Munster Open report

connie147

Well the monkeys off my back and maybe this should be in the bragging thread,but I've just had my first big live tournement win and i feel like putting some thoughts down on paper,so bear with me please.I'm just home from limerick where i won the boylesports/pokerevents munster open for a prize of €10k and seeing as though my game has seen huge improvements from hand analysis posted here on boards,i thought maybe my fellow boardsters would like to share my moment.
The tournament itself was the usual high standard event put on by fintan,donal and indeed all the pokerevents staff.With a €500 entry fee and blinds at 40min timeframes,the better players had plenty time for play and indeed when play resumed on sat lunch time with 27 left from the original field of 100,there was a high standard of play on all tables.
Back to my own report.Got drawn on a tough enough table with Fintan Gavin,Ken Corkery,Micky mcquillan,2 cork players,Dr namir and pat(lag) and a v.good Killarney player Billy Houlihan so I knew straight away there was no easy chips to be made.First two blind levels saw me card dead and other than a couple of button steals,I wasnt really involved in any pot(called a couple of raises with small pairs but got no help on flops).Then in the last hand of the 50-100 level,Fintan raised utg to 350 and pat (utg+2)reraises to 3,000.Huge gasps at the table and everyone folds around to me on the button.I look down at two red queens and as this was my first real hand of the tourney,I wasnt too anxious to put them down.With fintan to act after me,I felt flat calling the raise would give the impression of a monster hand so thats what I did.Immediately Fintan says"youve the effing aces and you want me to put my money in the pot.I'll lay anyone an even fifty he has the aces".Fintan folds pocket 9's and the flop comes A-9-6 rainbow.pat checks and I check.Turn comes an ace,Pat checks and I check.River is a blank,Pat checks and i move all-in for my last 4,500.Fintan is now laying bets that i have quads and after a dwell-up,Pat folds(I think he folded pocket kings.I must buy fintan a pint).
Picked up a few more small pots before being moved to a new table where i went with 15,000.Extremely tight table with the only players of note that i know being Gavin Stevens from cork and the silver fox Dave Mahoney.Sat quiet for a few orbits to spot the form.Then in my big blind(150-300),4 limpers into me.Look down at A-K hearts and raise to 1200.Two callers,the fox and Gavin.Flop brings Jh-9h-5d.I bet out 1500 inte the pot,fox folds and Gavin goes all-in for 5500.Well ive the nut flush draw and two overcards to the board so I call.Gavin turns over the monster 9s-6s(WTF) and with no help from the board my stack is halved down to 7,500.Sit back for a while to regain composure when in next BB(still 150-300) i get two limpers(tight players) I look down at pocket Jacks so I raise it to 1300and both call.flop brings 10-J-Q(2 clubs) so i go all in to stop the straight and flush draws.Called by one player who turns over 9-K(**** says I) but he hasnt enough to put me out and im down to 3000 when the board fails to pair.
Im really tilting a bit now and in the next few hands I get pocker 8's and then pocket 7's.I play them very aggressively and luckily they hold up and i get back up to 11,000 whem im moved again(happily so for me cause i was really on tilt at that table and the new table helped me regain my focus.).Average chip is about 15000 and i have 11000 so i settle in to the new table winning a hand early to take me above the average chip.A chinese lad is sitting directly to my right(ricky A very good player) and he has about 35000 chips and is definately bossing the table.He raised my first BB and I came over the top holding the 10h-Jh to which he folded,and twice more in the next 15 minutes I reraised him so now the table was giving me the same respect as him and my blinds were not attacked too often.I worked my chip stack up to 36000 overnight which was about 10000 above average and with 4 killarney players still standing,i was in a happy frame of mind going to bed.
Started day two off pretty well,getting up to 48000 after an hours play.Card dead then for a while and with blinds ever increasing(and antes)it became imperrative to win a pot every now and again.im down to 25000 when im all in with A-K over A-J only for 7-8-9-10 to come on the table and with average stack now at 50000 and only 14 players remaining and blinds at 1000-2000 im starting to get aggressive again to try and build back up.in the cut-off, everyone has folded and i raise to 8000 with A-5 suited,BB comed back over the top for all my chips and i decide its now or never.he sows J-J,i spike an ace and im back to average again.Call a short stack all in with A-9 against 3-3,hit an A and a 9 to get to 80,000 and reach the final table.
CL on the final table is friend and fellow Killarney player,Billy Holian with 175,000 with the average stack 75,000.ive 80,000 with blind at 3000-6000. i play 2 full orbits without seeing a face card and both times im in the big blind,shortstack in the small blind is all in to me for less than double the blind both times,both times i call on the blind but even though she has ****e,my ****e is even worse and now im down to 55000.pat griffen from cork is at the final table(110000),ken o regan(90000) caomh o sullivan(cork-100000)one galway player and a few from limerick(i felt the biggest dangers were the cork lads and billy ).the sole lady on the table trebled through with posket 8's when pat griffen could have put her out only fot having to fold on the turn when a local went all-in to a dry side pot on a bluff(WTF). that seemed to put pat on tilt as he reraised a raiser all in shortly after,the raiser called and showed pocket jacks and pat showed 4-6 of spades.(claimed he hadnt looked at his cards).no help from the board(although he had an open-ended straight draw and a flush draw b4 the river was turned and a very dangerous player was gone.the short stacks were eventually put out and we were down to 5.i had 84000,shortstack had 24000,caomh had about 250000,billy had about 200000 and ken approx150000.shortstack went all-in (utg),caomh folded,i looked down at Ad-Qd.i considered reraising all in(as shorty was complaining previous hand that he didnt stick em all in with J-Q),then ken came over the top all-in.****. i wasnt expecting that.i didnt mind if he flat called and two of us could gang up to get to the serious money.i thought for an age .i knew the liklihood was that ken had kings or aces,but i felt if i folded here,i was going to be in bad shape chipwise, while if i called and won id nearly be chip leader.i was here to win hopefully so that made my decision and i called.shorty showed A-7, Ken K-K.a beautiful mace came on the flop and i was back in business.180000 and buzzing,i started to run over the table and just couldnt seem to do no wrong.when ken went all-in for his last 30000,caomh called and so did i in the bb with K-8,hit a K and an 8 and we were at 4.then billy got a bad beat to go out third while i took out the next short stack to leave myself and caomh heads-up.i had 340,000 caomh had 360,000. prizes were 9,000+3000 ticket to the €1,000,000 june festival to winner and 4,000 +3,000 ticket for r-up,we agreed 6,000 cash each and we'ed play out for a grand +the trophy.to make an even longer story short ,heads up lasted about half an hour and i finished it off rather luckily by hitting runner runner for a straight.
its only the third tournament ive paid an entry fee of 500 or more to play in(irish classic-maccau june 05--1,000euro entry fee--5th for €6,500, boyles irish open citywest jan 06 €1,000 entry fee---51(money for 38) and now this one. needless to say im absolutely over the moon with the result and i honestly mean it when i say the help ive got from this forum has been extremely influential.to my killarney mentors dave the fox,matt(lplate)and billy....yeve brought my game on with all yere advice over the last two years.thanks a lot
who says poker players cant be emotional.

