PPT trip report(very long)

[2005]

After going through a bunch of junk to get my hotel room set up and everything that happened on my way to San Jose, I was ready to get to Bay 101 and get started. I walked into the casino and was impressed by the cleanliness and style of the casino, very classy. I ran into Matt Savage and he told me about all the funky San Jose rules: only 40 tables allowed, no bets bigger than $200 in any cash game, only 2 no-limit hold ‘em tournaments every year… what weird restrictions. I got the lay of the land and signed up for 20/40, 40/80, and 100/200. I saw Greg Raymer and said hi. I was surprised to see him playing limit hold ‘em and he expressed his dislike for the game. He was on his way to a single table satellite for the main event. For those who haven’t met him, Greg is a super nice guy and is a full blown celebrity now. As I was talking to him for a couple minutes, at least 4 people asked him for an autograph. Embarassing admission: I still get nervous talking to Greg. I guess I see that bracelet around his wrist and go stupid. He accomplished the one thing that every single serious poker player in the world dreams about day and night. Weird thing is that I don’t really get that way around Chris Moneymaker. Ok, now that I’m through being a little girl…

I get called for the 20/40 game after waiting for 234 hours and a younger, well dressed gentleman asked me if I was Gavin and introduced himself as Andrew Soss aka SossMan. It’s great to meet people from 2+2 and I was looking forward to a fun time getting to know him a little better. Unfortunately, they almost immediately called me for the 100/200 game and I had a dilemma. I could stay, probably win a couple hundred, and have some good conversation, or I could go play the hundred game and try to make some money, because it did look like a good game. Well, considering the last several trips have been pretty much disasters for me, I decided I needed to try and make some money so I picked up and headed to the other game. I played a pretty long and successful session, so it wasn’t a complete waste of a day like things have been for me lately. At around 2 a.m. or so, I packed it in and headed back to my room to get some sleep before the PPT.

I arrived at the casino at roughly 11:15 for a scheduled noon start. I stood around and caught up with some of the other players like Shawn Rice, Paul Wolfe, Harley Hall, etc. I finally got around to signing up for the tournament and woops, I was a couple seconds too late… I’m alternate #1. It seems they only allocated 15 tables to the PPT so it looked like we were going to have to wait. Luckily though, Matt Savage decided to add the feature table as the 16th table and the first 9 alternates got seats. Not only did we get seats, but we were used as the feature table. Yes, I’m going to be on TV again it seems. After a few delays, we finally got down to some poker. My table looked like this:

1. Me
2. Karina Jett
3. Kristy Gazes
4. An Tran
5. Surinder Sunar
6. Victor Ramdin
7. Howard Lederer
8. JC Tran
9. Vinnie Vinh

I was in a great seat with the completely unpredictable Vinnie to my right and Karina and Kristy(the most straight-forward players at the table) directly to my left. In addition to that, Vinnie being to Howard and JC’s left would slow them down considerably during the day.

I had been fortunate to get some relatively easy starting tables for the first 2 PPT events and this was my first one that looked to be a challenge. This was my first time playing with Karina, Kristy, or Howard, and I had been looking forward to playing with Howard at some point, so this was exciting to me. Let me mention something here. I have so much fun at these PPT events for a couple reasons. First, they’re freerolls for 500k in total prize money, how can that not be fun. Second, I get to play with some incredibly talented players and I get to better my game just by sitting and watching. Finally, I know I’m not one of the best players in the field, so I get to gambooooooooool. Ok, on to the poker.

We started with 10k in chips, blinds 25/50, and one hour levels. Great structure for a freeroll. Stack sizes aren’t really relevant for a while, because we’re all so deep to start. I play pretty tight to begin the day and I’m in the BB with 5 [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]5 [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]. Surinder raises to 200 from MP and I call. Flop comes 7 [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]7 [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]8 [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], I check, he bets 400. I fold. Ok, my cherry’s broken, time to play a bit. I steal some blinds here and there and Vinnie is pretty much making life hell for the entire table. Then Vinnie makes it 150 and I smooth call with K [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]Q [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]. Karina calls, Victor calls from the BB. Flop is A [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]Q [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]6 [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] Victor and Vinnie check, I bet 350, kind of a tester bet, and everyone folds. A couple orbits later and Kristy limps UTG+1, Victor limps, I check in the BB with 9 [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]4 [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] flop is 952 rainbow. I check, Kristy bets 150, Victor calls, I consider folding but I think I have too much hand here and I want to define Kristy and Victor’s hand a bit. I raise to 750, if I get any action, I’m done with the hand. They both fold.

