2011 WSOP

Long time no post!!

So II'm getting a late start this year. My first bracelet event is the $2500 NL. 7500 starting chips, 1 hours levels. My table is quite competent. The player to my left is a scrawny Italian kid who has this very annoying habit of raising my BB when he's UTG. In fact, he does this every time. He raises other times all over the place. One time, he opens UTG and gets called. Hand goes to showdown and this villain tables the mighty 42s for trip twos. I'm sure the whole table appreciated the call.

Not too much happens. Some small pots, a few hands that I call raises in position that don't work out as planned. I get to about 9000 chips when I play a hand with the Italian Job. I has AQo and he calls my raise. 3 babies goes check-check. Turn is small also and I throw out a 3/4 pot size bet that gets called. Meh. River Q. That should be good. I bet 3/4 pot again, he calls and is disgusted.

Later in the first level I pick up red 77 utg and make it 150. 5 callers, including Little Italy. Sometimes Italy handles his cards in such a way that a catch a brief flash when he looks at them. This was one of those hands, and i spotted a "mid-diamond" something between the 6 and 9. Flop: Jh 9h 7s Wee haaa we has flopped a set. We lead, villain raises. Well, he can't have a flush draw. He could have pocket 9's, but not pocket Jacks. He could also have an 8 for the gutter. I think I'm good. If for some reason I'm not, then this board will just have to pair. It will, right? I mean this is the time for the poker gods to show themselves. Pair the board, Hero gets a nice stack, and douche villain hits the rail. He will be gone! No more douchey guy who raises UTG everytime I'm in the BB. I 3 bet, he four bet shoves and we call. He flips over the 8d Th for the flopped straight. Booo poker gods. Now pair the board. It doesn't happen, I lose half my stack, and throw gasoline on the Italian fire.

I manage to get some life when I goof off raising with 35o. I get 3 callers. Flop comes A-4-T, 2 diamonds. Checked around. I start the mantra in my head deuce deuce deuce deuce deuce deuce bam!!!! DEUCE. Its a diamond though, completing the flush draw. I bet, girl raises I shove. She calls. Now I think I'm toast because a baby flush is well in her range. Nope- She shows A4 for two pair and I get back to where I started.

I play a hand badly with KJ when I flop top pair and have to fold to significant pressure on the flop and turn. There just isn't enough room in these things to lose several BB's when the average stack is in the 20-30 BB range. I drop down to 2800 or so at 75-150 and find A9s folded to me in the SB. Well, just as the sun comes up each morning, if I limp here the Italian Big Blind is going to raise. Every time. And A9s crushes this guys range X 1 mirron. He raises to 475, I snap shove, he snap calls with KJo. gg me.

Head to the Venetian and play a few hours of 5-10 NL cash. It goes pretty well. People like to fake it in this game, figuring out when they are doing so is profitable. I grind upwards and feel confident, but at the same time I find myself playing too many hands and start dwindling down my profit. My bluffs get picked off as much as the other guy, and i end up ahead a couple hundred bucks for too long of a session.

Later I end up at the Rio and try a $1030 satellite with a $500 last longer. I win a couple hands, then lose a bunch of chips when I 3bet with QQ preflop to find myself out of position and facing an Ace on the flop. Blech. bad spot. Check-check. Turn small and I bet and get called. RIver completes a flush and doesn't help me. I check-fold. gross.

I raise with KQs and flop comes 8TJ Aggro guy utg bets and I call. The rest fold. So I may have 14 outs here, maybe not. Another card of my suit on the turn and I'm going all the way. But its the 6c and villain bets 2k, which is close to the pot and also more than half my stack. Gross spot. I think a lot of folks would shove here--you have to win these satty's so aggression pays off. I give up.

Then a guy opens standard and I look down at KK. I 3 bet, leaving about half my stack. He ponders and calls. Flop is JT8, not the best flop for my hand but its all going in anyway. As happens every single time I come to Vegas for the WSOP, villain tables Aces. No help and I'm busto.

Tomorrow is the $1500 NL. Should play very fast with only 4500 starting chips. gogogogogo!