So I was 0/6 heading into the Main Event.  I didn’t particularly want to play but I’d prepaid my ticket.  The pain induced by poker was clearly outweighed by my laziness to seek a refund.

My Day 1 table was pretty soft except for Dean Nyberg who I knew would give me some grief two to my left.  I nearly four-bet him light with my 98s when he squeezed, but there was a short-stack in the middle, so I decided I’d give him benefit of the doubt for a real hand.  He showed K2o.  Hmmm.  As he amassed chips, I kept my distance and chipped up pretty solidly without any real confrontations.  I got up to about 35,000 from my start stack of 20,000 when I finally picked up a real hand.  I had AcAd in the small blind and popped it up when two players limped.  One of them called.  The flop was king-high with two baby spades.  I fired a standard c-bet and was called.  The turn was another spade.

This is where things got tricky.  The right play is to probably bet and fold to a raise.  After all, I don’t want to give a free card.  So of course I check, with the intention to call.  He then overbet the pot by several thousand, which would commit roughly half my stack.  A very weird bet.  At the time I was totally confused and went into the tank for what felt like an eternity.  I’ve never had the clock called on me before but they were well and truly justified in doing so.  Worst case, I was drawing dead to a flush, or to potentially two-outs against a set.  At best I was up against a king with no spade, but more likely was flipping with a pair and flush draw combo.  There wasn’t much that I beat, so in hindsight it was an easy fold.  At the time, it took me a while to find it but eventually I tossed those beautiful cards into the muck.  The decision played on my mind, but two days later I bumped into the guy and he said he had a baby flush.  NF me.

As we entered the last few levels of play my stack drifted back towards the starting stack.  Since it was a repechage event, the correct strategy was to gamble and try and get a semi-decent stack, as I had the option to rebuy back into the tournament if I busted.  I’m not balla enough to think that rebuying for $550 is a small thing, but if I’m going to play an event, I intend to play it properly, and in this situation gambling to get a big stack or use the repechage is the correct play.

I saw a few raised flops with suited connectors but missed every time, and eventually got my chips into the middle in the final ten minutes of the day in a limped pot with A8 on an ace-high flop.  When my flop bet was called I felt like I was beat, but I didn’t want to be left with 10k in chips so I stuck it in and found myself drawing dead to my opponent’s set.

I was happy with how I played and how I was able to chip up throughout the day with little confrontation.  The aces hand was hugely disappointing but I need to be more positive about making a great laydown than letting it affect my play.  I could’ve easily survived the day with 20k-ish if it wasn’t a repechage and only busted because of the second chance concept.  Hopefully things would turn around on Day 1c.

It’s been a busy few weeks as the Joe Hachem Deep Stack Series consumed a lot of my time, while another related project took up the rest of it.  We wrote daily reports and covered several events live for PokerNetwork, while I manage to also play a few events myself.

I thought it was going to be another disappointing series as I looked to try and secure my first cash result in a live major.  I was deep in the opening event before having pocket kings cracked by ace-queen within sight of the money.  I also played solid in the limit event, despite being short the whole way before losing QJ vs QT all in pre, within one table of the money.  I busted early in my next NLHE event, before tackling the PokerPro event.  It was the first event where I amassed some chips and was confortable the whole way through.  Unfortunately I suffered from some techincal problems that the machines were having which caused me to lose my blinds at a crucial stage of the tournament.  Down to the last 11 players and playing five-handed I ran my AT into AK in a blind battle, was crippled and eliminated soon after, just three spots from the cash.

