As I cover some of the events here at the WSOP, I see a lot of interesting plays and strategies. I'd love to be able to ask certain players why they made the play they did and what was going through their mind, but I am responsible for acting professionally and staying 'behind the scenes'. I don't want to interfere with or bug the players. In one of the early $1,500 NLHE events, I witnessed some players involved in multi-way pots where one person was all in. These instances I'm talking about are not in the money, or on the bubble, or deep at the final table. They are in the early stages of a tournament when we have tons of players left in the field.
The scenario occurs when the other players in the hand check it down until the river to try and eliminate the all-in opponent. When someone bets and then ends up doubling up the short stack, the others players that were in the hand and folded seem to be upset with the player that bet them out. Claiming "I would have won." or "Way to bet us out and then double him up." and so on. What I don't think these players understand is that when there are so many players remaining in the field, it is more advantageous to allow yourself a better chance of winning the hand than eliminating the all-in player. If you can bet out to get heads up with the all in player, you only have to best his hand. Whereas when you keep everyone in, you are slimming your chances of winning the entire pot, even if it is just checked down. So with a small bet, you can almost always thin the field and increase your odds in the hand. If everyone folds and you still lose to the all-in player, you only lost what you would have lost if you kept everyone in the hand and had checked it down.
If you do chose to bet and everyone folds and you lose, you'll often hear the comments start to fly at you. "Why'd you bet?" or "Why didn't you just check it down?" Even, "What a dumb bet that was?" This usually comes from people that want that player eliminated when it really doesn't matter at all. 2,000 players left compared to 2,001 isn't a big deal and shouldn't make a difference, but a lot of players swear that checking down is the only play that you should make. They say you should only bet with the nuts, or damn near close to it. I don't agree and I have been talking to some people around the WSOP and in Vegas that agree with my thoughts and believe those that check it down just don't get it. But I must stress that this is a completely different scenario than when you are on the bubble, in the money and approaching a pay jump, or at the final table. In all of these cases, eliminating one person often has great advantages.
6.13.2008
Ladies NLHE Final Table Recap
All I have to say is wow. Wow this final table was just so slow. The play was as tight as all hell. We rarely saw flops and then if we did take a flop, a bet would take down the pot. The women just played so amazingly tight trying to money-up that it was unreal. Svetlana Gromenkova, the woman that eventually would go on to win, was my heavy favorite. She was just worlds above the other players in skill and also had a big stack. She controlled the table from the get go and just worked really well the chip away at people.Sue Porter was the first to go out and she just played awful. She would call raises for half her stack and then dump the hand on the flop. She was playing way too many hands and was eliminated shortly after the start of the final table. She was the only person keeping the table lively and when she went out, things just locked up completely. People were folding big broadway cards and small to middle pairs like they were 2-4 off. It was quite ridiculous the amount of passiveness at the table. I really believe that this gave Gromenkova a huge advantage. She is a pro and knew just how to run over the field.
When we got to heads up, Gromenkova got all in with her opponent Anh Le and had Le drawing to three outs. Le seemed to be getting her money in all day with the worst of it and coming out on top. This time was no different as Le pulled her three-outer to capture the pot and the chip lead. Gromenkova looked like she was going to just break down and cry. She was so close to the win and then to have it snatched from her when it was within reach seemed like it'd be too much for her. With the help and encouragement from her railbirds, she buckled down and began to chip away again at Le. She soon regained the chip lead with solid, solid poker. And then, another misstep from Le and that was all she wrote. Le took her A6 up against Gromenkova's pocket kings. The kings prevailed and Gromenkova was crowned champion.
6.12.2008
Update to come...
I know I haven't posted anything in a few days. I'm been busy working and then when I get off, I've been trying to pay as much as possible. I hope to get some stuff up later on when we get break or when this final table ends. I'm covering the $2,000 LHE final table today. Daniel Negreanu is the only really big name there.Posts to come:
- Women's final table recap
- Checking down strategy
- Session analysis
- 2-7 gambling event
- Limit final table
6.07.2008
WSOP Day 6: $10,000 Mixed Championship, Final Table
So I found it quite annoying that this final table wasn't going to be televised and in the No-Limit Lounge for ESPN to film it while fans crowded the bleachers to watch. The field has all the big names in it and the final table included high profile stars such as Eli Elezra, Sam Farha, Jeff Madsen, and Tom "durrrr" Dwan. Michael DeMichele also made the final table and some might know him from his great showing in the US Poker Championship a couple years back. I felt this would be a much better final table to air than another NLHE event that got the spot instead. They say that the poker buzz is dying out and I think people are just getting tired of seeing the same types of things over and over again. So why not air this event. It includes some crazy games that may just intrigue more fans to watch and want to try them out. it also included PLO and NLHE so it wasn't barren of those games. In fact, throughout the tournament the biggest pots seemed to be played in 2-7 triple draw.
