1st WSOP Event, Phil Laak

I played the $1,500 pot limit holdem yesterday at the Rio and although I missed the money I felt like I played well and just couldn’t get any traction. As usual the tournament was run extremely well and I am always impressed what an excellent job they do with what can only be described as a logistical nightmare.

After I busted I went over to the Bellagio and hoped in a cash game for a little while. It was a good game with many of the usual suspects, Lee Markholt and Jennifer Tilly to name a few. I had one good hand when I called an early position raiser and one other caller from the big blind with 55 and the flop came J 5 2 rainbow. He continued with 80% pot, the mid-position player folded. I raised about 80% pot and he called. The board paired with a 2 on the turn and I moved all in for about 1.5 times the pot. He insta-called and I felt for an instant that he had JJ, but as advertised he had AA. I then lost a few hands but made a profit for the day. At the table next to me Phil Laak was trying to break the continuous play record for the Guinness book of records of 80 hours. I sat and talked with him for a few minutes, he is really a great guy and one of my favorite people in poker. More on this later.