I went back to work today at the Rio, signing up for the $1000 No Limit tournament. Each WSOP tournament starts you with a chip stack three times the amount of the buy in. Thus, for today's event, we all started with 3000 chips. This is the smallest of all the WSOP events in that regard. Even though you have one hour levels and the blinds start at 25/25, you need to get some chips early. If, for example, you haven't increased your chip stack after two hours, you are now looking at a 30bb stack when the blinds start at 50/100. Well, here we go!
25/25 level
I folded for a few rounds as I got nothing to play. The first hand I saw was 55. I raised to 75 from utg, and the button called as did the bb. The pot was 250. The flop came out KhTd7h. The big blind checked. It is important in poker to win pots when you don't have the best hand and/or when you don't have a strong hand, but it is equally important to understand when this is possible. I think a continuation bet on this board is a bad idea. It is very common to call a raise with two big cards, and any two big cards you pick connect somehow with this board. If I do bet here and get called, I will be out of position and won't know if someone called because they had a pair or a draw. Basically, I know I am getting called, I have a bad hand, I am out of position and I'll have to bet more chips on the turn to try and take this down. I think I can find better spot so I folded. It turned out that KJd defeated A8h. So clearly I was not going to win this pot!
A couple rounds later I looked at AA. I raised to 75 and everyone folded?! Alas, the big blind called (I want some action with this hand!) and we saw a flop of TcTs5s. He leads out and bets 75. That's good for me as it is extremely unlikely he has a T in his hand. Most players will check such a strong hand and give you a chance to put some chips into the pot. I don't want to lose my customer so I just call. The pot is now 325. (Note if I raise the flop he is folding almost all his hands that I beat, he is never folding a hand with a T in it - which crushes me - and he calls with his flush draws. Not much upside in raising). The turn is the 8h. He checks. This card really can't possibly help him so for the same reasons as the turn I check to let him catch up a little or to bluff. The river is a Qd. He bets 250. I raise him to 725, hoping he somehow hit a Q and would call me. He folded pretty quickly, so my check got an extra bet from him and he didn't get to see my hand.
The very next hand the utg player r75. I called from middle position with 88. The sb (same player from the last pot) raised 200. This is really s stupid raise as we are both getting a good price to call, so he is just building a pot out of position with probably not a super strong holding and not narrowing the field. We both call and the pot is now 625. The flop comes 7c7s2c. They both check. I bet 350 and they both fold pretty quickly. Even though I have a hand here with value that I would probably have to fold to a re-raise, betting is a very good idea. I find out right now if I have the best hand as it will be harder for the small blind to put in a check-raise bluff with the utg player still to act. Also, if I check half the deck will bring a card bigger than my 88 and possibly put someone else in front. Also note I do not have to bet big here to win the pot or to define my hand. A little more than half the pot did the trick.
The very next hand the utg player on my right limped. I recognized him to be Chris Bigler, an older pro that's been on TV final tables more than once. I r125 with AhQd. Two others called as did Chris. The pot is 525 and the flop came Ks9s5. Notice here that this is a great flop to continue bet. AK is right in my raising range and players that called with two big cards can easily miss this flop. I bet 350 and everyone immediately folded. That is always fun to watch when you have A high!!
I chipped up to 4350 entering the next level.
25/50 level
CB r150 from utg+1. I rr to 350 with AK. All fold and he calls. The pot is now 775 and the flop comes KdTdT. He checks. I have him easily covered in chips. I know I have a really strong hand but I don't like checking and giving him a free card here. If he has AQ/AJ/QJ hands he is getting a free shot at hitting his draw. If he has a pair he is getting a free chance to hit a two outer and take the lead. More importantly, if I check and he misses the card he needed he is very unlikely to bluff as this flop should hit me pretty hard with the hands I would three bet with. I would consider giving a free card on a board that looks like it doesn't fit my hand very well and would thus lead to bluffing possibilities. I bet 425, he mucks 77 and says "these small pairs are no good today".
Shortly after this hand our table broke and I left this wonderful group of not very good players and headed into the Brasilia Room. My new table was full of much better players, but the good news was that Derrick was at the next table so I could take some breaks and go check out his action!
A short while later utg+1 r125 and there were three callers. I had KJ in the small blind. I hate folding as my hand has plenty of value. I hate calling because now there are a lot of players in the pot and I am out of position with a marginal hand. I hate raising because again, my hand is marginal, I am out of position, AND I am new to the table, and if they decide to look me up it could get quite expensive. I really am just looking to hit big hands for cheap at this stage of the tournament. I choose to call. The pot is now 675. The board comes JhTd3c. I want to know right now if my hand is good so I bet out 400. It will be very hard for players to continue here without a hand as my lead out bet should look pretty darn strong. Everyone folds but one of the callers. The turn brings the 9h and I am not too happy! His call sends up some warning signals and coupled with such a dangerous turn card I decide to check and see what develops. He bets 700 into the 1475 pot and he has 1200 behind. This all smells bad. Still, I have top pair and a gutshot straight draw so should I continue with the hand? As I am thinking the player on my right taps the table with his hand a few times, trying to get me to speed up. I was pretty shocked as this seems to be way out of line to me! I asked him if he wanted to play my hand; he said "no, just make a decision". So I said "Well, then call the clock or stay out of this". We said a few things to each other. I got back to the hand and decided to fold. I usually don't get in other peoples' business at the table but he got me fired up! The table talked about what he did and our exchange as the next couple hands were played out, and it turns out he didn't see my check or the other players' bet (his bet went on top of a WSOP logo on the table and chips are sometimes hard to see when they are on that logo). He thought I was taking all that time to make my initial decision! HA!! I thought that was pretty funny and after that we were cool. He seems like a good dude. He lives out here and is playing all the tournaments hoping to hit a big one just like the rest of us. He was a very good player and it was all good after that. Funny stuff!
