WSOP stud 8

[Aicirt]

Thanks Felicia.

This makes me feel better about the sat play. I had a feeling that they would generally be pretty fishy. If I dont qualify on FTP, then hopefully I can win a seat out there.

So are the rumors true that the actual tournament is a bit fishy in iteslf? That a lot of pros enter all of the events just for the hell of it? I still cant imagine that I would be able to play better than some of these pros. Hopefully a lot of tourists enter, lol.

Aicirt

[SuitedBaby]

I played in the WSOP 2004 $1500 stud 8 event. I also played in two stud 8 satellites last year but they were for $2000 in event entry chips.

These satellites were 4 chip events meaning that the winner, 1st only, got four $500 lammers good only for WSOP buy-ins but easy to sell at par. The satellites were I believe $280 entry. $2000 in lammers and $120 cash (to encourage tipping) and $120 juice. The levels went up pretty fast making for about a 60-90 minute tourney if completed. Many are chopped. Each one had at about 3 pros in it along with a couple of rich old guys who were convinced they were good but were awful. One or two young nervous types. The pros mostly just bet and raised and were either out early complaining about "donkeys" or accumulated big stacks and were a problem. Some were good but many were just aggressive which made them more effective than average because of the short duration. My father railbirded one of my sats right behind my seat. I got third (nothing) in one and chopped the other even with a pro who was probably better than me but respected the fact that it was a crapshoot.

The event itself had the usual 2 hour levels but the stack sizes relative to the antes, etc made it seem shorter than the NLHE event I played. Plus the 5 betting rounds and frequent capping makes for high variance. It is tough to railbird a specific table but many are within view. I think you can get the feel but hands can be difficult to track. There were awful players in the event itself too but many good players also. I never got going with a lot of good hands petering out.

Funny story happened when it was 3-way action in the sat where I finished third. One of the players was a well-known player, an apparent nice guy, who finished high up at the final table a few days before in the stud 8 tourney Violette won. We got all my chips in and most of his heads-up in a hand where it looked the whole way like I had low draw that was going south with him on an obvious high. In fact I made 7's full of aces on 5th and made quads on the river with 2 aces. After the betting is over as we are turning the cards over I say immediately "do you have a low?" He has a 5, 8, and T up with a Q in the door. He laughs and says chuckling "what do you mean, I have queens full." I say "oh good" and show my quads. He and his entourage carry on a bit about how bad I played and what a bad beat it was. Then I pointed out fairly strongly that I was ahead the whole way and in fact he made his boat on the river only as I was improving to quads. There was some jawing and then mostly silence for awhile from his camp. A few hands later (during his come back) he leaned over to me and said "you were ahead the whole way weren't you?" Unknowns have to fight for respect. Plan on doing a good bit of trapping.

[FeliciaLee]

Great write-up!

The levels were only one hour though, right? Surely my memory hasn't lapsed that far?

Felicia [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[FeliciaLee]

The fishiest tourney out of the three was Stud. Lots of players I didn't recognize doing lots of odd things. Ted Forrest was the best player at the table, by far (and went on to win it). Charlie Satoot came to our table later, and played very well. Barry Greenstein had a good stack and came in about the sixth or seventh hour. He got me all-in, but I was leading from fourth on, and that hand crippled him, so he went out less than an hour later. Men Nguyen took his place and was still in when I busted (into hour 8).

One time I started with buried nines, king doorcard, I believe. An unknown guy called my completion, then raised me when some odd card hit on fourth, and led the betting the whole time. I never improved, but something in his play made me call him down. He couldn't even show a pair when it was all over, and was out not long afterwards. Crazy plays like that were pretty common with some of the unknowns. Taking some kind of big shot, trying to accumulate chips, I suppose.

In the Stud 8 tourney, my table played much better, but unfortunately, I was the first out. I had Andy Bloch and Chip Jett at my table. Andy was tight and cautious, Chip was reckless and told us every hand he was in that Stud 8 was not his game. Even the unknowns at that table played pretty well. Or, I should say, played pretty tight and more predictable than my Stud event.

The Razz table was the toughest. Lederer was there, and by far the weakest player, it only got tougher from there (hahaha). Seriously, though, I was like the only player without a bracelet or a name.

The good players adjusted to this line-up by playing cautiously the first hour or so, then taking some shots and either doubling up or busting out. I held on for about five hours, when half the field was gone, but I was playing short from the second hour on, and felt very outclassed.

I wouldn't say that the pros enter for the "heck of it," but for the competition and the best overall player. They pretty much play every tourney. I think I remember reading Jett saying that he played over 200 tourneys per year, and would play even more if they held more. That is their lifestyle. I'm totally dragging and worn out after a couple of days of this, but they look better than ever. It actually gives them energy, instead of taking it away, because that is their passion and they are used to it.

Because most tourneys, including the WSOP, no longer give you so many chips, and have such gradual levels that it is akin to playing a cash game, pros have adjusted their play to seem more reckless early on. They either want to get into a good position to cash, or just bust out. They don't try to "hang on" like an inexperienced yahoo (me). It's not a novelty to them, or something that they have waited for a long time, it's just another tourney.

I hope you go, it will be the time of your life. Just don't try to "tangle" with the top players, play straight up. It doesn't pay to get into big hands with them, unless you have a great hand. Don't get fancy and try to bluff them playing oddly, they can see through that and you will get called down and be crippled. Save the fancy play for smaller tourneys.

Felicia [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[SuitedBaby]

My mistake, you're correct, one hour levels. I guess I was thinking about about breaks - maybe they stuck in my mind more, :-).