World Speed Poker Championships

[TonyG]

I arrive early to watch El Blonie dominate and win his heat.

In my heat the big name was Tony Bloom (UK) and the runner up to me in
  the European Poker Championships last month Sverre Sundbø (Norway).
  Early on Sverre took charge he can play, I would say that he will
  be a very good poker player.  I had a really slow start and all
  trouble hands to get out of, I went down to about 80k started with
  100, this is level 3 3000-6000 and I pick up AJ suited and raise
  Tony Bloom wakes up on the big blind and re-raises me another 17k I
  raised 12k. I think about it and call a time out( 2 time outs are
  allowed and this gives you another 30 seconds, I was the only player
  to use both time outs in this heat) So I think and make an unusual
  lay down, Tony Bloom shows me KK. So now I am down to 68k and in
  deep waters.

  Nothing much happens I pick up a hand here and there and manage to
  steal a few pots in the mean time Sverre is up to about 250k
  absolutely dominating and playing great poker. John Duthie who runs
  the EPT is the first out on a bad river. Next goes the big danger to
  me Tony Bloom. Now 4 handed I am much more comfortable and I start
  to get on top of the table, as Sverre just eased up a little on his
  hyper aggressive game. So without any big pot I get up to around
  120k and now I am in the game. Next to go is the other Norwegian who
  I knock out on I held A-8 vs A-10 got lucky the hand before I had
  the dominating hand and he got lucky and won it.  But when my A-8
  gave him a beat I was on 250k and in firm control. Sverre was next
  to go  as I managed to beat his 9-9 with A-5 as the river wild
  produced an A.

  SO now I get it heads up vs a Taiwanese player who lives in the
  great USA. HE has 80k I have 520k he has been playing poker for 2
  months. So we start the heads up and I pick up AQ vs his A5 but the
  5 hits ont he turn and he doubles up next hand again I double him up
  AK vs 10-9 and now we are even on chips. Break comes and we go
  outside, he says he was playing an on-line satellite for this event
  and was trying to get 3rd place so that he would not have to come
  here, since he felt he had no hope 3rd place was paying 3.5k cash.
  So now I know I am in trouble, we go back and I start playing pretty
  decent mainly bluffing but I wore him down without a hand to 80k
  again and this time I pick up A-4 Spades vs his K-4 diamonds 3
  spades ont he flop and I am inn to the next round.

[tikay]

Whohoo, great day on TV for two of Team Blonde! Two heats, we win 'em both.

I spoke to Dave this evening, he is bouncing - lovely!

Nice report, too, Tony. You ever thought of takng up poker for a living?

Only on blonde, eh?, you get it direct from the Top Tables.

I'll nag his blondeness to put up a little report too, though he don't write too good. Welsh, see?

[Robert HM]

This is something else! Where else can you get such a post, thanks TonyG.

[tikay]

I know I'm biased, but I just LOVE it when guys like Dave & Tony give us the real, genuine "inside line" on how an event has gone, they way they handled certain situations, played tricky hands, their views on other players - interresting to hear Tony's view on Sverre, by the way, who certainly impressed me at The Vic, fwiw.

[Karabiner]

Nice post Tony G, fascinating stuff.

Don't suppose Stephen Fry was there.........

 

[tikay]

Yup, Tony G, aka Stephen Fry, & Dave Colclough, aka Mr Burns.  http://www.blondepoker.com/gallery/0041602.html

[wsopin07]

I cant tell everyone how inportant this "inside stuff" really is. DC let me (or I just invited myself) into alot of this kind of stuff, just imagine going to dinner w/ a world class player in the middle of a comp and getting the chance to hear what is going on!!!!!

Tony G, that was great and it was very nice to see you support a blondite in a "small" party poker event w/ advice and encouragement, top notch, hope we see more of it  

[tikay]

You should do the same Rookie, if you ever make a Final table, that is.

[ifm]

that was pretty damn awesome of TonyG, one of the lads now eh?

[wsopin07]

You should do the same Rookie, if you ever make a Final table, that is.

oh dont your worry my friend, i will be back w/ a furry, i blew my big chance at the Vic cup, dammmm i had it in the bag

[PokerHeaven]

Great write up Tony and it was nice to meet you yesterday.

There were 3 heats yesterday, with Tony winning his, 'El Blondie' winning the one before his, and John Kabbaj winning the days first heat.

Have to agree that there were some great players out in force yesterday - and as you mentioned Sverre looks like a very good player in the making - he was telling me yesterday that he has been a pro poker player for about a year - after injury scuppered a promising career in football!

Once the heats are completed tonight - the Semi Final's will have a very strong lineup...

For those of you who don't know much about the World Speed Poker Open - here is a link to the website...

http://www.worldspeedpokeropen.com/

We at PokerHeaven also hope to have our reports of the days events on the site in the next few days.....

Josh @ Poker Heaven

[Dewi_cool]

Tikay if you need help with the welsh translation, I am always happy to help, Nice one TonyG a da iawn DC   

[tikay]

You'll have to excuse my ignorance (on this subject....) but what, in the context of this thread, is "PokerHeaven"? A card-room? A TV company? A person?

[The Truth]

all of the above??

[TonyG]

Pokerheaven is a skin.

The big news is that me and El Blondie are in the same semi fianl heat, we need to 3 to go further.