Pokerevents €350 FO report

ocallagh

Daithio here by the way, ocallagh still logged in.

I ended up winning this on Saturday and wanted to record, for my own use mainly, how I played but I'm sure some of you will be interested to read it so here it is. It's pretty lengthy, this is mainly due to the length of the tournament itself which had a brilliantly slow blind structure.

For most of the first day I was extremely short stacked, and didn't pick up any cards worth talking about. After one failed bluff I was down to 4000 from the 8k starting stack and kicking myself for not sticking to my gameplan of playing tight. I got dealt KsKc in middle position with one early limper. The blinds were at 100-200, and I made it 500. The limper after a massive dwell up put me all in with 99. The first card up was a nine (of clubs) and I grabbed my coat, astounded at the run of bad luck I've had recently, but what does the river bring other than a fourth club to fill my king high flush! Sweet, I'm back to the starting stack and determined to play like an absolute rock.

Down to 6900 at the 8th level with blinds 300-600 with a running ante of 50. With the average stack at around 20k I needed to find a hand soon enough. With two limpers in the pot for 600 I look down from the small blind at QQ and decide to shove it in. I don't want to mess around with this hand, I'm pretty happy to take it preflop, and I reckon I might just get a call off the early limper who's a bit of a lunatic. To my disappointment he folds, and I'm consoling myself with the fact that it was a pretty sizeable pot anyway when the button calls turning over AK! I survive the 50 50 and I'm up to 13k.

It's level 9 and I still have 13k. The blinds are 400 800 with an ante of 75 and I make it 3k in the cutoff. The lunatic on the big blind puts me all in, and I call with A9 off having anticipated that he'd do this, and he turns over A7. A nine on the flop and I'm up to 28k.

I rob the blinds a few times and get up to 32000. Then I get J7 of diamonds in the cutoff, and raise to 3000 with the sb calling. The flop comes 9 high with 3 clubs. He checks I check. Turn comes the 7 spades and he checks to me, and for some reason unbeknownst to me I check too. The river comes the 3 of clubs and he bets 3k. I reckon he would have bet the flop with a King or Ace high draw, he's that sort of player, so decide to make it 12k thinking he will fold. He puts me all in and I fold, extremely annoyed with myself and down to 18k.

I work myself back up to 32k after hitting a couple of hands from the blinds and robbing them once or twice. I then ante down to about 25k and haven't played a hand for about 3 levels. The table has gotten quite aggressive and I haven't had any hands decent enough to get involved. As the blinds get bigger I don't have enough to steal as I'd be committing myself with any sort of preflop raise. The table then gets broken to my relief and we're down to thirty. I'm put in next to Oscar on the table which Ken Doherty is chip leader.

I limp in the cutoff with Q10 off, after Ken has limped in early position. Antes now 1.5k -3k. Flop comes Q99 2 hearts. BB checks, Ken bets 10k. I have him on a draw for some reason, maybe 10J or two hearts, like AJ, A10. I go all in, sb folds, Ken folds. Up to 50k odd.

Pretty much the very next hand the player in first position min raises to 6k. I look down at AcKc, and re raise to 20k putting him all in.Original raiser reluctantly calls with A9, and a King on the turn seals his fate. I'm up to about 75k and above the average (around 54k) for the first time!

I now start to run all over this table. There were 24 players left, and with 20 players getting paid nobody here wanted to bubble. I've figured out pretty quickly that I've gotten the luck of the draw and the softest table of the last 4, with Brian Vickers, Declan Barker, Paul Lecky and Ken Corkery all lurking around the other tables with monster stacks. There are alot of tight passive at mine, all afraid of bubbling. To be honest I don't remember many of the hands of this period, I was raising 3 times the bb about 2 out of every 3 hands. Half the time I'd get called by one of the blinds, and the other half I'd just take down the now sizeable antes (2k -4k with a 300 ante). If they checked to me I'd bet and they'd fold, if they bet I'd have a big dwell up and then folded my 62 off or whatever it was. Luckily this only happened maybe one out of every three of the times that they called me, so I was building a monster stack. I won two big pots preflop with genuine hands in this period.

I had QQ with the blinds and antes at 2k 4k and 300. With a raise in early position to 10k and a call from Ken, I had a little bit of a think about what to do. I had them both outchipped, and I was happy to take the pot then so I stuck it all in and they both folded, taking down a pot of about 30k without even seeing the flop. I showed them the queens.

The other one I had AJ off on the BB. I now had Ken Doherty outchipped by about 2 to one, and I knew that he was itching to get a bit of the free money which I'd been snapping up for the last half hour or so. Also I reckon he wanted a bit of revenge for the many hands I'd managed to push him off and the blinds I'd robbed. He made it 10k on the button with blinds at 2k-4k. I asked him how many chips he had and he let out an accidental sigh before telling me. I knew he was going to fold to an all in now which he did, showing 77. I told him it was a fifty fifty without showing. This also sent out a pretty strong message to the rest of the table not to mess with my blinds, so from then on until the night was over I got a walk every single time!

