Dublin Poker

A friend of mine persuaded me to go down and have a look at the new casino opened up just off Grafton St. The €75 + €5 double chance was on, so I said I'd give it a go. Met up with a few lads from boards and got to have a look around the place before it started. What a slick place! Got my car valeted for €10 and all!

As for the poker aspect of the night, I was stupid for going down in the first place. Its the first time since I started work that I played poker on a weeknight. The main reason I went down was just to look at the place.... and thats all I got! The tournament started just before 9, and I was out at 9:30. Out of a double chance in half an hour! Easily the worst poker I've EVER played. My head just wasn't in it at all.

I'd had a long day at work, I was in work at 7:30am this morning, and I hadn't eaten as I'd gone straight from work to the hospital to visit my grandad, and then from there down to my mates house, where HE persuaded me to go to the SE. BIG mistake...

I started off ok, working my 2K stack up to just over 3K. Then after about 15 mins I got my top-up and was up too just over 5K. Then came the two hands that killed me. Both were avoidable, and neither were even played that well by the other player. I just paid both of them off.

Hand 1
I got dealt KQ, and limped in as there was a few callers. The flop came down AKJ with two hearts. I called a small raise, but as I had no hearts I didn't want to commit myself. A third heart came on the turn, but it was the 10, giving me a straight. I wanted to get rid of anyone on a flush draw so I bet 600, about a pot-sized bet. I got MIN-RAISED! Normally this would stink of a made flush, I better fold. So why the fuck are my chips going in the middle??? The river comes a blank, and he pushes all in for his last 350. So he min raised an extra 600 when he only had 950!! And I called?? What the fuck did i think he had?? Normally I would have picked up on the flush on the turn and checked it, but last night my head wasn't in it at all.

Hand 2
About 5 mins after the Hand 1, I get dealt K 10 and limp in. Its raised up to 200 (4BB), and from some strange, TILTY reason, I call. Normally I would dump this to a raise as it usually gets you into trouble, but for some reason I called. Flop came down K J x. I bet out to get info on the other two still in the hand. First player folded, the second lad thought for a while and eventually called. I figured he probably had a Jack, and I may be able to take it down on the turn. An Ace popped out on the turn, and he checked it to me. Now I was a bit confused... The Ace was a scare card, and my head was all over the place as I had been planning on pushing on the turn. So I checked. The river was another blank. And he checked it to me. Now on a normal night, this would stink of a good hand, but for some strange reason, I still felt all he had was the Jack. So I pushed.. with K 10??? He took a while to call, eventually saying "I have to.." and turning over AJ?? I probably would have picked this up normally, as he was the original raiser! What was i thinking???


Overall I am disgusted and embarrassed by my play last night. My earliest exit ever from a tournament, and easily the worst I've played in years. It was my own fault. I shouldn't have gone down in the first place. I was in no fit state to play and my head wasn't in the right place. just going to have to accept that poker will be resigned to the weekends from now on.

To put the cherry on the fucking cake, my mate just rang me and said he got 10th, the bubble! And he was knocked out on aces. Obviously...