SnG & MTT Success B4 the BaPP FT

Yes, I tried to abbreviate the entire title of this blog...

Anyway, several months passed before any details were finalized regarding "Become a Poker Pro" Final Table.  PokerRoom was simply doing their due diligence since gambling wasn't allowed in many parts of the world, and they wanted to make sure there were no legal issues for any of the finalists.

With a bankroll of $1,100 and plenty of time to prepare for the BaPP Final Table, what else was there to do other than focus on SnG tournaments?  This time, I stuck to the $30 and $50 SnGs and finished my first week back "grinding" +$582.00.  Two days later, I had my first big multi-table tournament (MTT) score when I came 4th/170 in PokerRoom's $50+4 "European Daily" for $512.00.  Before long, MTTs became a daily fixture in my PokerRoom repertoire and it didn't take long for me to realize I was actually BETTER at them than I was SnGs.  Credit, in large part, goes to Harrington on Hold'em, Volumes 1 & 2 for my MTT success.  By the end of September, I had recouped the $1,400 I lost post-WSOP and even cashed out some of my winnings ($2,200 in total) to help cover expenses (food, gas, leisure activities, etc.).  I'd deposit $375.00 of it back in October (since I left a mere $320.00 in my account and continued to play $50 and up tournaments), but November is when I really elevated my game and saw consistent and dramatic results.  Below is merely a sample of how I finished the year 2005:

11/13/05: $20+2 20k Guarantee - 3/807, $2,525.60
11/17/05: $20+2 NLHE MTT - 1/182, $1,092.00
11/17/05: $30+3 NLHE MTT - 3/156, $585.00
11/22/05: $50+4 European Daily - 1/186, $2,325.00
11/22/05: $50+4 US Daily - 12/210, $147.00 (almost scored the 2 Daily wins in one day)
11/26/05: $30+3 NLHE MTT - 4/191, $515.70
11/27/05: $300+20 Big Deal - 3/245, $8,000.00 (fell JUST short of a 20k payout for 1st and 12.8k for 2nd)
11/29/05: $5.00+0.50 $5k Rebuy - 2/657, $997.50
12/1/05: $50+4 Long Kiss Goodnight - 10/221, $200.00
12/2/05: $30+3 NLHE MTT - 9/163, $146.70
12/6/05: $50+4 European Daily - 4/169, $676.00
12/11/05: $100+8 US Grand Prix - 20/356, $357.00
12/25/05: $100+8 US Grand Prix - 4/260, $3,200.00

Combine these MTT cashes with 26 cashes (many of them wins) in $100 - $300 buy-in SnGs and you could say I was on a bit of heater going into 2006.  Obviously, my most notable MTT cash was the $8,000 score in the "Big Deal" tournament, which earned me a mention in the Pocketfives.com Tournament Review for 11-25-05 through 11-27-05.  As you can imagine, I was in disbelief that I had won that much money in a mere matter of hours.  After all, it took me almost a year to make 8 grand working part-time at Clear Channel Radio!  Eventually, this realization led me to quit my radio gig (in February 2006) to focus strictly on poker.  As such, I continued my daily routine of waking up around 2pm, showering, and throwing on sweatpants and a hoodie before heading to Arabica to abuse their free internet.  The Arabica on Pearl Rd. in Parma Hts. was my favorite place to play, though I occasionally went to the one on Broadview Rd. in Seven Hills as well.  I'd arrive before 3pm (that's when the first Daily tournament started), order something so not to be a dick, then play tournaments, oftentimes until close.  Fortunately, my success carried over into 2006 amidst the introduction of PokerRoom's "Aces of Aces" Tournament Leaderboard:

1/14/06: $20+2 NLHE MTT - 3/241, $578.40
1/14/06: $150+12 Ace of Clubs - 3/110, $1,980.00
1/22/06: $300+20 Big Deal - 31/269, $484.20 (QQ < 77 for the chip lead)
2/4/06: $100+8 European Grand Prix - 2/213, $4,154.00
2/6/06: $50+4 Long Kiss Goodnight - 1/218, $2,738.00
2/23/06: $150+12 Ace of Diamonds - 10/109, $480.00
2/26/06: $100+8 US Grand Prix - 9/449, $775.85

