Wsop 2007 Main Event 10th Place Report - Very Long

[Viking145 0]

WSOP 2007 Main Event 10th Place ReportI have finally made time to put together an overdue (and promised) report on six days of play the WSOP. This is rather long and, I fear, somewhat dry. The reports for Days 1-5 are e-mails I sent out to friends at the conclusion of each day, and the report on Day 6 is based on notes I made. I have added in the coverage of hands from Day 6 that I played that were reported by pokernews. I have no idea how this all reads (it is mostly about getting good cards and I am unused to writing such reports), but feel free to ask questions. I have written about the hands more than the atmosphere. I found the whole experience exciting and rewarding. And, in contrast to many, I have only good things to say about how the tournament was run. Let me also throw this in: I think that the dealers have a tough job and that they deserve respect and a gratuity from the players who cash.Short attention span summary of key points:Originally, I had no intention of playing in the main event. I went down to Vegas in mid-June to play in the 3k NL event and that was going to be my WSOP. I finished well in that event (58th out of 827 for $7500) and I went home. I felt so good about my play that I started thinking (and talking) about the main event. Finally, my wife told me to stop talking about it and book a flight.My game plan going into the main event was to play a classic tight aggressive game. I was looking to play small pots and stay out of trouble early. The measure of my success with this game plan is how rarely my tournament was at risk. From the middle of the second level on Day 1d until late in the afternoon on Day 4, I was never really at risk. I was all in with a call once on Day 1, with tens full of kings. In total, I was all in with a caller approximately seven times in the entire six days, and the first time that I got all my money in with the worst of it was on my last hand of the tournament. Twice I was all in (or nearly all in) with QQ (once on Day 4 against AK and once on Day 5 against AJ), and both times I flopped a set and saw my opponent pick up a straight draw. On my last hand, I was precisely on the other side of this equation. My goal for each of the early days was to stay at or above the average chip stack. The second hour of Day 2 was the best run I had in the tournament. After not playing a hand for the first hour of that day, I ran my stack up from 80k to 270k in 45 minutes.For the most part, I was extremely fortunate with my table draws. When it mattered, on days 2-4, I drew tables where there were shorter stacks and players with whom I felt very comfortable playing. I did not draw one of the two feature tables until we were down to 27 players on day 6.I thought that when I finally busted out that it would sting at the time and then later on I would gain perspective and feel better about it. The opposite has turned out to be the case.DAY 1d: 20,000 – 86,500 “In which I play terribly on the last hand and get rewarded.”Day 1d is officially over - and I will move on to day 2b on Wednesday at noon. Tomorrow is a day off for the starters on days 1c and 1d. We started today with over 1700 players and we played down to 650 (over 1000 eliminations). We played from noon to 3:30am. The tournament as a whole had 6358 entrants. The top 621 will get paid.I finished the day with a flourish and I have 86,500 chips going into day 2. The average chip stack at the end of day 1d was around 55,000. I managed to increase my stack each level - from a low of 16,000 I was above average from the third level onwards. Prior to the last hand (more later) I was sitting on around 60,000 and the highest that I had been was around 63,000. Key hands: On the first hand, I was dealt pocket kings in middle position. There was one raiser in early position and my re-raise took down the first pot at my table. I doubled up in the second level when I made tens full of kings. That put me at around 30,000. In the third level, I moved up to about 45,000 when the player to my left bluffed off 10,000 chips into my 7 high straight with A 8 os after I had re-raised the turn. [Everything you have heard about the level of play early in the WSOP is generally true in my limited experience.] In the fourth level, I found the cards that had been in other people's hands. In two hours, I had aces 2x, kings 2x, and queens once. All held up and I moved up to around 58,000. Most of those hands were taken down pre-flop. My goal all day was to play small pots. The ONLY time I was all in was when I had a full house in level 2. In level five, I was mostly card dead, and I was moved to a new table. I had started to lose chips and creep back to the average. At my new table, after some time folding hands, I was able to run a nice bluff past a young kid because as we got closer to the end of the day, play tightened up for the most part. Then I flopped a set of nines against the table chip leader and pushed above 60,000 for the first time.In the final level of the