But the premise of this tournament was something new altogether... playing against people we see in live games every week either down the Pomme or at the Tipsy Toad FHP tournaments in Jersey.
39 players registered and the virtual cards were in the air at 8pm on the dot. We'd set the format at 8 players per table and it was great trying to work out who was who. Of course we all hopped to the other tables in-between hands to wish everyone luck and hurl abuse at Rocky, the plum... but it was all good fun and the banter was what made it such a great night.
I had to wait 10 minutes before being dealt a playable hand, and I call a small raise from the small blind with Ace, 7. I flop a 7, which is top pair and bet the pot. Everyone folds.
I'm card dead for 15 minutes and more out of boredom than any real optimism, I call a raise with King, 10. We all play like gimps, checking the flop and turn. A 10 hits the river and Shaker007 pops a bet of 500. I call and beat his Queen, 10.
About half-way through the Re-buy period, I know it's Christmas when I catch pocket Aces. I raise it-up to three times the blind and get re-raised by Shaker007. Oh happy days. Shaker is all-in for about a third of my chips and Ash also calls, who has a few thousand left behind, so I raise him all-in. He calls. Ash is sitting on Ace, 9 suited and Shaker007 is on Queens and he flops a set... BASTARD! But at least I limit my loss by taking the rest of Ash's chips. I'm a few hundred down.
Two hands later, I get pocket Kings, raise it up and Feigos calls me. The flop is 2d, 10d, Ah and Feigos pops a big bet and I know I have to walk away from the Cowboys. I'm beginning to dislike playing pre-flop big pairs!
That is until I get another pair of Aces in the hole! I pop the pot and get two callers. I don't like the two 9s on the flop, but fire again and they both fold.
I think we only lost a couple of players before the first break, and after the Re-buys and all the Add-ons, the pot had swelled from $780 to over $1500!
Post Re-buys, the play tightened up and as people got eliminated, players were moved around and again, it was great fun working out who you were playing against and throwing some 'tude as necessary... obviously giving Rocky a hard time too, wherever he was sitting.
For two hours or so, we jostle for position and a couple of monster chip stacks emerge in the form of HubOfLogic, Cat Thrasher and Leigos. Unfortunately for me, I'm sat with two of them... I river a Queen high flush and call a big bet from Hub, who flips over the King high flush, taking a quarter of my chip stack to add to his substantial lead!
As more players are eliminated, we find ourselves 5 handed, and I am sat with Rocky and three of the chip leaders. Meanwhile, Soxy (DizzzyRascal) had gone from the short stack to climb the ranks like King Kong up the Empire State Building to sit in the top ten chip leaders!
The hand that takes us to the final table is a monster showdown between two of the chip leaders, HubOfLogic and Feigos. Feigos is in the small blind and limps in. The flop comes 8, 8, King and Hub pushes all his chips in. Feigos insta-calls with pocket 10s and Hub's Ace, Queen bluff sends him to the rail.
And so we have our final table!
Yours truly (AnteHerojT)
Rocky
Feigos
Cat Thrasher
Slowman
DizzzyRascal (FIX!!!)
Doughel
MikeOxbigg81
Guess who goes out first? Yep, this muppet. I'm in push or fold mode anyway as one of the short stacks and wake-up with pocket 10s. Great timing for Slowman to get Kings! I leave in a huff, insult Rocky one more time and then head to the FHP cash table, keeping a keen eye on how the rest of the final table plays out.
The order of the next few eliminations may be a bit ropey as Beast was playing all aggressive on the cash table.
Rocky is unlucky when his Ace, King (in the short stack) is called by Mike (with the chip lead) holding Ace, Jack and spikes a Jack on the turn.
The chips are starting to spread out evenly and it looks like we could be in for a long game. I can't remember who bubbles, although I know it was Leigos or Mike, but anyway, we are soon down to the final four with DizzzyRascal, doughel, Slowman and Cat Thrasher. Mike is busted when he catches a pocket pair, only for Slowman to catch a better pair and if that wasn't bad enough, he flops a set just to show off!
Dizzzy pushes with Ace, Jack and is called by doughel with King, Jack. It's looking good for Soxy until a King comes out on the flop.
Three-handed. Almost immediately, Cat Thrasher is all-in with Cowboys, alas doughel (turns out to be the hel rather than the doug - Helen that is) has the rockets.
Slowman flops bottom pair with four to a Queen high flush, but Helen's luck is running good... she flopped the nut flush. Slowman makes the semi-bluff by pushing them all-in and Helen licks her lips and flips over the winning hand.
HELEN IS THE CHAMP!!!
The FHP Cash Table ran on until the wee hours and I think it is safe to say that a great night was had by all.
My unreserved thanks to all of you who tuned-in (yes I know you don't tune a laptop, but you know what I mean), to Soxy for all the effort he put into promoting and setting-up the game, and to Uncover Poker for hosting a fantastic night and for coping with a flood of new users.
SAME TIME NEXT WEEK FOLKS... for the first heat in the new online league... structure and VERY interesting prizes to be confirmed soon... Soxy's brain is whirling away as I type to make the first place prize for the top of the leaderboard a cracker... think all expenses trip to a UK £1000 live tournament!
CHECK OUT the screenshots from the last few hands in the posts below...
jT
