In which I reflect...

So I've just returned from London to see my brother graduate from KCL with a degree in Portuguese and Brazilian studies. We pretty much had an awesome time down there, although London is *expensive*, especially when you're bankrolling my brother for the few days anyway!

Coming back though, I got to thinking about what I've done since I graduated, which is basically the sum total of fuck all. As I outlined in my original post, I was planning on changing that, but actually, I don't think I've done a great deal. So it's time for action. Here's the new hotness:

1. Apply to sit my solicitors exams. Even if I don't take them because of some other reason, getting motivated to start studying the law again is a good idea. Exams are there to be crushed!

2. Send out 7 CVs/applications a week to KILLER jobs. No fucking around with 'a change is as good as a rest' jobs. I want something KILLER. I want the moon on a fucking stick. Yip, right now. I've found one that I really want and the outlook is promising but I can't say too much about it now, lest I look a dick when I fuck the interview up. What I will say is that it requires me to move abroad and in an industry that is closely tied to poker. I'll have some of that!

3. Get the fuck out of a call centre. I'm not blowing my own trumpet here, but I'm completely wasted here. I don't get out of neutral to do this job, add shit loads of value to the account, but don't get appropriately rewarded. That must change!

4. Get practicing my Dutch and French. Right now it's a disgrace that I've let these linger to the point of almost complete rustiness. Just because I speak German everyday at work doesn't give me the excuse to not keep up with the other languages. Use 'em or lose 'em!

5. Spend more time outside instead of on the grind outside work. Sunshine and football ftw!

So that's basically my 5 step plan to pay it forward over the summer.

Hopefully I'll actually be able to stick to it, bink an unreal job/get accepted to take solicitors' exams/enjoy sun.

Wish me lots of rungooooood.

--mulhuzz

In which my run good stops, maybe.

A quick update from the last weekend or so.

On Thursday, I *somehow* get persuaded to play the mayhem that is the £3 rebuy tournament at the G. With a 1k starting stack, and a table of maniacs, I was quickly in for ten rebuys or so. At the break, I had a massive 4k stack knowing that I needed to double up. This soon came when I get lucky with A4 (vs AJ) and from there I started to crush, winning every flip and 60%er. In the end though, I couldn't beat the bigger luckboxes and came third for £100. Not bad, I guess.  It was quite fun, I guess, and I met Sculph from the NPF for the first time, who's a nice guy and plays good too.

Afterwards, I then sit at cash and run horrendous, having some herotard limp-4bet me with A2o and getting there against my QQ, and having the same herotard then later getting there with 67o (again, limp calling my 3bet) against my AA. Still, I do manage to profit about £60 from the night by playing perfect and making sicko value bets all night.

For the next few days, I head to Coventry for a piss up because a friend of mine has just graduated and it's celebration time for sure. £1 gin and lemonades should be fucking illegal. Dangerous times, and capable of causing a two day hangover for sure. They wouldn't let me buy the bottle though, because apparently that encourages 'binge drinking'. *sigh* *irony* *etc*

Anyway, after a fucking amazing weekend on the piss, and a horrid hangover (note to self: Flake ice creams, whilst delicious, do not cure hangovers...) I get back into Newcastle just in time for the break in the Circus £2000 gtd £20/£20. This is such an awesome game, with a great structure. Even coming in three levels late, I'd have t12000 at 100/200, which is a pretty nice 60BB. Early doors, I start to increase my stack when I open AQhh from the button and Gary Collins (SB) calls, and Mark Trett (BB) then threebets me. I think Mark can be light a lot of the time here, and I consider just moving all in. The only problem with that is that I might find the top of his range. Ha. I don't like the idea of flatting because then I'm valueing Garry into the pot. In the end, I flat and Garry passes. Flop comes 9 high, two hearts, Mark leads and I just jam for value. If he has JJ then fine, we can flip. He passes AK pretty quickly.