night, I was blindingly card dead. I managed to steal a few pots, but mostly I folded and lost chips to the blinds and antes. I made one big lay down preflop, but it was a grind to get through the level until the last hand. At 3:30, we were on our last hand and everyone was already being congratulated for making it to day two when I found myself with a pocket tens in middle position. I raised to 2700 (with the blinds at 400-800 with a 100 ante). After a great deal of thought, the small blind re-raised to 11,000. Something about the bet seemed fishy (to me and the rest of the table). He had about 25,000 total at the beginning of the hand (to my 60,000) and I thought he was making a move because it was the last hand. I had him covered and I put him on a hand like A-K. Anyway, I then pushed all-in and he immediately called with pocket kings. He had me completely dominated when he made a set of kings on the flop... until I went runner runner to make a straight to knock him out and move up to 86,500. So to sum up the day, I was extremely patient and then my worst decision actually paid me off. Day 2b: 86,500 – 182,700 “In which I make a stupid decision and double up Amnon Fillipi.”I have made it through to day 3. On day 2b, we played down to 459 out of the 1305 who started. We combine for the first time when a total of 808 begin play tomorrow at noon, with 621 getting paid. We should get to the money in the first few levels, but I expect it will be very tense! I go into day three with 183k, which is slightly above the average of 160k. After the dinner break tonight, I briefly got up to 290k, and then I had dreams of really chipping up. Unfortunately, I played that level like an absolute punk and was down at one point to around 125k. The first level today was absolutely sick. I started with 86k and did not see a hand for the first hour. I managed one bluff to stay ahead of the antes. Hour two was a different story. I started with pockets 7s and took down a pot with a bet on the flop. The next hand I won a 20k pot with pocket QQ. On the very next hand, I got AA and was called down by the chip leader in a 140k pot. I don't know what he had but my aces won the pot. A few hands later, I made tens full of nines and got two callers (one of whom made a flush and the other had K K) in another 100k pot. That took me over 250k and the chip lead at my table. Unfortunately, that table broke and I was moved to a table where I was only fourth in chips! At that time, the update people said that the table had the highest concentration of chips in the room. I almost immediately lost a big pot to Amnon Fillipi which doubled him up to 120k. I had pocket 10s and raised from middle position. Amnon called and the flop came A, 3, 4 with two clubs. I bet 12k and he re-raised all-in to 49k. Somehow, I managed to convince myself he was on a flush draw and I called. He tabled two pair with A 4. After the hand, Amnon was kind enough to point out to me that it is tough to play with too many chips.I worked my way back to 275k at the dinner break; though after the break Amnon owned me like a chattel slave. The biggest hand I lost was to my immediate neighbor who made a set of 7s to my pair of 10s. I was just not playing well in the first two hours after dinner. All my sensibility had disappeared. I was absolutely card dead, but I was playing cards I shouldn't have. In the last half hour of play though, I managed to run two big bluffs. First, I called a 7k (with the blinds at 1200-2400) raise from Amnon Fillipi from the button with Ak of spades. The flop came 4,5, J with one spade. Amnon bet out 15k on that flop and I immediately re-raised to 35k. He folded a pair of 7s face up. A few hands later, I raised to 7k in late position with A,8 hoping to steal the blinds and antes. The button called and the flop came 8, K, 6. I bet out 12k and the button called, so I put him on a K. A ten came on the turn and I checked. The button bet out 17k and I check raised to 37k. He flashed a king and told me that my ace king must have him beat as he folded. That action got me briefly back to 200k before I settled out on the last hand at 183k. I will have to see how it is at the start tomorrow with the money approaching, but I need to play better and more disciplined to get back in the mix.Day 3: 182,700 – 457,000 “In which we make it into the money!”We started today with 808 of the 6400 players remaining, and with 621 spots getting paid. We played until 12:30am and finished the night with 337 players left. The payout level right now is $39,445. I had a very good day, staying out of trouble and playing fairly well. I return to play tomorrow at high noon in the desert with 457k in chips, which is slightly above the average of 380k. Today, I was very lucky with my table draw. There were no pros at my table and my 183k was good enough for third at my table. By the time we got close to the money and hand for hand play I was firmly established as the second chip leader at the table. This made hand for hand play very easy and I chipped up to about 240k during that