GG Vegas 2009

Ok, so as usual I was absolutely useless at updating my blog on this trip managing only 1 measly update, sorry... In the beginning I wasn’t updating because if pure laziness and then got twitter organised so I was updating on my tournaments in real time. After that the real reason I wasn’t blogging is because I had nothing positive to post about, I was bricking every tournament and getting more demoralised by the day. After my last post I was just about to play the $5kNLH event which went very well on day1 for a change and I ended up with 130k stack. Moving into day 2 and everything went wrong, got bluffed off a decent size pot, and made a few bad call downs then 4 bet 88 into KK to bust vs AMAK, fml.

After this I played a couple more 1500 events and never got going in any of them which is pretty common since u only start with 4500 at 25/50. The next event was the $2kNL event and I never had a big stack all day until the final level of the night. I had online player Breeth on my left and we had been talking for a while and then I managed to win a 40k race against him at 400/800 to give me a very workable stack. Breeth busted soon after and I was starting to gain momentum and had around 50k at 500/1000. I then lost two big pots, two hands in a row to the same guy to bring by tournament to an abrupt end. First I set the guy in for 15 BB's with A9 after he opened and he woke up with AK, I bricked after the 78T flop obv. Very next hand he opens again and I 3 bet AK and call off for 55k pot vs his QQ and lose, run better full tilt pro's imo.

Played 2 more 1500 events without success as well as a venetian 1k and then it was time for the $5k 6 max, an event I’ve had success in before in previous years. Unfortunately this year was over very quickly. In level 1 (50/100) I lose 25k when guy check raises his gutshot, bets half his stack on the turn and jams when he binks the river vs my set, wonderful. Grind for a while then lose AK vs JJ to the same guy, Marv.

As I’m writing this I just bust the main event about 90 mins into day 2. My day 1 started pretty well with me getting a full double up to 65k when I flopped a set vs 2 pair and held. I took this stack into the dinner break and then all went wrong in the final 2 levels. First I bricked top pair and flush draw vs a better top pair in a 3 bet pot, then 3 barrelled some guy who snapped me off with 1 pair despite the board getting uber scary. Another double barrel snapped off and I find myself on around 25k heading in the last level. I move tables and flop a set first hand, no good vs a gut shot obv. I fold for the final 30 mins and end the day on 22'400, not the greatest considering the 30k starting stack but the excellent structure still meant I had plenty of room. So today I got back and the blinds started at 250/500 - 50 and I get AK in the small blind second hand and 3 bet one guys open to 4100, he flats and I bet 6200 on a J68 flop and he sets me all in, fuck my life. I don’t really play any more hands and blind down to 8k when it folds to me in the SB and I have A6dd, I jam and the French guy slowrolls me with KK, wonderful. Flop comes 753 for additional outs and he gives it a victory cheer when the K turns but I don’t get the justice 4 on the river and my WSOP 2009 is officially over.

Looking back at the series I definitely didn’t play my best poker but got some rough beats and sick set ups/coolers which amounted to a very frustrating time poker wise. Not a lot you can do about these types of things because in reality bricking 14 tournaments is just regular variance, it just feels worse as it takes a month and costs like $50k, lol. My live poker is just about done this trip apart from maybe the $5k main event of the Venetian festival on the 13th but I’m still undecided. OK, I started writing this entry about a week ago and didn’t make it to the Venetian 5k, prob saved money the way I’m running.

Had too many nights out to recall exact details but a lot of them followed a pretty similar pattern:

· Meal in a swanky restaurant

· Table in a club where too much vodka/jack daniels is consumed

· Stumble onto casino floor to play craps

· Go rhino/sapphire and spend remaining money that wasn’t spunked on the craps table

· Wake up at 6pm the next day feeling like death

Some of the nights out were epic and some pretty special photos made their way onto facebook and I’m sure many more will emerge over the coming weeks. Despite bricking out live I managed to run pretty golden online to ensure a winning trip overall. On 28^th June I managed to win the UB 200k for $44’600 as well as the Full tilt 100r turbo for an additional $34’925, pretty good Sunday! Didn’t play online again until the following Sunday when I came 6^th in the early 100r on stars for $14’352 and then came 2^nd in the late $100r on stars for $26’965, run better me. Came 7^th in the stars 1k Tuesday for another $10k to round off the trip pretty nicely.

Not really sure what my plans are now, heading back to the UK for the time being and gonna go to Macau for the APT and APPT events because I managed to win a seat for the APPT. After that there is a decent chance i'll be heading to New Zealand to meet up with friends, grind the WCOOP and then maybe some snowboarding. Gonna wrap this blog post up now as it seems to be dragging on a bit but can’t finish without giving a big shout of congratulations to James Akenhead for making the final of the WSOP main event and becoming one of the infamous November 9, SICKDOG!

Here is a link to an article i did for pocketfives.com not long back as well:

http://www.pocketfives.com/online-poker-scene/how-to-win-a-sunday-major-and-100-rebuy-on-the-same-day-4460433