As a mailman, I listen to various podcasts to pass the time while I'm delivering my route, including some poker podcasts. They often mention how many WSOP Bracelets and Final Tables a players has. But for older players, many of those successes came before the poker boom, which started with Chris Moneymaker's win of the 2003 Main Event.
To me, since the poker world changed in 2003, there should be WSOP stats that start after the poker boom. I've had this thought for a few years now, but have never found those stats.
So over the summer, I started playing around with this idea in my spare time. I ended up making a huge spreadsheat with results over the last 10 years, all the way back to the 2003 Main Event. I included all bracelet events except for the WSOP Circuit National Championship and the Casino Employees event. The National Championship is relatively new, and really has nothing to do with the WSOP. And with apologies to Chad Holloway, nobody of any significant has done anything in the Casino Employees event.
I decided to jot down all 1st and 2nd places, along with any 3rd places and Final Tables of player names that I recognize. Why 1st, 2nd, and 3rd? I don't know; Gold, Silver, and Bronze I guess. Here are what I determined to be a Final Table, which I believe is the same as the WSOP uses.
Showing posts with label WSOP '11. Show all posts
Showing posts with label WSOP '11. Show all posts
Sunday, November 17, 2013
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
WSOP '11: Putting A Bow On It
I walked through the front door of my apartment about 6:15pm last night. Once again, it was a very uneventful trip through the mountains and deserts of Nevada. Here are my final thoughts.
~ If you have never been to Las Vegas during the WSOP, you have to visit at least once in your lifetime. It is Poker-Palozza in Sin City, and not just at the Rio. With all the extra tournament series around town, all the Poker Room are busier than normal. Some Dealers were complaining that they had to work 8-10 hours straight without breaks.
With so many poker players at the Rio, it's amazing how many Bad Beat Stories are floating through the air. In the elevator, in the bathroom, or in line for a restaurant, it's common to overhear little sound bites of conversation. "I had AK on the Button." "That stupid Spade on the River." "I can't win a Race." "I hate Jacks."
~ As for my "goals" for this trip, one of my most successful was my morning Strip Walk. I did it on most days, only missing my early morning Cash session, and yesterday. I started at Bill's Gambling Hall because the parking garage is right by Las Vegas Blvd. I headed South to Tropicana, across the pedestrian bridge to Excalibur, all the way North to the Fashion Show Mall, across the pedestrian bridge to Wynn, and back to Bill's. Some times I would walk the opposite way. It was about five miles round trip. Some days, I only did half or three quarters, depending on how I felt or if I was in a hurry. I would definitely recommend this if it is something that you would be in to.
~ I said I wanted to play $2/$5 in all the Big Rooms. Well, I only played two session of $2/$5, one at the Rio and one at Aria. I did play $1/$3 at Caesars after the Heads-Up tournament, but I never set foot in any of the other Big Rooms. I also played some more $1/$2 and $1/$3, and a $1/$2 HA session at the Palms. Overall, I played seven Cash sessions, and was down $195.
~ I did a good job of staying away from the Pit. I did do a little social gambling with my poker buddies from Cleveland. On Saturday night, we headed to Downtown to hang out, and I ended up dropping $100 on Roulette.
When I was at the Palms, they had a new table game called 7-14-21. It's sort of a hybrid of Blackjack and Pia Gow. I tried it out for about an hour, and left up $35.
~ As far as tournaments, I played in five larger tournaments, and I went 0-5. Some of it was do to bad luck, and some of it was due to questionable play. It was really disappointing that I couldn't even make to a dinner break in any of these tournaments.
~ The only thing that kept this trip from being a disaster was the smaller daily tournaments. I played in eight daily tournaments under $100, and had three cashes: a 2-way chop, a 3-way chop, and another 3-way chop where I got a big chunk of the prizepool.
It does seem that I have become a specialist in these little tournaments. That's good for maintaining my bankroll, and it's also good for my ego. But it doesn't seem to translate into the bigger buy-in, larger field tournaments that has better players.
~ Overall, I would rate the trip as Meh! (not great, didn't suck). The Grand Total was -$672, but it's +$828 if I take out the $1500 Event. Like I said, not great, didn't suck.
The other problem with this trip was it was just too damn long. I "hit the wall" on Saturday, and spent half the day in my hotel room. I was looking forward to heading home for the last three days.
Maybe spending nine nights in Las Vegas would have been more enjoyable if I was still living in Cleveland. However, I now live five minutes away from the top two poker rooms in Reno. I can play poker any day I want to, but I can also not play any day I don't want to. I doubt I will play any poker until at least Friday, or maybe even Sunday.
Don't get me wrong, the Poker in Las Vegas is waaaayyyy better then the Poker in Reno. I will certainly go back, but just for a few days at a time. I have no clue when that will be, or if I will be back for WSOP '12.
