Jon "skalie" Kalmar at Irish Poker Festival 2009

It’s the day of the main event and after lunch we took our seats. With over 750 entries the room was packed to the rafters yet was still a very comfortable environment to play.
There was a 1hr clock and 15,000 starting stacks. With the blinds starting at 25/25 the structure was absolutely fantastic, the organisers were determined to give us our money’s worth but I was concerned how the hell it would finish by Sunday night.

>> See the latest videos from Irish Poker Festival and all action updates at: http://bit.ly/wi6E8

The 1st two levels were quiet and I reached the break with just 12,500 chips. Not in bad shape and I had already seen which players on the table were likely to donate chips to me. Unfortunately candidate number 1 gave them to someone else the very first hand we got back.
A player to my left got very busy, raising my big blind under the gun twice. Both times he rivered me for tasty pots once with 23 of hearts the other 78 of hearts. I was now down to less than 8k.

———————————————————————-
Stay tuned for latest news and promotions on our website http://poker.ladbrokes.com/online-poker/ & follow Ladbrokes Poker instantly through Twitter: http://twitter.com/ladbrokes_poker
———————————————————————-

With the blinds at 100/200 I find AQ on the button. Rivvver (A Ladbrokes regular) had limped under the gun. I raise to 600 to find where I am and he flat calls. The flop comes A 8 2. He checks and I bet 900, hoping he comes over the top. I am sure he doesn’t have AK, if he’s flopped the set, well I guess I am going out. He dwells for some time and eventually flat calls. I am now sure he has a pocket pair, probably somewhere between the 8 and ace, 10’s or jacks’s maybe. The turn is a blank and he checks to me. If I bet now, he will fold and I get nothing more. He knows me and he expects me to continuation bet the flop whether I hit or not. I check, knowing he will either bet the river or at least call a bet from me thinking there is a good chance I am bluffing. The river is again a blank and he checks to me. I bet 2000 which he calls and he shows me his pocket kings. If he’d re-raised pre-flop I was gone. Phew!
The guy to my right, called Joseph had been harping on about a dog all day. I have an almost perfect record when it comes to backing horse and dog tips. If I back ‘em they lose, if I don’t, they win. Simple. I had tried to resist the temptation of knowing about it. However when the dinner break came he reminded everyone again that it was running at 9.25 and the whole table assured him they were backing it, including the old dear (Vera) to his right. I now had no choice, if I came back from the break to hear the whole table celebrating a win I was sure to tilt. I had to consider the bet as a life insurance policy.
Julian and Traff joined me for dinner at our hotel where we discussed the days play and the bet (of course). Traff wasn’t interested but Julian and me rushed back to get our bets on. It was only 6/4 so we had 200 each on and stood around waiting for the start of the race. At 9.30, 5 mins after the off someone informed us it was some far out Irish track and there wasn’t gonna be any coverage so we rushed back to the tournament. By the time I got to the table everyone was celebrating, it had indeed won. Sweet.
Without any major battles or large pots I had battled my way to over 20,000. On my table was Rory Brown, a young lad who I first met in Galway of January of this year. I knew he had moves and his read of the game is good. We locked horns a little and it was only a matter of time before we played a critical pot.
With the blinds at 150/300 He raised under the gun to 1000. I find pocket Jacks and re-raise to 3000. He contemplates his next move. He knows I could be squeezing but he doesn’t want to risk pushing all in, but his hand is good enough to at least see a flop and calls. The board is 7 4 2, perfect. He checks to me. I bet out just over 4,000. I know he has around 11,000 and I hope he feels I will fold to a push. He dwells before indeed pushing all in and I make the call. He flips over pocket 10’s and when the turn and river are blanks I have over 35k and am very much in the game and taken out the one player on the table who might have had me worried.

———————————————————————-
Stay tuned for latest news and promotions on our website http://poker.ladbrokes.com/online-poker/ & follow Ladbrokes Poker instantly through Facebook: http://facebook.com/ladbrokespoker
———————————————————————-

I started to use my newly found stack to apply pressure. And things are going well. With the blinds at 200/400 I raise with Kd6d on the button to 1150 and both blinds call. Oh, well just a set back. The flop comes 9 Jack high all clubs. Checked to me and I bet 2000. The small blind passes and the big blind checks his cards and calls. I know he has a big club, probably the bare ace and when the turn is a red Jack he checks to me again. I now bet 4500, he only has around 20k and would be foolish to call. He calls, obviously. The river is a King of clubs. He checks and I check hoping I had read the hand wrong and my pair of kings would be enough. NOPE! The clown does indeed have the ace of clubs for the nuts. Not only does he call without pot odds, he had called with no implied odds. Does he really think I am stupid enough to bet the river when the club comes? Sickening when some people may as well turn their cards face up and you still can’t beat them.
The day wrapped up around 1am with still over 400 players remaining. I had around 38k, chip leader for my table and in a good spot. The great news was there would be no redraw and I would get my shot at the same players again.
My friend Steve Trafford has also made day 2 on his first ever major tournament and was obviously delighted. A good effort indeed. Kila had been less than fortunate. After a hefty pre-flop raise with AQ she was all in and out on a flop of Q K A. Her opponent attached to his monster 10 jack.
All that was left was preparation for day 2, so to the bar then.
Friday 2nd October