In the morning I played three MTTs without success, unable to make it through fields containing many weekend gamblers.The biggest ‘if only’ moment of the day came in a £1.10 rebuy when my pocket AA didn’t hold against KJ when all the chips went in on a K83r flop, the monster pot in the middle would have given me a stack 3x as big as anybody else in the field at the time.
A surprise £2 bink came in the lunchtime Omaha freeroll. I rarely play Omaha, though neither do most of the others who enter this fast structured shove-fest. It’s probably the most fun you’ll find anywhere on Sky Poker for just 10 poker points.
I returned to the tables in the evening. In my favoured Bounty Hunter tournaments I couldn’t get anything going, AK in particular wasn’t my friend losing 3/3 flips against under-pairs. My day was saved by a run to the final table of a £5.50 deepstack. My exit in sixth was on the unfortunate side; I 3bet jammed my last 14BB with AT from the BB over a SB min- raise. My opponent had a big stack so could afford to make the call, he outdrew me with A4.
I’m off work this week so should be able to play a little more poker than usual until Wednesday. From Thursday I’ll be taking a 3 or 4 day break.
It appears I'm on a bit of a heater at the moment, and the finish line is starting to feel quite close!
This morning I entered my two favourite tournaments of the day; the 9-45am and 10-45am £150 gtd. for £3.30 Bounty Hunters. During the week most of the entrants in these games are competent regulars. That means you’ll probably get a good game of poker, rather than having to gamble against the wild maniacs who sometimes turn up in the low stakes BHs. Also the 10% rake is good value compared to the £2.30 and £5.75 equivalents. Since the late registration option was introduced field sizes have grown bigger than ever.
Apart from taking a head-prize taken when my 9Ts turned a straight to crack pocket KK I drew a blank in the 10-45.
The 9-45 went much better. I got very lucky early in the first hour doubling with TT>QQ aipf when I found myself getting short. From there I chipped up steadily through the mid-stages, though I was somewhat in danger again when we broke to the last 2 tables in 10th/12 with 10 to be paid. Instead of tightening-up I decided to take a more risk adverse approach and put my stack to work, climbing rapidly courtesy of several uncalled bets and shoves, then moving to 3rd/11 when I won an AKs>99 aipf race to bust a shortie. On the final table bubble I won another flip (this time 99>AK ironically) to briefly take the chiplead for the first time. My cards dried up for a while at final table and I slipped to 3rd/4, though I then had a 3-bet shove with pocket 77 generously paid-off by A2.
The two shortest stacks soon busted and I went into heads-up play with a 60/40 chip deficit. It turned out to be a lengthy 30 minute battle against a tough opponent with the lead changing hands many times. At one point my opponent was down to 1BB but recovered to regain the initiative. After 3 hours and 48 minutes of play with the binds getting increasingly large it all came down to a standard shallow stack flip, I had a healthy lead when my AKs hit the board to beat pocket 88 aipf.
It was thrilling to win this tournament, there’s no better feeling in poker than an MTT win as far as I’m concerned. I’ve often moaned about outdraws and lost flips in this diary, so it’s only fair that I point out that I ran like a dream in this one. Not only did I win with TT<QQ aipf, I also won 4 crucial late stages flips. A few minutes after my victory a memorable household double was completed when my partner Lea116311 won the 10-45am game (I was one of her 11 head-prizes!).
In the evening I returned to the tables to participate in the weekly forum DTD competition. At 10-00pm I was still alive in all 3 tournaments, though that quickly changed. In DTD1 I ran AJ into AK on an ace-high flop and was unable to find a fold. My opponent had flatted my pre-flop raise on the big-blind rather than 3-betting, so his hand was well disguised. My exit in DTD2 followed a few minutes later, my short stack losing with K8s<KJ aipf. In DTD3 I made a min-cash, though losing a 77<AK race just after the bubble burst effectively killed off my chances. I survived on fumes for a while but went out in an AQ<55 flip, my opponent made doubly sure by flopping quads. As usual the DTD was great fun, win or lose I thoroughly enjoyed the event. Coming 9th out of 102 this week doesn't sound too bad to me, if I wasn’t a shift worker I’d participate every week.
