#233: “The New Miss Finland”

Last week, I became the new Miss Finland on my way to a 19th place finish in the UKIPT Isle Of Man Main Event. It was also a good week for my Firm brethren with Daragh and Dara coming 2nd and 3rd in the Highroller. Off the tables, it was a really nice trip to a place I love going and once again, a massive thank you to Dave Curtis and the Pokerstars staff, in particular Christin Maschmann, who was the veritable hostess with the mostess, taking us on a fantastic tour around the island. She is the new Ideation Manager for Pokerstars and is very welcoming of any thoughts or suggestions, possessing the ability to fast-track the good ones.

Last month, I followed up a profitable trip to EPT Barcelona (2 cashes totaling €11K) with a 4th place finish for €4600 in the Mega Poker Series Main Event in the Clayton Hotel. I ultimately busted in an filthy but unavoidable spot ICM-wise (2 of 4, I ran 99 into AK) to worthy winner Fintan Gavin whose game had the moves and aggression you would expect but also a deftness and discernment that showed real class.

I’m not going to lie. It’s been an ordinary year on the felt so these results have brought a welcome uptick. I’ve not been playing hard enough nor smart enough for some time. The last time I slacked off this much was in 2011 and I remembering remarking then how a poker player’s poker brain is like a footballer’s foot. If you’re not playing enough, you lose sharpness and fitness. Back then, I was attempting to combine a 25 hour poker week with a 25 hour writing week. The result was about half my normal hourly when I did play and a TV show that never got picked up.

During that period, my appetite for poker left me but thanks to the infectious enthusiasm of the brilliant poker minds around me, in particular that of Dara O’Kearney, I gobbled up the requisite knowledge like a foie gras goose deep-throating its feeding funnel. (Editors note: For the record, Dara was always gentle.)

This year, I have averaged 28.5 hours per week, my game selection has been poor (a bad turbo : normal structure ratio) and I’ve not been putting in nearly enough work off the tables. As a consequence, my poker brain hasn’t been match fit for some time. This can be rectified and the year can be salvaged but only if I commit myself to a legit 50 hour week between now and Christmas. To that end, I am leaving for Malta this week where I will stay until EPT Prague in early December. I will play the IPT, EPT and The Battle of Malta live events while I’m there but more importantly, I’m moving in with my old flat-mate Daragh Davey and old Firm comrade James Noonan, whose poker brains I plan to relentlessly pick. If that doesn’t work out, then at least, thanks to Willie Elliot, I know I have a promising career as a runway model.