Trip report to ECPT Madrid.

OK. Played in the ECPT Madrid last week-end. The ECPT stands for the European City Poker Tour. This is a €1,000 buy in + €100 reg. There was a field of 150 runners, the split being approx 120 internet qualifiers and 30 buy-ins. It was held in The Casino Madrid which is a luxurious casino on the outskirts of Madrid. There was a seperate room off the casino with 20 poker tables. A beautiful card room, ample space, everything looked good.

I qualified on line for this via Paddy Power Poker, and BCB was in Madrid acting as our host. Friday night was cocktails night with a special function put on by our hosts, ECPT. (The tourney was sponsored by Tittan Poker).
Went to have a look at the cash tables with BCB, only 4 cash tables available in the casino,
Table 1--5/10 limit Holdem.
Table 2--5/10 NL Holdem.
Table 3 and 4

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10/20 PL Omaha.
On asking what was the rake, we were informed it was €160 for a 2 hr period.
This sounded reasonable enough until it was pointed out to us that the €160 was per person:eek::eek:. BCB felt he could still beat this rake, so he tried to get in but was told there was at least 20 names ahead of him so it was pointless waiting.

The tournament started at 5pm on Saturday. 8,000 chips and an hour clock, with no 75/150 blind level. I was on table 15 with 8 spanish, mostly cash game players. I had spotted some of them playing in the casinp the night before. The TD announced that the official language of the tornament was Spannish, and this proved to be a bad choice IMHO. These lads on my table were obviously discussing hands and hand holdings while play was going on, but I was powerless to intervene as I have no knowledge of the spannish language but you know when your gut instinct is right. A few times I could see the dealer trying to stop them and when I got moved from this table after 2 hours I was absolutely delighted because I couldnt concentrate at all there. (I know 1 englisg guy who was given a final warning to NOT speak English at the table again or he would be ejected from the tournament:eek:).

Other things I didnt like was when a Spannish player won a pot without showdown, he would angle his cards so that his spannish friends could see what he was folding, and if I intervened and asked the dealer to turn them over, most dealers refused and gathered them into the muck.

There was no set of rules on display for players to read, so really it was an uphill battle. If I was away from the table and not back before last card dealt, my hand was folded, which was fine. But favouritism was rife, I saw a spannish player return to his BB seat after lots of action took place, he looked at his cards and reraised the raiser. I was smiling inside when the raiser re-re-raised him all in and won the pot.

Another crib. After the last hand on Sat night, I had just payed BB and SB, so I was due to be button next. I tried to explain this to the dealer, but all he said was "no comprende", so I called for the TD. He came over and I explained my case to him. He said I was quite correct and he informed the dealer to note that the button was on seat 1 on Sunday morning. Back we came on Sunday morning and they had decided to redraw the 45 remaining runners. This is the problem with no rules written up.

OK. Interesting hands (for me) during the tourney.

I had decided with the lack of a 75/150, and only an 8,000 stack, it would be important to get chips eary on. Nothing happened in the 1st 2 hours on my 1st table. Then I got moved to another table. During the 1st lap of this table, a german player raised 6 pots out of the 9. He was accumalating chips fast. I 3 bet him a couple of times(he was my c/o when I was BB) and I was up to about 10k when this hand happened.
German guy raises utg+1 to 550 p/f(100-200), cold called by weak player to my right, I reraise to 2,200 with AcKc in mp, folded back to Hans who asks how much I have behind. I tell him about another 8k and that I'm happy to play for it, he asks me to repeat myself as he shovels a big pile of chips into the pot. Cold caller mucks and I've already decided that I'm gonna take this oppertunity to double up as blinds are 150-300 soon. I push in, he has JJ but I spike a K and I'm over 20k. I stay on this table for approx 2 more hours and we have a good few battles in that time with honours even. I got moved then and in truth I was happy enough to go as he was a very good player and he was making life tough for me (although I'm sure he was happy to see the back of me as well as there wasnt anyone else at the table playing back at him).

So with two blind levels to go, I move again and this table is good to me. I hit a couple of hands early on here and after 1 hour I was up to 47k and cruising. The 2nd last blind level of the night was 300-600, and I got a savage mauling here. I lost 2 pots in 15mins that made a huge difference to my tourney. If I win them as I felt I should, I'd nearly be overnight chip leader.

Hand 1 Blinds 300-600-50ante hero-47k, SB (muppet) 45k.
I've raised 3 hands in a row and I raise 1,800 from the HJ with 9s9c. SB calls, BB calls.
Flop 10-8-3 rainbow. SB checks, I bet 4k. SB calls, bb folds. Turn is a blank 5. SB leads for 5k. I saw him take this very line an hour earlier and bet 10k on the river where he was called and he had missed a flush draw. So I put him on a straight draw of some kind, J9, JQ,9Q,67,97 or something like that.
So I decide to flat call it and call any bet on the river that doesnt make a strt. River comes down 9h and he leads for 4k. Of course I call it and he tables JQ:(. (comments how its played welcome)

Hand 2 Blinds 300-600-50 ante. Hero 30k villian 14.4k

Villian is the spannish edition of sideshowbob. The hair and the big mouth match up, well liked by all the spannish, extremely loud at the table but the Irish version is a much better player. I'm c/o when he's bb. I raise AS10s to 1800 in the c/o, folded to the bb who calls after a dwell. Flop is J-10-2 rainbow, 1 spade. He leads for 2.5k with 10k behind. I figure he must have KQ or something like that so I repop him enough to put him all in. He stands up and starts mouthing something or other, and after 2 or 3 mins, he says call and shoves in his chips. I say "good call" as I now think he has the Jack, and turn over A10. He tables 2-4, blank turn and 4 on the river. Now losing the pot was bad enough but the **** that went on after this pot done my head in. The celebrations were unreal with people arriving from the next parrish to do a high 5 with "el champione". I wanted to give him a high 5 as well, but straight into the jugular if possible. Its as near as I've been to being phisically sick at a table. Jesus, was I now tilting or what? I went outside for a smoke, calmed myself a bit and promised myself that I'd stay in long enough to knock "el champione" out. And thats exactly what I did in the last hand of the night when I won a race with AQs against his JJ.He had 10.5k and I had 11.5k. I didnt celebrate, I just stood up and shook his hand, but inside, every part of me was doing handstands. That felt good.

Overnight, 45 players left, ave is 27k, Ive 23k.

Back on Sunday and they draw for new tables. I get off to a flier and in 20 mins Ive 48k and finding life good. Then I get another sickening blow and I never recover from it really. 1 limper into my blind(800-1500) and I've 55. I (47k)make it 3900 to play, he(50k) calls.(Villian wouldnt be a great player). Flop is a handsome Q-6-5. I lead for 6,500, villian calls. Turn is a Q, and I lead for 11,800 and he calls. The river is a fcuking 6. I check, he bets, I fold. He shows AQ and says"I had you all the way". Yeah, right. Any other river and I've all his chips and up to 95k..

Nothing else of consequence happened after that. I stole a blind every here and there to keep myself afloat, but never got a chance to double up. The bubble burst at 1.5k-3k blind level, I had 25k. For 2 laps I looked for a chance to double through but the spot didnt come. I shoved Jd-8d from the HJ and sb called me with 10-10, flop 5-6-7 but no more help and I'm out for €1,500.

Still it was an enjoyable week-end away. BCB was his normal charming self and the 2 paddypower qualifiers I met, Rob Murphy And Paul O Niell were great craic.

If they want this to be successfull, they have to
1) Use English only rule
2) Display a set of rules
3) Make it a 3 day tourney.
4) Control the spannish:D

Hope I didnt bore ye.
Connie