Upswinging :D

Recent results have been good, I am playing very well and Mrs Variance (gotta be a female to play games the way she does :P) has been kind to me.

In the past few weeks I have had a few mini cashes in tourneys in local casino and online, nothing major, and my cash results have been steady.

Then on Monday night I played the monthly £50 rebuy game with (£1k added to the prizepool) at the local casino. I got down to the last 6 players and we did a deal as it had turned into the dreaded crapshoot, that was good for a £700 boost to the bankroll.

On Thursday I got down to last 4 players and we chopped that for £325 each as well.

I have injured my ankle ligaments again and it really is quite painful, and if i sit down to long, the ankle starts to swell up. It is starting to get a lot better though. The last time I injured the same ankle I went on a massive heater with amazing results and cashed for like over £4k in a two weeks, so lets hope it's an omen :D

Looks like next few months are going to be very busy poker wise, Dundee Gala casino have just announced a sort of mini festival at the end of August.

Schedule is as follows...........

Fri 28th August £200 Freezeout

Sat 29th August £500 Freezeout (2 day event)

Sunday 30th August £100 Freezeout

So straight from the off, I look to play the £200 one which I think will get decent runners. Whether I play the £500 will depend on the amount of people who register, and/or if i satellite in.

This is partly because if it doesn't get the runners, then I can get a better game for £500, either a Coral British Masters or the £500 game at the Scottish poker championships in Edinburgh.

But there are going to be plenty of satellites etc, so I will see what develops.

Then the week after this poker festival in Dundee, the Scottish Poker Championships at the Maybury take place. I cashed there last year, so plan on playing a few of those events this year.

Again, there are £100, £250, £500 (2day) and £1k main event (2 day) also Maybury running plenty of satellites for them, so will try qualify for the big £1k buy in main event.

All in all a busy month, I am starting to prepare for both festivals now, the goal is to build up the bankroll, cash big in at least one of the events, and look to play the £1k buy in WSOP bracelet event in London in September.

Good luck

Barry x x

Lets get this post out the way :D

I played the GUKPT £300 summer series game in Aberdeen, good tournament, good structure. I traveled up with my good friend Colin Wu, and met a few Dundee regulars up there. The tournament went as follows!!

Early stages, found myself down to about 4k before the first break, managed to pick up a couple of pots and rebuild to 8k. All good!

Mid stages, was never really short stacked, but found myself around 15bb at some points, although managed to build up to 10k when the blinds came 200-400 so a decentish stack that i could actually make some plays.

I came back after a break with 10k starting stack and then went on a bit of a rush, picked up some cards (not monster starting hands, but was connecting nicely with flops) Managed to build my stack up to around the 30k mark, double the average, with around 16 players left.

Then this happened...........

Blinds 400-800, 12 players left, I have 26k in chips.

Under the gun raises to 3k, folds around to me in the small blind, I have QQ. The under the gun raiser has around 10k more behind him, so figure the only play is to shove all in, as obviously any re-raise i make he is either shoving or calling, and don't want any K or A scare cards!

So i shove all in for 26k

Now this absolute clown (most of the night when he was big blind was asked by dealer "any raise" he then mucked his cards 9 times out of 10!! The guy satellited in and did not have a clue!!!

He goes all in for 22k, the initial under the gun raiser folds.

Now the way the action has went I am putting this guy on AA or KK, but he was a complete clown and newbie. So could have been Ace rag hahaha To my delight he had Jacks.

Cut a long story short he hits quads against my Queens!!

A 46k pot (average at that time was 22k) would have been 11 players left and I would have coasted to final table.

I was left with 3k which went in few hands later to no joy.

In summation............

I played really well, and never gave up, built up a nice stack, get a guy in drawing to two outs, and he hits both of them :D

It is disgusting, but I took it surprisingly well. I think it's because I got all the money in as a big favourite, and played the hand perfectly. That is all you can do, the rest is up to MR VARIANCE :D (who will need to change his attitude if he wants a xmas card!!)

Until the next time

Barry

I have a sickness...(BUT I DON'T WANT A CURE!!)

