Getting back on the H.O.R.S.E.

I went into last nights Hendon Mob Forum league game, on the back of some half-decent form (finally!). We played H.O.R.S.E. last night - which is a mixed game format of :-

Limit Hold'em, Omaha Hi/Lo split, Razz, Stud and Stud Eight or Better

Which is where the name comes from!

You may remember that the last time we played H.O.R.S.E. I made it to heads-up before going out in second place - so I was eager to make it one better last night. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to go all the way - but I did manage to make the Final Table before going out in fourth place. A nice result overall, even if a little disappointing at the time. Eighteen additional points has taken me up to 18th position in the League Table.

I managed to play well, despite having a succession of poor cards. It's in the nature of a mixed-game format that you are far more likely to get 'rolled-up' aces (three of a kind on third street) playing Razz, than in Stud!

I'm not 100% certain, whether last nights result will be enough by itself to keep me in a position for a second WSOPE play-off place, by the end of the league, but it will definitely have helped. There are just two more games remaining before the play-offs - a Double Stack PL Omaha, and a Triple Stacked NL Hold 'em. One decent result from either of those would almost certainly guarantee me a second play-off place.

I may be a long way away from living the dream, but at least I'm still dreaming it!

Hendon Mob League Update

SO... it's been a while since I've posted, because it's been a while since I've played regularly. Working from home was getting me quite a bit of table time, to start off with; but unfortunately that couldn't last forever, and now I'm busier than I've ever been.

The only regular poker I've been playing recently is the Hendon Mob Forum League matches, and I'm glad to say that I've finally managed to perform with [a little bit of] consistency.

Since my second place finish in the H.O.R.S.E. tournament in the middle of March, I managed to place in 13th during last week's 6-Max Hold-em event, and went even one step better than that this week, and made the final table. Made the FT with a decent stack, as well and felt that I should have finished better than I did (7th place). I played very well throughout the tournament... using position effectively, and making the most of my decent hands (only showed down three hands in the first hour and a half and that was Aces (twice) and Queens-full. However, after a terribly weak Raise-Fold which lost me about 60% of my stack at the final table, I made what I still consider to be a decent all-in move with 96o that I'll show below.


Full Tilt Poker Game #29655317961: Hendon Mob Forum League (230456276), Table 9 - 300/600 Ante 75 - No Limit Hold'em - 22:28:12 WET - 2011/04/05 [17:28:12 ET - 2011/04/05]
Seat 1: SeanFoley (15,759)
Seat 2: Chris J Stewart (9,688)
Seat 3: hebburnlad (26,771)
Seat 4: Ullysses1975 (6,593)
Seat 5: Al Force (10,550)
Seat 8: Lazarus88 (13,204)
Seat 9: voodoolovecat (34,435)
SeanFoley antes 75
Chris J Stewart antes 75
hebburnlad antes 75
Ullysses1975 antes 75
Al Force antes 75
Lazarus88 antes 75
voodoolovecat antes 75
hebburnlad posts the small blind of 300
Ullysses1975 posts the big blind of 600
The button is in seat #2
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Ullysses1975 [9d 6c]
Al Force folds
Lazarus88 folds
voodoolovecat folds
SeanFoley folds
Chris J Stewart raises to 1,800
hebburnlad folds
Ullysses1975 raises to 6,518, and is all in
Chris J Stewart calls 4,718
Ullysses1975 shows [9d 6c]
Chris J Stewart shows [Ad Kc]
*** FLOP *** [Tc Jc Ks]
*** TURN *** [Tc Jc Ks] [4d]
*** RIVER *** [Tc Jc Ks 4d] [8s]
Ullysses1975 shows King Jack high
Chris J Stewart shows a pair of Kings
Chris J Stewart wins the pot (13,861) with a pair of Kings
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 13,861 | Rake 0
Board: [Tc Jc Ks 4d 8s]
Seat 1: SeanFoley folded before the Flop
Seat 2: Chris J Stewart (button) showed [Ad Kc] and won (13,861) with a pair of Kings
Seat 3: hebburnlad (small blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 4: Ullysses1975 (big blind) showed [9d 6c] and lost with King Jack high
Seat 5: Al Force folded before the Flop
Seat 8: Lazarus88 folded before the Flop
Seat 9: voodoolovecat folded before the Flop

Couldn't be helped really, but felt that shoving was the only way to go with this hand here, and actually had a half-decent chance once the money went in.

My run of results in March / April has just about dragged me into contention (at the minute) for a second play-off place for the World Series of Poker Europe this year. Looking at the table, I'm going to definitely need at least one more result (out of the final three games) to secure a position and will need things to go right around me.

BUT you've got to be in these things to win them. I'd have jumped out of my seat at the start of the year to be in this position, so I'm not complaining now I am... and who know - maybe, JUST MAYBE:-

"It could be me!!"

Well that's enough of the dreams folks, it back to reality for me.

:-)