Posts - September 2008
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WSOP Main Event Eve Part 1
September 18, 2008I can barely contain myself. We’re on final approach into McCarran International Airport. Soon we’ll be touching down in the land where dreams are made and fortunes are lost. I’d much prefer to live a dream than lose but that’s why it’s called gambling. This is only my 2nd trip to Vegas and it’s the first one for pleasure rather than business so it should be fun and be an experience I’ll never forget no matter what the outcome is.
It’s been a good trip so far. No problems checking my bags. Security at the airport wasn’t that much of a hassle. We took off from Atlanta on time. My connecting flight from Phoenix was on time and I had no hassles with changing planes so all is good. I’m on a pretty tight schedule tonight as there is a Welcoming Party being given by 888.com that I’ll be heading over to just as soon as I get checked in. This, of course, isn’t mandatory to attend but I feel like I’d like to meet a few of the people that are paying my way into the Main Event.
Finally, the captain has landed this sucker. Drive it to the gate and hurry the hell up. OK. No need to get worked up. We’re pulling in the terminal. We’re here. It amazes me how many people think that they have to stand up as soon as the plane stops. Where do they think they are going? Do they think that everyone else on the plane is going to say, “Oh, I’m sorry. I can see that you are in a hurry so please go ahead and depart the plane before me. Just because you are sitting 2 rows behind me shouldn’t make me think that I’ll be getting off before you.” Excuse me. Sit your tail down and wait like the rest of us. Strangely enough, we all want off the plane.
So, I’m off the plane and walking to the baggage claim area. It still tickles me that there are slot machines here in the airport. I guess some people can’t wait and others can’t get enough. OK. Here come my bags on the carousel. Gottem. Which way to the taxi stand? Right outside this door and……Holy Jesus, shit. How frickin’ hot is it here? Oh, only 118 degrees. People will tell you, “But it’s a dry heat”. Don’t believe that crap. 118 degrees is 118 degrees. My oven produces a dry heat too and it’ll cook a turkey. I won’t be spending too much time out here. Thank God I only have to stand out here while I wait in line for a taxi. Here we go. “Load both bags, please. Take me to the Orleans, please……………….. Thank you. This is for the fare and this is for you”.
The Orleans looks pretty nice. It’s not on the strip but I didn’t come here to cruise the strip anyway so who cares. It’s got a free shuttle to the Gold Coast which is across the street from the Rio. I can walk that far. The desk clerk was friendly and the bell hop brought my bags to the room without any delay. Good. I need to freshen up and head over to the Rio to join the party. The shuttle bus picks up on the other side of the casino so I get to walk through and look around as I go. Looks like most of the casinos I’ve been in either in Biloxi or Tunica. I feel at home already.
It’s a short ride over to the Rio. Thank God for air-conditioned buses. Cross the street and here’s the Rio. I open the door and “Toto, we’re not in Kansas anymore”. This is not like the casinos in Mississippi. This is what you think of when you think of a Vegas casino. There’s music with a heavy beat. Crowds of people are everywhere. The Welcoming Party is being held in the Barrel Room located in the Wine Cellar in the Masquerade Tower so I make my way through the casino to it. There’s a ship “sailing” around the ceiling with a show going on. Everyone seems to be watching the show so it makes it a little tougher pushing and excusing my way through the crowd. Ah, here is the Wine Cellar. Downstairs to the Barrel Room and here’s the Welcoming Party. Let the party begin!!
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Improving MY Game for the WSOP
September 17, 2008(Blog from the 2006 WSOP Main Event)
OK, I’ve got my seat. I’ve got my plane reservations. I’ve got my motel room. I’ll cab it from the airport to the hotel. I don’t expect to do a lot of traveling around Vegas so there’s no need for the added expense of a rental car. All preparations have been made so now I need to worry about the main preparation…..my game.
I live in Georgia so live play is limited to home games. I just can’t see gaining a lot but I’ll ask the guys that I play with to help me with any tells that I may have. I’m pretty quiet and calm at the tables. I’ve patiently played for hours when I was card dead just to finish the night around even. I can’t really book these as winning sessions but I do leave them feeling that most other players would have become frustrated (which I did) and lost by playing the trash hands that I was dealt (which I didn’t). I don’t really need cash game experience. I need more live tournament experience. I’ve got 2 options for this: Biloxi and Tunica, Mississippi. Biloxi is 2 hours closer but I haven’t played there for a long time so Tunica it is.
