Just as a prelude, it's a few hours before Day 2 (I made it to Day 2, spoiler alert!) and I figured I'd patch hands together to post a recap. My phone died in the middle of level 3, so level 4 and 5 I'm just going to go off memory, as I was sorta live blogging the adventure up to that point. I didn't play many hands in level 4 and 5, so it won't be too difficult. Here are 2 live-action shots!

Angrily looking at my cards...


Hopefully not *as* angry...


I go sit down at table 133. I thought that was my table. The dealer doesn't say anything, just confirms my ID etc. A few people sit down, Holly Madison says "Shuffle up and deal!" and we're away.

50/100:

1. Only 5 people are sitting, and I'm UTG with black 4s. Sweet, I make it 250. An older man on the button calls, the blind (sb was not at the table) folds. Flop comes K53 all spades. I bet 325 and he calls. Ok, he has a pair or a spade, he didn't think long and didn't even consider raising. Turn was a 6, I have an open ender. I bet 1.025k, he snap calls. Ok probably doesn't have a spade anymore, outs are clean? River 7, booyah, I bet an even 2k, and he snaps me with AK no spade. I win the first pot of the day, and I'm near my high point. (I win one more hand to briefly put me at 34k, the rest of the day I was much lower)

2. As noted I win a few more pots. The table is short, the opponents seem terrible, and I'm stoked to have some early easy chippos. I get a tap on the back, and lo and behold, it's a player and a tournament director. The player is wearing a Santa suit and apparently I'm in the wrong seat. I'm supposed to be at table 113, not 133. Well, that sucks. I go sit at the new table and it's not even close as appetizing.

For the record, this table didn't break the entire day and we lost just 2 players (out of 10). Play wasn't PARTICULARLY aggressive, but it was fairly tight. Everyone except for 2 players (1 of whom busted) was solid. On my side of the table was a Danish pro named Simon who looked like Justin Timberlake (someone pointed that out to him) who played well and in the middle of the table a Montreal pro named David who said he played HUSNGs. He played well, although I suspect he hit a fair amount of hands. (That said he value bet phenomenally, very wide and got paid off repeatedly) On the other side of the table, players were a tad older, but 1 guy was fairly LAGGRO who had some tricks. (Again, could just be hands, but he was 3betting a fair amount, c/r, showed a few bluffs, etc.) It's hard to say within a 300 hand sample (we played about that many hands) but I did not think this was a good table. In year's past I've maintained that the play was worse than a low stakes cash table, but this year I think my table would not have been a good cash table. (At any stakes)

3. So we're an hour into the day and I have very few reads on the table at this point. Danish pro raised to 250 in EP and the guy on his right (named Lance, nice fellow from Texas who works with Oil/Gas stuff, he played well - talked about how he has cashed 4 of the 6 events he played this year or so, not in a nit manner like "I'm going to fold/survive/cash!" but in a "yeah things have gone well/I'm having a good summer") calls. I overcall T8ss and the Button and SB call. (Wowza, ~1300 in there!) Flop comes K95 w/ 2 spades, including the 9s. Pretty decent flop. 5 way I'm reticent to semibluff especially when it's difficult for a smooth caller to have 2pair (I hate mono-repping sets or nothing) but my plan changed when the PFR bet 400 into the pot. Lance smoothed quickly on my right, didn't even think about raising, and the 2 other guys looked disinterested. I made it 2125. Fold/fold/fold, and the last original caller called. At this point he had just smoothed pf (quickly), didn't think about repopping either the flop bet or my raise, and had played mildly snug. I don't see how he could have an overpair, set, or 2 pair, so I figured KQ, KJ, KT or some draw. (I had some of the key cards, but he could have had 45ss or AXss or QJss etc.) Turn was a Jx, giving me the boatload of outs. He checked. I bet 5.1k... This is questionable? My understanding is this has a reasonable chance of moving him off top pair, it's very difficult for him to call with a FD unless he has specifically AJss, AK/ATss, or QJss, and I'm never in jeopardy of getting c/r. (Even KJ probably just flats? But I can call most c/r as we're effective 30k+ deep) He thinks for a while and calls. River is a K, which isn't the worst card - this lowers the frequency he has Kx and doesn't his a random pair with the NFD. (Nor is it a broadway to hit the straightening draws/random K+2pair) He checks. I considered checking back, but with 16k in the middle, I'd feel disgusted letting someone win with ace high, 45ss?, or Jx. I also considered shoving, thinking that someone would pitch KQ, but I think that's minorly suicidal. So I bet 6k, which is a tiny tiny bluff, but I figured about half his range folds to this, making it far better than checking. I could be wrong. He was THRILLED I just bet 6k, calls me w/ AK (I don't think a shove would have worked) and I feel like a jackass, as that was a 28k pot that I bluffed off with ten high.

