WSOP experience...a buddy of mine

He played in event 35.....$1,500 NLHE event.  There were close to 3,000 people in it.  Everyone started with $3,000 chips.  He hovered around that for a few hours.  Ended up winning hand bluffing with garbage on the button (his first bluff in about 5 hours).  He got called, but won the hand when he pushed in after the flop.

 

He ended up getting busted with A-K to A-Q when a guy hit a runner-runner straight.  All the money went in on the flop when an ace hit.

 

He knows I'm a tight player, but he e-mailed me and said I'd look like Gus Hansen compared to the play he saw.  I'm not surprised.

 

The $,1500 NLHE WSOP events are tough because of the huge fields and aggressive structure.  If you don't get hands early, you end up having to gamble just to get enough chips to hang around.  Nothing most people don't know.  He said he had a blast, but it's apparent he didn't play many hands.

 

And by the way, this was a gift from his wife.  Not too shabby. 

i always heard the WSOP had incredibly laid back structures... i know the main event starts at 25-50 with your 10k. Then again, 3000 people gotta go quick.

Interesting.  That's not what I experienced.  I played in last year's event (think it was #37, $1500 NL Hold'em event) and it was nuts.  We only got 1500 in chips and blinds started at 25/25, then 25/50, 50/100, etc.  There were several all-in situations early because the blinds, relative to the chip counts, were high.  There were some tight players, but overall it was madness.  I heard that they actually made an announcement for people to "play tighter" because they couldn't keep up with all the people going out, and the resulting seat adjustments that became necessary.

 

1500 bucks 25-25 starting blinds...

 

thats 60 bets. It really comes down to the length of the levels. 1 hour at 25-25 at a 10 person table is $50 every 10 hands, you figure 30 hands an hour thats $150 for 30 hands, if you dont play a hand. 25-50 blinds is 75 per 10 hands, 225 after an hour. So after 2 hours you are down 375 to 1125 if you have not played a hand. with the blinds at 50-100. 1125 is still possible to make something happen.  Obviously you want to start with more always but its not horrible.

Based on some of his e-mails today, it sounded like people played tight....but then the blinds were $100/$200 with $25 antes....this was level 4, I think.  Then people with $3,000 or so chips were almost looking committed when they played a hand ($600 or so in the pot before the hand even begins).  Then it was shove-fest.

 

But I think a lot of the pros basically jammed early....if they got some chips, great.  If they busted, no biggie....because they knew they wouldn't go deep if they didn't accumulate chips early.  On the other hand, my buddy wanted to play solid and hoped to run into some good hands.  But he didn't want to gamble early and be gone in an hour.  My guess is you had a lot of both types.

He won a $175 satellite and is going to play in event 38 tomorrow (another $1,500 NLHE event).  I'll post some tidbits when I get them.

 

BTW, he said it's just a friggin' blast out there.  It already looks like we have 5 or so more that plan to join him next year (myself probably being one).

Main event is no longer deep stack, it's 3000 starting chips 1st level 50/100. Damn stupid if you ask me, people travel a long way to play and it turns into a lottery.

Actually forget that, I've checked their website again and it now says "Players begin with $20,000 in Tournament Chips. All levels will last 120 minutes. Breaks will be every level and last 20 minutes."

 

They fucked up their website. I was looking at it a few days ago and it said 3000 chips. It was definitely the main event, it said Jamie Gold was the winner last year.

Seems like winning a major poker tourney is as likely as winning the lottery with all the luck involved to not get crippled on 1 bad beat.  And it also seems as though there is going to be new amateurs regularly winning big tourneys and having their 15 minutes of fame (like Moneymaker, Gold, Varkhoni, etc.). 

 

And starting with less than 5000 in chips and 25/25 or 25/50 blinds takes a lot of the skill out of the game if you ask me, but that's how casinos tend to run things.  They want you out as quickly as possible so you will play side poker games or other casino games.

Well, my buddy finished 247 out of around 2,800.  He ended up limping into the money just as the night was ending.  Based on his e-mails, it was a lot of racing.  He won a hand with 7-7 against 5-5 and also rivered a Q and turned an A to win all-ins.  He was up to about 9K at max, but the blinds and antes are pretty aggressive.....up to about $2,500 to $3,000 an orbit. 

 

He's drinking heavily right now.