2009 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure - Part 1

The early part of January is always time for my second-favorite tournament of the year. The main event of the World Series of Poker will always be number one in my heart, but the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure at the beautiful Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas is my next choice. Each year, the tournament manages to set a new record for attendance, and since it is now part of the European Poker Tour, it is far and away the biggest event of the EPT season. The tournament again set an attendance record with a staggering 1,347 players in the $10,000 buy-in main event. There were 199 places paid, with the winner getting $3 million. With the bad economy, you have to wonder where so many players are getting the cash, and where they are coming from. Well, since anyone who's at least 18 years old can play, many players who are ineligible to play in the United States play in this tournament. My starting table had two 19-year-old players. Also, with the PokerStars satellite system starting well in advance of the tournament, many players won a seat on the cheap. There was a large number of European players present, and many other countries were represented. The fact that the Atlantis is one of the premier resorts in the world makes it a definite vacation destination for many people.

The defending champion, Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier, did not make the money in the main event this time, but he started his tournament year with a fantastic win in the high-roller event. He is again on track to become a contender in the Card Player 2009 Player of the Year race. Last year, in came in third. Two of my friends got deep in the tournament, so I had a definite rooting interest. Kathy Liebert finished 12th, good for $120,000, and Dan Heimiller finished seventh, which was worth $300,000.

I battled my way through the opening day, about average in chips. We started with 20,000 and I finished the day with 65,900. More than 70 percent of the players bit the dust in day one. Naturally, I played several key hands along the way, which I will discuss now.

We started with 50-100 blinds and 75-minute rounds, so there was plenty of play. In the first level, I wasn't catching much, so I decided to open up my game a little, and brought it in for 300 with the 6 5. Both blinds called. The flop came A-9-3 of mixed suits. The blinds checked, I bet 800, and they both folded. Now, this might not seem like such a remarkable hand, but it illustrates a point that I often make in seminars and when teaching privately: If you are making a bluff, you must make it convincing. Therefore, a decent-sized bet is necessary. There was 900 in this pot, so I bet almost the entire pot, representing an ace. Since I had raised preflop, this was believable and I won the pot without a contest.

Another hand that I like to play is a small or medium pair, especially early in the tournament when it won't cost me much to see the flop. Having the button makes the hand even more attractive to play. A player raised and got a couple of callers, including me on the button. I had pocket sevens, and after the blinds folded, there was 1,050 in the pot. The flop came A-7-6 and the preflop raiser bet 1,000. The other player called, and I called. A blank came on the turn, and it was checked to me. I don't always bet here, because I sometimes slow-play, but I thought one of my opponents would call, so I bet 3,000. They both folded, but I had added nicely to my stack and ended the first level with 28,675 in chips.

In the second level, I won one pot strictly on table image. The blinds were 100-200 and a loose player in middle position opened the pot for 550. A solid player in the cutoff seat called, and I was on the button with the A J. I made it 2,000 to go. I knew that if I got past the original raiser, there was a pretty good chance that the other player would also fold. Since the original raiser had been playing a lot of hands, I did not think he had much, so this was a perfect time to make a move. Since I had a tight image, it worked. Always be aware of your table image and use it to your advantage. I played one other hand in the second level when I opened with pocket kings. I got two calls of my 575 bet. The flop came J-8-3 of mixed suits. It was checked to me, and I bet 1,500. Only the small blind called, and he could have anything. A 7 hit on the turn, and he checked. I also checked, since a 10-9 made a straight, and that is a hand that he could have had. Another 7 came on the river, and my opponent immediately bet out 3,200. I did not think he had made trip sevens, but a straight was still a possibility; I called. He turned over A-J, and had made a value-bet with top pair and top kicker on the river. I finished the level with 40,850 in chips, and was on my way to tournament success. I will continue this saga in my next column.

Tom McEvoy is a representative of PokerStars. He also represents PicClub, a new and legal way to fund online accounts in the United States and elsewhere. Tom also gives private lessons; you can check out his website at www.tommcevoy.com.