Played in a new Home Game last night in Troon. Darren Thomas (APAT user troonight1979) hosted what was also billed as a head-wetting for Gerry's new daughter Erin.
This was my first live game in almost a month so I decided to take part in this rather than the APAT Slovenian Open - not an easy decision!!! It's not often I get to play live games with other APATers / decent poker players ...
In some cases though calling these muppets 'decent' would be being kind - Darren, Gerry and Scott, I hope you're all reading this! Gerry called my 4xBB bet pre-flop raise with Kh2h, Scott called two of my All-Ins with A2o and A5o and Darren shoved with Q8o on a 984 board when I had 97 and played it strong. In each case I lost after having chips in with the best of it. Such is poker ...
I'm playing in the PokerStars Sunday Hundred Grand tonight and I'll be watching the Sunday Million scoreboard with interest in preparation of our Syndicate's first assault on it on 10th Feb.
I was invited by four other APATers who wanted to start a syndicate that would allow one of us to play in the Sunday Millions once a month. I'm in it with Stephen (MUNTER99) Hunter, Jim (CELTICRIVER) Lang, Alan (MaxRiddles) Steedman and Joe Watson. I've chosen to play third (April 08) as our first attempt will be by Stephen on 10th Feb 08.
Sunday, 20 January 2008
Saturday, 19 January 2008
APAT Czech Open
The next tourney that I cared anything about was the APAT Czech Open (Thursday 17th Jan 8pm) in which I got off to a flier. I managed to take down a couple of pots early on betting out in position with middle pair and then, with AK and position on scot6795 I was able to string him along with his AQo when the board came 36K. Turn was an A and river another K to make me a full house and I managed to extract the max.
Having established myself as tight, I managed to use it to steal some blinds against the scared and short players. I was fortunate enough to have cooste betting into me All-In pre-flop with 44 when I held Kings. Then with a pair of 8s I set scouse3465 All-In pre-flop and was called by his ATo - another 2.5k to the stack. Then with TT I feel it worthwhile re-raising KingKem from a late position. He shoves his 4,050 in with ATo and I call. Tens hold up and with 24k I'm now a comfortable leader by about 8k. I loosen up a bit and start raising with marginal hands (AJ, QT, KJ etc.) knowing that few will want to play against me for all their chips.
My good friend Charlie Curtis (janc59) with 14k raises a pot 3xBB from UTG. As next to act with AhKc I call. The flop comes 54J (two clubs). He min bets, I re-raise him, he calls. Turn and River are both Clubs and I call his 5,400 bet with the K high flush. He flips AcKh and takes me down to a medium stack.
I continue to play well with the stack I have and with 22k left and blinds at 1k/2k, with the precious APAT Online Ranking points only three players away, I raise to 8k on a tight 6-man table. Trademans with 23k sets me All-In and I call hoping I'm 50/50. He flips TT and I am 42/57. Board doesn't help and I'm out in 12th for $14.28.
I was a bit upset with myself for my aggression here - I think a min-raise would have given me the same info here and I would have been able to fold. If min bet was called I might have been able to bluff him off on the K high flop.
Ho hum ... it continues to be a game of If Only ...
Sat night I have been asked to a home game in Troon through APAT. Gerry has become a Dad again and he's having a swaally over the poker table to celebrate. I hope to be able to make it although not until the expected 6am finish!
Having established myself as tight, I managed to use it to steal some blinds against the scared and short players. I was fortunate enough to have cooste betting into me All-In pre-flop with 44 when I held Kings. Then with a pair of 8s I set scouse3465 All-In pre-flop and was called by his ATo - another 2.5k to the stack. Then with TT I feel it worthwhile re-raising KingKem from a late position. He shoves his 4,050 in with ATo and I call. Tens hold up and with 24k I'm now a comfortable leader by about 8k. I loosen up a bit and start raising with marginal hands (AJ, QT, KJ etc.) knowing that few will want to play against me for all their chips.
My good friend Charlie Curtis (janc59) with 14k raises a pot 3xBB from UTG. As next to act with AhKc I call. The flop comes 54J (two clubs). He min bets, I re-raise him, he calls. Turn and River are both Clubs and I call his 5,400 bet with the K high flush. He flips AcKh and takes me down to a medium stack.
I continue to play well with the stack I have and with 22k left and blinds at 1k/2k, with the precious APAT Online Ranking points only three players away, I raise to 8k on a tight 6-man table. Trademans with 23k sets me All-In and I call hoping I'm 50/50. He flips TT and I am 42/57. Board doesn't help and I'm out in 12th for $14.28.
