A win.

Managed to take down my first live tournament yesterday at Gala for £410. There were only 32 runners though so wasn't anything uber special (Still properly chuffed though!). It was £10 in with two rebuys and an add-on in the first hour, starting on 2k with blinds staying at 50-100 until after the break. I'll just give a break down of some key hands :)

Had fuck all for the first 45mins or so and didn't play a hand. There was plenty of limping until I got dealt the monster K9o in the cutoff, and made a standard raise hoping the image would work. Got 2 callers but managed to flop K8x two diamonds. Checked in first pos and a guy led out. I thought for a bit and shoved which was met by an insta call on the nut flush draw. Managed to hold up which is always nice. Up to about 4k. In the next hand made a bluff all in on the flop with AJs on a Qhigh board after a guy cbet, and then the last hand before the break I threw half my stack away raising AKs (with limpers), c betting on a board of Q10x which was swiftly met by an all in. Added on. Stack now at 5200. (about average)

After the break the table split and I got put next to a total gobshite who thought he was a god talking about hellmuth, and how he could read me, and all the standard shit that goes with it. He was pretty quiet before until he sucked out calling an all in on A7s v AK, thereby becoming chip leader. About half an hour later after staying around the 6k mark with blinds at 400/800, finally got my break when a bloke min raised my big blind in early position which fucked me off (lol,such a child) so I went all in with AQ and as he was shortstacked he thought fuck it and committed the rest of his slightly smaller stack with Q5s. Happy days. It held up fortunately. He didn't seem that bad to be honest but that was a bit ambitious lol. After that lost a few races with mini stacks but got a few thousand back here and there.

On about 11k at this time when we were moved to the final table (8 man) and there was plenty of action. I got sat in between the two monster stacks (inc.knobhead) which was very gay but fortunately they donated some of it to the other side and in particular a reg who is almost always at the final table playing real solid stuff in my opinion. Anyways chips were exchanged with each other until two people went out.

With blinds at 1000/2000, I open shoved AQo UTG for about 13k and got called by the shortstack on KK and somehow lucked my way out after an A came on the flop. I was running far too well. A few hands after, I was dealt Q9hh in the BB. One limper and the SB completes. Flop comes 7h Kh 8x. SB checks I bet 5k, and get put all in soon after. Can't really fold there, ~35% will do me at this point I thought?. So I called and was semi relieved to find he had 5h6h. The turn came 4h which was interesting but the river was a blank catapulting me up to around 34k and 3rd in chips. Good times.

at 1500/3000 through to 2k/4k it eventually got whittled down to three after the reg ran his KK into 66. The lead kept changing between me and this other bloke. There was one monster where the new shortstack moved in for about 15k and I called on 55 from the SB, but knobhead who was 2nd in chips at this point also called and it ended up us checking it down and not hitting anything and giving the shortstack the lead (lets call him Barry). After that hand our Barry was sitting pretty on about 50k+, me on 25k and knobhead something similiar. Then there was a bit of carnage. Our Barry got pissed off with me when I said (in context with the conversation) "we've seen quad sixes tonight" referring to a guy still watching who flopped the dogs bollocks earlier on, to which our Barry replied, "Eugh, you fucking internet players with your quads and trips and numbers, it's 'four of a kind'," .....lol!

He was perhaps a bit annoyed that I had been raising his blind quite a bit and shoving on bollocks when he limped from the SB. Even though I was getting paid about £150 at this point, one of my greatest faults in poker along with plenty others is that I tend to settle for 2nd or 3rd and be happy that I have made it that far. I never really had a Killer Instinct when it comes to poker which is contrary to my approach in other things.

Anyways the game went on and on, until blinds came to 4k/8k. Our Barry was still grumpy and was playing back at me quite a bit with knobhead still moaning and insulting me and the very few spectators. Took about 20k off our Barry with trip (sorry, three) Queens a bit later after I checked all three streets so he put in a small bet and lost a bit (probs a crap play but our Barry is becoming very aggro). The pivotal hand came about 10 mins later. I find KJs OTB and just decide to smooth call mainly because I don't want to be raised all in by our Barry on a hand that can be quite easily dominated, and secondly to get a three way pot to try and get some action between the other two. Flop comes K10x with a flush draw. Led out for 15k and knobhead calls, and our Barry shoves. I couldn't put knobhead on anything because I thought he would push with a flush draw or any King. Instead I put our Barry on the draw and I made the call after a few mins hoping knobhead won't get involved seeing as there's someone elses tournament on the line. He folded thank jesus.

I was suprised and fucking relieved to find he pushed J10. Turn. Q River x. YES!! It turned out that knobhead also had J10. After that hand I was on about 95k with him on 10k or so. We went for a piss break and as soon as we sit down he shoves his 1BB into me and I look down at AA. It held up against 87 and I took down my first live tourn!!! Yaaaaay.

To cap things off the taxi driver was a Juventus fan. Sorry for the epic!! Hope you're all well.