Pud's Poker Progress / Matthew Pitt / 05 March 2009 / Leave a Comment

A lot of people advocate tightening up if you have just been caught bluffing but I don't always heed to this advice. After all, if you've just been caught with your hands in the cookie jar, you're not going to be stupid enough to try it again right away are you?

"This guy must have been really tight as everyone folded lightening quick but instead of flat calling and seeing a flop, I ask how many chips he has left and put him all in and he immediately gets out of the way. WTF? "

Immediately after being caught calling a raise with T7s, I pretended to look at my cards and open raised from early position and took the blinds. Due to a horrific run of cards, mixed with action from tight players, I didn't play a hand for almost an orbit but then made up for it by open-raising or re-raising every hand for five hands! A big hand came up when I was in the big blind and found a pair of aces.

The button open raised to 3.5xBB and I decided to raise, mainly because I had an image of a mad man and the size of his stack meant he would likely shove with a wide range of hands. Shove he did and I insta-call and find I am up against a pair of queens for the second time today and I make a nice double up to around 22k.

Shortly after the break our table broke and I ended up seated three to the left of Raise The River member Mike Saban who I have a lot of respect for. To my immediate left was some guy who loved trash talking and by the time the table broke a couple of hours later, had got on my nerves but I'm not giving him air time as he was the only negative experience of the whole trip.

Anyway, to announce my arrival I open raise and take the blinds and now antes. A few hands later I find aces again and am delighted to see someone open up from UTG. This guy must have been really tight as everyone folded lightening quick but instead of flat calling and seeing a flop, I ask how many chips he has left and put him all in and he immediately gets out of the way. WTF?

I then manage to double up Mike Saban, who shoves in the cut off with QJ, I call in the BB with AsTs but a queen on the flop seals the deal. When the button gets to me I find king-ten off-suit and make my standard raise and get called by the BB who has a monster stack but doesn't seem very good. Flop comes queen high with two diamonds. BB checks and I know if I check here he's leading any turn and if I bet he's raising me a ton of times here. I bet and sure enough he raises me. I want this pot so bet enough to say I am going all the way with this hand and he folds right away.

It's now after midnight and I'm starting to feel a little sleepy and the beer is starting to kick in a little but adrenaline is keeping me afloat. Our table breaks almost immediately we are informed that we were down to 50 players so everyone would now score points. I had said on the break I had felt tired and wanted to come back with a decent stack if I was coming back for Day 2 so was going to go for it. My exit hand came during the second orbit of my new table and came on, you guessed it, a bluff.

I'm in the SB and the button open raises. I had heard his name on the tannoy after he doubled up to a decent stack but I had around 15BB so could do some damage to his stack and with the blinds and antes now quite large, they would make a healthy addition to my stack. I check my cards and find 98o and decide that this is good enough to shove and if I am called I'm likely to have two live cards. I shove and he tanks for what seems an age but makes the call, which I tell him is good. He tables King-Jack for God's sake and flops two jacks. Good night me in 50th for a measly point but some great memories! Three of my team-mates also scored points, including Snake_Eyes who busted in third in his first live game!

I joined a £0.25/£0.50 cash game where the standard opening raise ranged from £5-£15, I kid you not but there are a ton of reports on this out there on Raise The River, Amatay's blog and also that of BurnleyMik.

Normal service will resume on this blog from now, but as always, thanks for reading and best of luck at the tables!

Newcastle Trip Report Part One
Newcastle Trip Report Part Two

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