Recent weeks have been strange, have been getting to final tables in tournaments for fun, then been outdrawn spectacularly. Twice went with chip lead, and had guys all in drawn to 3 outers, or two outers, and bang, I'm crippled! Anyway, would be more concerned if I was not getting to final tables, so will just roll with the punches ;)

Funny little 7 days, I have been doing very well at live cash, and not really playing online that much.

THAT IS UNTIL......$120 extra appeared in my pokerstars account, it was as a result of a reload bonus, and have accumulated the required FPP's to activate it.

So I played some 0.50-$1, did ok, up a couple of buy ins, then the fun started!

I'm rolling on pokerstars cash, so decide to take a few stabs!!

What happened after that involved me dipping in and out of $1-$2, $2-$ and even some $3-$6

I managed to roll it up to around $1200, I withdrew some, and sent some to friends who needed dollars in stars, and the gave me the cash.

This left me around the $900 mark, played a tourney ($133)

The last $770-$800 ish, COOLERED OUT THE WINDOW.

Here are some hands that are, mmm, interesting to say the least :D

http://www.pokerhand.org/?4368580 I obviously liked this hand, kind of a cooler for the guy on the river, but a nice hand :D

http://www.pokerhand.org/?4369966 Thought about a little comment for this hand, and could only come up with, "FUCKING DISGUSTING" hahahaha

http://www.pokerhand.org/?4370172 And here is the nicest hand ever!! HAHAH, just sick.

Anyway, it was a nice little ride on stars money, and really thought I was going to kick it on.

I had decided that if I got up to around $2k I was gonna take a stab at $5-$10. Always next time.

Upcoming plans, supposed to be playing GUKPT £300 event in Aberdeen, it is a 2 day event starting Friday night at 8pm.

Nothing much else happening or really on the horizon.

Barry

Same Same (but I keep learning!!)

Not much happened since last post, had a few minor cashes in online tourneys on pokerstars and celeb poker (if u haven't already, join this site via the link on my blog, will set you up with 30% rakeback automatically into your account, site is full of fish and great tournaments on it) Anyway, I digress!! :P

Yeah, had a few minor cashes online tourneys, getting deep, and maybe switching gears to fast near the bubble, I have played very aggressive (arguably too aggressive) near the bubble in a few tourneys recently. Resulted in me busting out in a few marginal situations, rather than building the monster stack to go on and win the tourney. (So gonna make a few adjustments!)

Cash game has been good, was involved in a great little session last Sunday night. I just went down to casino to register for the £50 rebuy game (Starts 18:15 Monday 8th June, Gala Casino) There were only 7 seats at cash table, and a fair bit of money on the table for the £1-£1 game. So i sat down with the £60 short stack and ran it up to about £150ish.

Then the fun started.....

Aggressive player limps cut off, smal blind makes it £10 to go, I have 1010 in big blind, now small blind is quiet tight, so i just flat call, and aggressive players (cough) fish (cough) in the cut off also calls, so £30ish in pot.

Flop comes K - 5 -3

Small blind checks, I stop myself betting, and cut off immediately fires £25. Small blind folds, I don't put him on the K, 5-3 (well good luck to him) set, nope. I don't want to talk to much about the rest of my decision making in the hand, as I play with him regularly (he reads this blog :P)! HAHA

I flat call and the turn is a King. I check, he fires £55, I tank and call. River is Q. I have £95 left. I bet £35, he thinks for a bit, then places a stack over the line that puts me all in. I think for a few seconds, and then I call.

He showed 10 high, complete air.

I admire him firing the 3 bullets, and the re-raise on the river was a super strong move and he actually read the situation correctly, but I was happy with the way I played the hand also. Result, I scooped the pot of around £320ish.

This hand just reminded me, recently I have been experiencing a sick run of cards and getting outdrawn etc, but when it comes to the crunch, it's playing the player (especially live) and u only need any two cards to play, AND WIN! The rest is up to you ;)

Will probably play some cash tonight, and have the £50 rebuy game on Monday, capped at 100 players which it will probably get. The game has around £3k added, so I think the prize pool will be well over £10k.

I final tabled the last one and did a deal, I plan on final tabling this one as well.

I will be bringing my A-game ;) x x x

Cards don't discriminate

Still experiencing a kind of bad run, but it's just part of the game. I got 2nd in a small 38 man tourney at my local casino. Played well, and ran well overall. My K9 beating QQ 3 handed to take a player out, but the heads up was kind of brutal, had the guy dominated twice and he hit. But 2nd was decent.

