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Luck of the Irish
The Irish open, this year held at the City West hotel in Dublin, is quickly becoming one of the biggest events in the poker calendar. The increased buyin this year didn’t seem to deter many people although the guarantee of €3m wasn’t quite met, meaning a tasty amount of added money was up for grabs.
Mickey and I decided to chance our arm in the €300 rebuy satellite on Wednesday, and whilst I was to lose a seat-clinching race with 100 to go (50 seats) Mickey went on to take a seat and get his week off to a good start. Whilst we were both playing day 1b, Praz decided to take the 1st start day. I caught up with him just before the dinner break and he had just busted, button raising with AKcc and finding a 2 club flop. After being lead into he put the pressure on his opponent who decided to commit with his pair and straight draw and managed to hold.
Despite feeling very positive about this event, my fortunes were to fair even worse, and I managed to break my personal best for quickest ever tournament exit. Not exactly a record I was hoping to break. After getting off to a bad start I thought things were about to improve when I was dealt KK with 7,500 of my 10k still intact. Alas it wasn’t to be and I managed to find someone with 2 aces. I think I did well to save myself 1,400 from this hand which I was determined to try to attempt a comeback with. I managed to pick up a couple of small pots, pushing over the top of a serial raiser, but when I tried it again with 7s after he had raised from the cut off he decided to look me up with Q10o and I was gone. Mickey lasted the longest but when I bumped into him later in the day he too had his fair share of bad beat stories to tell and sadly none of us were to progress to day 2.
The side event schedule was pretty strong and all three of us decided to try our luck in the €1,500 freezeout. With 8k in chips and a 45 minute clock a big field generated a 1st prize of over €120k. Again I got off to a bad start and sunk to 5k in chips at the 1st break. Still was plenty of play and no reason to panic. I locked up for a while until I found the dreaded KK again, utg. I raise it up fearing no action as I’d been playing quite tight for a while. I shouldn’t have feared. A flat call from the button was followed by an all in re-raise from the big blind. I called and after a long dwell so did the button. 3 way all in action for a sizeable pot. I wasn’t looking in bad shape against 79s (bb) and 55 (button), especially with a flop of A88. Running 6, 10 though insured I was again down to a few remaining chips, managing only to win a small side pot from the 55. Again I put my head down and picked a few spots to push in. I managed a mini revival but despite finding KK again and even AA on the button I couldn’t get a full double up. Eventually I got the action I craved if not the result I was after. Again finding AA (great time to get a card rush when I have no chips) and this time Mr 55 looked me up with 22. 2nd time lucky for him and a deuce on the flop sent me to the rail for another early bath. Praz was to fair best in this event, amassing a big stack early after a double up through Mad Turk on the very 1st hand. He made it through the day but a few late battles with Todd Brunson had seen him get short. Day 2 started very well for him with a much needed early double up and then eliminating a shorter stack with a dominating AK. However, again some rough luck was to come and haunt us when, just before the money, Praz flopped top 2 and bet out strongly only to get action from a gutshot draw which was to get there, sending him to the airport.
The last chance saloon was the €400 omaha rebuy. It was a small, but strong, field and an action packed rebuy period had built a nice prize pool. Despite some tables going mental, my table was in fact full of rocks, forcing me to push the action myself. I lost a couple of flips and ended the rebuy period with about 8k. As Mel Judah (sat next to me) busted soon after the rebuys, I had a very bad feeling with his seat was filled with the ever jovial Joe Grech. Me and him had clashed a couple of times in big pots at the Empire last week, and he always seemed to catch the rub of the green. As he was unracking his chips the cards were just about being dealt and we saw the flop multiway. My hand was AcJcJs10c. I was then, relatively happy with a flop of 2c 8c 7c. Checked to Joe he came out betting the pot. My reraise could get all of my stack in and there wasn’t much room for just calling to see the turn card with my stack. I did then move all in and Joe duly obliged with his set of 2s. The board paired 7s on the turn which although was obviously a bad card, didn’t for once have me drawing dead. I didn’t hold out much hope though, and neither should I have, with the river nicely blanking out.
All in all another very frustrating trip to Ireland, which has never been the happiest of hunting grounds for us. That said, that still won’t stop us coming back next year for another craic at the Emerald’s Isle’s biggest week of poker.
Pictures courtesy of www.blondepoker.com
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