It’s 11:30am Wednesday 2nd July 2008.
We’re gathered outside the tournament registration area at The Rio, Las Vegas. “We” means the “official” members of Team Gutshot 2008, plus Barry “The Bully” Martin – WSOP veteran – and another dozen or more other Gutshot stalwarts.
All of us are captured by Barry’s digital camera – see his blog for the shots (nice work if he says so himself) – and most of us are playing the $1,060 mega-satellite for this year’s main event.
For me, it is an honour to represent the team. I do not expect to qualify, but I am going to give it everything I have. Also playing are several outstanding gutshot players – let’s pick out Andy Achillea, Jimi Somiteim and Brian Hallows just to name a few.
I have no experience of playing satellites, so eagerly take on board some advice from Barry, Jimmy and the others – in any case it is great to be here amongst so many poker friends.
My route here started in January – I had played a $5 rebuy on gutshot.com (with no rebuys) and won a seat in the 40-runner monthy online final, which I won – I was the first qualifier for this year, in fact, although a total of 12 qualified in due course online and at the club. The package included this mega-satellite seat.
How much further would $5 run ? Read on ... it’s quite a ride.
The H-Rock ?
Many people reading this have played with me online or live. I am betting that “solid” or “tight” is not the one word you would use to describe my play.
However, Barry’s advice is “you don’t have to win it, just be in it” – standard satellite strategy. Easier said than done, but he says “so long as you have 10 big blinds at all times, you’re in”.
This satellite ran for nearly 10 hours in the end, and with 6,000 chips, a half-hour clock and blinds starting at 25-50 you would not exactly call it a crap-shoot but I can tell you it can feel like a turbo and the balance between patience and aggression is exquisitely painful at times.
To say I really wanted to win a seat would be an understatement. More than that, I wanted to play my A-game. Well, somebody else’s A-game really – somebody much better than me !
So, how tight was I playing ? Let me give you some idea. It is Level 3 – 100/200 with no ante. I am on the big blind with QQ. UTG limps – this player will play any pair, any suited connectors and any high near-connectors in early position, or of course he could be limp-raising. A new player to the table is in UTG+2 with a bunch of chips. He looks like he could be pretty aggressive but with my new patient hat on I am going to respect his raise.
Normally, I would say “the UTG player has almost ATC, the new player looks like a gambler, I have the third best hand in Hold’Em, I re-raise. Instead, I say “I am out of position facing an unknown player who has me covered. I may even face a re-raise from the UTG player”. I even consider folding – obviously I am NOT folding, but I at least evaluate it.
I check-fold the Ace-high flop even though, again, I might normally lead out, or even check-raise.
Later, to be honest, I saw that aggressive player raise UTG and call a push with KJ so I think my Queens may have been good. But, the way I played it was consistent with the survival-is-key objective.
This was the last hand before the end-Level 3 break and as we filed out, I was able to check the fortunes of the other gutshot players – most still in although we had lost 2 or 3. We learned that there were 44 seats and a 45th place of nearly a full seat in cash. 472 runners, of which 409 remained at that stage. Long, long way to go. After my fold with the Queens I had 6,375 chips – 20 big blinds and approximately average.
Up till now, I have not shown down a single hand. In fact, the only hand I showed at our first table was early in Level 4. A player exactly half-way round the table from me had just done 80% of his chips in a race against an aggressive Italian fella – controversial pot where the losing player had thought he had called a raise but threw in too many chips – you know how this goes. His bet had to go as a min-raise, the Italian put him all in and was called with top pair against a draw which came on the river.
So, when he now pushed in his last 900, my calling range in the big blind had to be fairly wide. My AQ-suited was enough vs. his K8o and I moved to 7,150 chips and now was moved to Table 27 to the immediate left of a monster stack.
I played again very tight and very respectful of position and had not shown any hands at all, and was on 9,375 chips, when we came to the end of Level 7 (400/800 with a running 100). The dealer said “OK we’re on a 15minute break” but someone at the table pointed out there were 37 seconds on the clock. “Surely we have another hand?”
The Dealer checked with the floor who said to deal one more (obviously). “This could be the hand to double up with”, I say, and everyone laughs.
