Styles here. All those who read this blog are probably under the impression that the Hats were all killed in a horrible grease fire of some sort. But we're still here plugging away. There's a couple of things to report on, so I'll get into it!
MELBOURNE:
In early March Benny, Matty, Shandog, Phil and I all embarked on a journey to Melbourne for three things: Drinking, Poker, and Comedy. And not necessarily in that order.
The first night we decided to get drunk and see whatever comedy shows we could. But first we had to have our dinner in a cafe/diner in Swanston street, near the Hi Fi bar. We were pretty drunk and as this video shows, we found the jukebox to be a fine entertainment source:
That night I also went to Crown Casino for the first time, and of course, loved it in my drunken state.. I popped all the money in my wallet ($135) onto a $2/$3 table and started playing, a bit hazy because obv I was drunk and just having a good time in Melbourne. I had one hand where I called a $35 bet on the turn with AT and the board reading A822 and I got overcalled by a 3rd player in the hand. The river was a T and the first bettor bet $55, which I then reraised all in for like $100 more and the overcaller called for like his last $45. The original bettor mucked AJ faceup and I apologised for drawing out on him, collected my $400 pot and left the table because even I was drunk enough to realise I wasn't playing that well.
The next day we just got as much comedy in as we could handle, and we moved to our ballin apartments in South Yarra. I also noticed that there was a poker tourney on that day at crown with a $100 buy in. First prize was $2200 so of course I had a crack. I had a massive hand early on where I limped UTG with AA, and this old guy went to reraise but looked at me suspiciously and just called. A LP guy raised and I reraised, and the old guy made the look of a crying call so I suspected he had a monster but he figured I had him beat. The LP guy flatted as well.
I wasn't sure if I liked the flop of AJ3, since I figured I was unlikely to get any action, however I checked, the old guy led out, the LP raiser shoved (??) and I called after hollywooding a tad. The old man painfully let go of AK face up. (nice laydown amirite?) The LP guy had JJ of course and he bricked giving me a fairly solid stack early on.
I remember a young-ish lady sitting down at my table and I immediately classified her as probably a tight passive fish. Sue me. I was, of course, right, except she turned out to be a calling station. She minraised on my BB at blinds 150/300 and another lady in late called. I called with the 2s3s. The flop was Q45, with the Q and 5 of spades. I led out for 3/4 pot and the raiser called and it was headsup after the lady in late folded. The turn was the 8s and I bet 3/4 pot again and when she minraised me I immediately shoved. She called tabling KQ, lol. So I was chipleader at my table when there were around 40 left (out of 108 starters).
I coasted along to the final table, simply stealing blinds to maintain my stack with no action hands. I remember this one bluff I ran with like 59os when this guy raised my BB. I had just sat down at the table and it folded to the small blind who had me just outchipped. He 3x'ed the bet and I 9x'ed it (just to let him know I wasn't some passive fish who he could steal from) and he called. The flop came QT4. He led out and I called. The turn was a 6 and he checked and I bet around 1/2 the pot. He looked at me for about a minute and folded JJ face up. It took all my willpower not to laugh at him and after deciding whether or not to show I figured this close to the bubble it would definitely pay to have a dirty tiltbox to my right, so I showed him the 9 high bluff and he lost it.
"Are you some kind of fucking moron? How can you possibly call a raise with that shit? I can't believe how bad some of the players in these fucking tournaments are." Blah blah blah etc etc.
Anyway, it gets to the actual bubble: 10 left. This guy gets into a pot with some other guy, raises and calls a reraise preflop, flop is AT4 and check raises all in and looks so sour when the other guy calls with AJ. The tilty guy goes nuts and gives this spiel about how its "the only move I made all game" (he had like J4 btw) and enjoys the sweet success of the bubble.
Anyway it's the final table and there's been one KO so far so I'm guaranteed $367. I pick up AsJs and just shove it in since the table average is around 16BB and I have like 13BB. It folds to this old passive calling station who has been playing just terrible and he makes the call and I show AsJs, expecting it to be crushing (since the guy was calling pretty much ATC to defend his blinds). This pot would put me in the chiplead if I won it, and I was fine to see myself up against the 77 of Mr. Station. Of course the poker god decreed that Styles Shalt Not Win a Race LDO, and I busted. But I still had a fairly good time.
A few nights later I bought in (sober this time) to the $2/$3 tables for the max of $200 and had a blinding session. The table wasn't full so I was in my element playing 6 handed against these guys.
I had one blinder: I had QsTs, two people limped and I raised to $15 on the button. The blinds folded and the two limpers called. The flop was Jc9c4h and the first limper lead out $20, which the other limper and I called. The turn was fantastic, the 8h, making my nut straight. Just as I was figuring what way to get action in the pot, the first limper shoves, and the next guy quickly calls! I check my cards again and of course make the call. The river shows the (seemingly) safe 6h and the first guy shows his Js9h for top two. The other guy in the pot is looking for me to show my hand and not want to fuck around with the slowroll I show my nut straight. He looks at me for ages, makes a pained expression and slowrolls the fucking Jh7h for the runner runner flush. God I was annoyed.
But anyway, I ran a big bluff against Mr. Runner Runner and took back a similar pot. I was sitting on around 600 when this hand happened. I had As7s and raised a couple of limpers to $20 on the button. One folded and one called and the flop was QJ4 offsuit. The guy checked and I bet $25 and he called. The turn gave me a flush draw with a 6, and the guy takes the lead and bets $25. As anyone who plays against me knows, I hate having the lead taken away from me, especially by a donk. I raise fairly quickly to $75 and he calls. The river is the Ah, and the guy leads out $75 and I instacall. He sheepishly says "I have nothing..." and doesn't want to show his cards, but flashes a 7 and says "wow" when I show my hand.
I ended up making $800 at poker at Crown and losing $300 at craps. But realistically, I had a ball and it was great, I can't wait to go back there (definitely going for Aussie Millions 2009.)
The Interwebs:
I haven't had much success online since coming back from Melb, going through a $600 downswing at MTTs ranging from $12-$55. I did however, come first in a $33 game on FTP for $1500 while all the hats and some others like LaLa, Steel88, and luckyshades were railing. I'm currently in the process of donking that off obv. I'll also try to update some more, it's good knowing that theres some out there who like reading this!
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