[Closed] Bryans live poker blog

Hi All
Returning to the fold here on Pokerstrategy, and starting my two new blogs (see last post), must have brought me some good luck.

Tonight I played in the live £25 freezeout, mentioned in my last post, and came 4th out of 56 entrants for a prize of £135.

I have been in this tourney each week for the last 4weeks, and not quite managed to reach the final table. Tonight, on the 5th attempt I did it.

Here's hoping there is more to follow.

All the best
Bryan

Congrats Bryan, hopefully the first of many

Hey Bryan,

Good to see you are back posting again.

Also congratulations on the 1st win of many hopefully at DTD.

I am also looking to play more live MTTs this year and as DTD is not too far from me either (Leicester) then maybe i'll see you down there when i can find the time to come on over.

Kind Regards,
-Steve

Hi guys,

Thanks to Nibbana for taking the time to reply, and nice to hear from you again Steve. I remember you helping me with a technical problem some time ago via Skype.

I hope its the first of many cashes too. At the moment I plan on playing on just the weds night in case you come down any time Steve. I go in the £25 freezeout, but a £40 with one rebuy runs alongside it on the same night, if you are that way inclined. There is a 15 min difference in the start times I believe.

All the best
Bryan

Hi All

Got knocked out of the live tourney early tonight. I did a more detailed post, but, unfortunately, after spending ages typing it up, when I sent it an error of some sort occured, my post got lost, and I am just too tired now to type it all again.

All the best
Bryan

Hi All

Regarding my last post, I was probably a bit depressed that night too, as my chip stack had just dwindled, being card dead, to the point where I shoved with a draw and went out early, finishing 46/57.

Last weds at same benue, DTD, I had done really well early on. I had caught some good cards, ran well, and built a reasonable stack. I cruised along for a while then, until I got what seemed a good spot. I limped in a multiway pot with KQ, and the board brought a Q and an A. When everyone checked, I started to fel - at that table - that no-one had an Ace, and my Q was good.

When the turn bought another Q I definitely felt my Q was good ! I think there was a bet which I chose to flat call, so slow playing it all the way, as there was no obvious flush or straight draws and the river brough a harmless looking 4.

So now I knew I was good with my trips, and was a little puzzled when my river bet was min raised by my sole remaining opponent. Should I just flat call ? Yes was the right answer lol.

Instead, I re-checked the board, but could think of no feasible way I could be behind, so I went all-in, almost feeling sorry for my opponent when he snap-called me. The poor guy had obviously taken my slow play as weakness, and hadn't put me on QQQ. Yeah right...he had 44, and I had let him hit his FH on the river, and knocked myself out of the tourney to boot !! Finished 23/68

Thursday, had an extra night out at the local Gala casino, where I have not been for a while, to their £20 freezeout. A sign of the times was that they apparently only have tourneys 3 nights a week now. This one was well attended, with 75 runners.

Again, I went well for a while, before getting card dead on a table where trying bluffs and moves was not going to work (I know, I tried it a couple of times), so I had enough chips to wait for a spot to shove, as the blinds were getting big (starting stack was an amazing 7000 chips).

Eventually I got dealt KK and was delighted when someone with a tendency to open raise, did so, and I shoved all-in pre-flop. He deliberated and asked the dealer for a count, before calling with AA !!

This incensed the guy to my left to the point he was calling the floor managers attention to the guys slow roll, and issuing threats to the guy if he ever pulled a stunt like that in a pot against him. Such is the fun that can be had in live play lol

I was too gutted that my 19400 chips had just gone when no king appeared to save me to bother about his antics.

I am really enjoying live play at the moment though, and I feel another cash can't be too far away. Official result not known, but I think I ws about 20th as they were close to going from 3 tables to final 2 from 75 players.

All the best
Bryan

Hi All,

Just by way of updating my blogs, I am hoping to play live tonight at the DTD £15 buy-in tourney.

Will let you know either later tonight or tomorrow, how I get on.

All the best
Bryan

Hi All

Did well in the early stages of the tourney, but went card dead in the later stages with rising blinds.

Eventually shoved with a suited Ace but after giving it long thought, opponent called with a bigger Ace. I got some tantalising help to one off my flush with the river still to come, but no miracle club on the river to save me from elimination.

For some reason they don't have the full result this week on the net, but I was about 20th from 45 runners.

