Martin was luckily able to get a heat together at short notice (thanks) so went round to officiate. Martin, his friends Andy and John, plus his son Luke and his friend Chris being the players.
Level 1 started quietly with little pre-flop raising, and any raise pretty much taking the pot.
Once the blinds went up, Martin seemed to wake up a bit and start sticking in some raises and all-ins!. He mostly took the pot uncontested but then Andy called him pre-flop, called on the flop and stuck in a re-raise on the turn. After some thought Martin folded.
Chris and Luke had so far also been busy texting on the mobiles which got them some stick but as the action hotted up they seemed able to "fold" their mobiles... Chris played his first hand and although he hit his flush and had a showdown was only a small pot.
Went back to the standard call, call, raise, fold, fold scenario with Martin being the aggressor a lot of the time. Andy came back at him again and showed KK when the pot was taken uncontested.
The Kings kept coming up as Andy re-raises Martins pre-flop raise to 1000. The flop comes Q-9-4 rainbow and when Martin checks, Andy goes all-in and takes a sizable pot. He shows KK again!
The last hand before the break sees Martin raising again, but Luke on the BB calling. Luke checks and Martins bet takes down a reasonable size pot
Soon after the break we have our first casualty. Chris had been sitting quietly most of the night, but raises from the button. Martin goes all-in and Chris calls. Chris shows the ladies (QQ) but Martin has the gentlemen (KK) ! No-one improves so Chris goes out in 5th place
Luke is now the short stack and sticks most of it (around 2000) into a 600 pot with the K-Q-8 flop and takes it uncontested. He shows A-4 (Martin shows A-6) so seems Luke has been taking note of his Father style and adopting it :-)
It is Johns turn to be small stack and lumps it all in when the flop comes 6-4-2. Martin calls with pocket 3's but doesn't improve, doubling John up.
The action is really hotting up as the blinds increase, and soon see Luke going all in on a flop of A-Q-7 He must feel pleased to get a caller when he shows his A-7 but his hopes are soon dashed when Martin shows 7-7 and takes down the pot.
Luke has 1000 chips, Andy 4500, John 8500 and Martin 6000
With the high blinds Luke has to get busy but manages to get a caller for his QQ. Andy's TT seem to be in trouble until the flop comes T-7-6 Two 5's don't help so Luke is out in 4th
The chips move around the remaining three players and it is all quite close, then Martin decides Johns all-in push on a board of 9-9-7-9-4 is a complete bluff...... but Martin shows K-3 and although John only needed an A to beat him, he actually showed T-9 so was way ahead from the flop..... so Martin finished 3rd and we are heads up !!
John has around 2:1 chip lead but Andy is playing very cagey. Lots of cautious play so its a tense time. The blinds go up to 1000-500 so neither player can afford to give up chips easily now so start seeing calls and raises pre-flop. Andy takes a reasonable pot and goes chip leader, but then John pulls one back and the chips are moving around.. eventually both players feel they have the better hand and all the chips go in the middle. Andy takes the pot and a well earned victory, but we'll see John in the semi's
Well done to all and see you at the next one!
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Holiday : Dad's 80th birthday bash
Woke up Saturday at 3am with dodgy tummy, so had to go to the toilet... then again at 4am, 5am, 6am.... you get the (not pretty) picture, wasn't all that bad and could eat breakfast OK but feeling a bit tired from the interrupted sleep !
Saturday was hot and sunny. I drove up to Aldeburgh in Wife's car, so was getting lots of useful hints from the passenger as well as the Sat Nav... like when to brake, when to change gear... :-) but got to the destination in one piece in around 3.5 hours so not too bad considering it was meant to be the busiest day on the road for the weekend.
Stayed in the Wentworth Hotel and the staff were nice, room was clean and functional (with HUGE bathroom) so no worries there
The festivities started with Champagne and had fantastic meal, more than enough to drink (although I actually only had 2 or 3 drinks) and fun and games or entertainment. Ethan managed to win the Horse Racing DVD game we played, despite only being there for the first race :-) We had a nice walk back to the hotel which seemed to go ever so quick, maybe because it's mainly down hill !
