Event 1- WPA No Limit $500

Details about Chewey's back to back 2nd place finishes can be found in the next edition of Chewey's Corner. Below are highlights and details about Chewey's 1st Event in the 2008 World Series of Poker.

A year has come and gone since the 2007 World Series of Poker. Looking to build on last year's experiences, I look to finish deep and cash in a few events at this year's World Series of Poker. The first event that I am playing in is Event 1- WPA / WSOP Event $500 Buy-In. This is a No-limit Texas Hold-Em Tournament and the top 13 finishers will be in the money and receive a berth in the 2008 WSOP Main Event - $10,000 Buy In.

Level 1: 25-50 Blinds, start out with 4,000 in chips. I splash around in a few pots and am down to 3,750.
Level 2: 50-100 Blinds, I pick up the aggression and lose a big pot to a higher flush and somehow manage to go broke with a Quen high flush to an Ace high flush. I end the level at 3,700.
Level 3: 100-200 Blinds, I continue to be aggressive and the entire table notices and am picked off on a few of my bluff attempts and am down to 2,700.
Level 4: 100-200 Blinds with 25 ante. I tone down the aggression some and am able to pick up a few pots on my new tight image and end the level with 6,800, my best level of the tournament thus far.
Level 5: 200-400 Blinds with 50 ante. I feel pretty froggy and tight and am conservative in this level as a huge portion of the field was eliminated in this level. I end the level with 5,075 in chips.
Level 6: 300-600 Blinds with 75 ante. I get antsy and feel the table caving in on me as I am low on chips and looking to play any two cards and to am down to 900 in chips. My image at the table is that of a donk as I am playing so loose. It is not looking good and the field is down to 150 with the average chip count at 11,000.

Level 7: 400-800 Blinds with 100 ante. I am all in with pocket 8s in the big blind against 3 players. The flop is 6,5,K. Under the gun player bets out 1,500 and everyone folds and we are heads up. I'm up against 5,6 and am behind the two pair of the UTG player. The turn is an Ace and the river brings me my magical 8 for a set. With this pot, I am now at 6,300 in chips and just one hand earlier I was at 900. I will be tangling with the same player in this level and the next 45 minutes for two more huge double ups. the very next hand, I'm dealt 5,6 in the small blind and raise it to 1,500. the big blind calls. The flop is 5,6, A. I check my two pair and he bets out 2,100 into a pot of 3,900 and I go all-in for 4,700 and he insta-calls. He flips over A,K and my two pair is ahead at the moment. The boar holds up and I'm now at 13,900 in chips and am being noticed by the table. My aggressive strategy is beginning to pay off as other players are not respecting my bets and are also willing to play any cards. It also did help that I was able to catch a few boards as well. After this hand, i have this player on tilt and mumbling to himself as he has chipped me up from 500 to nearly 14,000 in less than 20 minutes. With 20 minutes remaining in the level, I am dealt pocket 3s and 9s and raise from mid position both times and catch sets both times against top pair and increase my stack to 67,000. My stack has swelled and I am among the early chip leaders somehow. Level 7 was my best level and put a few people on tilt. Our table will not be breaking up as we at Table 1 and tournament officials say that they will continue to mve players to our table. We are now on our 1st break of the day.

Level 8, 9 not much happens as I tone down the aggression and sit on my stack, the average chip count is around 25,000 and I am comfortably above that and don't need to endanger my stack. The field has been whittled to 75 players.

Level 10 blinds at 1,000-2,000 with 300 antes and the average chip stack has grown to 50,000 and once comfortable stack is down to 55,000. I am no longer one of the chip leaders but do have a healthy stack.

Level 11 blinds at 1,500-3,000 with 400 antes. I take a few beats and lose with pocket Kings and 6s and am down to 44,500. the field has been narrowed to 35 players. We are only 22 players away from the money and a seat into the 2008 WSOP Main Event.

Level 12 blinds at 2,000-4,000 with 500 antes. It now costs 10,500 every 9 hands as you have to ante 500 each hand and put in your small and big blinds as well. The eliminations have once again increased in frequency as many big stacks have emerged and are taking out the short stacked players. We are now down to 26 players.

Level 13, 14 and 15 the field has been narrowed to 19 players and the pace has slowed to a crawl as each decision is taking longer to make as we are nearing the bubble.. I end level 15 with 46,000 in chips and the chip average is at 125,000. I am in short stack mode and looking to shove all-in at any point. Of the remaining 19 players, only 5 are short stacked and that includes me. We are on break and I am looking to clear my mind and continue to focus on the task at hand; finishing in the money. Thankfully , I receive a few texts during the last level and am away from the table as three players are eliminated by quads, very weird on the frequency of quads at this table.

Level 16 blinds at 8,000-16,000 with 3,000 antes. it now costs 51,000 every nine hands without betting any additional amounts, we are down to 16 players and only 3 away from the money. In three consecutive hands, I am dealt K,J suited; A,8 suited and pocket 5s and have to fold each time to a call, re-raise and an all-in re-raise. I would have won a huge pot with K,J suited but would have been up against pocket 8s, A,2 and pocket 6s. i believe that was my big hand that I missed. I am down to 31,000 and am dealt pocket 4s in the big blind. it is folded around to the button position player, who goes all-in for 36,000. I assess the situation and notice only 1 short stack at the opposite table and there are two short stacks at my table (the button player and me). I go into the tank and think what the player could have. Could he have a pocket pair, no. He has been player King, rag and Ace, rag alot. I apologize to the table for taking an extremely long time to make a decision. Finally, I reluctantly call because with only 31,000 and being the small blind next would only leave me with 20,000 and only 7 hands before I am antied out of this tournament. He flips over A,5x and the flop is K, 9, 3 the turn brings a 5 and he is ahead with a pair of 5s but I have many outs as I still have a flush draw, straight draw, and two fours in the deck for a set. the river misses me sending me to the rail in 15th place and on the outside looking in. Within two hands, the bubble has burst and I miss out on my seat at the 2008 WSOP. those stinking pocket 4s cost me 18,000 and have me muttering to myself for the last 3 days.

Should I have folded and waited for the money bubble? Did I make the right decision? After this tournament, I did realize and find a flaw in my strategy for the later-middle stages of a tournament. I plan on making the necessary adjustments before my next trip to Las Vegas for my second stage of the 2008 World Series of Poker. You can get more in-depth analysis and strategies via video: Poker Across America Channel on YouTube.

See you in Mid-June from the WSOP!
Chewey