wtf is that thing 4 real? ^^
nice post scoop writeup..
not sure how i feel about the your new selling action idea but i guess im for anything that makes mtt players have less % of themselves...but feels like another company trying to leech money out of the ecosystem just at a glance..
Will tune in on chewsday

Going live in 40 mins:

https://www.twitch.tv/partypokertv

Been busy week, have been waking up at 7am every day, doing 5+ hours of strategy content and asleep by 11pm every night. Lots of things going on, lots of things I've been studying. Been very fun.

Had an enjoyable session today, few deep runs in big tourneys and then won the $500 6max on Party for $16,000.

Malta tommorrow. REALLY looking forward to this. lets go!

hope to see some of you guys out there, stop me and say hi if you're around.

Hey Pads, watched for just over an hour of your twitch session. I struggled to see stack sizes etc unless you used the zoom to bring the table up. This may be totally normal as I haven't watched many twitch streams. Otherwise 4max format, your presentation style was good, found it quite entertaining and would definitely watch again. Gl in Malta!

Very eventful first day in Malta!

I got here at around 6, rushed back to the hotel, checked in and had to do around 4-5 hours of meetings/coachings.

Finished and strolled to casino (20 meters away) sat in 5/10 PLO with 3 fish and 1 reg. Was doing pretty well, playing good, I actually saved some hands to write about, but anyway, fish who likes to pot bb pots, I call as do the rest. I have a3k9 one suit. Flop jt5ccc (I have a3cc) checks through, turn brick I pot, potter says "I'm all in" I say "call" he lifts his cards up and I show the nuts. He says "you win" and dealer rivers a brick and he mucks. Dealer asks him to put his stack in and he refuses saying that all in doesn't count and he only needs to pot it. I call floor, it's obviously ridiculous. Lots of arguing and he literally throws his chips at me, knocking my stsck into the skandi reg stack. Skandi and I are unsure how much we had, my stack got "smashed" into his so was very hard to see. Second floor comes over and says I have to give him the chips back from my stsck (he claimed €50) and the guy didn't have to go all in and pay me. The Russian (villain) started saying I was desperate for this money to buy more cocaine to take in the toilet and kept saying that. Pretty funny to people who know me, I've never taken any kind of drug.. Anyway, the floor says I'm not worthy of the rest of the pot and he goes and degens away on blackjack. Obviously tilting, but I handled it decently well. Didn't really want to go aggro with the Russian so just told the floor in a patronizing voicr (Ivey style) I guess we look at things a little differently.

Anybody here for the week watch out for this scumbaggary and favoritism.

Malta Shuffle Confirmed

Not to flame you but to do anything but let the dealer count out his raise size is just fishy. Clearly despite him acting like a tool he doesn't owe you anything more than a repot and with you showing your hand without action complete you might even kill your own hand in the process. I doubt that this qualifies as a gentleman's agreement situation if there was enough stack behind to have a fuss over

Gl rest of the trip bud

Thanks for answering a couple of my questions on twitch.

Gl and enjoy the suitcase lifestyle.

Agree with this if the Russian had more than enough chips in his stack to cover a repot.

Made day 2 of €10k HR at Malta with 118k coming back to 600/1200 @partypoker

yeah you should def know better. still obv shady as hell so thx for the warning.

gl on day 2, make it happen.

Don't think I could ever be happier about pure bubbling a €10k (€24k min cash) Dan busted just before me so I eventually finished 9th with 8 paying.

Usually would be beat up, questioning myself, wondering if could have sized slightly different here or there. I played very focused throughout and lost 7 all ins and won one (tt v j5 for 4bbs with some dead money) in the entire tournament.

Day 1 was great, I smoothly ran up from 50 to 120k to end the short day 1 as 4th in chips coming back. The tables I had all day I felt completely in control of and made good adjustments. Today's starting table was definitely tough but the whole table seemed to be trying to be captain so just sat back tight and chipped up. Some table moves here and there, some important flips here or there, some very big post flop pots, lots of medium post flop pots and the whole day was incredibly fun.

Few interesting hands where I folded (perhaps incorrectly)

Ben Heath opens 9000 mp I defend bb q9 black.

Flop qt5ddx I c/call 15k
Turn qt5txddd, I c/taaaaank fold vs 65k jam (slightly over pot)

I mean this could definitely be my biggest mistake of the day. I have tx and diamonds to bluffcatch but apart from that this is decent bluffcatcher. I was very confused what he would take this line as a jam and assumed he plays ak/KJ/AJ like this at very high frequency. I had 80k behind if I lost (20bbs) so should have probably flicked it in. I worked out in game though that any qx with a diamond kicker would be better, blocking random flushes and having more equity vs a bunch of hands.