There was cash game after it, but the tourney took longer than expected and I was really tired, so just headed home and got some food. (Really good move, starting to master the not playing tired or when not really in the mood! Positive EV ;))

I did however play the cash game (£1-£1) on the sunday, two key hands,

I'm on big blind, limp city, i raise to £8 with A10 spades, two callers (cut off and button) Flop comes 5-6-7 (two spades) I check, cut off checks, button bets £25 into a pot of £30+, I re-raise all in, £40 something more. Button calls he has 34 and I brick twice.

2nd hand

I limp with KJ, few callers, bb makes it £8, i call, button calls. Flop A-Q-10 (two hearts). So flopped the nuts! BB raiser bets £15, i flat call as does button. Turn 9 diamonds. Button bets £50, i'm all in for £70, button calls!!!!!!!! :D

Board pairs on the river and I know it's game over, BB had AA, Positives :- I didn't have more money behind me :D, and also I got all my money in with two callers with the nuts as an 80% favourite with one card to come. All good :D

I just left as I was down £195 for the day, and that was a £280ish pot, and felt going home was the better option. Why tilt off another £200 :D

So, the weekend was strange! It was in a small tourney and although the 2nd place cash prize was not earth shattering!

However, it served more than money, it showed me that I or indeed you do not run bad at any given time, and nobody runs bad really.

Don't get me wrong, it is fine to say you are "running bad" or whatever. But what you, or I really mean is that we are just experiencing the ugly side of variance. Think of times when you have needed two outs etc against someone, and hit it! That is just variance, the cards do not know who it is hurting, or who is "running bad" etc. It is just a snapshot of the game, and sometimes it's you, sometimes it's the other guy!

I have the £50 rebuy game in Dundee on 8th of June, should be a big prize pool (£10k plus) I will be trying to play more and more online this month, specifically tourneys. Planning to play GUKPT summer series, atleast the £200 and £300 games, £500, will depend on situation at the time.
Good Luck

Barry x x

It wasn't to be!

So I decided to play the £550 main event of the Edinburgh leg of the Coral British Poker Masters.

A small crack team from the Dundee cardroom made there way through for the main event, they fought bravely :P

Barry "gingertoys" Chalmers

Colin "power" Wu

Martin "quads" Smith

I was really positive about playing the event and really thought I was going to make the final table, now to expect it is asking a lot! Tournament poker, flips, hands have to hold up in key situations etc, however I really did expect it.

The tournament went something like this for me, getting off to a great start, I was up to around 27k after 3 levels, this was double the average stack! Then I went card dead for 3 and a half hours.

Now before anyone comments, I totally agree, poker is not about the cards, but it is about the situations, so if you like.

I WAS SITUATION DEAD FOR 3-4 HOURS!!!

Any time I raised with garbage or a marginal hand, I was re-raised, just as I readied myself to defend a possible re-steal in position, another player went over the top twice! Both players had hands, both times AA vs KK and AA vs QQ!!!

I just could not build on the 27k or even stop the rot, i was diluted down to around 13k.

I picked up 99, biggest hand in around 3 hours lol! Short stack goes all in, i go all in to isolate, he has AK, FLOP 6-7-8, river K :( F*********CK :D

I was down to around 5k, blinds 400-800 at this point, shove Q7 folded to me on button, SB wakes up with AA ahhaha, i end up hitting runner runner miracle straight with the 7 to get me up to around 12 ish.

My last hand was a microcosm for the last 3-4 hours of my tournament, folded to me, i have to shove any 2 cards with less than 10bb in my stack, it happens to be 72 of diamonds :D Big blind looks down and finds jacks!!! JUST SUMMED UP MY LAST 3 HOURS IN THE TOURNAMENT!

So I hit the rail in 33rd place from 105 runners, not the worst, but not what I aimed for, or was after.

So negatives from the experience :-

Just the result, I would really have liked to get to day 2 and put myself in a position to make the final table, some of the play I saw there was very poor, and justified me buying into play in that field as there was plenty dead money.

