After three hours of rags and disciplined folding, I found myself down from my starting stack of £158, to about £56. I was deciding whether or not to re-load for another £200 if I went bust or just go home, when I found pocket 9s. I push all-in and they hold against Ace, Queen suited.
The last Sunday of the month is no-limit at the Pomme, which can be fun... or expensive! Usually the cash games are pot-limit, which usually sees better poker but can be frustrating when you have great starting hands and can't shake the speculative players with pot-sized bets. To be honest, I like pot-limit cash games and prefer no-limit for the tournaments, but you can't beat the adrenaline rush of no-limit cash games.
A player experienced some serious bad luck after turning the nut straight and pushing all-in. He got two callers, one with a flush draw and one with trip 9s. The case 9 hit on the river for Quads and he was felted. He came back shortly after with some more cash only to find himself all-in against the same player with a paired ace on the flop and a Queen kicker. His opponent had an ace too but only with 10 kicker. The turn was a blank but the river a 10, busting him again and he left understandably disgusted with the poker Gods for cursing him.
I grinded it out, back-up to my starting stack and find Ace, 10 suited. I flop a 10, which is top pair and the other player in the hand bets £30. I push all my chips in and he calls and flips over pocket Queens. I am dominated but hopeful for an Ace. Another 10 hits on the turn and another 10 on the river for Quads! The second player of the evening is felted and leaves cursing the game we love to hate at times.
I have about £350 in chips and limp in with Jack, 6 suited. The flop comes Jack, 6, 5 rainbow. The first to act bets £13 and the six players around the table call one by one except the guy two to my right who raises another £20 on top of the £13. The player to my right calls and I push all £350 into the middle. Everyone folds around to the re-raiser, who fishes for information and eventually calls. The next player calls all-in, although he only has about £100 left. There's over £800 in the pot and I'm pleased to see the first caller with a 6 and a 5 for a weaker two-pair and the small stack has an open ended straight draw. My two pair holds and I scoop in a massive pot and easily the biggest of the night on our table.
I win a couple more pots with some small pocket pairs and end up cashing-in for £930. Not bad!
FISH HOOK POKER AUTUMN SERIES 2008
The Autumn Series is booked at the Tipsy Toad Townhouse and Heat 1 is Thursday, 25th September - Cards will be in the air at 7:30pm.
Each heat is a £20 + £2 tournament with 20 minute blinds, starting stacks of 3000 chips and £10 re-buys in the first hour and an optional add-on at the end of the re-buy period.
The series is a league of poker, and cash and points are up for grabs at each heat. £200 will be held from each heat's prize pool and the top ten players on the leaderboard at the end of the series will play on the £1000 final table. So, at each heat, players will be playing for a £600 pot and a shot at a further £1000 in November.
See you at the tables...
jT
