Good result at the Gutshot

Since I started the blog-feed to Facebook, a few people have mentioned that they read this blog and didn't understand a word of what I was saying. It was only expected that other poker players would read it, so it had a lot of jargon in it. However, as a result of the comments, I'll try to write it in more plainer English.

There will be times I can't get away from certain terms or situations. I am going to rely on people having a basic understanding of poker rules and hands or else this will take me forever. The only terms I will explain are the following:

Cards will be mentioned in the form of AKQJT (ace, king, queen, etc). Suits will be SHDC.
Suited (s) means both cards were the same suit.
Pushing means betting all of your chips in one go.
A stack is the size of your chips.

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Anyway, back to my trip to the Gutshot last night. I had planned to meet my friend Paul from ITH there. Unfortunately he failed to turn up, but luckily I had invited Farzad from work along, so I wasn't Norman No-mates. I was keen to play as they had re-introduced the £10 rebuy tournament which I quite like. Rebuy tournaments mean that in the first 40 mins of the tournament, you can re-buy back in for another £10 if you lose your chips.

You only get 500 chips to start with so the plan was to try and double-up as quick as possible by risking all my chips at a time with decent hands. I had a torrid time during the rebuy period and could not double-up. My JJ ran into AA, I also pushed A9 into a board of 962. Of course, some guy had to have 62 didn't he. I was almost about to give up at that stage, but I had set myself a budget of a maximum of £50 in buy-ins for this tournament. I had already paid out £30 and still had the option of an add-on of another £10 for 1000 chips at the end of the rebuy period. I announced, to any that was listening, that this was my last buyin.

At this stage, my table probably thinks I'm a complete donkey. I have been playing quite recklessly and rebuying lots. Add to this the fact that I haven't always been paying attention and forgetting who's dealing, cutting cards incorrectly, etc. However, this can sometimes be a good image if you can take advantage of it ;-).

I ended up on the break with the absolute minimum of 1500 in chips, and therefore needed some luck and cards if I was to last much longer in the tournament. There was a small turnout in this event which in the past usually attracts 100-120 players. Tonight there were only 45 with top 9 positions getting prize money. I had calculated that I needed to finish in 7th to break even...gulp!

After the break, my luck changed. I quickly doubled-up when I check-raised all-in someone with a flush draw. I hit my flush on the turn. Big relief! Shortly after that I doubled again when my QQ held up against TT.

Soon after this I moved tables, and didn't play a hand for a while. Then I had a great hand. A guy pushed all-in from early position. I was in the Small Blind, and looked at QQ again. Easy call! However, the lady sitting next to me in the Big Blind also called....eek! The 1st guy had 99, the lady AK. The flop came down Q9x. Myself and the guy had both made a set, but mine was higher, and it held to triple me up. I now had a decent workable stack. At this stage there were about 20 or so players left. I felt getting onto the final table and making the prize money was a realistic option now.

However, it's never a smooth ride getting to the final table as I found later. We were down to about 13 players. A short-stack (who hadn't played a hand for what seemed like 2 days) pushed his stack in. He had about 4k, I had about 10k. I was in the big blind to find the beautiful AA. The other guy had 89, and had to catch more than 1 card to win. The flop was 7xx (can't remember the others but they were unimportant). Turn was a T. The other guy was standing up and leaving, but I told him to wait. I just knew the 6 was coming for his straight....River: 6...yep, knew it! I was down to 6k and back to desperate mode.

It didn't take long to get to the final table of 9. I had made some money, but as I said, I needed 7th to break even. Curiously, I entered the final table 7th in chips. I decided to wait for the guys who had less than me to bust before I started taking risks. They really were on life support. One of them didn't take long to go, but the other was a young guy sitting on my immediate left. He managed to steal some blinds and also double up, so I was now the short stack.

Shortly after, I look down to see 77 in early position. I need to double up fast and this was as good a hand as any to do it with. I push. My nemesis on my left also pushes, uh-oh! He has TT and I'm about to exit in 8th place. No help for either of us on the first 4 cards, but the last card is the miracle 7. I've doubled up and survived. The other guy looked liked he'd been punched in the stomach. He (and I) couldn't believe it. To be fair, it was my only suckout of the day, and certainly made up for earlier.

A couple of other guys went out after this. I managed to knock out the kid on my left when he pushed his tiny stack. I was in the Big Blind with KQ, but it didn't cost me much to call. Once again he had TT, but I hit my Q on the turn.

Down to 5, the guy on my right was also short stack. An orbit later, I was in the big blind again. It was all folded to him in the Small Blind and he did the obvious push. I knew he'd be doing this with any 2 cards, and thought that I'm calling with any ace. I look down to see A5, good enough! He had something like Q4, but I make a straight on the turn, and he's out.

Down to 4. I can't believe I've got this far. To my left was the early chip leader. He had taken a couple of small risks and got lucky, but overall had been fairly sensible. Next to him, was an Asian guy who was quite loud and chatted a lot. He had entered the final table 2nd in chips, but had been playing recklessly since and for some reason wanted to keep taking on the chip leader. The last player was a young guy who was very solid, and in my opinion, the best player on the table. He had hardly made any mistakes, made timely steals and only showed down good hands where needed.

The Asian guy soon lost most of his chips to the young guy on my right, again through reckless play. I knocked him out shortly afterwards with KQ by checking down a K high board with the big stack to my left.

Down to 3. Blimey!! Now the hand that ended my run. I was in the Big Blind. Button folded, small blind only called. I checked with Q2. Flop 952. Guy checks, I only have about 11k, but bet 5k (I should have pushed, but that wouldn't have made a difference in this case). He reraised me all-in. I'm probably beaten, but I have bottom pair. I am pot-committed and am pretty much forced to call. He shows 52 for 2 pair. I can only win by catching a Q. It doesn't come and I'm out in 3rd for £205 :-).

Easily my best result there, and my first cash at the Gutshot. I didn't think I played well, but I did catch cards at the right moments, which is always important. Maybe I proved that I wasn't the donkey that some people had thought earlier...or maybe not. ee-aw!