The "Ace of Aces" TLB ranked players across 12 scheduled $150+12 MTTs each month, with a $5,000 prize awarded to the top finisher on the leaderboard.  Obviously, this attracted the top players on PokerRoom, and while I never came close to finishing near the top of the "Ace of Aces" TLB, I did manage to cash in a few of the tournaments.  All the while, my results and constant presence on PokerRoom garnered the attention of an elite group of players who called themselves "The Bustouts."  To my surprise, I was offered membership and was honored to accept, given that the group was comprised of about 30 players whom I respected a great deal.  We talked strategy, railed and supported each other when we made Final Tables, and all had vested interest in the "Become a Poker Pro" tournament, since myself and fellow Bustout Chris "MarvinGarden" Birchby would be representing the group.

With the BaPP fast approaching, my bankroll ($15,885) and confidence were at an all-time high.  I even ponied up $1,000+0 and bought in directly to PokerRoom's "Grand Tournament VI."  The 2-day long tournament attracted 705 runners and paid out 90 spots, with $169,200 for 1st.   Notable online pros in the field were Josh "JJProdigy" Fields, Adam "Roothlus" Levy, Jon "PearlJammer" Turner - who played under "asdfgher" on PokerRoom, Steve "gboro780" Gross and Justin "ZeeJustin" Bonomo, to name a few.  Present at my opening table was Shawn "phatcat" Luman (over $4 million in career online earnings), who was playing under his PokerRoom handle "slim_shaggy".  By the end of Level 2, I had chipped up to 15075 from a starting stack of 10000 after "fold2many" fired 3 barrels on a [3h 7h 8h 7x 2x] board while I held pocket threes (he had A8o).  A round later, at 50/100 blinds, I raised to 425 UTG with AKo.  Luman was the only caller from the Button and we saw a Flop of K 3 2, rainbow.  I fired 700 into the 900 pot and "slim_shaggy" called.  Turn [K 3 2} 8.  I put him all in for his last 3370 and sure enough, he turned a set of Eights.  After that hand, I wouldn't stick around for long.  I don't even remember what I busted with since I stopped taking notes on the tournament, but the experience was invaluable nonetheless.  Aurangzeb "Ozzy_87" Sheikh ended up winning the tournament, and Luman made it the Final Table as well.  To this day, the "Grand Tournament VI" remains the most expensive tournament that I've ever participated in.  Of course, I'm excluding the WSOP since I won that seat via satellite.

Despite the $1,000 loss, I managed to cash out a profit of $18,600 between November 2005 - February 2006. Come March, I was more than ready for the "Become a Poker Pro" Final Table and felt confident that I could win the tournament and the life-changing endorsement package.  By then, PokerRoom had addressed all the speculation and intrigue and announced that the BaPP finalists would complete the tournament on board Royal Caribbean International's "Majesty of the Seas," a cruise ship that would depart from Miami, FL on 3/3/06 and travel to the islands of Coco Cay and Nassau, Bahamas.  I asked my best friend, Brandon Lowiec, to accompany me on the 4 day/3 night trip and he was just as stoked as I was once he saw the cruise itinerary:

Friday, 3rd of March
12:00  Check in starts at Majesty Of The Sea
12:00am – 3:30pm  Buffet Lunch at Windjammer café deck 11
4:30pm  Compulsory Muster Drill
6:30pm  PokerRoom.com welcome meeting at Paint Your Wagon Lounge
8:30pm  Dinner at Maytime Dining room

Saturday, 4th of March
6:30am – 7:00am  Early-bird Coffee, Windjammer Café
7:00am – 10:00am  Continental breakfast available in stateroom
7:00am – 11:00am  Breakfast, windjammer café
8:00am  Arrival at Cococay, Bahamas
11:00am  PokerRoom.com Photo Session at Coconut Willie's beach area
11:30am – 2:00pm  BBQ lunch Blackbeard´s grill
5:00pm  Departure from Cococay
7:30pm  Gathering regarding rules and logistic
8:30pm  Formal Dinner

