Having qualified through Betfair Poker I travelled to New Orleans from May 25-28 to take on America's finest poker players as well as a couple of hundred other qualifiers. There really was a massive gulf in quality amongst the 259 runners in the $10.000 main event.

My first table featured 3 fellow Betfair qualifiers, easily spotted due to them wearing the same white/blue Betfair Poker rugby shirt as I did. But it did also feature Barry Greenstein, the “Robin Hood” of poker who kindly donates all his poker prizemoney to charity (more than $2 million so far). We were later joined by the top pros Evelyn Ng and WSOP 1996 champion Huck Seed, both of them sitting to my immidiate right and constantly targetting my blinds. The overall play was very aggressive, usually there was a raise and often enough a re-raise preflop. By the way I did not get a single walk to my BB in 3 days of play, and there were basically no walks for anybody.

With a stack of 10.000 starting chips, blinds of 25/50 and 90 minute levels there was sure to be plenty of play and my strategy was to hold my own against the seasoned pros while trying to make the less experienced players double me up. I like to play the early levels relatively tight, but that decision was made a lot easier by getting no cards anyway. Actually it took me 2 hours and 35 minutes to make my first preflop raise. The good news was that whenever I found a premium hand I seemd to get paid off big time.

At blinds of 50/100 I limped JJ UTG but only the SB joined in for the half price and the BB checked. The flop came JT3 (2 spades) giving me top set. The SB checked, BB bet the pot size of 300 and with me facing a straight and flush draw I decided to protect my hand by raising 700 more, the SB folded, the BB called making the pot now 2.300. The turn was the 7h giving a double flush possibility, but that was unlikely to have helped my opponent. At this stage I was very much in the dark about what hand he could have, but obviously I had to be in front with top set. He checked and I bet 1.600, which he called making the pot 5.500. The river came Tc and he immiddiately stormed allin for his last 8.000 chips. The river had given me top full house and quad tens were the only hand that could beat me so I obviously called and was pretty surprised when he turned over T8. This really felt like the donation I had hoped for by an inexperienced player. Of course the river was a disaster for him but he should not have called me on the flop and turn.

I caught a little break when I shortly after moved allin after the turn holding a gutshot straight and nut flush draw vs top set and got the club for the flush on the river.

In level 6 Barry Greenstein made it 1.600 (at 200/400 ante 50) from EP and I put him on JJ or something similar, I made a massive overbet to 21.600 holding AK and Barry folded quickly showing QQ. When asked by a fellow player why he folded QQ he said that he put my on KK or AK. Just think about it, he quickly folded QQ whereas many internet players have a tough time “laying down” pocket 3s.

I like my overbet here as I am never afraid to take a calculated gamble and a flat call or normal raise that Barry probably would have called bring me in a difficult position after the flop. If I hit my ace or king I will have a very tough time nicking a single more chip from an experienced player like him and if I miss I am beat and have very few outs. So I was more than happy to rake in 200+400+500+1.600=2.700 chips here.

Then I busted another stack when my AA held up vs KK and having hardly played a hand I promptly found myself near the top of the leaderboard. Close to day1 a young player UTG lost his nerves moving allin for 6.000 chips at blinds of 200/400 (ante 50) holding only KJh, Huck Seed called from the button with what he later told me was AQ, but I found KK in the BB and moved allin making Huck Seed fold. My Kings held up and I finished the day in position11 holding a stack of 45.000 chips. Perfect!

Day 2 saw me playing with John Juanda and Doyle Brunson early, but after blinding down for a couple of hours I was moved to a new table. I found QQ in MP the very first hand and at blinds of 500/1.000 ante100 I bet 3.500 chips, the guy next to me made it about 20.000 more by going allin. Unfortunately I am no Barry Greensetin (yet) and after thinking for a long time I decided that he had to have JJ or AK and called. To my surprise he had AA but I can report that I have seen that same play of making massive overbets with AA or KK at least 3 more times in New Orleans, so I guess I learned something new here. His AA held up and I was left with about 20.000 chips and being slightly below average. To make matters worse Antonio “the Magician” Esfandiari was moved to our table and 2 seats to my right.

I decided that I would try to pick good spots and make aggressive re-steals in order to re-built my stack. The first opportunity came immidiately when all folded to Antonio`s button and he of course raised it up to 3.500 and I moved allin holding absolutely zip and pip or “nada” as the spanish say. First of all I never respect button raises anyway, especially not by aggressive pros and secondly I wanted to take advantage of the fact that the stars absolutely hate to play “preflop allin roulette”. He had like 60.000 chips and in my opinion would only call with AJ or better. Antonio folded showing an ace.

Next round the exact same situation occured and he again raised my blind. I again moved allin this time having KQh and after moaning and whining a bit Antonio had to lay down showing an ace again.

Then it was donation time again: Two limpers for 1.000 before me and I made it 5.000 holding QQ and got one caller. The flop of Q26 (2 clubs) was just about perfect. He checked and I decided to take the risk of slowplaying and also checked. The turn brought a ten and he bet 2.000 into the pot of 14.000. Now this was really strange and I actually asked “what could you actually hold to make such a tiny bet?”. Well he kept quiet and I decided to raise 5.000 more. I hoped that he might have a weaker set and move allin but he just quickly called. The river brought the 7c and the possible flush. He immidiately stormed allin but I had to call with more than half my stack in there and to my pleasant surprise he showed JT of spades. Basically a horrible play from him already preflop, JTs is just no hand that you want to play out of position in a raised pot in a no-limit holdem tournament.

I was back in it now with like 50.000 chips and at blinds of 600/1.200 I made it 4.000 from the button holding 55. Doyle Brunson moved allin for a total of 12.000 from the BB. I had the odds to call and did so. Doyle turned over 88 but a 5 on the flop sealed the deal for me.

Next level all folded to my SB, I limped in holding J5, Russell Rosenblum made it 1.600+4.000=5.600 from the BB and I immidiately moved allin for like 50.000 more. Russell jumped out of his seat, mumbled something like “I guess I should have taken the free card”, sat back down and folded showing an ace.

Unfortunately several missed flops with hands like 88, AJs from late position dented my stack and I also lost a pot with TT vs David William`s JJ. I felt I could have played some of those hands a bit better and more aggressive post flop. But overall I was pretty happy with my play.

My main concern was now to reach the prizemoney of the last27 which would also end the day. I managed to do that but was a bit shortstacked with about 40.000 chips and position 22 of 27. Mission accomplished and $14.765 guaranteed.

The plan for day3 was to come out firing on all cylinders and play to win. Unfortunately I had absolutely zero cards. I kept my head above the water with several late position steals most of them with massive overbets. Of course sooner or later I would run into trouble and when all folded to my SB I moved allin with 48 and Antonio Esfandiari decided he had seen enough and holding a massive stack could afford to call holding AT. Well in theory the board could have come with an 4 or 8 doubling me right back into it but sure enough it came AATQQ. Nice hand Antonio.

So I finished 23rd and gained valuable experience prior to my first trip to the “real” WSOP.

Looking forward to meeting plenty of fellow Betfarians there.

See you at the tables,

Buzzer