Live and Kicking

I made a return to the live scene last week. I played the Notts Gala £50 NLHE (with 2 optional re-buys) last Thursday. 67 runners, I managed 5th for £500. Not bad I suppose considering my lack of live action recently but I suppose it's like riding a bike really - you just never forget. I really enjoyed it and it made me realise what I miss about the live game - the banter, the atmosphere, the ability to get a feel for a player or make a read based on anything other than previous actions and betting patterns - I like to be able to watch a person's behaviour at the table and get a read that way. Its amazing what you can pick up if you're attentive.

The structure of the competition is actually one of their best on offer for the week. Its still comparatively dire but they have time constraints and they have to get it finished so there is no point in moaning about it. 75 minutes of rebuys (3 levels of 25 mins) starting with 5000 chips and blinds at 50/100 so by the time the chip throwing is done at the end of level 3 we are at 200-400 and an average stack of about 12k when your allowed to in effect pay for 15k's worth of chips - still OK i suppose. However from here on in it gets spicy and it becomes important to manage a short stack (short compared to the blinds) well, pick your spots well and duck and dive - refusing a gamble or turning down a potential 50:50 is just not an option. I managed to accumulate well and stayed above average all the way down to the last 3 tables. I started to get low and was moved tables as lowest chips*. I had been card dead for about 3 levels now and with the blinds doubling every 25 minutes you can imaging that this is like running backwards. Anyway, long story short and I triple up with J-4 in the blinds when the board comes 4-4-8 and I am seemingly invisible to the rest of the table who have started a raising war all around me with 9-9 in the cut off and fuck knows what UTG and UTG+1. I then get a short stack push from early position with A-10 and I have AA on the button, i give it the chin scratch, puppy dog eyes and make a seemingly reluctant call for half my stack but can't persuade either of the deep stacked blinds to triple me up again and i just win a good pot (although i would have been out had the BB called with his Q6s!! - he's a pure gambler and thought for a good minute before mucking).

I then manage to cruise to the final table of 10 in 7th place. I am below average, have less than 10BB's (so has everyone except the 2 chip leaders) and have drawn seat 3 which means i am straight into the BB for 8k of my 67k stack. I need to move but so does everyone else - this has fast become a Turbo SNG and it was my plan to play the final exactly as that. I duck and dive, grind and push my way up the ladder as players fall to the chip leader who seems like he is a one-man wrecking crew who actually knows it is his night. Meanwhile the short stack at the start of the final who started with just 10k in chips with blinds at 4k-8k and in the UTG seat now has over 130k!! and is in 2nd place. I make my one mistake of the entire competition with 7 left by having to fold to a reraise preflop when I shouldn't have even been trying to win the pot in the first place. - In what was all-in or fold poker, this was a bad play and i was pretty disgusted with myself. I was left shortish again and in need of a double through. A couple more players had been gobbled by the blinds and with 5 left i found an unraised ready to be nicked pot staring me in the face from the SB, unfortunately i had Q3 staring back at me from the hole! I quickly considered my options I had 60k, the pot was 24k and the blinds were 2 minutes away from going up to 10k-20k. The BB had the same chips as me and easily enough to fold so i just stuffed in and he called after a dwell with Q-Ks and i was gone.

All-in all a good return to playing live. - I'll be going again this Thursday and then playing at Sheffield next week. I was going to try Luton's fessie this week but to be honest i just can't be arsed with the drive down the M1 and the fact that i would have to make arrangements to stay over should i get through to any day 2's. - lazy i know but so what!

WSOP
I think we are into day 5 or 6 now of the main event and to be honest I'm bored of it. There are about 40 left and i have heard of 3 of them. I don't know any of them and i don't care or give a shit who wins the fecking thing. - maybe its about time everyone stopped giving a toss about this event - the prestige has gone from it. 8500 runners is just too many. I can't see it happening though - apparently you can already win seats for WSOP 2007 on some sites! - WTF?!

Anyway - be lucky!


*Gala still insist on moving the lowest chips when balancing tables. - yes its totally unfair, yes it creates a seat of death situation and yes they refuse to listen when you offer them a fair alternative of moving the BB to the next available BB on the short handed table. I have told them that moving the short stack makes no more sense or is no more fair than moving 'biggest feet' or 'longest hair' but still they are tied by corporate rules or something like that....... sigh!