PokerHeaven $5k TV Tourney

Today, PokerHeaven ran a special tournament with a guaranteed prizepool of $5k that will be screened on the PokerChannel (SKY - 265) on Saturday 18th of February at 10pm GMT.

I entered since the buy-in was only $30 and it had just 50 other players to beat. You may recall that PokerHeaven was where I qualified to play in Doyle Brunson's Big Deal last year. This was to be my first tournament at PH this year - and maybe my last.

Why? Well, early in the tournament the dealer button teleported position from before the flop to the flop. Take a look at the hand:

Table: $5000 TV Tournament
Started: Mon Feb 13 19:39:50 2006
XLence is at seat 1 with 4710.00
Chatter is at seat 2 with 1950.00
silverbear is at seat 3 with 1970.00
boringblok is at seat 4 with 2180.00
foudewins is at seat 5 with 1380.00
DrSarnie is at seat 6 with 1970.00
conman2 is at seat 7 with 1810.00
topdec1 is at seat 8 with 1920.00
Spit9 is at seat 9 with 1800.00
TheMatrix is at seat 10 with 1710.00 [OTB]
Chatter posts the large blind 20.00
XLence posts the small blind 10.00
topdec1: --, --
Spit9: --, --
TheMatrix: Ks, 8h
XLence: --, --
Chatter: --, --
silverbear: --, --
boringblok: --, --
foudewins: --, --
DrSarnie: --, --
conman2: --, --
Pre-flop:
silverbear: Call 20.00
boringblok: Fold
foudewins: Fold
DrSarnie: Fold
conman2: Fold
topdec1: Fold
Spit9: Call 20.00
TheMatrix: Call 20.00 [BUTTON]
XLence: Fold [SMALL BLIND]
Chatter: Check [BIG BLIND]

Flop (Board: 10d, 3c, Jd):

Spit9: Check
TheMatrix: Check [SECOND TO ACT NOT LAST!!!!]
Chatter: Check
silverbear: Check

Turn (Board: 10d, 3c, Jd, Jc):

Spit9: Check
TheMatrix: Check
Chatter: Bet 60.00
silverbear: Fold
Spit9: Fold
TheMatrix: Fold

Wasn't happy about that and changed my strategy in case the same thing happened again. Despite the teleporting button, it was for the most part an enjoyable little tourney with plenty of table banter. I was sailing along until my stack was dented by bad luck and then tightend up to make the money. At the final table, I took an early opportunity to attempt at doubling up to go for first place but didn't win the coin flip.

Tune in to the PokerChannel this Saturday at 10pm to watch DaMatrix in action! [In the meantime, have a look at this Sporting Odds advert]

Final Results

Teleporting Dealer Button Update:

Here is the response I received from PokerHeaven regarding the button moving position from preflop to flop:

"We have reviewed the game in question and can confirm there are no errors in the game play."

DaMidas Touch

I've noticed that my luck has been rubbing off on other people, I might have to start charging a fee talk to me ;)

At the WHUPC 2005, my tip after watching his first game in the TV studio, Peter Gunnarson, went on to win. John Falconer and Simon Nowab, who I'd railbirded and had a couple of beers with in Barcelona, finished 2 and 3rd. The guy that beat me went on to cash after he turned down my offer of a little swap before our match as I felt confident that if he could beat me he would indeed go on to cash. In the 540 Euro NL, My AK got busted by A4 but Noah Boeken next to me went on to finish 5th.

Even at the Maxim King of Poker, which I won, my luck rubbed off in the queue before the event as the guy next to me who's hat I'd noticed almost ended up beating me heads-up!

VC Poker Cup 2005, and during a break, myself and Rolf Inge Kavik were the short stacks on our table. I almost offered him a swap as we both had nothing to lose. He went on to win my table and almost win the entire thing but was beaten heads-up by Tony Bloom. The only player I wished luck before their first heat, Ben Roberts, comfortably won his table and went on to finish 3rd overall.

You are getting the idea. After winning a seat to Doyle Brunson's Big Deal. I did a little coaching for my friend (who I would be taking to play Doyle) and he went on to chop his first NLHE live comp at the Broadway Casino, I would have made final table and finished high if only my AA had held up against AJ.

Paul Jackson is another player, that I met in Barcelona and VC Poker Cup, for which the now legendary DaMatrix luck had rubbed off on - he went on to finish second at the Monte Carlo Millions.

Next, coached my bro to second place at the Sun Poker Championship. I organised all the travel, accomodation etc and when all you gotta do is play the cards you really can't lose!


At the Blonde Poke Bash, I had a vision of Simon Trumper winning and wished him luck just before the final table. He went on to win. NoflopsHomer who busted me, finished in the bubble. After busting me though, I had a snack with him during the dinner break and told him about a great value tournament that would take place the next day - the 32Red Poker Masters. I'm looking at the names registered before it starts, and see his name there. I'm already worried that he'll win and I didn't do a swap lol.

I get off to a great start, and I'm not out of the top 15 for about an hour, I'm pretty focused and I feel good about at least cashing. But then NoflopsHomer gets moved to my table and I lose focus as we start talking in the chat. I'm playing another table at this point and almost down to final table - I end up crashing out of both comps within a short period of space of each other.

No happy at losing focus like that, I log off and take a break. I then decide that I might as well support NoflopsHomer and railbird him to victory. I join just after he busted someone with the powerful 47 (the Blonde Poker community's signature hand). The signs are very good and at the final table, after I ask him how his heads-up was (implying that I think he'll win and to get ready to switch to h/u gear) he steam rolls into first place.

Finally, a couple of weekends ago I was out in Cheltenham and lately I have been wearing a PokerStars cap after a long spell of UB and Expekt. Next day, who goes on to win over $100,000 in the big Sunday PokerStars tournament? A player from Cheltenham!

If you've been running bad, who you gonna call?

Da-Matrix!