Day 4
June 2, 2008

Crash and burn at the WSOP Event #2

Played in my first WSOP tournament yesterday. Although I wish I would have lasted longer, busted out in three hrs, I had a great time. The room at first seemed kind of intimidating, but once the cards hit the felt, it was just poker.

Here are a couple of my hands.

First hand ¡V 10 ¡V 6. Fold ƒº

First pot won, dealt 75 in BB. Checks around. 55x on flop. Couple of minimum bets and drag ~$400.

First knock-out. 34h in small blind. Check around. I complete. Flop 76h. I¡¦ve got a baby flush, straight flush, inside straight draw. Checks to middle position player. He bets 200. I call. 2 ¡V players. Turn 3. Check. He bets 200, keeps pricing me in. River 4. I now have 2-pair. Check he goes all-in for 1000+/-. I call and crack his KK. He could have bet me off my hand on every turn but he slow played his way out of the tourney.
Late second round- 55 in middle position. Limp for $100. 5 callers. 5 in the window all clubs. I lead out for $700 and drag the pot.

On note, at the end of the first hour, while I¡¦m at the bathroom, poker pro Steve Zolotow fill the seat to my left. Great¡K. During the second hour he goes heads twice with two different players and doubles them up when his small pocket pairs don¡¦t improve. (A little foreshadowing here)

Made it too the first break with ~4500, not great but not bad. Here is where the wheels fall off.

Blind 100-200. Early in third round. SB goes allin with his last 1500. Big blind, who has ~10000, calls. He would have called with anything. I look down at AK and make the call. Late position player goes allin for his last 1400. I¡¦m getting almost 4-1. Of course I get no help and the BB and LP both turn over 99 too chop.

A few hands later I¡¦m down too ~2400 when I get AJs in early position. I lead out for 600. Steve Zolotow calls with one other. Flop is 10 4 x. I lead out for ~1000 thinking that the flop didn¡¦t help anyone. Steve calls. 2-players. Now I¡¦m pot committed, oops. Turn brings another 10, I go allin and Steve insta calls with his pocket 4¡¦s and the boat and I¡¦m off to the rail. Go figure, the one time his small pocket pair actually improves is against me.

Anyways, I hit the door and go play some 1-2 at PH and MGM. Nothing great to speak of. Lost a couple of hundred.

I have a buddy coming in today and we are going to play some drunken poker over the next two days before I head back to the Rio for Event #7.

The reports may be sketchy for a few days, but I¡¦ll make sure I get them updated by the end of the week. Buddy is here until Thursday morning.

Rider