UK & Ireland Poker Tour

After all the snow in Dublin I really wasn’t sure if I was gonna make it down to Galway for the UK & Ireland Poker Tour but we managed to get to the train station and from there it was fine. We played a little bit of blind Omaha on the way down (pure gambling) and I lost about €150 to Eoin Olin who actually ended up finishing fifth in the tournament. I’ve always ran pretty terrible at non-skill based games, so it’s just as well I’m not a huge gambler or sports bettor. We arrived at the hotel about 10:30 p.m. and after a quick bit of food I headed for bed as play began at noon the next day.
My starting table was extremely soft, full of older Irish players. I chipped up to about 22,000 from the 20,000 starting stack within the first level and we were then told there would be a re-draw due to some mistake that had been made. Seemed like a bizzare thing to do. My second table was a bit tougher, it included European Poker Tour London winner David Vamplew three to my left, and one or two other capable players.
I had about 24,000 when I won my first decent pot. A very poor/weak player limped under the gun plus two for 300, it folded to me on the button and I raised to 1,100 with Q-8 suited. The big blind peeled quickly and the limper folded. The big blind had been in a bunch of pots so far and seemed to be very aggressive post-flop. The flop came Q-7-2 with two hearts. He checked and I decided to check it back. Mainly because if I get check-raised I’m in a pretty horrible spot but also I thought he would be the type of player to spaz/bluff on later streets. The turn came 10♠ putting two flush draws out there. He quickly checked again and I fired 2,000 for value and protection. He snap-called. At this point I think his range is made up of flush and straight draws and T-x type hands, perhaps some small pairs also. The river paired the 2 and he checked again. I felt pretty confident I had the best hand here and bet 3,600, he snap-called again and mucked when I showed. This got me up to the 30,000 mark.
A few hands later I played a hand I’m still unsure about. It folded to the cut-off who I would describe as quite loose-passive. I kind of decided I’d like to try play some pots with him as he seemed to be the kind of player to never hit the fold button. Anyway, he made it 800 with a 20,000 stack and it folded to me in the small blind and I three-bet to 2,500 with Q-T suited. He peeled and we saw a flop of T-7-6 rainbow. I bet 3,400 and he called. The turn was the Q♦ bringing a flush draw and giving me two pair. I decided to check and try induce some action from him but he checked it back. The river came the 5♦ bringing the back-door flush draw.
I bet 4,900 and he shoved for about 13,500 total. I was pretty surprised when he shoved and went deep into the tank. I was trying to work out if he would ever shove worse for value, like weaker two pair hands or AA/KK, I came to the conclusion I didn’t think he would given his passive style. So I guess the types of hands that beats me here are Tx hands with diamonds, A♦ 10♦, K♦ 10♦, J♦ 10♦ etc…etc… and then obviously 9-8. I kind of ruled out flopped sets as he didn’t seem like the type of player to check the turn on such a draw-heavy board. His shove looked to me like he could never be bluffing so I decided to give it up.
I folded for a few orbits and my stack dwindled to around 14,000 when action folded to me on the button and I raised to 750 at 150-300 and a 25 ante with A-6 offsuit. The big blind (the same guy from the Q-8 suited hand) peeled. The flop came A♠ 10♠ 6♦. The big blind check-called my bet of 1,400. The turn came the 9♠ completing the flush draw and he now led for 3,000. I was slightly worried but had seen him do some spewey stuff before so I called to see a river. The river came another ace giving me a boat. He checked pretty quickly. I had a little over a pot-sized bet left so decided to shove thinking he wouldn’t fold a flush and may never hero call me with some other hands. He called after little thought with K♠ 8♠. A lucky river for me.
The next three to four levels I picked up the aggression and managed to reach a stack size of 75,000 going into the last level. With blinds at 800-1,600 and a 200 ante I was happy to nit it up for the last level and come back with a nice stack for day two. Unfortunately for me this didn’t happen. I opened under the gun with A♦ K♦ to 3,500, it folded to a young guy in the cut off who is “GAWA9” online I think and he shoved for around 40,000. I called and lost to his 8-8. Really was a massive flip, such a difference coming back with 35,000 at 1,000/2,000 rather than 115,000 if I win that flip. I was still very happy with how I played and had high hopes coming back for day two.
I busted in the first level back. I lost a small pot, button against the big blind, which left me with 24,000 at 1,000-2,000 and a 200 ante. I shoved K♥ Q♥ under the gun, was called by Q-Q, and couldn’t win on J-T-x board. It was disappointing but that’s the way tournament poker is. At the end of the day I think I made very few errors. ♠

Nick Heather finished fourth in a $1,000 no-limit hold’em tournament at the World Series of Poker 2010. He plays and blogs at PaddyPowerPoker.com.