Al Mighty hits the WSOP

[thealmighty]

Day 1
Al Mighty here. Have some time on my hands, what with the economy in the toilet and all. I figured I’d take my savings and head to Vegas. I have $15000 with me to see if I can’t secure my family’s future just a bit. I’m not actually all that good, really. I’d call myself a semi-professional. I’m a fairly tight-fisted player for the most part. Played some tournaments and cash games, but nothing to compare to what I’m about to get myself into.
As I look over the World Series of Poker tourney schedule, I see that the very first one is for only $1500 and has just 54 players. Must be a friendly type game full of players like myself…just trying to get into a World Series event so they can say they did. We’ll give it a shot.

Event 1: 1 Day $1500 buy-in NL Hold-em
54 players, payout to top 8
31 Player of the Year points for 1^st

[thealmighty]

		Johnny		Annie		Clonie
		Chan		Duke		Gowen
Al		1500		1500		1500		Cyndy
Mighty								Violette
1500								1500
Joe								David
Hachem								Ulliott
1500		Mike				T.J.		1500
		Matusow		Dealer		Cloutier
		1500				1500

Ok...I have seen all these people on TV. WTF!!!? Where are all the first-timers, the putz types. Glad this isn't a $15000 buy-in or I wouldn't even need a hotel room.

[MJ4H]

nice

[thealmighty]

Hand 15: Finally! K-10 suited against Cloutier and Matusow. Flop gives me 2 pair but with a straight draw. Matusow bets 200 and I call but T.J. folds. Turn is a K, full house for me. Matusow checks, I bet 200...Mike folds- douche!!
Collector Chip- Full House

Hand 24: David Ulliott is knocked out in 52nd place by Johhny Chan.
Tourney leader has 5180 while I have 2130.

Hand 25: Pocket As for me and an A comes on the flop. Hachem bets 120 and I just call. The turn shows a J. Hachem checks and I bet 200 but he folds. Too strong?
Collector Chip- 3 of a kind

Hand30: I have AQ suited. T.J. raises to 240 and I call. Flop comes 999. I bet small for a feeler but Cloutier folds.

Hand 31: KQ off suit. Violette goes all-in for 400 and T.J. goes all-in also at 600. I call (stupid?). T.J. wins the pot with a Qs over 3s full house while I have 3s over Qs. Cyndy Violette is out of the tourney in 49th place.

Hand 36: T.J. is eliminated in 44th place by Mike Matusow.

Hand 41: AK for me. Gowen raise to 240 and Matusow reraises to 720. I raise all-in and they both fold for a 3180 win for me, though maybe not a smart one.

Hand 48: I have K-10 suited against Annie Duke and Clonie Gowen. The flop pairs my 10 and I call Duke's 160 bet while Gowen folds. Turn gives another 10- trips for me but Annie goes all-in for 2280. Damn! Don't see how she can have me so I call. She turns over a lousy 9-2 offsuit. The river actually gives me a 10s over Ks full house and Annie Duke out in 40th place. The tourney leader has 6120 while I have 5900.
Collector Chip- Single player, Annie Duke


Hand 51: KQ vs. Matusow. He bets low and I call. Flop pairs my K but I just call his smallish bet. Turn is a Q for two pair with no flush or straight coming. I bet 640 but Mike folds...damn.
Collector Chip- 2 pair

Hand 53: I win a small little hand.
Collector Chip- pair

Hand 54: Matusow takes out Joe Hachem with a pair of 10s and it's time to consolidate tables.

[thealmighty]

		Johnny		Max		Clonie
		Chan		Pescatori		Gowen
Al		4290		3145		480		Roland
Mighty								De Wolfe
7100								2245
Erick								Greg
Lingren								Raymer
1885		Mike				Allen		3525
		Matusow		Dealer		Cunningham
		1030				445

I'm leading at this table but not even top three in the tournament. Blinds are up to 100-200, which is good as some people are very broke and will need to take more chances than they might normally attempt.

[thealmighty]

Hand 61: Pescatori outs Clonie Gowen with 2 pair, J-10. Gowen finishes in 26th.

Hand 67: I have pocket 2s and am called by Johnny Chan. The flop gives me trip deuces and I get a call from Chan on a small wager but he won’t go with me again after a trash card turn and he folds.

Hand 71: Greg Raymer is eliminated in 25th place by Chan. Johnny had trip 10s to Raymer’s pair of 9s.

Hand 82: Blinds go to 200-400. I am second at the table with 4800 to Chan.

Hand 83: Chan ends Max Pescatori’s tourney in 24th place with two pair. Johnny is now over the 10k mark.

Hand 84: Allen Cunningham loses to Matusow on kickers and leaves in 23rd place.

Hand 85: I win a small pot against Chan and De Wolfe, which I only mention so you’ll know I’m still in this thing.

Hand 86: Erick Lindgren eliminates Mike Matusow in 19th place. Lindgren had pocket As to Matusow’s pocket Ks. With that, our table adds five new players as we are down to two tables now.

[thealmighty]

		Johnny		Marcel		Kristy
		Chan		Luske		Gazes
Al		9915		5120		2775		Roland
Mighty								De Wolfe
6400								1725
Erick								Jennifer
Lingren								Tilly
6805		Scotty				Men		4355
		Nguyen		Dealer		Nguyen
		4255				4240

I feel ok with the table as it is. Only Johnny Chan has much more than I. Just wish there were a couple more players with really short stacks. With 18 players still in the tourney, I still need 10 of them to get knocked out to win any money.

[thealmighty]

Hand 88: I have 77 and win a pot against Jennifer Tilly, pushing my stack to 8200 and somewhat crippling her. I don't know what the deal is but all these women look like shit at the table. I mean, Tilly has a nice rack and all but, DAMN, fix yourself up a bit-put on some makeup or SOMEthing.

