n - Gordon is one of my soccer players


Uuhhggg!! I know. I know. It is tilting me so badly that I did that. Twice!!
Its Beatles not Beetles!!

Thanks for the support. Things pick up in the next installment.

I thought they had already picked up! You mean it's going to get better!?!?

Masterful TR, sir! I am working the Steps on FT so hopefully I can write my own next year.

Keep up the good work!

Wife gets to "mindset coach" level 4 by bringing home 2 strippers and waiting in the bathtub for you?

Been waiting 5 years for this TR have ya?

awesome post, loving the story dude

subscribed. keep 'em coming!

Great posts, keep them coming.

Day 2A – Part 1: Tussles with Tiffany

It’s Friday July 9th and today I will play day 2A of the main event of the WSOP. I am anxious and have a hard time sleeping so when 7:00am comes around I am wide-awake. I feel nervous. Day 1 gave me a bunch of confidence, but I feel antsy. I decide that I need to workout. Leading up to the trip I had worked out almost everyday. Now with just two days of not working out I can tell a difference. I head down to the Spa and pay the $22 for a day-long pass to the fitness center. I get all the way down there and realize I left my iPod upstairs. I don’t feel like going all the way back up to my room now that I have already started to workout so I suck it up and try to clear my mind. The music they are piping into the fitness room is not pumping me up. I find myself distracted by the other people working out. The fitness room at the Rio is NOT impressive. It feels like they collected a bunch of second hand fitness equipment from local yard sales and put them in someone’s living room. You do have a nice view of the pool, but it is 7:00 in the morning so there is nothing to see.

After a pretty lame workout, I am feeling a bit better physically. I decided to try to relax some by sitting in the steam room and then whirlpool. In my past I have spent a good deal of time in saunas. I still have nightmares about putting the stationary bike in the sauna in order to lose 8 pounds in 3 hours before my first ever college wrestling match (I lost and suffered two dislocated shoulders for my trouble). I am happy to report that my sauna experience was short and uneventful. I had read Matt Moore’s TR and so I was prepared for outlasting anyone who may already be inside. (for a more interesting sauna story check out MM’s story of the PH sauna. ) I follow the steam with short time in the whirlpool and I finally feel sufficiently relaxed and focused. I go up, shower and change, then my wife and I go down for breakfast. She asks me if I feel ready, and I honestly say I feel great!

An aside: My wife and I had our third anniversary on July 4th (Does anyone else see the great irony in getting married on Independence Day). Having four kids (her two and my two) and all of our family living in town we seldom have time alone. In fact, in the 3 years we’ve been married we have not had a weekend alone away from the house. I sold her on this trip to Vegas as chance for some well deserved alone time -- kind of a belated honeymoon (granted I’ll be playing poker 10 hours a day but hey, no kids and no parents around will be a novel experience).

Not so fast….. When I told my parents of my plans for Vegas, they had already had a western driving trip planned (Vegas was not on the itinerary). Neither had ever been to Las Vegas so they felt this would be a good excuse to add it to their route. This did not even remotely make sense based on their original plan. I tried to tell them that it is not very exciting to watch people play poker when you can’t see their cards, that my table may be in the middle of the room, that there was no where to sit, but they were insistent on coming. My parents never missed a soccer game or wrestling tournament as I was growing up. They were “those” parents and for that I am very grateful. They were always there cheering me on and providing the team with sliced oranges and Gatorade. Actually, that wouldn’t be too bad. I would have my own old couple fans just like Phil Ivey. It would be nice to have an enthusiastic rail, but kind of a buzzkill for romance. Vegas watch out -- Bebe and Papa are on the way! My wife cannot contain her excitement.

It’s game time and my parents have called me three times giving me updates on their driving progress. They have also figured out how to text and have sent my wife about 20 updates on their progress. They should be at the Rio by 1:00. My wife and I walk down to the tournament area to find my table and my wife finally has a reaction to seeing a poker player. Today I will be playing with Tiffany Michelle. This is significant because “The Amazing Race” is a show that my wife and I really enjoy. She tells me I should give TM a hard time for her and Maria Ho being too weak to complete the task on the leg of the race that put them out. She was outraged at the time. “How could they not be prepared? Haven’t they seen the show?” My wife is a bit competitive. I figure I would wait until the right moment to bring it up. TM is two to my left in seat 2. I am stuck in seat 9. In seat 6 and 7 are two other legit pros. Seat 3 seems to be a good player also.

TM came to the table with a short stack and an ESPN camera crew. In the first hour there was a hand where there were three limpers before TM raised on the button. The SB re-raised. Everyone clears out back around to TM. She doesn’t hesitate – “All-in.”

