2008 WSOP Main Event Hands

Level 1 - We all start with 20k in chips and I am up to 24k after the 1st 2hr level. No big hands. I've had 5 small pocket pairs, but have not hit a set. I reraised a pot from the button once with 10,Q suited and got paid off when I made a straight on the river. There are lot's of celebrities and TV pros here, but none at my table. However, I do have 3 very well known internet players (WTPHero, MrCasino, Kongsgaard) at my table and they are all solid. Next report in 2hrs ... Hopefully!!!

Level 2 - Got AA early and won a small pot so that put me up to 27k. Then lost a pot when I called down a pre flop raiser. This was a multi-limped pot until it hit the cut-off and Liz Blair (solid Laddebrokes player) raised. I had AK on the button and just elected to call. Limpers all called, so 5-way action (biggest starting pot so far). and a K 2 3 flopped. She bet half size pot and I called (all others folded). A ‘6’ came on the turn and she again bet half pot. I thought about raising, but again elected to call. However, before my call I asked how much she had left (11K). I think this scared her and she checked the river (another 6). I thought about making a value bet because I did think my AK was good (I had just under 20k left), but I also did sense she had a strong hand from her preflop raise against many limpers, so I just checked it down. As it turns out she had AA and I lost 8k chips that pot. That would have been a hard hand to get away from (for anyone) and I think I lost the minimum. Then I lost a pot I raised with KJ when the flop came Jxx. I kept betting each street as no over cards ever hit, but I actually lost when he showed AJ. I bet 2k on the river this hand after he checked to me thinking he was calling me down with a middle pair and I was surprised at the hand he had when he eventually called my river bet. I lost close to 6k that pot. I got KK late in the level and lost a pot to AQ when an A 2 3 hit on the flop (I bet the turn and he called and he and I both checked the river). Now at 14.5k after level 2.

Level 3 - Got to 16k and reraised a guy with AK who had 8k who had raised already. He went all in and I was pot committed and lost when his AQ hit a flush on the river. That hurt. Back up to 11k when I hit top set but had to bet it strong because all clubs came out on the flop. Now I am down to under 7k when I raised with AK, got 2 callers and continuation bet a low flop, but a player went all in over the top of me and I was forced to fold. Blinds next level are 150-300 with a 25 chip ante. So, still a little time to play, but I need some luck and I need to hit my flops if I am going to play a hand. Down to 6.8k.

Dinner break.

Level 4 - I'm out. First hand after the break I was big blind and someone raised to 900 and I called with KJ suited hearts. Flop 8 9 10 with the 8 and 10 both hearts. I check, he bet and I went all in. He called with A 10 (top pair). I had 2 over cards, an open ended straight draw and a flush draw ... However, I missed everything. I was actually a strong favourite in the hand after the flop. I had 21-outs (twice) and was a 67% favourite to his 33%. However, I was drawing to my hand and most good players will tell you that you never want to put all your money at risk on a draw. I just was low on chips and felt like I needed a double up.
I am disappointed I didn't do a little better. I played well, but in retrospect, I think I could have played better. My AK vs another players AA hand hurt (when a K hit on the flop) and obviously my AK all in call on another player preflop against AQ really hurt because that hand was for half my chips. So, one cooler and one bad beat, but I still thought I could have come back. I actually had decent cards, but KK when an A hits and QQQ when the flop comes all one suit really are not that great.

The rest of the weekend was fun (UFC Jackson v. Griffen was awesome). So, all in all no complaints and I'll look back without any regrets.

Off to Vegas

I just booked my plane ticket to Las Vegas. I’m going Wednesday July 2nd. The tournament starts Thursday July 3rd and because there are so many players in the Main Event, there will be 4-separate starting days (July 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th). I plan on trying to play the first day, Thursday July 3rd. If I happen to survive my Day 1 of poker, I won’t actually play again until Tuesday July 8th when Day 1 is combined with the players that survive Day 2. However, I don’t want to get too far ahead of myself.