time. While we were hand for hand, I ran a bluff against the table chip leader who was bullying the table. He made a big raise, and I re-raised big from the button with 6 3 of clubs, he laid down A Q, and after that he was a bit less aggressive.It took us 1 1/2 hours to get through hand for hand play. We played only 14 hands in all that time, but then we were down to 621. The next hour saw almost 100 eliminations. Right after hand for hand play, I ran another bluff on the chip leader at my table. He raised to 15k (with the blinds at 2000-3000) and I called from the button with A Q. The flop came down K, 7, 8 and we both checked. When the 5 came on the turn, he bet out 20k and I re-raised to 50k. He folded 10 10 face up and this time I showed him that I had nothing. He was a bit steamed.Some other big hands: In the same level, a guy with only about 80k left raised to 15k and I called from the button with K J of hearts. The flop cam 4, 4, 3 with two hearts. He bet out about 12k and I re-raised to 32k on a semi-bluff and he folded. I went into the dinner break with 260k, just above average. After the break, I busted two short stacks: first hand, the button minimum raised to 10k with the blinds at 2500-5000 and I called from the small blind with K 9 of hearts. The flop came ace high with two hearts. he went all in for another 40k and I called. He showed K K but when the 2 of hearts came on the turn I made my flush and sent him home. A few hands later, another short stack went all in with about 55k. I re-raised from the button with A K of spades and was heads-up against 10 10. The first card out was a K and he was done. The last minutes of the night saw me go from 350k to 457k winning three pots in a row (one with A A). We re-drew for seats for tomorrow and I can only hope for as favorable a draw. I am hoping for no pros and no monster stacks as there are several players above one million in chips. My goals so far have been to survive and stay above average. Tomorrow I will have to start thinking about chipping up if I am going to make a real run at things. The payouts don't go up substantially until we get inside the top 100 and I will have to have more chips to get there. I managed to play disciplined poker today, and I still have not been all in at risk since the first level of day one. Day 4: 457,000 – 730,000 “In which I am up and down like a cheap carnival ride.”Today was a tough day as the schedule is beginning to catch up with the players. I was on a roller coaster for most of the day. I started with 457k and quickly moved to 500k with pocket kings. I then immediately lost a 240k pot with jacks to move below 400k again. Then I chipped up by check-raising my Broadway straight into a nice pot. After that I was moved to a new table and won my first two hands to get above 600k. And then came the monster. with QQ on the button, the player to my right (Francois Safieddine) raised to 30k, I re-raised to 90k and the big blind went into the tank. As he thought, I became convinced that he had AK, and that the original raiser also had an ace. The big blind pushed all in for over 400k and the original raiser folded. I called and the cameras came over to film the all in moment. The flop came with a Q and J, and if the hand gets televised, the pained look on my face will be me concentrating on the dealer not laying out a ten on the turn or river. After that hand I was up to 1.1 million, until... I raise in middle position to 40k with A 10 of diamonds hoping to steal the blinds, and the big blind (a very loose player) calls. The flop comes A, 3, 5 with two clubs. I bet out 80k and the big blind calls. The turn brings a 10 of spades and I bet out 120k. The river is a 2 and the big blind immediately bets out 375k. I had to lay the hand down (correctly) to a straight on the river. At the dinner break I was back down to 750k. After dinner, I managed to get going again. I limped in from the button with A, 4 of spades after 1 other limper and both blinds called. The flop came A, A, 6 and was checked around. An 8 came on the turn. I bet 30k, the small blind called, the big blind raised to 90k and the early limper folded. I called (as I thought the big blind was representing the A he did not have) and the small blind also called. The turn was a 4! I bet out 120k and the small blind called with A, 3 and the big blind folded. Like that I was back above 1 million.Then, before I knew it I was down to 550k when I was on the wrong end of a similar pot with A, J on the button to the big blind’s A, Q. I managed to get back to 730k by running a nice bluff on Francois and getting him to lay down queens. He raised to 45k in early position and I re-raised to 145k with A Q. He talked to me for a while before calling. The flop came 3, 5, J. He checked and I immediately bet out 175k, leaving me about 250k behind. He thought for a while, told me my kings were good and folded his queens.So I go into tomorrow in precarious position. I am not in immediate danger with the blinds at 10k and 20k, but run the risk of seeing the field leave