Back in The Game

Having not played (apart from on blackberry, which, while fun and time-killing on trains and buses, clearly doesn't count) for a week owing to various social commitments - and merely playing Moll to Leigh's Gangster in The Empire on Thursday night, when I couldn't, frankly, be bothered to i) stop drinking champagne and fresh fruit cocktails and gossiping with a girlfriend I haven't seen in months and ii) stay awake for the likely necessary 4hrs+ to make it worthwhile (although he was 800 quid up which meant nice dinner on Chiswick High Road on Saturday, bless him) - I was, in fairness, starting to get very twitchy tonight.

So, when I had nibbled my reheated lasagna from the other night, although way past my bedtime at half ten, I decided to flip the laptop open, log onto PKR and, in the absence of any soon-to-seat SNGs of any decent/inspiring description, I found myself drawn to the WSOP Stage 1 quali, due to start in 6 mins. 1 in 6 got a seat to Stage 2 - still some significant way from the flight to Vegas on 30th June, mind, but 'from little acorns' and all that...

Yes, I got a couple of very nice hands, but I induced some silly betting and got paid - and got properly and unprecedently aggressive (admittedly with pocket rockets on a less than intimidating board) and I was sitting pretty for most of the tournament in 1st to 4th, but then decided to start making some very clever moves; only problem being I chose, on all 4 occasions, to make them against the wrong players, who had the right cards.

I bubbled at the final table; I figured I was behind (perhaps not by quite as much as I actually was) when, rather short-stacked, I had hit 2nd pair (avec crap kicker - as they say in France), playing from the small blind for nothing more than value. When I bet it and got called, I figured she had to be drawing to the flush. When the 3rd heart came, making my 2 pair and with me slightly more pot committed than I'd have liked - but needs must-ed - it was one of those, 'if you've got it, good luck to you, love' moments.

And she did.

Bugger.

Disappointed of course but felt (mostly) very good. Plenty of time, too, for qualification for WSOP 2010.

And, besides, I'd have traded a ticket tonight for Spurs getting at least a point, and ideally 3, tomorrow night at Man City. Over to you, boys....