My first ranking tournament!

I haven't written here for a while as to be honest there's not been a lot worth reporting lots of steady wins, but nothing massive, couple of final tables at the casino recently on one of them I got talking to a guy who suggested playing at the Walsall festival, so off we trekked on a freezing cold February afternoon to play the £300 freezeout.

Arrived at the Grosvenor in Walsall around 5pm and me and my mate Andy meet up with Andy's friend Charlie. The three of us enter a £60 sattellite for the £300 game to try and save some cash, I get down to the last three relying on a spot of luck with A3 v TT and we decide to take £200 each which saves my entrance fee.

So around 8:30pm I look up on the board and try and locate my table, I sit down at table 5 and noticed that there is an N Gibson on my table, I check with a friend and it is indeed Gwibbo who's a very well known online player and he cashed at the WSOP main event. Another known pro on the table is the Mad Turk, I didn't get his real name but he seemed like a crazy player.

With the blinds starting off low, 7000 starting stacks and 45 minute levels I reckoned that my tight play would have a chance so I try not to get too involved in the early stages. I win my first pot when I hold A7 in BB, flop comes A 7 4 so I bet out. Two callers, turn is a Queen, I reckon I'm still ahead as this was unraised pre flop so I bet again, river is an 8 so I put another thousand chips in and I get a call from a giant of a man who shows his ace and then sees my 7 and mucks his other card, first blood to me!

I then won a nice pot when I limped with 78 of clubs, the flop had two clubs on it and we had one better, I call and everyone else folds
the turn brings my flush and the better bets out again, I call his bet, flop is a blank, he checks, I show my flush and he shows top pair with the ace of clubs, so another club on river and I'm in trouble but as it was I pick up another pot and am sat on around 10k.

The next hand I play is TT, I raise to 200 UTG, the mad turk re raises me to 800 chips and I know he's a loose player so I call that bet, flop comes 4 Q T I check hoping he will bet, but he checks too. Turk is a 7 of diamonds so puts two diamonds out there, I bet out 1200 and he calls which makes me think he's on a draw. River is a black 2 so I bet out 2500 and he shows AK diamonds and folds. And I'm starting to feel pretty confident.

I then think it's time to try and make a bluff so I raise from mid position to 600 with T9, both blinds call plus an early position limper. It comes down 2 5 A. They all check so I bet out with 1,000 chips, the turk calls, everyone else folds. The turn is a Q so I bet 2200 to try and get him to fold. He moves all in and I know I'm totally beat with my rubbish and sit there cursing myself for trying a move on such a talented player and I fold, acidentally flashing my Ten as I do so, so I say I had pocket Tens.

This knocks me down to about 7,000 and I'm feeling a little bit peeved so I limp with A8 diamonds in mid position, the button and the two blinds call, flop comes 9 6 3 with two diamonds. SB bets out 600, BB raises to 1200 I call this and the button folds. Sb thinks and then moves all in, BB dwells for a bit and then puts it down. I think and think and think and decide he has either two pair, a lower flush draw or maybe a straight draw so I make the very brave call, he shows 93, Turn brings the 4 of diamonds and my flush and the river another 4. The BB says he folded K9 and would have beaten 9-3 had he called. It may have been a bit reckless to make the call but I fancied my chance and suddenly I was sat on 18k

I then make my worst play of the game, I have AJs in the SB, a raise to 1200 comes from the cutoff so I call as does the BB. The flop comes 5 6 7 and I check, so does the BB and the raiser bets just 400 chips, this looks strange to me as such a big pot to bet so little in to so I raise him to 1500. He thinks about it and then makes the call. Turn is a 4 and I bet 2000 straight away hoping he folds but he pushes all in and obviously I have to fold, he later told me he had 77 in the hole but had to stop me making a straight.

so, back down to about 13k but still above average, I make a raise a bit later on with AQ, blinds are at 300/600 and I raised to 2000, Gwibbo moves all in for his last 2,500 chips so I'm obliged to call. He's TT, my ace comes on the flop and my first scalp of the tournament is a known pro! very nice.