me behind. I will have to get a double-up in the early going to get above average. We start at noon and we are supposed to play down from 112 to 36. Even with all of my travails today, I have still not been all in (where I was in danger of being eliminated) since the second level of Day 1.Day 5: 730,000 – 2,115,000 “In which the big blind equals a person.”I had a wonderful day that could have ended better. I have survived to the final 36 players. I began the day with 730k in chips and ended the day with 2.115 million in chips. I will once again start the day below average - the average is around 3.8 million; so I have my work cut out for me (but I worked it out today so I have some experience). With 120 million chips in play, I think I need to get to at least 10 million to have a real shot at the final table. If I remember correctly, Paul Wasicka began the 6th day last year with the lowest chip count. So far, I have managed to stay well below the media radar, though I suspect that I will end up in the later episodes of the broadcast on ESPN that starts August 21st. The day started with the big blind at 20k, which was our starting stack on Day 1. This means that the big blind is equal to one eliminated person. I had an excellent day of play (though I suffered a couple of bad beats). The day was exhilarating throughout as we worked from 112 players (and a payout of 58k) down to the eventual 36. Tomorrow will be a longer day as it historically takes the longest to go from 36 to 9; though again I will have to get it going early to keep on playing. I continued to play the same game I have played all along, and it worked out well. I got hands when I needed them; and I got a lot of respect from the table so I was able to bluff at some big pots successfully. I began today terribly when I lost about half of my chips in an early pot with a pair of pocket jacks. After that I was all in with pocket queens against ace jack. The K and Q on the flop had me sweating out a 10 that would have sent me home. Fortunately, my set held up. After that I moved steadily up to about 1.8 million. At that stage I received my first real bad beat of the tournament. I called an all in bet of 234k with pocket aces against Q 10, but the player made trip tens on the flop to survive. Then came my biggest hand of the tournament so far. I raised to 90k with pocket jacks (right after winning a small hand) and got 3 callers. The flop came, 7, 7, 5. I bet out 250k and got one caller. At that point, I knew he had a 7 and I was done with the hand unless a jack came on the turn. The jack came giving me jacks full of sevens. I checked my full house and the caller bet out 303k. I went all in for about 1.1 million more and he immediately called with 7,5 for the flopped full house. At dinner, I was up to 3.1 million in chips. After dinner I was running well (up to 3.4 million) when I ran into my second bad river card of the day. The same player I had won with the full house against raised to 120k against my big blind. He had been stealing my blinds repeatedly, so I called him with K 10 of hearts. The flop came king high with two clubs. I checked and he moved all in for 375k. I called and he turned over J 8 of clubs for the flush draw. A club came on the river making his flush and instead of being at 4 million I was down to 3 again. After that, my biggest hand was million chip pot that I lost when I had to lay down my pocket queens when an ace came on the flop and I was certain that I was up against A K. All in all, I think I made one mistake today that cost me a few chips (when I lost a pot with A Q to a pair of nines), but I played about as well as I can play. I am not in desperate shape tomorrow with 2.1 million, but the blinds are at 30k and 60k with a 10k ante, so I will have to get it going early to continue this run.One of the best things about Day 5 was playing for a while with Bill Edler. He is a fine player and a fun guy. An additional note on day 5: when Maria Ho was eliminated in 38th there was an unfortunate scene. I was sitting to her left and Kevin Farry (who eliminated her) was to her right. The rail was right behind the three of us and Kevin’s friends and family had just shown up. When Maria lost the hand, I think that every camera in the Rio was in her face. At just that moment, Kevin’s crowd on the rail erupted in screams of (as I recall) “who’s your daddy now!” Day 6: 2,115,000 – 6,000,000 – 0 “In which I bust out after 16 hours and end up on the final table bubble.”Most of my notes cover 10 handed play, but there were certainly some interesting moments as we played down from 36 –10. Play at my first table was pretty standard and I was able to stay out of trouble (without seeing too many hands) until we got down to 27. When we were down to 27 we re-drew for seat assignments and I was placed at one of the feature tables for the first time. I found the new table very awkward at first. Because of the hole-card-cameras, the rail is much higher (I felt a bit like Gulliver among the big people). Even the felt felt different (newer and