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WSOP 2008 Main Event, Day 5 – starting chip stack: $637k

The feeling is so surreal right now. Words cannot express how I feel. 79 left, 2.4 million in chips, probably right around top 20 in chips, and more importantly, the dream is still alive. I already have $77k locked up but obviously I’m aiming much higher. I’ve been playing the best poker of my life and am both mentally and physically exhausted, but in the end it’s all worth it.

Blinds 6k-12k with a 2k ante

I scan my tables and don’t see any big time pros. However, there are massive stacks on my table. I believe I’m the 2^nd or 3^rd shortest stack with 637k. Right away this cannon who has been active raises a lot. This Venezuelan man (“V” moving forward) reraises him and he calls with an 800k starting stack. The flop comes 997. The cannon checks with V betting 150k and the cannon calls. The turn is a 2, the cannon leads for 200k and then V goes all in for 500k total. The cannon tanks for 4 minutes and finally calls, 74h for the cannon and 88 for V. The river bricks off and V wins a 1.5 million dollar pot. Did I just witness this? I mean, come on, we are only playing for $9 million. Believe me when I tell you, some of the quality of play is absolutely atrocious, even now. Unbelievable.

I am forced to play real tight and can’t get anything going. I hover around 500-700k the whole level and never make anything happen. I raise to 35k with AKo and this other cannon calls (moving forward he will be referred to as C2) right behind me. The flop comes QJx and I lead for 55k which he calls. I check the turn and he checks. The river brings a blank. I give up and check and he checks. I announce Ace high and he tables 55. WTF. I knew I should of fired again, damn it. I finish the level with 387k and feeling really disparaged.

Blinds 8k-16k with a 2k ante

I’m back to walking on eggshells. Absolutely stressed out beyond belief. This solid Asian kid opens to 48k and I defend from the BB with 108s. I haven’t been getting any hands so I’m hoping to get lucky here. I start the hand with about a 400k stack. The flop comes Q62 with 2 spades. I check and he checks. I didn’t know if I was gonna push in with my flush draw but he checked. The turn pairs the 6 so I lead for 75k praying for a fold but he deliberates and calls. At this point, he probably has a pocket pair between 66 and QQ or just Ace high. The river brings a 3d and I’m absolutely distraught but I manage to muster up the sickest bluff and bet 150k on the river leaving myself 100k if he calls. He deliberates for 40 seconds and folds. THANK GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I get back to 550 or so and just bob and weave. Don’t know how I stick around so long but literally get absolutely no hands. I see monster pots left and right and can’t believe how bad the hands are. Anyways, I continue to play my game and just maintain my stack. I end the level with about 680k by raising a few pots and gets walks. I never had a premium hand but manage to chip up a bit and feel real good about it.

Oh on a side note I witness a real sick hand this level. This new player arrives in seat 2 and has been coming over the top relentlessly (and apparently he has hands). Well, the button raises and, C2 calls from the SB and he reraises big from the BB. The button calls, then C2 moves in and he moves in behind. JJ for C2 and AA for the BB. The flop comes J75, turn J, and river x. Then about 5 minutes later, the same guy that lost with the aces raises to 45k and the Asian kid makes it 110k to go. The SB (Italian kid, same guy that min raised me yesterday when I had AKs and he had QQ and flopped a set) calls the 110k cold. The flop comes AJ5 all diamonds. It goes check, check, bet 150k, all in for 1.5 million, call all in from the initial raiser, and the Asian kids with a 1 million stack tanks and folds AK off no diamond. The hands are two red Queens for the Italian and AJ for the initial raiser. The turn brings a 10d and the Italian scoops a 2 million dollar pot. However, he played his hand absolutely atrocious given the effective chip stacks. I make a note of this and pray to get some chips so I can really punish him. Suddenly, my 500k stack doesn’t look that grim seeing what happened to this guy with the AA and the AJ within 5 mins. He had 1.3 million and is now out. Wow.

