I am currently on holidays on Hamilton Island. I have taken time out after a long year online grinding and playing all the ANZPT events. I also managed to fit in a trip to Europe which I had been planning to do for a few years. If you read through some of my old blog posts you can see that I fully intended on travelling through Europe more than one time. It happened to be on my trip in July that I had my biggest tournament win.
Most recently I was in Darwin for the ANZPT season finale where I needed to outlast Leo Boxell and Danny Chevalier in the tournament to jump above them in the Player of the Year (POY) points. POY top 3 was worth more than the top 3 prizes in the ANZPT Darwin tournament so there was a bit of math to be run in terms of how to play on the money bubble. This however was non applicable as i was 3 outered with 25 left for a 80 big blind pot in one of the softest live 2k events I have ever played. Leo just fell short of cashing and Danny final tabled to ensure he was the 2011 ANZPT Player of the Year. Leo finished 2nd and I finished 3rd and will use the bonus money for either a) Aussie Millions Main Event in January or b) 4 ANZPT events in 2012.
Prior to Darwin, maybe just a week or two, was ANZPT Melbourne where I was chip leader with 18 left but in a tournament where the prize pool was significantly bigger ($155 for 1st). I was playing well throughout and running well in the big pots. I was unafraid to play against anyone and felt I was probably in the best zone I have been in live poker since Adelaide in February. After the money bubble burst and where i made some good plays against top online guys as well as weaker passive players I decided I was going for the win.
Without going into much strategic detail I don't really know where to place Danny Chevalier in terms of his play. This is probably good for him as I managed to pay him off in a rather large pot in the ANZPT Melbourne and he managed to finish 3rd. Part of me wanted to knock out my nearest competitor in the Player of the Year race and part of me didn't understand the line he took in the hand. Needless to say it was strong and straight forward and probably I should play it as I see it. He isn't some online sicko taking some weird line without it. He highly values the POY and the title but he did play other hands which did lead me to the choices that I made.
There are always moments in time where you feel invincible and that your read is laser sharp. In tournament poker it can all be over very quickly and it was probably the most gutted and disappointed I have been as I had never prepared better for a tournament before that one. I liked my schedule and my life balance and the people and places I had been with. I had a couple of deep runs in the World Cup of Online Poker whilst in Queenstown where I stayed an extra couple of weeks (after ANZPT Queenstown) to get snow boarding lessons and catch up with friends. I really love that place. It is so beautiful and there are many great restaurants, Botswana Butchery being my favourite, bars and activities.
The year I have had has been unexplainably amazing. It is almost unrealistic and unattainable. I feel very fortunate and I realise that many like me put in the effort but don't always get the result they deserve. I think the key to my success has been balance and sustained effort and being relentlessly persistent. Having good people around you to offer support and advice is so important. In the end we make our own decisions based on all the information available to us at the time. I have to thank my family and friends for what has been an amazing 2011.
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