Hand 95: I have AJ against Chan. He raises to 1440. When I reraise, he folds.

Hand 98: Men Nguyen eliminates De Wolfe in 18th place with a Q high straight.

Hand 100: Blinds are now 320-640. Scott Fischman leads the tournament with 15500 while I sit at 9160.

Hand 102: Scotty is evicted by Chan's trip As. Nguyen is out in 16th place.

Hand 114: Erick Lindgren takes out Tilly in 16th. Erick had an A kicker to Tilly's K on a pair of 5s on the board.

Hand 119: Men "The Master" Nguyen puts Lindgren on the rail with KK vs. QQ. Erick leaves in 15th. I'm down to 6760 now, which is 4th out of 5 at our table.

Hand 120: A♠10♠ for me against Men. He bets 1800 and I call. Flop comes 8♠A9♠. Pair of As and 4 flush. I just call the 1920 bet. Turn brings another 8. Two pair. Can't see me behind at this point, and I only have 1960 left so I push it in. Nguyen folds and I now have 11560.

Hand 123: Pocket Qs lead me to bet 1920 to "The Orient Express" Chan, who calls. Flop comes 10-7-8 with 2 spades. I'd like to take it now so I go for 2880 and Johnny folds.

Hand 125: Kristy Gazes is running low and pushes in. Chan calls and takes her pair of 8s out with his 7 high straight.

That's it!!! Gazes is 10th place so, though I haven't won any money yet, I have made the final table.

[thealmighty]

		Johnny		Marcel		Phil
		Chan		Luske		Laak
Al		20360		10630		8225		David
Mighty								Williams
13480								7860
Scott								Jennifer
Fischman								Harman
5245		Phil				Men		4510
		Helmuth		Dealer		Nguyen
		6990				1960

Though I am actually in second spot, chipwise, going in, I have to think about how I stack-up against these players. I'm sure they'll all be thinking of me as the one to pick on so I'll play pretty tight- my normal anyway, usually- and see how long I can last. I would at least like to get rid of the two short stacks to make sure I cash in the tournament.

[thealmighty]

Awarded: Final Table Level (what that is, I've no clue)
Hand 130: Men "THe Master" goes all in here and is called by Johnny Chan's big stack. Men shows shit and Johnny has K-8. The board comes with a pair of As but nothing to save Men, and he is out in 9th place. I have made the money.

Hand 131: David Williams moves all in. With A-10 I call and Marcel Luske calls also. Flop comes 10-8-2, top pair for me. I bet 600 to "The Flying Dutchman" and he gets out. Williams shows 9-4 and I feel good, naturally. Last two cards are blank so I eliminate David in 8th place.
Collector Chip- David Williams

Hand 136: Blinds move to 800/1600 and Scott Fischman pushes all in. Unabomber Laak calls him but Scott hangs in with a pair Qs vs. Phil's A high.

Hand 137: AK unsuited for me so I bet. Laak raises 9880, all in. I know I should call him but I pussy out and fold...I want to get rid of a couple more to get a higher spot and get some bank going.

Hand 140: Marcel Luske now leads with 22990. I have 12790 in 3rd. Poker Brat Hellmuth is eliminated in 7th place by Laak with crappy kickers to a Q high board. Some of these people will play anything for any amount of chips.

Hand 141: Chan moves all in at 10440 and Laak calls. I fold my ducks and Chan shows A-10 while Phil has QQ. Flop comes Q-J-5. Trips vs. straight draw. Turn is a 5 for Phil's boat fill-in and Chan is eliminated in 6th. Laak has 31510, Luske 21390, me 10390, Fischman 7290 and Harman 4820.

Hand 145: As blinds go up again, to 1k/2k, Laak takes out Jennifer in 5th place. Board is K-8-2-5-A. Laak has J to board and Harman a 10 to the board. Bummer!!

Hand 151: Luske takes a good pot from Laak and leads 41180 to 27740. I am way back at 6390, trying to outlast Scott Fischman, who is down to 2690.

Hand 152: And I do so as Scott is eliminated by Marcel in 4th place. Again, kickers to the board are used with Luske a J and Scott an 8. They play shit but I'm to chicken to do that at this point.

Hand 153: I have AK. I bet and Laak raise to put me all in. This time I call. I feel good as The Unabomber shows only Q-5. Flop comes 5-Q-3 and I am behind. Turn is another Q and the river is the fourth Q. At least I go out to quads, in 3rd place.
Awarded: WSoP Event #1 Final Table, WSoP Event #1 in the Money

I win $11,300 and 18 Player of the Year points for 3rd place.

Phil Laak wins the Tournament.

Cyndy Violette invites me to play in a $1000 cash game at Harrah's.

Phil Hellmuth gives me a tour of my upgraded room- the 600 sq. ft. Cariocos Suite at the Rio.

[johnnyshaka]

Cool!

[NoSkillz]

That's quite a tale...

[MJ4H]

What exactly is this?

[johnnyshaka]

My guess is a new PS3/Xbox game...

[thealmighty]

Originally Posted by MJ4H

What exactly is this?

It is the PC version of World Series of Poker: Battle for the Bracelets 2008. Phil Hellmuth is the "star" of the game. Has the whole WSoP event schedule (at least what it was then) and some other poker side stuff, as well.

[thealmighty]

Cariocos Suite is a huge upgrade, especially since I wasn't staying here at the Rio. Now I can just relax and plan my tournament schedule as I please without regard to travel.

