The Best Game I Ever Played

WNP is the most difficult game in town to win but when you do it feels fantastic. Its like the all-star game of poker. When you sit down at the table 90% of the players know exactly what they are doing. They know how to play passive, they know how to play with aggression but worst off they have played with me a lot so it is not easy making plays.

The toughest part of WNP is playing the shortstack. The good players at WNP all know how to play a big stack so getting chips when you are short is very difficult. Last night was another late arrival for me. I came when there was 2 mins left in the 1st level. The first hand I sit down for, a player who just lost the last hand raised to 100. I had AQ and kind of wanted to fold but something told me that I was not crushed and he was a little tilty. There were 2 other callers pre-flop and the flop came Q104 with 2 clubs. He bet 300 and I raised to 600. It folded to him and he pushed all-in for 700 more. There is 1600 in the pot and 700 to call. I figured whatever he was pushing with had me crushed. I thought maybe AK clubs or KK. Both of which I was behind to but getting 3/1, I kind of had to call. For some reason I thought he had JJ and the way he was talking he seemed to want me to fold badly... So I call thinking he can't push with something I am beating but he did and had KQo. I think it was a risky play on my part but If I lost I still had 500 in chips.

The next few levels I played very conservative, really not playing in any pots. At the 40/80 level I limped in mp with 33. Player in cutoff raised to 380 and the button flat called. I asked for chipcounts and my read on the raiser was that his hand was very big. With dead money in the pot it was over 1000 so I called and made the pot over 1300. The flop came down picture perfect:

K23 rainbow. I wanted to bet at the flop to get all my chips in but for some reason I felt that checking would be the best play. The original raiser bet 1100 and left himself 1200 which to me told 100% that he had AA. The button instantly pushed allin for about 850 more (I was pretty sure he had AK which put the AA on a one outer). Well now the pot is crazy big at around 4500. I have the AA covered by about 700 in chips so I go all-in as well which makes the pot around 8000. The raiser with 1200 left thinks for awhile and says "I know I am beat but I am calling anyway". That is music to my ears and now the pot is 9200. 9200 in chips at WNP before the Final Table is like found gold. It makes it simply impossible for other players to make moves on you. I was very excited as I was pretty sure the button was drawing dead and the other player had 2 outs. So I am 90% to be at 9200. The original raiser turns over AA and the button has KQ. The turn is a 9 and the river is an ACE. Just like that I go from a stack of 9880 to a stack of 680 with blinds at 40/80. The player with the AA thought I was angry at his call. To be clear: I LOVE THE CALL!!!!!!!!!!!! Every day of the week I want that call. His logic was simple: he knew he was beat but he figured he would be too upset and too tilted to play with 1200 left so even though he was sure I had a set he called. With blinds 40/80 I think 1200 in chips is A LOT to play with but this is exactly the reason that if I know a player has AA I want to try to be in the hand with them because I know they are not folding even with 2 all-ins in front of them on a K high flop. Its the perfect scenario (until the Ace hits on the river).

What happens next I feel is where my poker game has evolved over the last few months. A year ago I would have lost my mind losing that hand but I did not let this get to me. I felt that I could still come back if the right circumstances happened for me. I pushed a few times and got my stack over 1000. Then UTG with blinds now 50/100 I pushed all-in with 66. The player who took all my chips called fairly quickly and it folded all the way around. What concerned me was there was still 3 players left to act behind him so I got up to leave because I was sure I was very beat and he turned over KQ to my surprise. The first card on the flop was a 6 and that's all I needed so I double up over 2000. I then won a few more pots and got up to about 2900. Then a critical error. In the BB with 140 in and playing 6 handed UTG pushes all-in for about 700 more to call. I look down at AJo. For most people this is an insta-call but for me I hate calling if I am only marginally ahead. For a while I thought about it and thought that I might actually be way ahead if they pushed with an Ace and a weaker kicker or a Jack and a weaker kicker so I called thinking at worst case I was ahead 60/40 and they had completely random cards. And that is what they had...the random K10 which I lost to leaving myself short again.

I battled back to almost 5000 playing a lot of aggressive shorthanded play and then the final table started with blinds 150/300. After playing my blinds and calling a large raise preflop with 77 (I knew what the player had so when the flop came AJ6 I knew I was done with the hand) I was once again short. I got all the way down to 2400 as the blinds passed me again and we were 7 handed. The 2 tightest players in the game were SB and BB when I was on the button so I pushed all-in with J3o and the BB called and I nearly threw up. He had 99 so I was happy to have an over and even happier when it hit. My crap held up and I had over 5000 again. I hung on, kicked and scratched to stay alive and then on the next break I was coming back to be in the bb with only 4200 left with 600 in the BB. Chatting on the break I said, I am dead here if I do not pick up a hand. The cards were dealt with 3 minutes left on the break and I did not look but kept telling everyone I was committed so they better make it 4200 if they raise. It folded all the way around to the SB and I so desperately wanted a fold (I still had not looked) and he made it 2000..which meant he was not folding if I pushed. I look down at KK.....sweet magic. I insta-push and he insta-calls with TT. Of course the flop comes 789 and I have to sweat it out. He went from 2 outs to 10 outs just like that. The turn was a 5 and the river a 4 and my KK held up giving me over 8000 and we are 5 handed.

I hung on and waited for people to bust and we were down to 3 pretty quick. The 3 handed play was fantastic and James who played very well went on a big rush. Deadraw and I were both getting very short and finally Deaddraw pushed allin on my BB (I had him covered slightly). I called with KQ basically because I felt like I could not fold. He had 68o so not a terrible situation for him but we both hit the board and I took him out. After a LONG discussion of a chop, James and I decided to chop where he got more but we play heads up for $60 and the right to declare a winner. When we were 5 handed I was already saying how happy I was that I came back but now I really wanted to win simply because I always felt in the past a big weakness in my game was dragging baggage from previous hands into future hands. James and I have played heads up a few times and its always fun playing against someone who knows you well and who you know well because you really need to vary your play. James seems to always play aggressive against me which works well unless I get cards. Heads-up, I got cards, like every hand. When I did not have cards, my read was enough to push him off his hand. Finally I went for the win on a Q65 board I checked with 68o hoping to hit a big turn. He checked as well and the turn was a 6. I checked again and he bet. I raised exactly the same kind of raise when I had nothing and he pushed all-in when I said call he mucked his cards and shook my hand.

And that was the best game I ever played....NEVER count yourself out and never let losing a big hand get to you...Also always remember WNP is for sure the BEST tournament in the city hands down no comparisions.