Practice makes perfect ! ! !
Blackpool Festival Main Event:
Hawko told me he was off to Blackpool to play the main event £1000 plus £30 NL tournament. I decided it would be good practice for my WSOP debut so I slung some clothes in a bag and was off with ‘A bag of sand in my hand’.
158 runners and no idea about blind structure etc. I am so organised. Not to worry, I’ve got my IPOD and my belly is full with cheese n ham toasties what more could I ask for. Hawko says “just chilling for the first few hours; playing real tight until the blinds start getting worth pinching”! Mmm that sounds about right I’ll make that my plan as well, no point in thinking about the job when someone’s already done it for you eh.
Sat round my table and I’m very relaxed the information is flowing big style. I really am surprised at just how much people give away without realising to be honest. However, it’s welcomed but the paranoid Pete in me is wondering which one is dishing out false info and setting me up its that strong. Whilst analysing my opponents I even managed to look at a sheet with the blind structures which were very good by the way and hopefully allowing some real poker to be played.
The last time I played a festival Matt Tyler approached me and said you have a tough table Toshi top 3 ranked Pro’s in Europe I didn’t have a clue who they were and I like it that way I don’t need to start second guessing myself I can just play my game; I finished 12th. Anyway, to my left I have a player that seems to know everyone very affable talking Vegas etc so I’m assuming pro and I'm assuming recognised pro. Next the player has a purple Littlewoods T shirt and looks every bit the seasoned internet player with a complexion reduced to deathly looks from too many fags. No offence ere I can empathise. Few on the table don’t give anything away just ordinary looking folk however two young lads one later recognised as a blondite ‘Hartwith’ sat opposite and the other one to my right. Both friends who have been allocated the same table. ‘Hartwith’ or Villain 1 looked every bit the confident/aggressive player with good poker clothes and headphones round his neck, he’s come to play I thought. The other friend Villain 2 I’ll call him seemed more passive and didn’t have that confident aura about him or that’s what my senses were telling me anyway. Further to my right was a huge man probably round the 40 stone plus mark had me wondering if it’s the player I read about in the news that qualified online and is having difficulty getting to Vegas because of his weight don’t know but he obviously can play if it is so. Finally a couple of players to the right of the dealer I can’t see them properly owing to where I'm seated on the table but one of them I have down as a bit of a loose cannon judging my how the other players are talking to him etc. Anyway the pre-recorded ‘Shuffle up and Deal’ comes over the sound system and I’m about to see if any of my judgements are correct over the next few hours, BRING IT ON.
Ok so this is going to be a long night best get comfy. About 15 minutes into the game and I have a general perception of the table and its players, I’m buzzing as well because my intuition served me well to start with. Few players are in it right from the beginning tit for tat poker and I’m happy just gathering information and setting up my tight image for later. Now although my planning is not the best on this occasion I do have an idea that I want to create a tight image and stick around a while. My first involvement I would like to be a winning one so I can stamp my solidity on the table, yes that’s the plan. I get dealt QsQc UTG the blinds are 25/50 and the starting stack is 10k. I make a raise of 4 x BB to which UTG +1 calls and 2 other callers’ one being Villain 1. Not the best result for me here but que sera sera. Flop comes Ad Qd Jc and as far as being in the Zone where calling an UTG raise is concerned I don’t like this flop at all and before you say what do you want well remove the A J and replace with rags please. I lead out and bet 600 UTG + 1 smooth calls other player folds and Villain 1 announces “re-raise” and fires in 1200. I consider his possible holdings and my perception of him as a player and rule out AA/KK as in my opinion he would have re-raised pre to narrow the field could be K 10 or a semi bluff with a diamond draw. I think about re-raising at first but I still have UTG + 1 in the pot who could have a monster too so I call the re-raise and UTG +1 mucks. The turn brings a 4d and I check to Villain 1 who bets 2k, now here I’m pretty much convinced I’m behind but I think that if he has connected well with this board I can bust him for his stack if the board pairs up and with the implied odds I tell myself I have to call. The board doesn’t pair Villain 1 bets 5k and I muck my cards face up and Villain 1 says “very good lay down” and shows Kd Td for the flopped straight and nut flush on the turn. Oh dear so much to the 4hr plan half my stack has gone in 15 minutes.
