With free copies of "Bluff Magazine" floating around the cardroom, and with the Day 1 action in these limit tournaments sometimes being staggeringly boring, a lot of the players have taken to reading up on some strategy -- oftentimes written by fellow players in the tournament.
As action was about to start, I walked by Justin Bonomo and noticed him reading 'Establishing a Tight Table Image' by Allen Cunningham. Knowing of Justin's aggressive style and reputation, I leaned down and told him "Justin, I don't think it's gonna work." Justin (in the three seat) laughed and replied, "Yeah, but there's another reason to read it," and nodded his head across the table -- Allen Cunningham was in the six seat.
Ashby hopes that isn't the Devilfish behind him
After such a promising start to the day, Richard Ashby is now down to the felt with just 2,100. His latest loss saw him fold a Razz hand on the final card with showing.
Looking rather disgruntled, his table then departed leaving little ole me with just one table to cover before I join my colleagues downstairs in the main room.
Kirk Morrison, scooper.
Omaha/8 -- sorry for the ambiguity of the title -- it meant that he was scooped, losing a little chunk of his 22K stack...
The Hendon Mobster found himself in a three-way pot with Kirk Morrison and Per Erik Loeff, all three of them coming along for the ride on a flop of (in-position Morrison betting). A fourth player had reached the flop, perilously short-stacked Bruno Fitoussi, who thought for a while before deciding that this was not the hand on which to commit his remaining 1,600 chips.
The turn: . Now Kirk Morrison bet when it was checked to him (800) and got just one player calling: Small blind Boatman. The river brought the and again Barny Boatman check-called a bet, showing .
"I don't have a low..." advised Morrison.
"I knew I didn't like that ace," he said as Kirk Morrison's took the whole lot anyway.
Annie Duke
The first level after the dinner break is always where the attrition rate starts to climb. Players have time to assess their situation, the blinds are raised and they usually come out firing, hoping to pick up some chips. Tonight is no exception and we have already lost four players and have broken a table, causing a new table configuration. Richard Ashby and Annie Duke have been moved to Doyle Brunson and Chris Ferguson's table.
My many girlfriends
I'm currently working in a side room where the feature table is also being prepared for later on in the week. However, what has caught my attention rather more is the lovely array of girls who are practicing their performance right before me.
"Do you mind if we do our routine in here?" one of them politely asked.
"Of course not," I said in my best James Bond accent with one eyebrow raised in a Roger Moore-manner. (Well, actually, I bumbled and stuttered my reply.)
And so, off they went, dancing around and making me grimace like a gurning champion as they performed synchronized splits. Ouch!
Although many have compared me to Brad Pitt, the girls seemed inexplicably more interested in Patrik Antonius who is on the remaining table here on the balcony. I took great pleasure in breaking hearts and informing them that he was happily married with a child. Shame, they'll have to settle for me...
Monster monster stack
Vegard Nygaard is your new chip leader in this £2,500 HORSE event with a massive, humongous, little-green-monster-inducing 32,500 in chips.
The top tournament pro, famous charitable donator, and author has either added invisability to his list of talents or hasn't showed up all day. His stack is still in, at last count at just under 3,000, meaning that his tight style has put him in the top two-thirds of the field as Day One trundles towards its conclusion, outlasting players like Dave Colclough, and most recently Richard Gryko.
Meanwhile, another table up top breaking has sent us Annie Duke, who's been seated to short stack Richard Ashby's left. Her first magnanimous gesture upon arriving downstairs was to convince Management that bottled water should be henceforth on the house. Three cheers for Annie, hydrating the poker community.
A pot has risen around a board of with three players to the river. I caught the action as Juanda, rock-like (in the sense of being very still only) considered the 1,600 he was now facing. Eventually he made the call, apparently getting rid of the player still to act with the winning hand, as his opponent mucked. Juanda had to show his hand to win the pot -- he had made the call with and took the chips and a bit of ruffled surprised commentary from his tablemates.
Patrik Antonius, who really hasn't got going today, has been in freefall mode and is now down to just 3,500 in chips.
However, although he's struggling chip-wise, his opponents' efforts to once and for all eliminate him from the comp have been in vain. The plucky Finn is refusing to give up, however low he is.
After being bluffed off an ace-high flop in Hold'em by JJ Hazan, Patrik then took the blinds, his raise leaving him with just 600, before stealing the blinds once more.
Soon after, he managed to flop a set of jacks from the big blind but was unable to find any action from JJ, who folded instantly.
Patrik's still smiling, although it seems he is being stalked by two dancers who have decided to strategically position themselves by his table so they can continually gawk at the former model, leaving me to mop up the drool.
showing. 
. Now Kirk Morrison bet when it was checked to him (800) and got just one player calling: Small blind Boatman. The river brought the 
and again Barny Boatman check-called a bet, showing 
.
took the whole lot anyway.
with three players to the river. I caught the action as Juanda, rock-like (in the sense of being very still only) considered the 1,600 he was now facing. Eventually he made the call, apparently getting rid of the player still to act with the winning hand, as his opponent mucked. Juanda had to show his hand to win the pot -- he had made the call with 
and took the chips and a bit of ruffled surprised commentary from his tablemates.