less worn) on that table. Plus, I got moved in between Scotty Nguyen (to my right) and Daniel Alaei (to my left). The eventual runner-up Tuan Lam and the eventual winner Jerry Yang were also at that table. During the middle of Day 6, I was very impressed with Tuan Lam and Kenny Tran. Tuan owned me on a hand I should not even have been playing (I blame it on the new surroundings). Kenny really owned the table and I was shocked when he later went out (when we were down to two tables) to John Kalmar when Kalmar made the nut flush on the river. Kalmar played that hand very well and he was the captain of our table when we were down to 18.I played one hand against Kenny where I re-raised him with middle pair on the flop and he folded. I also played one fun hand with Scotty. I raised with A 8 os hoping to steal and got a call from Scotty. The flop came 6, 9, 10 (I think rainbow) and Scotty led out with a bet. I immediately put in a nice re-raise. Scotty had been playing a lot of hands and I had not. I was convinced that he did not have a big piece of the flop and I went with my read. He went into the tank for what seemed like the longest 5 minutes I can remember. He counted out a call, and then counted out the rest of his chips, then he put them back together. Then he cut out the call again, and counted the rest of his chips. Finally, he mucked his hand. About 5 minutes later, he turned to me and said: “You stole that one from Scotty baby.” I will only know for sure that that was the case if they decide to televise the hand.Here is a Pokernews hand from that table:Jason Welch Eliminated in 21st Place ($333,490)Jason Welch moved all in from early position for 1,550,000 and Steven Garfinkle moved all in from the small blind. Welch: Ah, 3d Garfinkle: Jd, Js The flop was Ks, 5c, 2c. The turn was the 2h and the river was the 10c. Welch's hand did not improve and he headed to the rail in 21st place.A probable mistake around this point was a hand that I did not play with Kevin Farry. Hevad Khan came into the pot from early position (I think with a small raise) and Farry re-raised to 900k and took the pot. I folded A K on the button. At the time, I was certain that it was a good fold (with both Khan and Farry already in the hand). I was fairly sure that I had Farry beat on that hand but at that point I was not willing to roll the dice for my whole tournament.Some Pokernews hands from the second feature table, once we were down to 18:Outer Table: Steven Garfinkle Takes OneThree-way pot between Steven Garfinkle, Jerry Yang, and Jon Kalmar. The flop was Qh, 7c, 2h. Kalmer and Garfinkle checked. Yang bet 1 million. Kalmer folded and Garfinkle check-raised to 2.5 million. Yang went into the tank for five minutes before he folded. He asked Garfinkle to show his hand. Garfinkle tabled Qc, Js as he raked in the pot. [in this hand, both Kalmar and I had limped and Yang had raised from the blinds.]Outer Table: Jon Kalmar Takes Down A Nice PotSteven Garfinkle raised to 350K under the gun and Jon Kalmar called in the small blind. The flop came Jd, 9h, 2h and Kalmar led out with a 450,000 bet, which Garfinkle called. Both players checked the 8c on the turn, and when the 7c hit on the river Kalmar pushed 800,000 forward. That was enough to get Garfinkle to fold and Kalmar scooped a big pot. [This hand was AQ vs. AK.]Outer Table: The Art of GarfinkleLee Watkinson has the button and folds. Steven Garfinkle in the small blind limps in and William Spadea in the big blind checks. The flop is K, K, 4. Garfinkle bets 250,000 and Spadea folds. [i am pretty sure I had air in this hand.]Outer Table: Garfinkle Doubles Through KalmarSteven Garfinkle raises to 500,000 in middle position and Jon Kalmar calls. The flop comes 2s, 4s, 3c. Jon Kalmar checks. Garfinkle is all in for 2,780,000. Kalmar calls. Garfinkle has As Ad, and Kalmar has Ks Js. The turn is the Jc and the river is Ac. Garfinkle doubles up. [This hand was originally reported incorrectly putting Kalmar on Ks Jc.]Outer Table: Garfinkle vs. WatkinsonLee Watkinson raises to 400,000 in the cutoff and Steven Garfinkle reraises to 1,200,000 on the button. Watkinson folds. [i had either 9,9 or 7,7 here.]Outer Table: Garfinkle vs. KalmarLee Watkinson is on the button. Jon Kalmar raises to 450,000 in the cutoff and Watkinson folds. Steven Garfinkle reraises to 1,250,000 in the small blind. Kalmar folds. [i had either 9,9 or 7,7 here.]10 handed play:When play began 10-handed, we had about 12 mins left with the blinds at 80k/160k with a 20k ante. I had a bit under 5,000,000 in chips and I was not initially feeling terribly pressured. Two things ultimately changed that. First, Alex Kravchenko doubled up, leaving me somewhat exposed. Second, there was very little room to play and the aggressive play was all to my left. Early on, it became clear that much of the table was content to tighten up and wait for play on Tuesday. This seemed (to me) to be the case for Watkinson, Kalmar, Khan, Rhame (and for Kravchenko after his early aggressive play allowed him to more than double-up). I played a