WSOP Trip Day 1

Well we made it. After a 2 hour delay at the Nashvegas Airport waiting for our plane, we finally made it to Las Vegas about 11:30 PM. Get checked in and find out that the room does not have Internet, either wired or wireless. That just won't do. How can I update my trip without my Internet connection? Anyway, Kentucky Rock and I move and we now have Internet service.

I played one $525 single table last night. 10 $500 entry chips. Great start if I can find a way to win a few chips. I even tinker with the idea of playing the shorthanded $2500 event today if I will 5 chips. That would have been nice as some of the play I observed was just horrendous. It did not happen as I got short stack and finally went out a disappointing 3rd. The minute that I got knocked out (with AQ four handed - right play, the BB found AK and it held up), the remaining two guys made a deal 5 chips each. So close. Played well.

I went to the Rio Spa this morning and totally enjoyed a morning of pampering. I actually caught myself feeling guilty for feeling so good, but I got over that quickly. I had a massage, and really enjoyed the time in the jacuzzi and just relaxing. In fact that is how I am starting tomorrow morning as well.

Went to dinner with JM, his girl, Crazy Tom, Kentucky Rock, and The Weasel at the Nine Steakhouse at the Palms. It was nice. The sashimi appetizer really hit the spot. After that I went and played a $225 single table with Cloudy and Kentucky Rock. I get no chips, cards or anything else and go out somewhere around 5-6. Cloudy took 3 chips out of this one so it was not a total disaster for the Nashville contingency.

Saw Rachet playing in the shorthanded event today. He was short and did not make it deep at all. He seem to be doing fine, which is really good. I hope he does well tomorrow.

Most interesting point today? I turn the corner getting off the elevator to go to the Spa, and TJ Cloutier was playing craps at his own table. For those of you that don't know, there is a vicious rumor that Craps has taken a substantial amount away from TJ. That is sad if it is true, because he is a great tournament player. He did not make it deep today at all either.

An original Tiltboy, Rafe (a close friend of Phil Gordon of Full Contact) L. took down a tournament and got the coveted bracelet.

I played $2-5 NL. I run into quad 4s, lose my intial buy in and grind out a break even second buy in.

This seems eerily familiar to last year. I did not do well at all leading into the $1500. I hope that is the case. I am playing very good poker right now. I just have made a basic error at the wrong time a few more times than in the past. I will guarantee myself that I will not do that tomorrow. If I can keep those basic errors out of my game, I anticipate going really deep tomorrow. In fact, I can't help but to put my goals in order:

1. Play strong and don't bluff off your chips
2. Get to the money.
3. Get to the final table.
4. Get the damn bracelet and go home.

It can be done. Time for bed. I am going to get up early tomorrow and head back to the spa for a couple of hours in the jacuzzi while I watch world cup soccer. Brunch with Cloudy and then on to the historic finish. Stay tuned. This could get interesting.

Until Next Time from the WSOP,

Good Luck and See You at the Felt.....................

Yeah Baby! Its Time

1. Southwest Board Pass Printed? Check (A group - because I am anal about that and logged on last night).

2. Room Confirmed? Check.

3. Limo Reserved? Check. Because that is how Kentucky Rock and I roll.

4. Massage Reserved? Check and then some.

5. Dinner at the Nine Steakhouse? Check.

6. Money? Check. No, cash.

7. Entry Confirmed in $2,000 event? Check

8. Packed? Check

9. Ride to airport? Check, because Mrs. Grip needs the pokermobile. Cloudy bailed, Robman came through.

10. Audio Books on I-Pod? Check

11. Poker Books? Check.

I am as ready as I can make myself. I am a little nervous, which is good. I think that if I were not a little nervous, then I would probably be wasting my time going. The nerves will make me focus and work that much harder.

I will try to give day by day updates starting tonight or tomorrow morning. Until next time from Las Vegas,

Good Luck and See You at the WSOP............................

TeamGrip Returns

Wow, what a day it has been. I have been activily moving offices at work, and trying to get some work done in anticipation of being out, and then I receive a call.

From Grip Sr. He has offerred to back me in the $2000 event 100%. Wow, TeamGrip is down to one member. How exciting. My first fully backed event. Now to concentrate on my game plan.

The money was wired today, so it is official.

By the way, Crazy Tom is already out in Vegas. He is alternate #378. The field is full at 2,750 players. Last year, 2,314. This is just getting crazy.

Until later,

Good Luck and See You at the Felt..............

Early Tournament Strategy

Opinions are split on how to play early in a tournament. However, if your goal is to get as deep as possible, I think the correct attitude is to play a tight aggressive style.

Pro's Opinion.

For a professional poker player that also plays cash games, and is playing in a tournament that is comfortably within his bank roll, then almost always, that player will be a very aggressive bully-type player early in a tournament. They will play a multitude of hands and will depend on the Novice Player's passivity to build a stack. If this backfires and they are knocked out early, then there is always the cash games. There are a few events that this does not hold, the WSOP final event, the WPO Championship, etc. These are events that the pro has a keen interest in doing well. Not only do they have bigger prize pools, but they also provide the pro an opportunity to get more exposure on TV and thus increase the off-table money he can earn.

However, in the generic $1,000 entry fee event, then it is almost a given that a well-known pro will play a hyper-aggressive style. Hell, even The Grinder, Michael Misrachi, said it best: "I play in the smaller events to crush dreams." He is not there to grind out a cash. Give me chips or get me out quick. The cash games are waiting and there are fish to be had. If they do not get chips early, then they have wasted a day when they could be cashing in on soft competition in the cash games.

Now the rest of us:

Novice's approach.

Now that this the pro's version is out there, let's talk about the rest of us. I am of the firm belief that there is no reason to go crazy in the first few levels of the tournament. Now, that doesn't mean you do not play your strong hands accordingly. What it does mean is that you should not be out making risky aggressive plays trying to pick up the blinds. Why risk your tournament life for 75 or 150 in chips? A player cannot win a tournament in the first hour. In fact, event if a player builds a very nice stack during the first hour, that does not mean that the player is a favorite to go deep any more than he was already a favorite before the tournament started, regardless of who that player is.

A talented player can set up a very tight image early in a tournament by folding ALOT. This can easily be translated as a solid player later in the tournament, when the chips are worth stealing. Further, and regardless of your stack size, in a tournament, it is almost never a good idea to steal blinds with a nothing hand until the antes begin. There is just not enough up side to stealing without a solid hand without antes.

A good caveat to this rule is when a weak player or two has limped or a predicable player has raised a small amount early in a tornament and you have position and an image. These hands are different. Now you have sufficient reason to steal the pot. A reraise will typically when a pot if a player is weak and predictable. There is some risk to this move, but a good time to pick up some soft money with less risk.

The downside to this strategy is the large field events where the tables are breaking, and you get moved. These situations produce bad situations where your created tight play will not pay off as new players do not know that you are playing tight.

When do you stop this image and attack with power and verocity? That is up to you, your goals and the situation. Read my blog entries from July 2005 regarding the $1500 NL event last year at the WSOP. I turned it on the minute I made money and got lucky a couple of times, and just plain got paid off with my big hands.

As for this week. I leave Thursday night and will be at the WSOP for five days. I cannot wait. I will post more thoughts on that later. Until next time,

Good Luck and See you at the WSOP Felt..................