Three hands later I r150 with KJs from the hijack position. The cutoff rr to 300. The next three players folded. My raise could look like a weaker hand since I am in late position, his rr is small so maybe he's trying to win this cheaply and my hand certainly has value so I decide to call. But I will proceed with caution! The flop comes Kc73c. I check and he bets 450. I call. The turn is a 5. We both check. The river is a 6. We both check and I win. Players in general don't go cookoo in these tournaments. If he fires the turn and river I can always release my hand. My call on the flop is strong enough to get the information I need.
We are now at 5050 chips on break.
50/100 level
utg r225. I rr625 with AK on the button and he called. The pot is 1400 and he has 2000 behind. The flop comes KQ7. He checks. I guess I can check behind here and hope he bluffs the turn but I chose instead to bet 625 again. I am hoping he puts me on JJ/TT and will make a play to get me to fold, but he just mucks. I would rather induce a bluff than check and give a free card to beat me. Maybe if he thinks I am weak he gets squirrely with AT/AJ... not this time.
That was my only real playable hand at that level! 5400 chips going to 75/150
75/150 level
Seat 1 was the big chip leader at the table and he opened another pot to 350. S2 folded, and i looked at 43s. I only played a couple pots the last level so I should have a pretty good image. I rr850 and everyone folded, S1 called. The pot is now 1925. The flop came K53h (that means all hearts). He checked. Even though I have a pair I need to keep control of the pot. My hand really isn't worth much and will probably become even less valuable after the turn. I bet 900 and he thinks for 30 seconds and folds his hand. The player in S4 said "AhK?" The player in S2 said "No, AhA". The power of the three bet coupled with a snug reputation!
Believe it or not this was really my only hand at this level! I lost some chips when there was a r400, the button called and I called from the sb with 44. I whiffed the flop and check/folded. Another time I called a raise from the big blind with AT but whiffed that as well. I tell you, calling just sucks! I had 5100 chips going into the next level.
100/200 level.
S1 again opened, this time to 450. I looked down to see AK. I can rr him here, have position and the best hand and have a good chance to win the pot. However, my hand becomes much easier to figure out when I three bet him and he can make better decisions against me because he has a good idea what my hand is. Re-raising is a very good solid play. I chose another path. There were two shorter stacks on my left, so I just called, hoping someone behind me would make a play at the pot. Once S1 called the three bet (he was a very strong caller and was hitting hands) I would move all in, forcing him to fold and leaving me heads up against one player with a lot of extra chips in the pot and almost certainly the best hand. If no one re-raised behind me, I still have a very well disguised hand that can get a lot of value if I flop a pair. He will NEVER put me on AK... until it's too late! I liked my plan, I liked my execution, but unfortunately I did not like the result. Everyone folded, the bb called, and three of us saw a flop of Jc82c. The bb checked, S1 bet 600 and I wasn't going to get into a mess of a situation in a multi way pot. I folded, the bb check raised and the hand was over.
The final hand: After the failed AK hand and going through the blinds a couple times I was down to around 4000 chips (20 bb) when I saw JJ utg. I r450. S5 in middle position called as did S1 in the small blind. (S5 was contemplating what to do; he finally settled on a call. It seemed to me he was thinking about raising me...) The pot was 1550 and the flop came out Ts7s3c. S1 checked, I bet 1100 and S5 called. S1 folded from the small blind. The pot was now 3750 and I had an over pair and 2200 left in front of me. The turn was the Qh. Well, I am going with this hand so now it's just a matter of how the rest of the chips get in. I think if S5 flopped a flush draw he would have just put me in on the flop so I wasn't worried about giving a free card. I figure I am way ahead or way behind. If I move in on the turn I think he can fold some hands I crush (88/99/etc) and if I check I give him a chance to try and push me off an AK type hand. Thus, I check to try and get one more bet out of a hand that is way behind mine. He bets 1200, I check raise all in and he instantly calls and shows TT. Bummer. If the flop was 972 he doubles me up. If the flop is all high cards I may win or lose the pot but I still have chips at the end of the hand. Basically he has to flop a set with no over cards to bust me. And he did....
At the end of the day I was really really happy with my play. I guess I could have done more 3 betting with shit hands when I thought someone was weak? As always, you look for things you could have done better after you bust out but honestly I did great. No flush draws to push, no big pairs after level 1, no set, no pair + draw hands, hell, I didn't have any suited connectors to even play other than the 34s!! So all is good. I am ready to rock and roll tomorrow. I am getting better every tournament and can't wait for the one where a few good things happen. It's going to be awesome and I can't wait to share it with everyone.
Back at it tomorrow at the Venetian. They all better watch out - I'm coming to JWB!!
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