This is what I wrote on boards before day two started didn't start great and tbh haven't played very well, just one or two small spots I played a little iffy; so happy to be going back with an average stack. It was a pretty tuff table I was on all day but was comfortable enough even without being on top of my game. Hope I play well tomorrow because although its my first EPT I've learned my game is well up to this level and feel with a decent run I could easily win one of these things. I knew there was to be a redraw for seats and that we would be playing 8 handed for the rest of the tournament, all new to me and I had decided to start very tight and have a look at the table. In hindsight this was a mistake and not something I had the luxury to do with my 14m stack. The photo is my a little to smug face at having 14m.Very first hand I get 66 in the SB and a 14k stack bet the cutoff I folded. Next hand I fold A10 on the button to an early position raise. I'm annoyed over these two hands and its very weak play I should of put the first guy in and 3bet the second. Another spot where I could of been more aggressive was against the eventual second Gino Italian guy. I raise with Ac5c he calls BB. Flop brings 10sQs5d and he bets 5k were playing similar stacks and I thought long and hard about putting him for about 23k total. I think he is betting a draw or hands like QJ A10 which can fold to make my push the right play but I jibbed it in the end. Having read some of the later reports i don't think the guy would of folded A10 QJ type hands anyway.
My exit came half way through the first level of the day. blinds 400/800 100 ante UTG makes it 3 UTG+1 calls I make it 12k with AKs UTG pushes for another 7600 gotta call into AA. Push two hands later for my remaining 5200 with 22 and get through. Next hand button raises 2400 into my BB I call with Qs10s and push my last 5400 on a K 10 X flop into QK. No regrets about the way I played the AK hand except losing chips to Tomas Brolin the ex Leeds and Swedish player. My actual exit hand is bad and could of given up the blind and entered push-bot mode for a while.
All in all I enjoyed the week. I had planed to play the 1k event on Friday but got fairly pissed on Thursday and couldn't get out of bed for the 12 start. I did manage to get out of bed about 7 that morning for a piss with a rather funny outcome whick my good mate and roommate for the trip Gavin Kelly described in his blog "There have been some fun moments - Nicky went to take a piss in the middle of the night and accidentally went out the room door instead of into the bathroom and locked himself out and had to go down to reception in his boxers - from the 8th floor - all because I was conked out and couldn't hear him knocking on the door LOLERZ."
I got a fair bit of coverage during the event on pokernews mainly because the reporters were Irish, Mike Lacy and Nicky O' Dee but it still amuses me when I see my name mentioned in the the poker media. When I read things like " 75 would go to the rail in the first two levels. The rapid bustouts of the first few hours saw popular pros such as Rolf Slotboom, Nicky Power and Katja Thater all eliminated," on the pokernews homepage I realise that I've had a good year profile wise. Now all I need to do is win a major event and I might really feel like a pokerpro rather then someone who has found a temporary means of dodging work
