In September I was lucky enough to win a $3500 package to the GSOP in Greece on my first attempt on Party Poker. I was going to make a video replaying the Final table of the qualifier, but am yet to get round to it. I may update the Blog soon, adding that video, because if I remember rightly, I played it pretty well. I think it would make for interesting viewing. The package included buy-in to the main event, travel expenses, and 5 nights all inclusive stay in the 5* resort of Porto Carras (where incidentally i'd stayed when I was younger around 10 or so years ago) for myself and a guest, which was my girlfriend. I'm not 100% sure of the Buy-in, i think it was 1500Euros. All i do is turn up and donk about!
We set off ridonkulously early on the Tuesday morning from my house, as we were flying from Stanstead at 7:20am! My alarm was set at 3:00am, usually my bedtime, and because I was playing FIFA 12 on the PS3 until silly o'clock I was like a zombie until we landed in our next destination; Dusseldorf, Germany. We had to fly Indirect, because that's all there was to offer for our dates. After a short stopover in Germany, a moan from Char about having her moisturiser confiscated because of unexpectantly having to go through customs again, another flight, and a 1 and a half hour coach transfer from Thessaloniki airport we arrived in Halkidiki, Porto Carras. Very nice it was too!
The busy day of travelling, registration and attending the player party was over, and it was Wednesday, the Main Event! The sun was out, the temperature was 25 degrees (Celsius), and after a seeing off a happy Char to the pool and the sunshine, I made it to the tournament area. After a slight delay we were under way, 20,000 starting stack, 1 hour clock, 25/50 blinds, and a table full of young to middle aged men, it didn't look soft considering where we were and the buy-in.
I was keeping it tight early on, as I should be, assessing the table, one player stood out. He was active. Sporting a London 2012 polo shirt, and capable of speaking very fluent English, I at first came to the conclusion he was a Brit. There wasn't much table talk to begin with, so I couldn't really tell, I later found out he was from Denmark. First action came when I squeezed KK and took down a small pot when called by one player with a C-bet on a dry flop. I found AhAs soon after and squeezed again, this time from the SB. I found one caller again, this time the active Dane. The flop came down 679dd. A pretty miserable flop. I felt like he was going to float me on this board so often, and there was far too many turn cards that I don't like, and although I don't like what I did now, I decided to check to him. He bet half pot, and I called. the turn was a diamond (3d I think). I decided to lead to find out if he really wanted to keep telling his story, to try and take it there and then, and also to stop me from being barrelled off the hand. I planned to give up if he showed any more interest in the pot. I lead for a little over half the pot, and he called. the river came a black 8. Really terrible board for my hand now, and I decided to go into check/fold mode, hoping he would check back a hand like A9 etc.. He didn't though, he bet what seemed like a value bet and I folded. He showed the Kd. I didn't quiz him on this, but I'm not too sure why he did. If it was to say he was bluffing, why wouldn't he show both? It was a relatively easy fold on the river, and I really should have just lead 2/3 pot on the flop, and gone from there. No biggy though.
Next level (50/100) I get AKs in the Cut-off and raise to 250. The table had been pretty tight, except for the Dane. The SB, who had recently made an agonising lay down on the river which it turned out he shouldn't have, re-raised it up to 800. My thinking: If I 4 bet to ~2k here and he 5 bets, I have to fold my hand, and I don't want to be doing that with a hand as strong as mine, so I decided to flat for 800, and under rep my hand. The flop comes AAx. He checks, I check. After he checks, I'm confident a large part of his range is a pair like TT-KK, which I'm unlikely to get 3 barrels of value from him on this board, hence why I checked back. Turn was another rag, and I fired 1100 into 1700 when he checked to me, he called quickly. The river again was a brick, and he checked once again, I deliberated for a minute of what my sizing should be (pot: 3900) I ended up betting 3300 and he called it off pretty quickly. I shipped a nice sized pot and was up to 23k.
