I have played quite a few tournaments with a small cash in the $2.5k 6 handed and a deep run in the $2k Pot limit holdem event, eventually busting 21st for $5.5k ish. I got pretty unlucky on day 2 after building my 65k stack up to around 100k with no showdowns in the first hour. With blinds at 1k/2k it all went pete tong, firstly clonie gowen opens in the cut-off and I re-pot from the BB with AK, she goes all in and I have an obligatory call, but brick vs her JJ to fall back to 60k instead of being at 150k and one of the chip leaders. A few hands later I find AA and raise UTG+1 and lee watkinson calls from the BB. He then check raises all in on a 532 flop for around 40k total, I snap call and he flips 57, turn 4, river...............6, yawn. That pot would put me back over 100k but instead I'm nursing a shortstack. Just on a side note, pokernews are absolutely useless they claimed I paid off watkinson on the river even though it was clear my AA had been outdrawn, talk about putting me on life tilt. They have yet to report a hand correctly on anyone in our house and we are considering wearing t-shirts in the main event that just say FUCK POKERNEWS on the front. Anyway back to the tournament I get 30k in AQ vs A9 and chop to tilt me more before eventually re-shoving 88 with 14 BB's to find the original raiser with JJ and no miracles for me. The race against clonie gowen was pretty crucial as it gives me around a 160k stack with 40 ppl left, some guy made the final with 110k, sigh.
Next event was the $1k rebuy, the less said about this the better. I spent a total of $10k and didn't get a stack, losing 3 preflop all in flips in the rebuy period and a few other bullshit pots along the way. After the rebuy period I busted in under 1 hr, getting all in with A9cc on a K34 cc board vs 25 spades, he binks the off suit 6 on the turn and I'm on suicide watch, lol.
The next day saw my favourite event of the WSOP, $5k 6 handed NLH. I finalled this event 2 years ago when i was pretty inexperienced and not half the player I consider myself to be now. I got a good start in this event running up my 10k starting stack to 40k+ before the antes kicked in and 55k at the dinner break. I made 2 pretty big river bluffs in this period that both got through, and also made a big overbet on the river with the nuts and got paid off so my timing was immaculate so far.
The rest of day 1 was pretty smooth sailing, picking off shortstacks and putting pressure on the medium stacks steadily building my own stack t0 167k and finishing 8/96 going into day 2. My table draw for day 2 wasn't ideal with Keith 'The Camel' Hawkins on my immediate left i knew he wouldn't allow me to take liberties so I decided not to force any issues early doors. I never really had any big showdowns but was playing great poker and constantly chipping up reaching a peak of 535k stack, and being 3/25. The the wheels came off slightly, losing AT vs 88 to a 12 BB stack and then bluffing off 140k, oops. This put me firmly back in the pack with around 300k and a new table. First pot i played on the new table, I open ATo for 21k (4k/8k) and sam trickett, a v.good young player form the UK, defends from the BB. the flop is T45 and sam check calls 30k and the turn repeats the 4, sam checks again and i decide to check behind for a variety of reasons. I was very confident i had the best hand I checking behind would get me max value from worse Tx hands on the river or sam could make a bluff with a missed 67, or pay me off with any 5 or 66-99 if he thinks im bluffing. The river is a 9 but sam now leads for 20k, i deliberate raising for value but don't think he would pay me off with worse and could have a boat/quads already. I call and he flips T9 for rivered 2 pair, sigh. I get some chips back from sam when he bets the turn with a flush draw and bluffs the river when 1 to the straight comes, i have the straight tho and he insta-passes to my raise.
Down to 18 and the tables are re-drawn, I have 360k stack with the blinds at 5k/10k so am comfortable but no real room for crazy moves. The 3rd hand of the new table alex jacob opens for 25k on the button playing a 240k stack, i make it 85k from the BB with AK ready to insta-call a shove from him, he thinks for about 20secs and says all in, I call and he flips the mighty 33 and holds, sighhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Blinds go to 6k/12k and my 120k stack is in trouble, I find AK and got no action on my shove. next orbit I find AT and shove again this time im met by an instant all in from Leo kam in the very next seat so i know im in 3 outer territory, sure enough he has KK but I spike an A on the river, :-) The next hand I play, Alex jacob opens to 35k and i make it 100k on the button with AQs and 180k behind and happy to get in vs jacob. Then sam cold 4 bets from the BB, jacob insta passes and I cry a little and eventually fold, ugh. I blind down to 140k again before shoving KJ and getting called by A9, I don't manage to hit and bust 15th for $31'700.
I thought I played great throughout just wasn't meant to be, 2 decent bracelet opportunities passed me by in the space of 1 week, not easy to swallow but ill have a break now and come back for the main event as well as another $2.5k at the venetian just before.
Non-poker wise, plenty of drinking has been done resulting in a few messy nights out. the first was when the girls in our House booked a massive party limo thing to take us round Vegas for 4 hours while we all got smashed in the back. Saw the bellagio fountain show as well as some of the old town and a great night was had by all. The next was a farewell night for the 4 friends we had staying with us, me dave and stevie agreed to pick up the bill for everybody and make it special. We went for dinner at craftseak in the MGM where everyone had japanese 'wagyu' steak, google it, and its just amazing. After that we moved onto the voodoo lounge at the rio with a quick stop off at NY NY to ride the roller coaster. We had a VIP table in the voodoo lounge with bottle service and the Dom Perignon did flow. The whole night cost close to $5k for 8 people, weeeeeeeeee.
Thats about all for now, will be playing a little online between now and the main event so will probably do a quick update about how that goes.
]
]
]
]
] (a flush, Ace high)
]
]
]
]
]
