Dublin up

October 20, 2009 by Mark Stuart

I popped over to Dublin at the weekend to play in the BoylePoker IPO. I nearly backed out with a bad cold, but glad I made the trip. The $250 NLHE main event was good fun, despite not cashing, and was another marker by which I could measure how much my live game has come on. I felt like I played pretty well for the first few levels but never got the right spots to chip up and make a deep run. Ah well, that’s how some tourneys go.

Then I tried my luck in my first ever live PLO tourney. The 165 euro buy-in was probably too big to enter for a first tournament but I did pretty well and although I made some fundamental errors and probably played too tight it was a learning experience and a fun one too. Will definitely have to play more soon. I may even play a bit more online.

But what made the weekend worthwhile was meeting up with some fellow On the Railers and just having a great time chatting, drinking and hanging out together. It felt like being on holiday rather than heading out to a poker tournament – and made for a refreshing change from many other festivals I’ve visited recently.

The funny thing about playing live is that I sort of enjoy it when I’m there but I always get the itch to get back online. I feel comfortable in my flat, with hoody on and mug of tea in hand, clicking away furiously across four tables and feeling totally in the zone. I know I have to play more to improve and make some money. I’ve been neglecting the game a bit recently so I’m going to aim to put in some cash hands this week and then have a day of tourneys on Sunday. Hopefully I’ll run good and win big. I feel ready for some success…

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