A fun Tournament. For obvious reasons, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Right up until the last hand. Although that holds true for everyone except the winner. But then I enjoy them when I crash and burn early, too.
I enjoy SPTs more than any other UK Tournaments.
Both because of the Sky Regs, new and old. And the Teekster.
A fun Tournament. For obvious reasons, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Right up until the last hand. Although that holds true for everyone except the winner. But then I enjoy them when I crash and burn early, too.
I enjoy SPTs more than any other UK Tournaments.
Both because of the Sky Regs, new and old. And the Teekster.
Well what a tournament! This one had been on my calander all year since i took the 5.5hr trip to Brighton earlier in the year and had a ticket left over.
I arrived in Manchester on the Thursday, going for a meal with family and headed for a few beers later in Deansgate. This soon got out of control, off to manchester 235 we went to get used to the place. We head to the bar and see that James Martin?! the chef is upstairs giving a talk. There i am in a stained pair of black trousers and a bright orange hoodie trying to get up the stairs to see whats going on when we are stopped by a lady who gave us the most of what my gf describes "Disney refusal" ever with a big grin on her face. Defeated we head to the BlackJack felt and proceed to win a few hands which pays for the rest of the beer. Feeling a bit waved at this point we head off to the hotel feeling good and full of beer.
Friday, Day 1 of the SPT Manchester
After a walk about and breakfast life was a big sluggish compared to the day prior for obvious reasons. I eventually get myself sorted and walk down to the casino for 4pm, distracted by the brewdog inn its clear that hair of the dog is in order i leave my gf and have my "get ready" beer and hip-hop on the go! This is a ritual before live poker, for some reason i get horrendously nervous even though ive played many big tournaments over my career but i guess each day is different.
I arrive at the casino and get myself signed in. Go to the cash desk to find out that i am alternate number 1. A good turnout i think, alas an excuse to go to the bar! At the bar i order and i pick up a dodgy looking penny on the floor, its battered and could do with a home, plus ive heard its lucky to find a penny and i could do with it this weekend! Next thing you know im called on the tanoy before i can even take a sip of my beer. Its as if i went to the bar for that penny alone.
Poker i get sat down next to NatNug i say hello and he asks me if i sattied in.. i shift my eyes a bit and i say no.... did you? He says yes and after a bit of holding back we both tell eachother our screenames and im thinking for gods sake how do i get sat next to this guy instantly!
Day 1 went fairly smooth with a huge double up with KK vs AK at bb300. Another hand chrisdonk isolates a limper and i go crazy for some reason with K8of clubs after saying im not letting a man from paris get away with this as he was wearing a Paris branded top (wtf was i on about? lol)
I open AA, a chap calls the BTN and Chris calls the BB. Flop is J97 with 2 hearts. I decide i need to bet to protect as there are alot of hands that can improve with a free card, the button calls and to my surprise chris raises. Now im in a Chip sandwich with the best hand in poker on a bluergh board with chris has all the 2pairs and straights. I disciplinly let my hand go into the muck and see the button call, the turn is a 5 changes nothing! Chris goes allin for a pot size bet! im glad i folded now... must be beat! button umms and arrs for 5 mins and calls with 75s for two pair! i cant believe hes shown up with this, chris has the semi bluff pair and straight draw and hits the straight on the river to bust him. People really do play too many hands from the button, ah i guess it saved my chips in this instance.
Later on in the day 1 there are some crazy guys sat my table making huge opens and crazy bluffs, the name of the game here is to find a hand and get some value! Well that happens nicely i wake up with JJ in the BB and a player opens i make a 3b, he calls once and gives up the turn. Phew i actually took it down with Jacks! Next thing you know we are bagging up for day 2 with 91,500. A few hellos round the club and im off to bed.
Saturday - day off woohoo! Its always nice on these trips just to make the Day2 instantly on your first bullet in order to have a free day inbetween!It was match day in the city and absoloutely rammed.. i was shattered but hey were in manchester and might aswell go see something, we head off to the Imperial war museum. It was alriiight i mean its a museum, i like the WW2 era stuff cos thats what im most familiar with modern war is a bit eurgh for lack of a better word, bring back swords i say..
Some how in the evening i get convinced to go to a rock gig and next thing you know i am drunk again (lol)... Now im the one keeping the night going after the gig which ends with a therapy session at 3am with the toilet bowl which wasnt the most considerate therapist ever at that hour.