As much expected, Dwan blew up at the final table. We started off playing PLO to Elezra's and Farha's delight. Amnon Filippi came by to check out the action and the three were seen talking about how they expect Dwan to blow up. Well, in the first few hands, Dwan doubled up Elezra twice and then a few of the other short stacks as well. When we hit 2-7 triple draw after, he was able to get a lot of his chips back. We all know that game has a lot of gamble involved in it and Dwan has a ton of gamble. He would just jam every 2-7 hand knowing he could toss all his cards away if he wanted. This wasn't that bad of a strategy and it helped his stack out a lot when he needed it. You could tell during the HORSE games that Dwan's opponents were getting the best of him. He's pretty much dominated PLO and NLHE online to the maximum and I'm sure he'll be dabbling in these others game after this event to further improve his game.
After it was all said and done, Anthony Rivera took the crown. He really played well throughout the event and was a silent force at the final table. He didn't do too much gambling or mixing it up with the others, but when he did enter a pot he usually won it. This guy's only 22 and a high stakes mixed game player from California. What I found a little fishy was after Matt Glantz busted in third place, it took only one hand of heads up play. Both Rivera and second place finisher James Mackey are 22 and went to the University of Missouri. I'm not sure if they know each other, but it seems like the only reason this would happen would be because of a deal that could have been made. Mackey already has a bracelet so we'll never know. Harrah's and the WSOP doesn't allow for official deals to be made, so any deal cut is to be done so without the knowledge of Harrah's or the WSOP. Maybe if I see one of them around, I'll ask them and see if I can get an answer.
I'm covering the $1,000 Ladies No-Limit Hold'em next. I know it says ladies, but it's not ladies only. Discrimination laws prevent the tournament from being a ladies-only event, so I'm sure we'll get a few male participants in there. We might even get some bigger name males because of the the prop betting going on to win a bracelet. We may even have a few dressed in drag as accustomed to many 'female' tournaments on the circuit.
As always, live updates will be on PokerNews.com.
As much expected, Dwan blew up at the final table. We started off playing PLO to Elezra's and Farha's delight. Amnon Filippi came by to check out the action and the three were seen talking about how they expect Dwan to blow up. Well, in the first few hands, Dwan doubled up Elezra twice and then a few of the other short stacks as well. When we hit 2-7 triple draw after, he was able to get a lot of his chips back. We all know that game has a lot of gamble involved in it and Dwan has a ton of gamble. He would just jam every 2-7 hand knowing he could toss all his cards away if he wanted. This wasn't that bad of a strategy and it helped his stack out a lot when he needed it. You could tell during the HORSE games that Dwan's opponents were getting the best of him. He's pretty much dominated PLO and NLHE online to the maximum and I'm sure he'll be dabbling in these others game after this event to further improve his game.
After it was all said and done, Anthony Rivera took the crown. He really played well throughout the event and was a silent force at the final table. He didn't do too much gambling or mixing it up with the others, but when he did enter a pot he usually won it. This guy's only 22 and a high stakes mixed game player from California. What I found a little fishy was after Matt Glantz busted in third place, it took only one hand of heads up play. Both Rivera and second place finisher James Mackey are 22 and went to the University of Missouri. I'm not sure if they know each other, but it seems like the only reason this would happen would be because of a deal that could have been made. Mackey already has a bracelet so we'll never know. Harrah's and the WSOP doesn't allow for official deals to be made, so any deal cut is to be done so without the knowledge of Harrah's or the WSOP. Maybe if I see one of them around, I'll ask them and see if I can get an answer.
I'm covering the $1,000 Ladies No-Limit Hold'em next. I know it says ladies, but it's not ladies only. Discrimination laws prevent the tournament from being a ladies-only event, so I'm sure we'll get a few male participants in there. We might even get some bigger name males because of the the prop betting going on to win a bracelet. We may even have a few dressed in drag as accustomed to many 'female' tournaments on the circuit.
As always, live updates will be on PokerNews.com.
6.05.2008
WSOP Day 4: $2,000 No Limit Hold'em and $10,000 Mixed
So yesterday I started off working the $2,000 NLHE event at 12pm. The field got to 1,592 players and only a handful of them were well known. Most of the big players were still playing the $1,000 rebuy event, the $5,000 mixed hold'em event, the $1,500 omaha-8 event, or they were waiting until 5pm to play the big $10,000 mixed event. I worked the event until dinner break and I hate to say it, but the field reporters really got on my nerves. Some of them were doing really well, but some just sucked, plain and simple. I had hands I couldn't blog, players I couldn't track, and the communication sucked. I was so glad to make it to the dinner break and had hopes that after we all met with our boss, things would get better after the break.
During dinner, I got a call from my boss and he wanted to switch me over to the $10,000 mixed event. I happily jumped to the opportunity. The field was stacked and the games were different, I really was looking forward to covering this event.
