This was my sixth event at the WSOP event and my overall best performance so far until I managed to spunk my chips away (as Thewy would say). I played for 9 hours and went out 60th out of 400. I had been in great shape all day, I had 20,000 chips when the average was 5,000. Today saw the best aspects of my game, and also the worst. Here's a few hands I played that demonstrate this:
Hand 1(my best one play so far)
Blinds 50-100, I have 6000 chips, one of the full tilt pros came to my table and started raising every hand, betting the flop and running over the table. It was amazing to watch him double his chip stack from 4000 to 8000 in 45 minutes without a single showdown. Then I got a monster hand, 4d5d on the button. He limped under the gun, as usual, representing AA for the 100th time so I put in a small raise of 300 to disguise my baby connector. He called the raise but looked offended! I felt he had a small pair or suited cards. Flop comes 10d
, which gives me the flush draw. He checks, I bet 700, he calls, Turn comes a
, he checks, I bet 1400 and he calls, whoops!. River comes
, great if I had been betting with a legitimate raising hand like AdKd instead of 4d5d! I have invested 2400 of my stack in this pot; I still have 3600 left, enough to fight back. I've just made up my mind to check the river and muck my 5 high discreetly BUT he bets 1000 into the 5000 pot - this sends alarm bells ringing - why the hell would he do that? I have shown strength pre-flop, on the flop and turn - if he actually had the goods he would surely bet more and expect to get paid off. He must have put me on at least AQ. If he had an average hand such as KQ he would have checked. I look at him closely, behind the glasses and cap is weakness. I am now 75% confident that he was also on the flush draw and missed, so he going for a 5-1 shot (bet 1000 to win 5000) that I was betting on the come with a hand like KJ or Ax of diamonds! I want that pot and `I am not going to win it by calling with 5 high! On The Poker Channel, Hendon Mobster, Barney Boatman, says if a player takes a long time and then re-raises, he normally had a big hand, so I put a chip on my cards, wait a couple of minutes and re-raise all in for 3600 with 5 high - he immediately mucks his cards, phew. For that moment, that split second, that little piece of time, I felt like the best player in the WSOP arena. I wanted to show my bluff, I wanted the table to know what a great player I was, but I mucked wisely.
Hand 1 (Why get involved with 96s?)
Blinds 75-150. 20,000 chips, I feel good, well above average. 4 limpers and I have 9h6h on the button, I limp for 150. Flop comes
,
,
. I have a middle pin straight flush draw (any 7 or heart). Under the gun bets 800, all pass to me and I-re-raise him - all in for his remaining 3000. I never stopped to think whether I thought he would pass or not. He shows 5c4c, 2 pair and I miss my draw. I was surprised by his hand as I thought he may limped in with an overpair, but I didn't expect him to pass, so why re-raise him on a semi-bluff, the only way I could win was to hit my flush or straight - which makes me an underdog - why make this move when I didn't think he would pass? Down to 15,000 chips.
Hand 2 (A bad call)
Blinds 75-150, Jon Shipley comes and sits down. He raises 1000 in seat 5 when I am on the button, and I re-raise him 3000 with AQs and he flat calls. I have seen him make this move on TV, he is going to push-all in on the flop if no ace comes and outplay me (effectively only giving me 3 cards to hit the flop making him a 66% favourite to win the hand unless I have an overpair), so I make my mind up I am calling whatever comes on the flop to counter his tactics. It comes K 4 5 rainbow. Surprise, surprise, he moves -all in for his last 2500 and I call like a shot - what a stupid play, I am only beating AJ or AT and I never even thought about it. I was more concerned about not being outplayed than my own hand strength. He turns over 99, no A or Q comes. I am down to 10,000 chips.
Hand 3 (losing my confidence)
Blinds 200-400. An unbelievably tight player limps for 400, I find QQ on the button, I raise 1400, he re-raises me 4000 reprenting AA or KK. He covers me in chips, but I can't believe this absolute rock would make risk limping with AA KK and losing to 72 off suit, most likely he has AK. But then, I have been raising limpers all afternoon on my button with any 2 cards to steal chips so maybe he is trapping me. I ask him if he has AA or KK and he goes a beetroot colour, I tell him I have a big hand and he look like he is going to explode. His hands are shaking with excitement that I am going to make him the 3rd person I double up in 30 minutes! I pass QQ pre-flop, yes Tikay, I pass QQ pre-flop. All the energy drains out of me, I have been outplayed by the rock! I can feel myself tiltingnow down to 9000 chips. I declare to the table that I am not passing to another re-raise today.
Hand 4 (why race?)
80 players left, I still have average chips, 10,000. I have 99 on the button, I raise 1000, BB re-raises 3000, he only had 2000 chips left, I re-raise him all in and he calls. He has AKs and hits his King. I knew I was 50:50 at best, so why not get away from the hand? Down to 500 chips. I just want to get my chips and gamble, I can feel the tilt.
Hand 5 (just gambling)
I have now doubled 3 people up in the last hour. I raise 1000 with KQ out of position and a new player to the table the same chips as me re-raises 3000, I dump my last 4000 chips in the middle hoping that he has JJ, TT, 99. He turns over JJ and no K or Q comes and I am out. By this time I am not even reading situations, just gambling.
Summary
I played a number of very good hands today as well to get myself in a strong position. The 9s6s draw I played sent me on the slippery road to doubling up 3 more players. Passing QQ was a great lay down, as the guy told me at the break that he had AA and had just limped because it was my button BUT this correct play actually sent me on more tilt, effectively searching for opportunuites to play 50 50 coin flips to try and get back my chips quickly. Poker is an amazing game - it brings out the worst and best in a person. The best players utilise and develop their best qualities and are able to suppress their demons. My demons are lack of patience, lack of disciple and stubbornness, until I can learn to control them, I will never move my game on. I'm going to speak to one or 2 of the more patient professional for some advice before the next tournament on Tuesday.
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