either a jack or a flush draw (two clubs on board). If the stacks were bigger I'd play this fast now as top and bottom pair is not a hand you really want to be slowplaying, but I need a double up and this is probably the best opportunity I'll get any time soon to do that. So I smoothcall. Original limper raises to 3K, small blind reluctantly calls, and now I shove. Lots of speech play from original limper before he announces he's priced in and calls, as does the SB. So, a chance to more than triple up!

They instacheck it down: turn's a 10, river's the 9 of clubs and I get the sinking feeling it's done me since I assume one of them is on the flush draw. It's done me all right: just not the way I expected: both were playing Jack 9. Gay.

Played the 4 Aces the next night, which was billed as a deepstack but the 15K starting stack was somewhat illusory with blinds doubling every 20 minutes making it play more like a pub tournament. Scarcely won a pot, played tight, kept getting my raises with the bottom of my range snapped off, until I decided to take a stand with 9's, was up against AQ, and he hit the Q on the flop and the Ace on the turn for good measure. Standard was noticeably higher than in the Eglinton where again I witnessed some gobsmackers (and heard about some more from Sean Prendiville at the break).

Anyway, Luton next. I'm flying out on Wednesday, and considering making my PLO debut there.

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