BFWCOP II Review

So, played my biggest live tourney last weekend. Put it more simply, it was the second live MTT and only the 4th time I had played poker live. Following is extracted from my posting to the betfair forum with another couple of thoughts at the end.
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It was excellent to meet up with all the posters from the Betfair forum and the flashmob certainly managed a good turnout at the bar on Friday.

In the team event, I was playing on a table with JPJ and Hawko. Clearly my idea to have a flashmob last longest by time bet was a bad idea with these 2 loons chucking their chips around. Eventually, from SB I flat called with KQ against JPJ who checked. Flop was K9x, so I checked and JP was all in - an easy call based on his aggression. I was delighted when he showed 9-5, until the 5 came on the turn and I was on my way out. Spent the rest of the evening drinking Guinness with team Flash (almost all early exits) and sat down for an STT with Pennick, playing any two cards he beat my AK with the 8-4 monster. Congrats to boro for winning his table and the flash last longest bet.

Next day decided I was going to stay sober and drive, so me and AJ went out and found a cafe for breakfast about 12:00. Breakfast No.3 with beans and black pudding certainly put some colour back into my cheeks and we even bumped into the dutch representative of paddy poker.

Arrived at the club and seemed to wait for an eternity for the game to start, it eventually got underway around 2:30ish with 109 payers. Started in Seat 6 and looked down for the first had - AA! Called early raise as was first hand and watched an Ace appear on the flop with 2 hearts. Turn made it worse by putting the 3rd heart out but as no raise from the other player, I put in a 1 k raise on the river and he called with AK. Off and running.

Played very tight for ages, then when the blinds started to go up I was moved to a table with estelle, doobs and kp. I think i arrived with about 10-12k of chips when the blinds were 600-1200. By the time the blinds were up to 2-4k I was down to 8K of chips - 88 in the hole and I was all in to double up. Almost next hand A9 suited, push and hope - that was me up to 36k. Then not for the first or last time I was dealt AA. Small blind goes all in with 44 and an easy call sees me up to around the 65k mark.

Down to about 10 or 11 left and am feeling confident, AQ suited on the button and I raised. Doobs was sitting on BB with 88 and we both ended up all in pre-flop. Flop QAQ and the 8 on the river meant that even if had slow played the FH, I was always going to be taking 63 out of his 64k stack. He doubled 2 or 3 times before eventually going out on the SB - but I was sitting on about 120k of chips and heading for the final table.

When the final table was brought together, I was sitting down with a lot of people I had read postings from and about. Regalfish, Strokeit, Martin Green, nibbles, verapera, Sunday8pm, highstack and two others whose names I didn't know (even though I sat next to one of them for about 6 hours...)

Started very tight, watching sunday and martin playing more often than not. As the blinds started to go up, I took out a few of the shorter stacks (not sure if the order is right):

highstacks - I have AA in blinds with 120k, strokeit 35k raise from utg (must have big Ace), highstacks all in with 80k (assume big pair) - ergo I am ahead of both and the only way to keep strokeit out is to go all in - I did and he folded - flop Jxx (OMG I have one out), turn A and there was no help on the river - I moved into 2nd or 3rd after this hand
verapera - AQ vs 88, board 99 10 10 x meant that I took it with the ace high
Martin Green - my QQ vs his KK when he was short stack - I hit a Q on the flop

After we eventually agreed a chop with 5 left (my fault for wanting a slightly better deal than was offered), we started playing for the package only. This loosened the table up for a bit with the bigger stacks bullying the smaller ones.
regalfish - I think AQ vs 55 and I hit a queen
sunday8pm - AK vs JJ, he had just been hit by strokeit and I had him covered and hit my bigger pair

Strokeit took out Nibbles with a bigger straight and it was heads up. Embarassingly at one stage I had about 75% of the chips. I made my one playing mistake of the day and called with KJ all in and he was back ahead about 55-45. He made his mistake then and reminded me more than once how bad I had played that hand - it helped me get my concentration back again and for the next hour or so it was a real grind. We swapped dealers a few times and the cameraman fell asleep in the corner.

As the clock came round to 4:00am strokeit proposed a chop and I accepted, we would go one hand cards face up for the bracelet and bfwcop championship. Strokeit won with a pair of Kings and at last I could do something about getting to bed, nearly 14 hours poker is a pretty tough ask. I think I really only made the one mistake, but you might have noticed above I came from behind 3 times with AQ at critical times. A big thanks to the dealers who gave me 7 AAs on the night: all of them held up, 4 for significant pots and only 2 for the blinds.

Enjoyed the banter on all the tables, especially with nibbles when we were down to 4. I still don't want to tell him what I had for my all in bet when he had 88 on the Big Blind.
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Having reflected on this for a couple of days now, I honestly consider myself extremely lucky. I came from behind 6 times in the list above and though I always had a strong hand until the q8 where I conspicuously failed to hit, it was still less than evens every time. Against highstacks I was down to 5% after the flop but still came through. So, will bask in the warm glow for a few more days before I decide whether or not to move onto MTTs or try and play a bit more live.

Given all the bad beats I took last week, I feel very much like karma gave me them all back, in Spades (AQ) in one night,

Made about $25 last night playing Omaha cash, lost 1 £5 STT tonight by playing like a rock until I got blinded out.