My trip report on Irish Open.

connie147

I promised to write a report on my trip so here goes.

Wednesday:
Travelled to Dublin with Lplate but had been sick since sunday. Went to the doc on Wed morning and he wanted to admit me to hospital but I explained to him that I wasn't missing the IO. He gave me some tablets and away we went. As the day went on, I got sicker and sicker, finished up not leaving the room in City West at all. Not a great start.

Thurs:
I'm supposed to play today but when I get up, I know this isnt going to be possible. I ring Noel(BCB) and ask him if I can change my start day to Friday and happily he ok's it. Thurs another disaster and I'm even sicker than Wed.
Stay in the room all day again and double up on the medication. Not the greatest preperation but maybe things will improve tomorrow.

Friday:
Wake up and feel much better. Head off down and register for the tournament. Sit to my table at 2.25pm. Dont know any of the players here so spend the 1st blind level sizing them up.
I'm in seat 1, seat 2 is a betfair qualifier(rockish), seat 3 is a young German whose seems to be quite tight as well, seat 4 is an uber rock english player, seat 5 is a NI player called Paddy,tight enough, seat 6 is an aggressive english player of asian origin, seat 7 is the muppet, a French player in his 50's, seat 8 and 9 are two tight english players. Overall,quite a nice table.

"2nd blind level and I start hovering up chips in position as theres very little resistance in the 3 seats to my left. The asian dude in seat 6 has started raising in early-mid position to beat me to it, but I repop him a couple of times and play a pot with him to the river where I've the nuts and get paid with a value bet on the river, so now he's keeping away which is making life easy enough.

The french guy is like a card rack and is up to over 24k in the 2nd blind level.I'm playing about 17k when this hand happens. Frenchie raises for the 5th hand in a row. I'm in the sb and I'm getting a bit browned off of it. I call the raise of 700 with 7d-8d. Only the 2 of us to the flop.
Flop 7-8-A, rainbow. I check to him and he checks behind.(he had AK in the previous hand and checked the flop with an A as well). 7 on the turn completing the rainbow and I lead for 1,500. He calls. (lovely, I have him here).
River brings a fcuking A. Jesus thats sick. I lead for 2k, he raises me and I have to fold.

So I'm down to 12.5 k (still ave stack) when I pick up AA in the frenchies BB.
Blinds 50-100, I raise to 300, young german flat calls, folded to frenchie who reraises to 1500. I'm thinking about repopping here but for sure I'll be giving away my hand. I look at the german lad and he seems to be preparing to fold so I just call the 1500 and Hans folds. Flop is Q-6-3 rainbow. He leads for the full pot (3300). Now if he has QQ I dont expect him to bet so big from what Ive seen so far. I think he has KK and possibly A-Q. So I think for a min, and shove all-in over the top. He calls instantly and tables KK and I get my double up to 26k.

We go into the next blind level and I can see the german lad is getting fed up of me taking his blinds. (he called me down one time with bottom pair all the way to the river). So I've started to get a bit choosy on my raising hands in his blind. He douled up himself with a set so when this hand happened he had 15k and I had 28k.
I'm on the button with 55. Folded around to me but Ive seen the BB preparing chips for a raise so I limp, sb limps, BB makes it 1k more. I call and sb folds. Flop is 6-6-5, he leads 1400 at the pot, I make it 3800, he pushes. He's got AA. Naturely, an A pops on the turn and my stack is halved.

When I'm back up to 15k I raise the c/o with AK. German calls in the sb.(pot 2100). Flop is QK6. He checks, I bet 1500, he calls. Turn is K. I bet 3k, he calls. River a 10, he bets 4k, I call, he shows AJ.

I'm sitting on close to 12k when I lost 4.5k in a pot where theres a reraise unknown to me (I've dealt with this hand in detail in the HH theory section).
I work my way up to 10k again. Theres a raise from the player in seat 7 to 1200, seat 9 flat calls and I shove for my stack otb with AK. Seat 9 calls with QQ and despite a 234 flop, no help for me.

If I win that race I'm back up over the average stack again and back in the game. But it wasn't to be.

I think its only right that PPP be complemented on the layout of the room and the superb athmosphere of the week-end. My only gripe would be the 10k starting stack. I think a tournament of this callibre has to be different to the rest and 10k starting stack doesnt give for a lot of play. (this didnt really affect me as I got my starting stack up but its just my way of thinking). The athmosphere was superb all week-end and I'm sure the foreign players went home impressed.

