Exclusive interview with Duncan Godfrey aka runadrum, freeroll regular and Aussie Millions legend
Duncan Godfrey is a PokerPlayer and PokerPlayer reader, who regularly plays our freerolls, supports our live events, and, oh, he’s just finished 19th in the Aussie Millions Main Event in Melbourne pocketing a tidy Australian $65,000.
We caught up with him on his return to the UK, and got the inside story.
How did you qualify for the Aussie Millions?
I won a $50+$5 satellite and then a weekly final on Blue Square. The first of those was on the night England played Croatia – only 11 people had entered and one of those sat out !
What were you hoping to do in the tournament beforehand, and how did you approach it tactically?
Beforehand I thought no further than surviving the first day because I had failed to do that in the Asian Poker Classic in Goa last year. I hoped I would be able to get near to the lower reaches of the prize money but had no real expectation of it.
At what point did you think you could make the money?
Only when the players finishing 81st and 80th went out and I still had some chips ! I had started day three in 92nd of the 9-6 remaining but managed to double up fairly early on with J-8 of spades versus 7-7 held by Kenna James – the flop included 7 & 9 and the 10 on the turn kept me in when I should have been walking.
The best fold I made in the tournament came just before the bubble when I folded (and showed) Q-Q after a K on the turn joined a flop of x-9-J. My opponent later confirmed that he had made a straight on the turn.
Do any key hands stick out for you?
The two hands above were the most critical in my making the money but the most memorable for me were the all-ins which I won on day two against Phil Ivey (my Q-Q versus his 9-9) and Andy Black (my 8-8 versus his Q-Q with an 8 on the flop, and my A-6-d versus his pair, forget how high, which made a flush on the river).
What was the experience like playing on the table with Ivey, Hachem, Black et al?
It was the first time I had ever been at a table of anywhere near that quality so I was nervous at the start but figured I knew more about them than they did about me ! Strangely, being drawn on that table helped me survive day two as I was determined to stay with them as long as I could and, apart from the two strokes of luck against Mr Black, I think I played pretty solid all day.
What were the best and worst things about your tournament experience?
I enjoyed both my stints on the feature table and hope to be able to see some of it one day. Not to see me but to see whether the series of post-flop folds I made were good! Perhaps the most satisfying moment was during the party after the tournament when a player I had not previously met congratulated me on my play on the feature table.
I have no bad things to report about my Aussie Millions experience other than perhaps small tells of my inexperience – one fold out of turn, some necessary advice from Andy Black on how to shield my cards against the wall (due to the cameras) of the feature table, and one appalling call against Erik Seidel when I convinced myself he might have even less than the nothing I had (if the tournament is shown on TV here I am sure that call will be included!).
How have you spent your time since the win?
For the first couple of hours simply regretting that I had not gone further (whilst trying to tell myself that was crazy considering my pre-tournament expectations!). We enjoyed a couple more days in Melbourne before flying back home and straight back to work the following day.
What do friends and family think about the win, and what will you spend the money on?
Family and friends are really pleased for me and most are wondering what luxuries will now be afforded. I received huge support from my poker-playing friends (mostly on the punterslounge forum) and I guess their expectation would be that I will now have an increased bankroll. The reality however is a lot more mundane in that we have outstanding bills which can now be paid !
Will you still play PokerPlayer and InsidePoker freerolls?!
I’m not ashamed to say that yes I will, especially those which may lead to more opportunities to play in live tournaments.
I am not foolish enough to think that I am now ready to hit the big time. I finished 19th of 780 but personally only knocked two players out of the tournament (although dented a few more). If it wasn’t for the timely arrival of that 10 early on day three I would have exited in about 90th place and then any question about continuing to play freerolls doesn’t arise. I hope to play in another live tournament soon so that I can see if my game has genuinely improved.
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