The Chainsaw Report, Vol. 1

I had waited 5 events for the 10K stud and had skipped a few other events prior to it to be sure there wouldn't be a conflict.

I have done very well in stud events over the years, final tabling the WSOP stud Championship (then $5,000) in 2006 and winning or final tabling several other stud or stud 8 or better events.

I bought in for the event about an hour early and at first was disappointed with the turnout; but knew there would be a late rush. The final tally of 142 would wind up to be off by about 10% from last year's 158 entries.

With an hour to go before the tournament, I had just enough time to be a guest on Dennis Phillips' radio show. The show went pretty smoothly and will be broadcast later this week. his show can be found on the internet as well.

I wasn't happy with my table. I knew all but one player at the table and all were fairly solid. I looked around and saw several tables i'd prefer over mine.

I liked the new starting stack of triple the buyin, and the 200/400 starting level was high enough to have some importance. The increases after that were very slow 250/500, then 300/600, 400/800, 500/1000, 600/1200 etc. The structure seemed well thought out and gave everyone ample play to build a stack.

Seat 1 was Hasan Habib who has a bracelet in stud 8. Seat 2 was Cory Zeidman who final tabled a stud event with me at the Commerce a few years back. Seat 3 was a player from the East coast who I'd played with several times in AC and Foxwoods. Seat 4 was Alan Boston. Ive made several last-longers with Alan when he was offering 6 to 5; and have yet to lose one. We didn't even discuss a last-longer today. Stud is supposedly Alan's best game, as he only plays the stud tournaments and the main event. Seat 5 was the stranger I'd never seen before. Seat 6 a stud tournament regular, and seat 8 Thor Hansen, a veteran tourney player.

Things started off well. I raised with kings and Alan smooth-called with buried aces. I bet 4th street and made kings up on 6th. I bet 6th and he raised me. I called and he bet out on 7th street. I said I'm at least calling and called, happy to see he only had the one pair. He criticized my play on the hand, although I thought he could have played the aces stronger earlier in the hand.

I got my first of 6 or 7 flush draws i would see in this event vs Hasan. I played it strong and bricked out. I was down to 28,500 now after winning one hand and losing another.

Thor Hansen was hitting hands like crazy. He showed rollups twice, and paired his doorcard on 4th or 5th street at least 5 times in the first few levels.

The nest hand i got involved in, I started with Kings again and made aces up on 4th. I raised to open the pot and was called by Cory, and the bring-in who had a deuce. When I hit the ace on 4th i bet again, and was called only by the player with the deuce who now showed 2, 3. Fifth street the other player caught an 8 for a totally hidden set of 8's. My aces up didnt improve and I was down to 25,500.

It seemed like I was the bring in about 3 times as often as any of the other players. At one point, Thor commented, "I hate being under the gun every hand!"

Midway though level 4, i finally was rolled up, and won a nice pot off the stranger in seat 5. I bet out weak on 5th, and got him to raise and bet 6th street. I bet out on 7th and he called. I was still at 26,700 at this point and not in that bad shape.

The last hand before the dinner break, I start with 10 J Q K then open paired my King on 5th. I shouldn't have bet on 5th since my opponent paired his doorcard, but I had a fairly strong hand even if he had trips.

I made my straight on 7th and check called losing to his full house. I was down to 20,100 at the dinner break,

After the dinner break, disaster struck, I opened with JJ3 the Jack showing and the 3 suited with one of my jacks. By sixth street, I had 2 pair and a 4 flush. I bricked on 7th street and check called a hidden flush. That hand dropped me to 14,300, about half of my starting stack.

Then, I started with 10 10 3 and bet an Ace on 4th against only Cory. I made one more bet on 5th and we checked it down, My one pair actually held up as he had a smaller pair and a draw, and I was back to 17,500.

Now, we were at 600 1200 so every hand was costly if played to the river. I defended a flush draw as the bring in against an ace in steal position. by 5th street I had 10 J Q K and 4 hearts vs his broken board. He bet out 1200 and I raised to 2400. On 6th street, he bet out 1200 and I bricked. I called, as I assumed he must have had a fairly strong hand to call my raise on 5th and then bet out. In fact, all he had on 6th was an A-high flush draw. On 7th street, he bet out 1200 again, I said "if you were playing against me you would hit this hand" I slid the card and it was another blank, a black 2. All i had was king high at this point, and I couldn't even beat his A-high board so i folded. At this point he turns over his hand to show he missed his draw as well, and started laughing at me and ridiculing my play of the hand. This didn't really bother me, though I obviously could have won the hand by raising my King high on 7th. I thought I played the hand fine.

I played yet another flush draw in a multiway pot. By 6th street I had a pair and the flush draw, and of course i brick again on 7th. After these 2 missed flush draws, I was down to about 10K in chips.

With antes of 100 and bringins of 200, the chips went very fast. I played a few hands to 4th street and folded, and by the end of the round was down to 4,800.

We had played 6 hours, and I'd only won 3 hands on 7th street. The kings up vs Alan, The full house, and the unimproved 10's vs Cory.

I had 5 or 6 flush draws, never making one, made one straight that lost, never made trips other than the full house hand, and lost my only aces up hand.

We were now at a 200 ante 800/1600 and I had to play a hand soon or be anted out. I got down to about 3400 and raised to 800 with buried 7s and a queen showing. Hasan reraised with a king showing and I was committed to this hand for my last few chips. I caught his king on 4th as a blocker. by 7th street I asked Hasan if I was drawing live. He said if you catch 2 pair
you're good. I bricked on 7th as was the case most of the day and was out of the tournament.

This was a far cry from what id hoped for, but I really didn't have many hands. I had just enough time to see the awards presentation to Tom Mcevoy in the Champion of Champions tourney. He had been heads up with my "twin" Robert Varkonyi for the title. Tom was presented a nice trophy and a restored Corvette.

Today is the $1500 NL. Hopefully this one will pan out better.