Fish Hooked

After my little break over the previous month I have been on something of a poker binge for the last week. First I had my "BIG WIN" in the $3 tournament then took to the local pub for the first time in ages and make the cash when finishing 4th. On Thursday I bubbled for the ticket to the Brucepoker game and after I posted about that I played a little cash. It was late and I sat in with only 60 BB not intending to stay long but man it was a lovely table. Before long I had doubled my stack and then I got involved in a big hand with over 250 BB in the middle. I hit my king high flush on the river but got wacked when the other guy turned over the Ace high flush to beat me. Not long ago this would have hit me hard but on the night I merely bough back in for the max. 100 BB and set to work. Within 10 minutes I again got it all in the middle with the same guy for 230 BB and busted him. Unfortunately he had loss the rest of his stack before I could get it but still I turned if a profit and logged off happy
On Friday I was back to the cash bought in for the hundred BB and set to work. But it just wasn't going right!! Not that I didn't get cards but when I did no one else did and I only took down small pots. And when I made a move I just seemed to run into it. Example--Guy looses a big pot and goes all in on the hand, I have Ace Queen suited in Late position and re raise all in but one of the blinds joins the party!! First guy turns over 10-3 off and the blind shows ace king and an ace on the turn means I have to re buy.
Now long after these 3 hands happen. Firstly I pick up pocket Jacks and raise getting one caller, finally a little action. An ace on the flop sees the betting very cautious but a Jack on the river sets it in motion and I am delighted when he calls my re raise to put him all in---------BUT what does he turn over??? Pocket aces!!!
Next hand I pick up ace king suited and hope they will put me down as being on tilt when I re raise an early small stacked raiser. Anyway we end up getting it all in as my raise means he has to go all in or fold and I call the small re raise. He turns over ace king off and we split.
The very next hand I pick up the fish hooks (jacks) again surely this time!! I raise again, they will definitely think I am gone mad and I am not surprised to get re raised and follow the script of the mad man by making an over the top re raise HA HA--- He gladly calls and proudly(can you do proudly online??) turns over pocket ACES and john is on the ropes. No help from the dealer, always blame the dealer and I hit the canvas. Hook Line and Sinker I fell for it blinded by my own GREAT PLAN!!
A good kick does everyone good once in awhile.

Sick as a PIG

Just played the Brucepoker freeroll for two tickets to their tournament in Carrick on Shannon next Friday. I'm not going to go into details but I bubbled in an unusual final table that left me sick as a pig. The only comfort is that I have just seen on boards.ie that the game is off!!!!

Back Playing

Despite what I said in my last post I got back to the tables over the weekend. I started on a .02-.04 cent cash game on Saturday evening(my level) and after doubling up I used my winnings to pay for a €3 tournament on Bruce poker. There where 160 starters and with the help of some nice cards I worked my way to the last table with an average stack and with six players I was lying third when I made a misstep and took my leave. It was however my biggest online cash at $22.08, a massive cash!!! and cheap fun.
Last night I played another of our house games. I haven't made the money in one of these in LONG TIME and decided to really give this one my "A" game. I lost a big hand in the third blind level with flopped trips fell to a flopped flush-- I made a bad read!!
But I wasn't giving up and was back to third in chips when I reraised all in with Jacks and the raiser gladly called with the rockets. I lost both these pots to Liam and he went on to win comfortably. The game went so quick we played a second one and again I was going nicely when Liam raised from early position and I reraised with my pocket rockets!! The big blind called and Liam called. Flop comes 7-7-10 and Liam moves all-in???? He out played me as I put him on a ten called and he turned over ?? yes that monster that is is is 7-2 OFF. F***** B******!!!
It was actually a night of bad beats and 7-2 proved a monster Jim low stacked reraised All In blind, from the BB after Marie had raised from the SB. Marie happily called and turned over 6-6.
No he didn't hit the Seven. No it wasn't trip twos, not a straight or a flush??? The board was J-J-8-8-3 and Jim's seven kicker played!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It's a sick game. Liam fell in the second game in two successive hands when his A-A was beaten by 9-9, it hit a straight and then his J-J was beaten by 8-8 when the eights hit a flush. There where more but that's enough for now. At least I was behind in the two hands I went out on and have no complaints.

