Sole Survivor: Tyne Poker Festival Part II

Tyne Poker Festival May 4 to May 7
Location: Aspers Casino Newcastle
Game: £500+50 15,000 starting stacks
Field: 2

The £500 side event is at Aspers Newcastle today, it will be a tiny field but still a nice way to continue honing my skills at the higher buy ins. A thought occurs to me this morning. Whoever your partner is, whether it be your husband, wife, boyfriend, girlfriend of life partner, make sure they understand that being at your emotional best is important for your game, and that their love and support before a game is all the more important.

This fact my lovely (usually lovely) girlfriend seems to have forgotten this morning by pointing out 10 or so grey hairs that I simply did not know I had. She could have kindly ignored the fact and teased me about it tomorrow or later in the week, but no, she picks the morning of a tournament to bash my ego with her verbal taunting. She’s even taking pictures. Cowbag!

The field was five, thanks to little promotion and no guarantee or added money and after some discussion no one except me and Tommy Dunwoodie were willing to play, and since they had bought a trophy we decided to battle it out heads up for it. It’s a duel between two Geordie’s who have made the final table at the Irish Open.

I got off to a decent start, won a few small pots here and there and had a slight chip lead. Then I re-raised with Q-J suited pre-flop and Tommy called it, the board came 8-7-2 and Tommy called my continuation bet. The turn was another 8 and something about his demeanor said he wasn’t going away from this hand, I check and he bets me off it taking a fairly nice sized pot.

Then I get K-7 a little later on and raise it to 300 (the blinds being 50/100) Tommy makes it a suspicious 600 to go and I call it. The flop is K-5-4 with two clubs. I bet and Tommy calls.

The turn is the Q and Tommy bets out fairly strong and fairly quickly. I call it (feeling a bit sick) and the river is a 9. Tommy bets all in and after a while I fold it. Tommy told me later he had made the flush on the turn.

At this stage I’m on about 7,000 while Tommy is on 23,000. I get 7-7 and Tommy makes it 700 to go. I make it 2,000 with the intent of getting all my money in and Tommy calls. The flop comes down 9-3-2 and knowing Tommy to be an aggressive player but not reckless to call my all in here with a worse hand than my 7-7, I check to give him the chance to bluff. He bets about 5,000 and I shove all in for just a little bit more. Tommy had 9-7 and I didn’t hit my one outer.

The money and the trophy goes to Tommy this time, but I’m sure I’ll see him around to get a chance to get my money, and pride, back.