My Ideal MTT Table....

I've played a couple of tournaments recently, ran awesome and crushed in the one that didn't matter (the Friday £15+£15 at Circus) and ran terribad and got nowhere in the one that did (the £50 Circus Monthly FO).

I don't really want to talk about them too much, I mean there were standard spots in both and it's kinda meh. If you can't win 70%ers then you have no chance.

Additionally I played the £20 triple chance at the G on Friday and ran AK into TT on an AKx flop and then AK into QQ and KK aiprf when blinds wake up with QQ and KK? Live poker is rigged! ;) having played super awesome thus far. Meh.

This weekend saw the CMBPT roll into Teeside and as you'll probably already know, the NPF owned it, with FT finishes for bigstumpy (6th?) Rosco (4th and second FT of the tour this year!) and Mark "The Threat" Trett (who doesn't like anyone else winning a free drinks voucher at Teeside, nevermind a poker tournament) coming second for just over £10k.

A couple of people talked about a Day One table that lots of NPFers played on:

1) Dan “Not Always Light” Trett
2) Unknown
3) Khadir “I Call” Khoshawy
4) Rizgar “Borat” Qadir
5) Lee Danaher
6) Dave Collins
7) Mark “The Threat” Trett
8) Craig “Big Stumpy” Newton
9) Ross “Roscopiko” Johnson

How much of an awesome MTT table is this? Banter: check. Good players: check. Bad players: I-call, erm, I mean, check.

This got me thinking. If I could devise 'the perfect' MTT table containing solely NPFers, who would I have?

Some Criteria:

1. I'm not going to give regards to seating (basically position) and assume that the players would randomly be assigned seats at this table.

2. The table is mainly going to be based strongly on 'players whose game I respect' (of which there are many, so if you're not on the list, don't assume I don't.....) and 'people I'd have a cracking time at the table with (similarly cf above).

3. As a corollary of 2), I won't necessarily be ammmmmazzzzing value on this table. I might even be dead money most days, as it happens. As you read down the list, you'll see why.

4. Most players will be given a nickname. Some of them will be well known nicknames, others will be things I think of them.

5. I'm going to try and get a mix of styles and games. Although they'll all be excellent players, see 2).

1. Marc 'mulhuzz' Mulhern
Well, I have to be on the table, right? What's that Rounders quotation? Something about spotting the fish....

2. Steve 'know your enemy' Brennan. 
Yeah, we'll have some Bulmers please. And Brennan's hand reading skills will make me sick. He'll fold AJs UTG+1 but then raise 89s the next hand because he knows his enemy.


3. Ross 'roscoLAGo' Johnson.  
Always plays to win, not as lag as I think he is, obv, and two CMBPT final tables this year means you know he has game. Also Cpt of the latest NPF team.

4. Dan “Not Always Light” Trett
Mark has made the bigger splash in the last couple of years, but whisper it quietly, I think Dan is the better player. Not by much like. And if we both get knocked out early, there is nobody I'd rather go drink Jaegerbombs with on the rail. :D


5. Mark “The Threat/Lord Mayor of Teeside” Trett
All round gent and brilliant player. Useful to get a linecheck from, even if it is just 'check call all three streets'. Only kidding, Mark. Also calls me Mulldozer. Which I love, obv. So he's in. Oh yeah....he also owns Teeside, so in the interests of fairness, the MTT must be held in Newcastle...


6. Andy 'KQ4EVA' Blair
Andy has, unknowningly, taught me more about MTT strategy than anyone else on this list whilst I've been at his table in the past. He also knows a fuckload about the mixed games, and is very good at framing the 'mental' side of the game. If this was an STT, he'd win more often than any other player, I suspect.

7. Dave 'Jimmy Chipmunk' Stephenson
Is there anyone better at patiently waiting for a spot, even with a microstack? The total opposite of my approach to shortstack poker. Also, we're drinking red wine, always +EV.

8. Neil 'Buzzzzzzzzzzzzzz' Harvey
Depending on your definition of 'young' (I'm 24, so we'll say under 22), Neil is by some distance the best young player in Newcastle. Someday soon he's gonna win something huge like a GUPKT. Nobody will be surprised. Obviously he's also a great buffet companion.

9. George 'GeoKing Get Therrrrrrrrrre' Lawson
Very solid, very dangerous, much improved over the last year or so. Also, we'd trade a cheeky 10%, giving me more of a shot. We could have signature hand battles (the mighty 75s for George and K8ss for me!)

10. Ian 'Nemes-is in the tank' Bertram
OK, he tanks. Alot. It tilts me and he knows it, but I love playing with Ian, mainly because there's so much meta-game there and plays that to an outsider look ridiculous make perfect sense to Ian and I. Also, there should be at least one other player where I can't decide if a 5bet jam is Aces or 45s. I'll let you make your own judgment on who the other is!

I'd have a combination of Keith 'please blogggggg moaaar!' Ridley and Steve 'CGK' Wills on the mic announcing the action, too. Just because I can.

Did I miss somebody out? Who would you have on your table? Let me know in the comments if you're so inclined.

Peace, Love and Grapes,

--mulhuzz