Wynn Classic $1600 Main Event

It's finally here folks.



Jumped into a FREEZING cold swimming pool this morning on a dare, which got the blood pumping and the grey matter jumping around upstairs. Hot shower to follow and off to the Wynn to kick off at noon.

My first table isn't saying much yet and I'm not catching anything. With one hour levels and 25k starting chips there's loads of time to settle in and see the lie of the land. Early skirmishes but basically waiting for someone to step on a land-mine is often the best option.



On the neighbouring table, Doug Lee just tripled up, when he flopped a straight with 52, and one guy with 2 pair and another with just AA decided he'd look better with a 75k stack than a 25k one. Must be nice to be Dougie.

Just won a few small ones and 25 now looks like about 26500. Perfect at this stage.

Currently 106 players for day 1b. I'm up to 28k with no stresses. Hopefully dug in for the day. Liking the table so far.

20 minutes into level 2 and cruising along nicely.

Bounced back down to starting stack nearing the end of level 2. All friendly stuff but so far the general concensus seems to be whenever someone else raises everyone folds, whenever I raise we see a flop 6 or 7 handed. Lovely.

First break and I've dropped just below starting stack. 112/123 at present. Coming back at 100/200.

Of course there is a desire in these things to get a big stack early, and just steamroller the table, as I'm sure Doug is now doing next door with his 80k. Observing my table a lot of people would see a flop for 700 or 200 with the same hand, it makes no difference to them what the bet is. This pushes me toward simply seeing cheaper flops and getting value post flop, instead of raise/missing raise/missing repeatedly.

Off again and now up to 128 players.

Back up to starting stack again with nothing major to report, which may not make for the most exciting reading. However I'm sure most people would rather this than "I had QQ, I'm out".

Worst news of the day so far.... They just moved me to another table. Something I hate when I've played a few hours and basically have the measure of everyone there. Jeff Madsen had just moved in but that aside I pretty much had most of the others sized up. This new line up looks both more aggressive and more difficult to deal with.

Midway through level 4 and still on approx 25k. One bright young spark on my table just 5 bet shoved AQ off preflop and KK decided to give him a spin. I'm sure he's an online superstar.

I'm not really a fan of all this super heavy early action against kids who seem to have a diet of maths and testosterone, but having said that I've no qualms at all about kicking shit with the drones if it comes down to it.

As a result I'm now back up to about 28k.

Registration is still open, and currently 127/154 remain.

Sigh. Last hand of the level just lost a 10k pot vs a button raiser with A2s when my AK flopped king high and he made a flush. Disappointing stuff but could just as easily have been a 25k pot I guess. Off for a walk and some sun during the break.



The walk was good for the constitution. Not THE constitution obviously, but just my own. Win the first hand on my rerun when AQ beat A4 for a change, back to 25k at the 150/300/25 level.



Barry Shulman gets moved to the table, and gets an immediate double up with aces. Living the dream...

Getting a tad frustrated right now. Continually getting 3-bet. 17k. Breathe.

Yahtzee. 32,000. My AA beat Barry Shulmans 1010 in a slightly uncomfortable pot where I banged it all the way and it ended up being good. More good news is the table broke, moved again. 108/158.

27k. New table still pretty aggressive, missed quite a few flops.

Level 6, 50/200/400 and my table broke yet again. I'm going to need to cash in this just to pay for the shoe leather I'm using. 25k again with 3 very big stacks on my right. Can't seem to get any momentum going today, but still ok.

My new table is pretty nuts. One guy must've had about 100k. He now has about 20k after losing two ugly pots, one where his opponent wasn't folding aces on just about the scariest flop imaginable. Gotta love tournament poker.

Dinner break in 11 mins, we're down to 99 players from 158 starters.



Now on break til 8pm. I'm on 23k. Not ideal but still in.