The SB calls and tables AA to TM’s 77. The flop brings the 7 and TM doubles up. ESPN is all over our table and I am aware that if I knock out TM I will probably make the telecast. This would result in some bonus money from Fulltilt. However, I am not going to do anything stupid just for a little TV time.

In the meantime, my parents arrive and my mom calls me three times trying to find my table. I ask if she brought oranges for half time. She say no, but offers to go get some. I tell her it is not necessary.

In the first hour I only play four hands and two were out of the blinds. Two wins – two losses. I am determined to be patient and pick my spots. I am down to 47K, but that is still very deep, so I am in no rush. The Pros at the table are running the show. TM is playing loose and aggressive and her stack fluctuates up and down. “Vince” in seat 6 is calling out people’s hands as he folds in HU situations and he is right more than once. (kinda of spooky – like he can see through the cards. ) The second time he tells me I have AJ while folding, I remark, “If you can name the suits, I may have to leave.” He just laughed. The third pro (I never caught his name, but the tournament staff seemed to know him) pulled out a wad of cash so big he had a hard time holding it with one hand. It was all big bills. He was spilling hundred dollar bills on the table as he tried to find a small bill to tip the drink guy for his water. Finally he found a twenty and didn’t take change.

The second hour doesn’t get any better for me. It seems that every time I raise TM calls, I miss the flop and cbet only to have her raise me. She has taken numerous small pots off of me. I wonder if I have a “tell” she is reading or if she has just determined that she can pick on me. Throughout the next hour I have had to make some tough laydowns, but players have shown me their cards and I feel validated because I was losing the minimum in spots where others were losing much more. Vince notices this and also notices my frustration as we are leaving on the break. He says, “Sometimes there is nothing you can do. But don’t worry you are playing very well.” I feel good about the compliment, but also wonder if he is just saying that so that he can take all my chips later.

Here is the most significant hand up to this point. Blinds 250/500/25ante I raise to 1500 with AK from the button and get called by both the SB and Tiffany in the BB. The flop was 656 (two 's). Both blinds checked. I have the K). I bet 2500 and both blinds called. I didn’t know what to make of my opponents’ play. I had shown strength twice and they didn’t seem to being going anywhere. The pot was getting big and I had only Ace high against two players. So when the turn came a 10 and both players checked to me I thought I should not build the pot anymore. I can check and see what the river brings. I felt my image was strong, so there are a lot of cards I can bet on the river if the flush or straight misses. I know this is a weak play, but I still have a lot of chips and position. There is no rush. The river is a 4. I don’t like this card, but the small blind checked. TM bet quickly (too quickly I thought)-- 9K into about 13K (too much I thought).

I went into the tank for a long time. The ESPN cameras were circling. It just seemed wrong. Like she was just trying to buy the pot bc the SB had checked and I had checked the turn. Obviously the 4 didn’t help me, but I felt she had “air.” She had been bluffing liberally and had shown down some very weak speculative hands. I think the cameras and the chance to win a big pot got to me. I thought that a big raise would win the hand. I counted out my chips. I had about 35K left and there was 22K in the middle. I felt that if I went all in it would look like I had a big flush. I picked up my stack to move in and then hesitated. Was something telling me this was a bad idea, or was I being a wimp? Could I make a big move? My stomach was in knots and I my mouth was dry. Could I really make this re-bluff? I went back in the tank. I picked up my stack again. I had every chip in my hands off of the felt before putting it back down again. I long time has passed. Finally, another player (one not in the hand) called the clock on me.

"For the record, I didn't call it!" exclaimed Michelle as the TV cameras were rolling.

And that was all I needed. She was so relaxed and jovial as she said it --that changed my mind. I still felt she may be bluffing, but I chickened out. As I threw my cards into the muck they caught the table and both flipped up. I felt horrible bc the SB was still in the hand-- If he decided to call her bluff because of the information he gained from me that would be awful. I apologized immediately and then just shut up hoping he would fold just in case. He finally did fold and TM turned up AJ! I had come that close to bluffing my way out of the WSOP. Good thing I didn’t have the nerve. I am back down to 35K and my confidence has taken a hit. I got up and went over and apologized for exposing my cards. It was truly an accident.

i like it. please continue at your leisure

You write very well OP. Are you an English teacher?

If you didn’t get the “calling the clock” reference

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38PxHgf90Nk

http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/29...oughts-332348/

I will say that I found Tiffany Michelle to be quite pleasant and not at all rude even when the “dirty bird” was being a big tool bag (in next post). She plays a high-risk style of tournament poker, but she knows what she is doing. She frequently put players at the table to real tough decisions.

I certainly don’t want to tempt people to start bashing Tiffany again, I just thought it was clever how fast she recognized the situation and clarified when we were playing. And it probably saved my tournament life. Or maybe I would have chickened out anyway.

You seem like pretty much the nicest guy ever. Loving this.

nhs sir

great inspiration for fellow 30-something nits

Nope. Psychology and Biology.

