Casino Update

Over the last month, live tournament poker really hasn't been going too well. Out early in a £20 crapshoot Gutshot tournament making a play a few hands in (one move is all you have and I got in far too deep). That was preceded by an absolute nightmare of a £30 deep stack the previous evening. 90 runners with 3,000 starting chips, early on I pick up T8o on the small blind. 3 limpers around and I complete to see a flop of T85. I check BB makes a small probe bet which is called by one limper. I make a large overraise, hoping to confuse the opposition. It doesn't work as they both fold, but at least they're thinking about my raise - which was the aim. I'm not able to take advantage as I'm quickly moved to the most cramped poker table in the known universe. A few hands in, and I reraise an obvious button steal from the SB with J6o, the button passes and I show the bluff. Taps on the table all round, so hopefully that'll get them thinking. If only the table didn't get broken 5 minutes later. Great, as we go into the break I've run my stack up to 3,600, but gambled chips on some set up plays which I'm not able to follow through with.

Anyway, I feel I'm getting good reads and playing quite well. At my 3rd table in an hour and half I raise two limpers on the button with 94o. Again, showed, and I'm hoping one of the lesser experienced players will pay me off in the future. I don't have to wait long. A young lady moves to the table with blinds 150/300. UTG limps and she raises half her stack to 2,000. It's a massive raise and stupidly easy to put her on a hand. When I look down at QQ it's a no brainer and I shove for 4,600. She insta calls her final 1,900 as expected and shows 99. First card out is a 9. I can't even remember the hand I lost my last 700 chips on, but I know that was sick too.

2 weeks later I was at the only regular live freeroll in the country at Southampton Grosvenor. It's a lovely tournie, 72 runners, with 3,000 chips, 45/45/20 min blinds and time to have some fun. I start on the same table as a very aggressive young lady, calling my AK raise and my continuation bet on a 2 heart board, pushing all-in on the 3rd heart. Despite holding Kh I pass and wait, but she puts me to the test again when I raise with KK to see a TT7 board. I bet the flop and she pushes all-in, this time I call, and she shows K5 for the bluff. Nice try love, but I wasn't laying this one down. I spend most the tournament hanging on below the average stack and make the final table with just 15k of the 219k in play. Not that it matters, AJ v KT, 64s becomes a flush on the river against an appallingly played AK, and then my QQ holds up against 99. Within 20 minutes I have 160k of the 219k with 5 players left. I've never had this dominant a position, and despite an old regular clawing his way back to level by heads up, we do a slight deal and I take the extra tenner on offer for the winner when he runs into my KK. £85 for free!

The night gets even better when we get 8 players for a £10 dealer dealt Omaha SNG (fantastic!). I'm by far and away the most competent Omaha player at the table and cruise to victory, slightly aided by quad 9s and a flopped straight when holding AAKK. Another £60. It was a good night, but I spunk most of it at a snooker club £10 rebuy with the worlds worst structure.

Now skint, I borrow money off my mate Mark when he comes to stay last night (Sat 1st Sept). We decide to lose our Harbour House virginity and play their £10 1000 chip rebuy. It's Mark's first live tournament for well over a year, he's barely played over the last two. First hand I pick up 66, and a competent lady raises to 250, I call from the SB to see the perfect AT6 flop. I check, she shoves with AJ and I take the first pot. The very next pot, EVERYBODY limps, making 325 in the pot before my action. Holding AK I raise to 550, a perfectly reasonable raise imo, making sure any caller has to commit. Plus I don't want one caller and then everyone getting great odds to stick around. I get berated by one player who later tells everyone that "the correct raise is 3x BB". Can I play you every day? I hit a KK5 board against the one caller that I wanted and I'm already up to 2,800.

It continues to go smoothly, I don't lose any big pots where I'm ahead. 3xBB man is annoyed by a guy two to my left who raises anywhere between 6-10x BB. It's working, as 3xBB man is getting rather worked up. A limped 77 stands up on a 642 flop, going no further. A button limp with 33 is met with a J73 board. UTG bets with 73, I call and SB calls with KJ. The turn J loses me the UTG player, but I take the SBs stack. My play is again called into question soon after. With blinds 50/100 3xBB man raises to 250 (now that's just 2.5x BB mate). SB calls and I call with J9o. The flop comes AT7, both blinds check and 3xBB man bets 150, SB calls, and me, getting 6 to 1 odds, call also. With a small bet and a call, I am perfectly entitled to expect I might get paid enough to compensate if I hit my 11 to 1 shot. Turn K is checked all round and river Q is bet by the SB. I raise with the nuts, hoping against hope he's not got a J. 3xBB folds KQ and is astounded when SB shows J7 and sees my J9. He then goes on about 'how could we call with bottom pair and a gutshot?' respectively. Nothing to do with the fact he made a shit raise and a shit c-bet. A little discussion ensues, and he just doesn't understand the concept of implied odds. I've done some degree level maths thanks, but decide to count his chips rather than argue.

