THE WEEKEND ....ITS TIME TO PARTY

Friday
TIME TO PARTY!
Before going out I went to a small 1 2 plo game and picked up some spending money for the night.
I won’t bore you with the poker but from there I went to Fungirola for a night out with some friends.
We meet up for some drinks and went salsa dancing. I must admit it was really fun and I had a great time. I did start to learn dancing as in salsa and ballroom as I find it very sexy and interesting after watching that strictly come dancing I wanted all the moves.
I did not find too much time but learnt some and enjoy a night out with a little dancing in it. What started off as a night out for a few drinks turned into a drinking session…most unlike me and before I knew it we were bar hoping and in a club.
At 630 we left and I managed to get a lift home to my friends’ house who kindly said I could stay. Problem was I needed to be home in the morning which I new was not going to happen. I manages to get a parking ticket in the morning as I was not there on time to take the car away and in Spain it is €60 or €6 if you pay now…. Weird I know as a pay and display is like 3 or 4 euro. In my hung over state I managed to get it all wring and paid the €6 into the envelope provided but forgot to put the ticket inside. I had posted it into the slot in the machine so it was too late.
I know most the time they never chase you up and rely on people just paying and trough them all away but I didn’t want to take a chance. I then found out you need to pay the €6 into the meter then get a printed ticket then post that. So I had to do it all again but at least it was done.
Saturday night I played in a comp was tired and hung over but was on a free roll as was playing for someone. I managed to not make it past level with AK v AQ on a KQ7 board but to be honest do not think I would have been able to make it through the night. I went straight home to watch strictly come dancing and fell asleep before they had even started.
Sunday
RYDER CUP
Gutted. I do think that Nick Faldo was not to blame but I think my order of players may have been different. I wanted to back USA before it began as I thought it was clear that they would win and it is the first time that they have not been favorites for a long time. Saying that I am trying not to bet so I didn’t and decided I would not trade through the cup and just enjoy watching it.

So it was the last day I went to my friends to watch the football Great result for me a Liverpool fan, watch the single matches and eat and drink. I had another fun day and night but the result was not to be for Europe.
USA played well and deserved to win but with a few home town players I think the course knowledge helped a little. Well played Mr. Poulter I think you played fantastic and proved all your critics wrong.

Well that’s it for this week.
Remember if you cant be good be lucky :)

$500 Triple Shootout

Thursday 18th September

Poker stars on line championships
I was going to go out on this night but had a gut feeling to stay in and play the triple shoot out on stars.
As I have said before and if you know me you will know I love STT and I believe I have a better chance than most in the ones I play.
A triple shootout is 3 STT. The winner of the first STT go to a second STT and the winners from those games meet in the final.
I played this event in the WSOP this year and was unlucky to come second after having half chips in play 3 handed and then playing 90 min heads up.
This was a great strucred event with 5000 starting chips and with 30 minute blinds starting at only 10 20 it looked as thought his could take 6 hours to complete if we were lucky!
I started as the table aggressor since no one wanted to take on the role. I was up and down like a yo yo and had a few good key hands in this event.
HAND 1 UTG I limped with 66 the blinds at this point were 50 100. a player in middle position makes it 400 to play so I called. The flop was 6h 4d 6c I checked and he bet into me 400. I thought for a min and called. The turn was Tc and I again checked into him, he again bet but this time 900. I thought for a min and called. The river 2d not a good card for me in case he puts me on 5 3 but I think I will take my chances.
So what did I have…… forget that I have to think now what does he have and how should I play my hand. Ill tell you this, I could not lose the pot.
I was sure he was a weak player. I put him on TT or JJ something like that but would he try to value bet the river or just check it behind me to collect it?
Being sure he was weak I felt safe to check hoping for like a 1200 plus bet. I only had about 2500 left at this point and had put in 1700 in already. To my surprise he moved all in immediately so of course I called. He showed me QQ and I thanked him as I turned over quad sixes.
Now I was in good spirits and the table saw mw check 3 times with the nuts. This was good for later when I would want to see free cards in big hands.