We pushed through day one pretty quickly. There are 94 players left out of 192 that entered. And let me tell you, this is the who's who of poker. Every table (playing 8-handed) held at least six well known players. All the big stars and all the top cash game players came out for this event. It really drew the players that thought they'd have an edge in the game, and of course your other rich folk that could handle it. We start day two later on at 3pm and will play down to the final eight. It might be a long day, but I'm pretty excited for it as it is a stacked field.
Now, I want to talk about some hands next from Jan von Halle, Katja Thater's husband. Earlier in the WSOP, during the $10,000 PLHE event that I covered von Halle had the action checked to him on the river. he then checked behind so we would have a showdown. To everyone's bedazzlement, von Halle turned over the stone cold nuts... A ROYAL FLUSH! The floor came over and repremanded him for possible collusion and the other players at the table were stunned. Word spread and the buzz began. I guess people make mistakes in poker sometimes, which is understandable.
But then... he messed up again, big time. This time playing 2-7 triple draw in the $10,000 mixed event yesterday. After the second draw, von Halle turned over his hand as he didn't realize there was still another drawing and betting round. When he turned his hand over, he showed 3-4-5-6-7. Johnny Chan was the other player in the hand and saw von Halle's hand and then bet to put him all in. Von Halle called and then the pot was pushed the Chan and von Halle was eliminated. Those of you who know 2-7 triple draw will see that von Halle held a straight and straights count against you, so Chan's eight or nine low won the hand. Another big mistake on the world's biggest stage for von Halle. This time it cost him his tournament.
I'm not really sure what he was doing on either hand and either was anyone else. it's only the 8th event at the series this year and he's already had two big mistakes. I wonder if there will be more to come.
My favorite player Marcel Luske is still in the field and I am rooting for him to take it down. I'm also hoping Tony G does very well as he is basically the head of PokerNews. Good luck to both these players and everyone else in the field. Phil Ivey is also left and a big favorite of mine.
During dinner, I got a call from my boss and he wanted to switch me over to the $10,000 mixed event. I happily jumped to the opportunity. The field was stacked and the games were different, I really was looking forward to covering this event.
We pushed through day one pretty quickly. There are 94 players left out of 192 that entered. And let me tell you, this is the who's who of poker. Every table (playing 8-handed) held at least six well known players. All the big stars and all the top cash game players came out for this event. It really drew the players that thought they'd have an edge in the game, and of course your other rich folk that could handle it. We start day two later on at 3pm and will play down to the final eight. It might be a long day, but I'm pretty excited for it as it is a stacked field.
Now, I want to talk about some hands next from Jan von Halle, Katja Thater's husband. Earlier in the WSOP, during the $10,000 PLHE event that I covered von Halle had the action checked to him on the river. he then checked behind so we would have a showdown. To everyone's bedazzlement, von Halle turned over the stone cold nuts... A ROYAL FLUSH! The floor came over and repremanded him for possible collusion and the other players at the table were stunned. Word spread and the buzz began. I guess people make mistakes in poker sometimes, which is understandable.
But then... he messed up again, big time. This time playing 2-7 triple draw in the $10,000 mixed event yesterday. After the second draw, von Halle turned over his hand as he didn't realize there was still another drawing and betting round. When he turned his hand over, he showed 3-4-5-6-7. Johnny Chan was the other player in the hand and saw von Halle's hand and then bet to put him all in. Von Halle called and then the pot was pushed the Chan and von Halle was eliminated. Those of you who know 2-7 triple draw will see that von Halle held a straight and straights count against you, so Chan's eight or nine low won the hand. Another big mistake on the world's biggest stage for von Halle. This time it cost him his tournament.
I'm not really sure what he was doing on either hand and either was anyone else. it's only the 8th event at the series this year and he's already had two big mistakes. I wonder if there will be more to come.
My favorite player Marcel Luske is still in the field and I am rooting for him to take it down. I'm also hoping Tony G does very well as he is basically the head of PokerNews. Good luck to both these players and everyone else in the field. Phil Ivey is also left and a big favorite of mine.
6.04.2008
Changed events.
So I was scheduled today to work Event #7, $2,000 NLHE. I began the day working this event and it was really a shitshow. Not really any big names and a huge field of 1,952 players. It was really quite hectic up until the dinner break with all the players. I went to eat at the Carnival World Buffet because I had a free meal ticket. This was the second time I have eaten there and I enjoyed it once again. During dinner break I got some good news...
My boss called me and notified me that he needed to switch me over to the $10,000 Mixed Event. This event is absolutely stacked! We're on a short 30-minute dinner break right now, but you can check out the chip count page at PokerNews.com to see that all of these players are big name players. It's so nuts seeing all the best in the world battle it out. I am loving the fact that I am five feet from the people I hope to be like one day (as lame as that sounds, whatever). The event consists of eight different games:
1) Deuce-to-seven triple draw;
2) Fixed-limit hold'em;
3) Omaha-8 (hi/lo split);
4) Razz;
5) Seven-card stud;
6) Seven-card stud (hi/lo split, 8 or better);
7) No-limit hold'em;
8) Pot-limit Omaha.