Sunday, 5th of March
6:30am – 7:00am  Early-bird Coffee, Windjammer Café
7:00am – 10:00am  Continental breakfast available in stateroom
7:00am – 11:00am  Breakfast, windjammer café
8:00am  Arrival at Nassau, Bahamas
Noon – 3:00pm  Sunworshipper's Lunch, Windjammer Café
12:30pm – Finish  Become a Poker Pro Final

Monday, 6th of March
8:00am  Arrival to Miami
10:00am  Transfer to the airport

Not only were we going on a free cruise to the Bahamas, there was going be a photo shoot, a formal dinner, and plenty of activities and partying with the other finalists and PokerRoom staff.  Did I mention that PokerRoom would be recording the tournament via hole-cameras to eventually broadcast on their web site?  Talk about pressure.  One bad play or fuck up and the whole PokerRoom community was bound to see it.  Regardless, PokerRoom was going all out to ensure that the "Become a Poker Pro" Final Table was a grand production. 

To be continued...

The Perks of Team PokerRoom.com

Fortunately, qualifying for the 2005 WSOP was just the beginning for me in terms of poker success. 

You may remember the WSOP Teammate Bonus (Perk #1) that I mentioned in a previous blog.  Well thanks in large part to a 26th place Main Event finish by Team PokerRoom.com member Tom "musicboy" Sartori - a score that netted him nearly $305k -  everyone on the Team received a cool $2,500 bonus in their PokerRoom accounts about a week after the WSOP.  In total, Team PokerRoom.com accounted for 0.9% of the 2005 WSOP Main Event field (50 of the 5,619 entrants) and 1.6% of the players who cashed in the tournament (9 out of 560).  Of course, Australian Joe Hachem emerged victorious from a Final Table that featured Mike "The Mouth" Matusow to win 7.5 million dollars and the coveted WSOP gold bracelet.

With a fresh $2,500 bankroll, I hit the $50 and $100 SnG tables and got absolutely steamrolled, losing $1,400 over 3 weeks time.  Discouraged, I took a 10 day break from poker until PokerRoom hosted its anticipated "Team Bounty" tournament (Perk #2) on 8/20/05.  This tournament was open to all PokerRoom players at reasonable entry ($20) and featured a $100 bounty on each Team PokerRoom.com member who participated.  The incentive for Team PokerRoom.com members was $1,000 paid to the Team member who lasted longest in the touranment, $500 for 2nd-longest and $250 for 3rd-longest.  Naturally, I was one of the first Team members to bust, and I immediately slipped back into my self-imposed poker exile.

Three weeks later, I returned to the tables refreshed and rejuvenated, this time for PokerRoom's exclusive "Become a Poker Pro" tournament (Perk #3).  PokerRoom had been hyping the BaPP tournament for weeks, and rightfully so given that the winner would receive an full year's endorsement package valued at $250,000 (which at the time, was the greatest freeroll prize in the history of online poker).  The endorsement package included a $60,000 cash prize (paid out at 5k/month over 12 months), travel expenses (hotel and airfare) and buy-ins to over a dozen major poker tournaments including the WSOP Main Event, WPT Bellagio 5 Diamond Classic and the WPT Final.  Not only was this a tremendous opportunity for me to make a name for myself in the poker world (something I failed to do at the WSOP), it was an opportunity to earn some life-changing money as well.

That said, 69 of Team PokerRoom.com's finest gathered on 9/10/05 for the online portion of the BaPP tournament.  Those fortunate enough to make the Final Table would then finish the tournament off-line, at a later date and location TBD.  Making the Final Table would be no easy task, as Team PokerRoom.com was comprised of some of the toughest, most accredited players in all of online poker.  Not only that, I was riding a nasty losing streak that had forced me to question my ability as a poker player.  Determined to overcome those obstacles, I treated the BaPP tournament like it was the WSOP.  Only this time, I was focused and played with a renewed passion for the game.  Sadly, I didn't keep a blog of the online portion of the BaPP tournament, but I did end up playing my best tournament to date en route to making the Final Table!  When the FT bubble burst, PokerRoom paused the tournament and left the finalists in the dark as to where or when the tournament would play out.  With intrigue and speculation abound, we all received an email from Vanessa (the Events Manager at PokerRoom) two days later stating that the Final Table event would be held in January or February (2006) and that she was evaluating different venue options.  Adding further intrigue and excitement, she recommended that we all get passports, which led us to believe that the Final Table would be played overseas.  Still, this was just speculation, and with the BaPP Final Table still months away, all I could do was make use of my time and prepare.

