KK’s 2008 WSOP Main Event, Day 6 - July 13
WSOP 2008 Main Event, Day 6 – starting chip stack: $2.4 million
This is truly amazing! Words can’t express how I feel. I didn’t get much sleep and I can’t fall back asleep so I’m rewriting my day 6 blog. I’m sitting at 8.8 million, 5th in chips and getting set for the biggest day of my life. Today, 18 players will be eliminated and only the final 9 can come back to play in November. This is it and I’m ready for it.
Blinds 15k-30k with a 5k ante
I actually play at the featured table today and can’t believe what’s going on. I’m playing with the great Phil Hellmuth but he is short stacked. I believe I’m 2nd in chips. The atmosphere is so intense, there are hundreds of spectators b/c of Hellmuth, but thank god my friends and Jocelyn are here to support me. Every day now they come down to support me and sweat me. Anyways, I open for 85k utg with Ac4c and Hellmuth calls from the SB. He just won a few pots and is up to 1 million. The flop comes 854, he checks and I bet out 75k into the pot thinking I have the best hand. The turn brings a K, he checks, I bet 100k and he calls. The river brings a J, he checks and I check. This hand I actually didn’t spend the time to give him a range. I should have immediately put him on a pocket pair around the small cards and fired a shell on the river when the J hit. He tables 66, scoops and the crowd is cheering. I calm down and play tight for a half hour or so.
I bust someone for my 3rd bounty. I raise on the button w/AK to 100k and a tight small blind with about an 800k stack calls from the SB. Immediately I give a hand like AJ, AQ or possibly a pair like 8s. I’m not exactly sure, but when a tight player smooth calls for about 13-15% of his stack you know it’s got to be pretty big. The flop comes Q10x, he checks and I check. The turn brings the J, giving me the stones. He checks, I bet 150k, he instantly moves in and I beat him into the pot. He turns over J9 and he is drawing dead. I win a decent sized pot to chip up to 3 million.
I win a pot from Hellmuth when I raise UTG with AK to 90k and he defends from the BB. The flop comes K56, he leads for 90k and I call. The turn brings a Q and he checks so I bet 150k. He deliberates and finally calls. He gives me a speech how he has a pocket pair but he makes sick calls and this and that, how people bluff him millions and that’s why he gets all the chips etc., etc. I think to myself this guy is telling me more than he should about the strength of his hand. I was worried he had KQ but now I think he has about KJ or something. He checks in the dark and the river pairs the Q. I know I have him and decide to bet 250k. Given his stack, he can call here w/o hurting him too bad. He quickly calls and disgusted when I table AK. He claims he had 33 and made a bad read. I just don’t believe his hand was that week. I guess we will have to wait when it airs on ESPN in a few months. He is furious and I’m loving every moment of it.
The last hand before the break he raises in the cutoff to 70k and I repop to 170k from the SB with AQ. He is fuming and disgusted. I know he essentially has about a 600k stack and my raise is so strong. I also know he can’t just call. He either moves in or folds and I’m gathering the maximum information for as little amount of money as possible. When he mucks he yells out “KK I’m gunning for you”. I reply “Why, I didn’t force you to call me with your 3s?” He just gets quiet and we are off to break and having a blast.
I finish the level with about 4 million.
Blinds 20k-40k with a 5 k ante
I limp utg with 22 and a fairly tight player raises to 180k total. We are both deep b/c he just doubled up and he has about 3.7 million. I know his hand is big b/c I limped utg. A lot of players limp with huge hands and so I have some protection with my limp. I elect to call and the flop is a beauty: 1023 with 2 spades. I decide to lead for a small bet of 250k knowing he’s probably going to raise. He makes it 750k and I deliberate on what to do. It’s funny, I basically have 2nd nuts here b/c 33 is highly unlikely but yet I’m still scared he could have 1010. Finally I decide to reraise 1.5 million and he immediately mucks. I chip up another 1 million and sit around 5 million. What a start to this day. I pick up aces, raise utg, they all fold and I show. I get KK in the BB against sb. He limps, I raise and he folds. I raise with AK again and get a walk.
I smooth call a raise from the same kid with AQ earlier w/JJ on the button. The flop comes 523, he fires out 300k and I call. The turn is an 8, he checks and folds to a 400k bet from me. I know he’s getting tired of me and that he’s going to make a huge mistake later.
