SUNDAYS POKER MARATHON

I was in Dublin yesterday with nothing much to do, so i decided to enter the fitzwilliam card rooms sunday 30 euro freezout. I started with 6 tables of 10, 4000 in chips and the blinds at 25-50.

Initially i couldnt believe the play at my table, out of the ten players at least six seen a flop unraised or not, this went on for the first 2 levels (40mins) during this time i played one hand (AA) and had my stack at about 5500 (all pre-flop) After this the field started to thin a bit, the deck was as cold as it gets so i decided to test my table image (hadnt played a hand in over half an hour) and re-raised a raiser with junk, and got the result that was required. So i made this play a few times, and still got no callers, still to see a flop, stack was about 8000.

Then it got down to the last 2 tables and i was looking kinda shortstacked so i had to make a few serious moves, got AA on the button, 6 limpers so i punch in 8XBB raise, table folds out and i have 12,500. (STILL NO FLOP).

My first flop was against the guy on my rhs, he had stolen my blind for the last 3 orbits and this time i was sitting on the BB with AKs.. He raised me and i reraised, we see a flop of AA2, (sweet) i lead out with a min bet and he folds. Stack of 17,500.

Next hand I was very very stupid and very very lucky, i still had to make a mistake and here it was. I had the button and open raised the blinds 3xBB only for the big blind to push all-in 15K, before i knew what i was doing i had called with KJo (doh!). Anyway i was facing pocket 10's, not as bad as it could have been, he flopped a set, and i hit a runner runner straight. Stack about 32K.

VERY next hand my AA held up against a 10K stack who was all in pre-flop with QQ.

Got down to the final 3 with 2nd chip stack, my BB pocket 5's hit a set on a flop of A J 5, i checked hoping to trap (HA!!) big stack pushes me all in so figuring him on an ace i call only to see JJ.

That took five and a half hours of poker, only one major mistake that i can see, i only limped twice !! But then again the payout was super shit 120 euro, come on !!! First got 680, second 280, and i got 120. Enjoyed the experience though, it was the first (bigish)live tourney that i gone so deep into. (Won many many single table games but they dont count.)

Realisations : Limping is very bad and should be punished, calling is every bit as bad (unless you have the nuts). Raising is good, betting is good. Re-raising is better. Table image is ultimate.

sounds like my perfect sunday and well done to get that far .sorry if thats sounds patronising but you did say that it was your first biggish tourny.i love live play and that type of feel poker that online can,t recreate well done m8.

And yet you suck in Cardschat games?

Nice going - jump in prize money from 3rd to 1st is mean.

Yea i have to agree, never really been at my best in these ones. No excuse, ive done ok at some of the poker.com games, but as far as the other ones go my god i do suck. Usually pissed or sitting out for most of the pokerstars games but had no excuse for the paradise games.

Guess ill have to put a bit more effort in, no more easy money from me, thanks for the kick rob lmao

Yea the prize structure really sucked in that toourney, they announced it at the start but i really only paid attention to how many got paid, and to the amount first got. If id realised the difference sooner i would more than likely have suggested an alternative at the final 3 or 4. But you live and learn.

Oh and BTW i play a lot more live than online. Just its usually a much smaller field, 8-10 players, and it was just good to know that i have the patience to sit through cold runs, not to tilt and to eventually be in a position to win the thing.