Well, it took 724 days and almost 50 events over three annual world series' of poker, but I have finally logged my first cash that was not 2nd place.

Unfortunately it was not "First or third, baby," as was my mantra this year. Turns out I wasn't studly enough to be the stud of stud, but I did play stud high and managed to take 11th. Stud where only the best hand wins is probably the next game like 5 card draw to go the way of the Dodo. This makes me sad as stud way more porous than a game like hold'em is. There is so much more going on and things like position are extremely dynamic. I really wish more people my age would learn the game because I think they would really enjoy it. On that note, it is nice having a field generally to myself rather than a bunch of other LAGtards sitting around the table. It's tough to play against lags in stud.

So, I had 20k by like level 6 from our 3k start which was good for 2nd in chips. I got tortured the last two levels of play for day one, came back kinda dreading a 4th day 2 non-cash, and ran hot right out of the gates. I got lucky on 6th and 7th in different hands for some big pots which gave me the umph to make a deep run. I did the standard oscillating stack trick down to three tables at which point I dumped the jet fuel on the fire right before break. Here's a couple of fun hands:

Blinds and stacks don't matter cause we're deep enough in all these hands and I really just don't like writing about technical jargon (they actually matter a lot but I'm lazy in other words).

I complete with (99)5 in the ... cutoff? Is that what you call 2 off the button? Kid to my left with an A showing who I had clashed a lot with raises, and I basically click the "never-fold" button, cause I just plain don't believe him and I know he's planning on firing all five barrels. He has the lead on all streets, bets all streets, and I call all streets. The boards ran out: (99)567X(6) vs. his (XX)AxJK(X) and he showed me one pair of kings at showdown. Sick part is that I needed all of that river to re-suck on his 6th street suckout cause I was definitely paying off with the pair of nines. Poker Radio

I went into break 3/20 in chips, and then the wheels fell off the bus. I played a weird pot with Sabyl that I really liked even though one of the East Coasters (which comprised like 80% of the field) berated me more than I've been berated in a year for. It was definitely a tournament spot, not a stud cash game spot, and he clearly failed to see that little bit of information, which honestly doesn't surprise me as I am pretty sure that nobody remaining in the field truly understood the difference between cash game theory and tournament theory... anyways... So Sabyl is down to 14k, we're playing 1k/1k/3-6k, she completes with a Q, folds to me with just the bring-in to deal with who is showing a 4s, and I have (Ah8d)Kh. I honestly feel like I have the best hand vs. Sabyl, and if not I got outs, and I want to isolate to take my 13.7k vs. her 13,700 + 10k in dead money. So I pop it to 6, bring in cold-calls and it's obv he's not huge, he makes it 9, now I would really love to iso, I make it 12, he calls, anyways we get 13,700 in each, I make open Kings on 4th, bring-in goes ballistic after I bet (LOL), and then I think steam literally came out of his ears when I rolled over my A8 in the hole. He went batshit insane. I cannot stand people like that (although he did apologize later... but still... chill). Anyways, I was right as Sabyl turned over the AQJ5 and proceeds to go 5QQ to more than triple up.

Now, after that hand we know that Sabyl is completing light as she should be and thats what makes this hand weird. 1k/1k/4-8k now, she has like 100k btw and I'm down to 50, She completes the Ad, Jeff raises showing the 9s (Jeff is capable of raising light), and I have (K5)K. I 3 ball it to 12k, Sabyl calls cold which I hate, Jeff tanks and calls.

4th: Me: brick, Jeff brick, Sabyl (xx)Ad8d. She checks, Jeff checks, I bet because I can't help myself and she's goofy enough to not have the ace there. I probably should have checked though. Sabyl raises and Jeff cold-calls, time to get lucky I call. 5th street makes Jeff an open pair, he bets, and I fold. Turns out Sabyl was on diamonds (wp) and Jeff had wired aces. That was the nail in the coffin basically as I was down to like 25k and had to try and find a spot which I didn't. GG me.

I really wanted to win that event. I think that would be a cool first bracelet to have, but I suppose I'll have to settle for something else.

I wrote this blog sitting in the DMV. I'm really excited to have everything finished with those vehicles! Tomorrow is the $1500 NLHE infinity player field fest. I'd like to final table that.

Peace and good luck,

Devo

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