I am in UTG+2 and the first two pretty much auto-fold as they get up to leave. I look down at my cards, and need to double check. You guessed right ? Oh yes, pocket Aces.
I raise to 2,500. Folded round to the button who has just sat down with over 30,000 chips. He looks like a man who knows the R-word. “Raise to 7,000”.
I check my cards again to make sure they’re not A4 (!). “All in”. Of course it is an auto-call for him anyway for 2,375 more. He tables pocket 9s. Fair enough.
Let’s see a flop. My world ends.
Flop 9-7-4.
I pick up my gutshot jacket. At least I did nothing wrong. The dealer continues with the board, as he must. The turn gives the button a full house with a second 7.
It was good whilst it lasted. I have 2 outs with one card to come.
BOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMM!!
The river is an Ace. SHIP. IT.
For the first time I have chips. 20,300 in fact. 25 big blinds, although immediately that becomes only about 15 blinds as we re-start at 600/1,200/100. I told you it was like a turbo.
Will the Real H-bomber please stand up ?
OK. Remember, I have shown down two hands in 3.5 hours. Pocket Aces, and AQ-suited where I called a short-stack tilt-push on the big-blind for only 10% of my stack. I have not limped a single hand in the tournament. I have not even made up the small blind.
So, I have to think my image is strong when in Level 8 I am to the left of UTG with JTo. The
UTG was that mega-stack who I now know is not a strong player. He is not a donk but he clearly is not a mover-and-shaker.
We are 600/1,200 with 100. The UTG limps. I raise to 4,500. I am not raising with my hand values but with my image and for the blinds, antes and the limp chips.
This raise has to look enormously strong. If I am raised I can insta-fold. If I am called I will have position on the UTG player and a hand with some value, and if any other player calls then I probably know where I am.
If the UTG players pushes I can fold obviously, although that would be a less happy fold than if another player raises.
He calls. Maybe he has Aces. If so, nice play sir.
The flop comes AKQ, two hearts.
The player thinks, feigns as if to check then pushes all in and is insta-called by yours truly.
I have to sweat two cards as he shows A3-hearts (what on Earth is he doing calling preflop ?) but I’m good and move on to 35k and am soon moved to table 43.
At this table, and with the blinds and antes now getting rather big there is a lot of open-shoving but I add to my stack when I raise early to 5,500 (1000/2000/400) with Kings and get shoved on my the player on my left for 9,000 more. Call. She has AJo and my hand holds up.
My high-point is around 55k chips but as the blinds climb to 2000/4000 and a 500 running ante, and when I get re-raised all-in a couple of times (my calling range is pretty much AA,KK,AK) I am down to 28k when I get Aces again. Raise to 11k again. All fold, but it brings me up to 41k before I am due to be the big blind. I get moved (nice, but get moved into the big blind. Boo).
Sixth Sense
OK. Here follows the penultimate hand that I played. Usually, as you all know, I go out of tournaments in two hands.
Here it is. I am moved to this new table. I get seated in the big blind. We’re still at 2,000/4,000 and a 500 ante. I am in seat 1. The player in Seat4 who is obviously acting UTG+2 has 80k chips. He makes a raise to 12k.
Now, I am going to say that imo his range is quite big. Yes he is UTG+2 but he looks like the kind of player who knows that 12k is going to make 11k most times and he has the heart to open raise with a range of hands.
Now, I know that for the previous 7 hours I have pretty much followed a rule that says if I have not actually seen the player in action then I am going to respect the position and not assume. I am also aware of my long-term history of crashing out after a table move or a break or a new-player move etc.
So, all that is running through my mind as I look at my cards. By the way, I have been scrupulous about not looking at my cards until my turn. I hope to see 94o or something.
I find pocket Tens.
In my opinion, this is way ahead of his range. I also believe that for another 28k he can fold without his top hands. Barry vehemently disagrees. Let’s discuss it another time.
Let’s agree that I had a hunch. I move in.
The player counts out the call. I think he is doing it like he is going to think and fold. Good.
He calls. OMG.
On their backs. Barry on the rail sees my pocket Tens and visibly whitens.
Seat 4 flips up .... pocket 7s !
I’m out of my seat. C’mon .... The flop, turn and river come all safe.
