Popping my WSOP Cherry

[PAUL-IN]

Last week i went to the Binions to take a stab at the games there, and to win a seat into the second event, the $2000 NLH event. I gotta say Binions puts on a hell of an event; they're efficently spreading cash games with chips spewing everywhere while the main tournaments are going strong. they have a separate "pit" for supersatellites for the big one that i haven't had a chance to play, but it's pretty steady and they had at least 3 every day. they kept showing Russ Hamilton's WSOP win on video which was kinda annoying but that's no big deal.

On to the games. it's 10:30 am on thursday, my buddy and i are scanning the room for single table satellites. we nudge a guy standing near an empty table and ask where the action is, and he says it's first come first serve, $60 NLH satellite. $60? that's strange. hell, we sit and play. as soon as the cards are in the air, only two of players at the table know that this is a $60 LIMIT event for the casino employees event. GROAN. if you come out to play and limit is not what you want, make sure...8 of us threw away $60 on a game we didn't want to play. anyway my aces gets outkicked by my buddy and last hand i have AA vs SB and he flopps a full house. how unsatisfying.

next game. $225 satellite for the $2K event. Now we're talking! i draw seat 7; not my fav seat, but better than 6 or 5, IMO. no hands for 20mins. then AK [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] appears. blinds are 25-50, each starting with 1000. i make it 175 to go, 3 callers.flop is K 4 8 rainbow. checked to me, i bet 225, two callers. turn is a King, and of course i can't wait to get my chips into the middle, but then BB goes all in and MP goes all in. WTF. folding trips at my first WSOP satellite?? oh, hell no. i call. BB has 44, MP has KQ. ARGH.

about 5 minutes later i find my buddy going all in at the 1-2 NL cash game. he flopped quads. some guy had rivered a boat. i love this place!

my next $225 game i draw seat 7 again. i get jacks my first hand, raise with no action. 30 mins later i have under 800. Brian haveson is steamrolling two to my left and i'm ready to make a trap. i limp with AJ, he makes it about 200 to go, but i wanna see a flop before i go in. flop comes jack high, i check, he of course bets 350, and i'm all in. he folds. did that again a couple more times, and i'm up to about 1900. then The Hand. after folding 99 preflop with no money invested in the hand to an all in that can bust me, i get 88. blinds 50-100, i try shortcircuiting any raise with a mini-pop to 200. it didn't work. Haveson who's been bettin like a dick goes all in for 475. i'm so ready to call. but then, button goes all in for 675(he's gotta have overcards) and BB goes all in for 700. WTF. there's already +2000 in the pot, it's 500 for me to call, and i've got a decision to make. my buddy's right behind me with a two red racks, and i know he's wanting me to call. i know i'm behind at least one player, but i'm still in ok shape if i lose the hand-i barked "triple knockout? OKAY CALL" haveson has 44, button has KQ, and bb has QQ. ARGH. but a T 6 5 T 8 board rivers me a boat and i'm sittin with +3000 and cut 1/3 of the field. booyah. I tighten up, maybe a little too much, but it's 3 handed, and we finally bust the biker dude to my right, who played great and got unlucky. i chop it with a guy who just busted out of the bellagio $25K event the day before for $1000 in lammers each. he got the remaining cash as he had me outchipped by a couple hundred.

at this time i'm feeling pretty good, but i've had the runs for a day now, and i had a mad fever going on. i was worried that i wouldn't be able to play another sat to win the whole $2K let alone play the next day, so i sold one lammer to joe schmo, and another to Mike May at the restaurant-guy's a class act all the way.

we returned to binions later in the trip, and played lots of no-limit. I can't stress this more: east coast poker rooms: learn from binions. they are the nicest and most professional bunch of people i've ever seen host a poker game and tournament. they may not wear the "Today's Man Uniform" look that Foxwoods Floormen love, and i like that fact. the WSOP experience is really something unique and anyone who loves to play poker has to go visit and play there. i'll be back there before the year is out, to play more cards, but the WSOP dead money is pinned on my calendar for next year for sure. [img]/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img]