Jeff Kimber says...

Jaffacake's Cruise Review

Wednesday 13 Feb 2008

There can be nothing better to banish the post-Christmas blues than a Caribbean holiday, and for many of the 600-odd Ladbrokes Cruise, this was the holiday of the lifetime.

However, while being aboard the world’s second largest cruise ship, stopping off every now and then on sun-kissed beautiful Caribbean isles was all well and good, the small matter of the $2500 main event was the reason for the cream of Ladbrokes’ poker playing community were sailing the high seas.

I know from personal experience just what clout comes with a good performance in the Cruise Main Event - two years ago I was a sports journalist booking two weeks off work to set sail on the second Ladbrokes Cruise. Two years down the line and I embarked the Explorer of the Seas as a Ladbrokes-sponsored pro, a reigning world champ determined to improve on my fourth place of 2006.

As for the guy who finished one place above me, Jon ‘Skalie’ Kalmar, he hasn’t had a bad time of it since either, so as we sailed out past the Statue of Liberty and into the Caribbean Sea, it was with great anticipation that the 250 runners sat down on our first morning at sea for the start of the £2500 main event.

With a fantastic structure - 10,000 chips, a one-hour clock and every level known to man included by the excellent team of Americans running the tournaments - there was no need to get busy early, but when Paul ‘Muzza9’ Murrell decided to raise the first three hands on my table, taking down the pot every time, I decided to put a stop to it by reraising on the button on the fourth hand with K-9, turning two pair to win a decent pot off the big blind who had fallen in love with his rag ace.

I was going along pretty smoothly, but one or two semi-bluffs that got re-popped proved costly, although I could have gone bust in a big hand that went down just before our table broke.

Under the gun raised three times the big blind and was called in two spots before I came along for the ride with 9-7 of diamonds on the button. The big blind reraised to 1000 and everyone called, pricing me in with my meagre holdings.

The flop came down Q-5-4 and after the re-raiser had checked, UTG bet out 2000 and Muzza called, leaving me to muck the 9d-7d and wonder how I’d done 10% of my stack with that rubbish.

The 2d on the turn however left me lamenting that, having picked up the flush draw, I’d have been involved but for that flop bet, as the action went check-check.

As the king of diamonds hit the river to put three diamonds on the board I got that horrible feeling of ‘if only’, especially as the guy first to speak now bet out 5000 and Muzza got out of his seat to consider the call.

If only I was still in there with my flush….I’d have gone bust! Muzza did well to ‘only’ call, turning over 8d-6d for the backdoor flush. UTG flipped Ad-Qd for the nuts and JaffaCake quickly went from feeling very unlucky not to scoop a huge pot to feeling very lucky to be in the tourney at all!

That table broke soon afterwards and I was moved to a table featuring the vocal talents of my old mate Azad ‘Dolly’ Pirooti, as well as a very-well chipped-up Scandi raising machine one to my left. It soon became evident that Dolly and this other Scandi were battling for table captaincy, and when the guy to my left relieved Azad of three-quarters of his stack with a cool check-raise all-in on the turn, it seemed we had our leader.

This fella was raising and re-raising most hands, in between ordering another drink from the waiter, so when he reraised me after I’d bumped it up in the cut-off with Ad-Jd, I decided with Irish position (first to act after the flop as he was on the button,) I could take a flop and if I liked it I could get my chips in first. The flop came queen-high but also contained a jack, so I’d moved ahead of A-K, one of the likeliest hands my opponent could have, although he did tick all the boxes for a player who could reraise with anything - a chipped-up Scandi, very active, pretty drunk - this guy could have anything. I pushed my pot-sized stack into the middle and he insta-called with aces and that was that, no back-to-back final tables for me.

I’m never too upset, no matter how important the tourney, when I go out to a better hand played well, so no grumbles, I just headed off to see how my percentages were doing, and off to the bar.

I found one of my percentages already there, Karl Mahrenholz having fairly reraised someone blind only to be set in on the flop, look at his cards and find he’d flopped three jacks…unfortunately his deuce kicker was no match for his opponent.

Paul Jackson was doing much better however, and when one of the best players in the world gets chips it’s always gonna be hard to take them off him.

ActionJack was not too pleased at his exit though, just before the money on day two. With blinds at 400 800, he raised to 2500 under the gun with A-K. A Scandinavian player on the button miniumum reraised him, and when Paul moved his whole 20k stack in, the Scandi decided to call, leaving himself 300 chips back with….8-5 off!

As the standard five hit the flop, Paul grumbled off and the young Scandi collected a decent pot to keep him in the game.

It was with great surprise therefore, among other emotions, that Paul greeted the sight of the start of the final table, where the six final tablists were introduced, including our chip leader, a young Scndinavian called Claes Westerberg….the very same young Scandinavian who had taken out ActionJack with that bizarre play.

To be fair to Claus though, who plays on Laddies as ‘niceandclean’, he had battled on for another day-and-a-half and played very well to enter the final table in pole position.

The Scandinavians dominated the main event, with five of the final six coming from that part of the world. Our lone British representative was Michael Greco, who used to be better known as Beppe from EastEnders, but these days is better known as Monkey36 on Laddies and as the winner of last year’s GUKPT in Cardiff.

After a cagey opening hour or so, Michael was our first victim. After being reraised off a couple of pots in the early exchanges, Grecs pushed his 95k into the middle with A-9, only to find Claus sat behind him with A-K.

Next hand John ‘Macaronis’ Loftsrom reraised all-in with A-10 but Niclas ‘MeZZiaS’ Adolfsson’s Q-Q was well in front and stayed there on a dry board.

With blinds still only at 10k 20k there was plenty of play left, and the remaining four battled away before chief executioner Claus struck again.

Thomas ‘ROEVBANAN’ Mose stuck his chips in with A-2 and was called by Claus, holding 7-8. A heartbreaking 7 on the river sent Thomas to the rail, although he had the small matter of $43,000 to console him.

I was joined in the crowd watching the gripping action by Azad, who informed me that Niclas is one of his good friends, and, compared to most Swedes, is an absolute rock.

As we chatted Niclas raised and was rerasied by Henrick ‘shamrock69’ Lofvander. When his mate moved all-in, Azad confidently told us he must have aces or kings.

He actually had A-3 of diamonds, and it was Henrick who had the genuine hand, with pocket cowboys. However, two diamonds on the flop gave MeZZiaS some hope and there was a sense of inevitability when the third diamond hit the turn, leaving Henrick to disappointedly pick up his cheque for $57,000. Heads-up started between the two Swedes with Claus holding a 3:2 chip lead, with about 1.5m chips to Niclas’s 950,000.

As Azad had told us, Niclas had the more conservative game and the ultra-aggressive Claus gradually whittled him down until Niclas made his stand, moving all-in with pocket tens and finding a call with J-9. The flop came nine-high, but Niclas was still ahead. To Claus’s delight though, a jack hit the turn, and a five on the river meant that the 2008 Ladbrokes Poker Cruise champion was 22-year-old Swede Claes Westerberg.

Congratulations to Claes for a great performance, and also to Robert Thompson and his excellent tournament staff and dealers who ensured a great structure encouraging proper poker, as well as the hard-working Laddies staff, who somehow managed to be last to bed after leaving the club every night as well as first up to sort out anything and everything that needed sorting.

Roll on the 2010 cruise….watch this space!

Jeff Kimber - Barcelona World Heads-Up Champion and Ladbrokes-sponsored player