To read Part I, please click here
Due to the 45 minute clock and the 6,000 starting chips, I was in no rush to get involved during the first few levels. I was, however, paying a lot of attention to all of my opponents' play, trying to pick up on anything that may help me later.
Not too much happened during the next couple of levels, I had steadily improved my stack to about 7,500 but, when the blinds reached 300/600, I decided that it was time to change gears. I started to make a lot of small raises and, if I thought I could get one of my opponents off a hand, I made an aggressive re-raise - this seemed to be working nicely as I became the chip leader on my table with about 12,500 chips, and we are down to 5 players.
The lady on my table was getting a little annoyed with me as I had re-raised her a couple of times during the last few rounds, partly due to the fact that I had now seen her limp twice in early position with a big pair and also knew that she was a good player that could lay a hand down. My plan came together when she raised on my big blind to 1,800, everyone passed and I looked down at K-K. I made it 5,000 to go and she moved all-in. I obviously called in a flash and her jaw almost fell on the floor when I turned over K-K which stood up against her 99 - now I'm a massive chip leader with about 22,000 chips.
The second of the loose aggressive players soon gets knocked out and we are 3-handed between Kev, a reporter from 'Bluff' poker magazine and myself. The blinds are now 400/800 and Kev raises on the button, the Small Blind calls and I have K-3h, so I also call getting 3.5 to 1 pot odds. The Flop comes 2-3-7, SB checks and, putting the other 2 players on big cards, I move in.
Kev says, "Wow, I thought I had a good hand!” and folds immediately but the SB calls - he has about 6,000 chips so not too much harm done. I show him my K3h and he turns over A-7 and sure enough, as is often the case when you are chipped up, the miracle 3 comes on the Turn and I'm heads up with Kev.
We immediately agree a saver and I start heads up as a 3.5 to 1 chip leader. Kev comes out all guns blazing and is betting and raising every hand. I let him take down the first 4 or 5 hands until I get K-8 off on the button. I make a small raise and Kev immediately calls. The Flop comes down 4-4-7 with 2 diamonds, Kev checks and I bet about 2/3 of the pot. Kev flat calls.
I have him on 2 diamonds due to the speed in which he called my bet, but I wasn't 100%. The Turn came an off suit 8 to give me top pair - Kev checked and I made another big bet to which Kev immediately called. The River was my dream card, the 4d, which gave me the Full House and I hoped gave Kev the Flush. He once again checked to me and I put him all in for his final few thousand. He dwelled up for a while and eventually called with his Flush. And that was that - we shook hands and my wife and I headed back to the hotel for an early night so that I would be fresh for tomorrow's final.
The final was due to start at 3pm on Sunday but one of the tables from the previous day still had not finished, after about half an hour though the finalists were called to take their seats. Now normally the first thing I do after finding my table draw is to look at who else is on my table but, remembering my first day’s number 1 objective (to not worry about my opponents), I quickly took my seat.
At this point I didn’t even know who had won their 1st day’s tables as we had left the casino early the previous night but, as I waited for the starting whistle, I looked around to see Micky Wernick, Luke Smith, Ali Mallu (right), John 'Texas' Hewston and Paul King all taking their seats for the final. The only player at my table that I knew was Luke Smith, sat immediately to my right... just where I wanted him, at least I have position on him there.
With starting chips of 36,000 and the blinds at only 100/200 with a 45 minute clock, there was always going to be a lot of play today, I had already decided that I was not going to get involved in any big pots early on without the nuts.
It wasn’t long before I had started sussing my opponents out, a couple or three rocks and a very aggressive young kid who came out of the traps like a steam train. About 15 minutes into level 1 I clashed with the kid who was obviously trying to captain our table. He raised my big blind for the second time in two rounds. I had already made my mind up to play back at him with any 2 cards so, without looking, I called his raise and the Flop came 3 rags, all below 10. I checked and he made his normal continuation bet which I quickly flat called. The kid glared across the table at me as if to say how dare you call me. I said to him that I had a hand and wasn’t going anywhere!
The turn paired the board and I quickly checked, he again bet out about half the pot, I paused slightly before doubling his bet, he quickly passed and I still didn’t know what my hand was when the dealer took away my cards.
It wasn’t long before the kid was back into his stride raising, re-raising and betting the others out of almost every pot. I sat back in amazement while the others kept letting him bet them off hands. Soon it became obvious to me that I needed to set the kid up for a big pot, and when he raised my big blind I again looked down to find A-Q suited.
After I flat called his higher than normal raise, he gave me another glare. The flop came A-A-Q, ohhhh babe that’s so nice! I checked and he bet the pot. I flat called him and, this time, before he put his head up, I said, "Yeah, I’ve got a big hand again."
The Turn came a rag, check check, another rag on the River and I make a small value bet to which he passes. I show my A-Q and he quickly grabbed his cards to reveal K-K. I played another couple of big pots against the kid, betting him off hands, and I had soon accumulated 50,000 chips before the end of level 3.
One thing that I have never struggled with is playing a big stack and, as chip leader on my table, it wasn’t long before I was up to about 70,000 chips. Our table broke at this point and I was moved to the tournament chip leader's table, John Hewston (left), who had an enormous tower of chips - something in the region of 110,000.
John is a very loose aggressive player and I thought it best to steer clear of him for now. However, after watching him dominate the table for about 20 minutes or so I find A-T on the button. John had raised under the gun and I'd flat called. The flop came 8-9-T, he checks and so do I as I expect John to bluff at this pot on the turn. The next card is another Ten and sure enough John bets about 3/4 of the pot, I again flat call.
The river is a harmless looking Five, but John then surprises me and checks the River. I decide to make a value bet of about 1/4 of the pot and he calls me with J-Q for the nut straight. He had trapped the trapper good style and I was back down to around 50,000 chips but all credit to John, he played the hand well and he’s a nice guy too. This hand was the first large pot I’d lost in 2 days of play but instead of letting myself get flustered it made me realise that I was now playing with the big boys and I had to lift my game accordingly.
to be continued...