Few hands later I limp with J7 of clubs which is probably a bad move but I wanted to see a cheap flop it comes QcTc5d and it's checked to me, I think about betting my flush draw but think I'll take a free turn. Turn card is 4c making my flush, suddenly the mad turk goes all in for 7,000 chips, the other two fold, I call with my flush, he shows Q6 and is drawing dead. He tells me after he didn't see the flush out there but wishes me well.

I then get a constant run of pretty poor cards and don't do much but am sitting on 26,000 chips with the average only at 13k and I'm quite pleased with my play so far. A rather big guy called Desi sits on my table with a huge stack and I'm told by the young lad Andy next to me that he's in a different class. I finally look down and see a hand, KK, wondering how to play it first position raises up to 4,000 chips, he only has about 6 or 7 thousand more so I just move all in, but am surprised to see a call from the guy two to my left who I played with in that satellite. Original raiser folds showing TT and my caller has AK. The hand I didn't want to see.

The ace flops! and I'm crushed, I'm down to 7k and feeling devastated, 4 hours of great play and waiting patiently to lose most of my stack like that! I then go on a bit of a tilt, I move all in with AJ and get no call, then someone raises my BB and I push with QJ and they fold, I make the same move with 77 against this Desi guy and he shows an ace as he folds. I then have A4 on SB and it's folded to me, I limp and the BB raises. I know he has shit so I move all in and he folds and then a couple more blind steals and suddenly I see myself back on 18k, still running below the average but I'm just glad to be back within a chance.

Shortly after they break the table up as we're down to the last 40 players and out of 189 starters I'm feeling very very happy to have got this far. on my new table I have Julian Thew two seats to my right and a guy opposite me who I've played with at Leo's in Liverpool before. I make a few blind steals and have 23k and then came the key hand of the night. I raised to 4.5k with KQ and it's folded to the small blind who thinks and then pushes all in. I think about folding but I watch him and he's just staring at me and he looks so uncomfortable, it's clear he's trying to make me think he's strong so I make the call. He shows A9 and that means I'm only a 55% underdog so I like my position, the Queen comes on the flop and it holds and I'm up to 50,000 chips! the guy goes out shortly afterwards and is clearly upset with my call but I sensed he was weak and wanted to take a chance!

I then steal a few blinds and then try and steal the blind off the guy I know from liverpool, I have TJ and raise and he calls, flop comes A 5 6 all clubs and he checks so I do, turn is another club, he checks so I bet 6k and obvioously can't call without a club and folds. This was the last real action for me of the day, I have Tikay moved to sit on my right and Reddog is moved to my left who I know from online play vaguely, so I'm sat between 2 well known pros.

They call time for the day at 5am and the chips are bagged and tagged. I'm sat with 70,000 which actually has me in 6th place of the 26 remaining players so I'm feeling good, but I know I have to make the top 9 for a good pay day and have a lot to do when we come back!

Andy and I set off back for the hotel but Andy has taken down directions to the wrong road so we end up lost in the middle of a place called Aldridge, we ask a few people for help and end up back in Walsall town centre, We stopped so Andy could have a piss I go and buy a snickers bar from a garage and it turns out we're on the road of our hotel so we get there at 6:30am and finally get some sleep. My brain is going constantly still just playing the hands over and working out what to do tomorrow, I don't sleep well but I get enough in to feel ok about going back the next day. I get to the casino around 2:30 and have a wander round getting a feel for it and talk to a few people and we take our seats again at 3:00pm.

For me, the next few hours are quite dull, I make a few raises and take the blinds, I also got re raised once or twice. I then finally see the pocket Aces! bout time too, I raise to 10,000 chips and an older indian guy calls me, flop comes K Q 8 which I don;t like the look of so I have to bet out with 20,000 chips, he folds and shows his AQ, if that King hadn't come down I would have taken him for all his chips. I seem to get all my hands when it's Tikay's blind which is perfect as he's such a solid player so I keep getting the blinds when I make my moves.