total of 5 hands during the 36 hands and 2+ hours of 10-handed play.Hand #7 - Tuan LamHand #7 - Raymond Rahme has the button in seat 1, Steven Garfinkle raises from middle position to 600,000, Tuan Lam reraises behind him to 1.85 million, and Garfinkle folds. Tuan Lam takes the pot. [i had A J os. This is the one hand I truly regret at that table. At the time, I was convinced that I would find a better spot later on to put my money in, and Kravchenko had not yet doubled up. I also did not realize at this stage how willing Tuan was to gamble with me. In retrospect, I don’t know what Tuan had, but I should have pushed on this hand.]Hand #10 - Steven GarfinkleHand #10 - Jerry Yang has the button in seat 4, he raises to 800,000, Steven Garfinkle moves all in from the big blind for about 4.0 million, and Yang goes into the tank for several minutes before he folds. Garfinkle takes the pot. [i had Kh 10h. Here we had moved to 100k/200k/30k and I was starting to feel some pressure to get involved.]Hand #12 - Philip HilmHand #12 - Steven Garfinkle has the button in seat 6, he raises to 800,000, Philip Hilm moves all in from the big blind, and Garfinkle folds. Hilm takes the pot. [i had K 7. Here I was obviously trying to steal, but this hand is also indicative of play at the table.]At this point, there was very little room for play and I felt that I was not going to get to see a flop unless I was all in. This was especially clear after Kravchenko doubled up on hand 19. I felt like a kid on the playground getting bullied. At the same time, I had no real opportunities to push for a long while. Between hands 12-34, the best hands that I had (and folded) were A 5 os and Q 10 os. There were a few occasions where the crowd or the players were eager to see me all in, but I still felt pretty relaxed. By this stage, we had all been there for close to 16 hours and EVERYONE (players, staff, spectators) wanted to go home. I had some fun with the crowd and the announcer, and I was very happy to keep playing. Unfortunately, the end came as we were approaching the end of the 100/200/30 level. Hand #34 - Steven GarfinkleHand #34 - Philip Hilm has the button in seat 8, and Steven Garfinkle moves all in from late position for 2.975 million, winning the blinds and antes. [i had A J os.]Hand #36 - Steven Garfinkle Eliminated in 10th Place ($476,926)Hand #36 - Hevad 'Rain' Khan has the button in seat 10, Steven Garfinkle moves all in from middle position for 3.515 million, and Raymond Rahme calls from the small blind. Garfinkle shows Ac 3s, and Rahme has Qc Qd. Garfinkle needs to improve to stay alive. The flop comes Kh, Qh, Jd, and the weary crowd cheers as Rahme flops a set of queens, and then the tone changes as they realize that Garfinkle actually picked up an extra out, as a ten will make him an ace-high straight. The turn card is the 6h, and Garfinkle needs a ten on the river to survive. The river card is the 2d, and nine players and most of the audience explode into cheers as Raymond Rahme wins the pot with three queens.THE LAST HAND ANALYSIS:In retrospect (and we should remember that I AM a historian), of course I wish I had waited for a better spot, but here was my thinking. I was banking on my fairly tight image at that table. Lam and Hilm to my immediate left had been fairly active 10-handed and everyone was anxious (it was 4:15am) to see someone send me home, so I thought that they might call me with a very wide range of hands; and I thought that Kalmar, Khan, Rahme and Kravchenko would need a monster to call me. As it happens, Rahme quite literally woke up with queens. It turned out to be the first and last time in the tournament that I was at risk with the worst of it. Clearly, I may have been a bit frustrated when I made the push with A 3 os. There was not that much play at the table, and with +/- 3,000,000 in chips I may not have been in desperate shape but I did not think that I had the luxury of waiting for an ideal spot. With the blinds about to go up to 120/240/30 I had started to worry about M for the first time. One thing is certain, I cannot blame fatigue. Being at that table was exhilarating. My real mistake was in not changing gears sooner. I needed to get more aggressive when we were down below 27 players. If I had come in to the final 10 with more chips, I would not have been in the precarious position in which I found myself. I was very card dead for the 2+ hours of play at that table. This is not a complaint. The point is that I could have faded a stretch like that if I had put myself in a better position. My game plan worked well only up to a point. Final thought on the final table: I have no idea how I (or anyone else) will look on TV (though I am sure I will look like I am in pain whenever I am all in), and I think that there is a fair chance that some of the participants will not come off well. I enjoyed the company of everyone I met at that table. Away from the cards, during breaks and in between hands, I found each of the final table competitors to be gentlemanly and fun. Cheers,Steven Garfinkle

