APAT Scottish National

I lost my APAT National virginity at the weekend when I joined the field of 130 in the APAT Scottish Amateur Championships. It was every bit as good as I had expected - if I had gone just that little bit further I'm sure it would have been even more enjoyable.

For the majority of my tournament I was sat at table 6, a very tight table generally. Our dealer breathed a sigh of relief and gasped in disbelief when after 1h 35 mins we had our first re-raise.

I started well enough when, with TT on a KQrag 9 3 board, I called a 3/4 pot bet by BB, his half pot bet on the turn and his weak river bet only for him to insta-muck. That took me from 8.5k to 12.5k.

I found myself back down at around 8k shortly after the first break then look down to see 88 (the hand that cost me the most money in Paris!). I raise from the Small Blind and I'm called by BB and a mid position limper. Flop comes down 4h4s5h. I continuation bet for half the pot and I'm called by BB, mid position folds. Turn is 6s which I check to him thinking that, if he checks behind, he's called my flop bet with AQ, AK or a flush draw. He bets out 2k and now I know he has a decent hand (he's hit either the 4, trip5s or the 6, 88, 99, TT or JJ) so I start to replay the hand back to myself.

- With a check>raise now I can probably successfully represent a high over-pair and if he has a flush draw, he'll suspect he enough outs to catch on the River to warrant the call. If he has an over-pair though, with almost half his stack invested already, he's priced into the call and I'm in bad shape to all but 77 and the other 88.

- My check on the turn might have him thinking that I'm on a AJs, AQ, AK or flushing hand and he may only have bet out 40% of pot to get me off the hand if he's holding 2 pair (maybe a suited 4 or suited 6 from the BB).

I shove and after thinking for 30 seconds (which makes me think he maybe does only have a suited 6, 77, the other 88 or 99), he calls and flips over 99 leaving me just 6 outs on the river - two 8s and four 7s. I congratulate him on a good call only to look round with some disbelief when I hear that a 7 has fell on the river. GG, WP and let me buy that man a drink to apologise. As he took off quite quickly after I didn't get a chance to do so, so, if you're reading this, see me next weekend at the Edinburgh Regional - your first one's on me.

I got to the second break with 10.5k when the average stack was 14k or so. I had been playing aggressively enough to feel like the table donk so knew I either had to tighten up a bit or go after the blinds even more aggressively. I did both, identifying a couple of guys I felt were 'desperate' to survive until Day 2 and who would fold marginal hands if they weren't first into the pot. I ramped my 10.5k up to 22.5k without even seeing more than a couple of flops. I did voluntarily show a couple of hands - TT twice and 77 within 10 hands or so - to show I wasn't raising with junk but I also remember raising from early and middle positions with Q2o, 97o and 34s just because I 'felt' I could get them through.

Then, after about 20 mins of having a full table again, I look down at AQspades UTG. With Blinds at 800/1600 I raise to 4000. It folds around to the Button (another Edinburgh Regional regular) who shoves for 10k. With all the chip leaders at the other tables and with 6k to call to win 16k (taking me to almost 36k and more able to bully the table), I feel that now could be a good time to gamble. He has shoved 3 times in the past 15 or so hands so I have his range from ATsooted. He flips over AKo and I don't improve.

Me and my 10k are immediately moved to a table of healthy stacks. I'm immediately placed on the BB and fold my J3o to a raise from mid-position. On SB I fold my K2o to a raise from UTG. From mid-position I shove with J9hearts and I'm called by Mal666's JTo. I fail to hit and I'm out in 49th (I think).

I join the £1/£1 cash game where straddles are hitting £32. My £100 lasts me around 90 mins (there's a lot of hilarity from Zanshin (Derek), Sticky and Scouse3465 delaying hands). On the penultimate hand I flop two pair with T3o on 5T3 flop. Phil Starr bets £15, I call and the Aberdonian calls. Turn is a 4, Phil bets £15, I push for £40, Aberdonian folds, Phil calls and turns over 62o for a straight! You've gotta be f*ckin kiddin me!!!

After finding £10 in another pocket I buy in for the last hand that many agree is going to have a £10 straddle. With J6o I catch a J on the turn to beat Aberdeen's flopped T so I leave with £50 (£60 down).

Congrats to all those who made it to Day 2 and to BillyHo (a Blog reader :) ) who fell late on Day 1 in 25th position after having established himself as one of the most fearless players at out table IMO. It was great to meet so many familiar faces, the many APATers that I converse with on the Forum and the APAT Staff that I speak to quite regularly on the phone but hadn't met until Saturday.

After the 60 minute journey home with Derek discussing hands from the day, bankroll and the best online games, you can expect a Blog post on strategy very soon.

L8R!