Average Speed Checks & London Trip
I decided to go down to London since the GUKPT was on and thought they might have some side events (obv. got the dates wrong) and the cash action is usually always decent at the Vic. I drove down to Newcastle to get a train with a friend which we obv missed with everyone on the train watching and opted to drive the full way. Driving isn’t that bad in principle but, I hate putting miles on my car when its pretty similar to the train.
The full way there and back there were average speed check zones of 50mph that went on for miles and miles and miles. Its pretty fresh on my mind since I’ve just come off the drive back now. Its not like there are roadworks or anything wrong with the roads. Just one lane is coned off (which looks fine) and everyone is forced to drive at 50. I’m pretty convinced its just a way to milk more money in fines out of people or make other forms of transport more appealing. Ofcourse there were sometimes when it was justified but, for the majority I’m pretty sure there was 0 wrong with the road. Signs said stuff like ‘close for safety reasons’. Just sounds like an ambigous excuse to close off a lane. The thing that is unsafe is all those cones in high winds one went under my car. So this was all tilting enough..
On Friday arrived in the Vic at 2am and jumped on the 1/3. The table had 2 big fish and the rest were different varities of nit. I was stuck £500 at a stage but, when it went downt o 3 handed I managed to get up to £500 profit with 2 calls on reflection that were pretty high variance. The last hand of the night the fish although I guess he wasn’t a classic fish just an aggro fish :p shoved his last £400 into a pot of £1k and I opted to call him with 2nd pair. I was good and won’t bore you with the HH but, it was defo a high variance call even although the price was good. If he wasn’t stuck a lot or if it wasn’t the last hand of the night and just tons of little factors like that I probably would’ve folded. I tanked for a few mins and live I’d say 3/4 of the time you see someone tank like that they call and they’re crushed. So I guess you should always be cautious and if its such a toss up in your head as to whether you’re good just wait another day.
This calling light trend continued into the next day when I played 2/5. When I first sat down I didn’t even know why I was there. Maybe 2 fish at anytime at the table and the rest were rocks or a few people waiting for higher games. I had to ask where my edge was and even with 3 or 4 players at the table who I was confident against I didn’t feel like the better players were going to keep the pots smaller against me.
There was one pot where I triple barrelled with air in a 3bet pot and one of the good player’s called down for a split or worse effectivley. The board (there was a flush there too) was AQTTx and he called with A6 or something. A £150 bet into £200 or so on the river. He did the obligatory call and it kinda sucked. Live people don’t think about it I think – I mean how often is he actually good there ? He’s pretty much never winning the pot against a triple barrell. Well I dont think. But, it was one of these kind of calls I guess people feel they’re obliged to make even although the villian’s range crushes them.
As the night went on the game got better and better and I was up £1.5k at one stage , well for 4 hours or so. My friend who I had lent money came over and played 4 handed and its something I really regret in terms of what good can come from it ? We never got in a pot vs one another but, it seems to effect me if I’m playing against my own money. Its just a silly idea from my point of view and probably from his considering it was lent money and a fairly big game.
Anyway I basically was in a rush to build pots to take down against the table mega fish whereas I had all the time in the world just to wait. I couldn’t assign a range to him which came to bite me in this hand.
4 Handed
I’m the BTN with AhKd. CO (MegaFish) raises to £25. I 3bet to £75 , SB & BB fold , Megafish obv flats.
Board comes 5cAc2h with a flush draw. Megafish bets out £25 (I’m getting freaked out, I’ve been playing with him on one table or another for 7 hours + now. Honestly cannot remember him betting out or raising ever before. I doubt he hit a set he’s not raising pf with 55′s or 22′s that’s limping territory for him, AA unlikely ? And I’d just taken a big pot off him and he was a bit tilted. So I make it £200 and he flats.
Turn is a 6d and he makes it £25 again. I obv saw 34 got there but, what are the odds there is still so much stuff to get value from. So I make it £250. River comes a non-club 9 and he makes it £25 again. I decided to make it £300 and then he shoves for £500 more. I was completley perplexed. I figure if he’s making it £25 on all streets its not like his hand has improved and it looked like up until then he was desperatley trying to pot control or somehting. He could have a monsted I guess but, what monster on the flop beats me ? AA ? Well I figured that’s just a cooler. The fact I’d just burnt him for a £2k pot too and he’s never effectivley check raising without pretty much the nuts (well it doesn’t make sense to do it with a random 2 pair or something) or air made me call.
He flips 65 for 2 pair. Basically no part of that hand made sense to me.
So I mean I don’t know how horrificly I played that and I guess if a fish does that alarm bells should go off.
I don’t really know why I went down – I got a good thing going on and there is no need to change a winning team . I met a few players to sign up and stuff so there’s a positive spin.
Including hotel which was pretty nice, petrol , food and losses it was best part of a £1.5k 48 hours but, that’s just variance. What hurt was a £3k + swing not the money lost per se. That’s poker I guess. Wish they had RB for live games.
It feels pretty shit but, I’m just going to end up working all the hours this week to make up for it !
