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The Twilight Zone
It’s been a few months & this is the best I can come up with; here are one or two odd situations that have occurred over the past year or two:
Barcelona 2006
I have no logical explanation for the following hunch but the chap I eventually got heads up with in the 260 runner €500 side event, Daniel Dodet, was on my starting table. He was a pretty straightforward player and about two hours in I just got the strangest premonition that the two of us would get heads up. A vision of sorts & it really helped my focus throughout the day, looking over & seeing him plugging away.
Sure enough, the following day we had both made the final table & a few hours later we were heads-up.
Plymouth & Brighton UKPT’s
The Plymouth leg was my first big win for quite a while & was the turning point of my 2007 season. During the breaks I always like to try & get some fresh air & during one of my brief strolls I noticed a young guy walking towards me; he wasn’t beaten up or anything but he was balling his head off, very, very upset. This wasn’t a nice thing to witness & I was torn between checking he was OK & not disturbing my focus & getting back to the casino on time. I took the selfish option, hurried back to the game & thought no more of it.
Cut to January of this year & we’re down on the coast once again & I’m outside getting some air on the windswept promenade during one of the breaks – & the same thing happens, young guy, in bits, openly sobbing his heart out. Once again, I opt for the selfish route, but this time I see the incident as a sign that, as in Plymouth, I’m destined to win this thing.
I won’t be able to play the Manchester leg in April, but I’ll be on the lookout for a young broken-hearted male up in Newcastle in May.

Don't Try This At Home
With the main EPT event over for me, the 500 side event in Prague was my last comp of the year; I really enjoyed myself, playing an open game, meaning there were swings aplenty, just like the old days. It got three hundred or so runners and first prize was € 80k. We started with 3000 chips, with one re-buy or top-up. I got involved in one or two very iffy situations - see what you think:
Marginal Play, Right Opponent
It was level 5, 150/300, average was about 10 or 11k and I had a 16 or 17k stack. I’d been fairly quiet for a revolution or two so when I found Qh-10h in LP and a raise to 900 and a call in front of me, I was more then happy to jump in and see a flop.
The flop was 8,Jc,Ac and the raiser who only had 4300 checked. A good, solid player, Benjamin Kang, bet 2500 and I called sensing all sorts of possibilities. The raiser sighed and then pushed all-in for a further 1900, which we both called.
The turn was the Qc and Kang checked. At this stage, with just one to come I wasn’t feeling too confident about the main pot but felt that I could perhaps get a little back in the way of a side pot so with about 11k left I bet 2k. Kang called. The river was a 5, Kang checked and I bet 3500. He dwelt for about fifteen seconds, showed A-Q and passed.
The raiser had K-K, stayed alive and I got the modest side pot, a 2000 return on my 5300 investment.
Everyone, perhaps barring Kang, thought I was nuts. I think, whilst there was a lot of risky stack exposure in the hand, it was an ok play, but it’s very opponent dependant and I would only have got that through against a good player.
Very Marginal Play, Wrong Opponent, Wrong Stack Sizes
Thirty minutes later then and I’ve been fairly inactive again, it’s passed to me on the button and I make it 1200 to go with what turns out to be 10d-2d. The erratic old boy in the SB re-raises a further 2k and I decide to take a shot and call (we have similar stack sizes). The flop is all spades, 2,4,Q.
He leads for 4k with just 6k back. I just decided then that that flop must be pretty terrifying for most hands and min-raised him, another 4k. Unfortunately he reluctantly called and led for his last 1900 when an offsuit ace hit. I of course couldn’t pass but got a momentary glimmer of hope as he started to stand, shaking his head.
Alas, his two red eights were massive and I was left red-faced and very short with just 1200 chips in front of me.
No, I didn’t go onto win it, but a minor miracle was performed when an admirable comeback was made; I somehow quadrupled-up on the very next hand with Ac-8h vs. A-K, Q-Q and K-2, I kid you not, somehow rivering the nut flush.

