APL roll

As the game last night signalled the end of this quarter's APL season its disappointing to know that I won't be heading back to States next month to back-up my cash-winning performance from last time. I really didn't play enough this season to put up good enough numbers to get me back there. I also didn't play enough games at one particular venue to be competitive.

Saying that tho, I finished the quarter on a pretty impressive roll. In my last 4 games (over 10 days) I finished 3rd, 4th, 5th and a 2nd last night. These results followed on from my 27th in the big game down at Tweed on December 14. I checked my stats on the website earlier and I only played 9 APL games this month but 6 of them I finished 5th or better.

Last night's game was at The Redbrick which I don't like as a venue but have a really good record there (3 games, won a regional tournament, a 4th and a 2nd). I ran very hot early until my nut flush ran in to a full house. I then hovered around the same mark until the blinds were nearly catching up on me. I got some good cards and some even better flops and chipped up to a strong level. The blinds were massive long before final table and it became a push-fest. On the bubble, I pushed from under-the-gun with ace-jack off-suit, got called by a short-stack small blind and the big blind who had my stack covered folded ace-king! Neither of us hit and I took the pot down.

On the final table one guy who had been playing VERY loose all night cleaned house taking out a few players and chipping up massively when his jack-ten off-suit took out 3 players in one hand (one had pocket kings, one had pocket jacks). He took out the 3rd placed player and had a MASSIVE chip lead when we got heads up. He was pushing with everything but I won a couple of hands in a row before losing a race and the game.

The new season starts tomorrow and I WILL be going back to the APL State Finals next quarter.

World Blogger Championship of Poker

Well the Blogger World Championship of Poker on PokerStars didn't go quite as I had planned. There were 3 qualifying rounds of No-limit hold'em leading to the final tournament.

Round 1 I played a little too tight and cautiously, finishing 200th out of around 550. Round 2 I had to get up at 4:30am to be ready for the starting time. I don't remember too much about the way things went (it was obviously too early) but I finished 170th out of 550.

The final round was this morning with another early start for me of 5:30am. I played well losing a couple of hands to the river, including the last which was the knock-out blow. The first I had pocket 4's and the board came 10, 2, 10. A player put a pot-sized bet out on the flop and I had the feeling they were betting on the 2. Next card out I think was a 3 so after they bet again on the turn I re-raised. They thought for a little bit and then called with a king coming on the river, they checked so I did too ... they turned over king-2 which is what I expected. The final hand was a small blind and myself big blind with king - 8. The flop comes 8, 5, 6 rainbow ... they bet hard I went over the top all-in but only had probably double what they had bet. They called turning over 8, 9 so I have to dodge a 7 (to fill their gut-shot straight draw) or a 9 and unfortunately the 9 comes on the river. I finish 110th out of 550 ... failing to get in the top 72 to qualify for the final.

World Series of Poker Satellite - Tweed Heads

For the last few months my APL region has been offering tickets to a World Series of Poker satellite in Tweed Heads. Our regional tournament, otherwise known as Lucky 13 is held monthly and the top 5 finishers each get a ticket to the Tweed game. I haven't been playing enough to make it in to the Lucky 13 games so didn't get a ticket. A few good friends did so I thought I'd go down and support them plus get some video footage of the tournament.

After staying at a friend's place the night before I timed my drive down to Tweed pretty well and arrived just as the tournament was about to start. It turns out tho that since a few ticket winners didn't show up their ticket could be re-sold so I had the option to buy in and play rather than just spectating. Knowing that my game is suited to these large player tournaments, I thought why not and took the opportunity.

I had to wait until after the first set of blinds before I could sit down so entered the tournament with blinds at 25/50 (for some reason they started at 25/25). Second hand I get pocket kings ... nice. I think and then raise to 250 (5 times the blind), quick call next to me, call behind him and two others ... wow 5 times obviously wasn't enough. First card out is of course the ace and I know my kings are no good anymore. Two checks in front of me, I don't both with a continuation and then the guy next to me bets and is called. Player one shows ace -9 off but is beaten by ace-jack suited which had a better two pair.

I win a few hands hitting straights and get a good idea of the style of play from the rest of my table. At the first break, 2 hours in, I'm just under 13K in chips, starting stack was 10K. Most of our region were roughly around the same counts, two were up to around 18K and unfortunately our state champ, Paul McGougan was struggling after a bad beat at just 2K.

Not too much of interest in the next section other than our table getting split and winning a few hands to get to 24K. By this stage we've lost a number of players from our group but a few are still doing well. Knowing the blinds are going up to 1K/2K, its this section of the tournament where you lost most of the players and also where you need to chip up so you don't get blinded out.