I am, obviously, extremely pleased with my first tourney outcome. When I saw all the poker elite, I assumed I was donkey #1. However, at least in this low buy-in tourney, the pros seem to play almost anything at any time. I'll learn through the course of all these events how they tighten up, if any, in a higher stakes game.

[thealmighty]

Day 2
Well, I at least temporarily am not worried about the money situation as my bankroll is up to $24800. I like the looks of the next offering as it has lots of players registered so I know I won't be the only one with some shaky knees going in. The only thing is it lasts 3 days, but I suppose I might as well go for it, especially since I really love to play lowball or hi-lo split games, even though they can get drawn out alot more timewise with all the splitting. Tough to get people out of these things sometimes.

Event 2: 3 Day $1500 buy-in Omaha Hi-Lo Split
1728 players, payout to top 180
174 Player of the Year points for 1^st
Blinds start: 10/20; Limits start: 20/40; Ante: 0

[thealmighty]

		Hillary		Janet		Al
						Mighty
Megan		1500		1500		1500		Arnie
1500								1500
Chip								Chris
								Ferguson
1500		Steve				Kyle		1500
				Dealer
		1500				1500

Only player I know of is Chris "Jesus" Ferguson. Might feel awkward trying to lie and act with Jesus around. I wish he was on the other side of me, though.

I have no idea at this point how to play in this event. I suppose I'll just keep my tight style intact and see how things go. I'll need to get a read on these people if I can to see the cards they are willing to play with and bet with.

[thealmighty]

Hand 2: A-7-4-3 with hearts. I call 20, Arnie calls and Janet raises to 40 from BB. I call and Arnie folds. Flop is J-4-J rainbow and I call Janet's bet. Turn brings a 6 and we both check- 4s and no low... not good. River is a Q. No low so I check. So does Janet and I win high with my badass 4 in the hole to pair. +150- w00t!?

Hand 5: Split a puny hand. I take low with a 7-6.

Hand 7: I make a wheel (5-4-3-2-A) on the flop and bet but only Steve comes along. Turn gives me a flush also and I bet. Steve raises, I reraise and he calls. Nothing doing on the river. I feel good!! Wheel with a flush, albeit a low one. I bet, he raises. I reraise and Steve maxes the betting. He just has trip 2s (say what?) and I sweep the pot.
Collector Chip- flush

Hand 10: A♣-Q♥-4♣-3♥ for me. A-Q with two good flush draws and three to a low. I bet. Steve and Janet call. Flop is 10♣-8♣-Q♦, High pair and one to the low-meh- but two to the nut flush so I bet. Steve calls and Janet folds. Turn comes J♥... still four flush now four to straight...but no low. We both check. 4♠ on the river gives me 2 pair. I mull it over and bet the 80. Steve raises to 160. I'm pot committed pretty much and call the 80 more. Steve had the other two Qs and takes the pot with trips.

Hand 12: A♣-K♣-3♥-2♣. Nice looking to me so I lead out and Kyle comes along. Flop K-K-7 for three cowboys and a bet. Kyle raises, I call. Turn is 10♣. I bet again and Kyle just calls this time. River is another 10- no flush or straight. Don't think he had a ten so I bet it. Kyle calls and shows two pair, K-7. Trips wins the pot.

Hand 13: Q-10-9-3, two flush draws. Comes to me and, as SB, only costs 20 so I call. I flop a club flush, no pairs on the board, and bet. Only Megan calls. Turn is a 4 and I bet. Megan just calls (low is in but with no raise??). River is a K- no biggie, though my flush is only 3rd best- and I bet. Megan raises, I reraise and she calls. My flush is good and I pocket the 880 pot. I'm now chip leader at the table with 2405. Phil Laak leads the tourney at 2545.

Hand 15: A-Q-J-8 with two spades and I call. Two As come on the flop with two spades. Steve bets, I call. Turn is 7♠ for my nut flush. Steve bets-low?- I raise, get reraised and raise to max. Nothing K on the river. We max the bet and Steve shows. I WIN!!!! Idiot has pair As.

Hand 19: Blinds move to 30/60 with limits at 60/120. I would say I'm playing too many hands but it's working for me so far.

[thealmighty]

Hand 22: A-K-Q-Q. Megan goes all in for 105 but only 75 to me so I call. Board ends up 7-7-5-7-5 so I have a 7s over Qs boat but Megan shows pocket rockets and stays alive.

Hand 26: Two poor folks do battle and Megan finally eliminates a player at our table. Kyle's pair of 6s loses to a pair of 9s and he finishes 1700th.

Hand 27: K-K-Q-6 for me. Janet cllas my bet. I flop a K high straight with a four flush to the K. Janet bets 120 and I raise. Turn sucks as a 10 pairs the board but Janet checks so I bet and am called. River is a 2 but no low so I bet again and she folds. I win 1110.
Collector Chip- straight

Hand 31: Q-Q-10-10 and I call 120 but the flop sux and I fold when Steve bets.

Hand 33: I split a pot to move to 3280, which is half of the tournament leader.

Hand 38: Four of the eight players are below 500 in chips. Arnie moves all in and loses to Steve, A straight to Q stright. Arnie finishes 1521st.

Hand 40: Chip goes out in 1454 as Steve and Megan take Hi and Lo, respectively.

Hand 41: Steve eliminates Janet with a Ks over Js boat. She ends up in 1304th place.

Hand 42: I call with A-K-Q-10. Flop comes A-4-Q. Top two pair for me but flush possibilities are not mine. Hillary bets and I call. Turn comes 9 with no flush yet so I call her bet. Blank 9 on the river and Hillary checks. I contemplate for a brief time and bet but Hillary folds. I have 3520, second at the table.

Hand 46: Hillary ends Megan's day at #865 with trip As and it's time for a new table. Tournament leader sits at 7265, over twice my stack (hope they aren't with us).

