A Worthy Gambit

Today was my first WSOP Event. I think writing a recap of every event will help me better remember the summer and also find good strategy points to talk about.

Pot'Limit Hold'em is an interesting game. Half of the dealers had no clue how to calculate the pot size and about 20% could do it instantly. It's a game that's different in many respects from a standard NLHE Tournament. To be honest, it's kind of boring and I wouldn't recommend just jumping into PLHE unless you are playing a big event.

1) The biggest consideration is the lack of antes. The lack of antes basically makes it so you have to play much tighter. Which kind of sucks. It's very hard to play a LAG style because you'll be out of position frequently.
2) Because it's nigh impossible to go all-in preflop with 30bb+ stack sizes, you can manipulate spots to make sure you see flops in position. Examples could include open limping a lot from the button and cutoff versus aggressive players. If you limp 30bb at 75/150 with QTs on the button, your opponent can't price you out of seeing a flop in position. The inability to go all-in can get quite frustrating. Players will try to take shots at you by flatting flop raises then donking turn (to freeze your draws), or flatting preflop to then donk safe flops. Both are super annoying.
3) People seem to be generally more amenable to letting you see flops and fool around in position, especially when deep-stacked.
4) If you do play a PL tournament, don't do silly things like potting every street because it's Pot Limit. Standard bet sizing still applies! Preflop raises should be close to minimum in the mid-stages due to a lack of antes.

The list goes on but those are 3 of the biggest PL factors if you ever want to play a PL tournament. On to the tournament!

Starting Levels:
I drew a very good table with no players that I recognized. There was a very active Asian player to my left, seemingly the only competent player to his left, and the two weakest spots at the table (who I wish I had position on) across. The players to my right were either splashy or too tight and straightforward.

The blinds started at 25/25 with t4500 to play with. I thought the structure necessitated a really tight style so I didn't fool around too much. I opened a few pots in position but must have had like a 10% VPIP early on (very card dead). The competent player two to my left had 3b twice when a big hand came up.

I opened red Aces to 100 and he 3b me to 235. I decided to 4b to 700, being OOP with 4500 deep. He 5b to 1300 and I had a decision to make. As absurd as it sounded, I thought he could actually be light and 5b/fold (with about 3200 behind). I had planned for his move and decided to semi-feign disgust and quickly call as if I was making a pot odds call. I check/shoved over his 1k bet (into almost 3k) on Jd 7h 5h and he called with QQ. He hit a Q on the river but it gave me a flush so I doubled.

I think he played the hand pretty poorly being so deep (we both had almost 200bb). I think he should have just flatted my 4b in position but I could see why he thought, with his active 3b image, that QQ was a value hand there. 

A Challenger Appears!

Shortly after, a pro with a FTP Badge and a PokerFarm logo appeared. I didn't know who he was but found out later he was James Akenhead. He started winning every pot, some of them in lucky manners, and quickly started running over the table. He was making big holds in a lot of multiway spots (i.e JJ vs two other players on AKxxx) and opening quite wide (7To/J9o ep/mp). I was still playing very tight (25/50) and made my first open in a few orbits with 9Tcc on the button. He 3b and I flatted. Flop was QQ2, he bet like 1/2, I couldn't rep anything so I just folded.

About an orbit later I opened ATs to 150. He 3b to 400 with about 4500 behind and I strongly contemplated a 4b to 1k or a flat but he seemed strong (he had been very active and should have expected a playback) so I folded. These hands were displeasing me and I knew it'd get harder to make a stand as we moved to 50/100 (it's very awkward to 4b/f a 60-70bb stack).

Right before break I opened Q8o from CO and Akenhead made his 2nd consecutive squeeze 3b. He was completely savaging the rest of the table as well. When we came back, I opened a few pots and took them down until the next big hand.

I opened K9hh from the HJ. James flatted his button and we were heads up to a T75hh flop. I bet about 300, he raised to 900, and I thought he actually had raised to 1400 so I potted with about 7000. We got it in and he had 36hh for the gutshot + dominated flush draw. I thought I would dominate a lot of his range by b/3bing and also get a lot of FE. He hit a 3 on the turn but we both flushed the river so I won a huge pot. The table broke shortly after.

Table of Death

I was then sat down at a table full of young internet-pro looking types. I was very card dead before but started catching more stuff here. I opened a5s from UTG+1 and QJo from the CO. I then opened JTs from UTG, got squeezed on. I opened JJ from UTG+1 and got 3b by a young looking player with about a 5500 stack. I potted, we got it in, and he had TT. Right as I was offering condolences, he turned a T and I lost an 11k pot to go down to 7000.

I defended q9o 3-way for a near min-raise from the BB. Board runout was QJ3K2 and we checked all 3 streets. When the raiser bet the 2, I thought he had a set of 2's or was bluffing to not show his hand down. I called and he had 222. I opened 88 and got flatted by the SB. I bet a 246 flop, bet the 5 turn (4 card straight), and checked back the T river thinking he had a lot of A high peels and such. He had 555 for the set.

Was down to about 4500. 3b AQ from SB vs Button for pot and got snap flatted. Checked the 775 flop, checked the A turn, bet the blank river and he folded. Got AQ again, 3b a tightish UTG opener from UTG +1. In retrospect, probably a bad 3b but I didn't want to flat and I didn't want to fold. Ended up b/fing a 743 dry board to go down to 4k.

Bust-out hand: Opened a9o from the button with about 19bb. BB potted and I had a decision. BB was a young player who was minraising but hadn't 3b light so far and seemed very tight. It seemed thin to r/c 20bb here but I had been skanky active. Probably gave him too much credit assuming he would adjust. I shoved and he had 99 which held.