Poker Words - A Poker Blog: WSPL Goes to Vegas Episode 2/9

And things get a little more interesting...

I had just about resigned myself to the fact that Mark and Rich were going to be the top two finishers in the league. They are in the lead now, and both too solid to have enough bad performances to let anyone else in. Or so I thought.

Rich is on vacation this week, out of the country. He was planning on still playing but apparently wasn't able to make it, or most likely found something better to do. This is why we get to drop two games.

For me this week things started out pretty poorly. With one exception. In my third or fourth hand I found myself with good old 27o. Two players called my pre-flop raise, but they both folded to my continuation bet. That was the only hand I won for the first three or four orbits. I was playing tighter than usual in an attempt to keep myself out of trouble, and the few hands I did play I missed completely.

Just as I was starting to get frustrated I find myself with the small stack and AKs under the gun. I make a standard 3xBB raise and get two callers, Noah and Cookie. Noah has been on a tear lately. If he makes it to the ante levels (which we are in) he wins.

The flop is jack high with two of my suit. Cookie bets, and Noah raises. I push all in. I'm guessing neither has anything, and that Noah is trying to steal the pot. Even if they do have something I have a ton of outs. Jason goes all in behind me and Noah calls, which initially doesn't make me too happy. Cookie has QJ and Noah AJ. I still have a bunch of outs, but I'm in trouble. The turn is a ten, which gives me some more outs, and I river a King. Cookie is eliminated, Noah is still OK. I don't remember what he started with, but he may have come out ahead in the hand.

A few hands later Noah gets all in with Shane. Noah again has AJ on a Jack high board, but Shane sucks out on the river. Noah is finally eliminated when he again goes all in with the best hand and Aaron catches runner runner to make trips and beat him. I think that is the most angry I've heard Noah after a game.

I was the chip leader after my triple up above and I never looked back. I didn't jump into super aggressive bully mode because that has gotten me into trouble before, but I was able to push my way around when I needed to. I was also able to sit back and watch the others knock each other out.

With Rich not playing and Noah out early this was my big chance to gain ground. Mark ends up going out in third so there is a little amount to be made there too.

Aaron and I get heads up before we are even an hour into the tourney, which I think is a first for this league. I had about 7500 to his 4500. We played to a stalemate for about half an hour. Then I whittled him down to just under 2000. He went all in with 22 and I called with AJo. His two's held up and he got a new burst of confidence. Suddenly he wasn't folding to my post flop raises, he was reraising me. He ended up taking the lead and getting me all in, but this time my hand held up which seemed to put the game back to where we started. I gradually ground him down to take my third win of the season.

So here are this weeks results.