30-May - Binions Poker Classic - $210 entry - Finished 240th / 246 - $0
First tournament of the holiday and I'm all fired up and ready to hold 'em like they do in Texas, please. Let's go go go.
Unfortunately, the cards aren't quite so fired up. I get dealt utter trash for almost an hour until I get A5 and go crazy on a A5827 board, making a stupid call on the river only to find out the other guy had AA all along.
So I'm down to 1600 chips and the very next hand I get KT in the small blind and shove all-in against three people, hoping they all fold. The first two do but Mr AA asks for a count of my chips and then calls with AT - one of the worst hands I could see as really only a K will save me. Alas, it doesn't come and I'm knocked out of the tournament without winning a single pot. D'oh!
On a side note, "Oklahoma" Johnny Hale, legendary poker author, player, and jolly nice fellow was sat three to my right: http://www.pokerplayernewspaper.com/bioview.php?image=8
31-May - WSOP Event #4 (3 day event) - $1,000 entry - Finished ??? / 6012 - $0
First World Series event of the trip and things don't go quite as planned, winning only a couple of small pots in three hours as I dwindle from the 3000 starting stack to 2100 at blinds of 75/150. I then make the second stupid mistake of the trip by raising KQ to 500, only to get called by the small blind and then raised all-in by the big blind. The big blind has only ever shown down big hands so I give him credit and have to fold.
Anyway, next hand, I'm dealt 55 and decide to push all-in for my last 1600. Alas, I get called by the button with JJ, the board doesn't help me and I'm knocked-out.
01-Jun - Planet Hollywood 2pm - $80 entry - Finished 18th / 67 - $0
After a couple of poor tournaments, me and Kate decide to play a small tournament at the Plant Hollywood casino to try to have a bit of fun and restore some much needed confidence.
After 30 mins or so I get knocked out again... sigh. After thinking about signing up to play in a cash game, I find out that they let busted players re-enter for another $80 and decide to give it another spin.
This goes a lot better and I get a nice double-up when I shove all-in from the big blind with A5 against a guy that limped and then calls with KJ. A5 holds and now I have a bit of a stack to play with.
With it being a small buy-in tournament, the blind levels increase quickly and there's not much room for "proper" poker play as most every hand is all-in or fold. With 18 out of 67 players left (8 getting paid) there's a raise and I shove all-in from the small blind with AJ - the raiser calls with 77 and it's basically a 50-50 coinflip - unfortunately, the board doesn't help and I am again knocked-out - I think I would have been in good shape to reach the final table and go deep in the tournament had I hit an A or J, but again, it wasn't to be.
02-Jun - WSOP Event #7 (3 day event) - $1,500 entry - Finished ~500 / 2791 - $0
This is another story of what could have been - barring one mistake, I felt like I played pretty well for the whole 9ish hours (plus breaks) of the day, and had a good handle on the other players at my table.
Of course, doubling-up my stack on the 2nd hand certainly helped! I raise with JJ, get one caller and end up shoving all-in on the river with a full house. After thinking, my opponent calls and shows KK and is knocked-out, $1500 poorer, after just two hands.
However, later that level I get AA and raise, getting one caller. I bet the 862 flop and again on the 4 turn, only to get raised. I am so close to folding when I get a nagging doubt that he *could* have 99 to KK, and decide to raise all-in. He insta-calls with 88 and I end up being back around my start stack of 4500... sigh, shoulda folded, and I know it has cost me 3000 chips.
I win a few smaller pots and go to first break slightly up on my starting stack.
Shortly after break, I make a good call when the bully to my left tries to bluff me out of a pot with 99 when I have KQ which pairs a Q on the board.
Can't remember too many more hands but I steadily accumulate chips and am up to 25000 with approx 90mins left of the day. 25000 would have been enough to see me through to Day 2 but I wanted more! I nearly got them when I raised with 6h 4h trying to steal the blind's chips.
Unfortunately, the guy to my left calls and then calls a bet on the AT3 board. I check the 7 on the turn and decide he's bluffing when he then bets. I have outs to a flush with any heart or a straight with any 5 so decide to raise all-in. He thinks for ages before calling with AQ - damn, I was hoping he would fold a hand like that. Alas, no heart or 5 on the river and my WSOP adventure is over for another year. If I had hit my hand on the river I would have had 50000 chips and would have been in great shape for Day 2 and a shot at the $650,000 first prize.
03-Jun - Venetian DSIII - $340 entry - Finished 70 / 870 - $428
Hurrah, my first cash of the trip! Unfortunately, it's only $88 profit, and that was after 13 hours of play.
I got off to a good start with two AT hands that I get all-in to double-up my 12k starting stack by first break. Again, I steadily accumulate chips and am looking good for a deep finish and a shot at the $65k first prize - unfortunately the poker gods strike me down in my prime when I lose over half of my stack all-in with AK against another guy's QT - he hits a Q on the flop and I then have to scrap my way to 70th before I am forced to shove all-in with KJ. I get called by AQ, hit a K on the flop but the A on the turn kills me off and I am knocked out once more.
04-Jun - Venetian 7pm - $120 entry - Finished 110 / 240 - $428
Last tournament of the trip and it goes pretty much the same way as the others, getting a nice stack early on with AA against another guy's AK. But then I lose two key all-ins, Q7 against K8 on a 567 flop - which hits a 9 on the river to give him a straight. Then I'm forced to shove 89 only to get called by AQ - I hit a 9 on the 78T flop, but a K on the turn and the J on the river gives him a straight and I am busto for the final time.
Last tournament of the trip and it goes pretty much the same way as the others, getting a nice stack early on with AA against another guy's AK. But then I lose two key all-ins, Q7 against K8 on a 567 flop - which hits a 9 on the river to give him a straight. Then I'm forced to shove 89 only to get called by AQ - I hit a 9 on the 78T flop, but a K on the turn and the J on the river gives him a straight and I am busto for the final time.
A.
