WPT Prime Championship 2024

The end of my losing streak?

I played in the WPT Prime Championship tournament this week, warming up for the big event, the WPT World Championship next week. This tournament had a $5 million guaranteed prize pool, but there were so many players that the prize pool ended up greater than that. First place would get over $1 million.

Day 1 first attempt

On Day 1A, every hand I played had an ace. And every hand lost. Then I got K♥K♣. I raised a lot and only one player called. The flop was 7♥A♣2♥. Not good for me. The other player checked. I checked. The turn card was 9♥. I now had the nut flush draw. He bet a lot. I called. The river was A♥. I now had the nut flush and very few chips left. He shoved; I called. He had pocket 9s for a full house. I busted after only 1.5 hours. Not a good start.

Day 1 second attempt

I bought back in. I won one small hand but then lost a lot of other hands. At least my stack was dwindling slowly this time.

Finally! I got pocket 10s in the big blind. The player under the gun limped at $500. Three players called. I raised to $3,500. Three players called, but one folded. The flop was J 10 8, giving me middle set. I bet $10K. Two players folded. The chip leader shoved for $25,100. I called. He had QJ. I needed to avoid a 9, which would give him straight. I did and more than doubled up!

Then I started losing hands again. I was playing few hands, but losing those I played. Sigh...

Folding, folding, folding. I couldn’t get any playable hands.

I got A♠J♠. A short stack shoved. I called. He had K♣Q♠. It looked good for me... but he flopped a Q. I lost and was once again short stacked. Why do I find myself short-stacked so often?

I shoved with K♠10♠. I got called by A♠10♥. I got a K to double up. I was still in it!

I got pocket 7s and min raised from $1K to $2K. Another player raised to $7K. I called. The flop was 2 8 10. I shoved, hoping he had a big A hand like AK or AQ, but afraid that he would call. He folded. Whew!

I immediately got pocket Js. I raised under the gun from $1K to $3K. Another player reraised to $8K. I called. The flop was 7J8, giving me top set! I checked, he checked. The turn was 10. I checked, he checked. The river was 8. I had a full house! I “nervously” but quickly bet $10K. He hesitated but called, and I showed my jacks. He said he had AK but didn't show. I had a decent stack finally.

Then my flush on the river lost to a short stack's full house on the river. I was short stacked once again.

I couldn’t believe how many aces I'd folded that day. I kept getting A2, A3, A4, A5, A6 out of position. That means I was early in the betting and there were too many people after me who might bet, so it’s not good to take a chance on these moderate hands. If I had bet and someone had raised, my hand wasn’t strong enough to call the bet, so I would have to fold.

What a crazy game. One player raised from $1,200 to $3K. I called with J♠10♠. Three other players called. The flop was J84. The first player bet $7,500. I shoved for $12K. Everyone else folded, except the first player who thought for a while. He eventually said I need "runner runner" (meaning two cards to get a decent hand) but called anyway since he already had so many chips in the pot. He had 63. The turn was 10, sealing his fate. I once again had a decent stack.

Then I lost a big pot. I raised under the gun with 6♠7♠. Everyone folded but the big blind who called. The flop was 9♦5♠J♠. I had an inside straight draw and a flush draw. The other player bet $3K and I called. The turn was 7♦. He bet $8K. I put him on a weak pair, so I called. I needed an 8 or a spade. The river was 2♥. We both checked. He had 9♦4♣, giving him just a small pair. I probably could have won the hand by just bluffing with a bet on the river.

As I said, what a crazy game. I raised under the gun with Q♣Q♦. A player with just about my stack shoved. I called. Unfortunately he had K♦K♥. Fortunately the board ran out with 4 clubs, so I knocked him out. My stack was almost average then.

I got QQ. The under-the-gun player raised from $1,600 to $3,200. I reraised to $7,000. He shoved. I called. He had AK. The flop was 23Q, which looked good for me. But the turn was 4, giving him a straight draw. He needed was a 5, but the river was J. Whew, he missed his straight. I now had a huge stack!

After the 1 hour 15-minute dinner break, I was just not getting any playable hands. Fortunately my stack was about average, so I could afford to keep folding and keep waiting.

I got KK on the button. Everyone folded to me. I limped. The big blind raised from $3K to $15K. I reraised to $40K. He folded. My stack was average, $120K, which I was very happy about.

There were 1,265 entries that day, and 158 would make it into the money and onto Day 2. There were 391 players left.

I lost a big pot. I flopped an open-ended straight draw. I didn't get my straight on the river but did a big bet, bluffing that I had hit a straight or flush. Unfortunately, the other player called because he had hit 2 pair on the river, and he had a big stack and could afford to gamble.

Once again, I was short stacked with 15 big blinds (minimum bets).

What a crazy game. After the break, the first hand I got was AA. One player raised. A short stack shoved. I shoved. The first player folded. The short stack had JJ. The flop was A77. I didn't see the other cards because they didn’t matter (unless they were both jacks). I was back up to average stack!