Quick note whilst I'm waiting for my food. As always the Wynn run great events. I see a lot of the same faces playing in them, some of them are clearly tournament regulars. Maybe it's just the changing face of poker where I'm seeing (even in a main event) some guys simply determined to go broke with a pair, or top pair with a good kicker. Not shoving short and getting called mind, calling all in with a huge stack, often drawing dead. I guess it must be good for the game and certainly good for the poker economy but I still don't see myself ever just shrugging and calling off trying to invent a hand that I might be beating. Maybe that's why I don't have lots of chips, but likewise that's maybe why they're out, and I'm not. Meh.

Now back from the break. I've so far been moved tables FIVE times in seven levels, making it very difficult to get a bead on anything. Just dropped down to 19k when AK missed everything despite me trying to take it away pre and on the flop.

The standard open at 50/250/500 seems to be 1100-1400, getting popped or re popped every hand so I've just bolted down for a while.

Of all the tables I've been on today, I'd say his one is certainly the most measured and least likely for players to spew off chips. Pretty much everyone can play, so I'm biding my time and likely falling back on the old tried and trusted system of having the best hand and having it hold up.

Since the aces about 4 hours ago, I've basically been for looking down at unsuited 6 gapped dogshit. This as you might surmise, can be a tad frustrating, when the whole table is making plays and dancing all around, and you can't even see a flop for the most part. I've been here many times of course, I just remember that it's how you finish these things,not how you start them that counts.

Now on level 8, 75/300/600, and still looking at J5,K2,83 etc. not great and I've dribbled right down to about 13k. Not necessarily do or die time, but I certainly don't plan on being anted away to matchsticks.

This is the situation. I'm certainly not having a great afternoon/evening. Now over half the field is gone, we're on 76/158, but I'm quite simply bleeding to death. There are a few serial raisers, so I'll say now if I exit the event the hand might not be a stellar one, but I'll certainly be the one getting it in first.

Huzzah. Found a gambling hand. Well, KK, but the way I've run all day it felt like gambling. 33 gave me a spin and the unthinkable didn't happen. Back up to a better 19k.

Just reached the next break and a colour up. 17k.

Now 66 players left at 100/400/800. A bit more breathing room with my 19k after winning the opening hand upon return. Still far from ideal obviously, but I'll take being in the pack and ok over being on fumes and waiting to get called light any day.

Now 62 players left and I've played 2 pots and dropped to 14k again. Michael Sinclair busted on my table QQ vs KK, and he's been replaced by yet another big stack, who seems to be playing every hand for a raise.

This won't do. Although I'm not in the danger zone yet I'm not going to be continually spending 2-2500 seeing flops and folding. We'll likely play for all the marbles again and just have a real hand. If I was on 40 or 50k I'd have the luxury of peeling a few flops, but the day has basically been AA once,KK once, AK once, and a smattering of baby pairs. Not ideal for 11 hours of tournament poker. If I get out the blocks with a stack of course, then the cards are to a degree irrelevant, but without the chips I'm stuck playing the poker I don't enjoy.

Just decided enough was enough. The pot had some chips already in and a pretty aggressive kid made it 2800 with one caller. I jammed about 9500 with 77. Everyone folds to him and he tanks. I'm pretty sure he's super light. I talk to him a bit and he finally calls with the monster that is K10s. The board runs out, and on the turn I have to fade a king, a ten or a queen.



River is a six and I'm back to 27k.

Just about to start the last level of the day, which is 100/500/1000. We're on 58 players and I'm on 26k.

30 mins until the end of a day I'll be glad to see the back of. 54 players left and I'm holding my own on 27k.

These boys certainly aren't afraid to get it in. Whatever that means I don't know...



3 way pot, AQ, AK and 1010 manage to get 60k in preflop at 100/500/1000. The AQ is allin and the others both call.



3 rags flop and the AK jams and the 1010 calls. Immediate ace on the turn and he triples up. The stuff of dreams, or nightmares depending on your viewpoint.

They just paused the clock, and all tables are playing a total of 4 more hands before we stop for the day. This is often a good spot to either get chips or spiral out horribly after 12 hours play.



I avoided the avoidable.



We've ended the day on 1/3 of the average but I don't care. It was a real slog from start to finish with about 6 good hands in 12.5 hours and I'm through. Off home to sleep. Restart at noon today in 11.5 hours.