I played another NLHE event and busted early before going deep in the 6-Max.  This tournament, despite being the largest buy-in for me for the series, was the most enjoyable and comfortable to play.  I was able to accumulate chips early and was in control of my table which had a couple of solid pros on it.  I just have a better feel for where I’m at during a hand when playing six-handed that the full ring boredom.  Unfortunately I made one costly mistake in this event.  I was drawn into a pot from the small blind in a limped pot with Q9 and saw a KQ3 flop.  An early position limper fired a small bet which I decided to call with my middle pair.  I then turned a 9 to make two pair.  I guess I overplayed by hand by check-raising my opponent all-in, however my main mistake was that I misread the size of his stack.  I thought he had three grey $1,000 denomination chips behind, but the one at the bottom was actually a yellow $5,000 chip.  The greys and yellows are very hard to distinguish across the table.  Of course I should’ve asked for a count.  Anyway my opponent called with KQ and I took a big dent.  I tried to fight back, but Sam Youssef got moved to the table and proceeded to open every pot like a madman.  I finally made a stand with A8 but ran into AJ and was eliminated in around 40th place.

0/6 in the JHDSS, with only the Main Event to come…was it even worth the bother?

So I’m now finally back home after trips to Adelaide and Melbourne working for PokerNetwork and the plan over the next few weeks is to grind pretty hard. However I won’t be playing my usual cash games. The plan is to hit the donkament circuit after Duckworth in all his youthful enthusiasm has challenged me to a prop bet - first to AU$10k in tournament earnings. This started when I was in Manila and picked up a small cash, but the stakes have been upped and the rules set in stone after Duck picking up a near $3k cash in Adelaide.

Ok so I’m on the back foot straight away, and I consider myself a cash game player and Tim is more of a tournament player, but I’m sorry Duck, but I think I’m a warm favourite here. At first we were talking live results, and I would consider myself an underdog if this were purely live since I have no major live results to speak of. I wanted some motivation to get a live score. However Duck was actually the one to throw in the ability to play online also, and with that stipulation I think his dreams of success were dashed. I don’t think I’m a better tournament player, but I think I can put in more online volume which I don’t think he can match.

His only hope is a) a big score or b) get onto ChipMeUp. However I can, and have also jumped onto ChipMeUp (backers enquire within) and might be able to fluke a big score somewhere also.

Since being back home over the last two days I’ve already closed the gap, and I think he’s nervous with probing quips of looking to buy out early. Especially when I show him run-goodness such as this…



So I plan to crush Duckworth and watch him cry and then smash the Joe Hachem Deep Stacked Series in March as we also have a smaller “live only play” bet as well. I want to play as many events as possible and may list on CMU to make sure I can play plenty of events and give myself the best chance of multiple cash results.

Current Scoreboard
thkcduckworth: $2,970
TassieDevil: $1,891.18

Well that was short, and not particularly sweet. I’ve busted out of the APT Manila Main Event within 40 minutes - my quickest ever live tournament bustout. Pay those who took the unders at busting by the dinner break.

It all started pretty well. I was chipping up on a table full of unknown crazy asians. A couple of young Japanese players would probably give me the most trouble. My first significant hand I picked up AK and raised to 150 and found one caller. The flop was Q-J-T giving me the nuts. I fired 200 and my fishie was on the hook as he called. Turn king. Shit. There goes my double up. I bet 500 and he raised to 1,500. I assumed we both held an ace, but I just flatted and hoped for a brick river in case he had a set. It bricked and I checked. He fired 2,000 and I check-raised to 6,000. He called and I guess justice was served as he revealed AK also.

A few hands later I pick up QQ and re-raise to 400 after the guy to my right opened to 150. Surprisingly he folded preflop.

Then after a biggish raise to 250 from an older Asian guy in early position and a call from the guy to my right, I looked down at AdAh on the button. I re-pop it to 875 and both opponents called. The flop was KhJd4d. Not a great flop as both opponents checked to me. Perhaps I should check behind here to keep some pot control since I had the Ad in case another diamond fell. But instead I bet half-pot of 1,500. The older Asian guy then check-raised me to 3,500. The third guy folded and I had a decision to make. Folding here seemed weak, as I can’t put him on kings, so I really only fear jacks or fours. I would think he might flat call a set and try to trap me. It’s just as likely he could have ace-king or king-jack. Since I had the backdoor diamonds I decided to call and see what happened on the turn.

