World Series of Poker November Nine final table starts tomorrow night. Woot! I've taped and watched all but the last installment before tomorrow's big day, so I'll need to find time to watch it before the action kicks off. Like the past few years, I will probably stay up as late as my eyelids allow, and then hit the record button to catch any late night action. Watching the shows thus far this year, I have to say the play has been very impressive. Yes, I know they edit for TV and air only the big and exciting hands, but some of the preflop action and reads have been fantastic. I'm also learning a few things about live tells that that I've been looking for on the telly. Good fun. The only (kinda) disappointing thing is the guy I previously thought I wanted to root for to win it all: Mark Newhouse. While I credit his amazing feat making back-to-back final tables, and he's clearly very skilled, the guy kind of comes off as a too-cool tool in the off-table interviews. Too bad, too, as there are only four Yanks in total to root for at the final table, and this guy is one of them. Billy Pappas and Dan Sindelar tie for my vote as to whom I want to win. But if I were a betting man--and you know that I am!--my money is on Felix Stephensen from Norway. He's second in chips and just comes off as a really solid player. Can't wait for the action to kick off manana.
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Got knocked out of the WRGPT "Glaciers" tournament in the practice round this week. Had a busted straight draw on the river and bluff shoved into two players who were calling my bets on all streets. One of these guys was Flyboy, which made my shove a high-percentage play, as he is way too solid to call off without the near nuts or better there, which I knew he didn't have given the earlier street action. Alas, the other player in the hand called with a lone pair and I was sent packing. Good thing it was all for practice. The real tourney should be heating up soon...
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Despite all the travel I've been on, Le Monsieur and I continue to make slow but steady progress on the lessons. We're transitioning to situations where you're facing preflop action from one or more villains....
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...which reminds me of a terrible, terrible, terrible call I saw on tonight's penultimate WSOP broadcast. One of the two remaining first-time amateurs at the table called off his entire stack with KQo against a preflop 4bet. He ended up facing AKs and got knocked from the tourney when there was no reason to do so. Now, don't take the wrong message from this; shoving with KQo there would have been fine and dandy, but calling off your stack when you're not short? No way. Remember, it's far, far, far better to fire the gun then dodge a bullet in poker. Fold to live another day in that situation. Even this bug knows that!
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Went pretty deep in an online 600 player tourney the other night in my hotel room on Bovada. Busted in 22nd place when my KK ran into AA preflop. Then yesterday I lost a huge stack in cash when my KK ran into another AA preflop. Then today I lost another monster stack preflop when I held the AA and my opponent setted up with his KK on a K-5-2. That's poker, but coolers suck, too.
All-in for now...
-Bug
G'day Bug, did that run in with the KK also involve a JJ?
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