Final Table $20K NLHE

I’d hoped to make it back down to Las Vegas for the end of the WSOP, at least to catch the Media Tournament next Thursday, but I needed a bit of a bump to the bankroll to justify the trip, and the First Friday $20K was the last chance before the Main Even started.

The evening got off to a bad beginning, when I raised [7c 8s] from early position at 25/50, got a bunch of callers, and flopped [4c 5c 6c]. Not quite the nuts, but I continued betting. an inconsequential high card came on the turn—if my straight was still good, it didn’t make any difference, and I still had the straight flush re-draw—then it was [tc] on the river. I bet my flush, but ended up calling a bet from [ac qs] and losing another 1.5K.

Then the next hand (and we’re still in the first level), I get [kc ks] UTG. I bet 400, get several calls, get an all-heart flop, bet half my stack, and call a shove from the same guy I lost to in the previous hand (let’s just call him “The Villain”), thinking he might be just trying to scare me with the flush draw. Nope. he’s already there with [ah qh], and I have to rebuy.

By the break, I’ve chipped up above average, with about 30K after the add-on (with average at 20K). I played [6x 7x] earlier and caught a straight against an incredibly annoying player, one of those guys who just wonder how they get through life at all, much less play poker (though he was still there when our table broke and I was huffing fumes. so draw your own conclusions there).

Playing [6d 4d] after the break, I caught bottom pair on a flop of [ax 4x 7x], then hit the bank with [6x] on the turn. I was in for nearly 7K but had to shut it down with [ax] on the river.

Drifting downward to about 17K through a series of bets and folds, I finally took a stand against a raise to 2K from The Villain on my BB. He’d lost a bunch of ships after a good start and was down to about 12K. I re-raised to 7K with [kh qh] and he shoved [ax tx]. I missed the flop entirely and was left with about 5K before the second break.

I rode through part of an orbit after the 25 chips were chipped up, then was mercifully moved just before the big blind hit me. Blinds and antes had whittled my stack. Weasels ripped my flesh. There was an early position raise to 3.5K, I had [ac kc] and exactly that much left, so I called all-in. I went up against [ah jd] and four diamonds hit the board by the river.

60th of 122 players. Three hours and forty minutes.