It’s always rotten getting knocked out of a tournament. Especially to two outers. It happened to me in the Irish Open when Paul Dooley hit a ten against my pocket Queens. David Williams also only had  a two outer - regardless of how I played the hand. Over all I’m pleased with how I played… I took chances early and got my stack to a high of 17k.  There was no point in waiting for hands as I just wasn’t getting them. The highest Ace I saw was AJ - in late position. I lost with it when the flop came paired and low. My highest pocket pair was the Queens already reported on. I have no doubt that had I doubled up through David Williams I would have made day 2 and I would be on more than the 10,100 chips he is on now. But then he is perfectly capable of making a comeback from there, it’s the kind of aggressive player he is. In many ways I liked and respected his style. He behaved impeccably despite many distractions, and one player getting a little snotty with him. [Wanting to see cards Williams mucked - Williams pulled them from the top of the muck and showed them]

99 players left out of a starting pack of 264 - I wish them well… I also wish the very best of luck to my friend Santiago Torres who plays today.  I was hoping to see him on Thursday but have to content myself with a bit of site seeing instead.

I’d like to thank Paddy Power Poker for the opportunity - Especially Karl Hutson. And look forward to the chance to do better in Dublin.

Good luck all.

Well for me anyway.

Two hands that did the damage. Williams always raises the button if it’s not raised pre-flop. And he plays aggressively after. I have QQ in the SB  and I reraise his button. He made it 400 I made it 1200. He calls. Flop comes K rag rag - rainbow. I bet 2500 and he goes all in. i ask for a count and he just about has me covered. I think about it… Is this one of his 7 high occasions.? I fold face up. He shows me his King of clubs.

I wait and wait for another hand. Again I’m SB and in unraised pot Williams makes it 400. I have KQ and there are two limpers and the BB ahead. I call. BB calls and one linper calls one folds. Flop comes Q69 rainbow. I check as I’m first to act and I’m reraising any bet. It’s checked around to Williams and he checks. So we see the next card… An Ace… I’m ready tro give up the hand… but it’s check check and then Williams makes it 2200 I look at the way he’s made the bet and I think he’s at it. He doesn’t have an ace. I think about reraising here but I know I have him and I want more chips. A harmless looking 4 comes on the river. I go all in… He insta calls. I ask him if he has an Ace… he says no… he rolls over a pair of pocket fours he’s made his set on the river… And that was all she wrote..  Well I’m sorry guys I couldn’t have done better. I felt I had a real chance. i was happy with my table and had a good idea how everyone was playing. But it wasn’t to be.

I’ll be back.

Gunnar Ostebrod. Was 2nd in the Baden Baden EPT in 2005.

Came back from the short break of fifteen minutes while half the field were on dinner break. I got to my seat just as my hand was folded. Phuh! There go my aces - I thought. Danny Boy [Surely he has some Irish in him] Had raised to 450 - blinds 75/ 150. he got a caller in the SB. Flop came J6X all Hearts. SB makes a bet - Williams Raises. SB calls. Think it was 1k - 2k. Next card is a brick. SB bets another 2.5k Williams goes all in. SB insta calls . Willias has pocket aces. Looks like he’s going home as SB has a set of sixes. Only an ace or a heart will save Williams [He has Ah] it comes the case Ace has someone commented they folded and Ace. Williams is now top dog at our table. He starts to push then with anything. One hand six players limp. Only me and one other guy has folded. From mid-position Williams tries a steal. But is called by tight Scandie on my left. I know the Scandie has an ace so I’m surprised that Williams doesn’t. maybe he convinces himself after the turn brings a King that he can represent that. He checks, Scandie reads him perfectly and checks. Williams makes the obligatory bet on the river and gets called. Williams announces 7 high and mucks. Scandie shows his ace nine.

As for myself - my image seems to have changed from fishy Mc Fish to Rocky Mc Rock. When I raise and bet they seem to take notice. So with no real hand to report on I’m up to a respectable 16k.

John Kabaj was on my left three seats up… I say was because he’s already gone. I did a lot of the damage to him. Four of us limped into a pot. David Williams to my immediate right, myself then Cabbage and then an unknown player. I had already shown my fishy credentials by catching a flush with 85diamonds. My holdings were J 10 this time and the flop came 9 7 X. David Williams was first to act and he bet 200 [blinds 25 / 50]  Thought it was worth seeing for that. Then Cabage bet 800 but because the bet from David and I looked so weak I decided to call thinking John might be stealing. A K on the turn gave me more outs so with chips in hand I didn’t feel I could turn down his 1300 bet - The Qc on the river gave me the nut straight but I would llose to a flush. It was very unlikely he had two clubs. I checked to see what he would bet - I knew he would bet. he made it 2.5k He had put 50% of his chips in on this hand so he had something strong. So just in case he had hit a flush I called only. I should have pushed all in - he had two pair on the flop.

