Bruce Poker Launch Festival

Fresh off the plane from Blackpool, we headed to the Green Isle hotel to check out what was going on with the Bruce Poker Launch Festival.

The cash tables were going rightly and Rob (as per usual) made it his business to check up on every player he has ever met before that was still actively participating in the tournament. After about an hour of meeting, greeting & general chit-chat we stuck our names down for the cash. Yet again Festival Cash Games didn't disappoint and by 3am (4-5 hours later) I had successfully put myself at risk from a severe case of food poisoning (dodgy burger, thanks Rob) and managed to make about €760 in the 1/2 NLH game.


Rob was also playing cash but spent more time wandering about the place and even found himself in the bar where he rediscovered Guinness with Paul Spillane, he didn't have much to drink, but not much was ample and he quickly reached his limit. He did manage to spend enough time at the table to suffer 3 sickening suckouts, 2 times with big pairs AIPF so maybe it was as well he didn't sit there as much as he should have. I can only assume it would have cost him more. That said, between us we had still made a profit on the night which is certainly a bonus given his bad beats cost him all his accumulated profit as well as most of his buy-in.

We came back on the Sunday too to play the side event. Rob went quite well in it then came a bit unstuck but certainly outlasted me by a long way. I never got going but wasn't too disappointed, cash table please! I didn't have long to wait and a table was formed within about 10 mins as the waiting list just grew at a fierce rate. The first hand I played didn't go according to plan though and whilst limping after several others in the CO with 22, I miss the flop but luckily get to see a free card and bang 2 on the turn. I duly bet and get a raiser on the button, he was only playing about €100 so we end up all in at this point and I discover that my button friend had flopped a set and I'd doubled him up, awfully nice of me.

Within 3 mins or so I'm moved to the next table and decide to top up for another €100 giving me about €200 in total. I can't complain as from this point onwards my stack never dropped below that €200 and by home time I was up to about €1,350. I never would have considered myself a good cash player and still don't, but when you don't get going in a tourney I have to admit I enjoy the consolation of making a reasonable profit in the cash. So off I went, up about €1,800 over the 2 nights in cash which certainly made the trip to the hotel a pleasant one.

The one let down I had was Mr Taylor winning the chance to draw for a Man Utd Champions League match only to come away with €100 instead! Don't get me wrong, as freebies go €100 is not to be sniffed at, but how I would have soooo preferred the footie ticket! :(