The odds are stacked against anyone who plays the Main Event due mostly to the sheer numbers of players you need to beat in order to advance to make it ‘into the money’. Only the top 10% of players will actually 'cash'. In 2006 I had zero expectations when I played this tourney and I just wanted to take in the whole experience and have fun. I’d like to say the same thing again this year; however, that would not be completely honest. Of course I want to have fun, but now that I have gotten a taste of the WSOP and I previously did cash in the main event, I’d be selling myself short if I did not have slightly loftier goals.

The above being said, there is simply too much random luck involved in any ‘one-off’ poker tournament that it is impossible to make any predictions on how any one person will finish. I simply hope to play well and to make correct poker decisions. If I happen to catch a few cards and hit a few flops along the way that would also be nice.

2008 WSOP Main Event Poker Tournament

Well, here we go again ...

I decided to give it another shot to win a seat at the 2008 World Series of Poker $10,000.00 Main Event Buy-In Tournament.

Over the last month I have entered a few on-line poker tournaments, each time using my Frequent Player Points. I had not had much success until I played a 4,000 FPP tournament Saturday May 10th, 08. There were 426 entrants and the top 3-finishers were awarded WSOP seat. Forth place or worse in this tournament got you nothing. I was 2nd in chips with about 30 to go and was third in chips when I made the final table (although 2-9 were close). I ended up crashing out in 7th (with a lot of chips left). I made a big lay-down (which I am not sure was correct) and then I over-played A,J against AA to be eliminated. That was frustrating ...

I was so close to a WSOP seat in this tourney (and I knew I was playing well) that I decided to give it another shot Sunday (May 11th, 08).

The Sunday tournament was a $650.00 Buy-In ($615 + $35). The top 30-people won WSOP Main Event Pokerstars Prize Packages (value $12,500.00) and there were 596-entrants.

I played amazingly in this tournament and with about 75-players to go I was chip leader and felt really comfortable because the top 30-got seats. I slowly increased my chip lead and with 40-players left I could have shut off my computer and still got a seat. It was a great feeling playing knowing I was practically guaranteed a seat. When we reached the final 30-players the tournament ended and I had won my seat.

The value of the Pokerstars WSOP Prize Package is approximately $12,500.00. The package includes $10,000.00 for the Main Event Entry, $2,500.00 for expenses, a weeks stay at the Palms Hotel in Las Vegas and a Pokerstars Gift Bag. There are also a few other cash bonus opportunities if you wear their Pokerstars clothing and are shown on TV or if you make the final table.

Now, here's the kicker ... I may not go!

When I previously won my WSOP seat in 2006 I never saw the money. The $10,000.00 entry was paid directly to the casino by the poker site and an extra $1,000.00 was deposited into my on-line poker account to cover expenses. So, it was a 'no-brainer' that I was going to Vegas to use the $10,000.00 entry. This time, the entire $12,500.00 prize is deposited into my on-line poker account and it is up to me to withdraw the funds and then go to Las Vegas and then enter the WSOP tournament on my own accord. It's one thing to go to Vegas, sign a form and get your seat, it's entirely different thing all together when you withdraw $10,000.00 from your own bank account and then go to Vegas to gamble that money ...

Further, vacation time is a little touch and go this year. I've already been to London, Vancouver/Whistler, Costa Rica/Grand Cayman this year and I've ready booked a holiday over Cup Match (end of July). So, basically I am out of vacation time ...

I will have to think about this further, but it is nice to have the option!

I found this list of the top 50 players and their chip counts after day 2 ... very interesting:

