This week has seen my first two adventures back into the world of live poker tournaments since the Green Joker festival. The first tourney I played was the €270 Fitz EOM on Thurs eve. Now the Fitz is a place I have never warmed to for some reason. I cannot put my finger on why that is, I just don't seem to feel comfortable there. It's very clannish with a lot of regulars and a community spirit which seems great if you are in the loop but a little bit distant if you aren't. Anyway it is an issue which matters little as I play poker and they run poker tournaments. I was very happy with my performance in what was a tough field for a €270 tournament. A lot of the runners will be in action again at the Irish Open this Easter which makes it all the more sweeter that I've hit another final table. The second was a trip to the Emporium last night for their EOM game. Isn't is just ridiculous how the three big EOM tournaments in Dublin are on three nights in a row? Nothing to write home about from the SE game. Standard tournament exit just after the first break.
My good form of late has got me thinking however (always dangerous I know). With the Irish Open upon us should I be so hesitant in dismissing the thought of playing it? It's been a manic start to 2008 for me and has turned my poker world on it's head. The IO was something I would not have dreamt of playing 3 weeks ago but I guess times have changed. The €4500 is a hefty entry though, that is the problem. They say to be adequately bankrolled for tournaments you need 100x the buy-in and this is something I most definitely do not have.
If i was to play it would be a shot. It would be a gamble and it would be a risky one at that. 90% of the players will be going home unhappy which is a big percentage. I do however have strong form on my side. My confidence is as high as its ever been and I cannot think of a better preparation I could have had going into this tourney. I have the money to pay the entry now without going broke or changing anything drastically. Is now the time to take a shot?
People have recommended satellites to me but I am not interested. The biggest waste of my poker adventures to date has no doubt been satellites. I have never qualified for anything, ever, in a satellite and I have spent a lot of money trying. Quite frankly i do not like them. They are often poorly structured and because they have the label "Irish Open Satellite" on them, the standard is infinitely higher as a result too than say a standard €250 tourney. My decision is whether I am going to buy in or not. I've already player my "satellites" as such the last few months and its now a decision whether to take the ticket or the cash alternative.
The last option I can think of is buying in and selling %. I have never done this before for anything and it is not something which I am up to speed with. (I have visions of me knocking on doors with a sponsorship card and all the old dear saying "Is it the Marathon you're running? For cancer research is it? How lovely. What do you mean poker?"). Is this advisable I wonder, i don't like running with out the ball so to speak IE not playing for myself 100% but it may perhaps be an option I am obliged to take should someone be willing to invest.
Would love some comments on my Irish Open dilemma, even anonymous ones!
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7 comments:
I'm not playing it. I'm not rolled for it. Make of that what you will. Go blog the thing and look forward to the JP Poker and Bigslick Festivals later on in the year.
Looks like the sensible thing to do would be to give it a miss. The buy in on the steep side, I really don't know how comfortable you'd be making that kind of gamble. If you are considering selling a %, I'd be on for about 10%. Really couldn't go much higher.
Dont be a nit. Poker is not your JOB, therefore being rolled for it is not the be all and end all. If you think you will enjoy playing it, have a chance given your vein of form, your confidence and tourney game and don't think anything of stumping up the 5k or w/e then play. The "roll" shouldn't really be an issue, 100 buy ins is for professional mtt players not journalistic poker afficionados like yourself.
Play it 5k is a good chunk of change but its nothing in the long run. Going deep in the io could mean a lifechanging sum. And the fact that you are playing well means a lot.
Gary,
I would personally not buy in to the IO, why not consider playing London next weekend (GUKPT 1000stg event). If you run good and cash then sure buy in but if not you will have had a good weekend and played another relatively big tourney for half the cost.
Up to you if you decide to play i will take 5% if you decide to
Fran
Gary, I you know, deep down, that you shouldn't play it. To play this, even a a leisure player, you need 100k+. 500k+ if this is a regular buy-in.
What are the pros, big event, big cash etc. My arse.
Its glorified, and most of us know it. There are "better" events out there. That will give you a far better expierence, and ones that you are closer to rolled for. I am considering sates for it, but i most likely will sell a ticket.
Consider a good few of the "young" players played the IO last year. How many regreted it? Wish they sold their ticket? Aren't bother this year (when the payout is higher)?
I can't really advise you, because I'm not you. All I can say if I was you, in your position in life, with your current game and confidence and form, I'd be in there like a shot.
I agree with theresalwaysone: roll discussions are for the pros who make their living from poker and (usually) have no other potential livelihood. For the rest of us, or for aspiring pros, it's a different matter, and the more important question is "Can I afford to lose this money?" You'll be disappointed if you do, but long term it won't make a blind bit of difference to your life, take my word for it. 20 or 30 years down the line you won't look back and think "Damn, I wish I still had that 4 grand" but you might regret not taking your shot when you were going well.
On the satellites thing, we must be playing different ones, as I've always found the standard appalling. It seems to me the aspirational nature of it pulls in players who normally play 20 euro pub events. Sure, you get more good players, but I suspect because that's because they recognise the value. The trick with sats is not to see them as sats but just a different type of tournament with the same prize for the top positions, and adjust your game accordingly. I believe there's an optimal way to approach them that gives you a big edge on normal players (I went into it on my Paddy Power qualifier form so I won't repeat myself here).
That said, I know it's hard to decouple the sat from the event itself. My brother doesn't like sats because he thinks you have to win a tournament and still have a 90% chance of disappointment. He prefers a more instant reward.
Now, if you do decide to play and to sell some action, to underline my confidence in you, I'll take whatever percentage you need to get up to the point where you're comfortable playing.
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