Day 2A
Well the good news is that we survived Day 2 and we get to play again on Thursday on Day 3 when the entire remaining field will be combined into 1 for the first time!
The bad news is that the day was a real grind for me personally. I did not get many opportunities to accumulate chips and ended the day at $98,700 which was a slight increase from my starting total of $93,800, but a loss of ground to the field that remains. The average chip count that was $57,200 at the start of the day is now about $157,000. Unfortunately they have not published updated chip counts for everyone yet so I can't give exact number on where I stand. They must be waiting for the conclusion of Day 2B to publish a total list for all remaining players.
350 players remain out of the 1037 that started Day 2A. Day 2B, today, has slightly more starting players at 1303. If players drop at the same ration as Day 2A then Day 2B should produce about 440 additional players which would give us 790 players going into Day 3 out of the 6,358 that started the tournament. 621 make the money with 621st place paying $20,300.
The chip leader for Day 2A is at $570,000. My $98,700 will probably put me somewhere around 500th place when the day starts with the combined field. There will be a lot to think about as the money bubble approaches. There is a big difference between 622nd and 621st. That said, if the cards come and there are 650 players remaining rest assured my chips will be in the pot. These tournaments can change VERY QUICKLY. With just 2 double ups I could easily be among the chip leaders. The winner will receive $8,250,000 and be crowned World Champion.
Some details from day 2A:
We start a noon and each level lasts 2 hours. We are scheduled to play 10 ours today instead of the 12 we played on Day 1.
The blinds start at $1000 and $500 with a $100 ante. A half hour into the day a player lost most of his stack on a fairly bad move. He is left with about $10,000. On the very next hand he throws all of his chips in the pot and declares himself all in. Everyone folds around to me in the big blind and I have 77. This is a common situation and can mean 2 things: a) the player is on "tilt" (upset that he just lost most of his chips) and is just going all in with any 2 cards or b) he actually got dealt good cards and is faking tilt (I like to do this when I'm lucky enough to get a really good hand after a bad beat). I count the money in the pot and including my big blind there is $3400 in the pot already and it is $10,800 more to call or $10,800 to win $25,000. If I am up against 2 overcards then I am a slight favorite and this is the correct call. If he has a small pocket pair then I am a huge favorite and it's a great call. If he has an over pair (bigger than 77) then calling would be a huge mistake. I go with my gutt that he is on tilt and I make the call. He turns over 89 off suit. My feeling was right but unfortunately his 8 and 9 are bigger than my 7 and I am only a slight favorite. Well an 8 hits on the flop and I fail to improve and I am down to just over $80K and I'm hoping this is not a sign of things to come for the day.
A little later an early position player raises to $3K, the next player raises to $9K. I look down at Big Slick (AK) and after thinking about it I fold. The original raiser goes over the top "all in" and the reraiser folds. The original raiser shows AA. Phew. That would have been very bad for me.
At the first break I have $80,400.
Key hand in 2nd level. There are 3 limpers (just call the Big Blind of $1200). I am in the cutoff (seat before the dealer button) and I look down at AJ. Taking advantage of my tight image I raise to $9,000 and everyone folds and I pick up the pot.
At the end of the 2nd break I have $81,100.
Key hand in 3rd level: I have KQ off suit from middle position and noone has entered the pot so I raise first in. I get called by the small blind. The flop is all rags (3 low cards) and he checks to me. I be $7K with nothing and this guy check raises me to $18K. I considered pushing all in over the top and putting this guy to a decision. Unless he hit a set (3 of a kind) or has a big overpair which he would likely have reraised preflop he would have to put me on a big overpair and fold. Anyway I fold and he rakes the pot. I'm a bit steaming after this, but I get some revenge later.
