WSOP Main Event Day 1b

Like everyone else in the Main Event, I began the day with 20k in chips. I didn't recognize anyone at my table, but later learned that the player to my right was Keith "The Camel" Hawkins. I chipped up early and the table dynamics became quite clear: Keith and I were doing the raising and betting, everyone else was doing the checking, calling and folding.

There was one lady at the table who was too funny for words. She thought that a bet of 600 was the solution to all problems at the poker table. I'm not kidding when I say that her open-raise was 600 (blinds 50/100), her 3bet size was 600 (raise from 275 to 600) and her bets on the flop, turn and river were also respectively 600 each! As you can probably imagine, it didn't take her too long to bust out, I did the honors with QQ on a KcTs9s flop against her AK for her last 3.8k in chips. A jack on the river sealed her fate.

Loaded with around 30k in ammunition, Keith raised from EP to 600 at blinds 100/200. He had me covered and I made the call with 22. Everyone folded and the flop came down 7c 8c 2h giving me bottom set. He surprisingly checked and I fired 1k, which he very quickly called. The turn was the 10d. He checked again and I fired 2400, which he once again called quickly. The river was the 3c, completing the flush. However, it was not very relevant because I think he is almost always contbetting that flop with a flush draw, so I opt for a value bet of 5k even which he SNAPS. To my surprise, he reveals 96o for the straight and I lose almost 30% of my stack.

The very next hand I raise 88 and flop a set against someone else, allowing me to win back approx. 5k in chips. The next orbit Keith raises from the same position again and I know his range is so incredibly wide not only because of his showdown beforehand, but also because the guy in the BB is probably the tightest player to ever have played the Main Event. He literally never played a hand, constantly complained about the crap the dealer dealt to him and almost had a heart attack when we had to play 7-handed for a couple minutes while we waited for new players. He called the floor over at least 4 times to remind them to send someone over ASAP.

Anyway, new blinds are 150/300 and Keith raises to 800 and this time I elect to 3bet to 2500 with JTo. He calls and we see a flop of Js4d2d. He checks and I check it back for deception as well as the fact that I don't want to be pushed off my hand quite yet. The turn is the Jc and he check/calls my 3300 bet. The river is a Qs, he checks and I go for a 7100 value bet, which should confuse him beause my line looks a little strange. He makes the call and instamucks when I show him my hand, later on he told me he had 66.

With the final break about to begin, an old man (stack ~16k) raised UTG+1 to 1200 and I found AQs in MP. I made the call and we saw a flop of As9h7h. This old man hated me because I had already 4bet him twice, only with kings and once with T9s, though neither went to showdown. Still, I had the feeling that he was not in the mood to be giving me any more chips. He bet 2k and I made the call. The turn was the Kh and he announces "All-in" for 12.7k (double the pot-size). This was now a pretty difficult decision. I tanked for about 3 minutes and after some chit-chat I finally made the call. He showed JhJd, I dodged his 11 outs and sent him packing.

The last level consisted of me moving to a new table, making a bad fold against an unkown that should have sent him to the rail and then losing a few chips in the final hands because I thought people would just want to get through the day without much confrontation. Still, I ended the day with 66,350 chips so all is well for now. Play continues on Tuesday and I'm ready to get back in the zone.