Egon`s Live MTT Report

It`s an exceptionally big Bank Holiday of live poker in England this coming weekend. There is the World Amateur Championship at Nottingham, the Goliath at Coventry, the 888 Superstack at Birmingham, and the Bristol Harbourside Festival.

Best of luck to all CCers playing in any of these (or any other tourney, for that matter). I am in the 888 Superstack myself. I won an online satellite.

Is anyone else here playing any of the big games ?

Not me, but GL man!!

We might be able to cheer you on from the rail possibly, as Roger is off this Saturday and Sunday. Good luck, anyway!

You would be very welcome, of course, but I would be afraid you might have a wasted trip if you came along to support only me. So far this year, I have final tabled two of the four major live tourneys I have played, which is an obviously unsustainable win rate. The balance of the universe must be maintained and I therefore fully expect to go out during level one this weekend.

good luck ET, win big!

I forgot that there is the London GSOP this weekend too. Sorry, Londoners.

GL in the SuperStack!!

Perhaps you forget your early days and THESE are the days that will balance the universe by paying you back for all that rotten luck long ago.......

I like your thinking.

good luck!!

I am through to Day Two with an above-average stack.
More news tomorrow.

So we could have met up for a drink, despite your pessimism...

Congratulations, and good luck!

All the best to you.

WTG!!
How many players start Day2? How many finish ITM?

Good luck!!

43 left in overnight, I think. Top 10 get paid. I gather it was a much lower turnout than in previous legs of this series, presumably because of all the other important tournies being played at the same time. The field seems to consist mostly of Londoners with a scattering of overseas players. Very few locals, from what I can work out, but I haven`t really engaged in a lot of conversation with the other players. I am keeping a low profile. Since there were apparently no other CC members attending, I haven`t worn my CC badge as I sometimes do at live MTTs and am not advertising in any way that I might be anything other than a beginner.

Pro player Sam Holden (one of the November Nine) was at my table in the early stages yesterday. I didn`t recognise him at first, but I knew he looked familiar, and it was apparent from the way people were asking him to pose for photographs etc. that he must be a celeb. I only worked out this morning who he was.

He seemed to be suffering from Fancy Play Syndrome, and tried a couple of bluffs against players who weren`t smart enough to fold. He was gone by half way through Day One.

Sorry. I always start from the assumption that I am going to get busted out of any tourney I enter. That way, I am never disappointed.

Even today, I am going back to the casino with the attitude that I have had some fun and enjoyed the game and that I don`t care if I go out first hand of the day. I feel that`s the right mental attitude to have. You can`t win tournaments unless you are prepared to take risks and you can`t feel comfortable taking risks if you are too hung up on the idea that it`s a disappointment or a humiliation to be knocked out.

congrats on making it thru day one egon, keep us updated please.

I hope no updates means you are running deep into day 2? Best of luck to you Mr. Towst!

I concur

Yes, that is what it meant.

My opponent had me outchipped 4-1 when we got down to the last two. I fought back to almost level, but finished up on the wrong end of a coinflip. Took second place for £3020 ($5000), a fair weekend`s work.

There is nothing like coming home with a wedge of cash to impress the family. Even though I have won bigger sums online, it`s somehow more real when you can count it and fold it.

I am starting to worry about all the photographers, though. If I keep hitting final tables in live tourneys the way I have this year, I am not going to be able to hide in the pack any more. The opponents are going to know my face.

Get some plastic surgery, problem solved.

Excellent job on the finish! You're right, there is something more satisfying about having cash in hand. Great result.

Congrats sir, very well done.
As with most all your threads, thanks for the food for thought.

Congrats on the excellent finish!!!

Congratulations

I concur(I've always wanted to say that to Egon!)

Nice job Egon.

Very nice cash too.

Good plan. It wouldn`t hurt to improve my looks. I`d be less likely to frighten those of a nervous disposition.


Thanks for your congrats, everyone. I took notes during the tourney and will write a little report for you in the next day or two.

Well done!!!!!!

link it in this thread if you start another thread ET, i always seem to miss the good threads!
Again, well done. lets get you in the WSOP ME next year!

Yes, please do! I check my UserCP several times a day, so this way I won't miss the trip report.
I concur.

How about I continue in this thread, for the sake of simplicity ? Mods can always edit the title, if they wish.
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The Superstack Series is an international series of tournaments with events held in Melbourne (Australia), Riga (Latvia), London (England), and Birmingham (England). See www.superstack.net for further details.