~ If you have never been to Las Vegas during the WSOP, you have to visit at least once in your lifetime. It is Poker-Palozza in Sin City, and not just at the Rio. With all the extra tournament series around town, all the Poker Room are busier than normal. Some Dealers were complaining that they had to work 8-10 hours straight without breaks.
With so many poker players at the Rio, it's amazing how many Bad Beat Stories are floating through the air. In the elevator, in the bathroom, or in line for a restaurant, it's common to overhear little sound bites of conversation. "I had AK on the Button." "That stupid Spade on the River." "I can't win a Race." "I hate Jacks."
~ As for my "goals" for this trip, one of my most successful was my morning Strip Walk. I did it on most days, only missing my early morning Cash session, and yesterday. I started at Bill's Gambling Hall because the parking garage is right by Las Vegas Blvd. I headed South to Tropicana, across the pedestrian bridge to Excalibur, all the way North to the Fashion Show Mall, across the pedestrian bridge to Wynn, and back to Bill's. Some times I would walk the opposite way. It was about five miles round trip. Some days, I only did half or three quarters, depending on how I felt or if I was in a hurry. I would definitely recommend this if it is something that you would be in to.
~ I said I wanted to play $2/$5 in all the Big Rooms. Well, I only played two session of $2/$5, one at the Rio and one at Aria. I did play $1/$3 at Caesars after the Heads-Up tournament, but I never set foot in any of the other Big Rooms. I also played some more $1/$2 and $1/$3, and a $1/$2 HA session at the Palms. Overall, I played seven Cash sessions, and was down $195.
~ I did a good job of staying away from the Pit. I did do a little social gambling with my poker buddies from Cleveland. On Saturday night, we headed to Downtown to hang out, and I ended up dropping $100 on Roulette.
When I was at the Palms, they had a new table game called 7-14-21. It's sort of a hybrid of Blackjack and Pia Gow. I tried it out for about an hour, and left up $35.
~ As far as tournaments, I played in five larger tournaments, and I went 0-5. Some of it was do to bad luck, and some of it was due to questionable play. It was really disappointing that I couldn't even make to a dinner break in any of these tournaments.
~ The only thing that kept this trip from being a disaster was the smaller daily tournaments. I played in eight daily tournaments under $100, and had three cashes: a 2-way chop, a 3-way chop, and another 3-way chop where I got a big chunk of the prizepool.
It does seem that I have become a specialist in these little tournaments. That's good for maintaining my bankroll, and it's also good for my ego. But it doesn't seem to translate into the bigger buy-in, larger field tournaments that has better players.
~ Overall, I would rate the trip as Meh! (not great, didn't suck). The Grand Total was -$672, but it's +$828 if I take out the $1500 Event. Like I said, not great, didn't suck.
The other problem with this trip was it was just too damn long. I "hit the wall" on Saturday, and spent half the day in my hotel room. I was looking forward to heading home for the last three days.
Maybe spending nine nights in Las Vegas would have been more enjoyable if I was still living in Cleveland. However, I now live five minutes away from the top two poker rooms in Reno. I can play poker any day I want to, but I can also not play any day I don't want to. I doubt I will play any poker until at least Friday, or maybe even Sunday.
Don't get me wrong, the Poker in Las Vegas is waaaayyyy better then the Poker in Reno. I will certainly go back, but just for a few days at a time. I have no clue when that will be, or if I will be back for WSOP '12.
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Satellite Man
I played some single table satellites to try to earn some money for the $1500 Event. Here's what happened:
#1 $125. 1000 chips. 15 min levels. Blinds start at 25/25. I played very tight at the start. Picked up AA in the SB, and 3-Bet from 125 to 325. Original raiser called. I shoved the Flop, and he folded. I won another small pot or two, which got me to 1600 when this hand happened.
I limped for 25 in Mid with 66. Five players saw a Flop of A 6 3. The player before me bet 100. I just call. This is a great board to slowplay because there are no obvious draws. Two other player called the 100. Turn [A 6 3] J. Same player bet 200. I call. Next player calls. Last player goes All-In for 700. First guy thinks for a bit, and folds. The moment his cards hit the muck, I say "All-In". The third play thinks for a bit, and goes All-In. One player had AJ for Two Pair, and the other one had 54 for the Open-Ender. River [A 6 3 J] 4, and I had everyone covered. I now had 4600 chips, which is almost half the chips in play.
With such a monster stack, I went into lockdown mode. I did ended up knocking out a few more players, including another double elimination when I woke up with AKh in the BB. By the time I got to heads-up, the last remaining stack was about even with me. So we chopped up the money for $60 and a $500 tournament chip each.
