WSOP Millionaire Maker/Mike Sexton Report

S

ssbn743

Visionary
Silver Level
Joined
Oct 3, 2010
Total posts
543
Awards
1
Chips
0
Well, it’s that special time of year again…the wsop Millionaire Maker. Even though I hate the event (yes really), I’m pretty much condemned to play it since my buddy Adrian Buckley won the damn thing two years ago – so…it’s his fault! :)

Anyway, I cashed last year, but this year did not go well at all. Ultimately, I fired two bullets, Day 1A and Day 1B.

Day1A – (Mike Sexton Day)

I sat down and had Mike Sexton two to my right. The short story on him is that I was very, very unimpressed. Then about 90 minutes in, Javier Zarco sat down from a broken table two seats to my left. I’ve never actually met him, even though he did finish second to Adrian two years ago, but he was very nice and played very well; in fact, he was the only one to beat the luck box named Mike Sexton.

There were two Sexton hands I was not involved in that illustrate how poorly he was playing. He opened :kh4: :10h4: from EP, the player to my left 3-bet pre-flop with :ah4: :ad4: and Sexton called after everyone else folded.

The flop was :9h4: :2h4: :qc4:

Sexton check-raised all-in (yes, in Level 2) and got the aces to call…obviously. Sexton even said, “You’re ahead” to the guy, hit a heart on turn (don’t remember which one) and the river bricked; poor guy, what’s he to do?

So, he had a nice stack – which he commenced to blow through quickly and before long was down to $5K again.

Then he opened a KQo from UTG, the BB moved all-in for $3,500-ish and naturally, Sexton called with KQ – apparently I missed that chapter. Anyway, he ended up 3-outing AQo and knocking that poor guy out as well. I swear, the whole table groaned at how sick it was – it was like “Dude, you’re Mike Sexton, I know damn well you know to fold that hand”. I think this is a consequence of the multiple bullets allowed this year – these players are just trying to build a stack and go from there.

Anyway, and now for my hands with him.

I had actually been doing really well, more lucky than anything – I had AA aipf against KK and at one point had $23K. I did also get it in KK versus AK and lost a pretty sizable pot to a flopped ace, but what was I to do – it was standard. So I had roughly $15K for Sexton Hand #1 - the last hand before the end of Level 2 and the first break.

I opened :6d4: :7d4: from UTG +2 to $250 in $50/$100 and had Sexton flat call from the SB; everyone else folded and went on break.

Pot - $600
Flop - :9d4: :2h4: :6s4:

Obviously not the greatest flop for my hand, but certainly not the worst either. Sexton checked and I fired a C-bet of $400, he quickly called.

Pot - $1,400
Turn - :10d4:

Again Sexton checked. I decided to check behind to control the pot. I didn’t really think he could have anything on that board, maybe some kind of nine, and by checking I could control, possible realize my backdoor flush equity, and allow my opponent to bluff river; that was my thinking anyway.

Pot $1,400
River :qc4:

Ewwwwww- bad card, maybe I should have fired turn. Sexton bets $1k. Well, I didn’t really want to call, but unless he 3-outed me on the river, I felt I could pick off a lot of bluffs and called the $1K. He rolled :3c4: :4c4: and I took it down – however, my call really pissed him off. He didn’t say anything, but I could tell he was pissed. Whatever….we went on break.

The first lap in Level 4 I had $16K, which was still a pretty good stack.

From UTG +1 I opened :ac4: :kc4: to $550 in $100/$200/$25; everyone folded to Sexton and he flat called from the BB. I remember thinking, “Boy, for being a professional poker player, you sure like to call OOP a lot”; seriously, he’d been doing it all day – the K10h and the KQo hands that I noted above, but there were many others as well that we never got to see; I think he defended ever single BB, which just goes to show that he was just trying to get lucky and get it in.

Pot - $1,425
Flop - :3c4: :8c4: :8s4:

Sexton checked and I C-bet $800. Normally, I’d size my C-bet a bit higher, but didn’t feel that was necessary there – I had a lot of equity in that pot and felt I could get all the information I needed with a lower sized C-Bet; Sexton jammed $7,100.