[nutzbuster 7]

still reading, but Huge congrats!well done.

[rogerwilco 0]

still reading, but Huge congrats!well done.

QFT!

[Pot Odds RAC 23]

First of all, please nobody reply to this with the "quote" function "on"!!!Haven't read the entire thing yet, but sincere thanks for sharing your stories and insights from a perspective most of us can only dream of actually experiencing first hand.Looking forward to reading this as time permits.And congrats on the great score.

[fighter 4]

6, 100 words. AWSOMESeriously a thread with content I am looking forward to tackling this later.

[epistemic 0]

great read thanks.

[Jeepster80125 0]

Congratulations, good read.

[blakheart 3]

Great read! congrats on a well played tournament!

[CaneBrain 95]

well played, sir. I wouldnt worry your trip report is just fine with a good amount of detail but not too much.as for the play, it seems like you had a plan and executed nicely. obviously, you ran goot but who doesnt to get THAT deep? Very impressive and congrats.

[Jrobb25 0]

Nice job...very solid read and your play was great as well. Congrats on a nice run and a nice cash.

[NoSup4U 0]

still reading, but Huge congrats!well done.

[Mercury69 3]

Terrific run, Steve, and a very nice write up. Keep up the great work!

[barrec 0]

congratulations on your success, and excellent report! it was greatly appreciated. stories and reports like these give insight that some of us (most? just me?) will ever get.also, way to represent Bellingham, WA, my home town. do you play locally any more?

[suicideking 0]

First of all, please nobody reply to this with the "quote" function "off"!!!Haven't read the entire thing yet, but sincere thanks for sharing your stories and insights from a perspective most of us can only dream of actually experiencing first hand.Looking forward to reading this as time permits.And congrats on the great score.

FYP

[gatortom64 1]

I read it all. AND will read it again tonight. Very well written & thanks for giving us schlubs a view of the big life. Any major purchases with the cash? What was the wife's reaction? Obv, you have a seat next year!!! Well done.

[Viking145 0]

Barrec-During the Summer I get down to Tulalip fairly regularly.Gator-My wife is very pleased that her confidence has been so handsomely rewarded. The purchases have mostly been fairly mundane - I am buying a new roof, but I look forward to more buy-ins.

[Pot Odds RAC 23]

FYP

Helpful.

[dbrent2 0]

still reading, but Huge congrats!well done.

[CBass1724 1]

great read thanks.

Oh and congratulations!

[Bonzium 0]

very well done sir....the way you write it makes it seem so easy to get 10th place in the biggest tourney in the world! Lol well done!

[rogerwilco 0]

My wife is very pleased that her confidence has been so handsomely rewarded. The purchases have mostly been fairly mundane - I am buying a new roof, but I look forward to more buy-ins.

Good luck in the future, it sounds like you played very well in that tournament - maybe you get another shot at a main event final table. ;-)

[GeneralGeeWhiz 0]

:D GREAT read Steve! Congrats on the cash! POTY!

[SpiderGuard 0]

Fun read. Congrats on the cash!

[yeffy 0]

such an OBV BRAG POST!!!!!!!j/k very well done suh congrats.

[Canuckickstan 2]

1/2 way done at work. Good read and congrats.