More Killarney

It was back to Killarney last weekend for the 250k guaranteed €500 game. There were rumours of large wagers between Connie and Fintan Gavin on whether this one would get a bigger field then the UKIPT Dublin.

When I was a child, one of the earliest doctrines my father taught me was never to bet with a cute Kerrymen and sure enough Connie scooped that bet with 633 turning out. This number is slightly down on previous years but still a great achievement to produce that size of field.

A golf day was arranged on Killeen for Thursday and yours truly scooped the first prize of €200 into my Ladbrokes account with 35pts. I love that course, it really is something else.

The danger of going to these festivals a day early is inevitably you end up on the lash. You can have the best intentions in the world but meeting up with everyone generally leads to a few beers.

The result of Thursday night meant I entered the tournament a little hung-over. This isn't the worst anti-spew mechanism in the world, as I'll usually start a little tighter in that condition.

I was plodding along grand and had added 66% to my 15k starting when in the final hand before dinner, I got dealt the Kings. The big blind was dealt Aces and after the usual raising procedure we got it in and I was lucky enough to bink a straight on the river, thus adding his 16k stack to mine.

The rest of day one was uneventful enough and I finished the day on a healthy enough 44k with the average around 30.

I got off to a great start on day two when I flopped gin-holding 33 on a 773 board and managed to get the full double through from an over-pair. This table broke soon enough and I ran pretty well on my new table.

I won a massive pot with verses a few hours into the day. I had 4-bet my opponent recently enough and he must have felt I was bullying him when he shoved the over me when I did it again. Understandable enough, but I had Aces the first time I did it.

I was playing about 180k now with average around the 50 mark, so a massive stack. Unfortunately that was as good as it got. On a new table not much went right for me and eventually I ran Queens into Aces about a dozen off the money for my last 90k with the blinds at 2/4k.

That's three of the last four major events I've played in Ireland where I've amassed a super stack midway though day two and haven't converted to even a min cash.

It's all very depressing really but you get plenty of time to mull over things on the drive home from Kerry and my conclusion is I didn't do a single thing wrong, it just went against me. At least I'm getting my hands on chips and if I keep doing that a conversion isn't far off.

Big well done to Marty Smyth and John O'Shea on their great performances in London for the EPT, it was getting very exciting following the updates and great to see both hit the money.

Barcelona

I travelled over on the Wednesday for the Barcelona leg of the European Masters of Poker tour.

Having opted for day 2A on the Friday, George Power whom I was sharing a hotel room with, and myself decided on a few beers in the Casino to pass the evening. After a gallon of grey goose vodka we headed off into the Barcelona night.

I'm not 100% what our plan of attack was, but this is when I won my only flip of the weekend. George got robbed, well pick-pocketed to be precise. Actually, it was probably a 40/60 I won, as I was in a worse condition then George, so probably the easier target.

The tournament started very well for me. I wasn't hitting hands but my timing seemed to be good and I nicked a lot of pots and was getting all the marginal decisions right. I had the 20k starting up to 32k after the first four levels and was close to 40k by the end of level five.

I lost a biggish pot with on an Ace high flop to a turned two pair. If I'm honest I made a bad call on the last two streets in that hand, as I was fairly sure I was behind. I had picked up that my opponents bet sizing had changed and deep down knew I was being taken to value town.

I was still playing a healthy 25k when I picked up the boots. It was the perfect time as I had raised the previous three hands. When I was re-raised I decided a shove had a decent chance of getting looked up light enough. As it worked out there was no way my Scandi opponent was ever folding his Jacks and unfortunately he hit another on the flop.

There was a fairly amusing hand involving the guy who took me out a little earlier. Our table was next to the rail and after a while I was suspicious that a Spanish kid on the table had a spotter who was relaying info on people's hole cards to him. After a hand played out with a woman on the table I was sure I was right and was just about to have a word with the TD when the following hand occurred.

The Spanish kid calls a raise and the Scandi bumps it up to about four times the pot. The original raiser folds and the kid tanks. The spotter moves to the other side and starts signalling the kid who then over shoves pocket fours. It was very funny to see the Scandi snap with os and win the pot.

There must have been about twenty Irish over for the tournament, a huge increase from the two, Connie O'Sullivan and myself, that played this event last year. The form horses of Irish poker at the moment Dermot Blain and the unstoppable Sean Prendiville finished 8th and 3rd of the 400 starters, so kudos again to both.

I enjoyed the structure; it started fast with 4 x 45 minute levels and an hour thereafter. Most of the lads liked this as you get into the antes quickly. I'm generally of the opinion that most tournaments have too much play early and too little late and this incremental increase in blind time frame definitely allows for a more balanced structure.

