Read Marc Goodwin’s 2008 Aussie Millions Blog, direct from Melbourne
Monday, 14 January 2008
I just played the Aussie Millions Main Event. It was Day 1, Flight 1 and I took some sick beats, like A-K against A-5. But was doing OK, getting my chips up to 20,000 and then I had Q-Q on the button against BB with K-K and that cost me nearly all my stack. The very next hand I pulled 6-6 and moved all in and one guy called with 9-9 and the other guy with A-Q. Q came, and I was third in that coup. So, I am OUT on Day One. I lasted four levels, four 90 minute levels. Not a good trip. I feel I’m playing OK, but I just can’t seem to get through.
So, maybe the next trip will be OK. I am scheduled to leave on the 21st, but I’m going to fly out a few days early to spend a couple of days at home, and then its off to NY for the Ladbrokes Poker Cruise, and then to the European Poker Open, and straight onto the Grosvenor UK Poker Tour in my home town of Birmingham, and then I’ll be off to the EPT Copenhagen. A sad farewell from a beautiful place called Melbourne.
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Sunday, 13 January 2008
I didn’t play anything yesterday. I just chilled and went for a run. I spent the afternoon checking out some famous faces at the hotel, and then went to Tony Bloom’s in the evening, where there was probably a collection of the world’s biggest sports bettors all in one room. He has a lovely home here in Melbourne, and we had a nice ‘barbie’, because that’s what you do in Melbourne. I had an early night to get ready for the big comp.
On Monday, I got up early at 8am and went for a run, and then went for a swim back at the hotel, followed by some breakfast. Then we had a photo shoot with Shannon Elizabeth and the Mansion qualifier, Richard Mace from the U.K. Crown opened one of the restaurants especially for us so that was good fun. We got all that done, and then I went downstairs to play in the game.
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Friday, 11 January 2008
I was hoping my luck was beginning to change this year, but it’s carrying on exactly where it started off. I’ve just come 11th in the Omaha event. It paid the top 9, and I’ve got the absolute nuts with a card to come and the guy has about four outs and he hits and it’s a massive pot, and that’s the end of me.
Yesterday I played in the super satellite; it’s just $1000 to enter, 120 runners, paid 10 seats, and I finished 14th. And that hand I had Qh-2h on a 10-2-4 board with two hearts and I was playing against Jh-7h, so I’ve got a pair of twos, I’m in front, plus I’ve got a higher flush draw than him. All the money is going in, he’s hit a Jack and it’s goodnight Vienna.
Sometimes the life of a poker pro is a bit hard to take. I’m feeling really pissed off at the moment. Well, tomorrow’s another day, another comp I suppose. It’s hard when you keep getting that close and you get zero. So, I’m a bit sick. Anyway, I’ll let you know more later, bye for now.
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Thursday, 10 January 2008
Just to let you know, if you ever visit Australia, do not go sunbathing. I covered myself in cream like a good little boy. I spent 20 minutes lying on the bench and fell asleep. I woke me up and I turned to talk to my mate and got burnt all down my side where I forgot to put cream. Apparently there’s no ozone layer here so you really do fry, I mean you really do. I’ve been to Vegas and sat outside all day but here it’s just a joke.
The restaurants here all beautiful, with really good food. I’m trying to eat sensibly, have a big breakfast and little or no dinner, maybe some noodles in the foodcourt. So, anyone who’s thinking of coming should, it’s just a dream.
Anyway, Today’s event was the Bounty. I of course was the Bounty, and the idea is that you knock the guy out with the Bounty, and you get a Grand, so everyone is after you. Consequently, their diabolical play is rewarded by beating you. In my last hand somebody raised, somebody re-raised, and I decided to push for my last 2500 with Jacks. The guy calls me with K-Q with two other players behind him, making an Ace pass and something else smaller but pass, and of course he beat me.
I then just sat in my room and played online for about 3 hours and got killed. It’s not a good day. I am going to go play some cash now, because the only way around it is to keep on playing! Anyway, laters!
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Wednesday, 9 January 2008
I played in the $1,000 rebuy, with five rebuys and a top up. It was a very lively game and I got great chips. Treble the average actually. I had 13,000 in chips and the average was 3,000. A guy sat next to me for the very first hand with 10,000. He raised I called with a pair of 4-4. The flop came 4-9-J. He bet I raised and after about 20 minutes of thinking he moves all in. And I actually said to him you’ve got trip-Jacks, because it was just so much Hollywood you get used to it these days. But, it’s hard to put down trips, and I just wasn’t good enough to put them down on this occasion, I called. Sure enough he had trip-Jacks.
So that decimated me, and then just to finish me off, the guy under the gun when the antes are only 50/100 moves all in for 1,750, and the guy behind him goes All in for 3,500, and I’m sitting on the small blind with K-K. So, I go all in. On their backs it’s Q-10 and a pair of 9s. Q-10 hits a straight so that was the end of me, and the only good thing about it was I had an early night and went running again and found it a bit easier, even though the legs were killing. Trying to get fit. Trying to be a muscle man!
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Wednesday, 8 January 2008
Long flight via Singapore. Well worth it. Melbourne is absolutely beautiful. Staying at Crown Towers in a Suite, and just had breakfast in the Crystal Club. It’s a New Year, and I’ve made lots of New Year’s resolutions, one being that I get myself fit. So, we’ve been for a run along the river all the way down to the MCG and back. Today we’ve done some swimming. Trying to eat sensibly and keep awake.
My very first tournament is the $1,000 Limit. I’m not a big Limit player, but I’ve decided to play all of these events to get my H.O.R.S.E game up to scratch. I’m pretty sure the future is going to be in all the mixed games so the H.O.R.S.E and these sort of events are gonna to be the real biggies and they actually do decide who all the best players are in the world, because you are going to have to able to play lots of games. So, I’m trying to improve my Limit game, so am playing the $1,000 Limit, and I was chip leader for about 90% of the competition.
I get involved in a massive pot with Q-Q against 4-4, with a capped raise at the beginning and then the flop comes A-J-J, not very nice to me, but the guy leads out, I raise, he re-raises , I go out to the fourth bet, which is the maximum you can raise and then the turn is a 4. The guy is sitting there on a pair of fours against my Q-Q. That was the killer for me, and I go out in 10th place. But, I’ve cashed in my first event of the year so I’m quite happy really, but obviously, I would have been a lot happier had I made the final table. It was $1,000 to enter, and I picked up the grand sum of $1,538 so it was 14 hours of play at an hourly rate of about $40, about the same as a day job really, but at the end of the day it’s all good stuff.
Today, I’m playing in the $1,000 re-buy event, with over 200 runners and a prize pool in excess of $500,000, I’m just getting primed to play in that.
All the big guns have just arrived, Phil Ivey and all the Full Tilt boys. It’s going to be a lot tougher than it was yesterday, but fingers crossed we’ll do OK.
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