Not sure how im alive at this point, alot of alcohol consumed, this was supposed to be a poker trip god **** it!! Trying to remmeber all the pots is proving difficult, i will say my hooded persona attracted (they laughed at first) some attention. A young poker player with an ego was trying to battle me with too wide of a range, he was inexperienced but put up a good fight luckily for me i won most of the pots without getting into an ego battle.
On the bubble there was an altercation at another table where they were paused for 10-20 mins and a player on my table wanted them to pause the clock in order to increase his chances of making said money. I had a big stack and had the opposite mentality, therefore when people were blantantly taking extra time on their decisions i would give them 1min and call "clock" mainly as a joke. A player on my table did not like this one little bit and called the etiquette card on me. Now i may have been doing something that is frowned upon but that same player was trying to pause the game on this table alone esssentially doing the same thing. In my opinion on the bubble, etiquette can go out the window. If im in his spot im taking the max amount of time to increase my chances and vice versa.
Flatting AK vs a squeeze.
Ok,Ok now the money is starting to get to me! I flat AK vs an early opener and a player re raises behind! the original guy just calls and i should CLEARLY jam here, ive set up the spot in this way that im almost trapping with AK. I dont - i just flat. LUCKY ME it checks down 3 way for 3 streets and my AK high is good vs the 3bettors AQ. i recieve some flack for this at the table, all i can say is i have emotion and im not a robot
Winning small all ins Running good doesnt always mean getting AA vs KK. It can mean simply holding when u have to call off 7bb jams from button in bb with the likes of A4 off suit.. Stuff like this happened.
Running into AKss with AKo and the flop is 2 spades, well this one already felt dirty but there was nothing i could do he 3b me off a short stack, you hate it but you gotta put the chips in. Running into the same hand is great but when u see those spades i just look up at the sky and pray! Thankfully he did not hit his spade.
FT bubble (10 left) i just maintain my stack.. we go for break and i find out that ive made the final table!!! some guy busts as were on break that takes loads of pressure off as these affairs can last some time ramping up variance when playing 5 handed short stack poker.
The Final Table.
First hand i find is KQo i min off my measly 17bb stack and find 2 calls with a KQx flop WOOHOO i HIT... haha, i bet and get two massively slow folds. looks like everyone is putting their thinking cap on. Straight after i pick up AKhh and min open.. i hear the dreaded words.... "ALL-IN" For gods sake, cant i just open and take the blinds? were 3 hands in i wanna enjoy this moment.. Alas i MUST call this spot, we block AA KK and flip vs all pairs, we also dominate AQ and AJ that MIGHT shove... I call and this time im actually watching the runout... brick brick KING! LFG HOLD im screaming in my head!! HOLD. it holds and i celebrate loudly in silence under the table as not to hurt my opponents feelings too much. #
Great, ive got chips now! I can play some hands woohoo, the next hand i open KTs and find the scary european chip leader re-raises me... Well thats me back in my box.. gotta fold, no way i can take a marginal defend with shorter stacks.
The chip leader turned out to be crazy!!!! His biggest pot was that he opened KTo got a flat in the small on J9x he bets and gets raised, he then puts the player all in!! the guy tanks for around 10 mins and calls it off with J9, a clear call but in theses situations youve gotta be sure.
Hes no longer the chip leader and not quite as scary hehe.
We get to 3 handed and i find KQcc in the BB to bust 3rd places AQo.
Heads up
We discuss to deal as it was my biggest ever cash for a good while, reducing variance for heads up as its massive.
I was winning at one point but stupidly bluffed off a huge pot to 2pair! I made a mistake calling turn with 95cc on 57JK6 and turned my hand into a all in bluff trying to rep 98 He unfortunately called with two pair (K6)
Couldnt get it going after that and ran KQcc into AQ again and did not win.
GG i finished in 2nd place with a HUGE smile on my face, off to the bar to buy all the sky poker guys a round!
The next few days were filled with all sorts of emotions, should i have won? Is this real? Did i dream this?
Alas its all settled in now and were back to the beautiful poker grind that i love.
Great write-up Vertigo, enjoyed that. Poker tournaments are a mass of different people all having their little story and normally we only really know what is going on with our one. If I see you around during the December one I'll now probably assume you have a massive hangover.
Comments
That's it, I'm outa here, night all.
@tai-gar
Yes, I think you are right, lesson learned there for next time. And so much easier than typing, they tell the story much better than I can.
