Nicky Power's IPC

Well done to Nicky Power on his win in the charity game and cashing in the main event at the IPC in Galway last weekend. I have added a link from his own blog of his interview after the event to let him tell you the story. I have had the pleasure of playing with Nicky at the Cue Club in Killarney and yea he is constantly talking to you trying go get that edge but it beats the hell out of sitting with nine silent stiffs for a ten hour session.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPtqcq585pc&eurl=http://nicnicnicnic.blogspot.com/&feature=player_embedded

Monday at the Fitzpatrick

On Monday nights the Fitz hosts a nice €25 euro game with a 15 minute clock and a starting stack of 6,500. With that short stack and quick blind structure its not a game for game for sitting around and waiting for those big hands. It's loose and IMO you have to be to get deep. Now I said loose not reckless but if you are too tight you will quickly find yourself in all-in territory. I have played it a few times before but I've never even made the final table and this was my modest goal for the night. Maggie who had never played there before and Jim came along and our buddy Sean who lives in Limerick was also there. I didn't get much early on but held my stack by taking a few small pots with modest holdings. I did get away from a tricky had when a shaky hand tipped my off to a big hand and another players willingness to call with a draw allowed me to confirm my read on the guy. Jim had a bad start when his pocket nines turned into trips and despite his strong bets his opponent called and made a flush on the river--I said it was loose!!
I played tigher than normal get poor cards and finding few spots to make a move but by the break after 4 levels I was just ahead of average with 22 of the 29 starters still in. Four had been knocked out at our table and Jim had already survived two all-ins', one a very good read. Maggie had dropped to 4,500 and Sean was a bit better having been very low and all-in earlier.
Maggie 's night got cut short in the first after the break when she called an all-in from a big stack and found herself way ahead but the river connected for the big stack and maggie was out. We where soon down to two tabels with Sean joining Jim and myself but with a small stack and while he first doubled up he soon exited when a drawing bigger stack but him all in and he gladly called with two pair but again he drowned at the river!!! Jim lasted a few more rounds but was always struggling before he got caught with an all-in bluff and went out around fifteenth. I had biuld to over 17,000 with the average before hitting trouble. Firstly I raised from the button with pocket eights and the BB shoved. I called and his pocket KK held up. I was down to 4,700 but had it up to 9,600 without a double up when the button came back to me. Again it was folded to me and again I had pocket eights but this time I shoved. The BB called!!!! This time he had bullets and I can't dodge bullets baby!!!

Happy New Year

I had a somewhat mixed start to the new year on the gambling front. Thursday was the 1st and the phone rang early with info on "a good thing for Crayford" and another strongly fancied second runner for the same trainer. Now I'm more of an on course punter than a betting shop man but when this guy rings I make the trip to town or get on the phone and on Thursday I went to the shop to watch both dogs run. But a 4th and 6th place finish--the "good thing" was sixth!!! didn't exactly ring in the new year for me. But like any punter I didn't sit on the sideline for long. Tom was hosting our first house game of the year eleven of us sitting down with 11,000 starting stack and a 20 min. clock. We where only on the 75-150 level when a massive pot hit with two all-ins took place. Jim raised to 400 from early position and was called by Liam in middle position. I picked up pocket 5s in the big blind and joined the party. Flop comes j-h 10-h 5-s. Hitting my set I bet out 700 Jim re raised me to 2000, I'm putting him on ace jack and doesn't want me drawing to a flush or straight I'm happy. But then Liam calls, I'd go with a flush draw but now we have a real big pot and I want it. I shove the rest of my stack into the middle. I had started the hand with the chip lead of over 13,500 and pulling this down now will leave me very strong with my two most feared opponents on the back foot. What happened next was not part of the plan. Jim called with a stack between 9,000 and 10,000 now I'm thinking trip jacks or tens I'm in big trouble AND THEN Liam calls with just over 12,000 WHATS HAPPENING. Could he still be on that flush draw??? I turn over my pocket pair sure that I'm about to be crippled. Jim turns over Ace Jack-no heart WHAT, and Liam shows the Queen and Nine of Hearts for an open ended straight flush draw fair enough he has a bucket of outs but it looks a lot better than I was expecting. Turn comes a black 3 and the river is 5 of diamonds YYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSS. Two of the strongest players out and I have a monster stack yea I'm happy.
I have to explain Jim's call. It wouldn't be fair to let it go without comment. Jim is my twin brother and we talk poker all the time. We always tell each other what our thinking on a game is and how we intend to play certain hands in an upcoming game. Well all week I'm telling Jim that if I hit a set on the flop when I am not the open raiser that I am going to bet out and what do you know??? Jim just happens to be the that "open raiser"!! Of course Now he thinks I'm putting a play on him--as if I would risk my chip lead on a monster bluff?? ME!! So sometimes knowing what your opponent is at can work against you.
Back to the game. After that big hand the carnage continued and I strangely got a little sidelined. James (my nephew) took center stage and only two hours into the game we are down to four. James and I have a reasonable chip lead over Tom and Maggie but as its so early I suggest a deal as it lets the other 7 back in for a second tournament on the night. We carve it up and everyone its in again slightly smaller stacks same clock but we start the blinds at 100-200. To cut a long story short Maggie took it down Sean K. runner up and again I cashed in third. Maggie is on a good run having loosened up her game a little bit while still able to take advantage of her image as THE ROCK. What she really has done is bring her online game to the live table and it is working time.