roryc

Fair play. Nice win

Lplate

Delighted for you Connie. Well done!. I went out in 18th when, after raising to 7k on the button, with blinds at 1/2, with AJs, I see a flop of JJ7. BB bets 10k into me and I go all in for 33K. He calls and turns over TT! Turn 9, river 8 and I'm driving home sick. I'm sure you'll buy me a couple of pints on Tuesday to ease the pain!!!

Daithio

Nice result! Ricky's not Chinese by the way, he's from Limerick lol.

JustMac

Congrats Connie. Great win. Good report too.

NickyOD

Well Done Connie. I was playing just fine until I tried to get a rock to fold AQ preflop and surprisingly it held up against my QT. Major Brainfart on my part.

Jay

Nice win!
HL Nicky... how did the other Limerick lads do?
Vinnie, Ricky, Calvin etc
(Dave Jeff here)

NickyOD

Jay wrote:

Nice win!
HL Nicky... how did the other Limerick lads do?
Vinnie, Ricky, Calvin etc
(Dave Jeff here)

Limerick was not well represented. That's all I'll say.

OilBeefHooked2

Well done connie i'm delighted for you.

mewso

Always good to hear of someone success but unfortunately it's a one week ban for posting in the wrong forum.

connie147

Didnt mean to break the rules muso.Just a bit excited on the night.Didn't even know i was posting in the wrong thread.Apologies for any mis-understandings

Tipperarymike

Fair play on that one, great result. I was watching your table for a while on the first night, well I had to, I went out in about 70th thanks to total muppet play on my behalf, and you seemed to be playing well at that tough table. Dont forget to take it easy on everyone for the 100 freezeout tomorrow night!

connie147

Tipperarymike wrote:

Fair play on that one, great result. I was watching your table for a while on the first night, well I had to, I went out in about 70th thanks to total muppet play on my behalf, and you seemed to be playing well at that tough table. Dont forget to take it easy on everyone for the 100 freezeout tomorrow night!

Didnt see you Mike.I thought it was an advantage to be drawn on a tough table.At least you have to concentrate from the off.Unfortunately I cant go to Limerick tonite.See you soon and thanks for the good wishes.