ThePokerResource.net: A Rounder’s blog

WSOP 2008 Main Event, Day 1 – starting chip stack: $20k

I want this bad! I’m a realist and I don’t have any false expectations but I really want this. I know this sounds cliché but as far as poker goes the main event is the Mecca of all poker tournaments. Given the night before the final day 1 I wasn’t in after pretty much bubbling the last super satellite of the night for the 2^nd straight day, I was disparaged. 10k is a lot of money and I needed to win a seat and came up short twice. I completely accepted the fact that I wasn’t going to play but I was already preparing for next year to never be in this position again and to prioritize this tournament and do everything in my power to play. At like 9 PM on Sat I was walking to my car and I see Hassan Habib and he offers to buy a piece of me, I get home and Bob and the boys say they will buy some. I send a text to my friend Yosh Nakano and he buys some and by midnight I raised the funds to play. Now I have a new found energy and excitement to be playing this tournament.

Blinds 50-100 starting stack 20k

I arrive at my table and scan it. There are no big names, a couple of young kids and a few old timers. I sense that this table isn’t going to be a wild one where you can amass a massive stack but I’m ok with that. You can’t win this tournament on the first day, you can only lose it. I fold and play really tight for the first hour just to get a feel for the table. I get my first hand AA and raise to 400 after 1 limper. To my horror, 3 other players call behind and we see the flop 4 handed. The flop comes off 974 rainbow and the first old timer leads from the SB for 1400. I smooth call b/c my read on him is that he doesn’t bet or raise unless he has something big. The player immediately moves in behind me for 11k and the old timer instantly calls. I reluctantly fold and the players turn them up 77 for the old timer and 44 for the all in player. Set over set. The information on this hand is going to help me a lot against this old timer. I finish the level with 19k…. no problem.

Blinds 100-200

This young European girl takes the seat of the eliminated player. I don’t have much of a read on her yet but I imagine plays solid. I limp early with K9s. She makes it 750 to go, 3 other players call and so do I. The flop comes off 623 with 2 spades. I check and she leads for 1800, everyone folds to me and I call. The turn comes a 9h, I check and she bets 3k into a 7k pot. There is no question I’m calling at this point with 14 outs now given I made top pair. I’m counting out my chips and see that if I miss my draw I’m going to have about 14k left. But the river brings the beautiful 8s and I lead for 6k thinking I’m going to get paid off but she folds in disgust. (Impressive fold if she has an over pair which she was representing). That was a crucial pot that puts me at about 26k or so.

A tight player from Midwest raises and I smooth call with AA. I already know that if I reraise, I will most certainly win it pre-flop and I want to extract value. In the few hands I’ve seen from this player he doesn’t maximize on his hands and under bets, giving free cards with big hands to keep the pot small. So I elect to just call to increase my expectation on this hand. A young cannon kid calls behind, which I don’t like, and we see the flop 3 handed. It comes off K72 rainbow. A real good flop for 2 aces and the Midwesterner bets 1300, which I just smooth call. I want to just call here b/c the flop texture is real good with no straight draws and no flush draws. However, you always have to be weary of the set from the player behind me. When he bet that size bet I pegged the Midwesterner for having a K b/c he would certainly check a pocket pair in between the 7 and K. The cannon kid calls behind which makes me a bit uneasy. The turn pairs the K, a horrible card given my read. The Midwesterner checks. I make a defensive bet of 2k, hoping the kid had a 7 and would fold, thus getting a free showdown against the Midwesterner after he checks the river. To my horror they both call. There is pretty much zero chance now that two aces are good in this spot so I pray for an ace to hit the river. I know I can over bet if I hit my 2-outer b/c I now know that either they have both the remaining kings or the kid has a set of deuces or 7s and he is slow playing. The river comes the 2s pairing the deuce and the Midwesterner checks. I check and the kid checks in disgust confirming to me he had to have 77. The Midwesterner turns over KQ and scoops the pot. This is a good example of why I smooth called against the Midwesterner. He wants to keep pots small even with 3 kings on the turn by checking. I don’t mind that type of player but certainly I’m going to smooth call Aces in hopes to get a raise behind or to extract more value later. This drops me back down to 23k.

I limp behind a man with the AJd and we see a flop 4 handed. The flop comes J108 with 2 spades and he bets for 500. I decide to make it 1100 to isolate and get more information on my hand for as cheaply as possible. Everyone folds to the player who calls the 600 more. The turn brings a 5h, an irrelevant card. He checks and I bet 1100. I’m not exactly sure where I stand but I want to still take the lead of the hand. There are a lot of bad river cards and I want to see it before I put too much more money into the pot. The river is the Ac giving me top two but possibly completing a straight with KQ. He checks and I bet out 2400. He quickly calls, turning over J10 and I show my bigger two pair to scoop. Getting lucky I guess now. I’m slightly below 30k going into the 2^nd break.

