7/23/07posted by Poker Star @ 12:53 PM

I'm getting ready for my next tournament, the WSOP main event. I would have liked to have gone to Vegas a week or 2 early to play in some preliminary events. But since the main event is stretched out over 2 weeks, I figured that was long enough to be away from home. I flew in July 3rd because the Absolute Poker team was throwing a little party for us that had won entries to the WSOP. We met at Caesar's Palace at Nero's. We all swapped stories and ate and drank and had fun. Then we all headed to the blackjack table to try our luck. My first night in town and I stayed up too late unwinding and gambling. The next day I had to register for the tournament. It took two hours in line to register. I signed up for day 1D, so I had 3 days in between. I had to find stuff to do without blowing a big wad of money before Monday and the tourney. Friday was crazy at the Rio. They were packed because it was the first starting day, so even getting into the cash games was tough. I decided to walk across the street to the Gold Coast to try out their poker room. It was 114 degrees out. All they had running was a 2-4 limit game. I sat down and got trips twice and a full house in the first half hour. But it was limit so I only made about a hundred bucks. Shortly after they opened a 1-2 no limit table. I played for about 2 hours and won another hundred.

Saturday I went to Imperial Palace to play in a $60 tourney. I knocked out 2 players and was chip leader in the first hour. Then the U.T.G. seat made a big raise before me. I had a pair of queens and went all-in. He called with big slick and spiked a king. I had him covered but he took a big chunk from me, and I went out shortly after. I went back to the Rio and played some of that computerized roulette. I know it's about the worst game in the casino for the player (the house has about a 7 or 8% edge) but it's fun and you don't have to think much. I won 400 there although. The date was 7-7-07 and I hit a big one playing number 7. Then I just sat at the bar and played video poker for the rest of the night. Broke even.

Sunday I didn't do much until the evening. I decided to go downtown to Fremont Street thinking I would see the new light shows. It's been 3 years since I've been down there. That was the plan until I found a $70 no limit tourney at Binion's. It started at 8 p.m. I slowly built my chips up to 6,000. There was 1 optional rebuy but you only got 1500 in chips for $40. I didn't think it would help my 6,000 stack much more, so I didn't take it. 92 players started with 80 rebuys. Down to 3 tables I got heads up in a hand with a girl that had never played a tourney before. Sometimes they are the hardest to play against. I had queen, nine. The flop came queen,3,4. I bet and she called. The turn was a seven. I bet, she raised, so I went all-in. She called and flipped up queen-seven for 2 pair. But the board hit a fourth heart on the river to flush me and win the pot. From there I cruised to the final table with a medium sized stack. That was kind of cool, sitting at the final table at Binion's- right where poker in Vegas started, with a wall of poker hall-of-famer's pictures right behind me. The short stack at the table got an incredible run of cards and was knocking everybody out. Down to 3 of us he had 90% of the chips in play. I kept battling the other guy at the table and took over 2nd place in chips. Then I got king-jack and went all-in. The chip monster called me with sixes and they held up. I got third. It sucked because the other guy didn't have enough left to make 2 blinds. Won $850 though. Didn't get out of there until 1:30 a.m.

Monday- the big day- I did manage to still get 8 hours sleep, so I'd be all right. Day 1D of the main event started with 1,700 players at noon. Seemed like I had a good table, it wasn't going to break that day and no big time pros. Thorsen, from Sweden, who got 12th in the main event last year, was seated 2 to my left though. 20,000 in chips, blind levels last 2 hours, then a short break. Not much happened in the first level, I was just feeling the table out. About 17,000 in chips. The second level I get Ace heart- queen heart in 4th position and raise 4 times the blind. Got 1 caller. Flop comes king hearts- 10 hearts and a 4. I bet the pot and get called. Blank on the turn. I bet 3/4 the pot and get called. Damn. Now I need some help. Any jack for a straight, any heart for the nut flush, and maybe an ace will win. River comes a black 7. I have nothing and have been called twice so far. I probably screwed up here. I threw out a 5,000 chip. I get called and he had ace-king. He hit the king on the flop and it held up. That hand brought me down to 10,500 in chips. We go to the next break and next level-- 200, 400 blinds. I pick up 4 big pairs in the first half hour and they all hold up. I'm up to 45,000 in chips. By now I know how all the players are playing (tight, aggressive,etc.). Then I lose a fairly big pot against one of the more aggressive Danish players at the table. I called him down on a queen high board with jack-queen. He had king-queen. Should have known better than get in a big pot with just top pair and not the best kicker. A little later in this level I get into a pot with Thorsen from Sweden. He had easily been the most aggressive at the table. But he also had been playing too many hands and had been cold lately. His chips had been up and down all day. 3 people in the pot for a small raise. I'm in the small blind with Ace diamond- 2 diamond. Flop comes 3-4-5 with 2 clubs on board. Thorsen acts first and goes all-in. Everyone folds to me. I have a low made straight and it's only 3,800 more to call. I have about 22,000 and there is around 8,000 in this pot. I call. He flips up 6 clubs- queen clubs. He hits a red 7 on the turn to make a bigger straight. He wins but someone else knocks him out shortly after.
Next level, 3 more from our table get knocked to the rail and I'm hovering between 17,000 and 22,000.

Last level of the day and I go completely card dead for the last 2 hours. Blinds are now 400-800 with a 75 ante each hand. I push all-in twice with ace- jack trying to double up before the end of the day. I get no callers but pick up blinds and antes. It's now 3:30 in the morning and I'm stuck at 9,900. End of the day and we bag up our chips (it doesn't take me long).

After almost 16 hours of play we get a day off. I sleep til 1p.m, then watch TV for a couple hours. I finally decide to get up and do something. I go to the M.G.M. to play in a $125 tourney. I get there 20 minutes before the start time and they are full but are taking alternates. So I sign up as the 19th alternate and the manager tells me to come back in 45 minutes and they should be able to seat me. I proceed to the Centrifuge bar around the corner to kill some time. They have video poker there and it's the only way to get a free beer (but I always tip). I throw a hundred in and it's gone in no time. It's a dollar machine so max bet is 5 dollars a hand. Reluctantly, I get out another hundred because I still have twenty minutes until I have to be back in the poker room. Then I get dealt 10-Q-K-Ace---all clubs. I draw the Jack of clubs for a royal flush. Pays $4,000. Now I am in a real good mood. I get to the tourney and make it about half way through before getting railed. I' m thinking of trying the cash games there, but the video poker was calling me back. I throw about 400 back in another machine trying to hit another big one. Not to be.

The next day. My day 2 of the main event. I'm definitely one of the shortest stacks in the whole field. I have 9,900. Average is 54,000. The fourth hand I see Ace spade- Queen spade. Looks sweet to me. All-in. I get called by ace-king and I'm done. All in all, I'm learning more with each tournament. These multi-day events are a little different than my normal on-line or home games that only last 3 to 6 hours. I'll keep adjusting and WILL go deep in one of these.

Thanks again to Absolute Poker for the great party and everything else.

thebombbaby

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