Beauty and the Beast

Hendon League surprise package???

2006-12-14T08:23:00.000-08:00

Having changed jobs I found myself available on a Tuesday night for the first time in ages. Hmmm whats the focus game for tonight I wondered? BLOODY HELL $11!!! Now thats on the larger side (slightly) of entry fees for me as I tend to bum around in the less than $5 dollar MTT and STT regions.
But having $17 dollars doing not much in Full Tilt I thought what the hell. Its got to be worth that just to play alongside a pro or 2. So having joined the Hendon site and registered I find myself on the same table as Joe Beevers!! Cool I thought. Thought even cooler when I took a bluff at a pot and he folded!! I just beat a pro was the shout over my shoulder. "What took him out?" Trace says...No err he just folded to me (red faced smiley)!
Anyway playing pretty tight at first as I always do against better players but took the odd decent pot down to still be in at first break. Now I dont really know what happened after the break but I just kept hitting top pair aftertop pair and always with a willing caller and before I knew where I was i was 7th and looking pretty good actually.
Now the old me would have tightened up and played very little until it was too late but not today! Second break arriver with only Gaf and myself left of the PL party and I am still sitting fairly well around the money.
Soon after the break Gaf goes and I am left as the only PL. just then it gets a bit vicious with an all in every hand and me lying just inside the money.
1 more to gotill the money and no one is shifting. Then AK lands in my lap on my BB and I think here we go, Then one goes all in and has the chips to take me down. I cant be scared of bubbling so call to see AJ and I am buzzing river and flop come AK to double me through.
Eventually make the money but carry on playing to finish a cracking 5th place for $65.60 and a new PB cash wise for me.
Will I be the Hendon League surprise package?? prob not but I certainly enjoyed my little with the sharks on tuesday!

House Move, Career change and first live game

2006-12-12T10:32:00.000-08:00

Its been a hectic few weeks in the EnT household!! We have moved house, though not that far, well across the road actually into a lovely 3 bedroomed house with a conservatory which was built to host poker tourneys surely!! My sister has left the pub which made us homeless and jobless but we are both sorted out now. Trace has a good job at BT in Yanfield on the accomodation side and I am setting up as a freelance courier.
We had our first experience of casino poker last Friday at Circus in Hanley. Sadly I got me information wrong and we went on re buy night instead of freezeout. A good field of 83 went rebuy crazy to put over £3.5K in the pot after the re buy period. had a decent start actually due to AQ busting KK with an ace on the flop and seeing J7 in the BB was delighted to see 3 Jacks grace the table to give me quads in first live event. I had to re buy just once when my 2 pair of A8 got rivered by a re buy nut making his flush on the river. I decided not to add on which in hindsight was a bit of a mistake as I got bugger all after the break and ended having a couple of last ditch double ups to survive before sliding out in 31st. Really enjoyed it and cant beleive how fast 3 hours went. Would prefer freezeout though as I really didnt like the set up of the re buy. 1000 starting chips and then 2 half hour levels to the re buy end point. Levels were hen every 15 minutes which I found odd.
Ah well a hectic month in all and looking forward to hitting the PL tourneys a bit nore in december!!

Dollar Challenge a good warm up for Sunday

2006-10-26T10:47:00.000-07:00

The final leg of October's Dollar Challenge took place last night and provided an exciting finish for the podium places. Elmcroft won the final leg with a typically aggresive and stylish performance in which he knocked the stuffing out of us Heads up. I really need more HU practice!!! Elmo's win last night though was only good enough for 6th overall and a place in the $2500 freeroll on SO.
TQM's 3rd place was enough to claim overall top spot from Daft Pegasus who was left hoping for an Elmcroft win to beat our good selves into an excellent 3rd place overall.
The quality players PL provides means we are always delighted to get anywhere near the money in these events and I think the fact that we have finished 3rd in this proves we are definitely getting there. Slowly but surely!

Last night's game has provided us with excellent practice for Sunday's Dublin EPM online final. Mike Saban and ourselves did really well to get through a tough field of 300+ to finish in the top 38 and get through to the final. With 152 entries and 7 or 8 places up for grabs I think there is a good chance we could have a PL representative there in Ireland and maybe even 2!!! Heres hoping. Good luck Mike.

Bounties and Weekly Finals

2006-10-20T02:49:00.000-07:00

Nice couple of hits on Thurs night. Tracie took down a Stan James Pokerteam member for a $25 dollar bounty in their $3.30 Freezout. She was handily placed too until Ian came in from football training and, not realising there was only 2 to go till the final table, took over and spectacularly bubbled!! Oops.
To make amends I entered the Dublin EPM daily qualifier on Virgin and finished 4th out of 49 for a place in Sunday's weekly final. I think this just makes up for earlier. :/

Welcome to our Blog

2006-10-13T02:04:00.000-07:00

Welcome all to Ian and Tracie's Blog. Here we will post all the latest exits from tournaments along with the very rare final table appearances!!
We live in leafy Yarnfield near Stone currently but are having to relocate because my sister owns the house and is leaving her pub. Making us redundant and homeless in one fell swoop. She does love us really....honest.
This week hasnt been a bad one poker wise. Made the money in the 32Red Freeroll on Sunday as well as finishing as Top Pl'er in this weeks Dollar Challenge. 3 Safety Net money finishes have paid for Dollar Challenge for this month too.

My Sunday League football team AFC Clayton are in action this Sunday. We are at home to Gardeners Arms Milton in the League Cup first round and should get thrashed by a team 5 divisions above us. But you never know ay!!

Bandit Steals Dollar challenge

2006-10-13T01:47:00.000-07:00

A great showing on Wednesday night from PL with 9 out of the final 10 being our players. The only fly in the ointment was Bandit. The ultra lucky non PL punter with as much class as a Port Vale fan at an all you can eat buffet, he fluked his way past all 9 of our intrepid crew to land 1st place. Graciously calling us all losers after beating me heads up. Hmm he missed out the "Arse" before his screen name obviously.
We will be looking out for El Bandido next week no doubt.