150-300

Now that I have a good feel for the table and the players at it I wanted to open it up a bit. However, it’s important to still play tight at this level b/c there are no antes yet. The average opening raise will be between 800-1k and the dead money is only 450 so in essence you are laying about 2-1 to get a walk. This is an awful proportion for tournaments. Anyways, the westerner raises on the button to 900 and I defend from the BB with QJ. The flop is a beauty QQJ with 2 hearts. Normally this is an obvious check but against this player which would likely check a J behind or any ace high straight will check so I decide to lead for 1k into 2k pot to my delight he quickly calls. The turn comes a 5 and this time I lead for 2300 and he quickly calls, at this point I know I got him for a lot value on the river bc of his quick call. The river brings a 6 and I still have the nuts and I lead for 4600 and he quickly calls and is disgusted that I have the nuts and he mucks. This is good that I showed the table how I played this hand leading with the nut full-house in a heads up pot. I want the table to respect my post flop bets when I make them. Anyways this puts me at around 38k and I’m really starting to feel good. I’m the table chip leader now.

For the next hour or so nothing really materializes. I see some flops and make some raises but I lose about 5k in chips. I don’t pick up many hands but I raised to 900 with AQ off after one limper and we see the flop 4 handed. The flop comes Q109 with 2 diamonds and it is checked to me. I check behind b/c although I have top pair-top kicker (TPTK) the flop is very draw heavy and I want to see what materializes with 2 players behind me. Everyone checks including the cannon kid on the button. The turn comes a 7c, not the best card but certainly not the worst. It is checked to me again and I lead for 2k with a smooth call from another old timer. Now the kid deliberates and decides to raise to 6k. He had just doubled up the last level with AA vs. AK and I’m not happy about that stack but immediately when I bet the 2k on the turn I already sensed that he was going to try and take this pot from me. The way I played this hand was so weakly and it looks like I don’t have much. Anyways, I call after about a minute. The only reasonable hands he could have that beat me are 77 or 86 which would make sense but everything else in his range doesn’t. I know he won’t check the flop with any pair except the 9. So he could have 98 as well. I already accounted for his bluff factor making this a call but not an easy one. The old timer folds to my relief and the river brings another 10 pairing the board. I take about 40 seconds and Hollywood it trying to portray more strength in my hand so he won’t fire a huge river bet. He quickly bets out 6k into now a 20k pot or so, and I tank it for another minute replaying the hand. If I call and lose I’m going to be down to 16k with about 20 minutes left in the level. I go with my gut and call and to my delight he says “nice call I have nothing”. I wait b/c I really want to see what he is capable of. He is waiting for me to table but I really want to know what he has. He is about to turn over his hand but he decides to just muck it. I now scoop a fatty and don’t even show my hand. Also, his hand must have been so bad that he couldn’t even show it………gotta love the main event. Up to 45k and feeling really good.

Last hand b4 dinner break. I limp after 1 limp with QJ off. The kid calls from the sb and the flop comes K10x and it’s checked to me. I bet 800 which he only calls after some Hollywood. I really think he has a 10 here based on his demeanor. The turn comes a 4 and he checks and I fire out 1800 thinking that he will fold a 10 but he Hollywood’s me again and calls. The river brings a 7 making the board K10647 rainbow and he checks again. I count out 4k and about to bet it but I just know this kid is gonna take a stand so I reluctantly give up and say, “your 10 is good bro.” He turns over K10……..wow top two. He was really gunning for me and he triple barreled checked against me. I laughed and told the kid that he is dirty. That he really wanted to get me so bad that he would check that hand 3 times. He smiled and laughed as well. This kid is scary. On to dinner break with 43k.