To be continued... 

The World Series of Poker (Part 5)

July 8, 2005

During the dinner break, I check in with the PokerRoom staff, hoping to run into my fellow Team PokerRoom.com members Dave (NIWSYAWLAI) and Jim (JDTrojan3).  Sadly, neither are present and in speaking with the bloggers that are posting updates on the PokerRoom web site, I learn that Dave busted out after 4 hours of play (KK < 88).  Jim is still alive, but he too eventually busts before play ends for the night.  I give the PokerRoom staff an update of my own and explain what went down in the KK hand.  Soon after, my mom (bless her for being so patient and supportive) arrives with dinner and it consists of a hot dog, a big bowl of fruit and a can of Dr. Pepper.  It's just what the doctor ordered and the food serves as a much-needed refresher before play resumes with 60 minutes left in Level 4.

Back at the table, I basically tread water well into Level 5 (150/300 blinds, 50 ante) without experiencing any real fluctuation in chips.  Then, with an hour left to play in the night, several players limp in ahead of me before I look down at AQo on the button.  In an effort to narrow the field, I raise to 1600 and the BB (sitting on 4100 total) just calls.  To my surprise, the young internet player in Seat 2 min-raises my bet to 3200 and it folds around back to me.  I realize that the BB is still in the hand and is likely to push AI for his remaining 2500, so I give it some thought before I eventually decide to call the additional 1600.  Sure enough, the BB commits the rest of his chips and Seat 2 and I both call 900 more.  Flop Q 9 6, two hearts.  Seat 2 leads out for 1600 and I ship it AI for 5600 more (7200 total).  With my WSOP tournament life at stake, I'm gutted when my opponent snap-calls and flips over AA.  The BB has 88 and the Turn and River offer no help to either of  us.

At 11:15pm, I stand up and tap the table, dejected that my WSOP has come to a sudden end.  I'd give anything for a do-over, for a chance to actually THINK through the hand instead of playing AQ blindly like it was a monster.  Seat 2's limp/min-raise PF should have been a clear indication that he had AA, yet for some inexplicable reason, I called anyway and obviously couldn't get away from the flop.  It's one thing to get eliminated via a bad beat, but in the WSOP, it definitely feels worse getting eliminated because you fucked up and played bad.

Forced to hit the rail, I exit the Amazon Room in disbelief alongside mom and her best consoling efforts.  All I want to do is head back to Luxor and hide away in my room until the sting of busting out of the WSOP fades away.  Not to mention, I'm physically and mentally exhausted.  Drained, spent, you name it... and I only made it 12 hours in the tournament.  Imagine how I'd feel if I lasted several days.  Anyway, on our way back to the rental car, I notice a familiar face walking next to us in the hallway of the Rio... actress Mimi Rogers!

It turns out Mimi just busted out of the WSOP as well when her AK < 66.  The fact that she took the time to share her beat, take a picture with me and sign my WSOP program was truly awesome.  She couldn't have been sweeter.

Overall, playing in the 2005 WSOP Main Event was an experience I will never forget.  I couldn't be more grateful to the folks at PokerRoom.com, who supported and cared about all of their qualifiers and made sure each and every one of us had a memorable and fun trip to Las Vegas.  Sadly, I didn't cash in the tournament or even make it past the first day, but I know if another opportunity ever presents itself, I will be better prepared to accomplish those goals.  Here's hoping that opportunity comes sooner rather than later.

The World Series of Poker (Part 4)

July 8, 2005

I make my way through the enormous Amazon Room and find Table 39 located in the middle, still along the rail but with more of a crowd present.