Yes…..that happened, I know, it seems more like something you’d see in the $60, 10am daily tournament at your local casino right? In hindsight I think he was tilting from my 67dd call, but whatever – let’s go through this.

He never ever has an eight there, nor does he have 33. He could have clubs, which would be awesome for my hand, but more than likely he has something like 55, 44, 22, x3, and pretty much any club combo. It crossed my mind, “I mean this guy has not been playing well, but he is Mike Sexton, I wonder if he does have an eight here – as bad as he’d been playing, he still knows what he’s doing – I think…”

Anyway, I decided to call – even in retrospect, I don’t know how to get away from that. He rolled :2c4: :3h4:

Obviously, the :2c4: was huge – the board bricked out and he said “$7,100 please” in a tone that implied he’s the professional and I’m the amateur. So, whatever…I guess he gets to talk shit since he won the hand, and a big hand it was as it pretty much crippled me.

So, that hurt, 30 minutes later they broke our table. I got to my new table on the other side of the Amazon room, the second hand was dealt KK with 11BB and opened shoved to get called by AA. So, game, set, and match…Mike Sexton; even though I have no idea how.

Day 1B

This was pretty much a standard day, nothing really to note. The hand I lost, I had QQ – opened raised, got 3-bet, 4bet jammed to have my opponent call with JJ and flop a jack.

So, not much I could have done there…and really, he could have had KK or AA too, and that was it – I didn’t feel like firing a third bullet after all that.

So there you have it, my Mike Sexton story….and it’s not a good one! I think I’m going to Boycott the WPT! :) Just kidding, I’m still a ****ing degen! :)
 
Acesinthebig

Acesinthebig

Legend
Silver Level
Joined
Sep 17, 2012
Total posts
1,264
Chips
0
I mean I don't really see too much wrong with his play. Obviously he was playing loose, a lot of times that's the perfect strategy in these bigger fields. It probably felt like a 60$ tournament to him. You got it in pretty good vs him, sorry it didn't work out for you. I think calling with low pair on a paired board with no over cards is a losing strategy, but you already know that.
Also keep in mind it's probably gets better EV (with his bank roll) from gambling early on to try to get a big stack for the later stages, if he busts he just moves on, no biggie.
Good luck in the future buddy!
 
S

ssbn743

Visionary
Silver Level
Joined
Oct 3, 2010
Total posts
543
Awards
1
Chips
0
I mean I don't really see too much wrong with his play. Obviously he was playing loose, a lot of times that's the perfect strategy in these bigger fields. It probably felt like a 60$ tournament to him. You got it in pretty good vs him, sorry it didn't work out for you. I think calling with low pair on a paired board with no over cards is a losing strategy, but you already know that.
Also keep in mind it's probably gets better EV (with his bank roll) from gambling early on to try to get a big stack for the later stages, if he busts he just moves on, no biggie.
Good luck in the future buddy!

I definitely think it's a good strategy - I just don't like the WSOP re-entry thing this year - it was very clear what Sexton was up to - and I don't like it; it encourages more gamble than poker. Every other tour has allowed this re-entry mentality pretty much solely to increase the prize pools and put butts in seats, but the WSOP has never had the butts in seats problem - so I don't even understand why.

Also, the 67dd was not a paired board - I felt it was standard, I mean really, if I check turn, I have to call all rivers. His range is comprised of hands that contain a nine, or 4X more combos I beat - I felt it was standard, and that I made a good read, a good call, and so what if he's pissed off his 4 high OOP bluff didn't work out.

It was just tough seeing a guy, who books and advice I have taken and learned from over the years, play like a jackass just trying to get a big stack. Strategies aside, it was kind of disheartening.
 
Acesinthebig

Acesinthebig

Legend
Silver Level
Joined
Sep 17, 2012
Total posts
1,264
Chips
0
I agree so what if he's pissed, it was a good call! But you want him to be pissed and throw him off his game, so you have to expect a little tilt and react accordingly.
 
WSOP
Top