To APAT and Beyond...

My worse day in poker... Ever! The previous 'Day of the Coolers' just pales in comparison to this one...

My table at the APATs had 3 'super LAG's, I received beautiful cards right from the beginning: AK, QQ (check folded the JJx flop), AQs, JJ (folded to 3bet), 10 10 (flopped a 10 for a set and pushed for 80% of pot... no callers). I bet 4/5BB each time... but the Board just didn't help, neither did a Cheeky Chancer LAG raiser who kept dogging me every time I raised or called his raises. I think he must've had a thing about women players! I even got AJs/o a record 10 times, and folded 80% of them as I was out of position or faced calling huge bets to play! On my final hand KK... I was UTG with 3k left, (Blinds 100/200) I opened for 800 only to be called by Cheeky Chancer. QQsXsx - we checked the flop, on turn he threw in 1k and I shoved with my remaining 2.4k, he called with A2s flush draw only to river the flush and send me packing. I thought I was being clapped for my 'efforts' exiting somewhere between 120-115, then realised they clapped for every player knocked out! Meh! I was the first IDP player out... Frank and Ciarán soon followed me but Tim Grace played an impressive game only to exit in 40th place. Well done Tim!

There was a cash table going full swing, sat down and instantly lost €50 in the first hand I played (AKs) to a mega stacked LAG who called my opening €11 bet with suited connectors and got two pair-turned-house-on-river to wallop my ace high flopped flush. Didn't want to add any more to the table with two Mega-stacks playing (one or the other kept raising to pot in nearly every hand). Serves me right joining a cash table without observing the players first.

Donal 'The Value' (another Deaf player from IDP) arrived to play in the 7pm €125FO. There was only 9 players registered by 7:10pm; I registered thinking 10 player SnG with Donal on table was just pure value! LOL! Guess the word got out that Donal was playing and an extra 10 players turned up by the time we sat down at 7:30pm, with another 7/8 appearing before the end of 3rd level! Recognised a couple players from my local pub so the banter was going well, I had a nice stack building up too when our tables were broken up into 3; Donal and the others 'wisely' opted to move! LOL! Then my luck changed... I had an 'Any Two Joe' on my table! He proceeded to cream off pots with stupid hands, he called a raised bet on button to see flop of 72A. The initial raiser (on AK) bet out, 'Any Two' shoved all-in with his 72o and initial raiser called... no help on turn or river.

I had AA in mid-position and raised, he called. 10xx flop, I bet 2/3 pot, he raised all-in; I called him only to see he had 10 4 off for one pair... but a 4 on turn saved him FFS! Left me short-stacked and pushed him to chip leader.

Was about to head home when Susie Woosie announced her arrival, I agreed to stay and play cash table with her. After a wait we sat down, when 'Any-Two' joined the table. His luck in the 125FO had finally ran out! Knowing his style of play by now - I wrangled with him twice and manged to built my stack up to a nice €300! Susie was up to €200 approx, thanks to 'Any Two'!

My image on the table was TAG, I tested it a few times raising with 'air' getting one/two callers and raising 2/3 pot on flop only for them to fold. I limped in with Ad7d on Qd7s5dQsX board, I lead the bet on all streets and got called by a Baby-face player who then went all-in on river over my €20 bet, with €35 to call and a €120 approx pot on table. I hummed then decided to folded, he showed 103 off - I was livid! This is my only regret of the day...

20 mins later same Baby-face went on to wrangle in another bluff with Susie Woosie pushing her all-in (he obv didn't know our Susie is the queen of tells and spotted his bluff a mile off) and donated 2/3 of his chips to her doubling her stack to €420! GG girl!

Then this sick hand happened. I was on CO-1 with €235, Baby-Face was UTG with €120 and Any-Two was BB with €195 (approx). Baby-face called 'pot' loudly betting €7... 3 callers, I looked down to see Q10s and called. Button & SB folded; Any-Two called with €5. I could see Baby-Face was visibly excited, I credited him with monster hand AA, AK or KK. Flop: Qh106h. Any-Two threw in 20, Baby-Face shouted 'All-In!' and threw €113 in... other players folded... I thought for a moment and called... Any-Two stood up and shouted 'All-In!' shoving his entire stack over the line. I insta-called, couldn't fold with two pair plus half my money in the friggin pot could I! Baby-face's looked crestfallen at me... "huh? What ya got? What ya got?! You got two pair?!" I nodded; he threw down his AA's in disgust. Any-Two had a 7h9h - flushdraw and gut-shot straight(!) Any-Two started calling for a 'heart or 8' and Baby-Face was shouting over him for an Ace or paired board... I just got that cold feeling that I was going to be beaten again, was hoping the board would just pair. The turn was a blank... River: Kh Sick. Sick. Sick. A nice €600 odd-pot winged its way to Any-Two.

I noticed Any-Two didn't tip the dealer, I told him off, and he threw a Euro at the Dealer. "A Euro? Is that all? You scabby fecker, you just won over €400! The dealer deserves more than that!" I berated him! Any-Two looked shame-faced and threw another €4 out... much to the delight of the dealer. Still not enough in my opinion but I digress!

Afterwards, as I was about to leave for the night 'Any-Two' came over to me and gave me a hug, apologised for his playing, he won couple more pots with a straight flush and royal flush so was going home a happy bunny. Discovered he's a decent guy...very funny too... but a god-awful chancer on the tables! Won't be playing with him again in a hurry!

What a way to celebrate my birthday... I sure won't forget this day for a long, long, long time.

