Crazy times at GUKPT Luton
I travelled down to Luton yesterday to play in this month’s leg of the Grosvenor Poker Tour. For the Non-Brits amongst our readers, the GUKPT is a series of £1000 buy-in events held every month across England. They attract a big and very varied field, and are great events with a structure to match.
Yesterday got off to a miserable start. Within the first three levels, a number of nasty spots had each claimed a dent in my stack. One such spot was when I called a raise to 450 in position with AsQs from a really friendly Scouse guy, Jimmy Morgan. The board came off Qc9s8h, and he bet 625 into the pot. This was not a great flop really, but I had to believe I might have the best of it. This is one of the few spots where I believe in a re-raise “to see where you are,” as it will always get an honest answer in response, and I may always be able to slow the pot down if he falt-calls with a hand like KK. I raised accordingly to 1,550, and Morgan pretty sharpish put another 3,000 more into the pot. I pithced my cards straight away, and he later said he had a set of nines.
I had not particularly distinguished myself in my play, but a number of similar spots saw me dwindling down to 2,025 at the 4th level dinner break. I was really down in the dump with such a paltry stack, and ready to make plans with fellow bustee Adam Clark for the evening. However disasppointed I am, I refuse always to give up hope, and came back after the break to plug away. Morgan raised to 900 in early position, and I thought for a long time with 99, a hand that most players would throw their chips in immediately with. I eventually decided it was right to muck, and trust that my tiny stack might hold out for a better spot.
Luckily enough it came, as I found KK in the same spot an orbit later. The small blind could not wait to get his chips in, and for a moment I worried about another horrible cooler. Luckily enough he flipped the QQ; I held, and I had 5,500 and alot of confidence back.
Three hands later, something happened which has not happened for me in poker for three months. I won a race! The chips flew in after I found AQ in the small blind after Morgan’s button raise. He flipped 1010, and the board rolled out K3QQ4; a flukey and lovely little turnaround for me.
I was buzzing that I now had enough chips to play again, and that I did as I raised to 1,100 wiht Kc6c in middle position. One young lad called in the hijack, and we saw a Jc10c7h flop. It was not the best of spots for a flush draw semi-bluff, but I knew the kid may be capable of passing a hand like A10 or 99, and so decided that I would committ my stack. With only 3,000 in the pot, the stack sizes dictated that the right thing for me to do was to play for a check-raise. The kid bet 2,200, and I check-raised to 5,200, leaving 3,300 back. This curious move served two purposes for me- I hoped it would look stronger than a straight push all-in, and it may just give me something to make a super-thin bluff with on the river.
My opponent really should have realised that his options were to set me in for the lot or to pass, but he made a curious flat-call. I missed the turn, as a 9h produced a check-check, and missed again on the Ad river. With so much in the pot, I had to try the ridiculous bluff, and pushed my lasst 3,300 into the 13,400 pot.
I was praying that there wouldn’t see a shrug of the shoulders and hear “I have to call.” Instead there was a long think, a shrug and a pass, before amazingly my opponent showed a jack! The pass was not an awful one at all- it would have been hard for him to construct a hand that his one pair could beat. 2,025 and despair had quickly become 16,800 and a whole lot of confidence.
I was able to consolidate things after suhc hectic times for a while, until I looked down at 88 in the small blind, and found Sunny Chatta raising to 1,650 from early position. Sunny is a member of the Hit Squad, and is a real tricky and accomplished player. A 3-bet would have given me a horrible decision out of position on the flop, so I elected for a flat-call.
The flop rolled out a beautiful KsQh8d, and I had to decide how to extract the money with the bottom set. I opted for a check, but Chatta declined the continuation bet and echoed my check. This of course put a slight sorry in my head that me may have an over-set. However, it was important to decide at this point that I could not get away from a cooler hand; this meant I could effectively ignore the KK and QQ, and play the hand for value. Sunny’s most likely hands at this point would seem to be AQ for the 2nd pair, or AJ or A10 for ace-high and a gutshot. The turn was a great 5s, and I bet out 2,500. I knew Sunny would be very suspicious of this bet, and would probably call with ace-high. He made the call, and we saw a 10 of spades on the river.
This was not a great card at all; it left a slight possiblity of a runner-runner flush, and gave AJ the lead over me with a straight. It also meant that a hand like AQ could now beat far fewer hands, but I knew there was worth good value bet. I decided that a bet of 4,500 could still look like I was bluffing. Chatta had a monumental think, scared me at one point that he was going to push in (which would have given me a horrible decision!), and eventually made the call.
He mucked his cards as I flipped my set, and I am still unable to guess what he had. I did, however, get that horrible feeling of underplaying a hand, and wondered whether I could have taken his 7,500 behind. When you flop a set on a such a drawing and high board, it is often worth betting straight out into the raiser. I may well have got Sunny to push, and so my best hand of the day may actually have been my biggest mistake.
The day petered out after such a hectic spell, and I am happy to be bringing back 27,500 for the second day. It’s been a while since I pieced together some really good play (and indeed some good luck), so I have my fingers crossed for today!
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August 9th, 2008 at 12:59 pm
[...] Sean Doiron wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptI travelled down to Luton yesterday to play in this month’s leg of the Grosvenor Poker Tour. For the Non-Brits amongst our readers, the GUKPT is a series of £1000 buy-in events held every month across England. … [...]
