DAY 25: Friday 8th July Main Event Day 2
I hadn't slept well, kept thinking about how I was going to play and the conflict between survival in the tournament and getting a big chip stack. Went to breakfast with Nick in the San Paulo Caf?at about 10am and was kindly joined by Gary Bush when he saw that my diamond card got me to the front of the queue. I find talking with Bushy a strange, as often he will walk away from you in mid conversation, then come back 10 minutes later and resume the same conversation at exactly the same point! I like the guy though; he's a unique character and is also extremely knowledgeable about poker, he actually makes a lot of sense when you can get him to stand still.
I reached my table, no 46 seat 7, just as those famous words, shuffle up and deal echoed around the arena, good start, I'm on time! I only knew 2 players at the table, on my immediate right, Jo Beavers (Hendon Mob), and on my immediate left, Eric Lingren, double WPT Winner. The rest of the players looked nervous and had internet shirts on and I assumed they were mostly satellite qualifiers. Bad news and goods news, Eric Lingren presence would restrict my play (as he had position on me), but Jo Beavers wasn't going to give me such a hard time stealing my blinds. Overall, I was happy with my table.
Level 1 25-50 Fell out with Eric Lingren already!
I played 14 hands in this level and increased my stack to 13,500 by the end of the level. An excellent start. These chips were won in 2 hands:
Hand 1
I raised 200 in seat 7 with 4d5d and of course Eric Lingren called on the button. I was finding it really difficult to play a pot in position as he was playing every pot! The flop came,
, I have 2 pair. I bet 400 and Eric calls thinking I have missed, Turn
, I check to show weakness and he bets 1200, I flat call, River
, I check and he thinks about bluffing again but unfortunately does not (there was no point of me betting on the river as he would just fold), I show my hand and he mucks.
Hand 2
I raise 300 in mid position with AA (a big raise to protect my hand this early in the tournament) the BB flat calls. He puts his sunglasses on and stares straight at me, who cares, I have AA. I want a unpaired rainbow flop but it comes down TsTh2d. The only hands I am scared about are JT, AT, 77, he check. I decide to check to give him a free card if he has AQ or AK, and also keep the pot small in case he is slow playing a monster. The Turn is a
, he checks, I bet 1000 into a 700 pot, he flat calls. River comes
and he checks again. He has showed real weakness throughout the hand, and I come to the conclusion he has 88,99, JJ. However, I check the river and flop over my AA, he mucks. Now, I know I could have milked him for another 1000 on the river, but I just don't want to risk being check raised on a TT22 board against the BB. I heard Eric say, you had him, man behind me, and I turned round and said very politley, would you bet with that board? He replied sarcastically, I don't give free advice in major tournanamnts! Eric Lingren is a world-class player who I aspire to play like, so I told him where to stick his advice and we never spoke one word for the next 8 hours (even though we were sat next to each other!).
Level 2 50-100 Static
No progress this level, finshed up with 13,400 chips but I only played 4 hands! This was nothing to do with my cards, just that someone had nearly always raised before me so I could not enter the pot as the aggressor. I raised a couple of times in early position to steal the blinds and that was it. I was getting on pretty well with Jo Beavers and hoped that we wouldn't clash. I'm a bit soft like that, when I get on with someone at the table, I try and stay out there pots, sometimes subconsciously.
Level 3 75-150 Lingren The Master
Although I had fell out with Eric, I think the guy is absolute class. He was playing at least 1 every 3 pots and I wasn't even concentrating on my situation, I was watching him take apart these weak players who checked to him allowing him to bet them out, time and time again. His main move was to call the raisers bet on the flop in late position, then call there bet on the flop, and turn, and if they check the river (or flop or turn) he would bet them out! He even did this move on the experienced Jo Beavers when Jo laid his hand down when Eric represented the flush on the river. I tried to stay away from Eric even passing my SB when he was on the BB, however, when I was forced to play AQs on the small blind heads-up with Eric's BB, he bet of the flop, the turn and the river and my Ace high was good! I would like to say for the record though, that this is the highest calibre player I have ever sat on the same poker table as. I rate him much higher than Negraneau, as he is much more aggressiveI just feel that Negraneau is more of a gambler, and Eric Lingren is a Stone Cold Killer. However, Negraneau is has much better table manners!
This was a good level for me, finishing on 16,500 chips. Bearing in mind I bluffed 3500 away when I raised with 23 on the button, missed the flop, turn and river, and bluffed every street, I was well happy with the 16,500 finishing chips stack.
I played too many hands this level - 16 to be exact. I was too loose, but the table was tight, I raised with Q3, 52, 23 and wasted chips bluffing into big hands on the flop. The problem with me is once I have fired the 1st bullet, I can't stop firing, and end up firing the 3rd bullet on the river and having to muck my hand quickly!
