A Clerkenwell Farewell

It finally came to this – the last ever night of poker at the world-famous Gutshot Club. It was surely the duty of every friend of the club to turn out for the send-off.

I set off to pay my last respects, travelling via The Empire Casino in Leicester Square to buy in for the WSOPE £1,500 NLH. My tube journey there took me through Russell Square – a reminder of the pre-Clerkenwell origins of the club.

I stopped off at McDonald’s – pre-game preparation is so important .....my change included a crisp £5 note – likely to be the first of many I would need tonight !

When I arrived at the club, the queue was of epic proportions. Visually it was somewhat similar to the Northern Rock scenes of a year ago, but in a good way. Eventually I was signed up as #117, with just over an hour to go to kick-off.

In a break with some of the older traditions, the “shuffle up and deal” was given on time, but not before Barry came over the PA to urge the participants to make a collective world-record attempt – the first tournament where everyone is all in on the 1st hand ! It seems possible that this might have happened spontaneously in any case ...

So at our table and presumably many others, the 1st hand produced 9 rebuys !

I thought I may have made the perfect start when I turned Aces-up in that 10-way coup, but a rivered straight scooped the 5k. However, I did win three or four pots in a row with relentless all-in moves thereafter.

Meanwhile, George Achillea couldn’t buy a pot, especially off me, and nor could Barry. In Barry’s case, however, he was pleased as he made an attempt on the world rebuy record.

A typical pot would see something like this – a modest 5-way all in – Pocket Kings, pocket 5s (Barry), A4, pocket 9s (George). I’m in as well (blind, obviously). The flop comes 789 giving George top set. I have 65o – flopping the nuts (well near enough).

I had expressed doubt that much over a dozen rebuys would be possible in a 1hour period with self-dealing. However, I had not accounted for the accelerated pace of proceedings and the complete absence of post-flop action.

Barry managed to achieve 12 rebuys before winning a single pot, and eventually managed to top the previous record with 28. Allegedly a 30+ was recorded elsewhere in the room but that has yet to be scrutineered. After a period where I couldn’t lose a hand, and picked up 7,000 chips, I succeeded in getting to ground zero again before getting in 10 consecutive rebuys and finally finishing on a well-timed streak to hold 11,050 chips at the break – not far off triple the average, and an excellent return on twelve buy-ins.

After a lengthy first break where a record 180 buy-ins, 147 add-ons and 958 rebuys were totted up (that is one rebuy every 4 seconds on average), the second phase of carnage began. It was no time at all before we dropped below 100 runners, then lost half the field, and then with most of the short stacks now gone, some semblance of “real poker” emerged.

A second shout-out from Barry on the mic came to welcome, at the bar, multiple £5-rebuy champion Roland de Wolfe who is now more likely to be found playing in a $5k rebuy, but who can always be counted amongst the friends of the Gutshot.

I’m playing quite conservatively – recalling many previous tournaments where the urge to push has seized me with Q9o or some such. I’m also making laydowns that are not allowing the true H-bomber to shine through. However, I’m doing fine and above average when Al Hughes raises on his SB and I push with Jacks from the BB. He throws his hand away. I move solidly into the 20k+ - less than 25BB mind you, but OK.

A couple of hands later, Al is in early position and raises again – this time to 4k. I take a look at a red one and a black one – the rockets ! I elect to shove. Back to Al who decides he doesn’t like
being pushed around, and calls with two red deuces. Nice.

I’m mentally patting myself on the back for waiting for a great spot to get the chips in. The flop is all red, and on close inspection it contains two pointy-red ones whereas I have the curvy-red Ace. A pointy red turn and then a vicious 5d on the river sees my Aces flushed away.

I sense it is not to be when a half-round later I raise UTG with AJ, to be called by Al in the Big Blind. The flop contains 2 Jacks. Check/check. An offsuit 3 on the turn and Al shoves. I insta-call, and the case Jack is in his hand – with the 9 kicker. Revenge ?

Nope.

It could have been worse, but the river pairs the trey and Al even wins the odd chip as we chop the 500 small blind. Marvellous.

By now, the blinds have escalated to 1k/2k and I have no spots to get my chips in first.
I make it to the break at the end of that level – it’s about 1am and we are down to three tables, and not far from the money at 18th place.

I lose a chip race for the odd blues to be on exactly 8k as we start the 1,500/3,000 level. I will be Under-the-gun.

Oh no I won’t. The TD moves Al Hughes out of that spot, landing me in the blind one hand earlier.

John I makes it exactly 8k from the cut-off and it’s folded to me.

Coincidence ? I don’t know, but with 3,000 in, 5,000 left and the small blind next hand I think it is an automatic call. I don’t look at my cards and throw in the chips.

Are you sensing the karma yet?


25 of us left, 5k-2 call, getting 5:2 on my money.

I turn up my cards – yes indeed: 5-2 (of diamonds).

John has QJ of the same suit. It would be right and proper for this to have a happy ending, but I'm behind all the way despite picking up a deuce on the turn.

It’s all over.

So, it turns out the first time I get the powerhouse today is my last hand in a Gutshot tournament (well, the pseudo/suited-powerhouse anyway. It’ll have to do).


The End