I'm going to Costa Rica!!!!!!!!

I won a package worth $8.3k to travel to Costa Rica and play in the $5k live Cage event run by WPN. This will be my first ever trip to Central America and I am really looking forward to it! The package covers all expenses inc. hotel, flights etc. as well as the Buy-in for the event which should be a very interesting 12 hours of Poker (if I last that long). 

The event is a hybrid of cash and tournament Poker where your chips have a real monetary value and can be cashed out after two six hour days of play IF you have any left. However, only 25% of the field usually make it to the end of day two because the blinds rise as the event progresses much like in a tournament. Also the tables are 6 max and there is a Button Ante and these factors will of course induce more action.

Whether I win or lose though I'm getting a free trip to one of the world's most naturally beautiful places. Costa Rica here I come!

My Biggest Live Score

I finished 2nd out of 251 entrants for $6,500 Australian Dollars on Sunday 3rd November 2019. This was my biggest live score to date. It was a 2 day (3 venue) pub tournament that "Shark Poker" runs a version of once a quarter. I always make an effort to play these events as they offer an excellent structure for an affordable buy-in.

This tournament was an accumulator with four day 1's and the option to re-enter twice on each day. The idea is you can add your stacks together from each day 1 that you play ($180 per entry) and move them forward to day 2. I played only one day 1 (the one easiest for me to get to) and had 1 re-entry so was in for $360 all-up.

Day 2 was played across 2 venues, the first was a Bowls club and the second a pub. The event was really well run overall and had a good atmosphere. I made day 2 with a below average stack but managed to luckbox my way into the chiplead by the time the final table came around! The structure made for a fairly fast final table with several out busting early in this top heavy event. When we got to 3-handed play though it seemed to go on forever with me surviving on ~20bbs by reshoving and open jamming a lot (to avoid being put in tough ICM spots). The payouts were:

1st: $11,000
2nd: $6,500
3rd: $4,000

The player who finished 3rd refused to deal. Eventually a 3-way hand developed on a paired board where I bluffed the turn and both players called. At this point I gave up with 6 high and the two big stacks collided (full house vs trips with A kicker) leaving one crippled. The next hand I busted the other shorty and was HU vs the other player pictured (left) who had a huge chiplead. After taking down a few pots with shoves pre-flop I had 10bbs but that soon halved as I lost a pot with 2nd pair vs top set. The next hand was to be the last as I ripped 5bbs in pre from the button with T7o and was called by ATs and that was all she wrote! GG.

I'm on TV

Yo! I'm on Twitch.

First ever bounty tournament win!

I won the $27 turbo 6 max progressive Knockout outright for $2.2k including bounties besting a field of 568 players! The difference between 1st and 2nd in a PKO tournament is massive due to fact that you win your own bounty if you win as well so I'm super chuffed to win this one. A key hand Heads Up happened when I got AQo in against JJ preflop and scooped the pot for a 4:1 chip lead. NICE.  

Five Figure Shippage

Just a quick post to announce my first ever five figure score! I finished 2nd out of 5,409 players in the Big $22 $80k GTD for $10,257.28. Well chuffed, despite being owned in the second half of the heads up battle, with this win :-D But how should I celebrate?

On a heater

I chopped the Big $44 25k GTD on Pokerstars this morning for $4k heads up. The tournament had 730 runners and a prizepool of $29,200. Coming onto the Final Table as the short stack I did not fancy my chances too much. David Vamplew was the runnaway chip leader and set about opening every pot he could only to have to fold to multiple rejams once it became clear what he was doing. I doubled through him more than once including a pot for the chiplead where my AKs beat his 99 AIPF and his bust hand where he open limped A7o in the SB and I shoved 20bbs with 33 which won.

He's Back!!!

It's been a long time coming... I haven't had a 4 figure score in years (partially due to not playing a lot) but my second biggest ever makes up for it :) Today I finished 4th out of 10,000+ runners in a SCOOP $5 rebuy event for $8k. Of course I wanted that bracelet but I played my best game and thoroughly enjoyed this tourney which ran over 2 days. The final hand for me saw my ATo lose to AKo AIPF but I can't say I wasn't lucky throughout this monster of a field. A special shoutout to Darren Knaggs who railed me on the FT after busting somewhere in the top 100 finishers on day 2. BOOOYAKASHAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!