So near yet so far

	I don’t know how some players qualified for the main event – people just wanted to throw their chips in at times

Despite being happy with my finish, I do have mixed feelings about it all.

I decided to take part in a number of live tournaments beforehand, and I did well. It’s fair to say that I was warming up to the task in front of me – but the nerves still got to me on the opening day. In terms of buy-ins, the main event was nothing new, as I’d played in the Monte Carlo Millions. Rather, it was the number of players that was alien to me.

My play was steady enough, but I had to reign it in a bit on day one because my natural game is quite aggressive. That was how most of the players at my table were playing it, so I had to be careful. If you joined in, it became a free-for-all, and you had little control, so I stayed above the water, taking around 35,000 chips into the second day. Basically, it was a real scrap, but I had come through it. The main event is not the forum for beautiful poker.

The time off between day one and day two was a welcome relief, because the concentration levels were so demanding. To play 15 hours of poker is the greatest mental challenge I’ve ever undertaken. During my break, I stayed away from poker. I’m not one for cash games, so drinks with friends was the best way to relax. It’s vital to have somewhere like the Ladbrokes Player Lounge to get away from the madness of the Rio.

STACKS OF TIME

As I very rarely put my stack at risk, I quickly doubled up with Aces on day two, and that allowed me to wait for the hands to come my way. My progression from then on was steady, until the end came. After three days of consecutive poker the strain was showing. I knew I still had enough chips, but it wasn’t really about that. The hand that knocked me out was there to trip me up. I don’t think I played it badly: the blinds were $6,000 and $12,000, with a running ante of $2,000. I was in middle position. There was a raise to $40,000 under the gun and I looked down at two black Queens. I was certain I was in front so I raised a further $100,000 and the table folded round to the original raiser who flat called. At this stage there is the best part of $300,000 in the pot and I have about $500,000 remaining in my stack. The flop comes Jack high. The guy who is under the gun checks and I am thinking that I really don’t want this guy drawing. He could have Ace/King and I don’t want him to see another card.

I pushed all my chips in to hopefully move him off the pot but he instantly called with pocket Jacks. He then turned another Jack, and I landed a Queen on the River. It was unfortunate but he got lucky and hit his Jack on the flop.

It was very tense towards the end of my run and I was full of different emotions when I eventually busted out. To be honest, I was suffering. The schedule was gruelling: when you’re talking about your day finishing at four o’clock in the morning and the next starting at midday, you can understand how it takes it out of you.

One thing I have to say is this: I can’t comprehend how some of the players managed to qualify for the main event. Seriously, people just wanted to throw their chips in at times. These players must spend too much time watching edited no-limit hold’em on television, and believe it’s all about getting your cards down on the table.