The long lonely walk home…

I had football training beforehand, the first proper session since I got injured. It was so boring, in comparison to Fran Butler’s sessions with DCU. My shoulder is way too weak for me to fully participate in a match but the game against our relegation rivals this Sunday is a must win game for the club and is the most important game this season. After the session I told Damo I wasn’t ready and that I hoped Marcello will come out and play in goals. But he didn’t look that confident that Marcello would turn out so I am feeling the pressure to return prematurely. I have to wait and see what happens on Sunday but it would be a massive gamble for them to play me when I’m 70% fit and also it wouldn’t be fair on me to cope with the pressure in playing in a game that could make or break us.

But anyway after the training session, I went home and headed straight to the pub. After the disappointment of playing so badly in CHL on Saturday night, I was relying on the usual Thursday night game to re-instil my belief that I am not really that bad (?!) I arrived a bit late and it was a little disappointing to see only 14 runners. Anyway I managed to get my initial stack of 2.5k up to 11k at the break. Purchased the add-on of 5k and when play resumed I was 2nd chip leader. FT had 9 players. There were two hands that defined my tournament, one was a squeeze play- blinds were 400/800, I was in the SB. Everybody had limped in when the button made a min-raise. There was 7,600 in the pot so I decided to squeeze before I even looked at my cards. (J8o) Squeeze looked to be perfectly executed when one by one the whole table folded except the short stack. He turned over JJ and I was duly exposed with my hand in the cookie jar. But it was still a good strategy to deploy. Lose half my stack but get it back up to a healthy 14k when I pick up KJo in the SB with blinds at 500/1k. I complete the blind after a few limpers. BB checks and the flop is J45 rainbow. I bet out 2.5k and get called by the CL who is a very loose player in MP. I know then that he has the J but I’ve a better kicker since he would have raised p/f if he had AJ. I decide to push if the turn is harmless since I figure he will call me with a pair of Jacks anyway. Turn is 6s, I push and get called. I laugh in exasperation when he turns over J4!!!!! Limping in with J4o from MP… Just LOL!! River is a blank so I get up and walk home. It’s never nice walking home after being knocked out. When I first started out playing these tournaments, I would get knocked out and find myself walking home with questions and self doubt ravaging my mind every week. Then I started improving and start to cash. And then Bam (Michael) would drop me home afterwards. So my early exit last night meant that this time I had to embark on the walk home with the old insecure thoughts running through my head about my play. But this time I knew deep down, I couldn’t do anything about donkeys limping in from MP with J4. It was his play that was questionable more so than mine.

Right now I am in work, organising a sweepstake for the Grand National tomorrow. The horses cost €1 apiece. I drew Backbeat and Nadover outta the bag, priced at 159/1 and 499/1!! Lol!!! But sure, it’s only a bit of fun! :-) I doubt I’ll have a punt on the GN tomorrow in the bookies; the race springs up too many surprises to be able to pick a winner from the racing post. Am looking forward to the poker after work in CHL and tomorrow night in the Deaf club. Not going out for a session simply because I know I would be wasting my time texting the boys if they are up for it. But all the same, I don’t mind playing poker all weekend! It’s fun!!! :-)