I also get a couple of brilliant bluffs through vs Garry Collins and Big Stumpy (missed diamonds, bet the river in position), and Anton (he limps pre, I raise with Azbo, he calls, he bets 4k of a 12k stack on flop of Qxx, I shove for more than Anton, he folds, I show him the Azbo). I then obviously lose a monster pot with AQ on a KQx board against the most obvious JT in the world, but later I win a huge pot when I open early with TT, I call threebets to 6k (blinds are 400/800, I think) and someone shoves for 8k total. I isojam for value, and as I'm doing so, I see Icall has a 7 in his hand. He claims I looked at his cards, but whatever, it's a standard shove against him anyway, and he should protect his cards. He passes 77 and the board runs out 9x7xx vs AQ and I'm up to 40k again.

Then comes the most standard hand of the night ever. There are about 18 left and I open AA UTG to 3300 at 600/1200, Paul Nixon flats behind and we both see a 456 flop. I lead for 3500 with 8400 in the middle and Paul makes it about 11k. I jam for like 35k effective. He calls and tables 88. Obviously he gets there on the river with the 7 ball and I can't do anything more with 2.5BB when KQ < A7 in the BB next hand. Honestly I think Paul played that hand horrendously. I don't know what he thinks he's beating when I jam, obviously one of those where people convince themselves I'm spazzing with AK. Obviously I'm delighted with the call, just disappointed with the runbadddddd. Meh. Anyway, I don't think I've ever won this Sunday night game, and I should have had a better go at it last night than I did. Nm.

Peace, love and grapes,

--mulhuzz

In which I win the world, and come damn close to the universe...

Note: Before I start, there will be parts of this post which are incredibly braggy. I make no apologies for it.

Friday 2nd July saw the start of the £10 rebuy with £2000 gtd at the G, and value like this I couldn't pass. I turn up to be, eventually, joined by 36 others leaving the G with an overlay of about £700. Amazing value, pretty shocked it didn't get more runners to be honest. I don't remember much about this game, to be honest, other than the final table where I ran like God in amazing spots to go from short-stack to second in chips and take a 4 way chop for £400, with Garry Wilson Snr (who owned me in a few spots tbf) taking about £550 for the chip lead. Nice way to start my week.

Anyway, I'm not going to dwell on that, other than to say that it's a fantastic value tournament and deserves some support. I don't know how much longer the G can sustain the overlay (which was £1000 last Friday!!!) so get in whilst you can.

The following day, I played the G Tag Team game with Glen the Geek Whitehead. I'd like to apologise to him for playing so bad. I completely butchered a hand with 66 on a 432 board, and Gary Wilson Jnr had trips already, and I missed when he made quads on the turn. *sigh*. Anyway, that night, Dan Trett, Scotty Hocking and I go out instead of playing the evening game at the G. We. Get. Battered. What a fantastic night, complete degeneracy at it's very finest. Ask Dan about our taxi, he'll love telling you that story... :D

< < < fast forward > > >

Saturday, July 10th, I step up a buy-in level and play my first ever live £100+ tournament by playing in the £220 GUKPT Club Championship for the Newcastle G. I know I have game in the £75 circus game (keep coming really close to a big score in that one!) but decided to sell half my action to reduce variance in this game. As I've said before, I have no fear of the big boys and want to mix it with the best all the time. One quick text later, and Nemesis has bought half my action in this game.

On to the game. I get a tough table draw, I think, with some unknowns, but also with Nemesis, Dave Heathfield, TeamDobbs and Dan Trett on my table. Obviously I run amazing because Dan has position on me, but I have position on Nemesis. Ok, I can't have it all my own way, I guess, and I immediately form a plan to take these two on, as well as Hamed R, at one time one of the best players in the universe, by all accounts, and a real nice guy too. Without giving too much away, I decide I'm really going to under-rep my hands vs Dan and Nemesis, they can sometimes be so aggressive that you don't need to bet.

