GUKPT Summer Series £150 (+£15) NLH F/O

The second event of the GUKPT summer series was a one day £150 freezeout which entertained a very poor 26 runners generating a small £3,750 prize pool paying four spots;

1) £1,500
2) £1,120
3) £750
4) £380

Although a disappointingly small turnout the tournament offered value in the form of a seat into the £100,000 guaranteed ‘Champion Of Champions’ tournament to be held the first week in December. Moving onto the tournament & I was drawn T1-S3 along with C.T. Law (2), William Poulsen (5), Tommy Dunwoodie (9), & Craig McDowell (10) & things got off to an exceptional start as by 100/200 I had 27,000;

AK vs. Tom Dunwoodie KQ on K6x6x
TT vs. C.T. Law 64s on 4xxxx
44 vs. Tom Dunwoodie A2s on 4x42A

Then I nose dive as I make an audacious bluff;

Q8c vs. Craig McDowell’s A7d: 100/200/25 “38,000” (I come in out front UTG+1 for 425 & get called in two spots including Craig out the BB. Flop comes 227 & I CBET just shy of half pot which Craig check raises to 2,500 after third villain folds inbetween, I’m not expecting a two to be check raising here so feel with enough pressure I can take this away & 3BET 5,600 which Craig calls as we peel a turn. An insignificant five hit’s the turn & after Craig checks to me, I quickly calculate the pot is approximately his remaining stack & look to shut it down now & move him all in. He goes into the tank for approximately 2/3 minutes before eventually committing the chips & catching me with my pants down, I miss my six outs & plummet to 4,000 as Craig rakes in the 40,000 chip pot with only 180,000 in play.)

I guess for every FTP GIM their’s a villain GIM & I was most impressed with Craig’s call, I narrowed his range down to a bear seven by the time he called my flop 3BET & just didn’t think considering he was already well chipped up he would commit his tournament life. Most impressive mate, now please if it’s fine with you I'll have my soul back now.


I’m now on the short stack & looking to find good spots to get them in which, I make some calculated shoves vs. villains in the blinds who can’t afford to call light. Despite being half chip average I was only all in & called once (33 vs. A8s) as I make the final table with just below average on 17,425;

1) Clayton Avery “8th”
2) Sean Barlow “Split £1,000”
3) Craig McDowell “Split £1,300”
4) Jonathan Godsmark “6th”
5) Rob Charlton “10th”
6) Peter Sanson “9th”
7) William Poulsen “7th”
8) Robert Porrit “4th £380”
9) Syed Zaidi “5th”
10) Daniel Trett “Split £1,000”

So after 20 minutes of play I sense almost the entire final is airing on the side of caution, so I opt to open up my range & begin to open very light which works in my favour as I generate chips rather quickly. Although not a fantastic call, I guess for the good instinct moment it was the best of what was otherwise a standard tournament;

QTo vs. 55: 1,000/2,000/200 “39,000” (FTP GIM: Six handed & once folded around to me I open the H/J for 4,100 which gets called from the BTN as both blinds fold. Flop come’s 9Kx giving me a gut shot which goes check/check & on the turn I pair my 10, I consider leading but feel my hand is better used as a bluff catcher so I check/call his bet of 5,000. The river was a nothing card & if the turn had went check/check I would have lead this for value but as played I expect villain to bluff again, so set this play up with a check & of course make the easy call with second pair after he fires around 9,000.)

Although a simple call I actually considered momentarily a sick river min raise for value but couldn’t quite pull the trigger, I don’t think he calls much but with a min raise he’d be getting over 5/1 on the call for his under pair. After playing six handed for approximately two levels which worked massively to my advantage as I abused the bubble it finally bursts;

AQo vs. Syed Zaidi ATo vs. Jonathan Godsmark A3d: 1,500/3,000/300 “45,000” (Jonathan open shoves approximately 9,000 & Syed reshove's around 18,000 out the SB. I have around 65,000 at this point so make the easy call out the BB, I have the ace of clubs in my hand so when board reads four clubs by the river I have the nuts to wrap up the hand.)

Playing four handed around another level as the short stack just seemed to double up every time until we lose Robert Porrit in fourth & we begin three handed play. I’ve been opening a mega wide range since it’s been short handed which works in my favour for the next hand;

QQ vs. Sean Barlow ATo: 2,000/4,000/400 “110,000” (Sean opens for 9,000 & after Craig folds the SB I 3BET out the BB to 21,000 & of course make the call as he shoves. Ace in the window as the board ensues Axxxx & I plummet down to 30,000.)

If that holds I would have had 140,000 of the 180,000 in play & looking really good to apply some relentless aggression towards Craig‘s short stack, but cest la vie that’s the way it goes sometimes & I’m very much decisions not results orientated. Anyway we play a little longer & as Craig doubles through Sean at 1,500/3,000/300 level to give stack sizes of approximately;

Craig: 90,000
Sean: 50,000
Me: 40,000

We agree a split where Sean & I take £1,000 each with Craig taking home £1,300 for having the chip lead. Although split were forced to play it our for the seat & the trophy which would be nice but with the main event the following day my priority was to go big or go broke, so I quickly begin to open shove my 8BB into every unopened pot until;

97o vs. Craig McDowell 88: 2,000/4,000/400 (I open shove the BTN for around 40,000 & Craig makes the easy call out the BB holding 88. The board give's me no help as I finish in third officially despite the earlier agreed split.)

I found out this morning that Craig went on to win the heads up battle for the ‘Champion Of Champions’ seat & the trophy which I was most pleased about & very well deserved if you ask me. Top work Craig mate & best of luck in ‘Champion Of Champions’, bring it home to Newcastle.

So the main event this afternoon which is the culmination of three weeks grinding festivals & although I’ve had a lot of fun I’m really looking forward to returning to my lighter schedule. On another note I sadly think the disappointing numbers for this summer series will signal the end of it coming to Newcastle, we already lost an official GUKPT leg for lack of attendance & unfortunately I see the summer series going in the same direction. I of course hope I’m wrong but if festivals aren’t supported they just simply won’t run them, guess it’s in the hands of the Grosvenor to decide.

Grind, Grind, Grind