Gala £100 Freezeout Report – 14th August 2009
Gala advertised this competition as £5000 guaranteed for the first time and seemed a fairly decent competition, with a reasonable 30 minute clock, 10,000 chips and antes coming in at 150/300 level. I don’t go to the Gala much anymore; in fact only been once since I won a competition there in May 2008, but this looked decent value with dealers and the usual Gala field.
In fact I had two days off prior to this and played more live poker than I had in a few months, went to Alea Wednesday and Gala Thursday and on both occasions went from chip leader to out just before the money by having an incredible knack of losing successive flips or getting 2 outered. I was getting frustrated but playing really well, I even said to someone that if i even run normally I would do something in the £100 comp.
On to the competition. There was a rumour that it would be busy so I bought in on the Thursday and actually turned up 10 minutes late, half-knowing I would still be well in time for the start as they always start late. It started with capacity of 80 and after alternates there were 88 runners, meaning a prize pool of £8,800.
Opening table looked fairly tough – recognised Andrew O’Flaherty to my right and also another guy who has played some big comps. Two other decent regulars were on my table also, but to be honest I don’t mind this at all. We start at 25/50 so 200 bigs deep.
As normal I opened the very first pot with a nice hand – 9s6s from early position. I get flatted by the SB who I played from the night before and I think has me as a bit aggro. Flop is 7T3r and I check behind. Turn is Qs and I take pot down by betting my flush draw and gutshot.
I carry on opening fairly liberally with the aid of some decent hands, taking a pot down with JJ on a K83K board. Just hovering above starting stack.
However a decent young player has taken note and has 3 bet me twice, I lay down AJ and some random hand. I also lose a chunk with TdJd on a Tc2c8c4cKd board when I call his flop bet but fold on the river. Also had to bet/fold river in a pot with Ad8d on a Js8h2h4cJh board – this messing around left me with about 7.5k and I had to tell myself that playing like a fish was not the way to go. It was a good wake up call.
I ground my way up back to 9k with some nice steady poker, nothing flash. Then a fairly pivotal hand occurs. 4 limpers and I complete in the SB with KdQd, so 6 way to a flop of Ks6s2d and it checks all way round, so I bet 500 on a Th turn and a decent player checkraises me to 1,500. Here I either think he has a similar hand to mine, a flush draw or outside chance of a set, maybe a combo of some sort. I just couldn’t put him on a hand so decide to call 1000 and check to him on most rivers. The river is 6h and I check. He very quickly bets 3.5k and my initial reaction is “busted draw” – the size of the bet is quite bluffy I feel, so I go through the hand in my head. I have about 4k left if I am wrong and decide it could well be a busted draw. I call and he instantly mucks saying “good call” and this settles me down as well as putting me on over 15k.
I carry on grinding away, the guy to my right is playing weird so I kept out of a lot of pots with marginal hands. Then at 100/200, Mr O’Flaherty raises from the button to 700, the loose guy calls from the SB and so I call 500 more with Ac7c. Flop is A87r and bingo. SB checks and I check, as expected button bets 1k and I decide that all the value here is in a check-raise, as I know he knows that I know his bet could be a standard c/bet and I could be bluff raising here, it is also harder to get value on future streets out of position. I make it 3k and he immediately announces all in, I snap it off and have him covered – he has Q7 and is drawing virtually dead – gg I have 25k now and in great position.
A new guy comes to the table and limps promptly UTG, I decide to see what he is up to and raise to 800 at 150/300 with A6o purely based upon position. He calls and the flop is Q32, he checks and I c-bet 1100 to which he folds and shows TT, I show my air which I really shouldn’t have done I suppose, but I was in the flow. I was becoming the most reraised player at the table, which is good, people are adjusting and I like that.
One instance, the good young internet player 3bets me from the BB after I raise in 3rd position with AsQs – third time I have been 3bet by him alone, he is second behind me in chips on the table. I think this is probably a fold but I call 2100 preflop and fold on a J97 red flop, bit spewy I guess but meh, I decide to reduce the pots I play with this guy as he is much better than the rest of the table.
