O-Poker

Day 1 (1st Table)

I spent the two days off between my Day 1 and Day 2 at the WSOP trying to figure out the best strategy for playing the table that I would be seated at on Day 2. I knew that the table would be tough because David Chui was going to be seated to my immediate left and he had me out chipped nearly 3-1 (78k vs 28k). There were also several other stacks (around 60k) that were above the average at the table.

I talked over some strategy for playing against Chui and his massive stack with a few people that had played with him before. The general consensus was that he was going to re-raise a lot and that he check-raised a lot. My strategy was to play tight and push hard with a hand - thinking that maybe if I showed that I was willing to put a lot of chips in the middle he might not press as hard against me.

So, when Day 2 started I decided to start out playing tight and get a feel for the table while establishing a tight image. I was in Seat 7 with 28k. Chui was in Seat 8 with 78k. The guy in Seat 9 had lost the last hand of the night on Day 1 and had 1,700. Seat 10 had 58k.

Seat 9 busted on the 2nd hand of Day 2 and an EXTREMELY aggressive player was moved into his spot. He had about 50k in chips and had put some of the medium stacks all-in 3 times in the first 12 hands.

Key Hand 1
Blinds 250/500 with ante
I had bled down to around 24k after I missed a few flops with some small pairs and big aces and met serious resistance. I decided to start playing more aggressive and start taking some chances. I was dealt AQs in early position and raised to 1,500. Chui folds. Hyper-aggressive guy calls. Everyone else folds.
Flop was rainbow all low cards. I checked - wanting to see what hyper-aggressive would do. I was either going to fold to a flop bet by him or check-raise him if I thought he was just taking a stab at the pot. He checked behind.
Turn was a Queen!! Bingo - I was 95% sure that I had the best hand and almost as sure that he would bet if I checked to him. I checked and he bet 2,000. I raised to 6,000 and he flat called. (The flat call there kind of worried me.) The turn was harmless but gave straight possibilities. I checked with the intention of calling just about any bet by Hyper Agg on the river. He checked behind. I turned over AQ and he mucked.

Key Hand 2
My table broke after about 45 minutes to 1 hour!! I was pretty happy not to have Chui with a big stack and the hyper aggressive player both on my left anymore. I wasn't sure what the dynamics of my new table would be like, but I was pretty sure things could only get better.

Day 2 (Table 2)
The 2nd table that I was moved to on Day 2 couldn't have been more perfect. The largest stack at the table was around 40k and I had around 32k. Four of the players at the table had also played the entire Day 1 together at the same table. I didn't recognize anyone at the table. One player was very short stacked. Most of the pots were being taken down preflop by a raise.

Key Hand 3
Blinds 250/500 with ante
I was dealt a big ace (either AQ or AJ) in the BB after four other players had limped into the pot. I figured that it didn't really matter what two cards that I had. I could probably take down the 3,000 pot preflop with a big bet because most of the players had been pretty weak-tight and folded to raises preflop after limped. I raised to 2,500. All but one player fold. The guy that called had been pretty active and had taken down a lot of pots from the weak-tight players by floating or making continuation bets.
Flop all low cards. I check knowing that this guy is probably betting. He bet 2,500. I immediately raise to 7,500 hoping to represent that I have AA or KK and would be happy to take down the pot right there. He thinks for about five minutes and folds after saying, "OK. I believe you." I am thinking he probably had 99, 1010, A10-AQ.

This put me up to about 38k. I was actually chip leader at this table when we hit the first break. Things were going well. I had increased my stack from 28k to 38k during the 1st level of play. I felt like I was playing great and making great reads.

After 1st Break
I had been card dead for a while and had to fold to some raises when I knew people had big hands. I had bled down to around 29k. Several of the players had started getting a lot more aggressive and there where some big pots. One guy busted out with AK vs KK. We were now playing 9 handed.

Phil Ivey
I remember thinking (after the five seat busted out), "I hope the empty seat doesn't get filled by a tough player or an extemely aggressive player with a ton of chips." The table was great and I wanted it to stay that way.

About 10 minutes later I look up and see Phil "Fucking" Ivey pulling out the chair to Seat 5. (I was sitting in Seat 2.) I don't think we could have gotten a tougher player brought to the table. One of the guys asked if he could take his picture when he got to the table. The entire table changed completely when he sat down.

It was pretty awesome to be sitting at the Main Event of the WSOP with the best poker player in the world sitting three to your left. I had decided that I had Ivey covered and I wouldn't be scared to play a pot against him for all my chips.

Ivey was relatively short stacked and seemed like he was willing to gamble quite a bit. He also seemed a little frustrated. He called down a guy's smallish bets the whole way on a 79925 board with 3 spades on board and then mucked when the guy showed quad 9s. As he was mucking he picked up the two nines on the board, shook his head in disbelief and threw the back towards the dealer.

A few hands later came the following hand (which I previously posted):

I had about 32k in chips and tried to steal the blinds with AJ with a 2k raise. There were 4 callers including Phil Ivey for a pot just under 10k. I pretty much decided that I was done with the hand unless a Jack came on the flop.
The flop came J52. I bet 4k and Ivey raised to 8k. I really didn't think he would raise with a set. I thought there was about 33% chance he had a hand with a Jack, 33% chance he had an overpair, and a 33% chance he was trying to see how strong my hand was and take down the pot right there. I had him covered by (I thought about 16k) 12k and decided to push all in. He immediately called with top set (JJ). The turn brought an Ace, so if I had called his raise, all of the money would have probably gone in on the turn.

I have to admit the thought, "Wow, imagine the story I will have if I bust Phil Ivey out of the WSOP." went through my head between the time I decided I was going all-in and actually said "All-in." Instead I was left with the story of how I was donked off so many of my chips to Ivey.

I was out a few hands later when I had 9k in chips and pushed against an early position raiser with 1010. The guy thought for a while and then called 2/3rds of his stack with AQ. Flop was 777. Turn was a Q and I was out. In hindsight, I was probably steaming a little after the Ivey hand and probably should have just flat called preflop and pushed on any flop without and ace.

I am very happy with how I played for most of the event and think my experience will help me greatly at the next major tourney that I play. I didn't see many premium hands over the course of the tourney but managed to gradually increase my stack without ever having my chips at risk until the end.

I'll get 'em next year. ;)