I am trying to avoid getting involved and letting people knock eachother out, I see one hand which shocks me, Julian Thew makes his all in move with A9, he gets a call from a guy with TT, the ace comes on the turn and the caller is down to about 4,000 chips and you can see he's clearly upset, tears in his eyes, I feel bad for him and he goes out shortly afterwards in 21st place winning nothing for 2 days work.

It's not long til we're down to the last 18 and everyone can relax a little as we know we're getting our money back, a few players take this oppurtunity to make their moves, I keep it tight and just raise with my good hands and try and grind away. my friend from Liverpool raises my Big blind for the 4th time and I see AJ and push all in, he folds and tells me he had KQ but the extra chips are much needed as I quest for the final table, we get to the last 11 players and agree som extra cash for 10th and 11th from the prize pool. the next player out moves all in with A8, tikay looks down and sees AA and calls and when the 8 comes out first card Tikay expects the worse, but he holds and we're down to 10. It's now agreed that 10th place gets £1000 which isn't too bad at all for a days work but everyone wants to make that final table.

Tikay raises from 2nd position and I see AK, I move all in knowing that he really can't call at this point as I have more chips than him and he folds his JJ much to my relief. I then move all in again with AJ and the Small blind is thinking of calling when he hears shouts from the other table as there's an all in and a call. He folds because of this, and Andy Lyatt's AK is beaten by AQ from rugster1 and we have a final table.

Andy is a nice lad and is clearly upset to go out on the bubble, but he can't complain about £1000.

So my first ranking event and it's my first final table and I'm absolutley delighted but there's a long long way to go yet. the chip counts show that I'm the smallest stack on the final table so will have to make some moves, I get a couple of early steal in and then Dev shearer limps on my BB, I go all in with 77 and he folds but seems quite annoyed about the move.

A bit of a furore kicks off about the £500 game that evening as we're told that we can't play it cos this final has gone on too long, this seems to tilt a few players and Andy Nunn moves in with AQ to be called by 66, the 66 holds and Andy is left with only a few thousand chips. I then move in with JJ and get a call from Dev Shearer who holds A8, my jacks hold and we're down to 8 and I have a happier looking stack. Andy goes out two hands later with KQ v AK and then the short Indian guy makes a raise, Julian Thew moves all in with AK but is called by AA. no improvement for either player and we're down to 6 and Julian races off to play the £550 game.

They move us up to the balcony for the final table and there's quite a few spectators. We try and work out a deal but as the indian guy is now sat on 480,000 chips he refuses to take anything less than £15,000 and noone will give it to him so we play on.

Glyn rees makes a raise which Tikay re raises all in glyn calls with A8, Tikay has JJ and 4 clubs on board give Glyn the pot. Tikay goes out two hands later after trying to steal with Q7, but ran into rugster1 's AQ and we're in final 5.

Glyn goes to steal my blind so I pushed all in with QJ and he folded, he raised again the next hand and Rugster this time puts him all in, Glyn calls with AJ but rugster's AK holds and we have a final 4.

Everyone is exhausted and we finally decide to make a deal. i was the shortstack at this time and get offered £8,000 which I'm very happy with, we have £2k and a trophy to play for. and it's much more fun poker from here onwards.

Rugster1 is first to go and the other 3 of us keep playing some crazy poker, eventually deciding to split the last £2k again and play on for the trophy. We go all in next hand all three of us, and my A4 rivers an Ace and I win the trophy and the glory!

Excellent result for me, £8,750 and a lovely trophy plus a few days in the snow in Walsall!

I don't think it's quite sunk in yet that I've won a european ranking event and now have the deposit on my house sorted! All is good!

Sorry if this is so long I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed playing!

Jazzy