The Irish Winter Festival Part II

Now, if I remember correctly we started with 10,000 in chips and as I said 'Danish Champ Dude' was splash pot-raising almost every hand. But the craziest thing about it all was that he had the goods every time…and I mean EVERY SINGLE TIME! If he was hand picking the cards himself, he couldn't have done any better!

How do we know this you ask? Well, we know this because he showed us every time … it was sick! A-A, A-K, K-K, A-A, Q-Q, A-K, J-J, A-Q, set, another set, straight-flush … you name it, he had it! I've been playing the game for a long time now and I tell ya it is rare I've seen a run like that before – it was incredible. Even when he played a rubbish hand he hit that as well. He was like a young MacGyver. I mean this fella could make a hand out of anything. I'm just glad there wasn't any copper wire or bluetac around or who knows what he would have come up with!

After about three levels he had tripled up, and whether it was respect or the fact that he had nothing I was able to reraise and push him off a hand a few times when I had the right spot. By the end of the third level, I had doubled up and was quite happy.

They broke our table after the dinner break and we went on our merry ways. Not having much time for my apple crumble to settle I ended up at a much harder table this time and not only that, but there were some really big stacks. Yes, it was fair to say that this table was stacked with very solid players who had the chips and weren't afraid to use them.

Anyway, almost all the players by the end of the night had got my respect and when the bell finally rang I was up to 54,000 in chips, which put me in the top twenty for the day. Considering that we had started with over 420 players I was very happy at the end of stage one. I went off to have a well deserved pint at the bar with the mighty John McGill, Tall Alan, Mick McClusky, Mr. & Mrs. Booth, Paul, and plenty of others who were all in great form.

Day Two began with a bang

As I said above, we started out with about 420 runners and by the day's end almost 300 would get to have a lie-in the next day, as they didn't make it through. But for the 130 or so that did make it we were back at the grind.

Now, have you ever thought to yourself – if I had only done this or if I had only done that maybe things may have turned out differently? Well that was exactly the way I was thinking after the very first hand that I sat down to! Let me explain…

I was in the big blind with the chip leader to my left (nasty but we'll deal with it), and I had a French bloke on my right who was in the small blind. Remember I had about 54,000 and the French lad had close to 50,000. What happened next had me scratching and shaking my head while downing a couple of gallons for the rest of the day…

Well my friends I don't mean to leave you hanging but I don't want to send you to sleep either, so check back in a few days for part three.

Have a good week, and remember – you don't have to win every hand you're dealt, just the hands you play, and you get to pick the ones you play, so pick well!

Ciaran