I tell myself that this is not an opportunity to tilt and still feeling relaxed regain my composure and carry on playing my game. 10 minutes later Mid position and the player to my right Villain 1’s mate Villain 2 limps for 50 chips I look down and find 10 10 and raise it up to 6 x BB this time still scorned from multiway QQ pot and Villain 2 calls everyone else has mucked. Flop comes Q 10 2 and I have flopped the 2nd nuts now I just need to get my chips in the middle if he has QQ then it’s rigged. I bet out and he goes for his chips then backs off as if he doesn’t know what to do. This signals to me he is strong maybe AA KK and he goes back to his chips and says re-raise so I go all-in and throw my 10 10 on the table expecting to double up until he flips his QQ over and set over set has me out of the tourney in a deeply unrespectable 35 minutes.
On reflection, it was just bad luck, Very Bad luck as a matter of fact but that’s poker. I’ve replayed the 1st hand over and over and posted it for analysis but thought I played it quite well. A few say I played too loose on the turn by calling etc but that’s why I post because I want opinions on my play so I can improve.
I Went on the piss later on with some pals of mine from Manchester then met up with Hawko and another player Called Dave (Runner Runner) Callaghan :) and had a good craic. I could have saved myself 1k by not going online (TY Hawko) that day but I did enjoy the overall experience just wish I’d have had more table time.
Running very bad on Betfair and ‘live’ just hope I’m saving up all my luck for the WSOP. Booked my flight with Virgin on the 26th July and a deluxe room in the Bellagio for 10 nights. Can’t Wait!!!
My post on the 1st hand with comments http://blondepoker.com/forum/index.php?topic=9940.0
Good Luck …
Hawko told me he was off to Blackpool to play the main event £1000 plus £30 NL tournament. I decided it would be good practice for my WSOP debut so I slung some clothes in a bag and was off with ‘A bag of sand in my hand’.
158 runners and no idea about blind structure etc. I am so organised. Not to worry, I’ve got my IPOD and my belly is full with cheese n ham toasties what more could I ask for. Hawko says “just chilling for the first few hours; playing real tight until the blinds start getting worth pinching”! Mmm that sounds about right I’ll make that my plan as well, no point in thinking about the job when someone’s already done it for you eh.
Sat round my table and I’m very relaxed the information is flowing big style. I really am surprised at just how much people give away without realising to be honest. However, it’s welcomed but the paranoid Pete in me is wondering which one is dishing out false info and setting me up its that strong. Whilst analysing my opponents I even managed to look at a sheet with the blind structures which were very good by the way and hopefully allowing some real poker to be played.
The last time I played a festival Matt Tyler approached me and said you have a tough table Toshi top 3 ranked Pro’s in Europe I didn’t have a clue who they were and I like it that way I don’t need to start second guessing myself I can just play my game; I finished 12th. Anyway, to my left I have a player that seems to know everyone very affable talking Vegas etc so I’m assuming pro and I'm assuming recognised pro. Next the player has a purple Littlewoods T shirt and looks every bit the seasoned internet player with a complexion reduced to deathly looks from too many fags. No offence ere I can empathise. Few on the table don’t give anything away just ordinary looking folk however two young lads one later recognised as a blondite ‘Hartwith’ sat opposite and the other one to my right. Both friends who have been allocated the same table. ‘Hartwith’ or Villain 1 looked every bit the confident/aggressive player with good poker clothes and headphones round his neck, he’s come to play I thought. The other friend Villain 2 I’ll call him seemed more passive and didn’t have that confident aura about him or that’s what my senses were telling me anyway. Further to my right was a huge man probably round the 40 stone plus mark had me wondering if it’s the player I read about in the news that qualified online and is having difficulty getting to Vegas because of his weight don’t know but he obviously can play if it is so. Finally a couple of players to the right of the dealer I can’t see them properly owing to where I'm seated on the table but one of them I have down as a bit of a loose cannon judging my how the other players are talking to him etc. Anyway the pre-recorded ‘Shuffle up and Deal’ comes over the sound system and I’m about to see if any of my judgements are correct over the next few hours, BRING IT ON.
