UKIPT Manchester - Friday

Arrived a bit late for the tournament - but we have 15,000 chips and 60 minute levels.
The G Casino is not very glamorous - located in an industrial estate as far as I can tell - but it is packed with 260 players for "flight b".

Level 1 is 25/50 and little happens - I get AQ but have to give it up after some action on the flop.
During Level 2 (50/100) it becomes clear that despite this tournament costing £500 there are some pretty reckless players. I take part in a pretty weird hand that supports this theory. I pick up AKs on the button and after a limp from early position and a raise to 400 I reraise to 1100. The original limper calls and the raiser now pumps it up to 4000. This is the easiest laydown of AK I have ever made but the limper calls again. Flop comes J95 and the limper bets out and the all-ins follow. The villain has of course got a set of Jacks and the man with the telegraphed Aces is not happy.

This has repurcussions for me since I end up playing a pot with the short stack - I have KQ and the flop isT94 and I get pot committed against him when he has AT. This knocks me down a bit but I am soon up to 20k when I flop a set of 8's on a QJ8 board. I make a standard bet that is called by a crazy irishman. The turn is a 5s making a spade flush draw so I bet and am called again. The river is Js and my opponent can't get his chips in fast enough. I nearly slow roll my full house because I am trying to work out whether he could have a higher full than me.

Similarly, after the break we are up to Level 3 (75/150) when I flop a K high flush. I make a 75% pot bet to discourage the A but one opponent moves all-in instantly. I agonise a bit but I have him well covered so I call. He actually has a very low flush so is drawing dead. This puts me up to 23K.
...and even better some guys is convinced his pair of 8's is good on a J97 board after I have raised preflop and bet the flop too. I call him down with my QQ and so I am up to 28k by the end of this level.

Level 4 (100/200) is where it starts going wrong. Towards the end I call with 85 in the SB when all have folded. Flop is 875 which is pretty good so I bet 300 which he calls. Turn is Js making a flush draw. I bet 800 and am pretty suprised when he raises it 2000 on top. wtf? The villain is a solid young local so if he was not the BB I would be pretty sure I was winning. I probably should have raised or folded her but I just call. River is 3s making the flush and when I check he puts me all in and I have to fold. From what he said later I think I was beaten.

We then have a rather pleasant buffet (infinitely better than the disasterous pies in Edinburgh last year) and when we start again I settle down with a nice Guinness. Unfortunately I get no cards at all in Level 5 (150/300) and Level 6 (150/300/25) and when I try to steal the last pot before the break a softly spoken swede shoves his last 6000 chips in the middle and I have to fold leaving myself with 17k.

My death comes swiftly in Level 7 (200/400/50) in 3 blows
First I race a short stack with my AQ vs his 33 - down to 12k
Second after a 5 way limp with QT on the button I am not convinced by a C bet on a 985 board so I put a medium stack all in. Unfortuately he decides to call with A9 and it stands up.
Finally I am down to 5k so push with QJ on the button. I am called by the BB who has 77.

I probably could have been a bit more patient towards the end but that is not really my game...