Sorry, just realised I left my Spotify playing in the background, that's actually a Coldplay song, and not me rambling. Forget all that.
I'm bringing my ticket for tomorrow's WSOP shootout with me as I head to the Venetian. In the ideal world I run up a big stack, and pop over to the Rio later to unregister for it, as I have to play the Venetian day 2 on the Thursday. Let's be ever optimistic! Kicks off at noon, so before then light eats, a few errands and a swim.
Was stuck in the line to buy in behind a bearded Italian with an outrageously loud shirt and almost as outrageously loud B.O. Can B.O be loud? Apparently so. He spoke loudly on his cellphone for 15 minutes, oblivious to the fact others might be occupying the same space as well. Gotta love people.
The final hand before the break and I bluff the river with a straight and flush draw that missed. The guy calls and I quickly table my hand. He does the standard "screw up your face and stare at the cards for at least a minute trying to work out what the opponent has...then stare at your own cards for another fifteen seconds more, then finally turn over ace high and take the pot". Sigh. Just turn over your hand dummy!
Back from the break and I lose another with QQ vs KQ when he calls the flop with nothing and turns a king. Nice pain...13k. I seem to be off to less than great starts this trip.
In a bid to turn a shitty beginning into a somewhat better one, I get more aggressive, and bust the Ace high dweller (who managed to spack off a large chunk of his stack with AK vs 54 on an 855AK board a few minutes ago). I finish him off by getting there on a draw, and he's out and I'm back to 21k.
Lose one with 1010 when 98 rivers two pair, back to 18k as we near the end of level 4.
Oh happy times. I just found KK and got it smashed to bits by ace rag. 10k. Typing through gritted teeth.
Bad vibes seem to be infectious. It seems to be "call Kevin's raise with any two unsuited spanners" day. I've popped it with 77 and lost to 10 9 offsuit when he flopped a nine, and just now with 55 vs Q8 when he hit a queen. It doesn't take long for your stack to whittle down when you keep losing those, so am trying to just hunker down and get through it. We've just hit level 6 and 50/200/400. Around 750 players are in today, with plenty of alternates still waiting.
My AK just lost to J10 when he called the flop and turn with nothing, and rivered a straight. I'm not displaying it outwardly but I'm getting somewhat irked now.
Just raised with 77 and the girl on the button called. It comes AKQ and she bets the flop. She could have sneezed and I'd have folded, she's played about four hands all afternoon.
We approach the third break, and I raise with KcQc, only to get called in one spot by a nice guy who's been there from the outset. The funny thing is he played in a seniors event yesterday, and was telling the table about it, and he very clearly looks far too young to be participating. Maybe early forties at best when you need to be 50+ to play. I think I look pretty young for my age, (stop sniggering, a few people have actually agreed with this! It might be because I was always with girls in their mid-twenties, but that's another story altogether). A few minutes later a UK player I know comes over to say hi, and then promptly offers me a friendly bet. He quietly says "see that guy in the 5 seat, how old roughly do you reckon he is?" Clearly he thinks he has an edge here. I hem and haw, and consider the options, then say "I don't know...early to mid fifties?". His jaw dropped, which was mildly amusing. Outside of poker, I lack the killer instinct to take his money anyway, it just raised a smile as of course he had no knowledge of the table chat 10 minutes beforehand.
Anyway, I raise with KQ, and said youthful senior duly calls. The flop comes three rags and I c-bet. He again calls, it pairs the turn and I fire again. Again he calls. Now I really don't like it. The river is an innocuous Jack, but at this point I'm done so we both check.
He flips over QJ offsuit.
I tell him "I know you're a senior, but that doesn't mean you have to play like one!" It was a good natured dig and he laughed. What do I have to do to win a pot here??? 9200 at the break.
Car crash poker. It's actually painful to be consistently right about stuff, and then get shafted for being right.
The guy I mentioned earlier, who has been calling every raise of mine, or occasionally three-betting, just got into a pot with me and it hasn't ended well. If it weren't for the website and investors I really would just move on to the next event and forget it, but I feel duty bound to provide a bit of info. We have hit level 7 and antes and blinds are beginning to bite a little. He's in the big blind and I surmise true to form that he's like woodworm once he's in a pot, impossible to shake. He's a good player but is calling way too much against me. I look down and find 77 in the cutoff when it's folded round to me. I figure with blinds at 75/250/500 it's time to make it pretty damn expensive if he wants to keep on calling me light. I make it 2300 to play with about 11k behind.
Everyone else moves aside, and he starts up with the mini-speech about how much is it? I tell him what does it really matter, he's going to call regardless of the amount anyway! This is all said with a smile, but the body language and dynamic already tell me I'm ahead, and if he either does something stupid, or instead if he just gives up, I don't mind as long as my hand holds up.
He smiles wryly, the fact that he keeps calling me very light, and I know, and he KNOWS I know etc etc are not lost on either of us. I made it pretty clear this wasn't going to be going on all day.
He suddenly shoves all-in for about 19k. Ahh.
I'm very much an instinct player. When this goes wrong, it goes badly wrong, that's the trouble with instinct. However I'm pretty sure my gut is right about this stuff more often than not, and my past results prove it. My gut here tells me to call his all-in before his bet even hits the middle. I don't even think I'm racing against two overcards. I call.
He sighs...and turns over 44. Jedi mind tricks at your service. It's good to be right.
It's even better when the flop comes out 10 2 5.
The 4 on the turn however, isn't such a welcome sight. Fuck.
No sevens for Kevin and just like that the $1600 DSE is toast.
I'm not big on labouring the point. I'm a huge believer that once you bust out of a tournament you treat it like ripping off a band aid, and then just get on with your life without too many inquests or second guesses. I suppose if I must, I'll just say that I had the perfect read on the player, he did exactly what I tried to get him to do, (get his money in bad against me), and he got lucky. That's basically that. Suck it up and move on. It's not great when it happens, but it's part of the game. Hellmuth may be (well, OK, he is) a massive bell-end, but his whole "if it weren't for luck I'd win everything" speech at least has some merit. You have to allow for luck and get over it when someone is fortunate. All I can do is my best.
WSOP $1500 shootout tomorrow it is. Possibly the event in my whole schedule I may be looking forward to the most. Hopefully the start of better things.