Masterclassicsofpoker

What a week.
Great tournaments, Great players, Great dealers, Great pokerstaff, Great reporters.
Everything was great. Well almost everything.
Off course there was some things that could be better, but this is to talk about and hoping they will be better next year. So was the blind structure for the €1000 tournament great but till the final table.
The blind structure for the last tournament(€100) was really a crapshoot and in my opinion they have to cancel this tournament for next year because with 2 nice finals(the main event and the €300 freezeout) you can make a nice last day. Also there was some small things that could speed up the game and would be better for the pokerplayer.
Like changing shifts of the dealers, especially during rebuyperiod.
Also was it to the pokerplayer to change chips instead of the dealer(for example a player bet 200 but had only a chip of 1000 an other player had to change 10x100chips for the 1000chip). This is 1st of all very bad for the concentration and 2nd we would rather stay with 10chips of 100 then with 1 chip of 1000 because it is more powerfull to raise with 7x100chips then to throw in a chip of 1000 and say i raise to 700.
this are small things but rather important to the game. I hope the tournament direction will listen to this and see that it will improve even more the level of the game. I also hope they will invite the top of the dutchpoker players a few months before the tournament starts in 2008 to discuss more what can be changed.

What about me and the MCOP?
Well i had personal also a great week.
After london i knew i was on the right way but that does'nt say anything because you also need results.
i had learned a lot in the week in london and was wondering how that would infect my play at the mcop.
i had put a goal and that goal was pretty high.
i wanted to reach 1 final table.
As you have read i have made that goal.
also i finished 19e in the €100 tournament(i made it a rebuy festival but after the rebuy i played good poker till the last 28players because then it really became a crapshoot).
but most of all i had played the whole week great poker.
i have done things i could'nt imagine 1 month ago.
i have learned again so much the last month that i can say i have leveled up my game and if the results also come directly what can you ask for more?

ok i have made 1 mistake and it was in my opinion a big mistake.
i started the day really great and within 2 hours i had a stack of 31000(starting stack 10000).
i hit some nice flops but also i played good with for example this play.
sb/bb 75/150. lp makes it 400, button calls and i was in bb calls.
flop raiser bets 700, button folds, after thinking a while i call.
turn raiser bets 1700, i go thinking and after a while i raise to 3400.
raiser folds and i show .
after break for dinner we were taking with the whole table to the feauture table(that would be broadcast the day after on dutch tv).
from that moment on i could'nt play anymore my game and also did'nt get any cards.
after 6 hours under the warm lamps i became tired and with 20 minutes more on the clock to call it a day i had 16000 in chips.
thierry van de berg limped in ep with blinds 150/300 ante 25 i found and raised it to 900.
thierry then raised me to 2900 i call. flop he bets directly 6000 and i went all in. he calls instant and shows and with no help on the board i finish my main event.
i have discused with some people this hand and some says that this could happen but i am still convinced that i make a mistake here and that i had to fold preflop.
if i would have fold i still have 15000 in chips and come back in shape for the next day.
but ok this was again a learn moment, an expensive one but ok.

what to do now???
first of all i will take a couple of days off from poker to clear my head again.
go have some fitness and watch some series and movies.
then i want to make a shedule what is possible to play for tournaments in the next 2 months.
i would like to play for sure the vipdays in the holland casino in venlo
http://www.hollandcasino.nl/venlo/NL/Spelen/vipdays/default.htm
and the domclassics in utrecht
http://www.hollandcasino.nl/corporate/NL/Themas/domclassics2008/default.htm.
i also still have a possibility to go to australië half january to play in the pokerproforayear
http://www.pokerproforayear.com/full_leaderboard.php
as you see i am right now at 3rd position so it would be really tough to win this.
but you never know?
it would be really great if i can achieve to be part of this as for then it would be sure i can play some more tournaments in 2008.

but we would see what the future brings.
for now i am really happy with my results and my play.

please if you like to read my blog leave a message.
i would appreciate that.

greetings,
nicky"nickname"roeg