150-300 with 25 antes

The young European girl gets eliminated and gets replaced by this young kid that plays just like Alan Goehring (let’s call him AG moving forward). He basically opens a lot of pots but opens for 2.5 times the blind and he is relentless. He’s a bit unorthodox and a bit intimidating but he is in seat 1 and I’m in seat 9 giving him position on me most of the day. I hover around not picking up too many hands. I pick up QQ in the sb after 3 limpers and decide to just see a flop instead of winning it preflop. The flop comes 723 with 2 diamonds and I check. AG checks, the cannon bets 900, and the young internet kid who plays real solid makes it 2000 total. I deliberate for about 40 seconds. I’m pretty sure that his raise is an isolation raise but it could be a set. I elect to call thinking we will see the pot 3 handed but AG comes along as well. This adds another wrinkle to the hand. The turn comes a black 9, I think of leading but if I do lead I need to lead big like 6k or so. I elect to check and see if the young internet kid fires another shell (if so, I’m gonna release my hand) but it gets checked around. The river is a black 4 putting a straight possibility out there and I check and the AG bets 2k into an 11k pot. Everyone folds and I quickly call. I’m pretty sure my hand is good but wouldn’t mind taking the pot with only a 2k bet on the end. AG does this a lot, he makes these horrible defensive bets on the river for like 1/5 pot or 1/6 pot. Good players would instantly raise him to put max pressure on him. I decided to wait to do this and don’t mind tabling my over pair in this spot so I can pick a better spot to bluff. Anyways, he tables J9dd for a busted flush draw that turned into top pair. I’m up to 53k and have small visions of 80k or so at the end of the night. Nothing really much happens during the rest of this level. I reraise light a tight player with Q10 and take the blinds. I end this level with about 55k.

200-400 with 50 antes

Last level of the night but now the antes and blinds are proportionately correct. In other words the average open raise of 1000 to 1200 to win 1100 in blinds and antes making it almost even money in return when u get a walk after a raise. I purposely played real tight the previous level to really open it up on the last level. I feel I have a good table presence and I have earned some respect on this table. However I don’t want to do it too soon given the levels are 2 hours long. In the first hour or so I raise a few pots but AG smooth calls me and smooth calls my continuation bet. I end up giving up to him on the turn. This guy is really started to bug me. I get down to about 50k with about an hr left and decide to kick it in gear. I start to open up pots for a raise often in position and either win or take it down with a continuation bet. I get back up to 56k and raise with the 78h in early position and the young internet kid makes it 3500 to go. I decide to call the 2400 raise and the flop comes off great 784 rainbow. I check and he checks. The turn is an off suit ace and I check and he bets 4k and I just smooth call. I don’t want to play a huge pot against AK and I really want to see the river before I put too many chips in. My hand is disguised but if it can get counterfeited on the river. Also, his range doesn’t necessarily mean AK here b/c he is capable of reraising me light since I have been very active anyways. The river card is a 6 putting a gut shot straight on board and I elect to bet 8k to try to get a call from TPTK but he folds fairly quickly telling me he probably didn’t have much.

I get all the way to 65k and my plan is working almost perfectly. Everyone folds to me on the button and I raise to 1100 with Q4d and AG makes it 5k from the SB. I know he is getting tired of me and I already felt he was gonna raise so I was prepared for this. I take about 1 minute and I don’t know why but I decide to raise to 14k total making a 9k reraise. His first over raise makes me believe he doesn’t have a huge hand but to my horror he instantly moves in. Now I’m burning and all my work for this level is going for nothing. I take about 2 minutes “for effect” and ask for a count knowing I’m mucking this piece of cheese and finally I fold. He instantly tables AA and asks me if I have Jacks or Queens. Naturally I tell him I had Queens. So gross.

I smooth call the tight internet kid with KK in the SB and the flop comes off 10xx. I lead for 2k and both him and AG fold and I table KK saying I don’t want to play a huge pot with you guys with the end of the day coming so soon. I tighten up for a half hour or so but the last half I open it up again. I already sensed that everyone already feels the end of day and is playing real snug. Nobody wants to get involved. Based on the KK hand I feel I’m gonna get some respect so I go after it. I end up chipping back up about 6k in the last half and finish the day with 57,575 in chips, good for an above average stack going into day 2.

Overall, I feel I played well. The players usually dictate the pace and the amount of chips you can win. I made some adjustments and got out of line a bit but recovered. I got as high as 65k and had visions of 80k or so but I ran into AG and his real hand of aces. I’m really excited especially since I didn’t even expect to play and I really feel I’m playing my best. The last major I played was LAPC which I bubbled 66^th (and they paid 63). I really learned a lot during my 3 days there and feel I’m prepared for this tournament. This is it, it’s the time of my life and I’m going to savior it every single day I play. Win or lose I’m just happy for an opportunity to play. Thanks to my friends that believe in me continually even when I fail. This could finally be it. I don’t play again until Weds, then right back on Thursday if I make it through day 2. I imagine that my Day 2 blog will be much shorter b/c of the lack of time but I look forward to writing it.

Thanks for reading and all the support,

KK