OK, so how did I manage to exit so ingloriously early? I was, Im afraid, the architect of my own downfall.
Was LOVING the comp, the atmo, the struture, & was digging in for a long stint, on a lively table. A few handy local & Scandies on the table, plus Mex, & J P Kelly.
JP was busy, VERY aggressive, from the very first hand, Raising & bullying generlly. He really does have some game.
I was messing around in a few pots - why not with a 20k starting stack? - but not having much success, then I outplayed a local (well, I had a better hand....). Anyway, soon had around 23k.
But Mex & I clashed, & I had to let go. Then, I raised ith AJ, flop came A high, but judging by the betting, I ran onto AK or AQ, as I had to let THAT go too.
Next up, I Raise on the Button with QT suited - nobody else in the pot - but it was JP's BB, & he defended. There's a thing. Flop came Q-7-2, JP checks, I bet, JP Re-Raises. Hmm...... I Pass reluctantly. I don't believe he had anything, but his Re-Raise was too big, & I did not wanna go any deeper in this situation. In fact, I WAS losing, though I was not to learn this until after I exited. JP, apparently, had KQ, so I was way behind. I said "but supposing I'd had AQ, you wold be in trouble". To which he replied, quite matter of factly, "I'd still have won, as I woulda moved you off the hand". Kids, eh?
JP then pushes me off yet another pot, & we have a mini-crisis unfolding, I've played 4 hands aggressively, & had to let go each time. Table image, & all that. I decide that next time, it won't happen. Time to make a stand, send a message.
I pick up A-4 suited on the button, small R before it gets to me, I call, JP inevitably calls. I aint gonna stand for any nonsense from the boy, THIS time I'm sending that message.
The flop comes down....
As
So, 2 pairs, lovely.
Matey Boy bets 1,200. Got his number, he's got a big A, AK, AQ, summat like that.
I just smooth call, I'm gonna extrract a whole heap of chips from this geezer.
Then a funny thing happened, to wake me from my plannig - JP makes it 4,025. HOW MUCH? WHAT?
Very quickly, I run through his likely holdings. 2-3? Nope. AA? No, he'd play it slower. 55? Ditto. AK? Possibly. But, actully, I don't think he's got ANY of them, in fact, I don't think he's got any hand at all. He's seen I can be pushed off hands, & now he's taking advantage.
Wel, he's got a surprise coming, because I'm gonna play back at him.
Matey Boy, in the middle, eventually passes, & the second he does, the very nanasecond, I go "All-IN". There, that'll show WonderBoy.
But JP gives it about a 1 second dwell, & says "CALL". Uh-oh.
He turns over
.
SHIT. And the turn?
And it's goodnight from tikay.
The Lad just outplayed me. Because of the "over Re-Raise", & the fact he had been bullying, I just decided he had no hand, & was at it.
I was a bit miffed (with myself), come all this way, great structure, & I'd blown it.
But no complaints, it was self-inflicted, & JP really is a terrific lad, for whom I have a great deal of time, & much respect.
Facts are facts, and have to be faced, the Boy did me good & proper.
So I'm back at the Hotel, sulking.
Poker 425 are here, & Rhowena gives me the exit interview. "So how did it go today tikay?"
"Oh, fine, just fine......"
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