Gearing up for the WSOP

Well I'm leaving tomorrow to head to Vegas, where I'll be playing Event #35 on Monday (7 Card Stud H/L).

It's still alittle surreal for me, since this been a dream of mine for the past 2 years. I got into poker after Moneymaker won the WSOP in 2003. Started playing weekly at the end of that year and tried to improve my game and eventually moved on to other games over time.

Eventually started playing Stud H/L and really enjoyed the game. Then I started to realize that it was my best game statistically and that I had a natural knack for it.

I'm really curious to see how things go on Monday. Last year there were 595 players, but the event was much earlier in the WSOP schedule. This year there is a Limit Hold 'Em Shootout for $1500 that starts 2 hours after the Stud H/L event. So I'm sure there will be a few pros who will try to play both (since that's happened quite a few times earlier in the Series). But it may also thin down the number of participants. Doyle (who won the second ever bracelet in Stud H/L) is a big fan of NL Deuce to Seven Lowball which is a $5,000 event with rebuys that starts on Tuesday. So I wonder if he'll play. Plus the Main Event starts on Friday. Some pros may not be playing as much this week since they know that a 2 week grind is coming up for the biggest prize in poker. Of course Stud H/L is only $1,000 and it is a bracelet event, so there still may be a large field. I think the numbers will be down slightly this year, I'll guess we'll have 520 players.

The blind structure on this event is really good. Something seriously wrong would have to occur to bust early from this event. Last year it took about 1.5 hours for the first bust outs. Since it's a Limit event, your chips aren't as risk, so that preasure is gone.

Well regardless of what happens, this is going to be a lot of fun. It's going to be great to be on the inside of the velvet ropes with some big names. I will have my CardsChat hat on and will do my best to represent everyone here. When I get back later in the week, I'll have a full run down on how things went and what it was like.

GOOD LUCK say hi to las vegas for me

GL> Kill 'em!

Good Luck smd! Remember to try to keep it fun also
Have a Blast and I can't wait to here the report when you get back.

Much luck to ya smd. Try to have a good time and enjoy as much as ya can. Bring home the bacon.

What's your real name so we can keep a look out for you?

Good Luck, have a great time>>>>>>>>>>> buck

Thanks for all of the well wishes folks.

Keep an eye out on the leaderboard for Stephen Day.

Dessertlady, if you happen to see my name on the FullTilt scoreboard on Cardplayer and can take a screenshot of it, I'd appreciate it.

Good luck and win that thing! Cardschat is behind you all the way.

GL smd!

I'm sure if you play your game you'll do great. It's gonna be quite the experience...have fun

You're Welcome Stephen. And I will keep an eye out for you and I will try to do my best with the screen shot(lol I kinda am terrible with it but will get my son to help me LOL)

Good Luck again!

good luck and have fun. i heard the wsop is an amazing experience!

I usually have a Pokerwire page open at all times when I'm on the comp, so if I see your name roll by I'll get a screencap for you.

Well I finished 448th out of 788. I busted about 15 minutes after the dinner break (Level 7). I'm very pleased with how things went. I managed to put Victor Ramdin on tilt. He busted soon after that. Then Robert Williamson III came by and busted. David Singer of Full Tilt was also at my table.

In the end I was down to 1550 and decided to take a stand with Kings. Unfortunately the guy to my right had hidden Aces and I didn't fill up. If I had, I'd have more than doubled up and been right back in contention. But I have no regrets and I had a blast.

I'm looking forward to playing more events in the future.

I'll have some more indepth stories from the WSOP when I get a chance to type them all out.

Well played.

How did you get Victor Ramdin on Tilt.

Was it a nerve racking experience or did you feel very much at home

Grats you did well for a 1st timer. And you can always say 'I wasn't the 1st out'

And you did get to live out a dream.

Here's what happened with Ramdin...

I had just been moved to table 16 and I noticed there were some pros there. I recognized Victor immediately and he was on my right in Seat 7. I had no real feel for the table yet and Victor has the bring in with a 5 showing. I'm next to act with a pair of Queens, but looking around the table I see some folks with Kings, Aces, and low cards up. I decide to fold until I can see how the table is, and everyone folds around to Victor who shows a pair of 5s. He says, "Ah the best hand won". I told him, no it wasn't.

So about 2 hands later I start with 3 diamonds and no other diamonds showing. Victor and I are heads up. I get a 4th diamond on 4th street and I'm going for the flush. So I'm check calling all the way down. On the river I missed my flush but I paired some Jacks. Again Victor bets, but with his up cards he doesn't have anything scary. I hate calling with just a pair in Stud but I felt committed at this point, so I make the call. He flips up a pair of 10s. I couldn't believe it. I show my Jacks and scoop the pot. He's like "How could you play a 9 8 2 J" (I guess he didn't see my diamond draw). I just kind of shrugged. He only had 100 in chips left after this hand.

He did manage to triple up on the next hand. Then he won a hand. But then he busted when someone hit a Wheel for the scoop.

I should say that Victor was a nice guy and was still nice to me even after the hand. I asked him what flight he had in the Main Event and he said he chose Flight A. I said, "Ah you want the 3 day break, eh?" and he's like "Definitely".

Also, Robert Williamson III is a very cool guy. I wish he had been at our table a bit longer, but I think he was only there for 10 minutes until he busted.

Thanks. Yes, to last longer then alot of big names was very rewarding. And I definitely got to live out a dream.

Everyone who loves poker and takes it even a little bit serious has to go to and play in a WSOP event at some time in their lives.