Was good to meet you at last.
I'm sorry to say I only have the payouts for the Final Table. Sorry.
@IVIystical
Hi Sam, was just so good to see you, Pippa & your beautiful 8 week old daughter.
PS - & I see you cashed in last night's Major too. WAL
8th: James Platt £2,280
7th: Lin Fanning £2,880
6th: Elliott Miller £3,560
5th @Essexphil £4,235
4th William Mcmurray £5,325
3rd: Ionut Dumitrana £7,235
2nd: Joshua Jones £11,000
1st Danny Chapman £14,370
I enjoy SPTs more than any other UK Tournaments.
Both because of the Sky Regs, new and old. And the Teekster.
Thanks @MAXALLY
Thanks Phil @Essexphil
Quite a weekend, one way & another, eh? Tremendous result, very well done.
I arrived in Manchester on the Thursday, going for a meal with family and headed for a few beers later in Deansgate. This soon got out of control, off to manchester 235 we went to get used to the place. We head to the bar and see that James Martin?! the chef is upstairs giving a talk. There i am in a stained pair of black trousers and a bright orange hoodie trying to get up the stairs to see whats going on when we are stopped by a lady who gave us the most of what my gf describes "Disney refusal" ever with a big grin on her face. Defeated we head to the BlackJack felt and proceed to win a few hands which pays for the rest of the beer. Feeling a bit waved at this point we head off to the hotel feeling good and full of beer.
Friday, Day 1 of the SPT Manchester
After a walk about and breakfast life was a big sluggish compared to the day prior for obvious reasons. I eventually get myself sorted and walk down to the casino for 4pm, distracted by the brewdog inn its clear that hair of the dog is in order i leave my gf and have my "get ready" beer and hip-hop on the go! This is a ritual before live poker, for some reason i get horrendously nervous even though ive played many big tournaments over my career but i guess each day is different.
I arrive at the casino and get myself signed in. Go to the cash desk to find out that i am alternate number 1. A good turnout i think, alas an excuse to go to the bar! At the bar i order and i pick up a dodgy looking penny on the floor, its battered and could do with a home, plus ive heard its lucky to find a penny and i could do with it this weekend! Next thing you know im called on the tanoy before i can even take a sip of my beer. Its as if i went to the bar for that penny alone.
Poker i get sat down next to NatNug i say hello and he asks me if i sattied in.. i shift my eyes a bit and i say no.... did you? He says yes and after a bit of holding back we both tell eachother our screenames and im thinking for gods sake how do i get sat next to this guy instantly!
Day 1 went fairly smooth with a huge double up with KK vs AK at bb300. Another hand chrisdonk isolates a limper and i go crazy for some reason with K8of clubs after saying im not letting a man from paris get away with this as he was wearing a Paris branded top (wtf was i on about? lol)
I open AA, a chap calls the BTN and Chris calls the BB. Flop is J97 with 2 hearts. I decide i need to bet to protect as there are alot of hands that can improve with a free card, the button calls and to my surprise chris raises. Now im in a Chip sandwich with the best hand in poker on a bluergh board with chris has all the 2pairs and straights. I disciplinly let my hand go into the muck and see the button call, the turn is a 5 changes nothing! Chris goes allin for a pot size bet! im glad i folded now... must be beat! button umms and arrs for 5 mins and calls with 75s for two pair! i cant believe hes shown up with this, chris has the semi bluff pair and straight draw and hits the straight on the river to bust him. People really do play too many hands from the button, ah i guess it saved my chips in this instance.
Later on in the day 1 there are some crazy guys sat my table making huge opens and crazy bluffs, the name of the game here is to find a hand and get some value! Well that happens nicely i wake up with JJ in the BB and a player opens i make a 3b, he calls once and gives up the turn. Phew i actually took it down with Jacks! Next thing you know we are bagging up for day 2 with 91,500. A few hellos round the club and im off to bed.
Saturday - day off woohoo!
Its always nice on these trips just to make the Day2 instantly on your first bullet in order to have a free day inbetween!It was match day in the city and absoloutely rammed.. i was shattered but hey were in manchester and might aswell go see something, we head off to the Imperial war museum. It was alriiight i mean its a museum, i like the WW2 era stuff cos thats what im most familiar with modern war is a bit eurgh for lack of a better word, bring back swords i say..