As it turned out, this was a good strategy. I underrep QQ vs Nemesis v early doors and he gets there in a small pot with A2...having limped UTG.....fish. :p

Some hands later, when I've severly underrepped hands vs Dan (check calling three streets with KcJx on a JXXccc board) and Hamad (checking the turn with flopped top-top to induce a call of a river value bet if he can put me on missed hearts...) and I'm shooting towards 30k from the 10k start. By this point, I've already knocked Nemesis out in a three way pot with AQ against a pair and a draw for Hamed and a bare draw for Nemesis QxxA in what was a huge pot. Details are fuzzy, but I shove the turn into a smallish side spot, and Hamed folds and I hold vs Iain to get a huge pot. EDIT: Nemesis reminds me that I bet Hamed off the pot and he shoves with fold equity with his draw. No fold equity vs top two, though, eh ;)

I'm really confident and playing well as we move to 200/400/50. This level crushes me, as we're joined by Lynne Beaumont (great player, obv) and Stumpy and by the end of the level I'm down to 16k and the break can't come soon enough. I did well not to double Stumpy up, and also had overpair vs underset 3 times in one level. That was so sick. I also lost 88 < Q6cc to Hamed.

At the break, I got myself back in the zone and thought about what i was going to do. I knew that I had a lot of BBs, and it wasn't panic stations by any means, but when you're running so bad (and, I might add, losing the minimum each time...) it's hard not to be affected. I take a break before we return for 300/600/50 and I basically have a word with myself. When we come back, I breeze to about 40k without really showing a hand down. When Lynne shoves ~11BBs from the button to my BB, it must be so fucking nice to find AK and hold vs QT.

< < < fast forward > > >

I then go card dead for what seems like an eternity, and i can't find a spot because shorties are often in the pot before me, pretty standard really.  I must admit, I've forgotten a whole load about what happens now, and what happens when I have like 40k on the FT. I do remember winning a huge pot 5 way by getting a bluff through. I've been really tight and raise early with 78cc. Obviously nobody believes me and I get called in 4 spots to create like a 25k pot (blinds were 8-1600). I get my reads perfect (two guys overcalling for value and leading anything where they hit, Dom on the button has a hand like AQ because he checked himself before not 3 betting me pre, and he expects me to have QQ+ here a lot. Boris, in the SB, determined to defend. Anyway, flop comes JTccT and I lead half pot to pick it all up with my gutshot SFD. I show the 8high, which I think gets me a lot of action in the most crucial pot of the day, not much later. We're 7 handed, I think, having dealt to have £200 back to 6th and 7th, leaving the following prizes:

1st: £2540
2nd: £1800
3rd: £1330
4th: £740
5th: £590

I raise in MP with two black Aces. I make it 4200 at 1k/2k/200. Dom calls from the BB and checks a flop of AT5r to me. Surprisingly here, I lead with top set, for about 3300, about 1/3 of the pot. With me having ~67k and just covering Dom, I'm leading here because he has a stack size to float me and I'm also inducing bluffs from hands like JTs, 99, etc. I couldn't believe it when he shoved on me. I had to ask the dealer if he was all in as I had my earphones in. It genuinely was not a slowroll. Dom shows 33 and needs runner runner, the turn bricks and now 6 handed I have 140k from 370k in play.

A little later, we lose Boris when 2 Shades Nick opens for 12k at (I think) 1500/3000 and I make it 40k right behind him with 77. Nick had been opening a lot of pots lately, and not found much resistance. His bet sizing was pretty horrible all day, often overbetting pots both pre and post flop (erm...3 and 4x against all villains is so 2008, especially when the blinds are so large, there is literally almost no need to bet that much, imo. I'm not criticising as such, I'm just pointing out that I found I could exploit it with a pretty large range and thus win more than I should be able to than, say, if he opened to 2.3xBB). Horrifically for me, Boris jams in the SB for like 55k total and I obviously can't fold once Nick passes. I'm not happy about it, but I say 'well, I just hope you have AK, then'...'Yup, nh'..and the board bricks out. I must admit, having watched Boris play so well on the FT and around the bubble it is absolutely no surprise that he has had a couple of deep runs in the Newcastle GUKPTs of late.

