[Ed Note: click here to read yesterday’s entry]

I had a lot of battles with the online qualifier, Giovanni Safina, in this year’s Premier League. I remember at one point that I was tilted because I'd lost a huge pot to Ian Frazer and said, 'This is so retarded' when I got rivered in a hand. Safina's translator thought I was calling Safina 'retarded', which I wasn't, and told me to shut up, lol.

Safina was such a tilt because he always had a hand preflop and seemed to be constantly flopping top pair or better. He had an amazing run though to qualify for $100 or whatever it was and end up leaving with over $150,000. Thankfully, I managed to get him in the end, and I remember one hand in particular where I owned him.

It was like heat three or four and we were six-handed at the time when I raised J-9 off-suit from the button. Both Safina and Vanessa Rousso called in the blinds. The flop was T-8-6 and I checked it back. I could have bet, but I reckon that flop hits their range a lot and I didn't want to be faced with a check-raise. Safina's also a bit cally and could flat a lot of hands. The turn was an off-suit ace and they checked to me again. I can now rep this card so I bet 30,000 and they both called. At this time, I was putting Safina on like an ace-rag or something, and Vanessa on a draw, which is what she had in the end. I don't think there are many aces in their range that would have taken this line, and Vanessa would probably have raised aces-up hands.

The river was a brick three and Safina donk led 50,000 into around 100,000. Vanessa folded, and I shoved for like 170,000. Against a good player, I might not push as they could be easily betting a hand like A-J or something. Safina folded T-9 for second pair, but it was his bet that lost him the pot as it looked weak and allowed me to come over the top. If they had checked to me, then I might have bet anyhow as I think most the big aces that can call the river would have made a move preflop.

The structure of the Premier League was pretty good overall and wasn’t just push/fold poker like other comps. I could barrel more in this one, and in the very first heat I was able to get Ian Frazer to fold an ace on an Ah-Qc-8s-4s-9s board with just K-6 of diamonds. The river was a great card for me to bet as it brought everything in, and so when Frazer checked I knew I could get him to fold a big pair. After the hand Roland even commented that I could never be bluffing in that spot.

I was also able to double barrel in the final too, and there was one hand where I raised it up from under the gun with something like J-6. Both Daniel and Benyamine called with Benyamine in the big blind. I then bet the 7-5-2 flop and they called again, but when a 10 hit the turn I was able to fire out another bet and take it down. Again, this was a good card for me, and once I bet the stacks are such that they have to either push or fold, so they have to be pretty sure about the decision they’re making.

I wasn't making these moves for TV because if they go wrong then I look pretty stupid if I get caught and have to turn over 6-4. I'm just very sure about all my plays. Being influenced by the cameras in terms of ‘raising my profile’ or 'entertaining' an audience will never factor into the decisions I make at the table. That's why when I do make these moves, I normally get a fold, because I know why I'm doing it. Any table talk is just banter really, but that jacks hand against Benyamine did get the adrenalin pumping.

I enjoyed playing with all my opponents in this event, it's fun to have to adapt to so many different styles. JC definitely gave me a couple of headaches in the first heat and he really does play well, but after the second and third heats I got to know him a lot better and although he's a tricky opponent, I'm happy to have owned him a fair bit overall. From what I saw, his main problem came when he was short-stacked. He's great deep, but when short he tends to call raises a bit too much when he should be just raising or folding.

I was gutted not to win. It was really upsetting because I wanted the title so badly. The $200,000 difference would obviously have been nice too. I also thought I played the best all week making just maybe one or two mistakes. I also pulled off some outstanding bluffs, plays, and check behinds - all sorts of unbelievable sharky stuff

I'm probably going to keep playing TV events this year, but I'll also try and get down for the EPT Grand Final in Monte Carlo. I see there was a raid in Berlin. I heard that Feldman jumped underneath a table within seconds and held Roberto Romanello's hand, lol.