Dublin Poker

... this is getting VERY tiring now... Having had a great start to the year, making the top 10% in basically every tourney I played in, the last two weeks have been absolutely disgusting. I've played the Fitz Sunday €30 shorthanded, the Fitz €50 DC, and a handful of online tourneys and cash games. The results have been similar in every game....

bad players, bad beats, no $$$.

It all culminated last night when I played the $15 rebuy on PPP in the hope of bagging a ticket into the Drogheda game. I didn't plan on re-buying, so I had to build a decent stack from the start. Only 20 players started, so it was looking like there would only be one or two tickets.

As it is with rebuy tourneys, the play was very aggressive from the start, and I doubled early on when my house beat a flush. All the chips went in on the river, which is what I love the most... O% chance of being outdrawn... the only odds that seem to hold up for me!

I doubled up again soon after, again on the river, when I made a good call with middle pair against a super-aggressive lad. He had Ace high (?) and I was soon up to 8K. I stayed out of trouble until the we got to the FT bubble, and knocked the last lad out to start the final table on 15K, 2nd in chips with the CL on 22K. The shortstacks got knocked out fairly lively and soon we were down to 5, with 2 tickets on offer (nothing for 3rd...). Exactly $600 in the prizefund.

I hung back a bit, robbing blinds here and there, and not wanting to get involved too much. I doubled up and knocked out a shortstack with the nut straight, and was soon up to 30K with 4 left. A few hands later picked up J3 on the BB. The SB completed and we saw a flop of J45 rainbow, I raised about 4K, and he hesitated for a bit and flat called. I felt he didn't fancy his hand too much, so when the turn came an offsuit 2 i pushed. He had about another 10K left and took a while to call with J9. Nice play. I think he did think he was behind, as he took a while to call my all in, but there was 10K in the middle and he was getting pot odds to call. I think he would have folded if he had more behind, as I had a tight image and he was a good enough player to fold top pair.

Anyway, baack down to 15K four handed, and I soon took out another player to bring us to three handed. I had 30K and the other two had about 25K each. With only two tickets and nothing for 3rd, it was bubble time...

A few lads off boards came to watch at this stage, and I was confident I could get a ticket. I just missed out on a big cash the last time I played Drogheda, and was looking forward to getting another chance. My plan was to hold back and not make any stupid moves, and hope the other two would clash. There was a yoyoing of everyones stack and after a failed bluff, one of the lads was shortstacked at about 10K. I was on about 32K, and the other lad had moved up to about 38K.

Finally the shortstack pushed, and the other lad called. Shorty had KJ and the other lad had AK. "no Jack no Jack!" I shouted at my screen... Unfortunatley he caught one and doubled up...ffs. A few hands later they are both on about 30K and both push. Lovely! One of them has to go out! It hink it was 10 10 vs AQ or something, but it didn't matter as the board brought out a flush...SPLIT POT...jesus thats twice now the ticket has been grabbed out of my hands...

Nothing happens for a while but two of us have been stealing every blind from the AK lad, who is soon shortstacked to 15K. He eventually pushed and is called by the other lad. I cant remember the exact hands but the shortstack was behind. Now it was his turn to get lucky and a miracle river AGAIN stopped me from getting my ticket... three times now...

I have been staying out of the action for the most part, and the other two have been respecting my raises, but when I pick up KK, I am left with a decision. I was going to slowplay, but I was SB and the BB was super aggressive and I felt he would be annoyed if I min raised. I did, and as expected he pushed. Lovely... please dont have an ace...

He flipped over AJ, and my stomach turned knowing that if he got lucky again here, I was down to 2K. "no ace no ace no fcuking ace please, one fcuking time LET THE BETTER HAND WIN!!" I was out of my chair shouting at the screen...

First card out....a big fat Ace... When is this horrible string of bad beats going to end!

AGHGHHGHG!! No more help and I'm down to 2K. Next hand I pick up 10 8 and as im big blind I'm basically all in already. I get called by 64, and a six on the flop ends my tournament.

I was really looking forward to Drogheda, but yet again, luck is the deciding factor in me not winnig. Jesus I would love one bad beat free day... just one day of normal poker. So sick of getting rivered out of tournaments on bad beats. All week its just been one after the other. ..How can I play against this!

Cheers for the support at the final table lads, but you can see now what I'm up against... you just cant beat luck sometimes.