< < < fast forward > > >

Anyway, I'll fast forward a bit more now, as my memory is fading to be honest. I dunno how we get 3 handed, but we do. It's some guy that won a pot from me earlier and I told him to show both cards to win before the dealer mucked his hand (helping the guy out by not angleshooting his pot...) and he immediately replied 'show me your hand'. In this spot, I could just muck my cards and be a knob, but I flash him my cards and explain why that's bad etiquette and instantly label him knob. Actually, that was an overreaction, the dude is decent I guess, probably too nitty and I start being the table captain 3 handed, bluffing and barrelling and basically running over the two of them until this hand:

Nick opens the button for 15k (3k/6k blinds with ante) and I find AQs in the SB. I run through the possible options here. I'm pretty sure he's opening a v wide range, but I think I've run into the 'value' end of his range (not, like JJ+, AK+, but more like all pairs, JT+ since I think he's been opening a lot of pots on the button and all of a sudden he opens for 2.5X not 3+x). In the end, after about 45 seconds, I decide jamming is the optimal play. Here's why I think that:

1. I have over half the chips in play
2. I have him covered by like 40k.
3. We both cover the short-stack by at least 80k.
4. I've always shown down AQ+, 77+ at this table when I've moved in, pretty much been that way all day, actually.
5. ICM would dictate that he needs at least JJ+ to call here (and I think even that's a fold) and should prolly need KK+ tbh. (I haven't worked it out, but that's what I'm guesstimating)
6. He's a nit, and tank called a shorties all in with AK. Total nitroll when it comes down to putting his tournament on the line.

He tanks. For aaaaaagges. And then asks about the prize structure and the difference between 3rd and 2nd (like, £500...). He finds the hero call with 55 and holds, which I think is a snap fold for me. (fwiw, I think 55 can also be a snap call in other circumstances, e.g. if I 3bet him to 28k or so, you can jam on me then, etc..) All of a sudden I've gone from hero to zero in one pot. Tank calling with AK and 55 in those different spots is so weird, so maybe I should have played small pots with him, but like I say, I thought his bet sizing was exploitable and  expected a snap fold tbh.

Anyway, I get one double up with A8 v JT (through the shorty, lol) then later, when down to about 70k (up from 40k..) I flop a pair and a flush draw on a J94hh board with 93hh and get it in against KJo. I bink the flush on the river and knock the other guy out.

Heads Up:
Doesn't last too long, I get a walk in the BB with QQ for the second time today (happened 4 or 5 handed, too), I start winning more and more pots, we make a deal (£2000 for me and £2300 for him with me having 160k and him 210k) and then a few hands later I three bet jam A8 and find AJ in the top of his range. He tank calls. lol. I don't run good enough to get there, though.

Oh well. Still a great score and my best live score ever so I'm cartwheeling, fistpumping and all that jazz. Big, big, big thanks to Nemesis who backed me to make an impression in this game, so pleased I could get you a good return, although giving you a grand was quite surreal lol. Thanks also to various others, incl Mark Trett, for giving me advice on the mental mindset needed for a 'bigger game', to Stumpy for rubbing me down at exactly the right time (in my level of hell) and making me laugh just when I needed it, to the G for being awesome, and to everyone else who has helped me with my game, knowingly and unknowingly, in recent months.

Alright, enough now, you only won some money at cards, not a fucking Oscar; I hear you.

Peace, love and grapes,

--mulhuzz

I'm Back....

Hi folks!

So I'm back from Bulgaria, it was *awesome* and well worth the 50p I spent in being there. Seriously, I spent less than £300 in a week, was pissed every night and ate out twice a day. If you haven't been, I recommend it highly!

Obviously I didn't play any poker whilst out there, although obviously I did do my nuts betting on which of us would be faster down various water slides. Tip: being a fat lad doesn't make you gravity proof, but doesn't make you as quick as you'd imagine, either. I also did my nuts on data roaming by forgetting to turn my mobile internet connection off, *sigh*.

Tip 2: Don't watch England get fucked by Germany in a bar full of Germans having spent the whole afternoon cursing them in their mother-tongue whilst drinking beer. Further, don't lose your lighter and then need a cigarette so bad after they make it 3-1 that you interrupt their celebrations to ask for a light. They took it rather well, I thought, but it was pretty embarrassing after I'd spent the whole day pointing out the lack of Germans in their team (Brasil, Poland, Tunisia and Turkey are just some of the countries they employ to do their football these days) and how we were gonna stuff them. Thanks, Fabio, you prick. Now fuck off and resign. What? You mean you value the £12m you'll get paid off if sacked more than you dignity? Of course you do, you arse, the Italians don't have a word for dignity. Or if they do, it's the same as 'snake faced cunt'.

