 Vegas June 2014 (WSOP) |
| Day 1 - Monster Stack news, warmup @Aria |
| Last Updated: 2014-06-26 12:17:18 |
| Easy drive from Chandler as usual, took me 4 hrs and 40 minutes. Saw the new "Interstate 11 coming soon" signs, that was about all of the excitement.
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| Went straight to Rio to get my seat assignment for Thursday, I will be in Brasilia Blue, Table 5, Seat 4. Walked around a little bit, but since it was well before any tournaments started for the day it was pretty empty.
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| Checked in at the Luxor and they put me in one of the newer towers rather than in the pyramid. These are nice rooms, especially for the price.
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| Then it was on to the Aria Buffet for a quick lunch and down to the poker room for a late entry. All said and done they got 236 entries, 27 places paid, $12K first prize for a $235 buyin and I would venture to say the largest tournament I've played in at Aria in all these years (I don't think I saw them crack 200 before, wonder if they added tables this year...didn't seem like it but maybe).
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| One quick aside before I talk about the poker...
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| When the WSOP schedule came out I immediately said to whoever would listen that A) The monster stack was the best deal they've ever had for "the masses"; B) The field would be massive and they were crazy for only scheduling one "day 1".
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| Well guess what...my second table in today's tournament was all abuzz with news of the Monster stack...
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| In spite of a lot of whining from certain pros who need to get over themselves, the staff at the WSOP does an awesome job beginning to end. Coming up with a great schedule every year (there were aspects I didn't like, but that's my issue, doesn't mean I don't respect the job they did!) and running these massive tournaments for an entire month has to be a logistical nightmare and yet they manage to pull it off wonderfully year in and year out. I can't say enough about how well run the WSOP is.
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| But they blew it with this one :-)
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| And they are fixing it!
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| The monster stack now has two starting flights on Thursday due to overwhelming demand. DUH!!!click here for the full article, but to bottom line it:
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- First flight will be at noon, second at 5PM (Twitter update - noon is SOLD OUT. Gee I'm shocked)
- Players who have seat assignments for noon already can volunteer to switch to 5 (I am sticking w/ noon)
- No re-entry if you bust out at noon
- All deepstacks are cancelled Thursday and Friday to accommodate the massive crowd they now realize they're getting
- Day 1 has been cut to 9 levels from 11, both flights will play 9 levels, 5pm players should finish 3:30am
- Both flights will combine and restart at 3pm Friday
- They still think this will be a 4-day tournament. Good luck with that! I would bet on a 5th day
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| So back to poker at Aria.
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| I was card dead beyond belief the entire tournament. After missing level 1 I won only 2-3 pots levels 2-4 and was down to 9500 chips from my 12K starting stack.
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| It didn't get any better after the break. My stack was dwindling to the point of half a stack and barely 10BB when I got away with one shove with rags then the next hand picked up K-J offsuit, nobody put out any chips ahead of me so I pushed again.
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| Called by 9-9 and A-K. Oops. Dealer counts out the flop...I see a Jack in the door! Flop rag-K-J. Turn provides a straight draw for A-K but K-J holds up and I triple up. Then we color up, so blinds go up and thanks to the clock my triple only has me at 15 bigs.
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| No cards again rounds 7 or 8, except I did finally pick up KK but got no action. So level 8 is coming to an end, I figure everyone wants to get out of dodge, I look down at A-J off, figure I surely can get away with an all-in...nope. I get called by A-Qo.
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| Flop 10-Q-K. Can't make it up! Another double up, but again it's only keeping me barely above water as the blinds are going up.
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| Shortly after the break a short stack who was a little on tilt (was the big stack, not any more) went all in and I look down at 99. I call figuring I'm probably good. The small blind then calls, barely has any chips left behind, dark shoves before the flop and I call.
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| Short stack on tilt shows KK, other guy shows 33 (really???). Flop rag-J-9. I crack Kings.
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| So three preflop all-ins I'm involved with, three times I have by far the worst hand (well OK I had 33 beat) and I won all three.
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| But otherwise I'm completely card dead.
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| For the first time I had some chips to play with. And we're not all that far from the money.
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| Well long story short since I'm going on a bit...
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| We get closer and closer to the money, it's all I can do to maintain my stack but the blinds keep going up and mt stack isn't. At 9 from the money they redraw all seats and a guy sits down next to me that I used to play with at Jerry's game! Small poker world...
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| So 5 from the money I'm at almost exactly 10BB. We're about to go on dinner break and my stack is about to go from 10BB to like 7BB. I look down at A-K and go all-in. I get one caller with 6-6. At least I'm a little behind instead of a lot behind like all my other all-in confrontations.
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| Flop comes K-5-K. Yes!!!
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| 6 on the turn. Dammit!!!
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| So I'm left with 4000 chips, and I have to wait 45 minutes for a dinner break before I can play the next hand. Unreal.
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| I come back to 3000/6000 blinds and a 1000 ante. I'm under the gun and look at 2-7 offsuit. Can't make it up. I fold.
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| So now I'm down to 3000, I ante and put up 2000 for the big blind, someone raises out and protects me, I'm all in with 10-2. And I spike a 2 on the river!
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| So now 14K chips, but 1000 ante and 3000 blind so I'm already in for a lot of my stack. Again one raiser, I call with A-6 off. He rolls over K-Q off.
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| For the first time the entire day I'm finally ahead!!!
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| Queen on the flop and I'm done 4 from the money. Sonofabitch.
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| So the plan for tomorrow, since this isn't exactly a late night, is a big, early breakfast followed by chillin' out watching the World Cup. That should leave me one hour to get to the Rio and get to my seat. Plenty of time.
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| It's probably gonna start a little late anyway with that massive field they're getting.
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| Wish me luck! |
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