Am not too sure what I will be doing from here on, as I like DTD. It's a great venue, but the £15 tourney charges a £5 rake, which is a bit steep. Also, 3000 starting chips and 20 min blinds make it a bit of a crapshoot, and with numbers down a bit this week, not a big pot. The £40 freezeout running at the same time is much better value at £6 rake and 6000 starting chips, but I could not afford to enter that on a weekly basis.

The £20 freezeout at gala last week had a £2 rake, 7000 starting chips and longer blinds I believe (though am not certain on that last point). There was however, a £3 charge for the dealer (this is not an official charge, but its not wise to try to refuse to pay it, and I certainly never have). The casino do not provide house dealers, so it is officially self deal. There are certain regulars who "volunteer" to deal for the entire evening for a fee of £3 per head at the table. Gala seem to basically turn a blind eye to it, and most players like myself, are happy for someone else to deal all night for a tip of £3, but occasionally, someone not familiar with the practice objects to what amounts to an extra rake, and it makes for awkward moments. There is also £4 for parking my car in their car park, which is free at DTD.

That aside, Gala has been around a while, and some of the tables are a bit grubby, and there are a few loud mouthed regulars that play there. Though I ignore these characters, I don't feel the playing atmosphere generally is as pleasant as at DTD.

That said, 7000 starting chips in a £20 freezeout gives you a much better bang for your buck than DTD, so I will probably be including it, and going there a bit more often in future. 75 runners last time made for a nice pot too, had my KK not ran into AA !

All the best
Bryan

interesting to see a live poker blog and gratz on your first cash there, i remember my first cash there it was a pretty good feeling. i took home a nice 799 pounds for a 3rd place finish in the 55 tournament 151 runners. maybe ill see you there 1 day if i ever get to go again. i only live in Mansfield but getting home at early hours in the morning is expensive or a damn long walk

Good to see you back Bryan,

Good luck buddy, look forward to hearing how you get on

Best regards,

Bart

I'm lurking on this live blog. REALLY want to get back to Nottingham one day just to see DTD... I really must win a live MTT satellite one day. Ofc, I'd have to stop by ye olde Trip to Jerusalem LDO.

Hi All

Thanks to those who have posted here. I'm glad the live poker blog is proving of interest. I know the focus here is on online play for obvious reasons, that is where the site makes its money.

I thought, though, that as there is a good community here, it would be good to let others know how one of the community is faring in the real world out there.

I will try to give feedback on any live play that I do.

That was a nice result you had Mattcoz. I suspect it was in the earlier days of DTD when tourneys were attracting those sort of numbers. The recession is biting everywhere these days, and typical numbers at the level I am playing are around 60 entrants give or take a few. DTD are closed 2 days a week at present. Gala only run tourneys 3 nights a week, and I was told the circus casino, where I used to play, in the corner house (that last bit of local info for Mattcoz and other locals) have stopped running poker tourneys altogether. I haven't confirmed that, but wouldn't be surprised, based on the dismal turnout for the last one I attended there.

DTD do, however, often run two tourneys simultaneously. When I played the £15 one on weds there was a £40 running alongside.

I have yet to check out the Alea casino, who didn't run poker tourneys when I visited them when they first opened, but I have heard they do them now, so will check it out, as it seemed to be a nice venue when I visited.

Thanks to Eaglestar for dropping by. Nice to see you are keeping an eye on me. I nearly said an Eagle eye, but that would have been a bit corny wouldn't it ? Doh, I 've just done it anyway, haven't I ?

Waiboy, you are from down under, if I remember right. You have drunk beer in the trip to Jerusalem ? That's amazing mate. It's a small world isn't it ?

I will be playing live again either Weds or Thursday. I may be going somewhere on Weds not connected with Poker. If I do, I will skip DTD Weds and go to Gala on Thursday.

Will update then.

All the best
Bryan

Hi All

It seems I didn't get around to writing up last weeks tourney. That's maybe because there was nothing special to write about. I finished exactly halfway in a field of 72, finished 36th. Numbers were up for some reason, which was nice to see.

I didn't do too badly early on, but went a bit card dead, and ended in a short stack position needing a double up to get back into serious contention. I attempted to do this by shoving my 77 into what turned out to be AA.

I suspected I was behind when I did it. The original raiser was not shoving with a wide range by any means, and the fact he did a standard raise from an early position, suggested to me I was looking at a big hand if I shoved, plus there was another caller.

