The day began early for this one and when my tram broke down just as it entered Manchester with the driver claiming we couldnt get off, I feared this wasnt going to be my day.

Fortuntately I had the piece of mind to use the emergency exit handle to open the door, much to the relief of all the passengers on a tight schedule and after a sprint through town I was back on schedule for the train down to Brighton.

I arrived bang on time and I was greeted by a table of unknowns that were very quick in showing their deficiencies at the game!

With a nice deep 15k starting stack and after a few hands profiling the table, I decided I would try and isolate the obvious calling stations on the table with a wide range.

The first hand involved a 3 barrel bluff where it had become blindingly obvious this guy was chasing a flush and I followed that up with value betting top pair on all three streets to take two nice early pots of the same villain.

When my UTG 150 raise on 25/50 with pocket 4s got the standard 5 callers, I was licking my lips when the flop fell a nigh on perfect A 4 2 rainbow.

It felt so nailed on that somebody would have an ace so when the BB checked I led straight into the family pot with 500 into the 775.

I was utterly amazed when everybody folded considering the action in the previous hands, but my stack was continuing to go in the right direction.

A few hands later, after Id won another couple of small pots with well timed bluffs to weak opponents, I woke up with AK on the button and 3bet the hijacks 150 raise to 500.

He flat called and we saw a flop of A 7 3. He checked and I again led out with a 500 bet expecting a call but receiving a raise to 1500. I took some time on this decision, as the move could represent a set, but I decided to just slowdown for the rest of the hand and play small ball. The turn brought a 9 and three to the flush, so I checked behind. When the river fell a 3 with four clubs on board and me not holding a club, it was an easy check again following his check giving me a chance to see what he was check raising the flop with. It had been 67 and another tidy pot was shipped to me as I began to feel really at home on this table with 21k.

Typically a couple of hands later, I was moved table to the other side of the casino, where waiting for me were 4 of the strongest young guns on the circuit including double bracelet winner – JP Kelly.

I eased my way in by observing the new opponents and playing a bit tighter which coincided with the junk I was receiving anyway, but from what I was watching it became apparent it was a very active table and I would need some hands to compete.

They were not forthcoming and as my stack was dribbling below average I had no choice but to try a few moves using the tight image I had portrayed.

The first was 3 betting JP Kellys 3rd raise on the trot, to 1400 with J9 suited on the button. Despite him looking like he might be ready to doze off just prior he flat called and we saw a flop of K62.

When he checked to me, it felt obligatory to continue here, especially with there being little chance of my hand improving. I bet out 2/3 of the pot and he opened his eyes slightly while making a reluctant looking call.

Now I was in trouble in the hand. The 5 on the turn and his subsequent check, opened the door to a gutsy double barrel, but it felt like he might be in check call mode and I regretfully checked behind which looking back was probably a mistake.

The River brought an annoying Q and another check from him, but again it felt like this card might have hit him and he would check call anyway, so I gave up and checked back while intrigued to see what he would showdown.

He had 86 off and although I couldnt really put him on something so weak, given his call OOP to my 3bet, quite simply Id missed my opportunity on the turn and river to push him off this much needed pot.

I was dwindling under half the average with 10k, so unfortunately I was in 3bet shove mode already and would need to grasp any opportunity since the table was getting even more active with the growing blinds.

A successful execution with 10 9 was followed by a frustrating AQ where I raised, got called, missed on a danger board and had to laydown to a donk bet and this left me with 9k on blinds of 300/600.

When a serial open raiser made it 1400, I woke up with KJ in the cutoff and felt there was enough fold equity to get a shove through with the added incentive I was in desperate shape so really needed a showdown and double up anyway.

Unfortunately, although my instinct was correct about the initial raiser (he subsequently insta folded), the SB had picked up AK and called leaving me in terrible shape.

The required big suck out was not forthcoming and I was out in 90th/160 and left to make the long train journey home.

It hadnt been a great tournament after the decent start and getting moved to such a strong table had basically been my undoing.

Hey ho, back to the online tourney grind for me!

My World Open heat is on Channel5 at 11.55pm tonight and at the same time next Wed 29th Dec.