CSI: The Experience

Headed down to this with a friend after seeing the ad on tv. We expected a lot from this, raving reviews on tv and online, no idea how much it cost but happy to pay whatever based on the assumption we would not be disappointed.

SE September Weekender

After attending a way busier than expected wedding fair in Belfast we headed home to play the SE's 'September Weekender'. This looked like a super tourney and promised a good few numbers with the numbers going slowly back to the old haunt. Such a disappointment . . . 19 turned up meaning there was actually a €250 overlay.

This tourney went on for several hours with the structure being so good, the food was lovely the dealing standard was second to none, nothing less than I would expect. I went out in 10th, only made one bad decision the whole tourney and that was calling Declan's shove with JsJx on an all spade Q high flop when getting just over 3:1. He of course had AsAx and I missed my 2 outer.

Fitz EOM

Got the opportunity to play this with being off work and due to the numbers it never disappoints. Feel like I played ok, won a few small pots and got a decent stack together after the break. Had a tough table, the average standard at my table was certainly tougher than average but I was coping. When the antes were introduced I was conscious of not blinding away and tried to steal a few pots. This worked initially then I ran into a couple of big hands and had to pick my spots better. Unfortunately with the typical Fitz player liking to call you need to keep your shoves a lil bigger than usual to get them through and with an active table I failed. I finished in midfield in around 50, with 120 runners. Hopefully I'll get to play it again soon, consistently great prizepool, it's a great tourney to get a run in.

Teamcop 2009

This whole weekend turned into a bit of a disaster, mainly in terms of numbers. At the beginning it was billed as one of the largest poker festivals of the year . . . in the end it was a mediocre one at best. Now don't get me wrong, the dealing standard and professionalism was as expected, second to none . . . well it was TD'd by JP after all. The atmosphere, the buzz, the craic, well let's just say there was something lacking.

I guess it always had a huge act to follow following the Eglinton's version of the same event. The atmosphere being electric back in March, the room, high ceilings, only half filled didn't quite cut it. That said, the objective of poker is always to make a profit, regardless of how enjoyable or not enjoyable that money-making process may be.

Viva Las Vegas!

Before we knew it, it was time for Vegas already. Rob was only getting a short stint in Vegas this year as his one and only sibling was getting married in the middle of the Main Event. We decided to go for 2 and a half weeks at the start so he could play the $2.5k shoot-out and I could play the ladies event (I know . . . another fecking all girls, no poker logic, crapshoot, bingo session).

Party Poker Womens World Open III

I was so nervous entering this for several reasons . . .
1. My record in female only events is abysmal!
2. The standard was much higher than originally expected, attracting more pros than ever before.
3. $3k is a large buy in for me, regardless of selling %s, and didn't want to let down stakers.
4. It was a fully televised event . . . therefore making any poor performance for any of the above reasons a million times worse!

JP Masters 2009

This was my first JP Masters, but I'd only heard good things about this event. The dealing standard as I would expect from a JP event was second to none and the tournament was very enjoyable from the off. I felt like I played some really good poker, had some tricky decisions in the few levels after the dinner break and came through them quite well.

My First Irish Open

Not much to report here, this was my first Irish Open and it certainly wasn't one of my best poker experiences. Nothing seemed to work for me, when I got a big hand I either got no action or else got it busted. I decided to take the cautious approach, thinking that patience would pay off and it nearly did, well sort of.

Westbury EOM

When I lived in Belfast this tourney was never possible for me, Tuesday nights playing poker in Dublin were just impossible. So this being my first chance to play the Westbury was always going to be an opportunity not missed.

Galway Team Event

There were high expectations for this event but at the same time it was always gonna be tough. We had a good team, a very good team but we weren't the only ones. Our team had Rob, KP, Dara, Rory Brown, Paul Coyle and little old me. On paper, our main rivals were the Bundys: O'Shea, Brennan, Fallon, O'Dea, Walsh and Hayes. There was some side action between us and the Galway Team, in fact I'm pretty sure there was some side action between the Galways team and most teams!