Anyway, a week of sun, Germans, waterparks, beer (at 75p/pint) and women (considerably cheaper and more dangerous to your health!) later, I'm back to work, which is brilliant, because I love sitting in the office when it's nice outside... when there are Germans in the office taunting me at every opportunity, both over football and my conspicuous lack of a sun tan. Yes, I've been on holiday. No I don't have a tan. My personal melting point is a little over 25 deg, so meh :(

This week, I plan to plan at Circus on Weds to get back into the swing a bit, and then probably over at the G on Friday, too. I *may* squeeze in a little bit of Circus Thursdays, just for the craic too. Seems like I'm amenable to a little bit of gamble gamble this month too. Looking forward, I'm also gonna play the £200 G Club Championship, and I'm gonna sell half my action in that. If anyone is interested (straight 50:50 split after stakeback to backers) then leave a comment or PM me on the NPF.

Peace,

--mulhuzz

Sigh, Decent, But Sigh

So I wanted to recap my week.

It starts with doing ok in the Monday game at Circus, before going card dead, sigh. I finally 3bet ship 4 handed with A9o from the SB after Brennan's button open. Standard ship for my 10BBs, but he has AA, sigh. Thanks Brennan, happy birthday me. Still take £70 for fourth though. Can't really remember much about the tournament, before I go on to crush at cash for another £100 or so, through till the early hours with George and Lewis and playing DC. George gets there with 72 against my TT in the last hand of the night, so I decide I need sleep and go home as it's now 'officially' my birthday, and I want to go out on the lash the next night. 7am is more than good enough for me to go home!

The next night, I get fucking wankered, lose everyone in Madam Koo's and head to Circus for 45 mins, maybe an hour, win a proper internet hand with AKdd all in on a 8d 3x 4d Jd board for over £200 against 88 and 44. lol. Brick the river one time please sir, thanks, ship it! First time I've ever put the straddle on and woken up with a hand!! That was nice, ldo. I then go find the rest of the lads and get more drunk, before heading to get food and home. As we're in the take away, some dude (asian rudeboy wannabe gangster) tries to pay for a bottle of water with a £50 note, so he's immediately labelled 'cock' obv and then tries to talk to me. I tell him to fuck off, he pulls a knuckleduster out, I laugh in his face, as do all the lads I'm with. He offers me out, I step outside, he doesn't follow, I laugh more. Police arrive, he's knicked for possession of a little baggy of pills and for being a ladytard with a weapon. I laugh more.

Weds I head to Aspers for cash, lose a little with AK < QQ aipf (other guy was shortstacking, I 3bet from button over CO raise, he shoves, I call getting 90million to one, he wins). Then the game is going to break up, because there's a £11 sng announced as a satellite for the Nifty Fifty which started the Aspers game.

I absolutely crush this, I slow roll Barry because I've misread my hand, he was furious and I was super apologetic, but what can I say? I was hungover to fuck and spades and clubs look similar. I thought I was tank calling with a bare 8 on the end of a 4 spade board, rechecked my hand, I have As8c. Sorry Barry, I have the nuts, I call. He shows Ks2s. That's what happens when you call my raises with tripe. I slowroll you with the nuts. lol.

I then win a huge flip on the bubble when I hit one of my 2389028392839 outs on the river to make broadway after I shove button with AJs and BB tank calls 77. He had slightly less than me, and the chip leader (Benoit, not Bruno as I've been calling him!) had 2x me, so it's a pretty spewy call imo, but there we go, I was happy to go to the river needing any pair, any heart and any 9/K for my double gutter. K ball one time.

So to the Nifty. I have a pint with Ian 'Nemesis' Bertram pre game, and then catch up briefly with the Tretts. Unfortunately, they don't buy my claims that the game is cancelled and Dan goes on to take the lions share of the chop. I should've tried harder, obviously. Well done Dan!

For my part, I never get going, totally card dead and only win one pot of note pre break when I turn a flush and win a medium size pot from two tards. I lead the turn for 1500 into 3500 when one tard has 2200 total. I should have checked as he tank folds. Sigh. I'm up to about 9000 from 6000 at the break but still totally card dead.

