davidjacob (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} davidjacob) wrote,@ 2009-07-14 15:34:00 |
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WSOP Main event trip report
So, the WSOP Main event. This is my third year in the main event, and fifth year at the WSOP, which has seen the preceding four years have me cash-less in the tournaments I've played. I spent a good deal of time thinking about the game leading up to this event, specifically how to adjust to the much much deeper structure (we started with 30,000 chips, and blinds of 50-100).
In reading the online updates, and knowing how the Series can get, I expected to see a lot of fast play in the early going, and I was planning to be quite patient. My starting table was all unknowns until Justin Bonomo (the infamous multiaccounter ZeeJustin from online) showed up. Our table had one horribly over aggressive player who was playing every hand and bluffing most of them, while the rest seemed pretty tight.
In level 1, I caught the bluffer with my KK early and got myself up to around 50K, and beat ZeeJustin in a pot where I raised with AK, he called with AQ, flop xxx, ch ch, turn A, I check he bets I call, river X I check he bets I call. I basically stayed around there for a while, until ZeeJustin (for all intents) busted the bluffing maniac right before the dinner break.
Post day 1 dinner break didn't go very well for a long time, and I was down to around my starting stack again, when I raised with 77 and was called by one guy. Flop came down an acceptable 775. I bet and he called. Turn was a 4, I checked, he bet and I called. River was a 6, I checked, he bet, I raised, and he folded. The rest of the play for the day was uneventful and I ended day 1 at 51,275, with average stacks around 45,000.
Day 2 started off great, with no names at my table, and most people playing pretty tight. This was unfortunate in one spot where I raised in MP to 1500 with 88, and was reraised to 5000. I called and flopped 866. I checked, he bet 6000, and I pushed in for his last 24K. He stood up, went through the whole "this is my tournament life" song and dance, and finally folded QQ face up.
I ran myself up to 70K pretty quickly, then ran myself right back down to 35K when I made a good read but couldn't win the coin flip; I raised to 3600 in late with KTo, and the BB who had been playing pretty tight but shortstacked, pushed all in for 20K. I gave it some thought and decided he didn't have a monster and called to see his 33. Unfortunately, 33 ended up being the winner.
Shortly after, I was actually all in with much the worst of it. Some big stack raised from the middle and I called on the button with 65s. The flop came down a theoretically awesome 552, and after a few raises, we ended up all in, and I was licking my chops about my obvious double up against his overpair until he flipped over A5s! The turn paired the 2 and I managed to chop and stay alive.
I sort of hovered around there for most of the rest of the day and was down to about 22K when I was moved to a new table. I opened with AQ for 2200 with blinds at 400-800, and a big stack raised enough that I was going to be all in if I elected to play. I didn't see a huge option here and went for it all. To my surprise, the big stack was just making a move with K4o and I held to double to the mid 40s. Shortly after, I raised with AJ, and a short stack pushed in for about 15K from the BB. I called and sucked out on his JJ with a flop of AAx, leaving him without even his one outer to sweat. Thus, I ended day 2 with 57,100, with average about 95,000.
Day 3 started like both other days, with a mini rush from me (seems like most people didn't really wake up that sharp and I was able to steal some pots early). Quickly up to 70K, but then back down to about 50K through various loose calls and overaggressive moves. Then I finally got a double up; some french pro named Thomas Fougeron open raises in early, one caller, and I call on the button with 7s5s. Flop is AQ9 with two spades. He bets half pot and I call. Turn is a little spade, making my flush; he checks and I bet 3/4 pot and he calls. River is a K and he instantly bets all in. I have only 25K left and the pot is 150K+ so I figure if I'm out flushed, I'm outflushed. I call and he has JTo for the straight and goes on some tilty french rant as he pays me off. So, finally, I have a decent stack!
I immediately start donking away chips and am quickly down to like 130K when another big hand comes up. EP raises, one caller, and I call in the cutoff with Qd9d. Button (super tighty) calls, one blind calls. Flop is an intriguing Td8s6s, giving me a double gutter. Blind bets out, original raiser folds, I call, tighty on the button calls. Turn is a 3d giving me a flush draw with my double gutter. Now blind checks and I bet it up pretty hefty; like 25000 if I remember correctly. Tighty on the button surprises me by calling, and blind folds. River is absolutely perfect, the Jh, giving me the nuts. I bet 40,000 and tighty on the button starts moaning and groaning about how he should have just moved in on the flop and finally folds AsTs face up; yeah, I'd say moving in on the flop was good! So, now I'm up around 200K or whatever.
