Nottingham was good and bad. I bought in for £550 to Phase 1 and  battled through a field of about 230 to reach Day 1 of the Millions tournament, about 20 made it that far. Good news was I had 1.1 Million chips and if you bought in direct to Day 1 for £5,300 you’d have 100,000 less chips.

 

Key hand I opened JJ for 3BB from MP and got jammed on by the button for 23BB, I should have folded but instead called it off to see QQ. A flop gave Villain a set but somehow I hit runner runner for  a Jack high flush. I should have folded pre-flop, a definite error given the player’s tight image. Poker is such an awful game, how do you hit a set and lost to a 4 flush? I vowed to myself that if I won the tournament I’d give the guy his entry back for my brutal suckout…

The rest of the day I was completely card dead, the Zen of Poker stood me in good stead and at the final level I finally caught some cards. I ended up with a more than comfortable stack to take to Day 1.

My brother busted the Day 1 just before the last level and we headed back to Jurys  Inn for a few hours sleep. Grabbed breakfast at 9 am, my brother headed back to Reading and I lay on the bed until check out. Back at the tables at 2 pm ready and able.

Day 1 had Sonny Mistri on my table who I enjoy playing with, he is an excellent player and loves a 3-Bet in position. He min raises constantly the blinds, being more than confident in his post flop play.

He re-raised me a couple of times and I 4-Bet AQ OOP once forcing a fold. I like to play pots with him as he’s a good player and someone I can learn from. He has a good style and table presence. He did however bust flatting UTG+2 open with AJ  and when facing a re-raise from the button and a call from the initial raiser he went all in, only to be called by the button’s AK. Can’t help but think he overplayed his hand and a fold was in order. I never understand how if you are not prepared to re-raise you are suddenly happy to go all in and play for your tournament life with the same hand.

I was avoiding the trouble hands and but when 3-Bet from the SB called with AQ suited “Let’s see a flop in position, it is suited” , a flop of J 10 3 gave me the nut flush draw and Villain continued for 1/3 pot.

Given the bet sizing I should have re-raised, but thought in position I could call and play some turns. I put villain on an over pair or sets and didn’t want to get it in on a draw. The turn was a blank and Villain bet 1/4 pot giving me the odds to call, I should have perhaps raised this turn bet but instead called, river was a blank and Villain bet half pot and showed down AK after I folded. The pot cost me 400K a quarter of my stack. I was too passive I don’t mind my line in position but his bets were weak and didn’t reflect a flopped set. Aces or Kings would have been wary of a re-raise with the Jack and Ten in my range, it would have cost me the same in chips but I’d have folded his AK perhaps and lower pairs.

Then I played an awful hand where I was 3-bet by the SB and called with 77 the flop of 755 gave me a flopped full house. Villain checked and I checked back. Why????

Object of set mining without the correct odds is to stack it in, Villain led the 10 turn for half pot and I called, I should be re-raising. Villain checked river and I bet 3/4 pot and he called, showing JJ for an overpair. Absolutely awful, I should have bet pot on flop and on the turn and shoved river, if he didn’t have an over-pair I’m not getting paid anyway, so assume they have aces and rip it in. Just bloody dreadful play…lesson learnt crazy how I can still screw up the basics. I was concerned I wouldn’t get paid for my set and so didn’t get paid for my set….Donkey…

Final hand was a min-raise and 4 callers, I called in CO with A6s and we ended up 7 way to the flop. Checked to me I bet nearly pot to be re-raised and I go all in with the nut flush draw and Villain shows KJ for top pair. If I am committed to a pot with a drawing hand I should ship it in and maximise my fold equity. Villain confirmed later he’d have folded if I’d have shoved the flop, this mistake cost me my tournament life and you can’t make these mistakes at that level. Tiredness was a big factor in the last two hands, I should have taken more time to decide what my objective was in the hand, in the first it was to get stacks in and for the second it was to take the pot down without getting called.

Next time…I couldn’t book a hotel room online as it was past midnight so I hung around the poker room and took the 4 am bus back to London and made my own bed by 9 am broken.

-£550 Entry + -£60 Hotel + -£30 Travel = -£640

I played Aspers on the Friday £60 and came 29th with 25 paid. I raised UTG with JJ of a 15BB stack and got called by button. I checked a flop of AKJ and button went all in for with KQ for me to insta call with my set of Jacks a 10 on the turn left me crippled with 2BB . I played cash and made £150 giving me a net £90 profit and let the poker room at 7  a.m. the guy who bust me was playing heads up for £2K prize, that is poker.

-£60 Entry + £150 Cash = £90+

Saturday went back for more cash and got it in 3 times ahead in £250 pots only to lose all three went from £80 up to £200 down yet played really well, EV I should have been up £300+

–£200

I then blew £100 playing like a madman online one hand 5-bet shoving KQ into Aces. I can still play like an idiot and of course when I was down to £30 I get coolered and have Aces cracked by Kings.

– £100

Following Friday I got down to last 50 out of about 250. I was down to 8BB and had 2 limpers in front of me, I shoved KQo and got a shove behind from a smaller stack who had 88 and a call from limper UTG+1 who showed AQ.

I then lost £80 at cash, key pot 3 handed UTG raise of £10 from loose player with huge stack and a call I shove £55 with 99 and UTG goes all-in and we play a pot heads up. I show 99 he shows AQ and Queen on turn gives him the pot.

-£60 Entry + £80 Cash = -£140

Total negative figure of £990