Early after the break, under the gun raises to 4K and I've got pocket aces. I think for a little while whether to re-raise or push all-in and decide to just shove. Everyone else folds except the original raiser who is really taking his time. He shows his cards to the player next to him and then shows me ... queen-jack of hearts ... to which I reply "is that all ... can't lay that down??" He eventually chooses to take the race and thankfully loses. A few hands later, I'm up to about 50K in chips and well placed. A small stack pushes all-in for his final 12K, I look and have pocket queens ... do I push all-in over the top or just call? I push but get insta-called by someone next to me with about 30K in chips. Small stack turns over pocket 8's, I turn over the queens, guy behind me turns over pocket kings which take down the lot. I go from 50 back to 20 in one hand and am hurting.

By the next break I've survived a couple of all-ins and am up to 35K with the blinds about to go to 5K/10K and only 4 tables left in play. I fold the first couple of hands and then am big blind and get dealt ace-7 of spades. One of the mega stacks at my table calls as does the small blind ... I think about pushing but don't. The board comes 5 of spades, ten of diamonds, ten of spades ... small blind bets 15K and I groan. I would've pushed if he hadn't bet and if I call or push now its not like he can fold and I'm drawing for my tournament. After a minute or so I fold, gutted and the other pre-flop caller does the same. Small blind shows me 2, 3 of spades and I realise what a terrible mistake I made in that position. Next hand I get dealt pocket 3's ... everyone else folds and its just me and a big stack in big blind. I think about pushing but for some (stupid) reason I just fold and hope for a better moment. Yes ... I'm not sure what I was thinking either.

I end up pushing with ace-8 off for my final 20K, everyone else folds to the big blind who says "it'll be ugly if it wins, but I'll call to try and take out a player" ... thanks for that and he turns over king-7 off and proceeds to hit trip kings. Goooone

I'm very disappointed with the decisions I made after the final break. I needed to chip up and quickly but didn't switch to a more aggressive style of play. That's a big mistake for that stage in the tournament and hopefully I'll learn from that for next time. It was a good day tho and I was glad to make it as far as I did, I just would've liked to of course gone even further. Congratulations to Brendan (one of the good players from our region) who made it to 15th. He was very patient down the stretch but couldn't get a hand and essentially got blinded out.

PokerStars FPP games

I had a little time to kill on Saturday before playing soccer with friends so I checked out a few of the PokerStars games where the buy in is FPP's (Frequent Player Points). From my week or two of LOTS of online poker I had racked up 400 points. The games I thought that looked worthwhile were satellites in to a big cash weekly tournament and just cost 70FPP's. It was a one table tournament where the winner gets the ticket to the tournament.

First game I played well and made it to heads up although the other player had a substantial chip lead. I pushed all-in with pocket jacks and was called by ace-queen and of course the ace comes and I'm knocked out in 2nd.

Second game I again made it to heads up against a player that was being super-aggressive. He had already said he was playing wreckless because it was only a FPP game ... groan. I went in behind on chips but after pushing with ace-queen and winning when he called with ace-rag I had the chip lead. I get pocket aces in the small blind and just call, hoping he'll raise. He doesn't and the board comes 3, 6, 7. I think he acts first and bets, I raise, he pushes all-in over the top. I call hoping he doesn't have 4, 5 ... he doesn't, instead showing 4, 7. I'm looking good until a 5 lands on the river to fill his straight and my chip stack is crippled (I get knocked out next hand) and I again come in 2nd.

The next game I finish 3rd when my ace 9 push gets called by ace 5 suited and he hits a 5. The final two games I play I come in 5th both times. Frustrating to play well, especially in the first 2 games and get so close to winning but instead come away with nothing.

World Blogger Championship of Poker

I have registered to play in the PokerStars World Blogger Championship of Online Poker!

This PokerStars tournament is a No Limit Texas Hold’em event exclusive to Bloggers.

Registration code: 307990

Another Hubble ... another bubble

As mentioned in the last post, I was playing a LOT online a few weeks ago. I've eased off but dropped in to the office last night in time to play the hubble freeroll on PokerStars. I'm determined to make it through to the next round when there's cash/credit up for grabs. I've bubbled before and and I've made it in to the top 250 numerous times.

Last night I waited patiently for a decent hand, watching people push all-in early with nothing and getting called by not much more. I eventually start seeing hands and begin to chip right up. I get aces, raise considerably, get a few callers, they hit top pair (a ten) on the flop and then can't lay their hand down when I continue to bet strongly. I hit a few sets and full-houses and move in to the top 50 or so chip-leaders.

I probably only make a couple of mistakes all tournament. Firstly, a guy slow-plays aces and no one raises pre-flop. He hits a set on the flop and checks it down despite a possible straight already being on the board (and I have a straight-draw). I hit my king on the turn, he bets before me not too much, I call. The last card is a blank and he bets reasonably strong and I call a little too quickly. He shows his trip aces, I muck my pair of kings (one on the board).

