I've seen the light

Iago

It's true I've seen the light, I was blessed with a vision last night of how things would be and ye it was good...

This might seem a bit strange seen as I was second out of the tournament lasting just over an hour before going out not so much in a blaze of glory, as with a small puff of smoke, but I learned a valuable lesson last night. More about that later...

The game itself was frustrating in the extreme, most hands were raised preflop and unfortunately for me I had hands that were worth it, it would be raised 400 and I'd have AJ, or raised 200 and I had KQ, 4 times in the first 8 hands I called a raise preflop, only to see a pair land on the flop with no help for me and have to fold to a big bet...this led to a new sensation for me, being on tilt. You see being on tilt doesn't happen to me, ever, except that last night it did and it was directly responsible for me going out of the tourney.

I had A2o called the BB and nobody raised, flop comes 10 K A, I check and the guy to my left bets 500, one other caller and then I've thrown 500 in (I don't think I'm ahead, but I'm just so glad to see I've hit something on the flop) turn is a 2 and now I've got 2 pair A's and 2's. I know that one of the remaining two players has JQ in his hand completing the nut straight but I go all-in anyway, player to my left folds and the other guy can't get his chips in fast enough, he has the aformentioned JQ and I'm out. But, and this is the important bit, I actually feel relieved that it's over.

total mindfnuck, you know when your head just isn't with it and you don't really want to play? (it happens occasionally trust me) Well that was me last night, but I didn't realise it until after I had sat down and started playing, within 3 hands I'd lost all interest in the game and wasn't paying attention to what was going on around me. It did give me time to analyse my own game though, it was like an out of body experience, I was sitting there playing but I was also standing over my shoulder waching everything I did.

And that's when I realised what I was doing wrong, and what I would continue to do wrong if it hadn't been for last night. I'm not going to tell you what it was, obviously, but I think it'll make me a much stronger player as a result.

so although I felt frustrated at my own mentality around the game I think it was money well spent for what I got out of it...look forward to putting it to the test in the next BSOP heat!

mewso

Iago wrote:

And that's when I realised what I was doing wrong, and what I would continue to do wrong if it hadn't been for last night.

Playing poker?

dirkey_wynne

I sat waiting for hands too. And waiting. Finally, with 20 players left, player to my right goes all in. I look down to see KK, so naturally can't wait to get chips in. He flips over AK. I'm happy to see that. Just no A please. Flop comes J10X, oh dear. Now I just know what the turn will be. Sure enough, the Q sits there proudly taunting me. Sickened. But not really - this is poker! Sometimes you luck out, sometimes ya don't. But doesn't it just feel like it's way more often that you don't!! Two hands later I knew I had to go all in fast - blinds at 300-600, I only had 1100. Only got on caller, the BB. He threw over 10 7, I had J9. No help for either of us till the river. Then, bang, a 10. And I'm out with a whimper. Enjoyable night though, thanks to the Suited Aces lads. Who won in the end? And were the tickets or the money taken??

Iago

musician wrote:

Playing poker?

Har de har har, everyone's a bloody comedian

careca

dirkey_wynne wrote:

Who won in the end? And were the tickets or the money taken??

I think Aiden (could be wrong) won it. Dave Doyle was second. No one took a ticket.

I managed to get to the final table. Not sure how I did it as I only had 2000 left with blinds of 800/1500 and ten players. It was between me and a small stack at the other table for the bubble. Guy at the other table looks out when he needed runner/runner clubs to survive and of course he gets them, so the pressure is really on me.

Then Spiritus (who got the bullets three times in about twenty minutes) took a really bad beat to get knocked out. Dave Doyle reraised his bet all-in and Spiritus rightly called, thinking Dave was on steal (which he was). Unfortunately for Spiritus Dave hits his only out on the turn. I lasted about five minutes at the final table but in the end was happy to get my money back. Very good tournie. Well done to all involved in organising.

Obscure

Yeah somehow i came first! Was being blinded away on the final table when i suddenly started getting some luck and bounced back. Far play to the suitedaces ppl for a great tournament!

