Ireland Part 1

Well sorry for the lack of updates, I'm going through a very lazy at life in general phase atm and have the flu which won't fuck off.

I went to Ireland 2 weeks ago for the IPO. A big group of us travelled, mostly guys from the blonde poker forum. My dad had plenty of Euros left over from his holiday so I took 3.5k with me so I had some ammo for the cash games. Turned out I needed it as Dublin is the most expensive city ever, and that's coming from someone who spends 5/6 days a week in central london!!

At the airport I'm already losing 200-250 Euros in PLO flips, for 50 euro a pop when I just cant hit to save my life despite being dealt like AKKQJ10 every hand. Sigh. Not even in Irish air yet and I'm on tilt. This trip could get expensive...

Anyway we land and finally I win a flip, Amatay has to pay for the taxi to the hotel. Only 193 below EV now. No poker on the first night, just drinking in the hotel and Amatay loses the next flip when we go for a burger and chips (25 Euros for 2 people! - lol Dublinaments). -185 below ev and on the road back to even....

We hit the hay about 1am wanting to get a good night's rest before the tournament the next day. Me and Amatay get a taxi to the venue and he loses the flip for the 16 Euro taxi ride.... - 177 below EV and heading back in the right direction.

Chipping up in the tournament is easy, some really bad play and as flushy said to me, "this is like playing tournament poker 5 years ago". I flopped the nuts with Q10 on an AKJ rainbow and thought I was going to stack the only other capable player on my table but he had Q10 too....norrrrrrrrrrr. Some comedy hands take place though. At 75/150 I'm playing about 16k from my inital 10k stack and theres a raise in early to 450. After 4 callers I decide to call on the button with 67 and see a flop of : A 6 8. Guy in BB leads for 600 and all 4 players fold. I'm never folding here and decide to peel one. Turn: 4. Picked up a gutterball too, 6 7 5 I know are all good and he leads for 600 again into the bajillion chip pot. Ok sir I call. River is a beautiful 5. I lead for 3700 and he snap jams. I auto assume A7 and call straight away. He declares proudly, 'Sorry mate, rivered 2 pair!' as though he got me. I instantly turn my hand and after a second he realises he's beat. [ ] Good value jam though buddy.

When I move tables I continue chipping up and make 3 hero calls within the space of 2 hours and I'm opening pretty much every hand and taking 90% down. My favourite hero call came at 200/400 when I open the hi-jack to 1025 and the BB calls. Flop is K56 and villain check-calls 1350. Turn brings an 8 and villain leads for 4000. I call. River is a Q and he slides about 16k across the line. I call fairly quickly and his hand hits the muck. I got a few looks after that and I was allowed to just chip up in every pot until I reached 70k.

An updater came to take my photo and ask my name as apparently I was 3rd in chips of the 700 or so entrants that day. The only problem was my concentration. I sometimes get impatient when playing donkaments. I'm a cash player through and through and will sometimes sit and play a session for 1 hour and other times I can play for 20 hours straight. I go for dinner with Flushy and Blatch and I even suggest to do a flip against the two most golden people in the history of the universe for the meal. After I pay I head back to the tournament. At level 10 I'm on 90k and there are still probably only a couple of stacks ahead of me. I'm shattered by now and really don't wanna be sat there but do my best to get through the last few levels....until the TD said we were playing through to the end of level 18. Needless to say my chips were gone 3 hands later. ffs Cos you massive prick. I just didn't wanna be sat there. This is something I really need to work on, my patience. Anyone been through the same and got any advice?

I went to the bar with Maria 'Chili' Demetriou for a bit so I could moan to her as if I'd sat down in cash I'd have insta spewed. Have a few drinks and then hit cash, where I win a monkey and can sleep a bit easier. Still feel like a dick. More annoying was the fact that most of the lads busted really early and were already in town, after 10/11 levels of play I didn't feel like meeting them when they were all pissed already.

Part 2 to follow