So I’m working away, doing things that affiliates do, when I am contacted on MSN by the manager at Poker Idol. He tells me to check out a tournament that is taking place later that evening.
It’s the final qualifier for their ‘Malta Madness’ tournament. First prize is a $3k package to Malta including Live tournament entry, flights, hotel, boat party etc…..
It’s $220 to enter and there are currently only FIVE entered.
This was, admittedly, still 6 hours before the tournament starts but the manager insists he thinks the tournament will struggle to gain just the 15 players needed to cover the cost of the package.
I contacted a number of my players to bring this to their attention.
Only one responded, surprisingly, as I know a number of my players are keen tournament players and would appreciate the notification.
I kept the software open all day and with just 1 hour to go there were 10 entrants.
I vow to myself that if there are fewer than 15 players 2 mins before the start then I will have to enter.
Sure enough, I register with 30 seconds to go and am number 15 and the final player to register.
Didn’t really see many hands in the first 2 or 3 levels and hit the first break with about 4800 of the 5000 starting chips and placed 9th of the remaining 13 players.
Then I start to hit a few hands in the second session and find myself 2nd in Chips on about 12500 with 10 left.
I’m always happy to make a final table, even if there are only 15 players to start with!!
I’m sitting comfortably now and still in 2nd spot with 8 left when I get dealt KK.
UTG raises and I put in a good size raise. Only the UTG guy calls.
Flop is J high with 2 clubs. I have 2 red Kings.
He checks to me and I bet just over half the pot which is actual about half my opponent’s stack. He calls.
Turn is a Queen of clubs. We both check.
River is another club.
We both check and his pair of 2’s with a club wins the pot. (Nice call preflop and flop I thought..)
I’m still ok though but back in midfield rather than big stacked.
As we get down to 7 left I knock out 2 smaller stacks in 3 hands and I am now chip leader with 5 left.
I’m checking my passport is in date now and I hear the sound of suitcases being dusted off.
I then take a big chunk off the other big stack and I’m comfortably chip leader with just over half of the chips in play.
I then come back to the field when I have to call a couple of all in’s from the 2 short stacks and end up doubling them up.
We get down to heads up when the other big stack knocks out both short stacks and gives himself 55k to my 20k.
I admit to not being the best HU player, mainly due to the fact that it’s pretty unusual for me to get this far in a tournament, but I figure that I only need to hit a few half decent hands and this is all mine….
Of course I hit endless 9-2, 7-3, 10-3, 9-5, etc…
The one time I got dealt JJ and I min raised pre flop. He called, the flop cam J high and he OPEN FOLDED!!
When that happened I stopped applying the sun cream and put away my Maltese phrase book.
This obviously wasn’t going to be my day…..
The final hand saw me all in with 3-3 v AQ. The board ended up double paired which counterfeited my pair.
I then realised that the person who won was my friend from earlier on who’d done me with the pocket deuces!!
Although very disappointed, I can’t remember the last time I got such a buzz playing in a tournament.
It made me realise that there really is some insane value out there if you look so I’ve made it my mission to keep trawling the sites to find these little gems.
Nik
(Tetleyboy)
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