[thealmighty]

		Hillary		Tammy		Al
						Mighty
Sergio		3330		2460		3335		Richard
2525								3570
Gwendolyn								Chris
								Ferguson
5175		Steve				Dan		210
				Dealer
		6545				2750

While I'm sitting near the middle of the pack- not really what I had in mind since I do love playing lowball and split games- Jesus is probably not long for this tourney. I need to make some kind of move. Next time we combine tables we are liable to get several really big stacks and I need to be able to stay with them.

[thealmighty]

Hand 48: I win a small bit from Tammy.

Hand 50: Gwendolyn eliminates Tammy in 835th place.

Hand 54: I waste a lot of chips being stupid. Steve takes the pot while I fish for a low that never came.

Hand 58: Chris "Jesus" Ferguson is ousted by Richard. He ends 793rd.

Hand 63: I win a decent pot off Steve as he folds on the river to my K high flush.

Hand 70: K♥-2♣-K♣-3♥ double flush draw, pair cowboys and possible low hand... I bet. Sergio raises and I call. Flop comes K-10♣-5♣ for trips and flush draw and I bet. Sergio raises, so do I and he calls. Turn card gives me K high club flush with still no low so I lead out and we max the bet. River is blank with no low. Sergio just calls my bet and I win to move my count to 8995.

Hand 74: I win another 2400 with yet another flush from Gwendolyn. # of 7 at the table are under 1K in chips.

Hand 78: Sergio moves all in and Richard calls. As BB, it's only $5 to me so I call. I have A-10-5-4. No low comes in and Sergio takes the pot to hang in. He had As in the hole.
Phil Hellmuth kindly advises me "Check with a toss-up hand if you are last to act." Thx Phil.

Hand 80: I bet heavy and bluff Dan (at least I had nothing) to go over the 10K mark in chips.

Hand 82: Blinds are 200/400, limits 400/800. I call Sergio's all in and pray, but the poker gods don't listen and he stays alive.

Hand 85: Hillary moves all in. I call with Q-J-8-6. Flop gives me trip Js. Hillary had the fourth J but my Q kicker beats her. She leaves in 773rd.

[thealmighty]

Hand 88: 7-5-4-2. Call Sergio. Flop is A-7-3. Wheel time. Sergio bets, I raise. He reraises and I call. Turn is 8 with rainbow board. Sergio goes all in and I call. We split the pot, both with a wheel...DAMN!!

Hand 90: I lose 2K to Richard when my 4 flush and 4 to low don't materialize and I fold on the river.

Hand 94: A-A-7-5 for me and I call. Flop J-5-A. I have trip As but there are three ♥ on the board. Gwen and Sergio are both poor mofos so I bet and half hope they go away. Gwen does but Sergio raises and I call as he has less than 1K now. SWEET!!! Turn pairs Js on board giving me As over boat. I bet but he folds.

Hand 95: K-Q-Q-7. Sergio bets and I call since he only has 20 left. All fold to us. Flop sucks for me but I go ahead and bet to put him all in and he FOLDS...

Hand 96: Sergio goes all in Richard calls. I'm BB so I check. Nothing comes until the river gives me 2 pair. I bet and Richard calls. He rivered a low as I did the high. We split and Sergio is out in 694.

Hand 97: Dan is eliminated by Richard and it's time to consolidate tables again.

[thealmighty]

		Letitia		Kirsten		Al
						Mighty
Amanda		3100		7390		12870		Richard
4885								6580
Gwendolyn								Jimmy
795		Steve				Andrew		2375
				Dealer
		9735				1515

I think I'm playing to many hands but it's working out so far. Need to be careful. The tournament leader sits at $14115 so I'm where I wanted to be. Blinds are 240/480 and limits 480/960. They'll increase in 2 hands so it's getting expensive now and one hand can cripple you if you are short stacked.

[thealmighty]

Hand 99: A-K-Q-10 with Gwendolyn all in. I call for 795 but, once again, my opponent has pocket As and my A high straight loses out to her A over Js full house.

Hand 100: With the blinds moving to 320/640 and limits at 640/1280, I win a little pot. After checks all over, I bet at the river and everyone folded.

Hand 103: I bet too much for short stacked Kristen to win a puny pot.

Hand 106: Andrew goes all in for 940 so I call with K-Q-Q-3 with two ♦. He gets a wheel but I pull-out an A over Q boat with runner/runner As on the turn and river. Pretty damn squirrelly, but things even out- over years.

Hand 109: Blinds/limits up again. Gwendolyn pushes her tiny stack all in. Amanda calls so I don't and Gwen wins. She has a whopping 210.

Hand 110: Letitia eliminates Andrew in 420th place.

Hand 111: Kristen moves all in and I call, again with K-Q-Q-low (why? One A and I'm behind). Nothing on the flop, junk on the turn and shit on the river gives the pot to Kristen.

Hand 116: With Jennifer Tilley leading the tourney at 26980 and me at 12685, Steve takes out Gwendolyn in 407th. Steve has 25K, well ahead of me in 2nd at the table.

Hand 118: Blinds move to 480/960, limits 960/1920. Lots of poor people at our table- come on losers, let's get it going.

Hand 120: A-A-Q-3. Richard moves all in with 1300. In BB, it's only 340 to me and I call. Fuck me...he pulls QUAD 10s and I lose (everyone's AA beats me but mine, NOOOOooooo!!!).

Hand 122: K-K-8-6. Amanda moves all in. I call but so does Jimmy. Flop is 4-K-Q. Trips for me and I bet it but Jimmy wimps out. Turn is a 6 and my full house eliminates Amanda and her K high flush in 368th spot.

