DAY 9 in the Big Vegas House
It's taken me a while to pluck up the courage to write about the biggest day of my poker career. For various reasons, I just haven't had the guts or thought anyone had much interest now in the day's events.
But I guess it is the right thing to do to finish the experience off literally.
As mentioned before, day 3 meant I didn't get to bed until 3am and when I finally nodded off got first a call from Betfair at 4am wanting to ask me questions about their site, then a text from a mate wishing me well at 7:30 so this of course meant I had little sleep. This was all completely my own fault as I used my phone for an alarm and neglected to turn off the phone signal. Further proof that I really wasn't functioning on all cylinders.
Nevertheless, I had a little matter of the WSOP day 3 to contend with which was the first day that every remaining player was congregated in the same room. I think the average chipstack was around 100k and I had 75k, feeling a bit lowstacked and determined not to fizzle away as I did last year.
I was hoping for an easy table and my eyes were squinting harder than ever hoping what I saw in my sb was not 100% correct. It was...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SeWg0xZL-bk
There was a massive 250k stack to AJ's left and two 200k stacks to my right. Paul (ActionJack) had approx. 130k. So I felt that I would be needing to stand my ground on occasion.
As it turned out, Paul made me feel very comfortable and calmed me down when I said I was going out with a bang, not a fizzle. Ultimately, his calming influence was more of a help after I had worked my way up to 140,000 and then lost a monster pot and was ready to explode. That pot has haunted me ever since and I struggle to talk about it, but I guess it is best to get it out of the way for all to pull apart. As it happened, Paul said there was every chance he would have called too, but he may well have been just making me feel better.
The history: this Austrian guy had wanted to play every pot and the previous hand he called from mid position and then a 30k bet on the river holding just A3 on an A high board. Unfortunately, this slighlty influenced my demise.
I was playing hot, on a high and building my stack to a comfortable in-the-money position. There was 1/2 hour left in this session's play and I had gone from 79k to 150k. I knew the money was approaching and was looking forward to bullying a few stacks around, something I didn't have in me last year. I had all sorts of things going round in my head and the pills were making me float. I needed a massage but was waiting for the break.
The details are hazy and somewhat irrelevant, but I will try to re-create the hand as best I can. Blinds and bet sizes are all guesswork and aimed at protecting my stupidity! I got the mediocre holding of A7 with Austrian on the button. Easy to say now, but why didn't I just bin it? Well, I took the second best option and chose to raise with it. I guess the blinds were 800/1600 with 200 antes and I raised to 5000. Only the Austrian called so the estimate is 14k in the pot.
Flop comes Ac 8s 2d and I make a standard continuation bet with top pair of 7k. Called. I begin thinking he may have me outkicked but also that he may have something daft like A3 again. 28k in pot.
Turn 7d. Bingo. Now I pray he has A3. I bet out 15k and amazingly he re-raises to 35k. I do not want to go out with this hand so now want to keep the pot small. Not easy from here as I know another bullet is coming, but if he has 88 or 22, this is sick. I call after a long long thought. Pot now 98k ish.
River is 3d and I hope that card will stop the betting with 3 diamonds on board. I check. He bets out 40k. Not what I wanted at all. Why didn't it scare him? Why did he bet so big? Why is my head spinning and sweating? Is this really the wsop main event? How much will I have left if I fold? (As it happened, at least 20k more than I started the session with). Is he bluffing? He must be bluffing. Runner runner diamond and he is betting at it? Would he do that with a set? I took so long and think I knew I was beat when I eventually said call. He had 8d Td. I felt sick.
I was down to a little over 50k and finished the session on 45k and ready to throw in the towel. I suffered the second session and began realising I was fizzling out just as I had told myself I would not do. There were raises and re-raises all over and I was waiting for a moment that just didn't arrive. All players were playing in the manner I had decided I would play as we approached the bubble. But the only chance I had to make any raise was from under the gun and my cards just didn't give me that chance.
I returned from the dinner break short-stacked. All the way down the green mile from my room I had listened to 'the secret' to try to gain inspiration.
The situation is summed up here...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvlnI-6qhUs
I was full of beans and told all the aggressive players at the table that I was taking no prisoners as it seemed for the last 5 hours, they had been raising relentlessly. So the message was clear, trying to get them to slow down a bit. Whatever they did, I was re-raising allin. First hand I am on the button and got my chips ready to push without looking. Bearing in mind I had not had a hand for almost 6 hours and there had been no opportunity to raise as someone always raised before me, it was unlikely they would take much notice. But on this occasion they did... and I looked down to see QQ! No caller. Just typical.
A few hands later and blinds had eaten me again. I pushed from probably the cut-off with A9 hoping to pick up the blinds. Immediate call and I look down to see my nemesis KK. It just had to end that way. A great flop of 78T gave me great hope but it wasn't meant to be and I finished something like 40 off the money ($21,000 minimum).
I can't really remember too much of the rest of the day. I know they had Karaoke in the lounge as I have some video clips...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zN-Ki3ZprZs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nI7L73J_ROY
But no matter how much Mad Marty begged me, I could not bring myself to get up and sing. Eventually I gave in and went to my room to get changed out of my poker gear and into something a bit smarter. I returned at only 11pm ish to find them clearing away the Karaoke gear. Just about summed my day up.
Sorry if it sounded like depression set in. It had.
