Been playing a bit of pub poker. More the beer and social aspect but of course to get used to handling the cards and the chips. Its a tad different for someone who has played online for nearly 4 years but hadnt played a hand live.
Anyways couple of minor cashes and it paid for the entry and the beer. So happy days.
I then think maybe i should give it a go at a proper card room within a casino and it just so happened that the
Newcastle Poker Forum (NPF) were having their forum championship game. 100 of the best players in Newcastle and surrounding area taking their seats in a £50 freezeout.
I decided in the end that a 2 day event with a £50 buy in was probably a bit extreme for my live debut so i gave it a miss but did turn up 3pm on the Sunday to rail and have a couple of pints.
Low and below the tournament was won by
TeamDobbs who had organised it all
They also had a £20 bounty game on the Sunday to run alongside the main event so i took a chance in that and bust just before the final table. After a few more pints and i decide to enter the
8:00pm . £20 entry with 1 rebuy or add on. I drift through the first couple of hours on average chips and then after the add on period i double up with
KK vs AK (Ace would have dropped had it been online !!!!) I also get a few nice bluffs in as i cement my tight image.
We get to 2 tables left by about 1am. 5 hours and still not near the bubble. My stack is starting to dwindle as its a raising jungle and i now have 2 of the best players in the casino on my table.
Ali who they call a god around here and
Russ the suit. My fortune then suddenly takes a turn for the best. I get dealt
KJs on the BB. Button raises and small blind makes up the action and i decide to flat call. Flop comes a rainbow
KJ3. Button raises and Small blind pushes all in.
I snap call my remaining 12k and the button throws away QJ. Cards on the backs and im up against
K3 . No 3 and ive got a nice pot
I then start bluffing a bit more but my image is then blown apart. I have
53c on the button and raise it 2.5 times. Small blind calls and BB folds. Flop is
AKK and i raise again and the other player folds. As i throw my cards away the dealer is moving the button and he catches them and exposes them. It actually works to my advantage though as 2 hands later I get
AKh on the small blind. I look early as they are dealt and as its folded to me i push all in. The big blind asks if i even looked at my cards so i take a look and say i have now. He insta calls with
AJ and i double up. We then have 2 players eliminated on the other table to take us to the bubble with 11 left.
After what seems ages they decide to take £30 off the winner for 11th place and that seems to speed things up. 10 mins later im on my first live casino final table.. With over £500 to the winner down to £65 for 10th im guaranteed a profit for the day.
We lose our first player when the NPFs Bob The Gob busts out but he cashed and managed to finish the plate of sandwiches so seemed happy enough. With 8 left the local god Ali pushes all in with A8 on the button. I call from the small blind with TT and take him out. A cash and a major elimination. We get down to 6 left then at 3.30am after 7.5 hours it ends.
QQ in mid i raise. The small blind calls. and the big blind raises. I push and the sb gets out the way. The BB flips over
KK and im gone. Maybe i could have found a fold but just one of those things and i wanted the double up. I got £100 for 6th and 5th only paid an extra £15.
One hell of an experience and one im keen to repeat.
I also dont know if its because ive played a bigger competition but since i have played at the casino ive played the pub game twice at the Miller and both times ive chopped it when heads up.
So my last 3 live games have brung over £300 in combined prize money. Mammoth returns for a little £2 online fish :)
Going to the Grosvenor tomorrow to play the NPF team game so will report back on my day at Newcastles other cardroom. On the subject of all things NPF and Newcastle. I said they had their forum game well Teamdobbs will be guest hosting the Gatsby awards for November and will answer the interview questions i have set. I might make it a regular feature and try and get into the mindset of different players.
Anyways thats it for now. Good luck and thanks as ever for reading.
Paul
