My first live tourney was at Binion's Horseshoe on January 9, 2004. The date sticks in my mind because the Nevada Gaming Commision shut them down about an hour after I was put out of the tourney. Something about owing 2 million for something employee related. I finished 4th out of 96 players.

The best part of the whole tourney was getting to bust out this guy that was acting alot like Phil Helmuth Jr (wasn't him, but was such a baby). So about 3 hands before I was Big Blind and checked 10-4 off suit. Flop didn't hit me and the guy bets big and I fold. He flips up a J-10 and says something like "Your gonna let me bluff you out with that". So on the bust hand, I am dealt a pair of 3s and I just call, he raises a small amount and I call. Flop comes J-K-3 and he moves all in, I call without pause. He flips a pair of Aces with this big grin. I flip my set of 3s and he starts with the "how could you call the raise pre-flop with that?" I look over at him and say very politely, "I didn't want to let you bluff me with a J-10. Guess it was a bad move to show me that bluff." The table busts out laughing and it is even funnier when the river is my last 3.

Even stranger was that I had a pair of 3s on the hand that I busted out with. But since that day, I have only finished in the money once and it was just my money back.