Anyhow ran good in the satt and although it was close at the end managed to get in. Think all the shorties like myself owe Noel Magner a big TY for his swashbuckling bubble buster with QQ.
Decided to go for day two as I fancied a few drinks after the satt; ended up having an unplanned few two many the Thursday night as well but hangovers never stopped me playing well before. So it was a sicknic that faced the starting table of;
Jesper Hougaard 27 1........... asicknic
David Craig 27 2
Roberto Merida 27 3
nicholas Howard 27 4
Frannie Hogan 27 5
Nicky Power 27 6
Conor Tate 27 7
Kevin O'Connell 27 8
Julian Thew 27 9
I could think of three easier to have lined up to your left but wasn't that bothered tbh. First three levels were fairly quiet, the biggest pot i played being for about 3k which i took down on the turn against Thew. My stack had just dropped from about 13k to 10k when the following hand occurred. I get 9s10s and complete after a button limp and we take a flop of 8s7c4s. I lead and Conor Tate raises from the BB; I push for another 7k and get called by Ks7s. Although I didn't expect to be called I wasn't gonna be in terrible shape against any-hand but Conner's was the worst possible hand to find calling leaving me with 36% equity I think. Thankfully a Jc on the river doubled me through. I wasn't happy to see the table break shortly afterwords.
My new table had Dave masters, Liam Flood on my right, scandi and french biggish stac
ks to Liam's that were raising every pot. This table was explosive with players busting every other hand. I lost any chance I had of mixing it up on the table when my stack dropped to 8k when I flopped a set of 4's on an 8c4c3h flop and called Liam down on the turn and river when the club hit the turn having re popped him on the flop. I think the hand was a cooler and tbh i did well not to go broke. The last two levels were a real struggle as there were 5/6 big stacks on the table and without seeing anything that resembled a decent hand I survived with 10275 chips for day two.I was feeling really good despite my chip count and was confident I could get into the tournament but it wasn't to be. Having snapped off a raise and playing 13k its folded to me in the sb holding Q10, the bb seems tight to me so i decide to put him in for his 7k and after some deliberation he calls with 77. I'm happy its a race but although a KJ flop gives me hope I'm down to just over 6k. Three hands later I pick up KK, push and get called by AK an A high flop sends me to the rail. I wasn't disappointed as I has played as good as I could through the tournament and that's all one can really do in such a big field. That and hope the poker goods shine on you.
I still had a bit of an interest as I had swapped a few % with the Fox and Derek Murry and had done a deal with last years winner Marty where if either of us cashed big they paid the other into the WPT final which would of been nice but alas none made the end of the day. I was talking to Marty later and he told me how after he found out of my exit he said to his girlfriends mate that meant he had no shares left. He said she was very confused by this and he spent 15 minutes explaining about swapping shares to her until he realised she thought he was saying swapping showers lol.
As ever paddypower put on a super show the room being magically set up but while the city west is a splendid venue for me it just didn't reach the great atmosphere of the previous two years although I cant explain why. I was happy Neill Channing won in the end; I played with him a few times and always thought him one of the good guys. I was speaking to him just before the FT started and told him he deserved the win as he had worked hard for it. He knew I meant all the time he had spent over the years playing the game and replied with the look of a person totally confident " your right I do deserve it"