Soooooo close, next couple of days I reckon, excellent stuff Gary, as I've said before I've been really impressed with your focus and dedication to this challenge, it will be a superb achievement when you complete it.
well done Gary, nearly there now, looks like the drinks are on me. dev Posted by devonfish5
Nearly there, but you know what it's like in this game; you get short bursts of rapid progress, then you can tread water for ages. It might take weeks from here.
The days poker started with the two morning £3.30 Bounty Hunters again. In the 9-45am I couldn’t get anything going, my bust-out coming on the hour mark when my button squeeze-shove with a suited ace was outdrawn by a limp/caller with Q9. An unavoidable cooler knocked me out of the 10-45am; my AK colliding with KQ when two kings and a queen were dealt on the flop.
After I lunch I needed to spend a couple of hours getting my business paperwork up to date, it’s a job that’s no fun but I always feel much better when it’s done. Anyway, I couldn’t resist having a little MTT running on the side so I registered in a £2.30 Bounty Hunter. Most of my focus was on the paperwork, so I played nothing but tight ABC poker, which funnily enough saw me to the final table for little effort. When the bubble went (5 spots paid) I started to pay full attention and ran like a dream to take it down. With 5 left I jammed A9s over a button raise assuming he was on the steal and cracked pocket JJ. With 4 left two shorties both shoved on my big blind, I had a big stack and could easily afford to make the call with my A7, they both had AK, I spiked a 7 to take them out. Heads-up play only lasted a few minutes against an opponent who wasn’t too challenging. It was only a small bink, but they all help. I love winning MTTs no matter what the buy-in or the field size.
In the evening I returned to the tables and tried my luck in the Mini Open and a £2.30 Bounty Hunter that went off with a large field.
In the Mini I was going well until coolered for most of my stack with AQ<AJ on an AJx flop. My exit in 85th/351 came soon after when I jammed Q8 from the SB into AQ on the BB.
The Bounty Hunter started well, I chipped up nicely from the start and spent most of the early stages well above average. At one point I was 5th/125 overall yet bizarrely only 3rd/6 at my table due to an unlikely table draw. After the bubble burst I had swings of good and bad luck; first my AJ was unable to hold-up against A9 aipf, though in the very next hand I took a bounty with 99>QQ aipf. A few orbits later I luck-boxed another head with 44>88 aipf. When we broke to two tables I was 3rd/12 and starting to get excited knowing that first or second place would be enough to complete this quest. But it wasn’t to be, my cards dried up, I lost a few pots, then exited in 8th/365. When uncomfortably short I managed to jam TJ into the big blinds AT. No complaints at all, I’d run very well to get that far.
My account balance after the evening MTTs was £999.47. I couldn’t possibly leave it there, so I jumped in a £1.05 HU STT which I duly won to break through the magical four-figure barrier.
Very nice work Gary, must be a great feeling to finally reach 4 figures, especially when you look back and realise it all came from £51. Do you have any plans for the money, or are you gonna leave it in here? Could always put it towards going to a couple of SPTs. What you gonna do when this is all over? Posted by Lambert180
Cheers Paul, it's a very pleasing landmark obviously, but I know £1051 will feel even better. Put it this way; when I was nearing the end of my end-to-end walk it was a great moment when I entered Cornwall, but nothing could beat the emotional high of reaching the famous sign-post at Lands End.
I'm agonisingly close now, but you know what poker's like, this time next week my balance might be back down below £900.
I've already decided what I'm doing with the money, in fact I decided a long time ago. I'll announce it on this thread when I cross the line.
I'll probably take a break from quests/diaries for a little while when it's over, though I must admit another idea is brewing.
In Response to Re: My quest to turn £51 into £1,051 on Sky Poker____ **** latest balance £1,000.42 **** : Not there yet Greg, the target in £1,051, there's still £50.58 to go! £1K to £10K.......in my dreams. Posted by GaryQQQ
ooops assumed 1k was the target.. guess the headline gives it away tho!
Comments
Closing balance £916.90
(down 75p today)
In the morning I played three MTTs without success, unable to make it through fields containing many weekend gamblers. The biggest ‘if only’ moment of the day came in a £1.10 rebuy when my pocket AA didn’t hold against KJ when all the chips went in on a K83r flop, the monster pot in the middle would have given me a stack 3x as big as anybody else in the field at the time.
A surprise £2 bink came in the lunchtime Omaha freeroll. I rarely play Omaha, though neither do most of the others who enter this fast structured shove-fest. It’s probably the most fun you’ll find anywhere on Sky Poker for just 10 poker points.
