WSOP $160 shootout – left with a chip and a chair [Archive]

Scooterdoo

05-11-2005, 04:04 PM

A bit of a long (and hopefully interesting story). I have been planning on playing in a handful of preliminary WSOP events and if I do well or win a live satellite at the Rio only then would I play in the main event. I did decide to play in a $160 satellite a few weeks ago and on my first try got heads-up at the final table with a 30% or so chip lead and was crippled when I overplayed 99 and was met with AA. I did play two more of these satellites, but didn’t get out of the first table. I decided to not play any more satellites and just concentrate on the preliminary events.

Last night, however, my wife was out of town and after putting the kids to bed decided to give the 10pm shoot-out on Pokerstars one more try. I won’t go into any hands on the first table, but will say that my river suck-out ratio was probably about even – I was sucked out twice and did the sucking twice. Other than that I won the table through solid, aggressive poker – especially when heads-up. I have been focusing mostly on heads-up play so my heads-up skills have really improved over the past few months. I play $100 and $200 heads-up games on Stars.

At the final table things were going well and I built my stack up to close to the chip lead when this hand went down:

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t100 (6 handed) converter (http://www.selachian.com/tools/bisonconverter/hhconverter.cgi)

Button (t1220)
SB (t3045)
Hero (t2795)
UTG (t2510)
MP (t2525)
CO (t1405)

Preflop: Hero is BB with K/images/graemlins/heart.gif, K/images/graemlins/club.gif.
UTG calls t100, 4 folds, Hero raises to t400, UTG raises to t2510, Hero calls t2110.

Flop: (t5070) 4/images/graemlins/heart.gif, 3/images/graemlins/diamond.gif, A/images/graemlins/club.gif (2 players)

Turn: (t5070) 3/images/graemlins/club.gif (2 players)

River: (t5070) 9/images/graemlins/spade.gif (2 players)

Final Pot: t5070

Results in white below: 
Hero has Kh Kc (two pair, kings and threes).
UTG has 9h 9c (full house, nines full of threes).
Outcome: UTG wins t5070. 

Needless to say I was pretty down. If I win this hand I am well in the lead, but I am not posting here to show you guys my bad beats. It happens.

Anyway, I’m now down to 285 in chips and need to focus… and get lucky of course. I tell myself that I need to pick my spots and do have a bit of room to maneuver since there are still 6 players I will have a few hands to look at until I have to make a move. On the next hand I get AT and push. Nobody calls but since I was in the SB I only pick up 100. Now I’m at 385.

Two hands later I get 88 and push. Am called by QJ. The board comes: Td Tc Ah 9s 9h for a split pot. What a bummer, but it could have been worse of course... I’m still in it and did win half the blinds.

I get no hands through my blinds and am back to 310 in chips. A few hands later I get dealt AJ and push and am called by Ax and my hand holds up. I’m now over 700.

I then steal the blinds and move to about 900 and then see AJ in the BB. Here’s the hand:

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t100 (6 handed) converter (http://www.selachian.com/tools/bisonconverter/hhconverter.cgi)

Button (t920)
SB (t2760)
Hero (t920)
UTG (t5420)
MP (t1725)
CO (t1755)

Preflop: Hero is BB with A/images/graemlins/heart.gif, J/images/graemlins/spade.gif.
4 folds, SB completes, Hero checks.

Flop: (t200) T/images/graemlins/club.gif, J/images/graemlins/heart.gif, Q/images/graemlins/club.gif (2 players)
SB bets t200, Hero raises to t820, SB calls t620.

Turn: (t1840) J/images/graemlins/club.gif (2 players)

River: (t1840) A/images/graemlins/club.gif (2 players)

Final Pot: t1840

Results in white below: 
SB has Jd 5c (flush, ace high).
Hero has Ah Js (full house, jacks full of aces).
Outcome: Hero wins t1840. 
The player to my right was very aggressive and would bet at every flop. I was hoping to hit something and trap him. While my flop push looks a bit reckless, I really needed to make something happen, and against this player I was confident that he could have any two cards, but would likely call me on a draw or any pair.

From there I play good, solid poker, very aggressive, lots of blind stealing, folding at the right times, etc., etc.

I get to heads-up with the aggressive player to my right with a fairly good lead. However, on the first heads-up hand I make a very stupid play. Here it is:

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t200 (2 handed) converter (http://www.selachian.com/tools/bisonconverter/hhconverter.cgi)

Button (t4360)
Hero (t9140)

Preflop: Hero is BB with J/images/graemlins/spade.gif, 7/images/graemlins/spade.gif.
Button raises to t400, Hero calls t200.

Flop: (t800) J/images/graemlins/heart.gif, 8/images/graemlins/diamond.gif, A/images/graemlins/spade.gif (2 players)
Hero bets t400, Button calls t400.

