My WSOP ME 2007

[kutuz_off]

Well, I do this every year, so here goes my recount of WSOP Main Event 2007. My 2006 and 2005 reports are still around.

UTG limps, I have Js9s and limp UTG+1, bunch of other limpers. Flop comes AsQhTs, so I have FD+OESD. BB bets almost pot (400), I call, button makes it 2000, I put him on KJ and call (?) and then check-fold a blank turn. A little later at 50-100 I'm BB, it's folded to SB who completes, I make it 400 to go with 54o, he calls. I double-barrel flop and turn, but thankfully he leads out the river so I can't waste more chips trying to buy a pot. Fancy Play Syndrome is my biggest leak. So I'm down to less than 16K already. I catch nothing with my low connectors and small pairs for a while and get down to 14K. Somewhere in there was a hand at 50-100 when a bunch of players limped, I had KK in BB and made it 750 to go, 3 callers, flop comes 235 with two diamonds, which I didn't have. Flop was checked around, and I completely gave up when turn came 4d. Then I had AA and won some 2K back, so I went on the break with 16K or so, not feeling good at all about my play so far.

First hand after the break I have JJ, it's 100-200, CO makes it 500 to go, SB calls, I make it 2200, CO calls, and I check-fold T-hi flop for some reason. Didn't like the feeling there. I start somewhat steaming about the proceedings and my chip stack and table dynamics. I make a broadway on the river with KQo after AJx flop and x turn was checked around, and river came offsuit T, and my value bet got paid off. Then at 100-200 I raise to 600 UTG with JJ, 3 callers, flop comes Q55, I bet 1500 into 2400 pot, the table's calling station minraises to 3000 (with 2 people to act after him), I obviously fold, and he shows 22. My jaw hits the floor and then he starts talking to his side of the table how "that guy raises every pot and folds after". Great image I got [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]

So I decide to man up a little. I'm down to 12K or so. A young guy with at least 55K in chips sits down 2 to my right. I peg him as one of the internet wizkids, and I still believe I'd recognize his online handle if I knew it. Anyway, he starts owning the table in short order, raising every pot if it's folded to him in late position, reraising others' raises, etc. It folds to him on the button at 200-400, he raises to 1200, SB calls, I shove my 77 for about 10K more or so. Both fold. Somewhat later, I'm with 15K, the wizkid raises to 1200 from the button, I call with 3c6c. Flop is ugly Ts9s7c or something like that. I check, he bets 1600, I raise to 3800, he folds pretty quickly saying "only a gutshot", and I show my hand saying "same... runner-runner". I thought it might make him slow down on the blind stealing, but then I realized that online it usually backfires and that type is likely to continue stealing given the stack sizes. Which he openly states, "I have chips to splash around". D'oh [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img] Shouldn't have shown. Anyway, a little later I open UTG+2 for 1200 with red AJo, french aggressive guy behind me calls, everyone else folds. Flop 237 with two spades. Check-check. Turn Ks, I check knowing that the french dude will bet. He bets 3K, I ask him how much he has left, he says around 7K, I shove, he folds immediately. So I basically stole about 10K chips, back to 23.5K or so. A little after that MP3 opens for 1200, I call with ATs, BB shoves for 9K more, MP3 tanks and folds after 3 minutes, and I figure it's a coinflip or maybe even better and call quickly. MP3 says something angrily as I show my hand, and pulls his JJ from the muck. BB has 88 and flops an 8, so I'm down to 10K. I thought if I won that pot to get to 35K or so I might float the young dude on my right a lot and maybe get more chips from him. 9200 chips at dinner break instead with 200-400(50) coming, 1100 per round.

I fold for an orbit after the break, then open-shove JTs from the button to steal blinds/antes. Next hand I have AKo in CO, folded to me, I make it 1300 since the calling station has BB. He calls. Flop is K-hi, I bet 1600, he calls. Turn blank, I bet 2500 with like 4500 behind (I never do this online, but he's a calling station), he shoves, I call, he has K6, I dodge 3-outer, and I'm back in the game with 21K. I go all the way to 27K by raising limpers from the button, and c-betting with crap on AKx board, etc. Feeling good. I go down back to 20K by calling with small pairs and missing, or raising and having to give up on the flop, etc.

Then I fall apart in 2 hands. Hand 1: folded to wizkid on the button, he makes it 1200 to go, I defend my BB with JTo. Flop is 975, I check, thinking maybe to check-raise my gutshot depending on his actions. He checks behind. Turn is T. At this point I want to get to cheap showdown. Check-check. River is Q. Here I completely botch my own plan by leading out for 1500. He thinks for a while and makes it 6000. I tank for at least 5 minutes, seeing it as a nuts-or-nothing raise and talk myself into a call using some sort of 18th-level thinking (he knows that I know that he knows....aaaaargh). He obviously has KJ for zee nuts. I should either check-call or bet-fold the river, instead I bet planning to fold, then change my mind in the middle of a hand....BOOOOOOO. I'm pissed, but not dead yet, still got around 12K. Few hands later he raises from MP3 to 1200, I reraise to 3200 with AQo, he shoves, I call getting almost 2:1, he has AKo, no miracle - I go home now. I was so pissed at my play, I didn't even feel bad about busting out, was thinking more along the lines of "man, I deserved that".

Cliff notes - some bad early play by me, inspired stealing with medium-short stack, only 3 made hands in 7 hours, lost one big coinflip, and then some botched plays to bust out.