After the break, I know that 100/200, 200/400 and 300/600 are really the levels where it's make or break for me. At 100/200 I manage to lose the minimum with 44 on a 467T hhh board when I check fold the turn to be shown 77.  Kinda butchered it, caus I check-called the flop planning to check-raise most turn cards. Worst card ever comes off, I don't have enough chips to bet fold though, so check-fold it is as there is literally nothing I'm beating.

I then get super card dead some more, all the way to 300/600 when I have about 6500. I've had difficulty finding spots because all the shorties on the table are too my right, so they often get in the pot before me. In the BB, I pick up 45o when my BB is raised from MP again! Brennan flats behind and I immediately peg him for a hand like AJ/AQ/55 etc. When he flats, I note that the raiser looks nervous, and annoyed that he's gonna be outta position. With a flat caller behind him, he has to be huge to call my shove (because he has only 9000 total) so I just shove because there's like 2800 in the middle and my tight image should make brennan fold out lots of hands in his range. Obviously I get tank called in one spot with an announcement of 'ok, I'll gamble' and then Brennan tank folds AQ. I read him so good. lol. Obviously I'm up against KQo and the first two cards give me the world with 23, then the board pairs and runs a K on the turn and I miss my up and down for the win. Sigh. I don't think I played too badly, but I just didn't know what to do with no hands at all and no spots. Meh.

So there we are. A weekly round-up. Thanks for reading!

In which I smash all boards ever in the face, and somehow conspire to lose.

First of all, before I get ranty, let me just say wpwpwpwpwpwpwp and shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiip it to Rosco for winning the Coral British Masters Leeds game this weekend. I'm sure he'll be reporting more on this over at his blog. Well played sir, and super well deserved.

Ok then, on to the rant. So I'm off work, fancy playing some cards so head over to Aspers for a little cashytao action. The game is just getting underway as I rock up, so sit for £50 with Stephen Craik (terribad), a French lad called Bruno(?) (nice guy, good player, v capable and thinks I'm a total shark thanks to some brilliant speech play by James BOTR Howard...lol) and the usual collection of Chinese/Asian donks. I get building a nice stack early when I make a good call with TT on a K9xxx 2 heart board against Bruno. I also turn the nuts against a shortstacking Stephen and get paid off when I donkbet shove the river. I nitroll some other dude when after I lot of limps I pop it with AQo in the cut off. Get a couple of callers, and flop is Q8x 2heart board and my c-bet is check called in one spot. Now the pot is like £15 and the check caller in the hijack leads for like £3.50 on a K turn. It looks so milky I start wondering if he has a set, and he only has £20 back. I flat call because he always calls with sets, and always passes everything in his range that I beat, I think. On the river, a really bad J (because now all the queens he can conceivably have check/called and fired with now all have 2 pair. *sigh*. Any way, he bets £5.50 on the end, so I kinda nitroll call and he had A8. Ok, I can't raise for value I suppose, but just, wow.

So anyway, I'm crushing and playing pretty super when some tard raises early to £3, and I repop to £14 with AdKd in the hijack. Bruno, on the button, tells me this is a great spot for him to 4bet me, but passes (I'd have snapped, ldo) and the tard calls.

I turbo smash the K96dd board in the face, and the tard checks, having thought about betting, and I insta think 'draw' so I just shove. He calls and I'm shown the might QJo. Ten on the turn ldo and I obv miss the river diamond. Sigh. Wp sir, you play so ossm. I'm then told by two other players that they passed a ten. No diamonds. Mbn to be one outed.

So anyway, next hand I find AKo so I raise to £3.25 with the straddle and get called in 5 spots. I bet £10 on the K93r flop and some tard shoves for £16 total. I call and he shows KJo. Jack on the river, ldo. 3 outed. Back to back. Yip, nice hand, you played it awful ('i thought you were steaming', 'so shove pre, you have no fold equity and never have the best hand otf', 'what's fold equity', 'sigh')

So, there we are, gg profit, and I take a small £4 profit from playing like a hero.

