Well my weekend of poker wasn't as good as I thought it would be. I can safely say I was out of my depth but it was all an experience I suppose.
We arrived at the Gala at about 5.30pm and met up with Tikay who had already registered me, Joe Legge was there and a few people I now know from different events. Some of the people from the Champs League - Hobbo Three, Rosco pkr, Dave488, milber were there. All very nice people. Hobbo was staying at the same place as us, as he and mole were there with Virgin.
There was the usual delay that seems to happen at poker events, added with the fact that there was bedlam at the airports because of the terrorist attacks.
We kicked off just around 7pm. I was table 1 seat 9, Liam Flood was on my table. At the time I did not know he is a legend but was told this a couple of times later. Tikay informed everyone on my table that I was his wife. This had Liam asking if a move I made later I'd learned from Tikay, I told him I had taught Tikay and he said that must be why he was doing well these days.
I didn't feel at all nervous but when I lifted my chips my hands were shaking. My first bet was with 78c, the guy beside me raised on the hand before and everyone folded so I just did the same, took the blinds and was quite happy.
Now when you have one hour blinds starting at 25 - 50 the last thing you want at the start is hands, and even more so, marginal hands. Of course that's all I had to start with. AK, KQ, A10's one after another. With each one I raised, (no point looking scared early on) or I had to call someone elses decent raise. With each one I didn't hit on the flop, made a continuation bet and EVERY time got callers. Then I would end up folding. Quickly I had lost quite a lot of chips for such a slow blind structure.
There was a couple of guys on my table who played almost everything and often had nothing, of course the time I had paired the board the other guy had a straight.
On one hand that I won I made it too easy for others to call and was leaving myself open to people getting straights and flushes, this is something I was bad for doing online and had been improving on. Live I seemed to take a step backwards.
I won a good hand with the nut flush bringing me back up to almost even when we had a 10min break after two hours. We got our 6,000 chip top up at this point. A couple of guys had already had theirs on my table.
Not long before the break for food came my downfall. I had 9,10s the flop brings another two spades and a spade on the turn. I then donate half my stack to the constant caller who had A7s.
I go into the break with 3,000 chips which is 10x BB so I'm in an all-in situation for my return. At this point I go completely card dead. Now I know it's any two cards but when you are here for the experience and want to hang in there for as long as you can it's impossible to go all-in with 10,2o and trust me that was about the best my hands got.
To sum up my luck for the day when I finally got a hand worthy of anything I was on the BB, it was 10,6 and I got to see the flop. K10 rag. There is me and one other guy in the hand. Just then the other guy says that he has seen the next card due out and it gets mucked....10 My face must have shown for sure that I had a 10 as I was gutted. I checked, he raised and I fold. I end up all-in with A2 and less than 2,000 chips. I was called by a few and Liam Flood's 66 wins, it may even have improved, i don't know I just knew there was nothing for me and that was the end of my tourney.
The weekend itself was good, Joe Legge was great company, he has to be one of the nicest people I know.
Lots of drinking after busting out. And the legendary Gala Maybury burger and chips, a must for anyone visiting the casino.
Met Jezza who is great too, he started on the cash table on Saturday then decided drinking would be more fun. On the Sunday Ed and Jezza played the £150 tourney but I'll let them tell their own stories. Anything else I remember I'll add on but that's pretty much it.
I spent a lot of time touting TDP, can't stop myself.
Thank you Sporting Odds/Paradise for a great weekend anyway. Fantastic prize.
