While I’ve had some decent successes on the felt over the years, nothing compares to winnings a WSOP Bracelet. As the definitely-not-as-good-as-the-real-thing online WSOP season wraps up, I’m taking a trip down memory lane, re-living my favorite 10 hands from when I won the 2018 $5,000 No-Limit Hold’Em WSOP Bracelet.
World Series of Poker Las Vegas, NV June 10, 2018
Event #20: $5,000 Big Blind Ante Day 3
Level 22—8,000-16,000 blinds, 16,000 big blind ante, my stack=690,000 chips
Halfway through the level, the field had narrowed from 20 players down to 18, with the remaining two tables re-drawn. In the under-the-gun+2 position (utg+2), I picked up ace-5 of spades (A5ss) and raised to 42,000; I generally have a slightly larger opening size, relative to the blinds, than most players these days. Both the button and the big blind (BB) called. The flop came jack-9-8 with 2 spades (J98ss), giving me the nut flush draw (and one over-card to the board). The BB checked, and I led out with a bet of 105,000 into a pot of 150,000. The button called, and the BB put in a raise to 269,000.
What do I do here? Calling isn’t really an option, as that would put almost half my chips in the pot on a draw, not guaranteeing I get paid off if I do hit, and if I don’t hit, I will likely be forced to put in the rest of my chips to even see the river; I can fold or shove all-in. Even if he has a set, 2-pair, or a made straight, my worst-case is to have 9 outs and be roughly 1-in-3 to win the pot and be among the chip leaders in the tournament, with a real chance to make the Final Table. The aggressor had been quite active to this point, trying to push people around, so JT (top-pair and an open-ended straight draw) was very much in his range as well, which would give me 12 outs (9 spades to make a flush or one of the remaining 3 aces to make a better pair), not far from 50/50.
Ultimately, with the large number of chips already in the pot, with the tournament payouts so concentrated at the top, and with the chance (albeit it relatively small) that he is bluffing with total air and folds to my shove, I thought it was worth the risk, and I decided to go ahead and move all-in.
The button folded quickly, and the BB snap-called with QT for the flopped straight. I would need one of the remaining 9 spades to make my flush in order to stay alive for the Bracelet.
Cards on their backs, heart racing, and there appeared the sweetest card that I’d ever seen (note: this was true at the moment of this hand; the Final Table changed this, although without this card, there is no Final Table for me) in my limited poker career—the 4 of spades. The river was irrelevant, and after doubling through the chip leader, I was up over 1.5mm in chips!
No one can win a poker tournament–especially against 500+ players that include the world’s best at a $5k WSOP event, without running well; I played about as tight as I could in this tournament before getting to heads-up, but I still had to take a few big risks; this may have been the biggest before the Final Table, and thankfully I hit the right card at the right time!
