World Series Or Bust!

That is my poker goal for the next few months...World Series or Bust!

One of my poker resolutions this year was to play in a major event. You can't get anymore "major" than the World Series of Poker in Vegas. I decided last week that I would begin my quest to get there and play. I started by playing in my first single table qualifier at Party Poker. It was a $33 qualifier with 10 people playing. The winner of the table got the $300 entry into the super satellite. Like I said, there were 10 people playing with starting stacks of 2000 chips. The blinds lasted 15 minutes and started at 20-40.

I started out very quickly with a full house on the very first hand. I picked up pocket eights in middle position. I made a standard raise and got two callers to the flop. The flop came out 8-3-3 giving me the full house and the lock on the hand. The action was on me and I checked to the next player. The player to my left made a bet at the pot and the other one behind him quickly folded. Back on me, I just called him bet looking for more action. The turn was no visible help to me or to the other player. I checked again and so did the player behind me. We got to the river and I made an overbet. My goal was to represent a steal attempt, so he would either call or raise. Unfortunately, he did neither and folded his hand. I picked up 600 chips on the first hand.

On the second hand, I picked up A-Q and decided to limp in. Another player in late position raised the pot. When it was my turn, I called the raise and the flop came out. It came Q-5-3 giving me top pair and top kicker. I checked the flop and the raiser followed up by making a bet. I check raised him and increased his bet four times. He quickly folded his hand and the pot was pushed over to me. After two hands, I now had over 3200 in chips.

We played on for awhile and nothing too exciting happened. I would play a few hands, but nothing would develop from them. There was a growing rivalry between the player to my left and myself. During this time, he had saw fit to raise my blind or raise my flop bet everytime. I was starting to get really annoyed and decided to set a trap for this player. I had come to the conclusion that he was a very aggressive player. The only way to counteract was to set a trap. I was looking for a big hand to disguise. I wanted him to bet, so I could spring the trap and bust him. Very soon after I decided on a course of action, my opportunity came up.

We have lost several players early on and a few more during the later rounds. While we were 5 handed, I was on the button with a very modest A-7 offsuit. Let me set the mood for you. The player to my left had been steadly producing the all in show. Every opportunity, he would push all his chips into the middle with a very modest hand. The other four players had been very quiet because none of them wanted to bust out. Back to the hand, I raised on the button with the A-7. The player to my left, right on cue, went all in from the small blind. The big blind folded and it was back to me. I read the situation and decided to take a chance with my hand. I called his all in and he turned over A-5. I was dead on in my read and starting jumping for joy in my chair. My celebration would be short lived as he spiked a 5 on the turn to double up. Begin countdown to tilt blast off...

I took a moderate hit with that suck out. My chip count was over 8000 at that point, so I could afford the hit. We played on and this guy continued his all in moves. He was content on forcing a showdown and gambling for all his chips. Later on, we got in another hand for all his chips. I had pocket nines in the small blind and he was in the big blind. I just limp in from the small and he moved in. The other players who had tried to limp as well folded their hands. I quickly called and he turned over pocket eights. Again, I had him crushed with a pair over pair hand. However, my celebration was short lived when he spiked an eight on the flop. Resume countdown to tilt. I began to seriously steam after this hand. This hit took me down to less than 4000 in chips. I really had to be careful now because the blinds were getting huge and my stack was going down.

Later on, we got in our last confrontation of the tourney. I got dealt pocket jacks on the button and set the trap again. He moved all in from the small blind and I instantly called for a showdown. He had A-7 to my J-J. It was a little closer than the other hands, but I was still way out in front. Would you believe that he sucked out on me for a third time? The door card on the flop was an ace! Once again, I had the best hand going in and came out with nothing. The hand left me severely crippled. Afterwards, I only had less than 800 in chips and was forced to go all in on the very next hand.

On my last hand, I got dealt A-K and with only 800 left moved all in. My "buddy" in the big blind called with Q-7 offsuit. I really needed a double up. Of course, I was hoping to win at least one hand with this guy. He had gotten the best of me 3 times before this hand. However, I failed to improve my hand when he spiked a 7 on the turn. I busted out in 4th place and received nothing for my efforts, but a good story to tell here. We have blast off, I was in full blown tilt mode. You can't believe how angry I was after the series of suckouts and the outcome of this tourney.

It wasn't the World Series or bust that day, but only the bust part...