The only problem i had during the night was with the merrion. I didnt want to get one of those tickets they gave us the OPTION of taking and i made that clear when there were just 3 of us left. The merrion are there for the floor space, its not THEIR tournament, i think the suitedaces people need to make this clear to them or the merrion will be trying to call the shots in the future. So i was pretty pissed off that they tried to force me to spend 150euro on a ticket for a game i didnt want to play. They got their 5euro registration fee at the start of the night and after that they should mind their own business. It needs to be made clear to the Merrion that its not their tournament and they cant decide how the prizes are to shared! Ended up leaving pissed off even after winning (Feel better this morning though)!!! Didnt think being asked do i "not care about dying kids?" was fair either!

Anyway, great tournament and hope it could be moved to the Fitz cos i dont think ill be going to the merrion anytime soon!

Aidn

careca

I heard about that alright. Not fair at all. People were told about the charity and after that its up to themselves. It shouldn't be pushed on people. I too, thought the Merrion had a bit too much control on the tournament last night, certainly compared to the first one.

P.S. Well done obscure. Nice reraise on Mark at the final table which seemed to set you on your way.

DeVore

We had no idea that was going to happen and some of the SA people are pretty p|ssed off about it. Its not that we dont want to help a charity but we knew nothing about it until the break and then we argued it to a "let the players decide" agreement.

Now, I'm gonna run a Santa Strike Force game sometime between here and Xmas BUT it will be advertised as such and the money will come from the REG not the prize pool.
That is the way it should be done imho.
I'm really sorry if you felt harrassed.

DeV.

Corben Dallas

Well Done Obscure!
Can we get a top 8, top3 report etc?
Plus was their a prize for best hand on the night? there was last time?
The reason I ask this is because (of course) I had Quad 10's.
** wonders if theres any more of those swanky Suited Aces Polos arround?** ]:)

Yeah there was a guy at out table who said to Marianne(<?) why dont u do get a contribution from the winner for the Charity Tournie. Also think the organisers(SA) should put the foot down as regards direct interfearance( sp?) in the running of Suited Aces Tournies. Think something happened last time as well with the chip count being imposed by the Casino.
Competition is a good thing, threaten to walk out/switch to Fitz next time.
Sounds as if the charity donation was 'forced/cujoled' on the winner by Merrion staff.

Great Touranment Suited Aces.

dirkey_wynne

DeVore wrote:

We had no idea that was going to happen and some of the SA people are pretty p|ssed off about it. Its not that we dont want to help a charity but we knew nothing about it until the break and then we argued it to a "let the players decide" agreement.

Now, I'm gonna run a Santa Strike Force game sometime between here and Xmas BUT it will be advertised as such and the money will come from the REG not the prize pool.
That is the way it should be done imho.
I'm really sorry if you felt harrassed.

DeV.

No worries DeV. I was standing in the room at the break when (I presume her name is Marianne from Corben D.'s following post) was saying it to Chris. I didn't really like the way she was putting it to be honest, she seemed quite insistent. It didn't affect me, as, naturally enough I got nowhere near the final table, but just her general attitude I didn't like at all. And especially just the way she was talking about it to Chris at the break. She just seemed as if the idea that SA wouldn't immediately agree with her was preposterous. I've only been to the Merrion once, but I have to say I'd feel far more welcome and at home in the Fitz.

pokertroll

Well done Obscure,

Nice re-raise against me on the final table which put me on tilt - I dropped about 16k on that crucial hand - I should've gone all in on the flop when I hit a pair of 8s - think I might have been ahead on the river also but couldn't call for all my chips with that 10 on the board.

It is a shame that they were pushing the Charity ticket on you. My understanding was that the ticket was optional and I didn't see any advantage in buying one with the winnings unless they were discounted. I can imagine that Dave Doyle might have been playing the guilt-trip card as he is involved in selling tickets for the charity event.

I know I'm always sticking up for the club but I do think they did a good job of it overall. The free beer and food was a nice touch and they did provide some dealers for the event also so lets not be too critical.

Davey Devil

I saw the light too Iago, I'm never slow playing aces again.