I refuse to be tilted by this though, I played completely awesome, I think, and right now I feel I'm playing better than I ever have before. Within the next couple of months I'm going to be really working on my live tournament and cash game and by the end of the summer I hope to have played in (and scooped) a major live tournament like the DTD deepstack. I didn't think I was ever good enough in this kind of game, but recently a couple of people I really respect have said nice things about my game (you know who you are) and convinced me that I might well just be good enough value to take some shots. When I do, I'll probably sell some action, so I'll keep you all updated.

Thanks for reading, comments appreciated.

GL at the tables,

--mulhuzz

Circus Friday Game 5th June 2010

So I didn't blog in a while, I'll keep this as short as I can. Honest.

I get persuaded to play the Circus £15+£15 game on Friday and get further persuaded by BO$$HOG and Pads that having beers before would be fun. They were absolutely right, it was fun. Couple of beers in the telegraph (which is rammed) and then off to reg at Circus. Before we reg, I play my first ever game of AZBOKING with Sensh, BO$$HOG, Pads and Andy Blair. Obviously I bink it. Beginner's luck and such.

I get drawn a reasonably tough table, with Andy 'KQ4EVA' Blair (who I love listening to talk about poker whilst he's playing, it's like free coaching!), Lewis Clemment and Chris Day all here, plus some unknowns. Chris is tough to play against as he's just so aggro with a wide range, and I think it's pretty safe to say that Lewis is a top player who will be more than happy to have the button when I'm in the BB. Andy is directly to my left too, which should be fun. Chris is directly to my right and dealing, and he's always good crack. You know he's gonna be here for ages with loads of chips, or out early with his style.

A little into it, Chris coolers Andy for his first buyin with A7 > TT all in on a 7 high flop. Ace on the turn. Andy rebuys, and Chris coolers some other dude and very quickly has north of 20k, I guess, from the 6k start. He's being aggro and running good. Hitting every draw and such. Then Chris raises the button to 425 and I repop to about 1250 with AKs from the SB. Andy moves in from the BB and Chris passes. I don't like folding with 1/3 of the effective stack already in there when I'm flipping a lot. I make the call and AK > TT. Ul Andy, wp. Always a pleasure.

I like to threebet a little lighter against Chris than I normally would, and I make up for this by flatting less. The reason is that Chris can have a tendency to overplay hands a little, especially if he thinks 'he'd never reraise with X preflop' so you can get him to commit his chips with all sorts of draws and mid pairs. The flip side is that I'll rarely bluff him, particularly if I think he has a draw and the pot is about to bloat.

Later a couple of crucial hands come up. I threebet Chris' open with TT and he calls (that's not lighter than usual, I'll 3bet TT for value against most people..) and he calls OOP. He leads pot size on a 689 board and I just shove for 10k effective. He snaps with K7, I fade the world and double up to 20k-ish. My shove looks so weird here I think that Chris might think he has Ks, 7s, Ts and 5s for the best hand. He'll prolly also call with just like any pair. With hands that beat me, he probably bets smaller or even 'checks to the raiser' I think. Meh, maybe I got lucky that I wasn't behind but that he still called. I had a live AZBOdraw if I was behind, anyway.

A few orbits later, with the beers flowing, there are a couple of limpers (Chris included) into Rob Flett (new to table) in the BB. He promises to raise, so I overcall with 99. Not ideal, but meh. Flop is a dreamy 345. Rob checks, Chris bets, I raise for value from hands like A5, etc, and Rob flats. Chris then shoves for 6k more (with about the same in the middle) and I just flat. Rob then moves in for 1000 more than that. Sigh. Not beating anything now, I guess, but I call. Actually, I'm beating the world. Rob has 52 (he gave the 'I guess I'm going to work speech) and Chris has 65. I scream for a running King Queen ball, and that's exactly what I get, and all of a sudden I have 38k or so. We're not even at the break yet!!!

At the break, I tell pads how I'm crushing and he tells me how he's catching up. Some good banter there, of course. I decide to add on, just for the crack, and eat at the break, catching up with Dan and Mark Trett too.

