Yesterday I played the $2500 Mixed Holdem WSOP Event and busted it. Today I played the Venetian $550. I will talk about hands in both of them.

Mike Caro was at my table along with Ellix Powers (HE CALLED ME WITH JACK HIGH! Guy from the 2004 WSOP limit event.) I actually liked this guy when I watched him in 2004 but after playing with him he is absolutely clueless in limit poker lol. Here’s the video I’m talking about if you haven’t seen it. Ellix Powers Video.. I really miss these old WSOP episodes. They were the best.

Anyways Mike Caro played really weird/different I would say. I don’t like saying people play bad because there are unlimited ways to play poker but I don’t think his style is profitable long term lol. Someone help me come up with a new word that isn’t disrespectful. Let me get onto the hands.

I was down from my original 7500 starting stack to 6200 early because of a couple limit hands. I was absolutely bricking every hand in limit holdem. AK vs 77 A5cc on a 24cc6xx board vs 88, just missing every hand possible. In the NO LIMIT round utg raised to 150 at 25/50 and I called in 2nd position with AJdd. There were 6 to the flop and it came 88s9d we all checked. The turn was the Js and utg bet 200. I decided to bluff raise here since I didn’t think anyone had an 8 and made it 625. The button flat called (an older lady) and the utg raiser folded. The river came the Ac and I checked to the lady and she quickly bet 2k. I really didn’t think she had an 8 here and I didn’t think she would bet so quickly with QT on a scary board like that. So I put her on air for the most part or maybe AQss type hands. I ended up calling and she turned over AJ and I’m back up to 6600.

The game switched every 30 minutes between limit and no limit and let me say the structure for the limit rounds was pretty crazy. It would be like 100/200/25a in no limit and then 200/400 400/800 betting rounds in limit. If you lost pots in limit you were basically screwed and that’s how my day went.

I’m now down to 4k from losing every possible pot in limit. I hadn’t won one pot yet in limit. Because of this I decided to be more aggressive during the no limit rounds. There was an Internet/aggressive/loose player two to my left who decided to get in every pot I was in. I raised the cutoff with JTo and the button called and the sb Internet kid called. The flop came J94r and I bet 350 and the Internet kid called. The turn is the Js putting two spades up and he leads for 650. I just tank and call and the river comes Qc. He checks and I value bet 875 to get paid by QT or a 9 and he calls and mucks his hand and I am back up to 6600. I really wanted to bet more on the river but I couldn’t imagine him calling me down for a big bet on the river here. My hand is either a jack or an over pair in his mind I would assume. So with that thinking I didn’t think he would pay off a big bet if he thought I was betting aces on the river or a jack. I’m also not sure what type of hands he leads with on the turn but like I said, he either had QT or a 9.

This pot was the sickest limit pot I was involved in during the day. I had JJ vs TT vs Ellix Powers 45dd on a JT5cc flop which was 3bet on the flop. Turn was 8d and river was 3d and I saved a bet just check calling river but I ended up losing a lot in that pot. When we got to the no limit round I only had 2300 but doubled up AKcc in the big blind vs a cutoff raise with AQo to go up to 4700.

This hand is a pretty sick hand involving Mike Caro and maybe this will explain my thoughts on his game. A young player who was a little active raised preflop to 425 in no limit and I called on the hijack with 9Tdd. Caro called in the big blind. The flop came QJ9r and the first guy bet 550. I decided to gamble on this flop and go with my hand. I raised to 1875 with a little more than 2k (I am obviously committed to the pot) and then Caro moves all in from the big blind for 4500 total. The first guy folds and I call and Caro turns over ATss. I am looking in good shape lol. The turn brings a second spade giving Caro more outs (2s) but the river comes the 8c to chop the pot between me and him. Stack is now 5200.

Blinds are 150/300 with betting limits 300/600 in limit and I have the same stack. I am playing VERY tight during the limit rounds. I raise QQ in 2nd position and Ellix Powers calls from the button. The flop comes AK5r which is about the worst flop for me in the world. I checked to him and he bet 300. I know this guy plays very loose so I decided to call again and re-evaluate the turn. The turn is a 9 and we both check. The river comes another Ace and I check to him again. He bets once again and I figured my line looked pretty weak and he would bet his Kings, aces, and possibly every other hand/bluffs and value bets. I called and he tabled A2dd. I don’t mind the way I played this hand vs. that player but I could of folded the river.

I shove 77 and JJ during the no limit rounds and get no calls. Here is one of the sickest hands I played for the no limit part of this tournament. Mike Caro limps in third position as he had done before, the small blind completes and I check with A7ss in the big blind. I have about 3500 to start the hand the blinds are 100/200 I think, possibly an ante. The flop comes 7c8s9s and I flop a pair and a flush draw. The sb checks, I check (planning on check raising Caro) and he checks behind. The turn is the Ah and we both check to Caro again (planning on check raising again!) He checks once again and the river comes the Qd. The small blind bets 550 and I decide to just call. Just how the hand played out I decided I couldn’t get too much value from raising here and I could still be beat. The small blind ended up having 99 for a set and I was down to 2700. I shove 99 over a raise and get back up to 3500 chips.

