Sigh…tilting…another
bad beat as I wrote half a blog on the 6st of April meaning to come
back to it and I log in today to finish and its empty/gone. There is a “saved”
post on the 6th but it’s completely blank.
I want to
start off by thanking all the folks out there that were pulling for Bill and I
and the flood of well wishers once I made it to Day 2. We also want to thank
everyone who supported the site by wearing the GCP patches…etc…much appreciated
I am trying
to think of some of the stuff I wrote before in version 1…uuuhhhmmmmm
Getting to
Vegas:
Plane ride
into Vegas was the worst of my life, and I was wondering if I was going to make
it there in one piece. I was aware of the fires that had been ravaging
Colorado, and was nervous about my layover in Denver as I didn’t want to get
stuck there. The captain comes over the microphone at one point and announces
to the cabin and crew that all is well and we will be “landing in Denver in 45
minutes”…ok…cool. Then when all we can see is smoke out the windows and all the
folks are looking at their watches 1 ½ hours later, we are starting to get
worried. On top of that we had not started descending as my ears were not
popping like popcorn yet. Then the turbulence started as we started to descend…YIKES!!!
There was
this younger couple on the plane with the lady next to me in the aisle seat,
and the dad and the 2 kids are across the aisle in the same row. I started to
see the parents looking at each other with that look of fear and they started
to hug the kids…made me think of Ivey. By the time we landed the lady was in
tears and the whole plane let out a huge sigh of relief….nice
In Vegas:
I got in
late so I got a hotel room and hit the cash tables. I booked a nice cash score
and went to bed thinking this is a good way to start the trip. I woke on the 4th
and spoke to my backer…we decided on me playing the 6 max at Ceasers Palace. I
made it halfway through the day and had nothing that jumps out at me except
this kid on my left that every time someone jammed on him he had Aces.
Moved in the
Rio and Bill and I decided to take the day off and play some donkaments. We
fired at a daily at The Orleans…Bill cashed…I whiffed. We were down to 2 tables
and in a B vs. B situation…I got this local lady to call off ¾ of her stack
when I shove the turn with me holding KJs and her holding Q9o on a K-9-3-2
rainbow board. When the cards hit my table over at Bill’s table…all Bill’s
table could hear was a coordinated “Whooooaaaa…and…WOW”…his whole table looked
over and he and I met eyes as I slowly stood up from the table to gather my
things…some things just go unsaid.
National
Championship:
9:30am and I
first off I hit the workout area and Steam Room. I sat in the steam room and
just envisioned me making the final table in my head…juuussttttt…relaxed. I
found Bill and we started talking about some interaction we had with one of the
players from “Run Good” apparel… A.P. Phahurat. I know some have seen the
pictures of me and saw the patches. They were asking players to wear their
patch, and after some discussion I decided to wear the “Run Good” patch along
with my GCP patch. There was a “monetary” figure that I received, but it was
very small. I think I did it more because I wanted to help the guys out and I
am glad I did. Huy Nguyen (@SavePluto9)
was at my starting table on my right, and I think he is involved in it also.
Huy was on my right at one of the events in New Orleans and we became fast
friends. It was funny that after you know someone at your table is a good
player, but you don’t know who he is…how the conversation starts to go towards
“intel” so you could get enough info on the guy to google his stats and find
out who he is. After about an hour of small talk into the New Orleans event and
us playing on our handhelds, I finally break the ice with, “Damn…so you won a
ring in Choctaw this year…but your still chasing points?”…to which he smiled
and said, “Yea…and you were the Casino Champion in Biloxi I think and your already
in the freeroll”…we have been greeting each other ever since and friendly. He
was on the cover of a “regional” poker magazine similar to the Gulf Coast Poker
magazine called…go figure…”Southwest Poker”…GL to the Magazine.
So…where was
I …oh yea…I wear the patch and Huy is on my right on starting table and I
glance around and have this group of stone cold killers to deal with:
In the 1
seat was from WSOP FT fame Joseph Cheong…Seat 2 was “Chainsaw” Allen Kessler…3
Christopher Bonn…4 Kurt Jewell…5 was Will Failla…6 Huy Nguyen…me… and on my
left was seat 8 and Dan Natarelli. The fireworks started early as Cheong and
Jewel go at it in the first 8-9 hands and they continue to 4-5 bet each other pre flop several
times…gonna be fun. 30 minutes in there was a lot of table talk about the poker
community and what was going on when I see Choeng say…”oh no”…and Kessler say,
“Oh My” as up walks Will Failla and he slams his seat card on the 5 seat spot
and yells, “BOOOOOOYAAAAAA…I’m here”. That’s when the fun started. It was a
really fun table.
