Viva Espana!!!

Viva Espana!!!

Find it gets harder and harder to blog these days for whatever reason. Think all bloggers go through it and especially poker players.

Seems to me the poker scene is at a strange time at this moment although it may just be me. Totally restricting my playing with online virtually non existent and live play mainly been for social meets although I have been trying to be more selective with certain games. Been trying to schedule a range of better value and bigger buy in games of which theres plenty around with casinos bending over backwards to get players through their doors but when the game arrives its getting too often I seem to find something else to do instead of playing that poker game. One game I did get my eye on was a leg of the Spanish Poker Tour organised by SuperEuropoker being held in Mallorca over a period which landed on my birthday so after suggesting to my Mrs we needed a quick weeks break to the sun to chill and relax and celebrate my birthday we arrived in Mallorca at one of our favourite hotels situated in our favourite area of Mallorca called Puerto Portals.

Absolutely love the village where the hotel is situated and after doing alot of searching a few years ago to buy property in Mallorca which we decided against due to various reasons we still have not altered our opinion that this area would be the only area we could possibly buy anything.


Casino where the tournie was being played is on the other side of Magaluff so decided as we had a car and after being advised it was a little bit off the beaten track by a local resisdent then I took a run over there to check the place out. Absolute doddle to find and at a maximum was only a 10/15 min drive there from our location in Portals. OK sorted so relax and chill around the hotel pool, the local village restaurants and a couple of the local pubs. One of my best mates from Lancs has had family connections here for years and they have a couple of apartments in Portals and we had arranged to meet up with his mother who was over for a long weeked to celebrate her birthday on the 23rd which is the day before mine. What a lady she is and you will simply not meet a 74 year old like this who looks absolutely amazing for her age and has the attitude and live life to the full attitude that puts many younger people to absolute shame. Shes an absolute pleasure to be in the company of and all you do is have a laugh every minute with her. This was doubled up by her being with her best mate who is as equally amazing for her age loaded with an absolutely amazing past book of interesting and amazing stories from her very full and action packed life.
Decide to play Day 1A so drive over in plenty of time to register and get there to find the place very much alive with plenty of people there. After being directed where to register and pay and placing my money down Im told sorry Sir we are full!!!! or as the lady said in her spanish accent "we are Foooool sir!!!!" Fuck I think and after registering for Day 1B and leaving to go back to my hotel to meet up with the Mrs a great piece of fortune took place. We go down to the local pub in the village of which I know the owner due to my mate introducing me when he moved to the island from his village in Lancs and meet up with my mates mother who has just arrived with her friend. She informs us we have been invited upto Steves barbecue at his hillside villa which is on that night. Omg what a night we had with an absolute superb location and hospitality and great company and stories flowed all night. This was all topped off with myself my wife and my mates mother and friend finishing it off down on the Marina watching the rich n famous ( was told Frank Lampard was around but never saw him) drinking a bottle of Cava totally pissed and the people around us all giggling and listening in to the amazing tales these 2 drunken mature women were coming out with from their very coloured and amazing pasts. Super night!!!

Eventually I get my arse on a seat to play some poker when I take my place the following night and day1B of the tournament at what I can only describe from a venue and organisation point of view as simply amazing. The room we were playing in was amazing and set out superb. Stage area with updaters and TV coverage and tables layed out that created a great atmosphere and plenty of space and very very professionally presented. Tables decked out in high quality glass and cutlery and draped in white linen for the latter dinner that was provided were behind the poker area and when the dinner buffett was presented I was nothing short of gob smacked to be honest. Amazing display and choice of food superbly presented like a Kings banquet.
The amazing dinner buffett


Got off to a good steady start and Im not going to bore you all with hand to hand stuff but quickly moved my chips well above chip average and maintained it during the early levels until our table broke shortly after dinner. I was sat next to a very nice Spanish guy on my left who I even shared my dinner with and although he spoke very little English he came across as a very nice guy although he did seem very very nervous at the table and had made soem very dubious plays and had got lucky twice with KJ sucking out on AA at the river when it was pretty obvious his top pair Jack was never in front yet still wanted to get all his chips in with it and was well covered on the 1st occassion. This guy eventually went onto win the tournie for just under 30k Euro.
Eventual winner

Suppose you gotta have luck like that to take something like this down and good luck to him as like I have said he seemed a very nice genuine bloke. One of the players at my 1st table impressed me very much and I was involved in a few very interesting pots with him which I really enjoyed and came out good with although the guy was to be the one who eventually took me out later on.
Table move and bad table with me in bad position to some really big stacks and I was glad to see that table broke up after losing a chunk of my chips with some badly timed moves and a couple of bad decisions.
My 3rd and last table

Table 3 and I get seated with the impressive player from my 1st table sat on my right and although he didnt have a huge stack he was constantly adding to his stack on a graduale build and seemd very comfortable and where he was at in every hand he played. My above average stack went to below average stack with another couple of mistakes involving bad re raises which I was forced to fold by people moving all in over the top of me and I found myself getting closer to dangerous waters after being so comfy for alot of the tournie. I get double up when blind on blind and yet another raise from this Demitri guy to my right I shove with QJ and after a long tank me makes the call and tables J10!!! Jack on the flop and no 10 sees me back comfy again. I lose a pot when guy gets there on river when up n down and then exit just short of making day 2 with another bad mistake. With 21 left and play stopping when we get to 18 players (we are over 8 hours in)I raise utg with 10 10 but in error I throw 2 x 5k chips onto table with 2 x 1k chips meaning to make it 4k yet table 12k. Its folded all the way around to the BB Demitri who throws his all in chip into middle and I basically feel committed now to the hand although feel I called far too quickly and really do know Im behind with my holdings. He tables KK and no miracle for me although a JQ flop did give me hope. Go out in 21st place and drive back to hotel very disappointed with alot of my latter and important decisions as I really should of at least cashed in this.
Great tournament tbh and superbly ran and presented. Anyone get a chance to play one of these then do it as I guarantee youll really enjoy it and be impressed.

Demitri collecting and stacking up my chips I donated to him

End of the holiday is topped off as we celebrate our birthdays on a beach side restaurant with a few of my mates mothers friends and we sat and got pissed with good food and great company and topped off a great weeks break and re charge of my batteries.
Only downside was the "Sleazzy" Jet cattle truck flight back home which was both uncomfortable but delayed and full of fkn Magaluff charvers intent on upsetting each other Hey ho you cant have it all I suppose.

Till next time stay lucky and be happy!!!!!!!!