19/04/2014

1. 08:30 / $16.50 / (The Big) = 273/1723 = No cash

2. 09:00 / $3.30 / $2K GTD = 5/648 = Cashed for $105.00

3. 09:15 / $10.50 / Heads-Up Turbo = 103/145 = No cash

4. 10:15 / $10.50 / Heads-Up Turbo = 89/174 = No cash ($5 in bounties)

5. 10:15 / $8.80 / $3K GTD = 33/500 = Cashed for $24.00

6. 11:00 / $33 / (The Big) = 64/1267 = Cashed for $91.22

• SESSION RESULT = $142.62

Final tabled the $2K GTD and finished 5th, I went out getting it all-in pre-flop with AK v AJ and got dogged. I can’t wait to get a bit of final table run good and notch a first place! Always happy to cash in The Big $33, I really enjoy this tournament and it seems the structure etc. suits my style. I feel like if I stick at it I’m gonna win this one…

12/04/2014

1. 09:00 / $3.30 / $2K GTD = 31/730 = Cashed for $7.66

2. 09:15 / $10.50 / Heads-Up Turbo = 5/128 = No cash ($20 in bounties)

3. 09:30 / $2.20 / (The Hot) = 826/4349 = No cash

4. 10:00 / $2.20 / NLHE = 24/215 = Cashed for $3.22

5. 10:15 / $8.80 / $3K GTD = 128/500 = No cash

6. 11:00 / $1.10 / $2K GTD = 1178/2442 = No cash

7. 11:00 / $33 / (The Big) = 469/1277 = No cash

8. 11:30 / $3.30 / (The Hot) = 1304/4754 = No cash

• SESSION RESULT = -($33.52)

Funny story about the Heads-Up Turbo where I was knocked out in the quarter-final and just missed out on the top-four money. In my first round match I had my opponent all-in ten times, seven of which I was a favourite but he continuously got there and won all ten! Don’t worry, on the eleventh I finally won one and progressed! Because this obviously took far longer than the rest of the fields matches I had a bit of rail watching and the comments were coming in like football scores, ’7-0!’… ’8-0!!’… ’9-0!!!’… which was fun. Even in my quarter-final match my opponent survived four all-ins before eventually knocking me out. I guess I’ve never ran so bad but got so far, I could definitely win that Heads-Up tourney.

05/04/2014

1. 11:00 / $33 / (The Big) = 639/1401 = No cash

2. 12:00 / $11 / $6K GTD = 258/759 = No cash

• SESSION RESULT = -($44.00)

Another beat in The Big $33, this time JJ v AJ all-in pre-flop. Really happy with my The Big $33 play but that’s three beats in a row now.

29/03/2014

1. 07:30 / $16.50 / (The Big) = 756/1704 = No cash

2. 08:00 / $3.30 / $2K GTD = 290/694 = No cash

3. 08:45 / $8.80 / 6-Max Turbo = 341/500 = No cash

4. 09:15 / $10.50 / Heads-Up Turbo = 70/204 = No cash ($5 in bounties)

5. 09:15 / $8.80 / $3K GTD = 286/486 = No cash

6. 10:00 / $33 / (The Big) = 547/1218 = No cash

7. 10:00 / $11 / 6-Max Turbo = 90/613 = No cash

8. 11:00 / $11 / $6K GTD = 35/687 = Cashed for $28.16

• SESSION RESULT = -($69.74)

A sick beat in The Big $33 shoving 99 on a (K 9 x x) board and getting called by K9 only to see the two-outer King hit the river! I would have had a top-10 chip stack too.

Good luck at the tables! #runlikekiddo

22/03/2014

1. 08:45 / $8.80 / 6-Max Turbo = 69/500 = No cash

2. 09:00 / $2.20 / MicroMillions-082 = 916/12177 = Cashed for $5.11

3. 09:15 / $10.50 / Heads-Up Turbo = 2/153 = Cashed for $183.00 ($30 in bounties)

4. 09:15 / $8.80 / $3K GTD = 299/408 = No cash

5. 10:00 / $33 / (The Big) = 550/1128 = No cash

6. 11:00 / $11 / $6K GTD = 321/660 = No cash

• SESSION RESULT = $113.81

I logged onto PokerStars today thinking I was going to final table The Big $33 again but a flopped flush under flush put an end to that dream! It was very pleasing to make the final of the Heads-Up Turbo, I got what I deserved from that tourney as I dominated my matches, notching six $5 bounties on the road to the final. The final itself went the right way too, my opponent deserved to beat me on this occasion, it felt to me like he edged it even if at the end of the day it came down to a flip for most of the chips in play. Another positive tourney session keeps the ball moving forward so I’m happy.

