ThePokerResource.net: A Rounder’s blog

There are so many different sayings or strategies for day 1. Some of the ones I’ve heard: only play aces and kings on day 1; you can’t win the tournament on day 1, but you can get eliminated; it’s all about survival; don’t go in with a set strategy, do what the situation warrants; you have to win all the chips in the room to win the tourney. How exactly do you balance the equally important concepts of survival (where you don’t risk your chips) and accumulation (which you can’t do without risking the loss of some of your chips)? Well, this was the first WSOP tourney where I was starting with more than 2500, so I felt pretty comfortable leaning more towards survival than accumulation. In smaller starting stack tourneys, sometimes you have to push with a small to moderate edge for most of your chips because you might not have that opportunity before you get blinded down. That being said, you also couldn’t just wait for aces, kings, and sets before playing pots. I wanted to have the mindset of being careful but also looking for every single opportunity to accumulate chips. In no-limit, it’s not just about profitable starting hands or profitable boards, but also profitable situations. I knew that at the end of the day (about 12 hours of play, and 15 hours of total time), I couldn’t just wait for the nuts. I had to be active and mix it up when warranted.

The day started off just fine. I was at table 142, seat 8. Seat 8 has always been my favorite seat as I have a panoramic view of all the players. The night before, I had dinner with a handful of my very close friends, and I jokingly stated (after several drinks) that I would put in the last raise pre-flop on the first hand dealt of my day 1, regardless of my cards. That brash statement came true, but I actually had a hand…two black kings. After four folds, I made it 150 (blinds were 25/50), praying that one of the blinds didn’t wake up with aces. Everyone folded and I was off to a nice start.

The table was perfect. Seven were online qualifiers, recognizable because they have to wear shirts and hats of their respective sites. Four were PokerStars (who the last several years have sent about 20-25% of the main event field), two were party poker and one was pacific poker. There were three players, including me, in civilian clothing. One was a Texan cowboy who played fairly well, and an older gentleman who was drawing stone dead. Out of the qualifiers, two seemed to be young kids trying to play really well. I was pretty sure I could make moves on them. Four were essentially drawing dead. Repeatedly, they were checking and betting out of turn, uncomfortable with handling chips, and their play seemed pretty straightforward. Against these guys, I didn’t want to be making moves. I wanted to extract max value when holding the best of it. The only person who I thought might make a play on me was the Texan cowboy (southerner).

The first level, I fluctuated between 9500 and 11000.

I was pretty much the only person limping in as I felt comfortable playing post-flop with this field and hoping to win a big pot if I hit a monster. I was picking up cards and limped in with a wide variety of hands: all small pocket pairs, J 10, 9 10 suited, AQ.

For the most part, I didn’t get raised when I limped as people had a healthy amount of respect for my play. I was able to win a decent pot with AK when an ace flopped and my opponent had a big wired pair.  I check-raised on an A 6 8 board and he laid down. That was pretty much my only decent sized pot. 

I started level two with just under 10k. From that point on, it was pretty much smooth and steady the rest of the night. I was able to accumulate between 3000 and 10000 each and every level, picking up several decent sized pots with pocket tens and jacks. In both spots and pretty much for most of the night, my instincts were spot on. I was able to feel whether they had it or not, and that sort of helped me in the play of hands. For the online guys, their betting told me a lot. When I had jacks, he sort of over bet the pot on the flop on a nine high board. I raised him big because his bet and his body language signaled weakness. He folded. When I had the tens, the button (young kid trying to play good) raised to 900 after a weak limper, and I re-raised to 2400 as he had been raising a little too frequently in limped pots (a fairly common way to pick up dead money but if you do it too often, someone will look you up). I was surprised he called and given his pre-flop action, I put him on a big ace, but not slick. I think he had AQ. It was most likely a hand that needed to pair on the flop. The flipper came perfectly 442, and I wanted to bet big enough to prevent him from making a play at me so I fired 3k into a 5k pot. I ordinarily don’t like to play big pots with tens or jacks on baby boards but both of these spots seemed like they were the right plays.  Fortunately for me, both times they folded and I picked up nice pots. I was able to pick up two more nice pots with sets. After limping with fours for 200, an online guy raised to 900 and I called and we took it heads-up. Flopped a set on a disconnected board. Check-called a big bet on the flop, check-check the turn and bet-called the river.

Another time, I called an early raise to 700 out of the big blind with two kings. Usually I would re-raise with this hand, especially if there were other people in. But heads-up, I thought there was extra value in disguising the strength of my hand pre-flop, in case it came all babies. In addition, heads-up, it’s almost certain that he is going to make a continuation bet on the flop. I didn’t want to lose that bet pre-flop if he had a cheese hand that he would dump for a re-raise. Flop came K 7 4 with two diamonds. I checked and he bet 1000. I thought and called, sort of wishing that I hadn’t flopped a set so I could check-raise. My hand here was way too big to check-raise. On the turn came a 2, putting two hearts so there were now two flush draws. We both checked and on the river came a black 8, no flush possibility. I bet 1600 into a 3500 pot. He asked me if I could beat two jacks, which I definitely don’t think he had. I think he would call pretty quickly with two jacks on the end as there were many hands he could beat. I was pretty sure that he had AQ or AJ and was thinking about calling with ace high, hoping to beat a busted flush draw. Given that that was my read of the situation, after I bet and while he was studying, trying to make his decision, I tried to give off some fake weak tells. I started to breathe very heavily and tried to look as uncomfortable as possible. After two minutes, he finally called and I tabled my hand. Sweet. At the end of level three, I was up to 20k and on my first dinner break of the summer.

