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2011 WSOP

Event 28

Buy-In: $1,500

Number of Entries: 2,500

Total Net Prize Pool: $3,375,000

Number of Places Paid: 270

First Place Prize: $599,153

They have a new room at the Rio this year. This tournament was in the Pavilion which is across the hall from the Amazon. It is a nice room. At one end there is a stage where they presented bracelets throughout the day to winners of just finished tournaments.

Table 120 Seat 3

Even though I did not cash, this might have been my best run. Last year I left the Rio thinking I did not play my best poker. I played scared, and good poker players can sense that. You can't fold your way to the money. This year I was determined to play smart but try to be a little more aggressive.

I did not play a ton of hands but I did not fold decent hands. I always know when someone complaigns about the hands you play that you have set them up for when you did have a hand. There was two pots late in the after noon that saved my bacon, and I know it was because I had stolen a couple pots.

Day 1

Time	Notes from the tournament
Level 1 Chip count $5,300	This blind level was pretty quiet. The button took most pots. I raised on the button pretty much every time. This allowed me to get calls a couple times when I did have hands. I won an $800 pot early with AK. But also won a couple with weak A's. A good start. I think the guy to my left was a pro. He seemed to be very confident and made a couple amazing calls. The player to his left ran his mouth alot and played too many pots. Other that that the rest of the table seemed to be amateurs playing fairly timid.
Level 2 Chip count $5,850	One hand of particular note was me being a little overly aggressive with a Q-9 of hearts in the cutoff position. I made a small raise. The big blind was starting to get frustrated with me and called. As luck would have it I flopped a flush. I bet the flop hoping he would think I was making a continuation bet. He called. I checked the turn to let him take a shot at the pot. He did, I reraised and he called. He also called my tiny bet on the river. Threw his cards when I showed the Q high flush. He was soon out of the tournament. I also won a small pot when my K-Q hit.
Level 3 Chip count $6,850	Very quiet except one hand that where I was in the small blind and limped with an A-Q. I flopped an Ace. I checked/called on the flop, and made small bets at the turn and river. Took down the pot.
Level 4 Chip count $8,375 Table 155 Seat 6	Our table got broken up and I moved to Table 155 Seat 6. Very interesting table. There was really only one guy at the table that impressed me. Lots of small stacks. There was two very strange young men at the table. Both in hoodies. One of them really stared me down on a hand that I raised preflop. I stared back for about 5 seconds then couldn't take it any more and started laughing. The guy next to me said yep, that was quite a stare for a $300 raise. I agreed. Some players obviously watch too much tv.
Level 5 Chip count $10,950	They say you need to get lucky in these tournaments. I called a $1,500 all in with an A-J, the player turned over an A-Q. I hit my J on the river. Lucky is good. My biggest hand of the day. I called a raise from the big blind with pocket 7's. The flop came A-7-3. I am sure the guy had a big ace. I checked and called the flop. I then checked raised the turn. Won a very nice pot.
Level 6 Chip count $13,250 940 players left Avg chip count is $12,000 Table 34 Seat 3	Our table was broken up during this blind level. I was moved to Table 34 Seat 3. This was a much tougher table with 4 known pros, and some large stacks. I did not know them but a guy from Chicago that I was talking to told me about them. One of the pros was a young guy from England. I think they said he had 12 cashes but no final tables. My only unsuccessful bluff of the day was against him. I was playing with Q-J and flopped an open ended straight. So I bet the flop, turn, and river. I did not make the straight but hit my J on the river. I made a pretty good bet hoping he would fold, but he called with 2 pair, J's and 9's. That hand was painful. I thought it may have cost me the tournament, but a couple hands latter I got into a hand with one of the other known pros. I thought it was Johnny Chan at first, but it wasn't. He raised, I called on the button with A-Q. Bingo, flop was A-Q trash. I knew the second he bet the flop that I had him. I was pretty sure he was pushing with a weaker Ace. He was very aggressive. So I just called the flop and turn and did not raise until the river. The interesting part is there was over $10,000 in the pot and I went all in with only $1,500 over his bet. He actually folded. I told him right there that was the fold of the tournament.
6:45 PM	Dinner Break.

Dinner

Wish we never broke for dinner. As you will see when we got back I went so cold I could not even steal a pot. My button hands all seemed to be 7-2 or 5-2 or 6-2. It was very frustrating.

Back to the game

Time	Notes from the tournament
Level 7 700 players left Chip count $10,500 Avg chip count is $16,000	Did not play a single hand. Pros were raising every hand and I had no ammo to go against them.
Level 8 572 players left Chip count $11,750 Avg chip count is $19,000	Played one hand and it was a tough one. I was getting to a point where I thought I needed to make a move. The pros at the other end had absolute control of the table. So I raised from middle position with the best hand I had seen. A K-10 of clubs. One of the aggressive pros reraised from the big blind. I did not really want to see a flop, so I 3 bet the hand. Lucky for me he folded.
Level 9 450 players left Chip count $8,300 Avg chip count is $22,000	A big fat 0. Nothing. Nothing even close to a playable hand.
Level 10 405 players left Chip count $0	I was 30 minutes from making it to day 2. I had $8,300 in chips. The blinds and antis were getting pretty high. I had to decide do I fold out and make it to day 2 with no chips? We was still a long way from the money. I came to a hand where I was on the button and everyone folded to me. I had a Q-J of diamonds. Do I fold? The big blind was $800. I figured that was hand, so I raised to $2,300 thinking the chances were I would just take the blinds. The big blind had A-K so he re-raised enough to put me all in. I called. When a Queen came on the flop I had reason to hope. But unfortunately a King came on the river and I was done.

I am done

Maybe I should have folded. Maybe my next hand would have been A-A. Who knows. But I was happy with the way I played and I enjoyed it very much.

I am not sure what my final finish was. They have a new tracking system at the WSOP and they display it on video boards real time. But the problem is that is a little behind the actual play. It read 405 when I left but it could have been a few places lower.