TR is $$$$ it seems like alot of the main event rookies have had run INS with Tiffany Michelle...almost makes me want to poney up the $10k buyin

Great job OP - looking forward to the next part!

Great fold & great TR OP---thank you! I'll be hitting up the steps next year.

Excellent!

Have really been enjoying this;

As a brief digression, I've played with Tiffany Michelle twice, never in the Main Event, but in a Circuit event and a Preliminary event at the Rio pre-Main Event, and I found her to be nothing but rude, mean-spirited, and condescending. I have no vested interest in anyone she has ever wronged, and she didn't wrong me personally, but being at the poker table with her was awful. I'd prefer Matusow or Hellmuth, at least they're pretty upfront about being rude/arrogant/boisterous/whiny. She tries to hide it, and just comes off as a bitch.

Day 2A – Part 2: Mixing it up with a dirty bird and Mr. Grey

A new young player who I will call the “Dirty Bird” comes to our table and immediate starts being obnoxious. He is loud and keeps saying he is trying to bust out so he can catch his flight home. He comes across as terribly arrogant and dismissive to everyone. As he sits down, he looks across at Tiffany Michelle and says, “Hey, I know you. You are one of those famous pros right? What’s your name?”

She smiles and says, “Liv Boree.”

He said, “Yeah okay, cool.” No one at the table let’s on that he’s being leveled. He really has no clue who she is and keeps referring to her as Liz. There are about to be fireworks.

But before that happens the gentleman who had is Aces cracked early in the day has been patiently nursing his short stack. Finally, he gets all in after a raise in front and he is called. His AA is once again cracked by an under pair, and I am reminded just how cruel this game can be. Some will not see AA the whole tournament and make it to the money and this guy is out on day 2 with nothing but probability to blame. (Luck = probability taken personally)
It could be worse – it could be me.

The “Dirty Bird” has been playing almost every hand since he sat down. He has won most of them through pure aggression. He is talking non-stop --being kind of a rude and sarcastic -- before the following hand ensued.

“Dirty Bird” opened the pot for as raise; as he had done every chance he could. TM called from the big blind (with AK). The flop was AK7 with one . TM sets her trap by checking. “Dirty Bird” fires a continuation bet that TM just calls. The turn is a the 3. TM checks again hoping her aggressive opponent will bet. However, he checked behind. The river was a 8. TM now leads out with a nice size bet (probably ¾ of the pot) and the young guy quickly calls with his 9 2! The kid jumped up rubbed his chest while dancing and saying loudly, “who’s a dirty bird?! I’m a dirty bird!!”

It was terrible, rude, and obnoxious. He made no friends at that moment. Too bad the ESPN cameras missed it. He later apologized and TM was fairly gracious as she told him he might be a douche.

At the dinner break I am still sitting on 35k with blinds at 400/800/100a. I was feeling better bc I was playing well even if not accumulating a lot of chips. With over 40 big blinds deep I can continue to stay patient. “Dirty Bird” has continued to beat on everyone at the table, but he was to my immediate right so he was picking on my blinds. He had been raising every hand that he opened. I had been folding to these raises. I had position on him, but I couldn’t seem to find a way to take advantage of it, or I didn’t have the stones to take advantage of it.

During the break I decided that I needed to start playing back at this kid or he would continue to run over me. I had to stand up. So the first two times he raised my blind after the break I re-raised strong and he folded. I could tell he didn’t like my newly found aggression. That led up to the next two hands.

This was my facebook post:
“Dirty Bird” raises the button to 2200, I reraised to 6000, big blind folds, kid thinks and re- reraises to 12000, I paused and 5 bet reraise all in. He folds. My hand ..... ??????? Guess.

I knew this confrontation was coming. It had set up over the last two hours. For a while he had run over me. Twice I had made him back down preflop with re-raises. So this hand comes up and I picked up on two tells. He was ready to raise before he looked at his cards. He raised to 2200. I re-raised (6000) and he re-re-raised (12000) way too fast -- like he planned to no matter what. I took my time and thought about it. I felt I was in good shape. His bet sizes didn’t make sense, his frustration was obvious and his body language seemed weak. So I shoved all in. I had re-raised him before but never put myself at risk, so if I was willing to push all in I must have it AA, KK, or QQ. He folded quickly. My hand was AJ. I was dialed in and I knew I was not done dancing with the “Dirty Bird.”

A few hands later – me vs “Dirty Bird” again. This hand is a continuation of a series of hands played between the villain of the table and me. Three or four times I had outplayed him preflop. This time he was going to try to outplay me post flop. He raised (like he did every time he opened a pot - 2300). I had AK on the button. I have to re-raise (6000) to charge him a price out of position. He only calls this time. The flop comes AJ8 rainbow. He checks. I bet 9000, he takes his time and then re-raises me all-in for my last 36K. When he check raises me all-in I feel sick. It is one thing to raise yourself all-in a whole other thing to call off your whole stack with your tournament and $10,000 on the line.

