19th in the Million / Rant About Stuff
So I started today at 12:45 for a special warm-up on Stars and ended 14 hours later with a 19th place finish in the Million. I don't even really have words to describe how disappointed I am with this. It takes so much luck to even get that deep that its pretty crushing to get 19th. I know to some people $3300 seems like a nice finish but when you play these stupid tournaments for a living and get close to a big score you have to make it count. This is the second Million I have gotten into the final 20 (other was on a different site) and I made one big play that will haunt me for a while. The big hand here took place with about 27 or so left.
Villain opens to t200k with around 2.8mill, I make it t525k out of the blinds with TT and he makes it t900k with 1.9m behind. At this point I am obviously pretty sure that he's got an absolute monster. However, he's a donkey and with implied odds I'm essentially looking at calling 375k into around 3.6m because I am positive he's donking off on the flop. Flop comes 9 high with 3 clubs and I checked, he bets t900k leaving himself t1m behind and like a donkey I think about it and shove with TcTx. He obviously snaps AcAx and I don't hit the miracle 1 outer. Its just such an easy fold and I knew it was. If I can't make it then I have no business calling preflop. I'd like to try to blame a few friends who on a quick inspection said to shove, but I can't even do that, its my call, I've played this for 8 hours and they are looking at it from a total vacuum, no history, no nothing. I generally find myself doing this deep in tournaments, where I make the right read and give in to any chirping that even hints at doing something differently. Perhaps this goes deeper then just this hand because it's happened before and I think it all stems from the fact that when it gets deep in tournaments I don't trust my own skills. I've had a lot of success and perhaps I don't think my talent at this game deserves said success so I underestimate my abilities in comparison to my peers. Until I can trust myself deep in a tournament to make a read and follow it I won't find the big success I've been searching for.
The other big thing that tonight reinforces in me, which I already knew full well, is how damn lucky you have to get to get deep in one of these huge tournaments. You need to fade all sorts of draws, avoid coolers, etc. To get this deep, just makes me realize how daunting a task it truly is and its a realization that comes with essentially no monetary benefit. If I won the damn thing and took home $200k, I'd still have this same realization, but I'd have $200k to help me forget about it. This is likely just a huge ramble but I really havent been this let down from poker in an extremely long time. I have found myself at a strange crossroads in my poker career since Vegas where I am asking myself how long I can actually do this for. I've been extremely fortunate to get a big score already and have a house and enough liquidity to possibly grow my real estate portfolio rather quickly, but my online roll is coming to a point where I may, at some time soon, need to make a decision between reloading some money from that which is allocated currently to grow my real estate investments, get staked, or possibly move on to another endeavor. Anyway, I apologize for the rant here, but tonight was truly one of those watershed moments in life where its' outcome can easily have much larger ramifications in life.
Thanks to all the support everyone gave me during the run. It is much appreciated. I have recorded the final 3 or so hours, without audio so perhaps in a week or so I can go over it and record some narration.
~Justin
Vegas Ups and Downs / First Week Back in Civilation
Ok well Vegas is officially in the rear view mirror. I can't even say how much fun I had out there here are some bullet points:
The Good
-I won the Stars $215 HU for $24k and got 2nd in a FTP $150 for $12k when I was out there and ended up money in online poker
-We through an absolute ripper on the 4th starting at 2pm and ending at Tao at 3am. One of the single funnest days of my life which ended with a $10k game of Beer Pong against Michnak and Hoodini, with my team (Badgerpro and I) eventually losing in OT to break even on the night.
-Speaking of Tao, I truly discovered world class clubs this summer in Vegas. I was once a hardened supporters of pubs and while I still like them, the $500 or so you drop on a table at a club is well worth it. From the treatment you get, to the girls, to not having to wait in line, did I mention the girls? Its just always an amazing night and I highly suggest that the members here get a table on the Terrace at Pure at some point if you're in Vegas, it's an amazing place.
-High Stakes Beer Pong can be fun! I never thought betting a few grand on beer pong could be so fun. Its better then betting at the casinos where there is rake and its a fairly neutral EV game as most people arent THAT much better then another person.
-My roommate got 12th in the Main Event! Chris Klodnicki finally had a few live breakthroughs this year with a 2nd in Razz and 12th in the ME. He got it in with JTdd against QJcc on a AdQdQs board for a big pot to get KO'd so its a little bitter sweet but mark my words, this is just the beginning from him live, he's an absolute monster. Going to try to get him to do a Razz video us too. I *MAY* be on TV screaming on the rail during the telecast of this event as well, with my roomie Mikey (mman_status). If you were reading any of the pokernews coverage of the ME we were the rowdy ones on the rail. So look for people screaming for a 9 or a diamond and that might be me.
