Nick is a cash game player, content creator and part of 888poker’s Stream Team. Each week he shares his thoughts and experiences as a player dedicated to the daily grind. This week he looks back at the 888LIVE event in Barcelona…
Last week, I spoke about my eagerly anticipated visit to Barcelona for 888LIVE, and I made a few predictions ahead of the trip. Firstly, that I’d make absolutely zero headway in anything to do with playing poker, and secondly that it wouldn’t bother me in the slightest due to spending a week in one of the most beautiful cities in the world, with the best team in the business. I was absolutely right on both counts.
The prospect of uncomfortably warm weather was really the first and only hurdle I needed to leap on this excursion, and it was cleared in style. With temperatures hovering around 20℃ and a brisk summer breeze to boot, it was about as perfect as weather can get. About the only thing I’d rather have done than sip drinks along the beachfront was spend the majority of my week in Casino Barcelona, so that’s exactly what I did.
That said, I was able to spend some time in the beautiful outdoors recording some exciting new content that will be debuting on the 888poker YouTube channel in the coming months, and it only came at the cost of a mild sunburn.
That’s me in the spotlight
My first full day was dedicated to a traditionally brief stint in Day 1B of the €888 Main Event, and I found myself on the feature table; something I’m always thankful for as I get to use the (often embarrassing) footage in all its glory for my vlogs on YouTube. Speaking of which, here’s a look at my performance on the feature table of the recent 888LIVE Bucharest event.
As I looked around the wonderfully crafted arena, I was optimistic about my table and looking forward to giving a decent account of myself for once. This positivity was short lived, as not long after cards were in the air, fellow 888poker ambassador Ian Simpson maneuvered his way into the room and plonked himself on my direct left. A ‘sub-optimal’ development, as they say.
I needn’t have worried though, the dealer had no interest in getting me into any kind of trouble, as I spent 2 hours and 15 minutes folding 99% of the hands that were dealt to me.
The one hand I did manage to win was a rather uncomfortable 3-bet pot against a recreational player who didn’t seem all that keen on folding. Since I had queen-high I decided to give it a go anyway, not only to win my first and only pot of the feature table, but also to stem the tide of inevitable criticism I was sure to be receiving from the legendary David Tuchman in our commentary booth. One for the cameras, as I managed to leverage my opponent into folding his powerhouse 8-high/gutshot on the turn after a two-minute tank.
The 5% club
You may recall from last week that, although I didn’t have high hopes for myself in the tournament, I happen to be fortunate enough to be part of a team of pros that are much better than I am. Along with that, I also have a rather useful knack in conning these players into swapping equity with me.
My main target was Aaron Barone due to his adorable gullibility, and 5% was swiftly agreed and scribbled in my trusty notebook. As luck would have it, this was arranged in front of fellow teammates Ian Simpson, Alexandre ‘Cavalito’ Mantovani and Lucia Navarro, all of whom I also swindled into unfavorable swaps of 5%.
My highest hopes were initially for Aaron, but this hope managed to manifest itself in a manner I was not expecting. In an unlikely team-kill situation, Aaron managed to donk off all his chips to Lucia early on Day 1, and so I had a new favorite horse.
My bustout followed shortly afterwards, and as Ian and Ale also took their premature leaves, Lucia was all I had left. The money bubble came and went, and Lucia stood strong, eventually succumbing to the minefield of tournament poker somewhere around 40th place, good for about €2,400 - €120 of which went straight into my back pocket.
The tournament eventually ended with a four-way chop, with Spain’s Josep Valls not only booking the biggest piece of the chopped-up pie, but the extra payout on top for winning the event. Congrats are definitely due to Valls for scoring his biggest-ever tourney cash.
Sinister tactics
The truth does seem inescapable though, that eventually not even the hardened friendships I’ve developed with my associates is going to keep them following me into battle with equities swapped. I’m yet to make any of them any money at all, and I think at some point they are probably going to notice.
To postpone the inevitable, I’ve resorted to more sinister tactics in advance, most notably isolating the unsuspecting Cavalito on a leisurely walk along the seafront and luring him into swapping 1% of his WSOP Main Event with me in July (what a schmuck).
So there we have it, 888LIVE Barcelona is in the books for another year, and I already can’t wait to go back. This past week has only served to cement the stop as my favorite in the calendar, and I’m forever grateful to be some small part of it.
And speaking of small parts, if I can get a little piece of some winning players while I’m at it, even better. It’s not like it’s ever cost me anything…
(Good luck in Vegas, Ale!)
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