So I definitely am kept busy and this is a test of how well I know each game. It's a good thing I play most of these games often or else I'd be pretty lost blogging things. Make sure to keep updated on PokerNews.com and give me a shout. I'll be back later to tell everyone all about it.
My personal favorite is in the game, Marcel Luske, and I wish him all the best of luck and hope he does really well!
My boss called me and notified me that he needed to switch me over to the $10,000 Mixed Event. This event is absolutely stacked! We're on a short 30-minute dinner break right now, but you can check out the chip count page at PokerNews.com to see that all of these players are big name players. It's so nuts seeing all the best in the world battle it out. I am loving the fact that I am five feet from the people I hope to be like one day (as lame as that sounds, whatever). The event consists of eight different games:
1) Deuce-to-seven triple draw;
2) Fixed-limit hold'em;
3) Omaha-8 (hi/lo split);
4) Razz;
5) Seven-card stud;
6) Seven-card stud (hi/lo split, 8 or better);
7) No-limit hold'em;
8) Pot-limit Omaha.
So I definitely am kept busy and this is a test of how well I know each game. It's a good thing I play most of these games often or else I'd be pretty lost blogging things. Make sure to keep updated on PokerNews.com and give me a shout. I'll be back later to tell everyone all about it.
My personal favorite is in the game, Marcel Luske, and I wish him all the best of luck and hope he does really well!
6.03.2008
Session at the Monte Carlo.
After the final table ended the other night, I traveled over to the Monte Carlo to play some $1-2 NL. I bought in for $200 (max) and felt the table out for a few rotations. Didn't seem like there was anyone I needed to really be worried about. There was also two players that were really fishy that I knew I could catch. The other players seemed to be your recreational poker players that played with their hands face up. After having my first two sessions go south and profiting the third session by a small amount, I was ready to really get this grind going. Here's my session analysis.
First key hand:
I raised from the cutoff to $10 with QQ after a MP limp
BB called
MP called
Flop: J 7 4, rainbow
BB bet out $30
MP folded
I raised to $60
BB called
Turn: Q
BB checks
I bet $75
BB called
River: 8
BB checked
I moved in for my remaining $43
BB called and mucked his hand
This was one of the fish at the table. I had him on a jack the entire time and loved seeing the queen on the turn, hoping he had QJ. The min-raise on the flop was because I wanted to keep him along and a min-raise to $60 was still a sizable amount for him to call. I also wanted a call on the turn for sure so I bet only $75. A lot of people will either check here or move in, as I only had $43 behind after the bet. I didn't want to check, I wanted to build the pot. The pot was $151 at this point so I could have just moved in, but I wanted to make sure he came along.
Second key hand:
LP raised to $10
I called from the SB with KQo
BB folded
Flop: Jd 9c 4d
I checked
LP bet $15
I called
Turn: 6d
I led for $25
LP folded
The LP player seemed like a fairly decent player. He was also aggressive. He used position to his advantage and that's why I decided to take a card off here. I knew if I got a scare card to come off I could take this pot away. This play was solely read-based and it worked out just like I had planned.
Third key hand:
UTG limped
MP1 limped
MP2 limped
Button limped
I completed from the SB with 5h5c
BB checked
Flop: Qd 9d 5d
I checked
BB checked
UTG bet $20
MP1, MP2, and button folded
I called
BB folded
Turn: Jc
I checked
UTG bet $35
I called
River: 8s
I checked
UTG bet $80
I called
UTG showed Ad3d
So this guy was really aggressive post flop, that is why I decided to check-call him down on all streets. I knew he'd be firing with a wide range of hands here and if he happened to have a flush, then I was going to pay him off. I saw him check-raise people on the flop with 72o for absolute air and he tended to fire away if he thougth he had a good hand. As long as a diamond didn't fall, I was pretty sure I held the best hand. His range included a pair with a flush draw, two pair, and straight draw and flush draw (straight got there). He could also have had a flush, but I really thought he would have check-raised someone on the flop. I was wrong and lost the hand.
Fourth key hand:
UTG raises to $15
I reraise to $40 with KK from the SB
BB folds
SB moves in
I called
Flop: 2 Q 7
Turn: T
River: 2
UTG showed QQ
Not much I can do there, just got unlucky. I reloaded and felt I had an edge on the table still. This next hand happened three hands after the KK versus QQ hand.
Fifth key hand:
I raised to $10 from MP with JJ
SB folded
BB called
Flop: 9 7 2, rainbow
BB led into me for $20
I raised to put him all in for $85 total
He called
Turn: 8
River: K
BB tabled AK
Once again, not much I can do there. Got my money in as more than a 3:1 favorite and was drawn out, no biggie. I'm happy with my play here. Next hand, the following hand came up.
Sixth key hand:
I raised from MP to $10 with 88
SB called (same guy from last hand)
Flop: 5c 6 7c
SB bet out $20
I moved in for $105
SB called
Turn: 3
River: Tc
SB tabled K9cc.