I was a bit upset with myself for my aggression here - I think a min-raise would have given me the same info here and I would have been able to fold. If min bet was called I might have been able to bluff him off on the K high flop.
Ho hum ... it continues to be a game of If Only ...
Sat night I have been asked to a home game in Troon through APAT. Gerry has become a Dad again and he's having a swaally over the poker table to celebrate. I hope to be able to make it although not until the expected 6am finish!
Tuesday, 15 January 2008
Titan $45k update ...
I've just taken a call from Brian at Titan Poker ...
Instead of the $45,000 in EPT Tournament Buy-Ins and expenses, they've offered me an alternative of $40,000 (approx. £20,350) in cold hard cash, paid into my Titan Poker Account and available for withdrawal immediately.
I had calculated that I was likely to be spending around $15k of my prize on travel, accommodation and food etc. (PCA in Bahamas accommodation alone was $8.5k) and was having to take 3 weeks off work and away from my famiy. Although I would still LOVE to play in EPT Events (and I will one day), at this moment in my life (having just got married, with a couple £k in credit card debt and a sizable mortgage), I've opted to play it safe and accept the cash!
I will still be holding some of this money in my various Poker Accounts and playing in tourneys that I wouldn't otherwise have been able to afford - all forthcoming online and live APAT Events and satellites for the GUKPT, EPT and WSOP Events.
And I still have the trip to London for the personal training from Annette_15 in the WSOPE Training Camp to look forward to.
Instead of the $45,000 in EPT Tournament Buy-Ins and expenses, they've offered me an alternative of $40,000 (approx. £20,350) in cold hard cash, paid into my Titan Poker Account and available for withdrawal immediately.
I had calculated that I was likely to be spending around $15k of my prize on travel, accommodation and food etc. (PCA in Bahamas accommodation alone was $8.5k) and was having to take 3 weeks off work and away from my famiy. Although I would still LOVE to play in EPT Events (and I will one day), at this moment in my life (having just got married, with a couple £k in credit card debt and a sizable mortgage), I've opted to play it safe and accept the cash!
I will still be holding some of this money in my various Poker Accounts and playing in tourneys that I wouldn't otherwise have been able to afford - all forthcoming online and live APAT Events and satellites for the GUKPT, EPT and WSOP Events.
And I still have the trip to London for the personal training from Annette_15 in the WSOPE Training Camp to look forward to.
Sunday, 13 January 2008
$2000 BlueSq / APAT Welsh Amateur Championship
I've just had a phone call from Brian @ Titan Poker. He apologised for the lengthy delay in contacting me about my big win. Apparently it has been caused by the girl who looks after the VIPs and Sponsored Players (Team Titan) being in Australia with the team for the Aussie Millions. I was assured though that I would be contacted shortly after she returns and that I would be offered the choice of EPT Events although certain ones - the ones where there will be a strong Titan presence at - would be recommended to me.
Now back onto more of the normal stakes stuff ...
Last night I played the $2000 Tourney on BlueSq just to keep me amused whilst I read and constantly refreshed the APAT Forum. At 11pm we were down to 350 and I saw that it was gonna take around another 60-90 minutes to make the money ($2) at 200. With prizes only being reasonably worthwhile at top 10 ($80) I predicted a 2am finish if I went the distance. Julia was just going to bed when I was dealt 88 and faced an All-In for all my chips pre-flop. I called thinking that if I won this hand I'd be in the top 10 in chips and if I lost it would be an early bed. I lost to QQ and an early night it was. No problem!
I was reading and posting on the Forum all day yesterday throughout APAT Welsh Amateur Championship. Leading the way with only 38 remaining after day 1 is Poker Player, Poker Presenter and Model Liv Boeree - website def worth a look (www.livboeree.com)!
One of my picks for the Gold Medal Wayne 'ThePiranha' Gardiner says that it was just not fair that he had to be sat beside her for 3 hours yesterday. I really feel for you Wayne ... !
Day 2 lines up to be every bit as exciting as yesterday. I'll be here keeping track of it all through Tighty's excellent updates at http://www.apat.com/forum/index.php?topic=1042.0
Now back onto more of the normal stakes stuff ...
