Anger vented, and now back to nirvana...

Ok, so before you say "thats poker", or "ah sure its only a game" or even "it was a fiver rebuy Trisha", i know. And not only do i know but most of the time its me giving the bad beats. But, just every so ofter i come across a player who i just wanna strangle. And 9 out of 10 times its in The Crackpot. So i shall vent some anger here and prevent myself from getting a boil on the neck ala Homer Simpson.

Monday madness is exactly what it says on the tin. Bit of craic with the lads/lasses and cheap enough to boot. So i pop in to last night and take a seat along side some regulars. Craic is in full swing with the "ahhhhhs" and "ooooooohs" and usual shouting and screaming for magic river cards that ALWAYS appear because its Monday. So i settle in and break time comes and i find i havent re-bought once, but do top up so im sitting on a resepectable 10k. First hand back after the break and there's a chap from the north of Eire whose name i can never remember but is an absolute gent, and theres Mark Kennedy(names shall not be with held for i wanna name and shame). Now for those of you who know Mark, probably are aware he's not the full shilling at the best of times, not because he thinks he's the best damn player in Ireland, or because he works for Paddy Power(most likely making tea or vaccuming floors i reckon) but because he's just, well, nuts(did warn you i was venting anger!). So nice chap from the north has pocket kings, and Mark has kh qh, which is a better hand than he normally shows, but straight back from the break, no more re-buys, and he throws his stack in with this shite, and of course the flop brings two hearts, and Mark does his usual jumping in my seat like i have worms dance and starts banging on the table for a heart, which pops up on the turn. Nice chap from the north says nice hand and leaves table, Mark says yee haa ya boya blah blah blah and continues to do his little dance. Fast forward 3 levels later and two short stacks on the table decide to push, and Mark calls, with A 4 off, one guy has 99, other has AQ, flop brings 2 5 3, giving Mark a straight, and no four means the two lads are off home. Mark still being his weird self does another stupid dance and is whooping and hollering. By this time the rest of the table are giving each other the "im gonna get this fucker" eyes. Myself included. But we get eleven handed and i find im the short stack now, and find the chips going in with 99. Dara(loud guy but good laugh) takes pity on me and calls with 9 6 off, and ive doubled up. Ten minutes later i find 99 again but no callers. So im sitting on 5800, blinds are 400 and 800, when i look down to see pocket queens in the BB, Mark has called, action back around to small blind who completes, and i push. Mark does his usual "im thinking like i have a hand and as im a cock ill end up calling you anyway regardless of what i have" stint, and calls for 5k more, and the SB folds. I turn over my ladies, and Mark turns over Ad 4h. Happy days. Flop brings me 2 5 6. He does his usual "one time for the mongo" dance and starts hollering for a 3. Turn indeed brings a 3 and Mark erupts again with his happy mongo dance. River is a 10 and im out. Now, i know when we play poker to expect this kind of beat. I know im not supposed to show anger and be upset as its only a game. And whilst im well aware of etiquette and, as far as im aware, am pretty well mannered when im on a table, i can safely say, i did not give a shit last night. I let such a roar the i shook the table. I let him know what i really thought of his "play", and of him. And after cooling off outside, talking (bitching some would call it) to other players who happened to have the same opinion as myself, i still dont feel bad. I got half an apology when he turned red faced after i let him know what i thought, but, in retrospect, he should not have apologised for his play, he probably thinks that one third of his stack with a raggy ace was a great call, and cemented more so by the fact it won. But hey thats poker, and while im sure i made some crap play when i was just starting out (Q4, dont ask), I ask you, is there such a thing as the Karma fairy dealing out shitty cards and bad beats to those who have dogged in a past life? While im a believer in Karma in general, does it/should it come back to bite us in the bum, presenting itself in a manner such as last nights episode? Answers on a postcard please.

Paddy Power Winter Festival

Ummm, this weekend is a bit of a blur...i remember getting there on the thursday night after picking Franny up at the airport, i remember going into Blinkers, and playing for twenty mins before they shut up shop, and after getting to the bar to meet the Cork crowd on Friday, the rest of the weekend is lost. I do remeber an early morning stint of cash games, and if i can recall, me having QQ and being re-raised by A2 who promptly hits an ace on the flop, i can recall not wanting to play poker for the rest of the weekend. I dont normally drink, but peer pressure is a horrible thing, so after Big Al's exploits on the Sunday, i apologise profusely if ive said or done anything to offend anyone. Home at 6 am tuesday morning, gave Tristan (jackpot dealer) a lift, and to bed for the day. Jackpot dealers tounrey was a bit of a disaster, as most of them stayed in the pub. They had a 20 euro, tenner re-buy round of each. Roughly 2500€, and we get down to 12 before all but one wanna chop it and go back to the bar. Sarah announces they're only paying 5, crap, so i go all in on a flop of Jd 9d 5c, Gary(bald one), re-raises all in, and whatshisname from Cork calls. gary turns over top set, whathisname turns over the nut flush draw, and im pretty thin with an open ended straight draw. Gary takes the lot and im off home in 10th. Gary and Simon end up choppping it for €750 each.

Im hopefully going to reg for the Bruce Poker launch night this week, and that'll probably be the lot until January as christmas is sneaking up fast and i need to get my skates on. I'd love to cash at any of the events that weekend as i havent been playing the best lately and a bit of an ego boost is in order. But failing that, im lucky when it come to raffles so Vegas here i come lol.