Tighty busts and is replaced by another tighty. A little while later, I raise with KTo in the cutoff and this tighty pushes on me for like 40K more. Feeling a little gambly I call and face his 88, which again I cannot defeat. My table broke shortly after and I was moved to a table with Dennis Phillips. With about 190K, and 15 minutes left in the day, its folded to my SB. I look at the BB who has 48K, and figure he's going to fold just about anything, so I move in with 98o. He instacalls with AQ and we both whiff the board entirely. End day 3 with 123,000, with average at about 245,000.
At this point, we are down to 789 players, with money at 648. I'm in about 550th place so I could probably fold into it if I really desired, but I decided to just keep playing normally and see what happened. I checked my table draw and it was obvious we were going to break very quickly (we were table 89 of 89) so not much happened at my first table. I then got moved to a new table where things seemed quite friendly. On my second orbit, I am in the BB with T7o, and its folded to the SB who has about 250K and limps. I check, and see a flop of J98. After some raises, we get all in and he has J9 for two pair. He fails to suck out and now I'm pretty much going to cash unless a negative disaster happens.
Shortly we are in hand for hand, which takes nearly two hours to bust five players. All short stacks are grimly hanging on, and any all in requires ESPN's presence and direction of the dealing of the hand. I liked two announced hands during the hand for hand; shorty is all in with AA vs KJ, board goes KJ4-2-2, and he stands on a chair and screams "IM STILL IN IT" to all of us, and another shorty all in with AA vs AJ, which led the whole room to start chanting "Jack! Jack! Jack!". Anyways, finally somehow the bubble bursts with some dude all in for like his 600 ante or whatever, and I'm $21,000 richer!
The payout structure was incredibly flat (to give an example, 648th was worth $21,365, while 227th was wroth $32,963 - 400+ spots for another 10K) so I knew it was going to be fast and furious after the break. My plan was to pick up some aces or kings and double up a few times. Instead, I immediately spewed off 60K on a ridiculous move against some Scandanavian (he opens in MP, someone calls, I call in the BB with 65o, flop 222. I check he bets 17,000, I raise to 42,000, he calls. Turn J, I give up and check, he touches one of his chips and I fold). This took me back down to the low 100s. Meanwhile, all you are hearing all over the room is "all in and call" and our table is right by the prize window, and there's literally a 10 person lineup there at all times.
We reach the break and I have something like 103,000, with average pushing 450K, and coming back to blinds of 3000-6000, ante 1000. Still plenty of play but getting short undoubtedly. I'm also feeling the effects of 30 hours of live poker in 4 days, which exceeds my last one year of live poker played. Thomas and Melina tell me to stop being a little bitch and get in and fight, so back I go.
Shortly after restart, I open on the button with KTo and am called by the BB. The flop is AKK, and after some raises, I'm all in, once again surprised to be facing his KJ. I request a queen for a chop, and I hit exactly that card on the river. While disappointed, he does concede that I deserve it because I was not "greedy - you only asked for a queen, and not a ten".
I then immediately get moved to a new table, with two of the top ten leaders. I manage a double up fairly early when a MP raises to 17000 and I push for 95000 with 88. He doesn't install call so I know I have a chance at least; he finally makes the call with QT and my eights hold up for the win, getting me back to 200K.
Finally, my bustout hand of the tourney. I am in the BB of 6K and UTG (who has 2.2M) raises to 15K. Another monster stack (1.4M) cold calls. I have seen UTG splashing around in a lot of pots already, and the other big stack trying to take some flops with him, so I'm not seeing either of them as monstrously strong here. I look at Tc7c, and think, ok, 18K in the pot preflop, plus their 30K, makes it 48K that I have to call 9K for. I figure its a fairly obvious call and call. The flop is AK4 with two clubs. I check, unsure how I want to play this, and the chip leader immediately bets 27,000. The other big stack elects to slowly call, and I now see the pot as 111K, and I have 174,000 in my stack, exactly a perfect size to jam with (since I will put in the 27K to call, and raise 147K more, basically one full pot size bet). I further think that there is no really bad result unless one of them has a set. Bigger clubs are going to have a really tough time calling, and even top pair will have to think about it. To be honest, I didn't even think either of them had top pair! In any event, if they both fold, I get a risk free 50% addition to my stack up to 300K, and if one calls, I will have to hit my flush which I will do more than 1/3 times, after which I'd have 450K and be average stacked and in position to maybe do a little something.
As it stood, UTG raiser instantly folded to the other big stack's laugh and comment "you evil man", and he started thinking about whether or not to call me. He asked me what I had, and I said 147,000. He gave it a fair bit of thought, seemingly leaning towards folding, but then visibly realized there were two clubs on board and starting figuring I might have a flush draw. Finally he elected to call with his AdTd, and I couldn't hit the flush, and was eliminated in 430th place for $27,469.