#2 $125. I got a lot more limping hands in the first level, and I played most of them. I also won most of them, including this one:
I limped in Mid with 66. Cutoff raised to 150. Three players called, and so did I. Flop T 9 4. It checked around to the Cutoff, and he bet 225. The SB called, and it folded back to me. The 225 bet seemed weak to me, and the call wasn't strong either. I decided to follow my gut, and shove All In for 650 more. This is definitely a bluff as I do not want a call. The Cutoff thought for a while before finally folding. The SB also folded, and I didn't show my hand.
With that hand, I had 2600 chips at the end of Level 1. However, unlike the first satellite, I ran into some hands, and my stack went up and down, but never below the starting 1000. Another difference from the first one was players were not getting eliminated. When we hit the 150/300 level, there was still six players left. That meant it was time for Push-N-Pray. In the Hyjack, I looked at the first card and saw a King. I shoved All-In for 1350. The BB quickly called with ATo. My other card turned out to be a 5, and I missed everything. I finished in 5th place.
#3 $125. I was rather card dead for this one. I did hit a Straight against someone to knock them out. Fortunately, the table was rather passive, so I was able to do some stealing. But I never got the big double up that you need in these quickies.
The knockouts happened at a good pace, and we had three players left at the 100/200 level. The other two players were talking about doing an equity chop. I was the shortstack with 2200. I said No because at the 100/200 level, we can still play a little poker. Also, I like my skill advantage against these two, and I'm not afraid to bubble. Well, I did bubble when my A4d ran into A7o, and I missed everything. They did some sort of chop as I was walking away from the table
#4 $345 8-Game. I didn't want to play a satellite this big, but there were trying to sell the last seat, and there were no seats for a $125 or $175 NL.
The game started with 2000 chips. The levels were 20 minutes, and each game round was only four hands. We had eight players.
I'll skip all the stuff in the middle, and get to the important stuff. I got to Heads-Up, but the other guy had a monster chip lead. He started talking about some kind of deal. There was 5 $500 chips, and some cash (maybe $120). He offered to give me a $500 Chip. At first, I wanted 2 Chips, but even I knew that was silly. I then made the offer of $100 and a Chip. He said No, so we played. We started in the O8 round, and got to the Razz round. We both got dealt good starting hands, and got it All-In. He got an 86 Low by 5th Street. I hit a K on 4th, but was drawing to a 6-Low in 5th. However, 6th and 7th Street were a 9 K, and I walked away in 2nd with nothing.
In hindsight, I really screwed up this one by not taking his offer, and I'm not being results-oriented because I lost. Being that I didn't want to play a satellite this big, taking any profit would have a good thing, especially since the profit would have covered satellite #3 that I played just before this one. Also, I'm not an expert at some of the eight games. I'm decent at O8 and Razz, but Stud and Stud8 are my weakest games.
#1 $125. 1000 chips. 15 min levels. Blinds start at 25/25. I played very tight at the start. Picked up AA in the SB, and 3-Bet from 125 to 325. Original raiser called. I shoved the Flop, and he folded. I won another small pot or two, which got me to 1600 when this hand happened.
I limped for 25 in Mid with 66. Five players saw a Flop of A 6 3. The player before me bet 100. I just call. This is a great board to slowplay because there are no obvious draws. Two other player called the 100. Turn [A 6 3] J. Same player bet 200. I call. Next player calls. Last player goes All-In for 700. First guy thinks for a bit, and folds. The moment his cards hit the muck, I say "All-In". The third play thinks for a bit, and goes All-In. One player had AJ for Two Pair, and the other one had 54 for the Open-Ender. River [A 6 3 J] 4, and I had everyone covered. I now had 4600 chips, which is almost half the chips in play.
With such a monster stack, I went into lockdown mode. I did ended up knocking out a few more players, including another double elimination when I woke up with AKh in the BB. By the time I got to heads-up, the last remaining stack was about even with me. So we chopped up the money for $60 and a $500 tournament chip each.
#2 $125. I got a lot more limping hands in the first level, and I played most of them. I also won most of them, including this one:
I limped in Mid with 66. Cutoff raised to 150. Three players called, and so did I. Flop T 9 4. It checked around to the Cutoff, and he bet 225. The SB called, and it folded back to me. The 225 bet seemed weak to me, and the call wasn't strong either. I decided to follow my gut, and shove All In for 650 more. This is definitely a bluff as I do not want a call. The Cutoff thought for a while before finally folding. The SB also folded, and I didn't show my hand.
With that hand, I had 2600 chips at the end of Level 1. However, unlike the first satellite, I ran into some hands, and my stack went up and down, but never below the starting 1000. Another difference from the first one was players were not getting eliminated. When we hit the 150/300 level, there was still six players left. That meant it was time for Push-N-Pray. In the Hyjack, I looked at the first card and saw a King. I shoved All-In for 1350. The BB quickly called with ATo. My other card turned out to be a 5, and I missed everything. I finished in 5th place.
