Any year I went to the Galway races I always returned home skint. Over the last 30 months I've travelled to Galway on about six occasions to play tournaments and have never made the money. This years IPC festival was going to be different, well on the drive up it was anyhow. I had once driven to Galway for a tournament, a four hour drive got knocked out in the second hand and drove straight home again. Actualy I'm kinda convinced that I just dont run good in that place, you see!
The first real poker tournament that I ever played was in june 2005 in the westwood hotel galway; a €400 two day event. The previous Monday I had started a new job with an accounting firm in Dungarvan. I was told I had the job that friday, great but dungarvan is 30 miles from waterford which posed a slight problem. I had never driven a car in my life before that friday when I bought one to drive to the new job in that Monday.
The next friday I rang in sick ( great commitment I know ) and head off, new map in glove compartment, just me in my little motor at 10 a m for the 4 hour or so drive to the €400 event. I get to Limerick about 12.30 and the traffic in the city has me stressed. I konk out at a traffic lights in the city center, restart the car in gear and bash into the car in front of me. Aggggg the guys good about it and I give him my number and drive around Limerick for about another hour totally lost before I get out of the city. Don't know where the fuck I am now but just happy to get out of the traffic.
About 45 minutes later I enter a built up area again, surely haven't made Galway yet. To right, 10 minutes later I'm back at the traffic lights that I bashed into the guy 2 hours previously; Aggggggg. I'm totally stressed by now veins bulging in my head and need to get out of the car. I stop outside a church and find what follows a bit surreal. "You give love a bad name" by Bon Jovi is blasting from the church. I go to investigate and the church is full of bikers with the bride walking down the aisle to the tune lol. This for some reason totally relieves the stress and I head off again and finally reach the venue about three hours later but well in time for the seven start.
Think there was around 140 starters but I'm amazed by the whole set up. Blazingaces the club in Waterford had been open about two months but a €20 FO was the biggest game there at the time so a tournament on this scale had me astounded. I can only remember two hands from the event, my first and exit hand. The exit hand was losing to a runner runner flush with about 30 players left. It was to set the theme for many of my visits to Galway but I should of known that after my journey up.
The first hand was a nothing hand but it showed me that I'll probably never be fazed or get stage fright in any poker game ill ever play and remembering the hand helped with a question I had being asking myself about this weeks exit hand. I said its my first big tourney I know absolutely no one there. Fintan announces that "Pro" Mick McCloskey is a bounty. I'm very naive and don't know much about pros but assume Mick must be a deadly player if he is a pro ( I'm not saying Mick is not a deadly player here it could of been anybody just that the word pro had me totally impressed). Anyhow the very first hand of the tournament cutoff limps as does Mick on the button I make up the SB with 46os. Flop totally misses me and its checked to Mick who bets and I raise to take the pot.
You see the Question I was asking myself is why the fuck did I play a 3bet pot out of position with Mike Sexton with 7c8c. Surely there easier chips to go after early in a tournament in Galway. While I don't fully know the answer remembering the mentioned hand tells me its something I've always done and basically I don't care about reputations on the table and I just want to get in there and play with anyone.
I know this post is a bit off the wall but had two much thinking time on the four hour drive home today. I'll probably do my normal trip review tomorrow which the above post was supposed to be before I digressed.