Blinds are now 50/100 when this hand comes up. Victor has been getting beat up a bit, and has roughly 5k left in the SB, Howard is in the BB. Folded to me in MP and I limp with T [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]7 [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]. Victor completes and Howard checks. Flop comes Q [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]8 [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]2 [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] Checked to me, I check. Turn is the 6 [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img], Victor bets 300, Howard folds, I call. River is the Q [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]. Victor checks, I bet 550, Victor thinks a bit and raises to 1200. I go into the tank here. I don’t put Victor on a queen. It looks to me like he is putting me on a steal, but his hand can’t beat my steal and he wants to win this pot without getting himself too involved stack-wise. I ask him to count down his chips and he has roughly 3500 left. I raise another 2000 and now Victor goes into the tank. He starts saying 8’s full, 6’s full… Ok, I guess he does have a queen… He thinks for about a minute and a half and finally calls with K [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]Q [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]. I show my ten high and my bluff equity is now gone. He tells me that if I had put him all in he would have folded. I’m not sure I really believe this, but perhaps that was my mistake. I thought a small raise made it look scarier, like I wanted him to call.

Blinds went up to 100/200 and a couple hands came up that didn’t involve me. In the first hand, Karina limped UTG+1 and Vinnie checked in the BB. Flop was A [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]2 [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]4 [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] Vinnie checked, Karina checked. Turn was a 2 and Vinnie made a small bet. Karina made a roughly pot size raise and Vinnie thought a while and called. River made the flush and they both checked. Vinnie has K [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]4 [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] And Karina has AJ. I hate the way Vinnie played this hand. The only reason to call on the turn is to bluff when the flush card gets there and he didn’t. There was no way his 4 was good and he needs one of the 2 remaining 4s to win most likely.

Ok, on to the next hand…JC Tran made it 600 from MP, Karina raised to 2000 and JC called. Flop was J [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]9 [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]6 [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] JC checked, Karina bet 3500, JC pushed for 3700 more and Karina folded. I’m not sure I’m folding here, Karina had JC covered by about 7000 chips, so she wasn’t going to be crippled if she called and lost. There was nearly 12k in the pot… I’m definitely not folding AK here, which was her most likely holding. I’d be more inclined to fold TT than AK.

An orbit or 2 later, Surinder limps UTG, followed by Victor, Vinnie, me(Q [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]J [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]), Karina, and Kristy. An Tran checks his option. Flop is Q [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]9 [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]2 [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] Checked to me, I bet 1200 and Victor calls. Turn is the J [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]. He bets 1600, I push for 4125 total, he goes into the tank for a bit and folds. This hand puts me at around 8k.

Same blinds, with 25 ante and it’s folded to Vinnie in the SB. I raise 500 more with A [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]J [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] and he calls. Flop is Q [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]6 [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]6 [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], he checks, I bet 1200, he makes it 3200, I call. Turn is the Q [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] he bets 2k, I call. River is J [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], he bets 1k, I call, MHIG, he had A [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]4 [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]. Quote from Howard “That hand will be on TV.”

Now I’m the table chip leader because we have not lost a single person in almost 4 hours. It’s folded to me in the CO-1 and I make it 700 with 6 [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]6 [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]. Karina calls and Surinder makes it 2700. I call, Karina folds. Flop is T [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]8 [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]5 [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] He checks, I push and he folds. We get moved off the feature table still having not lost a single person. I’m the chip leader at the table with 17k.

Blinds are now 150/300-50 and I’m in SB. An Tran limps with short chips and SS limps. I’m in SB with A [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]K [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] and raise to 1500. Surinder calls and the flop is K [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]Q [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]J [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]. I put him all in for 6k or so, he folds…. After making this move, I didn’t really like it a whole lot. I think I should have given him a chance to make a bet, but I didn’t want to give him a free card with 66 or something and double him up on the turn.