#3 $125. I was rather card dead for this one. I did hit a Straight against someone to knock them out. Fortunately, the table was rather passive, so I was able to do some stealing. But I never got the big double up that you need in these quickies.
The knockouts happened at a good pace, and we had three players left at the 100/200 level. The other two players were talking about doing an equity chop. I was the shortstack with 2200. I said No because at the 100/200 level, we can still play a little poker. Also, I like my skill advantage against these two, and I'm not afraid to bubble. Well, I did bubble when my A4d ran into A7o, and I missed everything. They did some sort of chop as I was walking away from the table
#4 $345 8-Game. I didn't want to play a satellite this big, but there were trying to sell the last seat, and there were no seats for a $125 or $175 NL.
The game started with 2000 chips. The levels were 20 minutes, and each game round was only four hands. We had eight players.
I'll skip all the stuff in the middle, and get to the important stuff. I got to Heads-Up, but the other guy had a monster chip lead. He started talking about some kind of deal. There was 5 $500 chips, and some cash (maybe $120). He offered to give me a $500 Chip. At first, I wanted 2 Chips, but even I knew that was silly. I then made the offer of $100 and a Chip. He said No, so we played. We started in the O8 round, and got to the Razz round. We both got dealt good starting hands, and got it All-In. He got an 86 Low by 5th Street. I hit a K on 4th, but was drawing to a 6-Low in 5th. However, 6th and 7th Street were a 9 K, and I walked away in 2nd with nothing.
In hindsight, I really screwed up this one by not taking his offer, and I'm not being results-oriented because I lost. Being that I didn't want to play a satellite this big, taking any profit would have a good thing, especially since the profit would have covered satellite #3 that I played just before this one. Also, I'm not an expert at some of the eight games. I'm decent at O8 and Razz, but Stud and Stud8 are my weakest games.
Friday, June 17, 2011
I Love The Smell Of Paulsons In The Morning
7:30 - I head down to the Rio Pavilion to play an early morning Cash session. They have two tables each of $1/$3, $2/$5, and $5/$10 in the Lower section. I put my name on the $2/$5 list, but if they open a $1/$3 table, I will jump on it.
8:00 $439 - They opened up the $1/$3 game, so I sat down for one orbit. I lost a pot with Top Pair to Nut Flush before I got called to the $2/$5 table. The table is 9-handed, and nobody has a stack over $1000. I buy-in for the max of $500 minus what I lost at the $1/$3 table.
8:30 $513 - Action is decent, but not crazy. I played a couple of pots with the biggest being my Two Pair vs Straight. It was an ugly board, with a Flush and 4-Card Straight on it, so it wasn't a big hit. I pulled $200 more out if my pocket.
My seat draw kinda sucks. A few Old Guy just sat down on my Right. The Kids are on my Left, and one of them seems to be Action Guy. If I get a chance to switch seats, I will do so.
9:00 $500 - I was able to move two seat over. It's not ideal, but it's better. A played a couple of pots, but nothing big. The best was a Big Blind Special with 92o. Flop was 992. The Button bet, and I was the only caller. The Turn was the last 9, and it killed my action.
9:30 $777 - I got my second BBS in a row. Cutoff raised $20. I called in the BB with 66. Three players saw a Flop of 8 8 6. It checked to Cutoff who bet $35. I was only caller. Turn [8 8 6] 9. I checked, and she bet $55. I fired out five Green chips for a check-raise to $125. She thought for about 15 seconds before saying All-In with QQ for about $300.
10:00 $812 - A quiet level for me. I won a couple of small pots, but nothing noteworthy. There are some new players here. The Action is still good, but not crazy. The Seniors Event is today, so there are a ton of walkers and scooters around.
10:30 $866 - A Kid raised $20 UTG. Mid guy called. I was the next player with KQc, and 3-Bet to $60. Only the Kid called. The Flop was T 9 4. He checked, and I bet four Green chips with my Gutshot and Two Overs. He though for a bit, folded his hand, and asked if it was JJ or QQ. I told him QQ, which was half right since I had one Queen in my hand.
11:00 $1090 - UTG raised to $15. Almost everyone called. I'm the SB with AQo, and 3-Bet to $80. It folded all the way to the Button, who called. He's an older gentleman who's playing like one. Flop was Jh 9h 6c. I bet $110. He snap called, and only had about $100 behind. No doubt that he has a J. Turn [Jh 9h 6c] As. I give a quiet thanks to the Poker Gods, and bet enough to put him All-In. Before I finish putting the chips in the pot, he quickly threw his cards into the muck.
11:40 $1164 - It folded around to the Hyjack who limped. The Cutoff also limped. I'm the Button with QQ, and made my standard raise of $15. The Hyjack thought for a moment, and check-raised to $80. The Cutoff folded, and it didn't take me long grab eight Green chips to 4-Bet to $215. The Hyjack is a Kid who has been at the table for the whole session. He's very no-nonsense, and would not have limped in the Hyjack with a premium hand. He goes into deep thought for almost a minute before folding.
