I really can't believe it!

I have just finished at the Truro, Victoria Inn Pub Poker League ... and have won again!

I have played 4 times here .. Now won 3 times and 4th in the other, I think thats good stats against anyone holding 2 cards.

I also find out tonight that they have a league yearly winner where the champion gets a nice trophy and the top 6 get to play off for a tournament in France ... unfortunately me playing one week a month cannot ever win that.

Tonight it was a £5 buy in, there were only 17 players and it paid top 3 - £50, £25 and £10

Anyway, as always I was pretty quiet in the early rounds and kept just above average. There was a maniac player with chips who was taking on every raise of mine which made me cautious.

When there were about 10 left I got back to back Aces at blinds of 300 / 600 and only managed to extract about 3K from those hands, mainly because I was playing very fast to deter the maniac from playing any 2 cards and out drawing me.

Anyway the maniac went out on the bubble and I was left the small stack. The player to my left was quite passive but did seem to change gears by raising more, just with the wrong hands at the wrong time. I made most of my comeback chips from him!

My heads up opponent ended up taking him out.

Heads up lasted quite a few hands and we agreed to take £30 each and play for the last £15. With the blinds at 5K/10K -about 107K in chips on the table. The final hand came when I limped in the SB, he raised all in for about 35K total . I could call and still leave about 40K behind with 79spades. I called and he showed Q8os. A Q on the flop gave us both the obvious emotions, but the other two cards got me a straight redraw ... and I filled my straight on the river.

So a few more winnings again to add to a very small cash table win at the Gala last week (£3) my live bank roll sits at £193.

Just a quick note on my live bank roll ... I will be adding a small amount from other gambling funds every month ... so I expect to still be able to play live poker if my current bank roll falls back to zero.

So onwards and upwards with my bid to play some bigger buy in tournaments ... but for now I remain a Poker Wannabe.

Until Next Time

Keep It Tight!

Live Poker Interesting Exit Hand

I eventually got to start my "serious" live poker playing at the Gala in Leicester ..

The tournament was a £10 NLH, two rebuy or one rebuy and one add on or 2 add on at the break; basically you can buy in 3 times by the break if needed.

I played quite well starting on table one, had a good handle on all of the players and was just starting to get going before the break. Mainly this was thanks to winning a big pot from the person who I thought was the most threat to the table when his KK ran into my AA, all but knocking him out of the tourney. Also another key hand I made a good call with an A on the board holding JJ when an opponent had a pair of tens and had represented the A.

I hadn't had a rebuy by the break so took my 2 add ons to keep my chip count above average.

Shortly after the break I was moved to another table which seemed to have most of the chips, and most of the best players. I got cut off quickly by one particular regular who I read a few times as being very strong (given the body language). The biggest lay down being my flopped 2 pair against his all in shove following my flop lead out. I read him for a set and after he told me he had a set .. but then he would wouldn't he?

I will be watching him next time to see if it is just me he is having a go at and may just call light once to see what he's up to in the future.

So it then took ages to reach the final table from about 16 left (54 started and paying 6), in that time I lost about 11K of my 50K stack. Then just before the final table assembled I had a go at the player on my right who had limped in the SB first to act. Admittedly I had AJ but a big raise did not see him off and my all in on the flop saw him call with an open ended straight draw on a low board holding 78. My A high held and I went to the final table with about 89,000 chips.

After a couple of rounds on the final table we were down to 7 and the blinds and antes were so high that every ones stack had seemed to even out except for 2 smaller stacks who would soon be in by the blinds.

I suggested we did a bubble saver for 7th place, and it was agreed that the bubble would get their £30 buy in back.

So it was when it folded to me in the SB that I completed with my 9Jos and the BB checked.
The flop came 89Thh. I bet about 16K into a 11,600K pot and got re raised all in (by a different player to before). I still had about 30K behind but chose to call with my open ender bottom pair, he had 89 for two pair. The turn came a 9 and I was out to a full house.

I have replayed this hand a few times in my mind and will probably post the hand on a forum to get some differing views mainly to answer the following questions:

1. Should I limp in the SB? ... the blinds were 2,000 / 4,000 with 800 Ante 7 players. The pot was reasonably big for my 2,000. I didn't want to commit my stack with a raise holding J9. I felt any re raise would be a real hand and I could drop it there and then just limping ....

2. Should I lead with mid pair on the flop? .. I think so given my redraw chances and the size of the blinds.

3. Should my lead have been so big? I wanted to win it there and then scaring away any hearts. I had already committed myself to winning this pot given the action so far, so I think the size of my bet reflected that I was going all in before my bet, it just happened that he'd hit 2 pair.

4. Should I have folded after his re shove? Looking back I had about 30K left and about a 45% chance, certainly getting pot odds. However I was through the blinds so I could have folded, if only to get a couple more places up the prize money. On the other hand by outdrawing in this position I would have had a very good chance of winning the tourney.

5. Given the turn card any play after the flop was to go all in with my set .. the only possible ways out would have been to fold pre flop, raise pre flop (if he would have folded) or fold on the flop following his shove.

I am still not sure what lesson I have learnt yet other than setting up a bubble saver was worth while ... it could just be one of those hands although I did make my actions under definite reasoning at the time.

Any way I was only 6 hours out of time as I got my buy in back and loved every minute of the game.

So now waiting for the next time to build my live bank roll.

Until Next Time

Keep it Tight!