Last night I played the $2000 Tourney on BlueSq just to keep me amused whilst I read and constantly refreshed the APAT Forum. At 11pm we were down to 350 and I saw that it was gonna take around another 60-90 minutes to make the money ($2) at 200. With prizes only being reasonably worthwhile at top 10 ($80) I predicted a 2am finish if I went the distance. Julia was just going to bed when I was dealt 88 and faced an All-In for all my chips pre-flop. I called thinking that if I won this hand I'd be in the top 10 in chips and if I lost it would be an early bed. I lost to QQ and an early night it was. No problem!
I was reading and posting on the Forum all day yesterday throughout APAT Welsh Amateur Championship. Leading the way with only 38 remaining after day 1 is Poker Player, Poker Presenter and Model Liv Boeree - website def worth a look (www.livboeree.com)!
One of my picks for the Gold Medal Wayne 'ThePiranha' Gardiner says that it was just not fair that he had to be sat beside her for 3 hours yesterday. I really feel for you Wayne ... !
Day 2 lines up to be every bit as exciting as yesterday. I'll be here keeping track of it all through Tighty's excellent updates at http://www.apat.com/forum/index.php?topic=1042.0
Friday, 11 January 2008
Bankroll Management
One of my New Year Poker Resolutions was to practice Bankroll Management. Given that I usually only deposit £30 or so into BlueSq at a time to play in the APAT Online Series, I realised that I should be building my bankroll at a much lesser level than the $0.50/$1 I usually play.
Giving into temptation to just re-deposit, I use this as an opportunity to see what I can do with the $1 left in my account by seeing how much play I can have at the 2c/4c levels. The answer is surprising as I hit $10.82 within an hour - just 18c short of my goal of being able to enter the $11 APAT Czech Republic Open on BlueSq. Well, making that 18c is easier said than done and after donking back down to below $8 I decide it's time for a break.
I still want to play more poker as I'm home alone tonight, so I go looking for Tournaments where I can use the 3,000+ tournament points I've accumulated on BlueSq. I find a 10 seat 200KO Points satellite to a $2,000 Turnament Points BuyIn Tourney being run on Saturday night at 21:00. I give it a go and I take it down with some patient tight passive play in the early stages - whilst all the idiots still want to push with A6o pre-flop just because they have the button. It's now full at 2000 runners. At $100 for 5th, that's what's required in my eyes to make it almost worthwhile.
I'll be playing tomorrow night with one eye as always, on the APAT Forum. The Welsh Open is on tomorrow night and I will be watching it with interest. I'm gutted I didn't qualify to play in it and that, due to the amount of dosh we've splashed out over the past 3 months on Vegas, Christmas and Wedding stuff, me asking to rip another £200 out of the scarily low bank account to go play poker would really have landed me in the dog-house.
So good luck all, especially all the Scots and my picks on the Forum - Michael 'Plastikman' King, Wayne 'ThePiranha' Gardiner and Gordon 'GiMac' McArthur.
Giving into temptation to just re-deposit, I use this as an opportunity to see what I can do with the $1 left in my account by seeing how much play I can have at the 2c/4c levels. The answer is surprising as I hit $10.82 within an hour - just 18c short of my goal of being able to enter the $11 APAT Czech Republic Open on BlueSq. Well, making that 18c is easier said than done and after donking back down to below $8 I decide it's time for a break.
I still want to play more poker as I'm home alone tonight, so I go looking for Tournaments where I can use the 3,000+ tournament points I've accumulated on BlueSq. I find a 10 seat 200KO Points satellite to a $2,000 Turnament Points BuyIn Tourney being run on Saturday night at 21:00. I give it a go and I take it down with some patient tight passive play in the early stages - whilst all the idiots still want to push with A6o pre-flop just because they have the button. It's now full at 2000 runners. At $100 for 5th, that's what's required in my eyes to make it almost worthwhile.
I'll be playing tomorrow night with one eye as always, on the APAT Forum. The Welsh Open is on tomorrow night and I will be watching it with interest. I'm gutted I didn't qualify to play in it and that, due to the amount of dosh we've splashed out over the past 3 months on Vegas, Christmas and Wedding stuff, me asking to rip another £200 out of the scarily low bank account to go play poker would really have landed me in the dog-house.
So good luck all, especially all the Scots and my picks on the Forum - Michael 'Plastikman' King, Wayne 'ThePiranha' Gardiner and Gordon 'GiMac' McArthur.
