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05/09/2006: "3 Final Tables and an ITH blackpool Trip Report"

It has been a great week.. and since my last post I've cashed and made 3 final tables ($20 180 man sng 9/180, $25 freezeout 5/140 and $100 Live Freezeout 5/88). Feeling good things about my game again and am not wanting to let it slip.

As most of you who read ITH or the blog here you will know that this weekend was the ITH UK meetup in Blackpool which started off with me heading down to York to meetup with [b]PaulNico[/b] and us taking in the monthly £50 freezeout at Gala Leeds.

There were 77 runners or 88 i forget and I had paul sitting at my table from the start.. 10k chips and a 30 min clock shows this is a popular event which always sells out.

Early doors i play my usual steady game not getting involved in big pots and grinding up to 14k. I then lost half my stack QJ v Q10 on a Q10x flop :| then it was rollercoasters time up / down / up / down set of 3's over set of 2's against nico.. lol

When it got down to 2 tables worth we were split up both going in as short stacks. Poor bubble play from others and a lucky coinflip break AQ v 99 and I was going onto the final table 2nd in chips with Paul going in 1st 166k and 170k respectively. Nothing was safe though and i unfortunately went out in 5th. Paul on the other hand chopped first and having shares in each other we were both now freerolling the weekend.

Saturday Morning we drove through to blackpool (shattered after 4 hrs sleep) and got to the hotel meeting up with [b]Chevin[/b] (Andy) remembered mostly for his $60k cash in the stars sunday tournie last year. We then started drinking and didn't stop til some time in the morning taking in many of blackpools top class pubs and clubs including a substandard lesbian show at the titty bar. I'd post a drinking trip report but I don't remember too much of great importance or hilarity that would impress any of you. It was just drinking..

Sunday I was in no state to do much and drank coke all day and played a little bit of pool.. I was rough.

Met up with Ikeee (also Paul) who had driven up from Cambridge for the tournie Maccy D's for dinner and it was off to the casino.

The place was packed and the cardroom was real real nice, looking at it on the ground floor it took up roughly half of the floor space.. Compare this with Gala Leeds where we cramped in like sardines and you can see why it is so highly praised.

A sellout 140 runners and I was to be in seat 3 table 6 for my 2nd ever UK festival event (the first being the Maybury £1,000 where i didn't last long at all). I played very disciplined poker where I was getting bullied left right and centre sadly I didn't have the cards to fight back until after top up.

Doubled up to 8kish with KQs , was let to make a flush in a raised pot preflop with J10s for another decent pot and then KK v AK and AA v 44 allin preflop and I was laughing with a 30k ish stack. Got moved tables and could't find a hand to play until Ikee raised my Big blind 3k more with blinds of 600-1200. He had another decent stack of like 21k and looking down at pocket eights I wanted it there and then (5,600 chips) didn't think he was very strong at all and shoved. He called with As9s and rivered a flush he then went on to bust me with AQ v 55 an orbit or so later. He then played a decent game not out of line what so ever and ended up making a deal 4 handed then losing sickly to the luckbox winner with 1010 v A10 while they were playing for the trophy.

Again the ITH crew had a little share in one another so i went home up for what was a great weekend. To all those UK ITH'ers that didn't go for whatever reason you missed out big time.