There were 300 players left. Then there were 258 players left; 100 more to go to get to the money.

I began running card dead. My stack was shrinking (so what else is new?).

I got pocket Ks. I thought if I raised from $5K to $15K, I would entice a reraise from another player. Sure enough, professional player Peter Hengsakul shoved. I’ve played heads up against him a lot at the Venetian Casino and a few years back in my first major tournament, at the Bicycle Casino outside Los Angeles. I called. He had A♥8♥. He didn't catch an ace or hearts, so I doubled up.

I got pocket Qs and raised from $6K to $18K. Peter shoved; I called. He had AJ. My queens held up to knock him out.

At the next break, there were 202 players left. My stack was only about 20 big blinds. I wished it was better, but at least it was still playable.

Then there were 168 players left; 10 to go.

Eventually, we were on the bubble. I said I would do all I could not to bust out.

On the bubble, I had A♦Q♣. A player did a min raise to $20K. I called, surprising him after I’d just said I’d play it cautious on the bubble. The board ran out with 4 clubs, giving me the third best possible hand, a queen-high flush. Only two cards could beat me, the A♣ and the K♣. He bet another $20K. I was worried, especially since my stack was short, but how could I fold the third best hand? So I called. He had the K♣. What lousy luck! I was still in it, but my stack was short. Again.

Shortly before midnight, the bubble burst and I was in the money and onto Day 2 on Thursday!

Interlude at the Aria

While waiting for Day 2 on Thursday, I entered the single day bounty tournament at the Aria Casino on Tuesday. In a bounty, you get a cash bonus for knocking a player out of the tournament. In this particular tournament, bounties only came after all players were in the money; in other words when about 12% of the players remained.

As we approached the money, I told the players at the table that I just planned to keep folding until I made the money. I explained that in the past year I had busted too many times shortly before the money, often on the bubble. Psychologically (not to mention financially) I just needed to cash. I also told them that every time I shoved close to the money and busted out, my wife Carrie would say, “Why did you shove? You don’t have to shove!” So this time, I told the other players, I was going to take her advice.

Then I got pocket Qs and shoved. Everyone folded. The next hand, I got pocket Js and shoved. Everyone folded. The hand after that, I got pocket Ks. Two players shoved and I called. They both had AQ—I tripled up! I immediately got pocket Qs and bet enough to put the short stack at the table all in. He called with AK, but my queens held up to knock him out.

The players kept saying, “you said you were just going to fold but you keep shoving.” I told them that with the hands I’d been getting, you just can’t keep a promise like that.

And then on the bubble, I got pocket As. A big stack raised and… I shoved! Everyone folded, and again, the players were dumbfounded, so I showed my cards.

In reality, as much as I want to cash, the minimum cash money just isn’t enough to make any difference: a few hundred dollars profit for hours of play. It’s only the money at the end of the tournament that really matters. As Daniel Negreanu told me years ago, “if you want to cash, don’t play too many hands but if you want to win you need to take risks.”

Well, I didn't get a bounty, but I cashed at #25, so it was a good tournament. I hoped the streak would continue on Thursday!

Day 2

Day 2 started at noon on Thursday. I had a podcast interview that ran from 11 AM to 11:30 AM. I had already rescheduled it twice and didn’t want to reschedule it again. I had spent time in the previous days trying to figure out how to do the interview and still make the tournament. I couldn’t get there late because my stack was too low to burn off chips. I decided to do my interview in the offices of Nevada Policy, a think tank where I’m a Policy Fellow. The office is only 15 minutes from the Wynn/Encore Casino where the tournament was being held. John Tsarpalas, the president of NP, offered to drive me to the casino after my online interview. Unfortunately we hit a lot of traffic. I got to the Encore at 11:58 AM and ran through winding hallways to the poker room at the back ballroom, with only minutes to spare. It turned out to be especially fortunate because I was the big blind and some chips were committed to the pot whether I was there at the table or not.

I started Day 2 with a very low stack (7.4 big blinds) and in the big blind position, so I figured I likely wouldn’t last more than one round (about 10 minutes). I'd need luck to be a lady that morning.

The first hand, I got 63 and folded. The second hand, I got J9 in the small blind. Everyone folded to me. I shoved, and the big blind player called with A3. The board ran out Q 10 3... 8!... Q. I doubled up with a straight!

Only about 10 hands later, I got K♠J♣ in the big blind. One player raised. Everyone else folded. I shoved. He called with Q♥10♥. The board ran out 6789 10. I felt great for a second, with my straight, until I saw that there were 4 hearts giving the other player a flush. I busted out at #1,015 out of 9,670 entries.

Overall, I was happy with two cashes in two tournaments this week. I’d played a few small tournaments in the last few weeks and hadn’t done very well in any of them. But this week was pretty good. I’m hoping next week will be even better in the WPT World Championship, where first place will be about $5 million. I will definitely keep you informed.

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.