Ok, I'm def def def going this weekend.

On the poker front I have found a very quick way to work my bonus off. SNG's. You get a huge amount of points and the competition is very soft. They suck obv but it's a nice change from cash games for a while.

You live in London, right?

So I haven't updated this journal in a while, mainly as I haven't been playing much online lately, been a little bit unwell and just not felt like playing.

Yesterday, I played my regular £20 freezeout MTT at a cardroom I frequent. Last time I played I finished 7th (it's written somewhere in this journal) well this time I took 2nd. I should of won it. But considering I was down to 175 in chips when the blinds were 75/150 I'm very happy.

So, mainly for NV's benefit who crapped out on me AGAIN, here's the important hands/plays.....

The blinds are 20 min levels, you start with 1500 and blinds start at 25/25. Ok....

I was compltely card dead for the first 1 1/2 hours. In fact, I was card dead until the final table. After about 1 hr 20 mins, I made a donk move in a blind battle with and pushed all in on the BB to steal, he insta called and showed A9, I flopped the T, he rivered the A, sigh. I was left with 175 in chips.

I pushed in the dark next hand, got called obv by the BB, I flipped he had 63 and my T high held. I folded for two more hands and then picked up I had 400 ish in chips, I was UTG+1 and pushed. BTN pushes, BB calls his push. BTN shows BB shows yuck, there goes my flush chances. Flop is and gives me the flopped nuts. turn is an ace of some description and they are both drawing dead. So I triple up.

Two hands later, I'm in the BB. One limper in EP,folded to me I look at i take a quick look at limpers stack and decide I could get him to fold and immediately announce all in. He tanks for 30 seconds or so and folds face up. Ho ho, I show him my cards.

So, we go to a break, and I have pretty much what I started with, 1500ish. Blinds will be 100/200 when we go back, and I think "I need to chip up pretty quick if I wanna make the FT here."

I steal the blinds from the button and C/O in the very first orbit, tbh I wasn't even gonna look at my cards as I decided I was gonna steal if folded to me, but both times I had like, J7s or T8 or some reasonable hand, not complete garbage.

I chipped up to around 2,800 and 1hr of folding/stealing later I looked around and noticed we was down to about 15, 9 places for the FT. I was pretty shocked at how quickly people had dropped out but started thinking seriously about making the FT.

I made a sound laydown more or less on the bubble. I'm in the BB, UTG limps(he now has like, 27536739731 chips) and MP (we're 6 handed) shoves in. It's another 1500 to me, I have like 2200 or something. I look down at Yuck. Horrible spot. MP is a rock, but I think I have him dominated, I'm pretty sure he has an ace. But my problem is the big stack still to act. He's almost certain to call with any two with the pot odds and the chance to knock the pair of us out. But he could also have a small PP and may fold to my push. It's all in or fold time here. So I tank for a minute and fold. UTG calls MP and MP does indeed have and ace, A7, UTG shows J9ss and flops two pair. So I KNEW I was ahead PF but I made a good fold in terms of the result.

And before I knew it, I looked over and the other table was playing 4, plus our 5, wooot, FT. I felt really good getting to the FT, I'd basically had no PP above 22 (UTG folded obv obv obv) and no ace higher than AT, which as I wrote above, I also folded.

I go outside for a smoke and think to myself I'm due some fucking big hands soon but will I be around long enough to find them? I went back in, and looked at the FT and I was the SS by fucking miles. I had 2200ish, chip leader had 12k and avg stacks were around 6k. To make matters worse, there were only prizes for 5th place and upwards. Normally it's 9 but as there were 10 or so less runners than normal, they took this decision. Great. And to make matters EVEN worse, the chip leader was yet again seated directly to my left. Oh well, fuck it I thought, it's an achievement getting here, lets gambooooool and try and chip up.

First hand I get LP, and push, obv. No one wants to tangle with a SS donk it seems. Interesting. I take the blinds. Which adds like, 10% to my stack. Next hand. same deal. No one calls my push. So I now have like 2800 and feel a bit better about the BB coming my way. The BB does come my way and its some uber shite hand like 74o and I have to pass to a raise from LP. Next hand. Folded to me in the SB. I look at well, fuck me, a hand at last. Now the BB is the chip leader and was also the recipient of my all in donk move with T8o earlier, so he knows I'm capable of pushing crap out of the SB. So I shove. He calls, I say "good" and he shows 22. I flop my queen and double. So NOW I have a stack. What happens next can only be described as fucking marvellous.

