Harrahs Rincon WSOP Circuit Event ($340) Trip Report / Hand Advice

[sdsuchris23]

(Hand advice is last two paragraphs for those that dont want to read the whole thing)

I've decided to play my first live large buyin tournament so I drive down to Harrahs and wait an hour to register for there $340 buyin , starting stacks of 1500 with 40 minute blind levels. They clearly were not prepared for the turnout as the tournament was supposed to start at 12 and did not start until an hour later so they could register everyone as well as make the tables 11 handed so that they could fit all 700+ players on the 60 tables that they had.

This is my first big buyin live tournament and not really sure what to expect regarding competition. While waiting in line to register realize there is a general mix of casual players to fairly decent players as I see a couple of guys wearing WSOP 2006 Bodog gear and some pokerstars attire. Also overhear people talking that clearly are just looking to say that they played in the WSOP.

The tournament gets underway and it takes 30 minutes to complete one round around the table because im at the only table where people want to waste time arguing and discussing stuff. First interesting question was an older man asked if he had to just win against the 9 people at this table to advance. Next argument was an older guy complaining about the guy with headphones to my right after the no communication device rule was announced. After this I got the loud mouth guy next to me who calls a clock on a guy after like 1 minute so the other player decides to run the clock down in spite of the loudmouth and then fold. I'm beginning to get frustrated as I realize the 1500 starting stack is going to get wasted if it takes almost one level to go around the table. I continue to fold my 9 3 offsuit and just try to figure out my table. First playable hand I get is AQ first to act so I just call and fold the K high flop.

So I've managed to build up a fairly tight table image as I basically have played one hand the entire tournament. 5 minutes before the second level is about to end I am first to act and look down at QQ and have about $1250 and make it $150 with blinds at 25/50 and I get two calls and then an allin from a guy who has me covered (approx $2600). Guy to my right thinks long and hard and says I cant believe I'm about to fold this, you won't believe what I have. He is just about 150 short from being even with the allin guy. This throws me off a bit as I recognize this guy as pretty solid as he has made some decent laydowns already. The guy that has pushed allin seems fairly decent and a few hands prior to this hand was chit chatting with tourny director so he appears to be a regular at Harrahs.

So I begin my thought process and realize if I fold I will have $1100 and be in the blinds next hand so if I fold those I will be down to 1025 with the blinds going up to 50/100 in 5 minutes. His bet is a large overbet but the pot is one of the larger pots preflop and I feel thats it not always Aces or Kings here... after some thought I have a feeling he has Jacks or tens and doesn't want to see a flop. I know this is probably one of my better chances to double up and with this structure I need to start accumulating, but the fact that my table image is so tight I'm thinking how could he make a move on me without AA. So my question is what would you do in this situation?

Results will be posted later after some responses.

[Airharley]

I would think that with his stack, and the previous action, he's probably got a hand that doesn't mind a call, but probably doesn't want one. AT+, 99+, though that might be a loose range for him. With your tight image he probably expects a fold, but is willing to race to start getting ahead of the blinds. I would probably call here and hope for the best, you've got to accumulate a lot of chips early to have a shot here, though if you fold you're not doing absolutely horrible, but your M will be less then 10 and I personally hate being in that spot.

[Bakedd]

I think I put my money in here. This is an excellent time to double up, but the push looks like the villian does not want to see a flop and is expecting to steal the blinds, or he is not comfortable playing his hand postflop. Wouldn't a solid player try and extract some value from AA?

[AragornX151]

I agree, I call here. It feels like AK to me (a fold is fine but unless you have AA, he's out), though I suppose AK would be the first thought about the chatterbox folder too. Of course, maybe they both have it! Anyway, definitely can't look at the range as being KK+, so I call pretty easily given M.

[bobbycharles]

Push it in and if he flops his AK so be it....just go to the ring games and win back your buy-in from the fish that have already been knocked out.

[wheelflush]

wonderful hand. i love to call.
frustrating table though. sounds like a downer of a day.

[sdsuchris23]

Okay so here are the results:

I finally decide this is could be the best shot at me getting some chips to play with and figure I might as well get it in with a top 3 hand rather than waiting and having to push with something crappy later. I called and he turns over JJ to confirm my read of JJ or 1010 trying to avoid seeing a flop. Guy to my right says he folded AK, not sure how he thinks thats a huge laydown in that spot but whatever.

Flop comes K J 10 and I don't catch any of my outs and my first WSOP event comes to an end on a 2 outer.

Funny thing is I was a little nervous for playing in my first tourny and prior to taking my seat I told my gf I hope I dont get QQ or something where I have to make a decision early on. Since its a good hand but not that good. Also as I stood up to make my exit I turn around to see my girlfriend and her parents entering into the tournament room to come see how I'm doing...I told them they jinxed me.

Overall I'm happy with my first shot at a WSOP event and told myself I'm going to do my best and hopefully if and when I get knocked out I'm hoping that its a hand where I was ahead when all the money went in. Was hoping to play a little longer than an hour and a half and be a little closer to the money to get the adrenaline going but overall happy with my performance.

[Cornell Fiji]

Call.

His range is wider than KK+

[SammySlim]

I had a similar experience - waited an hour in line to buy a seat, rushed to get a bite to eat (food is really substandard there), then they push the tourney back to 12:30, which comes and goes with no announcement and people jammed all over the place. They finally start letting players sit down and they started just before 1. Running every table in the place 11-handed to accomodate everyone, which they ultimately did but 11-handed is no fun, and the place was basically bedlam for the first half hour or so after the tournament started .

I recognized a lot of local poker room faces; talked to one guy who made the final 3 tables at the LAPC $330, but my sense was about 25% to 33% had a reasonable sense about how to play in an MTT.

The main problem was that every table in the house was tied up with the tournament so there was ANOTHER long line to get into a ring game (took 45 more minutes to get into a 3-5 NL game), won some of it back. They didn't start running satellites again for several hours. Long and short was the event was a logistical disaster but they had a good-sized field.

However, the big turnout was likely a function of it being on the weekend and the cheapest of the non-ladies events. The $500 events won't be nearly as crowded and it is a much more relaxed atmosphere. Unfortunately, I had to be at work this week so may not get back out to Harrahs, but hoping to play the LAPC supersats next Friday.

Cheers