However, when you have been card dead for a long time, and the blinds are rising quickly, pocket 7's seems like a hand you just have to take a chance with, and hope my opponent has an ace x type of hand and I can win the race. I had been quiet too, so my opponent was the only caller and we were heads up, but no luck from the poker gods that night.

I am going for another try tonight. If anyone is interested enough to see how I get on without waiting for my next post, you can go to dusktilldawn.com (am I allowed to give their website here?, I am not doing it to make any money as I am not on commision or anything), but they put results in the tourney section pretty much as they happen.

I will be going in the £15 freezeout as Bryan Shipley (since that's my name).

All the best
Bryan

Hi All

Not a good night last night. Card dead much of the time, but did what I could with what I got. The fast structure of the tourney inclines me to be involved if I think I can get in cheap to see a flop, as you don't have the luxury of sitting waiting too long.

However, conversely, on a table with a lot of raisers (such as last nights) you can't afford to be limping, you have to be prepared to come in raising, or re-raise. I don't like to do that with complete garbage, which is what I was mostly dealt.

Consequently I wasn't involved in many pots. I was annoyed with myself that when I did get involved, I overplayed a weak holding. There was a player who raised a lot, but whom I took to be a reasonable player. I decided to limp with a suited Queen, and got to see a cheap flop, which came Queen high.

My kicker was the worse possible 2 and it was a rainbow flop. I should therefore have been remembering that the main reason I had played the hand was the flush possibilities as a backup, and now that was gone, I just had a queen with a shit kicker. Instead, I stupidly flat called a sizeable bet from our friend, as I thought he may well be at it. When he bet on the turn, I was reluctant to give up my top pair against someone who could be bluffing. This was daft and I should have given it up and waited for a better spot. I didn't, I called, which at least made him suspicious enough to slow up and check the river for a showdown, and he showed Q9, meaning I had lost a sizeable portion of my stack with a hand I would mostly throw in the muck.

I had allowed myself to be overinfluenced by the player, and the fact I was fed up with folding. I was then left short stacked and looking for a spot to shove and double up or go home. The latter was the outcome as my AQ ran into AK against the same opponent. He was a nice enough young guy, and I don't have any problem with the way he took my chips, and was happy to shake his proffered hand as he knocked me out. I was only inwardly annoyed with myself for getting impatient and allowing my judgement to become flawed.

The early exit at least allowed me to get into my taxi and go to work for a couple of hours taking home drunks and recouping my buy-in, so nothing lost really !!

Officially 48/60

All the best
Bryan

Hi All

Had a bad night really at the local £15 tourney at DTD where I didn't do anything too wrong, but just couldn't hit anything all night. I won 2 or 3 pots to keep me in a bit longer, but eventually got so short stacked I was ready to shove with a wide range, and was delighted to be dealt JJ at a crucial moment. I figured I would get called light by some big stack, as I was obviously in a position to shove with a wide range.

Of course, being one of those nights, I was called by QQ end of. I was leaving my seat before the flop was dealt. It was one of those nights you just know a J is not going to come (though obviously I watched all 5 cards just to be sure, and to torture myself a little more).

Finished 44/77 entrants.

My day will come, I have had a 4th place finish already. It's a weekly outing I enjoy, and I went out again after my relatively early exit, to work in my taxi to get my stake money back again.

All the best
Bryan

Hi All

By way of update, just in case anyone was wondering. I played a fortnight ago, and did terribly. I forgot to update the blog at the time, or maybe I was too ashamed.

I bust out early, in one of those nights where you don't get dealt anything but crap most of the time, and when you get chance to see a flop, you miss it completely.

Lost some chips and got frustrated with the blinds rising quickly, so when I got a nut flush draw on a flop of QQX I just shoved all-in, believing my opponent may fold without a Q, or if he has hit trips, I have 2 cards to outdraw him with my nut flush, and get a decent stack, or lose it all, and prolong the agony no longer.

As it happened, my opponent snap called with a FH and I was drawing dead and going home. Finished 57/61, which is almost as bad as it can get really.

Last Weds didn't go, as DTD were holding the UKIPT, which is a bit beyond my price range at the moment. Even the side event was a £100+ buy-in.

Hope to play again each weds and update here on a weekly basis.

All the best
Bryan