1. Dmitri Nobles -- $549,200
   2. Daniel Pelletier -- $334,300
   3. Daniel Negreanu -- $331,000
   4. Terris Preston -- $313,300
   5. Brian Crespin -- $309,000
   6. Philippe Boucher -- $303,500
   7. Dario Minieri -- $275,900
   8. Alex Balardin -- $274,800
   9. Michael Binger -- $256,000
   10 .Kyle Bowker -- $236,000
   11. Chris Martin -- $231,300
   12. Bradford Davenport -- $212,100
   13. William Thorsson -- $208,200
   14. David Filippi -- $206,000
   15. Dan Heimiller -- $203,300
   16. Jeff Cabanillas -- $203,000
   17. Phi Nguyen -- $198,100
   18. Jean Houle -- $197,800
   19. Jon Finkel -- $193,800
   20. Stephan Conway -- $193,500
   21. Brendan Shiker -- $190,700
   22. Matt Wilson -- $189,700
   23. Richard Velasco -- $186,600
   24. Peter M. Placey -- $183,800
   25. Mike Musa Mustafa -- $183,500
   26. Lee Thomas -- $181,200
   27. Richard Gryko -- $178,200
   28. Jordan Rich -- $177,500
   29. John Ambrust -- $175,100
   30. Shannon "Bluffforrent" Shorr -- $174,700
   31. Laurence Hughes -- $171,900
   32. Farid Voghefi -- $170,200
   33. John Lee -- $165,900
   34. Johan Wemmenhag -- $163,100
   35. Vaughn Sandman -- $163,000
   36. Ian Cox -- $159,600
   37. Marcello Delgrosso -- $157,700
   38. Jeffrey Edy -- $157,300
   39. Dave Golder -- $156,200
   40. Debra Lalor -- $156,100
   41. Jamie Gold -- $155,400
   42. Elie Said -- $154,600
   43. Whitney Blanton -- $153,400
   44. Rickies Miller -- $151,800
   45. Richard D. Clark -- $148,300
   46. John Gale -- $146,500
   47. Morten Lerbrekk -- $146,300
   48. Kevin Aaronson -- $145,800
   49. Nathan Brooks -- $145,600
   50. Gary Nasaryan -- $145,300

Last Entry

The last entry for my 2006 WSOP blog will be just a quick summary.

Overall, it was a great experience playing in the WSOP that I am extremely happy I did it. That being said, it is a lot different than portrayed on ESPN's television coverage. I'll explain. The poker room was massive. There were poker tables, players, media people, camera's, tournament directors, dealers, etc. as far as you could see. We did not play in a 'poker room'. We played in the convention centre. It was bright, there was constant loud talking and PA announcements and it was extremely crowded. At the end of each day if you didn't have a headache from the constant noise/sensory input, you had a headache from the (average) 14-hours of poker you just had just played. It is also long. This is a long poker tournament. If you played on day one of the Maon Event, the final table is not scheduled for 13-days later. Las Vegas is great for a 3 or 4-day long weekend visit, but once you are there for more than a week, Vegas starts to get a little tiring.

Further, playing poker in this tournamnet is hard work. It is a grind from hand-to-hand-to-hand. In No-Limit, the next hand you play could be your last hand of the tournament. You have to be smart and you have to be patient. Extremely patient!

There is only one featured table each day and that is the table that you see the most coverage on when they air the WSOP on TV. That table has dark back droppings and it is the only table (in the early rounds) that has the 'hole card cameras'. Every other table is out on the convention floor. BTW, it is random, but I never sat at the featured table.

The WSOP Main Event has changed due to the on-set of internet poker. I estimate that out of the 8,700 entrants this year, over 7,000 players won their entry on-line. You could actually call it the WSOOP (World Series of On-line Poker). There is a new event this year at the WSOP called H.O.R.S.E. with a $50,000 buy-in. I believe that over the next few years, this event will become the 'premium' or the 'main event' tournament coveted by all the pro's. Either that, or the WSOP Main Event will have to raise the $10,000 entry. I can't see how the tournament can get much bigger and if nothing is done and everything remains the same as this year, there could be 11,000-12,000 players next year!

As to whether or not I'll be one of those players next year remains to be seen. I don't think I'd ever buy my entry into one of these big tournaments. However, if internet poker remains the same (there is current U.S. legislation pending to stop internet gaming), I think I'd try to win my seat 'on-line' again, as I did this year.

Again, over all I had fun and I enjoyed the experience. I also learned a heck of a lot, not about poker, but specifically about tournement poker.

Thanks once again for everyone's encouragement, thanks to my friends who flew to Vegas the weekend before the tournament to hang out, thanks to my Bermuda poker buddies in Vegas for the support during the tournement.

BTW, I did wear my sun glasses during the tournament for the most part, but CardPlayer Magazine happened to snap the attached photo when I did not have them on ...

