Friday's Scalps - its all luck!

Doc Farrell

Mike Caro is right, when you feel lucky, you get lucky. I knew I would do brutally in the 270 game and I did and yesterday I could feel that if I played hard and stayed focused I could do well and man did I get lucky.

It didn't start well. I intentionally played strange starting hands and raised with cards that didn't have the big three, ace king queen, because I wanted to shake up my play. I got very lucky early on with runner runner flush against big Andy to stay in the game. Then Bob Battersby cripples me by calling a big preflop raise with 9 7, hits his seven and reraises me! Fair play to him but did that one sting.

Down to three thousand after the break I accidentally take a few tiny pots then get moved to a table were the cards started falling from heaven. Queens against tens doubles me up to twelve thousand. With three tables to go I look down and find aces and a lovely gent to my left reraises my min raise from three to ten thousand. I do a disgraceful acting job and then go all in and he calls and doesn't get lucky. I actually felt bad about looking at my cards, pausing, pretending I have 2 good cards but obviously not aces. But what can you do.

I bully my way to fifty thousand and then proceed to double up four shortstacks in a row. We break to two tables. I'm reduced to thirty thousand. On the big blind. 1500-3000 now. A dangerous player from Mayo on the button makes it ten grand. For some reason I don't think he's that strong. I look down and find sevens. And I think I can take this after the flop. So I call. The flop is king nine nine. I check, he checks. The turn is a four. I bet 6000 and he calls! Man I feel sick. Either I go all in now or I let this pot with more than half my stack go. The river is a blank, a two I think. So instead of going all in I chicken out and check and he checks too! We turn them over and he has a pair of sixes! If either of us had have gone with our instincts we could have taken the pot on the river. But we both chickened out and I just got lucky.

Everyones playing ubertight to get in the money but I'm hitting high cards so I'm taking blinds. Finally Christy Smith gets very unlucky against me when he goes all in for 15,000 on my big blind of 4000 and I find ace ten of spades. Christy has ace jack and hits his jack but again I runner runner a flush and watch the poker gods punch another good man in the guts. I hate it when it looks like a player is not just disappointed but hurt to have lost.

So, final table and I have a monster chip lead, about 200,000 with the blinds frozen at 2500-5000. There are four players on about 40,000 and the rest are hovering around 80,000. My plan is to turn the heat on but not double anyone up stupidly. Unfortunately things do not run smoothly. Any hand I limp into gets raised and any hand I raise I either take before the flop or get reraised so high that I have to let it go. I get knocked back to about 140,000 with 6 players still in it so I decide to sit back and wait for better hands.

But one player doesn't. He starts to the gamble. The General! He is limping with great hands, calling with mediocre ones, reraising with dangerous ones. He's playing very well in fact. Pity he's such a madman. He calls an all in bet with 9 7 ! 'I gamble!' Hits his straight on the flop! The chap with ace queen is sick as a parrot.

Four of us left. Vivian who loves to go all in. A mate of mine Stef who had a bad run of tourneys recently and I know is playing brilliantly. We actually had a twenty minute talk before the tourney and discussed specifically about playing the man and not the cards. So I'm nervous. We've swapped 5% for luck but it means nothing here, we're both out to win and he knows that I simply don't soft play anyone.

Vivian is short stacked to 40,000 and goes all in on my big blind. I instantly call with ace jack and Vivian turns over Aces! He tells me that he played them so hard because he knew I would think he was robbing! And I did! So he doubles up. I'm getting hit again and again! The general now has half the chips. Vivian goes all in against him and the general instantly calls with a marginal hand and knocks him out.

The blinds are now 3000-6000. The generals English suddenly improves and he suggests we give him first prize and split the rest. No way. He has been ranting and banging the table for hours. If he wants first prize he can earn it. I have 90,000. Stef has 125,000. The general has 300,000. Third prize is 850. 2nd is 1,500 and first is 3,000. Huge jumps. I am officially sick that I have not had any good cards or flops.

Then the hand of the night for Stef. The general limps in. Stef limps in on the small blind. And I decide not to raise with my garbage. The flop comes down ace king eight. Stef bets the blind. The general raises to 30,000. Stef goes all in. And the general instantly calls. The general has a pair of aces with a four kicker! and Stef has three kings! I would have slow played them more but the general hates to be reraised and was likely to call an all in anyway.

So Stef takes the lead(250,000), the General (180,000) is desperate to do a deal and I'm down to 80,000, about 12 big blinds. I won't give the general a penny more than me. And I won't split the vouchers! I'm pissed off and want to play on. The general isn't my problem here. Stef has a three to one chip lead over me.

So Stef proposes that he takes 2 grand and gives 300 to the dealers. The general and I will take 1,500 and we split the vouchers. I can't fight it. I've lost. I blew a monster chip lead and it has cost me 1,500. I accept. And I feel like a loser. I tell Denise I want in on the big game. I will have my vengeance in this world or the next. I'm steaming and a fool. She asks me twice if I really want a seat in that particular game. The fifty games are open. I gather my senses, thank her and walk away.

Downstairs I'm talking to Stef about the Gutshot games in London. Theres a drunken couple. She wants me to give her pal directions to the place on her phone. I decline and her boyfriend calls me a ****. The old flashflood of rage runs up the back of my head and thankfully I remember where I am and how much it would cost me to get banned. So I get him thrown out instead. But he really picked exactly the wrong moment to tap the glass.

Outside, I'm giving a couple of cigars to big Mick and the loudmouth and his pals are waiting for a taxi. Big Mick wants to jump them, get stuck in. Stef is there. He fights in no holds barred submission contests in Tallaght. I'm in good stead here. But the red eye has disappeared. The finger is off the button. It's time to call it a night. I've got my bankroll for London. As the General says, 'Tomorrow, tomorrow'.

Hitman Actual

Good report, Des, and well done on the split, even if you're not happy with it. Thought you were a cert when down to two tables. One thing though, always remember to thread carefully around auld Bob!

Doc Farrell

Cheers Derek - hope u'll be around for a few beers in the Camden? I think I'll play in a few sats in the Fitz now and then go on the beer if I don't get through. Anyone who has my number is welcome to join me. U might even get a cigar if u want one!

This is the reason I need to win a few more grand. I want to introduce myself to this fellow - through the bars of a cage.

http://www.break.com/index/sharkdolphin.html

califano

Your on form Des. WP good result and you deserve some. The General should be feeling sicker than you!. The drunk couple lol!!. Dessie sees red!.

TimFoil

good work des, a fine result, nothing to beat yourself up about. may it be the first of many to come.

Goodluck2me

wp des, i was sitting to your right at the 270 game and seen how unlucky you were with the KK v AA. good result in scalps cant complain with 15K for a ngihts work though...

Doc Farrell

Cheers man, tx for the kind words,

I wish it had have been 15k btw!

Goodluck2me

oh yeah sorry 1.5K oops, well in that case it was just an ok night! hehe

Einstein

nice result Des, fair play mate

Dave