Fortunately, this table also lacks professionals and I occupy Seat 8 with 15400 in chips.  The first hand I'm dealt at my new table is TT and I raise to 800 from early position, still on 100/200 blinds.  Everyone folds  and the guy in Seat 6 informs me that a few players have already busted from the seat that I just filled.  I tell him that I intend to change that trend and we share a laugh and shake hands.  Already, I can tell a difference between this table and my previous one in that the players are more active and lively, both in table talk and in their play.  Not only are more flops being seen in general, there are more players to the flop as well with plenty of limping and raising going on.  Unfortunately, the deck shits on me with hands like J4 and 92, which discourages me from joining in on the fun.

With 90 minutes to go until the scheduled dinner break at 7pm, fatigue begins to set in.  Yes, fatigue.  I realize that we're barely even 6 hours into the 7 day long tournament, but understand that I have very limited experience playing poker in a live setting, having never played a session or tournament that has lasted longer than 5-6 hours.  Admittedly, I did not anticipate - nor did I prepare for - the physical demands of the WSOP.  Tired and lacking focus, I neglect to pay much attention to the other players at the table when I should be trying to pick up tells and tendencies and whatnot.  My iPod becomes a distraction as I scroll through songs and playlists to pass time whilst continuing to fold trash hand after trash hand.

When Level 4 (100/200 blinds, 25 ante) rolls around, I finally pick up a hand - AA on the button.  Of course, no one gives me action and a short time later, I run a bluff into a monster.  At this point, I'm frustrated, impatient, tired, hungry, antsy, uncomfortable, etc.  The dinner break can't get here quick enough, but before it does, the deck hits me with a memorable series of hands:

Hand 1 - I find KK UTG and raise to 800.  The guy in the NoblePoker.com shirt sitting directly to my left calls and we're heads up to a flop of K 9 6 rainbow.  Bingo!  With top set, I lead out for 1200 and my opponent calls.  Turn [K 9 6] 4, and I bet another 1200.  It's a small bet into a decent sized pot, but I want my opponent to think I'm weak and perhaps even lure him into raising.  Instead, he just calls and the River is [K 9 6 4] Q, with no flush possible.  I bet 1800 and my opponent thinks for a minute before raising me 5000 more (6800 total)!  This surprises me a bit as I try to narrow down his possible holdings.  The only hand that can beat me is JT and it's hard to put him on that holding given the action that has gone down thus far.  Would he call a raise PF with JT from UTG+1?  Would he call flop and turn bets with nothing but a gutter draw?  He had chips to spare with a decent sized stack, but I decided it was more likely he hit 2pr on the river with KQ or was holding a weaker set (of nines or sixes).  I call the 5000 and sure enough, he tables JT to drag the 20k pot.  Instead of sitting pretty with a stack of 26k, I'm left with a mere 5500 after the hand.

Hand 2 - I pick up 33 in middle position and raise the BB of a weak passive woman who just seems happy to be participating in the WSOP.  She calls and we're heads up to the Flop, which she checks.  Thankfully, she folds to my continuation bet and I add about 1000 to my stack.

Hand 3 - I call a raise PF with 77.  Flop 7 X X.  I bet it but no one calls.  I probably should have slow-played this hand, but I think there was a flush draw on board.

Hand 4 - I call a raise PF with ATs.  Flop A T X.  My opponent leads out for 1000, I ship it AI, and he folds.  This is another hand that I probably should have slow-played (ie, just called the Flop and gone AI on the Turn).  Meh.

Hand 5 - I raise PF with 86h.  Weak passive woman calls and the flop pairs my eight.  I bet it, she calls.  Check-check on the turn and river and my eights take it at the showdown when she shows KJ for King high.  Oooo-kay.

When the dinner break arrives, I'm thankful to have chipped back up to 11000, which is more than enough to stage a comeback.

To be continued...