As Good As It Gets
It’s been a while but I figured it would be nice to get some thoughts down on this dusty old blog regarding my recent hot streak. Not a hand orientated piece, but something that attempts to get over just what it’s like when you do actually snag that big win.
As was widely reported, the Baden EPT did coincide rather snugly with my fortieth birthday and, whilst chatting to my good friend Mad Harper the night before the final, I did suddenly remember a long forgotten goal that to be mortgage-free by the time that birthday rolled around would be pretty good. No sooner than those words had left my mouth, she hastily made her excuses and shot off to the press room, sound bite in hand.
Barring the first few levels (on Barry Greenstein’s table where I managed to call off 40% off my stack on the second hand of the tournament), the route to the final had been relatively straightforward - by that I mean I had run well and I never ran into any overly aggressive/pressuring players, which allowed me to play my game and on most tables, quietly captain the action.
After starting Day 2 with 26k I got off to a cracking start winning three 50/50’s against three short stacks and, by the time we were halfway through the day I had moved up to nearly a 100k. From that point on the pressure slowly built and I slept badly that night, finishing with 114k. By the time I’d made the final the following evening, with a double average 610k stack, I felt the hard work had been done, the pressure eased and I had a really good nights sleep.
I’m pretty sure I was the most relaxed player at the final table and my game plan was the same one I always use if I’ve got average chips or above; avoid all hero plays and attempt to keep the nose relatively clean until four or five-handed.
This, pleasingly, was how it panned out and once I won the 1.6 million pot for almost two thirds of the chips in play (four-handed with middle pair and a flush draw vs. bottom set), I figured it was as good as in the bag.
Heads-up then, despite nearly a 2:1 chip lead I was still eager to do some business. With € 375k for second and € 671k for first, I just wasn’t keen to play one on one for € 300k. I’m no deal-maker expert but a € 450/€ 550k chop with € 46k to play for felt about right and given that I went on to close it out an hour later, I’m not about to second guess that decision.
As in Plymouth a month earlier (where three of us did a chip count and played for the £14k of Blue Sq goodies), yeah for sure, a deal changes the play in a game, but looking back at the winning hands from both tournaments, I’m confident they don’t play like that if we’re playing for the whole enchilada.
It should be no surprise that it was the biggest of highs when that last hand was dealt out and I then knew that what I had dreamt, on a very good day, just might be possible, suddenly, became a reality.
Almost immediately Kara Scott was over for an on the spot closing interview and I was, all of a sudden, overwhelmed. A combination of the money just won and a realisation of a major European title finally under my belt, was just too much for my brain to compute in such a short time and, whilst I wasn’t blubbering, I did well up for a few seconds. Thankfully somebody placed a calming beer in my hand, I settled down and the next hour was a muddled blur of photographs and interviews.
Those who were left, mostly bloggers and the PokerStars crew, joined me at the bar where the bubbly flowed. I couldn’t go the distance though and had to make my excuses a couple of hours later, back to the hotel on my own, to start to let it all sink in. It took about three days.
I was a bit unsure of how much to tip and ended up leaving 1% which I hope found its way to all the dealers and valets. Bottom line then, and as an indication of just how well I ran, until quite recently where I would normally have about 15% out in swaps, Baden coincided with me deciding to stop swapping altogether; it was only Martin Wendt who ‘had a hunch’ and convinced me to swap 1%. That and the 10% claw-back that William Hill re-cycle back into my budget meant that it was a very profitable trip.
The money won ticks just about every box we had dreamed of and no, that list didn’t include a Porsche, although you might spot me in a new family friendly S-Max with all the toys, outside a card room near you soon. Finally, there is an amusing tale that I hope Praz Bansi won’t mind me re-telling on here:
We were down in Cardiff about three weeks ago for the Late Night Poker heats and (after a few drinks), the conversation moved onto how close to tears anyone had been after a bad day on the baize.
I chirped up that the closest I’d been was when I won the EPT and Praz then retold the tale of when he won his World Series bracelet in 2006.
Stephen Bartley did an interview with him for Gutshot and when Praz said, “every time I look at the bracelet I smile”, Stephen quoted him as saying, “every time I look at the bracelet I cry”. Ah, kindred spirits.
I should point out that this alleged misquote has yet to be verified by Stephen.

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The updated structure means players will now receive a minimum rakeback of 30% gross, paid directly into their account every week.
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If you need to open a William Hill account please use the link at the top of the blog.

Oh, and a poker related post is pending!

September Goodies
For every 1000 MPP's earned, William Hill will credit your account with a $100, up to a maximum of $500/month. Drool.

What's Going On
August has been kind, with a win at the monthly 300 in Walsall and another at the new Circus casino in Nottingham. The latter was quite spectacular in that, once three-handed, I managed to flop back to back full-houses to snatch it, firstly with Q-Q, then a 2-9. Easy game really.
I should also mention a chop (eight-way no less) at the 33 runner main event in Sheffield - I won’t bore you with the details but the deal was too good to refuse ;o)
I’ve been playing more cash too and despite the occasional gaff we are showing a modest profit. I’m just back from two days in Brighton and I’m sorry to report that their midweek 500 had only thirty one runners. The 200 fared a little better with almost eighty but were it not for a nice score in the cash game afterwards the trip would have been a very bad decision.
It’s Barcelona next week where the second half of the season kicks off proper. Until then I’ll leave you with this little gem of conversation that took place at my table whilst playing the 300 at Walsall.
The young hero had been quite busy and was doing his best to go broke, but was clearly more concerned that folk were whispering about him:
“What did you say?”
“Nothing mate, I was talking to him”.
Listen, lets go up to the cash tables and I’ll play you for fifty grand right now if you want”.
Ok, just let me go to the cash point”.
“Who said anything about using a cash point?”
Oh to be blissfully wealthy and unaware.