pstarfish (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} pstarfish) wrote,@ 2005-06-27 11:45:00 |
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Finally back home!
Well, it's been so long I'm not sure where to start...
I decided not to take a laptop with me to Las Vegas for the first week of the World Series of Poker. Big mistake! My plan was to stay for a week, and play 3 or 4 events. That plan went out the window when I won the Omaha High/Low split event! So I've been in Vegas ever since. Apologies to all for not spending a little time with a blog update, but I'll try to catch up now.
I went on the trip with two friends who happen to be terrific poker players. The trip started badly for me, in that I whiffed in my first two tournaments, and also lost in the live games. The tournament losses were ok, because that happens most of the time in tournaments even if you are very successful. The live games were bothering me though, because my friends were helping to stake me playing in the bigger games. I played one day of 400-800, some mixed games, some stud high only, and lost all day. It was my first time being staked by these friends, and my first time playing in such a big game, and the loss really stung. I didn't lose any confidence in myself, but I was certainly worried about how my friends felt. They are the two best poker players in Arizona, and I hoped that they didn't feel they had made a mistake by taking some of my action.
Well, I think I've fixed that problem. The Omaha tournament turned out to be a marathon, but it sure didn't look good early. I was very, very lucky to have a starting table without any big name players. I even had a couple of weak players who I had spent a good deal of time playing with at the Belagio, and I knew they would help me. As it turned out, I also had an extremely good player at the table, I just didn't know it because I didn't recognize him.
Early on, I played a couple of key hands that got me going. First, 4 players limped on my big blind. The flop of K J T rainbow looked pretty good for my normally bad A Q 9 7 hand. I bet out, and was called in one spot by one of the weak players I mentioned above. He called again when a 4 hit the turn, and called quickly after the river Q. Amazingly, he had 8 9 in his hand, and was drawing to the weak straight. How he thought I was betting anything but the nuts into 4 people is beyond me.
The hand that I am most proud of in the entire tournament happened during level 3. I was on the button with A 3 5 8. 2 players limped in, so I called as well. Flop was 2d 4c Jd, and I have no diamonds in my hand. Betting went bet, raise, call to me. If it's only the A 3 in my hand, I let go here, but the 5 gives me scoop or 3/4 possibilities, so I call. 9s on the turn, and it's check-check-check to me. Great! A free card is just what I need here. I check too. River is the 9c. Check-check-check again! OK, I'm taking this pot if nobody wants it. I bet. First two players fold. 3rd player now raises me. I want to puke for a second, but then I realize that there is just no way that this guy is checking from that spot on the river with a hand. No way at all. So I raise. And he folds. And I am pumped! Nice pot for no hand...
The next 4 hours was a total train wreck. I lose every pot imaginable to one of the really bad players at the table. Finally, I get almost all of my chips into the middle on a draw to the nut flush and the nut low, but miss both and am forced to fold the river. I have 300 left, and the blinds increase on the next hand to 100-200. Meaning that I should be stone dead at this point.
Rewind a moment to the night before. The two friends that I mentioned earlier are talking about a hand from that day's tourney. One of them says that he probably should have played the hand until the end, because "if you don't get chips in these things, you're dead". I tell him that even if you are short, you aren't dead, but he doesn't agree. Well, this is where I get to prove him wrong. It's not his fault. He's a great live player, but has very little tournament experience.
So, I get all my chips in on my next big blind. I have the A2TJ double suited. I'm against two other players. Flop is QQ6. First player checks, second bets, first folds. I tell him that if he has a Q, I'm in terrible shape. He says no, and flips over KKJT. I need to go runner-runner low for half the pot, or catch a lucky A for the whole thing. Cards come 5 A, and I get to scoop the pot. Now I have 1300! Average at this point is about 5000, so I'm still in bad shape, but I'm breathing!
I have a relatively easy time moving my stack up from there. The next time I'm all in, it's with AA24, and after that I win just about every hand I play for the rest of the day. By the end of day 1, I have 63000 in chips, and I stand 6th with 22 players left.
My buddies take me for beers at 2am when we end day 1. I'm exhausted, but the beers taste great, and I sleep like a baby.