Two other hands were me raising with QTo, and I got one caller. I fired a C-Bet on the A-Flop, but he called. It got checked down, and I ended up hitting a backdoor 4-Card Flush.
In the very last hand or the session, there was a Button Straddle, and I limped UTG with AKo. Mid player raised to $40, and I was one of two players who called. I flopped a Broadway Draw and checked. Mid bet $85, and I decided this just wasn't a fight worth fighting.
I cashed out with $464 profit, and went back to my room to finish this entry. Next is lunch, and then I will play in the Rio's $235 Deepstack at 2pm. Hopefully, I will make it to the Dinner Break in that one.
EDIT: 2pm - The Seniors Event today has almost 3800 entrants, and sign-ups are still open. The WSOP had shut down all satellites and some Cash games just to try and get enough tables. My 2pm tourney has been moved to 4pm, but I think it will be later than that. They still have previous Events to restart, plus Seniors would rather fold down to 2 Big Blinds than going All-In with a "junk hand".
I'm gonna try to cancel my entry. There are a few Poker Buddies here from Cleveland, so I may see what they're doing.
8:00 $439 - They opened up the $1/$3 game, so I sat down for one orbit. I lost a pot with Top Pair to Nut Flush before I got called to the $2/$5 table. The table is 9-handed, and nobody has a stack over $1000. I buy-in for the max of $500 minus what I lost at the $1/$3 table.
8:30 $513 - Action is decent, but not crazy. I played a couple of pots with the biggest being my Two Pair vs Straight. It was an ugly board, with a Flush and 4-Card Straight on it, so it wasn't a big hit. I pulled $200 more out if my pocket.
My seat draw kinda sucks. A few Old Guy just sat down on my Right. The Kids are on my Left, and one of them seems to be Action Guy. If I get a chance to switch seats, I will do so.
9:00 $500 - I was able to move two seat over. It's not ideal, but it's better. A played a couple of pots, but nothing big. The best was a Big Blind Special with 92o. Flop was 992. The Button bet, and I was the only caller. The Turn was the last 9, and it killed my action.
9:30 $777 - I got my second BBS in a row. Cutoff raised $20. I called in the BB with 66. Three players saw a Flop of 8 8 6. It checked to Cutoff who bet $35. I was only caller. Turn [8 8 6] 9. I checked, and she bet $55. I fired out five Green chips for a check-raise to $125. She thought for about 15 seconds before saying All-In with QQ for about $300.
10:00 $812 - A quiet level for me. I won a couple of small pots, but nothing noteworthy. There are some new players here. The Action is still good, but not crazy. The Seniors Event is today, so there are a ton of walkers and scooters around.
10:30 $866 - A Kid raised $20 UTG. Mid guy called. I was the next player with KQc, and 3-Bet to $60. Only the Kid called. The Flop was T 9 4. He checked, and I bet four Green chips with my Gutshot and Two Overs. He though for a bit, folded his hand, and asked if it was JJ or QQ. I told him QQ, which was half right since I had one Queen in my hand.
11:00 $1090 - UTG raised to $15. Almost everyone called. I'm the SB with AQo, and 3-Bet to $80. It folded all the way to the Button, who called. He's an older gentleman who's playing like one. Flop was Jh 9h 6c. I bet $110. He snap called, and only had about $100 behind. No doubt that he has a J. Turn [Jh 9h 6c] As. I give a quiet thanks to the Poker Gods, and bet enough to put him All-In. Before I finish putting the chips in the pot, he quickly threw his cards into the muck.
11:40 $1164 - It folded around to the Hyjack who limped. The Cutoff also limped. I'm the Button with QQ, and made my standard raise of $15. The Hyjack thought for a moment, and check-raised to $80. The Cutoff folded, and it didn't take me long grab eight Green chips to 4-Bet to $215. The Hyjack is a Kid who has been at the table for the whole session. He's very no-nonsense, and would not have limped in the Hyjack with a premium hand. He goes into deep thought for almost a minute before folding.
Two other hands were me raising with QTo, and I got one caller. I fired a C-Bet on the A-Flop, but he called. It got checked down, and I ended up hitting a backdoor 4-Card Flush.
In the very last hand or the session, there was a Button Straddle, and I limped UTG with AKo. Mid player raised to $40, and I was one of two players who called. I flopped a Broadway Draw and checked. Mid bet $85, and I decided this just wasn't a fight worth fighting.
I cashed out with $464 profit, and went back to my room to finish this entry. Next is lunch, and then I will play in the Rio's $235 Deepstack at 2pm. Hopefully, I will make it to the Dinner Break in that one.
