"Good Experience for the Lad"

After a decent run for the last week and a bit, i found myself at the Grosvenor once again on friday night trying my hand at the £2k GTD £20 Freezeout. Knowing i'd been getting results all over the shop, i knew my run would come to an end sooner or later.

That wasn't to be the case though as right from the off i flop the nuts 3 times in a row. I laugh when Nixon tells me "you're not supposed to be sat there, i want a ruling" after i tell him im only on this table because someone else is sat in my seat. I manage to finish 5th for £160, the details of how this happened are somewhat forgotten if im honest, the reasons for this i will explain in a bit.

So, that's now 5 final tables out of 6.. and the (now expected) end to my run, nowhere in sight.

If it was going to end anywhere, it was likely to be in the game where i could potentially win the most.. Saturday's £75 game @ Aspers.

The writing was on the wall when i run QQ into AA nice and early and lose 6 thousand, which isn't great for the confidence in such a large field (139 runners). Feeling short stacked i try to put things into perspective telling myself i still have 30 big blinds to work with, so no reason to panic. Despite this i change gears a little and fire 3 bullets having limped with pocket 4s UTG to take a nice pot from the hands of it's rightful owner, Bob Mercer, who blatantly had top pair, but couldn't find the courage to call on the river. He later told me that if i'd just shoved, he snap calls.. but as i made what looked like a nice value bet, he found a reason to fold.

So, back up to 14k at this point and im feeling a little better about the situation, being 2k in profit. On my first table saw Bob the Gob, Dave 'Singstar' Mount and Nathan 'Tilt-o-man' Raymond-Hope amongst others. Had a great laugh with Farmer Dave as he randomly bursts into song every 5 minutes, from Motown to Funky House, he does the lot. He's available for Weddings at weekends i think, give him a bell.

I build my stack up to about 36k but unfortunately this was to be my peak chips for what felt like (and actually was) the next 10hrs. Players fall all around me and it wasn't until local BlackBelt boy Jon Lundy moves to my table very late on that i actually find a hand worthy of playing. Needless to say Jon has already opened the pot 3 and a half big blinds by the time i look down at KK and i repop him on the button to 9k. After a rare Lundy check i shove the Jack high flop, trying to seem as weak as possible, but he eventually sniffs out the strength of my hand and folds.

Down to the last 2 tables and the cards flatline once again and the blinds begin to do their work, crippling me.. with blinds at 2 and 4k i'm down to 15 thousand and i'm just looking for a reason to get them in the middle, preferrably first if i could. But with Jon's raising range being bigger than the fcking cardroom, it was to prove a tough task.

I pass UTG with absolute rubbish, knowing the big blind is next, and ill probably need to call off my chips with ATC here, until Ryan ships me over to the other table. Sitting down in the big blind i look down at AQ, a sight for sore eyes having looked at garbage for what felt like forever. Brilliant, here we go.. someone is going to steal in late position here and im gonna get a timely double up. Things never go to plan it seems, and i get my first walk of the night, belting! Just what i wanted. With a shake of my head we carry on, and i look down at QQ in the small blind and one way or another double up to 30k+. The very next hand on the button i look down at 77 and find a nice raise from the guy in the hijack seat.. another shove from me is called with the words "Well i dont think you can win two flips in a row" and he shows AK. Clearly not knowing he's messing with the flipking i decide "Do you not know who i am" would go down quite well at this point.. He bricks the 3 4 5 flop but hits his king on the turn to crush my hopes to tiny little pieces, only to see a 6-bomb slapped on the river, shipping the pot my way with a 7 high straight.

Up to 75k+ now and i've bought myself plenty of time to find myself some cards worth playing. Down to 14 players and im dealt JJ in early position. A hefty raise gets through and show announcing "this is bottom of my range right now" as we approached the bubble. 1 orbit later i look down at AA and bump it up to 4x the blinds, only for the guy in the next seat to say "bottom of your range eh?.. i'm all-in".. i take a quick peek at his stack and he must easily have 70k and his shove is music to my ears. I tell him "definitely bottom of my range" and call. He shows AK and i double through once again getting myself up to 140k, which as it happens, was final table average chips.