Some how in the evening i get convinced to go to a rock gig and next thing you know i am drunk again (lol)... Now im the one keeping the night going after the gig
which ends with a therapy session at 3am with the toilet bowl which wasnt the most considerate therapist ever at that hour.
Sunday - Day 2
Not sure how im alive at this point, alot of alcohol consumed, this was supposed to be a poker trip god **** it!!
Trying to remmeber all the pots is proving difficult, i will say my hooded persona attracted (they laughed at first) some attention. A young poker player with an ego was trying to battle me with too wide of a range, he was inexperienced but put up a good fight luckily for me i won most of the pots without getting into an ego battle.
On the bubble there was an altercation at another table where they were paused for 10-20 mins and a player on my table wanted them to pause the clock in order to increase his chances of making said money. I had a big stack and had the opposite mentality, therefore when people were blantantly taking extra time on their decisions i would give them 1min and call "clock" mainly as a joke. A player on my table did not like this one little bit and called the etiquette card on me. Now i may have been doing something that is frowned upon but that same player was trying to pause the game on this table alone esssentially doing the same thing. In my opinion on the bubble, etiquette can go out the window. If im in his spot im taking the max amount of time to increase my chances and vice versa.
Flatting AK vs a squeeze.
Ok,Ok now the money is starting to get to me! I flat AK vs an early opener and a player re raises behind! the original guy just calls and i should CLEARLY jam here, ive set up the spot in this way that im almost trapping with AK. I dont - i just flat. LUCKY ME it checks down 3 way for 3 streets and my AK high is good vs the 3bettors AQ. i recieve some flack for this at the table, all i can say is i have emotion and im not a robot
Winning small all ins
Running good doesnt always mean getting AA vs KK. It can mean simply holding when u have to call off 7bb jams from button in bb with the likes of A4 off suit.. Stuff like this happened.
Running into AKss with AKo and the flop is 2 spades, well this one already felt dirty but there was nothing i could do he 3b me off a short stack, you hate it but you gotta put the chips in. Running into the same hand is great but when u see those spades i just look up at the sky and pray! Thankfully he did not hit his spade.
FT bubble (10 left) i just maintain my stack.. we go for break and i find out that ive made the final table!!! some guy busts as were on break that takes loads of pressure off as these affairs can last some time ramping up variance when playing 5 handed short stack poker.
The Final Table.
First hand i find is KQo i min off my measly 17bb stack and find 2 calls with a KQx flop WOOHOO i HIT... haha, i bet and get two massively slow folds. looks like everyone is putting their thinking cap on.
Straight after i pick up AKhh and min open.. i hear the dreaded words.... "ALL-IN" For gods sake, cant i just open and take the blinds? were 3 hands in i wanna enjoy this moment.. Alas i MUST call this spot, we block AA KK and flip vs all pairs, we also dominate AQ and AJ that MIGHT shove... I call and this time im actually watching the runout... brick brick KING! LFG HOLD im screaming in my head!! HOLD. it holds and i celebrate loudly in silence under the table as not to hurt my opponents feelings too much. #
Great, ive got chips now! I can play some hands woohoo, the next hand i open KTs and find the scary european chip leader re-raises me... Well thats me back in my box.. gotta fold, no way i can take a marginal defend with shorter stacks.
The chip leader turned out to be crazy!!!! His biggest pot was that he opened KTo got a flat in the small on J9x he bets and gets raised, he then puts the player all in!! the guy tanks for around 10 mins and calls it off with J9, a clear call but in theses situations youve gotta be sure.
Hes no longer the chip leader and not quite as scary hehe.
We get to 3 handed and i find KQcc in the BB to bust 3rd places AQo.
Heads up
We discuss to deal as it was my biggest ever cash for a good while, reducing variance for heads up as its massive.
I was winning at one point but stupidly bluffed off a huge pot to 2pair! I made a mistake calling turn with 95cc on 57JK6 and turned my hand into a all in bluff trying to rep 98 He unfortunately called with two pair (K6)
Couldnt get it going after that and ran KQcc into AQ again and did not win.
GG i finished in 2nd place with a HUGE smile on my face, off to the bar to buy all the sky poker guys a round!
The next few days were filled with all sorts of emotions, should i have won? Is this real? Did i dream this?
Alas its all settled in now and were back to the beautiful poker grind that i love.
Thanks again everyone involved.
@Vertigo
That's a most enjoyable write-up, thanks.