DUBLIN BELLYBUSTERS

Ok, so fresh from being schooled by the flesh 'n' blood Dutch masters ("Do I not like orange!"), I returned this week to the cyber-felt. Having put in minimal hours for over a fortnight, I was keen to get back to winning ways asap. Friday night was a feast as I won two $24 and one $69 45-man SNGs. Saturday was a famine as I made numerous final tables but only cashed twice for a pittance. Today, I woke up and pledged to put in a big session. Four hours in and I was down a grand with just one or two games brewing. I decided to be brave and entered a pair of live tourney satellites - the $300 Late Night Poker Satellite and the $200 Full Tilt Series Espana Satellite. I normally wouldn't buy in to tournies this big but both of the fields looked super-soft (I already won one of the Spanish Satellite thingies a few weeks ago in what I can only describe as dismally poor company).

An hour into both tournies and I was dicking around with slightly less than starting chips. A gear change was the order of the day as was a double-up on both tables. The Eurodonks obliged and I was back in business. Two hours in and I was 11 of 16 and 13 of 22 - lots to do but definitely in the mix! I lost a flip in the Late Night Poker Satellite but won one in the Spanish one. 10 of 10 in the former, I re-shoved 910 suited BvB and was unlucky to find him with A10. He had been aggressive for the previous half-hour so I think the play was fine. I flopped a flush draw but missed turn and river to be sent packing.

The crucial hand in the Spanish Satellite came when I smooth called a button raise with the A9 of clubs in the SB. I had 13K and was 2nd in chips. He had 16K and was 1st. The flop came AAQ, I checked and he bet 1500 into a pot of 3500. Feeling at this point that I was either miles ahead or miles behind, I decided to smooth call. The turn came the 9 of diamonds, putting 2 diamonds on board. I donk-lead for 2300 into the 6500 pot, hoping to represent a queen. The Button called. The river came the 4 of diamonds. I lead for 3500 into 11K and he re-shoved. A moment of panic followed as my internet connection vanished before I could snap-call. Luckily it returned in time and with teeth grit, I hit the CALL button. Please no AQ, please no AQ! BOOOOM as he flipped up the A7 of diamonds and the mammoth pot was shipped my way.

From there, I had more than double the player in 2nd place and it was easy to play positional poker, stabbing small pots away from scared oponents. The satellite format has its own set of game theory principles and I love to pressurise the donks. Playing the big-stack aggressively, I coasted to the final table with half the chips in play. It was a brief affair as the short-stacks departed quickly. The 5-handed bubble was also brief as, after two hands, the short-stack shoved with JQ suited UTG, I called with Aces and they held!

HOLLAND: 5
LAPPIN: 0

SPAIN: 0
LAPPIN: 2

Viva Espana, once again!

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