Day 3

I'm out. I finished in 622nd place; however, I did 'make the money' and I cashed $19,050.00. In fact, both San and I both cashed the same amount as San finished 644th. So, all-in-all, I'd have to say that my WSOP experience was a very good one. I had a fun time playing, I was able to hold my own vs some of the best poker players in the World and I was able to come away with a few bucks in my pocket. I placed better than more that 8,000 other players, so I guess I can be proud of myself. That being said, here is a recap of my day and how I was eliminated.

I started off extremely well when I took a decent pot off the 2006 WSOP "$5,000.00 NL Event Winner", Jeff Cabanillas. (Jeff beat Phil Hellmuth heads up 3-weeks ago to win $818,000 in that event".). Jeff Cabanillas started at our table with over 200K in chips (I had 150K) and after I check raised Jeff on a low flop he had preraised, he folded, so that was a good start. A few hours later I raised a hand in early position and Jeff C reraised from the button up to 15K. I called. Then, before the hand was dealt I announced a "check in the dark". The flop came J,6,2. I had hit my set, but Jeff C checked behind me after my 'dark check'. Turn was a 9. I check again (knowing he'll bet). He bets 15K. I reraise to 30K and he calls. Turn brings another J. I bet out 30K and he eventually calls, but does not show his hand when I turn up my full house and win the pot. I now have around 250K and I was around the top 30 in chips in the entire tournament! Basically, I coasted around 250K, until we made it into the money at which point we brokedown our table and were moved to a new table.

A few pots played here and there and I was down to around 210K, but then I got AA for the second time in the tournament, and I was on the button (the best place to have cards). Someone raised 7K before me and I decided to simply smooth call my AA in order to disguised the strength of my hand. However, the BB (who has about 115-120K) reraised to 25K. The original raiser folded and here is where I think I made the mistake that eventually led to my elimination from the tournament. I delayed, but I pushed all-in. I thought I did my allin bet in a manor that would induce a call (afterall, he did reraise), but he ended up folding his hand, but only after several minutes of serious deliberation. He was visably upset to fold his hand, but he eventually did.Looking back, I should have just called and taken my chances against him hitting this flop. He would have bet any flop anyway. Therefore, I let this player get away and he still had around 90K in chips. A huuuuge mistake as it turns out. The very next hand I get KK. It comes around and I bet the usual 7K. The same player I had just played against goes allin for 90K. I figure he's on tilt, but it doesn't matter because I have KK and I call anyway. He shows 8,8. You guessed it, an 8 hits and he takes the pot, 190K. I still have 140K left, but I should be at 330K! Seven hands later I get JJ on the button with one raiser. I reraise to 25K. He goes all in. What would you do? I guess I could have laid it down, but I just got sucked out on in a big pot and I was a little on tilt, (also, this player who raised showed a nice bluff an hour earlier) so after 5-minutes of thinking about it, I called. He turns Q,Q. However, flop comes A,J,5. I hit my J for three Jack's!!! But, the turn and the river are still to come and you guessed it, a queen hit on the river. Game over.

So, by me playing my AA the way I did, I let that player keep most of his chips when he folded and in the very next hand, he used those chips to double up against me, which in which in turn sent me tilting into playing the next hand for all my chips. That being said, I honestly thought that player would call me when I went all in. The amount he bet/reraised was 30% of his chip stack, the way I had only called the other players preflop raise earlier meant I was probably not that strong (AA or KK) and by me making such a huge OVER bet, it should have looked like I was trying to push him off his hand, rather than looking for him to call me all in. Anyway, that was my thinking, it just didn't happen the way I had hoped.

Day 2 Hand Recaps

Out of the 1,630 players that played off on Day 2, I ended up in 38th chip position out of the 598 players that survived. That being said, it was another long (12-hours) day of poker. Here's how things began ...

