There Is No ‘I’ In Team…or ‘Us’ Either.

APAT Luton: Saturday, 22nd October 2011.

As defending APAT Forum Team champions, the London Poker Meetup were keen to repeat if we could. I’d even packed the trophy from last time just in case so we could do the ‘two trophies’ thing if we managed it.

I’d organised the team well in advance and, even if I say it myself, we were fielding a stronger team that last year even after losing Scouse.

About 11o’clock, I headed down to Jenny’s Restaurant just a couple of hundred yards from the casino for breakfast. A Full English breakfast and a cup of tea for around £5 suits me down to the ground. Tighty had PM’d me earlier in the week asking me to bring my dongle with me having left his in Coventry so I arrived at the casino about noon…of course, I had to be there early to do the ‘captain’ thing anyway so it wasn’t much of an hardship.

As it turns out the G in Coventry had sent Tighty’s dongle to him but it wasn’t working too well and the wi-fi in the card-room as there but pitiful. I mean top marks for having wi-fi but if it doesn’t work…FAIL!

Anyway, I sorted Tighty out and we talked for a while about the remainder of Season 5 before I left him to it and headed off to the bar to collect my lads. I collected the buy-ins and took care of the administration bits and pieces while supping a couple of beers.

Before long the team competition got under way and I started grinding. I had drawn a pretty reasonable table although there did seem to be an awful lot of limping going on. In particular there was one lady who would limp-call everything in any position.

I got involved in one hand where I made a K-high straight on the turn and the river came and Ace and completed a possible flush…and she led out. I considered that I had to be chopping at best and made a reluctant fold. In retrospect, after seeing her make some truly horrendous calls and bluffs I think I was probably winning that one. I think of it as an ‘Omaha fold’…not exactly ‘monsters under the bed’ but she her play screamed a draw when in fact she probably had just a decent ace.

She did take a few chips off me (a mis-read on my part) when she flopped middle set against my top pair and I managed to donk off thinking she only had middle pair.

Down to a mere 2.5k by the first break I had some work to do. I came back from the break and managed to grind my way back to around 6k by getting aggressive on the still fairly passive table. Eventually, I got the bullets in LP and got doubled up quite nicely as, having been so aggressive previously, I wasn’t believed when I pushed.

This got me back on the average but my team wasn’t doing quite so well. We’d lost 2 or 3 by then and although you can win the team event with just a few players they do have to go deep.

More grinding followed and I trod water for quite a while. I doubled up again with AA which, even if I say it myself, I played rather well…I bet the right amount to induce the necessary turn call and hollywooded just enough that my river shove got me paid.

I sat on 35k – 40k for quite a while before starting to dwindle down in chips as the blinds and antes started to bite. Finally, on c.25k (or 22BB) an UTG raise, by Cath, of 6xBB screamed 99-JJ at me and looking down at AQs I decided that this was my moment. I thought I might get the shove through but even if it didn’t I wouldn’t be in appalling shape.

So, in they went and Cath didn’t really hesitate and called, rolling over TT just as I suspected. However, I bricked all 5 cards and went out somewhere around 70th. No points this time.

Looking around for my team I found that I was the 7th one out leaving only Wayne.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t to be and although Wayne did very well, he just bubbled the cash and our dream was over.

I hung around for a while but my heart wasn’t really into hanging around too much. I drank a few beer and chatted to all and sundry for a while but eventually I called it a night and returned to the hotel.

Vegas beckoned…and it would be AWESOME!

Redemption Is Mine!

APAT Luton: Friday, 21st October 2011.

Home turf! At the very least it’s probably the most accessible location for me on the APAT schedule until, hopefully, we get to Aspers in Stratford in Season Six. No Des, I’m not going to let that one go any time soon.

A mere hour’s drive around the M25 on a good day but as I was heading there on Friday night after work it was likely to take just a tad longer. As it was I bolted (fair enough, ambled) to the car at 5.30 from work and rocked up at the Days Hotel almost on the stroke of 7 o’clock. Only the usual road works and Friday night traffic to deal with…I’ll take it.

I’d opted to spend an extra £8 a night on an ‘Executive’ room for the two nights I would be there and there was a nice separate ‘work area’ which consisted of an office chair and what as basically a shelf with a couple of extra power points (one of which was broken) but I wasn’t unhappy with it. I probably won’t do it again but you never know.

After last year’s Luton event and the embarrassingly early exit from the APAT Luton Home Game I was eager to get some redemption this time. Oops…just realised I gave the game away with the title of this post.

Of course, last year led to drunken antics, a boozy haze and aching feet followed by a late night kebab…things could only improve.

I wandered the short distance to the Casino after getting settled into the hotel room arriving about 7.30 and met up with the APAT Luton contingent. Drinks were had, Lord I was parched, and we settled into a very nice comp with a decent chip stack and structure organised by the Luton mob. T7,500 and 30 minutes I think it was for £20. Very nice.

I like that Luton is enforcing a penalty for folding out of turn….I approve heartily of this …of course, I was the first to offend missing that Richard Baker hadn’t folded in front of me…DOH! Two hand penalty…I won’t be doing that again.

With everyone knowing one another it was a somewhat more friendly (and this noisier) game than would perhaps normally be the case. We finished up with 22 players (eventually) squeezed on to 2 tables.

I don’t remember any specific hands (I can’t imagine why) but I made it to the final table with a reasonable stack and by the time 2 am rolled around we were down to 4 and I’d cashed at the very least.

As it turned out I got heads up with Sharon Roberts, who I hadn’t met before, and, with all due respect to her, she seemed fairly straightforward. If she had it she bet. However, I could never get a hand against her to do anything with.

As I Sharon had me nearly 3:2 in chips I didn’t think it was my place to offer any sort of deal (plus I kind of wanted to win) but at around 3am, Sharon generously offered an even chop and since there was only £50 between 1st & 2nd I gratefully agreed for £155

After collecting my cash (hotel cost covered thank you very much) I was pretty much wiped out. It was 3.30 in the morning by this time and I’d been up for 22 hours and my eyes were burning like someone had peed in them.

I sauntered back to the hotel and crashed. No fuss, no muss….no bear.