4. Things spiraled a little quicker out of my control. I started to raise 99 UTG to 250, but "David" raised to 300 in MP - he didn't notice I was raising. I was unsure what to make of that. I put my raise in and he just flatted. The button called and we were 3way to the flop for 850. It came 872 w/ 2 clubs (I had the 9c) which was pretty good. I figured since the 1st caller really wanted to put money into the pot I'd let him bet, if the button did anything funky I'd fold, otherwise I'd call down and have a reasonable bluff catcher/keep the pot small. (I'd hate hate hate to get raised on this flop, as it could be a bet/fold...) The dude bet ~700, which is a pretty strong bet, and button quickly folded. I called. Turn was the 4c, filling in the flush, and I checked. He bet 1.1k which was pretty tiny and I don't see how I can pitch it there. I suppose he could have a flush, he could be afraid and just betting 8x to get to showdown/make sure I don't get a free club, could be a set which wants to put money in, or simply K or Q high just trying to get me off an ace high or weak pair w/ no club. Whatever let's see a river. I called and the river brought a 7. I checked and he bet 4,025. Fack. I played it in such a passive manner I'm not sure I really look like an overpair, but what really do I have to call/call/call as the pfr from EP? Could this guy have 8x? Does he have to have a flush+? Am I getting value bet by like JJ? Knowing what I know now, I made a bad call. (This guy didn't get caught bluffing once, it could be that he just made a bunch of hands, but I just don't think he was a bluffer) He had T8cc and I felt like an idiot, as I was down on chips early. (This brought me to ~20k?)

5. I jotted this one down, so I figure I may as well share it, but one of the last hands from the 1st level. Older guy who was played very actively raised in the hijak to 300, I had KJcc in the SB. I made it 1025 and the guy on my left (seemed like a German pro) cold called. I need to mention I 3bet 5 times in the 1st 2 hours (I *was* active early) and I got cold flatted 3 of the times. Again, unsure if that's simple variance or running into hands or having people just read my soul, but 3betting was not a good option for me this day. Original opener called too. Flop was 542 w/ 2 spades and 1 club, I gave up. It's got to be suicidal betting there. BB bets 1700, other guy calls, and the turn is A, river Q (they check down) and the laggro guy shows down 77 for the win. The only hands that makes sense unless the German pro was trying something incredibly fancy would be 66 or 33.

So at the first break I had 18k. For the record we're going to head over to day 2 in 10 mins, so I just need to jot hands fast:

Level 2 (100/200) I got AKs twice and AQo once. 3bet all of them in spots that were prime valuetown, and went 2 for 3 on cbets. (Raised once on the other one on a Q83 board where I claimed I was making a big fold vs an Asian) Around 20k...

6. Opened J8hh from the 2nd seat to 525. 2 callers, both of the ~fishier players at the table who were fit or fold. (The 1st guy was an Indian wearing a Spanish football jersey, he would do this thing where it looked like he was going to make a massive raise, look around the table, then exhale and SHOVE his cards into the muck quickly - did this like 6 times during the day) Flop came A42r w/ 1 heart. Normally I don't cbet but these guys were so fit or fold and there was a 0 chance they'd playback with air. So I bet 900, giving myself a reasonable price to pick it up. Indian called. Turn was the 9h, giving me a fd. I could bet, but there was a 0% chance he'd fold an ace, and I don't think 4x or pairs are that much apart of his range. (Like 30% or so) I checked and he just bet 1.1k. He didn't seem strong (as in set, 2 pair, straight) although this type of player very well could have had AK. (Wouldn't repop that pre) I decided to c/r to 3.3k, which is fishy as fuck, but people like him don't understand the bet size is tiny, they just see a c/r on an ace high board. I could be wrong but I was *very* sure he'd fold all trashy aces, since this type of player is betting *any* ace on the turn. He called quickly though, so I put him on a strong ace or 2pair. River came a 5, I did not follow through, he immediately bet 6k, and I folded. He told me after he had 2 pair, which made sense. If I hit my flush I was going to overpot shove.

Somehow I lost another pot, since I was at 10k the following break. We're leaving in 5 mins, but:
-I finished with ~10k every single break. I can't make that up.
-I doubled up twice. Once with AJcc when I minraised to 650, got called by the BB, and got c/r on a J65cdd board. I snap shoved, got called by J7, and held. That was all in #1.
-The other time was AA (got AA twice during the day) vs QQ. (Vs a tighter player) That was lucky and nice.

I shortstacked well but just never really had chips. The final level I got up to 20 or 22k, which felt like a huge accomplishment, but lost them in 3 hands:
1. I raised TT minimum (800), got called by Indian and random. Flop came 542r (woo!) I bet halfpot and was called by the indian. Turn was an ace, damnit. check check. River was a 9, I block bet 1/4th the pot - this type of player would feel compelled to look it up with a smaller pair and I'm positive would never bluff raise it. Again, these are fishy looking plays that are opponent specific. He said "how much is that bet??!?!?! Well, it doesn't matter, I'm all in!" lol. I snap folded, he said he had a set. (I probably would fold AAA there, so, sick bluff)
2. 3bet K5 CO to Hijack open, Btn who was new/older guy starts breathing heavily, does the whole act of sighing etc., cold 4s. I snap fold and he shows me QQ.
3. Raised AK to the minimum, called in a ton of places, and whiffed again. I didn't hit with AK all day. (Poor me!) Got kings once all day and stole the blinds. Whee.

Ended up folding for my final 15 hands or so (all trash) to end with just shy of 11k. I felt like I did the best I could, and perhaps was unlucky/poor timing/poor decisions earlier in the day. No one was giving away chips so there weren't really strong spots to play a bit pot. Oh well. Good luck today!