H-bomb Misfires - Collateral Damage

Despite not being tied into the working week for most of last year, I still avoided regular live poker at weekends. I did play weekend poker in the case of special events like the GSOP, WSOPE and GUKPT, but I did not make a single trip into London just to play cash or tournaments at the Gutshot/International.

However, I had heard that the action was good; understandable if you consider many people are unable or unwilling to pull all-nighters during the week.

Especially, the "best " tournaments were apparently the weekly £100 Freezeout (and the occasional £300 version thereof).

So, I thought what better way to kick off the New Year of live poker, than by breaking my duck? The prospect of some weekend PLO cash afterwards was also appealing.

The field of 59 runners was choc-a-bloc with successful tournament players. The structure - 8,000 chips with a 25minute clock and antes from level 4 - was suited to a disciplined approach. Not really my strong suit, but I played really tight for the first level - hardly putting a chip in the pot.

So it was that I finished level 1 on 8,025 chips - just a single yellow away from where I started.

In level 2, my usual higher-volatility style started to emerge. I decided to see a flop with K9-suited and was rewarded with top 2pair on the flop. I housed up on the river but wasn't paid much.

I lost a bunch of chips with an overpair running into a 7high straight that I certainly didn't see coming. I totally misread the situation. Against the same player, though, I made back half what I donked off previously - my Q9 vs AJ made Tens fulls of 9s by the river where I successfully checked to induce a bluff - something I only recently included in my armoury.

Things started to go wrong though. I had 77 vs JJ, losing the minimum (but still losing). I laid down QQ to AA pre-flop after re-raising in the SB and getting an emphatic re-raise in reply. Dave Lightning showed the obvious AA. AQ cost me chips as well eithout getting to showdown.

So, all in all I sat on a little less than 5k at the end of Level 3 - obviously still highly playable, but half the average.

Next level 100/200 with a 25 ante. Obviously I have to look at raising more unopened pots. I don't mind this phase of the tourney but I didn't get much chance to enjoy it.

First hand back (literally) I am in the cutoff with 74o when it is folded to me. The SB is away, so with only 2 players to get through I obviously raise it - to 575. Both the button ( a liberal preflop caller) and the Big Blind (very tight) call. OK.

Flop - 844 !

Well, bingo. The BB checks and I decide it is pointless checking, so I fire out 1,050 (this was only half the pot - I often underestimate the pot and bet "too little"). Anyway, the button folds, but the BB moves all in for just a handful of chips more than me (about 4,100 more to call - only a pot sized raise).

I instacall. What else can I do ? He flips over A9-clubs. I hadn't even noticed the 2-suitedness of the flop. Oh well. I only needed to dodge the flush. I didn't . Instant service on the turn, and no pairup on the river.

Played itself, although if I bet the pot on the flop perhaps the BB finds a reluctant pass knowing he has no fold equity ?

Overall, I actually wasn't unhappy with my tournament. I hope I can play it again this year and I'm targeting a final table although that will be no mean achievement - it will be a 7 hour slog to get that far and another 2/3 hours if I wanted to make the heads-up stage. We'll see.

Silver linings ? An early opportunity to get into the PLO game - apparently running continuously for several days so far and looking deep and potentially "good" (but with "good" comes "bad-assed and dangerous"). Tired, tilting players in a deep hole can land some nasty blows (of the financial kind ...)

It was to be an exPLOsive session ....