The Universe Has Finally Realigned, Part 3
Note: if you want a reference for poker lingo, click here.
Yesterday, I played in a multi-day tournament at the Wynn Casino. I entered Day 1E in the afternoon and lasted fairly long but busted out after about 4.5 hours. I then entered Day 2 in the evening and at 1:30 AM I was in the money and onto Day 2 with $495,000 (fake money), a very good stack! That put me in the top third of all players remaining.
Honestly, I feel much better these days about poker. The hands that are supposed to win generally do, and the hands that are supposed to lose generally do. I'm not superstitious, and I know it's just normal statistical variance, but the universe does really feel in order again.
Also, I'm getting a good feel for the players at the table. I could sense hesitations in the betting; I could hear a soft sigh or see a subtle gnashing of teeth and other signs that they were chasing a hand or had only a mediocre one. In one case, when I wasn't in the hand, a player made faces and hesitated each bet that seemed just a little too much for an experienced player. Either he was a real amateur or he was acting. Given that he was young and seemed to know how to play very well, I assumed the latter. Sure enough, he had a monster hand.
Day 2 started at noon today. Ryan Tosoc, a World Poker Tour champion was at my table. I went into Day 2 with $495,000 in chips. By the first break I was able to increase my stack to over $800K!
Around 2 PM, there were 100 players left out of 1,516 entries. By 3 PM, there were 90 players left. Shortly after that, there were 80 players left. About half an hour after that, there were 70 players left.
My stack kept going up and down all day. It was not horribly short, maybe 20 big blinds, when I got pocket Js and raised. I got reraised by the table chip leader. I thought I was ahead, and I wanted to make him pay to continue in the hand, so I shoved. I was right. He called with AK. Unfortunately, the board ran out 6QQ6K. I busted at #62.
Still I’ve cashed two out of two in tournaments lately, which is pretty darn good especially after the long run of losses I’ve had. The World Series of Poker starts this week and continues until the big Main Event from July 2 through 16. Maybe my bad luck streak is over. We’ll see.
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.