Tournament Details

Well it is has been a few days and I finally have enough time to write the whole section about my play in the WSOP. (I did not want to write it in sections)

Before I left for the Rio, I checked my email and posted a blog. I receive a monthly email from Full Tilt, where they have some of the professional players that are sponsored by FTP write columns all about poker life (playing, money mgmt, etc, etc...). The column I received that morning was by Greg "FBT" Mueller (http://www.fulltiltpoker.com/tip-email-108-deposit.php?utm_id=300)
All in all, it was a pretty decent article about small-to-mid pocket pairs.

To be on the safe side, I left to the Rio around 10:30am. I heard the crowds were insane, so I wanted to avoid them at all costs. When we (Erin & I) arrived, it was not as crowded as I thought it would be, but the alternate line was pretty insane. At one point there had to be at least 200 people waiting in it. I would have been scared to be an alternate in this tournament since the person would come over the loudspeaker every few minutes to warn players that once they have paid to be an alternate, you do NOT get your money back if you do not get seated into the tournament. I was very surprised at that, but that did not stop anyone from signing up.

They would not open the doors to the Amazon Room (where all the poker tables are located) until 11:45am, so the waiting area was filling up pretty fast. I was AMAZED at some of the talk that went on around me.
On my left was an older gentleman and a younger guy both reading Cardplayer magazine. The old man turned to the kid and asked him what it meant by being "out of position" and "under the gun". The kid explained it to him, but I was shocked that if you are playing in a tournament for $1500, you did not know this information.
On my right was 2 older gentleman where the one man was explaining that he only plays in cash games, but just wanted to play in this to check it out. I guess the lure of all that money brings out everyone, even if you don't know much about the game.

Once the doors opened, it was a mad dash to get to your table and get situated. I checked out where my table was located a few days ago so I did not spend time wandering around looking like most people. I was at Table 42, Seat 9. This was a good spot since all dealers buttons started at Seat 10.
Right when I sat down, the player in Seat 7 said, "Hey, I played with your father in yesterdays $2000 NL tournament". I told him that was not possible. I was curious so I asked who he thought I was and he mistakened me for Joe Sebok (http://www.cardplayer.com/players/photos/Joe-Sebok/14939), who is Barry Greenstein's son.
As I thought about it, maybe that is why alot of people were giving me the double look while I was waiting to enter the Amazon room that morning....who knows.

As the tournament was about to start, we still had 2 open seats (Seats 5 & 6) and low and behold, who sits down in Seat 6.....Greg "FBT" Mueller. It gave me a good chuckle since I had just read his article not even 3 hours earlier.

And the tournament finally starts!!!!
Each round last an hour. It was a nice slow pace so that you could see some hands.
Check out the link for the Blind structure.
http://www.cardplayer.com/tournaments/blinds/7272

Even though I was not involved in the first hand, it was pretty interesting, so I will describe it.
Folds around to the Dealer, who raises it to 225 (the blinds are 25-50)
The SB folds and the BB makes the call.
Flop comes 4 Q 8 with two spades.
BB checks, Dealer bets 300, BB calls.
The turn is a 10.
BB bets 300 and Dealer calls.
River is another spade and the BB pushes all in.
The guy on the button says I can't believe I am going to lay this down, but I don't want to be that guy who goes out on the first hand and folds Pocket Aces face up.
The BB shows Q 10 of spades for the flush and even had him with two pair on the turn. Greg Mueller was impressed by the laydown saying that the average player would have been sent to the rail on that hand.

I decided to write down my first 16 hands to show people what I was getting. I am sure I played some of these hands wrong, but all I was trying to do was limp in and hopefully trap someone.
1. 6 3 offsuit (fold. 1 behind the button)
2. K 7 offsuit (fold)
3. J 3 diamond (fold)
4. 5 4 offsuit (fold)
5. A 10 diamonds (called the BB then fold to a pre-flop raise. I was able to see the flop and I would have missed)
6. A 4 offsuit (fold)
7. 99 (called a min raise of a 100 and whiffed of the flop of A K 8. Folded to a bet of 200)
8. 93 offsuit (I was the BB. Folded to a raise preflop)
9. Q7 offsuit (I was the SB. Folded to a raise preflop of 150 by Greg)
10. 64 offsuit (I was the dealer. Folded even though I did want to play this hand for Scott McCarron)
11. Q5 offsuit (Folded)
12. 93 offsuit
13. AJ offsuit (called the BB. Had 2 other callers plus the BB, I hit nothing on the flop and folded to a bet of 200)
14. 83 spades (folded)
15.10 3 offsuit (folded)