Turn: (t1600) T/images/graemlins/club.gif (2 players)
Hero bets t800, Button raises to t3560, Hero calls t2760.

River: (t8720) K/images/graemlins/diamond.gif (2 players)

Final Pot: t8720

Results in white below: 
Button has Kh Jd (two pair, kings and jacks).
Hero has Js 7s (one pair, jacks).
Outcome: Button wins t8720. 

I made the feeler bet on the flop and felt he would raise me with an A, but just called. I decided to see how much he liked his hand by increasing the bet on the turn, and he appeared to really like it with his push. Looking at it now it seems like a pretty easy fold, but at the time I just had a feeling he was making a move. I guess he kind of was, but his hand was better than mine <g>. I couldn't believe I made this bonehead play and lost my lead, but I still had confidence in my heads-up play and felt that I had plenty of room to come back.

The decisive hand was this one:

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t200 (2 handed) converter (http://www.selachian.com/tools/bisonconverter/hhconverter.cgi)

Button (t8420)
Hero (t5080)

Preflop: Hero is BB with A/images/graemlins/spade.gif, T/images/graemlins/club.gif.
Button raises to t400, Hero calls t200.

Flop: (t625) 9/images/graemlins/heart.gif, 5/images/graemlins/diamond.gif, T/images/graemlins/heart.gif (2 players)
Hero bets t800, Button raises to t7995, Hero calls t3855 (All-In).

Turn: (t13275) 2/images/graemlins/spade.gif (2 players, 1 all-in)

River: (t13275) J/images/graemlins/heart.gif (2 players, 1 all-in)

Final Pot: t13275

Results in white below: 
Button has Ts Qc (one pair, tens).
Hero has As Tc (one pair, tens).
Outcome: Hero wins t9935. Button wins t3340. 

After that there weren't too many meaningful hands. I noticed that my opponent had a tendency to bet any flop and turn and then shut down on the river, so a few times I just called with anything and when he checked the river I just bet with any two cards and took down sizeable pots.

Here's the final hand:

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t200 (2 handed) converter (http://www.selachian.com/tools/bisonconverter/hhconverter.cgi)

Button (t2165)
Hero (t11335)

Preflop: Hero is BB with 2/images/graemlins/diamond.gif, 4/images/graemlins/diamond.gif.
Button raises to t600, Hero calls t400.

Flop: (t1025) 5/images/graemlins/club.gif, 4/images/graemlins/club.gif, 2/images/graemlins/club.gif (2 players)
Hero bets t800, Button raises to t1540, Hero calls t740.

Turn: (t4105) T/images/graemlins/spade.gif (2 players)

River: (t4105) T/images/graemlins/diamond.gif (2 players)

Final Pot: t4105

Results in white below: 
Button has 7c 9d (one pair, tens).
Hero has 2d 4d (two pair, tens and fours).
Outcome: Hero wins t4105. 

See you in Vegas!

IHateKeithSmart

05-11-2005, 04:27 PM

Great post scooter, and congrats. If I ever battle my way out of party's wsop step hell, I'll see you there.

Scooterdoo

05-11-2005, 04:29 PM

Thanks. I tried a few steps, but just didn't like it. It seems like a sucker's game. It appears so temping, but when you try it a few times and really think through the structure it doesn't make a lot of sense. Good luck though and hope to see you in Vegas.

IHateKeithSmart

05-11-2005, 09:27 PM

[ QUOTE ]
Thanks. I tried a few steps, but just didn't like it. It seems like a sucker's game. It appears so temping, but when you try it a few times and really think through the structure it doesn't make a lot of sense. Good luck though and hope to see you in Vegas.

[/ QUOTE ]

It is definitely a sucker's game (which doesn't speak well for me). I am a better sng'er than mtt'er, so I've been giving them a go. I've been to step 5 a couple of times, but I generally feel like I'm on Groundhog Day. I am a cheap bastard, or would otherwise try the DS format.

sloth469

05-11-2005, 10:23 PM

But they run $5 Turbo rebuy sats to the DS. I've played 5 DSs now on about $100.

IHateKeithSmart

05-11-2005, 11:25 PM

Yeah, I saw they had some satellites. Maybe I'll try these out - will at least give me an excuse to open a stars acct.

MicroBob

05-12-2005, 12:51 AM

nice.
although I did think you literally were down to 1 chip when I read the subject line for this thread.
Still...not too shabby.

fairly similar to my Stars DS story from Friday night.

I was down to $270 with 7 players left and made the big come-back. Won 2 or 3 all-in's in a 4 hand stretch...just kept reasonable all-in hands like A9 or 88 or something and they kept holding up.
Quite the miracle.

Was eventually up 2:1 heads-up but lost with AJ or something.

Made a desperation all-in down 2.5:1 or so with 33 and he turned over 88 but I caught my 3 on the river and went on to win the seat.