Second hand was the first hand after dinner.

Rami is on the phone to his wife, looks down at his cards and I thought goes to muck, I joke "wow if you had raised there it would have been scary" then he raises.. Lol. I defend k9.

Flop k97r I c/c
Turn k977 check check
River k977Q (bdfd completes) I c/taaaaank fold vs large sizing.

Was very suspicious and whilst my hand is very strong, I eventually believed him and let it go.


One "incorrect" call. I flat bb with QQ vs co open from zinno.

He bets small on j74fd I call (I have q bdfd)
Turn j747 check check
River j477k I bet big (10 into 15) he min raises to 20.

I mean I expect this to be aces sometimes but that might bet bigger flop etc and really not much else for value. Maybe AK too actually at a relatively high frequency. In game i really wanted to bluff jam. I decided my price was just too good and it's pretty good hand to call with. He had K3 which felt very random but nhnhnh

One good call

Good reg opens co

He Cbet 652 I call
He check back 6526
River 65264 I check be shoves 1.5x pot for my tournament life.. I tank for eternity and call and win. Was very important pot, had just lost a big flip KJ v a7 bvb for 19bb each so to win this was really crucial with 13 left. 2 hands later I lost a kind of inevitable flip 77 v AJ to go 2x avg, was very strange though, didn't feel tilted at all by losing, was just having a lot of fun, in the zone.

Made 3 very big 2x pot bluffs in specific spots which I won't go into, but I think I may have got a live read from Davide Kitai!

Eventual bust out hand was shoving 10.5bbs button with QTo and losing to Praytushes 88.

Really hope he or Dietrich win, both great guys.

Not sure what's next, I can play IPT €1k, but the €25k is the next day. Unsure yet, will make a decision depending on how I feel.

Edit, was one interested hand, Seiver jams 8bbs from hj, I tank fold sb, he shows j4o, tells me "pads will be in the lab working out how that is good" I've confirmed been in the lab unsuccessfully working out how he can shove!

Gl to anybody in IPT

WHat did you have in the hand you made a good call with.

K2

You mean PLP?

Not sure what lab he was in but that cant be good...

Dat avatar 😍😍😍

Played the satellite to the 25k today. Field was so good lol, had about 5 fish on table the whole time, which makes me optimistic about the field tomorrow.

I knocked out Vovtroy JTo vs AK aip and then chipped up and up. Got to last 25 with probably 7-8 seats and UTG who had just lost a big pot (this guy is amateur asian guy) shoves 18k UTG at 800bb. I'm on the button with AK and 25k, the table is so soft that I'll be able to make really good decisions and chip up etc so its a really tough spot. If I call and win I have around 45k and whilst a seat isn't locked its very likely, if I lose I'm down to around 10bbs which would not be great.

He was just too big of a fish to fold unfortunately and he ended up having 33 and I lost the flip.

Kind of an interesting spot, could fold for sure, not sure exactly.

Whatever, onto the next one, which is likely going to be the 25k tomorrow, not sure if I'll 100% play, will see how I feel when I wake up.

If not then will play the 2k IPT on Saturday.

I always wondered where the live "pros" go when they say they studied. Meth lab makes alot of sense.


Gl tomorrow pads

Finished day 1 of €25k SHR with 260k and chip lead. Back tomorrow @partypoker ♦️🚀

Nice day 1!! Go get it!!

What an animal

Finished 8th for €60k.

Played fine I think. Had 3 spots which were debatable, but apart from that happy with every decision and that's all hat counts.

Last HR's

7th
12th
7th
9th
8th

Doing something right just need to convert I guess.

Hand 1

David Jan opens UTG I defend bb
He checks back 745cc
I probe 7458 he calls
I check 74589 I check/taaaaaank call k9ss

I bet all 6x otr, bet sets otr, most likely bet flop/turned 2 pairs, check 94/95/97 ott so this feels like decent bluffcatcher now blocking clubs or ace highs that could not bluff. Was very unsure which hands exactly I should be calling here, but this felt like good one

Hand 2

Pure bubble, 46k min cash, fish2013 jams sb off 80bbs, I have 18bbs and KQhh I'm 10/10 and it's very very close but I took a bunch of FGS into account and finally decided to fold, very close though.