I’ve come to Tunica to work on my live tournament skill so I scheduled the trip from Thursday-Sunday. There is a daily tournament at noon at Sam’s Town, an evening tournament at the Grand, and a midnight tournament at the Gold Strike. I’ll see how many of these I can fit into my schedule.
Thursday—I got a late start leaving out this morning so it was actually around noon when I left. It’s a 6.5 hour drive to Tunica so I got to Tunica around 5:30 (different time zone). Once I get checked in, get up to my room, grab some supper, and get my head right after the long drive, it’s around 7:30. I’m too late for the evening tournament so maybe I’ll play the midnight tournament. I played some cash game at Sam’ Town and made around $100 but it should have been much more. Damn, I’m tired. Forget the midnight tournament. I’m headed to bed.
Friday-Sunday—I played in a total of 4 tournaments and put in around 15 hours in cash game play. In the money in 2 of 4 with one final table. Went out in 4th in that one. Overall, I’m up $300 for the trip and I learned a few lessons to take with me to Vegas.
LESSON 1- Get plenty of rest so I can play my top game.
LESSON 2- Don’t take maniacal play personally even if they’re an ass. They will draw out on you.
LESSON 3- If you won’t chop with the locals, you will become a target (shouldn’t apply to the Main Event but may if I play other daily tournaments on days off).
LESSON 4- Absolutely wait until action is on you before you even look at your cards. I got this from someone else that telegraphed their moves EVERY hand. They would hold their cards if they were folding or cap them and start counting chips if they were calling or raising.
LESSON 5- Don’t take maniacal play personally even if they’re an ass. They will draw out on you. I know this is the same as lesson 2 but the guy REALLY was an ass.Sunday afternoon- I guess it’s time to drive back to Georgia. Not as much tourney play under my belt as I would have liked but there’s no way to improve 10 fold in the next month. Time to just settle down and take my game to Vegas.
Read more: WSOP
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Travel Preparations for the Main Event
September 05, 2008OK. I’ve won my seat for the WSOP Main Event. Now I’ve got to get ready. Since this was a “Seat Only” tournament, there are a lot of things I need to take care of.
1st thing, I guess I need to check on flight reservations and hotel accommodations. Easy enough, I’ll just pull it up online. OK, there are plenty of flights but what day should I fly to Las Vegas? What day should I schedule my return flight? I’ll get back to that. Let me find a room. Hmmm, the WSOP is at the Rio but good gooly mooly at their prices. I can’t afford that unless I make it to the money. Here’s some on the strip but how am I going to get back and forth. Cab fare would end up making those about as much as staying at the Rio without the convenience. Wait, here’s the Gold Coast which is next door to the Rio and is cheaper and here’s the Orleans which is owned by the same company as the Gold Coast, looks nicer, and has a free shuttle to and from the Gold Coast. I can then just walk next door to the Rio. Sounds good. But just like the flights, I need to get verification from Pacific Poker to know when I need to be there.
It’s been 2 weeks since I won my seat and I haven’t heard squat from Pacific Poker. I’ll send them an email and see what’s going on. Email sent. OK, I got a response. Hmmm, I need to contact the Rio directly and verify my starting date for Day 1 (with 4 Day 1’s, I’ll need to verify that first). I can do that. There’s also a welcoming party the night before Day 1A. That would be good to go to. Maybe I can make a few friends. That’ll make being in Vegas alone a little more enjoyable. Just need to verify with the Rio and I can get the ball rolling.
I just got off the phone with the Rio and I’m set for a Day 1C start. That means if I fly in to Vegas the day before Day 1A, I’ll have 2 days to acclimate myself to the time and relax for a couple of days. With 4 Day 1’s, a day off, and then 2 Day 2’s, I might as well book my return flight on Day 3. If I make it that far, I can always change my reservation and I sure hope that I have to do that.
Reservations made. I’ll be flying in and getting to Vegas around 6:30pm. I’ll be staying at the Orleans. When I get there, after I check in, I should have enough time to make the welcoming party. Everything seems to be set.
I guess the only thing left is to work on my game………..
Read more: Travel
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Qualifying for the Main Event
September 03, 2008Here I sit at my computer, just like I’ve done a thousand other times. But this isn’t like the other thousand. I’m not playing in a Sit and Go tonight. I’m not playing in a cash game. Tonight, I’m playing in a tournament. No. It’s not just a tournament. Tonight is the World Series of Poker satellite tournament on Pacific Poker.