So I took my time, and replayed the hand in my head. What hands can I beat? What could he have? Hands that beat me include AA, JJ, 88, A8, AJ, and J8. I felt AA would have re-re-raised preflop especially considering previous hands played. So I eliminate that. A8 and AJ are possible but not too likely since I am holding an ace. Plus A8 is weak out of position preflop call against a player who has played back at you a few times (so I basically eliminate A8). JJ is possible but he wouldn’t push here as I am too likely to fold. And why would he want me to fold if he is that strong? 88 is the same story. Why would he bet in such a way that I am likely to fold if he is sitting on a set? All of this analysis leads to AJ, J8 or a bluff of some kind. There are many more bluffs in his range than winners so I should call. I am still wary, it’s day 2 and I have plenty of chips. But I have seen this guy show down so much junk. I swallow hard and call and I see his J9. I am not surprised to see a weak holding, but I am brutally aware that my hand is vulnerable. The turn brings a K so now I only have to worry about the last two Jacks. The river blanks and my hand holds up.

“Vince” tells me, “Its okay to exhale now.”

I am not sure “Dirty Bird” said four more words after that. I can tell the whole table is pleased with me. His stack is decimated and a few rounds later someone finishes him off.

My parents and wife had left the Pavilion room about 45 minutes before the dinner break to go get a table at one of the restaurants in the Rio. I was going meet up with them at the break. When they left my stack was around 35K. I was flying high when I met them for dinner with a stack of 95k and a bunch of table credibility. I am too jacked up to eat. I nibble on my burger then head up to try to rest a bit in my room.

After dinner I buckled down and folded for an hour before our table broke. (meanwhile TM bluffed off half her stack – she busted later at her new table – somebody just made the ESPN coverage)

I was moved into the Amazon room and sat to the immediate right of David Grey. Oh well, I guess I’ll just fold until bedtime. This table was made up of Euro pros on the right and young internet Americans on the left, with me and Mr. Grey in the middle. I was almost embarrassed by the hero worship one young guys was heaping on Grey, who btw never shut up. I mean he was talking when I sat down and never stopped to take a breath for a whole hour. It was very irritating. I have seen him on tv talking and talking, but to sit next to him while he tells you everything about everything was painful. He is one of those guys that if someone brings up a subject he will be the expert on it everytime, no matter what the subject is. I figured, if he was going to talk, then I might as well hear something interesting. So I asked him how he got started in poker. Mistake. Bc now he is talking to me and I can’t disengage. It turns out his story wasn’t that interesting and I am convinced he only talked to hear himself speak. It’s almost like a disorder. Maybe it is a tactic to put players off of their game. I know it affected me.

I had a couple of small hiccups down the stretch. First DG raised in first position. It was a bit smaller than the standard opening raise. It folded to me in the BB and I called with 10 10. The flop came three baby cards. I check he leads out half the pot and I just knew I was beat. I folded face up and he said, “You were supposed to call – I have KK.” (he showed them).

I replied, “I was supposed to flop a set.”

Last hand of the night and was on the button with AK. It folded to me as people started to bag their chips. I raised and was called by the big stack in the BB. The flop came 72Q. He checks, I bet. He raised. I fold. He shows 72. Oh well. I made it through day 2A with 86,700. I am exhausted. I now have two days off before day 3. I head upstairs after splurging on a vodka and grapefruit from the bar instead getting a “free” one in the casino. I hope my wife is in the giving mood again.

Two days off until day 3. We plan to explore outside of vegas, watch the world cup final, and take in another show.

So this guy is a nit, but gets priority seating at fancy restaurants. He satellites into the main event, feels like he's lighting 10k on fire, is spot on when he thinks those giant FTP logos on a backward hat look toolish, so far has outlasted 2/3 the field, and has drinks and gets blown by wifey following every day of the main. To top it off, his writting is amazing. If this is not the best story ever, I don't what is. If this story includes a cash, its gonna be off the chain!

BTW, is it just me or does his main event strategy seem great? Sounds like he's there to play the goods, control the size of pots, and chip up w/ minimal risk. Yeah he admits not having the stones to outplay some people, but seems like he's confident w/ his feel, correctly putting opponents on hands, and picking good spots.

You must post the next part immediately!

your writing is excellent and has a regular blue collar player like me just wanting more.. you have mass appeal to the everyday normal guy and im definitely looing forward to the next chapter! keep it up.

Outstanding... in every respect. I even had to take Vince's advice when I finished reading the passage.

Agreed, this is a very entertaining and informative report.