Blinds 25k-50k with a 5 k ante
We move now from the featured table but I play with the same players. Hellmuth busted so obviously they want other faces up there. I raise with AQh to 150k from late position and the same kid earlier makes it 450k from the SB. Normally, this is an easy fold but I know this kid is tired of me. I also know that if I repop this sicko might just say f it and ship his 3 million, so I call with position. The flop is another gem, J109 all hearts giving me the nut flush. He takes about 2 minutes and I start to pose, portraying weakness. He finally he says all in for his 2.2 million dollar stack and I obviously beat him into the pot. AJ vs. the nut flush. He essentially has a 2% chance of winning here needing a paired card on the turn and then a 4 outer on the river. The turn brings a 9, pairing the nines and I almost puke. He now has 4 outs to win a 1-11 shot and he misses when the 2h comes on the river. Just like that the big dog is up to 8 million and shooting up the leader board.
Nothing much materializes this level. I maintain my stack and just play tight. I no longer need to manufacture pots or do anything risky. I’m going to just put it in cruise. I go to dinner with about 8.3 million, good for 3rd in chips with about 34 left.
Blinds 30k-60k with a 10k ante
This is a pretty big jump from the last level but it’s ok. I’m still table chip leader but this Russian to my right comes over with a 6 million stack. This guy is an animal and I’m glad I have position on him. I make a mistake and smooth call the Russian’s raise to 180k. Nobody is seeing a flop so I’m assuming we are going to play the hand heads up but to my horror two people behind smooth call and then we see the flop 4 handed. I should have reraised here small to like 425k total to make sure everyone behind folds. I actually watched Scotty Nguyen make this play about 3 years ago at the LAPC main. It was one of the best things I learned for tournaments. Anyways, the flop comes 753. The Russian checks, I check and this kid bets 400k. Everyone folds to me and I call. The turn pairs the 7, and I check and he checks. The river is a deuce and I lead for 600k. In his range I put him on either a set or pocket pair like 88s-10s. At this point I decide to try and extract value from the pocket pair and then fold if he pushes or raises. He tanks and says all in for 980k more. The pot at this point is 3.6 million and I’m getting a sick price to call. I literally take about 5 minutes and then I ask him “Will you show if I fold?” He says nothing. I just know this kid is not raising all in with a pocket pair that he would love to just call with. I know that he has to have a full house. I finally go with my read and lay down QQ face up and he shows me pocket 7s for quads. This is probably one of my best lay downs ever…a world class lay down in fact. I’m steaming b/c I misplayed my hand and almost lost the max. I’m not going to make the same mistake I did 3 years ago and call off all my chips w/QQs. Burning now b/c I’m down to 6.5 million.
The very next hand I limp utg with 55. The button and both blinds call. The flop comes J95 all clubs. The sb checks, the Russian bets 200k, which I call and the SB calls. The turn brings an off suit 8. SB checks, the Russian bets 400k and I decide to raise to 900k total, making it a tiny raise. I do this to eliminate the 3rd player and represent a monster here. The sb folds and the BB calls. The river brings a 3h. He checks and I deliberate if I want to extract value however the 8 makes Q10 which he could obviously have or even a baby flush so I check. He shows 89 and I scoop a decent sized pot. I get back all my chips I lost the hand before and then some. I played this hand perfectly. The kid in the SB had the QJ with the Qc. I got him to fold with his 12 outs against me and got the guy with the 4 outs against me to call. Anyways, back up to 8 million and feeling good.
I squeeze on the last hand of the level when the kid raises to 175k, the Russian smooth calls, I make it 625k with 84s from the button and they both fold. I know my raise shows so much strength and my image is squeaky tight. It was the perfect time to get that 500k in the middle.
Blinds 40k-80k with a 10k ante
Play has slowed down tremendously. I top off at 9.5 million but I just play real tight and pick a few spots to maintain my stack. I decide not to push it. The Russian blows it and goes out 28th with 83h vs. the kid’s A5. What a cannon. I finish the night with 8.8 million and can’t wait for tomorrow.
Today the deck ran me over and boy was it worth the wait. All those days I agonized short stacked and having no hands to this. I received 2 gifts for huge pots that propelled me up the leader board. I decided to just maintain and not go crazy even with a big stack. So many people do that. Me, I’m very happy with an 8.8 million dollar stack. My goal was to maintain it and that’s it. I had a game plan that was smart and now tomorrow I just need to execute again. It’s going to be a real long day b/c it’s going to take forever to eliminate 18 players. I hope that I get there. I really do. The journey continues and I’m ready as ever. Thanks again for all the support.
KK
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