Andreas Hoivold says...

On a Roller Coaster - EPT Copenhagen

Sunday 22 Feb 2009

EPT Copenhagen

EPT Copenhagen video

The tournament started with a record 462 players - a field size that I like. As usual in EPT’s, there are a lot of well known players. On day 1B, which I played, table 1 included, amongst others, Annette Obrestad, Michael Tureniec, Bertrand Grospellier, Jesper Hougaard and Gus Hansen!

I played quite tight from the start. I didn’t get any hands, so playing tight wasn’t difficult. After a couple of hours I started to play a few hands and my stack was growing. The last hand before the break was important. There was a raise for early position and the Swede Stefan Mattsson (2nd in WPT Barcelona) called. I had AJ of spades. It was an easy call for me! The flop came 5-4-3 of spades! Bingo! The original raiser bets out 600 and Mattsson called. In this pot many players would have slow played. Not me. I will give you two reasons: 1) If somebody has flopped a set, you really don’t want to give them a free card. It can get really expensive! 2) If another player has a lower flush, he will very likely put you on the ace of spades if you just flat call. Then it is unlikely you will get all his chips, if any, if another spade hits. Therefore, I raised to 1.600 - and I am glad I did. The original raiser went all-in for about 8.000 and Mattsson folded. It was an easy call for me, of course. The other player showed 10-9 of spades. I won the pot and everything looked very good.

After this I won lots of pots, mostly small ones and I felt that my poker was in good shape. But soon after, I lost a really big pot with A-K against 9-9. Then I won a big one with J-10 against Q-Q on a 9-8-2 flop. My stack peaked at 33000 and I had a really good feeling. But my feeling was far from correct. After this peak I lost two big pots. One with Q-Q against A-J and one with 10-10 against A-K. I ended day one with 13.900 chips which was about half the average.

I had to get chips quickly on day 2. The blinds were too high to play tight. It started out well. I was up to almost 20.000 when I got A-K of hearts. It was a raise in front of me and I went all-in. Behind me was a German player. He also went all-in almost covering me. The original raiser folded. The German player had A-Q. Last time I had A-K against A-Q in an EPT was in London. And I was eliminated with that hand. And would you believe it happened again! I lost the pot and was crippled. I was down to only 2.900 chips! Sigh!

On my second hand after this I went all-in with K-7 with held up against the big blinds Q-2. On the next hand I went all-in after only looking at one card – a King. I was called by Q-J of clubs. The kicker to my king was another king! I won another pot and played on 15.000. Hope!

I switched tables and the new table was a good one. After 15 minutes on this table it was broken. I now had 44.000 chips and I felt really good!

I continued to build my stack and switched tables again. I was on a table with Luca Pagano. But he was soon eliminated and Roberto Romanello took his seat with Annette Obrestad taking the other open seat at the table.

After a couple of rounds on the new table I wanted to play a hand. I had Q-8 of spades in middle position. Not a good hand, and certainly not a hand beginners should play. However, I had folded quite a few hands in a row (for me that is at least 4). I got called by the small blind and Romanello in the big blind. The flop was 10-5-3 rainbow with no spade. It was checked around to me. I bet out 8.200. The button folded and Romanello raised to 25.000. I already had a plan if he did that and I instantly went all-in for 80.000 covering Romanello by about 10.000 chips. How can I do something like that? Am I crazy? (The answer is of course yes). Well: The only hand he could have in my opinion was a ten, most likely with a kicker from 9 to K. This is a hand he has to fold (since he is a good player). The only thing he beats is a bluff, and who would risk the tournament on a bluff? If he had a set he probably would, and should slow play it. The board is not even close to being dangerous to slow play at. He could do the same with 9-9 and 8-8, but then the fold is even easier. If he had an over pair of the ten he would have re-raised me pre flop. In other words: I was almost certain he was going to fold. He did fold showing Q-10. It was a big crowd around the table, and they needed some inspiration. I showed the bluff and the word “sick” was repeated a few times.

Not too much happened after this pot, and I ended the day with 130,400 in chips. Slightly above average with 40 players left.

On day 3 it was tough. I didn’t catch any cards for the first two hours and I was blinded down to 42.100 when we had the first break. I was eaten alive – and I hated it!

It got worse. The blinds were 2500/5000 (500 ante) when I went all-in with K-J of diamonds. I got called by pocket 8’s. I hit my king and doubled up. Hope again!

I doubled up again with pocket 2 against K-Q. And I lost to the same person calling his shortstack all-in with A-J. He only had Q-5 of hearts. An ace on the flop followed by two hearts was scary. The turn card was another heart and I lost the pot.

But I doubled up again with A-Q against A-5 and won a big pot with 8-7 of diamonds on a 10-9-6 flop with 9-6 of diamonds!

I was very happy going to the dinner break with 244.000 chips. I felt that this could be it! Will I finally have the chance to play another EPT final table?

After the dinner break I didn’t get anywhere. My stack was kept around the 200.000 mark. We played 6 handed and there was a lot of action in a pot. It was raised from under the gun. Two players called and I looked down at 5-3 of clubs. I called. The big blind folded. The pot was already 140.000 and juicy. The flop came down with 8-6-5 with two clubs! I only had about 160.000 in front of me and I could not check-raise. I went all-in. It was folded around to Danish Rasmus Nielsen to my right. He called showing 7-4 of diamonds. Ouch. The turn was another 5, giving me about a million outs, but the river still was a blank. I was out in 12th place. I felt sick, as I always do when I am eliminated from a tournament.

The good thing is that I still feel that I learn a lot when I am playing. In other words: I think my game is improving and hopefully I will do better next time!

The second good thing was that I could go to the Ladbrokes Party at Luux. Free drinks and a lot of poker players all you need to have a good time! And a good time we had! I believe I talk for everyone who was there when I say we had a fantastic party!