WSOP Update

So we made it to Vegas safely...

Stewman's flight arrived around 10:00am and I drove in, arriving at about 11:00am.

We checked in and immediately got down to business. We got to the Rio at noon and we were both playing our first satellite by 12:30.

Stewman will blog more about his satellite later.

I was disappointed to hear that the Rio was not running two-winner single table satellites after all. I was stuck with a $325, one winner take all $3,120.

I bought into my first satellite and took my seat at table 211, seat 4.

Early on, I picked up some hands and was able to double up my starting chip stack of 1500 to over 3000 in the first two orbits.

When I get chips, I like to play aggressive and put other players to the test. People were respecting my raises until I picked up 3 big hands in a row and was first to open each pot.

The third time, I was dealt KK in the cutoff.

One limped UTG, so I bumped it to 150 with blinds at 25/50 and the button, BB and original limper all called.

The flop came out Q-6-3 with two hearts. I had the King of Hearts. The BB checked, the original limper checked and I bet out 300. The button folded, the BB folded and the original limper raised me 500 to 800. I put him on a big queen, so I pushed He insta-called and showed pocket 3s for a flopped set. The turn and river brick and he wins the pot for 2800.

After that hand, I really didn't pick up many hands.

We got down to 6 handed and I was about average stack when the short-stack UTG raised it to 600 with blinds at 100/300. I was in the BB and looked down at 66. It was 400 more for me to call, but the UTG raiser only had 900 behind and figured that if I call here, I was playing for all my chips on the flop anyway. I had 1300 more in chips and pushed. He called and showed K-J offsuit and we're off to the races.

Needless to say, he flopped his K and scooped the pot.

A couple hands later, severely short stacked and on the button, it was folded around to me. Without even looking at my cards, I pushed for my last 400 chips with blinds at 100/200 and the BB makes the call. He shows AA.

He flops his 3rd ace.

And rivers his 4th ace.

I'm out.

I go back to the satellite line and wait for what seemed like FOREVER for them to call another $325 satellite. When they FINALLY call the game, I draw seat one (I hate seat one) and head to the table.

We agree on a 5-way last longer bet for $100. Awe, what the hell, right?

On the first hand, a player in MP brings in a raise for 75 (blinds at 25/25) and gets 5 callers. Lots of action on the flop, again big action of the turn and the winner on the river scoops a big pot for the first pot of the tourney.

I picked up AK twice in 4 hands, raised both times and bricked the flop. On one hand, I made a continuation bet of half the pot and got a caller and had to check-fold the turn.

With blinds at 50/100, a guy raises to 450 in EP and I look down at KK on the button. I only have about 1600 left, so I push and the original raiser is committed. He calls and shows AQ. My KK holds up and I double through him.

I played pretty solid for the next hour or so, as the guy in seat 10 proceeds to bust every single player. I'm not exaggerating. He busted every player.

When we were down to 3 handed, seat 10 had a 10-to-1 chip lead on me and the other guy. I told myself that if I were going to stand a chance, I would have to double through seat 10 before we got to heads-up. Even if it meant moving in on his BB with a sub-par hand, the only way I stood a fraction of a chance was to get him to call my all-in.

In my BB (blinds 500/1000), he raises to 3000 from the SB. I look down at AJ and push. He quickly calls and shows 88.

I look up to the poker gods and yell "ONE TIME! WIN A RACE!" I hit my Ace on the flop, then a Jack on the turn and just for good measure, river another Ace.

That was enough to have about 5 times more chips than the third guy and I knew I just had to wait until the blinds ate up that third player. And you know what, when the binds went up, he pushed and seat 10 called and knocked him out.

As soon as we got to heads-up I immediately proposed a deal. He had 14,600 in chips to my 5,400. Since he had me 3-to-1, I offered a chop of the $3,620 prize pool (we were both in the last longer bet that had $500 in it. He agreed to give me $1,000 cash and he took the $3,000 in tournament chips plus $120 cash and tipped out the dealer for us.

So, after two satellites, I'm up... but barely up. After dinner tonight, I'm going to make another run at it and try two more.

~NBA~