-My whole house ended +$ in Vegas. Its pretty incredible that over an intense month of partying, gasmbling, playing WSOP events and grinding online, all 5 of us ended +$ on the trip. I consider that to be a nice feat.
The Bad
-Single Deck Blackjack sucks. I was a little tipsy at Caesar's one night and was playing single deck Blackjack when I found out you cant double a 9. In my state this seemed ludicrous and in the end it lead to a fairly agitated floor manager booting me off the property after telling two clueless ladies how to play optimally then slamming down a bet and staring at the manager when I was told I couldn't do that, go figure. Most casinos actually have the dealers telling players how to play optimally, apparently that doesn't fly at Caesar's.
-Did I mention I ended up spending $500/night on table service and went out 2-3 times a week? Double edged sword.
-Chris got F$%#ING 12th in the ME!!! So close to a Final Table!!!!
-Lost a huge flip against Negraneau with 46 left in the $1000r in the WSOP, for a top 10ish stack, AK < QQ
The Ugly
-In the last 2 weeks I have lost approximately $25k in idiotic ways. It started with a -$7k night in Blackjack at the Rio while railing Chris the final day of the WSOP ME. Side note: Don't ever gamble at Harrah's properties, they don't give out shit for comps. Then continued with losing $3k to friggin' Badgerpro in beer pong the same night. Then flew to Oregon to visit my friend, lost $5k in $1k HU SNG's due to running bad then tilting like crazy and ended with losing another $6k or so in HU SNGs the first night back in MA, once again starting with running like crap then finishing the night playing like it. Pretty low as far as an online roll goes now, although it is nothing too drastic, but it still sucks to get close to a bunch of scores in the past month, then run like shit taking shots and gambling away $10k stupidly. I guess all pro players are given one freebie doing that every 5-10 years, maybe one time in life. This explains why I actually swore in the videos I made tonight after bubbling the $1k.
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Anyway guys I will be doing more videos now that I am back, so look forward to getting feedback from you all.
GOGOGO CHRIS KLODNICKI IN THE WSOP ME!!! (9 of 27 going into Day 7)
My roommate the past two summers, Chris Klodnicki, is 9th of 27 left in the WSOP ME going into the final day. Will be on the rail all day rooting him on, now that Mikey and Andrew are out I hope you guys all wish Chris good luck. Say hi to me tomorrow if you're around the Rio and see me.
Caesar’s $1k Main Event
Played the Caesar's Megastack ME today for $1060. You started at t25,000 and 25/50 blinds, so 500BBs. Levels were 1hr each and went up fairly slow until the 400/800 --> 600/1200/100 jump, but overall it was a pretty fun tournament. Had some fairly interesting hands happen, during the day and made one of the sicker hero calls I have ever made. The hero call went a little something like this, last level before dinner break (400/800) and I had 22k (after chipping down from 44k) and saw 44 UTG+1. I made it t2100 to go and MP1, who was a new player using a 2+2 chip as a card protector and was fairly young flats behind and we go heads up to the flop.
Flop comes: 9s 6h 2h
I checked to him planning to C/R but he checked behind (possibly should be leading there though but I digress)
Turn brings a 7c for a 9s 6h 2h 7c board and I fired t3500 and he flats behind rather quickly. He had me covered but a decent amount to start the hand as well.
River brings a black J and I checked in lieu of firing a blocking bet which induced a t6000 bet from MP1. I essentially snapped off with 4s and before I could even show he started to muck. My basic thought on the hand was that with a 9 he likely fires flop and a 7 or 6 he likely checks behind river because he has showdown value. I essentially never call a bet on the river with anything that beats a 9 thus I felt the only real possibility was Jh Xh or complete air, i.e. flush draw, whiffed 8, or whiffed overs. Needless to say, out of the few times I make hero calls anymore its nice to make a read on what a player would be betting and be correct.
The hand itself is debatable as is though as I think I could have played it differently in a bunch of spots and it might be terribly suboptimal long run, but screw that! Let me have my moment.
After that hand I chipped back down from 34k to 32k before getting QQ on the last hand before break. An aggro young kid opened from MP2 to t2500 at 400/800 and I flatted in the CO with QQ (might have been a little short to flat, but I was looking to get it in postflop against the aggro player) BTN called behind as well and the flop came 9d 4d 2s. MP2 checks, I fire t4500, BTN folds and MP2 shoves. I snapped and he showed AA and sealed my exit. With those effective stacks I am doubtful that I could do anything different so I am happy with my showing.
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I have been also playing a little better lately online and took 5th in the 100r on Stars last night and recorded the last 2 hours which I will add narration to tomorrow or Thursday at the very latest so you will get two new vids from me very soon. Thanks for reading guys. Talk to you soon.
~Justin