Obscure

pokertroll wrote:

Well done Obscure,

Nice re-raise against me on the final table which put me on tilt - I dropped about 16k on that crucial hand - I should've gone all in on the flop when I hit a pair of 8s - think I might have been ahead on the river also but couldn't call for all my chips with that 10 on the board.

Wish i could remember this re-raise, where were you sitting?

After 6hrs though i generally only remember a few key hands, like misreading the board and thinking i had the nut straight! 2 hands later i did get it and i spent around 10 seconds reading the board to make sure!!

pokertroll

Was sitting to your right. You were on the big blind, I was small blind.

You bet the flop, I called, we both checked the turn. You bet 5k on the river, I re-raised to 10k,you went all-in, I folded, I went on tilt and was knocked out about 4 hands later.

Obscure

wear glasses?

did i take a long time going all-in can you remember? And you suspected i had 2 pair? ...Well if it was then that was the hand when i DID have the nut straight, had an open ended straight on the flop, bet hoping you'd fold, turn didnt do anything but got free card and hit the straight on the river.

pokertroll

Yep - that was the hand alright- I don't wear glasses though

Krusty_Clown

Great tournament guys, thanks for organising.. Came down to the wire in the end, with the BB at 15K. Great win Obscure (pesky Ace kicker). Glad you beat Dave anyway, as he'd been particualrly jammy over the previous hands with his lucky 10s, 47o etc..

I finished third in the end, one spot down from last months tournament. At least I'm being consistent (consistently lucky?!).

DapperGent

Krusty, I think it was you and I hope to god you remember this hand cos it's been driving me mad.

You were in the small and I was in the big. It was folded round and you just called, I had QJ and put a thousand (I think) on top trying to steal. You called. (Doh)

Flop came KJ10 which gave me an open ended straight draw and middle pair. You checked I bet 3K, you thought for ages and raised to 6k. I spent the nearly the longest I've ever in the tank and eventually folded. If I thought you just had a King I would have called cos we would have been about 50/50, but I eventually figured you for two pair or the made straight or a set or some monster. and trying to close it down cos of the two clubs on the flop.

You remember what you had? Still driving me mad! Hammered my stack.

cormie

That was very cheeky and sly of them to do the charity event thing. I mean, we paid 50 bills each for a chance to get a cash prize. That's the prize structure we entered before play began. Then they try make us merry with beer to accept a ticket to another tournie that we would have to be battled through to get some cash. Which if you won that, most people (the pro's and wealthy guys who tend to enter) will donate their winnings to charity. It may be expected of you. It wasn't very nice at all. It's nothing to do with the SA guys. They got €300 from reg. That's fine.

I personally donate to two charities but I feel it being almost forced upon you like that is not the way to go about good deeds. And if someone said that to me about the kids I would have questioned about their charitable nature and probably made them look like a money laundering cnt.

DeVore

Then they try make us merry with beer to accept a ticket.
<snip>
It's nothing to do with the SA guys. They got €300 from reg. That's fine.

Two clarifications:

1. I presume you mean the Merrion got the registration fee (~225), we sure as sh|t didnt!

2. The beer had nothing to do with the charity thing, we had negotiated finger food for everyone but the chef called in sick so they offered us beers instead. Direct swap.

DeV.

MrPudding

cormie wrote:

That was very cheeky and sly of them to do the charity event thing. I mean, we paid 50 bills each for a chance to get a cash prize. That's the prize structure we entered before play began. Then they try make us merry with beer to accept a ticket to another tournie that we would have to be battled through to get some cash. Which if you won that, most people (the pro's and wealthy guys who tend to enter) will donate their winnings to charity. It may be expected of you. It wasn't very nice at all. It's nothing to do with the SA guys. They got €300 from reg. That's fine.

I personally donate to two charities but I feel it being almost forced upon you like that is not the way to go about good deeds. And if someone said that to me about the kids I would have questioned about their charitable nature and probably made them look like a money laundering cnt.

Believe me Cormie, we feel the same way.

This "arrangement" is still quite new. Both the Merrion and ourselves are still trying to find our feet. I expect that things will be sorted out in the end. We will comment further on lasts nights issues when we have had a chance to go over it as a group.