EDIT: 2pm - The Seniors Event today has almost 3800 entrants, and sign-ups are still open. The WSOP had shut down all satellites and some Cash games just to try and get enough tables. My 2pm tourney has been moved to 4pm, but I think it will be later than that. They still have previous Events to restart, plus Seniors would rather fold down to 2 Big Blinds than going All-In with a "junk hand".
I'm gonna try to cancel my entry. There are a few Poker Buddies here from Cleveland, so I may see what they're doing.
Thursday, June 16, 2011
WSOP $1500 - End Of Level 6 (100/200/25)
The Timer says 2500 players. Well, my new table has plenty of Internet Kids, but the cards have improved. I knocked out a shortstack with my A6c vs 33 for 1250. I also won a decent pot with KK, and got above 9000 chips when this hand happened in the 100/200 level.
Kid raised to 450 from UTG. Kid in Mid called. Kid on the Button called. I'm the SB, look down at Ah Ac, and 3-Bet to 1550. UTG thinks for a bit, and moved All-In for 7600. Mid and Button fold. UTG has Kh Kd. Flop was Td 7d 3d, giving him the Flush Draw. The Turn was 5c, but the River was 9d giving him the 4-Card Flush.
Very next hand, only one player limped in. I'm the Button with 22, and ship it in for 1375. The Blinds folded. The only limper was a 50's gentleman who has a little over 3000. It doesn't take him long to call with 77. (Of course, why did he limp with 77 in the first place?) As you can probably assume, I didn't get lucky, and I finished somewhere around 1800th place.
Maybe one of these days, I can make it to the Dinner Break.
Kid raised to 450 from UTG. Kid in Mid called. Kid on the Button called. I'm the SB, look down at Ah Ac, and 3-Bet to 1550. UTG thinks for a bit, and moved All-In for 7600. Mid and Button fold. UTG has Kh Kd. Flop was Td 7d 3d, giving him the Flush Draw. The Turn was 5c, but the River was 9d giving him the 4-Card Flush.
Very next hand, only one player limped in. I'm the Button with 22, and ship it in for 1375. The Blinds folded. The only limper was a 50's gentleman who has a little over 3000. It doesn't take him long to call with 77. (Of course, why did he limp with 77 in the first place?) As you can probably assume, I didn't get lucky, and I finished somewhere around 1800th place.
Maybe one of these days, I can make it to the Dinner Break.
WSOP $1500 - End Of Level 4 (75/150)
First, a couple of side notes. Break time at the Rio reminds me of High School. The halls are quiet until the bell rings, and then it's wall to wall people with long lines in the bathrooms.
Secondly, I'm really not a fan of the Bracelet Ceremony. I think it ok to introduce who won, but to play each national anthem just seems silly to me and a waste of time. Today, we had one from France, and one from the US. Is it really necessary to have everyone stand twice for each anthem?
Back to the Poker... The Timer says 2472 players. The Preflop Raising is up to 98.3%, and is a very consistent amount. 250 for the 50/100 level, and 350 for the 75/150. This is definitely an Internet table.
Unfortunately, I really haven't had anything to play. I tried the occasional move, but they all failed. I didn't lose any big chips in a single hand, but they did start to add up.
Finally, a Kid in UTG+1 raised to 250. I had Ah Jc in Mid. I just called because I had already 3-Bet a couple of times and it didn't go well. Surprisingly, more players called, and six players saw a Flop of Qd 6s 3s. It checked around to me, and I decided to bluff for 1100. I only had two players that haven't acted, and I still think I have a tight table image. It almost worked, as only the SB called. He's now the Action Kid at the table.
Turn [Qd 6s 3s] As. Action Kid bet 1500. Now, that's an interesting card. I've seen him bet some bluff cards, and fold to All-Ins for not much more. I was already gonna shove any Turn card, so I might as well do it with Top Pair. It was for less than 3000 total. He didn't like this and went into deep thought. He mumbled stuff about he might be drawing dead, and he knew I was betting a Flush Draw. Eventually, he tossed his cards into the muck. This probably wasn't the best hand I ever played, and I got a little lucky. But I was certainly due for some.
Just before we went on Break, our table broke, and I got moved to Table 27 Seat 3. Hopefully, there will better cards and less Internet Wonder Kids at this table.
I have 6225 chips.
Secondly, I'm really not a fan of the Bracelet Ceremony. I think it ok to introduce who won, but to play each national anthem just seems silly to me and a waste of time. Today, we had one from France, and one from the US. Is it really necessary to have everyone stand twice for each anthem?
Back to the Poker... The Timer says 2472 players. The Preflop Raising is up to 98.3%, and is a very consistent amount. 250 for the 50/100 level, and 350 for the 75/150. This is definitely an Internet table.
Unfortunately, I really haven't had anything to play. I tried the occasional move, but they all failed. I didn't lose any big chips in a single hand, but they did start to add up.
