Poker Live Adventure Malta 2011, Road To Finaltable

Phuaaa.. now i feel slowly my energy coming back, been exhausted by the big Italian poker crowd that entered the island last week for the GOLDBET's tour and now this week next batch is on its way for the People Poker Tour.

Madness i been informed :) yeaaay! We like! Place is Portomaso casino, and i must say they really stepped up, big congratulations to job well done!

Evil tongues in the local poker crowd said its only lucky people who can reach the final table and it has nothing to do with skills, also heard my final table seat was worth nothing as i folded myself to it. Am very surprised to hear these things really, since they played with me for 3 years and know if anyone like to play aggressive its me, and i never hesitate to put my stack up for grabs and in all fairness are doing quite well, so if i sit still for 4 hrs doing nothing they should know i have not got anything to do a damn thing with. Pushing any two would not win the tourney, neither can one win the tourney until the last day. 

I finished 7 th of 350 players and with my stack there where no options, seeing only crap hands, and knowing i get called as being so short stacked on FT i wanted at least to hold an ace in my hand or any suited connectors. UTG i look down on A5 and is no hesitation am all in, folded round to BB he has to put in another 160 k and with his 1.5 million stack he dont even look at his card, he calls, i would do the same. He has K6 flops 2 pair and am out. But still very happy to make it so far considering all.

A few hands that sticks out during the tour is ofc the day1A hand where i get very lucky with 77 against Giuseppe Bevilacqua's KK but i honestly though i had the best hand, sure turn was a lucky card for me but... ah well see for your self. Also to note.. preflop when he raised i joked and said now i will crack your aces, we both laugh take on our sunglasses and make fun.... :)

Blinds are 150/300.
Am SB and have 77.
UTG + 4 (not UTG as the forums writes it) raise to 900, he holds KK. I call, its another 750 for me with a middle pair, nothing odd at all on these blinds.

BB calls as well.
Flop: 2-4-10 two hearts.

I check, BB bets out 1000, Originaly raiser makes it 2500. Here i honestley really think i got the best hand, putting him on AK and sure BB can have a 10 but i also know he will get out of the way. I pop it up to 7500. And i think here he should have pushed with his KK, i would have folded then.
He calls and pot it now around 20k.  Turn 7.

I check again, He bets out 8000, he is left with 12 000 behind. If i take an all in and lose against him, i still will have 30 k on this levels of 150/300 so i decide to do so, and push him all in. He calls remaining 12 000 and shows KK, he also had K of hearts and turn was 7 of hearts so sure it was as bit scary, but river lands a 10 and pot it mine. Big drama :) and am sooo lucky accordingly to everyone, well yea sure turn was a very lucky card, my repop on flop was a move to see where i am with my 77 and since he just called it.. ah well... i won :)

A bit later i get moved, we are still on day1, the table am moved to looks hard to me there are 3 players i know very well from here in Malta and one is Jacques Balzan Demajo, a very agressive strong player, and he sitting with chipleader stack of 170.000 and i got around 95 000. so i dont really want to battle with him. I also feel am getting super tired, its last 2 levels of the day and am close to falling a sleep. I pick up a few small potts and lose a few other small ones, basically folding staying out of action as am really tired. Then i for a reason god alone knows i decide to play a crap hand, am in mid position and should really just throw this hand away but i decide to open up with 57 of hearts. dont ask me why , i dont know :) was not even spades haha!

Everyone folds to BB he calls.
Its a player that had a big stack but taken some hits last 30 minutes so i sense a bit frustration from him.
Flop comes K K 4 two hearts. We both checks.
Turn 8 i bet out to see if i can take it down here, he calls.

River 3 of heart completing my flush. I check, after all my flush is not very high and there is a pair board, sure he was BB he can have K9... i check, he bets out, almost pot size of 22 k.
I call he shows J high. I win with my flush and ofc am the donk here in all ppls eyes but seriously, if he wants to fight with that he should make much stronger appearance on all streets. Its not like i bad beated his K he had J high. Get over it ppl :)

My seat draw for day 2 was a good table, some familiar faces and several new ones, i had Max Rosa on my right and that was a really nice experience, a nice man that clearly knows poker very very well. Seated on the table was also Salvatore Castorina that i know from the final table in prince of poker, and we clashed in a few hands, this one is a fold from me that i will remember for a while :)

I open utg for standard raise, blinds 3000/6000 he klick me, i call.
Flop comes 2-4-J two diamonds. I got QQ, i check it to him, since he re raised me, and yes he put his stack in the middle. If i call here am left with 70 k, if i fold am left with 190 k. 

It was not an easy fold but after some thinking i folded and he showed me AA. I felt only hand he can do this with is KK, AA or possible AK of diamonds. some of the poker players here in Malta that i play on regular base in the casino told me it was a very bad fold, and i think it shows we think completely different, i think it was as good fold, i folded because of many things, mostly also because i played him before and i know he must have a very strong hand to do this action to me. In fact, if he check and turn is blank he prop get my stack, so thx Castorina :)

In order to go deep, you JUST as well as to play your cards hard and pick positions need to know how to fold a big hand.

I enjoyed the tournament a lot, nice ppl, and got to know so many new Italians and again saw so many familiar faces. And these floors, supervisors and dealers that are here now are very good, i really appreciate playing with them on duty, i really respect this crowd, they are firm, clear, speak good English and also very very pleasant, can take a joke or two and still have a lot of respect with themselves. Big big thumbs up to Rodolfo Zirio, Nicola Mazza, Luca Vivaldi,Daniele Catalano and all their crew.

And... really ... the tie's they wear are great, i wanted to steal several of them! In fact, i think i will,  they be here for this weeks tour as well so... hold on tight to those Belissima Cravetta  :)

Also a big improvement to have Christine with us now at Portomaso, she is an excellent supervisor and a very good friend, and super service minded.

I enjoyed playing in the old pokerroom, its silent, no slots, but the air condition really needs to be on or one cant breath in there, its been like this several years and i know its hard to change, in fact the AC is a weak point in the whole of Portomaso, even upstairs, strange it cant be done better in such great facilities. Also they need to have lots of waitresses coming over so one can order drinks, it was really understaffed and the poor girls where running their feet of for us. Well done to them, especially Dani that is such a adorable sweetheart.

Now.... a days rest and next batch of  flat handbags, Espresso drinking drama queens surround us - cant wait. It has become an addiction , and soon, soon, i can feel it, one of these days he be here, my Italian, cos everyone should have an Italian once in their life i been told!

Lots of love to ya all!

C4Q

Special thanks too:
http://www.assopoker.com
http://www.pokerforum.pokeritaliaweb.org
http://www.italiapokerforum.com

-for excellent live blogging and photos, Sambuca is on me, always !