Bluesq.com GUKPT Newcastle: Day 1A - At A Glance

[NoflopsHomer]

Howay the Lads as we are in Toon like?

Yes, welcome to the land of the Geordies, where internation turns any statement into a question and for the ladies, 5 degrees C is patently summer weather.

It's the last GUKPT before some card convention in the desert that's going on during the summer, meaning that this will also be the last blonde update for a while. Should I get the kitten picture out now for nostalgia's sake?

Anyway, at the last GUKPT, there was one of the players, I forgotten his name now, but he was a Bad Beat trader and he had circa 60,000 chips by the end of level 2, and was out before level 7. Basically he'd got it all in with A-K vs K-J on a K-high board in level 1 and then hit a gutshot to knock out Michael Greco soon after. The second hand made more headlines than the first, but it was the former that really got me thinking. Given that, generally, early on in a GUKPT, the standard is pretty low, should it be acceptable for a good player to put his whole stack at risk with say A-K on a K-high rainbow board against a complete unknown who has no history and no results? Does age come into it? Obviously I think the majority of players would stick their chips in more confidently against some 40/50 year old with no history than a spotty kid who looks like he's too young to play in the casino. Is it a complete (and therefore bad) gamble to do this very early, or do you need at least a couple of levels before deciding what your commitment range would be versus certain players as opposed to others? Or is it worthwhile in the sense that if it pays off, you'll be able to do a lot more things early on with 20k that you couldn't do with 10k, and also another good player might take his chips before you get the chance if you're not quick.

I've not really thought this through as such yet, and it probably shows, but I'd love to hear people's thoughts on whether you should be prepared to go broke (relatively) light in a tournament?

Play begins at 2pm.

See you there.

[danafish]

Good morning, and welcome to the Grosvenor Newcastle, allegedly home to the best buffet in the Grosvenor chain! Updates to follow on that later, but for the moment people spotted (largely on the walk from the front door to the press room) include Tony Phillips, Nik Persaud, Paul Jackson (apparently these days sponsored by Nescafe, according to the massive holdall he had with him for some reason) and Barry Neville, who managed to lock himself in the smoking cage - "Oh, no, I'm banged up!" Also playing today (evidence - I'm kipping in her room), fresh from her recent Blonde Bash victory ("I don't remember any of it, but everyone says I won"), Ms Jen Mason.

[danafish]

Maybe everyone's saving up for Vegas or maybe it's just too far North, but it looks like an unusually low turnout today - just 63 runners registered so far. There were already 71 registered for tomorrow as of last night though, so it could well still make the 180 or so that they had for this leg last year.

Play is on the very verge of starting...

[NoflopsHomer]

Early all-in on a board, Keith Hawkins bets 1,500 (re-raised preflop) and Jonathan Lundy moves all-in. Eventual fold from the Camel.

Elsewhere, John Conroy has lost 1,000 or so, to Max Decorne next to him with A-Q against 6-6 on a A-9-6-2-7 board, a third diamond on the river slowing both players down and probably saving Conroy a few extra chips.



Last year's Walsall champ, Jerome Bradpiece and this year's Walsall champ, Jeff Kimber.



Dave Smith and Tony 'Cheeky Chappie' Phillips (about to eat his own headphones)



Jen Mason. Still hungover.



Julian Thew, doing a Horatio Nelson impersonation.

[danafish]

Lots of action already, particularly on Table 3. With less than 1k in the pot, Gareth Teatum bets (possibly raises, but this is the point at which I arrive at the table) a whopping 2250 on the river of a board. After some considerable dweeling, Hongji Liu passes, muttering, "I slow-played it". Teatum shows the ...

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A few minutes later and I'm back at Table 3, where now Julien Twigg has raised to 150, called by Mateyboy in seat 10. Matthew Buckland makes it 550 from the small blind, and they both call.

Flop - - and Buckland bets a relatively restrained 500. Says tablemate Barry Neville, "Stay here, love, this is a very lively table." Indeed. Twigg passes, but Mr Matey calls.

Turn - - and now Buckland checks and then passes to a 1k bet from Mr Matey. Mr Matey looks incredibly pleased with himself as he rakes in the chips.

[NoflopsHomer]

Jen Mason. Still hungover.

In case you wondered why.



She's not the only zombie here though, here's ZombieLinton.

