Poker: Ladbroke Cruise : weekly final update

Further to my previous post (http://sceaga.blogspot.com/2007/06/poker-ladbrokes-cruise-some-progress.html) I played in the Weekly Final today.

38 players started, giving 3 cruise tickets and 3 cash prizes for the top 6 finishers.

I started the game actually feeling quite nervous, but determined to do well.

The first hand I was on the button and with Q-8 decided to limp in as everyone else had folded. An 8 came on the flop so bet out when the blinds folded and took down the first pot... always a good feeling and gives initial confidence. I got dealt pocket Tens the next hand so raised pre-flop and just got 2 callers. The flop came with two diamonds, so decided to bet out when checked to me but both players called. The turn came another ten, so was confident I must be ahead so bet out again after both players checked, and this time only 1 called. The river was another diamond, and the player before me bet out half the pot...... I knew in my heart he made the flush but had to call and sure enough he had hit his 18% chance so I'm down to 1800 chips already (from 3000 starting point)

I didn't panic at this stage and played steady solid poker and managed to get back up to 2800 before having a couple of bad hands and slipped back to around 2200 again. Then I had some luck.... with an A-8 on the button I limped in and three diamonds came on the flop, and everyone checked. Another diamond came on the turn and I nearly missed I had made a Straight Flush !! To my joy the first player bet minimum amount and was called, so I made a small raise as I thought at least one would call... but no... they both folded so didn't make any money on my massive hand

After that I struggled but maintained over 2000 chips... although this represented the bottom 5 places....

After 50 minutes play, I got pocket nines in late position and although there was an initial raise, this player had been quite loose (he had all my chips in the second hand) so decided to re-raise and only he called. The flop came Q-8-8 so when he checked I decided to bet half the pot, but he re-raised me all-in. I only had around 900 chips back, and although he had been quite bullying on the table suspected I had to be behind.... but decided to call anyway. Sure enough he had A-Q and I went out in 31st place :-(

Bit of a shame it didn't work out, but on the bright side, do have a reasonable amount towards the next daily final... so will have another crack at it.

Poker: Ladbrokes Cruise... some progress !

Since our cruise holiday (http://sceaga.blogspot.com/2007/06/general-cruise-holiday-round-med-week1.html) I decided I had to try and win a place on the Ladbrokes Cruise again (http://poker.ladbrokes.com/pokercruise)

Of course I had tried and failed once before (http://sceaga.blogspot.com/2007/01/poker-ladbroke-poker-cruise-iii-journey.html) but really want to get on the ship again (it was a fabulous holiday!)

As before I decided to win my stake into the Daily Final (£66 buy in plus one £25 rebuy and one £25 add-on) by playing Cash games. I soon found I am still rubbish at cash games, although some of it may be not having the right bankroll to get into the large stake games.... the low stakes games really do seem to be a lottery ! In the end I decided to stick to what I am best at, so went back to playing Single Table Tournaments (STT aka Sit and Go's). As luck would have it I had a string of money finishes.... so it only took me 2 weeks to get my stake together for the Daily final

I played the Daily final this evening. 24 players started, and most seemed to be playing fairly solidly.. so I was playing my normal tight game. I had a few ups and downs, but managed to get to over double the starting chips (around 4500) towards the end of the first hour when the rebuys stop (thats £25 saved I was thinking to myself) On the last hand before the break I had 3-4 suited but decided to invest 100 chips in seeing a flop, mainly as I wanted to run down the clock to the break... the flop came A-5-J and the three players checked so I checked as well... the turn came 9 and we all checked again. The river was a 2 to make my straight, and to my surprise one player went all-in .... I had the nut hand so called and of course doubled through ! This meant I did not need to add on either as I as near the chip lead (so had only spent the original £66)

Whilst this was a result in itself, I continued to accumulate chips, partly by solid play but also a little bit of luck and people reading (most people were playing ultra-tight or were playing too loose when short stacked..

Making the final table was a breakthrough for me, and was in about 5th place at the time. I managed to take out a short stack which took me to 3rd place, where I stayed more or less all the time right to the end of the game.