Feel free to give the rubdown on the play that killed me. I have been doing it for days.
But I guess it is the right thing to do to finish the experience off literally.
As mentioned before, day 3 meant I didn't get to bed until 3am and when I finally nodded off got first a call from Betfair at 4am wanting to ask me questions about their site, then a text from a mate wishing me well at 7:30 so this of course meant I had little sleep. This was all completely my own fault as I used my phone for an alarm and neglected to turn off the phone signal. Further proof that I really wasn't functioning on all cylinders.
Nevertheless, I had a little matter of the WSOP day 3 to contend with which was the first day that every remaining player was congregated in the same room. I think the average chipstack was around 100k and I had 75k, feeling a bit lowstacked and determined not to fizzle away as I did last year.
I was hoping for an easy table and my eyes were squinting harder than ever hoping what I saw in my sb was not 100% correct. It was...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SeWg0xZL-bk
There was a massive 250k stack to AJ's left and two 200k stacks to my right. Paul (ActionJack) had approx. 130k. So I felt that I would be needing to stand my ground on occasion.
As it turned out, Paul made me feel very comfortable and calmed me down when I said I was going out with a bang, not a fizzle. Ultimately, his calming influence was more of a help after I had worked my way up to 140,000 and then lost a monster pot and was ready to explode. That pot has haunted me ever since and I struggle to talk about it, but I guess it is best to get it out of the way for all to pull apart. As it happened, Paul said there was every chance he would have called too, but he may well have been just making me feel better.
The history: this Austrian guy had wanted to play every pot and the previous hand he called from mid position and then a 30k bet on the river holding just A3 on an A high board. Unfortunately, this slighlty influenced my demise.
I was playing hot, on a high and building my stack to a comfortable in-the-money position. There was 1/2 hour left in this session's play and I had gone from 79k to 150k. I knew the money was approaching and was looking forward to bullying a few stacks around, something I didn't have in me last year. I had all sorts of things going round in my head and the pills were making me float. I needed a massage but was waiting for the break.
The details are hazy and somewhat irrelevant, but I will try to re-create the hand as best I can. Blinds and bet sizes are all guesswork and aimed at protecting my stupidity! I got the mediocre holding of A7 with Austrian on the button. Easy to say now, but why didn't I just bin it? Well, I took the second best option and chose to raise with it. I guess the blinds were 800/1600 with 200 antes and I raised to 5000. Only the Austrian called so the estimate is 14k in the pot.
Flop comes Ac 8s 2d and I make a standard continuation bet with top pair of 7k. Called. I begin thinking he may have me outkicked but also that he may have something daft like A3 again. 28k in pot.
Turn 7d. Bingo. Now I pray he has A3. I bet out 15k and amazingly he re-raises to 35k. I do not want to go out with this hand so now want to keep the pot small. Not easy from here as I know another bullet is coming, but if he has 88 or 22, this is sick. I call after a long long thought. Pot now 98k ish.
River is 3d and I hope that card will stop the betting with 3 diamonds on board. I check. He bets out 40k. Not what I wanted at all. Why didn't it scare him? Why did he bet so big? Why is my head spinning and sweating? Is this really the wsop main event? How much will I have left if I fold? (As it happened, at least 20k more than I started the session with). Is he bluffing? He must be bluffing. Runner runner diamond and he is betting at it? Would he do that with a set? I took so long and think I knew I was beat when I eventually said call. He had 8d Td. I felt sick.
I was down to a little over 50k and finished the session on 45k and ready to throw in the towel. I suffered the second session and began realising I was fizzling out just as I had told myself I would not do. There were raises and re-raises all over and I was waiting for a moment that just didn't arrive. All players were playing in the manner I had decided I would play as we approached the bubble. But the only chance I had to make any raise was from under the gun and my cards just didn't give me that chance.
I returned from the dinner break short-stacked. All the way down the green mile from my room I had listened to 'the secret' to try to gain inspiration.
The situation is summed up here...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvlnI-6qhUs
I was full of beans and told all the aggressive players at the table that I was taking no prisoners as it seemed for the last 5 hours, they had been raising relentlessly. So the message was clear, trying to get them to slow down a bit. Whatever they did, I was re-raising allin. First hand I am on the button and got my chips ready to push without looking. Bearing in mind I had not had a hand for almost 6 hours and there had been no opportunity to raise as someone always raised before me, it was unlikely they would take much notice. But on this occasion they did... and I looked down to see QQ! No caller. Just typical.
A few hands later and blinds had eaten me again. I pushed from probably the cut-off with A9 hoping to pick up the blinds. Immediate call and I look down to see my nemesis KK. It just had to end that way. A great flop of 78T gave me great hope but it wasn't meant to be and I finished something like 40 off the money ($21,000 minimum).
I can't really remember too much of the rest of the day. I know they had Karaoke in the lounge as I have some video clips...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zN-Ki3ZprZs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nI7L73J_ROY
But no matter how much Mad Marty begged me, I could not bring myself to get up and sing. Eventually I gave in and went to my room to get changed out of my poker gear and into something a bit smarter. I returned at only 11pm ish to find them clearing away the Karaoke gear. Just about summed my day up.
Sorry if it sounded like depression set in. It had.
Feel free to give the rubdown on the play that killed me. I have been doing it for days.
posted by richlizard at
8:52 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home