Playing in WSOP event #39 in 2009 was truly an amazing and eye-opening experience. I could not have accomplished what I did without the support of my friends and family to which I am eternally grateful.
I owe an epilogue of sorts to my friends, family and myself. It's a time to pause and evaluate how my game fits in with the professional world of poker. I think that I am -- at best -- a scratch golfer in the vast world of professional world class play. I think my game needs a helluva lot of work, but on the flip side, I think that I have also accomplished a lot.
I lasted into the 8th level of play (400 /800 /75a), played poker for 10 hours and finished in 580th place out of 2715 entrants. I out lasted two WSOP bracelet winners who were at my table, and many larger stacked pros as well. My best hand all day was a runner-runner nut flush and I did not flop a set all day – nor was there a full house. The blind structure and hour-long levels afforded me the opportunity to play my game. I needed to get lucky a few times and I did, but not lucky enough.
The first hand dealt to me was big slick and I raised to 200 and picked up blinds, so I was on my way. After level one, my starting stack went to 5000, from 4500. I never had over 10,000 in chips all day.
Level two jammed me pretty bad, when I was dealt AQ offsuit in the small blind. The big blind was a young pro who was truly and excellent poker play. With blinds at 100/200, he called my 500 raise. I missed the flop completely as the board delivered 3 hearts. I made a continuation bet of 600 and he called. The turn brought a blank and we check/checked. The river brought my queen, but it was the fourth heart. I fired 1000 at the pot (not having a heart) and he went into the tank. Not sure if he was acting, but he came back and raised me all-in. I had to fold. At the end of Level 2, I was down to 2,400 chips. I knew I had time, and I knew could be patient. I managed to fight back and rake a few hands on some pre-flop raises.
A critical moment came at level 4. With blinds at 100/200, a very aggressive pro to my right raised to 600 from under the gun. I thought it was a call (rookie mistake) and tossed in 200. My options were to fold the hand or complete the bet. At first I
wanted to fold, but my holding was strong. It was KQ suited. I thought I was doing to be dominated….But I decided to complete the raise. I only had about 4000 in chips. Action goes around to the button who either saw the confusion or had a big hand. He raised the action to 1600! The original raiser folds and I decided to see a flop. Flop comes King/Queen rag and I check my two pair. The re-raiser goes all in and I call immediately. He flips over pocket Aces and my two pair holds up! This wild comedy of errors yielded me and 8,500 pot!
Very next hand I am dealt A/10 suited and I flop top pair, top kicker. I fired out a 1000 after the flop and the button re-raised me to 3000. For some reason, I put him on a set and folded. I was trying to trust my gut and not lose it all on one pair.
One time, I re-raised all-in with pocket Kings after I limped in. The table was very aggressive and I knew that the young pro who flushed my non-flush earlier would be re-raising. He folded to me on the all-in re-raise and I scooped up a nice pot.
I cracked the other pro at the table when there was timid action in a hand. I varied my play and limped in with AK suited. Flop brought one club and there was a 6 way check. Turn brought the second club and the Bracelet guy fired 400 into a 1,000 pot.
Everyone folded to me and I called with the nut-flush draw. River brought the 3rd club and the NUTs. I tossed 1,000 into the pot and he eventually called. I flipped over the nuts and had close to 8000 in chips. I never had more than 10,000 in chips.
I folded big slick on a huge re-raise before the dinner break. It was the other pro at the table who re-raised me -- Captain Tom Franklin of Doyle's room. He won a WSOP Omaha bracelet in 1999. Tom was a really nice guy and smart man. He knew what people were holding most of the time or had a narrowed range of hands. He was very chatty, a poker ambassador for sure.
In the hand with Tom, I raised to 1000, with blinds at 150/300, and he went over the top to 4,000. He knew I was playing tight. Maybe he thought I would fold. He said, that I had only one live card. I put him on Kings, though I'm not sure what he had.
Dinner came and I had a little over 5,000 in chips. I was one of only two players left from the Florida crew. With blinds at 300/600-50, I had to make my one move. But the hand took a while to get there. At least three rotations, before I was dealt QQ with under 4000 in chips. They held up against KJ and I was up to 8500. But the bleeding continued at this level.
By the time 400/800-75 came around, I was down to about 7,400 in chips. With about 2000 in the middle, an early position guy raised my blind to 1,600. I was looking at A6 suited. In retrospect, I could have called to see a flop. I had read recently that an all-in push gives you two chances to win the hand. First, the guy can fold
outright and second, you can always out draw him. I decided to push all-in from
the BB. He thought it over for a minute, looked up at the clock and called the hand. He flipped over 99 with one of my hearts. The Flop brought an over-card to his 9 and two hearts. The turn and river blanked and I was out in 580th place. After the flop hit, I has a underdog at 46%, according to the poker calculator. I guess, I'll be left wondering if I just called the bet, if he would have folded to the over-card on the board. After the flop hit I think it would be doubtful.
The people I sat with were very nice and professional. There was no weak play. If anyone was a fish at the table, it was me. I'm proud of my play. I intend to be more realistic about poker going forward and I want to take what I learned in the WSOP to make me a better poker player.
I hope to be back next year !
19 good poker players are assembled for our "Big Game". Months of hard work are coming down to a day at the felt...maybe a day a destiny. This Saturday.
