Should I just hang up my boots?

Last night was one of those nights were your thinking to yourself - "the sensible thing to do is to sit in in front of the TV with a nice mug of Cocoa and watch back to back episodes of Law & Order". Infact, Tuesday is typically football night but the last 2 weeks our games have been cancelled due to bad weather which has given me the opportunity to play in a 100 euro freeze-out in Malahide. With Dara and Bob undecided on whether a trip to North Dublin was advisable given the chances of more snow, there was the possibility that none of us would be travelling. However, I convinced the lads that the forecast was for rain (and my god how right I was) and not snow or freezing conditions. Accordingly, I arranged to me Dara at Connolly and rob was to drive out. Unfortunately, Rob did not make it in the end due to atrocious traffic (the result of the weather). Thank God, as had he seen some of my play, I am sure he would not be talking to right now.





I love the game in Malahide. Good starting stack and blind structure makes the game very enjoyable and suits my patient and steady approach to poker. On account of the bad weather, in addition to Rob, there was a number of casualties that mean the tournament was circa 8 players i.e. 25 versus the normally 30+ runners. I was seated at a table with a steady and very capable lad called Paul. It was a good seat as he d be chatty enough and so would I which makes the first few levels move buy nicely. Another steady and capable guy called Pat was to his right and a lad I had not seen previously at the club (more than likely because it is only my third time there) was to his right. Paul tipped me off that this lad was steady and that his range for calling and raising was very narrow. A very useful piece of information in the decision making process. The rest of the table consisted of "Little Italy" (i.e. 3 very entertaining Italians - Sammy and 2 others whose names I cannot remember but one of which I will never get involved with if their is a 3 on the board or as it would appear that this card has mystical and unbeatable powers).



I started off slowly and folded AK 3 times pre flop in the first 3 levels as I wanted to stay out of trouble. Then (and no disrespect meant) a loosish guy (loved his 3' - and not necessarily when having a set of them) raised to 500 (blinds 100/200) utg. Normally, unless I have a pair I am folding this hand to this sort of raise. Howewer, with 2 callers and the likelihood that the small and big blind would make up the blinds, I decided that A5 spades (hoping to hit a spade draw on the flop) could be called. I had also the benefit of being last to act on the flop. I hit the flop hard with 2 spades (board q high). The UTG raiser admits he hates the flop with the spades before making his bet but decides only to bet 1,000 into a pot with almost circa 3k. Its folded around to me and I call. turn is a spade, UTG bets 1,000. suspecting he has a set and not wanting the board to pair, I re rasie to 3,000. He decides he should call on the redraw. Blank on river. I value bet 1,500 and he calls knowing he is behind. Rob reckons that was much two small of a bet as he reckons with the pot at 12k he has to call a bet of as much as 5k. I don't know that I would. When your beat your beat. That Pot had me up to almost 20k and was now very comfortable. Much to my surprise, Dara walked up to me about 2 hands later announcing he had been knocked out. Rob filled me in on the details of his unfortunate exit later that night. I guess Poker is Poker and regardless of whether or not you are making all the right decisions, it ultimately owes you nothing.



After the break, we are down to 2 tables and I am pretty card dead with the exceptions of Queens which I played appallingly badly but was given credit for a set which was folded (I was actually ahead but had the lad in question pushed given his line pre and post flop, I may have put them down).



I then hit a couple of BB specials were I flopped sets and turned houses and managed to get paid off by a lad chasing to river. I made some nice positional bets and took down decent sized pots pretty much uncontested.



I then made a decision I should never of made when I flopped top pair (KK) in an un-raised pot from a lad hereinafter referred to as the "the Gentleman" (not Liam Flood but the way he wore his glasses reminded me off him). Firstly, I checked the flop allowing him the chance to bet and putting me under pressure as I don't like my Kicker. Based on previous information from a very reliable source, the "Gentleman" was hard to put on a hand and had made some questionable calls. I decided, that if he has out flopped me, I will take it on the chin and ask him to put his remaining 17,000 chips into the pots (about 1/3 of my stack). He instant calls which I hate until he turns over A - 10. He has any Jack or any A to hit with only 2 cards to come. Of course, he hits the jack and I am left to rue my decision making more so as the "Gentleman" has now the same number of chips as me and could now knock me out with any a loosish call. Alas no, I made a nice move on a paired board after raising from Middle position. I actually, was a head of the guy so don't feel to bad, but was only ahead because of the river after deciding to call the turn in the hope he would check the river and allow me the opportunity to bet (a dodgy tactic) knowing that if I got it through I would essentially have recovered the chips I had lost a few hands later.



I then pushed AQ into the Gentleman when on small blind. After some considerable thinking he decides to call which I am hating untill he turns over KQ. When the lad to my right announces he folded a king I need to be incredibly unlucky to loose. Ace plays and I double up.

I now had a chip lead and decided that I had to try and win this and started to raise any hands that were better than average. Unfortunately, I ran into 99 once with K 10 suited (only cost 8k as the 99 was short stacked) and ran into a re raise which I suspected was a lad that was tired of my antics (my A 10 raise busted his kk - when he did not re raise as he felt that I was committed to call and he was happy to push with no A on board - unfortunately, board came A 10 and when he made an info bet and I re raised he folded) and I suspected had just folded a better hand to a brave move by a new guy I had not seen before. He later told me he had J 10 suited which ironically enough was the hand that I had. WP sir! I actually said that I thought he was doing that with any two and made a reach for my chips and saw him gulp in terror. However, he was safe enough as no way could I call.

We were down to four when KJ raise ran into a push and called to a race. Rivered a king. River is such a sick way to go out as you prefer it on flop. At this stage, my cheap lead was not as significant and picked up AA for the first time that evening on SB - Unfortunately, no interest from the button who like me was now raising every second hand (sick thing was it was his turn to raise). Guy in third was now incredibly short. He was eventually called, with 19k (5k/10k blinds) and lost to k high.

Did not bother playing heads up as the difference between first and second was negligible. Me and new guy split it and I was announced winner by virtue of larger stack.

My first win live? What a buzz! - Will I ever play football on a Tuesday night again or should I retire from poker at what is probably the pinnacle of my career?

All the best for now!