(Side Bar
Here)
Let me go
into a little bit about my poker experience here…I was card dead the whole
time. The biggest Pocket Pair I saw the whole tournament was Jacks and I got
them twice on Day 1. The 1st time, I doubled thru the “Poker Brat” Phil
Hellmuth when I three bet shoved 14 bigs into his AKo with him sitting on about
24 bigs. After Hellmuth bust and they move our table I sucked out for the one
time all tournament when I shoved 9 bigs with A-9o in an unopened pot from late
position and Fabrice Soulier called from one of the blinds with A-Q…and I hit a
9 on the flop. 4 hands later I got JJ again and I did a standard “Stop and Go”
to win a nice pot …chip up…and I rolled into Day 2. There were 2 limpers, and 2nd
place finisher Nik Stone made a nice raise…I look down at jacks and just flat
hoping I had just priced in one of the blinds and I did…sb comes along. Flop was
8 high and I shove when they both check to me and I took it down there.
(End of Side
Bar)
The 2nd
table I was at was fairly brutal because I couldn’t make any hands and all I
could do was steal here and there. Sicko’s at the table were Sam Stein and Matt
Keikoen. Wild Bill got moved to my table, and I was there when he busted…felt
awful for him, but we were both in a tough spot hovering around 25-28 bigs at
that point. At this table was the 1st time I had my tournament life
at risk. I four bet shoved AKs and the original 3 bettor was an older gentleman
who was also short. We both were kinda laughing and joking as we held our cards
and neither wanted to show…were both grinning…just having fun...we eventually
both turn up our cards and I am slightly ahead as his AK but wasn’t suited…we
chop the pot. In this hand at this moment is where I will give out my “Super
Prick” award to one and only… Peter Ippolito. When we were goofing around
having fun he literally got pissed and screamed, “What assholes…JUST SHOW YOUR
CARDS”. All the people who know me will probably be shocked that I let this go
as it was a big tournament, but yea…in essence he called us assholes. In a
standard every day tournament… he would have gotten my wrath…There you go
Peter…you’ve been blasted with the “Super Prick” award…and oh how “Karma’s a
Bitch”…I was 2 to his right at the next table when he went busto…He 4 bet shoved 45 bbs or so with
AKo…into Villain’s AQ and I saw him “Tear up” as he stormed away from the table
when the Queen hit (Think Villain was Nik Stone)… GG and NH Bro…see ya around.
From there
we kind of fade into the 2 hands above when I had JJ…although I will break down
a few other hands that I think were interesting:
Poker Brat
Bluff:
I came real
close…and I mean real close…to bluffing off my whole tournament to Hellmuth
about 14 hands before my courtesy double up through him with the JJ. He was
playing his regular “snug…tight” image and he min raised from the hi-jack…I
called from the BB with KQs and we both saw the flop. Flop peeled out 9c7h2s…Check---check…turn
is the 10d. I check again and he makes a small bet and I call…clearly having
him on the top of his range here with A/K-Q-J…etc. I am going to steal it on the
river 3c. I check clearly expecting to check-shoving the river and he again
makes a bet to look like a value bet. I stacked up my chips and we started
staring at each other…I KNOW he has nothing…I count out my chips posturing a
little and go in the tank …we were both steepled up…I grab my stack and start
to move it in and stop to get a read…got nothing…I eventually kick my cards in
and he says. “I had you…I would have called” and shows A-9…I sigh and say ”Nice
hand sir”.
Elky last
hand of the night:
They had
decided a number on the last hand of the night and I happen to be sitting in
the 9 seat with Elky in the 7 seat with about 200k in front of him. We made it
all the way down to the last hand of the night and I was in the BB and Elky
min-raises from the sb and I look down at KQo and decide to take a flop with
this sicko. I steepled up and saw a flop of 10c-5s-3d rainbow…He checks…I check.
The turn was the 9h. He checks and I tank and we start staring at each other…
Bill and some of the other folks start to gather around as we were the only
table still in action. I count out some chip and then put them back down
thinking of Semi-Bluffing with my gutterball, but somehow he had this look
about him that he knew he had the best hand and I felt he was going to call no
matter what… I eventually check. The river was the 7c and he goes in the
tank…and eventually checks….I tank-check and say, “King High”…He smiles and
said “I thought so”…and table A-4o for Ace high.
Day 2:
I started
with this table:
Hao Le
(192,500)…David “ODB” Baker (212,000)…Me…Nicolas Fierro (29,000)…Aaron Massey
(207,500) Mark Bonsack (121,000)…Matthew Weber (29,500)…David Peters (158,500)
My card dead
streak was on an all time high and I just could not get any cards. I played
exactly 2 (two) hands the whole time. I three-bet shoved a raise from ODB after
he raised a couple of limpers with me holding AKo and they all folded. Final
Hand …I blinded down to 4 bigs with a steady diet of 74o…103o…62…94…etc. We
were at 500/1500-3000 and Matt Weber raised to 7k from early position…I'm in bb
with 12.5k behind...I shove AJo into his AKo…and I couldn’t get there.
(Damn…that sucked…felt like I just relived it in my mind)…ok…lets move on
Some of the
players:
David “ODB”
Baker …
I want to
say that I did meet some really cool players. I started day 2 with David “ODB”
Baker on my right and he immediately approached me and started talking to me
asking me questions. He greeted me by saying , “Your from around New Orleans
right?”…in fact he knew that there were 2 of us from my hometown of Houma, La
…as Jacob “Nocko” Naquin also made it day 2 and eventually was the bubble boy I
think…KK vs AA is so sick.
