If patience is a virtue (and it is), Lou Russo is a saint. Known on Pocketfives as ljrtr, Louis J. Russo has made his entire career as a gambler. It just so happens that he started out in a different game – trading commodities on the floor of the exchange in New York. He now works from home, where he can trade live on his computer as well as play poker online. Talk about a +EV situation! Lou is a pleasure to be around, and it is refreshing to see someone behave with the same genuine respect and courtesy towards others online that he would live. He was generous enough to share an extensive tournament recap with me from his WPT final table in Borgata, which I will attempt to pass on to you in his own words: <READMORE>

First of all, I almost did not play this event. <READMORE>I was planning on it all along, and I was looking forward to it after the World Series. Unfortunately, I was running very bad in key spots, and my confidence was suffering.

A little background, I was in Vegas for almost a month this summer for the World Series. I played four preliminary events, a couple Bellagio events, and some Caesar’s tournaments. My WSOP experience was the opposite of last year when I went deep in a couple pre-lims and was out on day one of the Main Event. I went out at midnight on day 3 this year in a 70-30 situation. I was a little short, but if that guy doesn’t spike his K on the turn, I would have been above average and in good position for a big score, so I was pretty bummed the way I went out.

I felt I was playing very good poker. I won a Caesar’s tournament for about 10k, and while I was disappointed going out like I did in the ME, I was glad to bring back over 20k and have some money for the Pocketfives community who supported me in the Bodog freeroll. I played a stud Hi-Lo and a razz event. I like to play all the different games, because I feel I have an edge in them, but unfortunately I bubbled both events in Vegas. If I’m out of the event I am playing in, I like to rail great players to try to learn from them. At the WSOP, I railed Alan Kessler for almost 12 hours because I think he is one of the best around. I actually had him on my fantasy team, and I had a real shot at winning with my team. I got a real good feel for how he plays stud, and it has helped my game.

I played the Borgata stud event, where I made the final two tables. I had rolled up 555, and I tried to disguise the fact that I had a rolled up hand. I came out with a raise, so they put me on a hand, but not necessarily a rolled up hand; more like a pocket pair. He re-raised, I re-popped, and he called. The next card wasn't dangerous, and he bet out, I raised, he re-raised, I went all in, and he called. He had 3/4 diamonds and caught his flush. He ended up winning the tournament after that hand. A lot of situations like that had me discouraged, and I decided I didn’t want to play in the main event at Borgata.

That was the same day JoeytheB was in the 2.5k, so I decided to rail him for the rest of the day. I went home with the intention of not coming back. Of course, Joey ended up winning that event, which kind of inspired me and brought me up a bit. I talked to him on Thursday, and he told me to come back, “Even if you just rail me, you should come. They are giving 25k in chips.” I woke up the next day at 3 am and ran out for some breakfast, which I never do! I finally decided to drive down to Atlantic City, having to go through some torrential storms to get there. Worst weather I’ve seen in a long time.

I got to Borgata 45-50 minutes before the event started, and I still wasn’t registered. Joey came in with 30 minutes to go, and I was leaning towards just railing. Ten minutes to post, and I reluctantly made up my mind. “Enough of this talk, you’ve got to play,” was all Joey said at that point. So I bought in and sat down at table 8 with a few other Pocketfivers: Johnnybax, bbbbb33, and a young kid who I’m pretty sure is a P5er. There was also a high limit cash player that I know from AC and have played with a lot and whose game I respect.

I have to say that Pocketfivers, at least the ones I played with in the tournament, were by far my toughest competition. I’m not just saying this because you’re with Pocketfives. The tenacity, the toughness; they were a very good group. Between Cliff [Johnnybax] and bbbbb33, I had a very tough time that first table. In the first level, I didn’t really play any hands.

The first hand I played, I raised it up with A Js, and I got four callers, including Bax and bbbbb33. The flop came A, rag, rag, with two hearts (not my suit). The others checked, and I put out a 1k bet (about 80% of the pot). Everyone folded to bbbbb33, who reraised me to 3k. The next card was a jack of hearts, giving me top two and completing the flush possibility. He checked, and I checked behind. The river was a blank, and he bet out about half the pot. I was down to about 20k and looking at a 4k bet, so I decided to muck. (bbbbb33 later told me online, “I didn’t know that was you,” and that he had the flush.)

The next hand I played was QQ, and I got 3 callers to the flop. The board came Q 4 3, all clubs. I bet 1k, and the cash game pro re-popped me to 3k. I called reluctantly. The turn was a jack of clubs, and a 4 flush. It went check-check to the river, which was a blank. He bet out 4k, and I had to fold. He showed me K9 of clubs, so he flopped the flush. The jack on the turn probably saved me some chips.

A little later, I held A10s on the SB, and there were several limpers in the pot already, including all the key players. I am out of position with not the greatest hand, so I decided to just call and see if I hit the flop hard before I committed too many chips to it. The flop came A 10 x with two hearts. I checked, intending to check-raise hard. It checked around, and the turn was the third heart. Great. I bet out 1200, and bbbbb33 called while everyone else folded. The river was a blank, I checked, and he bet 2k. I reluctantly called, and he turned over two baby hearts. So now I'd hit 3 flops really hard, and I was down to 10-13k. I was trying to keep the pots small until I knew I had a rock solid hand. I was able to get off those hands and maintain somewhat of a stack.

We were still at 100/200, and I was building my chips back up to about 20k with some post-flop play, hands that didn't go to showdown. Then this sequence of hands occurred:

I was on the cutoff, and Cliff was on the BB. I limped in, and he bumped it to 2500, which was a big overbet. I thought he might be making a move, but I decided this was not the one I wanted to go at him with, so after thinking it over, I folded. "Why did you sweat me?" Bax asked. I just shrugged and said I had a hand.

A few hands later, I picked up KK, and I got into a pretty big pot with the cash game player. It went to show down, and my kings were good, which brought me back up to 28k. The chip leader had 48k, and bax was in 3rd with 35k.

The very next hand, I was on the SB, and Cliff limped in. I looked down and saw KK again! Right away I thought if I put out the same play, raising to 2500, Cliff may think I am making a move just like I think he did. He then repopped me to 8k. “Wow!” I thought to myself, “I can’t believe he’s making this play at me, this is perfect.” I pushed all-in over the top, and he mucked. So I got to make a statement and didn’t have to show down my hand, which was great for me at that table, because it kept everyone guessing. I also raked in a nice pot, and I was up to 35k.

I didn’t get much the rest of the day and finished day one with 40k. Right off the bat on Day 2, they moved me to a table where I didn't know anyone. During the first level or two, I went from 40k to 14k. I was playing some pots, calling some raises, and I was just not taking them down. My image wasn't that good, and I had to basically fold on a lot of flops. I was really struggling. With the blinds at 600/1200, a key hand (my only suck out of the tournament) came up, and it was important in two ways: I survived, and it showed I could make a move with less than premium cards.

There were six limpers in the pot, and I decided I was going to steal the pot right there with my AT, so I pushed. One of the limpers called with AJ and had me covered. I was in a bad spot with my tournament life on the line, but the board came 10 8 4 2 2, and just like that I was up to 28k, after which I grinded my way back to the 40k with which I started the day.

To be continued...
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