The 2+2 Forum Archives: Day 1 - WSOP ME trip report

now i don't know how far this is going to get, cause i only really have details for the first three days, but i'll try to make it as detailed as possible. figured i'd share the whole experience, and i guess day 8 you all experienced with me.

but without further adieu, from my privatized blog entry:

Day 1.

it's even surreal to be here. the world series of poker. who would've thought that i would be competing in poker's biggest stage just a couple years ago, when i was playing my little hundred dollar games?

my expectations weren't really that high, cause i'm well aware that tournaments are still a crapshoot, no matter how bad the competition is. and let me tell you, the competition is bad. terrible. horrendous. ugly. sometimes you wonder how these people ever came up with 10,000 to play with in any stage of their lives.

one guy at my table, before we even drew a single hand, announced to the table that it was his first time playing live poker, let alone the biggest tournament in the world. i could hardly restrain myself from licking my chops. and sure enough, the guy would stand up, peer at the flop, and check timidly without a hand every time, it was like stealing candy from well, you know.

dutch boyd was on my first table, sitting across from me, limping with a lot of hands. he seemed like he was ready to play, fresh off a new bracelet this year. he didn't really say much, but he pulled off a big bluff with 73o on a broadway filled board that got attention from espn cameras.

an actor named matthew lillard was there too (scream, she's all that, wing commander, scooby doo) who was pretty talkative and lively. whenever i was in a hand, i would always put my sunglasses down and put myself into a statue position. he commented, "i love how you go all terminator, bro!"

level 25/50

another guy at my first table was a 600/1200 badugi player, a scary opponent with position on me. i raised to 200 AKo on the button once, he popped me to 700 in the sb, i called.
flop JJx. he checks, i checks.
turn blank. he bets 450, i call.
river blank. he checks, i check. he has QQ and complains that i don't give him action. whew.

next big hand, i get dealt QQ in mid position. one limper, i make it 200 to go, 2 calls behind me, bb calls, and limper calls. uh oh i think to myself, until...
flop JQJ. checked to me, i bet 600, someone check minraises me to 1200, i'm thinking MONEY, and just call.
turn 7. guy bets 600, i make it 2500, he calls.
river T. guy checks, i bet all in for like 5000 more, he calls. he has AJ, ty come again.

level 50/100

a hand i had with boyd was when i was dealt AQo in the UTG+1. i make it 300 to go, uber-fish aforementioned calls, boyd calls.
flop T9x rainbow, it checks around.
turn 8, checked to boyd, who bets 450, i call planning to take it away on the river, but uber-fish calls, and i'm like meh......
river A. it checks around, and my AQo wins the pot. dutch seems to like my play and plan.

i get moved to another table. layne flack is sitting across from me, being pretty loose and aggressive. i'm being a bit aggressive myself, stealing a couple blinds. then this hand comes up.

level 100/200
a fairly good player limps, i make it 800 to go with 35c, guy calls.
flop is J82. guy looks like he wants to bet, then checks, so i check behind.
turn is an A. guy bets 1500, i call, thought it was a decent float opportunity.
river is a 9. guy checks, i bet 2500, he shows a J and folds. i show my 35c, and layne flack gives me a smirk. SWEET.

level 100/200 ante 25
i then get moved to another table where i happen to have A7o in bb. 3 limpers, sb completes, so i check.
flop 77T. i lead out for 500, a guy raises me to 1500, i just call.
turn J. i check, he bets 2000, i push him all in for 6000 more, he agonizes, and then folds.

a few orbits later, i pick up J9h UTG and i open for 700. the same guy in the previous hand raises to 1400, i call getting insane odds to break him.
flop comes a beautiful QT8 with two clubs. i bet 2000, he moves in on me for like 6000 more, i call obviously. he has AQ and misses his runner runner draw. being lucky is good.

another hand i raise a guy two times in a row with AA when he makes it 800 to go to 3000. the second time, he decides to call. he's in the cutoff, i'm on the button.
flop K9x. he checks, and so i check too.
turn K. not so great of a card, but i'm feeling ok about my hand. guy bets 4500, so i call seeing what he does on the river.
river is a blank. he checks, i decide he's not paying off a worse hand, so i check. my aces are good and i drag in another pot.

level 150/300 ante 25
one limper, i make it 1200 to go with QTd the limper calls.
flop is AT4 with one diamond. limper checks, i bet 1500, guy calls. argh.
turn is a 4d. limper checks, i decide to peel one off.
river Ad. limper bets 2000, i make it 7000, unfortunately he folds.

rest of the night is pretty uneventful, i'm playing with a finnish pro across from me. i try popping a pf raise for a squeeze, but he moves in on me so i lose a decent sized pot with that.

i have 32.8k at the end of day 1, and i'm feeling good making it through the day.

day 2 details later.

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