Nothing exciting happened for the next 2 levels, and I came back from the dinner break with 22k @150/300/25ante. First hand back, I am in the BB with AJo and the Dane raises to 675. It folds to me, and I decide to just call. Flop is J6xhh. I check, he bets half pot, I call. turn is Ks. I check, he fires half pot again. The K is a scare card for me. It is definitely a card that is good for him to double barrel, and knowing he is the most aggressive at the table, and capable of this I call. Now is a good time to mention he got caught triple barrelling a missed flush draw with K2hh a little earlier on. The River is a black 6. I check to him. He fires a little under half the pot (3275). My thinking: The flush draw missed. He wouldn't fire the K turn if he had just a 6, he would most likely check back. He also may not fire the river with just a K, as a 6 could easily be in my range. KJ would probably value bet the river here though. It didn't really add up to me, and there wasn't a whole lot of value hands that fire all 3 streets versus me. So i pulled into Calling Station, and made the call. He had K6hh, for a runner runner full house. I suppose I was right that he whiffed his flush draw!!
That knocked me down to 14k. (@200/400/50ante) A bad timed 3bet steal versus a semi-active player with 56dd on the button, which was 4bet (for half his stack) and I was down to 11.5k. Not going too well.
I grinded away, stole some blinds and was at 13.5k the hand before the break, and the next level up. I get AJss in the cut-off, I make it 875. it folds to my Danish friend in the SB who re-pops it up to 2200. His sizing here is pretty ugly and strong. Unfortunately for me, I had already decided that if he 3bet me I wasn't going to fold my hand. I jammed, and he called. He had KK, and although I turned a J, I couldn't get the suck-out on the river. I was out.
The 1st and the last hand of them 2 levels were the decisive ones. Both with AJ and both vs the same opponent. Perhaps If I was playing my A game, I could have been more aware of his sizing, buts it's always easy to say that in hindsight. He has to fold to my jam half of the time or more to make it a profitable play, and I believe this certain villain does that more than enough.
Another flag on my miserable Hendon Mob database that I won't be getting just yet! Sighhh!
That was the tournament done. Luckily the resort was nice, and I had my girlfriend there to spend the rest of the time with. The sun was out again on the Thursday and we enjoyed the day at the pool and the beach. The weather was a little more British than Greek for the next 2 days though, but we still enjoyed the trip. I got to meet a few players that I play against a lot on-line which was good. It's always nice to see the faces behind the screen names.
On the virtual felt I was on a pretty large break even stretch since August. Not getting any breaks on Stars, I was hoping for a change of fortune for the WCOOP (World Championship of Online Poker) which ran in September. I made a couple of deep runs, but wasn't running god like enough to take anything down, or even final table any of the events i played. The closest I got (or could have got) was in the $530 triple shoot-out where I came 11th, with the top 10 being the day 2 final table.
I was pretty gutted, as I played really well throughout the whole tournament, and was just unable to finish off the guy I was against heads up. He adjusted his game pretty well to be fair to him, and as the blinds went up he had the better of me preflop. I ended up rejamming (first time I had done so) into his AA and my WCOOP title dream was over. A positive to come out of it other than playing really well, was that in the first heat I beat a player called GOTUREAD heads up. Now we had history. In this exact same tournament a year or two ago, we got heads up in the 1st round, and we both flopped straights (his higher than mine) and he slow-rolled me. It really annoyed me at the time, so it was great to get revenge, especially as he had all his bitch mates on the rail giving me shit.
The week before I went away to Greece I made my breakthrough. I consciously made a decision to grind a little less on Stars, and to increase volume on Party Poker and other Euro sites. On the Sunday I got 2nd in the weekly flagship 85Euro (50,000Euro guaranteed). That was good for 4600Euros including bounties:
I then got 1st in the Super Tuesday ($99rebuy) on Party Poker for $10,914, and got 5th in the "Big $109 50k gtd" on Stars for $4450. I took a horrible beat 6 handed for 2/3 chips in play. here is the tweet from when it happened:
6 handed, utg raises, utg+1 jams 15bbs, i flat (as chip leader) w/ KK, btn folds, spazzy 2nd stack jams 60+bbs i call, he has QQ, flops Q :(
There was $16,000 for 1st place in that, and 95% of the time when I hold there I go on to win the tournament. So it was a pretty sick bad beat equity wise. But it happens, and I had had a very good week, so I wasn't too disappointed.
I am back to the grind after returning from Greece, and am playing very well. So hopefully the next big score is just around the corner. Party Poker have an on-line series starting this Sunday coming, so I am hopeful I can go deep in a couple of them, and look to take one down. I've always loved Party Poker, and how I run there, so I'm excited for it.
Last thing i will touch on, is that because of my good week before Greece I was able to officially surpass the $1million tournament winnings milestone. It's always nice to hit milestones, and I'll be grinding away until I get my 2 milly badge!
Good luck at the tables.
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