After staying away from the WSOP for the first part of the series, I finally made my way to Las Vegas in time for the $3,000 PLO8 event that I had targeted as the tournament I thought I had the best shot in and that I was really looking forward to playing. I sat down in the four-seat and until Scott emptyseat88 Fischman took his spot in the 10-seat, I didn’t know anyone else at the table. Play started and I quickly found out I was at a great table.

There was action from the start – players getting a lot of chips in early with hands that were speculative at best, with the right players accumulating chips. I was confident and able to identify the tendencies and weaknesses of the key players at the table quickly. The setting seemed perfect for me to build up a stack in the hours of play before the table I was at would break.

To quote Mike Tyson, “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face.” All of my planning, preparation, and doing everything I could to give myself the best shot possible went out the door when I flopped the second nuts. The guy I was up against I had identified as being willing to stack off light, valuing high hands in PLO8 the same way you would in NLHE, and overvaluing low hands.

He played the hand well, especially if my view of him was accurate. And as always, playing a hand well is greatly assisted when you flop the nuts one way and turn the nuts the other way. Against him, I am fine with my play, but I did leave the tournament frustrated that in a game I almost surely play more of than anyone at that table and that I think I play well, I was unable to get anything going and was out before the tournament had even made it to the second break. It is the frustration of tournament poker.

I followed up the PLO8 tournament by entering a $1,000 NLHE event the next day. Same deal – I got up early, went for a run, had a light healthy breakfast, and got over to the Rio around 11:40 with plenty of time to get to where I needed to be to start the event. With only 3,000 in starting chips, it’s not hard to get them all in the middle early on and the table I was at had a three-way all-in within minutes. The person to call with the worst hand went runner-runner to triple up, which seemed like a good thing for me and I again felt like I was at a good table in a position to do well.

Forty-five minutes later, I was sitting in the rental car outside the Rio wondering what I was going to do with the rest of my Fourth of July after being eliminated from my second WSOP event in less than 20 hours. Busting from tournaments usually doesn’t bother me, but never getting anything going in either one was frustrating. I still have the Main Event to go and have been around long enough to know that busting two events early means nothing.

I’m excited to play the Main Event, but the two preliminary events reminded me of why I didn’t plan a longer trip and why cash games are now the focus of my poker playing. The setup and lead-time of tournaments are tremendous, especially live tournaments that require travel. As much fun as it is to run deep in a tournament, the frustration and hassle of them are enough to offset it.

For now, I have a few days to spend getting caught up with old friends, playing cash games and satellites, and generally spending some time in and around a city I have come to know and enjoy over the last six years.

Court Harrington has worked on the business side of the poker industry in roles including tournament reporting for PocketFives, radio hosting for PokerRoad Radio, coaching for the WSOP Academy and privately, and a variety of behind-the-scenes responsibilities. He also plays in cash games and tournaments. Harrington is currently doing consulting work and exploring business opportunities outside of the poker industry. You can contact him atCourt@CourtHarrington.com.