The top 3 finishers win a ticket into the Weekly final on Sunday, in which 1 in 10 players will win a ticket to the cruise itself !! (it is a £660 buy-in normally) At the moment there are only 10 players in the final (although this may well go up)

So I will need to make sure I am fit and fresh for the game on Sunday evening... and will be crossing my fingers for a good game and have a chance to win that cruise

Poker: Home Tournament : June 2007

Fourteen players start this epic battle. The NL Freezeout game has definitely become a much different animal to the Pot Limit rebuy games and everyone is keen to do well and not go home early (although some people are more successful at achieving this than others as we will see...)

On my table, first hand I get dealt KK in the Big Blind so raise 300 and get three callers ! Fortunately the flop comes with a K but has straight and flush draws possible so decide to bet out large and pick up a great pot After that I fritter away chips gradually as no hands come to me.

Roger is playing a blinder of a game and knocks out Andy early on. In fairness, Andy's all in move with nothing more than Ace high may have been a little reckless as Roger's two pair actually wins him a huge pot for a change ! A few hands later I am drawing for a straight on the flop but decide to bet out and only Roger calls. Turn is K to make my straight but is a third spade... both me and Roger check and with the river being a blank I check again and Roger puts in a Pot sized bet. I cannot decide what Roger would have and being 2nd chip leader to Roger decide to fold rather than risk 25% of my chips. It doesn't all go Rogers way when the flop comes three clubs with four players in. After a round of checks, the turn is another club.... and the river makes a flush on the board so everyone takes their money back.... with Roger showing his pocket Aces

My luck kicks in again and start making hands. After raising pre-flop, I make top pair on the flop and bet strongly which only Simon calls. I am wondering what he has so check the turn and river, with Simon showing A high so I take a large pot again.

As the blinds increase we start loosing players but it takes until after the 2nd break before we see the final table (with only 35 mins left to play) I am probably chip leader with around 15000 in chips, Bill is close behind and there are 2 or 3 short stacks with the remaining players having around 3-4000

It is not long before we have our first knockout. The flop comes 6 high with just the blinds in, Simon goes all in with A-6 and gets called by Bill with K-6. It looks like Simon has doubled up until Bill hits his K on the river to take Simon out. Soon after, there are four limpers to a raggedy flop and everyone checks. My Q-6 looks a bit better when a 6 comes on the turn, but still everyone checks. The Q on the river gives me what should be the winning hand, so when Joe puts in 1000 bet I am happy to raise it up, which he calls. My 2 pair hold up and Joe is out in 7th

It starts to become a bit of a crapshoot with small stacks going in all over the place. Andy W goes all-in and I am happy to call with my pocket Aces, but his K-5 cracks the aces when he makes two pair on the river. I also manage to double Jon up so my stack is starting to look vulnerable and a 4th place finish is on the cards for me !!

Luckily for me, Jon doesn't get any luck and goes out in 4th. With 3 players left and three hands to play it gets tense, but Andy goes all-in and my 8-3 goes in the bin to give him a slight lead in chips over me, but Bill is slightly ahead at this stage. The next hand Andy goes all-in again, this time I decide my K-4 is good for a punt and Bill dips out of the big blind. Unfortunately I am dominated by K-Q so have to settle for 3rd. This win gives Andy enough chips to win by folding the last hand and it is all over for another month

I was up and down all over the place, having good luck and bad... but overall am happy to be in the money places for the first time this year. We had it all tonight... bad beats, slow play and general riotous behaviour so another great game, with lots of action.

General: Cruise holiday round the med (week1)

• Saturday 19th May (Leaving port)

Left home at 12:25 to drive to Southampton. Journey was fine until we got within 3 miles or so, so it took about 1 hour to do this last part of the journey ! It took another hour to get on board once out of the car, but overall was quite a smooth experience so far. Slight annoyance was that the documentation said to arrive at 2pm (hence the huge traffic jams) but we could actually have boarded at 1pm

The room was nice and the balcony definitely a bonus worth having. To my surprise we had the lifeboat drill whilst still in port, but at least it got it out the way (good idea really) Had a walk around the ship to explore.... it is a HUGE ship, and has lots of stairs. Saw the ship out of Port then went to the cafe type restaurant (called the Windjammer) which is on Deck 11 with a lovely view looking out from the stern. Saw the Welcome Aboard show, which was very good (amazing acrobats) then by the time we had a drink in the plaza bar, were worn out so had early night.