I held the 8c, but I was only about 55-45 in the hand. I had a feeling the SB could have had a flush draw or straight draw and I wanted to move in to try and push him off the hand. I also had the straight draw myself. Just another unlucky spot here and I decided to pack it up as it wasn't going my way. Finished the night down $400.
I'm always open to opinions, comments, and criticism on my play, so feel free to shoot me anything you got.
I'll be working event #7 tomorrow, the $2,000 NLHE event. be sure to check the updates on PokerNews.
First key hand:
I raised from the cutoff to $10 with QQ after a MP limp
BB called
MP called
Flop: J 7 4, rainbow
BB bet out $30
MP folded
I raised to $60
BB called
Turn: Q
BB checks
I bet $75
BB called
River: 8
BB checked
I moved in for my remaining $43
BB called and mucked his hand
This was one of the fish at the table. I had him on a jack the entire time and loved seeing the queen on the turn, hoping he had QJ. The min-raise on the flop was because I wanted to keep him along and a min-raise to $60 was still a sizable amount for him to call. I also wanted a call on the turn for sure so I bet only $75. A lot of people will either check here or move in, as I only had $43 behind after the bet. I didn't want to check, I wanted to build the pot. The pot was $151 at this point so I could have just moved in, but I wanted to make sure he came along.
Second key hand:
LP raised to $10
I called from the SB with KQo
BB folded
Flop: Jd 9c 4d
I checked
LP bet $15
I called
Turn: 6d
I led for $25
LP folded
The LP player seemed like a fairly decent player. He was also aggressive. He used position to his advantage and that's why I decided to take a card off here. I knew if I got a scare card to come off I could take this pot away. This play was solely read-based and it worked out just like I had planned.
Third key hand:
UTG limped
MP1 limped
MP2 limped
Button limped
I completed from the SB with 5h5c
BB checked
Flop: Qd 9d 5d
I checked
BB checked
UTG bet $20
MP1, MP2, and button folded
I called
BB folded
Turn: Jc
I checked
UTG bet $35
I called
River: 8s
I checked
UTG bet $80
I called
UTG showed Ad3d
So this guy was really aggressive post flop, that is why I decided to check-call him down on all streets. I knew he'd be firing with a wide range of hands here and if he happened to have a flush, then I was going to pay him off. I saw him check-raise people on the flop with 72o for absolute air and he tended to fire away if he thougth he had a good hand. As long as a diamond didn't fall, I was pretty sure I held the best hand. His range included a pair with a flush draw, two pair, and straight draw and flush draw (straight got there). He could also have had a flush, but I really thought he would have check-raised someone on the flop. I was wrong and lost the hand.
Fourth key hand:
UTG raises to $15
I reraise to $40 with KK from the SB
BB folds
SB moves in
I called
Flop: 2 Q 7
Turn: T
River: 2
UTG showed QQ
Not much I can do there, just got unlucky. I reloaded and felt I had an edge on the table still. This next hand happened three hands after the KK versus QQ hand.
Fifth key hand:
I raised to $10 from MP with JJ
SB folded
BB called
Flop: 9 7 2, rainbow
BB led into me for $20
I raised to put him all in for $85 total
He called
Turn: 8
River: K
BB tabled AK
Once again, not much I can do there. Got my money in as more than a 3:1 favorite and was drawn out, no biggie. I'm happy with my play here. Next hand, the following hand came up.
Sixth key hand:
I raised from MP to $10 with 88
SB called (same guy from last hand)
Flop: 5c 6 7c
SB bet out $20
I moved in for $105
SB called
Turn: 3
River: Tc
SB tabled K9cc.
I held the 8c, but I was only about 55-45 in the hand. I had a feeling the SB could have had a flush draw or straight draw and I wanted to move in to try and push him off the hand. I also had the straight draw myself. Just another unlucky spot here and I decided to pack it up as it wasn't going my way. Finished the night down $400.
I'm always open to opinions, comments, and criticism on my play, so feel free to shoot me anything you got.
I'll be working event #7 tomorrow, the $2,000 NLHE event. be sure to check the updates on PokerNews.
6.02.2008
WSOP Day 3: $10,000 World Championship PLHE, Final Table
We kicked off the final table today around 3pm, probably a little past after all of the production setup and introductions were made. I'm hoping everyone was keeping up with the updates over at PokerNews as I'm not going to get into who was there or the chip counts of everything. I will tell you that once we began play, the fireworks started. We had some big hands early on involving Phil Laak, Patrik Antonius, and Nenad Medic. On the very first hand of the tournament, Laak ran his JJ into Antonius' KK. Despite flopping a J, Antonius rivered a K to double through. Just a few hands later, Laak ran JJ into Medic's AA. This time, he was eliminated. What a cold deck for Laak. That is just unreal to run JJ into bigger pairs twice within the first fives hand of a final table. But then again, it could have been karma.
