I think this tournament is still going on
Went with a bunch of blokes from work on a lads weekend to Blackpool over the past few days.
Translation to American: A bunch of dudes from work and I went to go party, like totally.
First night was pretty standard issues stuff. Drinks, drinks and more drinks. Got back to the "hotel" about 2AM and crashed. A couple of the guys had split off and gone to the casino to play some poker, including my roommate. The next morning he tells me there is a £100 comp starting at 1400, so the plan is to have a nosh, give it a go, and then a night of getting pissed.
Translation to American: There's a $200 tournament starting at 2PM, so the 411 is to chow down, r00l the donkament and then party, yo.
Get there and find out that it really starts at 3. OK, whatever. Did notice a couple of absolutely awesome eateries right next to the casino.
Buyin was £100 + £10. Starting stack was 15,000, beginning blinds were 25-50 with 45 minute levels first 2, followed by 40 minute levels for the rest of the tournament.
Yeah, let that sink in.
Structure for the tournament: 25/50, 50/100, 100/200, 150/300, 200/400, 300/600, 400/800, 500/1000, 600/1200, 800/1600, 1K/2K, 1500/3K, 2K/4K, 3K/6K, 4K/8K, 5K/10K, 6K/12K. Insanely slow. Even with very brief breaks, I played over 13 hours. Certainly fantastic value for the juice involved. First few levels I am completely card dead. Even without getting any hands, I still have 12.5K at the second break. Back from the break, button raises to 1200 and I jam from the BB with ATs. He calls 4800 more with A9o and my hand holds up. I drop down a bit and manage to get the table maniac to stick all his chips in on a Q high board with 44 when I have KQs. Nothing bad happens and now I have about 25K. Keep chipping up and have about 40K when this hand happens;
I'm in the cutoff and look down at a Q. I raise to 2400 (blinds are 400/800 now) and BB calls. Flop is 2s 2d 4d. Check-check. Turn is 9d. He bets 5K. I look back and see that my other card is 3s, but my Q is the Qd. I call, pretty certain my Q is good if the diamond hits, but also pretty certain I can push this guy off the hand on most rivers. River is 4c. He thinks a long while and checks. I wait about 15 seconds and push in. He agonizes about 30 seconds and mucks, I show.
Guy is still talking about this hand when the break comes 15 minutes later. We come back from break and the BB is away from table so her hand is dead, and it's folded to me on the button. I look down at KK and raise to 3K. Guy makes is 10K and I jam. He instacalls with QQ and it's no good, up to 100K now.
I continue chipping up and people keep coming over the top when I have real hands and laying down when I'm bluffing. Get to the final table as one of the three chip leaders with 300K (average stacks is ~165K) and blinds at 5K/10K. I bust two people to get my stack up to 450K. Chop a pot with J7 vs 67 on a T73r board when turn and river come 3-3 (would have taken me to about 600K with 7 left). Lose a hand with TT vs AA to drop down to around 200K. Blinds are 6K-12K when the following happens;
I pick up KcKs in cutoff and raise to 35K. SB (tight older woman who I'd been friendly with at previous table) flat calls and BB folds. Flop comes Jxxr. She checks, I jam for ~160K, she says "I think you have aces, but I'm tired and I just want to go home". She calls with AQo, turn Q, river A and I bust out 14+ hours after the tournament start for £390.
Overall play in the tournament was pretty weak. Sadly the structure did not include antes, so steals weren't as profitable as they could be. Overall it's a cheap flight from IOM and rooms are cheap, so for a quick weekend poker getaway, it's a nice change.
Translation to American: A bunch of dudes from work and I went to go party, like totally.
First night was pretty standard issues stuff. Drinks, drinks and more drinks. Got back to the "hotel" about 2AM and crashed. A couple of the guys had split off and gone to the casino to play some poker, including my roommate. The next morning he tells me there is a £100 comp starting at 1400, so the plan is to have a nosh, give it a go, and then a night of getting pissed.
Translation to American: There's a $200 tournament starting at 2PM, so the 411 is to chow down, r00l the donkament and then party, yo.
Get there and find out that it really starts at 3. OK, whatever. Did notice a couple of absolutely awesome eateries right next to the casino.
Buyin was £100 + £10. Starting stack was 15,000, beginning blinds were 25-50 with 45 minute levels first 2, followed by 40 minute levels for the rest of the tournament.
Yeah, let that sink in.
Structure for the tournament: 25/50, 50/100, 100/200, 150/300, 200/400, 300/600, 400/800, 500/1000, 600/1200, 800/1600, 1K/2K, 1500/3K, 2K/4K, 3K/6K, 4K/8K, 5K/10K, 6K/12K. Insanely slow. Even with very brief breaks, I played over 13 hours. Certainly fantastic value for the juice involved. First few levels I am completely card dead. Even without getting any hands, I still have 12.5K at the second break. Back from the break, button raises to 1200 and I jam from the BB with ATs. He calls 4800 more with A9o and my hand holds up. I drop down a bit and manage to get the table maniac to stick all his chips in on a Q high board with 44 when I have KQs. Nothing bad happens and now I have about 25K. Keep chipping up and have about 40K when this hand happens;
I'm in the cutoff and look down at a Q. I raise to 2400 (blinds are 400/800 now) and BB calls. Flop is 2s 2d 4d. Check-check. Turn is 9d. He bets 5K. I look back and see that my other card is 3s, but my Q is the Qd. I call, pretty certain my Q is good if the diamond hits, but also pretty certain I can push this guy off the hand on most rivers. River is 4c. He thinks a long while and checks. I wait about 15 seconds and push in. He agonizes about 30 seconds and mucks, I show.
Guy is still talking about this hand when the break comes 15 minutes later. We come back from break and the BB is away from table so her hand is dead, and it's folded to me on the button. I look down at KK and raise to 3K. Guy makes is 10K and I jam. He instacalls with QQ and it's no good, up to 100K now.
I continue chipping up and people keep coming over the top when I have real hands and laying down when I'm bluffing. Get to the final table as one of the three chip leaders with 300K (average stacks is ~165K) and blinds at 5K/10K. I bust two people to get my stack up to 450K. Chop a pot with J7 vs 67 on a T73r board when turn and river come 3-3 (would have taken me to about 600K with 7 left). Lose a hand with TT vs AA to drop down to around 200K. Blinds are 6K-12K when the following happens;
I pick up KcKs in cutoff and raise to 35K. SB (tight older woman who I'd been friendly with at previous table) flat calls and BB folds. Flop comes Jxxr. She checks, I jam for ~160K, she says "I think you have aces, but I'm tired and I just want to go home". She calls with AQo, turn Q, river A and I bust out 14+ hours after the tournament start for £390.
Overall play in the tournament was pretty weak. Sadly the structure did not include antes, so steals weren't as profitable as they could be. Overall it's a cheap flight from IOM and rooms are cheap, so for a quick weekend poker getaway, it's a nice change.