• Sunday 20th May (at sea)

Woke after a slightly restless night. Squeaks and rattles in the room, caused by the choppy conditions in the Bay of Biscay. Ship is still rocking and Lynn has slight queasiness due to the sea conditions. Had a nice breakfast then as Lynn needed some air we had a wandered around, but is quite chilly outside.

Went for coffee in the Promenade Cafe (deck 5) which is all indoors and looks like a village street with all the other shops and large space. Lots of stuff going on around the ship, so attended a cosmetics talk at 11am, Discover Shopping show at noon (where to shop in Gibraltar and France) then a seminar on "Eat more to weigh less" at 1pm (very relevant on a cruise!) then found there is a series of talks from a Poker professional on improving your Poker at 2:30pm , so went to that.... difficult to fit in all the eating and drinking as we then went to an Ice Show at 5pm but this got postponed due to the choppy conditions, which gave us time to get a coffee and cake :-)

Then went for a game of putting on the 9 hole putting green, before having a rest in the Sun. Out of the wind and with the Sun now out, it was actually pretty hot now.

After a nice rest it was time to get ready for Dinner (Formal night tonight) We had the late sitting which was normally 8:30pm (or 8:45pm some nights) which seemed a little late to eat, but the alternative was 6pm, which seemed a bit early ! We were on a table of 10 people, with 2 elderly ladies (who were a hoot) an elderly lady with her daughter, an older scottish couple and one couple a little nearer our own age (but were probably late 50's) All were very pleasant and talkative so although the meals were around 2 hours, it went quickly and the food was excellent.

After dinner we went to the "American Drifters" show, which was OK but not great (was never a fan of the drifters really) then had to go to the Casino ! The Casino was quite large, with three or four Blackjack and Roulette tables, plus a couple of Stud Poker games as well as one Cash Texas Hold'em table (but this never got going until Midnight most nights) Managed to loose about $100 so went to "The Dungeon" which was the nightclub and had good atmosphere despite never being busy when we went there. After a few drinks and dances, managed to crawl into bed around 1:30am !

• Mon 21st May (at sea)

Woke up at 10:15am and went to Breakfast. Then found spot to lye on deck, but was cloudy and cold. Decided to make our video of the ship (as requested by Julie :-) ) and it took around 75 mins to quickly go around the ship. After lunch the sun had come out so sat in the Sun until it was time for my Poker lecture. Sat in Sun for a while after, then had a swim in the pool. The pool is quite small but is salt water so easy to just float about cooling off before going into the sun again. Then Lynn decided we needed to go to the Gym! The facilities are good, with a lot of running machines, bike machines and weights. They also have separate room for the various fitness talks and classes they run

The show tonight is before dinner, so time for nibbles just before the show which was very good. Popped into the Casino again but only lost $40 (and Lynn lost $10) Dinner was very good, then there was a 70's street party after which we went back to The Dungeon but got to bed not too long after midnight

• Tuesday 22nd May (Gibraltar)

Woke up about 9am and had breakfast. Went for long walk into Gib, up to park by the cable car, but decided not to see the monkey's Walked back via Museum and popped into various shops but didn't buy anything. Mainly cloudy today but with sunny spells, so quite nice to be out and about. Late lunch today (3:30pm!) then went on deck to watch the ship depart. Went to see the delayed Ice Show, which was spectacular and great stunts (probably good job they didn't try to do it with ship moving around a lot) Went to cabin to have a cup of tea and another well earned rest, as we are always using the stairs rather than the lifts to get around.... and we are on the 9th deck !

Decided to have dinner in the Windjammer then catch a movie "Talladega Nights" which was quite funny.... then went to the Casino and lost $50 on Blackjack :-( We were both tired after our excursion and exertion so ended up having an early night

• Wednesday 23rd May (At sea)

Woke up early (8am) and after breakfast went to the In-Line Skating for Beginners, but due to the high winds it was cancelled. Tried to walk around the running track on deck, but going round some corners was tricky as the wind really was strong. Tried sitting by the pool, but a bit windy and got a bit cold so had to move to a sunny spot a bit more sheltered. After lunch (and another rest) had a swim, then went to the Poker lecture, then had another swim and rest in the sun until time for a small snack and game of putting (busy, busy)

