EPT WARSAW - REPORT (Part 2)

Returned from a frankly disappointing dinner (some Polish cold meat affair) and hit the whiskies. Figured things weren’t going well so I might as well reduce my chances further.

I am under the gun and look down at the magical American Airlines (AA). I limp. Disaster! 5 callers and the big blind checks. I’ve arsed this hand up royally. Flop K hearts, Q hearts 9 Diamonds. (I have black Aces). I bet the pot, leaving about 4,000 behind. Tony Chesa pushes all in. I call - I am ahead but he has many outs - straight and flush possibilities. It holds though and I double through to about 14k. Relief and some playing time.

The blinds are now 200-400 with a 100 running ante so I am still not out of the woods by a long stretch. I promptly go card dead. I drink some more whisky. I fold AQ to a raiser. I drink more whisky.

A straight-laced German asks why I am not taking it seriously. “Zees is my career and you are playing vile drinking”. He is worried I’ll bad beat him when I do something off the wall. However, I am still playing solidly, but I decide to play on my drunken table image. I push with AK suited hoping for a caller but no-one falls for it. Someone even folds Jacks!

I go card dead again and pass the time by drinking whisky. I notice that the Westerlund character has been raising almost every pot (he has a big chip stack). He raises his usual raise and I look down at 88.

The blinds are biting now, and I decide I can get Westerlund off his mediocre hand by going all in so I do. Someone at the table asks if I’m nervous. David Colclough says “A man who has drunk 18 whiskies doesn’t get nervous”. I look away to give the impression I have a monster.

Westerlund calls with 10 10, and I’m out after no help from the board. I shake hands and skulk away from the table.

Looking back, my mistake was not dominating more at the start when the blinds were small and everyone was so tight. I let myself get too short stacked and paid the price. I’d make the move with the 8s again, as Westerlund was bluffing a lot of pots.

The booze made no difference - I knew exactly what was going on all the way until the end. All in all, a positive experience - I’ll be better prepared next time.