Hi,
Doke here again. I finally arrived home from Las Vegas on Wednesday, to the news that Eoghan O'Dea had just made the November 9. I had dinner a few times with Eoghan while I was still in the Main event,and railed him for a while on my last day in Vegas. He thoroughly deserves to have made it this far and has the pedigree to go all the way. His making the final table is a tremendous boost for Irish poker.
On Friday I headed to Tramore with Mick Mccloskey for the Waterford Masters. Experience has taught me I tend not to be at my best immediately after Vegas, as it takes a while to readjust to Irish players and playing conditions. So it proved again: although I was happy with how I played on day one which I coasted through with an above average stack, I didn't play well toward the end of day 2 and
ultimately paid the price. I was delighted that my friend Jason Tompkins went on to claim the win. Jason has been telling me for a while now he wanted to actually win a live tournament and get a trophy and after missing Vegas due to illness, he was undoubtedly the hungriest player in the field. Also well done to Connie O'Sullivan who chopped the side event to continue his run of recent form.
I've been getting back into the online grind, and showing signs of rustiness. I found to my horror that initially at least I couldn't handle the number of tables I used to comfortably manage. It seems the slower pace of live poker has slowed down my decision making but I'm sure it's just a matter of getting re-accustomed to online. The 6 week enforced break from online play while in Vegas was my longest ever
since I started playing.
Yesterday I appeared on Dublin City FM's "On The Ball" to talk about Las Vegas, and EMOP Dublin in Clontarf at the end of the week. That's shaping up to be the tournament of the second half of this year. Most of the Irish who played in Vegas indicated they'll be making their return to the live Irish scene in Clontarf, and I also ran into a few Scandis in Vegas who said they were coming too.
With two day ones to choose from, I haven't totally decided which one I'll play, although I'm leaning towards 1b on Friday.
Hopefully there will be a good Team Irish Eyes contingent taking part and Irish Eyes poker are running a special promotion for Team Irish Eyes members where members have access to the Irish Eyes Poker Lounge at the event, have an EMOP Bubble Guarantee (€2,000 EMOP package if going out of Main Event on bubble),and the Last Team Irish Eyes Poker player in EMOP Dublin gets a seat to the next EMOP event for FREE (value €2,000). (Note: to qualify, players must wear provided Irish Eyes Poker polo shirts at the event).
See you in Clontarf.
Good luck at the tables - unless I'm at the same table :)
Doke
--------------------
----------------------------------------------------
Keep up to date my blog
(http://dokearney.blogspot.com/) and on Twitter (daraokearney).
For details on all Irish Eyes Poker promotions in July, including:
Iron Man Dublin Promotion (€20,000)
Summer Freerolls (€46,500)
July VIP Matrix Promotion
See http://www.irisheyespoker.com/en/Poker/Promotions/monthly-promotions.aspx
The Hive Poker, Instadeal Poker, Casino, Sports Betting, on your PC, Laptop, Smartphone or Tablet.
Monday, July 25, 2011
Monday, July 18, 2011
Letter from Doke (18th July 2011)
Hi,
Doke here again. I'm still in Las Vegas. After making it through to day 3 of the WSOP main event, I had to extend my stay here by a week, so I won't be home now til Wednesday. Unfortunately, I then proceeded to bust 2 hours into day 3 when my aces were cracked by kings. Disappointing end but that's poker: there's no point in getting upset over anything other than your own mistakes. I ran into Padraig
Parkinson shortly afterwards and after remarking to him that I just wished it had happened 2 hours before the end of day 2 instead as it would have saved me the cost of an extra week's hotel and new flight, Parky joked "Basically it's like you made a mini rebuy".
Parky famously said once that the worst day of the year for any serious poker player is the day you get knocked out of the main event. This has been through for me in the past but although I was obviously disappointed, in truth it didn't hurt as much as my exit in the Berlin EPT, maybe because I felt I had a very good chance of at least final tabling that with only 60 players left. With 1800 left in the WSOP ME,
it's way too early to be thinking like that.
It also helped that I still had an interest in the main event in the shapers of Nick Newport and Mark Dalimore. Both went into day 4 (the day the bubble usually bursts) relatively short, but both survived past the bubble into day 5. Mark was still short but Nick had got up to average. Unfortunately, both busted early on day 5. Mark at least had the bonus of being on the TV table (ESPN were showing it on a 30 minute delay), and wound Daniel Negreanu up to the point that he celebrated Mark's demise.
The end of every WSOP is time for honest reflection and preliminary plans for how to get yourself back here in a year in good shape.
Having suffered through 3 WSOP campaigns without a cash, 3 cashes this year to break my duck represents progress. My tentative plans for next year is to play more events with less than 1000 runners, and also to try to get my non-holdem games to where I feel I can compete against the best. Most seasoned experts say that there is much more value in the other games these days than in holdem.