Thursday, 10 January 2008
InsidePoker Freeroll Win - Tuition from Annette_15
Playing under the username 'undef361' due to an admin complication on BetFair from about 8 months ago, I've just beaten 245 other runners to win (according to page 13 of this month's InsidePoker mag), the package to Annette Obrestad's pre-WSOPE training camp in London, including travel and accommodation, personal tuition from Annette and a seat in a 6 man $1,000 shootout.
Sweet!!!
Tonight was probably as distracted as I've been whilst playing online poker. I had one window open watching and listening to the EPT's PokerStars Caribbean Adventure on EPTLive.com, and I was playing the Freerolls on Betfair and BlueSquare and I still managed to paint Julia's toes for her going away to her work's Grand Ball tomorrow night! Who says Men can't multi-task ... ?
With the conclusion of the excellent Live Broadcast from EPT and having donked off a slightly more than average stack in one hand on BlueSq with AK on a A57 board when I called an All-In of one of the chip leaders to lose to pocket 5s, I assured CELTICRIV (fellow Scottish APATer and general Neil tormentor Jim Lang) that all my concentration was now on the Betfair one. And it was ...
I felt as sharp as a tack despite feeling as if I've been ODing on Poker recently, making a load of great calls and taking the lead any time I saw a ragged board. I'm not sure how to get a Hand History up within Betfair so I'll try and replay hands as I have them in my head until I find out;
- final table with 9 left. Johnny Gibb (Divitts) raises All-In with 44 and is called by 99. He hits the miracle 4 on the river and we celebrate (tactfully of course). Next hand, the guy who's just had his 99 busted shoves in early position. Johnny shoves All-In too. SB calls too. It's KJo v Johnny's AA and BB's QQ. It's looking like Johnny is going to become one of the big stacks when the dreaded Q delivers a bout of Karma that "floors" him. UL M8, WP, GG and all that!
- with 6 left in and on the button with AKs, one of the tighter shorter stacks raises it up pre-flop. On a junk board (10 high) he pushed and I'm sure I'm good to call. He has AQ and I take it down to get to 2nd in chips.
- with 4 players left and with Q7o on BB, UTG min-raises and I get to see a cheap flop. It comes K7J. I check it to him and he bets out around 2.5xBB. I see this as weak and flat call. Turn comes 5h and I check it to him again. He checks. River card is another K and I'm now calling any bet he makes with my 7. He bets out 3/4 the pot and I have a decision. I just don't feel that he has a K or Q so I make the call. He shows AT and I take down a very worthwhile pot!
- I get to heads up with 100k in chips against 380k. I raise it up with any playable hand and get aggressive when I'm confident I have a read on TurtleTwo. With A7c I call his weak bet on the K94 flop thinking that my A high is still good and I'm likely to see the hand through even if no A or 7 appears on turn. The turn brings a low Club and I decide to check it to him again, fully intending to see the river as cheaply as possible. He bets out less than half the pot again and I'm priced in to making the call. When the last club hits the river, I'm now thinking I need to attack this pot hard hoping that he has been slow-playing a K and deliberately pricing me in on each street. My hand is well disguised here so I feel an overbet of 60k into the 52k pot should make him suspicious and curious enough to call. He does and I'm now chip leader!
- around 10 minutes later, in the final hand, I'm dealt 3d5d (I won the APAT Danish Open with 3h5c). He min-reraises (strength?), I call and the flop comes 9h7c3h. He shoves his last 95k or so in and I take only a couple of seconds to call with bottom pair - I figure he's got two overcards and needing to hit to make his hand so I call! He shows JhQh for the flush draw. No hearts come and I'm left looking at a second 'Congratulations You've Won' window in a week!
AWESOME!!!
Sweet!!!
Tonight was probably as distracted as I've been whilst playing online poker. I had one window open watching and listening to the EPT's PokerStars Caribbean Adventure on EPTLive.com, and I was playing the Freerolls on Betfair and BlueSquare and I still managed to paint Julia's toes for her going away to her work's Grand Ball tomorrow night! Who says Men can't multi-task ... ?
With the conclusion of the excellent Live Broadcast from EPT and having donked off a slightly more than average stack in one hand on BlueSq with AK on a A57 board when I called an All-In of one of the chip leaders to lose to pocket 5s, I assured CELTICRIV (fellow Scottish APATer and general Neil tormentor Jim Lang) that all my concentration was now on the Betfair one. And it was ...
