BoM2015: Monday 13:55

the players have arrived and are debagging.

Maria is getting her mic on for to do an announcement. She has not been feeling very well, but she is still here and she looks stunning!

Elio watches as they pour out their chips.

And it's go time! Maria calls shuffle up and deal!

#BoMRKH2015 

BoM2015: Monday 13:25

I have just arrived at Portomaso and Elio and a team of willing minions are scurrying about preparing the FT for the start.

They are no longer using the big hall, we are downstairs on the casino floor with the flashing lights of slot machines and the sounds of "no more bets". How wrong those croupiers are, there will be many more bets during what promises to be an interesting final table.

I'm going to bung 10euros in the slot machines in the smoking machine area, yes they still let you gamble and get cancer at the same time in Malta!

Just under 30 mins until they restart the clock on level 31. The average chips are 4 510 000 with the blinds on 100k/200k/20k, so the play is a lot shallower than I would have expected.
That said, the tournament was originally supposed to finish yesterday, but Elio took the decision on Saturday that the FT would be played today. I saw how exhausted the remaining players were at 23:00 last night when play closed, so I think Elio has made a very good decision.

#BoMRKH2015

BoM2015: Sunday 23:15

Play has just closed on the main event with 10 players remaining. 

They will all return tomorrow at 2pm to conclude this epic tournament.

There is a lady amongst the finalists, Anne Meri. She will be coming to the battle as the short stack, but given that Pokerlisting's Dirk told me that the field included less than 5% female players, seeing one on the final at all is over representation!

Here's the FT players list and chip counts:

Uri Gilboa: 8 520 000

Henrik Jacobsen: 6 640 00

Dimitar Alexandrov: 6 410 000

Guiseppe Grimaldi: 6 350 000

Hendrik Koops: 5 370 000

Carlo van Ravenswoud: 3 700 000

Anders Gran Kvam: 3 070 000

Paolo Palmieri: 2 520 000

Nicolas Proust: 1 860 000

Anne Meri: 735 000

I'll be here to watch the final tomorrow, and post some interesting hands.

If you are wondering why I haven't posted today, it's because the VIP player party was last night and I have spent the day, curled up in a ball in the hotel steam room, nursing an evil hangover. I'll do a party post with some photos and stuff in a bit.

#BoMRKH2015 

BoM2015: Saturday 17:20

Busto! 100 players from the money.

Standard action, open jammed UTG+2 for 44k on 2000/4000/500 with AK, called by 99, no spike for Kat!

I'm happy with how I played, just a bit gutted that I lost that pot with 1010 v A10, I think there would have been a different story!

Not loving poker today!

There is a swank you party tonight, and I'm planning on getting a bit drunk, frankly!

I'm off for a sauna, steam and spa in my hotel to cheer me up!

Thanks for reading my updates, I'll post some pics from the party later!

#BoMRKH2015

BoM2015: Saturday 16:15

 Decimated with 1010 last hand before the break.

Passes to me on the sb, mad lad on bb called Lege (pictured). We met earlier in the women's toilets when he accidentally went in the wrong one. 

I open 2.5x on 1500/300/400, happy he'll ship wide. He did, with A10. Flop an ace. Nice.

1st hand back from the break, I launch my remaining 14k in with 10c7c and two callers. The sexiest flop in the world- 7d 8c 9c!

Turn flushes me up. 

Stack 45000 (AV 122000)

On the plus side, my short stack game is pretty on point, so there is life in this old dog yet!

#BoMRKH2015

BoM2015: Saturday 15:20

Nightmare couple of hours.

My table is hyper aggro. If I want to enter a pot from any position except UTG then it is at least a 3bet. I have been pretty card dead, which is fine as I'm not in trouble too much!

I've stood my ground on a couple of pots, won a couple, lost a couple.

I lost a few bob 4betting AQ from the button, 3bettor came along and donked 662, I floated and he jammed 2xpot on the 10 turn. I was out.

On the plus side, if I find a hand, I will probably get paid at least once!

There is mucho male ego aggro at my table, they are all bickering about petty shit. Zzzzzzzz.

Just wap your penises out on the table, boys, and the argument will be settled by sight!

My last five started hands: 83, 63, Q2, 94, J9(facing a 4bet).

Stack: 91300

BoM2015: Saturday 13:05

We're late starting, not sure what's happening. Still no table draw.

Day 2 returning numbers are 583/1804.
Big field!

