With the PokerNews Cup now upon us, this weekend was my last chance to play before we start working.
I packed my car full with shoes, hats, clothes and everything in between before driving up the highway to Geelong. My first stop was at my cousin’s house in Yarraville to pick up his spare key I was going to be staying there while working the PokerNews Cup.
Taking my seat in the freeroll I sat down with $325 worth of green 25-denomination chips just in case I felt like rebuying . . . thirteen times that is!
I chipped up quite quickly before losing a race and was forced to rebuy. Nothing happened for the next umpteenth hands until we hit the end of the rebuy period. I did a triple rebuy for $75 and saw my stack increase to just on 6,000 which was roughly average.
As the 206-player field was cut down to below 80 I began accumulating thanks to a player donating his chips with eights to my Queens. Now up to 14,000, and then 16,000, the imaginary heaven to land phone rang . . .
“Hi Tim, this is God again. How have you been mate? Enough of the small talk . . . I think it’s greedy of you wanting a second PokerNews Cup seat and consequently have decided to flick the doomswitch on you . . . talk soon mate!”
Sitting with double average chips at the 500-1000 level, an old Asian donk limped under the gun (with only 2,600 behind), as did some weak-tight lady from middle position, before I made it 4,000 from the button with Ace-Jack. The blinds passed but the rest of the old Asian donk’s chips went into the middle with King-Queen as the old lady folded. Queen on the flop and that was that . . . well until two hands later some random donk shipped it with Ace-Five and I re-shipped with Ace-Queen. Of course a five fell on the flop, and even though I turned a flush draw, I still lost and slipped to 6k.
I found a double with Aces against Kings before doubling up the big blind when I opened to 2,200 from the button with
J♠
10♠ and was forced to call an additional 3,000. He flopped an Ace and I was back to just over 6k. Next hand someone open shipped with
A♥
8♥ and I snapped with Kings; only to see me exit in 35th place when an Ace landed on the river.
* * * * * * * *
I played some $2-3NLH once the Grand Final was wrapped up by the cats and profited $92 after being up $205 at one point.
Using the Phase Two ticket I had won on my last visit to Crown, I took to the felt with around 100 others. I turned middle set first hand to take a nice pot down until losing a big one holding
A♠
10♠. With three limpers for 100, I called before the player on my left made it 200. Everyone called to see a ten-high flop fall and the action checked round to the preflop raiser who made it 200 to go once again. Everyone folded to me and I made the call to peel one street just in case he actually had something better then top pair.
The turn landed another ten and I fired out 600. He tank-called to see an eight land on the river and an all-in bet follow from me once I saw that he only had 1,700 left. About two minutes went pass before he made the call – and after I tabled my top trips – he slammed down his rivered set of eights . . . WTF!?!?!?
I was unable to grab one of the nine seats up for grabs when I shoved 10bbs with Ace-Jack and got called by Ace-Queen.
With word of a home game, I decided to venture out to Kew as the night was still young.
The game was 25c-25c round of each, and after being down to $12 from my original $100 buy-in I eventually cashed out for $105 courtesy to a great Omaha Hi-Lo orbit.
2am read the clock, and time it was for bed as the game broke and I headed back to Yarraville for the night.
* * * * * * * *
Waking up bright and early I headed to crown to play in the PokerNews Cup Event 1: $230 No Limit Holdem $75,000 Guarantee.
Even though I arrived forty minutes early there was a line that stretched at least sixty people long when I hit the back of it.
Once I was finally registered I took my seat in the 465-player field. With only a 4,000-chip starting bank and a fairly fast structure I decided that I was going to take a solid and tight approach until I could amass some kind of stack . . . only problem was that I wouldn’t even have a chance to get near a stack!
For the ninety minutes that I was in the tournament I only played two hands. I lost half my stack holding
9♥
9♦ in the big blind when my lone opponent turn a gutshot wheel against me. Then during the 75-150 level I opened to 375 with
A♠
Q♠ and was put all in by my opponent from the previous hand from out of the big blind. I tossed in my last 1,500, but made my way out of the tournament in 380th place when his pockets flopped a set.
I quickly gamboooled away $200 on a $2-3NLH table – gamble being just an understatement as I saw my original $200 soar to $300 before straddling and blind betting my way to the felt- before taking my seat in Event 2: $115 Deepstack PokerPro.
Everyone started with a 25,000-chip starting bank, and after triple-barrelling Andrew ‘Adgee’ Jeffreys with
A♠
10♠ on a
Q♣
8♣
3♣
5♣
K♠ board I was up to 33,000 after Adgee reluctantly folded a pair and I tabled my bluff.
Nothing really eventuated as both Adgee and I, along with Dennis Huntly, exchanged banter until Adgee fell and then Huntly.
I would eventually perish in 23rd place of the 90 starters when I shoved 61,000 at 3,000-6,000 with
10♣
10♠ and ran into an opponent’s
Q♦
Q♠. He flopped top set, I turned a flush draw, but made yet another early tournament exit.
Food . . . bed . . . then a long night of poker-based thinking ahead!