Laak was seen juggling three stacks of cash that was on display next to the final table before the start of the tournament as his girlfriend, Jennifer Tilly, snapped some photos. Laak didn't want to jinx himself of making the final table when he refused to fill out the media consent form with 10 players left. He'll be left to ponder if he jinxed himself this time by playing with the blocks of cash before the final table began.
And then a few hands later, Antonius and Kathy Liebert got it all in KK versus AA. Liebert's aces held and she doubled. The final table was off to a bull rush of a start and I was left thinking that this was going to be just like the New Orleans final table. Now, I'm not sure what the heck Mike Sowers was doing when he was eliminated a few hands later. Yes, we were only 15 hands into the final table and all of this action had happened.
To begin the hand, Sowers had a little over 700,000 chips and Mike Sexton had around 945,000. Here's how the hand played out:
Medic had the button in Seat 8.
Sexton raised to 110,000.
Sowers raised the pot to 390,000 from the big blind.
Sexton moved all in.
Sowers called instantly.
Sexton: QhQd
Sowers: 9h4s
When Sowers made the pot-sized reraise to 390,000, he left himself with around 325,000 behind. The pot was about 1,125,000, so Sowers was getting almost 3.5:1 with over 50% of his stack in the middle. The blinds were 20/40k with no ante, so he'd have a little over 8 BBs left if he folded. Sexton had been playing solid and tight for the entire tournament. Sowers was at his table all last night when we were 10-handed so he should have had a pretty solid read on him. Not to mention, it's Mike Sexton and no reason why he'd be committing his stack without a good hand. If Sexton has two overs, Sowers is a 2:1 dog. If Sexton has a pair 55-88, Sowers is behind 2.3:1. And if Sexton has an overpair, Sowers is around a 6.5:1 dog. it just doesn't make sense that Sowers had to shove. I guess what got me is that he insta-called and didn't even think about it. Just makes no sense to me because I don't see Sexton having anything in this spot but an overpair.
The short stacks went next, Antonius followed by Chris Bell (a North Carolina native). Amit Makhija did well to chip up, but busted in 5th place when his A3 ran into Andy Bloch's A7. Bloch had a pretty commanding chip lead the entire final table. Shortly after Makhija's elimination, Bloch was at nearly 5,000,000, while no one else at the table had over 1,000,000. Then Bloch started doubling people up. First Medic, then Sexton, then Liebert twice. Bloch slowly began to lose chips and Medic looked to be climbing strong.
When Sexton was eliminated, Liebert checked two pair on the flop and snap-called Sexton's all in. She really outplayed played him on this hand. A few hands later, the following hand came up. In my opinion, it was one of the sickest value bets I have seen on the river and Medic is just a sicko for making it. It really seemed to turn the tides for Medic and ignited his big push.
Liebert had the button in Seat 9
Liebert raised to 240,000
Medic made the call
Flop: 9s 6s 6d
Medic checked
Liebert bet 225,000
Medic called
Turn: 8h
Medic checked
Liebert checked behind
River: 6c
Medic bet 375,000
Liebert called
Medic showed 4-4 for sixes full of fours
Liebert mucked
Now that is just a sick, sick value bet on the end. After that, the biggest hand of the final table came up a few hands later involving all three players all in preflop.
Medic had the button in Seat 8
Medic raised to 300,000
Liebert moved all in for 850,000
Bloch re-potted to 2,800,000
This was a really tough spot here for Medic I feel. He jumped from his chair with surprise before sitting back down to think things through. A couple minutes went by as he thought...
Medic called all in
Bloch had both Liebert and Medic covered
Bloch: 9s 9h
Medic: Qc Qh
Liebert: 6s 6d
Medic flopped a set of queens and went on to win the hand. He eliminated Liebert and took over the chip lead 5:2. After that, it was pretty much smooth sailing for him as he took down the bracelet. What I don't get is why Bloch was smooth calling preflop bets with under one million chips towards the end. He'd call a bet of 300,000 and commit almost a third of his stack to the pot, and then fold. He did this three or four times and I feel it really hurt his game.
Medic took home nearly $800,000 for his win and the coveted fold bracelet. And yes, I did pick Medic to come out on top with Bloch in second in my last post. Third was thought to be Sowers, but he had a little falling out. Anyway, it was a great final table to watch and I hope a sign of the awesome poker to follow.
As for the tournament reporting grind, it's been long. I am enjoying it though so I can't really complain. The second day of this event lasted from 2pm until almost 5am local time; almost 15 hours of play! That is a really long day. I've had the past two days off and saw that last night was the longest day so far. The $1,500 NLHE event was supposed to play down to the final nine, but it only made it to 18. They started at 2pm and decided to cut the play at 5:20am to let the players sleep and continue in the morning. No big deal, but I do feel this is an advantage for this entire field.
