Day 2 at the Venetian UltimateStack Tournament

Day 2 started at 11 AM. There were two very short stacks at my table, even shorter than my 12 big blinds. One of them busted out on the first hand.

I got AJ. The other very short stack shoved. I shoved. Everyone else folded. He had pocket 4s. I was excited to see a J on the flop, but then I saw the 4. I lost but was still in it with about 8 to 10 big blinds.

I shoved under the gun with Q♣J♣. I had 11 big blinds. I got called by A♦K♥. The bad news was that the flop was AK9. The good news was that there were two clubs. The better news was that the third club came on the river. I doubled up! I was back in the game.

There were 35 players left. I made the first money jump!

It's funny that the dealers all know my politics (from my book Election Hacks) and my TV interviews, so the Republicans all want to talk with me about the election, some openly and others quietly.

An aggressive player raised from $10K to $22K. I had pocket 9s. I reraised to $50k. He shoved. I called. He had pocket Js. I’m surprised he didn’t raise more initially. Pocket Js are difficult to play, especially early in the betting. Most players do a big raise. If everyone folds, great. If anyone calls, you get to see the flop, and if there are overcards (A, K, or Q) you slow down. If someone raises you pre-flop, you typically fold unless you have a much bigger stack. Anyway, I didn’t get any help, so I busted out at 32 out of 364. I’m not disappointed. In the hour and a half I played of Day 2, I rose a rung on the money ladder, had a good time, and played the best I could. On to the next tournament.

About the author

Bob Zeidman is a high-stakes recreational poker player. He created Good Beat Poker, a free online poker site using patented technology for audio and video—see and hear the other players at the table if you choose.