I finished the night up with 137k, average was about 60k, and made it home at 6.30 am. I tried to sleep for about 2 hours but didn't have any luck so sat up drinking wine and watching some really cheap shark documentary.

I got back to citywest for two o'clock and after about six red bulls I sat down to play. I kept my stack at 137k without getting involved too much, I wanted to let all the small stacks knock each other out. I figured I had about average for the final table which I would be happy to go there with.

After about half an hour I've dropped a little to about 125k. With the blinds at 3000 6000, and an ante of 400 I get Ad 9d on the BB, with the sb just completing. I make it 20k, and after a big dwell up he calls. Flop comes Kc2d3d. He checks and I put him all in for his remaining 50k. After thinking for an age and staring me down trying to get a tell he calls turning over Q10! No draw no pair! Wow. I'm up to 200k.

A few hands later this Welsh guy moves all in for about 30k. It's my sb and I have AJ. I call and he turns over A3, doesn't improve and goes out in tenth. I'm through to the final table second in chips on 235k, an inch behind the chip leader who has 270k.

The final table was extremely cagey. The antes were still very small compared to the stacks, and there were a few very good players there; Ken Corkery, Paul Lecky, Declan Barker, Brian Vickers, and Tom something or other from the Merrion who sometimes makes dodgy moves but is there or there abouts alot of the time. Ken went out in 9th running AJ into the chip leaders AK (who made a great call on an 8 high flop). I've gotten my stack up to about 280 with pre flop raises and not much has happened apart from that. There's a ten minute break and we head back, it's my bb. The small blind has half his chips in the pot already, so I know I'm going to have to call whatever I have. Declan Barker then moves in on the button, and I look down at KK, my chips are in faster than lighting. Declan has JJ and the sb has A9. Neither improve despite a hairy open ended straight draw for Declan on the flop and I'm ever so slightly the chip leader with about 470k.

Paul Lecky goes out in 6th after making a move preflop with 22, and Ricky calls with QJ. Flop has a jack... I then look down at KK again in middle position. I make my standard raise which I have been doing alot since it has gotten shorthanded and the bb moves all in with QdJd. A king on the flop sends him packing in fifth.

After dropping a few chips to Ricky (second in chips) in a stupid attempt to defend my bb I get AA after Tom has made it 50k. I raise to 200k, putting him all in for his remaining. 100k. After about 10 minutes (no joke, the waitress took our orders went downstairs got our drinks and came back!) he folds. I show him the aces and he thanks me for this as if I've just saved his life. About five hands later I get dejavu when Tom moves in on my bb and I look down to KK! His A2 doesn't improve and I have 700k of the total 1.3 million. Very shortly after this Brian is all in with J9, Ricky calls with A9 and we were heads up. Down in the bar afterwards Brian had started telling us his littany of crap jokes, but Joan came up with the best of the night, it starts 'Did you ever hear about the guy who threw away 15 grand with J9?' LOL.

Anyway, heads up I decided to offer a pokerstars style deal, taking second each and splitting the change according to the stacks. Ricky accepted and it was all over. My 100k chip lead got me the title and €1000 extra which I was happy with. I probably could have outlplayed Ricky heads up, don't get me wrong he is an excellent player, but I probably have more experience than him (this was his third live tourney!), but I was happy with the deal because it would have taken a few hours to grind him down and with no sleep since Thursday night I just wanted to go to bed.

Overall I'm absolutely chuffed with the win, I hadn't won in a while and was starting to think that I'd never get one again! As regards pokerevents, I'm extremely impressed. It's the best structured tourney I've played since the world series, it pisses all over the EPTs, and I'll definitely be playing in all of their upcoming Dublin events.

Doc Farrell

nice one dave, u lucky monkey!
congrats man

looks like u still have a few wins left in you.

gl, d.

Pokerevents

I thought the final table was of a particularly high standard , congrats, and well done Dave for coming through such a tough field. Ricky played the tournament of His life and is delighted with himself , I was also pleased Brian Vickers got a result. Tom Nolan is the guy who came 4th, He plays the Red Cow every Monday and a regular in the Merrion, as you said, He's unpredictable.

pokertroll

Well done Dave - another fine result!

NickyOD

Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!

califano

Well done thats a great win, good report too.

dropsy

Great result Dave - well deserved.

Dub13

congrats

Fatboydim

Congrats Dave... ah who needs the EPT anyway

kincsem

Congratulations, Dave. You looked a little wrecked in the RDS tonight, but I guess that's what it takes to do the business. Now get some sleep.

That was an excellent report. Perhaps a little too informative. Are you telling us you don't always have the nuts?

By the way, what is the "cut-off"? (button?)