Summer Time

Its over a month since I posted and I have played very little poker in that time. Two house games, poor showing as usual and a few hours a week online mainly NLH mixed with the odd bit of PLO.
So why so little?? Work thankfully has been more demanding but really its the long summer evenings and some good weather. I like to spend time in my garden not a pastime for poker players. My eldest daughter has taken up Camoige and there's no better way to spend your evenings than playing with your kids or taking them to matches. So why post on a poker blog about my "Other interests". Well my advice to anyone would be don't let poker rule your life. Having others outlets for your time gives you balance and when the cards turn against you BALANCE can be vital. Its healthier for both body and mind to get away from the tables for awhile and refresh your spirit.
Anyway enough mush!! I broke one of my top rules a few weeks back when I turned on the laptop to check my email when I got home from the dogs one night. I logged onto to Brucepoker and donkey called off one hundred BBs. I KNEW HE WAS BLUFFING!!!! I had only played a few hands how could I possibly have known anything??Of course he wasn't and I lost my buy in. LESSON never play when tired!!
So next time I was determined to get my game back on track. I kept my cool made some great reads, great calls god bluffs and value bets---result--- I lost one hundred and twenty five BB's. But that's poker the river just killed me time and time again and I left the game far happier than the previous night. Since then I have got my account back into better shape with a few cashes in the Freerolls and some nice wins on the cash tables. Nothing big just nice steady play. During this time I went almost 3 hours without a pocket pair and still came out winning so I have to be happy with that.
I have also been dipping my toe into PLO. I enjoy Omaha but as I have never played live I am taking in a little practice online before I venture out. The Cue Club has been running an Omaha game on Thursday nights and while I will have a runner in Limerick next Thursday night I am hoping to make it back shortly.

Knowing your level

I follow both Colette Murphy and Nicky Powers blogs and would like to congratulate both on their recent successes. Colette won two tickets for the recent JP Masters each worth €750 and cashed for €700 at her local The Fitz when finishing 3rd in a €125 game. Nicky took down his first ever live PLO tournament also at the JP Masters adding over €3000 to his bankroll.
Am I jealous? Are these the sort of results I aspire to?Not in the slightest and of course I would like to cash figures like that. But these guys play at a different level to me just now and just as I love to watch Phil Ivey, Doyle Brunson or Phil Laak playing High Stakes I know I can't afford to play at any thing like these levels. There are four different No limit hold'em games, online tournament and cash plus live tournament and cash. Online I have accounts on both Boyles and Bruce which have small balance and I play tournaments and cash at very low buyin's and blinds. If I am good enough my balance will increase and allow me to play at higher levels if not then I am playing the right games. I am not willing to buy myself into bigger money games by lodging more money to my accounts so in this way I will find my own level online.
The live game is a little different. As I have said before I don't have a bankroll but when I have a few quid to spare I like to play. Tomorrow night I am off to the Cue Club again to try and win a ticket for the Munster Open. If I win one I'll play if I don't well then I will have to give it a miss. That's my level, I play small local event's and satts for bigger events.
What about Live Cash?? This is the hardest one!! I can play 5 cent 10 cent blinds online and take as little as a few dollars to a table but the smallest Live games are 1-2 euro blinds and you can't really sit at a table with less than €100 and really a bit more wouldn't go astray. So I have only ever played once in a live casino game and lost my whole buy-in in what was a great move until the river hit!!! However due to the kind donations of a few Limerick bookmakers I am thinking of giving it another go!!