As you can see, I was not getting the greatest of hands and even when I did, I was not hitting anything on the flop.
In the first hour of play, I did not win a hand at all.
Not long after the 2nd round started, I finally won a hand, I mean I collected the blinds..haha
I was the button and it was folded around to me with pocket 10's. I raised to 600 total. I knew the SB would fold unless he had a monster since he was short stacked after losing a large amount on his first hand with Pocket Aces. He actually thought about calling for about 30 seconds and said this was the 2nd best hand he had seen besides his Aces. He ended up folding as did the BB and collected the chips. The SB asked if AJ was dominated and I told him that he was pretty much dead since I had Jacks.... Sometimes you got to tell them what they want to hear.
We played for 2.5 hours together before our table got broken down. Even though I was not hitting any cards, it was a fun and talkative table. We were all talking about sports and once Greg found out I was from WA (he being from Vancouver), he really chatted me up. He knew of all the bars that I went to in Canada when I was in college. He was especially interested about the law that was passed that made playing poker for real money online a Class C Felony. Overall, Greg seemed like a really good guy and he is one hell of a poker player.
Like most of the pros say, they are all about playing small pot poker and that is exactly what Greg did. He would min raise or make a tab bit over a min raise and collect the blinds or make a continuation bet after the flop of half the pot and pick up the chips. Maybe he had the cards, but I had to believe that was not the case most of the time. I watched him put the old Englishman to my right on Tilt by check raising him, making the old guy fold and within 5 hands, Greg had him all in after the flop and Gregs KQ held up against the Englishman's KJ after a K had hit on the flop.

My next table (table 166, Seat 2) was the total opposite of the other table. Nobody was talking and it was super serious.
I sat down knowing that I needed to make some moves cause folding was not going to get me anywhere since the antes were going to start in the 3rd round.
I was in the BB and the player directly to my left raised it to 600. He got one called and then it was folded back around to me and I looked down at Pocket Jacks. I was scared cause I hate this hand, but I pushed all in for a total of 1525 and the initial raise insta-called. The other player thought for a long time and ended up folding. I flipped over my Jacks and was relieved to see that he had Pocket 10's. I hit a Jack on the flop to give myself trips and the hand held up. I felt good about that.
Not long after that, the 3rd ended and we started with the antes. Up to this point, I had never played with antes and let me tell you, it eats up your stack even if it is just $25 per hand.
I started folding again and let the blinds and the antes start slowing eating away at me until I was able to check down a small pot while I was in the big blind.
I almost pulled the trigger again when I got pocket 9's, but the BB moved all in (which had me covered) and I ended up folding. He showed AA, which made me feel good.
It was hard to see hands without a raise on this table.
I got pocket Kings on the button. 2 other had made the call for the BB so when I got around to me, I bumped it up to 600. The SB called and the 2 other callers ended up folding.
I hit a King on the flop for trips. He bet 400 and I raised all-in because there were 2 diamonds on the board and I did not want to give him a chance to see the turn for cheap in case he was holding 2 diamonds.
I was just starting to like this table and then they break it. There was about 10 minutes left on the clock and I actually contemplated about hanging on the rail with Erin so that I could possibly miss a blind and save some money from the ante's. For some reason my better judgement got to me and I went to sit down at Table 17, Seat 10.
Well I should have waited. #1 - I sat into the BB. #2 - Everyone had monstrous stacks.

The play was super aggressive here and I was very card dead. Unfortunately we ended level four and I would start level 5 with the BB of $300 with a $50 ante.
Level 5 was not any better. The blinds went around and saw jack sh*t for cards.

For this next sequence of events, I would love for people to give me their critique on how I played this hand.
Then on the BB, I get AK. There was 1 limper and the button raised it to 1200. Instead of pushing like I would normally do in this spot, I just called, as did the limper. I knew I was getting 2 callers if I pushed, but if either has a pocket pair or Aces/Kings, I am in a world of hurt.
The flop comes Q Q 10. It is checked around to the button who bets 2000. I fold and then the limper pushes all in for 9500 more. The button thinks for a long time and folds Jacks face up. The limper for some reason shows pocket 10's for the flopped full house.
I am super crippled now and all I am looking for is an Ace or King and I am pushing. Hell, a Queen might even get a push from me at this point.
After folding around, I finally get K8 of diamonds and push it all in for 225 (those antes kill you!!!)
Another guy pushes all in for 650 and the guy who flopped the full house calls. The other all-in has Q10 and the big stack has 55 and board bricks for both all-in guys and the big stack rakes in the pot with his measly pocket 5's.

And there is my 1st WSOP tournament experience. I played for about 5 1/2 hours and I outlasted roughly 1000 other players. All the alternates got sat, so the total field was 3,125 players. It was announced that it was the 4th largest tournament that they had ever had. Payouts started at 324 players. My goal was to get past the first day, but nobody is going to do that if they are not catching cards or is just a maniac and getting super lucky.

By the end of the night, they were down to 168 players, so that tells you how fast people were dropping!!

The final table started today at 2 pm and Greg "FBT" Mueller is 4th in chips. Pretty cool that someone that I sat with at the first table is at the final table.

I definitely want to come back down next year and play.