Square Deal

It had been a little while since I came back from holiday, and I hadn’t played any poker at all since the games on the cruise ship. I even had a relatively light playing period before going away.

Mentally, I was setting up for a few bursts of really concentrated poker for the rest of the year, with less casual play in between.

I had a good look at the calendar of upcoming events for the remainder of 2009.

It is action-packed to say the least !

I am only focussed on UK events, but there are multiple GUKPTs, an EPT, the WSOP Europe, and several festivals in reachable locations including the 2-week Paradise Series of Poker at The International. Each of the major events also has a full array of side events.

Then, online, there is the WCOOP. The list goes on and on, not to mention a possible forum game in October, the 1-year anniversary bash at The International and perhaps I will host another event myself.

I look at my options.

I am not going to play the GUKPT grand final or the EPT without winning a satellite (or being sponsored, lol !). And the fact is it isn’t easy to satellite in (no double shootouts on Full Tilt, boo...).

So, I put those to one side as well as the GUKPTs that are not in London (where is Thanet, anyway ? I Wikipedia it and find out it is not even a place – it’s more of a geographical concept).
I played the WSOPE £1,500 last year so I do fancy the £1,000 event this year. The other “must play” is the £1,000 at the PSOP. At the EPT, I pencil in the £500 Mixed game event.

Deeve from the forum says he’s playing a £50 satellite at The Empire to the £1,000 WSOPE. For that reason, I decide to give it a try as well.

I drive in because I want to be able to get home the same night. I have worked, lived or played poker in London for over 20 years so I do know my way around a bit but when I drive in town I realise that I don’t necessarily know the best routes, or the proper location of things.

I do have a sat-nav but I almost always leave it at home, along with the A-Z. I must be able to find Leicester Square.

I have my own favourite routes through London. I guess they are really based on my history. I take certain roads, or navigate via certain landmarks based mainly on where I used to work, where I went to a football match, where I went to a party one time, that place where I drove the wrong way up a one-way street and got stopped by the police.

Actually, that has happened twice. Once after I met my mum in Covent Garden for dinner with my then-girlfriend (now wife), and again the first time I tried to find The International on East Road.

Fortunately, both times I got away with a quizzical look, a “drive safely” and a let-off.

So, Leicester Square.

“West End” sounds a good direction to aim for. As I get further into central London, I feel it wouldn’t hurt for there to be an actual sign for the place !

I am surrounded by locations where I had an interview once, or met someone for lunch, or that place where my beaten-up Fiat decided to pack up in rush hour. I know that in London, places are usually surprisingly close to each other, or else the exact opposite.

Finally, when I think I may have to weaken and look under the seat or in the boot to see if I actually do have an A-Z, I recognise the Trocadero (where I last met my old friend Jack from Jordan whom I haven’t now seen for 11 years) and I’m sorted. I was wondering where on Earth I could park, but “Leicester Square Car Park” seems to be the answer.

So, in I go. Deeve is there as well as a couple of other people I recognise. I am “persuaded” to sit down in a £1-2 NLH game for 10 minutes before the off and manage to lose a full buy-in in ridiculous fashion (his call was ridiculous, not my bluff, obv.)

The field for the satellite is soft ! Let me give you an example. Mid-position limps. I limp the hijack with pocket 5s. Button makes a min-raise. We both call.

The flop comes T-T-2. I intend to check-raise here but first the other active player bets 100 into 900.

I decide to just call and the button folds (?!). Turn a 5. Now my opponent bets 500 with 650 behind.

Really, I should push now but I decide for some reason I can get the rest on any river. The river is an Ace, which completes a flush as well. The fella checks so now I have to put him in (terrible river for me really) and he calls with QQ.

So, with this kind of field, it was a bit disappointing that at the end of the rebuy period I had almost the minimum possible number of chips ! I went bust bluffing into the nuts on the last hand so after a rebuy and add-on I needed a solid start to the freezeout.

A few hands in, after picking up a few blinds, I push with AQ. All insta-fold to the big blind who tanks. I’m liking that and when he eventually calls I am hoping that I dominate him, until he shows me AK-suited !

Hey ho. I look around and since my bluff-calling friend has left, I decide to take advantage of my early exit by relocating to The International for the rest of the evening.

Naturally I start out by bluffing off a couple of buy ins (by now, you would think I could rely on previous evidence to do my advertising ?) before I am able to turn it into a hole-escaping win.

I rarely play at the weekends, but it seems like the cash games at the club are worth making a trip for!