[danafish]

Sort Of Partial Seating List:


No Seats But On The List:

Lynne Beaumont
James Browning
Ian Fraser

Table 1:
Mark Bointon
Ian Farrell
Julian Thew
Dane Tallen
Aarun bernard
Ganesh Rao
Dave Smith
Tony Phillips
Graeme Ladd

Table 2:
Aaron Barry
Jennifer Mason
Jason De Freitas
Mark Tomblin
Kenny Burke
Nik Persaud
Sam Trickett
Ben Reynolds
Matt Myford

Table 3:
Pete Linton
Gareth Teatum
Daniel Messinger
Matthew Buckland
Barry Neville
Hongji Liu
David Knight
David Birtles
Julien Twigg

Table 4:
Joey Lovelady
Miroslaw Klys
Barry Smith
Alan Vinnicombe
Dominic Kay
Roddy Burns
Thomas Middleton
C Bell
Richard Teatum

Table 5:
Jeff Kimber
Kerry Taylor
Hamid Rowshanaei
Scott Merryweather
Michael Ellis
James Hart
David Lloyd
David Maudlin
Jerome Bradpiece

Table 6:
Athoney Chapman
Paul Gardener
Glen Ashworth
Matthew Osbourne
Jonathan Lundy
Richard Whitmore
Mark Dalimre
Keith Hawkins
Steven King

Table 7:
Mark Lowe
Paul Jackson
John Conroy
Max Decorne
Richard Stanley
Mickey Wernick
Mark Sudes
Fred Venus
Nick Gibson

[NoflopsHomer]

Ben Vinson is down to the virtual felt, getting it all-in with vs the of I think David Birtles on the turn of a board and missing all his outs.

Eleswhere there's around 6k in the pot on a board, Matthew Osbourne checks to Steven King who bets 4,500. Osbourne does the umming and aahring associated with a hand that's usually behind but makes the call. King shows the , Osbourne mucks his .

Good bet or are we in Toothinsville?

Pete Linton, "I've had more cards in first hour than I had in the whole of Manchester, I flopped a set of Kings and lost, I was lucky though because he flopped a flush and the turn was a fourth diamond which saved me. I've had Aces cracked, though I did call for and hit a gutshot..."

Paul Jackson and a valet just before the camera flash blinded her.



Tony Phillips calls a 1,625 bet on the river of a board from James Browning who mucks, Tony shows and mutters something about not driving up for 8 hours on the motorway to pass there.

[NoflopsHomer]

Mickey Wernick raises it up I think a standard raise to 150, Nick Gibson re-raises from the small blind and now Mickey makes it 1,800. Nick Gibson moves all-in. Mickey passes Kings face up. Nick shows Aces.

[danafish]

Julian takes down around a 1.5k pot with K-T on the river of a J-T-x-x-x board, courtesy of Aarun Bernard. Aarun just mucks.

[danafish]

On Table Wernick, some preflop limpage results in an A-7-7 flop being dealt. It checks around to Mickey, who bets 150. Mark Lowe raises. "That's the last time I'm going to bluff today," announces Mickey, but he's probably bluffing. Either way, he folds.

[danafish]

A couple of late additions to the player list: Messrs Gary Wilson and Ben Vinson. Also it seems that David Knight is playing tomorrow instead. Full revised seating plan apparently on its way courtesy of the nice people at BlueSquare...

[danafish]

Another astonishing hand from Table Wernick.

Somehow they make it 5 or 6-handed as far as the river of an board, at which point Mr Richard Stanley bets a paltry 125 into the so-small-I-suspect-they-checked-it-down-all-the-way pot. Both Nick Gibson and John Conroy call him, and imagine their surprise as Mr Stanley turns over the very winning . Nick turns over the , John turns over . There is much hilarity.

[NoflopsHomer]

More Wernick laydown shennanigans.

J-6-3

Paul Jackson leads out for 300, Mickey flat-calls. The awesomely named Fred Venus raises to 900. Paul Jackson re-raises to 2,000. Mickey folds a set of Threes. Venus moves in. Paul Jackson folds, I think J-6, Venus shows 6-6.

CT Law was our earliest casualty, down to 1,700 chips which went in with K-Q on a J-T-x- board but ran into A-J.

Famous Scottish Poet Roddy Burns calls a 1,500 bet on the river of a from Miroslaw Klys and confidently shows his flush , unfortunately he was drawing dead on the turn as Miroslaw had caught his full house already with .

[danafish]

Nick Gibson calls a 500 bet from Mark Lowe on a flop, but he doesn't like either the turn or the 800 that Lowe bets on it, and passes.

Looks like Julian Thew is up to around 15k and Dave Smith on around 12k. Full chip counts after the break. Last I checked, it looked like Barry Neville was early chip leader on around 25k, although no information on how he got them...

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Meanwhile there is uproar (well, mild consternation and a bit of muttering) on Table Jen. The board reads and some of the players complaining that it is identical to the board in the previous hand except for the suit of the Seven. "Do you still have the same hole cards as last hand?" say I. "I wish," sighs Sam Trickett, "I had an Eight that time." "Live poker is rigged!" shouts Nik Persaud into his imaginary loudspeaker.