Finally, a Kid in UTG+1 raised to 250. I had Ah Jc in Mid. I just called because I had already 3-Bet a couple of times and it didn't go well. Surprisingly, more players called, and six players saw a Flop of Qd 6s 3s. It checked around to me, and I decided to bluff for 1100. I only had two players that haven't acted, and I still think I have a tight table image. It almost worked, as only the SB called. He's now the Action Kid at the table.
Turn [Qd 6s 3s] As. Action Kid bet 1500. Now, that's an interesting card. I've seen him bet some bluff cards, and fold to All-Ins for not much more. I was already gonna shove any Turn card, so I might as well do it with Top Pair. It was for less than 3000 total. He didn't like this and went into deep thought. He mumbled stuff about he might be drawing dead, and he knew I was betting a Flush Draw. Eventually, he tossed his cards into the muck. This probably wasn't the best hand I ever played, and I got a little lucky. But I was certainly due for some.
Just before we went on Break, our table broke, and I got moved to Table 27 Seat 3. Hopefully, there will better cards and less Internet Wonder Kids at this table.
I have 6225 chips.
WSOP $1500 - End of Level 2 (25/50)
The Timer says we have 2378 players, but registration will be open for awhile. Our table filled up, lost a couple of players, and had their seats filled quickly.
As you would expect, our table is mostly kids. There are two guy older than me. Unlike the Golden Nugget tourney, this table is dead quiet because most of the Kids are listening to their iPods. Fortunately, the old guy next to me wants to chat. He's from West Virginia, and we've been talking about Mountaineer.
As for the Poker, I've been trying to play A-B-C poker. With all the Kids here, over 90% of the pots are raised preflop, so I've been trying to keep my VPIP low. Of course, a lack of quality hands has helped.
Things were going along nicely, until I raised to 125 UTG+1 with 88. The SB (a Kid) 3-Bet to 400, and I called. Flop was Q-high. He bet 450, and I called. Turn was J. He bet 700, and I called. Rvr was a brick. He ships it All-In, and it's for most of my stack. To me, this was what the Kids call a Polarized Range. He's either got QQ or an AK type of hand. So, I let it go, and waited for a better battle. He didn't show. That's what I get for raising 88 in Early Position.
Fortunately, a better battle came a few hands later. A Kid made a standard 150 raise from Early Position. Another Kid called. A third Kid 3-Bet to 500, and he seems to be the Action Kid at the table. I'm the SB, and look down at As Ad. I decide to just call. They are doing all the betting and raising, so why not let them. I'm planning on check-raising All-In on the Flop. Three players saw a Ten-high Flop. It checked around to Action Kid, who went All-In. I quickly called, and the other Kid folded. Action Kid had AK, and was drawing dead on the Turn.
I have 6375 chips.
As you would expect, our table is mostly kids. There are two guy older than me. Unlike the Golden Nugget tourney, this table is dead quiet because most of the Kids are listening to their iPods. Fortunately, the old guy next to me wants to chat. He's from West Virginia, and we've been talking about Mountaineer.
As for the Poker, I've been trying to play A-B-C poker. With all the Kids here, over 90% of the pots are raised preflop, so I've been trying to keep my VPIP low. Of course, a lack of quality hands has helped.
Things were going along nicely, until I raised to 125 UTG+1 with 88. The SB (a Kid) 3-Bet to 400, and I called. Flop was Q-high. He bet 450, and I called. Turn was J. He bet 700, and I called. Rvr was a brick. He ships it All-In, and it's for most of my stack. To me, this was what the Kids call a Polarized Range. He's either got QQ or an AK type of hand. So, I let it go, and waited for a better battle. He didn't show. That's what I get for raising 88 in Early Position.
Fortunately, a better battle came a few hands later. A Kid made a standard 150 raise from Early Position. Another Kid called. A third Kid 3-Bet to 500, and he seems to be the Action Kid at the table. I'm the SB, and look down at As Ad. I decide to just call. They are doing all the betting and raising, so why not let them. I'm planning on check-raising All-In on the Flop. Three players saw a Ten-high Flop. It checked around to Action Kid, who went All-In. I quickly called, and the other Kid folded. Action Kid had AK, and was drawing dead on the Turn.
I have 6375 chips.
WSOP $1500 - "Shuffle Up & Deal"
I decided to take the plunge, and play in Event #28 at the Rio. I am here now, and I don't know if I'll be here next year. I will be working a ton of overtime this summer, so if losing the $1500 won't hurt too much.
My main goal is "Don't Screw Up". If Lady Luck wants to have some fun with me, then there isn't much I can do about it.
The first thing I need to look for is what type of players are at my table. The first kind will be just happy to be here. They're excited to play in there first big tournament. They will want to get through Day 1, and really hope their AA don't get cracked.
