I finally have time to detail my final day in the tournament. As detailed in my last post, I thought I would show up with 33500 chips and 390 players to beat but was surprised to see only 197 players left and only 26500 chips to put to work. The money started to pay at 90 players so that was my initial goal, make the money in my first try. It was possible but I had to build up a bigger chip stack because blinds were getting costly.

The other problem was we had now been scrambled and no tables had the same players! So when I sat down I had to play tight to start just to get a feel for the players at the table. I drew seat 2 and the button so felt really good but..... It was just my luck to look to my left and see two pros, Chip Jett next to me and Chad Brown next to Chip. That was discouraging because I knew that they would play agressive to take some pots down and I didn't want to enter hands with anything less than premium cards to face raises from them. Chip also had about 7000 more chips than me so he could cover me but Chad only had about 22000 chips. I believe blinds were at about 1000/2000 to start. After about 30 minutes of play and I saw no flops but our table finally had it first elimination in seat 10. But to our luck the tournament chip leader (last name of Price) would come and sit down. There was a reason he was the leader, he RAISED every hand regardless of what he held. Luckily I was just 2 spots from him so I was able to get out of the way of most of his raises. He didn't let crappy cards stop him either, upon showdown with the first player he put all in he held 99 10 Q and had flopped 9's full with the other player only making trips. He then took another and another down as he built his stack from about 120K to about 180K chips. I have to admit that I folded a ton of hands that I would have normally played and won part of the pot but I wanted to wait until I got pocket aces suited to reraise him and put him in his place. The bad part was I didn't get a single hand in the first 2 hours that I felt comfortable with so I folded constantly. One particular hand sticks out because it was my big blind and 4 players called to Price in seat 10 who raised it. I looked to see my cards and saw Ah7h7c10c, not great and I could call but was really afraid of a reraise. So I mucked it and everyone just called. Flop was 766 and I would have flopped a monster! It was raises and reraise when it came to Price. No low card came and Prices trip 6's with an ace kicker took about a 30K chip pot. I was disheartened but then things turned for me. I started to get hand after hand of A234, AA25, AA24, AAKK, A2QQ and didn't miss scooping a single pot. I took my chip stack from about 20K to 90K in about 2 hours and felt like I was going to make the final table because when I hit 90K in chips the tournament hit 90 players and I was in money. The only problem was Price folded every hand before it got to me so I was not able to get his chips in any of my pots. I really felt that I could double up on him but just never got the chance. The only hand that I played was a raised pot in which I held Ad10dJc10c. I hand't gotten any four of a kinds to that point and for some reason I decided to call a raise with 6 other players in the pot. I was hoping for a single 10 on the flop but was delighted to see TWO 10's and an 8 come out on the flop. Even more surprised that it was bet but someone else who was first to act. EVERYONE called and I just smooth called on the button. The turn broght a 6 and everyone then checked to me. I get and EVERYONE called. I was hoping for a brick on the river 9 or above but was pissed to see a 2 come knowing that someone would have an A3 and take half of MY pot. I was again surprised to have everyone check to me and I bet. I was over joyed to then see 6 players all fold to me! I could figure out that hand. I then flipped over both 10's and everyone had a good laugh.

By now both Chad and Chip were getting down in chips and I would go on to knock out Chad and Chip about an hour apart. When I knocked out Chip my holding was A25K and I was the little blind. I raises and chip called. Flop came 56K and I bet and Chip immediately reraised me all in. I thought he might have me but his hand was A356 so he had flopped bottom two pair and 2nd low and I had flopped top two pair and nut low. No low cards came and I scooped the pot for about 30K which took me to 121K in chips. Annie Duke was still in the tournament at the table next to me and was just cussing up a storm, it was very funny because she wasn't mad, just very frustsrated like most Holdem players are with Omaha. They are just card crazy because they get so many premium Holdem hands that just never pan out, such is the nature of Omaha.

So I decide that I am going to now only play premium hands and not get involved in any raising battles to I can make the final table. At the time there were only 70 players left and I got my first premium hand AA34 double suited on the button. Two callers came in after the blinds and I raise on my button wanting everyone to fold. The little blind folded and a HUGE fish in the big blind called. Both callers after the blinds folded and me and the big blind saw a flop of K28 rainbow. I could not have wished for a better flop and the big blind checked. I bet and he took forever to call me. Turn card was another 8 and he checked. I bet and he again took forever to call me. I knew he had no 8 or K or he would have raised me so I was delighted to see a river with a HUGE lead. The river was a dagger though, a 2! I had put the big blind on A2 and was horified to see it. He took a long time to check and I in turn checked. He then laughed and said "I think I may have rivered you..." The understatement of the year. He held A27J off suit and got one of only 3 cards in the deck that could beat me. There were 40 other cards that would have given me the pot. It was a big downer and I lost about 25K chips on it and dropped under 100K. I then pulled in my horns and decided that I would tighten up even more.