The Day of the Coolers

Ever had a day where no matter how good you are or your hand is, there's a cooler just waiting to steal that pot from under your nose!

I had it last Monday/Tuesday.

In my regular pub game: My AQs with the flopped flush board (all-in) got beaten by straight flush on river... the villain in this had just doubled up in the previous hand thanks to my 77 against his 88 on a K78AK board... First time I went out before 1st break too! The side cash game saw me sitting on AA against a 'All-In Pre-Flop' 56 hand, was smug til the friggin board came out with X56XX. My Board HU race ended against R4AD when my A8 ran into his A10 on a A810 board... Went really deep on one of the online freerolls, was down to final 30 from 1000++ players after 2.5 hours playing, was 8th or 9th highest stack when I tangled in a four way all-in with 2 shorties and higher chipleader (I moved all-in before he did!) had AKs; Chipleader showed pocket 2s; board AKxx2 and its Good night, UL, GG, WP... blah blah blah... Out before the bubble!

FFS!!!!

Have secured a ticket for the Irish Amateur Poker Association Tournament (APAT) game in the Fitz this Saturday (also my birthday :-P ) ; Ciarán Moloney (aka 'Get In There' on Boards) and Frank Grace from IrishDeafPoker.com will be playing too... I don't expect to cash or go deep, but if I can beat the bottom 20% I'll be happy! Then move on to the cash tables and win back my losses! LOL!

A Tale of Two Casinos

Last night I was in the mood for a game...

Susie Woosie broke her ankle last weekend; she wasn't going "any where" I offered to bring her but she's enjoying the whole 'mammy' treatment at home. Get well soon girl... I want my poker partner back on the road with me again soon!!!!

Dublin Poker Events usually send out a text about Thursday's game in Slevin's but I got none; didn't think it was on so I called Ciarán (AKA Get In There) and he suggested the €50+10 Double Chance (DC) freeze out in Cool Hand Lukes at 8:30pm.

I arrived at 8:50pm filled out a membership form got my free €10 bet - put it on the blackjack table won first hand got my €10 back... and lost it again. Reminded me why I don't play the game it's pure luck! Might as well do a coin toss! I sat down for the DC FO game at 9pm. The exhilaration of being there must have gotten to me: I played like a donk for the first level, limping in and calling raises spewing chips unnecessary, before wising up and playing properly. I was on a mighty strong table - two Rocks and several Super-LAGs 'Luck Boxes' (you know who ye are guys!) wasn't surprised to be kicked out in 5th or 6th place. Was mostly card dead - never saw so many 72s in my playing life. Started going all-in pre-flop to steal blinds and small raises with JJ, QQ, 99 but my luck wasn't to last with one of the Rock's QQ demolishing my Ace high suited pair... I knew I was in trouble when he called my all-in with his massive all-in and no ace or king on flop to save me... boo hoo! I left Luke's at 11:20pm kinda disappointed that there were no cash table going yet to re-boost my ego.

The Taxi-driver woman (who I met a couple of times in the Jackpot) suggested going to the Fitzwilliam 'just around the corner' claiming the 1/2 PL cash tables were 'easy' pickings! I felt hadn't 'lost' enough(!) So off I went to check it out...

After joining up, the place was buzzing when I went inside! Compared to the staid quietness of Lukes there was an amazing electric atmosphere in the place. Making my way to the cash desk, I notice the satellite game for the Fitz500 was still going, blinds were 150/300 and there was 9 players left per the clock!!!! Eh?! Wonder how many started this?

Fitzwilliam operated a moving tier on cash tables, where the longest player on table 1 moves to table 2 and the newcomer takes the player's seat on table 1. I joined the table with €50, sat out a few hands to check the playing strengths, Taxi wasn't lying when she claimed they played 'any two'...

Got a lovely 10 10 UTG and decided to play it - raised to €7 - got 2 callers, flop came out 10 Q 7 hearts, I was gutted, but shot off betting the 'pot' hoping I wouldn't get raised. They folded and I was up by €13... yay! I lost €3 to the blinds and was on the button when this hand happened. I looked down to see AsQs with 4 limpers and the blinds still to act; I raised to 'Pot'; SB (college student on €112) raised to €25 and BB (Chinese guy loose loose LAG on €300 ) pushed to €100. All the limpers folded to me. I hummed and hawed for 3 minutes then pushed my entire stack over the line... SB insta-called all-in, BB threw in the remaining €12. I was horrified to see SB with AA and BB with KK! Board: Qd 6s 8s 10s 3d and I was up to €190! Phew!

Got talking to a player called Teresa (wonder if she's the same infamous Teresa mentioned on Boards.ie?) she asked how long was I playing - a little over a year - hope she didn't think I was a fish when I wrangled €65 out of her with my low-end straight! I built my stack up to €325 when I was asked to move to table 2; it was 1:10am at this stage - I decided to stop and go home when I hit €400; but got embroiled in a messy pot on table 2 calling drunken Chinese guy all-in (on his 3rd buy-in!) to find he actually had a hand for once(!) He went all-in with €70 and 56s on a 56J flop against my JJ and rivered a flush. Tangled with another short stack all-in with AK on a AA10JK board (I had QK, the fecker checked the flop & turn before calling my raises!) What coolers(!) I was down to €170 and was about to quit when I got 910 on BB, checked to see flop with 10 limpers on a 8JQ board and shot up to €276. It was 1:35am and I was getting tired... I decided to call it a day and went home very happy with €275!

Will definitely be back to the Fitzwilliam... as for Luke's... well... I digress!