The other type to watch out for is the Pro or Kid who wants to Go Big or Go Home. They are only starting with 4500 chips, so their approach is "Let's Gamble". I'll probably have one or two of each at my table.
I'm seated at Table 117 Seat 3. Tables are 10-handed. Blinds start at 25/25, and the levels are one hour long.
I'm planning on doing one entry at each break, which I believe is every two hours.
Our table has six players, but nobody I recognize.
My main goal is "Don't Screw Up". If Lady Luck wants to have some fun with me, then there isn't much I can do about it.
The first thing I need to look for is what type of players are at my table. The first kind will be just happy to be here. They're excited to play in there first big tournament. They will want to get through Day 1, and really hope their AA don't get cracked.
The other type to watch out for is the Pro or Kid who wants to Go Big or Go Home. They are only starting with 4500 chips, so their approach is "Let's Gamble". I'll probably have one or two of each at my table.
I'm seated at Table 117 Seat 3. Tables are 10-handed. Blinds start at 25/25, and the levels are one hour long.
I'm planning on doing one entry at each break, which I believe is every two hours.
Our table has six players, but nobody I recognize.
Sunday, June 12, 2011
WSOP '11: First Impressions
First, some good news...
I played at the Atlantis on Friday night. They spread their first ever $2/$3 NLHE / PLO game. I won $491 in 3.25 hours. The deck was very kind to me, and I could have won more except players started to avoid me. My only bad hand was his Straight vs my Flush Draw & Open-Ender to a better Straight. The Atlantis won't let us run it twice, and I missed my big Combo Draw. I only lost about $120 on the hand, so it was just a flesh wound. It feels good to leave Reno on a winning note.
The ride to Las Vegas was rather uneventful, which was a good thing. The most interesting part was I went over two hours without seeing a gas station, or much of any civilization. It's a good thing I drive a Prius. I also went through various dead zones for my cell phone reception. The longest was over 45 minutes.
I pulled on to the Strip, and headed straight to Caesars to sign up for tomorrow's $240 4pm Heads-Up tournament. It's a good thing that I went there first because I got the last spot in the 64 player tourney. Although, my receipt says I'm Entry Number 75. I'm not sure what that's about.
After checking in at the Rio and grabbing a quick bit to eat, I headed down the WSOP to check things out. Through listening to various poker podcasts over the last few years, I already had an idea of just how big this place was. But in reality, it's even bigger than you can imagine. The main room is the Pavilion. It's divided into four sections, with around 275 tables. This is used for Cash games, single table satellites, and WSOP events. Today, it was used for this weekend's $1000 event.
The other main room is the Amazon room, which has over 100 table in it. It is used for the three daily deepstacks, the Main TV stage, and other WSOP events. Today's events included a $1500 6-max, and a $1500 HORSE which was down to ten players, including Victor Ramdin, David 'ODB' Baker, and a couple of other players that looked familiar. I have also seen at least a dozen of other pros either walking around or sitting at a table.
Since the Caesars Corporation is so cheap, they are charging $13.95/day for Internet. I will get it for a day or two while I'm here, but most of the posts will be from my iPhone. That means no pictures, links, or other fancy stuff. I'll fill that stuff when I splurge for the Internet.
Anyways, enough typing. It's time to play some poker.
I played at the Atlantis on Friday night. They spread their first ever $2/$3 NLHE / PLO game. I won $491 in 3.25 hours. The deck was very kind to me, and I could have won more except players started to avoid me. My only bad hand was his Straight vs my Flush Draw & Open-Ender to a better Straight. The Atlantis won't let us run it twice, and I missed my big Combo Draw. I only lost about $120 on the hand, so it was just a flesh wound. It feels good to leave Reno on a winning note.
The ride to Las Vegas was rather uneventful, which was a good thing. The most interesting part was I went over two hours without seeing a gas station, or much of any civilization. It's a good thing I drive a Prius. I also went through various dead zones for my cell phone reception. The longest was over 45 minutes.
I pulled on to the Strip, and headed straight to Caesars to sign up for tomorrow's $240 4pm Heads-Up tournament. It's a good thing that I went there first because I got the last spot in the 64 player tourney. Although, my receipt says I'm Entry Number 75. I'm not sure what that's about.
The other main room is the Amazon room, which has over 100 table in it. It is used for the three daily deepstacks, the Main TV stage, and other WSOP events. Today's events included a $1500 6-max, and a $1500 HORSE which was down to ten players, including Victor Ramdin, David 'ODB' Baker, and a couple of other players that looked familiar. I have also seen at least a dozen of other pros either walking around or sitting at a table.
Since the Caesars Corporation is so cheap, they are charging $13.95/day for Internet. I will get it for a day or two while I'm here, but most of the posts will be from my iPhone. That means no pictures, links, or other fancy stuff. I'll fill that stuff when I splurge for the Internet.
Anyways, enough typing. It's time to play some poker.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)