Tournament Date: 11 May 2007
Buy-In: $2500 + $200
# of Players: 500
Prize Pool: $1,250,000
Game - No Limit Hold-Em

After coming 57th in the PLHE and 44th in the PLO and winning my seat in the super sattelitte I thought things were getting better and better and I was getting closer and closer.

The tournament started with 500 players and a prize pool of 1.25 million. $325,000 to the winner, not a bad bit of pocket change to have. Starting stack was 15K with 45 minute levels so there was plenty of play.

I started off, as usual, well. I decided to play a little more aggressive in this event but I had to change my plan when I found out Gavin Smith was on my table. He was raising a lot of pots and fortunately for me I picked up a couple of good hands and was able to play back at him, because of this, he didn't steal my blinds once! I built my stack up to 20K by the first break and I was feeling confident. Just before the 2nd break, blinds were 150/300/50 I had about 22K in chips and the following hand happened. Everybody folds to me on the button and I have A J. I raise to 1200 and only the big blind calls. He was a very loose and unstable player (he had called raises with 10 3 suited 2 3 offsuit etc and it was difficult to put him on a hand). I had noticed something about him while watching him in other pots. When he had a hand he would take his chips in front and play with them while looking like he was in deep thought. Anyway, the flop come Q J 9 rainbow. He checked to me and I bet out 2K, he stops to think for a minute but didn't touch his chips, he just sat there. I knew I had him beat. All-In, he announces. It would cost me 5,175 more to call. I think about the situation for a minute and decide that he is on a draw. I put him on 9 10 or 10 J. I know he didn't have the Queen because going by his past pots, he would have just called. Another minute passes and I am still thinking. If he has 10 J I am a 60/40 favourite and there is also 12,000 in the pot to win. I am getting nearly 2 1/2 for my money. I call. I was right he was on a draw, 10 J offsuit. Unfortunately for me the K hits the turn and he makes his straight. I had a redraw to the bigger straight with the 10 but I can't hit 3 outters and I was down to 14K. Break time.



After the break our table broke and I was moved to a new table, a couple of rounds passed and I am sitting at 12K in chips. I am on the big blind. Mid position player limps and an 80ish year old woman raised to 1000 (blinds are 200/400/50). I have Ac9c and I call the additional 600 (I am getting 3/1 on my money and I put her on AK, AQ. I am hoping to out flop her). The limper folds and we are heads up. The flop comes 6 6 9. I check, she bets 1500, I call. The turn comes an Ace. I have top 2 now and I decide to check again. She bets 3000 and I go All-In. She thinks for a minute and says to me "Have you got a 6?" I said "I got 2 cards ma'am" She hesitates for a few more seconds and calls. I almost throw up when I see that she has A 6 in her hand. I was so pissed that she slow rolled me, I actually got out of my seat and started walking totwards her. I realised what I was doing and I turned around and sat back down. I was completely dizzy.

I was crippled and dizzy, what a combination! I had 1500 in chips and knew I had a long road ahead of me. I found As 7s and pushed 7c8c called me and I doubled up. My table breaks and I get moved. I announce to the table that there is no shame in folding when I go all in and get a few laughs. I felt relaxed becuase with this short a stack I had nothing to loose and everything to gain. i double up pretty quicky with 9c Jc against AQ when I made a flush and stole a couple of blinds and got my stack back up to 10K. I was in the cut off and I see Kh Qh, I raise to to 2100 and only the big blind calls. The flop comes K 10 9. The BB checks and I go All-In. I have top pair, second best kicker and a gut shot straight. He calls, he flopped 2 pair Kings and 10's. I didn't improve and I was out in 280th place.

Tournament Date: 10 May 2007
Buy-In: $180 + $20
# of Players: 552
Prize Pool: 36 Seats to the Main Event ($2700 value)
Game - No Limit Hold-Em

Won my seat to the main event. YAY! back to winning ways, hopefully this is the start of something good. Lets hope that my hands hold up for the next 3 days.

Tournament Date: 09 May 2007
Buy-In: $1000 + $100
# of Players: 128
Prize Pool: $128,000
Game - Pot Limit Omaha

Finished 44th in this Event

Tournament Date: 08 May 2007
Buy-In: $1000 + $100
# of Players: 218
Prize Pool: $218,000
Game - Pot Limit Hold-Em

Finished 57th in this event

Tournament Date: 07 May 2007
Buy-In: $1000 + $100
# of Players: 300
Prize Pool: $300,000
Game - No Limit Hold-Em - Short Handed (6 max)

I started this tournament well. 300 players started and by the time we got down to 200 I hand a decent stack of around $15,000. My table was pretty good. Some solid players and it was fairly easy to read the table. I was in seat 5. A new player joined us in seat 4 and I had player with him on The $500+$50 event. In that event he played about 2 hands in the 3 hours I was seated on the table with him. I had assessed him as a very tight player. Anyway, he came to the table with about $20,000 in chips. About an hour went by and I never tangled with him and he and I stayed at the same stacks for this period until this hand came up. The blinds were 300/600/50. Everybody folded around to him in the small blind and and he completes for 300. I raise to 2600 with KK. He looks at me inquisitively and decides to call. The flop came 4 4 7 rainbow. He checks and I bet out 2800, he calls. A 6 comes on the turn and he checks again, I bet out 4000 and he calls. Now I am worried about the 4 but I think he may have played back at me to find out where he was on the previous betting rounds if he had one, also I think the only hand he could have with a 4 would be A 4 and I couldn't put him on that hand with his table image. The river brings down a 5 and he bets out $3000 into me. Pocket 8's? There is about $18000 in the pot now and I can't really lay this hand down now so I call. He shows me 6 8 offsuit for the straight. I was dizzy!

I only had 3K left in chips and pushed the next hand with JQ. 1 caller. The flop came J J 3, sweet. The turn came a 4 and the river was a 5. My opponent had 44 and I was out in 140th.