Hitting the WSOP Pay Dirt (Part 1)

My 2006 WSOP venture was heading towards an ignominious end. I had played in six previous events and failed to cash in any of them. I am honest enough to tell you that I played badly in Event 2 (the $1,500 NLH) but that I was the victim of some truly bad beats in the other five. I was so dispirited with the way things had turned out that I almost didn’t play in Event 11, the $1,500 Limit Hold'em event.

At 11.55am I made an impulsive decision to buy in based more on damage limitation than any expectation of doing well. $1,500 might last me until the dinner break if I was lucky whereas I was capable of blowing that in an hour in a cash game the mood I was in.

The event got off to a quite comical start. My first table saw my neighbour escorted away from the table after 40 mins for non payment of taxes! Shortly after our table broke and still nursing my starting stack of $1,500 I played a hand that I will remember for a long time.

Level 2 had just started and the limits were 50-100. You can’t afford to make too many mistakes when you only have 15 big bets and yet I played J-10 off-suit from the BB because there had been five limpers before the button raised. My fellow limpers all called meaning seven of us took a flop of J-7-2. I bet out, was called five times until it reached the button who now raised. Only three hands he could have here in my opinion: AA, KK, or QQ. However, there was so much money in the pot now I had to call him and hope to catch a card.

Scooping the pot

Incredibly, the other five all called as well. I was in serious trouble and facing an early exit. The turn brought a rainbow 3. We all checked to the button who bet again. I was the only one to call and now it was heads up before the river brought the magical J. I check-raised. My opponent called me down with K-K and I scooped an enormous pot. I would say that from that moment on I was always in the top third of the field.

I ended day one with $32,000. There were only 49 players left out of 701 and I had comfortably cashed completing my set of limit, pot limit and no limit holdem WSOP cashes. We had a celebratory drink, slept well and prepared for day two.

Day two was an unbelievable experience. I was always comfortable and shrugged off two bad beats where I flopped top set only to be beaten by rivered straights. I also witnessed one of the poorest plays you will see that Joe Sebok described in his own blog.

He raised and re-raised pre flop with A-K suited against two opponents. The flop came K-8-3 rainbow. Joe’s bet is raised and the third opponent calls with 77! Joe re-raises and both opponents call. The turn comes a 9 and the same betting pattern follows. The river is the miracle 7 and the player who put that beat on the other two would eventually end up 4th. This turn of events had an amazing effect on my own psyche. To see such a poor play at his stage of the tournament made me think for the first time that I could genuinely win it.

Find out how the rest of the tournament played out in Part 2.

See you at the table,

Warren Wooldridge

10 July 2005

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