Good run of beats continues

Following the nasty beats on Thursday, I decided to play the £15 one rebuy or add on the following night at The Circus Casino in Newcastle. After all I was happy with the way I was playing and surely my big hands and ability to induce the fish to call me when behind would pay off eventually, right?

Was a pretty uneventfull tournament if I am completely honest, I had been pretty much on cruise control, no major hands. Only really got short once, when it folded to me in SB and I shoved with K 10 only for BB to wake up with AJ, I spike the 10 and was back in the race. Anyway, with 13 players left, nearing the bubble, blinds are 600/1200 and I have 18k in chips there is about 400k chips in play so, although not desperate, a double up would be nice to take to the final table.

Then this happens. UTG limps, which generally means one of two things he either has shit or a monster and not much in between. the next guy to act raises to 6k, I look down at AA, now was my chance. I hollywood for a bit, pointing out that the UTG limper and UTG+1 raiser must have monsters, before I "reluctantly" push my chips over the line and go all in. Then the next guy to act, who is a complete fish, goes into the tank!!! Wow he must have a marginal I think. After about 30secs I say to him "If you have to think this long you are well behind", this is the nudge he needed to call me and his chips go in too. UTG folds, so he had shit after all, and the original raiser says oh well I'll gamble with his 44. I table my AA and the other guy tables 1010. Now at this point I am happy although I'd rather be up against one player, but god knows what the guy with 1010 thinks he is doing with that much action before him, at ABSOLUTE best he is racing and is likely to be miles behind. Of course poker rarely rewards great play and the fish binks his 10 on the flop, and I hit the rail again.

Now I've played poker long enough to take beats and move on, but when will the poker gods decide that it's my time? In the meantime I'll stick with the title of my blog I'D RATHER BE LUCKY THAN GOOD!!!!!

Aspers new card room

Ok so went to Aspers, Newcastle new card room. Having only played live once this year so far, was refreshing to journey away from the computer screen for an evening to play the £30 freezeout. I have to say the new card room is a vast improvement on the old set up and a much nicer environment to play in.

So to the tournament. £30 buy in, 7000 chips, with a decent structure. I think it ended up about 57 runners, with first prize just shy of £600. Anyway I don't play a hand for the first round and use this as an opportunity to size up the players at the table. Only one playerI know at the table, my NPF chum Gaz Walker, the rest were unknowns but it became apparent that they were all fairly novice players.

During the 2nd round, guy 3 off button raises to 450, with blinds at 25/50. Huge raise and I look down at KK. I decide to keep pot small and slow play them and call, BB calls too. Q high flop, i think is right in their range, so i check, BB checks and the expected C-Bet doesn't come as raiser checks too, ok so he has an A i thnk. Turn blanks and i lead out for 700, BB calls possibly on flush draw and raiser folds. River the horrible A, i bet 700 again, Bb flats me and shows QJ so I scoop pot.

Next round I look down at AA utg, blinds now 50/100 i have 8500. I limp. UTG+1 raises to 600, and it folds round to SB who calls. I re-raise to 2100, which causes the original raiser to fold his 88. The SB who seems a bit full of himself announces that he only has 3500 (35xBB) behind so needs to gamble and shove all in. Of course I snap call and show AA, SB shows Qd10d. Turn gives him flush on a paired board and I blank river to lose half my stack. No biggie just a bad beat, and I still have 40+xBB, so easily well in it.

3 hands later, guy 2 off button raises to 300, I look down at KK and re-pop him to 900. He thinks for a while and calls. Flop comes down 10 high with 2 clubs. I decide if he checks I am shoving, as I am happy to take it there and then and don't want a scary club shutting down my action on the turn. Sure enough he checks and i shove. He tanks and eventually calls with 77. Turn card comes 7 and I am heading out of the door having played 3 hands KK, AA and KK.

In the short term obviously gutted to get bad beats in this way, but in the long term I know I will benefit from these sorts of player, which is why playing poker is clearly a game of skill, but I'd still rather be lucky than good.