I posted something on Facebook a few days ago to see if I could drum up some interest in a stake for the Event 6: $1,100 HORSE . . . and thanks to the support of a few close mates I managed to find a seat in the event.

Before testing my mixed game skills I decided that I should flaunt my media pass and attend the 10am DeucesCracked HORSE seminar . . . and boy was it worth it!

The attendance was poor with only Kerry Stead and I awakening from our slumber to make the trip to the Crown Promenade meeting rooms, but this basically meant that both him and I got tens of thousands of dollars worth of one-on-one poker tuition.

Joe Tall and Chuck ‘danzasmack’ Danielsson were the hosts, but Brian Roberts, DeathDonkey, Entity and a few others were there contributing. All in all I learnt a huge amount during the two hours with both my Omaha Hi-Lo and Stud Hi-Lo games reaping the most reward before making my way down to the poker room.

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With a 10,000-chip starting bank and 30-minute levels, the structure was still fairly fast.

I took the blinds with eights before winning a sizable pot holding A♦ Q♦ in the big blind after four players saw a flop of A♣ Q♣ 5♠ in a single-raised pot. I checked, the raiser bet, two folds, I raised, he re-raised and I called to see the 8♦ land on the turn. I check-raised again, but he just called before the K♣ came on the river and we both checked. He flashed an Ace and mucked as the game switched to Omaha Hi-Lo.

I flopped the second-nut book holding A♠ Q♠ J♦ 2♦ and got a few streets of value against 10♦ 10♣-x-x on a A♦ Q♦ Q♣ 10♠ 6♠ board against Tim ‘TurnRiva’ Marsters to move to over 13,000.

I bricked out in Razz before my 10♦ 10♣ / 2♠- 10♠- 5♥- 4♦ / K♦ found seven streets of value against split Aces in Stud.

Once we were back in Holdem I played an awful hand holding top pair against two flushes before losing the first pot in Omaha Hi-Lo to drop to 8k before quickly mounting a comeback to move up to 11k and then 15k.

After returning from the first break I was moved to the feature table that included Graeme ‘Kiwi G’ Putt, Richard Holmes, Jan Suchanek and Eric Assadourian. Nothing exciting eventuated on that table before I was again moved to a table featuring Mel Judah, Steve Topakas and Rob ‘JacksonTens’ Campbell.

I then managed to eliminated Topakas during Omaha Hi-Lo when my A♣ J♣ J♠ 2♠ cracked his A♠ A♦ 10♦ 2♥ on a board that ran out K♣ 9♣ K♦ 6♣ J♥ after all the money went in on the turn.

My newly found chips would soon find a way to vacate my stack and find a home in other players when – during the last four hands of Stud – I was forced to bring-in every time. The final hand saw me begin with A♣ J♥ / 2♠ and when two players just called I caught another deuce as we all checked before I caught an Ace. Bet, I raise, all in, fold, I call and was up against a very well hidden rolled up Jacks and was never able to improve. The next hand saw me bring-in once again – this time in Stud Hi-Lo – and I open completed for my last 700.

I managed to make two-pair and a low draw against a bigger two-pair, but when my sixth and seventh streets bricked out, I hit the rail in 38th place out of the 91 starters.

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I felt I played very well – and this was without a doubt courtesy of the DeucesCracked seminar – but was just plain unlucky when the structure quickened up.

A couple of cooler hands and I was out . . . pretty simple . . . but it happens.

Thanks once again to the guys that threw their support and moolah behind me.