SE €250 Game & Degen Cash Sessions Afterwards!

Since Rob and I were back in Dublin, we headed into town to play the EOM game in the SE. After reading boards we weren't very hopeful of the turnout but headed in to see what sort of numbers they would get all the same. When we got there there were 2 full tables with the potential to get a 3rd one going, so we decided to stay and play it.


I really wish people would be more proactive on boards with regards to their intentions of playing tournaments. I know there must have been at least 30 or 40 people who would have liked to have played that tournament, if they would just post to indicate they would be up for it, it would encourage several others to post something similar or even just make their way in for the tourney. I would have posted to say something had I have been sure I was going to be able to make it. Unfortunately I planned on still being in Cavan but as that didn't go according to plan I figured the SE game was the next best option for my Saturday night.



The tables had their usual line-up including Vera, The Chief, Danny, Vinnie, Ecktor, Dara, Rob and myself as well as a few other regulars. I was fortunate to have the entertaining Liam Flood on my table which certainly brought plenty of banter & craic. Rob played a hand badly against the chief resulting in an early exit for him, but luckily enough the Chief managed to also knock out half of that table in the first level so the cash game got going earlier than expected!


I was pretty quiet, earning a 'rock' nickname from Liam as he commented on how little hands I had been playing. I managed to accumulate some chips after the break and was fairly comfortable when I paid Liam off when I ran my TT into his KK. That took about half of my stack but the structure was very good so I wasn't under any pressure yet. I slowly started to recoup some chips and made it to the final table. After the KK hand, there was no stopping Liam and he managed to gather a monster chipstack together as he knocked out half of the final table.


Whilst UTG I limped with QQ expecting someone to raise as most pots were raised preflop and to my disgust it was limped/folded around. Thankfully the flop came T high and I check shoved, called by Vinnie who sternly informed me he had a T. I quickly turned over my QQ and watched his face drop. Nice double up for me!


Another hand where it was 6 handed I had 95 on the BB and checked after about 4 limpers. The flop came 975, I bet out to discourage any flush draws, the button raised me and I shoved. I'm not overly familiar with the player but he had been caught out bluffing several times on our first table so I decided to take my chances. He turned over 68 for the flopped straight, which was weird given the stage of the tournament we were in, so it was the one hand I didn't even put him on. So I needed a miracle 5 or 9 to in the hand and stay alive and thankfully I actually got that 5 on the river (which normally never hapens)!


This put me in decent shape, still nowhere near Liam's stack but it did put me into 2nd place. Liam starts to get vey active and I'm happy enough to let him run riot until Vinnie wins a reasonably pot off him knocking me back to third in chips. Soon enough I pick up QQ again on the button. Vinne UTG had limped and I made a standard raise which is folded around to Vinnie who reraises me. I then shove to have him insta-call me . . . at this point I'm thinking what the hell can he initially limp, then reraise, then call my shove with. He turns over AK and my QQ is looking fantastic until the river where a solitary A sends me packing in 4th for €400.


I have a chat with Danny for a few mins and John manages to presuade me to give the cash game a spin. So I buy in for my usual €200 and within a lap I have it up to €800, like wtf!! This cash game was ridiculously soft, I never wanted to go home! So about 2 hours later I'm moved to the main table and have worked my stack up to about €1,200. I sit to the right of Danny who informs me of the dunkey to his left who is raising and calling blind . . . . sweet!


So first hand is dealt and thank you Jesus! I've not just been dealt KK the very first hand and to my delight hear the blind man raise to €7 UTG!! It's like Christmas come early as 4 other people call knowing he raised blind and I re-pot from the SB making it €50 to go. Everyone folds bar my blind friend and the flop comes T98 rainbow. I bet out €100, he calls blind. Turn comes a 4, I bet out €300, he looks at one card, announces he likes it and calls. River T so I check thinking if he has a T here this will be sick. To my surprise he actually checks behind and turns over K6! Scary how some people can play so badly and lose so much, isn't it? To Danny's disgust, blind man leaves after another few hands taking his last €200 or so with him. Danny had lost a big pot against him where he sucked out with his T7 vs Danny's A9. By 5.30am I'm playing about €2,100 and after the blind Omaha I'm still hungry for a game and so convince Rob to go to the Fitz.


We played there for 3 and a bit hours and I managed to work €400 up to just over €800 even after losing a €1,200 pot, damn that river! Thankfully there was a dunkey also in the fitz, he wasn't playing blind, but probably should have been! He bluffed off over €1k of his own cash before tackling the blackjack. One hand I had QQ and raised pre, he called leaving us HU, Axx flop, he bet and I called, K on turn, he bet and I called, x on river, he bet and I called. I managed to catch a glimpse at his cards before he mucked, he had T3 offsuit, what was he doing?


Can't complain, turned out a very profitable weekend, especially after the disaster of Friday. No poker for me next weekend as I have some family committments, so hopefully I get some play in the following week.