Owing the mob

13. July 2006 | Category: 50outs

Katja Thater standing on chair while playing poker at the WSOP in Las Vegas

We are in big trouble now. Owing money to the mob! Fortunatly, it’s only the Hendon Mob’s Barney Boatmann and the amount is only $130, 5% of Katja’s payout for reaching the money in the WSOP $2000 PLHE event. Yes, Katja made the money again, although only barly.

After going over to the Rio’s at the dinner break yesterday at 6:30 PM I found Katja outside, sitting on the stairs, talking to some players, exhausted. She had only 2100 in chips left and was as card dead during levels 5+6 as I had feared. We went to the Pokerstars booth and took a sandwich. Andreas Krause joined us and soon it was all fun, laughing and giggling. Andy is as far as sleeping (for real!) on the tournament tables “until my blind comes”, lol. He makes all his money in the omaha pot-limit side games at the Rio’s. He also told us some private stories (actual vegas experiences) that made us almost fall out of ours chairs, laughing. After some more walking around it was action time again, level 7.

The pot-limit events have no ante here at the WSOP, so blinds were 200/400 in level 7, no ante. Katja had only 2100 chips left and 10 minutes into the level the moved all-in with a re-raise to a pot-sized opening raise in late position. Blinds folded, the initial raiser, also short stacked, hesitantly called the last 500. Katja turnd over KJ of spades (the best hand she had for hours) and the guy showed A4o. Flop brought a K and that was it, Katja doubled up!

During the next 90 minutes Katja made two more re-raises, both times uncalled (one time with JJ and one with A5s on the button). On the next break she had about 6000 in chips but was the short stack on her table with about 90 players left (54 in the money). Also Katja got moved three times through tables with all large stacks. We had agreed on a reach-the-money-than-play-hard strategy so Katja played like a rock. But her chips were way to less to survive unimprovt until the money so we did know she had to play and win one more hand.

That hand finally came when Katja open-raised to 2800 (on 400/800 blinds) holding ATs in middle-position but got reraised by the SB who had JJ. Katja called her last few hundreds, shoulders-shrugging (with >7000 already in the pot and only 1000 left a clear call I think). Flop was not great but giving Katja a straight draw on KQ9, turn blank, but the ace on the river saved her!

That pot was enough to reach the money about one hour later (no cards remotely playable during that time). Right after reaching the money Katja went all-in holding QTs vs. 88 and won the hand, getting to 8000 in chips. The very next hand she had AKo and went all-in once again after a raise and a re-raise, both players had small pairs, board had a K but one of the players (all-in himself) catched a set so Katja won only the sidepot, down to 5000 again. The very next hand Katja had pocket 33 in the SB, it got folded around, she raised, got re-raised by the BB and went all-in one more time. BB had AKo here. Flop and turn were good but this time the ace on the river killed Katja’s tournament live. 53rd place, $2600, congratulation! This is Katja’s second money finish in one week and considering the beats she got the result could have been way better but still, it’s her first serious WSOP and that is awesome!

During a break we got introduced to Will Wheaton by Brad (pokerstars blog writer). Lol, we asked Will who? What are you doing? Apparantly Will is quite famous in the US as he is an former actor (Startrek “Next Generation”) and a now famous writer. Later on we took a picture with irish Andrew Black, WSOP 2005 finalist. Katja was kidding with him during many events over the last weeks. Finally we catched our buddy Casey Kastle, congratulating Lee Watkinson, who just had won the $10000 pot-limit omaha event for $655,000 and a bracelet.

Katja Thater 50outs Las Vegas Poker WSOP

Our prelimiery WSOP is over now. We fly back to germany tomorrow and get back for the main event in about 10 days. Sorry for the late update but Typepad was down all day.

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Dear friend Casey Kastle with Lee Watkinson, $10000 PLO winner, John Phan with Liz Liu during a break changing about all the purple chips in the tournament, Katja with David Levi and Davood Mehrmand (argueing, lol)


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