Sir Mike @ WSOPE 1.5k Event
As you know, I wasn’t able to play this event due to other commitments, but I had a small investment in Mike from the Loose Cannon, a player in red hot form. He sent me (and the other investors) a detailed commentary on how things panned out, and with his permission I’ve published it below, as tournament write ups are always a good read:
“The ratio of well known pros to amateurs was much higher than any event I had played in before. With 410 runners total, there must
have been 50+ pros playing. One tip for future WSOPE tourneys: The earlier you register, the higher concentration of pros you will see on your table. The pros registered early and as a result tend to be on the earlier tables.
On my table to start off with, there were at least 4 pros.
Seat 1 - Andy Black (full tilt)
Seat 2 - Not sure. Heavy accent, could have been a gutshot regular or a pro. looked very familiar but couldn’t place him.
Seat 3 - Amateur
Seat 4 - Empty
Seat 5 - Michael Craig. been in a couple WSOP Final Tables (Full
Tilt)
Seat 6 - Me
Seat 7 - Amateur - US guy just passting through and giving it a whirl. Seat 8 - Erica Schoenburg (full tilt)
Seat 9 - Kevin O’leary (Blue square poker).
During the first level, there was not much action with very few
showdowns. As usual, I wasnt seeing much in cards. I took down a small pot with AJs from middle position when a J came on the flop which put me slightly ahead of chips. Most of the play came from seat 2 and seat 5. Seat 3 hit a gutshot straight that gave him a
bunch of chips from seats 5,7 and 8. Michael Craig was getting the worst of it being either pushed out of a pot or when getting to the end, being the second best hand.
After that, I had a few pocket pairs JJ and TT in the big blind.
Seat 2 was usually pushing against me in the BB with no other action in play. In each case, i would come over the top and he would back down. I had to throw away some small pocket pairs or Ax suited when getting a bad flop and serious betting following.
Andy Black joked that the empty seat was probably Hellmuth’s. I
thought the same. About 20 minutes through the second level, Phil came in the room and sat down at the table. He said hello to
everyone and then shook everyone’s hand. He started to chat with
erica and told her that he had lost 300k at some full tilt cash game that was being televised, showed off his new ‘poker brat’ line of t-shirts and then asked her if he should give her what he owed her husband or to give it to him directly. She said she should get it
and then ‘bam’ he tossed a stack of $100 bills on the table which he said, that he owed her husband $10,000.
After that, the action started to heat up. Phil was getting some
cards. Showed pocket queens twice, pocket eights 3 times (once on a fold to erica who had aces). Phil had worked up his chip stack to
about 8000. Michael Craig was the first to go, raising all in UTG
and being called by the guy in seat 2. Craig had KK, seat 2 had AA and the aces held. About 2 hands after that, Erica pushed all in and was called by the guy in seat 2. She had AA and seat 2 had queens. He hit a straight with his queens and that knocked her out.
Not much to speak of for a few hands. Here is where we were about 20 minutes before break.
Seat 1 - Andy Black ~4500 Chips
Seat 2 - Not sure. ~15000 Chips
Seat 3 - Amateur ~10000 Chips
Seat 4 - Phil Helmuth ~9000 Chips
Seat 5 - new person (uk amateur) ~3000 Chips
Seat 6 - Me - 5500 Chips
Seat 7 - Amateur - ~3500 Chips
Seat 8 - new person (uk amateur) ~4000 Chips
Seat 9 - Kevin O’leary ~8000 Chips
The next hand is where the fireworks begin.
Blinds 100-200, 25 antes
Phil is in the BB, O’leary calls, the SB calls and then Phil raises
another 600. O’leary folds and the SB calls. Flop comes Jh, 9h, 6. SB checks, Phil bets 1000 and SB calls. Qc on the turn. SB checks, Phil bets 2000 and SB calls. River brings Ad and SB goes all in.
Phil thinks a bit and folds KK, begins chewing out the guy for
staying around with his weak ace (i think he may have had AJ)and if he continues to play like that he will be out in no time.