Good luck at the tables! #runlikekiddo

15/03/2014

1. 09:15 / $8.80 / $3K GTD = 245/500 = No cash

2. 10:00 / $1.10 / $2K GTD = 485/2456 = No cash

3. 10:00 / $33 / (The Big) = 6/1234 = Cashed for $1,462.29

4. 10:30 / $3.30 / (The Hot) = 2726/4744 = No cash

5. 11:00 / $3.30 / (MicroMillions-018) = 1721/14615 = Cashed for $5.26

6. 11:00 / $22 / (6-Max) = 767/1857 = No cash

7. 11:00 / $11 / $6K GTD = 219/640 = No cash

8. 11:00 / $1.10 / $1.5K GTD = 479/2057 = No cash

9. 11:30 / $4.40 / (The Hot) = 376/4715 = Cashed for $8.48

10. 12:00 / $3.30 / (Micro $25K GTD) = 4379/12220 = No cash

• SESSION RESULT = $1,384.73

Final tabled The Big $33!!! I was chip leader for some time once the bubble had burst but found myself the short stack 6-handed. I went out re-shoving the K2s for ~16.5bbs from the SB over a BTN min-raise and he literally SNAPPED me off with the JTo… spikes a ten and that’s me out! So I’m a little confused if I did the right thing as I clearly chose the wrong customer (although he did fold to a re-shove from me once before) but I got it in good!!! I was just left so annoyed that I got it in so weak and gambley.

Need to study up on my endgame I think…

Good luck at the tables! #runlikekiddo

09/03/2014

1. 10:00 / $33 / (The Bigger) = 240/1782 = No cash

2. 10:30 / $3.30 / (The Hotter) = 1329/6727 = No cash

3. 11:00 / $11 / $6K GTD = 300/812 = No cash

4. 11:00 / $1.10 / $1.5K GTD = 1502/2759 = No cash

• SESSION RESULT = -($48.40)

It’s disappointing I bubbled The Bigger $33, so no cashes to report this time!

Good luck at the tables! #runlikekiddo

17/11/2013

1. 9:30 / $2.20 / (The Hotter) = 376/5154 = Cashed for $4.43

2. 10:15 / $8.80 / $3K GTD = 187/500 = No cash

3. 11:00 / $5.50 / (MicroMillions-028) = 3561/14134 = No cash

4. 11:00 / $33 / (The Bigger) = 437/1734 = No cash

5. 11:30 / $3.30 / (The Hotter) = 1840/6938 = No cash

6. 13:30 / $3.30 / (MicroMillions-029) = 8801/21857 = No cash

• SESSION RESULT = -($51.67)

I was happy once again with my level of concentration, I am a bit disappointed I made a few mistakes but I guess I’ve had a short spell away from having a tourney session. It’s a shame I couldn’t go deeper in the MicroMillions events what with how many runners they attract as this results in decent prize pools so I’m left with what might have been…

Good luck at the tables! #runlikekiddo

Listed by session, here are my results so far…

[Time of day / Buy-in / Tournament title / Cash or not]

09/09/2013

1. 9:30 / $22 / 6-Max = No cash

2. 9:30 / $2.20 / (The Hot) = No cash

3. 9:45 / $8.80 / 6-Max = Cashed for $20.00

4. 10:00 / $33 / $5K GTD = Cashed for £263.25

5. 10:15 / $8.80 / $3K GTD = No cash

6. 11:00 / $33 / (The Big) = No cash

• SESSION RESULT = $175.45

14/09/2013

1. 8:30 / $16.50 / (The Big) = No cash

2. 8:45 / $27.50 / $2.5K GTD = Cashed for $582.10

3. 9:30 / $22 / 6-Max = No Cash

4. 9:30 / $2.20 / (The Hot) = No cash

• SESSION RESULT = $513.90

16/09/2013

1. 11:00 / $33 / (The Big) = Cashed for $391.05

2. 12:00 / $11 / $6K GTD = Cashed for $17.23

3. 12:00 / £1.10 / $1.5K GTD = No cash

• SESSION RESULT = $363.18

23/09/2013

1. 10:15 / $8.80 / $3K GTD = No cash

2. 10:45 / $4.40 / 4-Max = No cash

3. 11:00 / $33 / (The Big) = No cash

4. 11:00 / $1.10 / $2K GTD = No cash

• SESSION RESULT = -($47.30)

