'A bad start' - Event 32 $2000 No Limit Holdem - 15 June
My first tourney in the 2009 World Series of Poker was the $2000 NLHE. I got to Vegas the day before but had a good kip and felt ready for action. I say 'action' but you know, I'm determined to be a good boy and play nice and tight and bide my time.
And so it begins and I play pretty good, no major clashes, just chip away quite sweetly and get my stack up from 7k starting stack to around 9k by the break. No great shakes there. Get back to the table and limp in mid position with Jacks. 5 of us in the pot and the flop is J K K. Bingo! I slip in 300 in a pot of 1000 and....surely someone has a king....they must have...fold, fold, fold, fold. Oh bollocks. I decide to get a bit more aggro and build up some pots so no more limping. I re-raise with AQ twice and get no further action but I'm up to around 10k in chips. Not bad.
Then an early raise and I am the fifth caller in the big blind. I have 96 off and yep, its junk but its good value so I think the call is fine in this spot. The flop is 9 10 6. Two pair, sweet. Maybe someone has JJ or QQ. This could be good. I lead out and everyone folds except the guy to my right. 'Raise' he says. I'm in no mood to fold, so I call. Does he have 7 8? Does he heck. I put him on K 10 or A 10, maybe JJ - that's what I'm hoping for anyway. I'm happy with my 2 pair. I call the next pot-size bet and see what happens on the river. 'All in' he says.
If I win this pot I am cruising into Day 2 is what I am thinking. 'Call' I say and of course he shows me 9 10 for a better two pair. So no Day 2 for me, just another lonely walk and a cab back to the hotel. Goddamit I am not playing well and this is the WSOP. FFS Hames, get it together!