WCOAP No-Limit Hold Em Main Event Review

£75, 10k starting stacks on a 45 minute clock. Plenty of room for play in the main event. It didn't stop me seeing some horrific play though! I was leading the Player of the Series race, but I would love to get a nice score in the big one, where a little more money is on offer! Over 200 runners to get through - not easy. But I do have interest in the event, with £30 on myself at 150/1, and another £40 spread amongst other runners, one of whom being Tony, sat on my table, two to my right.

I'm on a high after the Omaha and Stud successes, and I start like a train, picking up 6 of the first 9 pots and boosting my stack by a not-insignificant 20%. I think I've probably solidified my table image pretty early on! In that time though, we see a hideously played pot. Blinds 25/50

UTG+1 opens to 300 with KK. UTG+3 raises to 800 with AA. Everyone else passes. Original raiser makes it 1800.

I love this last raise, he is able to get maximum information about his hand for the minimum. He has been allowed to do that though by the re-raiser. His raise is far too small for AA at a deep-stack table. He should be committing more chips pre-flop. It's far too easy for KQs, 78s, 44 etc to make an easy call with massive implied odds. I'd prefer him to raise to 1,300 or so, take some of those implied odds away, and pretty much rule out a re-raise for the other guy to find out where he is.

UTG+3 then makes it 3800. Alarm bells should be ringing here for the KK. The AA is hideously telegraphed, and I can honestly say it's the only situation I've seen where, hand on heart, I could lay down KK pre-flop, especially in a tournament this deep. I am certain of both their hands. It then goes from bad to worse. UTG+1 calls the extra 2,000, and with both have around 6.2k behind, they see a flop of 223.

KK, inexplicably, leads out for 5,000. AA makes a quick shove for 1,200 more, to be met with a TANK from KK. Obviously by now it's impossible to pass, and the AA holds up and is gifted a double up. Based on the action, he's lucky to have found a customer, as many players would not be so generous.

A previous APAT main event winner then hideously donks out. Blinds 75/150 - A raise to 450 on his button with KJo is met by a reraise to 1,350 from the rocky SB, who check-raises all-in on a J high flop with KK. The previous winner calls off his entire 30BB stack with top pair, 2nd kicker, against an out of position rock.

Meanwhile, I'm playing some great stuff. Raising with 33, I am called by said rock. Seeing a TT4 board, I lead out, only to get raised. Putting the rock on a solid pair, I am aware he can't call a 3-bet, so proceed to raise, and sure enough, he passes. The key hand (am pretty much guessing the details here, it's a bit hazy) is soon to develop with blinds 100/200. I cautiously limp AQs and smooth call a raise from the small blind. We see a J98 board, I smooth the c-bet with the intention of raising the turn. I carry this out on the turn 4s, which gives me a flush draw. My SB opponent calls, making the pot about 16k, I have only 4.5k left behind. The river pairs the 8, missing all my draws, and my opponent amazingly checks. I actually recoil, and gather my thoughts quick enough to shove - my only chance of winning the pot. The SB, getting 5 to 1, passes KK face up, and I show my A high. I'm a bit lucky, but the hand is bizarre. He convinced himself he was ahead on the turn, but changed his mind on the river. I was very grateful, as I was shoving, expecting to be receiving the exit round of applause.

I'm soon on a very strong 25k with 140 runners left, with the average being around 16k and blinds 400/800. A couple of new faces arrive at the table, one of which being Willis. My tournament however, is soon to be over within the space of a minute.

Hand 1:

I raise UTG to 2,400 with AQ. A new player in the SB smooth calls. Flop comes A99. He checks, there's no need for me to inflate the pot and announce my hand, so I check behind. The turn is a brick, and my opponent checks again. I bet 3,000, and receive a quick call. At the moment I'm putting him on something like AJ, or more likely a pair from TT-KK. I also think this is a similar range to what he's putting me on. The river is another blank, and again I'm checked to. I make a value bet of 4,000. Only to be snapped by the SB, holding J9o. Disgusting! How he hasn't got more out of me - I guess he's worried about my flop check, perhaps he thinks I hold Aces? But his pre-flop call against an UTG raiser is annoying, and I'm down to 12k.

