Quest of a Closet Poker Player

I didn’t want all the hoopla around this, but I did play last evening in the WSOP. Busted out around 2:30AM, thirty minutes before the end of Day 1.

I decided to play in this event due to the buy-in and the mixed format. This was a new event, the second mixed NLH/LH event after the Event 1. Jason Warner, who I interviewed and won a bracelet, was in the 3s (I was in the 2s). As most of you know, I’m a limit player at heart, although I’ve never done much in limit tourneys. I sprinted gradually from 3k in chips down to 1k after the first two levels. I then made two plays at limped pots, once with Ah-3h and once with A-10o. That got me back up to 2k or so. A few hands later, UTG raised and the player two to my right called. I picked up queens and shoved again. The guy to my right thought a bit then called with AQo. I got my stuff to leave (of course an ace is supposed to come, right?), but only a king showed up and I was good.

I played pretty tight and just couldn’t connect in LHE. In limit, you have to connect for the most part as you are normally called down unless there is a draw-heavy board that everyone is chasing. Twice I raised with KQ, twice I didn’t connect on anything (once I was up two guys with tens and nines respectively on a baby board, and once a guy check raised me with jacks on the board).

I had aces three times in NLH, taking the blinds twice then this hand. I had 2500, blinds were 100/200, and a megastack LAG who had been moved to my right raised to 600 in early position. I called hoping for a steal attempt, then the button and big blind called. Flop came Qd-8d-3d, and I had Ad. It was checked around to me, and I shoved for my last 1900 into a 2500 pot. Other options obviously would be to check or bet 600 or so. I was hoping someone connected, but it was folded around and I took the pot.

I saw more poor LH play than anything. One guy bluffed hard on a Kh-Qh-7s-3h board, check-raising an original raiser. He then bet the blank river, and the guy called him with Qs-Js. He had Ah-10d. 90% of the time, you’ll get called down by most everything except for busted draws and underpairs, and these guys were calling the aggro guys with bottom pairs or tweeners (pairs between bottom and middle flop cards). Limit is all about getting bets in when you’re ahead.

I ended up going out thirty minutes before the end of Day 1. I had 2500 in chips, the blinds were 200/300 (they modified this vs Event 1; staggered the limit and no-limit blind structure, had NLH blinds that were weird like this). The aggro guy donked off a ton of chips on a bad bluff (bad because he kept making these relatively smallish size bets that were still more than all the chips I had). He raises and I look at A9o. I fold. Next hand, I get A6o, and I shove with 2k left (I folded my blinds). I’ve got to get through five guys, and the button calls me. He turns over AKo, the king is the window card and of course a six also hits on the flop, then other cards fall around the six but no miracles. I could have folded through but felt like I had a good shot at the blinds. I had a fairly tight/nit/weak-tight table image, probably because I was weak-tight and a nit.

I’ll leave it to you to determine how I did. I lasted a very long time. 116 made it into Day 2, and I probably went out more like 140th or so as the board doesn’t match reality most of the time. It was a real grind to have next to nothing the entire time. Would be interested in any thoughts.

Here is my table from last night:

Ben Armstrong    12300    69    1
J.R. Reiss    23900    69    3
Frank Sihsopol    9100    69    4
Emanuel Seal    2800    69    5
Joe Brandenburg    27200    69    6
Adam Vasilovich    16400    69    7
Aalok Arora    14100    69    8
John Kim    16300    69    9
There are some unclaimed butts, one from late last night. More later, but thanks to Smokkee and Fuel for their encouragement.

This entry was posted on Monday, June 25th, 2007 at 2:26 pm and is filed under Uncategorized.