May 29th - £100+£10 NL Hold'Em (Western)

I played a hand on the Internet the other night. It went something like this...

Blinds were 10-25. I'm in the BB with Ah-7h. Four of us saw a flop of 4d-6h-8h. I checked. A player bet out 250. All folded to me. I called. Turn was the 10d. I checked. My now sole opponent bet out 500. I called. River was the 4h giving me the nut flush. I immediately bet 750. My opponent went all-in and I called only to see he had 10-10 for the nutty fully house. Pisser!

That hand was the first hand of the Blue Square $200 NL Hold'Em event on Sunday and I use this to illustrate a remarkably similar hand that occurred in tonights £110 NL Hold'Em event at the Western where there were 56 entries in total.

We're four hands into the tournament. I'm in MP and look down to see 10d-10s. I bet out to 250 and get two callers. Flop is Jc-8c-10c. Its checked to me. I bet out 750. I get one caller. Turn card is the 3d. Its checked to me. Not wanting to make things TOO cheap I go all-in and get an immediate call. My opponent flips Ac-Qc for the nut flush. Ah well I still have outs. The 8s plops onto the river and I double up. Life is good!

So...four hands in and I'm at 10k. At the start of the 1st break I'm on 13300. No pressures and I'm feeling good.

But....

There'll generally come a hand that plays itself and nomatter how you would have played it it'll end in defeat. At the start of the 2nd break I was on 17k but should have been on 35k except for this hand...

Holding K-K in EP and with blinds at 300-600 I raise it up to 2500. The player to my immediate left, a nice lady from Brazil by the name of Alex, goes into think-tank mode and eventually pushes all-in for 8k. Its passed around to me and I, of course, call. She has 8-8. Of course that doesn't prevent another 8 from appearing on the flop and suddenly I feel a little deflated.

With blinds at 400-800 at level 7 I suddenly start to become impatient. My discipline goes a little and I lose 7k with 3 un-timely bluffs. I then look down to see Kh-Qh. Nice...I thought.

I bet out to 3500 and once again that nice lady from Brazil (well Hendon actually) flat calls me. Now I KNOW she has A-? so I'm praying for no Ace on the flop. Flop is J-Q-A! Urgh!!

The trouble with that flop though is with my stack now at 6.5k and in desperate need of resuscitation I can see enough chances to win it so push all-in. Alex calls with A-J and once an 8 followed by a 5 has fallen its all over for another night.

I finish 20th, out of 56, but undoubtedly could have done better. Tilt takes all forms. Beware of the type that'll hang around long after your big hand has lost!

Entries -> 56 - Place -> 20th - Loss -> £110 Profit/Loss for 2007 -> £1103

(As from 20th April 2007 rate of exchange is calculated at £1 = $2.00)