So, the WSOP Main event. This is my third year in the main event, and fifth year at the WSOP, which has seen the preceding four years have me cash-less in the tournaments I've played. I spent a good deal of time thinking about the game leading up to this event, specifically how to adjust to the much much deeper structure (we started with 30,000 chips, and blinds of 50-100).
In reading the online updates, and knowing how the Series can get, I expected to see a lot of fast play in the early going, and I was planning to be quite patient. My starting table was all unknowns until Justin Bonomo (the infamous multiaccounter ZeeJustin from online) showed up. Our table had one horribly over aggressive player who was playing every hand and bluffing most of them, while the rest seemed pretty tight.
In level 1, I caught the bluffer with my KK early and got myself up to around 50K, and beat ZeeJustin in a pot where I raised with AK, he called with AQ, flop xxx, ch ch, turn A, I check he bets I call, river X I check he bets I call. I basically stayed around there for a while, until ZeeJustin (for all intents) busted the bluffing maniac right before the dinner break.
Post day 1 dinner break didn't go very well for a long time, and I was down to around my starting stack again, when I raised with 77 and was called by one guy. Flop came down an acceptable 775. I bet and he called. Turn was a 4, I checked, he bet and I called. River was a 6, I checked, he bet, I raised, and he folded. The rest of the play for the day was uneventful and I ended day 1 at 51,275, with average stacks around 45,000.
Day 2 started off great, with no names at my table, and most people playing pretty tight. This was unfortunate in one spot where I raised in MP to 1500 with 88, and was reraised to 5000. I called and flopped 866. I checked, he bet 6000, and I pushed in for his last 24K. He stood up, went through the whole "this is my tournament life" song and dance, and finally folded QQ face up.
I ran myself up to 70K pretty quickly, then ran myself right back down to 35K when I made a good read but couldn't win the coin flip; I raised to 3600 in late with KTo, and the BB who had been playing pretty tight but shortstacked, pushed all in for 20K. I gave it some thought and decided he didn't have a monster and called to see his 33. Unfortunately, 33 ended up being the winner.
Shortly after, I was actually all in with much the worst of it. Some big stack raised from the middle and I called on the button with 65s. The flop came down a theoretically awesome 552, and after a few raises, we ended up all in, and I was licking my chops about my obvious double up against his overpair until he flipped over A5s! The turn paired the 2 and I managed to chop and stay alive.
I sort of hovered around there for most of the rest of the day and was down to about 22K when I was moved to a new table. I opened with AQ for 2200 with blinds at 400-800, and a big stack raised enough that I was going to be all in if I elected to play. I didn't see a huge option here and went for it all. To my surprise, the big stack was just making a move with K4o and I held to double to the mid 40s. Shortly after, I raised with AJ, and a short stack pushed in for about 15K from the BB. I called and sucked out on his JJ with a flop of AAx, leaving him without even his one outer to sweat. Thus, I ended day 2 with 57,100, with average about 95,000.
Day 3 started like both other days, with a mini rush from me (seems like most people didn't really wake up that sharp and I was able to steal some pots early). Quickly up to 70K, but then back down to about 50K through various loose calls and overaggressive moves. Then I finally got a double up; some french pro named Thomas Fougeron open raises in early, one caller, and I call on the button with 7s5s. Flop is AQ9 with two spades. He bets half pot and I call. Turn is a little spade, making my flush; he checks and I bet 3/4 pot and he calls. River is a K and he instantly bets all in. I have only 25K left and the pot is 150K+ so I figure if I'm out flushed, I'm outflushed. I call and he has JTo for the straight and goes on some tilty french rant as he pays me off. So, finally, I have a decent stack!
I immediately start donking away chips and am quickly down to like 130K when another big hand comes up. EP raises, one caller, and I call in the cutoff with Qd9d. Button (super tighty) calls, one blind calls. Flop is an intriguing Td8s6s, giving me a double gutter. Blind bets out, original raiser folds, I call, tighty on the button calls. Turn is a 3d giving me a flush draw with my double gutter. Now blind checks and I bet it up pretty hefty; like 25000 if I remember correctly. Tighty on the button surprises me by calling, and blind folds. River is absolutely perfect, the Jh, giving me the nuts. I bet 40,000 and tighty on the button starts moaning and groaning about how he should have just moved in on the flop and finally folds AsTs face up; yeah, I'd say moving in on the flop was good! So, now I'm up around 200K or whatever.