I returned to the tables in the evening. In my favoured Bounty Hunter tournaments I couldn’t get anything going, AK in particular wasn’t my friend losing 3/3 flips against under-pairs. My day was saved by a run to the final table of a £5.50 deepstack. My exit in sixth was on the unfortunate side; I 3bet jammed my last 14BB with AT from the BB over a SB min- raise. My opponent had a big stack so could afford to make the call, he outdrew me with A4.
I’m off work this week so should be able to play a little more poker than usual until Wednesday. From Thursday I’ll be taking a 3 or 4 day break.
September poker points 192
6855819 10-Sep-12 00:28 NL Holdem £2417/424-£2.306855830 9-Sep-12 23:49 NL Holdem £56/56£14.106855741 9-Sep-12 22:34 NL Holdem £288/220-£1.556856185 9-Sep-12 20:23 NL Holdem (Sat) £2.7534/40-£36858306 9-Sep-12 19:57 NL Holdem £11/2£0.956852662 9-Sep-12 16:11 PL Omaha £09/359£26855686 9-Sep-12 14:02 NL Holdem £113/29-£1.106854270 9-Sep-12 13:47 NL Holdem £353/85-£3.306856758 9-Sep-12 13:28 NL Holdem £12/2-£1.056853974 9-Sep-12 12:31 NL Holdem £349/97-£3.30
Closing balance £972.58
(up £55.68 today)
It appears I'm on a bit of a heater at the moment, and the finish line is starting to feel quite close!
This morning I entered my two favourite tournaments of the day; the 9-45am and 10-45am £150 gtd. for £3.30 Bounty Hunters. During the week most of the entrants in these games are competent regulars. That means you’ll probably get a good game of poker, rather than having to gamble against the wild maniacs who sometimes turn up in the low stakes BHs. Also the 10% rake is good value compared to the £2.30 and £5.75 equivalents. Since the late registration option was introduced field sizes have grown bigger than ever.
Apart from taking a head-prize taken when my 9Ts turned a straight to crack pocket KK I drew a blank in the 10-45.
The 9-45 went much better. I got very lucky early in the first hour doubling with TT>QQ aipf when I found myself getting short. From there I chipped up steadily through the mid-stages, though I was somewhat in danger again when we broke to the last 2 tables in 10th/12 with 10 to be paid. Instead of tightening-up I decided to take a more risk adverse approach and put my stack to work, climbing rapidly courtesy of several uncalled bets and shoves, then moving to 3rd/11 when I won an AKs>99 aipf race to bust a shortie. On the final table bubble I won another flip (this time 99>AK ironically) to briefly take the chiplead for the first time. My cards dried up for a while at final table and I slipped to 3rd/4, though I then had a 3-bet shove with pocket 77 generously paid-off by A2.
The two shortest stacks soon busted and I went into heads-up play with a 60/40 chip deficit. It turned out to be a lengthy 30 minute battle against a tough opponent with the lead changing hands many times. At one point my opponent was down to 1BB but recovered to regain the initiative. After 3 hours and 48 minutes of play with the binds getting increasingly large it all came down to a standard shallow stack flip, I had a healthy lead when my AKs hit the board to beat pocket 88 aipf.
It was thrilling to win this tournament, there’s no better feeling in poker than an MTT win as far as I’m concerned. I’ve often moaned about outdraws and lost flips in this diary, so it’s only fair that I point out that I ran like a dream in this one. Not only did I win with TT<QQ aipf, I also won 4 crucial late stages flips. A few minutes after my victory a memorable household double was completed when my partner Lea116311 won the 10-45am game (I was one of her 11 head-prizes!).
In the evening I returned to the tables to participate in the weekly forum DTD competition. At 10-00pm I was still alive in all 3 tournaments, though that quickly changed. In DTD1 I ran AJ into AK on an ace-high flop and was unable to find a fold. My opponent had flatted my pre-flop raise on the big-blind rather than 3-betting, so his hand was well disguised. My exit in DTD2 followed a few minutes later, my short stack losing with K8s<KJ aipf. In DTD3 I made a min-cash, though losing a 77<AK race just after the bubble burst effectively killed off my chances. I survived on fumes for a while but went out in an AQ<55 flip, my opponent made doubly sure by flopping quads. As usual the DTD was great fun, win or lose I thoroughly enjoyed the event. Coming 9th out of 102 this week doesn't sound too bad to me, if I wasn’t a shift worker I’d participate every week.
