My attempts to satellite into the main event were ultimately rather expensive and unsuccessful. I made a fairly deep run in the £50 rebuy satellite (not right near the bubble, but I was getting there). Then, when I open-pushed from the small blind with A7, the BB called for half his stack with QTs. I thought that was a little bit surprising, but he hit the Queen and that’s that.
So, onto the main event itself. I arrived slightly late (some traffic issues), and I had already been moved. A good thing too, as my first table draw looked absolutely fearsome.
12,000 chips and a 75 minute clock. Play was scheduled for 3 days. I knew that patience had to be the watchword. I was playing extremely cautiously, but soon a real gift presented itself.
A player on my immediate right open-raised in EP to 225 (blinds 25/50). I find the rockets. I decided on a raise to 725, called my Martin Spearing on my left. Folded back to the original raiser, who now makes it 2,325. I have a choice to make.
Normally, I do not mess around and would put in the next raise. But here I felt that this would really be turning my hand over, and that the player would get away from some very strong hands. Of course, he ought to have a very strong hand anyway but on the whole it seemed like flatting here could be the best line.
We see a flop heads-up: 7-high rainbow. On this flop I think I must be 100% safe as he surely cannot hit a set there. He leads for 2,300 and I opt for a small raise to 5,500. Villain now helpfully shoves. Of course I snap call, to be shown pocket 9s (??)
Up to 24,000 or so in the first level. I know my mission now is not to blow these gifted chips and I actually spend some time away from the table. Partly this was an effort to force myself not to splash around, and partly I was simply trying to get my internet connection working. The wireless connection in the club is a source of repeated frustration for me. This time I even brought a broadband dongle as an alternate connection, to no avail.
Sad to say, after a couple of hours of being very parsimonious with my chips, I could not help myself from getting involved. There wasn’t any single incident, but my stack gradually dwindled as a combination of some light calls (eg: I called with 2nd pair on a board that looked like it contained a lot of missed draws; villain showed up with Kings full !!) and some moves that did not work out.
In both cases, I am not sure whether they were hopeless plays or whether they were only slightly off in timing/opponent etc. There was one particular pot I recall where I have re-raised pre-flop from the SB with no hand and led out on a raggy flop. I get almost limit re-raised and I let it go. I am wondering in hindsight whether I could have put in another bluff raise at this point (still leaving chips behind). Or it may have been that he really had the goods.
The net result was that I found myself rather short-stacked. In fact at the 100/200/25 level I had only 4,500 chips left at one point.
Now, rather too late, I came to my senses and realised that with the structure (both the gradual escalation of blinds, and the 75minute clock) I could be very patient about choosing my spots.
So, rocked up, I hung in the tournament for many more hours. I rarely put my chips in and I was only looked up once (I got a bit lucky to survive). I raised from the cut-off with AJs, hoping that Richard Gryko on my left (also short stacked, but covering me) would shove and I could call.
He did raise, but ominously he made a smaller raise to about half my chips. I didn’t like that too much but I thought “FIP” and pushed the rest in. He snap-called with pocket Jacks, but an Ace on the flop saw me double up and Richard down to <> 100k chips on day2.
I continued to survive, and the field thinned out. Obviously my short stack was becoming ever shorter relative to the average. I was not worried about this. Nor was I worried about the prospect of perhaps surviving to come back with a bowl of rice on Day2. Since I was already committed to being around at the club for a few days, there were no issues of “double up or go home”.
Still, I would need a series of double ups eventually. I continued to be very tight in calling (in fact I don’t remember calling at all). My blinds were very much up for grabs.
Eventually, we reached the last level of the day 300/600/50 and I had around 6,500 chips – probably the shortest stack of the field. I was surprised that about 2/3 of the runners had already exited.
I pushed several times in this level, but always as the first into the pot and always with some kind of hand. Normally I will push with literally any two cards but then we are not normally playing a 75minute clock !
Of course during this period I passed some hands that would have trebled me up, as it turns out. C’est la vie.
Finally my stack fell below 10bb and now I had a stroke of luck. UTG with 4,900 I picked up 63s.
It was obvious to everyone that I was playing very tight so with the prospect of the blinds about to come through, I felt that I should have enough image equity to get this one through. I pushed (my very first push without a respectable hand) and found a pretty quick caller in Richard Mackay just a two seats along.
That was the bad news. The good news is that no one else called and I had to hope I was looking at live cards. Indeed I was – AQ suited for Richard. Unfortunately, the same suit as me.
A three came just in time, on the river. I now had over 10k – as much as I had for literally 6 or 7 hours.
One more double up would see me in reasonable shape.
I passed my blinds, and now made a possible error and definitely a critical hand. Action folded to me on the button with A2. My stack is about 16BB.
Normally I would be insta-shoving with Ace-high on the button with this short(ish) stack. Here, I hesitated. My stack is somewhat above the real shove-or-die zone and of course the structure is not remotely a crapshoot.
But, then, the two players behind me are very tight and Ace-high is likely the best hand. I can pick up 1,300 chips. I shove and receive an immediate call in the BB – Richard Mackay again.
He has woken up with pocket Kings. Now is the time to find that Ace ! It doesn’t come, and I am basically out although not before there is nearly a final twist.
I have 875 chips change (1 big blind and a few antes). We know what CAN happen. Next hand, 87 is enough to throw the chips in. Ade Bayo has already limped and two others come along.
The flop is T43 . Ade bets, to leave us heads up. He turns over Aces ! However, I hit runner J-9 for a straight ! With over 3,000 chips now, can I keep the dream alive ?
Shortly afterwards I am in the Big Blind with A9 facing a raise from India on the button. I put the rest in, and am ahead of KQ. In fact I hit Top Pair, Top kicker on the 9 high board. However, a Queen on the turn finally does shut the door 15 minutes before the close of play.
I know it’s irrational, but I would have really liked to make day 2. You do have to be “in it to win it” and although I broke my day 2 duck at the WSOP this year, I am still waiting for a day2 in any UK event.
Hindsight is a wonderful thing and in hindsight I see that I probably could have cruised into day 2 if I had taken better care of my 25k stack in level 1. There weren’t any massive coolers or outdraws to blame. Instead, it was a failure to recognise the dynamics of such a long tournament. I made the same mistake in the WSOP ME.
My hope is that I have learned something from these mistakes. I do notice that of the tournament objectives I have set myself, I am gradually achieving some of them and getting every closer to others. I can’t wait for the next festival to try out my new patient style !
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