A few hands later the same player raises from early position and gets 1 caller. I am on the button (dealer) and will act last on all later rounds of betting. I have 77 and I call hoping to flop a set of sevens. The flop is Queen, 4, 3 of three different suits and they both check to me. I fire out $11,000 thinking I may have the best hand and can pick up this pot right here. But of course not, the original raiser calls and the other player folds. The turn card is a beautiful 7 of clubs which give me the set I was looking for and he checks to me. Now I should have checked here and given him a free card, but I think he has TT or JJ and I'm afraid to give him a free card that might give him a higher hand. This is wrong. Scared money is dead money and I should have checked here. Live and learn. He may have called my flop bet just to simply try to take the pot from me with a bluff on the river if I checked the turn. If I checked the turn he may have made a big bet into me on the river and I could have closed the noose. Anyway, chicken Keith bets $15,000 and the other guy starts thinking. He then asks how much I have left and he sees $35,000. He finally decides to fold. Ugh! I may have blown $20K or even more!
At the dinner break I have $91,900, almost what I started with.
I am now at a new table with my back to the rail and the crowd is deep. I don't like this because I'm trying to look at my cards and everyone is looking over our shoulders to try and see what we have. So picture me with my face pressed on the table lifting the corner of my cards ever so slightly with my hands covering everything. Momma mia! ESPN cameras are everywhere running between table as players go all in and are called. There are many distractions and the playing conditions are not ideal to say the least. People, I'm trying to focus here!
After a little while at this table, having raised once or twice preflop and received no callers I get dealt AA under the gun (first to act). I decide to limp in (just call the big blind and not raise) and try to go for a big pot. At most tables this is the worst position to get aces because when you raise everyone respects an under the gun raise, especially one with my table image, because you are acting first and out of position and need very good cards to make this bet. Any way there are 3 callers including the BB and 4 of us see a flop of 6,7,T with 2 hearts. I decide to check rather than bet out and the table checks around. I could easily be behind here already and I am out of positin against 2 of the other players. The turn card is an 8 and now anyone with a 9 has a straight. I check again and the dealer button bets $4,000, a very small and suspicious bet. Well Keith you've blown this hand and it's time to send those aces into the muck along with the $2000 that you called preflop. Noone else calls and the player never shows his cards. I can tell you that many players lose a lot of money or go broke in this situation falling in love with AA. Oh well, it's not going to happen to me. I'll wait for a better spot.
Key hand: A middle position player raises to $6K and gets one caller on the button. I am in the big blind and look down at 99. This is a risky play but the raiser is loose and so is the caller and my table image is quite tight. I raise to $26,000 and they both fold! I rake the pot.
Next break before last level of the evening. I have $87,300.
At the start of the next level they announce that they have 383 players remaining and will play down only to 350 whether the level complets or not. They cannot risk going lower than this before Day 2B plays because they must have more people than places paid when the field combines on Day 3 or kaos and lawsuits would follow.
During this level a new player with over $200K comes to our table. A few hands later he raises to $5,500 from early/middle position and it folds around to me. I have k6suited in hearts in the Big Blind. Now the old Keith would muck this hand and move on but going to the next level means playing these hands sometimes especially when the antes are significant which they are now at $300 which puts an additional $2700 in the pot. I make the call of $3100 to create a pot of $13,700. I'm getting over 3 to 1 odds on my money to see this flop. Typcial opening raises are $7,000 at this level. And he has priced me in to see the flop. The flop comes KQ4 and I check to him. He fires out $10,000 and I raise to $25,000 with my kings. My kicker is horrible and if he has AK or a KQ then I am dead, but I have to take a shot here. He thinks about it only for a second a mucks his hand and I rake the pot. Wahoo!
After not playing another hand in the level and being blinded off a bit I end the night at $98,700. Considering the day I had I am happy with this result.
When day 3 starts my M will be almost 16. This is a ratio of my chip stack to the amount of money that it costs to see one orbit of hands (1 trip around the table). 16 is not a desperate number at all. However, this level only has 37 minutes and 47 seconds remaining and then the blinds will make a big jump to $1,500/$3,000 with a $400 ante and suddenly my M will drop to just over 12 if I have the amse amount of money left. I'll get 2 hours at this level until it goes up again. I will have to play hands early and aggressively if I want to maintain a chip stack. The pressure will be on. Hopefully I get my money in with the best hand and my luck holds out.
Bye for now!
Keith
Here is a better site to get updates and see chip counts. I am in 72nd place out of 445, right above Barry Greenstein.
Keith
http://www.pokernews.com/live-report...-holdem/day1a/