September poker points 203
6859974 11-Sep-12 00:37 NL Holdem £172/251-£1.106837010 11-Sep-12 00:20 NL Holdem £216/152£0.846859100 10-Sep-12 23:45 NL Holdem £241/210-£2.206858615 10-Sep-12 13:38 NL Holdem £322/61-£2.176858286 10-Sep-12 13:34 NL Holdem £31/99£60.31
CMON DA G MAN
nearly there now,
looks like the drinks are on me.
dev
On yer bike!
I don't consider the addition an SPT Grand Final final tablist to the field be 'added value' lol
Good luck to you.
*********** Good Luck Gary..........hopefully today is the day............glglglglgl..........:).
Closing balance £1,000.42
(up £27.84 today)
The days poker started with the two morning £3.30 Bounty Hunters again. In the 9-45am I couldn’t get anything going, my bust-out coming on the hour mark when my button squeeze-shove with a suited ace was outdrawn by a limp/caller with Q9. An unavoidable cooler knocked me out of the 10-45am; my AK colliding with KQ when two kings and a queen were dealt on the flop.
After I lunch I needed to spend a couple of hours getting my business paperwork up to date, it’s a job that’s no fun but I always feel much better when it’s done. Anyway, I couldn’t resist having a little MTT running on the side so I registered in a £2.30 Bounty Hunter. Most of my focus was on the paperwork, so I played nothing but tight ABC poker, which funnily enough saw me to the final table for little effort. When the bubble went (5 spots paid) I started to pay full attention and ran like a dream to take it down. With 5 left I jammed A9s over a button raise assuming he was on the steal and cracked pocket JJ. With 4 left two shorties both shoved on my big blind, I had a big stack and could easily afford to make the call with my A7, they both had AK, I spiked a 7 to take them out. Heads-up play only lasted a few minutes against an opponent who wasn’t too challenging. It was only a small bink, but they all help. I love winning MTTs no matter what the buy-in or the field size.
In the evening I returned to the tables and tried my luck in the Mini Open and a £2.30 Bounty Hunter that went off with a large field.
In the Mini I was going well until coolered for most of my stack with AQ<AJ on an AJx flop. My exit in 85th/351 came soon after when I jammed Q8 from the SB into AQ on the BB.
The Bounty Hunter started well, I chipped up nicely from the start and spent most of the early stages well above average. At one point I was 5th/125 overall yet bizarrely only 3rd/6 at my table due to an unlikely table draw. After the bubble burst I had swings of good and bad luck; first my AJ was unable to hold-up against A9 aipf, though in the very next hand I took a bounty with 99>QQ aipf. A few orbits later I luck-boxed another head with 44>88 aipf. When we broke to two tables I was 3rd/12 and starting to get excited knowing that first or second place would be enough to complete this quest. But it wasn’t to be, my cards dried up, I lost a few pots, then exited in 8th/365. When uncomfortably short I managed to jam TJ into the big blinds AT. No complaints at all, I’d run very well to get that far.
My account balance after the evening MTTs was £999.47. I couldn’t possibly leave it there, so I jumped in a £1.05 HU STT which I duly won to break through the magical four-figure barrier.
Happy times!
September poker points 219
6863892 12-Sep-12 01:25 NL Holdem £385/351-£3.306864319 12-Sep-12 00:24 NL Holdem £28/365£14.556867663 11-Sep-12 23:48 NL Holdem £11/2£0.956862618 11-Sep-12 14:25 NL Holdem £21/33£22.246862793 11-Sep-12 13:26 NL Holdem £334/77-£3.306862433 11-Sep-12 12:38 NL Holdem £346/85-£3.30
Do you have any plans for the money, or are you gonna leave it in here? Could always put it towards going to a couple of SPTs.
What you gonna do when this is all over?
at last!
wpwp
amazing
next challenge.. turn 1k into 10k?
I'm agonisingly close now, but you know what poker's like, this time next week my balance might be back down below £900.
I've already decided what I'm doing with the money, in fact I decided a long time ago. I'll announce it on this thread when I cross the line.
I'll probably take a break from quests/diaries for a little while when it's over, though I must admit another idea is brewing.
£1K to £10K.......in my dreams.
not long to go! GLGL