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March 2009

Maria Cabaleiro stayed in her home country of Spain to participate in her first live tournament as a member of Team Titan at the Master 888 Gran Casino de Torrelodones in Madrid. This is her reflection of the event.

Today I am beginning my sponsorship as a member of Team Titan. I landed in Spain yesterday after spending two months in Cancun where I was away on business and it has been a long time since I played in a live game. When I first see the players that I will be competing against, I am able to get a feel for them. Recently, the players have become very much like dolls. They don't talk, they don't greet each other and they don't discuss the moves of the game between them. Silence has ruled in my competitions for some time now.

My first feeling is that it was not going to be easy this time. The room is full of Spanish professionals. I know just a little bit about them and I do not want to miss even the smallest detail of what is happening at the tables. I want to be able to take full advantage of everything and to be prepared. I walk towards my table and I see three players that are a little bit more familiar to me and this helps me relax a little bit. At first I very calmly win a couple of little pots and as I am watching the players, nine at this time, suddenly Raúl Páez comes to the table to take the tenth. I know it is really him, but to me at this moment it seems that the Matrix has arrived.

From this point on it has been a masterful poker game until I made a bid with KK from the button. Raúl raises from first position 300 points. We are on the third level, that is 3 blind. There's a call, I see that the small blind to my left is preparing the big guns and I re-raise to 1500. The player on my left is thinking about it for three minutes and folds, so now everyone, even Raúl, raises again to 3200.

What do I do? Little red pill or blue one? I think about it and I am convinced that I shouldn't make a call. Knowing that there is a chance for AA but not likely. I see Páez and say to him: "Raul everything", at that moment he put his face to AA and mine to. The photo below tells it all.

A big moment for Maria at the table.

It is now the end of a very exciting day that seems to have been much to short. I can always learn from what I have seen and experienced and from the questions and answers I got from the other players. I wonder how it will go in the Austrian Alps.

Titan Poker congratulates you on an excellent performance and thanks you for a great tournament. See you at the next one!

Read Maria's April ECPokerTour Salzburg 2009 Blog

Read Maria's April EPT San Remo 2009 Blog

Read Maria's April Gran Casino De Barcelona 2009 Blog

Read Maria's April April Casino Torrelodones Madrid 2009 Blog

Read Maria's May Gran Casino De Valladolid 2009 Blog

Read Maria's June Spanish Poker Tour Castellon 2009 Blog