David Williams was also suffering and seemed very uncomfortable for some time. I didn’t see his mum. Maybe he was missing her. In fairness he pulled back from a very bad start - he had about 3k left at one point but now has around 12k. I’m now on 14.5k. Having lost a few small pots with pocket pairs.

Feeling good. Report back soon.

I have my seat nuumber and we’re shortly going to be under way. Spotted already - Katja Thater - Though I will probably call her Thatcher Milk Snatcher. Julian Thew - Umberto Brenes. Mickey The Worm Wernick. Noah Boaken.  ElkY and - er - others. My bowels are good. My nerves are holding… Let’s play.

Went to the party last night and stayed for about an hour or so. Nothing much to report, except to say that it’s always funny to watch the newbie internet players uncertain how to react to live poker players - and that’s just at the drinks buying stage. I pointed out the drinks were free anyway. The management then sent on some belly dancers - They were very attractive semi-naked women - But Marcel Luske was not batting an eyelid as he recalled some poker story or another. It’s at times, such as these, that I really do wonder about poker players. I opted for an early night.
So I’m sat at my laptop now all set for the start at 5.00pm - That’s 4.00pm Irish time. It looks close to being a sell out.

The Dims have landed in Barcelona.

Flight was fun - Our seats were at the back of the plane and a bunch of lubricated lads, were in the mood for a sing song and semi-riot. I had the aisle seat closest to the toilets and every time I looked up the crack was mighty. [As opposed to the Craic] I love a pint of the black stuff myself - But they really shouldn’t sell it in the airport - planes are enclosed and confined spaces.

So it was with some relief that the plane landed [almost an hour late] and we got to suck in some fresh humid Catalan air.

Then it was a question of finding the car hire place. That took another 30 minutes and the queue 40 minutes. Upgraded the car to one we could just about shoe horn the five of us into and it was then that we realised we didn’t have a map of Barcelona. So back to the car hire place and ask for a map. The guy gives me a map of Spain. “Barcelona?” - “No map of Barcelona.” He says. This is Barcelona, I’m at Barcelona airport and you have no map of Barcelona?” “Ci, no map of Barthelona.” I wiped the spit off my face and returned to the car. I told Mrs Dim - “No map of Barthelona” She wiped the spit of her face - So how are we going to find the Apartment?

We’ve got half a tank of fuel, it’s 25 miles from Barcelona, we don’t have a road map, It’s dark and I’m wearing sunglasses. How the feck should I know?

I had a vague idea of where things are in Barcelona from studying the book I bought on the city, that is languishing unpacked on the bed at home in Westport.

“Did you pack the book?”

“I thought you packed the book.”

This started a ten minute argument which I lost when Mrs Dim went all in with - “Tosser!”

I had no come back.

The sea is East - if we keep driving until we hit it all we have to do is head north.

Eventually - Somehow - Some might say miraculously I found Diagonal Mar and St Josep Pla. Which is the street our apartment is on. I pulled up at a random spot and it just happened to be where we where staying and our contact with the key to the apartment was waiting. He looked like Hiro from Heroes - Only Spanish and he spoke just as much English. His vehicle of choice was a Honda moped. This was not looking good.

But then we were shown the apartment - And it was / is fantastic. Ill try and post pictures later.

Only problem now was food. It was 1.00am by now and everything was shut. There was water and a bottle of Rioja in the apartment but you can’t give that to the Dim kids.

We got back in the car and drove around until we could find a food emprioum of some sort.

Wherever you go in the world there are some things you will always be able to rely upon. In every major city you will find an Irish pub, a McDonalds, a mad drunk, [usually the same one] and a Kebab shop open until the wee small hours willing to serve bad food to bad behaving, boozed up customers.

It was an oasis in a barren desert.

Our first night in Barcelona and we dined in style on turkish kebabs and chips.

But the Dims have arrived and now bring on Gus Hansen, Negreanu, Raymer and Co.

The Fatboy is fed and hungry for chips.

Lavelle - The Brazilian fella?

Me - Ronaldinho

Lavelle - Dat’s him - He plays for Barcelona.

Me - Well that’s where I’m going.

Lavelle - What for?

Me - To play poker.

Lavelle - What that Texas hold’em shite?

Me - Yes.

The Learned One - What a waste of money Cove !

Lavelle - Why don’t you write about something descent. Like fellas in the West of Ireland playing proper poker. Five card Stud. An yer one losing all the wages wit the Mot telling him to go get it back?

Me - Because this is the Paddy Power Blog about Fatboydim’s trip to the Barcelona EPT. [In Association with Pokerstars - Ahem!] There throwing a buy in at him and telling him to get his finger out and make a better job of it than he did in the Irish Open.

Blank looks all round.

Lavelle - Pint please Johnny.

Coverage starts 27th August.