Good afternoon.
Well after all the hype, & build up, I failed to cash. Officially, that is a bit of a bugger.
Alex has written so eloquently of how great this Tourney was, & I just can't write that well, but this summed it up....
Without doubt the greatest tournament I have ever played in. So sick. Will be abs devasted whenever I bust, especially if its before the $$. I did my very best, but came up a good way short. No excuses, though a few facts.
Had a bad first level on Day One, sunk to 26,000, then found my feet, the table was grand, & small-balled my way up to 36,000. Had Q-Q three times (won twice), that was the biggest hand I had throughout. To be fair, if you have flair & imagination, who needs Aces? But I don't.....
Had a Table move late that day which was a disaster, it was like a tenner rebuy, I had no idea what to do. A kid with 1,000 invested (he had raised UTG) called all-in for 27,000 with 10-6..... I just sat there, totally befuddled.
Day Two was much better, & I was less nervous, & more comfortable.
Three times I got in a mess with Jacks.
Raised UTG with
, get five callers, it came K-Q-3 all hearts, so I just gave up.
The actual turning point was J-J again, this time 3 callers. It came A-5-2, two spades, & I wanted a free card (I know, I know) so I checked it, scared the Ace was out, there had been some aggro betting pre. On that flop, it got bet, & 3 bet, so I let go easily, only to see the Turn card come a Jack. Bugger! My misery was complete when all the chips went in on the river, it was A-K v..........5-5-5. Treble up spot MISSED.
The third occasion with J-J won me the Dewhurst Master Butcher Award. I'll stick it on PHA later, it was a very weird spot, & I out-thought myself. As it happens, I may have lost the hand anyway, but we shall never know.
So, that was that. Greatest fun I've ever had.
It hurt when I busted, I soon got over it, then it hurt more the next morning, when Day Three started. But I was a day & a bit shy of the money, so whether I would have cashed will never be known.
So, a big thank you to everybody. Amazingly, 61 folks pledged to buy a bit of action when it was re-opened, & every single one paid up, in advance. Incredible.
A humbling, but fantastic, experience, thank you.
I will leave you with a quote Dino came up with this morning.....
"You don't cry because it's over. You smile because it happened."