After the break, some other stuff happens. Fast forward to Dan and Mark Trett getting moved to the table. I'm dealing now, and having banter, and watching the Tretts hoover up chips. Apparently when Mark writes his first book, the first chapter will be 'how to get there on the river' and Dan will guest author a section on 'how to flop trips and get paid everytime'. Dan and Mark both came to the table with less than me, and all of a sudden Dan has like 50k, Mark getting to about 35k -- by getting there on the river, obv ;) -- and I can't relax anymore. Now there's poker to be played, so I mix up a few pots, but I'm playing a little tight against them both as they both have position on me and I don't want to get into a spot where I could go broke if I play it wrong.

I haven't really moved chipwise for a while, small variations, going through blinds, taking blinds and limps and such. I'm delighted to continue the banter when the table splits and I get moved. I *really* want Pads' table, but it's not to be, although Dan joins me on a table with philn, KENLOCK and some kid called Phil, as well as another lad called Shaun that I know from around. At this point, let me say that it's the first time I'd met KENLOCK and we spoke for ages about a lot of stuff. He's a top top bloke, if you don't know him, introduce yourself. Needless to say, he knows his way around the felt too.

I start opening all buttons and also threebetting Dan Trett's early and mid position ranges in position for value. The lads in the blinds are starting to get sick of me, I think, and it's no surprise when Shaun shoves. I ask him how much more and he instantly draws in breath quickly, telling me he doesn't have a monster. I know I'm unlikely to be dominated with QTs and make the call for 12k or so. I bink against A3 and start to chip up again.  I then lose lots of it back when I flop two pair from the SB against and all in pre (for 2BBs) and KENLOCK who flatted the button. Ken has a straight and a flush draw, so when I shove he snaps and I can't fade the world this time ldo. I'm back to around 40k again when I open AQo early. Dan calls in the SB which is perfect for me, because it sets up a squeeze from philn in the BB. He duly obliges and I hold vs 78s by flopping an Ace in a 50k pot. Up towards 65k now. (I think that was the order of those hands, I may be wrong, but the net result is that when we move to the FT bubble I had 65k).

I raise from LP again (this time with KQs, a value hand!) and I get shoved on by the mighty Q7s. I make what I think is the most standard call in the world, and he flops a 7. That was the other kid called Phil. I guess he was just sick of me stealing his blinds, maybe. More like a frustrated shove than a value shove, esp when he had 25k or so. GG 50k pot.

I think I play another couple of pots, but get to the FT as a decent stack. Basically, this goes on for ages. Jean Barr limp folds AK to a Dan Trett all in (he lost a reasonable amount at the other table, but I don't remember how) because there was a limper behind. I was furious with that tbh. Anyway, I play like a bit of a hero, I think, but all of a sudden it becomes a little too tight so I start opening everypot that's folded to me, as does Dan. With less than 15BB in some spots, I just shove shove shove and pick up blinds all the time. Dan takes a stand with the 'miles ahead of my range' (my words, not his) KhJh. Unluckily for him (this is the 5th hand in a row I've shoved) I have Ah6h and hold to win a huge pot.

I can't be arsed to keep typing, but some dude gets KK a million times (and I fold JJ and AK to him pre) and later I'm offered a 5 way deal as chip leader. Lewis really has my back here and I turn it down because, frankly, 80% of the time I'm giving like £85 away. I offer a 5% discount on an ICM chop, but nobody other than Lewis knows what that means, so we play on. I start nibbling and nobbling and applying pressure, but then lose a rather large pot to TJ when he outflops me when I'm dominating. *sigh* -- back to average, TJ, furious that I didn't deal, starts giving it a bit of talk, so I stick the earphones in and decide to crush again. I do. 3 way chop at like 6:30 in the morning caus I had shit to do that morning and couldn't be wrecked. That was annoying. Good cash though, felt I played well.

In other news, that put me top of the new world cup league. weeeee..

In other other news, I did like £100 in a cash game at the G on Saturday after coming in pissed and having Scotty outflop my AA then play me like a fiddle for me to get it in drawing dead almost. That sucked. Still, when I made my first post at the NPF, I said I wanted to make £2500 this year from livepoker. It's June. Almost midyear review time, and I think I'm well on target for that, so that's something. Even if I do play like a fucking buffoon whilst pissed.

Thanks for reading. Sorry about the curtness at the end.

GL at the tables,


--mulhuzz