Event 54 Main Event / 10,000 World Championship

The Main Event; 2008 World Series of Poker 10,000 No Limit Texas Hold Em World Championship is upon us. As a tune up to this event, I have played three different events in the four days leading up to the main event. To make sure that I have played plenty, I will also be playing in two different tournaments concurrently in a 72 hour stretch. This is a feat that I have not tried before. There are pitfalls to doing this: losing focus in one event, thinking about the other event as I am playing in another, crazier schedule, very little rest in the 72 hour stretch. However, there are advantages: playing in different atmospheres, different types of players, seeing/analyzing more cards, encountering more decision making processes on the felt, experimenting and tweaking my game. Playing in two different tournaments would not be possible if the schedules were to overlap. My goal is to advance to Day 2 in both events: 2008 WSOP Main Event and the Ballys 40,000 Invitational Poker Tournament. So here is how the schedule could be shaping up in the next 72 hours-ish:

July 4 ? 2008 WSOP Main Event (Rio) Day 1
July 5- 40,000 Invitational Poker Tournament (Ballys) Day 1
July 6- 40,000 Invitational Poker Tournament (Ballys) Day 2
July 7- Caesars or Venetian Tournament
July 8- 2008 WSOP Main Event (Rio) Day 2

This will be the longest stretch of poker tournaments that I have faced at once in a live setting. Morning on the Day 1 of the 2008 Main Event is here. An early morning workout and light brunch (breakfast and lunch) is just what I need and is my usual pre-tournament routine. Working Out and Jogging helps me to stay more alert and have more stamina in the latter rounds of the evening, most people will crash as the day progresses. The crash part is where my advantage lies. Most people will load up on food and sugar resulting in a short-alertful mode before the inevitable occurs, a crash. I need to hang around with an average stack until after dinner break and then begin accumulating chips.

Fast forward to Level 3, blinds at 150-300, my chip stack is at 26,500. All players start out with 20,000 in chips and the blind levels are two hours long. That?s right, 2 hours LONG and a 20 minute break between each level. We will be playing 5 levels today plus the 4 breaks and the 90 minute dinner break after this level. My plan is still intact. I have made it to the dinner break, it is 7:30pm, all players leave in mass exodus for dinner. Some for the buffets, Some for Italian food but is my table different than any other,? No- they are doing the same. I have not won any pots during the last 40 minutes of the level and I have been sucked out on the river a few times by flushes but maintain my stack. I leave for the break 15 minutes early as we are sitting at an aggressive table. Before I can eat dinner, I must go register for my tournament at Ballys, a quick taxi and registration process brings me back to the Rio in 45 minutes. It would have been faster but the traffic was horrible. Coming soon to a YouTube Video, The Adventures of Chewey and the Vegas Registration Process, just kidding! Afterall, it is the 4th of July and everybody and their kids are in town. Let me take this moment to thank all of those that serve and have served this country.

I manage to finish my dinner; hot wings and an Asian Chicken Salad in 20 minutes but will be arriving at my table 10 minutes late. This year, I will trust my instincts. If I?m late, there is a reason; If I need a restroom break, then go. We all know what happened last year in Day 1 of the Main Event, my stack got decimated just minutes before the end of Day 1 and could have avoided this by taking a break. Not this year, baby!

Level 4- blinds 150-300 with 25 antes. No more free poker as the antes have kicked in. Much to my amazement, the two players to my left have been eliminated and there are new players at the table. The short stack is now the chip stack at the table. WTF happened? I overhear the conversations and my assumptions are confirmed. Super ?Aggressive play before the break and I was glad that I was not there. Granted, I did not get any chips but I didn?t lose any either. Ok, not entirely true but I didn?t lose any huge bets, my stack was actually25,900 at the break. I raise from UTG for 900, the once short stack to my left calls. The flop brings A, 10, 4. I bet a 1,200 into a pot 2,075 and am able to take it without much deliberation. I also find out that somehow we have already done two orbits of play in 10 minutes. That is some tight, no flop playing poker. My time is now to grab some of the chips and establish a table image. I am dealt pocket 4s the very next hand, bet ? you guessed it 900. Next hand bet 900, the hand after, and after and after. I manage to win 15 hands, most of them without a showdown or past the flop and floor my stack from 23,000 to over 41,000 yipppppeeeee. Player on my left looks at me as I bet each time, let me guess, 900. My response: that?s right, baby! Insert best Scotty Nguyen impersonation here. The inevitable sugar rush has happened as players are more focused on trying to stay alert than they are on the cards. I end Level 4 with 41,000 in chips. I have a mountain of green chips but those are the ante 25 chips along with a few yellow 1000 chips and peach 5000 chips.

Level 5- Blinds 200-400 with 50 antes. I know that this can be a bad strategy but I will sit back unless I have premium hands and make it to Day 2. My chip stack is slightly ahead by a couple of hundred compared to my chip stack at the 2007 WSOP. Barring any set backs or suckouts, I will make it to Day 2 with a decent stack and room to play for Day 2. In the final 20 minutes of Day 1, I am put to the test. In middle position I raise with A,K but fold preflop to a button raise and an big-Blind All-In. I would have won but would have put my whole stack at risk with 4 players to act behind me. A few hands later, I?m dealt oh so favorite hand, pocket 10s and fold- which would have lost and the last two hands of the day, pocket 4s and 3s- which were both faced by gynormous raises. I eyeball the tournament big board and 10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1,0 : I have survived Day 1 and advance to day 2 of the 2008 Main Event. Somehow our table manages to make a routine 5 minute chip bag up procedure turn into a 30 minute hassle, more about that in a future blog. Oh, yeah I end Day 1 with 32,950 in chips.

Good Morning, its nearly 2am- off to bed ,see you Day 2 or actually Day 1 of my other event in 24 hours!
Chewey