POSITIVES :D

Met a few great guys and got chatting with plenty like minded people, particularly the online high stakes cash player "the mole" Just a genuinely nice fun guy, and good to have at the table, we got on really well and had the rest of the table looking at us like we were in a mental institution!

It served as more motivation for me to play these big events and do well in them, the play is different, and yes the buy in is large, but the poker you are playing is true poker. Not short stack crapshoots that require more and more luck!

No regrets, if I didn't play, then I would be sitting wondering. Atleast I got my answer :D Money is replaceable, experiences are not ;)

I LASTED LONGER THAN MARTIN AND COLIN (LAST YEARS CHAMP) :D

SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Back to the grind, next 4 weeks goals and to dos!

I will continue to play the local thursday game £50 Deepstack freezeout game, keeps my live tournament game ticking along.

I will play more of the live cash games at the local casino.

I will play more online tournaments

I will only play online cash games when I am 100% in the right frame of mind and ready to play a long session.

Upcoming tournaments...........

The next added money tournament in my local casino is early June (8th I think) £50 multiple rebuy, and there will be around £2500 added. I cashed for £800 in it last time, so will be going for outright win this time.

The GUKPT are having their summer series in Aberdeen 18th-21st June

£200 game, £300 and £500 main event.

45 Minute clock in all events, I will definitely play the £200 and £300 games, I might not play the main event as 45 minute clock is not great for that buy in. Would rather play a £500 Coral British Masters, but when I win the £200 and £300 games I will probably play it :D

It's been a crazy 8 weeks,

POSITIVES : decent tourney scores online and live and good live cash game results.

NEGATIVES: Online cash continues to be a rollercoaster, and of course my bankroll management needs evaluation ;)

Good Luck and take a shot now and again, it's good for your poker education ;)

Barry x x x

Decisively Indecisive

Ok quick recap.

Paul Hendersons tournament (ZERO CASH)

Gala £100 game (ZEROR CASH) Cash game losses sunday night £240 (don't think i was behind once, made a call when re-raised on river by nut straight, i had low straight, pay off wizard!!)

Key Hand that cripples me, I raise from the cut off with 3-3, button folds, and small blind folds. (have raised this persons big blind a few times and have it in my head 99.9999% sure he is gonna re-raise me with pretty much anything.

Blinds 400-800, I have 17k, I make it 2400, sure enough big blind makes it 2400 with 4000. I tank for a bit, as I say i think he is doing this move with any two cards. I re-raise him all in (he has 12k left. He calls with AK, ok he has a hand, but i'm ahead :D Board double pairs on the river and he wins with his A kicker, my 3's counterfeited.

I have 5k left, very next hand, guy raises, i shover for 5k with AQ, he calls with KJ, trip kings send me to the rail.

Cash games online, stuck in a small amount, ran it up, bust it out! Cannot even be bothered discussing it, no real amazing hands or bad beats (apart from a guy calling my all in on a Q-J-rag flop) I had Top two pair, he had AK, 10 river, what is it with some people refusing to fold AK :D)

So not been a great week and a bit, but it's just variance, playing really well and experienced a bit of a rough ride with flips, but I run sooooooo good in the long run that I don't care :D

OK POSITIVE MINDSET NOW :D

I really want to play this £500 main event of the British Masters Edinburgh leg, I really should try and sattelite into it or make the buy in elsewhere (believe me, I'm trying :D) As buying in with £550 of my own roll plus expenses is a bit of a shot, but you have to play these main events and take shots like this, if you want to make that score that could set you on your way in terms of the next level.

All in all, it really is going to depend on my mindset. The main even starts at 3pm on Saturday 16th May.

SO............If I remain confident this week and feel good about myself and my game, then I am buying into this tournament, it comes once a year, and I fancy it. Have always taken risks, and I want a shot at it :D I can make the £550 back if I work hard on those cash tables and stay disciplined in other tournaments! So it's just like a £550 loan from future winnings :D (SHIT I SOUND LIKE NICK LEESON :D)

Anyway, nothing much else to speak of, just really going through a lot of decisions, long term vegas for 2 month minimum plan (but that's another blog!!) When I win the £500 main event, i will just get a flight the following week ;)

Good luck at the tables, and TAKE RISKS AND FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS ahahahah xxxx