Subject: Re: Reno Hilton World Poker Challenge - Day 2 From: greatbrit Newsgroups: rec.gambling.poker Date: Mon, Jan 7, 2002 2:16 AM Message-ID: <3C397578.ED5EA5C1@pacbell.net> It's lucky I didn't want to play tomorrow's 7 stud hi/lo, because us FINAL TABLE PLAYERS come back at 4pm the next day, so of course I can't play in both. Yes, unbelievable but true, in the $330 Pot Limit Holdem today, 171 players, I am one of the five almost identical chip leaders coming back for the final table tomorrow, we all have about 28,000 each out of 171,000, so between the five of us that doesn't leave much for the other four. I felt like this is the best I've ever played, I was in control the whole way, didn't make any major mistakes, and never jeopardized my position. Actually I quadrupled up after one hour and never looked back, I was playing absolutely rock like, giving up most of my blinds, not stealing hardly any blinds, simply waiting for good hands, and I got A LOT. I think I have had AA about 6 times, plus a few KK and QQ, and every single one has held up. All the bad beats I've been through for six months suddenly ended, every time I went in with the best hand it won, just the way it's supposed to. How tight was my image? Well how about when I came over the top of a pot size raise with my own pot size reraise in the small blind, mind you, this being one away from the money (on the bubble), and the big blind folded his QQ!, and the other guy folded his JJ. Yes, I did a few moves here and there, but my image was so tight that I got called maybe once out of 7 raises. Plus I had a few amazing flops, like early on when I limped with 44, got a 4AQ flop and tripled up, and then with about 11 left when I called Kathy Liebert's raise with my 88, and flopped 88Q. Kathy bet 3K on the flop, I called, a K on the turn we both checked, a 5 on the river I bet 4K and Kathy thought about it for a long time, then folded. As her bad luck would have it, on the next hand she raised and got all in on the flop with (I think) AQ, and lost to another 88 which flopped a set! Up until today, that was the world I was living in, life is so much simpler without bad beats, I highly recommend it. There were 17 places paid, 14-17th, got $515, but 18th won today's sponsor prize of an all expenses paid trip (including air fare) to Casinos Europa in Costa Rica, so the bubble was in effect moved back one place making for some interesting situations as the trip is worth more than $515. As it happened, the guy who won it had a bad beat of KK vs AQ (A on river) but was too upset to realize that losing wasn't such a bad thing, still I suppose if his goal was the 18K then it's little consolation. First place is 18K, 9th, is about 1K, so I'm up $700 so far and the good news for me is that I didn't make any deals or take percentages with anyone, it's mine, all mine I tell you. JohnnyD was at my table and placed in the money, he was short stacked the whole time but made a few valiant attempts at a comeback. I also played for quite a while at the same table as WenMax, but he wasn't getting anywhere near as lucky as I was. No more sponsors lined up yet (although we should have some more soon) but rgp people have sent me some wonderful sponsorship ideas to pursue and I thank you all very much for you suggestions and encouragement. I placed 10th, in this event last year so maybe there is an English pot limit gene embedded somewhere inside me, if I get anything like the cards and the luck I had today then I might get to find out tomorrow. IGSN. Paul