Hand 125: Steve eliminates Kristen- finally- with a higher two pair. She finishes 324th.

Hand 126: A-K-K-10 with spades against Richard. Flop is 6♦-4♦-5♦. I check and when he bets, I fold.

Hand 128: Steve ends Richards event and, HALLELUJAH, it's the end of Day 1 of this event.

[thealmighty]

If there is anything you may want to know or for me to try to add in, let me know.

[thealmighty]

Day 3
The second day of our 3 Day $1500 buy-in Omaha Hi-Lo Split tournament is almost set to go. There are 216 players left (I think) and I'm not in too good of shape. The leaders have over 3 times my stack with blinds at 600/1200 and limits 1200/2400. I need to tighten up and get lucky a bit to have any chance. Can't play all those K-Q-Q-crap hands now.

		Letitia		Alex		Al
						Mighty
Renata		5625		14420		11275		Jenna
5925								13750
Charles								Jimmy
10705		Steve				Annie		830
				Dealer		Duke
		31995				14820

I'm sitting right in the middle in 5th at this table but way behind Steve. Need a hand!!

[thealmighty]

Hand 135: Jenna eliminates in a monster pot hand. Renata ends up 214th.

Hand 141: Jenna takes out Alex in 21th with a K high flush. Alex is 213th.

Hand 143: Jenna continues to roll, squashing Jimmy at 197th with a better 2 pair.

Hand 144: I eliminate Charles in 180th place. I go all in after the turn with a 7 high straight and he called with 444s. Tourney leader is Phil Gordon with 46285. Jenna leads our table at 42505 while I now have 23575.

Hand 147: A-K-9-8 vs. Steve, who is down since the start of the day. Flop comes 7-K-K... trips with low looking negatory, good buddy. I bet and he calls. Turn is... K...quads, yo. I check and Steve does also (crapsky), River is a 6 and I bet to Steve, who calls, and I win a big one.
Collector Chip- four of a kind

Hand 150: Letitia moves all in. I call and so does Jenna. Flop is no good for me. I check but when Jenna bets, I fold. Letitia loses, A high straight vs. J high straight and it's time for a new table.

[thealmighty]

		Nancy		Frank		Al
				Deer		Mighty
Joe		15620		26750		35125		Jenna
Hachem
32825								21905
David								Bea
19335		Steve				Annie		18570
				Dealer		Duke
		46495				8220

Feeling pretty good, although the chip leader, Max Pescatori, has over 50K. Blinds are 1K/2K and limits are 2K/4K. Gotta be careful.

[thealmighty]

Hand 154: A-9-9-3. Not supposed to play this shit but checks to me in BB so I say roll 'em. Flop is 9-3-10. I have trips and bet and Jenna calls. Turn is 4 with two hearts now. I bet and she calls. River is a 2. No flush but wheels are possible. I bet and Jenna- FOLDS. Thank you, poker gods.

Hand 156: Nancy is ousted by Steve in 104th. Steve now has 77K and I have 42K.

Hand 161: Steve is bullying the table nearly every pot (as he should) and is now over the 100K mark in chips.

Hand 163: I'm in as SB on the cheap with 8-8-3-2. Flop gives me 888 but they're all spades and everyone checks, Turn is 10 and now there are also striaghts possible. All check again??? River is a Q and, confused, I bet the trips. Everyone folds and I win a modest pot.

Hand 165: Bea eliminated Annie Duke, trip Js to squat. Annie, who still looks like a zombie, finishes 94th.

Hand 167: I split a nothing pot with Frank.

Hand 169: Jenna moves all in and, as BB, I get to call for only 1315 with A-10-8-6, two spades (not much there but it's cheap). The flop is like Christmas- spade flush already. Jenna goes down 93rd.

Hand 172: Blinds are 2K/4K, limits 4K/8K (ouch).

Hand 173: Steve's J high straight beats Frank's two pair and Frank is out in 91st.

Hand 182: Steve mows down Bea and it's time to consolidate once again.

[thealmighty]

		T.J.		Sharon		Al
		Cloutier				Mighty
Joe		26180		75010		39640		Lori
Hachem								Jones
2580								48890
David								Arnie
12670		Steve				Paul		72700
				Dealer
		165400				9270

With blinds and limits climbing fast, I'm not in very good shape. People are now betting poor folk out of pots when it costs 10K to see a card. If you aren't sure you have anything, gotta cut your loss to stay in.

[thealmighty]

Hand 183: Hachem moves all in but hits a Ks over boat to stay alive.

Hand 184: I win a 21600 pot to go to 51640 but the leaders are at 175K.

Hand 187: A-K-Q-Q with two hearts...I raise and rich man Steve calls- probably to try to buy it down the line. Flop is J-3-K with two ♦. I call steve's bet but, when the turn is another ♦ and he bets again, I have to fold with just a pair of Ks.

Hand 189: A-K-6-3 in SB and call. Flop is 2-5-2. Four to low/wheel. I bet (stupid?) and Arnie calls but strongarm Steve raises. I'm down to 18K now so decision time...RAISE!!1 Take that. DAMN, Arnie reraises and Steve calls. I call all in, which isn't much. Turn is 7♥. Three hearts but I have nut low at the moment. Bets come but not to me so I wait to see the river- pairs the 5 so I'm still in it. Arnie has the flush but my low is good...FUCK YOU Steve.

Hand 190: Blinds are 3200/6400 and limits are 6400/12800 . Getting too low on chips for this level. Need to find a hand.

Hand 192: David moves all in and I call with A-K-Q-2, two spades. Naturally, Steve is also in the hand. Flop comes 7-9-10 with two spades. Steve and I check. 4♠ on the turn. AHA!! I bet but pussy Steve folds (maybe he's just good, not a pussy?) and I put David out in 51st place. I have 59K.

