From: "Pete \"TrayRacer\" Segal" Date: Wed, 6 Jul 2016 19:15:38 -0400 Subject: [Target] My first WSOP report - Part 1: $2K NLHE & TARGET Writing this up is taking longer than expected, so I decided to split the report up. Apologies in advance for this not being nearly as entertaining as Chris M's reports. Arrival I arrived in Vegas Monday night, with a day to acclimate & play some cash games (for a small profit), but also arrived in time to pick up Redbird & sweat TomBayz to his 5-way PLO chop for >3rd place money. Nicely done, Chris! WSOP Event #23: $2K NLHE Wednesday I sat down at my inaugural WSOP event, the $2K NLHE. 1419 players entered and 213 would get paid. We started shorthanded, 4 live players & 2 dead stacks. Only one of the four was a top pro, an Israeli player Amir Lehavot, just to my right. On the very first hand - my chance to steal the absent blinds, he jumped out in front of me with the preemptive steal. I said "Fine, I'll let you have this one", at which point he showed me his pocket kings. :-) I thought I was off to a good start, winning several small pots without a showdown, including pocket jacks twice - 3-betting the same raiser both times - he surrendered the first preflop, and the second after an 8-high flop. I also flopped a set of tens on a Q-high board, but got no action. I dodged a huge bullet in level 3 (75/150) when the Israeli pro raised UTG to 400, I 3-bet to 825, got flatted in two spot (my immediate left & the cutoff). The original raiser then shoved for 12K - covering all 3 of us. Given his tight, solid play to this point, I finally ruled out the JJ & AK that might have gotten me to call - that and the two flatters behind me - and I laid down my Queens. The player to my left called with the two remaining Queens, the cutoff folded his Jacks, and as expected, UTG tabled his Kings. The board ran out with 4 hearts, making a Q-high flush. Unfortunately for him it also made a K-high flush for the Kings. I only played one hand of note in level 4 (100/200/25) - I open-raised with Presto, called only by the small blind, who check-raised my C-bet with an Ace on the flop. Easy lay down for me there. During the second break I ran into Steve Brecher a few tables away; sadly he was already on fumes and didn't last long into the next level. By level 5 we were up to four strong tourney pros. For better or worse, the Scot, Fraser MacIntyre busted Nam Le, picking off a bluff, unfortunately making him a dominant force at the table - which he used incessantly to push most everyone around. Later that level he got a massage; giving the rest of us some opportunities to play. I took a few stabs - sadly running into 3-bet shoves that I couldn't defend. I had one somewhat comical hand with a young European pro who limped UTG letting me see a 953 flop with J5. I check-called the flop and checked the 5 on the turn. He checked behind saying "well, if you called with a 5 you got there". I was able to get him to call a small bet when the river J filled me up, and he swore not to let me in for free again. :-) By level 6 I bled down to about 6000 going to 200/400/50, but was pretty card/opportunity dead, losing 1100 per orbit, and needed to find a spot soon. Our young European pro on my left min-raised UTG, 3 players called, and I decided to see a flop from the BB getting 11:1 with Q8s. The J96 flop was checked around, so when the non-threatening 7 hit the turn giving me the double-gutter, I decided to shove my remaining 10BB (a pot sized bet) thinking that if anyone had a piece of that they would have taken a stab, and even if they called I still had the 8 straight outs, and likely the 3 Queens as well. It was a good plan; except for the fact that the original raiser had just turned a set with his pocket 7's. At least I still had the 8 straight outs, which unfortunately didn't come. TARGET The one bright side was that not making day 2 meant I could take my time and enjoy the TARGET brunch on Thursday, and even got to play as well. Ken did a great job organizing TARGET; I had a great time seeing everyone, and even managed to finish 6th for a min-cash of $90. Woot. Not to mention the $40 all the TARGET players get for Kevan Garret's & Bill Chen's WSOP cashes - great job guys! Next up: The WSOP Senior's Event -Pete From: "Pete \"TrayRacer\" Segal" Date: Sat, 16 Jul 2016 17:50:26 -0400 Subject: [Target] My first WSOP report - Part 2: $1K Senior's NLHE Championship WSOP Event #27: $1K Senior's NLHE Friday was the $1K Senior's NLHE event, which was actually far more enjoyable. All the players were far more friendly & outgoing, and were a pleasure to play with. We even had a moment where a southern gentleman in the BB was facing a raise from a player who went back to checking his email after making his open-raise. The gentleman asked the dealer if the raiser's hand was dead since he was using his phone during the hand, but as soon as the raiser put his phone down, the gent said "just teasing" and