Aaron
Massey…I had seen Aaron around the circuit and several times he was on tables
next to him, but I never actually played with him. I played with him in this
event for several hours and really like the guy and his game. I was really
impressed in how he handled himself, and his table presence is strong. I would
like to take a look at this one hand that I felt could have been played
differently though…not better…and I am not 2nd guessing his play because
there are just too many justifications for the play…I may have just played it
differently.
The hand was
covered by Pokernews but they only got the recap. To lay the hand out a
little…both ODB and Aaron were over 200k in chips… well over 90 bigs coming
back for Day 2 at 500/1200-2400…37 players left as Chris Moorman and Joe Cheong
had already been eliminated in Day 2…and they pay 18 players…1st
place was $414,000.
(My memory
of hand)…ODB opens for the standard raise of $5k…I fold and Nick Fierro Jams about
10 bigs (24k or so) on my left…and it’s to Aaron. He semi-tanks and asks ODB
for a “rough” count and then threw a bunch of chips in and I think it was close
to 63k…and its around to ODB…ODB thinks for about 20-30 seconds and announces
he is shipping his stack and is all in…Aaron’s facial expressions looked like he has no choice…and says, “I call”
rather quickly….Fierro has 77…Aaron turns up QQ and ODB has AKo…from
Pokernews: “The board ran out 2c2hJhJdKd and Massey let out a wail when the river
hit. Fierro was eliminated, Massey was crippled and Baker is the new chip
leader”
I just don’t
know if that was a spot that I would have wanted to play a huge pot considering
that extent of the situation. If he calls Fierro’s jam and then ODB ships then it’s a tough spot and I believe I probably
have to call also, but if ODB flats Fierro’s jam also with Massey and they see
the flop…I think the tourney may have turned out different for Aaron….if ODB does
in fact flats there... The way the table was playing I think it would be hard for
ODB to continue in the hand...So let’s say Aaron flats Fierro’s Jam and ODB
just calls as well… hypothetically.
Post Flop of
2c2hJh…
Scenario #1:
Either ODB leads out and Aaron raises and ODB folds.
Scenario #2:
ODB checks and Aaron makes a nice size bet I think ODB has to fold.
Scenario #3:
They both check the flop to keep the pot small…The board double pairs on the
turn and they probably check it down because a Jack was in both of their ranges
here in this hand.
In his
defense I know he was thinking Fierro most probably had and Ace or King in his
hand which tilts the odds favorably enough to make the play he made. It was a
tough spot…I am not being critical as he and ODB both are better players than
me and have the results to show for it…My perception on the hand was that I
would have preferred to play a smaller pot there if I could and see the flop
and see where the hand would take us…It really sucked to see Aaron play so well
and him lose that pot and he is on fumes…he is a good player.
Nik Stone:
Played with
him on several tables, was really impressed with his play. He was mixing it up
well and had the whole table off guard. He also busted Hellmuth in a hand he
played really well and had Hellmuth talking to himself as he walked away. He,
Drazen ILich and I all started drinking beer together once we got to the last
level of play…everyone got friendlier…etc
Hellmuth:
Really nice
guy…Played with him for several hours…Played his standard game…I did catch him
staring at me and I think he picked up on something I was doing as I was the BB
when he was OTB. Bill saw it too, and after a break I started not looking at my
cards until it was my turn to act and he “went away”…he stopped
staring/studying me. The JJ hand I doubled up thru him was a standard play…the
hand played itself, and I already referenced the bluff above.
National
Championship moving to New Orleans and away from the WSOP:
I am pretty
disappointed that the National Championship is going to be moved to New Orleans
this year. We really had a great time and it was fun getting to go to Vegas to
play it. I think that the WSOP in general were disappointed in how it turned
out for several reasons:
1) Not
enough of the $10k qualifiers showed up:
There were several people including
Choeng/Kessler/Failla who were surprised that more players did not come out. I
mean really…when are you ever going to be able to play in a WSOP event to win a
bracelet …where theres only a few hundred people?...never now that they moved
it away from the WSOP…Kessler at one point said, “Juanda’s name is on the list
I would bet anyone that he doesn’t know or forgot about this thing”
2) No big
name pros made the final table:
ODB was probably the most known
player outside of the circuit and if it wasn’t for the “Drama” with Mesummecci and
Eriquezzo…there was no hype or excitement.
3) I think
there were complaints about forcing people to play a certain day in the Main
Event…
I don’t
know.
We will see
how it pans out this year and at least I will be able to go sweat it since its
so close to my house.
Ok...will
write more later
"The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he who, in the name of charity and good will, shepherds the weak through the valley of darkness, for he is truly his brother's keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who would attempt to poison and destroy My brothers. And you will know My name is the Lord when I lay My vengeance upon thee"
Samual Jackson as "Jules" in Pulp Fiction
