Jack Binion World Poker Open - Part I

With 2004 officially history, it was time to start racking up points for Card Player's 2005 Player of the Year award. My next stop on the tournament circuit was Tunica, Mississippi, where I hadn't had much success at all in the past in the Jack Binion World Poker Open.

Going into the championship event, though, I was determined to stay focused, not complain about anything, and do my absolute best. My first table was full of players with whom I wasn't familiar, but I could tell they were new to poker by the way they handled their chips.

There was one young player in particular who I could sense was extremely nervous. It appeared to me that this may have been his first tournament ever.

About a half-hour into the day, I was still sitting on my $10,000 starting stack when the youngster raised from middle position to $150. It was a standard-sized raise, considering the blinds were $25-$50. The button (another novice) called, and it was up to me in the small blind with the Q 4.

Now, this is a trash hand with which you shouldn't be calling raises here. So, of course, I called! This is where I think my approach may be a little different than some other tournament players' approaches. In the early stages, I'm more than willing to take some extra chances, looking to bust some of the "dead money." After all, on day one, you generally see more dead money than they do on day three, and I try to target those players if I can. If I don't get that money, somebody else will.

Most books will tell you that day one is all about survival – that you should play conservatively and avoid taking any risks. Personally, I think that by approaching tournaments this way, you aren't taking advantage of enough equitable opportunities.

OK, let's get back to the hand. The big blind called, as well, and four of us saw the flop. The flop came with the 7 4 4, giving me trip fours with a queen kicker. I checked, the big blind checked, and the youngster bet $200. The button called, and it was back to me to consider my options:

(A) Smooth-call and try to win more on the turn

(B) Raise a little bit to suck them in for a little more

© Raise a lot, hoping to knock out a flush draw

I went with (B) and made it a total of $500. The big blind folded, and to my amazement, the youngster went all in! The button folded, and now I was faced with a $9,500 bet. Normally in this spot, against a top pro, I'd be genuinely worried about 7-7 or A-4, but this kid didn't look like he had it. It appeared to me that he had a pair of queens and was afraid to get outplayed, so he just stuck it all in.

I thought for a little bit, and then asked the youngster a question: "Do you play on the Internet?"

"Yes, unfortunately I do," he replied. Almost before he could finish his reply, my chips were in the center of the pot.

The youngster turned over 9-9, which couldn't possibly be good, and when no 9 fell on the turn or the river, I was in great shape early with more than $20,000.

Now, looking back at this hand, did I really do anything spectacular? No. The only thing I did differently from what many pros might do in the same situation is put myself in a position to receive a belated Christmas gift.

There is a lesson to be learned here, for sure: When deciding when to play and when to fold, consider your opponents. If they are top players, be more selective, but if you are facing weaker players, you should open up a little bit and look for gifts.

I cruised the rest of the way and ended day one in 10th position with $77,400. We started with 512 players and were down to 161 by the end of day one.

More next time.

Read Daniel's daily journal at his website: www.fullcontactpoker.com.