Sorry if I've bored some of ye, but it feelsbetter when you write it down.

Connie

Hectorjelly

Nice report, sounds like you played well. I hope you are feeling better!

Doc Farrell

Hectorjelly wrote: »

Nice report, sounds like you played well. I hope you are feeling better!

Whats this! A NICE response from our resident Ball Of Fury?! I'm freaking out! The matrix is crashing!

Connie, obv, you are the man.

JohnnyL

UL connie, that ace on the turn when you flopped a house must have made you even sicker than you had been all week, vvvul

mewso

Nice report Connie and hard luck. I think it's time to invite us all down to Kilarney for another big tourney. Best way to forget the IO. Call it the IO Hangover €250 freezeout or something.

Kamaldihnio

That A on the river when you had 87, the A on the turn when you flopped a house and last but not least the 10 river for AJ to make the str8 gotta hurt. As I said before, I find it a very interesting read on how peoples tournament panned out. Fair play for the post man. Well done and Unlucky.

YULETIRED

nice report Connie....mine is more a brief observation of the event.

TRIP REPORT. - well not really...
I sat around for 3 days with a smile on my face trying to figure out what the best way to win these types of tournys in the future.. I was hoping to do well but didn't consider myself as anything but a solidish player with an outside chance if lucky. Well I didn't really get lucky at all, on day 3 I doubled up but sure it went all in next hand to the same player with AK agianst 88 so that was meaniless... I think in future events I have a little bit more knowledge of what is required and when...etc.
I still don't think I'm much above the average player line BUT, I do see a path to improvement, THIS was the most encouraging thing I took from my 1st BIG tournament.
never too old to learn imo.

Nothing dramatic happened of note in my whole experience and that was partly down to me, watching watching watching, taking mental notes.........Having said all that there were some woeful players in this tournament so anyone who is an accompliced tourny pro and who didn't play this missed a good opportunity. Met some top pros also and was suprised that one or two were happy to get in the cash and move up the pay scale whilst not considering the winning of it. Sounded like a lot of Irish pro golfers just struggling to make cash each week. 3 stunning dealers made it all the more bearable.. (female btw)
fair play to PPP et al, good show and great experience. Now poker can be a nice past time agian for me instead of the big preoccupation it has been these last 3 months since I qualified........Fitz EOM on thurs should have a few runners.....Donal? (ya legend)

nicnicnic

Say you were sicker going home then on the way up after that bashing Connie, ul sir


my tourney reviewed

Last satellite attempt turned out to be a fun one. Very first hand I flop a set and get paid . Now the last live set I flopped was the in the sporting emporium game at the end of November and that got one outed so when I hit one here I started thinking nice thoughts. The table was conservative to say the least; I had expected loads of scandies firing chips all over the place but in fact at least four on the table didn't even top up. Bracelet winner Alan Smurfit was on the table for a while and after he left former main event winner Noel Furlong joined it. I hadn't played with Furlong before but knew he had an erratic reputation but one of the hands he played has my head still spinning a bit. The blinds were 600/1200 and the BB had one BB behind, I raise the button to 3600 with Q7 Furlong calls and pushes on an 6h3h2h flop with a black 89!!

Anyhow ran good in the satt and although it was close at the end managed to get in. Think all the shorties like myself owe Noel Magner a big TY for his swashbuckling bubble buster with QQ.

Decided to go for day two as I fancied a few drinks after the satt; ended up having an unplanned few two many the Thursday night as well but hangovers never stopped me playing well before. So it was a sicknic that faced the starting table of;

Jesper Hougaard 27 1
David Craig 27 2
Roberto Merida 27 3
nicholas Howard 27 4
Frannie Hogan 27 5
Nicky Power 27 6
Conor Tate 27 7
Kevin O'Connell 27 8
Julian Thew 27 9


I could think of three easier to have lined up to your left but wasn't that bothered tbh. First three levels were fairly quiet, the biggest pot i played being for about 3k which i took down on the turn against Thew. My stack had just dropped from about 13k to 10k when the following hand occurred. I get 9s10s and complete after a button limp and we take a flop of 8s7c4s. I lead and Conor Tate raises from the BB; I push for another 7k and get called by Ks7s. Although I didn't expect to be called I wasn't gonna be in terrible shape against any-hand but Conner's was the worst possible hand to find calling leaving me with 36% equity I think. Thankfully a Jc on the river doubled me through. I wasn't happy to see the table break shortly afterwords.

