After bubbling Event 35, I played in Event 37, a $2000 Pot Limit Holdem tournament with only 599 players. I was surprised it was such a small turnout for a relatively low buy-in on a Saturday -- especially when the $1500 NLH the day before had over 2500. We started with 4000 chips.

The first few hours of the tournament were terrific for me. It was so nice to get some cards and run well. I had never played Pot Limit before. I have less text message notes on this one so some of what happened is hazy but I believe I have the "spirit" of these hands.. I didn't know it at the time but SamENole was to my immediate right. To my left, three seats away was an aggressive player who was taking down pots early by re-raising. We actually played the first hand together and checked it down and my mid pair won. Right after that, he upped the aggression and won a bunch of hands. I also started well and took down some pots with top pair. I also won a hand from the big blind with 23 off. People just checked, checked, checked and I rivered a straight.

So I was quickly up over 6k when I got into a strange pot with the aggressive re-raiser to my left. There was a limper (blinds still 25/50 I believe) and I limped with A7 spades. Mr. Re-raiser limped as well. Flop was 10, 8, 4 with two clubs and one spade. I checked. Mr. Re-raiser bet but it wasn't a lot and for some reason I called. I was strongly considering representing the club flush if it hit. Turn was a 6 spade. Hmmmmm. I checked, he bet 700. I fully admit, because of his early aggression, he had me confused. I really couldn't put him on a hand and that healthly 700 bet sure felt like he wanted me to go away. I started thinking he had the club draw. I now thought my spade flush draw, gutshot straight draw, and even my ace over could be good. I called and the river was a spade. I then led out for 1200. He started talking and said how confused he was. He couldn't put me on runner runner flush, that's for sure. He called with trip 8s and wasn't happy. I did apologize for the play and told him that his play in previous hands had me totally confused.

Soon after pro Joe Awada took a big pot off of Mr. Re-raiser (who turned out to be a backed pro) that Joe seemed to know pretty well. I then had an interesting hand with Joe.

Joe and others limped into my BB and I checked with J 10 off. Flop was Jack high with two clubs. Now with a big stack, I bet 1/2 pot. Joe flat called. The turn was a 5 spades. I bet out about 1/2 pot again and Joe thought for a while and called. The river was a 5 clubs pairing the board and completing the club flush draw. I immediately bet 1200 without thinking. I now put Joe on a better Jack than me ... maybe KJ (I would assume he'd raise AJ but maybe the "rules" are different in PL). Since he had seen me run down a flush previously, I was trying to rep that I was just a donkey flush chaser. Joe seemed very surprised by the quick bet. "Woooww, you have no fear at all." He went through all the hands. "Did you really fire twice on a flush draw? Nooooo. Would you bet a Jack after the flop? Nooooo. Did that second five help you? Nooooo." He finally called with a pocket pair of eights. I don't really like that call. What was he beating other than a total bluff where I fired three times from the BB? I'm guessing my earlier play versus Mr. Re-raiser had him puzzled a bit and it paid me off for me here.

I had one other big hand. Again in the BB, four or five people limp and I just call with AQ diamonds. That call seems okay to me in PL but I'm not really sure. Melissa Hayden, Allen Cunningham's girlfriend was an early position limper (she had showed up to the table fairly late). The flop was Kd Jd, x. Nice ... royal straight flush draw. I check. Melissa raises pot. SB calls, and I re-pot. She says: "Oh great, that's the way it's going for me." and calls, putting her smallish stack all-in. SB folds. She flips QJ for top pair and says: "You are the favorite." The turn was a queen, giving me one pair but her two pair. River was a diamond and I scooped a big pot. At the two hour break, I had 21k and may have been chip leader.

About this time I realized that SamENole was on my immediate right. He had taken some big hits to get low but then hit trip 10s twice to chip back up. He is one of my favorite online players.

Soon after break, John Murphy (of 2005 WSOP Main Event fame -- the kid who had a ton of chips but overslept a bit near the end and finished in the top 15) was moved to the table dressed in black from his hat (with no logo) to his shoes. I always admired how he played so fearlessly and he took some early pots and was maybe around 8k in chips when I had a big hand with him. I believe he limped from early position for 200. Then a player went all-in for 1350 (so there had to be some chips in before him in order to be able to put a bet that size in). I had JJ. I just flat called and promised myself that I would call if Murphy tried to isolate. Looking back, the correct play was to re-pot there. I really thought Murphy would try to isolate but it was silly of me, if he had a good ace, to let him see a flop. Murphy flat called thou to my surprise.

Flop was 10 high and was uncoordinated. I bet 1500 and murphy shoved. I guess my flat call pre-flop made him think I had AK. I thought about it for a bit and called. He showed 67 diamonds. He didn't even have a straight draw other than runner runner. He hit a 6 on the turn but blanked on the river. All of the sudden I'm at 35k and am chip leader up on the board by a wide margin. Nice. I ended the level at 29k when I couldn't move a guy off his hand.

I did take down one pot from SamENole in a BB vs. SB hand. I hit a set of fives on the flop. He had a flush draw that missed but hit his queen on the river and he paid me off. That hurt him a bit and he went out soon after.

The next two hours were very tough but I certainly couldn't complain after the first few hours. I was moved to a new table and I thought the play was much more difficult. There were a bunch of players with death stacks who kept making a stand and winning, so it was difficult to get involved. I did lose a bunch of chips with mid-pairs and at the next break was down to 23k. Now there were two huge stacks as well at my table, including the chip leader with over 40k. Apparently he had hit sets 4 times and while I was there he hit two more sets.

My inexperience at Pot Limit really showed and I lost two more hands with mid-pairs, which I was later told don't play well at all in Pot Limit. I also had the chip leader flat call my raises (I had AK and AQ) and take the hand away from me both times after the flop blanked. I was determined not to be the playing for my tournament life again as the bubble approached but it did in fact work out that way. With the top 54 paying, I was probably 56th in chips with 57 to go. It turned out to be an easy level to play. Other than some blind steals, I was totally card dead.

Then all of the sudden we're in the money and I give my buddy casino chips and my Total Rewards card to go sign me up for the $1500 NLH event the next day (there was a long line, over 2700 eventually played).

Then the following happened in the space of one orbit. I'm in the big blind with KQ sooooted. One guy "pots" from early position and I'm essentially pot committed. I repot. He calls and flips 10 10. Queen on flop. Hey look I have 18,000 chips.

Two hands later, I get AA. I raise pot and big stack flat calls. Flop is all below a 10. I bet (but not pot) and he shoves. I get all my chips in and he flips QQ. Cool, I have 40,000 chips. Then, in my next big blind, William Thorson, who finished 13th in the Main Event last year and was playing great until he lost a big hand with AK vs AA, raised ... as he had done 40% of the time. I flat called with AK. The flop is a beautiful A K x with two clubs. I check and he bets out (but doesn't repot). I had seen him call a huge repot with AK previously (on a hand where I was sure the other guy had AA) so I repotted right there. He thought for a while and put me all in with AQ. Weeeeeeee. 85,000 chips. I lost one hand in the next orbit and finished the night in the top ten in chips.

Sorry these are so long. Next up (but much shorter): Day Two of the Event 37.