September 3rd, 2008 at 11:51 am
Sorry to miss the day two update, I was too knackered to post at the end of the day! Martin Green and I eventually found a hotel room at 3.30am, and thought the long day was over. However, as I said goodbye to Martin and put the key in my door, I had the shock of finding someone asleep in my bed! Needless to say he was probably more shocked than me!
The reason for this dead of the night finish? I made day three of the GUPKT, with just 12 players left. Holding only 112,000 in chips, however, I would still need some luck to make the final table.
I’m not going to lie; I was desperate to make the final table. I’ve had a rough time in live poker recently, and knew how sweet it would be to make my first ever GUKPT Final table, especially after being knocked down to 2,100 in chips on the first day. I had to be sure to put these emotions on hold, as there was only one way for me to play as the day began- dangerously. With blinds starting at 6,000-12,000 (1000), there was alot of equity in moving in with a lot of hands, and so I did four times. My timing was very lucky, as I dodged a call each time, before looking down at AKo on the button. I shipped it in, and the big stack David La Ronde made a specualtive call in the small blind with K10. An ace on the second card was a massive relief, and I had the final table in my sights.
We were down to 11 players, and I have to admit I was willing to keep my head down and hang on. On my big blind, a short stack moved all-in for 115,000, and I looked down at my cards to realise this would not be an option. I had two red kings! I made the call, and the player on the button blushed, and turned over Q5 of hearts.
The flop rolled out a diastotours Q65, and a dagger struck my heart. An eight on the turn made no difference, but a beautiful 6 on the river paired the board, and one of the sweetest cards I have ever had in poker.
We were down to 10, but I had a little room to breathe with about 335,000. La Ronde raised my big blind as the short stack on the other table was all-in, and I smelt a rat. I held only Q2 of clubs, but took the opportunity to re-raise the action to 95,000. La Ronde had a good think, but eventually passed, and I was happy not only for the chips, but to have set up a possible value spot for later on.
The good news was all rushing in at once, as our 10th place finsiher had been eliminated, and I had made my first major final table of the year. I would go in holding 406,000, almost exactly the average stack. Wohoo!
I drew possibly the worst possible seat. James Mitchell seemed a very talented and daring young player, and was sat on my immiedate left. The player on his left was playing poker on fire; Sam Trickett went into the final table with a chip lead of about 700,000. Despite my position, I knew it was right to start aggressviely, and hope to benefit from any early nerves.
I had decided to raise the first hand irrespective of my cards (I think I held Q9o), but unfortuantely the player in the SB had the perfect stack to move in, and after I had passed, showed the perfect hand, AK of hearts. The next pot I would enter was a blind on blind confrontation against the dangerous James Mitchell. I held Q2o, and watched the flop come out Qc10d6c. There were alot of draws out there, and so I knew a lead out would leave me in a tough position if James re-raised. Instead, I checked, and called his 15,000 bet. The 3h on the turn was a blank, and again I check-called 30,000. The river was another good card, an offsuit 4, and I checked again.
Mitchell thought for a few seconds, before betting a further 50,000. It was a really tough spot, as I knew I could only beat a bluff. My big problem of course in this spot was that I had represented a drawing hand by calling two streets, and so if James had nothing, he would know he had a sure-fire winning bluff on the end. I also had decided that it would be very difficult for James to pull out a vlaue bet with a one pair hand like Q9 or Q7, top pair and a very weak kicker. I evenutally made the call, and it turned out to be an awful one. James HAD made a great value bet with Q7.
It was an ugly pot, but I knew I had to keep my head in the game, still holding 255,000 and a decent chance. James had knocked out our 9th place finisher and taken the chip lead on the previous hand, as I looked down at AQ offsuit in middle position. I raised to 30,000, and the action passed round the table before reaching Martin Green in the big blind. He immiedately pushed his whole stack of 220,000 into the middle, and left me in a really tough spot.
This may have been a standard pass against most players, but my read on Martin was that he was the player most likely to pull this move against me with junk. He had no fear of putting his whole stack in, and I feared he had picked up on the most exploitable part of my game- I am not someone to likes to race for a massive pot. I decided that my AQ was probably slightly ahead of his range, but made the decision to stick with my style, and not to get almost my entire stack in on either a 60-40% or 50-50%.
It was a pot that would leave me agonising afterwards (and I would love to hear your thoughts about it). The reason it left me so pensive, was that from this point, the tournament unfortunately turned against me. I raised KJo the very next hand for the same bet (a move I believe looks strong after you have been caught as most players would shut down). A weak player called on the button, and cruelly Martin Green put his entire stack in again. I knew this time Martin must have a strong hand, and we both got out the way, as he showed queens.
It had me reeling down to 165,000, and the action would soon be passed round to me on the button with blinds of 10,000-20,000 (2000). Q9 of clubs was a perfect hand to move in with. Perfect until Sam woke up with AK in the big blind. He made a quick call, and I would need to win a 40% shot to stay alive. It would be a massive pot, and I was desperate to win it. The board came a sad eight high, and the dream was over.
It is one of the tough things about poker that coming 8th in such a big field was in the main part a gutting finish. I have felt more satisfied with my performance over the next couple of days, but still rue the Q2 pot against James Mitchell. I can’t wait, though, for the next installment of the GUKPT. Roll on Bolton!