The Big One at Bellagio - Part II

Day Two: After surviving day one of the $25,000 World Poker Tour Championship at Bellagio in April, I entered day two full of optimism. My chip count was above average, and it appeared that I had received a fortuitous table draw. There were a couple of big stacks at the table, but they immediately established themselves as reckless players. This came as no surprise, as big-stacked opponents who are unfamiliar to me typically got their abundance of chips by gambling it up in the first place. There were also several short stacks who played very solid poker. So, my plan was to try to double up by trapping one of the big stacks, and to mostly avoid major confrontations with the solid players when they showed strength. The tournament had also entered a stage at which the blinds and antes were starting to add up, so just sitting back and waiting for aces wouldn't get the job done.

Things don't always work out as I envision them, however. Within the first two hours, the two big stacks had gotten into a few wars, resulting in one of them going broke and the other gaining an obscene number of chips for this early in the event. The busted big stack was replaced by the very tough high-limit player Mimi Tran. She arrived at our table with quite a large stack herself, and wasted no time in playing a couple of major pots with the chip leader. First, she doubled through him with A-K against K-J (somehow, all of the money went in before the flop), and then eliminated him.

Meanwhile, my day began ineptly. It seemed that every time I raised a pot, I was faced with a large reraise from a solid player. I never had the goods (typically, I raised with hands such as A-Q, 7-7, or A-J, with which I don't necessarily like to call reraises unless I have a strong suspicion that they may be the best hand). My opponents typically showed me their hands after I folded, and I think I was up against two aces four or five times in the first few levels, with a few pocket kings thrown in for good measure. In any case, I saw my once healthy stack shrinking, without really playing a major pot.

Late in the day, I was left with only around $40,000 in chips, with the average stack at nearly $130,000. With the blinds at $1,000-$2,000, it was clear that I would have to take a stand fairly soon. Finally, I found a good hand - pocket queens. Mimi Tran had opened the pot with a raise to $8,000, and I decided to move all in. I knew she would hold a good hand, as her raise came from early position and she wasn't splashing around too much, but I thought my hand was too big to pass. Well, she had me in bad shape with pocket aces, but a lucky queen on the flop enabled me to double up and end the day with just over $80,000. All things considered, I felt fortunate to still be alive, and went to sleep knowing that tomorrow was a whole new day.

Day Three: Day three was the money day, 100 spots were to be paid, and about 200 players started play that day. We
figured to get below 100 in either the fourth or fifth level. My overall goal for the day was to build up my stack to a level that would enable me to make a run at the title. If I was successful in doing so, cashing in the event would take care of itself. My table draw was pretty rough. Two of the tournament's best remaining players and biggest stacks were at my table - Erick Lindgren and Freddy Deeb. There were also a few young, talented, and tough players with chips. It seemed as if every time someone busted out, another all-star got transferred to fill the vacant seat. First, Mimi Tran came back. Later, Men "The Master" Nguyen and the young cash-game superstar Brad Booth arrived. Overall, it was one of the toughest tables I have been seated at in a large-field event. My chips didn't move a whole lot during the day. I didn't have much in the way of good hands, and with Deeb opening a lot of pots in front of me and Lindgren being active on the other side, it was tough to get too involved without something reasonable.

This left me in an uncomfortably short chip situation when we got down inside of 110 players (near the bubble). I had enough chips not to be in danger of blinding out of the tournament, but on the other hand I didn't really have enough to scare anyone. Plus, it was tough to pick up a pot uncontested. So, I basically decided that it wasn't smart to force the issue at this point. Hopefully, enough of the really short stacks would go broke soon, and then I would be more willing to take some gambles that were closer to even money.

With 101 players left, I picked up pocket nines under the gun. With a short stack such as I had, this hand is typically an automatic all in. However, it was unlikely to be much of a favorite if I got called, and one of the big stacks may have realistically called me with hands such as K-J or Q-10 (not the matchups I wanted). So, I passed, knowing that at least seven or eight other critically short stacks would have to take a stand in the next round. Someone did go broke on the next hand, so we were now in the money.

Although I was still afloat, my chances weren't all that great at the moment. I really needed to double up. When it was folded around to me in the small blind, I moved all in with a real powerhouse - Q-5 suited. I did so for a couple of reasons: (1) I still had enough chips to make the big blind fold if he held a really bad hand; (2) I like being the raiser, not the caller, and if I folded, there were no guarantees that I would have another opportunity to be the first one in. Surinder Sunar, in the big blind, was also quite short, and he thought for a time and then called. I actually had the best hand, as he called me with a suited J-3. I like his call, though, as he realized that I may not have much, and with the blinds and antes already in the pot, he was getting a nice price to call. In short, it was a good time to gamble. Fortunately for me, my queen high held up, and I was over $100,000 in chips for the first time in the entire event. I ended the day with about $125,000, which felt like a lot considering where I came from, but it was one of the shortest stacks among the approximately 70 remaining players.

Day Four: Today, the plan was to play down to the final two tables. I planned on gambling early and often, playing any decent hand for all it was worth to try to get some chips and make a run. With my stack, though, I would have to survive my first few all ins before becoming a big factor.

The day started out great, as I was the beneficiary of a nice gift on one of the first hands. I was in the big blind, and the player next to the button opened for a raise. He appeared hesitant, as if he was raising because it was his duty to attack short stacks in the blinds, not because he may actually have a good hand. The button passed, and then Meng La, a top-notch L.A.-based player, moved all in from the small blind. He had more chips than me, but not by a long shot. I looked down to find two queens. I called without any hesitation, the raiser folded, and Meng could produce only the J 2. I like his play here, though, as he read the weakness of the original raiser correctly. All he had to do was not have me wake up with a monster in the big blind.

Unfortunately for him, I did, and the queens held up. To add insult to injury, I busted him a few hands later when his ace-rag all-in move ran into my A-J. Suddenly, I had more than $300,000 in chips, and was back in the game. Things can change so fast in tournaments.

We were down to 54 players now, and my table broke. I got moved to a new table, comprised of several opponents I had not played with before, as well as legends Doyle Brunson, Johnny Chan, and Billy Baxter. I hadn't been there long when I picked up K-K, and opened for a raise. Matt Lefkowitz, a strong player and good friend of mine, moved all in a few spots to my left. I had slightly more chips than he did. Then, the lady in the big blind declared herself all in, as well. I hadn't played with her before, but she had a big stack and didn't seem afraid to move it around. So, I didn't give her two aces, which is often the case when someone moves all in after a raise and a reraise. Matt certainly could have held aces, though, as he should know that I held a good hand, and probably wouldn't have moved in behind me without something pretty big. Had their two positions been flip-flopped, I would've folded my kings (meaning, I raised, the lady moved all in, and Matt moved in behind her). But, I didn't think I had enough information to lay the hand down, and it would've been a huge mistake to fold the best hand in this spot, where tripling up would give me an excellent opportunity to win the event.

So, I called. Matt did indeed have two aces, and the lady flipped over A-K. This was pretty ugly for me, as only one king remained. When the board flopped three to a suit, Matt was drawing at a flush, as well, and the lone remaining king would complete it. After the turn, I was drawing dead. This hand left me with crumbs, and I went broke shortly afterward in 48th place. Overall, I felt satisfied with my effort, and had survived a couple of all ins along the way to get as far as I did. However, 48th felt a lot closer to 600th than it did to first. ♠

Mark can usually be found in the cash games at Bellagio in Las Vegas. You can contact him at [email protected].