Happy Birthday Vera!

That girl was looking mighty fine being at the centre of the attention last Wednesday in Blinker's, City West!

Vera's birthday bash is an annual poker event held in August every year, this year was the biggest yet, so I was told. With 130 expected, 5k prizepool, freeroll with €10 rebuys for the first hour and €20 top-up... the world and his aunt wouldn't have passed up such a great offer! There was more than 300 degens queuing up for the title. During the game the unlucky ones unable to get a seat, kept the blackjack and roulette tables going strong!

Since we arrived early to register, Susie Woosie and myself sat ourselves down at the cash table to wait for the start which didn't kick off til 10:15pm, I left the cash table -€50 while Susie made €125. I noticed the rake was pretty high, one example: Susie Woosie pushed €50 into one pot with 3 callers, along with 4/5xblinds making it just under €200 and dealer took a €25 chip from the pile and gave back just €3... €22 rake for a €190 pot?(!) I was going to point it out but realised there were several 'experienced' cash players on the table who would have said something, I digressed assuming that he prob dropped in €10 before picking up the chip...

I was placed on table 9 for the Freeroll Madness, while I noticed several tables calling wildly for chips our's was passive by comparison! We ourso dealers, one of the players (part-time dealer) hopped into the seat and took over the job. In the first hand I was UTG with A5 suited and opened for 300, got two callers... flop came out 55K... I bet 1k... MP folded and CO-1 called. Turn Q giving a flush board. Play went check, check. River was small card, I pushed all-in and villian called showing K5o. LOL! Just as well it's a rebuy(!)

3 rebuys and one top-up later (I had expected to pay a lot more but...) I was sitting on €7k when the 'real game' began after the break. A playable stack with blinds at 200-400 and there was only 69k approx on the table. But with 15 minute blinds, hand dead and the chipleaders re-raising the pots I was the 5th person to be booted off the table with 120 people still in play. I pushed with my final 4k in CO with Kh9h, got two callers (BB & SB - one AIPF too) both holding 77. And NONE of my outs appeared on the board to save my skin (not even ONE heart!) allowing the 77 holders to carve up the last of my chips between them!

Susie Woosie had the honour of sitting right beside Vera while she pushed 'All In' in every hand... building her stack up to €22 by the end of the break thanks to Vera's 'free chips' playing! She lasted an hour or so longer than me.

While waiting for Susie, I sat down at a cash table with €50. There was one white-haired-tashed grumpy geezer who put several players on tilt with his rude comments and bad beat calls that turned out VERY lucky for him(!) One hand he limped in with 910 then called two huge raise ("what ya bet that much for... I can't fold these!") with AQJ on flop only to win with K on river against JJ and AQ... He eventually took all my chips too(!) I was watching the rake closely - appeared to be taking €2 for every €20 pot, a massive 10%! I wisely decided not to invest any more on the cash table and left at a respectable 2am while 70 where still playing strong in the Birthday Bash.

Great night - great atmosphere - lovely poker room... shame about the rake. I'd play in a FO but no more cash there for me!

Many Happy Returns Vera! Hope you got our card?

AFTERTHOUGHT: Just saw Boards today and there's some comments about the high rake... glad it wasn't just me imaging things! Hope the rumours of the owners fleecing the prize fund wasn't true... be a shame if it is, Blinkers is a nice place to play and Vera's Birthday Bash really put Blinkers on the 'poker map'.