December Slumber
The Christmas season is traditionally a slow time for live poker, and this was evidenced at Loose Cannon last night. Only 6 hardy souls made the Thursday night pilgrimage as well as myself - Jody, Dev, Uncle Paulie, The Volcano, Sir Mike and The Baron. Since our league had finished last week, we were due to begin another one, but as there were so few of us we opted for a couple of £30 sit and gos instead.
Unfortunately I was unlucky in key pots, and made little impact. The first tournament was a NLHE event, and I was down to 2.5k from a 3.5k start, when the following hand came up. I am in the BB and The Baron shoves all in blind UTG with
1300 chips (blinds are 100-200). Deven is also down to 1500 and checks one card before calling (that will be an Ace then!). Folded round to me and I find JJ and have to call, and unfortunately get outrun by Deven’s A2. I fight with my short stack for a couple of orbits, but eventually get trapped by Jody’s KK UTG, and I get no help after shoving with Ace Ten suited.
The next game was HIHO - a round of each of Holdem, Irish, Holdem, and Omaha. I start poorly, after losing a big early pot to Uncle Paulie, re-raising out of the blinds with 99 and firing a 1k bullet on a rather unhelpful K, Q, J board.
However, in the Omaha section I get some very nice starting hands and get back to about a 3k stack when the following hand comes up at 100/200. There are 3 limpers and I pot it out of the big blind with AdKhKcJh. Deven and Jody call.
Flop arrives .
Jody pots it from the SB to put me all in. I figure Jody is either doing this with the nut flush draw, or has a set. 2 pair seems remote on this board. As a result my hearts are either blockers or outs. I feel pretty pot committed after potting it pre-flop so make the call. Jody has the Ace flush draw, and also one pair, and unfortunately another 4 hits on the river to give him trips and bust me. If I had won that pot I would have been in a decent position, but it wasn’t to be.
I play a little heads up 25p/50p cash with the Volcano to pass the time, and he takes £70 off me, so not a good night all in all.
With the December slowdown, I imagine big field tournaments are going to be hard to find. I aim to try out the £25 Tuesday tournament at the International next week, but the two biggish events left this year are my home game a week tomorrow, and the Loose Cannon Xmas Party on 20th December. The LC bash features a MTT, sit and gos and cash games all rake free for the
day…should be a long day.