I always find it hard to hang around a poker tournament after I've been knocked out so I checked out of the Rio and headed to the Hilton with Mark for my last few days in Vegas for some decompression. Not too much rest for the wicked though: next Friday I head to Waterford for the Waterford Masters. Hopefully I'll shake off any post-Vegas cobwebs or blues there so I'll hit EMOP Dublin in top shape pokerwise.
If I could pick just one tournament in the rest of 2011 to do really well in, it would be that one.
After 6 weeks away from the online tables, I'm also really looking forward to getting back to the night job.
Good luck at the tables - unless I'm at the same table :)
Doke
----------------------------------------------------
Keep up to date on how I'm getting on in Vegas on my blog
(http://dokearney.blogspot.com/) and on Twitter (daraokearney).
For details on all Irish Eyes Poker promotions in July, including:
Iron Man Dublin Promotion (€20,000)
Summer Freerolls (€46,500)
July VIP Matrix Promotion
See http://www.irisheyespoker.com/en/Poker/Promotions/monthly-promotions.aspx
Doke here again. I'm still in Las Vegas. After making it through to day 3 of the WSOP main event, I had to extend my stay here by a week, so I won't be home now til Wednesday. Unfortunately, I then proceeded to bust 2 hours into day 3 when my aces were cracked by kings. Disappointing end but that's poker: there's no point in getting upset over anything other than your own mistakes. I ran into Padraig
Parkinson shortly afterwards and after remarking to him that I just wished it had happened 2 hours before the end of day 2 instead as it would have saved me the cost of an extra week's hotel and new flight, Parky joked "Basically it's like you made a mini rebuy".
Parky famously said once that the worst day of the year for any serious poker player is the day you get knocked out of the main event. This has been through for me in the past but although I was obviously disappointed, in truth it didn't hurt as much as my exit in the Berlin EPT, maybe because I felt I had a very good chance of at least final tabling that with only 60 players left. With 1800 left in the WSOP ME,
it's way too early to be thinking like that.
It also helped that I still had an interest in the main event in the shapers of Nick Newport and Mark Dalimore. Both went into day 4 (the day the bubble usually bursts) relatively short, but both survived past the bubble into day 5. Mark was still short but Nick had got up to average. Unfortunately, both busted early on day 5. Mark at least had the bonus of being on the TV table (ESPN were showing it on a 30 minute delay), and wound Daniel Negreanu up to the point that he celebrated Mark's demise.
The end of every WSOP is time for honest reflection and preliminary plans for how to get yourself back here in a year in good shape.
Having suffered through 3 WSOP campaigns without a cash, 3 cashes this year to break my duck represents progress. My tentative plans for next year is to play more events with less than 1000 runners, and also to try to get my non-holdem games to where I feel I can compete against the best. Most seasoned experts say that there is much more value in the other games these days than in holdem.
I always find it hard to hang around a poker tournament after I've been knocked out so I checked out of the Rio and headed to the Hilton with Mark for my last few days in Vegas for some decompression. Not too much rest for the wicked though: next Friday I head to Waterford for the Waterford Masters. Hopefully I'll shake off any post-Vegas cobwebs or blues there so I'll hit EMOP Dublin in top shape pokerwise.
If I could pick just one tournament in the rest of 2011 to do really well in, it would be that one.
After 6 weeks away from the online tables, I'm also really looking forward to getting back to the night job.
Good luck at the tables - unless I'm at the same table :)
Doke
----------------------------------------------------
Keep up to date on how I'm getting on in Vegas on my blog
(http://dokearney.blogspot.com/) and on Twitter (daraokearney).
For details on all Irish Eyes Poker promotions in July, including:
Iron Man Dublin Promotion (€20,000)
Summer Freerolls (€46,500)
July VIP Matrix Promotion
See http://www.irisheyespoker.com/en/Poker/Promotions/monthly-promotions.aspx
Monday, July 11, 2011
Doke in Las Vegas
Hi,
Doke here again, in Las Vegas at the WSOP.
In the last letter I was hopeful of a genuine deep run in the last 1k event of the series. I came back 13th of the 638 remaining hoping for a genuine deep run. Unfortunately, it was one of those days where nothing goes right and I was knocked out last hand before dinner when I lost a race to get back to where I started the day. A third cash at this year's series but still a big disappointment given how well day 1 had gone.
I played the last 1500 event. Not really too much to be said about it: it was my shortest event, as I ran kings into aces in level 3.
I'd regged for day 1A of the main event which was Thursday. Traditionally the day that gets the lowest numbers, I chose it partially so I could have a few days off before day 2 as I had planned a trip to the Grand Canyon with my friends Mark Dalimore and Mick McCloskey, and my oldest son Paddy.
