I won...
Posted by Adam Ralph on 05 Nov 2008 at 12:11
...but not the tournament, alas! No, I went out after four hours play after one stupid play that cost me big.
Things started well on day one of the Second Chance £100k tournament at the Circus Casino at Star City, Birmingham. I got involved in a few hands and increased my 10,000 chip stack to 11,500. But then the big boys, Stuart Rutter and Dave Colclough, arrived.
After the break I was dealt pocket kings. Feeling confident I raised three times the blinds on the big blind. Three people called and one re-raised. I re-raised again to 2,400 and ended up against one caller. Then came the flop (the first three community cards) and two cards I definitely didn’t want to see, A-A. I tried to sound out my opponent with a bet of 1,500 but he wasted no time in announcing all-in. Bugger. I folded but was relieved when he showed me a single ace.
A few hands later I was down to 7,000 chips and was dealt pocket 8s. I raised three times the big blind and was called by Dave. The flop came J-7-4 and I bet 1,500. Dave called. The turn (the fourth community card) showed a 7 so I checked. Dave checked and when the river was a rag (a perceived worthless card) I bet all in, as I had him covered and I thought I had him beaten - only to be called. Like a punch in the gut he turned over J-7. Ouch.
Now I felt like I was treading water with a few hundred house bricks strapped to my ankles. I looked at my miserable excuse for a stack and realised I needed to act soon with the blinds going up to 200 and 400. I went all-in with K-10 suited to steal the blinds and sort of hoping to get a caller. I got the caller but he beat me with an ace high when the board failed us both. I was out.
My luck changed though when I played my first £50 Pot Limit cash game with my own money. I was up to £300 in five minutes after winning with A-Q in consecutive hands. An hour later I landed K-6 on the big blind. One bloke raised to £10 and everyone folded round to me. I called and the flop came K-K-9. I checked and he bet £30. I called and the flop showed another 9. I checked again. This time my opponent bet £50. Knowing that only quad nines could beat me I called again. The river came, I checked and he bet £50. I re-raised him £100 and as I visibly shook my head, he called! I couldn’t believe it, especially when he just showed an ace!
Later still I was down from £500 to £280 and was dealt K-Q spades. I raised the pot, about £11, and the same bloke as before called me. The flop came J-7-4 (previously unlucky for me) with one spade so I bet £20. He called and the flop came 7 spades. I bet £30 and he raised to £90. The pot stood at £200. I was 2-1 on to see another spade (I think, if I can remember what Waldorf1 taught me) and if I called the raise, the pot odds were 2-1 (I think…I’m sure someone will correct me here!) So I called and the best possible card came, the ace of spades! I bet £100 and as he called he said, ‘You’ve got the flush haven’t you?’ Confirmation came when I turned them over and he punched the table and stalked off. I went away beaming with £650 worth of chips - enough to put a large hole in my pocket.
So this is me signing off for now. Many thanks to the people at www.CircusPoker.co.uk and to Waldorf1 for all his coaching. I might not have won the big one but I won more money then I ever have in any poker game to date.
This Thursday evening, Adam will be playing in an online qualifier for the ECOOP III tournament under the name of SMUDGER1980.
All Comments
Well done for winnng the cash Adam, but the odds on that final card were nowhere near 2-1 you lunatic. I taught you that you multiply your 'outs' by 4 if you need 1 card after the flop and multiply your outs by 2 if you need 1 card after the turn. You had 4 spades after the turn, there are 13 cards in a deck, you had 4 of them visible, you had 9 outs, 9 x 2 = 18. You had an 18% chance of making your hand. 18% is roughly 4.5 to 1. More than twice as big as the odds you taught you'd were getting. You invested £100 into a £200 pot, therefore you were playing AGAINST the pot odds. The most you should have invested in that pot would have been about £40! Well done though, you lucky, lucky man.