Ok so this is going to be a long night best get comfy. About 15 minutes into the game and I have a general perception of the table and its players, I’m buzzing as well because my intuition served me well to start with. Few players are in it right from the beginning tit for tat poker and I’m happy just gathering information and setting up my tight image for later. Now although my planning is not the best on this occasion I do have an idea that I want to create a tight image and stick around a while. My first involvement I would like to be a winning one so I can stamp my solidity on the table, yes that’s the plan. I get dealt QsQc UTG the blinds are 25/50 and the starting stack is 10k. I make a raise of 4 x BB to which UTG +1 calls and 2 other callers’ one being Villain 1. Not the best result for me here but que sera sera. Flop comes Ad Qd Jc and as far as being in the Zone where calling an UTG raise is concerned I don’t like this flop at all and before you say what do you want well remove the A J and replace with rags please. I lead out and bet 600 UTG + 1 smooth calls other player folds and Villain 1 announces “re-raise” and fires in 1200. I consider his possible holdings and my perception of him as a player and rule out AA/KK as in my opinion he would have re-raised pre to narrow the field could be K 10 or a semi bluff with a diamond draw. I think about re-raising at first but I still have UTG + 1 in the pot who could have a monster too so I call the re-raise and UTG +1 mucks. The turn brings a 4d and I check to Villain 1 who bets 2k, now here I’m pretty much convinced I’m behind but I think that if he has connected well with this board I can bust him for his stack if the board pairs up and with the implied odds I tell myself I have to call. The board doesn’t pair Villain 1 bets 5k and I muck my cards face up and Villain 1 says “very good lay down” and shows Kd Td for the flopped straight and nut flush on the turn. Oh dear so much to the 4hr plan half my stack has gone in 15 minutes.
I tell myself that this is not an opportunity to tilt and still feeling relaxed regain my composure and carry on playing my game. 10 minutes later Mid position and the player to my right Villain 1’s mate Villain 2 limps for 50 chips I look down and find 10 10 and raise it up to 6 x BB this time still scorned from multiway QQ pot and Villain 2 calls everyone else has mucked. Flop comes Q 10 2 and I have flopped the 2nd nuts now I just need to get my chips in the middle if he has QQ then it’s rigged. I bet out and he goes for his chips then backs off as if he doesn’t know what to do. This signals to me he is strong maybe AA KK and he goes back to his chips and says re-raise so I go all-in and throw my 10 10 on the table expecting to double up until he flips his QQ over and set over set has me out of the tourney in a deeply unrespectable 35 minutes.
On reflection, it was just bad luck, Very Bad luck as a matter of fact but that’s poker. I’ve replayed the 1st hand over and over and posted it for analysis but thought I played it quite well. A few say I played too loose on the turn by calling etc but that’s why I post because I want opinions on my play so I can improve.
I Went on the piss later on with some pals of mine from Manchester then met up with Hawko and another player Called Dave (Runner Runner) Callaghan :) and had a good craic. I could have saved myself 1k by not going online (TY Hawko) that day but I did enjoy the overall experience just wish I’d have had more table time.
Running very bad on Betfair and ‘live’ just hope I’m saving up all my luck for the WSOP. Booked my flight with Virgin on the 26th July and a deluxe room in the Bellagio for 10 nights. Can’t Wait!!!
My post on the 1st hand with comments http://blondepoker.com/forum/index.php?topic=9940.0
Good Luck …
posted by MrDigital at 3:57 pm
1 Comments:
Hi Toshiwonka !
Great blog.
Congratulations on your WSOP seat.
Getting knocked out early in a few pre WSOP tournies will bring you back down to earth, and put you in good stead for the "Big Dance".
Cheers.
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