I was hoping to build a decent stack during the day. It was all going to plan, I was up to 35k (from 30k starting) when a crazy Italian arrived at the table. He started opening for 10 big blinds regularly and betting 3 times pot on the flop. It was clear this strategy wasn't likely to see him last very long and I was just hoping to be the one to catch him. Unfortunately I lost about 10k trying to catch him without ever actually catching him, before he donated his stack to Scott Montgomery, 4 bet shoving almost 200 big blinds with AK into Scott's aces after Scott's very first three bet. Most of the rest of the day came down to me rebuilding slowly only to lose a big pot or have to make a big laydown. I was forced to fold an overpair, two pair and a straight: it seemed like every time I actually made a big hand a bigger one was out there. In the end, I was happy to survive the day with over 16k, the only real plus apart from the fact that I could have gone broke any one of the times I made a big hand but managed to stay disciplined and make the necessary folds.
Day 2A is Monday (8 PM Irish time). With almost 30 bbs it's not panic time yet but I'll be hoping to get off to a fast start.
The road trip to the Grand Canyon was a great experience. We stayed overnight in a small town on the iconic Route 66 where we had good craic in an Irish/Mexican joint called Pancho McGillacuddy's before heading to the Grand Canyon National Park. The canyon is indeed one of the natural wonders of the world and the Americans have done a great job with the park. We also went to a wildlife park called Bearizona on the way back. The bears and wolves were very apathetic much to Mick's annoyance, Mick being a man who likes value for his buck. The rest of us suggested he venture forth from the car with a stick to try to poke some energy into them. We also made a stop at the Hoover Dam on the way back. It was very windy and we kinda felt we were taking our lives into our hands walking across it. But we did anyway.
If I don't make it to day 3 here I'll be flying home Tuesday afternoon. I'm booked to play the Waterford Masters after I get home, and then it's all systems go for EMOP Dublin.
Good luck at the tables - unless I'm at the same table :)
Doke
------------------------
Keep up to date on how I'm getting on in Vegas on my blog
(http://dokearney.blogspot.com/) and on Twitter (daraokearney).
For details on all Irish Eyes Poker promotions in July, including:
Iron Man Dublin Promotion (€20,000)
Summer Freerolls (€46,500)
July VIP Matrix Promotion
See http://www.irisheyespoker.com/en/Poker/Promotions/monthly-promotions.aspx
Doke here again, in Las Vegas at the WSOP.
In the last letter I was hopeful of a genuine deep run in the last 1k event of the series. I came back 13th of the 638 remaining hoping for a genuine deep run. Unfortunately, it was one of those days where nothing goes right and I was knocked out last hand before dinner when I lost a race to get back to where I started the day. A third cash at this year's series but still a big disappointment given how well day 1 had gone.
I played the last 1500 event. Not really too much to be said about it: it was my shortest event, as I ran kings into aces in level 3.
I'd regged for day 1A of the main event which was Thursday. Traditionally the day that gets the lowest numbers, I chose it partially so I could have a few days off before day 2 as I had planned a trip to the Grand Canyon with my friends Mark Dalimore and Mick McCloskey, and my oldest son Paddy.
I was hoping to build a decent stack during the day. It was all going to plan, I was up to 35k (from 30k starting) when a crazy Italian arrived at the table. He started opening for 10 big blinds regularly and betting 3 times pot on the flop. It was clear this strategy wasn't likely to see him last very long and I was just hoping to be the one to catch him. Unfortunately I lost about 10k trying to catch him without ever actually catching him, before he donated his stack to Scott Montgomery, 4 bet shoving almost 200 big blinds with AK into Scott's aces after Scott's very first three bet. Most of the rest of the day came down to me rebuilding slowly only to lose a big pot or have to make a big laydown. I was forced to fold an overpair, two pair and a straight: it seemed like every time I actually made a big hand a bigger one was out there. In the end, I was happy to survive the day with over 16k, the only real plus apart from the fact that I could have gone broke any one of the times I made a big hand but managed to stay disciplined and make the necessary folds.
Day 2A is Monday (8 PM Irish time). With almost 30 bbs it's not panic time yet but I'll be hoping to get off to a fast start.
The road trip to the Grand Canyon was a great experience. We stayed overnight in a small town on the iconic Route 66 where we had good craic in an Irish/Mexican joint called Pancho McGillacuddy's before heading to the Grand Canyon National Park. The canyon is indeed one of the natural wonders of the world and the Americans have done a great job with the park. We also went to a wildlife park called Bearizona on the way back. The bears and wolves were very apathetic much to Mick's annoyance, Mick being a man who likes value for his buck. The rest of us suggested he venture forth from the car with a stick to try to poke some energy into them. We also made a stop at the Hoover Dam on the way back. It was very windy and we kinda felt we were taking our lives into our hands walking across it. But we did anyway.
