OK as promised a tournament report. In truth looking back I didn't really play well which is disappointing. I did get unlucky in a couple of key spots which would have seen me get going and made a big laydown at the end of day 1 which I'm still not sure about.
Day 1:
Sat down at my table and was quite happy apart from the fact I had John Tabatabai on my left who I had heard was very very good. Nice guy and a pleasure to watch him play- he kept open min raising- obv the sign of someone who is VERY confident post flop. Aside from that no names- 3 stacks which were easily up for grabs. Only problem was whenever I tried to make any sort of move at the pot John would cold call me and outplay me on the flop. More of that later.
First significant pot I play I get dealt KK in ep and raise it to 175 at 25/50. I get two callers (John being one of course) and a fairly active player on the button. The flop comes a disgusting 456 two diamonds. I almost felt like check/folding but with 600 in the pot I lead for 350. The button raises to 800 and I decide to flat and then check/fold to his 1k bet on a
turn. I then get dealt AK in hijack+1 and make it 175- the button 3 bets to 450 and I flat.
The flop comes a nice but dangerous AJ10 two club board. I check call 600 on the flop and again check call on a brick turn for 1400. The river comes a disgusting K and we check/check. He announces 1 pair before I table AK. Nice early pot and so glad he didn't bet river as I probably would pass.
Up to around 12k I splash around in a few pots trying to set mine etc when this hand comes up at 75/150. I played this pretty awful and I think part of it was just cos it was John and he was controlling the table so hard. Joe Rafferty (granite) limps for 150 in hijack+1 and I make it 525 with 107ss. John cold calls as does Joe when it gets back to him. The flop comes 1082 one spade. Joe checks and I bet 850- now I hate my bet here. If I'm gonna c-bet I should c-bet bigger cos it looks so weak. John deliberates and makes it 2400. Joe folds and now I have a very tough decision. I think my bet looks so weak on the flop that John could be raising to get me to fold. ON ther other hand he did have another player behind him and I could easily have an OP in this spot. I tank for about 2 mins before calling. SPEW. I can't begin to describe how bad this call was and I should have folded- chalked it up to experience and readjusted to the fact that John was on my left.
Turn comes the
so now I have the flush draw with a pair. There's around 6.5k in the pot and I have about 7.5k behind. I think I have to move in or check/fold here. I decided on the latter when John bet exactly half my stack. He's promised to fb what he had- obviously he said he had me beat and thought I had JJ. Interesting!
Down to 8k- I grind for a while- John is running over the table and up to about 25k. I don't play a hand for a few roundfs of the button and we're almost at 100/200 when it folds to me in the cut off with 4d5d. I haven't played a pot for the whole level so decide to open for 425- John folds (exhale) but the sb peels. Flop comes 653 rainbow. Thank you!!! he checks, I bet 675 and he flats. At this point I have him on some sort of draw or perhaps a mid over pair. Ace hits the turn and he checks again, I think this is a perfect pot to get him off his OP and bet 1450. He thinks and eventually calls. Shit! Please straighten me up!!!! The river is a 9 and now he leads for 4k. WTF??? I really don't know what to put him on. A set? No he surely raises the flop. Two pair maybe? Doubtful. I really don't see what he's check/calling flop and turn with and then leading the river. Busted draw? I really wanna muck but the hand makes no sense so after 5 or so mins I make the call and he flips A10! Nice flop call sir! I think again I should muck the river here. The guy was obviously clueless and sometimes I give people far too much credit.
Now I'm down to 2k at 100/200. gg George. Really, WP. I grind and grind and grind and grind..... evetually down to 1700 with 200 in the bug blind the button opens for 525, I peek at an ace and pretend to look at the other card before moving in. The button tanks and folds. LOL. Apparantly she had KJ, my A8 lives to see another day. I make a few more resteals (with 66,99 and AQ) and get back up to 7k without showdown.
Move to the nittiest table ever and continue to grind at 150/300 and 200/400. Win a pot with AQ vs A7 ona Q87 flop and get back up to 11k when we break again. I get moved to my final table for the day. It's pretty tough. I have Dave Penly to my right, Soren Konessgard to my left (although he's short) and also an American gentleman who's quite aggro/good.
I get dealt a few hands and open/c-bet flops and build my stack to 15k. I'm really happy grinding but playing a bit passive post flop tbh and this resulted in my stack yo-yoing from 10-15k. I'm on 16 when the following hand occurs.
Dave Penly opens to 1800 in MP at 300/600/50 (he has me covered) I have AJcc and peel. Everyone else folds and we get it in on a 932 two club flop. Dave has J9 and the
means I'm up to 36k. With just over an hour to go and the ave stack at 20k I'm delighted. It wouldn't last long tho as I ended the day with 18k after the following two pots.
It folds to me on the button and I have 92ss. The big blind has been very tight so I attempt to steal by opening for 1650. The bb to my surprise defends and the flop comes 965. He check/calls 1950 and a 10c hits the turn putting two clubs up there. Now I'm trying to put him on a hand because I know he's granite. Perhaps some sort of mid pair? Top pair. If he has either I'm sure a second bullet will do the trick and I've not fired too many so I fire 4800, he thinks about it for a min or so then eventuall calls. FML.
hits the river and we both knuckle hit and he turns over the 98cc for the flush. I shake my head and he says "I know you have an overpair but I can't fold the turn" I think had a non club turn comes I win the pot.
So now I'm on around 25k which isn't bad with the average at 22k. There's 3 mins left of the level when this happens:
UTG rock opens for 2000 at 300/600/50 playing 20k and I look down at QQ. Should this be gg? 3 bet get it in? He was so tight and with the day ended I decided to cold call and see what he did on the flop. The flop came 762 rainbow and he bets 4k instantly. I really think I should muck this as I don't think he is ever c-betting AK. I tank and call and fold to his shove on the turn when another brick lands.
Day 2:
I come back with a very toughish table draw. John Eames and Martin Silke to my right and a very aggro Andy Bradshaw who is table captain with 72k. I grind my stack staying around 18k. A short stack gets seated two to my right and shoves in the hijack for 6k at 400/800/50 I call with AJ. He table 10,6 and flops two pair. I'm down to 8k and start open shoving. Back up 11k the same guy opens in the hijack for 2800 at 500/1000/50, I look down at 33 and really think about what to do. I am pretty sure he's opening light so decide to shove. He isn't a net player so I know live I may even have some fold equity. He tanks for about 5 mins before calling with 98hh- I hold and am back up to 20k. weeeeeeee
Grind grind grind and open AQ utg+1 for 2800. The big blind shoves for around 8 total with KJ. Q high flop and I'm dreaming of 30k. K on the river turns my dream into a nightmare and I'm again back down to 12k. It's coming toward the end of the level and a break when I look down at 96 in the cut off and shove for 13k. I get called my AK in sb and he holds despite the 588. He celebrates (thanks) and I'm out. I think in hindsight this was an error and an overshove but 3 factors came into account:
1) I though my stack was closer to 10k- a schoolboy error. I should know how many chips I have.
2) It's toward the end of the level and coming up to a break and people tend to lock up.
3) The sb and bb were generally quite tight.
I think I played the second day then I did the first. Thanks to everyone for the backing once again. Great tournament, great atmos. I will certainly be trying to get out there again.
As always comments/suggestions/criticisms welcome