Dec 6th - Grand 'VC' Final (£5k added) - Loose Cannons Club (London EC1)

Thirty seven runners in last nights 'Grand Final' of VC Pokers £5k added event held at the Loose Cannons Club in Cannon St, EC1 and undoubtedly the best value tournament of 2006 by a long chalk.

After qualifying in week 1 it seems to have been forever in coming but when we finally got down to it last night we were playing for a prize pool of £11700, an equivalent buy-in of £316, and hardly a professional in site!

So with a 4k starting stack and a 25 min clock my plan to play good cards strongly, pass if I raised and got re-raised and generally keep out of harms way...if I could!

Level 1 - I get 9-9 in MP and flat call the 50 blinds. Its raised to 300 from LP. I flat call. Two of us see a flop of 7-6-2. I check. Matey comes out betting 600. I flat call. Turn is a Jack. I check. He fires out 1500. I fold. Down to 3100 in short order.

Level 2 - Two big hands here. I get 5-5 in MP and raise it to 300 as I noticed that players were generally passing to most ANY raise. I get on caller, a guy who'd been a little agressive early doors. Flop was 3-8-8. He's first to bet and fires out 1500. No way hozay!! I move all-in and he folds!

I then get Ac-3s on the SB. Four of us see a flop of 2s-4c-5s. I immediately bet out 300. Its raised to 1500 by the guy who caught me earlier with my 9-9. I move all-in and its think-tank time! After a bit of verbal about him going home if he calls he flips 2-2 and folds! Could have been worse...he could have called!

At the end of the level I'm on 6400.

Level 3 - I get K-K in MP and raise it up to 600 (blinds are now 100-200). I get one caller. Flop is J-9-7. My opponent immediately bets out 800. I move all-in and he folds showing A-Q! I end the level at 9400.

Break time. Only 4 players have gone out! Urgh!!!

Level 4 - Things start to move with blinds at 200-400. I get A-A in the SB and theres no action as its passed back to me. I check hoping the BB will attempt a steal. He checks and we see a flop of A-10-4. I check, my opponent bets out 1500, I move all-in. He folds. I have 12400 at the end of the level!

For the next hour I tread water but players are busting out quickly. We're down to 2 tables (18), 16, 14, 12, 10...FINAL TABLE!!!

Now to be fair I always had a plan for tonights game. I wanted £1000. That was all! Before the final table started I offered the table a deal where that everyone would be guaranteed £1k. Of course the 2 big stacks weren't having it...oh well I tried!

We got down to 6 in short order. The next hour and thirty mins though saw NOBODY move! Through 3 LEVELS and NOBODY fell. It was attrition. There were all-ins all over the place...every one of the short stacks (including me...twice) won. I doubled through when my Q-Q beat A-J. I doubled up again when my A-10 routed A-9.

At the end of the 1k-2k level I was chip leader with 38k. They were going to need a crow bar to get those chips off me now! Still no deals though.

Finally 6th and 5th succumbed. Minimum pay was now £1170.

Suddenly there's an all-in bet from the guy to my right for 22k. I looked down and saw A-K. Gulp! My luck with A-K this year has not been too clever but I made the call. My opponent flipped A-7 and he didn't improve. I was now chip leader by a fair chunk!

Antes were at 2k-4k when my two opponents got their chips into the middle with A-Q v K-J.

Flop was K-10-A-x-x and matey boy with K-J had just one blind left which he duly put in on the next hand. We all called! I won the pot with a pair of 8's and we were heads up.

A swift count ensued and I was chip leader with 77k v 69k. We agreed a deal and I was declared the winner. I took home £3100. My opponent £3000.

Thanks to Roy and the boys down at the club. If they run another one of these then count me in! Great fun.

P.S Thanks also to Dave 'Dubai' Shallow who laid me odds of 14/1 on me winning. I had a score (£20) with him. Nice!

Entries ->37 - Place ->1st - Win -> £3050 ($5795) Profit/Loss for 2006 -> +$18343
(As from 30th Nov 2006 rate of exchange is calculated at £1 = $1.90)