Monte Carlo Report

A couple of weeks ago I was in Monte Carlo for the EPT Grand final, the biggest tournament ever held in Europe with a prize pool of $2,801,200. It was held over five days in the Monte Carlo Bay Hotel and Resort. It turned out to be a long tournament for me.

I was determined to put on a good performance after I made the final last year. Things began very well. The levels were 90 minutes, we had a starting stack of 10000 and blinds began at 25/50.

The first big hand I played went like this. The blinds were 25/50 and middle position made it 300 to play. With two callers before me, I called with 2d4d. Flop Ad5dTc. I checked and the original raiser made it 1200, passed to me and I called. Turn an Ac. I checked and to my surprise he checked as I had put him on AK. The river was a 3s which gave me the straight. I bet 3000 and he called with AK. I was lucky he didn’t bet the turn or I would have folded.

I then made my biggest hand of the tournament when I made four of a kind nines. Plus, I had already doubled up my starting stack and was amongst the early chip leaders. The first level of the tournament was my best in terms of the number of good hands I hit.

I was up to about 23000 when I lost a coin flip for 7000 of my stack with AK suited v QQ. Then I played my key hand of Day 1. There was a serial limper on my table and he always called any raise pre-flop. So when I found JJ on the button I made it 2000 to play and he called. The flop was AcTc4s. Not great for me and he checked and I decided to check behind him. The turn was a 8s. He checked and I bet 2500. He quickly made it 5000. I wasn’t convinced he had any hand, and after staring at him for a while I called. The river was a Three and brought no flush. He bet 8000. If I called and my read was wrong I would be down to 2000 and in great danger of getting eliminated. I had to go with my instinct that he was bluffing and called. He showed JsKs and mucked.

I wound down from the end of the days play with a few drinks with regular Betfair players Dpommo, Dubai and MadCowboy (who played a great tournament and finished 8th).

As the structure was so great my 31000 chips gave me plenty of room to play aggressively and try and build my stack. I gradually increased my chips up to 50000 without playing any big pots. Then I played a hand which could have easily finished my tournament.

Blinds were 1000/2000 and I made it 7000 to play in the cut off. AJ and Tony Chessa raised it to 20000 from the small blind. I put him on a resteal or medium pair, so moved all in. He thought for a while and passed AK so I was lucky to get away with that move.

Soon after I moved tables and there were about 32 players remaining, with 27 who would make the money. The table I was moved to had plenty of chips and I had around 70000. One guy was raising nearly every hand and I had played a round when I picked up AQ in the big blind. He raised it to 8000 in the cut off and I made it 24000. He moved all in. I pondered this decision for about five minutes, and there were about 50 people gathered around the table. Including the blinds and running antes, there was 55000 in the middle. I had to call another 46000. If I called my 46000 and won I would have 147000. 46000/147000 is about 0.3. So I needed around 30% chance of winning the hand or more for the call to be correct. The only hands that would put me significantly below the 30% would be AA or AK suited. Any pair below Queens would be a good result. He didn't look very comfortable at the thought I may call, and I decided to gamble thinking it may be a coin flip. He turned over A4 off. A 356 flop had me gasping, but a blank turn and river had me up amongst the chip leaders on 150000. I finished the day with 151000.

As I was in a good chip position my focus now was to reach the final and maybe even win the tournament. I was confident and felt I was playing some of the best poker of my life.

As is often the case when the blinds get high, most hands were won uncontested before the flop and it was a few hours before I was involved in a big hand. I was on the button and blinds were 1500/3000. Everyone folded to me and I was pleased to look down at AhKh and made it 10000 to play. The small blind folded but the big blind moved all in for 80000, which was about half my stack. As he could have been restealing or have a weaker Ace it was an easy decision to call. He had 88, so it was a coin flip. The flop brought me no help, the turn was a blank, but a beautiful king on the river knocked my opponent out and put me amongst the chip leaders.

I was now moved to the TV table where I knew Marcel Luske and MadCowboy (Betfair qualifier). Blinds were 4000/8000 and I was card dead for a while. Eventually I picked up AsQs and Marcel raised before the flop to 24000. As I know Marcel will raise with nearly any hand I made it 68000 to play. He called. Now I was in a tough spot playing a big pot out of position. Marcel could be calling there with a very big hand like AA or KK hoping to trap me on the flop, plus I am out of position. The flop was J24. It was hard for me to bet as the pot was 140000 and I had 270000. If I bet 100000 he could easily move in. So I checked. He checked behind me. The turn was a 3. I checked again and he bet 50000. I passed. Perhaps I should have bet the flop but I didn’t like the hand out of position and could have played it better. Marcel showed 9sTs. Why couldn’t it flop three spades? I wish!

The hand that did the real damage to my chances of winning the tournament soon followed. I had 250000, blinds 5000/10000 and running ante of 1000. We were playing six handed and Marcel made it 25000 to play. Frazer called, I had Kc2c in the BB and as it was just 15000 into a 70000 I decided to call. I checked in the dark and it flopped 7c9sTh. Marcel and Frazer checked. The turn was a 6c. I bet 20000 to try and win it then or get a cheap card for my flush draw. Marcel made it 60000 and Frazer passed. It was 40000 more to me. The pot was now 155000 and I was effectively getting 4/1 on my chips to try and hit my flush. Plus I was thinking of the implied odds if I hit. Marcel would have paid me off another 50000 at least. So I called. River was the Ks giving me top pair. I checked and Marcel bet 60000. I somehow convinced myself it was worth calling even though I was sure he had an 8 by now. There was so much in the middle I couldn’t bear to pass and be shown a bluff. I called and Marcel had Q8 off.

There was now just nine players left and I was one of the shortest in chips with just 97000. Playing 5 handed and blinds of 5000/10000 I raised all in with AhJh. Everyone folded to the big blind who pondered for 5 minutes. I assumed he had a medium pocket pair as he would have called faster with a very big hand. He did call in the end with 99 and I couldn’t hit any of my cards and I was out picking up $56,000. The winner was Jeff Williams who at the age of just 19, won a massive $900,000.

I was devastated to get knocked out just one place from the final. I played well for three days, only to miss out at the end when I played a couple of hands badly – and lost a coin flip. Still it was a great few days, and I will always look forward to playing poker in Monte Carlo.

See you at the tables

Bennyboi