Where Has All The Heat Gone

Not much happened this week on the tournament front. The game has been cruel if the Truth be told.
Played four comps on blue square and its all been pretty nasty. Went deep in a $20 dollar freeze out to end up with pocket Kings getting slaughtered by the chip leaders kq came good with the miracle queen on the river for trips after me getting him all in on the turn with minimal holdings.
The others nothing really happened for me to get going. Found myself getting off to a slow start and by the time I had a chance to get going seemed to run into and idiot each time. Aces busted by pocket eights, trip eights busted by trip queens and ak suited failing against aq off.
After a dreaded few games back to back, the paranoia kicked in a bit about the whole only game a it does.
I switched over to poker stars and tried to start a fresh.
Poker stars is a site i absolutely adore for the size of its comps and things. The amount of players in their comps, the structures and the quality of play is great. The only negative thing for me about poker stars would be the hand history.
Hand history is something I use a lot of and on stars its a lot hardy to read compared to the likes of the i poker networks hand history.
That may seem pretty picky but when I play i spend a lot of time re analyzing the histories comparing how people played different hands and such and the way they bet the nuts etc. so this becomes an important park of my game that I just cant do on stars as easy as I can on i poker.
Haven't done that much on there. I played a few sit n goes had a couple of places but no profit actually made a loss.
Went pretty deep in a six handed event I played after being chipped up for the whole tournament but came up short in the end and didn't make the money so a pretty rubbish week in the office.... played live at southport but I will leave that to the next post. So for now its fare well amigo's............skipper

Final table time again Blue Sq- $5k Gtd-4th

I will follow up on this comp as soon as I get a chance to look at the hand history and report of key hands Finished fourth and was very unlucky after scraping my way to the final table to re raise the chip leader putting my self all in with pocket 3's for him to call with kq.
Good result though $452 for $50 considering no cards at all had pocket aces once, in the whole game, ak suited once and pocket 10's twice that's really the only premium hands I got.

$7.5k Blue Square 2nd place

This was a double stack game starting with 4k in chips not really play that much only because it never has that many runners and so the return on investment isn't really that good.

I think the total runners for the comp was 77 runners.

The game started off pretty dreadful to be honest I seemed to get caught up with a lot of mid pairs and my stack dwindled to around half with in the first 30 hands or so.

This has to be the worst start possible for me as my usual game is to stay out of the early mental shit and find out the goings on but it wasn't to be.

The hand that got me back into the was one that most people would be ashamed to admit but here it is. I decided that the table would be respectful enough to notice a slow played monster so I limp under the gun planning to set up the move. I get a a raiser in mid position that hasn't played a hand for a bit so its premium only in his holdings. Everyone else folds and i re raise from my position and he calls. The flop comes ace high and I bet out minimum and he re raises min and i call. At the point i put him on a big ace but I have hit the 6 on the flop with the pot odds of about 8/1 i have to call. The turn comes a blank I check he bets minimum. Now its probably time to fold but its now a huge pot and my odds are still there to win a monster if I hit a 6 or 8 on the river. I called and the 8 arrived i check he bets i min raise he calls with his ak and i win this puts me back up to my starting stack for the first time since the game began.

I really tightened up only playing premiums and late position as usual.

The next hand i came across i raised in late position with 44 and get one caller from the bb. He also has been tight so I have him on a hand. The flop comes ace high with he bets out the pot, there is a flush draw on the board and I hit my 4, so I shove all in looking a bit weak and he calls with aq. My trips 4s stand and I'm on about the 10k mark.

At this stage I'm in good position because the table was really tight so I took advantage of stealing blinds from a late position and being a bit aggressive on the flops.

I built my stack up to 16k when the hand of the game arrived.

I'm on the sb and it folds around to me and I flat call the bb min raises and I call.