Tighty busts and is replaced by another tighty. A little while later, I raise with KTo in the cutoff and this tighty pushes on me for like 40K more. Feeling a little gambly I call and face his 88, which again I cannot defeat. My table broke shortly after and I was moved to a table with Dennis Phillips. With about 190K, and 15 minutes left in the day, its folded to my SB. I look at the BB who has 48K, and figure he's going to fold just about anything, so I move in with 98o. He instacalls with AQ and we both whiff the board entirely. End day 3 with 123,000, with average at about 245,000.
At this point, we are down to 789 players, with money at 648. I'm in about 550th place so I could probably fold into it if I really desired, but I decided to just keep playing normally and see what happened. I checked my table draw and it was obvious we were going to break very quickly (we were table 89 of 89) so not much happened at my first table. I then got moved to a new table where things seemed quite friendly. On my second orbit, I am in the BB with T7o, and its folded to the SB who has about 250K and limps. I check, and see a flop of J98. After some raises, we get all in and he has J9 for two pair. He fails to suck out and now I'm pretty much going to cash unless a negative disaster happens.
Shortly we are in hand for hand, which takes nearly two hours to bust five players. All short stacks are grimly hanging on, and any all in requires ESPN's presence and direction of the dealing of the hand. I liked two announced hands during the hand for hand; shorty is all in with AA vs KJ, board goes KJ4-2-2, and he stands on a chair and screams "IM STILL IN IT" to all of us, and another shorty all in with AA vs AJ, which led the whole room to start chanting "Jack! Jack! Jack!". Anyways, finally somehow the bubble bursts with some dude all in for like his 600 ante or whatever, and I'm $21,000 richer!
The payout structure was incredibly flat (to give an example, 648th was worth $21,365, while 227th was wroth $32,963 - 400+ spots for another 10K) so I knew it was going to be fast and furious after the break. My plan was to pick up some aces or kings and double up a few times. Instead, I immediately spewed off 60K on a ridiculous move against some Scandanavian (he opens in MP, someone calls, I call in the BB with 65o, flop 222. I check he bets 17,000, I raise to 42,000, he calls. Turn J, I give up and check, he touches one of his chips and I fold). This took me back down to the low 100s. Meanwhile, all you are hearing all over the room is "all in and call" and our table is right by the prize window, and there's literally a 10 person lineup there at all times.
We reach the break and I have something like 103,000, with average pushing 450K, and coming back to blinds of 3000-6000, ante 1000. Still plenty of play but getting short undoubtedly. I'm also feeling the effects of 30 hours of live poker in 4 days, which exceeds my last one year of live poker played. Thomas and Melina tell me to stop being a little bitch and get in and fight, so back I go.
Shortly after restart, I open on the button with KTo and am called by the BB. The flop is AKK, and after some raises, I'm all in, once again surprised to be facing his KJ. I request a queen for a chop, and I hit exactly that card on the river. While disappointed, he does concede that I deserve it because I was not "greedy - you only asked for a queen, and not a ten".
I then immediately get moved to a new table, with two of the top ten leaders. I manage a double up fairly early when a MP raises to 17000 and I push for 95000 with 88. He doesn't install call so I know I have a chance at least; he finally makes the call with QT and my eights hold up for the win, getting me back to 200K.
Finally, my bustout hand of the tourney. I am in the BB of 6K and UTG (who has 2.2M) raises to 15K. Another monster stack (1.4M) cold calls. I have seen UTG splashing around in a lot of pots already, and the other big stack trying to take some flops with him, so I'm not seeing either of them as monstrously strong here. I look at Tc7c, and think, ok, 18K in the pot preflop, plus their 30K, makes it 48K that I have to call 9K for. I figure its a fairly obvious call and call. The flop is AK4 with two clubs. I check, unsure how I want to play this, and the chip leader immediately bets 27,000. The other big stack elects to slowly call, and I now see the pot as 111K, and I have 174,000 in my stack, exactly a perfect size to jam with (since I will put in the 27K to call, and raise 147K more, basically one full pot size bet). I further think that there is no really bad result unless one of them has a set. Bigger clubs are going to have a really tough time calling, and even top pair will have to think about it. To be honest, I didn't even think either of them had top pair! In any event, if they both fold, I get a risk free 50% addition to my stack up to 300K, and if one calls, I will have to hit my flush which I will do more than 1/3 times, after which I'd have 450K and be average stacked and in position to maybe do a little something.
As it stood, UTG raiser instantly folded to the other big stack's laugh and comment "you evil man", and he started thinking about whether or not to call me. He asked me what I had, and I said 147,000. He gave it a fair bit of thought, seemingly leaning towards folding, but then visibly realized there were two clubs on board and starting figuring I might have a flush draw. Finally he elected to call with his AdTd, and I couldn't hit the flush, and was eliminated in 430th place for $27,469.