I’ve been waiting anxiously for this tournament since I qualified for it a couple of weeks ago. This isn’t one of their regular satellite tournaments. This one is through one of their affiliates (like PokerNews but not) so the field promises to be small. It’s a small affiliate so the prize is only a seat. But how can I complain? I’ve got a chance at a $10K seat at the Main Event. I’ve been playing on Pacific for a couple of weeks earning points to qualify. I haven’t been doing that well so that just makes me even more nervous about the tournament.
OK. It’s time. Only 72 players. The cards are in the air (or on the screen as the case may be). The hands go by in a whirl. I’m up. I’m down. I’m slowly building my stack. I’m staying near the average stack. 1st break comes and we’re down to less than half of the field. Things are getting interesting. I haven’t really been at risk so far. Let’s hope this keeps up.
Fold. Fold. Fold. Am I ever going to get a hand? These blinds are growing. This is not a good time to go card dead. My stack has gone from above average to just below average. Please don’t let me go like Broomcorn’s uncle. What’s this???
?? Finally. And on the big blind too?? (My favorite spot to get AA) Bet. Come on, bet. Yes!!! Now raise. Come on small blind. You know it’s a steal. RAISE!!!!! Yes!!! SB went all in. OK, let’s see. Initial raiser is a big stack. SB has just a little less than me. A call is a waste of time. Push time. Let’s do it big stack. Call. Call. Call. Yes!!! Time for a short prayer. “Dear Lord. Let them stand up. PLEASE LET THEM STAND UP. Amen.” Let’s see. It’s my vs bigstack's 
vs SB's 
. I feel like a miracle has happened. Flop’s rainbow crap so bigstack can’t get me. No king. No king. Turn, garbage. No king. No king. River……..
. Triple up time!!!! Yes. I’m 5th in chips with 22 left.Amazing how many hands I’m catching now. AK, QQ, JJ. Even got to limp in with pocket 4’s and hit my set on the flop. Chip stack is still growing. 15 left. 14, 13, 12, 11, Final table time!!! OK. I’m 2nd in chips. I have to stay patient and yet maintain my aggression. 9th gone. 8th. 7th. Crap. Breaktime again. I don’t want a break. Keep this sucker running. OK. Maybe I do need to calm down. Relax. I can do this.
6th drops by the wayside. I’m up to 3rd in chips. 2 shortstacks and 3 bigstacks. 5th gone. I'm down to 3rd. What’s this? You want to raise my
, Mr Chip Leader? OK. I’ll call. Hmmm, flop is 
. Yes. I will raise you with the top pair-top kicker and nut flush draw. Ooooooo, what’s that?? 
?? Yes, I will call when you put me all in. 
?? You’re drawing dead, buddy. Thank you very much. Say hello to the new chip leader.4th place isn’t bad Mr Former Chip Leader. I know I left you shortstacked. Nobody blames you for pushing your pocket 5’s. Down to 3 with me holding around 50% of the chips. Looking good. Think I’ll stand up for a few hands. Fold. That’s right. You 2 fight it out. 3rd place gone. Time for heads up. Win a pot. Lose a pot. I’m feeling like a yo-yo. OK. I’m ahead by 10k chips. I’ll call your raise with my
. 
. Good flop. Will you let me see a free card? Check. Nope. I’m going to have to call your pot bet. ??? I’ve got the nuts!!! Check. Please bet. Please bet. You can’t be serious. You pushed?? Call, call, call!!! It’s mine!!! I got the seat!!! Yes!!! Sure. I'm a gracious winner. I'll type the customary GG. TYVM.I can't believe this. I've won a seat in the World Series of Poker. I give my wife a hug. I chain smoke a couple of cigarettes. Heck no, I'm not ready for bed. I may not go to bed tonight. The way that I feel right now, I don't know when I'll ever sleep again. OK, I've won the seat. Now I've got to get ready.................
Read more: Qualifying
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Blogging a Main Event
September 03, 2008I've been a PokerNewser for a while now and freeroll tournaments have come and gone. Great opportunities have been won to play in several different tournaments. Whenever a player has won one of these, I've asked that they blog about their experiences. I have yet to read one even though almost every winner has said that they would keep us posted. So, I decided to go back and record my experience in the 2006 WSOP Main Event. I'll do this as if I was blogging as I went along (Something that I wish I had done). I'll take it from beginning to end. When I'm done, I hope that it can serve as an example of what a good blog might look like.
Any comments or questions would be appreciated.
Read more: WSOP, Blogging a Tournament