Why do the PLHE World Championship players have to play to the final table and these players don't? I heard that a lot of the remaining players were complaining about the length of the tournament, but I never heard one complaint in the $10,000 PLHE event. You know the schedule of a tournament when you sign up and if you don't have the stamina to make it, then don't play in my opinion. The best poker players will come out on top in the end. Not that poker is a huge physical sport, but the long hours are very, very tiring at times. As a poker player, you should be taking care of your body so that you can in fact endure these long hours of play if it happens. I would personally be pissed if someone wanted to stop early and remove my advantage of having greater stamina. Just seems unfair to those that have prepared accordingly.
But yes, the reporting grind is long and can be very monotonous and boring at times as the play seems to crawl along, but I'm watching the best players in the world play poker all day... I can't really complain.
Laak was seen juggling three stacks of cash that was on display next to the final table before the start of the tournament as his girlfriend, Jennifer Tilly, snapped some photos. Laak didn't want to jinx himself of making the final table when he refused to fill out the media consent form with 10 players left. He'll be left to ponder if he jinxed himself this time by playing with the blocks of cash before the final table began.
And then a few hands later, Antonius and Kathy Liebert got it all in KK versus AA. Liebert's aces held and she doubled. The final table was off to a bull rush of a start and I was left thinking that this was going to be just like the New Orleans final table. Now, I'm not sure what the heck Mike Sowers was doing when he was eliminated a few hands later. Yes, we were only 15 hands into the final table and all of this action had happened.
To begin the hand, Sowers had a little over 700,000 chips and Mike Sexton had around 945,000. Here's how the hand played out:
Medic had the button in Seat 8.
Sexton raised to 110,000.
Sowers raised the pot to 390,000 from the big blind.
Sexton moved all in.
Sowers called instantly.
Sexton: QhQd
Sowers: 9h4s
When Sowers made the pot-sized reraise to 390,000, he left himself with around 325,000 behind. The pot was about 1,125,000, so Sowers was getting almost 3.5:1 with over 50% of his stack in the middle. The blinds were 20/40k with no ante, so he'd have a little over 8 BBs left if he folded. Sexton had been playing solid and tight for the entire tournament. Sowers was at his table all last night when we were 10-handed so he should have had a pretty solid read on him. Not to mention, it's Mike Sexton and no reason why he'd be committing his stack without a good hand. If Sexton has two overs, Sowers is a 2:1 dog. If Sexton has a pair 55-88, Sowers is behind 2.3:1. And if Sexton has an overpair, Sowers is around a 6.5:1 dog. it just doesn't make sense that Sowers had to shove. I guess what got me is that he insta-called and didn't even think about it. Just makes no sense to me because I don't see Sexton having anything in this spot but an overpair.
The short stacks went next, Antonius followed by Chris Bell (a North Carolina native). Amit Makhija did well to chip up, but busted in 5th place when his A3 ran into Andy Bloch's A7. Bloch had a pretty commanding chip lead the entire final table. Shortly after Makhija's elimination, Bloch was at nearly 5,000,000, while no one else at the table had over 1,000,000. Then Bloch started doubling people up. First Medic, then Sexton, then Liebert twice. Bloch slowly began to lose chips and Medic looked to be climbing strong.
When Sexton was eliminated, Liebert checked two pair on the flop and snap-called Sexton's all in. She really outplayed played him on this hand. A few hands later, the following hand came up. In my opinion, it was one of the sickest value bets I have seen on the river and Medic is just a sicko for making it. It really seemed to turn the tides for Medic and ignited his big push.
Liebert had the button in Seat 9
Liebert raised to 240,000
Medic made the call
Flop: 9s 6s 6d
Medic checked
Liebert bet 225,000
Medic called
Turn: 8h
Medic checked
Liebert checked behind
River: 6c
Medic bet 375,000
Liebert called
Medic showed 4-4 for sixes full of fours
Liebert mucked
Now that is just a sick, sick value bet on the end. After that, the biggest hand of the final table came up a few hands later involving all three players all in preflop.
Medic had the button in Seat 8
Medic raised to 300,000
Liebert moved all in for 850,000
Bloch re-potted to 2,800,000
This was a really tough spot here for Medic I feel. He jumped from his chair with surprise before sitting back down to think things through. A couple minutes went by as he thought...
Medic called all in
Bloch had both Liebert and Medic covered
Bloch: 9s 9h
Medic: Qc Qh
Liebert: 6s 6d
Medic flopped a set of queens and went on to win the hand. He eliminated Liebert and took over the chip lead 5:2. After that, it was pretty much smooth sailing for him as he took down the bracelet. What I don't get is why Bloch was smooth calling preflop bets with under one million chips towards the end. He'd call a bet of 300,000 and commit almost a third of his stack to the pot, and then fold. He did this three or four times and I feel it really hurt his game.
Medic took home nearly $800,000 for his win and the coveted fold bracelet. And yes, I did pick Medic to come out on top with Bloch in second in my last post. Third was thought to be Sowers, but he had a little falling out. Anyway, it was a great final table to watch and I hope a sign of the awesome poker to follow.