Hand 3
The hand that I won my chips on was a crazy one. I limped in with 77 under the gun for 150. The Button raises 750, one of the looser played who had just lost half his stack with trip Q's and was steaming. Anyway, I wanted a raise when holding 77, to hit a set and bust someone, so I called the 750. Now when a under the gun limper calls a raise for 4 x the BB, its very suspicious. Although, I only had 77, I felt the whole table felt I hand AA or KK, including the button raiser. The flop was 885, a great flop for 77, or AA, or KK! I decided to check - raise, I'm sure that I am ahead, and I know that he will bet - why not? So, I tap the table and bets 2500, a big bet into a 1650 pot - this concerns me a bit, as he may be protecting 99, TT, JJ. I should probably lay my hand down now, that's seems too much of a big bet with AK, AQ, AJ. Hold on - I limped under the gun and smooth called his raise, he has 5,000 chips, I have 12,000 chips, there is 4150 in the middle, I announce ALL-IN, he takes ages, gives me the full rubdown and eventually shows me a T and passes?? I guess he had TT or AT, I felt full of confidence. It's not like me to take 3 levels to move all-in.
Level 4 100-200 'In the groove
I only played 3 hands this level but won every single one. I picked up KK but got no action. However, at the end of this level I had 24,000, up 7,500 and over double average for the field. The low number of hands was just due to the pots being raised by the time it got to me.
Hand 4
I raised 300 in mid position with 99 and was re-raised 1800 by the weakest player on the table, this guy had haemorrhaging chips by calling raises and passing on the flop, and raising himself and checking the flop. I thought about flat calling and betting the flop if no Ace or King came, but this system has been letting me down recently. Also, I had laid down 33 and 77 to re-raises this level already, and most of the time my pocket pairs are in front. I get a count, he has 4,000 chips, enough to pass if I move-all in, However, this guy will not pass, so I guess I can fold, lose the 300, or gamble on a 50:50 at best for 5500 chips to win 6,400. I announce ALL-IN, and he calls immedialty with AQ off suit. My pocket 99 hold up in front of the ESPN cameras and we're up to $24,000 chips.
Level 5 100 -200 + 25 Ante How do I get paid?
I had AA twice, KK twice, QQ, AK 3 times, hit a full house with my JJ on a KKJ flop and lost chips this level. I only won $1000 plus the blinds and antes with all these hands. I was playing so loose this level, I raised 5 hands on the trot with trash, got AA and they still all passed. Eric Lingren had been knocked out with QQ v AA held by Paul Zimbler which allowed me to play more freely. I must have won 10 rounds of blinds and antes this level but blew them all away on this hand:
Hand 5
I called a raise with QcTc on the button, planning to do a Eric Lingren move on the raisor, who looked like he was petrified entering the pot. The flop came down KKT rainbow, he bets 1000, I smooth call, although I think I am ahead. The Turn comes a
and he bets 1000, a weak bet or a milk bet, I re-raise him 4000 expecting to pick up the pot and this little, quiet, timid student looking individual says all-in! It will only cost me another 5000 to call, I have already put 6000 in, I've got a T with a Q kicker, what am I beating, what I am I drawing to? I have to pass but I'm still healthy at 26,000.
Level 6 150-300 + 25 Ante How do I get paid version2
890 players left out of 200. Average chips 21,000, I have 26,000. Playing to 650 players, I should make the next day. In this level I had AA twice again, KK, QQ, AK - all I won was the blinds and antes again. I'm feeling robbed by the Poker Gods. It seemed like every time I raised with average hands like J8s I got re-raised, and when I had the goods, nobody was interested. The last 2 levels have given me the best run of hole cards in my poker life, and my chip stack was the same. I started to feel frustrated, and wasted a few thousand chips calling raises out of position. I was hoping for a table move, as I got the feeling that some of the players were noticing I was playing a little too loose, and every time I raised, it took an age to get round the table! However, I managed to get lucky and hit a flush with 5h7h and ended the level with 28,000.
Level 7 200 - 400 + 50 Ante
We had been playing for over 10 hours and I was in good shape. I decided to slow down, look for a opportunity to take out a short stack, and try and stay away from any major pots, especially when I'm bluffing. I also thought that the table has started to view my raises with more and more suspician and I was getting re-raised more often (except when I had the goods). When I was on the button the BB was re-raising me and had taken a few thousand off me recently, I could just never find a hand on the button until..
My last WSOP Hand
I picked up AK on button and raise 1500. The small blind, a very tight player thinks for ages and then finally passes (he had TT) and the tricky player on the BB re-raises me 4500, surprise, surprise. Finally I have a hand to play back at him and I announce ALL-IN and he call like a shot and flips over AA. I let out a cry of Oh my God and walk away from the table, the ESPN cameras rush over got the all-in but I don't even watch the flop, turn or river (the case Ace actually came on the turn). I feel sick inside, my stomach wrenches, my first thought is of quitting poker for ever, I pick up my stuff, shake hands with the table and walk quickly to the smoking area. Chubbs, Grumpy and
follow me out, all I keep saying is, 'What are the odds of that, AK on the button, AA on the BB, what a joke, this game is a joke, I thought he was making a move on me, I can't believe it. Burnley John kindly points out that I could have flat called the 4,500 and passed on the flop (as the Ace does not come till the turn), I feel like telling him to XXXX, especially when he reminds me that you need patience, control and discipline to win a poker tournamant. I know people are only being helpful, but at the time
I went out 800th out of 2000 players. Nick went out shortly after me with A6 of an A 6 J flop, the guy hit a backdoor flush holding A9s, Nick's gutted. Everyone's gutted who went out. We all feel sick. Its like someone has kicked you in the XXXX repeatedly, or if you made a mistake (and maybe I did), continued to kick you!
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