Back to limit I raise QKo and get 3bet by the older lady on the button and fold on a jack high flop. I am now down to 2600 chips. Ellix limps for 400 and I raise AQo on the button to 800. He calls the flop comes J46r and he check calls my 400 bet. The turn is a 9 and he check calls 800. The 6 pairs on the river and I only have 750 chips and he checks to me again. I can’t beat anything that he calls my river all in with but my hand still has a little value in showdown so I obviously check and he turns over A6o. So he limped in early position with A6 and went to town with it. The very next hand I have A5o on the cutoff and raise all in to 750. The button calls the bb calls. The board runs out 889ddA3 and I fade vs QTdd and xx to go back up to 2500. I’m praying for NL to come quick in 2 minutes.

100/200/25a I shove A3hh for 1925 on the hijack and everyone folds. Very next hand I get KK and shove again for 2450. The sb calls with 99 and I hold 566TK to go up to 5200.

My table breaks and I move to a new table with Internet player scrubbyz to my direct right. I lost one pot and won one pot during limit but my stack is now about 3500. Scrubby opens the cutoff with me and another short stack left to act with 34hh and the small blind short stack moves all in for 2200 with QTo. Scrubby calls and flops a straight and eliminates the player. The very next hand (dead button) scrubby raises the cutoff to 750 (at 150/300/25a) and I shove QJo for my 3500ish stack. I think I have plenty of fold equity and I also know I am well ahead of his range here. He talked before raising the hand about how he might have a better hand than last etc etc.. Anyways the small blind ends up reshoving all in and scrubby folds 78o face up. The small blind has AKo and I lose AT5T8.

That was how my $2500 mixed holdem WSOP event went. Limit poker sucks. Especially 9 handed.

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Venetian Tournament – $550 buyin
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Today’s Venetian tournament I had the same luck. I can say I played very well though. I recognized nobody at my table. I played no showdown poker for the whole first 2 hours. That is what I wrote down at break at least, but I think my whole starting table never got to see one of my hands in a showdown which is pretty strong. I didn’t play any big pots really.

I played in a 4 way limped pot when I was in the big blind with 57ss and I check raised the first limpers 600 bet to 1950 on a 3s4s2d flop. Then I got in a pretty interesting hand when I raised Ah7d on the button and a loose/active Asian kid defended his big blind. The flop came 95hhKc we both checked. The turn was the 7c pairing me up and he bet 500 chips. I called and the river came the 8h. He bet 1600 with a 5k chip and a 100 chip. I have the ace high flush blocker and I wasn’t sure how much showdown value my 7 hand. I didn’t think it had much value so I decided to reraise here. What I like most about my play in this hand is I decided to raise to 5100 using the exact same denominations the kid bet with. So I grabbed a 5k chip and a 100 chip and raised. I think the psychology involved in this is that he already has this amount in the pot (although he only is betting 1600) and it looks like I want him to call since he already has those chips out there. He mucks pretty quickly and I win the pot.

I then 3bet this active guy on the button with 56dd. He made it 575 preflop I made it 1875 and he called out of position. The flop came 932sss and he check folded to my 2300 bet. Those were the most memorable pots I played. I then folded for literally an hour or two until my original table broke and I was moved to a new table. I had 19k at the first break but had no blinded down to 17k at the new table.

It is not my 2nd hand at the new table. I raise 77 on the hijack at 300/600/50a to 1525 and the sb looks at his hand and starts thinking about making a move. I can already tell he doesn’t have that strong of hand with his body language and his demeanor. He decides to move in for 6k more and I snap call. He turns over KTo and turns Broadway on a AJ8QT board. He was snapping his fingers or something on the river hoping he hit but I told him I couldn’t win after the Q hit. He seemed like a foreigner who knows if he has any clue how to play poker, but he didn’t know he turned the nuts. Nice hand buddy. I now only have 10k in chips. 2nd utg limps, 3rd limps, button limps, sb completes, I look down at TT. With about 3400 out there I decide to move all in for 10k total. I think it looks weaker like I’m just trying to steal. The first limper tanks for a little and reshoves his 25k. I’m lovin it. The button tank folds and I turn over my TT and he turns over AJo. I know I am wayyyyyy ahead of his calling range here and was surprised I saw AJo and not like 66. The board runs out 5637….J on the river and I am sent home after losing two coinflips.

It’s pretty insane the action I get. People never think I have a hand. It is a blessing and a curse but I have been using it to my advantage as of late.

Tomorrow I’m either going to play the 2k at Venetian or the 1k Bellagio. I’m not sure which one I feel like playing. I haven’t played a Bellagio tournament yet and I did well there last year, but the Venetian 2k will be a better prize pool and I am definitely due for a big tournament win. Soooooooooooo, you will probably find me at the Venetian tomorrow preparing to win the tournament =).