2 Hands later. I’m in the BB. Folded around to Phil on the button, he raises to 450. SB folds and then I look at . I figure he has AJ, AK or suited or unsuited connectors, he’s possibly on tilt and I have him covered by 200-300 chips. I decide the best action is to push all in rather than call and see either an A or K on the flop.
He calls and flips over the . The flop comes . I was sitting here thinking, good flop but too many hearts. The next two diamonds 3&6 were a relief giving me a house. Phil didn’t blow up, showed the AA to the cameras and then shook everyone’s hand. He wasn’t upset at me when he shook my hand, he did however tell the
player in seat 3 he’ll remember him for the future.
2 hands later on the button. UTG Oleary raises to 600, Seat 2
calls. folds around to me in SB. I see 22. Unfortunately, given my earlier suckout and and UTG raise followed by a call from a player that usually goes in with good cards, I mucked them. The SB and BB call. The flop comes Q, T, 2! SB bets 200 More BB calls, Oleary
calls and Seat 2 folds. An 8 comes on the turn with 2 hearts.
Checked around. River card is a 2!! BB goes all in and everyone
folds. He shows K7. I was kicking myself for this one most of last
night.
Next round with about 5 minutes left in the level. On button, SB has about 5500 chips. I have about 9000 chips at this point. Andy Black calls, folded around to me I see again. I raise to 1200. The
SB calls and the BB and Black folds. Flop is . SB checks
and I bet 2000. He instacalls. Next card is a 3c. I check, he goes
all in for remaining chips and I call. He shows and a 5c shows on the river for a straight flush. I knew I was beat after the turn
with either a set, or two clubs and should have folded and saved me some chips.
In the last hand before the break, the person in seat 5 goes all in for about 2000 from the button and gets called by Oleary, Seat 5
shows AJ, oleary has T8s and hits two pair.
At the break here’s where we stand.
Seat 1 - Andy Black ~6000 Chips
Seat 2 - Not sure. ~20000 Chips
Seat 3 - Amateur ~14000 Chips
Seat 4 - Empty
Seat 5 - Empty
Seat 6 - Me - 3500 Chips
Seat 7 - US Amateur - ~11000 Chips
Seat 8 - (uk amateur) ~4000 Chips
Seat 9 - Kevin O’leary ~11000 Chips
After the break the blinds were 150 300 with 25 antes. After one hand, seat 4 was filled in by Phil Laak (10000 chips) and seat 5 by David Williams (8000 chips). I think this was referenced as the
table of doom in the WSOPE blog at the time.
I then went absolutely card dead for 30 minutes. Made one successful steal from the button with rags but there was no limping allowed on this table. Phil Laak was constantly talking and most of the banter was with Andy Black.
Meanwhile the blinds and antes were chipping away at my stack. The
hands were being completed quickly with no time spent going into the tank on hands. I was down to 1500 chips (5X the BB, which I felt I had to go in before the next BB). UTG got J&T of diamonds, which I immediately pushed all in. It was folded to seat 2 who called and then David Williams in the BB thought about it for a moment and raised 3000 more. The person in seat 2 thought about it for a while and then folded showing AK of diamonds. That made me feel better as it gave me back a flush out though the fold. David then turned over and the race was on. The flop came 9 6 A rainbow, the turn was a 3 and the river a K to take me out of the tourney.
This was the first time I was able to see a number of pros playing together and I have a few observations. Most of them played tight aggressive poker. O’leary was the loosest of the bunch but the rest of them played very tightly. Not much on the big bluffs, when they had rags they kept the betting down and would often check it down to the river. Not as much on position play as I would have expected.
Hellmuth plays premium cards all the time and folds quite a bit. I don’t want this to go to her head, but Briony’s style of play and
Hellmuth’s are very similar. She has the better attitude by far!
I see Andy Black’s play similar to Jason’s. Hugh’s style is
somewhere in between Hellmuth’s and Black’s.
Alas, I did not see at my table any professional comparables to
James, Tom or Sonny. They were most likely there at the event but not at my table. ”