Blinds 10k-20k with a 3k ante

The blinds increased a lot this level b/c the antes increased. It’s costing me 63k an orbit so essentially I have 11 orbits if I fold every hand. Anyways, again I hover around and never getting anything going. Finally, I see 2 red aces in the SB and V limps from the button. I make it 65k to go and both the BB and V folds. F This!!!!

Shawn Sheikon comes to my table with a $1.2 million stack. He starts playing real fast the first few orbits or so and chips up to about 1.5 million. The sick thing now is that all the stacks are so healthy that people are opening for 75-80k when they should open for 50-65k. As a result, all the pots are going to be huge. I’m not liking this at all b/c I’m so short and every pot is so critical I can’t afford to make a mistake. Anyways, Shawn raises on the button and then the Italian comes over the top and he folds. The very next hand Shawn opens in the cutoff to 75k and the Italian smooth calls from the button. Then, V reraises 350k more from the SB and Shawn tanks for a minute and goes all in. The Italian folds and V instacalls. JJ for Shawn and AA for V. The board bricks off and V cripples Shawn leaving him about 80k in chips and V stacks a 3 million dollar pot. Shawn busts out shortly after. I really think Shawn made a horrible mistake that hand. Like me yesterday when moving to new tables you don’t have a good feel of what’s happening and what’s going on. Sure, it looks like he’s playing fast and the over-raise seems like a steal from V. But I know V isn’t capable of this and since Shawn doesn’t know he has to fold here. He has been here about 45 minutes and he chipped up 300k w/o any risk. So why would u play a $3 million pot and even a chance to get eliminated with only jacks preflop? That is so dumb. We are down to about 105 players in the Main event of the WSOP with a real healthy stack and even if you are a world class player you might be in this position once every 10 years on average. Think about that last statement: be in this position about once every 10 years. So essentially, he didn’t take into account risk vs. reward in its simplest form.

I finally make a play and reraise the 75k bet from the Italian to 275k with Q10s. He quickly folds and I pick up a crucial 125k in chips. I have yet to reraise anyone all day and I knew my image would most likely win me the pot.

I don’t remember any other big hands but I fluctuate between 500-600k the whole level and on the last hand before dinner break I open for a raise after looking at a 10. Unfortunately, C2 calls and I look down at an off suit 5 and we see the flop heads up. It comes 932 and I fire 130k, which he calls. I’m freaking out here and I know I have to fire another shell. The turn brings an 8 and I fire 200k leaving myself about 300k. He quickly folds asking “can you beat 7s?” Naturally, I reply “I had 10s”. I don’t know if I have the heart or stupidity to move in on the river but I’m glad I didn’t have to make that decision. On to the dinner break with 835k, still short but I’m super excited about my stack.

Blinds 12k-24k with a 3k ante

This is the last level of the night. I try to start off with a bang but get slammed. I raise w/junk and get reraised, so I fold. I raise and fold to a continuation bet. I’m bleeding chips and still haven’t any hands yet. I’m all the way down to 525k and a new player raises to 75k in late position and I move in for 450 more with AKo from the SB. He tanks but finally folds.

I raise to 60k from the button with QJh and C2 calls from the SB. The flop comes A102. He checks and I make a small information bet of 60k on the flop, which he calls. The turn is a Qs, he checks and I bet 100k here. I’m keeping the pot relatively small based on my chip stack but also representing an absolute monster too. I bet the turn to get information but more importantly to get a free showdown on the river. If I check the turn, C2 might bet 200k on the river which I can’t call. In essence, I’m getting information as cheaply as possible and playing my position. The river is a blank and he checks and I check and QJ is good. Back up to 800k.