Bruce Poker

I have followed Nicky Power Bloghttp://nicnicnicnic.blogspot.com/ since I first played against him at the Cue Club over 18 months ago and Bruce Pokershttp://www.brucebetting.com/ sponsorship deal with him was my first introduction to the site. Mind you I only opened an account with them a few weeks ago and transferred €10 (hey I said I was small time)to the poker account just over a week ago. Anyway it didn't take me long to lose my bankroll on the cash tables--I raised from under the gun with pocket jacks got called, raised,called,and called before it came back to me. I flat called?? and my first caller again called the raise. Flop comes two small spades and Jack of hearts. Lets cut the story short I end up getting it all in on the turn and only my first caller (last to call the reraise) called me. River is a spade and the guy turns over a seven high flush--------------------------. Maggie (my better half) was sitting alongside me and near flipped, how did he call the first raise, then the reraise and the "Big" all in on the turn???
Well not long ago I would have agreed but as I get older(at least that's my excuse) I take these things a little better. My only complaints where I have no more money in my account to rebuy and as it's online I may never get to play with this guy again and believe me I want to play with him every day so no rant but also no money in my account!!!
Solution??? FREEROLLS!!!!
Bruce run a €50 freeroll every night at eight so last Monday or was it Tuesday, no matter, I set to work. One hundred and ten started seventeen to get paid with a top prize of $11.50 I was on a mission. And just over 3 hours later mission was accomplished $11.50 in my account. No great stories to tell-- well what do you expect from an online freeroll but I'm back in business and while it's far from my biggest ever cash it was numerically the biggest event I have ever won.
I returned to the cash tables and played a few small tourneys for the rest of the week, ahead in the cash down in the tourneys and again played the freeroll on Thursday but ended up tossing in the chips silly as I had to put the kids to bed and maggie got a call. Not to worry it was only the freeroll and kids are far more important than poker.
I sat back into a cash game early yesterday evening with a small stack of $4.50 and as 3 other players joined at the same time and we all checked I didn't read the all-in from the big blind as strong. Now I had just arrived at the table so you can't say my read was strong but as I had more chips to call upon for a rebuy I decided to call and give a little action with my Kh 10h and was delighted to be facing a Qs 10s well I was delighted until 3 spades hit that is!!! Anyway I had 35 cents left and my 6-5 off was enough to call an early raises from the same player(I hadn't reloaded it time) and with another caller I tripled up against an A K and A Q by hitting trips on the river. Funny thing is I would have folded if I had reloaded t time!! And my luck continued as I left the table with over $23 and decided to try the freeroll again, I'm a cheap skate.
Ninety two sat down at eight o clock and at 11.15 I finished runnerup after I called an all-in with my top pair when I was slightly out chipped the the guy hit runner runner flush to take it down. Another $8 for my bulging account.
The lesson is for people like me who can get the trill from small money http://www.brucebetting.com/ ain't a bad site.

Cue Club Anniveresy

I have been playing a decent few live games since I posted last with my best result coming in Knockaderry last Wednesday when I got €105 for winning a 19 starter event. They play there twice a week on Wednesdays and Friday and it has always been a nice earner for me but I have only played there 3 times this year mainly due to work and that fact that I enjoy spending time at home with my family. Now it's always nice to win but the highlight of my poker playing over the last few weeks was in Killarney at the Cue Club for their 10th Anniversy event. It was the first time I have played in a three day event or anything longer than a single night event come to think of it and all I can say is I can't wait to play in my next one. We had a one hour clock and a 15,000 starting stack brilliant!!! We started at 6.30 and the first blind level was only 25-25 in which got all my big hands barr one. Not than I got many big hands, my pocket kings , 6-6, 3-3 and 2-2 all came in the first level and my only other two pocket pairs where 10-10 and 3-3 in later rounds. Now I am not complaining as I was fortunate enough to hit the flop on enough occasions to keep me going. Indeed I had the chip lead for much of the night at my table but had slipped back to 18,000 entering the last level 200-400 for the night. Maurice had been raising a lot of pots lately and I wasn't too surprised to see him make it 1200 from early position. I looked down and saw Kh Qh and as I had been quite for some time felt a good reraise had a good chance of getting through so I made it 32oo but Maurice called, still I was happy enough. Flop came As Ah 3h giving me a nut flush draw and with 7300 in the pot I shoved my remaining 15000 into the middle. Maurice called showing Ad 10d and his trips held up with no heart coming to my rescue. It was 2.10 a.m. and I was the first player to be knocked out from our table. I think the best way to sum up my night was the answer I gave Jim when he asked me what had I learnt from the night? Answer----That I love it!!!!!!!!!!