Hand 193: Joe Hachem moves it all in. I fold but Sharon doesn't and eliminates Joe in 47th.

Hand 196: K-J-J-4, double suited (hearts, clubs). Maybe shouldn't play but I'm SB so it's cheap. Flop is 3-5-A with two hearts. I still have nothing and check, as do Lori and Arnie. Turn is 4♥!!! Nut flush. I lead out and Lori folds. Arnie RAISES . I reraise and so does he to max the bet (straight flush wheel...no way). I call all in and he shows- trip 3s. All that for 333. I FEEL GOOD, bububuh, I KNEW THAT I WOULD. Then.....the river comes....to wipe the smile off my face. A 5 to pair the board !!! I am eliminated by the full house on the river. .
Awarded: WSoP Event #2 in the Money

I finish 46th and win $8,800 and 26 Player of the Year points.

As there is another day to go, I don't know yet who wins the Tournament.

Jennifer Harman invites me to play in a $2000 cash game at the Flamingo.

My bankroll is now $32,100 and I have 44 PotY points.

[DataKing]

I'm not a big poker guy (more of a blackjack man myself) but I am enjoying this one. Keep up the good work.

[Swaggs]

Am I the only one that thought this was a real life dynasty (at least until post #10)?

[ntndeacon]

Originally Posted by Swaggs

Am I the only one that thought this was a real life dynasty (at least until post #10)?

I was certainly confused cause I hadn't seen that name on the money list for event 2 (and i was watching out for at least some folks )

[PackerFanatic]

Originally Posted by Swaggs

Am I the only one that thought this was a real life dynasty (at least until post #10)?

Nope - I thought so too, haha.

[thealmighty]

Day 4
Kinda (kinda??) bummed (ok, major fucking bummed) I got screwed by that river, though I think anyone would have pushed it like I did under the circumstances. Thought I might be able to win the bracelet there. Anyway, I know it isn't the fourth event coming up on my list but there are some events that I am not eligible to enter, apparently, due to lack of funds for the entry fee or lack of skill or what have you.

I'm not really enthralled with limit games, unless it's pot limit, but I have to figure that with the third day of that Omaha event still going on right now, the field of 54 for this next event will be watered down, at least I'm banking on it as I prepare to enter.

Event 4: 1 Day $1500 buy-in Limit Hold 'em
54 players, payout to top 8
31 Player of the Year points for 1^st
Blinds start: 5/10; Limits start: 10/20; Ante: 0

[thealmighty]

		Betty		Dr. John		Eustace
Carmen		1500		1500		1500		Mike
1500								1500
Ted								Trent
1500		Lucy				Al		1500
				Dealer		Mighty
		1500				1500

Good! Never heard of any of these people. Hope that means I can tear them up and not the other way around. However, with limits, and puny ones at that, I'm sure it will be a while before anyone is ousted.

[thealmighty]

Hand 3: Pocket 9s and I lead out. Dr. John raises and, as it's only 10 more, I call (now that it's here, I hope I don't get suckered in over and over with the "it's only" so and so amount). Flop is 9-6-3 so I get top trips and bet. Dr. J calls. Turn is a four. Straight possible but why raise to begin with 5-7? I bet and he calls. River is a 5. No flush but now 3-4-5-6 on the board. Might raise two handed with A-7? Screw that as I bet anyway and he folds. I win a monster 130.

Hand 6: Up a rank, 10-10 foe me. Trent raises to 20 and I call the 10 from BB. 2-A-4 with two ♥. Trent checks so I bet. He check raises and I call. Turn comes 9♥. Trent bets this time and I fold.

Hand 12: K♦-Q♦. Mike raises to 40. Eustace and I call. Flop 6-6-K. I bet, Eustace folds and Mike calls. Turn is another K for a full house. Foolish Mike bets and I raise, which he calls, River is useless 10, Mike checks, I bet and he calls with his pocket 9s. Bummer for you, Mike, as I scoop in 450 in chips.

Hand 14: Erick Lindgren leads the event with 2165. My 1755 is 2nd at the table.

Hand 20: WooT for pocket rockets, AA. Folds to me and I raise. All the pussies fold- crapski .

Hand 23: K♣-Q♣ and I just call. Flop 8♣-J♣-4♦. Hmmmm? Mike and Trent check so I bet and Trent calls. Turn is 7♥ and we both check. River is 8♥ and I got nothin' but Mike checks so I try to buy one and it works as Trent folds to my 60 bet.

Hand 28: 2380 leads the tourney with me hanging at 1725. There are two players over 2K chips and two under 1K at our table while blinds move to 20/40 and limits to 40/80.

Hand 34: Crabs for me (3-3) but it's cheap in SB and I call 20. Flop is 9-K-Q. Not rosy and when Lucy bets, I bail.
Phil Hellmuth with another gem "Hold 'em is a game of position." Thx again, Phil.

Hand 45: Tournament leaders are over 3K while I languish at 1555. Eustace leads the table with 4090 and there are still two players under 1K in chips.

Hand 46: After a lengthy lull, I pick-up pocket rockets (A-A) for the second time. Folds to me and I bet, with Betty raising to 240. Thx, Betty, as I reraise and she calls. Flop is K-7-2 with two spades. Still feeling good, I bet after she checks and she comes with me. Turn is j, no spade. Betty checks again and, when I bet, she folds. I win a 1K pot.

[thealmighty]

Hand 50: Our first casualty as Trent is sent packing in 52nd by Mike on kickers to trip 5s. As for me, I've played one hand in the past 20- cold, cold, cold...