Next up was a horrible situation. Sitting pretty with 8700 now I got involved in a hand against people who like to throw their chips away.
UTG again I was dealt QQ. I limped as I like to do this with QQ as an interesting fact is that QQ UTG is actually favoutire to lose. Bizarre to think I know but when you read about it, it does actually make sense. Any way they player next to me limps and then player raises to 300 I call and the player to my left moved all in for 3505.
I think it is clear he does not have AA or KK here so I can not pass. He turns over AhJh and the flop comes perfect 6h9h7h well perfect for him. lmao.
The turn and river do not help so I was left wounded and not on the 12K mark I would like to be on.
Next I played a hand I have mixed emotions on.
6454 in chips and I raised with AQ my pet hate hand. I min raised to 300 as blinds were now 75 150 jeff710 called me with 6930 in chips. The flop was 333 I checked and he bet 500. I thought I may be ahead and if not I had 7 cards to hit or more to represent a better hand if he had a small or medium pair. The turn was another 3 and I had to look again to check that I did now have the nuts. I checked again to show weakness and he checked behind me. The river was perfect K. With 1600 in the pot I did not know whether to bet 1000 to get paid or would it look obvious so I went for the over bet to look weak. I bet 2400 hoping to get a caller to split. He thought for ages and was writing LAME in the chat box amongst other things. He finally folded and I said I had to bet to win the pot. This got him fired up I hoped and we played on.
With nearly 4 hours play and 45,000 chips in play we were now 3 handed me with 6500, Jeff with 2700 and jimbomber with over 35,000.
Talking to a friend on msn I said if I can get heads up with this fella with between 10 and 15K I have a good chance as the blinds were low enough and I knew I was a far better player. I tried to eliminate jeff who doubled up through me but knowing there was nothing for second I stepped up a few gears into overdrive and started building my stack to a good level. Finally I got Jeff out and was heads up with 15K v 30K.
Heads up went on for nearly 90 minutes with my stack going down to less than 8K at 1 point. I did manage to swap 10% with Jimbomber amazingly he agreed to my powers of persuasion.
I got up to 20K in chips when he raised on the button to 1200. The blinds were 150 300 with 25 ante. I flat called out of position with 77 as I did not need to play big pots with him and with over 1 hr of heads up play I knew he had some kind of hand.
Flop was TsAd7c. Wow all I could hope for now was that he had an A so I bet out waiting for the re-raise. 600 to look weak. He only called. Turn was the 3c perfect I decided to check knowing he would have to bet here with any hand as I looked weak on flop and now checked a little obvious I did not have an A now. He bet 1200 so I re-raised to 3600 not wanting to scare him off and also allowing him to push all in on me. He called, the river was Qc. I now bet out 5700 trying to get paid when he re-raised me 10500 to 16200. WTF have I walked into here. TT if so he played it well. KJ I cant believe that AQ I was hoping or A bit clubs which I also cant believe otherwise he would have bet the hand different. I typed SO SICK into the chat and had to call off my last 8900 to win a 40K pot and he turned over T9c….What can you do except laugh…….That’s poker. After a my friend consoled and comforted me for a few min I switched off and could only hope that he went on to win to get my 10%. I wished him luck and switched off.

BACK IN THE SUN

BACK IN THE SUN AT LAST.

Wednesday 17th September

After 6 weeks in London with no poker, well hardly any poker as I took a well deserved and needed break I have finally arrived back in sunny Spain to decide on my future.

Whilst deciding I thought I would go back to the small easy games to pick up some spending money.

I spent a day or two sorting my stuff out at home as I had been away for 4 months with only 1 week back and had to make the house nice again.

I set up the sky + for my shit as now I did not have to record or watch the girlfriends stuff as she no longer lives here J

I went to see all the boyz to say hello and enjoyed a few nights out on the town as a single man again. That was fun and needed……..

POKER what to do.
I went to a local game to get my appetite back for the game that I had become fed up with and decided to play disciplined poker.
Easy to say and not easy to do when the players around you are so bad and like to gamble. You really needed to loosen your game as your range of wining hands could be so much larger than if you were playing in a normal game… (what is normal these days).

I got into the game and to my left was matey J I had been told about him and his game, betting everything and calling if not re-raising most of the time.
I was in a pot or 2 with him and was studying him and his play/actions. I think I had him worked out as he liked to show me his cards every time I was not in the pot so this was perfect and lots of extra free information for me.

I was in the SB with 62 and he urged me to call. He was on my left so I knew that he would not re-raise pre flop. The flop came down 653 so I checked to him to see what he did. He bet out so I thought for a while of his possible hand selection here and thought that I could even be in front and if not I should have 10 live outs. (any 6,4 or 2). I pushed all in and he called me only to turn over 5 3. No help on the turn or river and it was CHIPS shouted for me.
Funny thing here is the rest of the table all thought I had like trips or the made straight and when I mucked put me on JJ or better.
I think I will take my chances against this kind of player who could have had latterly any 2 cards.

I re-loaded for 500 and with 2 5 blinds and a 10 straddle there was a player in early position who raised to 40, 4 callers so of course when it came to me I knew I had to move all in to collect the pot. Who here would call 500 pre flop except possibly the first raiser?
Silly me I forgot matey was at the table and would call 500 blind lol.
I managed to get lucky and I beat his K9os with my sexy J7 spades and from there I did not look back.
I did make it clear I would only be playing for 2 hrs when I sat down as I needed to get home and sleep as I had a full day on the next day.
Next thing I know I have called out of position a small raise from my friend on my left with T9 and checked to him on a T82 board. He bet out 50 so I called. The turn was a 9 so I checked again. He bet 200 so I re-raised to 600. He pushed all in and I called. He turned over 89 and the 7 on the river was no help (glad all the money went in on the turn though).
I went from 500 down to 1250 up in like 15 min.
Seemed like no one else wanted to gamble with him and there were like 5 rocks just sitting and waiting. I think Mater liked me because I was gambling with him and not just sitting and waiting for AA. I was card dead for 20 min after and left the game as I said I would returning home to sleep feeling good about myself and my game again. This is important.
I wish I could have stayed all night with him as I think it could have been profitable but that is the gambler in me. I still won 1250 which for 2 hours work is ok in a small 2 5 game.
I said my goodbyes and told my new friend that I was here for a few weeks and he would get a chance to win it back any night he wanted.