15th Feb - Loose Cannons (London EC4)

Two games tonight as I didn't do too clever in the 6.30pm I decided to try my hand in the 8.30pm game.

Both were the £50+£5 'bounty' games and as you could put your best score of the two events towards the league then it was a no brainer to play in the 2nd as in the 1st I scored a massive 3 points!!

Game 1:

Thirteen runners for this and as usual it didn't take long to get to the final table of 9.

Early doors I got Kd-6d in the BB and called a tiny raise from across the table to 150. Flop was Kc-6c-9d. EP player bet out 200. There's no way I wasn't ahead here so I raised to 600. EP player decided to push all-in. Of course I called and he flipped K-Q.

The turn and river changed nothing and it left him with 1 100 point chip left.

In the mayhem that followed to grab his bounty button I forgot how to play and bluffed at a pot with Jack high which cost me 2k and no bounty button. Blah!

I reached the 'final 9' with 7k though so wasn't too worried. That was until this happened...

In LP I flat called the 200 BB with Qc-8c. Three of us saw the flop of 7-8-9. A bet of 400 came in from across the table and I flat called. The Qd fell on the turn so I assumed I was ahead and bet out 1500. It was called. The horrible looking 6d fell on the river. If I checked here I'd be giving up the pot so I bet out another 1500.

My opponent sighed and called. To be honest I thought I'd won it but he flipped 9-10 for a rivered straight and I was severely crippled.

A short time later I held the 8d-10d and in a fit of madness I went all-in for 1900. It ended up with 3 others in and when the board settled at Ac-4h-9d-6d-Qc I was out in 9th!!

Game 2:

Eighteen runners and 4 places paid!

Got off to a tremendous start when, on the button, I got K-K and flat called a raise to 600. Flop was 7-5-3. My opponent went all-in, I called and he flipped 8-8. One bounty button & a double up to me!

My next victim fell when I held Q-Q. He went all-in for 3k. I called. He flipped A-K but an all-low flop brought me upto 10k and cruising.

I then got card dead. Not to worry though as the players fell fairly rapidly.

Still had 10k when we reached the 'final 9' after about an hour!

Nine became 8, became 7, became 6, became 5. I STILL had 10k but the blinds were lifted to 300-600 and it became 'all-in' time for most of my opponents on the shorter stacks. Trouble was that they were winning & doubling up!

I called an all-in 3k bet with A-J only to find my opponent with A-Q and so with 7k left and blinds now at 400-800 I was the one looking wobbly!

I then get K-K UTG. Now rather than blast all-in I REALLY wanted to see a flop so bet out to 2k with the intention of getting a caller then passing if an Ace fell and betting ensued!

What I got though was the finger of fate telling me to forget about it!

The player to my immediate left had circa the same chips as me. He looked down at his cards...did a bit of dancing...then proclaimed that it was either 'all-in' or fold! Ok...so he didn't have Aces and I was ahead so why did I want him to fold??

'I'll toss a coin', he said, 'tails - all-in else I'll fold'!

He tossed his £1 coin. It came up HEADS!! 'All-in anyway', he exclaimed and shoved his chips towards the middle. All passed to me!

Now of course I was stuck with it and folding K-K is not an option here. I called and he had me slightly covered.

He flipped A-J and my heart sank cos we all know what THAT means!!!

Sure enough the first card out was an Ace. I shook his hand and my head and exited stage right! Bubbled and baffled. Why me???

Seven more points towards the league though!

Entries -> -- - Place -> --- - Loss -> £100 Profit/Loss for 2007 -> +£562
(As from 1st Jan 2007 rate of exchange is calculated at £1 = $1.90)