Hand 57: At laaaasstttt!! A-Q and I raise to 200. Mike reraises and I call. Flops A-2-J rainbow. Mike checks, I bet and he folds for a 2200 pot win.

Hand 64: Tourney leader has 3410 while I have 2155 for second to Eustace with 3290. Blinds to 60/120 and limits at 120/240.

Hand 68: K-J and, with folds to me, I call as two left both under 1K stacks. Flop J-4-2 with 2 clubs. Lucy bets, I raise with top pair and they fold.

Hand 74: In BB, A-A. All fold to Mike who bets to 320. I reraise and he calls. 2-Q-10 flop with two spades. Mike checks, I bet and he calls. Turn pairs the 2. He checks and I bet again but Mike folds (not muh action on my pocket As- my fault or theirs?).

Hand 78: K-Q unsuited and I call 160 with Carmen and Betty in. 2-K-6 flop, two hearts. Checks to my top pair and I bet but both fold. My 3215 now leads the table with Annie Duke the tournament leader at 3725.

Hand 79: Dr. John's two pair eliminated Betty in 47th.

Hand 82: Blinds to 100/200, limits 200/400.
Phil Hellmuth tells me to "Bet the river with the best hand." Phil is my hero for that one.

Hand 83: Pocket cowboys (K-K). Mike raises, I raise back and he calls. 8-3-10 two clubs shows. He bets, I raise, he reraises (two pair maybe) and I call. Turn is 5♦ and Mike checks with less than 400 left. I push him all in but he folds and I win a 3500 pot to lead the whole event with 4655.

Hand 91: Lots of folds going on as the blinds reach 120/240 and limits at 240/480. I have won twice in BB with all folding to me.

Hand 95: Unsuited A-K for me in BB and Ted raises. I call and see 8-4-5 on the flop. I check, Ted bets and I call. Turn is A♥. Trying to lay in the weeds I check but so does he and the river is 3♦ for possible flush. Lots of stuff to beat my American Airlines but Ted was weak with the two diamonds and low run on the flop so I bet it out and he folds.

Hand 96: Ted's 10 high straight eliminates Lucy's pair of 8s. Lucy is 42nd.

Hand 100: 39 players rmain as blinds move up again to 160/320 with 320/640 limits. I have 5135 to lead the table. Three are under 1K now.

Hand 102: Looking at Dimes (10-10) in SB against BB Ted so I bet but he folds. Lots and LOTS of folding to any bet now. No action at all.

Hand 105: A-10 in bad position so I only call. Dr. John and Eustace are in. Flop is 4-7-J and Dr. J bets with me sole caller. Turn K and the Dr. checks. I try to buy it with squat for 640 but he raises to 1280!! Am I committed...no, I fold.

Hand 106: Fourth time with A-A in the hole. Try to slow play and just call in 1st position to try for some action.Eustace goes all in for 565 and I call. He shows K-6 but an A comes for trips and he is eliminated in 39th spot.

Hand 110: Mike goes out meekly with a 4 to the board and we FINALLY get a new table.

[thealmighty]

		Ted S.		Dr. John		Bob
Carmen		5065		2890		695		Lindsey
1410								2620
Ted B.								Jennifer
								Harman
3940		Bert				Al		2600
				Dealer		Mighty
		1100				5060

Feeling good about this event. It has been boring for a while but should pick-up with the full table, though as blinds/limits increase it becomes harder and harder to get anyone to call anything. Anyone with a shortish stack can now be ousted in one hand if they get strung along 'til the end and lose so hopefully it will move along now.

[thealmighty]

Hand 112: Bob moves all in with his short stack and is eliminated in 26th place by Carmen with a pair of ladies (Q-Q).

Hand 118: Allen Cunningham leads with 5075. I'm second at the table with 4460. Blinds and limits up again to 240/480 and 480/960 respectively.

Hand 124: Ted B. eliminates Carmen in 25th place. I'm down to 3740. With nothing to play, one round of blinds can now really take a bite out of a stack.

Hand 129: J♦-9♦ in SB. 300 to me but Bert in BB has only 500 so I push him in and he calls with 8♦-6♠. Flop 7♦-K♦-6♥, Bert leads with pair 6s but turn is 5♦ for my flush and Bert leaves us in 24th place.

Hand 131: With K-Q I call Ted S. and Dr. John who are Sb and BB. Flop 10-8-10. 1800 in the pot. Ted is rich but Dr. J is chip poor. Hmmm? I bet. Ted calls and the doctor folds. Heads-up with a J on the turn with three ♠ showing. Ted shows weakness and checks (I hope) and I bet. He thinks (acts) a bit but folds. Whew ty, ty and I top the 6K chip mark.

Hand 132: Lindsey takes Dr. John out in 23rd, boat to 2 pair.

Hand 133: Q♣-10♣. Folds to me in SB with Ted B. BB. I call and he checks. 9♣-4♥-K♣ for a flop. I bet abd Ted calls. Turn comes 3♥. I got nothing but I show continued strength and bet. Ted wilts and I win.

Hand 136: Blinds 400/800, limits 800/1600. With only one more elimination to consolidate again, noone is chip poor at the table. 7220 leads the event while I have 6440.

Hand 149: Long time coming but I'm in with A-10 in SB. I raise to Ted B. in BB and he, naturally, folds.

Hand 151: A♣-10♣ and I lead out but everyone folds, of course. Ted B. and I have seperated from the table. He has 9285 and I have 8140. Next in line is 3470.

Hand 154: Ted B. eliminated Ted S. with a pair of hooks (J-J) so we roll on to the next table.

