AN OPPORTUNITY AT LAST

Last Friday, I decided to brush my work aside for once and actually play some poker, and what a cracking decision it was too. Due to my recent duties with blonde, I have been a foreigner to online shores, but for some reason had an irresistible urge to open up four $1/2 NLH cash games and see if I could earn a buck or two. About 90 minutes later, I found myself stuck with an uncontrollable Cheshire Cat grin and around $400 extra in my account. I’d played near flawless poker and maintained my focus throughout. Boy, it’s amazing what a fortnight break can do for your game.

Anyhow, later that evening, I decided to turn my attention to the Grosvenor Satellite and with the ‘Why not, I’ve just won some dosh’ attitude, I shoved in my $100 and braced myself for some hardcore poker.

Now, I was hesitant in playing this satellite and maybe would have sat it out if I hadn’t won on the cash games earlier. I have a real ‘bridesmaid’ tendency with these things and reaching a big event was becoming increasingly frustrating. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not as if I play these things frequently, but, when I do, I always seem to come infuriatingly close. I bubbled the Grand Prix one after heading into the heads-up as chip leader, I made seven Ladbrokes Poker Cruise finasl yet never donned my sailor hat, I was chip leader in the Luton satellite last week before my queens were cracked, and so on, and so on. When you stumble into a pattern of ‘so near, yet so far,’ these qualifiers can become oh so demoralising and your hard earned cash from the ring games just seems to seep away bit by bit.

Not this time though! I was chip leader by the end of the rebuy period and fully aided by the railers, not to mention tikay who was whispering the odd pearl of wisdom into my ear. It’s amazing how motivated you can get when someone’s f-ing and blinding at you via PM.

Although I didn’t receive one single decent starting hand from the end of the rebuy to five handed, I somehow managed to duck and dive my way through the satellite without losing too many chips. I did just about enough to keep my head above water and was determined to remain uncharacteristically patient. Well, I had to, I think tikay would have castrated me if I’d have defied him. Crikey, his PMs were scary!

With five left, I finally found a hand in Ace Jack on the big blind with Billy Low Stack moving in on the button with king high. My hand stood up and I added some much needed chips to my stack. At this point, barring a catastrophe, I was basically through.

It was also a great pleasure to see Matt Tyler (B4Matt) standing equally victorious, as he’s a top fella and deserves all the financial plaudits he receives from these events. He never looked like NOT qualifying and, from what I’ve heard, he’s somewhat of a satellite king. Glad I didn’t mess around with his blind too often then.

All-in-all, I’m very much looking forward to the upcoming week. At the moment, I’m playing the 200, 750, and the 1500, so it’s going to be a busy week for me. I’ll be gutted if I don’t cash somewhere, but, at the same time, I’m over the moon to be playing in what is my first Main Event. With travelling, editing blonde, and of course updating, these opportunities are a rarity for me, so I will try and grasp it firmly with both hands. Going out with a whimper is NOT an option.

Playing three big events in a week is knew to me, and I’m not sure what my mental stamina is like at the moment, but I’m going to do my utmost to remind myself to take my time and think carefully about every decision. It only takes one slip up for it all to be over. I’d much rather the poker gods dumped me out rather than it being myself who eliminates me.

Right, better get ready for the £200er tonight. Never know what the traffic is going to be like on those darn motorways. Ta ta for now.