I felt as sharp as a tack despite feeling as if I've been ODing on Poker recently, making a load of great calls and taking the lead any time I saw a ragged board. I'm not sure how to get a Hand History up within Betfair so I'll try and replay hands as I have them in my head until I find out;
- final table with 9 left. Johnny Gibb (Divitts) raises All-In with 44 and is called by 99. He hits the miracle 4 on the river and we celebrate (tactfully of course). Next hand, the guy who's just had his 99 busted shoves in early position. Johnny shoves All-In too. SB calls too. It's KJo v Johnny's AA and BB's QQ. It's looking like Johnny is going to become one of the big stacks when the dreaded Q delivers a bout of Karma that "floors" him. UL M8, WP, GG and all that!
- with 6 left in and on the button with AKs, one of the tighter shorter stacks raises it up pre-flop. On a junk board (10 high) he pushed and I'm sure I'm good to call. He has AQ and I take it down to get to 2nd in chips.
- with 4 players left and with Q7o on BB, UTG min-raises and I get to see a cheap flop. It comes K7J. I check it to him and he bets out around 2.5xBB. I see this as weak and flat call. Turn comes 5h and I check it to him again. He checks. River card is another K and I'm now calling any bet he makes with my 7. He bets out 3/4 the pot and I have a decision. I just don't feel that he has a K or Q so I make the call. He shows AT and I take down a very worthwhile pot!
- I get to heads up with 100k in chips against 380k. I raise it up with any playable hand and get aggressive when I'm confident I have a read on TurtleTwo. With A7c I call his weak bet on the K94 flop thinking that my A high is still good and I'm likely to see the hand through even if no A or 7 appears on turn. The turn brings a low Club and I decide to check it to him again, fully intending to see the river as cheaply as possible. He bets out less than half the pot again and I'm priced in to making the call. When the last club hits the river, I'm now thinking I need to attack this pot hard hoping that he has been slow-playing a K and deliberately pricing me in on each street. My hand is well disguised here so I feel an overbet of 60k into the 52k pot should make him suspicious and curious enough to call. He does and I'm now chip leader!
- around 10 minutes later, in the final hand, I'm dealt 3d5d (I won the APAT Danish Open with 3h5c). He min-reraises (strength?), I call and the flop comes 9h7c3h. He shoves his last 95k or so in and I take only a couple of seconds to call with bottom pair - I figure he's got two overcards and needing to hit to make his hand so I call! He shows JhQh for the flush draw. No hearts come and I'm left looking at a second 'Congratulations You've Won' window in a week!
AWESOME!!!
Tuesday, 8 January 2008
$45k prize update ...
I'm still waiting for Titan to get back to me regarding the $45,000 Prize. On signing up for and browsing the PokerListings.com website though I found the thread that first introduced the PL $50,000 SPECIAL Event way back on 29th October 2007. It read;
"Exclusive to PokerListings players Titan Poker is offering a huge $50,000 freeroll. First prize will take down a whopping $45,000 to be spent on 3 EPT events of their choice (Buy ins + travel expenses). There will also be $5,000 spread from position 2 on downwards!"
I've now started looking at the Schedule web page of the EPT website at http://www.europeanpokertour.com/schedule.html in the hope that Titan will come back to me very soon and ask me to make my choices.
I put it to other APATers to advise me. So far, if I'm allowed to take my pick from the Events which will be run over the next 12 months, I've been advised to choose;
EPT Grand Final in Monte Carlo
EPT Barcelona
PokerStars Caribbean Adventure
If I get knocked out on Day 1 of any of these, at least I can go lie on the beach!!!
If you'd like to make your own suggestions, please feel free to post at http://www.apat.com/forum/index.php?topic=999.msg15730#msg15730
"Exclusive to PokerListings players Titan Poker is offering a huge $50,000 freeroll. First prize will take down a whopping $45,000 to be spent on 3 EPT events of their choice (Buy ins + travel expenses). There will also be $5,000 spread from position 2 on downwards!"
I've now started looking at the Schedule web page of the EPT website at http://www.europeanpokertour.com/schedule.html in the hope that Titan will come back to me very soon and ask me to make my choices.
I put it to other APATers to advise me. So far, if I'm allowed to take my pick from the Events which will be run over the next 12 months, I've been advised to choose;
EPT Grand Final in Monte Carlo
EPT Barcelona
PokerStars Caribbean Adventure
If I get knocked out on Day 1 of any of these, at least I can go lie on the beach!!!
If you'd like to make your own suggestions, please feel free to post at http://www.apat.com/forum/index.php?topic=999.msg15730#msg15730
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