The turn was the 4c. Not a diamond but I felt it was a good card for me. I now beat KJ, and its now unlikely he had pocket fours. He then moved all in for about 5,500. I had 6,000. I went into the tank and was pretty sick at the decision. I really feared pocket jacks, but I felt he could just as easily have AK or KJ. There was also an outside chance he was getting overly funky with AJ or a flush draw. After seeing some pretty crazy play since I’ve been here, I decided to just lean towards a call. He turned over black jacks. The river bricked and I was crippled.

A few minutes later I got my last chips in with QQ against KJ and a king fell on the flop to bring my tournament to an end within the first level. Pretty sick. While there is merit to the thought that I could’ve or perhaps should’ve got away from my aces, I think it was pretty close decision. Perhaps at the Aussie Millions or APPT I could’ve got away from it when we have 20k in chips, but at APT it’s only 10k, so I’m afraid I just wasn’t good enough to make that fold yet. I think my mistake was betting the flop, rather than calling his shove.

So now I’m off to drown my sorrows and rue my luck at another lost opportunity.

So I’ve arrived in Manila once again. While I enjoyed my trip last time, I didn’t think I’d ever bother coming back here, but then I managed to luckbox a package to the APT Main Event on 888 Poker, so I find myself at the Dusit Thani hotel for another shot at a major tournament result. We’re in Makati which appears to be a newer, business area of the city rather than the slums we were in last time. I can go outside here and not feel nervous, and we’re nearby to westernized shopping centres and restaurants which were harder to find last time.

I decided while I’m in Manila I’m going to play a fair bit for practice and also because I don’t normally get much of a chance. Tonight was a Bounty event (13,000 pesos buy-in, US$270) where if you knocked out someone you got $50, but on every table there was also a bounty worth US$500 which was normally a well known player or APT person. There were 103 starters. At my table on got “Tommy” Le who is an APT pro and one of the “Poker Pack”. In the first level or so I picked up pocket tens in the small blind and called his raise with two others. Flop 7-2-T rainbow. It checked around to Le who bet 600, I flat called as did one other guy. Turn was a J. I checked again and it checked around. River…another ten! I’d hit quads. So I lead smallish for 850 hoping to get paid off. One guy folds before Le moved all in! Snap-call and bang he’s out and I’ve scooped a US$500 bounty as well as a cute little APT donkey soft-toy! So now I’m already in profit and have doubled my chips so I obviously enjoyed the rest of the tournament.

Next hand I picked up pocket aces and re-raised a guy who folded. Then a few orbits later I pick up aces again and re-raise a guy, who calls. Flop 8-6-2 with two hearts. He donks out for 1,000. I had no idea what he had, but I had aces so I moved all in. He quickly called and I figured he had something like pocket tens. He showed KQ offsuit for no pair, no draw. Just king high! “I thought you were bluffing” he said. OMG. Thankyou sir. I bust him and scoop another $50 and have over 14,000 chips.

Soon after I raised with A4 and flopped two pair and got paid off by a young Scandi kid who made a move with middle pair. I’m thinking I hope I don’t use up ALL my luck today. Then I raised with A6 and same Scandi called. The flop was A-K-2 rainbow, and I thought I’d mix it up and see if he gets overly aggro again so I checked, he checked behind. The turn was an 8. I bet 600 and he called. River was a 9 and put three diamonds on board. I checked and he bet 500. A very small bet. I probably should’ve stopped and realised I didn’t beat much, but since he was Scandi, had already shown me he as aggro and it was so cheap, I quickly called. He turned over pocket eights. Urgh, I let him have a free card and he hit a two-outer. Damn.

