Day 2B

It’s time to head back over to the Rio for Day 2B. I’ve had a couple of days off waiting for Day 1D and Day 2A to play. I spent the 1st day pretty much recovering from my Day 1C. Going to bed at 4:30 am, I slept to about noon then played a little cash game. Just wasn’t really into it, so I cashed out after a couple of hours and just relaxed the rest of the day. Yesterday was pretty much the same as preparing for Day 1, watching what I ate, making sure I got enough rest, and really getting my head straight for today. Last night wasn’t near as bad as Day 1 eve. I didn’t have much problem going to sleep and rested pretty well. So I’m ready to play.

I take that now familiar ride over to the Gold Coast on the shuttle bus. Then I walk across the street to the Rio. Now I take the long walk down to the Amazon Room where opportunity awaits. I only have to wait about 30 minutes before it’s time to head to my table and unbag my chips. Seat 7 it is. There’s a tenseness in the air but nothing like Day 1. Seat 6 jokingly makes a comment to me about how he’s got me dominated with his massive chip stack of $36.6k. I find out later that he is Adam Schoenfeld, an experienced tournament pro. The table seems pretty friendly with each other. I notice Seat 10 is Tom McEvoy, 1983 Main Event winner and poker pro. Seat 2 is a woman who I find out later is Allyn Jaffrey Shulman of Card Player Magazine. Seat 3 is a no-name that has a mountain of chips. So this table is going to play a bit different than my table on Day 1.

“Shuffle up and deal!” Finally, let’s get this show on the road. I wait until the action is on me before I look at my cards (something I remember reading and want to make sure that I follow). 8d3h. Fold. Not as good of a start as Day 1. That’s OK. You can’t win every hand. I just have to play the cards I’m dealt. I settle down for a long but hopefully successful day. Successive hands are dealt and cards are folded. I’m having a bit of a slow start. Be patient. Finally, the decent hands start coming and my stack is slowly growing. Other players’ stacks have taken some hits. I look down at KdKs on the SB. It’s folded around to me. I don’t want to limp and let the BB see a free flop. My luck and he’ll flop 2 pair. I decide to make my standard 3xBB raise and hope for a call. What? You raise? All-in?? Now wait a minute. My kings are supposed to be the dominant hand here. What could you have? Since it’s the BB and he probably thinks that I was just trying to make a steal, he could have a pretty big range of hands. Hell, if he’s got AA, at least I’ve got him covered. My day wouldn’t be over but I’d be pushing a hell of a lot for awhile. I can’t fold KK. No way. No how. “Call”. QdQh!! Yes!! Unlucky for him but that’s his problem. “Do the right thing, dealer.” Flops Kc6c5d. He’s just about dead. Turn’s 10s. He’s done. “Tough one”. Goodbye. Gimme those chips. Up to $57.5k. Time for the 2nd break of the day.

Back from break and there’s been a few hands dealt. All folds for me. The table is playing pretty tight to this point. I look down at rags UTG so I’m out. Seat 8 raises 3xBB. Table folds around to Seat 6 (Adam Schoenfeld) who makes the call from the BB. Flop comes 10d8h4d. Seat 6 makes a pot-sized bet. Seat 8 insta-shoves. Seat 6 has him covered by only $2.5k but thinks about it and makes the call. He turns over QhQd. Seat 8 flips over JsJd. Looks like a good pot for Seat 6. Turn is the deadly Jh. What was looking good a second ago is down to 6 outs (any 9 or 2 queens). River blanks and Seat 6 is down to $2.5k in chips. The next hand is dealt and it is folded around to Seat 6 in the SB. He takes a peak and shoves. I take a look at my cards, 10d9h. Hmmm. Not that great but not terrible. Calling this represents less than 5% of my stack and he could have shoved with any two cards after the last hand. Heck with it. “Call”. Seat 6 flips over Js10c. So my 10 is dead. At least it was cheap. Dealer flops Kd9s3c. Wahoo, I’m ahead. He’s got outs for sure. Turn and river are blanks for him so he’s out. I know it was a loose call. But with the previous hand, as tight as I have played so far, and the size of the bet, I feel justified in the call. I got lucky. It happens.

I’ve taken a couple of small pots and I’m up to $65k in chips. I’m feeling pretty good about my outlook on this tournament and I look down at KhKs from UTG+2. Folded to me and I announce “Raise”. I bet 4xBB just to weed any weak ace holdings out of a call. I get one caller, Seat 1. Ok, dealer, no ace. Flop comes AhQdQc. Jesus. What the hell am I suppose to do with that? This has got to be the worst flop for me. Settle down, my opponent doesn’t know this. Action is on me. Continuation bet of ¾ pot seems about right. “Raise”. Raise? I’m done. Can’t do anything with it. Chips are too valuable. 20 minutes until the supper break. I’m getting nothing to play. Rags, rags, rags. Break time and I’m down to $48.2k in chips. Still OK but I’ll need to do something after dinner.

It’s about an hour before stopping time for the night. This has been the longest and most painful night of my life. Since coming back from supper, I haven’t won a hand. I guess the fortunate part is, I haven’t played but 2 or 3 hands and they were from the blinds. This has been the longest bad run of cards I have ever experienced. Nothing suited. Nothing connected. 1 pair of 4’s but I didn’t see calling the raise and reraise preflop. Of course it flopped me a 4 and I would have won. But that’s it. I haven’t been folding rags that would have hit. I’m simply folding bad hands that would have been losers. Any time I’ve gotten mediocre hands like Q-10 off suit, there have been raises before the action got to me. I can’t sit here and get blinded out. I’ve dropped all the way down to less than $20k in chips. Any pair, any 2 paint, or any ace and I’m shoving if 1st into the pot. I’ve still got a little fold equity.

Fold, fold, fold, fold. Please God, put me out of my misery. Finally I look down at Ah. “All-in”. I get one caller. He flips over AsJs. I didn’t even look at my other card. Please be a king or a queen. 2d??? Crap. Guess I’m done barring a miracle. “C’mon dealer, help me out”. Flop comes Ac10c8s. I’m dead to a 2. “2. 2. 2. 2. 2.” Turn is…..6h. “C’mon 2!” River is…..2c. “Yesssss”. So I sit back down. I got my little miracle. Damn, I needed it. I need a few more.

Play has come to an end for the night. I’ve managed to take my stack of $36k up to $65k and back. Not what I had planned. Well, half anyway. The back part. Time to bag and count my chips. $22.8k. Extremely short stacked for Day 3 but alive. Maybe I can get lucky early and get to the money. We have a day off before Day 3 then everybody left in the tournament finally comes together. Day 3 is bubble day. Guess we’ll have to wait and see. It ain’t over until it’s over. The fat lady ain’t singing yet but she’s warming up. Maybe I can put a sock in it in time. We’ll see on Day 3.