Update (Pretty cool tilte isnt it?)

Soooo, quite a bit to report on. Last week went very well, I had a bit of a sick day on Thursday.......I managed 2nd in the stars $100r for just shy of $11k. Was a bit gutted not to win but to get a result in such a tough tounry was nice (as the stars 100r is re-knowned for being one of the toughest mtts online). I defo ran super hot but also felt I played very well throughout. Then later in the evening I managed to win an Irish Open package which im really excited about. The bubble was horrible, there were two massive stacks, me and this other dude and we were both short and battling it out (obv with 3 packages available). It was pretty tense and we were 4 handed for ages, untill finally this hand went down. 500/1000 level, UTG (one of the big stacks) opens to his standard 3k, the shorty thinks a while and shoves his final 13k in from the button, th SB folds and I see KK, I ship in for 22k, UTG folds and the shorty reveals 22. What a great situation, im a 80/20 favourite for an Irish Open package........We then saw the horror flop of 2 4 5. I felt physically ill as the 8 of spades hit the turn. Two outs one time????? Oneeeeeeeeee timeeeeeeeee, the most beautiful K of diamonds hit the river. It felt great, but what a rollercoaster of a hand to finish.

I just booked my flight back to Dublin today and leave here on the 7th of April. The IO starts on the 10th, so I should have a day or two to relax before it kicks off. Should be a fun wknd as I know alot of people coming to play in it. It would also be really nice to get a result in my countries biggest tounrnament. I just have this image of me final tabling and having all my friends on the rail going mad........would be fun!

2 months into Brazil and Im really looking forward to getting home for a bit. Dont get me wrong Brazil was been amazing and I would defo think about coming back out here again, its a perfect spot to grind: good weather, cheap, amazing living conditions and the guys im living with have been great fun and a very positive influence on my poker ect ect. It will be nice to get home and hang out with some normals though (non poker ppl again).

As far as plans for when I get home and the future..........Will most likely move in with my Mum or Dad when I get back for 5-6 weeks before Vegas and just chill, put in some decent volume and hang out with friends ect (doing something about being FAT should also be on the agenda). I think I will try to arrive in Vegas around the 28th/29th of May, in time for event one basically. The house we are renting is sooo sick, 9 bedroom mansion 5 mins from the strip. Should be unreal. Id imagaine il spend about 4-5 weeks in Vegas, depending on how things go and probably play 4-5 events, again it depends on how nitty I am feeling. There is also a small chance I may be staked into some of the bigger WSOP events. That would be great if it happends but im not holding my breath. After I win a Bracelet this summer :) I think I and a few of the lads are gonna hit up Thailand for 3-4 weeks and basically get drunk every night and hit the beach everyday, sounds pretty perfect to me and take a complete break from poker. Need to get organising all this tbh, im really bad when it comes to stuff like this. Im really excited for the next few month.

I really do consider myself very lucky. I would have never thought a year and a half ago that I would be able to live the life I do now. And its all down to poker. I know im still very early in my career as a poker player but I feel proud of what I have achieved in a short period. Of course there is alot more to achieve and tbh it excites me just thinking about it. I crave getting to the next level and being competitive, this is why I think I have had sucess at this game.

Nick

Soooo closeeeeeee

Yooooooo. Came 24th in the $2.5 million on ipoker last night for $14.5k, there was 500k for the win, so im pretty crushed to be honest. Alot of people would read that and ask, how could you been dissapointed with winning $14,500? Well, because I play to win and really thought I had a great shot at it. The structure in the event was fantastic with a 30 min clock and I really enjoyed it. I think I busted about 10 hours in 3bet/committing by 22bb stack to a hi-jack (Nscuthome....good ipoker reg) raise with 99, he had AA, so gg me. Im never folding in that spot vs him, why couldnt he have 22 one timeee? haha, ah well not to be! At least I know I can compete in these bigger buy events. The big win will come!