Hand 2:

Willis raises in the cut-off to about 2,500 or so. Muppet from the previous hand calls on the button. Tony considers making a squeeze, but decides to pass (he's very glad when he sees my action). I look down at AKo, with the pot representing 60% of my stack, I have the easiest shove in the world. I try to make it look as tilty as possible, but that doesn't work when the original raiser has AA. Bugger. From 25k to out in 2 hands. Nothing I can do.

Out of 210 runners or so, the Southampton crew brought along 14 players. Despite my poor 142nd place exit, I'm still only outlasted by 3 others and none of them get anywhere near the cash. Not the best of tournaments for us!

I recieve consolation in the fact that none of my leaderboard opponents make the money, so I am confirmed as the Player of the Series! Score!

WCOAP Stud Championship Review

Same structure as the Razz, but with only 32 runners, something that surprises me. Stud is by far and away the better game, and I was hoping to have a bigger field. It's definitely more enjoyable for me, and with it being the old powerhouse of poker I guess I'm a little surprised to see the tournament so light on runners.

As I've left it so very, very long to write this review, I've forgotten many things of note. The main thing that stands out is the standard of the play. It was very poor, especially in the early stages. A lot of people owed their existence in the tournament to horrific outdraws. As usual, I sat back and played tight, hoping to profit from these mistakes. I enter the first break pretty much on my starting stack. I'm just waiting to hit anything of note!

The second phase of the tournament goes much better. I begin to pick up big pairs, and managing to hit at least two pair by the river, which is most unusual for me! Again, no specific hands I remember, but I enter the second break as chip leader on my table, with 7,800. There are 21 left at this point and I'm well above the average.

I am able to attack the short stacks, and continue to pick up reasonable cards when needed. I enter the final table 2nd in chips:


Final Table

Seat 1 - Owen Rankin - 8,500
Seat 2 - Francis Lincoln - 7,200
Seat 3 - Don Roberts - 14,000
Seat 4 - David Rice - 12,500
Seat 5 - Robert Resurreccion - 7,600
Seat 6 - Charles Sanderson - 22,100
Seat 7 - Dave Howard - 17,500
Seat 8 - Richard Rudling-Smith - 4,700

The biggest mover on the final table was eventual winner Owen Rankin. He was fortunate in a couple of spots, hitting monster cards in big pots to propel him into the medal running along with myself and Charles Sanderson, who had played very solidly. We entered three handed with Owen on 16k, Charles on 43k, and me holding 37k.

The live updates are very sketchy at this point, and coupled by my lack of memory. I believe Owen Rankin does most of the damage in crippling and then eliminating Sanderson in 3rd. He's made his way up to 60k, playing very aggressively and hitting cards at the right time. He holds a 2 to 1 chip lead as we enter heads up.

I still felt like I was going to win, I was steadily clawing my way back, which included a massive bluff on the river, betting 8k with just 12k left behind with K high. Fortunately my board was scary as hell and I win a huge pot when Owen folds his solitary pair of 7s (I've missed K high straight and flush draws). I am soon holding a large chiplead, and have Owen down to the felt. I can't quite finish him off though, he survives with the best hand on one occasion, and then the key hand on the final that weakens my resolve occurs.

I bring in, holding [Kc Jc] 4c

Owen raises with [K 7] K and I call.

4th street brings me the Tc and Owen a brick. The money is 4-bet all-in, and the cards are flipped over, with me a 60:40 favourite holding 9 flush outs and the remaining K as an out, but behind to Owen's pair of Kings. 5th street gives Owen a brick and me the Ad, adding another 5 outs, but the board blanks out and catapults Owen to the chip lead.

That was my chance, I'm now about 3 to 1 down, and fail to put up much of a fight thereafter, exiting meekly when Owen wins a race. He played a ggressively, and is a lovely bloke, but I wish he didn't have a habit of picking up great cards and holding on when it was really needed! But that's the way you win a tournament!

UK Sharks review of this tournament can be found here.

APAT live updates are here.

WCOAP Razz Championship Review

£75, 48 runners. 3,000 starting chips.

I begin badly, attempting to bluff my way out of a hole first hand. This fails and I've quickly lost 20% of my stack. I am very nearly the first one out, before I hit a miracle 7th street card to save me. It only prolongs the inevitable, everyone outdrew me, and I couldn't outdraw anyone. I finish in 39th, but after the previous day, I'm hardly bothered.

Razz is shit anyway.