We have a break after 4 levels and its 150/300/25 after the break. My table image is fairly terrible but I wasn’t showing much down. I then raise to 850 with AKc from the cut-off and the BB calls (TT limp guy) flop is A56 with 2 diamonds I bet 1500 and he insta-jams for 7k. I think 2 pair is possible but make a fairly quick call to see he has A4o and he doesn’t get there, he just thought I had nothing and decided to go for it – gogogogo 30k+.
I stay fairly quiet for a bit due to frequency of the player to my right. However at 200/400 I find TT in SB after the button has limped – I make it 2k to go and the BB who has shown down about 3 hands all night including KK etc shoves for about 8.5k. I don’t really like it but have to call and he shows AK, I win the flip and now 40K+ and really trucking and probably around the chip lead. Sort of wishing it was a bounty tournament at this stage. I grind to about 50k before our table is broken.
Recognise a couple at new table but no real tough players I don’t think. Decide to just play ABC for a bit with my stack and check out the players. At this point I had got to 50k without any huge starting hands – had AK twice and JJ/TT but nothing much else.
I get K7 in the BB and guy limps for 800. Flop is 774 and I check call a bet, turn and river are blanks and I bet on river but guy shows 22 and folds begging to see my cards, I tell him to GTFO – he says he will own me next time which is quite funny for a guy who limps with 15bb with 22 from the CO. Not long after I get AJ and raise from EP, he calls from the BB and the flop is QQJ, I think checking behind is good here as it keeps in weaker Jx and other hands. Turn is 4 and he bets 3k, I call. River is T and he bets 3k with 4k back, I know hands like TJ are no good here and quickly call he tables 8s and I scoop again. Soon after a guy jams 6k at 500/1000/50 and I find 8s in the BB, beating A3 and trucking on over 65k+.
I had become more liberal as the guys to my left were really tight, one of them showing me 5s from the sb as I raise again from the button with A2. I raise with A3s from the CO and a guy who was limp/folding a lot calls from the BB – pot is about 6k and he jams his 8.5k remaining stack in on a A85 flop, I say you never have an ace here and call, he has J8o but binks a J on the river – WP sir, instead of having 80k+ I now have less than 50k again. Back to the grind.
In the meantime a guy I know quite a bit about (Charles Flynn) has moved to my table with a big stack, 70k+; we chat quite a bit whilst playing live and he has had some super results lately, he plays Leeds and DTD loads and knows quite a bit about me. Really we should avoid each other as there is plenty of dead money elsewhere.
At 400/800/75 UTG limps and he calls behind, I have AJs on the button and I make it 3200 to go. Both players call. Flop is A96 and I casually bet 6k when checked to, I know that he thinks I will c-bet this flop and when UTG gets out of the way he raises me to 17k. I think long and hard about this, he has me covered and if I play anymore streets then I could be out if he has flopped a set. He definitely doesn’t have a bigger ace so only 6s and 9s beat me, he could be semi bluffing with 78s or something. Shoving here is pure spew with about 30k on top of the 17k bet, so I decide to call and trust my read. The turn is 4 and it goes check/check, the river is a Q and I decide to check behind river when he checks – he had 98s and gave up after I called, I had decided to go with the hand if he jammed the river, but didn’t see much value in betting. It was a big pot and I was back in the game with 80k again.
I call a raise from him at 600/1200/100 with A9h flop is AA3, I check it down to river after turn of 5 and river J, then I fire a large river bet of 7k and he calls and mucks when I turn over my hand.
Shortly after I raise UTG with JJ to 3k and the guy next to me looks really interested with 20k but just flats in the end. The lady in the BB then insta ships for 22k and I hate the spot. She was very straightforward and knew I was likely behind here – I didn’t even think she would do this with AK, even though I had the chips to call I didn’t want this to be a reason to call light just because I could. I folded and the guy next to me tanked for about 5 minutes before folding AQ lol, asking her for a show – she politely showed aces – good fold me.