I started off the day with $45K in chips, but after the first 2-hour session I had droppd down to 38K, by truthfully, getting out-played. There were no big hands, I just couldn't seem to get started when the preflop raises I made were constantly being reraised. The next two hour session was worse! I did not even play one single hand! I couldn't even play my LB or BB when raised. I have never seen such a bad run of cards before, live or playing on-line. I know pro poker players will say you don't need good cards to play in NL, but because my table was so aggressive reraising bets, I feared being stuck playing a marginal hand for all my chips if I played. So at the end of session 2, I was down to 32K. My luck turnd when on the button I had A,9 and I called a raise from early position from an aggressive player. I hit my A on the flop and he kept betting into me until the river when he checked and then I bet. He folded QQ and showed them to me. That brought me up to 46K. A few hands later I woke up with A,K in my BB when there were 4 limpers. I raised everyone out of the pot with a decent sized bet. Now, that play was key because the next round I woke up with 10,10 in my BB and the exact same situation occured. There were 4 limpers and I reaised. This time I was called by the table chip leader (and professional poker player + WSOP bracelet winner) Brian Wilson. Wilson had over $170,000 chips and he is a good player. Flop comes q,8,2. Since I bet pre, I raised right away 6K. He smooth calls. Turn is a K. I calmly bet 8K. Again, he smooth calls. I'm worried. River was a 2. I have 24K left and I bet 10K. He thinks, asks me how much I have left and then calls. I say to him, "nice call, you probably have it". I show my 10's and then unbelieveably, he shows 9,9. That pot put me over 70K.

I played two more interesting hands, before my "biggie". Juan Carlos Mortensen's wife, Cecelia was moved to our table. She raised preflop. I called with 55. There were two other callers. Flop comes 9,5,2 with 2-hearts. Cecelia bets 5K. I call with my set of 5's (in later position than her) and the two other players fold. Turn comes 10 of hearts. She checks, I bet 10K because the 3 hearts on the board scare me a little. She calls. River is 9 giving me my full house. She checks, I bet and she folds (she probably had A,K or A,Q). An hour or so later I have QQ, but she opens up and bets 4K from 1st position, which any decent poker player knows to be cautious with a player that bets "under the gun", so I just call with my QQ. Flop J,9,3. She checks, I check (I'll tell you why in a minute). Turn is another 3. She bets 4K. I call. River is a K. She bets 9K. If the bet was any larger I would have folded. I call and she flips over J,K and she made her 2-pair on the river. I thought about this hand afterwards and I think the only thing I could have done differently to win the hand was to push a big reraise to her after he initial bet (preflop) in order to get her to lay down preflop. However, that could have been dangerous if someone behind me had a big hand or if she herself had a big hand. Remember, my table was very aggressive. So I think I played it correctly. In fact, if I pushed harder after the flop, we both could have gotten all our chips into the pot when she hit top pair (of Jacks) on the flop and I had the over pair. That would have been great, except I would be broke right now because that K still came on the river. A very interesting hand to say the least...

This brings me to my "biggie". I had about 60K left after jousting with Cecelia and I picked up AA in early position. Ironically, it was the first time I had AA in two days of poker. Brian Wilson had been our table chip leader at $170,000, but he got caught in some big pots and had been dropped down to$25,000. The two previous hands to me catching AA, Brian had gone all in. Blinds were $600-$1,200 and antes were 200, so if you just scooped the pot, you got $3,800. Truth be told, I knew Brian would go over the top all-in on me. He was mad he had lost most of his chips, he had gone all-in twice in a row and won and to be honest, I think he was willing to simply just gamble in order to try to double up. You can read exactly how the hand played out on page 2 of the cardplayer.com Live Player Update Log, but if not, here's what happened. I preflop raised 4K. Brian goes all in for 35K, the player to his left takes a second, then says call. It is a dream situation for any poker player to have players all in when you have AA. I thought about just calling in order to 'slow-play' my AA, but then I realized the pot was alreay over $100,000 and I would prefer it if the third player folded, rather than take the chance and have to go up against two hands in the pot. So, I go all-in. By this time there were a lot of cameras and people around watching. The player took about 5-minutes to make his decision and he kept asking me questions like do you have AA, do you have qq, do you have A,K? He eventually called with KK and I won a huge pot when the board filled in 8,8,8,4,3. Wilson was eliminated and I was up over $150,000 in chips with 30-minutes left to play in the final session. What a way to finish the day!!!

