WSOP 2007: Cashed again

10. June 2007 | Category: 50outs

Play today started at 2 p.m. with 51 players left and somehow I had a very bad feeling. While I was confident yesterday today I was lacking it when play started. For whatever reason I made it one of my priorities to reach a money spot, probably a follow-up of my all-in move with 9-2o on the final table of the rebuy event (something like show the world that I can do better bla bla bla). My strategy was clear: play super tight until the money and then let the crazyness begin. Reaching the money was all in all very easy, as an example how tight I played: I raised UTG with :Jh:Jd, got a re-raise and simple and quickly folded (player showed me queens). As normal it took quite a while before the bubble bursted but I was not in any real danger anytime to make it, spare a bad beat.

After we reached the money seats were redrawn and I was moved to a table with Humberto Brenes, Joe Sebok (Barry Greensteins son) and Allan Cunningham. I was down to like 50,000 chips at that time with the average being about 130,000, blinds at 6000/12000. I survived an all-in pot vs Cunningham who raised out of the small blind with :Qd:Td but I found :Ax:Kx which held up. One or two more blind steals or reraises and I was again at about 120,000 when we were down to 27 players and seats were redrawn again. Same table for me, again with Cunningham, Alex Kravchenko and others. Shortly afterwards I found my very first pair of aces since 5 days on the button. Kravencko in the cutoff made a standard steal raise, I doubled his bet but the small blind moved all-in for over 90,000! Kravenchko called for all his chips (89,000 that was) in an instant and I of course also called with my :Ah:As. Small blind player had :Ax:Kx and Kravchenko had :Qx:Qx and I almost trippled up to 300,000 in chips, double the average!

From here on I should have been able to reach the final table but I made a crucial mistake. A big mistake. Like a 220,000 chips mistake. I raised UTG with :Ad:Qc and was called by Cunningham on the button. Flop came down :Ac:Ks:Tc and I insta-betted 52,000 chips, the pot size. Allan Cunningham re-raised all-in for about 137,000 chips more. Uff. I went into the tank. The pot had 156,000 in there, it was 137,000 to call (I had over 220,000 left at that time). What could he have? Flopped straight? From all I knew about Cunnigham he would not call a raise from UTG with QJ. Maybe AK? Hmmm, could be but would he not have raised that before the flop? What’s left? A set, AT, AJ or a move to get me away from the hand. I had AJ beat. Somehow I came to the conclusion that he must have Ace-Ten for two pair but I was pretty confident that I would beat that – any J would give me a straight, any Q better two pair and with a K coming my kicker Q would be playing. After long 3 minutes I called, being filmed in the face by two ESPN cameras (which really makes thinking not really easier and getting experience in playing before cameras and more than 100 spektators who watch your every move is something I not thought off as that important before). Of course Cunningham plays better that I think of him and he showed me :Ax:Kx for top two pair and I was drawing to runner-runner queens or one the remaining four jacks for a straight. No help and I lost a monster pot, leaving me with like 80,000 only.

I doubled up again and survived the following time. With like 130,000 in chips seats were redrawn again when only 18 players have been left. I was moved to the other table where I arrived with 150,000 chips and on the button. Nice. The first hand I layed down after a raise from Jeff Lissandro in the cutoff but the very next hand I found :Ad:7d in the cutoff, it was folded to me, I raised the pot to 42,000 all fold to the big blind who announces re-raise, annother 70,000 on top, all-in. I looked at him and saw that he was thinking I was making a move only and called instantly. He said "you got me" and showed :Kh:Qh. My hand was good but the flop sealed my fate with :9x:Tx:Jx which gave him the straight right away. I had 22,000 left which went all-in in the next hand with :Ks:Jc, the small blind found :7x:7x which made a straight and I was out in 18th place ($17,770).

Believe it or not, I played my best game for two days except for two playing mistakes: the day before when I lost myself with two fives in the hole and acted to fast and today vs. Cunningham when I failed to lay my hand down as should have done. Becoming 18th ist fully ok with me here, nobody doing two such big mistakes in a world series of poker championship event tournament should be awarded (I know, it happens over and over again, still I think it shouldnt) by a final table or even a braclet. I played very, very good in this tournament except those two hands and my confidience in my holdem game could not be higher right now.

Top-pros I played against on my tables today:

– Joe Sebok
– Allan Cunningham
– Erik "rizen" Lynch
– Gavin Griffin
– Humberto Brenes
– Jeff Lissandro
– Jason Lester
– Alex Kravenchko
– Steve Billirakis

Tomorrow I will play the $5,000 limit holdem championship event (oh what a change in gears that will be) at 5 p.m. 
 


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