I was certainly lucky to make several hands and be able to make some money off them. I was most happy with my instincts. I was able to fold correctly, steal and re-steal correctly. My table image was great as people saw me table big hands and fold correctly. In the first level, I raised to 225 after one late position limper with two jacks on the button. The big blind raised to 1025 and after the limper folded, I thought for about a minute. You want the weak online players calling you, not raising you. I studied him for a minute and he certainly had the look. He was not a bit worried so I think AK was eliminated. I folded and he showed me two aces. Nice. 

In one hand, the cutoff (guy trying to play good), after everyone folded to him, forcefully stated raise and then put his chips in. I was in the BB and decided to re-steal blind. Cutoff and button raises are usually steals anyway, but when they forcefully state raise, that means they’re really weak. I looked at my hole cards for show (Q 5) and I re-raised a decent amount. He folded before I put the chips in.

Another time in level 4 or 5, a player raised by forcefully throwing his chips into the middle, another sign of weakness. I decided to re-steal again, this time though I picked up a hand AQ. I re-raised to about 3x the raise but unfortunately, the SB woke up with a hand and pushed. The pot was laying about 1.6 to 1, but he had a huge hand. All the indications. He briefly acted weak before pushing, pretending like he had a tough decision. He counted out his chips so I could see exactly what I had left to call, pretty much begging a call based on the pot odds. So brutal b/c the initial raiser folded instantly and I was certain that he was very weak. My play should’ve worked. I folded pretty quickly and my neighbor showed me two aces.

In level five, I was able to pick up two fairly big pots with just one pair that pushed me to over 30k. I had been pretty active pre-flop, raising with a wide variety of hands after everyone had folded to me.

Coincidentally, I seemed to always raise this one player’s blind. I knew eventually he’d take a stand or make a move back. Once I showed him an ace (I think I had A9 or A7 suited) after he deliberated and folded.

The next round, I raised his blind again. There were four folds and I looked at AJ. I knew this would look bad as I had been raising fairly often pre-flop, especially this poor online guy’s blind. With KQ, suited big cards, or a playable hand, I might’ve just called in this spot because I didn’t want somebody to make a re-play at me when I could legitimately just call a raise with these hands. But with a hand like AJ off, I think raising was still the right play, and I was planning on showing the big blind both hole cards this time if he folded. I made it 1000 to go (blinds 150/300, 25 ante), folded around to BB, who I’m sure has had enough, and he announces raise. I can’t call a significant raise. If he raised 2k more, I would’ve folded, but he only made it 1300 more. I’m being laid almost 3 to 1, he probably doesn’t give me credit for a hand as big as AJ, so he could be on a re-steal. Bet sizing, among many other reasons, are why a lot of the online newbies are drawing dead in the WSOP. If he suspected me of stealing, he needs to bet me off my hand pre-flop. 1300 more is giving me a great price to call. Anyways, the flop rolled off J 7 2, and if he had my hand beat, he could take it. He bet 2500 into a 5k pot and I raised enough to put him all-in (he only had 3k more). He knuckled and folded. Nice. So far, everything had been going so well for me. The biggest hand of the night was soon to come.

A solid player limped UTG (which was a bit scary). I looked at AJ of diamonds (which I’d normally raise with first in, but the UTG limper could have anything and I wanted to see the flop, so I didn’t want to re-open the betting to him) and I called. Folded around to SB, who was sort of getting antsy as he had picked up rags for the hour he had been at the table. He contemplated a raise pre-flop (his stack was about 8k), but elected to just call. I thought his most likely holding was a big ace but not slick. BB knuckled and the flop rolled off A Q 3. SB led for 1k, fold, fold (he was really the person I was worried about) and I called. Turn was a 6 and he shipped for about 6k and I beat him into the pot. My neighbors asked me if I had a set of threes and seemed pretty surprised that I turned over AJ.  I could tell when my opponent saw my hand that I was good. He had A 10. It was a big pot but I was very certain that my hand was good. He was a straightforward player who would’ve raised pre-flop with AK b/c that’s what you’re supposed to do with AK. He also would’ve checked AQ on the flop and I doubt he would’ve shipped on the turn for that amount. I mean, if you had AQ, wouldn’t you bet an amount like 3k or so? I thought it was a pretty easy call and I was ecstatic to fade the 10 on the river.

That pot put me at 34k and I entered the last level right around there. I had been pretty active pre-flop the whole day but I went absolutely card dead the last hour and a half. I think I folded pretty much every hand. It was unfortunate as I wanted to end the day with just over 40k, but I ended with 32.5k. There didn’t even seem to be easy re-steal situations as most of the online guys had busted out, while big stacks and better players were moved to my table. I’m sure the field will get progressively tougher and tougher as the weaker players get eliminated. Overall, I’m very, very happy. I faded about 60% of the field and have an above average chip stack that’s right around the top quartile. I think 75% of the field have less that 32.5k so I’m feeling pretty good going into Wednesday. Blinds start at 300/600 with 75 ante.  Hopefully I’ll be able to pick up some hands and some chips, avoid getting unlucky, and avoid making mistakes. If you were to tell me before day 1 started that I’d end the day with 32k, I’d absolutely take it.  Hopefully I can end tomorrow with around 100k, sort of nice and steady growth until we can really get lucky and double up through a big stack with the nuts. Seems like a healthy and realistic goal.

-PR