For some reason, people who have no doubt played like utter rocks to make the FT, capitulate and somehow turn into utter retards. Getting it all in with J9 on a 9 high board when it's obv (to me anyway) UTG has just limped and clearly has AA or KK (he had AA btw) and all this kind of nonsene. Basically, 3 dropped out in like, 4 mins 37 seconds. Great, just great, I'm one away from cashing, unbelievably.

I am OTB with QJo and it's folded to me, 6 handed now (5 cash) and I make it 3 x the BB (350/750) I have about 1800 left behind so I'm telling the blinds I am going all the way with this one. SB folds, BB pushes. I insta call. He shows 99. I flop my queen again and double through him. I now have just under 9k. BB bitches and moans about my call and I just tell him I'm short, OTB, 5 handed, QJ is just fine. Guy to my left says he agrees with me and BB shuts up bitching.

Quite a few more orbits pass, I'm dead again and drop down to 6k again, I can't steal as most post are raised before me and the SB/BB have me covered.

UTG+1 pushes out, 4k. MP folds. I look down at

I call. Suspect but I need to win a race. He shows AK. Ouch.

Flop is AQT. How's that for a flop. Turn pairs the board but river bricks so he misses his boat and I at last knock someone out of the tournament. We are 4 handed, and I have 10k. I am obv very happy.

Next hand is my hand of the tourny. Not because I played well but because I was a completely lucky donk and got paid. Folded to me in the SB and I have

I make it 3,500 (blinds are 500/1000) and BB calls. Flop of 45J. I bet half pot. BB calls. Shit. I'm in so deep in this pot now and I have bottom pair. Pot is 13k+. I have 4.5k left. Enough to check the turn and go crawl into a corner when the BB fires at me.

Turn is the oh so beautiful About time I got some luck.... I sit back in my seat, and wonder how to stack him. Do I act weak, and hope he bluffs? Well, he obv has a piece of this board, he doesn't need to bluff. Do I CRAI? He's sure to bet if I check, there's no way he puts me on this 4. Fuck it, I'll look like I'm bluffing..I push, he tanks and calls, I show him, he is disgusted obv, and shows JT, meh. River is the case 4 just to add insult to him. I now have 20k. Wow.

BB bitches for a bit about me raising with my trash, he has a point but I repped a much bigger hand than his JT, it's not my fault he wants to be a station and let me catch. Anyway, one more goes 5 hands later and we're 3 handed, me, incredibly, as chip leader. The other two get it all in with AJ vs AK, flop of AJ, turn K. I felt sorry for the guy, I'd just busted him with trash and then he gets 3 outered. Meh.

So, we're HU.

I won't go into hand specifics, there were too many. Needless to say I was uber, uber aggressive from the BTN and he couldn't cope. He sucked at HU. He gave up his SB loads and generally looked dazed. I finally got him on tilt and got him to call my AIPF with JTo, I had ATo. This holds up, I win. Flop T high, river J. Urrrggghhh...river a T just to rub it in. FFS.

So we're back to even after I essentially stripped his chips bit by bit and I get AA. Fuck me where have you been all day? I make a min raise from the SB, he doesn't notice this and calls. I flop a set, all clubs. He comes out with 4k (800/1600 blinds) and I push. He tanks and folds, damn...

Lot's of swings in the chip lead ensue as I batter him again but he eventually learns that position is everything in HU and starts playing back at me. I have to give up lots of PF raises to his pushes. So, he has me covered and the final hand happens...

I raise out of the SB and he calls. Flop of 986r and he leads a very weak bet, I have him on a draw or a weak pair, I shove with my gutshot and overs and he calls with J8, I like my read but I don't like the fact I get no help and we're done. I shake his hand, fair play to him, he's a nice guy and as we walk off together he says how he couldn't cope with my aggression and obv had my ATvsJT held up, I would of won. He knew he got lucky and wasn't in the least bit arrogant, fair play to him.

So, I cashed £182. In US, it was $40 to buy in, I cashed around $360. Not bad.

Sorry for the long post but it was my highest cash in a live tourney and I wanna write about it...