Get to the Rio today and I pick up my preregistration. For the main event I'm on table blue 3 I think. I don't know if that means it breaks first or last, but its probably one or the other and I will definitely find out! Any plans for dinner fall through so i decide to play the nightly to check things out. Its $340, 30 minute levels, 5000 starting chips. First hand as I'm still getting my stuff together at the table I find A6s and I'm the second limper. The button makes it 200, two people call so I come along. Flop is A-6-5 all spades and there is a bet, a call, and then I make it 1050 and take it down. Too bad it was a monotone flop because one of the villains surely had a big ace and I would have had more. Anyway, its a nice first hand for the 09 WSOP!
I play very tight, and I'm surprised how active the table is. There is a an old guy a couple seats to my left who plays every hand. Three people get all in on a J-9-5 flop and sure enough all have flopped sets and the Jacks hold up. At 50-100 I'm the third limper in late position with QJo. Flop comes J-J-3, two spades. Yippie. The SB leads out for 400 and then this older woman to my right makes it 1400. Uh oh. Not good. I have her covered, but what on earth can she have that I'm ahead of? The only hand I can come up with is JT, and I think that's definitely a big part of her limping range. I don't think she has AJ, but she might have KJ. Pocket 3's are also a distinct possibility and what I'm really worried about. Any decent player also has a flush draw sometimes here. I feel like I should muck, but damn it I just flopped trips! I decide, screw it, I call, and I'll just ship the turn. SB folds. Turn is an offsuit 8 and she ships it. I tank. Now I narrow her range to one hand: 33. Thing is, I'm getting almost 2-1 on the call, I kind of want to know if my read is right, even if I'm not good, and even so I still have 7 outs. Somehow, against my better judgment I find a call and sure enough she tables pocket 3's. Case Jack comes on the river and I find myself berating my bad call as I stack the chips. Trust your reads son, trust your reads.
A good player makes an open-button raise to 450 and I 3-bet from the SB to 1250 with T8s. He calls. Flop is A-7-7, check-check. Turn is a 6 and I fire 1300. Its about half his stack and he tanks and folds.
I make a terrible mistake later after I get moved to another table. Easily the worst hand I've played in sometime. I raise in MP with AJo to 550 at 100-200, and get called by a big stack. Flop comes J-9-8, two spades and I bet 650. Villain makes it 2500 and I'm pretty sure he is just messing around trying to take the pot after the automatic c-bet that he expects from me. I should just ship it here but I call. Turn pairs the 9 and I bet 3000. He tanks and calls. Hmmm. Who is floating who here? River is a very ugly Qh and since the one card I put him on when he raised the flop was a Ten, I'm now pretty worried he made a straight. Besides, the board is so ugly my top pair shouldn't be good given the action. Meh. I check-fold and someone at the table says "show the bluff" and the villain turns up one card-- the 6d. wtf? I give up half my stack on just a miserably played hand and I remind myself that this is a hard game and every single hand is the one that can make or break you.
I chip up a bit more and then find AA in late position and raise three limpers to 1000. I get two callers, including the older guy from the first table who plays every hand. Flop comes 9-5-4 rainbow and old guy bets 1500 and I ship, he calls with K9o and I know the King is coming when he turns his hand over.
First bracelet event tomorrow...
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