Hectorjelly

Well done! nice report as well.

kinaldo

that's some win, well done! and nice report, even without any badbeat or suckout stories. sounds like a tournament that might be worth entering sometime...

Marq

Congratulations Dave, I was pleased to hear of your result. Surprised you did a deal though...

The_Chopper

Well done again Dave - hopefully we'll meet at a final table again.

Chip lead of 100K..... I'll let that one go,

Hitman Actual

Brilliant result, Dave, and well deserved. I remember Devore saying on Antesup a while back that you due a good result, and I'm happy that it's come around.

Ste05

Great report and great result, look forward to hearing about the next big win...

Daithio

The_Chopper wrote:

Well done again Dave - hopefully we'll meet at a final table again.

Chip lead of 100K..... I'll let that one go,

It was wasn't it? Well as far as I can remember I had 700k and you had 600k. Doesn't matter now anyway, I'll still get the trophy.:p See you tonight in the Sporting Emporium, don't forget your passport!

The_Chopper

What there was a trophey.....
Man should have played out for it - and I could have gone away tropheyless and down a few thousand....No wait, that's no good.....
See ya tonight - buzz ya around 7ish

Culchie

What did 1st and 2nd pay fellahs? Well Done to the both of you.

The_Chopper

1st Paid 15k
2nd paid 9K

We split it
12.5K
11.5K

Was an excellent tournament - really enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone interested in hold'em

califano

ah were all interested, dont worry about that. Its interested in paying the 350 thats the question!

The Troll

Well done on the win.

Boo-urns on the deal though. I'm not a big fan of deals. Actually, they really grind my gears.

Culchie

The Troll wrote:

Well done on the win.

Boo-urns on the deal though. I'm not a big fan of deals. Actually, they really grind my gears.

tbh, it's up to the players involved really, no-one else should have a say in the matter.

It takes two to do a deal, so obviously both players were in favour of doing one.
6K is alot of dosh to get hung up on principals and if you get dogged on then your opponents weaker kicker pairs and busts you out....so I'd take a deal here no bother.

Anyways this point has been debated to death before.

Daithio

Normally I don't do deals, but as culchie said there was a lot of money at stake. Also you have to take in to account how knackered I was; I didn't sleep AT ALL the night in between, and after 6 hours poker I was fit to hit the deck. I'm normally pretty good at heads up but I can't rely on any sort of edge when I'm that knackered. I could have made some disastrous mistake extremely easily, like not seeing a four card flush on the board or whatever.

There's talk of doing away with deals altogether in poker, but it's just part of the game. Anyway you can just go ahead and make an unofficial deal anyway, there's no stopping it. I never take them unless it's heads up, or maybe three handed if I'm getting the best of it. I think as long as everybody's happy there's no problem with it, but I don't like to see more experienced players bullying others into making the deal or making them feel like they have to. If I'm not happy with it I just say no and that's the end of it. Likewise I never put pressure on others who are obviously not too keen on it.

Culchie

Daithio wrote:

Normally I don't do deals, but as culchie said there was a lot of money at stake. Also you have to take in to account how knackered I was; I didn't sleep AT ALL the night in between, and after 6 hours poker I was fit to hit the deck. I'm normally pretty good at heads up but I can't rely on any sort of edge when I'm that knackered. I could have made some disastrous mistake extremely easily, like not seeing a four card flush on the board or whatever.

There's talk of doing away with deals altogether in poker, but it's just part of the game. Anyway you can just go ahead and make an unofficial deal anyway, there's no stopping it. I never take them unless it's heads up, or maybe three handed if I'm getting the best of it. I think as long as everybody's happy there's no problem with it, but I don't like to see more experienced players bullying others into making the deal or making them feel like they have to. If I'm not happy with it I just say no and that's the end of it. Likewise I never put pressure on others who are obviously not too keen on it.

I did a deal last night in the Fitz Double Chance (leaning in my favour 800/550 instead of 900/450), and was delighted to be in the position to, because at one stage I was down to 1100 on the final table after I had QQ dogged by 99, with another A9 all-in.
Been on the beer all weekend at a buddies wedding and the usual aftermath and warm down:eek: sessions, arrived into work yesterday morning straight from Carrick-on-Shannon, kept falling asleep last night, only reason I went in because another friend of mine finishing up in Dublin, and we'd meet for a chat....he preceded to get knocked out before the break...doh.
So got to bed at 4am, and slept (lying down) for first time in a couple of days....Happy as Larry!

ollyk1

Nice one Culchie - the roll continues!!

Dub13

Well done Culchie,makes up for last week..

Culchie

Yes Indeed.

Fo Shizzle:p

califano

Very nice, well done!.

ntlbell

Culchie wrote:

Yes Indeed.

Fo Shizzle:p

Oh no, not you aswell Culchie, don't go over to the dark side wurd mofo