Day 1
The tourney started at 12pm and only played 8 levels with NO dinner break, therefore a 15min break every 2 hours meaning a finish of around 9pm.
The early stages were god awful. You start with a stack of 15,000 and I found myself quickly down to 6,000. The main hand involved a BIG fold on my part...
Blind were 50/100 and UTG raises to 400. I find AA and decide to smooth call as 3-betting seemed to be enough to take the pot down preflop at my table. The SB also calls which I wasn't happy about. Flop comes 8h 9h 2s. The SB actually leads out for 600 which I found strange, the original raiser quickly popped it up to 1,700. I decided to re-raise to about 4,500 as I though the original raiser was weak and just trying to take the pot down there and then. However the SB decides to to ship allin and I have about 8,000 behind. I couldn't really figure out what AA was beating here and put him on a set or 89. I opted to fold as blinds were still 50/100 and with 8k I still had plenty of play.
I proceeded to stack off some more chips and found myself with 6k.
The first pot to get my chips moving the other way started with the UTG limping. I found Kh2h in the sb and decide to make up the BB, the BB checks. Flop comes Ah Jh Qs, so I've flopped a gut shot and nut flush draw. I check, B checks and UTG limper min-bets 300 I think it was. I call and the SB pops it up to 1,200. UTG calls and I decide to ship my 5k (ish). Both fold and that was a nice little pickup.
My double up hand was when UTG raises and I smooth call with AA (lol). Flop comes Q high and he bets out, I shove and he snaps with QT. I dodge and double up. This took me to about 12k and I managed to small ball right the way up to about 20k. I continue to small ball by taking the blinds and antes as well as 3-betting and taking the pots down pre.
One interesting hand was when MP raises 3x I call with 33. Folded around and the flop comes JJ5. He leads out and I was going to re-pop him here but decided to smooth call. He checks/gives up on the turn, I bet out and he folds. That pot added a nice 15% to my stack.
I then finished up with 43k. I was so frustrated early on because the last 3 live tourneys I've never gotten above the starting stack and have had to play short stack poker. However once I got some momentum in this one I was able to open up a little and start chipping up. 394 players started Day 1b with 160 making it into Day 2. Not sure about the figures from Day 1a however I know about 250 players played. Making this tourney the largest £500 tourney in the UK to date. 72 places paid with 1st taking home £80k.
Day 2
Day 2 started well, I ran my stack up to about 100k before getting moved from the softest table ever to one which had Tom Middleton and Rupinder Bedi on it :( I was placed to Tom Middletons immediate right which wasn't the best place to be sitting.
Anyway the day pretty much ended for me when I picked up QQ. I raised, Middleton 3-bet and I tanked. I could either call and play the flop oop and be put to a tough decision if an A or K comes on the flop or I could 4-bet shove. I know if I shove he's folding most of his 3-bet range however he snaps me off with AK. An Ace hits the flop and I'm left crippled.
Finally busted in 107th place out of about 670 runners.
