Out of WPT Championship in 5th, Back in Tuscaloosa

Well, I'm sure many of you know by now, but I busted out of the WPT Championship in 5th place. My finish was worth $408,550. I guess going into the final table it would be hard not to sign for a 5th place finish given that I was so short. I'll recap the final table in this entry, and I'll try to put together a recap of my entire WPT Championship later this week. I've got a really bad cold right now and don't feel like typing it all out. My first WPT final table experience lasted 44 hands. It was an incredibly exciting time, and I'll never ever forget it. I woke up and had to meet with a realtor to lock up the condo at Turnberry that Mike, Adam and I are getting for two months this summer. Place is really nice. It's a penthouse with unbelievable views and the amenities are the nut. Later, I had to go over the Caesar's forum shops to pick up a long sleeved black collared shirt. I was running a little behind schedule, so I went into the first place nice place I saw and paid way too much for the shirt. I then had to walk across the street to Bellagio to get my hair and makeup done at 12:40. I went through this in Australia in 2006, but obviously it's still really weird. Then, I did a 15 minute interview with the WPT camera crew. I expect that little parts of it will air throughout the episode. After the episode I checked into my room at Bellagio. I flew my family out, and they arrived in time to meet me downstairs at Snacks for lunch before the tournament. We got over to the ballroom and after some briefing and introduction it was finally time to begin around 4:30. On the very first hand Ran raised from the HJ, and it was folded to me where I found 72o. I hoped this wouldn't be a microcosm of the final table. Two hands later it was folded to me in the cutoff and I had a trivial shove with AQo. The others folded. The very next hand I found A9cc and shoved 15bb. The others folded. On hand 7 it was folded to me in the SB, and I shoved around 15bb into Yevginey with K5o. He folded. On hand 8 Elky raised the HJ to 285,000 and I moved in for around 1.8 million with AKo on the button. He folded. Hand 19 was the real momentum point for me at the final table. Ran raised from upfront. Scotty called 420,000 on the button, and I found ThTs and had an easy shove for 2.1 million total. Ran tanked and folded, and Scotty tanked and called me with black 66. Flop AK3 with two hearts. Turn scary 7. River Q to double me to around 4.8 million. Next hand I raised the button with A4dd. Yevginey and Christian folded. The very next hand, we lost Scotty and I secured an additional $130,000 in cash. On hand 26, Elky raised to 380,000 in the HJ. I reraised from the CO with QTo to 1.2 million, and everyone folded. On hand 29, Elky raised the button to 380,000 and I reraised to 1.28 million with A8o from the SB and took the pot. At hand 32, we took a break as the tapes were changed for filming. I was actually 2nd out of 5 in chips for a moment. Hand 38 was the hand that really hurt me at the final table, still I like how I played the hand and don't fault myself for the big bluff on the end. Yevginey raised UTG to 375,000 and I defended 8s8h for 215,000 more. Flop QT4 with two clubs. I led 490,000. Yevginey thought and called. Turn Tc. I didn't like leading this turn because Yevginey has a ten so often here, so I was prepared to give up. However, Yevginey checked. River Ah. This is such a good bluff card for me now. As played, Yevginey almost never has a flush, ten, or Ace. I can represent KJ, and Yevginey surely knows how thin I'm capable of valuebetting this river. I bluffed 1.3 million into 1.9 million and the normally painfully deliberate Timoshenko called me within 20 seconds of thought with AcQh, which has to be about the bottom of his calling range on this board. Him having the Ac obviously makes it an easier call. The next hand was just a disaster. It was folded to me in the SB and I found AJo and just completed because the stacks dictated a limp-raise all-in. Yevginney checked. Flop AK3r. Check-Check. Turn 3. I led 255,000 into 400,000. Yevginey raised to 675,000. After some thought, I folded. My line is just awful here. Bet/folding the turn has to be bad. I have to either check the turn and then bet the river or I have to bet/call then check/call the river. I wouldn't be surprised to see Yevginey show up with a bluff when this hand airs on TV. The very next hand, I moved in from the button for 15bb with A9o, and both 21 year olds folded. On my fatal hand, it was folded to me in the SB and I have, I guess, a standard shove for 16bb with 76cc. Everyone shoves it nowadays anyway. Yevginey perked up in his chair upon looking at his cards and I thought "fuck". He called and turned over two fours without a club though, and I had a good feeling I was gonna double. The Ac came in the door but the rest of the board rolled out Ac9s3hJsKs to send me to the rail in 5th. Congrats to Yevginey for winning the tournament and the $2.15 million. He's a very nice guy, a world class tournament player, and I haven't a bad thing to say about him. Also, congrats to my bud Eric Baldwin for outright winning the Venetian $2500 for like $200k the day of my final table. Not a bad day's work for us roommates. SS