As for the tournament reporting grind, it's been long. I am enjoying it though so I can't really complain. The second day of this event lasted from 2pm until almost 5am local time; almost 15 hours of play! That is a really long day. I've had the past two days off and saw that last night was the longest day so far. The $1,500 NLHE event was supposed to play down to the final nine, but it only made it to 18. They started at 2pm and decided to cut the play at 5:20am to let the players sleep and continue in the morning. No big deal, but I do feel this is an advantage for this entire field.
Why do the PLHE World Championship players have to play to the final table and these players don't? I heard that a lot of the remaining players were complaining about the length of the tournament, but I never heard one complaint in the $10,000 PLHE event. You know the schedule of a tournament when you sign up and if you don't have the stamina to make it, then don't play in my opinion. The best poker players will come out on top in the end. Not that poker is a huge physical sport, but the long hours are very, very tiring at times. As a poker player, you should be taking care of your body so that you can in fact endure these long hours of play if it happens. I would personally be pissed if someone wanted to stop early and remove my advantage of having greater stamina. Just seems unfair to those that have prepared accordingly.
But yes, the reporting grind is long and can be very monotonous and boring at times as the play seems to crawl along, but I'm watching the best players in the world play poker all day... I can't really complain.
6.01.2008
WSOP Day 2: $10,000 World Championship PLHE
We began play today with 70 players remaining in the field. It was a pretty stacked event all around as I discussed yesterday. The pros did really well all around, young and old, online and live. Eli Elezra held the chip lead for most of the day, but was eliminated in 19th position after what looked to be a very, very deep run in the making. The play was long and tiresome last night. We began at 2pm local time and didn't finish until 4:45am, almost a solid 15 hours. The players must have been beat.
The final table of the first event at the 2008 WSOP is going to be absolutely amazing. 7 out of the 9 seats at the table are big names, while the other two players are just as big in the online world. Here's the final table seating arrangements and chip counts.
Seat 1: Mike "SowersUNCC" Sowers 675,000
Seat 2: Chris Bell 455,000
Seat 3: Amit "amak316" Makhija 525,000
Seat 4: Patrik Antonius 230,000
Seat 5: Andy Bloch 2,115,000
Seat 6: Mike Sexton 1,130,000
Seat 7: Phil Laak 425,000
Seat 8: Nenad Medic 1,200,000
Seat 9: Kathy Liebert 285,000
I earlier picked Antonius and Medic to go deep in the tournament along with Vivek "Psyduck" Rajkumar. Vivek didn't make it, but Antonius and Medic are both at the final table. If this isn't an amazing final table than I don't know what is. All of these players have been playing really, really well and should continue to provide us with a great game to watch come final table time. Out of all the skill and ability at the final table, only Sexton and Liebert currently hold bracelets. Laak and Medic do have WPT titles under their belts. 1st place is also almost $800,000! This should be for great competition.
During play last night, Gavin Smith and Todd Brunson showed up from the bars. Both seemed pretty drunk, especially Gavin. He clowned with the final table of 10 players and also threw some ice at Bloch. It was quite fun and I'm sure he'll be there tomorrow to rail. He was most interested in how Chris Bell was doing.
My top 3 are:
1 - Nenad Medic
2 - Andy Bloch
3 - Mike Sowers
All updates will be on Poker News, every hand. Be sure to check that out and give us a shout!
The final table of the first event at the 2008 WSOP is going to be absolutely amazing. 7 out of the 9 seats at the table are big names, while the other two players are just as big in the online world. Here's the final table seating arrangements and chip counts.
Seat 1: Mike "SowersUNCC" Sowers 675,000
Seat 2: Chris Bell 455,000
Seat 3: Amit "amak316" Makhija 525,000
Seat 4: Patrik Antonius 230,000
Seat 5: Andy Bloch 2,115,000
Seat 6: Mike Sexton 1,130,000
Seat 7: Phil Laak 425,000
Seat 8: Nenad Medic 1,200,000
Seat 9: Kathy Liebert 285,000
I earlier picked Antonius and Medic to go deep in the tournament along with Vivek "Psyduck" Rajkumar. Vivek didn't make it, but Antonius and Medic are both at the final table. If this isn't an amazing final table than I don't know what is. All of these players have been playing really, really well and should continue to provide us with a great game to watch come final table time. Out of all the skill and ability at the final table, only Sexton and Liebert currently hold bracelets. Laak and Medic do have WPT titles under their belts. 1st place is also almost $800,000! This should be for great competition.
During play last night, Gavin Smith and Todd Brunson showed up from the bars. Both seemed pretty drunk, especially Gavin. He clowned with the final table of 10 players and also threw some ice at Bloch. It was quite fun and I'm sure he'll be there tomorrow to rail. He was most interested in how Chris Bell was doing.
My top 3 are:
1 - Nenad Medic
2 - Andy Bloch
3 - Mike Sowers
All updates will be on Poker News, every hand. Be sure to check that out and give us a shout!
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