Time to get ready for Dinner (formal night) Ready a little early, so did a quick bit of shopping and quickly lost $20 in the Casino ! After dinner went back to Casino and had a longer session, turning my last $75 into..... $75 ! Yes my luck is turning... I managed to walk out the casino not loosing anything.... ! Getting up early tomorrow for a trip so get to bed around 11:30pm

• Thursday 24th May (Villefranche, France)

Up early (7am) and had breakfast in the room. Fantastic views of the land from the ship so looking forward to getting out. Got tender across to the coaches and onto Nice first for couple of hours.. it's VERY hot Walked up & down through market and along coast. Had nice coffee and saw roadies putting together the stage for a Motorhead concert that evening... shame I will miss it ! Went onto Cannes where the film festival was in full swing so very crowded and still very hot. Had expensive lunch (but nice) then wandered around the shops. Only had 3 hours so soon had to go back to the coach.... where obnoxious car park attendant insisted everyone walked around his little part of the car park, and objected to some people sheltering under the the bus stop for relief from the sun.... was quite funny to see him getting so excited about his job.

It was so hot, once back on ship just had time to glug some water before jumping into the pool to cool off.... it was great ! Then had another game of putting which I won (Lynn is still beating me 2-1 on games so will have to play some more!)

Decided to have dinner in Windjammer before going on deck to watch us leave port. It was beautiful to see the lights of the village as we left, but the photo's look rubbish. Popped into Casino to loose $25 then back onto deck for the midnight buffet. We weren't hungry so just took some photos.

• Friday 25th (Liverno, Italy)

Woke up early (8:15am) had leisurely breakfast as our trip wasn't until after lunch. Wandered around for a bit before having a rest in the Sun. Had early lunch then went to Pisa on organised trip. It was baking hot, so not great to be out walking.. Very commercial by the monuments with lots of traders selling stuff, but the buildings are spectacular to see. You don't believe how far over the tower does actually lean, seems to defy gravity. Decided not to go up the tower as it was hot, crowded and expensive (and limited time) but got some good photo's from the ground. Back on board, we had tea then I went for swim to cool off again... good job the pool is there....

Saw the ship leave port then went to Windjammer for dinner. Popped into Casino with $50 and played roulette for a while. Had mediocre luck until decided to load up number 8 and it came in !! Went away with $140 so a good night at the Casino at last ! Went to show at 9pm then went to watch rock band "Adams Rib" who were pretty good (although killed Pink Floyd number) Went back to Casino and played Texam Hold'em for half hour ($2/$5 cash game) and ended the session $14 up Got to bed around 1am in the end

See the next installment in General: Cruise holiday round the med (week2)

General: Cruise holiday round the med (week2)

(Continues from General: Cruise holiday round the med (week1) )


• Saturday 26th May (Civitavecchia, Italy)

We had decided not to visit Rome itself, so walked into town on our own. Saw market, sea front and town square but not really much to see or do, so back on Ship for lunch and well earned rest.

Cloudy but humid and warm, decided to go to gym again for a run, then wanted to see film, but seemed everyone had the same idea and the screening room was full ! Instead we had nice cup of tea (and cake!) then had a quick kip. I then tried in-line skating for the first time and managed to stay on my feet. After a quick drink went to Dinner in the main restaurant and then to the show. Feeling a bit worn out so had early night (about midnight !)

• Sunday 27th May (Sardinia)

8:30am alarm for our organised trip. Had a photo stop on top of a hill to see the great views. Then walked through the city and saw the cathedral, museum and Roman amphitheater. Got back around 2pm so had late lunch and then a quick snooze (it wears you out all this walking and eating)

Played bingo, which was surprisingly good fun (I suppose because it is gambling!) then watched Ship leave port. Pre-dinner show today, so have to get ready for dinner, see the show then go to the main restaurant. Shows are generally all good quality and entertaining, although not sure I would have bothered if we had to pay extra :-)

Went to look at the British Pub party on deck but is wild and windy (the weather rather than the event) so went to the Casino where I managed to get a game of Texas Hold'em Turned $156 into $60 but time flew and had lots of fun.

• Monday 28th May (at sea)

Been choppy all night and the day dawns dull and cloudy (and very choppy) After breakfast went to a talk about Amber in the shops then hit the Bingo again (third time lucky ? No !)