UKIPT Dublin

I came down with a bad cold Wednesday. By Thursday, day one of the tournament, I was running a high temperature and truly miserable.

I battled through the day ok, the first five levels went well, at one stage I had about 30k in chips from the fifteen starting stack. I went completely card dead the last two levels and finished the day on twenty.

I got to play for a bit with two players you generally don't expect in a monkey Dublin event, Vanessa Rousso and Miami John Cernuto.

Back in July before day two of the main event John was drawn on Derek Murry left. He never showed due to Illness and was blinded out. At the second break that day in the smoking area of the Rio, Derek was blaming John's no show for the loss of most of his chips.

Derek was getting into pots he normally wouldn't because of the dead blind. I informed John - "F%&* that Miami he's costing me my tournament here" - of Derek's words in the Rio, which he got a good kick out of.

Rousso was on the table for the last hour, I was stone dead at this stage and didn't play any hands with her, but she definitely carries herself very well an seems a good ambassador for the game.

When I got back for day two I was really sick. My chips went in on a four bet shove, holding 810os against a laggy enough big stacks AK. I've probably never been happier to get knocked out of a tournament and I was home in bed in Waterford within a couple of hours.

I did return Sunday and played the charity game. Myself, Marty and Paul Carr had a prop bet, who had the most chips at five o'clock. All three of us had exactly zero chips by that time, a fair feat considering we sat down at three thirty.

Drawless and Pairless

Connie runs a €250 event in the Cue Club, Killarney every year and I've attended the tournament since 2006. It's always a lovely weekend, with a really good vibe in the club.

I headed down Thursday night as myself, Con, Dave and Keith Cummins had arranged to play two rounds of golf on the Friday. The first round was on the truly magnificent Killeen course, which recently held the Irish Open and after lunch we spent the evening on its sister course, Mahoney Point. If there's a better setting for golf I've yet to see it. The scenery is really something else.

The tournament started Saturday and for the first four or five levels I was going nowhere. As the blinds rose, I started to get a few spots to pick up chips. In one particular hand, I shipped with from the small blind after a few limpers and Eamonn Foley was kind enough to pass AK in the big.

This came back to haunt Eamonn, as a while later I won a race to knock him out. I was going along grand with about a half an hour's play left in the day, when I raised UTG. I checked shoved on a J 4 2, two-heart flop hoping my opponent would put me on the flush draw. This ruse worked perfectly, as he called with .

The 60k pot would have put me over 100k and given me a top three chip stack the next day, if a three hadn't hit the turn. As it did, I went back with forty. My opponent told me later in the hotel bar, that he knew he was behind but felt the three was coming. That conversation was enough to send me to bed early, well about 4am anyway.

Eighteen returned on Sunday, with a 44k average - my stack exactly - and eight people paid. With ten left I had worked it up to about eighty. Cue Club regular, Shella, had been on my table the previous night and all day Sunday. The lady was a min-raising machine and was having a good day.

I raised the button with K3os and Shella min-raised me for about the thirtieth time in the tournament. I peeled a flop, as I was sure of my read on her, when she missed a flop and sure enough she missed it - so I shoved an extra 22 bigs over her 5x lead.

It had never crossed my mind that Shella might have had the same read on me, as I had on her but obviously she did. She called me with AQ no draw on the rainbow flop.

As always, I really enjoyed the few days in Killarney. It's a great place to visit for a festival and with the big one in October on the horizon, I can't wait to get back.

Cork's good

When I play poker in Cork I'm generally more enthusiastic about the game. I've often wondered why this is the case. I usually get some kind of a result there, but I'm not so fickle about the game to be that result orientated.

I think the realisation of the reason struck me when I was going through Dungarvan last Monday on my way to the Macau. As I was passing the accounting practice where I jacked in my job nearly five years ago to play poker full time, I was filled with very warm and positive feelings towards the game; god I hated that job!

Ken is making a real effort to produce a different kind of festival than we are used to here in Ireland and he came up with a super week's poker, with something for everyone.

Monday and Tuesday saw a shoot-out and short-handed tournament. I played both with no real depth, but both were very enjoyable and deserved more support.

On Thursday, Marty and myself headed to the pub early in preparation for the PLO event. We all arrived a bit late, and we were lucky enough that local socialite, Flipper, was able to fit us in on his tight schedule for a sweet dinner that Mark Spellman kindly paid for.

I'm not even decent at PLO but it's a game you can run well in. Buoyed by the dozen or so Guinness in the system, I got away with a few retarded bluffs early and got a nice stack together. The pivotal hand of the tournament for me was against Marty with about twelve players left and us both being chip leaders.