Although the hotel bed was comfortable, Sea Gulls seemed to be scrabbling around the roof in the early morning so they woke us up with their calls, so hadn't really fully recharged my body with sleep ! Sunday had dawned with lots of rain and wind so when we went to Emma's to see their new additions to the house, we got a bit wet !! Then back to Margarets for lunch. Luckily lots of people wanted to watch the Grand Prix so saw that as well. Went back to the hotel for a well earned rest!! Back to Margarets for dinner, which was less people but much more good food, drink and frivolity. Despite intending to have only a couple of drinks and an early(ish) night, we managed to stagger back to the hotel around 12:30 (we think!)
Monday was a non-day for me as I didn't feel all that great.... had a dodgy tummy again, which was probably to do with over eating and over drinking with less sleep than I needed but managed to drive home in the wind and rain then sit in front of the TV for the afternoon..
It was a very hectic weekend and wasn't 100% fit all the time, but had a great time and seems everyone else enjoyed themselves as well :-)
Saturday was hot and sunny. I drove up to Aldeburgh in Wife's car, so was getting lots of useful hints from the passenger as well as the Sat Nav... like when to brake, when to change gear... :-) but got to the destination in one piece in around 3.5 hours so not too bad considering it was meant to be the busiest day on the road for the weekend.
Stayed in the Wentworth Hotel and the staff were nice, room was clean and functional (with HUGE bathroom) so no worries there
The festivities started with Champagne and had fantastic meal, more than enough to drink (although I actually only had 2 or 3 drinks) and fun and games or entertainment. Ethan managed to win the Horse Racing DVD game we played, despite only being there for the first race :-) We had a nice walk back to the hotel which seemed to go ever so quick, maybe because it's mainly down hill !
Although the hotel bed was comfortable, Sea Gulls seemed to be scrabbling around the roof in the early morning so they woke us up with their calls, so hadn't really fully recharged my body with sleep ! Sunday had dawned with lots of rain and wind so when we went to Emma's to see their new additions to the house, we got a bit wet !! Then back to Margarets for lunch. Luckily lots of people wanted to watch the Grand Prix so saw that as well. Went back to the hotel for a well earned rest!! Back to Margarets for dinner, which was less people but much more good food, drink and frivolity. Despite intending to have only a couple of drinks and an early(ish) night, we managed to stagger back to the hotel around 12:30 (we think!)
Monday was a non-day for me as I didn't feel all that great.... had a dodgy tummy again, which was probably to do with over eating and over drinking with less sleep than I needed but managed to drive home in the wind and rain then sit in front of the TV for the afternoon..
It was a very hectic weekend and wasn't 100% fit all the time, but had a great time and seems everyone else enjoyed themselves as well :-)
Monday, May 05, 2008
Cars: Donnington Park touring cars
Went to Donnington Park to watch the Touring Cars Sunday. Unfortunately Lynn wasn't 100% so went up in her car so she wouldn't be "bumped about" but it was no big deal as the route was all motorway anyway.....
Got there in time to see the start of the first Touring Car race. Got a good view of the back of the track and saw some excitement.... although of course there was a lot action going on the track we couldn't see. After the BTCC race we walked around the track and watched the Seat Cupra race as we went around. The best view is from the far side of the track, where you can see the Craner Curves and the top of the hill, so watched some racing from there.
They also had some vehicles going round during the lunch break, so saw a new single seater and a white van going round at speed. (the white van having a Jaguar running gear and engine!)
When racing resumed, the rain which had been in the air all day, decided to become more persistent... so we ended up leaving early... but was certainly a worthwhile trip and really enjoyed the bits I saw. Next time we would take our camping chairs (which we had forgot, and assuming we are going in Lynns car of course) as the ground is a bit hard to sit on for any length of time!