We feel it is important to run events in both clubs, but, at the same time we have no loyalty to either. We will work where we feel our players and ourselves get the best deal.

So, in short, we will talk amongst ourselves and with the Merrion to see what went wrong and how we can prevent it from happening again. When we have further information or comment we will post it on the Suited Aces site and let everyone know.

MrP

cormie

I also don't think it was fair on you guys either. It's like, get the tourney going, get everyone to pay and wait for the secret catch! It's not like you could have just said no. That could be bad for future events but they are a business. We paid for the service, it was a private function. (by the way, a guy at blackjack table was drinking brandy... I thought there was no alcohol in fitz or merrion?)

Also, the 10 SNG sucked. We started with 1,000 units, blinds 25 50. I requested 2,000 units and was told it would be unfair on the earlier tables who had 1,000 units. 1,000 units with 25 50 is 20 big blinds. You can't play with such restrictions. Any decent raise would have to be about 200 units. That's 1/5 of your stack. No room for play at all. I'm sick of the lack of play available in casinos.

Krusty_Clown

DapperGent wrote:

Krusty, I think it was you and I hope to god you remember this hand cos it's been driving me mad.

You were in the small and I was in the big. It was folded round and you just called, I had QJ and put a thousand (I think) on top trying to steal. You called. (Doh)

Flop came KJ10 which gave me an open ended straight draw and middle pair. You checked I bet 3K, you thought for ages and raised to 6k. I spent the nearly the longest I've ever in the tank and eventually folded. If I thought you just had a King I would have called cos we would have been about 50/50, but I eventually figured you for two pair or the made straight or a set or some monster. and trying to close it down cos of the two clubs on the flop.

You remember what you had? Still driving me mad! Hammered my stack.

Yeah, I think I remember that hand. If I'm right, I was holding K10 for two pairs. The check raise would have been to get some action, but finish off the hand as quickly as possible, clubs and straight possibilities. (I would have been about 60% ahead.).

careca

Krusty_Clown wrote:

Yeah, I think I remember that hand. If I'm right, I was holding K10 for two pairs. (I would have been about 60% ahead.).

Don't believe a word of it Dapper. He had 72o !!!!!

Batbat

DeVore wrote:

Two clarifications:

1. I presume you mean the Merrion got the registration fee (~225), we sure as sh|t didnt!

2. The beer had nothing to do with the charity thing, we had negotiated finger food for everyone but the chef called in sick so they offered us beers instead. Direct swap.

DeV.

I did not like the Merrion at all, just did not get a nice friendly feeling from the place, I think I will stick to the Fitz

cormie

DeVore wrote:

Two clarifications:

1. I presume you mean the Merrion got the registration fee (~225), we sure as sh|t didnt!

2. The beer had nothing to do with the charity thing, we had negotiated finger food for everyone but the chef called in sick so they offered us beers instead. Direct swap.

DeV.

1. Yep I meant the Merrion. I should have wrote that properly.
2. Nice of them to do.

Hectorjelly

Iago wrote:

It's true I've seen the light, I was blessed with a vision last night of how things would be and ye it was good...<snip>

And that's when I realised what I was doing wrong, and what I would continue to do wrong if it hadn't been for last night. I'm not going to tell you what it was, obviously, but I think it'll make me a much stronger player as a result.

so although I felt frustrated at my own mentality around the game I think it was money well spent for what I got out of it...look forward to putting it to the test in the next BSOP heat!

Why wont you tell us what you have discovered? I thought this pretty much was the point of message boards like this.

Iago

Hector, it is the point of message boards like this, but only in general terms I would have thought..

Realistically, the guys who read this are the people I play against on a regular basis so telling them what I've changed and improved in my game puts me at a bit of a disadvantage against them..they already have a perception of how I play and giving them information to change that would be a bit foolhardy

Hectorjelly

Iago wrote:

Hector, it is the point of message boards like this, but only in general terms I would have thought..

Realistically, the guys who read this are the people I play against on a regular basis so telling them what I've changed and improved in my game puts me at a bit of a disadvantage against them..they already have a perception of how I play and giving them information to change that would be a bit foolhardy

Thats fair enough, Security through obscurity!