We landed in Sydney on Sunday for the start of our mini tour of Oz that will climax with the Aussie Millions Main Event. Haven taken so much time off recently what with Christmas and New Year, we guilt tripped ourselves into making sure we play online some of the days of our tour. Yesterday was one of those days, and it being a Monday (Sunday in the Northern Hemisphere) meant there were plenty of juicy prizepools to play for.

We booked two separate rooms in the hotel, figuring that we would both be able to access the internet and that we would have different IPs. Unfortunately the IP addresses were the same, but it’s only Ongame that blocks this, so it wasn’t too much of an issue.

The timezone in Australia is 2 hours behind New Zealand, so there was no chance we were getting up for the Big Deal and Party/Stars tournies at 4am, but 6am for the Tilt Brawl and the Ipoker Major among others seemed doable. It seemed more doable at 11pm in the outside bar of the Coogee Bay Hotel than it actually was I’m sure. We weren’t too drunk, but were approaching the stage when you think you’re still totally sober but to any sane person you are clearly not. We retired to our respective rooms at about midnight, and I probably got to sleep about 1.

My alarm sounded at 5.50am, and I couldn’t have felt more violated by its beeping. These thoughts start to run through my head:

“Where the hell am I?”
“What the hell do I have to get up for?”
“Shit, I’m supposed to be playing poker, am I being blinded out?”
“I could just jack it in, and go back to bed…. but then I’d have to get up anyway and sit and unregister from everything”
“Oh sod it, I’ll get up.”

Playing on my laptop, with its one screen was a bit of a pain. Although it does have an excellent resolution of 1920 x 1200 meaning I can fit 12 mini tables on one screen without too much overlap. My real problem was that I hadn’t considered that I may need a mouse if I was going to be 8 tabling poker tournaments for 8 hours. Come the 5th hour my fingers were cramping up and had it not been for me being pretty deep in a few I’d have been seriously tilting. Add to this that i had finished the contents of my mini bar (crisps, nuts and a chocolate bar) and that Room Service wasn’t available until midday. I say it wasn’t available, that’s what they told me when i called, but the Visionary got breakfast delivered and proceeded to wind me up for the entire morning on msn.

I was getting deep in the Tilt Brawl and the Tilt 50k, which on Sundays has a huge field and this week had a $32k prize for first. I ended up busting in 24th in the 50k, which was obviously pretty annoying. I shoved on a late raise from a very laggy player with A7s, in what was a cross between a resteal and a value shove, he had AJ and held.

It was a different story in the Brawl. In these huge field tournaments you really have to get lucky if you’re going to make it deep. In the mid stages I rivered a jack to crack kings to give me a monster stack, then there was a massive hand to put me back in the hunt with about 20 left, just after I had lost KQ < A3 making a marginal call in the bb.

The c/o standard raised, the button flatted. I was in the sb with about 12bbs and 77. It was such an easy and obvious spot, and in my chips went. At this point the bb, who had about 10bbs started timebanking. “Oh god, please fold”. He eventually called, at which point my cries changed to “Please have AQ/AK”. The action wasn’t over yet though, the opening raiser then started timebanking, and made the call. “Both have AK please, please one time.” I say as the smooth caller preflop is now timebanking! He eventually folded and up popped my opponents cards, AK and AK, the board bricked out, ship the chips, tyvm.

I managed to run the table over a bit on the final table bubble, then broke the bubble when my AK outraced someone’s QQ, to go to the final table as chip leader on 1.4m. Chucksty, a notable pro was 2nd in chips on 1m, there was another pro there too who was reasonably shortstacked, but the rest were low buy in qualifiers. Excellent.

It started out well, when I had TT hold versus a shortstack’s A8, but then went horribly wrong when I picked up AKs utg. I standard opened and Chucksty 3bet me in mid. There was now 300k in the middle, I’m never flatting this and I don’t think I can ever fold it. I know he is capable of 3betting me with air, and there’s only 2 hands I hate being called by, so I shoved, and he had Kings. Remarkably I didn’t suck out and he was the new chip leader on 2m, while I was left with about 400k, but still about 15bbs.

Blinds went up, I shoved 10bbs from mid with Q7s, got no business, folded the deputy utg, then got TT in the bb. Chucksty raised at me, I didn’t think I had much fold equity and shoved, but he snap folded. The very next hand he opened again, I’m sat laughing looking at 66, same deal – all in, and he snap folds again. This gave me a lot more breathing room, and set me up to luckbox double back to a very nice stack.

One of the weak players opened in early mid, I held AA on the button. I was almost positive that if I  re-raised, this player would fold 80%+ of his opening range, and concluded that despite it being obvious to anyone that knows me, flatting was the best play. The sb then 3 bet all in, the raiser quickly folded, and I call delighted, hoping to see total rags and be very proud of myself. He showed AA…. you know where this is going. 2 spades on the flop, turn Qs, river Js, sambaaaa!

Not too long afterwards we were 5 handed, and the only two players playing hands were Chucksty and me. It was like we were taking it in turns to raise, I was opening any two cards knowing that no one would play back without the goods and that no one would flat, so my holdings were pretty irrelevant. This pattern went on for a while with Chucksty and me chipping up. Then I raised his bb from the button with 34o and he 3bet. I have a theory about the 4 bet bluff, that it is best used the first time someone 3bets you, as long as you know they are capable of doing it light. People tend to give the 3 bettor the benefit of the doubt the first time, therefore the 3 bettor can raise wider, but conversely the 3 bettor gives more credit to the 4 bet the first time. However, I had 4 hi and he hadn’t been messing with me, so I couldn’t find the balls to jam. Next orbit, next time I opened was the button again, and again I had total rags. On full tilt the antes are so big that raises only have to get through one in two times, so it often pays just to ignore your cards and raise in certain situations. He 3 bet me again…. Well using my theory that the more he 3 bets the more he should be expecting a 4 bet I was put a little off guard. I thought for a while, and sheepishly folded my rags.

Two hands later I was utg and figured it was a good spot to open, I held Q3. Chucksty 3 bet me again. It was the third time in a row that I had opened and he had 3 bet me. As I said, in general the more someone 3 bets you, the more likely they will expect a 4 bet and call you lighter. But there has to be a line somewhere. Say for example you raised 19 times and every single one of those times the same player 3 bet you and you folded. What do you suppose he will do when you open for the 20th time? I felt 3 times in a row was enough, I felt that he had changed gears, recognised the fact I was opening ridiculously wide and was trying to exploit a disconnect between my opening range and my 4 bet shove range. I also felt that if I didn’t stand up now, my stack would dwindle to a level where he could feel more comfortable about making a marginal call against me as it would be for under half his stack. So I shoved, he called with TT, I looked like an idiot and finished in 5th for $21k.

Chucksty went on to win the tournament. I messaged him on P5s, briefly explaining how I viewed the dynamics and he replied saying I was spot on and he just got lucky that he had a hand the third time. Of course he could just be humouring me, but I still think that my move and read were fine.

15 minutes after busting in the brawl I took down the Party $30r for $3.3k. I’ve never been so underwhelmed at winning a poker tournament. I didn’t bat an eyelid. In the cold light of day, I can’t complain, and it was obviously a good day. I made about $23k, and that sets me up fantastically for the year.

This afternoon we’re off on a bit of a city tour. Getting the ferry to Manley, and tonight we’re hoping to go and see a play at the Opera House, then tomorrow afternoon we’re flying to Brisbane where we collect our Audi Convertible for our drive to the Gold Coast – Balla!