The World Series of Poker (Part 3)

July 8, 2005

During the break, I call into the Mike Trivosonno show to give Triv and the gang at WTAM 1100 a quick update on how I'm doing.  Afterward, I return to the table with 9600 and the blinds are 50/100.  During this level, I get involved in my first real big hand of the tournament, with QQ on the button.  I raise PF to 400 and Pat (my "friend" from India) re-raises me from the SB to 1200.  Everyone else folds and I take a few minutes to consider my options before 4-betting him 3800 more (for a total bet of 5000).  Pat obviously knows I have a big hand with over half of my stack invested and he mucks after about 6 or 7 minutes of thought.  He tells me he folded pocket Queens (the other 2 in the deck) and my confidence gets a boost, as does my stack to 10900.

The next time around the table, action folds to me in the small blind and I raise to 400 with KQs.  Once again, Pat 3-bets me to 1200 and I begin to think that he's picking on me.  I call and check after the Flop comes Q 3 Q.  Pat checks behind me and the Turn is an [Q 3 Q] 8.  This time, I lead out with a bet of 1200 and to my surprise, Pat re-raises me to 3000.  I think for a minute before calling 1800 more and the River comes a [Q 3 Q 8] 4.  The board is a rainbow with no flush possibilities, so I bet 3000, leaving myself with 3700 behind.  Pat tanks for what seems like ten minutes before he finally folds pocket Aces.  I neglect to show my hand (I never do unless it's a showdown) and can tell that he is pissed.  My stack increases to 15100 in chips and I ask Pat if we're still friends, to which he chuckles and replies "nice hand."

Prior to the second break of the tournament, I make a quick stop at the bathroom to avoid the mad rush of people and long lines.  Upon my return to the Amazon Room, I keep my eyes peeled for professionals and notice Daniel Negreanu and Sam Farha seated together, cameras swarming around their table.  I also spot David Williams, Phil Gordon, Annie Duke and Chip Reese (RIP).  Actress Mimi Rogers is sitting at the table next to mine and David Sklansky is at the table diagonal to it.  Paul "X-22" Magriel sits at the table directly behind mine and he is right in my view.  X-22  is a sight, and a disgusting one at that.  I try not to watch him slobber on himself as he attempts to eat a hamburger.  *shudder* 

Back at my table, I raise a few pots PF but no one gives me any action.  The remainder of the level is uneventful and I have roughly 16000 when Break #2 arrives.  At this point in the tournament, it's clear that I've drawn a decent opening table.  Most of the players are weak, save for Pat who has built his stack up over 20k despite taking a couple of hits against me.  Not only does Pat have prior experience in the WSOP, he is an aggressive player and has shown the ability to (correctly) lay down a big hand.  I hate that he is seated on my left.  

When play resumes with 100/200 blinds, I notice Seat 10 (Lee, aka "L-Train", from Los Angeles) opening up his game a bit more.  Lee has many supporters on the rail who are wearing "L-Train" shirts and are annoyingly chanting "EY-OHHH!" whenever he drags a pot, including the two consecutive times he successfully steals my big blind.  Mind you, these people are standing right behind me, so you can imagine how irritating this gets and how quickly I become motivated to shut them the hell up.  When "L-Train" raises my big blind for the 3rd time in a row, everyone folds to me and it doesn't matter what my cards are (I actually look down and find 22).  It's time to push back.  Time to derail the "L-Train" and tell the rest of the table to lay off of my blind.  I shoot Lee a glance before I re-raise his 500 bet to 2000.  He folds quickly and I tell him to "watch himself" as I add a bit more to my stack.  

Before "L-Train" and I can further engage in war, however, our table unexpectedly breaks.  My new assignment is Table 39, Seat 8 and I am headed there with 15400 in chips.

To be continued...

The World Series of Poker (Part 2)

July 8th, 2005

I wake up super early, around 7am PST, and I'm way too excited to sleep any longer.  Today is the big day.  The World Series of Poker.  An opportunity to become a millionaire and change my life forever.  Hell, even a min-cash... even making it past the first day of the tournament would be an accomplishment to be proud of.  In the time it takes me to shower and get dressed in my PokerRoom.com apparel, I decide that I'm going to sit back, play tight and observe the rest of the players at my opening table to get an idea of who knows what they are doing and who doesn't.  Once I shake the nerves and get somewhat comfortable at the table is when I will open up my game and start getting involved in more hands.