I cop it some more when competent lady raises to 400, 3xBB calls, I look down at Ts8s in the BB. 300 to call into a pot of 950. Obviously I call to see a JT8 board. I check, lady moves all-in for 2200, 3xBB folds and I win when I hit my boat on the river. She's stacked herself with AJ and she slags off my play again. Within a few minutes I fold my KhQh on a 762 board one heart to her 94o all-in and 3xBB's call with 22. Running hearts come, she asks if I would've won, I said yes, and she snidely remarks 'Oh, that's such a shame'. No need for that, and I'm a bit irked to have to double up her pushed AQ against my BB AJ. She's a bit of a hothead, but did calm down later.

I reach the break safely with 7,750, including the add-on. The first time I've completed a rebuy tournament without a rebuy since 20th November 2006! The good luck dries up for a while. I raise the button with A9 against 2 limpers, one old gent (another snide bastard) calls and checks a Q64 board, I put him all-in and he calls with a well played KQ. Again my play gets criticised! I double up a short stack when I'm forced to call and I'm down to 2,600 with blinds 200/400 after the blinds pass through me. I'm lucky enough to pick up TT on the button. I shove and SB reshoves with KJs. I hold on to double through. I again get all-in with 7d8d, reraising a MP limper on a Td9d3c board. He calls with KT and can't stop shaking his head when the board comes running 8s. Not the way I was expecting to take the pot, but why are you surprised you lost that pot?

I'm moaning about needing a slash my this point (toilets, not wrists), pick up my 2nd pos hand, find KK. Curse you poker gods! I raise and one guy ignores this most obvious of tells and gets it all-in with AQ, I'm now up to around 20k and one of the chip leaders with around 35 left. I'm forced to stick around now the blinds pass me. Plenty of jiggling of legs and I'm almost dribbling when my next 2nd pos hand comes round...it's TT. I warn UTG about raising, but he does and I insta-push. He thinks about it for minutes, probably just to annoy me, before calling with JJ, but a flopped T knocks him out. A new player arrives, but I'm now UTG and wishing I had a catheter. By this time Mark has joined my table as we're down to the last 25-30, and he's sitting on a handsome stack of around 10k, from a breaktime stack of 1,800. He continues to build it nicely throughout the tournament. Mr. Tucker, I am impressed! I continue to dominate the table, reraising a quietish EP player's raise, putting him all-in with AK. He eventually calls with JTs (don't think that's a terrible call tbh). I catch the A on the flop, but avoid running clubs to boost my stack to nearly 40k of the 277k in play. About 15 left at this point and I have no need to mess around with blinds at 800/1600, only stealing once and having enough raising hands to maintain my stack. We break with me holding the chiplead at 45k, and Mark holding well over 20k after winning some key hands without showing. The final table is a mere 20 minutes away, I go slightly card dead, but Mark is well on his way, dominating the table to enter as chip leader with 50k. I enter 3rd with 36k.

Sadly, after a really good tournament the final table becomes a complete crapshoot. I'm lucky when I forget the BB is a short stack of just 5,500 with blinds 1,500/3,000. I raise to 8,000 with 83o. He actually passed (prize money for 9th and 10th identical)! It becomes a card catching contest. We've already done a deal to flatten out the prize structure (a ridiculous 45% going to the winner, £1,240 of the £2,770 prize pool) but one guy picks up AA and KK in quick succession and is soon sitting on 80k. Mark exits in 7th after his first mis-step in my opinion - though he was exceedingly unlucky to miss 19 and 22 outs on flop and turn respectively. After another 15 minutes of pushing chips around with blinds up to 4000/8000 the final 6 agree to chop the prize money. £350 each with the extra £180 left going to the waitress and top two chipleaders. More than happy with that - it was pure luck as to the outcome, and I was big blind with just 24k left! Badly needed the score, but very happy with my play.

Will most certainly be playing Harbour House again, despite some bad tempers!