Bus Pass

I had my first live tournament win since the Irish Open last night. Only a £30 tournament, so £190 for first, but it was nice to get back in the winners’ enclosure after a barren month or so on the live scene.

Both the hand that kick started my tournament, and the hand that won me the heads up, involved me holding the mighty hole cards of T6 offsuit. I was hoping to find a fancy nickname for this starting hand, but it doesn’t seem to have one yet. The best I could come up with was 6T = 60 = old age freedom pass on the London Underground. So Bus Pass it is then.

Anyhow - on to the key hands of the evening:

Hand1

I raise to 150 with K♥K♦ in early position (sometimes I get cute here with a limp, but the table was playing pretty loosely so there wasn’t much point).

One customer (Mitch) and we go to the flop:

K♠ 9♦ 8♦

I bet 300 and am called by Mitch.

Turn is Ace clubs

I risk a check, because I want him to think I am scared of the bullet, and he is an aggressive player. However, he checks behind.

River is a blank.

I bet 500 and he passes.

I then fritter down to about 2400 from a starting stack of 3000.

Hand2 - (stone cold bluff alert)

Sonny raises on the button to 500 (blinds 100-200). Slider calls in the SB and I find a “Bus Pass” in the BB. Hmmm - terrible hand but only 300 into a total pot of 1500. I call.

Flop A, A, 2

Checked around

Turn is a 3

Slider checks, I bet 500 and Sonny calls, looking a bit reluctant. Slider passes.

River is another blank, and I decide that since I am first to act I am going to push for 1400 to try and pick up the decent pot. I’ve played the hand like I have Ace rag - I flat called in the BB. I checked the flop with the initial agressor behind me. I bet small on the turn, and now I’ve pushed on the river to maximise my value. Sonny eventually passes pocket 7s and the bus pass is triumphant! Phew. Up to about 5k heading to the final table.

Hand3

Tom is deepstacked and has raised four pots in a row. Sure enough he raises to 1250 in early position (blinds 200-400) and I resteal with A♠J♠ by pushing all in for about 5k. Unfortunately, he has AK on this occasion and snap calls me.

The first 2 cards are low red cards, and it’s looking bleak, but my favourite dealer, Hassan, delievers three running spades to save my bacon, and give me the nut flush.

Hand4

We get down to 6 handed. I make up the SB to 600 with A9 and Slider checks.

Flop 2, 5, 10

Check, Check

Turn is a King

I check and Slider bets 900. Now, Slider knows that I think he is too tight as a player so I will respect his bets. However, I wondered if he was trying to make a point by loosening up specifically on me, so I decide to call.

Check, Check - my Ace high is good ;). That was a case of I know, that he knows that I know.

Slider, Sonny, Fluke and a young new guy are all elimiated and it leaves myself and Tom heads up.

I start about 3-1 down on the chip count, but get back to near parity when the huge heads up hand occurs:

Hand5

Blinds are 600-1200, and Tom makes it 3600 to go. I call with Q9.

Flop K, K, 3

Check Check

Turn is a Queen

Tom bets 5000 which I call

River is a 3

I check and Tom pushes all in, and has me covered (I have about 9k behind). This is a tough one - there is not much I am beating except an outright bluff. I have the Queen, but there are 2 pairs already out there and I don’t like my kicker considering Tom raised pre-flop. I still have a playable stack left as well. However, eventually I make the call and beat Tom’s Ace high kicker with the 2 other pairs.

Tom was now left with about 4k, and I wanted to finish it off quickly. Tom stole a few blinds, when I couldn’t call with 23 etc, but on the 3rd hand I find another T6 “buss pass” and put him all in from the small blind. He calls and is ahead with Queen rag, but I am not far behind, and hit one of my cards on the river to finish the game.

These bus passes are magic - good old Red Ken.