Macau Classic

I had a pretty tough starting table for a €550 event with Jim Fennell, Jason Tompkins Alex Lopez Alex Ferguson & a few other good players on it. I had arrived late but got my stack from 20k starting up to a healthy 35k in less than an hour, then just as quick I went back to 8k. Never really did a lot wrong to be honest, just kept ending up with the wort hand when it mattered. I finished the day with 21.5k which was acceptable after being pretty low at times.

Day two was pretty uneventful for me, I nicked a few blinds and then got it in soooo bad with 7d8d on a 5d4dXxQx board v AdQd. He pretty much had the only two card's I was afraid off....nh...wp. I didn't stick around and missed a big session with the lads for Richie Lawlors birthday, its becoming a bit of a theme latley....me missing big sessions...and I don't seem to be loosing chunks is drunk cash games? maybe there is a connection.


I put in a few more hours online cash and had my  first loosing session in a while, this is no brag I can tell you because my win rate per hour has been lower than the guy serving you your kebab after a night out. After going through some of the hands I defiantly not winning my fair share of flips but its a very small sample size to date, I'm sure it will turn around.


Next live event is the Unibet Open in Citywest, this is a great addition to the poker calendar as the €1k+ buyin tournaments become scarce. They are hoping for 250+ runners, they will be doing well to get them in my opinion, time will tell.

Edinburgh

Busted early in the Edinburgh leg of the UKIPT which was pretty crap but I was in Edinburgh and the Fringe Festival was in full swing so I could be in worse spots!!


One of the characters of Irish poker Fintan Gavin smashed up the field and scooped the lot winning the tournament and the £71k that came with it. The worst bad beat I had was re booking my flight home for Sunday so I missed the party after, I believe it was super.  

On the town with Richie Lawlor

With so much live poker on at the moment and because of a few things I'm involved in I have not been playing online much at all but played a few small sessions on Three Kings Poker this week. I have not played great but have not had a loosing session yet which is a good sign. I plan on building up the hours I'm playing, in the past I have not played for days and then played 20hour sessions which clearly not the best strategy. Usually the last 5 or 6 hours would not be great for me. I'm trying to use the head a bit more and have imposed some rules for myself, historically I'm not great with rules so we'll see hoe that goes.


Also managed to finish second in the PLO in Macau on Wednesday night. I went short early but rallied a bit then with 7 players left I lost a big pot I probably should not have been in and I was left with 4500 with the blinds 500-1k. I was also on the small blind. The tightest player on the table opened and I folded, not sure if thats the right fold mathematically going from 4.5bb to 4bb but what ever it worked out. Next hand I get AAXXss and get it in 3 ways and hold 2 hands later I win a big pot when I jam over a pot bet with 2 callers with 7d8d JhQh and the original raiser sticks it in with KdQd 10h9h and I win.


I then had a enough chips to steel a lot and when I hit the odd big hand I got paid a lot. I ended up heads up with Alex Lopez who in my opinion was the best player at the table. We chopped it and played for €200 and the trophy, upped the blinds a bit but it was clear we both wanted it. Anyway he took it down and I get another 2nd on the Hendon Mob ....sigh.


Going back to Cork today so after breaking my Macau duck I hope another cash will be in order.

EMOP Dublin

My first festival as a "sponsored" player did not go as I had planed it out in my head, however it was a great success for the Entraction network and the organisers getting over 300 players for the 1k main event.


I decided to play day 1a and got a decent table draw with the only person I knew being Fergal Nealon who was 2 seats to my right which is the right place to have him!! He got off to a great start and made a big call against a player sitting between us with a house when there was 4 cards to a straight flush out. Roll on 20 minutes and I'm facing the same player with a decision for my tournament life and he is giving off all the same signals as he was when he tried to bluff Fergal. I call his shove with KK and he shows 10J on a 10 7 3 flop. J on the turn and its out the door for me.


I returned on Saturday for the €300 & Sunday for a sat to Barcelona EMOP and the only bit of luck I had was swapping well with the same Fergal as he won a package after we had swapped 25%.


I don't think I can make the next one in Barcelona but I'll be doing my best to play the final (still not announced) and hopefully play the full schedule next year.