My Main Event started off pretty well with my chip stack growing 50% in the first level of play. I ran my $30,000 starting stack up to $45,000 in the first 2 hours through some good fortune and two well played flush draws. I was playing well and taking advantage of the weak spots at my relatively average table, while playing cautiously against the only other truly competent player. I entered level 2 confident and ready to run on up to $60k +.
Level 2 was generally a rough one. I missed almost every flop and made very few hands that I could bet for value. I chipped down to approximately $40k and tightened up and waited for value spots. This spot would come at the last hand of the level:
A weak and loose player opened in middle position with blinds 100/200 to 625. A poker stars pro who I don't know and who plays OK raised to 1625 from the hijack. I don't think his 3 betting range is all that wide, but he has 3 bet several times in the first 4 hours so it certainly includes more than just AA. I am in the small blind with KK. While calling is a bit awkward in this spot, it is the only viable play for a couple of reasons. First and foremost, it is the only way to get value from my hand. If I raise here, I think the stars pro will fold QQ and AK and reraise with AA, thus shutting out all hands I'm beating and playing with the one hand I am not. Also, the original weak opener could see this as a squeeze spot, and jam his $11k stack with more marginal holdings, shutting out the stars pro and allowing me to make the easy call for 25% of my stack. So I call the 1625, and the original opener moves all in for his last $11k. Everything seems to be going according to plan. At this point however, the stars pro starts the whole Hollywood act. He begins asking for a chip count, hems and haws and finally moves all in for $18,500 total. Now my situation is a lot stickier. Instead of calling off 25% of my chips against a loose player, I would have to call off almost half of my chips against a far tighter player. While only one hand beats me, the likelihood of it being out there just got a lot higher. I went into the tank for a minute or so, and came to the conclusion that the stars player has to play QQ and AK this way as well, and not just AA. I could be wrong about that, but that was my decision. I called and he triumphantly slammed AA on the table, and I tabled my KK as the original opener showed TT. I failed to continue my run of cracking AA with KK, and I was down to $21,000 chips. It was a real tough hand to lose at the end of the level, but I think I made the right play.
After dinner I came back and continued my descent. I bottomed out at 7700 chips at the end of level 3, before doubling up during the last level of the day and ending with $15.6k. Though I'm obviously disappointed with my day 1 finish, I'm still very much in the tournament with 40 big blinds and looking to make some moves to the upside today. It's only the biggest tournament of the year, wish me luck.
