I had noticed The Golden Sands Festival being advertised a couple of months ago when it was mentioned on blonde by The Rivercard people who were organising the event in conjunction with Stanley Casino Torquay and pencilled it in as an event that I would like to play if the bankroll permitted. I was delighted to find that there were online super-satellites running on Blondepoker, and even more delighted when I won a $2400 package to the event at my first attempt for the princely sum of $80+$8.
The festival was comprised of a £100 freezeout on the Friday evening, followed by a two-day £500 main event on the Saturday/Sunday with all of the blind levels and a forty minute clock throughout. Lovely jubbly.
Andy fromThe Rivercard had organised my room at the four star Grand Hotel at a special reduced rate and I had purchased my train ticket so I was all set when I arrived at Nottingham station on Friday morning to catch the 10.08am to Birmingham followed by the delayed 11.40am to Torquay. The final little stretch of this train ride was spectacular. The track overlooks the beautiful beach at Dawlish with huge red cliffs in the background then we tacked inland to Newton Abbott where the station is next to the famous NH racetrack, before tacking back to the coast again and suddenly we were coming into Torquay. The train was jam packed to the rafters with holiday-makers so I got myself into poll position so as not to be at the back of the taxi queue and duly jumped into the first one there. "Where to sir ?" he enquired "The Grand Hotel please" said I. He pointed about fifty yards across the road smiling.
After a relaxing shower and a snooze in my very nice room I walked as per my directions along the seafront and up the hill for about twenty minutes finding the Stanley Circus Casino which coincidentally is a subterranean affair rather like the new one in Nottingham. The cardroom, restaurant area and bar are all on the first level down, and the pit is, well in the pit a further level down. Nick Peters, the cardroom manager made me feel most welcome and made sure that I was entered for that evening's £100 event as well as the weekend main event. There were only a few familiar faces there; Bambos and Stasia, my old pal Bill Harding, Paul Parker, Paul(M3boy)Garnham, the rest were either locals or players that I didn't know. There were three Dutch guys from Amsterdam, a random scandie, and two Frenchmen just to add a European flavour to the mix.
The £100 tournament was a capacity 150 runners I believe, and the atmosphere was absolutely terrific with plenty of banter, laughter and communal bonhomie. The organisers must have been delighted, the place was buzzing. I ground my way to the last four tables before calling the scouse kid on my right's fourth consecutive allin shove on my BB with A5. He produced AJ and it was an early night for me. Bambos and Paul Parker split the lion's share of that first event.
The main event started fairly promptly at 3pm, and there were many more "faces" in attendance. Des Wilson(spamming his new book), Nic Szeremeta and his lovely daughter Kate, Albert Sapiano, Lawrence Robgent, Rick Gladding and Bruce Atkinson among them. My starting table was great, a mixture of locals including the local LAG named Kiki who was most charming whilst playing every hand and garnering a huge early stack. I made steady if unspectacular progress and by the dinner break had increased my 10k starting stack to around 14k.
The casino did the players proud with two complimentary buffets each day and the valet service was the best that I have ever come across. It seemed like there were about a dozen pleasant, courteous, smiling beautiful East European valets working at all times.
After dinner I was treading water for a couple of hours and nothing was really happening for me until I was dealt pocket 88 which I made a strongish raise with to 3500 (500/1000/100a) leaving myself around 10k back. All fold to the button who's a local recreational player who's been on my table from the start. He moves allin with slightly more than me. After a short hiatus in the think-tank I decide that he can have almost anything here and I elect to call. He tables A7o. The
flop was not without danger as he had the
, but the
on the turn wrapped it up making the club river harmless. Phew ! Up to a playable 30k finally.
The only other hand of note came late in day one when holding around 30k I made it 4k to play in early position with pocket KK. All passed around to local player and thoroughly nice chap Bob whom I had had the pleasure of playing with the day before and we got on great, he's a good laugh. Anyhow, Bob goes into the tank for an age counting and recounting his stack and doing some gurning at the same time agonising over his decision before finally shoving in his entire stack of 7k. I make the formality of the call for the extra 3k and Bob tuns over pocket AA ! If poker oscars were awarded that would have been a contender, however poetic justice was delivered in the form of a K on the flop and my friend Bob was out after smiles and handshakes all around.
At the end of day one there were 35 players left. Albert Sapiano was the CL with 83k followed by Nic Szeremeta with 58k. Average was 35k, Paul M3boy was on 43k and I had slightly over 40k. All in all a highly satisfactory day.
I felt a bit rough the next morning and luckily it had stopped raining and I went for a long stroll along the seafront to clear my head and forced about half of a cooked breakfast down although I had no appetite for some reason. I went back to bed for a couple of hours before arriving at the casino just after 2pm ready for the 3pm restart. There had been a redraw and I had both Albert(CL) and Nic(2ndCL) on my table. Good news I thought. Eighteen would make the money.
I was totally card-dead for the next couple of hours but managed to steal enough antes and blinds which had risen to an alarming 1500/3000 300a, to stay alive, however not increasing my stack size. Soon we were down to two tables of ten with two to go until the money. M3boy was on the other table and I suddenly saw him stand up with the agonised look of someone who has just been hit by a one outer. Shortly after another one went on that table and the bubble had burst. We were all now guaranteed £560, no big deal if you had paid £500 to enter, but quite a nice payday for me. I continued to relieve Albert of his BB, and to my relief he kept turning over 52, 73 etc asking me how I knew, but I was only just keeping my head above water. Thr blinds were now 3k/6k 600a, my stack was still hovering around the 40k/50k mark and we were now hand for hand for the ten handed final. Suddenly there was an allin and a call on the other table and the round of applause meant that I had survived. The bad news was that I had just paid both blinds and was down to 37200 with the average for the final 118k.
After the one hour dinner break we assembled for the now redrawn final. I had drawn seat three, with the button starting on seat ten so I was going to be the BB very shortly and with 37k had very little room to manouevre. The next lowest chips was a guy named Andy in seat one with 44k. Scandieboy was CL with 270k, and Elvis Atkinson next on 250k. Laddering was my main aim at this stage as the prize money almost doubled from 10th(£880) to ninth(£1650)
First hand of the final Scandieboy raises to 30k from middle position and the guy with the second lowest stack pushes allin for another 15k from the small blind, the call is a formality and I think you can guess who I'm funking for.
On their backs and scandieboy tables AK and Andy has KQs. Andy spiked a Q on the turn for an unlikely double up and I told him how happy I was for him. He laughed. He knew the score.
Next hand I'm the BB and get a walk. The young lad on my right who had played on my table earlier knew full well that I would shove with anything, but I'm now in the SB and have 43k back.
All fold to me. The BB is a nice young lad who was a poker in the pub qualifier and is playing his first tourney of any substance. He has about 80k back.
I say "allin", he says "call" instantly. "Call ?" I enquire. "Yes" says he. "Oh dear" say I.
He turns over his pocket KK and I meekly and embarassedly table my 92o.
No help and it's the Torquay trot of shame for me.
I thoroughly enjoyed my few days, and it was great to meet and make friends with loads of the local characters. Bob and his beautiful partner Tracy, Marcus the craggy-faced giant from Dartmoor, Dave who won the local league and is off to Barcelona, Frank the Dutch guy, Craig the new-age hippy and his lovely lady with the saffron hair from Kendall. Elaine the dotty eccentric ex-schoolteacher who is a resident in the cashgames, and young Chinese guy Paul who seems to hoover up the cash in those games. David and Andy from Rivercard, Nick and his team of dealers, and anyone I've forgotten.
Thanks for a great weekend.
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