Day 2 recap after I get some lunch!
Well, it's been so long I'm not sure where to start...
I decided not to take a laptop with me to Las Vegas for the first week of the World Series of Poker. Big mistake! My plan was to stay for a week, and play 3 or 4 events. That plan went out the window when I won the Omaha High/Low split event! So I've been in Vegas ever since. Apologies to all for not spending a little time with a blog update, but I'll try to catch up now.
I went on the trip with two friends who happen to be terrific poker players. The trip started badly for me, in that I whiffed in my first two tournaments, and also lost in the live games. The tournament losses were ok, because that happens most of the time in tournaments even if you are very successful. The live games were bothering me though, because my friends were helping to stake me playing in the bigger games. I played one day of 400-800, some mixed games, some stud high only, and lost all day. It was my first time being staked by these friends, and my first time playing in such a big game, and the loss really stung. I didn't lose any confidence in myself, but I was certainly worried about how my friends felt. They are the two best poker players in Arizona, and I hoped that they didn't feel they had made a mistake by taking some of my action.
Well, I think I've fixed that problem. The Omaha tournament turned out to be a marathon, but it sure didn't look good early. I was very, very lucky to have a starting table without any big name players. I even had a couple of weak players who I had spent a good deal of time playing with at the Belagio, and I knew they would help me. As it turned out, I also had an extremely good player at the table, I just didn't know it because I didn't recognize him.
Early on, I played a couple of key hands that got me going. First, 4 players limped on my big blind. The flop of K J T rainbow looked pretty good for my normally bad A Q 9 7 hand. I bet out, and was called in one spot by one of the weak players I mentioned above. He called again when a 4 hit the turn, and called quickly after the river Q. Amazingly, he had 8 9 in his hand, and was drawing to the weak straight. How he thought I was betting anything but the nuts into 4 people is beyond me.
The hand that I am most proud of in the entire tournament happened during level 3. I was on the button with A 3 5 8. 2 players limped in, so I called as well. Flop was 2d 4c Jd, and I have no diamonds in my hand. Betting went bet, raise, call to me. If it's only the A 3 in my hand, I let go here, but the 5 gives me scoop or 3/4 possibilities, so I call. 9s on the turn, and it's check-check-check to me. Great! A free card is just what I need here. I check too. River is the 9c. Check-check-check again! OK, I'm taking this pot if nobody wants it. I bet. First two players fold. 3rd player now raises me. I want to puke for a second, but then I realize that there is just no way that this guy is checking from that spot on the river with a hand. No way at all. So I raise. And he folds. And I am pumped! Nice pot for no hand...
The next 4 hours was a total train wreck. I lose every pot imaginable to one of the really bad players at the table. Finally, I get almost all of my chips into the middle on a draw to the nut flush and the nut low, but miss both and am forced to fold the river. I have 300 left, and the blinds increase on the next hand to 100-200. Meaning that I should be stone dead at this point.
Rewind a moment to the night before. The two friends that I mentioned earlier are talking about a hand from that day's tourney. One of them says that he probably should have played the hand until the end, because "if you don't get chips in these things, you're dead". I tell him that even if you are short, you aren't dead, but he doesn't agree. Well, this is where I get to prove him wrong. It's not his fault. He's a great live player, but has very little tournament experience.
So, I get all my chips in on my next big blind. I have the A2TJ double suited. I'm against two other players. Flop is QQ6. First player checks, second bets, first folds. I tell him that if he has a Q, I'm in terrible shape. He says no, and flips over KKJT. I need to go runner-runner low for half the pot, or catch a lucky A for the whole thing. Cards come 5 A, and I get to scoop the pot. Now I have 1300! Average at this point is about 5000, so I'm still in bad shape, but I'm breathing!
I have a relatively easy time moving my stack up from there. The next time I'm all in, it's with AA24, and after that I win just about every hand I play for the rest of the day. By the end of day 1, I have 63000 in chips, and I stand 6th with 22 players left.
My buddies take me for beers at 2am when we end day 1. I'm exhausted, but the beers taste great, and I sleep like a baby.
Day 2 recap after I get some lunch!
