p5woody plays WSOP event 63 (1 Viewer)

[p5woody]

I just finished playing in event 63 - $1000 buy-in event. I will save you the suspense, I didn't cash but I did make the first break (y) :thumbsup:. I was going to save the PCF shirt for the final table, then my lovely wife told me I should probably where it the first day just in case I didn't make the final table. I think her evaluation of my poker skills are better then mine

The tournament started pretty good. In the first two hours I held my own and was getting decent cards and they were holding up when needed. My reads were good and my play was solid. My stack was never in jeopardy and I was able to get it up to 7,500+ from starting stack of 5000 going into the first break.

However, I wasn't able to get anything going after the first break. I was card dead for a while after the break, blinds and antes knocked me down a little. A short stack 2,000 goes all in, I look down at AK of diamonds, decide to call and we are heads up. He turns over 10 hearts, J of diamonds. Flops comes Q,J,5 with two hearts, turn is 2 of hearts, river is my ace but it is a heart and he hits the flush.

Now I am down under 5000, I have been playing tight and have only showed premium hands so I decide to play A9 suited clubs from early position, I raise to 500, blinds are 75/150 and I get 3 callers and then the big blind shoves for 4500. I think I have to fold? They end up heads up QQ vs 10,10. the flop comes out K,5,2 all clubs I would have flopped the nuts and tripled up. Oh well, I continue my downward spiral, get AJ suited from the big blind, 4 people limping into the pot, so I shove. I lost my last 2500 when I was called by AQ off and I am out.

Interesting note: Alex Lynskey sat to my left in seat 3, I won a decent size pot against him before the first break. He was then short stacked and was out soon after.
http://www.cardplayer.com/poker-players/229997-alex-lynskey

I will try to write more about my trip to vegas later, but wanted to get the tournament details documented while they were fresh in my mind.

It was fun, but wanted to do better. Hopefully next year!

 

[RagsPoker]

Thanks for the report. Look forward to reading more about your trip.

 

[ledge4131]

Thanks for sharing your experience with us. Best of luck with the other tourneys while you're in Vegas!

(y) :thumbsup:

 

[Anthony Martino]

The "smaller buyin" events just seem to have such shallow stacks and structures, did you feel that when you were playing, like you didn't get much bang for your buck?

 

[Poker Zombie]

The fields run so deep at the WSOP that you have to survive a shitload of coin-flips. Yes, good solid play helps out in those coin flips, but as you've noted, even pros have a tough time final tabling - or even cashing.

As to Anthony's question and my experience, the starting stacks and structures are fine, IMO. You just need to pick your spots, and if you are card dead, you have to jam as an underdog. Even when you pick up a good read on the guy that is jamming with a marginal hand, you have to fade all his outs. Since there are so many people jamming with a 33% shot, math dictates that they will eventually suck out on you. The real challenge isn't the chips or the structure, it's the vast number of players.

 

[p5woody]

The fields run so deep at the WSOP that you have to survive a shitload of coin-flips. Yes, good solid play helps out in those coin flips, but as you've noted, even pros have a tough time final tabling - or even cashing.

As to Anthony's question and my experience, the starting stacks and structures are fine, IMO. You just need to pick your spots, and if you are card dead, you have to jam as an underdog. Even when you pick up a good read on the guy that is jamming with a marginal hand, you have to fade all his outs. Since there are so many people jamming with a 33% shot, math dictates that they will eventually suck out on you. The real challenge isn't the chips or the structure, it's the vast number of players.

Well said, agree with everything here. You need a lot of luck, or at least no bad luck to advance out of the first few rounds with a healthy stack. I would prefer to play in a $1500 tournament, same structure but you start with a few more chips. I think 7500 instead of 5000, not sure how much of a difference that makes. $1500 monster stack would be great, starting stack is 15,000. If I play again I think I am going to try that one. I think the variance is great in these tournaments, even the best pros bust out more then they cash, not sure what the percentage is.

I could have been more patient after the first break. I think calling with AK suited was a solid play and works out in the long run. Even being card dead and missing every flop, turn and river for an hour took my stack down a little but was still playable. If I win with my AK, I then have a healthy stack and more wiggle room. I can still pick my spots and have all options available. Once I got down with the 25 ante and blinds, I figured I had two choices. Option 1 - play very very tight and hope to catch big hands or Option 2 - Play a little more aggressive and either win the antes and blinds to rebuild my stack and hope to hit some hands along the way.

I choose option 2, folding into 850th spot still pays nothing and isn't a whole lot of fun for me. I like to go down swinging. However, when I tried to get more aggressive I ran into some big hands and had to fold out. This took my stack down pretty quick and then I was in shove mode. This is only my 2nd WSOP event (both 1000 buy-in events) and I don't know what the right strategy is for these large tournaments. I am used to tournaments with 50 or less, so I was out of my element.

I won a free buy-in and trip to vegas so the $1000 was not out of my pocket. I am not a pro, so it was fun while it lasted, I knew the odds were against me. But if Moneymaker can do it, why not me

 

[p5woody]

Thanks for the report. Look forward to reading more about your trip.

I will do a trip report when I get home but it will not be as good as some of the other reports I have been reading. Also there will be very little poker, I am probably the only poker player that goes to Vegas and doesn't gamble. Actually so far this is the only poker I have played and have not gambled at all while I have been here.

Not sure how, but a free poker trip to Vegas turned into a long overdue family vacation. First family vacation in 5 or 6 years maybe more I will have to look that up when I get home. I brought my wife and two kids with me. My son is 21 but doesn't play poker or gamble and my Daughter is 18 and so badly wants to be 21.

 

[nitzilla]

I don't know what the right strategy is for these large tournaments

Easy, Get KK and shove into AA and hit a K on the river, then get TT and shove into KK and get a 4 card flush on the river to bust 'em........:coffee:

But seriously, those $1000 buy-ins are too short to do much in without hitting some hands early.
I've played in 5 WSOP events (1x $1000 ('06) and 4x $1500 ('09, '10, '12, '17)) along with the $565 Colossus in 2015, and by far the best play was the Monster Stack event this year. I remember looking at my stack early on and thinking, "well, I still have 4 times the starting stack of a regular $1500......"

You basically HAVE to win the flips (and 80/20s... ) so your call with the AK is GREAT against the JT offsuit shove. You just got unlucky to lose....
And you correctly folded A9c against QQ and TT, so even though you would have flopped the world, you just can't take a knife to a gun fight... you just can't be results oriented...
I also folded a suited Ace and would have flopped the flush, and the guy who raised me out of the pot said I would have felted him......but you just have to shrug it off and move forward.

Chalk it up to experience and hopefully a fun time!
nitzilla

 

[WedgeRock]

I am probably the only poker player that goes to Vegas and doesn't gamble. Actually so far this is the only poker I have played and have not gambled at all while I have been here.

First family vacation in 5 or 6 years maybe more I will have to look that up when I get home. I brought my wife and two kids with me.

Well... we may be able to work out clemency...