If I don't make it to day 3 here I'll be flying home Tuesday afternoon. I'm booked to play the Waterford Masters after I get home, and then it's all systems go for EMOP Dublin.
Good luck at the tables - unless I'm at the same table :)
Doke
------------------------
Keep up to date on how I'm getting on in Vegas on my blog
(http://dokearney.blogspot.com/) and on Twitter (daraokearney).
For details on all Irish Eyes Poker promotions in July, including:
Iron Man Dublin Promotion (€20,000)
Summer Freerolls (€46,500)
July VIP Matrix Promotion
See http://www.irisheyespoker.com/en/Poker/Promotions/monthly-promotions.aspx
Monday, July 04, 2011
Letter from Doke 4th July 2011
Hi,
Doke here again. I'm still in Las Vegas at the WSOP.
Since the last letter I played two more bracelet events, a midweek 1500, and a weekend 1k. I ran pretty badly in the 1500 and exited late on day1. By contrast, I ran very well in the 1k, finishing day 1A with three times the average, and 5th in chips overall. We're back tomorrow (Monday, 10.30 PM Irish time) and I'm hoping to kick on and get a deep run. I have problems tweeting from here but will try to keep any of you who are interested updated on Twitter and Facebook.
In between those two events, I headed downtown to Binions (the spiritual home of holdem, where the WSOP was born) for their main event. Once again I put together a stack early on only to see it disappear in level 12 about 30 from the bubble, losing a 70/30. Downtown Las Vegas is quite an experience, more down to earth than the
sanitised tourist trap that is the Strip.
All work and no play makes Doke a pretty crabby person so I've also done quite a bit of socialising this week. The highlight was Neil Channing inviting me along to a barbeque in his Vegas mansion. The guest list read like a who's who of UK and French poker: Neil knows how to look after people.
A quorum is also now forming most nights at the traditional Irish watering hole in the Rio, Shutters bar. Las Vegas is somewhere it's only too easy to overdo the partying and drinking though, so I'm trying not to do that so to be focused for the main event which starts next Friday. I'm playing day 1A.
My son Paddy is arriving here in a few hours to keep me company for my last couple of weeks here. It's his first time in Vegas so hopefully he'll enjoy it, aside from having to listen to the old man complaining about beats.
Good luck at the tables - unless I'm at the same table :)
Doke
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Keep up to date on how I'm getting on in Vegas on my blog
(http://dokearney.blogspot.com/) and on Twitter (daraokearney).
For details on all Irish Eyes Poker promotions in July, including:
Iron Man Dublin Promotion (€20,000)
Summer Freerolls (€46,500)
July VIP Matrix Promotion
See http://www.irisheyespoker.com/en/Poker/Promotions/monthly-promotions.aspx
Doke here again. I'm still in Las Vegas at the WSOP.
Since the last letter I played two more bracelet events, a midweek 1500, and a weekend 1k. I ran pretty badly in the 1500 and exited late on day1. By contrast, I ran very well in the 1k, finishing day 1A with three times the average, and 5th in chips overall. We're back tomorrow (Monday, 10.30 PM Irish time) and I'm hoping to kick on and get a deep run. I have problems tweeting from here but will try to keep any of you who are interested updated on Twitter and Facebook.
In between those two events, I headed downtown to Binions (the spiritual home of holdem, where the WSOP was born) for their main event. Once again I put together a stack early on only to see it disappear in level 12 about 30 from the bubble, losing a 70/30. Downtown Las Vegas is quite an experience, more down to earth than the
sanitised tourist trap that is the Strip.
All work and no play makes Doke a pretty crabby person so I've also done quite a bit of socialising this week. The highlight was Neil Channing inviting me along to a barbeque in his Vegas mansion. The guest list read like a who's who of UK and French poker: Neil knows how to look after people.
A quorum is also now forming most nights at the traditional Irish watering hole in the Rio, Shutters bar. Las Vegas is somewhere it's only too easy to overdo the partying and drinking though, so I'm trying not to do that so to be focused for the main event which starts next Friday. I'm playing day 1A.
My son Paddy is arriving here in a few hours to keep me company for my last couple of weeks here. It's his first time in Vegas so hopefully he'll enjoy it, aside from having to listen to the old man complaining about beats.
Good luck at the tables - unless I'm at the same table :)
Doke
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Keep up to date on how I'm getting on in Vegas on my blog
(http://dokearney.blogspot.com/) and on Twitter (daraokearney).
For details on all Irish Eyes Poker promotions in July, including:
Iron Man Dublin Promotion (€20,000)
Summer Freerolls (€46,500)
July VIP Matrix Promotion
See http://www.irisheyespoker.com/en/Poker/Promotions/monthly-promotions.aspx
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)