Redtooth Poker National Finals PART1 - 5k Guaranteed Invite Only

Nottingham.  2011.  Redtooth Poker Finals.

It’s a 5½ hour coach journey to Nottingham, and the first event is a 5k guaranteed at 5:30pm.  We get to our hotel at 4pm, shower, change and straight out to Dusk Till Dawn poker club.

We run a little late due to a queue for registration and get stuck straight in.  I’m picking up some hands but making very little from them but manage to run myself up to 9k when the first big hand happens.  The CO raises to 600 and I re-raise to 1600 with QQ.  The small blind smooth calls to my surprise and the CO folds.  The flop comes 87Q to give me a set of Queens.  A flush draw is there but not much else and the small blind instantly leads out with a largish bet of 3000.  With the smooth call and now large continuation, I’m a bit confused.  I don't bother trying to analyse it since I'm holding the current nuts.  My option is to smooth call or re-raise all-in.  His confidence makes me think I’m getting called if I move all-in so I go ahead and do so.  He instantly calls and tables KK, drawing dead to the last 2 kings to my QQ.  I leave this hand with 24k against the average stack of 7k makes me a happy boy.

The very next hand I get KK!  I raise and get two callers and the flop comes down K rag rag.  For top set no draws.  I bet too big thou and everyone folds.  I could have checked this flop.  But I was buzzing from that last huge win and misplayed it.  Never mind, I’m up to 26.5k.

I sit back for a while and watch 4 people limp into the pot with 100/200 blinds on my big blind.  With pocket 8’s in the hole, I don’t see why I should give anyone a free ride against my stack and a pocket pair so I raise to 1500 (too much as a side note, I should have raised to 1000).  Two folds but the guy with a t-shirt reading Eat-Sleep-Poker looks suspicious and calls.  I’ve overheard him talk about his t-shirt that really is all he does, so he allegedly plays poker full time so should be a decent player and my first impression when I raised was that he didn’t like it and from his perspective it looks very much like a big stack mopping up dead money.

The flop comes 5 7 10 (rainbow I think) and I make a continuation bet of 2300.  He thinks for a bit and moves all-in for 6000 more.

Pretty tough spot for a pair of 8’s but I tank and reason thusly.

He’s a good player so we can make a few assumptions about his holding.
99+ to AA raises after two limpers before him, it’s a terrible place to trap call with those hands as the pot odds will probably lead to more calls and a check and these hands hold up badly against at least 3 other players for minimum value.

Theres maybe a chance he limps with AK, AQs, but I have those bluffs beat anyway.

Since I have been continuation betting about 75%, he would be expecting the continuation bet and understands it doesn’t mean I have a hand, so he probably misses a lot of value against my big stack with a set of 10’s, 5’s or 7’s.  Again I think he’s good enough to smooth call here and try to obtain another bluff rather than have me muck an Ace high instantly.

So what would he call a huge over-raise with?  The only hand that has me beat that would make this move, in this situation is A 10.

I don’t do physical tells either, they can be misleading but he certainly didn’t want to look me in the eye, and instead turn away to take a drink, which I really felt made him look nervous, and unlikely to be a “false” tell given the reasoning on the hands above.  You’d only give a false tell like that if you were positive you were ahead and I don’t think even A 10 would be that confident.

I mull it over for maybe 30 seconds more and decide that odds were highly in favour of a bluff shove against a big stack who looks like he is bullying and call.  He swears instantly and tables 66.  Table was shocked to see the call with 88 which tells me a lot about the other players not being able to analyse a hand.  Felt pretty good.

He is replaced by a hoody wearing pro wannabe and I make my first mistake against him.  I raise with JJ and he re-raises. I call and flop is all undercards and I bet.  He calls. (note: should have checked to the raiser for pot control)  He leads out the turn which is another under card and I suspect he has JJ beat.  I feel sure he’s got JJ beat, 3betting a higher pair.  But positive tilt took over my throat and the words “raise” slipped out… totally unintentionally.

He tables KK to my JJ and that great call with 88 is wiped out plus another 2k with a silly moment.  Still a tough spot with all undercards, but I should have been able to lay that one down.  But 24k is still twice the tournament average so I try to stay calm and I get moved shortly after to a new table.

It doesn’t take long, after listening to table conversation and observing the play that this is a tough table with competent able opponents.  After the 3^rd time my raise gets 3-bet forcing me to fold, I figure this definitely to be the case.  Just before the 2^nd break I raise with 10 8 suited (I like to raise the last hand before the break, people tend to want to leave, especially smokers).  I get one caller and the flop is 7 high rags.  I decide to check, thinking I can rep AK-AJ on later streets given the right card and he checks behind.  The turn brings a 9 giving me the open ended straight draw plus one over to the board.  I check, and he bets out about half the pot.  I can’t figure out what he could have called a raise with, so I guess at a small pair thinking they are now safe against bigger pairs so I re-raise him 2.5x his bet (I forget the amounts).  He instantly mucks and I think it was the break that did it.  He claimed a 7 when he came back from the break after realising I was probably bluffing.