Friday, May 02, 2008
General : trip to London
We decided to have a shopping trip to London last weekend, not sure how we decided to go... but nominally to go and buy me a Birthday present :-)
The first bit of excitement was at the train station at Ascot, where we saw the steam train... not sure what it was doing there but obviously some trip somewhere and lots of people were on board having their breakfast !
Once at Waterloo, we went to get the tube, but there are lots of lines closed due to engineering works and also an "incident" on the circle line, so it was confusing and crowded but we ended up at our first planned destination, Portabello Road. Coming out of the tube, there was a queue just to get out! There were hundreds of people walking up and down the approaches to and Portabello Road itself..... We walked up most of it, but wasn't a very pleasant shopping experience due to the crowds
We then went on the tube to Regent Street and found a nice cafe for lunch, then went into Hamleys! After spending a fair amount of time in Hamleys, we walked to Hatton Garden (as it was a nice day . Hatton Garden is the Jewelery quarter so majority of the shops were expensive Jewelry shops !
Then decided to go to Harrods, where we made the only purchase of the day.... a handbag.... no not for my birthday, it's for Lynn :-)
On the way home, we had to change at Ascot and decided to pop in the pub for our evening meal. The food was really nice and pretty reasonable so were pleased with our decision.
All in all a very nice trip out, despite not buying what we went out for....
Poker: Home Tournament - May 2008
It was a bit of a shock for some to see some GIRLS turn up to play :-) We also had Steve W join us for the first time, so welcome to everyone to the bonkers monthly game...
On my table, Bill seemed to start off in his normal style by getting all-in with Andy.... as it turned out his A-K against JJ was a close race but neither improved and Bill is buying in the first hand (now that isn't unusual) There is a lot of limping in (also as normal) so I am getting compelling odds to play quite loose and end up limping in with some rubbish like 6-4 but hit a straight and as Bill has called me, he ends up buying in again and I start building a good size stack. A few hands later, Bill is all in against against my two pair and the turn comes what I think is a blank but the river completed his runner-runner straight and takes a miracle win.... its going to be a long night...
My luck is actually pretty good, as its not long before I get K-7 on blind and flop gives me a straight draw. Alex gives me a cheap card and I hit the straight on the turn which we both check. The value bet on the river gets paid off and my stack is looking healthy again.
As the night progresses Alex builds up a good size stack, as does Andy. My stack starts to go up and down a bit but mainly down....
At the break, I am at around 2500 chips which is a little below average but not anything to worry too much about.
Incredibly, Jon is the first man out on the other table and stands around looking shell shocked.... but he isn't the only one out for long and Jock gets busted out by Andy
As the blinds increase it is starting to get expensive to see flops and Steve W suddenly springs into life by busting out Roger then Bill in quick succession. With a decent size stack he also starts putting in pot sized bets on the flop and suddenly has a huge stack ! Not bad for a beginner (you did say you were a beginner, didn't you ;-) ) Soon after, Viki gets busted out after a good show, so we are down to the final table.....
The final table sees Karen with the chip lead, Mick low stack but on the button and I have just enough for the BB but am one off the BB so have two hands to be all in. Seeing A-7 was enough for me to put my 700 chips. Lucky for me everyone else folds except Steve W who is obliged to call the extra 200 and shows 6-4. Luckily I hit a 7 and take the pot so can afford to put in my BB now ! I have to fold the next hand when there is some raising but go all in with A-4 on SB when everyone except Derek folds. Alex re-raises which makes Derek fold, but am not confident when Alex shows A-8 Luckily for me, the flop brings an A and all high cards, so we end up splitting the pot and I have got a full round to make a move with my 2000 odd chips now.
To my surprise and delight, the action really hots up, with Steve W betting out on all streets against Karen, he has to show a complete bluff on the end against Karen's pair A, so is the first player out from the final table (well done though, good effort) Turns out to be the start of Karen's Juggernaut ride over the table as she takes out both Mick and Simon on the next hand.... Simon with trip Aces was betting big but Karen sitting there quietly with Full House took a HUGE pot (Simon was likely 2nd chip leader at the time) I suddenly find myself in at least 5th place which was unexpected to say the least, but the winner is no longer in any real doubt....
