Adelaide resident Chris Hartwig outlasted 208 opponents in his winner-take-all Road to Vegas freeroll (WeeK 30) to claim a $3,000 package to this year's WSOP, including entry to a $1,500 No Limit Hold'em event. The Aussie went on to place 149th in a mammoth field of 2,791 for a $3,276 return.
Dan: Congratulations on your WSOP cash! Tell us how you won your WSOP package.
Chris: I had been chasing a $12.5K package on PKR for a few weeks. I progressed to the final table in a Stage 3 event and was doing well, but got caught raising all-in on a nut flush draw that missed. A few days later I got an email from PKR inviting me into a R2V freeroll for a $3K package - $1.5K buy-in and $1.5K in expenses.
The freeroll started about 1:30am my time [due to the UK/Oz time difference]. I was generally well-stacked in this tournament, and eventually took it down around 4:45am. I was so excited that I could not sleep and before long was up for work. When my wife asked what time I came to bed I said 4.45am, and she told me I was mental. I agreed with her, but asked if she was coming with me. She asked where, I said Vegas, she said “bullxxxx”, but eventually she believed me.
Having a young family made it too difficult for my wife to come with me, so my good mate Robbo was able to come along. This is the same friend who mowed a big KK into my front lawn one day to remind me of a bad beat earlier that week. Robbo was also the supplier of the sleeping pills required to make the 15 hour flights pass ever so quickly. Getting the PKR clothing was a huge buzz.
D: When did you start playing poker?
C: Robbo introduced me to Texas Hold'em at a home game about 18 months ago. I liked the game and we played a bit, but one night after we had finished he showed me various online poker sites. I went home and downloaded PKR straight away, and have played almost every day since.
D: Was this event the largest buy-in poker tournament you’ve entered? What was your live experience up to this point?
C: Yes for sure. I have played in a few low buy-in casino events, and I play in an APL (Australian Poker League) event each week. I have won a few of these, but really enjoy the home games with my mates. There is some pretty sick poker at times.
D: Did you manage to take your winnings from the WSOP event back home, or was it reinvested?!
C: Yes, I took most home, but did spend a bit whilst there. I didn’t play any other WSOP events but did play a few games in casinos. I bubbled a few times but did some deals to ensure I got paid. I had one memorable hand when I called an all-in with QQ. He rolled over AA, but QQ on the flop for quads ensured a nice double up.
D: Tell us the story of your $1,500 NLHE WSOP event...
C: I played in Event 7. Right from the start it didn’t go well. It seemed like whenever i raised either no one played or I lost. I had to lay down QQ in a big hand and eventually got down to just 800 chips, and pushed all-in UTG when I looked down at JJ. The BB called me with rags and I doubled up.
Two hands later I faced a button raise from a fairly loose player and managed to double up with AQ against his A7. After many more ups and downs I finished the 13 hours of play on Day One with just over 12K in chips.
A field of 346 players from the original 2,791 returned on Day 2, with another 48 eliminations required to burst the bubble. The first few hours of play were just awful. I pushed all in from the SB on the first hand with A7, and then did not win a pot until the bubble burst. The stress to make the money was the most I have ever felt playing poker, and I was so relieved to make the money with about 5k in chips left! Once past it I went on a bit of a rush, getting as high as 35k in chips, but eventually finished in 149th when I called my last 8k with KQ in the BB.
My event had plenty of big names, but most of them were eliminated early. I had a quick chat with the Devilfish, who certainly was a character. I found his buy-in card lying around and returned it to him the night before the tournament.
D: Describe your Vegas experience away from the poker tables
C: A complete lack of sleep. In the four nights I spent in Vegas the earliest I went to bed was around 6am, as I was determined to pack as much in as possible. Most of my time was spent in casinos, but we did have a big night at The Ghost Bar atop the Palms Casino. Vegas was everything it was cracked up to be. Everyone there is on holidays so they are all there to have fun. The free drinks make it all a bit too easy!
D: Now that you’ve cashed in your first WSOP event, will you be going to Vegas in future?
C: I will be doing everything to get back next year. Of course my aim will be to win my way there with PKR. I reckon I might have to take the family next time!
D: What are your next poker goals?
C: I only play low stakes on PKR which makes it too easy to make bad decisions as the end result doesn’t matter too much. The WSOP taught me that I need to play more aggressive, and I have been trying that with some success – you cannot limp into pots at the WSOP! So my goals are to improve my game enough to play at higher stakes. I enjoy tournaments much more than ring games, and will continue to focus on these. My main aim will be to win another trip with PKR. I had a go at the APT Macau, but find the tournament times don’t always suit the Aussie time zones. Thanks again to PKR – in my opinion the best online poker site by a long way. All of my friends have changed to PKR now.
One other goal is not to leave the ignition on in the car at the airport when travelling overseas. Not what you need after more than a full day of travelling!
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