I think the next hand is one of the most interesting. I raise UTG+1 with A [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]K [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] and Howard calls from SB. Flop is A [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]7 [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]4 [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]. Howard bets 1300, I call. Turn is a blank and Howard checks. I bet 2500 and Howard calls. River is K [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]. Howard bets 2500, I call, MHIG. Howard had K [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]Q [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]. This put me at my high water mark of roughly 26k. I lost a few small pots and some people went bust when Tom McEvoy got moved into An Tran’s seat. He raises to 1200 UTG with blinds of 2/4 with a 50 ante and I’m in the SB with KQ. I probably should have just mucked this preflop to Tom’s UTG raise, but I was trying to accumulate and thought this was a pretty decent spot. Flop comes Q high, I check, Tom bets 1500, I make it 6k more, he pushes for another 5500 and I call to try and bust what I figured was AA. It was and I didn’t, leaving me with 14k or so and I dwindled down to 12,100 at the end of the day.

Since I’ve already posted what happened on day 2, let me close with this. I have been extremely fortunate to be included in the PPT and enjoy every second of it. It’s a great opportunity for those of us involved and hopefully it opens some doors to even bigger things in the future.

Gavin Griffin

[MLG]

This was an incredibly good report. Was Vinnie really playing fast enough to make those calls blind v blind. Also, did you put Surindar purely on AK when he reraised then checked and you pushed with 66? Once again, kick ass report man.

[woodguy]

[ QUOTE ]
Finally, I know I’m not one of the best players in the field, so I get to gambooooooooool.


[/ QUOTE ]

Love it.

[ QUOTE ]
a younger, well dressed gentleman asked me if I was Gavin and introduced himself as Andrew Soss aka SossMan


[/ QUOTE ]

Was Soss well dressed or just better dressed than your average poker slob? [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

Great report.

If you have time, can you walk through your thought process on this hand?

[ QUOTE ]
Same blinds, with 25 ante and it’s folded to Vinnie in the SB. I raise 500 more with A J and he calls. Flop is Q 6 6 , he checks, I bet 1200, he makes it 3200, I call. Turn is the Q he bets 2k, I call. River is J , he bets 1k, I call, MHIG, he had A 4 . Quote from Howard “That hand will be on TV.”


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Regards,
Woodguy

[2005]

[ QUOTE ]
This was an incredibly good report. Was Vinnie really playing fast enough to make those calls blind v blind. Also, did you put Surindar purely on AK when he reraised then checked and you pushed with 66? Once again, kick ass report man.

[/ QUOTE ]


Thanks for the kind words Mike, yes, Vinnie was really playing that fast. Let me put it this way. Howard made it 150 from LP, Vinnie made it 500 from the button and I had to put in a long think with AJ. If you've never played with Vinnie it's hard to explain exactly how over-aggressive he is. In the Surinder hand, I put him on either AK or some sort of play to pick up the pot preflop and he just gave up on it once he completely whiffed. Surinder is a pretty straightforward player most of the time, so when he checked the flop I was pretty sure that I had the best hand and didn't want to give him a chance to catch on me.

Gavin

[2005]

Due to the fact that Soss actually has a job, he was well dressed by any standards.

The hand with Vinnie: He plays his SB much like me. He doesn't like to fold it very much and he's extremely tricky and bluff happy. When he check-raised the flop, I put him squarely on any 2 cards and my 2 cards are much better on average than any other 2. I was planning on seeing what happened on the turn, but once the Q came off, I decided to let him bluff more chips to me rather than raising. I was committed at this point to calling all river bets. When he only bet 1k on the river, I thought I was in bad shape, but it was possible he was betting 1k on just A high, hoping I'd call with K high. I dunno if this thought process is clear or not, but sometimes you just get a feeling that you have the best hand, even when you're not that strong. This was one of those hands where I just knew that I had the best hand.

Gavin

[woodguy]

Makes sense.

Once I saw how you desribed Vinny to MLG I got the gist of why you called his flop c/r.

Thanks,
Woodguy

[pokerraja]

Excellent report. We really appreciate your involvement on these boards. Thanks.

[2005]

Believe me, I get as much as I give. Thanks for all the great discussion. It has helped my game immensely.

Gavin

[Prime Time]

Great report Gavin!
I've seen you make some other incredible calls (22 in Stars Tourney), where I asked you to create it's own thread.
Great Job!

PGA71

[MoreReady]

Gavin-
Great post. If you got that feeling when you met Mr. Raymer, how the hell did you feel when you sat down at that table? My play is pretty aggressive, but I can see myself folding everything except group 1 hands against that table. Nice showing. Look forward to seeing your AJ hand on TV.

BTW. Where are you based now? Texas or Illinois? How did you end up going to school in Texas?

Regards,
Dave