The Birmingham stages are of particular interest to me, because the Star City Casino where they are held is my local casino, only ten minutes drive from my home. The event in which I played was a $265 buy-in, but I qualified online via an $11 rebuy tournament, on which I spent $31. I have already qualified for the next Birmingham Event in October. If you would like to join me and try your luck, you will find the qualifiers at here (http://www.cardschat.com/announcement.php?f=10), if you don`t already have an account there.

There were 95 entries for the Birmingham Event. I was told by the organisers that they had expected double that many and were disappointed. Maybe next time.

We started on Saturday afternoon 400 Big Blinds deep and with 40 minute blind levels, which gave space and time for some creative play in theory, but I was frustratingly card dead at first and made little progress. I didn`t win a significant pot until the last hand of level Three, when an opponent two seats to my right became too attached to his TPTK and paid off my set of 10`s. That allowed me to leave the table for the break at the end of the level with an above average stack and a positive frame of mind. Prior to that, I had been trailing and feeling as though it wasn`t my day to succeed.

During level four, I was dealt pocket Queens and took another big pot to become the dominant stack at my table. I didn`t know it at the time, but that was to be my best hand for several hours.

During level five, a relatively short-stacked opponent raised all-in from the button while I was in the big blind. I figured my K9o to be ahead of his range in that situation and called. He turned over K6o and my hand held.

Near the end of the first day`s play (level 9), I called another late position push, feeling even more confident with my pocket Queens, and was disappointed to see villain show Aces. A very pretty Queen on the turn saved me from losing a chunk of my stack and sent my unlucky opponent to the rail.

I then rounded off the day by relieving the table “wise guy” of half his stack with a stone cold bluff. Ha ha, I love poker sometimes. I ended the first day with 56,100 chips, average stack being 29,800 at that point.

Second day to follow ,,,,,,,,

When we restarted at 2pm on Sunday, the casino had relocated the last 43 players to a quiet room off the main floor, and the stage was set for some serious poker.

During level ten, I had a tough decision to make. I was holding KQ on a Kxx flop when my opponent raised all-in in front of me. I thought about this one long and hard before (reluctantly) deciding to lay it down. I read him as a solid player and figured there was an even chance he was ahead of me. I decided I didn`t need to take that risk at this stage of the game.

During level twelve, pocket sevens doubled me up when my opponent`s AK failed to improve. Then, during level fifteen, I used a straight to bust an opponent whose pocket Aces must have looked like gold to him. Got to feel for the poor guy. Approaching the money in a big tourney after a day and a half of play, it really sucks to bust out with Aces.

When the final table began, about 8.30pm, average stack was 120k and I had 170k. However, big blind was 10k, meaning that we were effectively all short-stacked. In the light of that, you can appreciate how strong the standard of play was when I tell you it took nearly four hours more of moving chips to and fro before we were done.

During level eighteen, I lost a big chunk of my stack when my pocket tens failed to hold against AQ, all-in preflop, but I doubled up again shortly after with my K7 against pocket threes, King on the flop.

The atmosphere in the room was tense now. The word had obviously spread around the casino and an audience had drifted into our room to rail. Every showdown brought them crowding closer to share the drama, and each elimination was greeted with cheers and congratulations to the player on his winnings.

During level twenty, I won a big pot when my AJ dominated AT, which failed to improve. Then I won again when my KK held against AQ. Unusually, that KK was my best hand during the whole two days of play. I was never dealt Aces even once during the hundreds of hands played.

As mentioned earlier ITT, I was heavily outchipped when we got down to headsup but succeeded in making a game of it for a while. In the final hand, we were all-in preflop with AJ for me and 66 for my opponent. A third 6 on the board put the outcome beyond doubt.

Standing around chatting afterwards, one of the railers asked me if I was a full-time player.

“No, mate”, I said, “I have a day job. I just play poker evenings and weekends.”

“You are wasting your talent”, he said, “I watched you play that final table and, if I could play poker like you, I`d turn pro in a heartbeat.”

Hmm. Not just yet, I think, but maybe I`ll take early retirement in a few years and then we`ll see.

very nice trip report ET, and a great result for a £31 buy-in, nice work.

ET do you get to Star City much? Played the Gentings Vegas team challenges there, winning the first 1 for $36k between team of 6. Not so good in second one. Also did the forum team event there in February.

Cracking result in you game.

Sorry, no. In fact, this weekend was my first time playing in the casino there, even though, as a local, I go to the Star City complex quite often, to use the restaurants and other facilities.

The fact is I don`t play a lot of live poker. I am at least as successful online as I am live, and I can multi-table several tournies in the comfort of my own home in half the time it takes to play one in a casino. Therefore, I only go to casinos for prestige events and (very occasionally) for a change of scene. Also, there are at least five other casinos that offer tournies within a half hour of me.

Thanks, m8, and for you in yours, too.