No Cigar

Well it's been a poker free holiday as you might have gathered. Internet connection is too dodgy and my Dad's computer is slower than a week in jail.

I did abandon the Moll on Sunday Christmas shopping in Glasgow for a 'quick' NL tourney in the same Casino I played at last time. 70 players sticking in £230 quid each. Starting stacks of 15,000 and blinds kicking off at 25/50. I folded all my hands for the first 40 minutes. When I raised in early position with QQ it was folded round to me quickly and I realised that everyone was paying some attention. It even got a comment so I realised my tight image was well established. I then kept it pretty tight but through in the occasional loose raise in late position and maintained my stack. When two new players moved to the table one made a raise and I reraised in position with KK . I called and a flop 0f 99Q and faced a raise which I flat called. The river brought a third 9 and he shoved. I decided AA was not something I could be scared of. A fourth nine was pretty unlikely so I put him on a Queen or a bluff and called and he showed the Queen and doubled me up.

I take down another small pot with a delayed c-bet from Jacks OOP on a dry flop. With a larger stack I got involved a little bit more putting a medium-shortish stack semi-loose button raiser to a decision for all his chips with AJ and getting a quick fold. I then made my first mistake raising from the button with Ace rage thinking it was blind on blind but having missed a call from UTG. A Qxx flop and I fire out with a near pot sized bet and get called. I check the turn and he shoves and I lose my first pot.

The field begins to thin and I survive the first two breaks and have a slightly peeved Moll now done with Xmas shopping on my hands.

My stack begins to dwindle and I reach Allin or fold territory. I decide to make my move early to make a call less likely and pick my spots carefully and don't get any callers and keep around the 25-35K mark. I come up against a button raise and reraise to 12,000 against a stack around 20K. He shoves and my pocket tens hold up against his fives taking my up to safe territory. I probably miss a few chances to steal blinds at this stage and play a little too conservatively and my stack begins to dwindle. I reach allin or fold territory and down to two tables get a long hard think from the BB after an UTH with AKs. She decides to lay it down and I avoid a probable race although it may have been AQ.

I squeak through to the final table of 10 with just the top 6 paying. With hefty blinds and a very short stack I raise allin with AK twice and take down the blinds. AA from early position again doesn't get any callers despiting offering the big blind almost 2-1 odds.

I have 40,000 left with blinds at 5,000/10,000 and we are down to the last 7. It is folded to me in the small blind and I look down at a distinctly poor T7o. Noone else is going to be forced to make their move this round so I have to decide if I steal 15,000 now or wait for a hand. I plump for the shove and the Big Blind calls with QJs. He rightly puts me on a pretty wide range and I realise he must see me as playing fairly loose having witnessed a shove a round from me.

Neither of us get any help so I leave as bubble boy and leave the rest to decide who gets the £2K+ prize-money and head out for a night in Airdrie.

Next poker session should be my brother's house where I take on him and his pal in some short handed home game action and no doubt some online action too.