The hands i was getting at this point were becoming sick. Another all-in from someone with 70k on big blind and Dorothy (Littlewood, who was dealing) asks if i need a count.. having not looked at my cards i say "uhh ill tell you in a second" only to look down at AA. i laugh a little saying "I don't need a count, i call" and add another 70k to my stack as another player hits the rail.

Up to over 200k now and i'm just looking to get my arse on the final table if im honest, shutting down completely. It took some time and by the time the bubble bursts i'm down to 140k again, having gone through the blinds twice, and saw a steal gone wrong being met with some heavy resistance.

The final table is a bit of a blur, apart from doubling up Stumpy when i wake up with QQ (in the big blind, again!) after he pushes with A5 on the button. First card out? Ace.. fcking brilliant.

Players begin to self-destruct and i ladder up to 7th and find myself relatively short stacked, still with only about 100k i move in with pocket 8s after Jamie Dale raises in mid position. Expecting a call i'm over the moon when he shows pocket 7s and i double through to over 200k.

The next hand of note being KK in the small blind (How many premiums have i had at this point? i've lost count). It folds around to me and i raise, hoping the big blind thinks im just taking his blind from him and he shoves for about 160k i think. I snap and he shows AJ. For the past 2 weeks my KK/QQ has been no good versus any ace and i say "please, this time.." begging for a much needed hold. A king on the flop all but seals the deal, and quads on the river gets my stack up to about 400k and i'm sitting comfortably once again, sending 4th place to the rail.

Down to 3 now and we are all about even in chips. A chop is discussed but Paul Gardener, after some thought, decides against it, saying "it'll be good experience for the lad".. which indeed it was.

I move up a gear or two, raising with pretty much an picture card i received, and the 4th raise i make in a row sees Stephen Sung finally lose his patience. He calls my raise slamming his chips on the table. I have K8 suited at this point and we see a flop of 3 4 K which seems pretty safe for my hand. I make what looks like a 60k c-bet hoping Stephen is still a bit hot headed, and quite predictably he shoves for 300k more. I call fairly quickly and he shows 10 3 off for bottom pair, and once again i somehow hold to take a 2-1 chip lead into the heads-up battle.

Sticking to the same strategy, raising pretty much any hand i wanted to play i finally see Paul lose his patience too when his badly timed pre-flop shove runs into my QQ. This could be it.. he shows 89 and flops top pair on an 8 high flop, only to river a 9 and i double him up.. with a shake of my head the rail, (consisting of Buzz, SamJ, GazWalker, Imi, the Aspers Valet and part time railer Farmer Dave made an appearance before heading off home) tried to keep my spirits up and we go at it once again. Slowly getting the chip lead back i raise with pocket 9s to see Paul shove once again. I snap call for him to show pocket 3s and i think this has to be the end this time.. one time! The three in the flop crushes my hopes once again and i have to go for a short walk away from the table as i begin to realise why this man refused a chop.

Ultimately, it came down to K2 suited. We see a AKJ flop, 3 on the turn and a 2 on the river. Paul has check called all the way to the river but now fires out. This being my one regret, i shove having just made kings-up, hoping he's slow played an ace, which he's done numerous times, but to my horror he snap calls showing 54 for a wheel. I close my eyes and my thoughts spill out.. "are you the luckiest man alive?" with a shake of my head.

That was to be the end, he has me covered and the niceties are exchanged, well played, good game. I was truely over the moon with what was a £2300 2nd place, but couldn't help but feel robbed of first place..

By this time it was nearly 9am, but a stuffed wallet more than makes up for being in some sort of a semi-coma like state.

So that made 6 out of 7 final tables in nearly 2 weeks, and the best was saved for last, ending the weekend £2500 in profit. I might have a week off work.