Chance of substantial cash disappears!!

Last time I wrote, I had just won my satellite ticket into the Macau summer festival game which was 100k gtd. With 130 players turning up, the prizepool was a healthy €130,000.
I started on day 1b, and got quite a tough table to start, with some of my opponnents being Jason Thompkins, dave Mccarthy, Donal o Connor, Sean Coughlan and a few internet qualifiers. I didnt get much going all day to be honest, and after starting with 20,000 chips and a 75 minute clock, I was down to 12,000 with about a half hour to go in the days play. I made a decision there and then that i was either going to make some chips or lose the ones I had before the end of play, as I wasnt staying in Cork, i had to drive 1 hour home, and to drive back again the following day, I wanted some chips to come back with. So I started playing very aggressively, which took the table by surprise as I had been doing my rock image all day. Still, nothing much happened and with 5 seconds to go, I had about 16k. I urge the dealer to give us 1 more hand which he kindly agreed to. I limp Jd-9d utg looking for action really. 2 more limpers for 300 when a Limerick player makes it 1200 to go otb. Bb flats and I shove for 15k. Folded back to the raiser who starts asking me all kinds of questions. Then he tells me about the respect he has for my game and says fold, and the bb folds instantly as well. The raiser reaches in and turns over his cards, As-Ks (he was sitting on about 45k). Theres a redraw the next day, so i flick over the J9 and he goes ballistic. God, I took some abuse from him, but all i could do was laugh, which made him worse. Finished the night on 19,950 chips, down 50 chips from my start stack.

Redraw on day 2, and another tough table. But there was a lot of decent players there, so no table was easy. The internet qualifiers were about the softest target, but i just couldnt seem to pick up a hand against them. Them he limps utg, couple of more limpers, I make it up in the sb with A-3. Flop is K-3-3. I bet 70% of the pot, only he calls. Turn is a queen, I lead at it again, he reraises me, I call. I know I have him here. River is a goddam ugly K. I check, he bets, and i fold, showing the 3. "How can you fold the 3?" he says to me, as he tables KQ. Lol. Nothings happening for me really, but im picking my spots well and maintaining my stack which is well below the average. get down to 2 tables and there is money for 14. We play a full 2 blind levels without losing a player, when the td says thats it for the night and we're back tomorrow. Somebody suggests a deal to make sure everyone coming back for day 3 gets money, and everyone agrees.

back on day 3 and I get a good seat, with Jason Thompkins on my right, and dermot Blaine 2 to my right. I just have the right size stack to shove over their raises, and so it proves on day 3. Got a scare all right when one of my shoves got called. I had 99 this time, and my opponnent had 99. 3 diamonds on the flop, and he had the 9d. But the rest of the board blanked out. hen I got lucky when I reshoved for 90k with JJ, only to be called by QQ and I hit the J. Now I had chips for the 1st time in the tourney, and in the next half hour, I took it up to 270k, and chip leader at the table. Jim from waterford had about 250k, and dermot blaine had about 180k, We were 11 left now, my table 6 handed. Jim was in the bb, when i raised to 24k with QQ pf. Jim looked down at his cards and said "im all-in". Now this is a monster pot. Ive played with this lad before, and again here, after playing 2 days on his table, I cant fold to his shove. So I call.
Me--QQ
Jim--As-5s.
Flop---------K-2-J rainbow.
Turn is a 3
River is a 4 to give him the wheel and leave me with 3 bb's.
If I win that pot, i have 520k with 10 players left, and only 2 million chips in play. I was fcuking sick in my stomach. I made my exit soon afterwards and got €3,000. But really, I was looking at a decent 5 figure sum if that hand holds up (35k 1st, 23k 2nd, 16k 3rd and 11k 4th). Its a cruel game at times.

Still, Im happy that I played pretty well and look forward to my next outing. Im playing the UKIPT this week in Dublin, and then on to Barcelona for the EMOP on the last weekend in september. Hopefully some good news to blog after that.

On the golf front, really enjoying the game atm, and had a great game with nicky Power last week when we played 36 holes around the 2 championship courses in killarney. Fantastic weather, fantastic courses, and fantastic company. what more can a man ask for.

On the online front, started a bit of staking for the deepstack tournaments on irishEyesPoker. I think these game are redic soft if your a good player, so i started staking a few IPB'rs into them. It helps that the quality of player that looked for the staking is high, but things are working out fine at the moment anyway.