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.