#BoMRKH2015

BoM2015: Saturday 12:32

Boom! Managed to arrive in good time for Day2.
I'm feeling positive; I got up early and ate an omlette and some pancakes with chocolate sauce and fresh cream. Two course breakfasts for the absolute WIN!

The dealers are just starting to do dealer things and put cards and bags on the table.

The seating draw is not yet displayed, but there are a lot of players wandering about, there's a sense of excitement. This tournament is so friendly that lots of players returning from Day 1 are saying "hello" to eachother and shaking hands.

Poker is weird, isn't it? Technically, we're all enemies, doing battle against each other, but yet we will be friendly and welcoming away from the tables!

I will try to blog my action for today, but I also have to concentrate to the maximum. I want to cash in this tourney.
I know that, as poker players, we're all supposed to shoot for the win, all the time, but I am in for £0 on this tourney, so a min cash would be brilliant.

In my normal, online games, I would start to get very aggressive as the bubble approaches, putting pressure on anyone who looks scared.
This strategy means a lower ITM%, but a higher % of deep runs, which is what I want at the stakes I'm bankrolled for,
In this tournament, depending on my stack, I will most likely be taking a slightly more nitty approach to make the money. Once the bubble bursts, I will go batshit hyper-aggro and try to make the FT, but if I'm ITM, I'm happy!!

I don't know how many are getting paid yet, @Rémi Rkh will no doubt post all the final numbers etc.

I'm off to have a quick smoke before go time, and then taking my seat with around 50bigs.
TIME TO DO OR DIE!!

#BoMRKH2015

BoM2015: Saturday 00:34

Okay, I'm up far later than I intended to be, I did have a beer, but only just the one.

@Rémi Rkh and I went to Club 22 in the Portomaso Tower for the PokerListings Allin Friday Party, it was quite spectacular, not just the venue, but the view from the venue! Remi was taking a massive amount of scenic shots, he's the French version of David Bailey! (He'll post some of them on his blog.)

I think the party was just getting started, it was all very civilised, but had the underlying sense of carnage. Maria Ho was there, jigging up the crowd on the mic; she looked stunning in a figure-hugging yellow dress.

@Benny Glaser was at the party, he's such a lovely chap! I told him I was going home early due to day two tomorrow, and he implied that I was a total wuss and should get blasted (he is also playing tomorrow).
I pointed out to him that tomorrow is another day at the office for him, but it's something unusual for me! I'm really looking forward to tomorrow, and if I play like a twat because I'm hungover/tired then I'll be really annoyed with myself.

The smoking areas (there were three! Malta loves smokers!) were absolutely the best I've ever been into. Amazing views, cool lighting, comfortable seating and open sky-lights. Both Remi and I smoke, so we sat in there for a bit; it's so easy to fall in love with Malta when you see her at night, she truly sparkles!

Okay, we both look like cretins, but that really was our first and last beer!

The day's play is drawing to a close here, they're about 10 minutes off clock stop on lvl 12.
839 players registered today, and as I type this, 297 of those remain, so Day 2 will be epic!
I will post some proper numbers when I get here in the morning and get the gist of what's going down.

I'm shattered today, although actually I have not done much!
Time for Kat to curl up in her basket and get some much needed shut-eye; I've got to do Battle tomorrow!

#BoMRKH2015

BoM2015: Friday 21:55

As is always the case at this time of the day, the frequency of bust-outs is increasing as the short stacks try to stay ahead of the structure.

I was chatting to a random Norwegian who said he would rather bust that go through to Day2 with 10big blinds.
Hmm.

Not sure I agree there, I mean I'd rather go through with a massive stack, but I'd rather go through with a bowl than not at all.
Thoughts on this?

There were not many women in this field today, but a good percentage of them are left. Fatima De Melo is still rocking it with above average stack and I watched a hand with a female player, Anna Colley.

Level 400/800/75

Anna is UTG+2 and she opens for 1800.

It passes to the button and the player, Tal Maduel, raises to 3100. Anna thinks for a moment, and then flats; she has very long, perfect nails, and she almost speared the chips, it was a bit scary.

Flop Qs 6s 10d and the action is check, check.

Turn Kh. Anna considers her options and then spears some chips, casually lancing 3k into the middle. Tal does not look too impressed, he calls, but it looks like it hurts him.

River 5d. Anna is quicker off the mark with this bet and in goes 7500. Tal's body does that thing where it looks like all the air has been sucked out through his bum.
He open folds AhKs. Anna shows only a wry smile... come on the girls!

#BoMRKH2015