Hand 3

Final table, Oles had to play tight for last 2-3 hours which I know he won't like. Very crazy Russian opens hijac, Oles been speaking about how crazy he is with us for he last 3 hours watching him in every pot opening super wide etc. Russian opens 2.4x hijac, ole flats co and I have 8.7bbs and ATo on the button.

Good things
I do extremely well vs Russian
I do extremely well vs ole
Larger raise size means more dead money
I am in terrible seat and will get no spots to open jam and will very likely blind down to 5bbs if I fold and when blinds go up I'm ****ed
If I win I go from 8.9 to 23bbs and great situation

Bad things
I
C
M

2nd shortest stack had like 250-300k.

Extremely tough spot and s usual very simple fold, I ranked a long time and still really like my reasoning. Both guys called and I lost vs AJ and KJ. Would have been a sick one to win

Anyway, I can't complain, decent cash, lots of new experiences, new player reads, new stuff to study, little bit of profit.

I've never felt more happy or proud to be part of the poker community as of today.

With 10 people left there were 7 times the short stack was all in and at risk, every time I was the second shortest stack. If they lost I would make €46,000 if they won I would be favourite to win €0. In none of the times was I anti railing the guy, in fact two clear occasions I really wanted them to win. Davide Kitai in one spot and Adrian in another spot JT v AT and he hit the Jack.

This isn't about me trying to be a great guy or not caring about the money or anything like that, of course I wanted to cash, but throughout the 4 days of playing these two high rollers in small field sizes (same 50 players basically) I've throughorly enjoyed every minute and every guy I've played with. From Dan Shak and my new friends from Dubai to the philosophical Gruissem and mischievious Schemion it's just really been a blast and I really enjoyed being part of the whole occasion.

I started thinking about how poker players are portrayed, by the public we are degenerates, by the poker rooms we are mostly were treated as scumbags, players who dare to win. The fact is every player who plays this tournament has something different about them, something that seperates then from others and that gives them that extra umpf to accumulate the wealth to be able to play tournaments like this. Whether that is through amazing business acumen, or if it's through winning a lot of money at poker over the years or even convincing others with money that their skill is enough that they should stake them into the tournament. Everybody in the field has somebody unique about them, when you look in the field everybody has their own DNA that's cool and quirky and keeps them interesting. Everybody has a really cool back story, whether that's Charlie Carrell and Ben Heath grinding up from NL10 to $100ks in the space of s couple of years or whether it's Orpen, the very smart regular who wears a face scarf and has sold his gaming company for 10x more than I've cashed at Pokerstars.

On the one hand I'm really sad that the successful players who have dedicated their last 5+ years to becoming the best in their profession are being treat like scumbags from poker sites and having to hear Negreanu telling them that "higher rake is good for the games" whilst cashing in his monthly million $.

On the other hand, I'm really happy that I was lucky to succeed in poker, a profession where it's all down to the hard work of yourself rather than having to rely on your Dad going to university with the manager of the company. What it means is that when you are successful and you're at the top of the tree you're surrounded by really good guys that are a pleasure to spend time with, not some Wall Street Coke heads or Eton boys club members.

I'm not sure where poker is heading in the next few years, nobody can really tell, but I think that whatever you do, don't have any regrets. Understand and plan what's best for you, if it's best to play a lot online, accumulate as much immediate wealth as possible, then that's fine. If it's playing satalites to as many live MTTs and seeing the world through WPTs and Unibet Opens then that's fine too, don't let this period slip by by being lazy and not putting the effort in to at least knowing what you want from this crazy game. I let too much time go by doing nothing and just waiting for the next series or next big trip. Moving forward I'm always going to be active in this poker world, whether that's intense studying to get better so I can accumulate money, or if it's travelling the live circuit or going into lockdown for 3 weeks of a series, I'm not going to just wake up, go to Kfc, play some Fifa and maybe watch a few documentaries. Poker was alive and strong in the 90s, it was a lot stronger and more alive in the 2000s, it's still giving us so many opportunities day to day in the 2010's, don't let it get to 2021 sitting in your office, writing your holiday request form to your manager and having flashbacks to 2017 where you decided not to go to WPT Brussels because you coudlnt really be bothered.

The People you meet there will be a lot more interesting and entertaining to you than your colleagues of the future.

At times this year I really felt lost, occasionally disillusioned, perhaps even momentarily out of love with poker, but tonight I go to bed appreciating the game, enjoying the roller coaster it presents us and promising myself to embrace every second of its diminishing future.