The other was a semi-bluff that I tried to continue on with on the river. I had two diamonds and bet softly (probably too softly) on the turn when the 2nd diamond came out and everyone else had checked (I also had a straight draw). I miss on the river, he checks, I bet ... he thinks and calls ... with a pair of 4's with 4 overcards on the board. I guess I didn't disguise my bet on the draw well enough and he had enough chips to take the chance.

I fought back but ended up getting knocked out when I had ace-ten suited and the blinds were about $2500/$5000 I think. I probably should've raised or pushed all-in but I just called and there were 2 other callers I think. The board comes 10, 8, 2 ... big blind checks, I bet 3/4 of the pot and then the other player raises me. I call, he turns over queen-jack, next card out is the 9 giving him the straight and I'm knocked out 129th out of 10,173 players. Again ... so close yet so far.

APL update

After spending a week or two playing online at PokerStars after work, I hadn't been playing too much live poker with APL (Australian Poker League). Couple that with them closing my regular Monday night game down and me being away or busy on Thursdays which is my usual game at the Shafston.

On the weekend I headed down the coast to celebrate a friend from APL's 30th birthday. There was about 15 of us so I organised two bedroom apartments at the new Meriton property in Broadbeach ... just across the road from Jupiters. We had dinner at the casino's chinese restaurant Zen and then a few headed to the pub while a few of us headed to the tables.

The wait-list for the cheap poker tables was around 3 hours and after a bottle of wine or two I didn't really want to be playing for a lot of money while a little pissy. So instead, much to the shock of my friend's from poker, I played blackjack ... or to be precise a hybrid game called Jupiters 21. A couple of the girls also played having never played blackjack before and thoroughly enjoyed it. I ended up playing for around 4 or 5 hours and finished just in front.

The next day after breakfast, we drove back to Brisbane and straight to Bulimba just in time for the afternoon game. I didn't spend, but made it on to the final table (of about 25 players).

Blinds were quite high and I wasn't seeing cards. With the blinds at $2000/$4000 and still 7 players left on the table and I was under the gun. Everyone starts pointing out my weak position and that I'll have to push with any picture card so I look down at my cards and see my "lucky hand", jack three suited. I think for a minute and then say sure, I call/I'm all-in. I get an immediate caller to my right and then someone isolates on the other side and everyone else folds. He turns over ace-queen off so I don't mind my chance in the race. He hits the ace, but unfortunately for him its the ace of diamonds and with another diamond on the flop one more on the turn gives me the flush. Jack-three comes through for me again!! I ended up finishing 3rd.

Monday night I played at the Broadway for my first time this season. I was planning on going to the gym but didn't feel like it so I thought I'd play some cards. I knew it was a fairly dangerous group of players when I sat down, I saw a few flops early but hit nothing. I realised at the break that I hadn't won a hand, hadn't pre-flop raised and hadn't bet or even called once a flop had come. It wasn't until the blinds were at $200/$400 that I finally got a hand. Someone called in front of me, I have pocket queens, think about how much to raise but since I've only got around 2500 by this stage, I push all-in. Insta-call from a short-stack next to me, big blind folds and then the caller before me umms and ahhs and then lays down his ace - 7 suited. Short-stack turns over queen-jack suited and I take down the pot. I win a large pot just before the final table that sees me well placed relative to the blinds. I draw small-blind on the final table and proceed to again see no cards and I end up coming 5th. Not too bad an effort out of around 35 players.

(Me in the middle standing, with the APL crew at Zen Restaurant)

Martin Rowe wins $1m Asia Pacific Poker Tour grand final in Sydney

Congratulations to local Martin Rowe for winning the Sydney leg of the AAPT. It mentions that he started playing poker at a local pub ... was he playing APL? Click on the title below to read the full story.

Martin Rowe wins $1m Asia Pacific Poker Tour (APPT) grand final in Sydney | The Australian

He started out playing in pub tournaments just three years ago, but 34-year-old financial analyst Martin Rowe is now $1 million richer after taking out the Asia Pacific Poker Tour (APPT) grand final in Sydney.

Mr Rowe, from North Sydney, finished king of the tour after a gruelling nine hours of competition on Sunday at Sydney's Star City Casino.

The tournament began on Tuesday with 477 players, but by Sunday only nine players, including seven from Australia, were left with chips on the table.

Mr Rowe said he was 'absolutely thrilled and a little bewildered'' to be $1 million richer.

'It feels great; it hasn't sunk in,'' he said.

'I haven't really made any decisions at all about how it's changed my life or what I'm going to do with it.''

Mr Rowe had been playing tournament poker for only three years when he entered a tournament at his local pub.