World Poker Tour Championship 2003
I have been looking forward to this event for almost a year. It has been a long time since I felt that way about a tournament.
The atmosphere surrounding this event reminded me of the 10k WSOP 15 years ago. Back then, it was not a given that a good player would get into the 10k event. Supers weren't run every day. I remember trying to play in the 10k event my first trip and I ended up on the sidelines after failing to win one of my three one table satellites. I noticed a lot of good players didn't play the Bellagio 25k event. It made those of us that were in the tournament feel privileged to get the chance to play. One nice touch by the Bellagio was the hors d'oeuvres that were served throughout each day.
I drew a poor starting table. I had Doyle to my right with Huck Seed and Erik Seidel to my left. Play at my table seemed to be appropriate for the structure. No one went broke, and Erik ended the day with the lowest stack at 35,000. With 50,000 in chips and the day ending with 100-200 blinds w/25 ante, it should take quite a cooler to go broke. I didn't feel like taking a lot of risks to double up would be worth it. Having 100,000 versus 50,000 at the end of day 1 would not increase your chances of winning nearly enough to justify a large increase in your day 1 ruin chances.
Now a couple of hands from day 1:
50-100 blinds. I make it 300 with QQ on the button, Huck calls in the SB and the BB folds. Flop comes 55T. Huck checks and I bet 500. Huck calls. Turn comes a 6. Huck checks and I check. I don't want to risk a large re-raise and I increase my chances of getting paid off by a 10 on the river. River comes a 7. Huck checks and I bet 2000. Huck calls. I proudly show my QQ and Huck shows KK!! To say that day one plays differently would be an understatement.
100-200 blinds. Doyle opens the button for 700; I raise 2000 in the small blind with AQ. Doyle calls. Oops!! I hate my hand but the flop comes Qs8h6h. I bet 4000, and Doyle moves all-in. I want to go find a nice rock to hide under as I fold. Not much else happens day 1 and I finish the day with about 44,000.
I am happy that there will be a re-draw. That is, until I see my new table. In seat order my table is Hellmuth, Erickson, Plastik, Seed, Ivey, Costa, Me, Juanda and an open seat. Our table is on the rail and it will not break all day. A large crowd gathers. Paul Magriel (X-22) is moved to the 9 seat after a few minutes.
200-400 blinds w/50 ante. I limp UTG with 66, X-22 makes it 2200, Ivey calls and I call. Since X has been known to over play his hands, I like the implied odds I am getting for flopping a set. The flop comes 69Q. I check and X bets 2 of each chip which totals 13,250. Ivey folds and I put X in for about 18,000 more. He has 87s and calls. When the turn comes a 9, I knock Paul out and have more than 80,000 in front of me.
Soon after, David Plastik goes broke. Now the next table breaks, and Jack brings us Erik Seidel in the 3 seat and Scotty Nguyen in the 9 seat. You must be kidding. I feel like this might be the toughest tournament table ever assembled. As much as I hated being at this table, it was a distinct pleasure to watch the poker. I feel like everybody rose to the occasion and the level of play was very high. You really had to earn every chip.
300-600 blinds w/100 ante. Ivey opens UTG and I look at AsKh. I make it 6000. I don't want to fool with Ivey's big stack (over 200,000). Juanda now raises me 10,700 more. He leaves himself with 22,000. I should be in a lot of trouble here but I get the feeling like Juanda might be trying to push me around. He is a very good bully, and I feel like raising me after I come over Ivey might be a spot Juanda was looking for. Ivey opens a lot of pots and he knows I am not waiting for AA to come over Ivey. I decide to call. The flop comes 2s4s2h. I check. I decide that if Juanda checks I am probably against KK or AA. But, if he bets the flop, I will not fold. He makes a very strange bet of 6000, and I move him in for 16,000 more. He folds!! Wow, I now have about 110,000.
300-600 blinds w/100 ante. Ivey opens in middle position, and I call with TT. I want to look at a flop and play a pot with him in position. Flop comes 8d5d3s. Ivey bets 7000 and I call. I have no read at this point but I have to call. Turn comes a Ks and he bets 15,000. I get the distinct feeling that he wants me to fold. I am now pretty sure I have the best hand. The question is, what should I do about it? If I raise 30,000 and I am wrong, I am down to about 50,000. I am also worried that I might get bluffed if I raise. A raise also kills any chance I have of catching a bluff on the river. I call. I am still not sure I made the right play here, but I know it can't be a horrible mistake. The river comes an 8s. Ivey bets 25,000. There no turning back now and I call. He shows me Ah8h. Ughh!! The raise on the turn would have worked, but given his hand, I think my call was the correct play.
I am reeling with about 55,000. The rest of the day was very frustrating. I did not pick up many hands and when I did, I was either beat or did not make much. I struggled to finish day 2 with about 32,000.
I draw my third horrible table. Chip Reese, Layne Flack, Alan Cunningham and the ever present Erik Seidel grace my table. The blinds are 800-1600 w/200 ante. I pick up no hands for three rounds and Flack seems like he is in every hand. I call a raise and miss the flop. I am now down to about 20,000 when I pick up AA. Chip opens and I move in and he calls with TT. My aces hold up and I now have 44,000.
A little while later, Layne opens for 5000 and I call with 44 on the button. The flop comes Q52 and he bets 6000. There is now 20,000 in the pot and I feel like my hand is good against a decent percentage of Layne's holdings. I also feel like an all-in raise might get him to fold some of the other hands that have me beat. I raise about 30,000 all-in. He thinks for about two agonizing minutes and decides to call with TT. Great call by Layne, and I am now on the rail. I have enough time to get to the Horseshoe for the 2k LHE, but I feel like I would have just steamed off my tear stained chips if I had played.
The post tournament depression that set in for a day reminded me of how I used to feel after getting knocked out of the 10k WSOP in years past. It used to be a one year wait for your next 10k tournament after the WSOP. Now there are many 10k tournaments, but there is only one 25k. The thrilling highs and the brutal lows of big buy-in tournament poker are addicting. I, for one, am hooked.