Not much happened then for a little while until at 100/200 a guy went all in under the gun for 475 without looking at his cards. With a $50 bounty on the line, and since I had plenty of gambling chips I decided to raise to 1,200 and hope to isolate against him and gamble. My cards…64 offsuit. The all-in guy then starts telling the table how I was doing exactly what I was doing – trying to steal his bounty. Thanks buddy. The table folds to the big blind who calls my raise. Flop Q-6-4. Bingo. Big blind checks and I bet 1,300. He then tanks for ages, and another guy calls the clock. He then raised to 3,175. I’d made a move and got lucky, so I wanted to protect my hand and get that bounty so I shoved and he folded (what he later said was pocket deuces). The all-in player then turns over A3 and is in trouble. Turn 2, the other guy would’ve hit a set if I hadn’t have pushed, and suddenly the short-stack has life with a gutshot draw. River 5. The bastard makes his straight to stay alive and $50 slips through my fingers with a runner-runner. Urgh. Next hand I have him all in again with A5s against his pocket fours and he spiked a set. So I had two good chances to bust him and missed.

After than things got slow until the 200/400 level. I had AJ on the button and raised, with the Scandi in the big blind who had just under 5,000. I knew he was capable of re-stealing light so I snap-called when he moved in. He showed AQ. Damn. The board bricked and I’m back down under 8,000.

The levels were every 20 minutes and the dealers pretty incompetent. Incredibly I went the whole 200/400 level without being in the big blind.

Again things got slow, I had a couple of failed steals after people shoved, and twice I re-shoved on others (with 55 and 88) and they folded. Then at 300/600 I picked up aces (for the third time! omg) and raised small to 1,300 from the cutoff and the big blind shoved with AJs. Two diamonds on the flop gave him a flush draw, but he missed and I picked up another $50 bounty and am back to about 15,000.

My next raise was again from the cutoff to 1,800 with the blinds at 400/800 with QJs. The short-stack to my left shoves for 4,400 and I’m ready to gamble, but then the big blind flat calls. He had another 10,000 behind so his flat call was pretty suss. With so much in the pot I had to call and hope to hit a flop. It was A-J-3. I got a piece of it but the big blind huffed and puffed and sighed and sobbed before moving all in. I insta-folded and he had AQ. The short stack had 44. Turn and river bricked. If the big blind didn’t get involved I would’ve busted another shorty.

Again I struggled to find spots or cards and we move to the final two tables. The table had Chris Parker, CEO of the APT on the table with a $500 bounty on his head. He was also just shorter than me with about 8,000 chips. I played about four hands, and decided I was going to target Parker’s stack/blind if it got around to me. Even if I take a chance at his $500 bounty, that bounty alone was worth more than finishing the tournament in 8th place anyway and I was getting short with the blinds up to 600/1200 with 200 ante. The hand before Chris was in the big blind, he limped under the gun. A guy flat called and I looked down at A7. I figured the caller was weak, and that Chris is likely to have a small pair or a monster. I decided to go with it and re-raised, hoping Chris would call with a small pair and we’d race for US$500 and the other guy would get out of the way. What I didn’t consider was the guy to my left going all in over the top of us all. Shit. Chris also called to attempt to triple up with AT. The raiser had AJ and I was in trouble. A jack on the flop and it was all over.

The crapshoot made it tough. You just had to gamble and although A7 wasn’t a great hand, I think it was a good spot and if I’d busted Chris I would’ve pocketed in total more than about 5th place was worth. As it was I was out in 18th, with the top 10 paying, but I made more than 8th place paid anyway so not a bad start to my Manila trip.

I also got a spot on the APT update video with the lovely Riza Santos. Keep an eye out for the flying donkey toy being caught at the 30 seconds mark…

Working as a tournament reporter and blogger for PokerNews has enabled me to travel to many amazing countries during the past twelve months, and at the same time I’ve been fortunate enough to witness up close some of the world’s best Texas Holdem poker players and personalities. Upon reflection of the year that was, I thought about my most memorable moments from 2008 and decided to compile my Top Ten. Some of these moments you may have heard about, some you may have not. I’m sure everyone has their own moments, but these are the ones that stand out in my mind, whether good or bad, right or wrong, as the most memorable, from my vantage point, merely three feet away from the poker table.

You can read the first part of this article at PokerNetwork:

From The Den: My Top 10 Most Memorable Moments of 2008 - Part 1