Flop comes down 88k i got k8 in the hole. I check he bets min i call. Turn comes i bet out min looking like I'm an idiot and he calls. The river brings an ace. I think he prob had a big ace any way so for a pot that stands about 3k I put all my chips in the middle looking like I'm bulling and unfortunately for him he had aj and called instantly lol.
That put me in a real strong position with about 25k in chips and to be honest I didn't really see many more hands before the final table. All I managed to do was pop in a couple of steals and build my stack that way. If there was any difference to my game than usual, it was that I was calling in more situations pre flop than normal then being more aggressive after the flop.
Final table went well, there was a few short stacks. As normal I sat out a bit whilst they all tried to double up and it wasn't very long before I was heads up.
The heads up was all going my way. I think my heads up game has improved ten fold over the last couple of weeks. ( by playing a lot more heads up matches online) The hand that broke my heart was when I got all my chips in the middle with ace ten and he called. Flop brought me a ten the river gives him a queen to fill a runner runner straight.
After that I should of been out but I was able to get it back up to all square again.
Final hand was when we went to a flop he bet out I made a move over the top with 2 overs he called. No help on the turn and river and it was curtains for me....
2nd place paid $1540 so I was happy with that....... may you're cards be live and all that, Skipper..........

$6000 Gtd Blue Sqaure 1st place

Decided not to write my blog on this game as I was finding it tough following PO and writing the blog at the same time.


The game was a $20 freeze out with just over 300 runners I think it was. The poker site shut down on me and I lost connection just before starting the final table and for some reason the specifics didn't show on my tournament history.


I played the game pretty much the same as usual and was really tight.


The first hand i got involved with was pocket kings and they arrived just after getting moved tables on the first hand. I had been dealt them on the button and after 5 limpers in the pot I decided to move all in with them to make it look like a steel which it must of when I got called by one of the limpers with pocket nines.


I doubled up on that hand and again was really tight not playing another hand til I got moved again about 20 mins later and got dealt pocket aces. This time someone had gone all in after a raiser so it was a straight forward call for me and the first raiser folded and they held up.


The key hand in the game was when a really aggressive player had limped in utg when I was on the sb. I got dealt pocket 10's. Utg limps in and in folds all the way to me. I thought this very suspicious from him as he had been raising from every position and so thinking I was already behind I flat called looking for another ten on the flop. The bb checks and we see a flop which arrives ten high. Bingo. I don't want to check raise the guy just in case he has the discipline to lay down a monster so I bet straight out but only the minimum trying my best to look weak and hoping he sticks them all in. The bb folds and true to the script utg sticks all his chips in the middle and turns over pocket kings when I call. This put me straight up to about third place out of probably 150 players or so. I kept my game pretty tight from there on in.

I didn't play as aggressive as usual, found myself only getting involved when I was priced in getting 9/2 or better on the blinds and picked up a couple of pots then by check raising a few weak bets.

I stayed in and around the top of the leader board the rest of the game. Don't think there was a time I had all my chips in the middle after that until I hit the final table.

By the time the final table arrived there was I think 4 short stacks and I was chip 2nd chip leader.

Took a knock when a few of the short stacks had gone and the table had settled a bit. I had started to gear my game up a bit when I got re raised by a player putting himself all in for not much more. I only had q6 suited but had to call, i was getting 5/1 at the time. He had A10 and it held up for him but I lost about 30k in the hand.

This took me down to about 60k with the leader on 110k.

Got gifted with pocket aces on bb when chip leader raised and got a caller. It folded to me and I actually typed in the chat box that I had the big fellas. Sounds crazy but at that stage I would of been very happy to take the pot down with out a gamble. Anyway the chip leader folded and the other guy didn't believe me. He called with AQ. My aces held up and and I was chip leader again.

Turned it right up then got real aggressive and managed to take another couple out and soon I was heads up.

Heads up was pretty handy he got lucky on me when I had pocket 8's i think it was when he spiked a queen, then I outplayed him to get it back up square again.

Final had I raised up with pocket 9's and he shoved with pocket 4's and my 9's held up.
All in all I was very pleased with the way I played, i think the key to the game was very very solid when tables were lively. Took my chances when they arrived against players I knew could fold a hand, and getting aggressive in the right situations when the field started to tighten up. $1788.96 for a $20 investment, very pleased indeed. Later folks.................................skipper

Poker office Make sure you get it free

I thought I'd better clear it up before people start to rush over to the poker office site and start paying for this software which can cost up to £100 by the time you add the tax and such bits. Its free.
Just take the following steps and this will get you your software program for free.

Click on the link titled poker office in the side bar of the main blog page ( not the one at the top)

This will take you to the main poker office web site.

Click on the get it free tab in the main web site. This will direct you to open an account with one of the complying poker sites with the free offer.

Open an account of your choice following poker office instructions.

When you have your account opened then poker office will ask you to rake 100 hands and after this then you qualify for the free copy. Now this may mean that you are not playing on the same site as you normally do but whats wrong with that. Answer = Nothing. Poker office will let you have a free trial of 300 hands whilst you are accumulating your 100 raked hands on the site.