Unfortunately I do not improve as I stick it all in with K-7 and get called by Karen and Andy from the blinds. With no pocket pairs, my 7 pairing the flop put me well in the lead but with Alex and Derek's support, Karen hit a T on the river, taking another two players out and leaving just 3 players.
It is all over bar the shouting as Derek find himself all-in with T-3 but this time it is Alex who is taking a player out
With there only being time for four hands, Karen continues her tight play and takes the well deserved win.
With 16 players it was quite busy, but a fantastic game with lots of action.... next month is the £10 special (no-limit, no-rebuy with 2nd chance) so that one should also be a cracker... can't wait !
On my table, Bill seemed to start off in his normal style by getting all-in with Andy.... as it turned out his A-K against JJ was a close race but neither improved and Bill is buying in the first hand (now that isn't unusual) There is a lot of limping in (also as normal) so I am getting compelling odds to play quite loose and end up limping in with some rubbish like 6-4 but hit a straight and as Bill has called me, he ends up buying in again and I start building a good size stack. A few hands later, Bill is all in against against my two pair and the turn comes what I think is a blank but the river completed his runner-runner straight and takes a miracle win.... its going to be a long night...
My luck is actually pretty good, as its not long before I get K-7 on blind and flop gives me a straight draw. Alex gives me a cheap card and I hit the straight on the turn which we both check. The value bet on the river gets paid off and my stack is looking healthy again.
As the night progresses Alex builds up a good size stack, as does Andy. My stack starts to go up and down a bit but mainly down....
At the break, I am at around 2500 chips which is a little below average but not anything to worry too much about.
Incredibly, Jon is the first man out on the other table and stands around looking shell shocked.... but he isn't the only one out for long and Jock gets busted out by Andy
As the blinds increase it is starting to get expensive to see flops and Steve W suddenly springs into life by busting out Roger then Bill in quick succession. With a decent size stack he also starts putting in pot sized bets on the flop and suddenly has a huge stack ! Not bad for a beginner (you did say you were a beginner, didn't you ;-) ) Soon after, Viki gets busted out after a good show, so we are down to the final table.....
The final table sees Karen with the chip lead, Mick low stack but on the button and I have just enough for the BB but am one off the BB so have two hands to be all in. Seeing A-7 was enough for me to put my 700 chips. Lucky for me everyone else folds except Steve W who is obliged to call the extra 200 and shows 6-4. Luckily I hit a 7 and take the pot so can afford to put in my BB now ! I have to fold the next hand when there is some raising but go all in with A-4 on SB when everyone except Derek folds. Alex re-raises which makes Derek fold, but am not confident when Alex shows A-8 Luckily for me, the flop brings an A and all high cards, so we end up splitting the pot and I have got a full round to make a move with my 2000 odd chips now.
To my surprise and delight, the action really hots up, with Steve W betting out on all streets against Karen, he has to show a complete bluff on the end against Karen's pair A, so is the first player out from the final table (well done though, good effort) Turns out to be the start of Karen's Juggernaut ride over the table as she takes out both Mick and Simon on the next hand.... Simon with trip Aces was betting big but Karen sitting there quietly with Full House took a HUGE pot (Simon was likely 2nd chip leader at the time) I suddenly find myself in at least 5th place which was unexpected to say the least, but the winner is no longer in any real doubt....
Unfortunately I do not improve as I stick it all in with K-7 and get called by Karen and Andy from the blinds. With no pocket pairs, my 7 pairing the flop put me well in the lead but with Alex and Derek's support, Karen hit a T on the river, taking another two players out and leaving just 3 players.
It is all over bar the shouting as Derek find himself all-in with T-3 but this time it is Alex who is taking a player out
With there only being time for four hands, Karen continues her tight play and takes the well deserved win.
With 16 players it was quite busy, but a fantastic game with lots of action.... next month is the £10 special (no-limit, no-rebuy with 2nd chance) so that one should also be a cracker... can't wait !
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