Saturday, December 13, 2008

A much needed ego boost!

Paul Fox was trying very hard over the past few weeks to get me up to City West Casino (formerly Blinkers where he's the new card room manager) to play... I haven't been there since Vera's bash. Not because of the political fall out on Boards.ie, but more of a case of 'out of sight out of mind' really.

I was only free on Friday to play, after a few bad weeks I needed a decent win to boost the ego! Wasn't in mood to go to town, plus with working late made more sense to stay local. The FitzCasino had a nice sweetener with a €5k holiday added, but the re-buy aspect would have been expensive for me (I've lost enough money lately!). The Atari had the satellite game for the Leprechaun European Open, I'd already agreed to deal so no point playing that! JP was hosting another satellite in the Red Cow for the IPT game on Sunday (not free for that either). City West Casino was it...

By the time I was talking to Paul again on Thursday night... I confirmed I would be in attendance for the €50 FO the following night! He promised me the game would be soft... (Ha! That means I'll have to play tight!) and there was an added sweetener with a €500 bounty on Tom Hanlon (WSOP finalist)and €100 on his son.

I arrived at 8:50pm and was warmly greeted by Luke and Paul. The place was quiet with 5/6 people hanging about watching the Poker Millions Final on TV. Paul confirmed that there were almost 2 tables registered and they will possibly fill a 3rd. I went to the Blackjack tables, by the time the game started I had made back my buy-in. As I joined my table - I notice there was only one person I knew, the rest were unknowns... Dealer handed out a double chance chip, I wasn't aware about the DC. A fourth table was filled as more players came in late.

I didn't have to worry about playing tight - I was totally card dead for most of the first level. Entering the 2nd level I was getting bored and found a nice A9 suited in CO, facing 3 limpers and the blinds I raised to 250, button, SB folded, BB and the three limpers all called. Flop came out Q93. Action checked back to me, I threw out 700, BB called and the rest folded. Turn: 3, BB checked, I bet out 700 again, BB called. River was insignificant - I had less than 2k left and my DC chip... I checked. BB looked over and threw 1500 at me, not at the pot or dealer or in front of him but directly into my 'betting space'. I saw him do similar earlier and wondered if this was a tell... thinking through the action I put him on a J10, missed flush/straight or AJ or AK, I felt my pair was good and made the hero call and he mucked berating me "What if I had the queen???!" "You would have raised my 2nd 700 if you had a queen" I retorted

A few hands later in the 3rd level, I had A7 suited in CO-1. Two players were hoovering up the chips between them on the table - one good player (Derek) and older man (Luckbox/calling station playing any two and get lucky - I lost 2.5k when he called my raise holding Q3 to my 77 on a 568Qx board). Old Man called, Derek raised, I called, short-stacked BB shoves all-in for 2xBB (approx) more. Old Man calls as does Derek and I. Flop comes AJx; action goes check check back to me, I bet out 1200, Old Man folds, Derek hums for a moment then calls. Turn is 7, Derek checks, I bet, he calls... as he checks the river, I shove only for him to call me with a set JJ. Grrrrr!!!

Cashing in my double chance chip for 4k, slowly worked it up to 6k. I checked Qc3c in BB to 3 limpers. Flop comes AcKcX, MP shoves 3xBB, with several callers - including Old Man - but Derek raises to 8k and I was in limbo. Do I call for the flush draw... risk my chips for Q3?! After an age I folded, turn brought another club(!) Meh! Two players tell me off for folding but I really felt it was the right decision at the time.

The third and fourth table got broken, the chip-leader and Tom Hanlon (Bounty) joined our table. We quickly discovered why he was CL: he plays like Gum, raising to 1200, 2100, 3000 etc stealing blinds. Tom had 3.5k left. I was in BB, as chipleader made his usual raise to 1300 with one caller, looking down on A10 I re-raised all-in and chipleader calls with Kx, Ace on flop and I was up 13k. Hanlon goes all-in next hand with K4o and gets KO'ed by Derek's AJ/AQ.

One orbit later as blinds are 400/800 I'm down to 9k when I get AA in BB. Chipleader is down half his stack at this point but is still raising, I re-raised to 4,500, leaving me with 4,500 behind. The Chip Leader and one other player call. As the dealer dealt out the flop I shoved my remaining chips over the line before the flop is flipped. CL just looks down and says "yeah I'm calling... how much?" my aces hold and I'm up to 23k.

Next hand Chipleader is gone and we are all on the final table with 9th place getting free ticket to Sunday's FO and cash for 8th-1st. Thinking now that ChipLeader's gone, it would be good to loosen up a bit but losing 6k on KdQd on a flushdraw flop, I folded the turn bet, to see him show K7o... realising we had another Uber-LAG on the table I had to tighen up again! I was down to 17k when I got AA again in SB (Blinds 500/1000) Derek was new chipleader UTG, and raised to 3,500, I was delighted - knowing that he will call me with whatever he has. Button pushes all-in for 14/15k and I insta-shoved. Tabling my aces, Derek had 10 10 and Button 88. A9x on flop and 9 on River ship the pot to me! Paul came over and coolly informed me that I had the best hand of the night 'so far!'. After that hand any raise I made was respected, even the Uber-LAG folded!

As my stack increased, Uber-LAG became chipleader putting Derek and half the table out - getting lucky more than anything else! I took out two other short-stacks and we were heads-up with a 3-2 lead to the Uber-LAG. Not wishing to end on a coin-flip (as it will come to that) and knowing I had already secured €100 for the best hand of the night... I looked at the man and just knew he will be pushing all-in with anything and offered to split 50-50

"You offering to split?"
"Yes 50-50 of the cash for 1st and 2nd..."
"Yeah, no problem! I'm happy with that"

Taking €450 each leaving €40 for dealers, I walked over to Paul dealing on the cash table and left another tip as a thank you... Went back to the blackjack table, made another €100 then left for the night €700 up. My best return yet!

5 comments:

Rounders123 said...

Well done on the win!. WTF was that prick at firing the chips in front of you, what a sap. Good call in that hand btw.

QueenJ said...

Thanks A!

No idea, I'd never seen a player do that before! TBH hand I not had my DC left I would have folded... Bad fold on the Q3 hand though?

susiewoosie said...

well done... i was there when you folded the Q3... i still say you shoulda folded it...

Its a case of woulda shoulda woulda... and you coulda.. but you didn'ta and ended up winning'ta

Righta, ill see you later'a

Susie'a!

QueenJ said...

LOL! Someone's OD'd on the pasta again!?

Later... up for a last longest bet?! ;-D

dokearney said...

Well done on the win!

LOL at the guy firing chips: sounds like a new variation on the old "the more emphastically they chuck the chips in the weaker they are" tell.