Just then Edgar Chang sat down at our table with only 6000 in chips and with blinds at 4000/8000 he would be all in on the next hand he wanted to see the flop on. Amazingly he went on a rush from Hell and won every hand that he went in on for about 3 hours and took his chip count up to 140K chips after about 20 all ins. It was amazing the number of premium hands he got and the flops were ALL perfect and he had the nuts or nut/nut on all of them. He alone knocked out about 15 players from our table so it was very difficult because so many players were sitting down that I hadn't seen play, it was tough to get a read on the table. About 10 minutes went by and I was dealt a A234 and just smooth called and got both blinds in to see a flop. The problem was one of them was Chang! The flop came 56J so I had flopped unduplicatable low and a 4 way straight draw. The problem was that I had no high yet and Chang led out with 5000 chips. The big blind called and I meekly called hoping to see any A23 or 4 come. The turn was a Q, HUGE let down because Chang led out with 10000 chips. The big blind called and I had to call, then praying for any low card. The river paired the J and Chang led out again. The big blind folded and I had to fold knowing that Ace high with a 4 kicker was never going to take that pot and I was now down another 30K chips. I had 18 out cards so about a 45% chance of hitting that hand and it was brick, brick. CRAP!

The next HUGE let down was I was dealt A237 and smooth called to have 5 players see the flop. I was shocked to see A23 hit the flop to give me 3 pair and even more shocked that the big blind bet!!! I was pretty sure he had 45 for a wheel but I might suck out on the turn to fill up and the pot was big enough so I meekly called but the button raised!!!! Two flopped wheels was a pisser but knowing that I was about to get into an Omaha sandwich I folded and both players bet to the river with wheels and I would not have hit any card I needed to take high. But that hand now cost me 10000 more chips! I was now down to 30000 chips from my high of 121000 chips and couldn't get a hand to work.

The next HUGE let down was I had A356 with nut spades and called under the gun. The little blind folded and the big blind checked. The flop came 9QK of spades and I had flopped the nut flush. I was shocked to see the big blind bet it and he only had 15K more chips so I wanted to make sure he thought he had the best hand which I had put him on a medium flosh. I purposely took a long time to call. The turn card was a K which paired the board and the big blind checked quickly. That should have been my clue to go slow but he only had 15K more chips so I bet 10000 chips. He quickly reraised me the final 15K chips and I knew I had been played. He flipped over KQ to had a fullhouse and now I was sick.

It was my big blind now and that took 5000 chips, flopped top two pair and failed to fill up and a straight took the pot on the river. Now down to 20000 and my little blind. The pot was raised and I had KKQJ double suited so I called. Flop was all low cards to I mucked. Now down to 10000 chips on the button. Drew KK99 double suited. Pot was raised before it got to me but if I could flop high cards I could at least triple up so I went all in. Flop was 27 10. Turn was a another 10 so I was in the lead with two big pair. But one guy had A388 and an 8 hit the river and his set beat me.

So in the end I had some great runs of cards but with the blinds so huge, you cannot sit back and try to cruise to the final table and you have to play premium hands when you get them. It just wasn't in the cards so to speak but I was very happy to place in the money on my first attempt because I had talked to a number of people who had never made it into the money even after years of trying. In the end I learned a couple of valuable lessons too. Although I had good reads on almost everyone I was up against from 16 years of playing this game, it is very important that I need to narrow my range of calling hands when there is a strong possibility that I am beat. I could have saved quite a few chips with some key folds. Also, I really don't believe that raises on some of those bad beats would have had much effect on the outcome.

I also promised myself that if I did make the money I would play in the $2500 Omaha event on the Tuesday before the convention so hopefully I can get a good run in that and make the 2nd day, then make it into the money, then make the final table, then win the whole tournament. That and a little luck might be able to do it. I now have the ability to post on the chip board from my phone so I will give you guys live updates as things progress. Stay tuned.

Thanks for the long read.

Mike