My new table had Dave masters, Liam Flood on my right, scandi and french biggish stacks to Liam's that were raising every pot. This table was explosive with players busting every other hand. I lost any chance I had of mixing it up on the table when my stack dropped to 8k when I flopped a set of 4's on an 8c4c3h flop and called Liam down on the turn and river having re popped him on the flop when the club hit the turn. I think the hand was a cooler and tbh i did well not to go broke. The last two levels were a real struggle as there were 5/6 big stacks on the table and without seeing anything that resembled a decent hand I survived with 10275 chips for day two.

I was feeling really good despite my chip count and was confident I could get into the tournament but it wasn't to be. Having snapped off a raise and playing 13k its folded to me in the sb holding Q10, the bb seems tight to me so i decide to put him in for his 7k and after some deliberation he calls with 77. I'm happy its a race but although a KJ flop gives me hope I'm down to just over 6k. Three hands later I pick up KK, push and get called by AK an A high flop sends me to the rail. I wasn't disappointed as I has played as good as I could through the tournament and that's all one can really do in such a big field. That and hope the poker goods shine on you.

I still had a bit of an interest as I had swapped a few % with the Fox and Derek Murry and had done a deal with last years winner Marty where if either of us cashed big they paid the other into the WPT final which would of been nice but alas none made the end of the day. I was talking to Marty later and he told me how after he found out of my exit he said to his girlfriends mate that meant he had no shares left. He said she was very confused by this and he spent 15 minutes explaining about swapping shares to her until he realised she thought he was saying swapping showers lol.

As ever paddypower put on a super show the room being magically set up but while the city west is a splendid venue for me it just didn't reach the great atmosphere of the previous two years although I cant explain why. I was happy Neill Channing won in the end; I played with him a few times and always thought him one of the good guys. I was speaking to him just before the FT started and told him he deserved the win as he had worked hard for it. He knew I meant all the time he had spent over the years playing the game and replied with the look of a person totally confident " your right I do deserve it"

BigCityBanker

Has anybody got any more trip reports from the Irish Open. Il write my own in a few days but for now i decided to put up this photo as I really like it.



Please note this photo is property of paddypowerpoker and may not be reproduced or copied withour our consent.

smurph

My Irish Open trip report....

Irish Open Day 1B
Myself and Martin were booked into the hotel for Friday and Saturday night.... I checked out my Draw, Table 1 Seat 1. It was at a quite noisy and active area of the Hall. The bloggers table was behind us and they were getting the Feature table organised aswell. There was a great buzz around the hall. Was I nervous, hell yes.....was I happy, Ecstatic


So how did the day go. It started horrendously, I raised in lp to 500 with 10s 10h, guy in ep calls (this player was a card rack and had worked his stack up to 16K already)

Flop comes down 9h9d2s He checks I bet out 600 he calls

Turn is 5d, he bets out 600???? I call

river is 7, he bets out 2K, I call and he flicks over 55 for a make house nh sir.

Im down 3.5K already, not great..... I go on a freefall for 2 levels and hit 5K mark... mmm not going according to plan.

Then this hand happens... I limp in on the Button with pocket fives.

Flop comes down 7 7 5 nice.

BB bets out 500, I raise to 1,200 he calls quickly,

Turn is 2, he checks, I ship my remaining 3.5K he instacalls, and turns over 7, 8.... My house holds up and im up to starting stack..

Next orbit im in the BB and a loose aggresive player raises to 450 in mp... I look down at pocket 3's and decide to peel a flop... I know small pocket pairs aren't great but early on in a tournament they are worth playing... Flop comes down 8 8 3, I check, he bets out 1K, I flat call.

Turn is 5, I bet out 1.5K he dwells up for 4 - 5 minutes and say's all-in... I beat his chips to the middle and he has kings, I get my double up and were heading to level 2. I go on a good run and get my chips up to 35K by the end of level 4. By the close of play I have moved back down to 28K,

The most interesting thing of note happened close to the end of day..




