Bellagio Five Star Poker Classic - Update 5

The $25000 WPT Main Event Day 1

I promised i would do updates daily whilst i am in the main event so here goes.....

Started with 50000 chips and on my table was Martin De Kniff, Phil Laak and Kirill. Most of the other players were very tight. Didn't start well at all and in the first two levels of 90 minutes i managed to lose 10000 chips. Mainly because i kept calling with suited connectors and small pairs and missing the flop completely.

I lost a few thousand bluffing the table rock as well when i thought he had just top pair, in fact he had the flush. In fact the few bluffs i did try went horribly wrong. The worst was betting into TT on a 4TQ board when i had QA.

Level 3 came and went and the cards were not improving. I think i won just 3/4 hands in the first 4.5 hours. I could not get going at all. I reached a low point of 17000 and i was wasn't particularly happy with the way i was playing, or my reads on opponents. I picked up a bit and reached 23000 when the dream hand happened. I was in the big blind and blinds were 300/600. UTG made it 1800 to play, UTG+1 called, the button then made it 7400 to play and i looked down and found two Aces. Given the fact i was reasonably low in chips i decided to maximise my chances of a double up by just calling. Sure there was a risk i would get outdrawn but i was willing to take a chance. I gave it a few minutes thought and called. The player UTG then moved his 40000 stack into the middle. BINGO. The other players passed JJ and QQ and i called in a shot and doubled up against KK.

I was back to over 50000 which felt great. I was scooping my chips as the very next hand was dealt. UTG made it 1500 to play and got a caller in early position. To my amazement i found the Aces again in the small blind! Wow.... i hadn't seen a big pair and now the rockets twice! I quickly made it 6000 to play, hoping they would think i was bullying with my new stack. The original raiser passed but the other guy called. The flop was A92. I checked as i felt i wanted to give him a chance to bluff. The turn was a Q. I went to bet 5500 and by mistake picked up the wrong colour chip and bet 15000. He called quickly. The river was a 4 and i moved all in for his last 30000. He deliberated for an age before passing AK. If either of us had bet the flop he would have lost all his chips but was convinced i had made a set of queens on the turn. Suddenly i was up to 75000 in just two hands.

I felt much better after that and picked up a number of small pots and reached 80000 going in to the final level of the evening. I decided i would be happy to finish the day with 80000 so my strategy was to avoid big pots unless i had the goods.

With just two hands to go i picked up AK in the BB. Martin De Kniff raised my blind making it 2500 to play again, i was considering just calling and playing on if i hit and Ace or King. Instead, i decided to raise it another 10000 happy to pick it up then. He called after deliberating. The flop was an ugly 38J with two clubs. I decided i had two options.... check and fold if he bet... or check/raise him. Leading out i didn't like as if he called or raised me i was in alot of trouble. I checked and he bet 10000 after thinking. I asked for a count of his chips and and he had slightly less than me. After the count i moved all in and he quickly mucked.

I finished the day with around 108000. Roll on Day 2.....