I don’t see a hand for a long time and end up in survival mode.  We get to 34 players left, and I’m down to 14k as blind get to 3k/6k and 1k antes.  I’m very tired after the coach journey and see bad hand after bad hand. When it folds to the small blind who shoves, I decide that with 8k behind I have to defend my blind and call with 9 10.  He shows K 6 and for once I hit a 10 on the turn.  Not really a bad beat, since 9 10 holds up pretty well against a K high type hand but it improves me to 40k.

We have another break, and Mrs NoMoreFaith.. having busted early in the tournament is now.. very.  Very. Very.  Merry.  She is also attempting to steal a wine glass in a casino with more cameras than god.  I decide this is a bad idea for her to get kicked out of the poker club, and try to pull it out of her shirt.

The glass of course shatters in my hands shredding my left hand and it starts bleeding out of several places.  With 6 minutes of break left I desperately try to get her to promise to have nothing more to drink and go to the bathroom to try and stem my bleeding hand.  I apologise for grabbing the glass, since that’s my fault really, I should have just asked her to take it out in the bathroom herself instead of trying to pull it out.

Upon leaving some irish guy arrives with a glass of wine for her!  I daren’t ask, but figure if she ordered it before, theres no point it going to waste either!

I forget the hand now, (tired) but I doubled up to bring me to 100k.  I make my first mistake with A9s when UTG goes all in.  He previously showed 78s when he did this before, and I like my chances with A9s and reraise to isolate.  He shows AK and I’m back to the grind survival with 50k.  Blinds go up to 8k/16k and 2k ante’s and I’m in real trouble.  I survive for a while until the bubble busts thanks to KK but I only get the blinds for my trouble, and find myself shorter and shorter stacked.

Around the final tables, there are a couple of large cardboard sponsor boards with metal uprights looming over us.  At this point Mrs NoMoreFaith tries to take some photos, since I would like a photo of me playing poker, and bumps the sponsorship board. 

The board starts to topple, people scream, the players turn in horror to see the board start to lean over the table threatening to smash players and chips into oblivion.  I thank god for the first time in my life as she manages to grab and save it at the last moment.  

This is probably the toughest table I’ve ever played, highly sensitive blind stealing, resteals, value shoves, and all whilst my hand is bleeding and the wife is staggering around the room threatening to wreck the place and get herself barred for life.  I’m struggling to maintain composure.

Its 12:30am eventually when I lose my mind and try to steal the blinds with 10 5 offsuit with 28k all in.  The Big blind is stacked and only has to call 12k more to call and he does so with an A6o.  Terrible Decision, even if it worked, so I’m out but win £50 for 14^th.  As usual, it only takes one mistake to lose a tournament, but otherwise I played very well in this event.  I wish I could blame the misdemeanours of Mrs NoMoreFaith, but the blame was mine, I wasn’t thinking about her at that moment, focused on the game, and it was me who made the mistake.  But maybe I should keep the excuse in backup someday :D

Time for some drinks and finally some FOOD, I have had nothing since 1.30pm.  I don’t like eating in the middle of the tournament unless its fruit or something that won’t sit heavy.  Mrs NoMoreFaith has sobered up a teensy bit (at least enough to be slightly embarrassed) and we head back to the hotel to sleep before the main event tomorrow

Continued…

Redtooth Regional Finals - Circus Casino Sunday 10th April 2011

I qualified from the local pub league, in spectacular fashion, inching into 2^nd place on the last session and made it through the the Regional Finals held at Circus Casino in Newcastle City Centre.  

The Mrs, had to watch kids so I was there alone, until Tony the league winner finally turned up.  He was so nervous about being late that he turned up an hour early and had to leave again until they were ready to register!

A free buffet was provided for players which consisted of Curry Sauce and Rice (with hint of suspicious chicken bits), Watery Spaghetti Bolognese, or jacket potato with beans or tuna.   I opted for the potato and tuna, being the least suspicious looking food and ate half of it before giving up.  I understand that Circus casinos carpet is ugly, but after finishing the food I wondered if the pattern was just stained from punters heaving up the food.

We kicked off with the trophys being presented, so I gave a little whoop for Tony considering the lacklustre polite clapping and boredom most of the room was facing, and before we know it we shuffled up and dealt and I’m sitting at the same table as Tony.

We start with 5000 chips and 25/50 blinds.  First hand I’m dealt is in the small blind with pocket 10’s and under the gun +3 raises up to 150.  I call out of position with the pocket 10’s, feeling it was too early to start a raising war against an unknown player.  The flop came 3 J 4 rainbow, and UTG+3 continues his preflop raise with another to 200.  AJ is always a possibility so a call and reevaluate on the turn.  The turn brings another Jack, making AJ far less likely.  I play the turn badly and check, and allow him to check behind.  This wasn’t too bright.  He would checks with nothing, and he would call with trip jacks.  So what have I learnt from checking? Zero.  I’m saved with a 10 on the river giving me a full house and I screw up again by making a pot sized raise of around 750.  He instantly mucks.  But at least I safely survive the first hand!

I have no idea what he was holding, but from future play I wouldn’t be surprised if something like Ace 8, A9 type hand was his holding.  I still probably got as much as I was getting, but I prefer a small bet on the turn to establish his hand and defend my 2 pair, jacks and tens against KQ etc. hitting the river.