With a strategy for the tournament in place, I meet up with Dave ("NIWSYAWLAI") and my mom drives us from Luxor to the Rio.

We arrive at 10:15am, 45 minutes before the tournament is scheduled to begin.  I wish Dave good luck and venture off to find table #69 in the Amazon Room.

Fortunately, it's located along the rail and is one of the outermost tables in the room.  I rub the table felt for luck before heading back out of the room to relax and clear my head.  A short while later, I return to the Amazon Room to find that my table is nearly full, save for my seat (7) and seat 5.   Among my opponents, there are 3 guys dressed in Poker Stars shirts, 2 older gentlemen, 2 middle-aged fellows (one of whom is from India) and a younger guy who is probably a year or two older than me.

I don't recognize any of them, so I assume that none are professionals (whew!).  At 11am, Carolyn Gardner (who was apparently a WSOP champion in a stud event back in 1983) sings an absolutely horrible rendition of the National Anthem.  At 11:15am, the button is drawn to seat 9 and someone else (I forget who exactly) announces "SHUFFLE UP AND DEAL!"  I quickly count my chips to make sure that all of my 10000 starting stack is there and it checks out with 12 green chips (25), 7 black (100), 4 pink (500) 2 yellow (1000) and 1 lavender/light blue (5000).  Blinds start at 25/50 and will increase every 2 hours.

As the first hand is being dealt, I put my iPod headphones into my ears but neglect to turn the music on just yet.  I look down and find the Js 5d and quickly fold my first ever hand in the WSOP.  Seat 8 (the middle-aged guy from India) raises right behind me from the hi-jack and takes down a small pot with a continuation bet after the flop.  "OK, I survived one hand." I think to myself, with a deep sigh of relief.  The very next hand, however, I look down at AQ and the action folds around to me.  I really wasn't expecting (or wanting) to play any hands this early in the tournament, but in this case, the cards and lack of action ahead of me essentially force me to.  Carefully and methodically, I raise 4x the blind (again, that was the standard raise back then) to 200 and I take the pot uncontested.  I know it sounds stupid, but dragging in those 3 measly green chips from the blinds gave me some much-needed confidence to enter subsequent pots.  I would need that confidence sooner rather than later, because on the very next hand, I'm dealt JJ!  Once again, I'm first to enter the pot and raise to 200.  This time, however, the small blind comes out of nowhere and re-raises me 800 more.  "Fuck," I think to myself as I contemplate whether I should call or fold.  Admittedly, 4-betting my opponent didn't even cross my mind, not on Hand #3 of the tournament.  Not that it would have been a viable play, I just never considered the move.  Still, pocket Jacks was a strong holding and I'd have position on my opponent throughout the hand if I called his re-raise, so I did.  Flop: Q 8 3, with two spades.  Immediately, my opponent fires 3000 into the pot, without any hesitation whatsoever.  I'm not even sure he looked at the flop, but in any case, his bet makes it clear that my Jacks aren't any good. Regretfully, I muck my hand and am suddenly the short stack at the table with a total of 9075 in chips.

Looking back, I don't think that I played the hand wrong, but at the time, I was kicking myself as if I fucked up my whole tournament.  Watching from the rail, my mom could tell I was a bit flustered and stepped away for a bit to perhaps take some pressure off of me.  The very next hand, my stack takes another hit when I raise to 200 (for the third consecutive hand) with pocket sixes from middle position.  2 players call what is clearly a tilt raise and we see a flop of A K T.  Betting ensues and I fold, leaving me with a stack of 8875.  Thankfully, a string of unplayable hands follows and allows me to catch my breath a bit from my initial WSOP beating.  During this time, I chat it up with the guy sitting to my left in Seat 8 (middle-aged guy from India).  His name is Pat and this is his third WSOP.  He proves to be the most experienced player at the table and is by far the most aggressive.  He's also very nice and has several Indian statue things on the table that he uses to protect his cards.  I'm pretty sure that one of them is made of pure gold.  Anyway, in the midst of making a new "friend" at the table, I chip back up a bit and have 9600 on the first break of the tournament.

To be continued...