surrendered his blind. :-) The only downside was that Oklahoma Johnny Hale's welcoming speech was a bit long - I'm guessing that was to give the older players an extra 20 minutes to get seated. ;-) This event had a total of 4,499 players, paying 675. We started with 5000 in chips, playing 60 minute levels. Whether intended or not, Day 1 would be played until everyone was in the money. The day started off fairly well. On the fourth hand of the tournament (25/50), UTG raised & I 3-bet from middle position with AA. Flop came AQ4, two clubs. He led out; I flatted. Turned a third club, he led out again, and again I flatted, giving him credit for AK, thinking he might again bet the river. In retrospect, it turned out he had pocket queens (flopping middle set), and I missed a bet. The river was a blank and he checked, and made a crying call of my river bet. I think he put me on a flush and the only way we were getting more money in the pot is if the board paired. In the second level (50/100) I picked up a few chips flopping top set of Jacks; lost some with Queens in the 3rd level (75/150/25), ending the level just under starting stack (4850). Level 4 (100/200/25) was a good level for me: I raised to 500 with TT from middle position, then called a stop-&-go shove for 1300 on a raggy flop. My Tens held against AK and I bust my first WSOP opponent. Later that round I pick up another 1000 with AQ (betting an A-high plop) and 3000 flopping a set of 9's and getting paid on two streets. I end up doubling my stack that level, ending at 10,375. Level 5 (150/300/50) was another good level, picking up a few small pots, plus one notable hand where I 3-bet with Aces in late position after an early position raise and a limper. Fortunately, the limper folded his pocket 8's - which would have flopped a set - and I busted my remaining opponent who had AJ and flopped top pair on a Jack high board. I picked up ~3500 on that hand and ended the level at 15,575 - 3 times my starting stack. I was feeling pretty good at that point - playing well, having a comfortable stack, having fairly good reads on the table. By this point two interesting characters had arrived at my table: the X-Man in the seat to my immediate left, and Devious Debbie, three seats to my left. Both were very loose-passive, but unfortunately both were extremely lucky. The X-Man was a jovial black gentleman from Detroit, who loved to call just about any bets & raises with just about any two cards - just because he thought he could bust players by catching cards. Devious Debbie Fineberg, a novice from Boston (now living in CA), who apparently cut her poker chops in $40 church games. Debbie did have one of the better T-shirts in the Tournament, a pink "Screw Disney, I'm going to WSOP!" The biggest problem having these two on my left, is there was no more stealing; I had to have the goods to compete with these two - and they almost always caught something! I also started going card dead in levels 6 (200/400/50). I tried taking a few stabs during level 6, but got no traction, ending the level at 8950 going into the dinner break. We decided to head over to the All-American Bar & Grill for dinner. Thankfully, BARGE'r Walter Hunt headed over early to beat the crowd & grab a table for us, joined by Russ Fox & Larry Weinberg. Dinner was a fun & pleasant affair, and the meatloaf was surprisingly good and only moderately overpriced. ;-) I continued to grind my chips down in level 7 after dinner (250/500/75) - burning off 1500 per orbit while patiently waiting for an opportunity - when I finally get my first playable hand in a while - aces on the button after Devious Debbie made an under-the-gun raise. I showboat a little bit, making a "What the hell, I might as well get this over with" shove, which she immediately calls with her QJo! The good news is I didn't lose, but the bad news is I didn't win either. Debbie's horseshoe was still firmly wedged in there, and 5 diamonds hit the board (with neither of us holding a diamond) for a chopped pot. Sigh. By the start of level 8 I've been ground down to 5000, ~8 big blinds. With enough chips for only 3 orbits, I need to find a hand quickly, and finally get an opportunity to open-shove from the cutoff with QJs. All I have to do is get the blinds to fold - oh, wait, Devious Debbie is in the big blind, and of course she calls me with her 52o, and of course she flops two pair. IGHN. If it's any consolation, for all her horrible play, Debbie managed to finished Day 1 7th in chips, Day 2 4th in chips, and she went on to finish 15th for $28.6K. At least she put my chips to good use. I ended up busting out in ~900th place - in the top 20% (but only 15% got paid), about 2 hours out of the money. At least I got to stick around and see fellow ARGE'rs Russ Fox, Dan Goldman, Kevan Garret, George Wattman & Larry Weinberg all make their way into the money as day 1 ended. Congrats guys! Next up: The Planet Hollywood Goliath Senior's Event -Pete