USPC 2002
I started third in chips today in the USPC. Good field of 74 players.
The Taj also added a 100th Anniversary Harley and a Rolex to the prize fund. Why they waited until the tourney started to announce the added prizes I'll never know, but kudos to the Taj for the added money. They had a very good structure that I would have called great if they had added an 8000-16000 level. As it stands now, tomorrow they will go from 3000-6000 to 5000-10000 to 10000-20000 in 75 minutes. That is simply too fast at the crucial time. The structure leading up to this was close to ideal though.
I started the day with 56,000 and quickly got to 86,000. I then ran into AA with KK and lost 40,000. Maybe I could have gotten away from it, but I have no regrets about the hand.
I treaded water for many hours until this heartbreaker came up. We are down to 14 handed. 1000-2000 blinds, I have 44,700. Seven handed at our table with the tightest player in the big blind. John Juanda knows this and opens for 6000. I look down at QQ, yum! I consider moving in quickly as this might arouse suspicion in John and maybe I get called by a smaller pair. Instead I decide to raise 15,000 to 21,000. I am totally committed now. It gets to the BB and she thinks for about a minute and moves in for 32,000. John immediately moves all in. I am sick. If the BB folded I would have to call John as there would be a decent chance my hand is good. But now I know John probably has AA or KK. There is a small chance he has AK. The problem is I feel that I have the BB beat, and if John has AK I would be making a horrible fold. Further complicating the situation, I am getting about 4-1 for my remaining 23,700, almost the right price to draw at the AA. But, as Sklansky will tell you, the 23, 700 is worth a lot more than 23,700. After an agonizing two minutes, maybe three, I fold. Big blind has JJ, John has AA. I'm happy I folded. Then the flop comes: 8-8-10....6.....Q!!!!!! Anything but the QUEEN! I now spend the next ten minutes thinking about how many things had to fall just right for me to fold. I win if I had raised a few more thousand to start with, if I had just moved in, or if the BB hadn't played.
After the dinner break, I hang on for an hour with low chips. I finally get my money in with AQ vs. 88 in a 90,000 pot. No help and I finish 11th. They are paying 9 spots. It will take me at least a day to realize that there will be other tourneys and the world has not come to an end.