Had a nice cup of tea (and cake) then Lynn wanted to look at the shops again so I went to the Casino and turned $60 into $160 so have reloaded my gambling bankroll a little :-)

Had a quick lunch then went to an Art Auction, but had to leave early for my Poker Lecture but Lynn stayed in the auction to get a free piece of art at the end of the auction (worth $45 apparently)

Just time for a quick shop and a nibble before we went to a second Ice Show, after which we did even more shopping ! Then had to have a rest, so got a cup of tea and Ice Cream (made a change from a cake) After a quick rest, we got ready for Dinner and then went to the show. Decided to have another early night (midnight)

• Tuesday 29th May (Cadiz, Spain)

Woke up at 9:30am for breakfast. Walked into town on our own. Long walk in the Sun but lots of shade around. Very beautiful city with lots of great sea views and city has warren of medieval looking streets. Accidentally did the coastal walk first (due to rubbish map) we didn't realise we had walked all way round back to our starting point, but managed to get good map from the tourist information point and navigated through the city streets. Had nice cup of coffee and ice cream whilst out.

Got back around 4pm after around 5 hours walking about in the heat., so went straight for a cream tea ! Then watched ship leave port from our balcony before eating in Windjammer. The show was a pianist who was very good, then there was a Mardi Gras in the Promenade deck. Then sat and listened to Calypso band for half hour but they weren't all that good, so had cup of tea and went to bed (another early night - i.e. midnight)

• Wednesday 30th May (Lisbon, Portugal)

Another day, another city tour... Had to get up at 9am for breakfast. Weather was overcast but warm, so actually nice to be out walking in the City. Got back around 2pm, just in time for lunch. Rested in room and watched ship leave port.

Had a quick go in the Casino and won $10 so had to have another rest until time for dinner. After dinner, went to the show, then back to the Casino where I managed to return to my loosing ways and dropped $70

• Thursday 31st May (Vigo, Spain)

Woke up late (10am) and walked into City on our own.... it's drizzling ! Walked through the old town which was very picturesque, then up to the Castle from which there were great views... and it's become Sunny again by now. Came back via shops and had nice cup of tea and a cake in El Carte Ingles, then found lovely park through which we walked back to the ship

Back on ship, had another cup of tea and cake then it is time for Bingo again. Went on deck to watch ship depart, but a bit chilly so went into the bar "19th Hole" on top deck to see the view (and happened to get a beer as well)

Lynn then wanted to shop some more, after which went to the Casino and managed to win $80.

The show was a classic group with a twist "Graffiti Classic" The music was great and their antics were amusing to keep you entertained even if the music wasn't your thing. Then went back to the Casino for Lynn to blow her $17 and I lost my $80, after which we went to see the Rock group for a rest and reflection on the evils of gambling.

There is the grand buffet to see at 12:30 and managed a nibble of a few things, so went to bed feeling very full, and the sea has turned choppy again !

• Friday 1st June (at sea)

Woke up 9:20am just in time for breakfast in the room (booked for 9:30) After struggling out of bed, walked around the shops as the weather is Dull, Cold and windy. Soon time for elevenses, so had cup of tea and cookie. Went to another Art Auction, quick lunch, then back to auction.... although I had to duck out early for my final Poker lecture... from which I had to duck out early to get to the grand final Bingo ($10'000 dollar prize must be won) Managed to miss Lynn, so went to Casino to see if she was there (well..... ) and blew my last $100 on roulette before Lynn caught up with me. Went for tea and cookie before doing our packing.

After nice dinner and show, we went to see rock band for the last time and had some drinks, getting to bed around 1am (but clocks go back one hour, so effectively midnight)

• Saturday 2nd June (going home)

Southampton is bright, sunny and warm.... we just had time for breakfast before being called to get off the ship, and only took 30 minutes from there to be sitting in the car. As its quite early (9am) the trip home is quick and uneventful

• Final thoughts

It was a lovely holiday, sometimes very relaxing and sometimes seemed quite frantic (although this was due to our wanting to do all the activities)

If the last part of the holiday had been sunny and warm then it would have been even better, but there was enough for us to see and do that the slightly dodgy weather on some days did not really intrude, but the Sun would have given us more options of things to do.

All in all, well worth doing and we definitely enjoyed the ports of call. Wonderful ship and crew

All I need to do now is qualify myself for the Ladbrokes poker cruise in January 2008, which is on the sister ship "Explorer of the Seas" round the Caribbean !!