I continue to play tight, but pick up a few blinds with late position raises and get up to 7100 chips by the first break (in the meantime losing vs a short stack with JJ vs his KQ.  I win with JJ vs AQ (Q flopped, turned a J.. phew)).  After another couple of blinds however, at 500/1000 blinds I’ve managed to work my way to 29k.  I try to abuse my stack stupidly and lose 15k again thou when my raises get re-raised or shoved on, and I go back to working the shove fold shortstack strategy.

With the blinds at 1000/2000 I am moved to another table, and people start dropping out at a huge rate while I sit and survive, survive, survive while I go card dead.  With 30k chips and blinds 3000/6000 I manage to make a big move with A8 vs a limped pot from the CO and Button.  The button tanked before mucking K6 suited.  I lol’d a bit inside considering how tight I was playing and how strong I represented by shoving into that situation.  He still wanted to rabbit hunt and my A8 would have held.

Shortly again I am moved tables and the blinds 5000/10000 and set to work stealing blinds pushing myself up to 73k and down to the final 16 players out of 153.  The fold/fold/fold/fold/shove/fold/fold/fold/fold/shove works out, excepting my only real hand being A10s six handed, which I min raise to 20k, get a call from the big blind, and flop comes 9 9 7, he checks, and I shove winning the pot. Not long after the blinds go to 10k/20k and 12 players remaining.  This is a problem now.  With even the chip leader of the tournament having no more than 11 big blinds we are in major shove fest territory and blind stealing is going to be a lot more difficult.  

We survive another few hands whilst I drop to 43k thanks to the blinds and having no opportunity to steal when the final table is called while 4 handed (final table is last 8 and qualification to nationals is top 7).  I have 72o in the small blind and the big blind looks happy to make the final table…….. except he hasn’t yet has he.  With the rest of my table already getting up to congratulate themselves on the final table, I can’t think of a better spot to pick up some dead money and shove on the big blind.  He mucks instantly flashing 62o.  Who knew I had him dominated!

The final table and I’m 2^nd short stacked when I pick up AA on my second hand.  UTG+1 shoves allin so I tank to try for a bit more action and call.  No action and he tables A9 and looks disgusted at my AA.  What can you do.

This chips me up to 190k and I have a blind stealing stack again with 25k short of a third of the chips in play.  With such excessive blinds the clock had been reset on this level and people drop out very fast.  We are down to 3 very sharp, I have the short stack with about 150k and the other 2 players playing quite timidly.  This is perfect for me, so I get to steal blinds.  Except one instance where I call, and we check it down to the river.  I bet the river with air and he folds.  Not really well played as I could have taken it earlier with less risk and river bets are suspicious always like that.

Suddenly a shove from the guy on my left gets called by the girl opposite tabling JJ.  They hold up, I’m afraid I don’t recall what he had and we go heads up.  The girl I noted is playing her hands ultra straight forward but has 530k to my 210k more than double my stack.

I start off aggressively and work up to 260k quickly, raising most buttons, and if called raising flop and taking it down, but I’m sure she will be waiting to trap and watch for her playing back.  She does so after I limp from the small blind with 83o and the flop comes down 8h 4s 2c.  Top pair looks good and I raise 40k into the pot of 80k.  She moves all-in almost instantly and I have my first big heads up decision.  She’s folded over and over again to aggression, and I don’t think she makes this move unless she has something.  In a flop like this.. that something I can only put her on is another 8 with a better kicker.  I show the 8 and fold (stupid.. don’t let people know you’ll fold top pair to a shove idiot).  She claims an 8 herself but doesn’t show.  Right or Wrong, I was winning so much without showdown that it felt like a bad spot to gamble.   I steal a couple more and don’t hit many flops.  I hit two pair, check flop, bet turn and she folds but that was just standard for almost every hand whether I had something or not.

I work up to about 450k to her 300k when the biggest hand so far comes up.  The blinds are now 40k/80k so no room for manoeuvre, but I pick up A8o from the small blind.  I raise to 100k and she moves all in.  I don’t like having to call against a tight player, but she has to be desperate now and she can’t just call and fold flop now.  I make the call and she tables Queen 3 offsuit (Q3o).

It was always going to be a 60/40 situation like this and I’m glad I’m the 60! Unfortunately a flopped Q devastates my hopes of taking down the tournament and after all the hard work I’m down to 150k. 

The next hand she puts me all in and there is not reason not to call with 89o considering I have less than 1 big blind behind! And 89 holds up against a wide range of hands too.  Fate is with her and she tables K8 suited leaving me to draw to a 9 that I know will never come.

So out in 2^nd place but £200 richer and qualified for the Nationals.  Good day, but can’t help but wistfully think of what happens if Ace Eight can beat Queen Three ONE TIME!

One Time.  But then… there is the National Finals in Nottingham to sort out first.  Low and behold.. £200 pays for a coach and the hotel for two nights.  With food, drinks and taxi’s there… its almost –EV (negative expected value, a decision that results in a loss of money in the long run) but you can’t pass up an opportunity like that.