I'd like to thank everyone for their well wishes and congratulations so far. However, it's important to note, I have not won a thing yet. There are still approximately 300 players that need to be eliminated before anyone makes a dime. So, even though I am in good position, as any NO LIMIT holdem player will tell you, you can lose everything on one hand or one 'bad beat'.

So, there is still a long way to go.

Day 2

I'm still alive!!!

I have $157,300 chips and the average players chip stack is around $75,000. There is a day off Thursday and then the remaining field (approx 575 players from yesterday 575 players from today), including me, play again on Friday. The prize pool has been announced and once the approximately 1,150 players reach the final 873, each player will then be "in the money". The total number total number of entries ended up being 8,730 players. Of note, San Bezant of Flanagan's fame, is also still alive. After several all-in's when he's been low stacked, he is at $46,000 chips. Unfortunately, Angus lynn was eliminated near the end of the session today when his 33 was beaten by 10,10.
Overall, I had a good day and I will post some of my hand results a little later tomrrow. However, if you want a sneak peak now, go to www.cardplayer.com and click on the update log, page two. Cardplayer recaps a big hand I played against 2005 WSOP Bracelet winner Brian Wilson. Depending on what time you log on, Cardplayer might also have the latest total ranking of chip counts posted.

Tourney Update

As it turns out, the 2006 WSOP has drawn more players than the original expected 8,000 entrants. At last count I heard there were well over 8,000 entrants because alternate players were allowed to enter each day. Due to so many players, there are multiple starting days. I played on Day 1C (the third starting day). Today (1D) is the final starting day. Tomorrow, the 800 odd survivors from Day 1A join the 800 odd survivors from 1B and they will play down from approximately 1,600 players to 700. Wednesday, 1C (San, Angus and I) and 1D will combine and also play down from 1,600 to 700. There is a scheduled break on Thursday and then the remaining field will finally all play on the same day when the final 1,400 play down to 600 (the money starts sometime this session).

I have seen a lot of the top pro's (Phil, Doyle, Daniel, etc.), but the only pro I played against is the lesser know Adam Schoenfeld. I only played with him for a few hours Sunday because players frequently are shifted as tables are broken down when players are eliminated. However, one of my goals this WSOP was to out play a pro heads up in a big pot. I am happy to say that the only hand I played against Adam I took down when I checked raised a low flop (when Adam had preflop raised and I called) and after Adam made his decent size after flop raise, he folded after I reraised. I don't know what he had, but it felt good to win a $10,000 chip pot off someone, that early in the tourney.

For more WSOP tournamnet daily schedules, go to www.worldseriesofpoker.com

For daily chip count results of this tournament, go to www.cardplayer.com (under thr 2006 Main Event tab).

Day 1

So far so good. I made it through Day 1 (after 15 hours of poker) and I have $45,025 chips. A few other Bermuda players made it through Day 1 as well. San Bezant is leading the way with $47,000 chips and Angus Lynn has got around $32,000. Not fairing as well were Keith Dunsmore, whose Aces up with 4's got beat by Aces up with 10's. Bob Burden built a chip stack up to $25,000 but two bad beats in a row including his A,J all in vs another players J,4 all in when the board read JJ5, only to send Bob to the rail when a river 4 hit. Equally as bad was David Cassidy's $30,000 chip stack going over to a female player when David flopped the nut straight, then calling her all in bet (she flopped two pair), only to see her fill in the full house on the river.

I played steady, but I did get fortunate one hand when I over-played an A,J vs an other players KK. He hit his set, but I made a flush on the river, whew. I didn't have AA all day, but I won my pots when I had KK and QQ-twice. I next play on Wednesday Aug 2nd. If I can somehow survive another 15-hour poker day Wednesday, I then play Friday. And if I do make it to Friday, some time during that session, the remaining players should make it into the money.

My plan is to keep playing steady poker. If I feel more comfortable after playing a few hours Wednesday, I might become slightly more agressive in the next session as many players remaining have lower chips stacks than I. I think the average chip count after day 1 will be around $25,000 each person and at the new table I will be sitting at when play begins Wednesday, I'll have the second highest chip stack (at my table).

Again, I haven't won anything yet, but so far so good....