I can hardly bring myself to write this but I’m embarrassed to report that we struck out 0/3 yesterday (again). I’m sure The Coach and Neil will report their own sob stories in their own words, but here’s mine.

My tournament was really about one hand. I’d started well and had a great table. Easily the softest table I’ve had since August. Not a pro in sight and at least three if not four real eggs (normally you offer up a prayer of thanks for just one!). The only player I had to be wary of was a young Argentinian two to my left, a bad position for me as I prefer to have good players on my right so I can see what they are doing before it’s my turn to act, but you can’t have everything. He was wearing huge aviator sunglasses like Tom Cruise in Top Gun. He got the better of me in a couple of early pots but generally the first few rounds were plain sailing. I picked up JJ in early position in level 2 and raised with a couple of callers. The flop was J54 so I checked. The next guy put in a bet of around 500 (with about 850 already in the pot). The other caller folded and I flat called hoping to allow him to bet again on the turn. A beautiful red ace appeared on the turn, the perfect card for me as I figured he might have AQ or even AK. I checked again and he led for around 1,500. I raised to 5,000 and he quickly called. The river was a 7 making no difference to anything as I saw it. I had to make what the pros call a “value bet” on the river. This is when you think you have the best hand and you want your opponent to call. The trick it to work out what they have and then to bet as much as you think they will call. I figured this guy for a big ace so I could bet quite a bet and expect a call. I bet 6,000 but unfortunately he folded - too much maybe.

We’d been discussing value bets the day before. Poker has changed considerably since I started playing and one of the things that’s changed is people’s willingness to call you down with weaker holdings. This is because now people realise that there is lots of bluffing going on, especially on the river. The effect of this is that river bets have increased in size. Whereas ten years ago I might have bet 2,500 on the end to try and induce a call, these days I would expect people to call the 6,000. I think I made a mistake here though by giving this guy too much credit. I should have bet less.

Anyhow, I was up to 30,000 from my original starting stack of 20k. My objective for the day was to double up to 40,000 which would put me in excellent shape for Day 2. But after the JJ hand I didn’t have another opportunity to get involved until level 6, nearly four hours later. By then I was pulling my hair out in frustration. I’d blinded down to around 25k, still healthy, when I was dealt A7 in the big blind. Tom Cruise had raised in early position, which he did a lot, and the lady in seat six had called, which she also did a lot. She had (no doubt deliberately) donned an extremely revealing and tight top and was spilling out of it which was a bit off-putting but I was maintaining my composure like a true pro. I called in the BB and was delighted with the 7 high flop (with 2 hearts). I led out, a standard play to get information from the original raiser (Tom Cruise). He just called, as did the Tank Top. A beautiful black ace appeared on the turn. Now I was hoping that one of them had called to hit the ace and would be drawing thin against my top Two Pairs. I led out for a pot size bet, around 7k. Tom Cruise pushed in immediately for around another 10k and TT folded quickly. I didn’t have much thinking to do. Even if he has me beat I am committed to call the extra 10k. I was almost certain he had something like AK or AQ possibly with a heart draw. I flipped my A7 and he reluctantly revealed his AQ hearts, he had 12 outs or roughly 22% chance to win. Of course the 2 hearts came down and he jumped up and down and cheered – classy! I was gutted, gutted, gutted. I was left with 2,500 or so and I chucked it in next hand with 87s and doubled up. A round later and I was back up to over 10k. Maybe a recovery was on the cards. I was put back in my box when I called out of the BB with A6 clubs against the guy who had folded to my jacks earlier. Since then he hadn’t missed a flop and raised every other hand. The flop came 962 with two clubs. I couldn’t have wished for more and I decided to go for a double up and checked in order to check raise. He obliged with the bet and I raised all in to find he had 9T offsuit. Of course I missed everything and was down and out.

I went off to the bar to swap sob stories with The Coach.

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