I’m on 85k. There are 54 people left in the satellite. I can almost touch it !
Acting in Turn
Barry has a word. “Do me a favour he says, SLOW DOWN”. He’s not talking about the push with Tens which he maintains is the worst play since time began. He’s talking about satellite dynamics.
“Really” say I ? I am not familiar with these considerations but I agree to give it a go. By now I am the last Gutshotter left – Jimi, Brian and I were the last three but first Jimi then Brian were felled.
I feel a huge amount of pressure to bring it in for the team. Discussing with Barry and Kim Callow on the rail the consensus is that with 85k I can fold to a seat. Well, let’s see.
We’ve been playing about 7 hours. There are only 9 people to knock out. But let me tell you, this will take a LONG time.
One of my strengths in my career in finance is that I was a quick learner. On the other hand, speech and drama is not my favourite subject. Nonetheless, I think Barry will agree I warmed to the task at hand.
“How much is the raise? Are you sure ?”,
“How many chips do you have back”,
“Oh, has seat 10 folded already?”,
“Dealer, are we short an ante ?”,
“Floor, can I check – is there $200 cash with the seat. Let me see the sheet. Here, do you want to take a look as well?”
“Are we playing the new level even though the floor hasn’t called it ? Oh, they did call it. Sorry, it’s real loud in here”.
The string-fold, my new move. Did I make it too obvious ?
The move from 54 to 51 to 48 was painful. I have not played a single hand since the Tens. Not that I didn’t have any hands – pocket 9s, AQ-suited, AJ. Having said that, there weren’t many hands being played. With 3 left to the bubble the floor sensibly decided to go hand for hand.
47...
46....
Now at this point, some of the plays by the big stacks on our table were close to moronic imo.
The button pushes for 18k on the absolute bubble. Blinds are 6,000/12,000/2,000. The small blind with 75k passes and only the BB calls (with 96-suited). The button holds with 99 when the SB folded an Ace which paired the board. Aaarggh ! That would have been it right there.
It could also have ended with I was in the SB and the BB was all in for 9,000 (less than the 12k blind). He gave it the old “It would be nice if you let me live”. I explained that it was not fair to the other players and I called for 3,000 more with K9. His tournament may be over on the absolute bubble. He squeezes one card – a 3. He squeezes again. ACE!
Every card is a pain for him but he lives !
This player had survived two mighty close escapes. First, he had his hand declared dead on his BB for overt deal-brokering that the floor disapproved of. They wanted to give him a 10 minute penalty as well but relented. At that time he had only 28k chips and lost 8k on the BB. Then, when it was him and one other microstack on the SB and BB and me on the button, it was folded to me with Q4.
It was close, but I folded, and the SB pushed with J9-suited. The BB has to call 6k more and does so with Q3o.
He sees the flop come JQ and goes through a flip-flop of emotion. Yes ! He does not see the third card is a 9. Now he is in agony again. The turn is the case Queen! The river is a 3 !!
He kisses the floor. I mean literally.
The karma was with him that day.
The effective bubble burst when a player was all in for the big blind with AJ on another table.
The SB came with him. A7. Flop AJ9 (!!!). Turn 7. River 7.
Well, that’s poker. I have done it !
Or rather, I would like to say, Team Gutshot has done it. I certainly felt I was playing for the team, and I must thank the rail for all the long hours of support and (sometimes contradictory) advice. I’d also like to thanks pocket Tens and pocket 7s.
We had to play on for the difference between 44th (a full seat) and 45th ($9,040).
I had three hands now till I would be all in for the big blind. The consensus was I would be fine and anyway I have no further decisions to make.
Three players had less than one big blind or even less than one ante.
However, it turned out that we still had 45 left when I was all in for slightly less than one full BB with three other players also all in.
The mega-stack in Seat 6 with 150k chips pushed all in blind for the umpteenth hand (why? Because he could.) I flip T4o. He has 95o. I pair the 4 (irrelevant) but a 9 hits the river.
I am out. But so is someone else who started with less chips. In any case, I effectively won the last seat but the actual ruling is a story for another day.
I can hardly believe it. We can argue about the Tens, but I do not think I have ever played a more focussed game of poker. It’s not even close to be honest.
Now, shall I play the main event. What do you think ?
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