Galway Washout

I went to Galway full of expectation last Wednesday and left late Saturday night with empty pockets and broken dreams. Now that may sound a bit depressing, but it happens to thousands of people every year on Galway race week and I've been doing it for years. One thing is guaranteed in the 'City of the Tribes' you'll of had some fun blowing your hard earned.

I had initially registered for the Friday but a big gang had planned a piss up to cerebrate Derek Murray's  birthday post play Thursday. This meant a change of starting day and a three hour drive on Wednesday with the early noon start. Tom 'the bomb' Finneran convinced me the best hangover avoidance option was to play the rebuy satellite. I managed to do €300 for a €770 seat, not lasting long after the first break.

This set the tone for the rest of they week, if there was a hand to be lost, a bet to go down or a dinner bill to pay, I found it.

My main event was fast; the 15k starting stack was my peak chip stack. I got no hands and didn't play well. Firstly I bluffed off 40% of my chips, I luckily got these back in a hand against Limerick native Jamie Daly. I raised pre with 2h7h, totally missed the flop but kept firing on a 7 turn and a two river. Jamie's fellow county man, Paul Carr seem to get more pleasure from the hand the myself when I relayed it to him later, perverse crowd those Limerick lads!  

This got me back close to starting, but I dribbled to 8k in level five (150-300) then lost them in a blind on blind situation. SB limped, I raise 88 and we get it in on a 10 7 5 two spade flop, he held Js 9s and hit his nine on the turn.

At least I had plenty company at the bar as Derek, Jude and Tall Michéal were also out at this stage. A nice meal and plenty drink followed Thursday. Friday was more of the same although I did venture back to the poker room for the fun €100+50+10 turbo scalp game.

It wasn't that much fun, I think I was at the table 40 minutes before any of the players even spoke. I did hang in until the last three tables of the 150 field but lost a race to exit.

Saturday was spent in the company of Marty Smyth on our laptops punting everything that moved, it didn't go well. We went for dinner and when I lost the gamble for that one, 'well' it was time to surrender, Marty just doesn't win dinner flips ever.    

I couldn't face the €300 game so just chilled watching the golf before driving home about eleven in the evening. It all might come across as a little miserable but in honesty I had a great few days catching up and socialising with friends. The Radisson Galway is in my top three venues for a poker event in Ireland and produced the goods yet again; I can't wait for the next time.                         

Euro Deep Stack - D4

I was saying to Bops on the drive up to this on Wednesday that I felt very rusty and hoped for some kind of run to blow off the cobwebs. I managed to make the money for a min cash, meaning I got the table time I felt I needed anyhow so I guess we can call that a small success.

I played day one A as I tend to do at €550 events, it keeps the expenses down should I bust and means a refreshed start for day two should I make that; so win-win.

My table on day one had some very good players, Ross Johnson impressed and EPT London second Stephen O'Dwyer seemed decent, although one player stole the show. Watching the Chief crush dreams for a full day was a pleasure to see at close quarters.

The man is obviously a poker genius and was operating on a level so far ahead of anyone else that we hadn't a clue what he was at. He amassed a top ten stack over the day mastering spots that would make Durrrr a nervous wreck.

My own day went ok, I was going along nicely and had more then doubled the starting stack when I dropped about 30k to Ross in a hand he played well and I didn't. I locked up for a bit after this, got going again to110k and then donated another 50k to the same man AK v KK.

 This was into the last level and my 60k were looking very measly amount when I got a table move. First hand at new table I get a double, raising KQ utg and getting it in against a flush draw on a queen high flop. I pick up another small pot two hands later when the table breaks and I’m allocated back to the seat I had left three hands earlier with a much improved 130k. We finish shortly after this and I bag 160k.

Day two started very slowly for me I don’t think I played a single hand in the first hour. I got a bit more active after this but every time I seemed to be getting ahead of the game I lose a decent pot. Two 100k reversals spring to mind; AK v AJ in pre, and a blind on blind with Jacks v A7 where the ace floated and spiked the turn.

 I was grinding a re-shove stack on the live stream table for the two hours leading to the bubble and just as it bust I picked up AQhh and shove 23 blinds over a late position raiser. Unfortunately the bigblind woke up with the boots.

I enjoyed the tournament and look forward to playing the UKIPT Galway this week a little less rusty. DaGunman O'Shea has kindly offered me a loan of his crush hammer for the tournament so a deep run is almost certain.