The very next hand I raise to 65k with AdJc. The SB, a player named Justin Young, reraises to 200k. I know he is was watching the last hand he understands my small raise preflop isn’t a necessarily a big hand. He also thinks I’m playing weak tight today so I account for all of this and take about a minute to decide what to do. I think about shoving but would feel so stupid if he beats me into the pot with a dominating hand. I lean toward folding but I feel AJ is too big a hand here against his range. I finally elect to call and play my hand in position. The flop comes J24 all hearts and he ask me “How much you playing?” I reply, “about 600k”. He then announces all in. I literally take about 5 minutes and think things out. I would feel real stupid if he had two black Queens or an over pair with no heart. Obviously, if I had the Ah I would beat him into the pot. I just felt he had a heart draw only, a middle pair with a heart or complete air here. There are so many hands I can beat but this is for my whole tournament life. I finally muster the courage and call. He flips over A10 with the 10 hearts and I have to fade a heart twice for my whole tournament. The turn brings a 10d and the river Ac. I scream and all my boys scream. I just F’N doubled to 1.6 million in the Main Event with 80 some players left. Now that’s what I’m talking about! You guys don’t understand how much adrenaline I had waiting for my fate. I can’t even express it in words. What a rush!

An English players raises to 75k, V calls from the SB and I defend with KJc from the BB. The flop comes 1085 rainbow, V checks and I take a stab with a 140k bet. The English player started the hand w/about 700k so my bet on the flop is perfect for a variety of reasons. First, he is going to instantly shove if he has a hand, and if he doesn’t he has to fold. Second, by me leading into the preflop raiser gives credibility to the strength of my hand to V. After the English man folds, V takes about a minute and folds AKs face up. I get away with one here and chip up a little bit more.

The Italian who is bleeding chips opens for 60k on the button and I defend for only 36k more with 107c. I have chips now so I can see a few flops. The flop is A62 with 2 clubs. I check, he bets 60k and I call. The turn is an 8d, I check and he bets 60k. I was thinking about raising here but if he’s only gonna bet 60k I’ll call every time on my draw. The river is the 3c giving me a flush. I go ahead and bet 250k knowing he’s not good enough to fold and he agonizes and calls with AQ. Sweet.

On literally the last hand of the night the Italian moves in for 188k from late position and I look down at JJ from the button. I call him and both blinds fold. The flop is A44, turn J, river x, and I bust him for my 2^nd casualty of the tournament.

I end the day with 2.4 million and like I said before, the dream is still alive. To put what 2.4 million is in perspective. I am sitting with 120 players’ starting stack from day 1. That’s a lot of people but yet I’ve only eliminated two. What an amazing journey so far and I get to play day 6 of the WSOP main event. Have I gotten lucky? Sure, I didn’t lose the JJ vs. AK hand on day 2 and I didn’t lose the AJ vs. A10 hand last night. Oprah Winfrey on her show once quoted the great Roman philospher Seneca and said, “luck is preparation waiting for opportunity.” Based on her definition of luck, I have prepared most of my adult life for an opportunity like this in hopes to get “lucky”. Based on that definition of luck, I have prepared most of my adult life for an opportunity like this in hopes to get “lucky”. I have played countless tournaments live and online in preparation for this moment. I’ve developed my ability to play a short stack and I never panic in situations others do. I have gone through all the unlucky hands that cost me tons of money in tournaments. I have lived and learned from all my mistakes in the past. I have lived through all my past failures and successes good and bad and my time is now. I’m definitely gonna seize this opportunity and play my best. I haven’t received any gifts except the JJ hand. All day every day I grind it out, I bob and weave, I play small ball but most importantly I survive to talk and write about it. In this tournament, survival is the most important thing. Given the size of my stack I believe I’ve been all in 4 times the entire tournament. I’ve dwindled down to about 15 BBs both on days 3 and 5. I somehow manage to chip up and win the key pot at the key time. It’s so hard. There is so much luck here and I don’t take any of this for granted. If I survive day 6 it will be down to 27 players. But if I don’t, it was one hell of a ride and most importantly I have played the best to my ability each and every day. I appreciate all the support and prayers as we go through this journey together.

Thanks again,

KK