15/10/2013

1. 8:30 / $16.50 / (The Big) = Cashed for $69.31

2. 9:00 / $3.30 / $2K GTD = Cashed for $5.88

3. 9:30 / $2.20 / (The Hot) = No cash

4. 10:15 / $8.80 / $3K GTD = No cash

5. 11:00 / $33 / (The Big) = No cash

6. 11:00 / $1.10 / $2K GTD = No cash

• SESSION RESULT = $10.29

19/10/2013

1. 8:30 / $16.50 / (The Big) = No cash

2. 9:00 / $3.30 / $2K GTD = Cashed for $5.39

3. 9:30 / $2.20 / (The Hot) = No cash

4. 10:15 / $8.80 / $3K GTD = No cash

5. 11:00 / $33 / (The Big) = Cashed for $50.81

6. 11:00 / $1.10 / $2K GTD = No cash

• SESSION RESULT = -($8.70)

20/10/2013

1. 8:30 / $16.50 / (The Biggest) = Cashed for $38.95

2. 9:30 / $2.20 / (The Hottest) = Cashed for $7.17

3. 11:00 / $33 / (The Biggest) = No cash

4. 11:30 / $3.30 / (The Hotter) = No cash

• SESSION RESULT = -($8.80)

Perhaps going forward I will be a bit clearer on my note taking to include field size / position finished etc. If you play these you will know that the bigger guarantees or the ones I’ve put in brackets and PokerStars call ‘The Hot’ or ‘The Big’ for example have much bigger field sizes, usually in the thousands, so to cash or final table in these ones is more pleasing.

I’m happy with the results so far though but happy with my level of concentration the most.

Good luck at the tables! #runlikekiddo

Obviously with such a huge field of players anyone planning on going deep, even world class players, would need a substantial slice of luck, but on the same note with such a huge field a decent percentage of it tends to be dead money. Anyway my decision to play in it was made easy when I was contacted by Mike Leah from Ivey Poker who wanted to stake me to play in it! The agreement in this situation is simple, Mike would buy me in so I would be freerolling the tournament and in the event on any prize money we would receive our pre-agreed percentage each. Obviously both parties are trying to make money so on my part I don’t play any big tournament volume (something Mike recognised) so it is nice to have zero risk. Mike commented that he was ‘impressed with my cash grind’ so on his part he gets an experienced online player to play for his money in the hope of some run-good and, you never know, a decent score to share.

With roughly 6K places getting paid and with me being knocked out around 12K I unfortunately didn’t make us any money… I didn’t win one AIPF, I lost a flip for around two-thirds of my stack at one point and couldn’t recover getting it in eventually with J8s v A9o for only 8bb’s flopping a straight-flush draw and missing. I was nicely poised always a little above average chips before losing that flip so it was a shame I couldn’t cash and at least re-pay Mike’s faith in staking me, but hey, that’s tournament poker… ty, gg.

Mike Leah plays on PokerStars under the handle ‘goleafsgoeh’ and for Phil Ivey’s brand Ivey Poker. He incidentally lasted longer than me and managed to cash for around $800 so nice one Mike, and good luck at the tables!

I got it all-in behind twice: once with JT v A9 and I flopped a Jack; and the other with A4 v AJ and I turned a straight. But I feel that this evened out two all-ins I lost when ahead: once holding QQ v JJ; and the other holding AJ v KQ. I guess I was lucky that when I was the player all-in (with the JT and the A4) I stayed alive.

The significant hands were after resuming from the break playing 5-handed: 5th, 4th & 3rd were knocked out in the first 3 hands. I knocked out the 4th place finisher holding QQ v A8, and again the 3rd place finisher this time holding AK v AJ. At heads-up I always fancy myself, especially as we had 65+BB’s each with the blinds at 2,500/5,000 and I started to grind out a 2-1 chip lead. My opponent, from Brazil, caught a run of cards to bring it back even. He offered a deal before and offered it again now that we were even again. The time meant I needed to finish so we agreed on a chop, $1,214.10 each, although I did become the tournament ‘winner’.

All in all I felt I played solid throughout, ending with a fantastic result for my first tournament played on PokerStars!