Now, I'd never question Marty's play at PLO, but his move of calling all those chips with a pair of threes and a ten high flush draw on the flop went way over my head.

The final table went okay, but by six in the morning, with five remaining and a hangover kicking in, I was delighted to take second place money of €2,500. The other four (obviously bedazzled by my PLO skills), got €1,500 and included Paul Spillane and Noel Magner, who went on to take the trophy- so well done Noel.

Friday was Day 1B of the main event and the starting table was difficult enough. I lost the two biggest pots I played over the day, a 28k pot with v the of James Hawkeye McManus, and a 24k pot last hand of the night, with Kings against a flush draw that went in on the turn.

With 14k going back for day two, I was hopeful rather then confident. Second hand in, I lose half of these when I call a short's shove with AJ and lose, he had 67. Queue the heater, I win two races with 77 and then hit a set over set and end level one with 50k.

Over the next three levels I get this to 100k, but fall back a bit just before dinner and get moved to a new table with about 75k. The first hand I play here costs me about 20k. Kings on a Jack high flop, against an elderly gent who wouldn't put down AQ, no draw, and hit the Ace.

Having recouped to about 80k, my exit came at the hands of the same gent. I raise the button with and we see a two club flop. He check raises me to 20k and I shove to be called with a set of three's.

I may seem spewy to be putting in that amount of chips with a bad over pair, but at the time I was confident I was value shoving.

It was a really enjoyable week overall. We managed to get in three rounds of golf with Marty winning the first two. His comment to his mate Ronan near the end of the second round, about me being easy money, deserved retribution and retribution was what he got Sunday, with me taking by far the biggest pot of the week.

We're heading to Donegal for four days golf this week and I'm sure he'll have his revenge as he'll know the courses fairly well.

I'm looking forward to September's poker. The first weekend, I'll be at the Cue Club in Killarney for a €300 game. This should be another cracking weekend. I don't think I'll bother going to London at any stage but will take in the UKIPT Dublin and I've booked flights to Barcelona on the 22nd to take in the EMOP, an €1,100 buy in event that I played last year.

Scalps your way to IPO bonus chips

I'm currently in Cork for the seven-day Macau festival. This is one of my favourite festivals of the year and while I've had no luck in the shoot-out and short-handed events so far, I'm still very hopeful I can bag myself a decent result before the week's out.

Speaking of favourite festivals, the IPO is closing in fast and it's about time I got my bonus chips earned. Boyles are running a great little series of scalp tournaments next week with plenty of added money.

As well as being great craic, these $5 and $10 buy-in tournaments will go a fair way to totting up the points needed to secure the bonus chips for the big one in October. Why not join myself and the rest of the team every night next week for the 8.30pm scalp games?!

8.30pm Aug 23rd	Scalp Series 1	$10 + $1 FO	$100 added + four $25 pro bounties
8.30pm Aug 24th	Scalp Series 2	$5 + .50c FO	$100 added + four $25 pro bounties
8.30pm Aug 25th	Scalp Series 3	$10 + $1 FO	$100 added + four $25 pro bounties
8.30pm Aug 26th	Scalp Series 4	$5 + .50c FO	$100 added + four $25 pro bounties
8.30pm Aug 27th	Scalp Series 5	$10 + $1 FO	$100 added + four $25 pro bounties

Race Week

After Tramore, myself and Marty went to the Carton House for a couple of rounds of golf with Paul Spillane and then headed onto Galway.

Marty thinks we should play golf with Paul once a week, now that he's unemployed but I can't afford losing to him every week - so I suppose once a month will have to do. They actually do a great deal at Carton, around €125 for an overnight stay and both courses.

Galway was a good laugh. Marty mentioned in his blog that a couple of impromptus €500 re-buy STT's that sprung up Tuesday and Wednesday. They were right craic and I nicked a few quid in them both.

The Wednesday night one only had seven starters but with 14 re-buys, it was certainly worth winning. There were two randomers that would have been value in a $5 STT and Fintan as well; so massive value all round.

I managed to chop it with Paul Carr. I took 6k, with Paul getting 4.5k. Comment of the night went to Marty when he earnestly said, "Isn't it amazing how Fintan could nearly win an EPT with all those players in it and he has zero chance of winning a seven man single table."

No joy in Thursday's €1,000 buy-in invitational the ICCCCCCC; I was second out losing most of my chips in a cooler to Big Mick.

I played the hundred nightly festival game after my exit and made the final table but got dogged first hand.

Went racing Friday and made a few quid, after which it was back to the casino for the €250 game. Again, no joy, but a very enjoyable tournament.

I don't think I have ever left race week with money in my pocket, so driving home Saturday with a profit for the week felt rather good.