As for the rest of the week it went pretty well also, I think I only played on Tuesday and Wednesday night. Tuesday I managed to final table the 50k $100r on ipoker but busted in 4th for $4k running AK into KK, fun cooler when there was 13.5k ftw. Also final tabled the 12.5k, but got in one ridic hand that I never came back from. I was 3/10 I think, mp1 limps (with 20bbsish) I look at AKs in the cut-off and make it 4x (30bb stack) the sb jams for 15bbs and the limper thinks and then re shoves. Hmmmmm, 3-1 and a chance for a gazilllion chips? Yes please sir! I also hold the nuts an ACE and a KING of the same sooooooot. Sb had KK and the Limper had AA. Haha, good times yo. Think I finished 8th or 9th after that slice of fun.

Wednesday........Final tabled the Micro $100 freezeout and busted in 3rd for $650ish, nothing to interesting happend. Also final tabled the 50k $50r on ipoker, came to the final table 2/10 and then the horror show began. Cue horror show......Hand two fo the final table I open AKo utg+1 (with 190kish) at 4k/8k to 19k........folds to the chip leader in he BB who decides to peel a flop. Flop come As7s7d, he checks I fire 24k he smooth calls. The turn is Kc he checks again, I wap out 46k and he shoves on me, I called, ughhhhhhhhh...........can he really have a 7 here? Of course he had K7, FML. 10th place for $875. Also final tabled the 12.5k on ipoker again and busted in 6th for $800ish, was really short and got discoed on he final table and had to leave it, prob worked out for the best as I was on monster tilt from the 50k bustout. All in all a decent couple of days but could have been so much better (story of my life????)

Should really update about non poker stuff going on but Im tired and it feels as if I have been typing for ages. Will save that for the next time.

Untill then
Nick

Weeeeeeeeeeeee......I win monies

Well finally managed to ship a tounry this Sunday. It wasn't quite the sunday million but it will do! Manged to win the stars 20k 20r for $5k and change. Man it feels good to win again.

I started the final table as chip leader with about 480k. The average was about 250k. The start of the final table went awful, no one got knocked out and I continued to double up the shorter stacks. I lost 77 to AQ, AK to 66 and then finally 99 to 88(the guy spiking and 8 on the river, arghhhhhh). I dipped as low as 200k after this series of unfortunate flipaments, but although I felt hard done by I battled on and picked good spots to raise and 3 bet. Then players started to drop, me knocking one out with AJ to his A9 aipf. And before I knew it we were 3 handed. I was without a doubt the most aggressive player left as we got 3 handed and felt it was mine to lose. I got it in blind vs blind with 44 vs A7 and managed to hold and got HU with a slight chip deficit. I quickly turned it around with some aggression and a nice rush or cards. The money finally went in pre flop with me holding A10o and him K9. I made the flush and shipped the win. It is probably the win I am most proud of tbh. I am proud of the fact that after some really rough days I kept at it and remained confident. Sure the $5k is nice but its not the $ that I concerns me to much, its winning and playing to the best of my ability, and I feel like I did this here.

As for the other sunday mtts. I managed a cash for about $400 in the Warmup, I busted check raising all in with air on a dry board and our friend just had a set. gg. Played the Ipoker 250k also and im still unsure about the bustout hand. We were about 2 1/2 hours in, blinds at 150/300 and a 25 ante and this dude shoves for 3300 utg +1 (important note : he had been shoving close to every hand as he had lost a big stack and showed down 93o one of these hands) then Pokergirl1 in the hikack shoves for 8k, i peek down at 1010 and think things through (my stack is 9k btw). Pokergirl is a highstakes cash game player and is very competent. He knows out pal from utg+1 is shoving wide, therefore he must re shove wide. I eventually decided to call but managed to run into Pokergirls AA. Ah well, I knew it was close. Utg+1 had 78o btw! And finally I played the Micro 150k and didn't make it out of the rebuy period because our internet was fucking up. I played a reduced Sunday schedule because of this.

In other news, we moved into our new house in Brazil and its class. Big pool, BBQ outside, maid, chef (who makes me scrambled eggs on toast for brekky), massive tv so I can own the other mugs here at PES. In general its just a pretty sweet cribnest.

Plans for the next week or so? Mmmmmm, will probably play some online, which will include trying to sat into some of stars SCOOP tounrneys, some of them look so ill. Be nice to run good one time in one of these babys. www.pokerstars.com/scoop

Apart from that not much goin on here, missing alot of my friends and family at home. But when you have your own chef and the sun shines everyday its hard to think about going back to Ireland

Later

Nick