2009 WSOP Results

So I just got back from my 2nd trip to the WSOP. I played event #36, which was a $2K NL Hold'em event.

Two years ago I cashed and while I played good, I also ran like crazy hitting 4-5 sets along the way. This time I didn't run especially great, but I played really well. That doesn't mean I ran a lot of fancy bluffs necessarily, but I picked my spots well and I made plays based on my stack size and the situation in front of me.


Out of 1,695 players, I came in 47th place for $9,096. I truly felt like I was going to win the tournament and was playing great. Unfortunately, when I shoved my 8M stack with 88 into an aggressive late position raiser he woke up with 99 and I was out. I still feel like I was one of the best players in the field and had a great chance to take it down.

The next day, I also played in a $300+40 nightly event with 215 players. I made the final table and once we were 6 handed, the blinds were rediculously high (and I had to make my flight) so we chopped it for about $6K each.


So $15K in 3 days...I'll take it.

What were my keys to success? Going into the event, I wrote down a few rules for myself in order to stay focused:

1. I will remain calm, focused and aggressive
2. I will make my reads first, then consider my cards
3. Each player will be a faceless, nameless body with patterns and tendencies
4. I will not bring baggage to the table
5. I will not force the action
6. I will be fluid
7. I will fear no man
8. I will make plays that I have confidence in
9. I will change gears and adapt to table dynamics
10. I will make decisions based on my reads, not based on what a book or forum says I should
11. I will not worry about what others think about my play
12. I believe that I will win
13. I will play to win without fear of busting out
14. I will always be conscious of how many chips are in the pot
15. I will trust my gut feeling
16. I will accumulate chips on the bubble
17. I will have fun

Of those, there are a few that were really key to playing well at this type of an event. While I've never been one to put pros on a pedestal or be intimidated, it is very easy to create pre-conceived notions about how someone will play (i.e. young online pros are always hyper-aggressive bluffers). So #3 was really huge. Also, being someone who doesn't regularly play the tournament circuit (but knows who all the successful live and online players are), it is easy to fall into the trap of either wanting to impress them with your play or not look foolish making a mistake they would critize or laugh at on the forums. So being a perfectionist, #11 was important for me personally to play my best. But ultimately #15 was the most important one. I've been playing for 5 years now and regularly study the game. I know what the best play is for the situation and I was able to both win and save a lot of chips by trusting my instincts.

In addition to the rules listed about, the following are other reasons I played well and lessons I learned from the trip:

• I concentrated on my breathing, especially when not in a hand and getting a dry run of cards/situations to play in. It helped me prevent getting impatient and also helped to keep my head clear and focused


• I allowed myself to get into a state of being relaxed and calm, which allowed me to take the time to trust my instincts and eliminate emotional decisions


• I counted the chips each pot (weather I was in it or not). This allowed me to understand my opponents betting patterns and quickly calculate pot odds. But it also helped keep my mind active and prepared for battle.


• I proactively made reads on each situation, assigning hand ranges, and considering plays before even looking at my cards.


• I stayed disciplined and made tough laydowns, even when I was getting anxious to win a pot


• I took advantage of my image. In one situation I used my tight image to shove 42 off-suit on a re-steal when the small blind was not at the table and the button raised. In other situation, I over-shoved KK to get a call when it looked like I may have been on tilt.


• I followed the same physical routine each hand as to not give off tells


• I was really good about not giving away verbal information about my style, the cards I play, etc. through "casual table talk"


• I stayed confident and never second guessed myself