Poker Articles

The tables for Day 2 aren't announced until about an hour before play is scheduled to begin, so I have very little time to do research.  I take a quick assessment and see I don't know anyone, which is good enough for me.  Unfortunately, I just sit there for about five and a half levels of play.  I get basically no cards and nothing interesting happens. Jason TheMasterJ33 DeWitt gets moved to my table with a huge stack of 250k at 600/1200, but he leaves the table since he is chipleader of the WCOOP Main event going into Day 2 of that event.  Nice life, Jason.  My table breaks right before dinner break and I still have about what I started with: 100k.

After dinner I start to kick it into high gear without doing anything too fancy.  Bazeman gets moved to my right and Jonathan FieryJustice Little has position on me, but they seem to stay out of my way and I get up to about 160k.  I have been very active and people are starting to take notice.  Blinds are 1200/2400 when the following hand comes up:  LP young man with sunglasses that seems like a Borgata local makes it 6,500 in EP.  I am in the SB with AK and decide to flat since he has me covered and we are very deep.  He also showed the propensity to call big raises, so I just wanted to play my hand kind of slow OOP.

Unfortunately, the BB will have none of this and shoves all-in for 98k more.  The original raiser folds and I am left with a difficult decision.  This player is new to the table, but when I don't muck my cards after a few seconds it becomes clear he is uncomfortable.  His huge shove basically eliminates aces from his range which makes the AK an easy call.  He flips over A8 and I am a huge favorite for a 200k pot.  Flop:  T-T-9.  Turn:  9.  ()#%()@%())#%.  We chop the pot.

The next and only other interesting hand of the day comes during the same level.  The young man with the sunglasses makes it 6,500 in the CO and I make it 20k out of the big blind with aces.  My aggressive image pays off, as he shoves 140k effective into the pot.  I snap call and he has AJo.  Oops.  I have him drawing dead on the flop and double up.  I basically just kind of trot along for the rest of the day and end with around 270k.

Day 3

Oh boy.  We head into Day 3 and I am above average by about 100k.  There are 169 players and 100 pay.  I get seated at an early-breaking table and in the second hand of the day I get involved in a big pot.  Blinds are already 2000/4000 when a player UTG+1 makes it 12k.  I am in the BB with A K and make it 42k total.  He thinks for a very little amount of time and makes it 90k more.  The player has me covered, and for a brief time I think about folding... but there is just too much money in the pot and a minimum cash really isn't that much, whereas first is 930k+.  I shove, and the player tank folds after putting 130k in the middle.  A bad fold for sure, but I am at 400k.

My table breaks and I am moved to... the very next table.  I raise pre-flop with A Q at 2500/5000 and get called by the big blind.  the flop is KQx and I get check/raised out of the pot.  Oh well.  My table breaks and I get moved to.... the very next table.  The new table has two internet kids at my table and a bunch of old men.  Unfortunately, I get caught up in a hand that basically costs me my tournament.  An old Indian man raises UTG to 15k at 2500/5000, and one of the internet players shoves all-in from MP for 20bbs.  I am on the button with jacks, and am the chipleader at the table with 380k.

The effective stacks in the blinds have 200k or less, so it is really a decision as to if I have the MP shover's range beat.  I know that he could have a huge hand, but i know that 66+ is in his range, so I iso-shove.  The Indian man had already limped/re-raised 6s and gave a stern "don't mess with me" comment, so I don't really take his UTG raise as strong.  He has about 300k to start the hand and I think he has it such a small % of the time that I have to get it in vs the MP shove.  Unfortunately, old Indian man has pocket kings and he holds in a 3-way pot against my jacks and the internet kid's tens. 

I am down to about 80k... and get moved again.   Despite Borgata being a deep-stacked tournament, the blinds come quick with the hour and 15 minute levels and I end up shoving KQ into aces a short-time later at 3k/6k.  I end up bubbling the tournament in about 120th place.  I could have held on until the money, and I could have possibly folded the jacks... but I really wanted to get 1st and $930k.  Instead, I'll have to wait for the Foxwoods $10k in November.

This is Part 2 of 2 of my 2009 Borgota Poker Open trip report. - Wein    

Part 1