[thealmighty]

		Paige		Marty		David
						Williams
Johhny		4185		4545		3595		Lindsey
Chan
845								4670
Ted B.								Jennifer
								Harman
10670		Calvin				Al		3200
				Dealer		Mighty
		4535				6540

Blinds are now 600/1200 and limits rise to 1200/2400 so this could go quickly. I'll need to be very careful and not try to be too cute. Fortunately, the three players I've heard of are not that strong in chip stacks and Johnny will be out or double-up very quickly I'm sure.

[thealmighty]

Hand 159: A-K unsuited. I bet and David Williams raises all in with 3595. That's half my stack but, with blinds and limits so high, I hope he's just trying to buy a pot and I call. Good !! He shows 8♠-4♠ so I am way ahead. Cards are turned and my A to the board is all I need to eliminate D.W. in 17th place and put me over the 10K mark in chips.

Hand 161: Jennifer Harman goes all in for 2K. I'm BB so even though I only have J-7, I call the 800 to me and hope. Unfortunately, hope wasn't enough as she shows K-K and wins with a Ks over boat.

Hand 162: A♠-9♠ and I call 600 when Lindsey moves all in. Again, no good for me as she has A-K. I am dominated ! Nothing at all comes for either of us and she hangs in with the K to the board aainst my 9.

Hand 164: A-J this time. Paige raises and I call. Q-6-3 on the flop and Paige checks. What to do, what to do. She is kinda short stacked so I go for it and bet. Sure enough, I finally got one right and she folds. I'm once again playing too many hands, getting restless/careless, but my stack is now up to 15K.

Hand 166: Ted B. ends Marty's party with pocket Ladies (Q-Q) vs. pocket Dimes. Marty finishes 16th.

Hand 167: Ted takes another scalp (sorry, politically incorrect there) as his pair Ks send Lindsey packing in 15th.

Hand 168: K-Q in SB against Calvin's BB. Calvin is chip-poor and, with the pot already at 2400, I try to bully him and raise. It works like a charm as the poor boy folds to me.

Hand 170: Ted's Q high straight eliminated Johhmy Chan's Js and 8s AND Calvin's crappier 8s and 3s. Chan is out in 11th and Calvin in 10th and we have now made the FINAL TABLE...my second in three events.

[thealmighty]

		Paige		Phil		Jennifer
		Boone		Hellmuth		Tilly
Hale		2370		3690		6160		Erick
Wonder								Lindgren
15805								4225
Ted								Jennifer
Bell								Harman
21350		Virginia				Al		2400
		Thorne		Dealer		Mighty
		5435				17165

Wow!! Gotta love the position I'm in here. Second most chips and a BUNCH of short stacked people, including ALL the people I have seen on TV. If I can just contain myself and not do anything idiotic I should get very far in this one...maybe even win it, especially with blinds and limits moving to 1K/2K and 2K/4K, respectively, after the next hand.

[thealmighty]

Hand 172: Holy Shit, Batman !!! Ted takes out both Phil Hellmuth AND Paige with Sunset Strip (7-7) when the board comes 3-4-10-4-4. Runner/runner 4s give Ted a full house to make Paige 9th and Phil 8th. Just like that, we are all in the money!!!

Hand 173: It's the haves against the have nots, Ted has 27K, Hale 18K and I have 17K. Next most is Tilly with 6K.

Hand 175: Suited connectors in SB with J♥-10♥ and 1K to call Virginia, which I do. Flop 3-3-5. She has only 3435 left so if I bet she is committed all in, and I do. It worked as she folds but the pot was small.

Hand 176: Ted is foing all the work as he has a better two pair than Virginia's and she is out in 7th.

Hand 178: Jennifer Tilly eliminates E-Dog Lindgren in 6th place.

Hand 179: Jen Harman in SB moves all in to my BB. It's only 400 to go so I have to call even with my crap 10-2. She shows a crappier 9-5 and I feel much better, obviously, as I assumed I was way behind. I catch a 10 on the turn to end Harman's tourney in 5th place.
Collector Chip- Jennifer Harman

Hand 181: Won't take long now as blinds are 1200/2400 and limits 2400/4800. Ted has 39K, I have 19K, hale has 14K and Tilley has 5K.

Hand 183: Q♠-J♠ against Hale. Flop is 4-J-A and I bet. When Hale raises, I have to think- buy or A in the hole? If I choose wrong, I'm in trouble but if I win he is crippled. I choose to wait for a better time and fold.

Hand 188: A-J♣. Hale bets, I raise and he calls. Flop 7♣-9♣-Q♣. Still feel good and make the bet. SHIT!! Hale raises and again I have to choose. This time I go for it and call. Turn is K♥ and I still have nothing but four flush and an A so I check. Hale bets. I want to fold but I haven't even the chips to match the bet. Too short if I fold, I push it in and he shows...COWBOYS- trip Ks - stupid me but what ya gonna do- fold to the first raise, maybe? River is not a club and I go down to defeat and out of the event in 4th place.
Awarded: WSoP Event #4 Final Table, WSoP Event #4 in the Money

I win $8,100 and 15 Player of the Year points for 4th place.

Jennifer Tilly, with a great comeback wins, the Tournament.

Scott Fischman invites me to play in a $2500 cash game at Bally's.

I open the Grand Casino Tunica hotel, whatever/wherever that is.

Phil Gordon won the Omaha Hi-Lo event.

[thealmighty]

My bankroll stands at $38,700.
I have 59 PotY points which is good for 9th best so far (Phil Gordon leads with 174).

There have been 532 total hands played in my events and I was in 141 of them for 26.5%. That is, according to most people, too many hands to play though, as only a semi-pro, maybe I need to play more. I don't know. I have won 89 hands so far, btw, and taken out 12 players personally.

[thealmighty]

RL: I am off to Florida for an International Baccalaureate conference so I won't be playing the rest of the week.