6th May - Gutshot £500 NL Hold'Em (Day 1)

Of course the implication of having a (Day 1) heading means that there must be a Day 2...and of course you'd be right!

With 10k chips and a 1 hour clock this is really the sort of tournament that everyone should play in. I felt kinda sorry for the guys who'd choked up almost £3500 to play in the Gutshot 'Showdown Poker Tour' event as only 23 runners started. (They're down to 9 with day 2 approaching) There were 123 starters for the £500 game.

In all honesty I should have been on my way out of the door after just 14 mins play although I don't see how I could have avoided it.

With blinds still at 25-50 I'm on the button and look down to see 4s-5s. Not the greatest starting hand in the world I know but as everyone else (3 players) had limped into the pot I thought that a small raise was in order so I popped it to 250. Everyone called!

The flop came 4-5-6 giving me two pair. It was checked around to me and I bet out to 500. I get one caller in Sue Jones (I found out later). The turn card was a 2. Sue bets 1500. Now there ain't no way I'm putting her on a 3 or even a pair of 3's so I figure she's on a higher pair than whats on the board. I go all-in and she calls me in a flash. Oops! She flips 6-5 for two higher pair than me!!

I'm about to stand up when a 3 hits the board and we split the pot with a straight on board. Phew!

After this it gets a bit easier. I button call with A-6 to see the flop come 6-6-8. There's a bet to 500 which I call. The turn card is my gin card, the Ace, and I bet out 2500. I get a call. The river card is a King. I bet out to 5500 and get the call. He huffs when I show him my A-6 and I'm upto 16k.

I get another lump when my 2c-4c hits a flop of 2-2-K and I'm paid of another 8k as my opponent hts two pair on the turn holding K-10.

Time ticks on and I'm under no pressure. I'm on 28k when I get dealt Kh-9h in MP and flat call the blinds (1000). Three other players in. The flop reads 9-8-2. I bet out to 4k and I get one caller in Dave Shallow who's been the most agressive player at the table by far and has around 70k in chips at this time.

The turn card is a 6 and I'm not giving him a chance to go any further so go all-in. After a bit of speach play he calls and flips 8-7. A harmless 2 falls on the river and I'm at 63k.

With about an hour to go before the end of play I pay off a guy with A-A (who goes all-in pre-flop) with my A-K for around 12k but get a bit back when my K-8 beats up A-7 when an 8 falls on the flop.

With ante's at 600-1200 it costs 2.8k to play 10 hands and I see nothing of interest in the last hour of play to get me involved.

I'm on 51,000 in chips with day 2 about to start. Ante's will be 1000-2000 with a running ante of 150 (I think). There's 20k to the winner and they pay 18. There are 30, or so, of us left!