#441 - WSOP Notebook #14 - HORSE-ing Around

It seemed the less I cared, the better I did. I entered the $3,000 HORSE on Wednesday night. It was a similar experience to several of my limit events so far: cleaning up on players who have no idea how to play these limit games, running into some big hands or better players or bad luck (or a combo), then scratching along at the bottom trying to stay alive at the end of the night.

Here are some of the interesting things that happened. It was an unsuccessful adventure, but an adventure just the same:

1. At my second table, I was sitting behind Phil Ivey, who got what I think was a seven-hour massage. When I got to my table, the massage therapist was on the floor, kneeding one of his legs. The contents of his pockets were underneath the table, like a pile of garbage: rolls of $100 bills, at least $10,000; a dozen $5,000-chips; an iPod Nano; an alligator wallet. Not that anyone was going to steal it or he’d leave it behind, but it still looked odd.

2. At my third table, Phil Gordon took the seat to my left. Phil and Barbara had a baby boy, Alexander, about two weeks ago. Phil was complaining that he wasn’t getting any cards and he proved to be a card-repellant to me. I don’t think I played a single hand while he was at the table.

3. I had two hands go bad the whole night, one in Stud when I made two-pair by fourth street and had to pay off a straight, and one in Stud EOB when I started with (3-2)-A, made open aces, and had some raggedy hands hanging around, one of whom mdae two pair and the other whom made a flush. That + a great first table = 3,200 at the end of the first night. The average was over 20,000 and I was third from the bottom. (414 started, 114 were left, they paid the top 40.) I would be coming back on Thursday to 800-1,600 hold ‘em.

4. I was finishing my notebook entry about Mike Matusow winning his third bracelet and left the Compound at about 2:35 for the 3 PM start. That should have been enough time but there was a traffic jam, so I was five minutes late. It turned out that I missed my small blind, so for my first hand I had the button but now only 2,800 in chips.

5. My table was later called by Pokernews.com “the table of death.” I was in Seat 1 (though I don’t think I struck much fear, especially with 2,800 in chips). Marco Traniello was in Seat 2. Jens Voertmann was in Seat 3. Lonnie Heimowitz was in Seat 4. Annie Duke was in Seat 6. Alexandra Vuong was in Seat 7. Steve Zolotow was in Seat 8.

6. I had so little faith in my ability to last that I showed up in what were pretty much my pajamas: an Ed Hardy tee shirt with a tiger on the front and a clashing pair of green-plaid shorts. Even though I was late, Nolan Dalla stopped me on the way to my seat and said, “Wow, Mike, that’s really a disaster that you’ve got on.”

7. Then I ran into Craig Singer, my friend from Dallas who works with Andy Beal. Again, I’m still struggling to get to my seat. He apparently just got into town and I said, “We can talk in a bit. I’ll be out of the tournament in a minute.” He said, “Come on. That’s not the way to think.”

“You’re right,” I replied. “I’ll be out of the tournament in a second.”

8. On the button, I picked up A-J and managed to get the rest of my chips in against Jens Voertmann after the jack-high flop. He had jack-eight and I doubled up. I raised the next hand with Ah-9h and everybody folded. By 3:30, I was up to 14,000. By 4:10, I was up to 22,000.

9. Then I lost all but 2,000 chips on the last hand before the break, in Stud, another two-pair loser. I didn’t have another miracle and busted at 5:30, about 80th of 414.

10. I felt very good about how I played, and especially good about how I played with a short stack. I learned a lot watching Annie Duke at least year’s WSOP and watching Jen Harman in the HORSE at WSOP-E. Annie started with about 20,000 chips, lost some tough hands, and actually busted before me. Her seat was taken by Ted Forrest. As I’m writing this at midnight, Jennifer is the chip leader.

11. Even though I didn’t make the money and didn’t last super-long, both Mike Matusow and Daniel Negreanu won bracelets while I was in the tournament.

 12. This makes me 1 for 7 so far, underwater overall for the Series, though I’m pleased with how I’m playing. I’m generally satisfied with how things are going in the limit events and it’s taking some bad circumstances (except for a bad hour I played after building up a bunch of chips in the $2,500 NLHE last Saturday) to bust me in the no-limit events.

13. After I got a little breathing room on Day 2, I got into a discussion with Annie Duke and Steve Zolotow. Steve told Annie some e-mail he received about someone who bought a Winnebago with cruise control, engaged it, then stepped to the back to make a sandwich. When he told Annie this person won $1 million in a lawsuit, Annie said, “Mike, you’re a lawyer. Tell me how someone can do that.” I asked Steve, “Did you see an actual record of this case?” He offered to send me an e-mail about it. I said, “I don’t think it ever happened. It’s an urban legend, like the baby in the microwave.”

I’m going to get in touch with Steve because I think I’m right about this. Maybe I can even make a few bucks from it, which would be welcome since I’m accumulating no-cash performances at the Series.