The muppet above got moved to my table, he was from Turkey (explains alot)

he started saying that in his country they keep their women in their places while showing the slapping gesture

A definite Red Rag to a Bull comment.

Mr Turk raises my blind from the button, while saying

"I raise leetle beet, een case you go over top of me.

I no like women on top of me. Man should go on top."

So I replied
"So you like men on top of you then?"

I won the next hand from him and he got so freaked that I won the pot he went all in with A4 offsuit....... and got called by Aces hee hee. Unfortunately Martin got knocked out at the end of day 1.
The womens side event was played and got a great turnout 146 runners. Vera Duffy came 7th, I was delighted for her. She is a true lady.

Unfortunately I heard that there was no tip left for the dealers from the Winner of the Womens event. This is very bad form in my opinion and something that should be rectified. There was a post on Boards about the Womens event and my opinions on it are in the post. Long story short, I don't like the idea of a womens only event, and I personally don't see the need for it. Anyway my reasons why are here along with other comments.. Don't get me wrong, I would have played in it if I could have gotten the Thursday off work. I retired to the Bar very happy with my play. I overplayed Aces preflop once, something I need to control, and made a good laydown with AK on a AJ10 flop to an all from a player (he showed me a set of 10's)....


Day 2
Im under no illusions about today, the table draw is so important. Im on table 29 (which is first to be broken), so there is no need to try and get a grips with it. JP McCann is on my right (JP Poker) and Mel Judah (shortstacked). Tony Cascarino is also on my table. I had many Credit Union loans in the early 90's following the Irish Team around europe, ah the memories...

I get moved 5 times in the next half and hour which is absolutely crazy... I eventually settle on a table with Padraig Parkinson, and Conor Tate on it. There is an American player on my left, who manages to drop into conversation the fact that he is staying in the K Club and is a friend of Alan Smurfitt

"Do ya know Alan" he enquires.....
"Na, just know he owns something or other" is my reply while trying not to be blinded by the mans shirt. Words cannot explain his shirt so I feel a picture of the guy is best.




Im crippled in chips at this stage, due to raising with Queens and calling a re-raise all in to 18K from a lunatic player. He shows KJ offsuit, King on the flop.

There is almost a suicide watch on Padraig as he is shortstacked aswell, and they want to catch his exit hand for RTE. He however has other plans and gets a double up and then works his stack up to 40K plus. I however have only 7 Big blinds. Then I spot production people around us and we are informed that we are going to the feature table, ****....


If your shortstacked the feature table is the last place you want to be. you get much less hands in per level. I wasn't nervous on the Feature table this time, and went into push or fold mode, and got my stack from 13K to 22K, when my exit hand happened.
Padraig Parkinson raised once again, which he has been doing every second hand. I look down at 10J and push, unfortunately he has AQ this time and calls yuck. No miracle for me and im gone. I had to push as the blinds were going up to in 5 minutes and I had to double up or go home. Unfortunately I went home. I was asked to do an interview about my exit and somehow developed a D4 accent and spent the time shuffling my shoulders:eek::eek::eek:

There was a great buzz about Citywest and I was delighted for Donal Norton who came 2nd. He has improved his game sooo much over the last couple of months. Not a bad spin for €50.

I thought the standard of dealing was excellent, and I think that the Venue was much better this year.

I think The paddy power people did a great job on what must have been a highly pressurised weekend.... Well done Noel and Gang

i also think there should be a special word for
Philip Baker, the M/C for the Open.. He did a great job and made your feel very relaxed at the feature table...

eoin-dubh

nicely constructed report smurph.....

mind you a lot of Turkish men are gay anyway...

irishpokeronlin

That PPP FT pic is indeed tasty.

here's my My Irish Poker Open 2008 Trip Report

dK1NG

irishpokeronlin wrote: »

That PPP FT pic is indeed tasty.

here's my My Irish Poker Open 2008 Trip Report

I was at your table for that AA v QQ "slowroll". To be fair, I think yer man was genuine, he thought Blake was still in the hand. Not a nice way to be knocked out though.

mewso

dK1NG wrote: »

I was at your table for that AA v QQ "slowroll". To be fair, I think yer man was genuine, he thought Blake was still in the hand. Not a nice way to be knocked out though.

Interesting move in that hand. Guy raises to 2k and our hero re-raises all-in for 20k on QQ.