By the time you have used your 300 free hands then you will have raked 100 hands and qualified for the free software. After that you have unlimited use of poker office and you will enjoy building your data base of information that will only strengthen your game in the long run. I was going to wish you luck but with this software you wont need as much luck as normal, as long as you analyse your data base whilst you play.
Enjoy it folks, I do..... skipper

Out come of Blackpool

Well it really didn't go as planned lol..

Went for a meal in the restaurant before hand and must say that apart from them serving us the wrong steaks, it was excellent. Any one thinking of going to the Blackpool G must make time to use the restaurant. Food excellent and the overall look and feel of the place is somewhere u really feel relaxed in.

As for the poker. Started off very relaxed indeed and didn't play a hand in the first two orbits then got involved very passive like with a few decent aces in late position and was really neither up nor down.
The table I was sat on seemed surprisingly tight with a couple of faces that I know are very steady players, and although I didn't know many others there seemed to be at least three more good players on the table that were very capable of mixing it up when needed.

I took my second chance after a few players had doubled up on the table and had around the 5.5k mark when a big hand arrived.

A player that has been playing really tight utg limps into the pot and I think he is coming in with a premium hand looking to limp raise with it. He gets two more limpers and I look down at 67 suited of hearts. I don't think for a minute that this is a good hand but with three limpers and the blinds that will probably be in the pot I will be getting huge odds and if this guy is on a monster I might very well get all his chips if my hand hits big.

Sure as I said the blinds come in as well for a total pot of approx 1800. Flop comes down A77 and right away the limper looks happy with his flop and bets out 1k.
I cant put him on aces no way he is betting into the flop with so many behind him with the second nuts so I have him on a big ace.

my thought process here was either to call or raise but there are also two diamonds on the board and so I thought it best to raise to get rid of any one calling with a flush draw for average so I made it 2800 total to go if I take it down here I'm happy enough. But then the guy on the sb moves all in. Second thought process. Straight away my gut instant said I was behind but then after the initial limper/better folds I go into the think tank for a minute or more like five.

This guy had been playing tight only showing pocket aces, and pocket queens twice and played them aggressively when he hand them, but since had loosened up a little. If he has a 7 I am most likely out kicked and if he is playing an ace he would not of moved in the way he did. Finally I decide he could have 1 of two hands. 1 he has a 7 might be out kicking me maybe not, but if he has I'm still in with a good chance of splitting the pot and if he has a flush draw I might still be in front. I count my chips and if I fold I only have about 2k left and I already have about 3k in the pot, I feel at this stage I'm pot committed and call. Sure enough the guy turns over k7 no more help from me and he wins the pot.
I had him covered in chips by a few hundred so I got 600 back.

I played on and managed to double up a few times and got my stack back to 2500 but with the blinds at 300 600 I found myself having to get them in when it folded to me with 94 of spades. I got 1 caller with aq. Flop comes and I hit my nine but when the turn brings a ten he has a gut shut going into the river and of course it arrives, one of those four hooks bangs straight in there and makes my challenger look really unhappy. His reason for being unhappy was that he didn't know he had a straight until I stood up and wished him luck along with the rest of the table.

Final thoughts about the game was that I think I played well. I took advantage of a tight table when I had the opportunity and even laid down pocket queens pre flop in one hand where the two people contesting it had trip aces and a full house eventually so I can only be happy with my play and unhappy with the out come. I might even consider trying again lol.

Til next time may the gods be with you and more with me ........skipper

£30 double f/o Blackpool

I'm off to Blackpool G casino tonight for the £30 double chance freeze out. Its a 3k + 3k starting stack with antes kicking in after the 2nd level.

This is a competition I have had a good bit of success in - had a win there and made a good few final tables but since they have done the refurb the competition has got so popular they have had to introduce running antes on top of a very quick clock.

This put me straight on tilt the first time I played the new structure if the truth be told, I found myself sat at a table with a load of loose, fishy first timers and after pocket twos calling bets on all streets and catching a third two on the end for trips it made me ready for home.

Tonight I'm going with a different attitude, going for a meal in the new restaurant there, and relax for a bit and then time to rumble.
I will post a blog tomorrow when I get back and hopefully let you know how I managed to do the business after a hard slog heads up lol. Wish me luck guys skipper.