A guy had moved to our table earlier with a huge stack, but it had become obvious where he had got it from, basically playing 50% of pots and getting there. I took a few pots off him, including calling him on the river with ace high which was good and this hand. He limps UTG+1 and I am in the BB with QJo and we are 3 way. Flop is 9T3r and I decide to check-call a small 2.5k bet, I don’t think a semi bluff has any value versus this guy as he doesn’t fold much. Turn is Ace and it goes check/check. River is the bingo card 8 and I have the nuts, I put a huge bet of 12.5k in on the river and he tank calls with QTo, welcome to valuetown sir.
I am playing pretty well and have 115k as we approach 1500/3000/300 and there are about 15 left with 10 paid for £176 up to £3k up top.
In terms of starting hands I have had nothing for ages and sort of go into my shell, the tight guy next to me has had KK 4 times and other people suddenly seem to be waking up, even the table comment that I have been kind of quiet. Nothing to do with fearing the bubble it was just no spots arose to get moving whilst chips were flying around. Mr big stack had spewed all his chips, Charles made a daft bluff vs a station and it seemed to be going off on the other table, whilst I just folded away whilst feeling tired. Anyway the bubble broke and I went to the final table with 86k, which was average chips, I lost 20k through being static and blinds were 3000/6000/600 at the start of the final table so average was about 14 bigs, with antes – time to run good please.
The pain continued, the short guy doubled up by 2 outering someone, then another beats KK with A5 and I was still sat there. I finally shipped 72k in at 4000/8000/800 with AQs and called by AQh – chop chop.
A few rounds later I get AQ in the cut off and there are 9 left, I get snapped by the button and he tables 99, having me well covered, but I bink a Queen on the turn for 150k stack. That quickly dwindles as we become 7 handed, I seriously must have had 62o about 10 times and I aren’t usually shy about shipping it in, but resteals are tough with very little Fold Equity and poor hole cards.
I have been sat there for a while getting nowhere when I decide to shove on the tight short stack’s blind for 98k at 5000/10000/1000 with 67o, unfortunately the button has KK and I am down to 42k. I fold the next hand and then shove UTG with J9o for hope value. A guy tanks for ages with a 60k stack, then decides to call with AQd – a bit of a slowroll if you ask me but I genuinely think he was bricking it lol. Of course I flop the J and then river a straight to get me back over 100k. He is crippled and has to shove next hand and exits in 7th.
A real rollercoaster then occurs. Chip leader opens for 35k and I have 9s9c in the SB. I have very little fold equity but big chance I have the best hand, it is 55k more and he calls with 6s6c. Flop is 5h6h8h and my heart sinks, the 5c turn takes away straight outs but the epic 9d on the river makes me gasp as I am getting out of my seat. To be honest I stayed very calm.
A weird hand then happens that makes me a bit angry really. I am not involved as I fold in the SB, but active guy raises from the CO and the BB calls, flop is J5Ar and the BB check-raises a bet all-in before instantly exposing J5d, basically encouraging the CO to fold Ax or worse for fear of being outdrawn. I wasn’t happy about this at all as it is against the rules and spirit of tournament poker in my opinion, but he knew exactly what he was doing. As I was out of the hand and the TD was watching (he did nothing) I made no further comment other than to shake my head at the TD. I didn’t want anything to get me out of my zone that I was in.
A few hands after jamming 8s, I then get aces UTG and make it 35k at 6000/12000/100 and guy next to me insta-jams 120k on me, I snap him off and he has QQ, this makes me chip leader and he is 6th.
A few hands later I get A8s on the button and raise to 30k, the SB reshoves for 60k more and I call – he shows A7o and my kicker plays and I have close to 400k in chips with 4 left. By this time it is 5.40am and we are told play stops at 6. I get to 450k with 880k in play and the others are all fairly even, we decide to do a deal as it will head that way anyway.
With £3k up top and other payouts of about £1800, £1200 and £800 I offer to take £2500 and let others chop equal. Anything could happen in the last ten minutes with huge blinds so chop is probably good for all. In the end I take £2.4k, I couldn’t crunch numbers in my head as I was exhausted but obviously happy with the result. On reflection £2.5k+ would probably have been my payout if chips had stayed as they were but meh, I mustn’t grumble at all. I felt I played pretty good all night and got a small amount of help at the final table when I needed it. It is my biggest UK cash (if you exclude anniversary cup 13th) and most welcome as I felt something like this was coming. __________________
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