Qualifying

This past week I decided I'd make an attempt to free-roll my way to the World Series.

Step One is a 3,500 player tournament with the top 50 players getting into Saturday's event with about another 3,500 players. First place - all events paid for at WSOP, 2-10 10,000 entry into WSOP and 11-20 a 2,000 entry into the preliminary NL Holdem event.

I've played about 10 of these freeroll tournaments in my life so I have very little experience. After playing tight in one of them and getting knocked out in the middle rounds it seemed clear to me the best strategy was to gamble and bluff a lot early in order to to build up chips and have a chance later on. If nothing else, it would prevent me from wasting a lot of time. So I got knocked out early in a few of them. No big deal.

Then I got into the top 100 in one. A player in front of me called and I went all-in with A-Q. Everybody folded. He called with Q-9. A 9 came on the river and I was out.

The next tournament I got to around 200 and a player in first position called the blinds. I went all-in with 2 jacks and he called with Q-J. A queen came on the river and I was out.

The next tournament it was still early and nobody was at our table except me and one other player fighting for the blinds. He raised, I went all-in with A-Q. He called with K-Q and a King came on the river and I was out.

The next tournament I hung on to about 150 and had played very tight at a table for a long time. I went all-in with 2 10s late. A player called with K-J. Another player over-called with K-J. An Ace and 2 small cards came on the flop. King on the turn and I was out.

Early on in the next tournament I flopped a set all-in and lost to the nut flush on the turn.

The next tournament I built up 20,000 in chips bluffing and stealing blinds. I sat on it and stayed between 20-25,000 for a long time until there were about 200 players. I limped from the small blind at one point with K-6 of clubs after 4 players called. I flopped top 2 pair and doubled up.

As time progresses these tournaments go agonizingly slower and slower. It becomes more important to survive. You have invested time. The players are generally a little better and have larger chips stacks. At any moment you could vanish so players deliberate over each decision.

I held on for a long time and then planned on making one stab at doubling up and trying from there to coast to the top 50. There was a passive player who was calling almost every hand and then large raises with very weak hands. I had no hands at all for a long time and the blinds chipped away at me as they got higher and higher. Then the player called and I went all-in behind him with A-9. The player behind me was thinking. I knew if he called he had a better hand and I was in trouble. After a while the player called with A-J. The flop came Q-9-9. An 8 on the turn. Only a ten on the river beats me at this point. No ten! I doubled up.

It was 3am now and people were getting tired and edgy. This freeroll had been going on for about 5 hours, maybe longer.

I wasn't sure if I could fold my way to the top 50 or not. The blinds came around and I had A-10 in the small blind and only 30,000 in chips. I decided to fold A-10 with only 55 players left.

After a break the short stack at the table made the offer that everyone fold to the blinds and the whole table would try to make it to the top 50. Essentially he wanted everyone to cheat. Being the short stack of course made this advantageous to him. Nobody responded to him and he got knocked out the next hand. Sweet justice.

The big blind was coming around and nobody was getting knocked out. Everybody just hanging on. Then for some reason, when the blind was only a few hands away, a player who had the blinds covered went all-in with A-3. I folded A-Q and several players with huge chips stacks called him. One of them knocked the guy out and I was in the next tournament.

I thought about how I would play a lot for my chance to freeroll an entry into the WSOP. I needed to be loose, fearless and focused. The tournament was on Saturday. I went to Yoga class to help mentally prepare. I then took a nap. I had spent probably 20 hours in order to get into this thing so I didn't want to blow it with a dumb mistake.

The first hand I was the big blind and bluffed heads up all the way through with 9 high and the player folded on the river. I made a few more bluffs with decent hands and small flop bets and ended up getting a quick 6,000 in chips. I was moved to a table and sitting behind a player who was seeing a lot of flops. Everyone folded to us twice and he would call, see a flop and bet. The second time he did this I called with nothing, no draw and an 8 high. I made a $400 raise on the turn and he folded.

The next significant hand I was dealt was K-K. I raised $400 odd chips. The blinds at this point were only $40-80 I think. The guy who was involved in too many pots had limped in so he called the raise. The flop came 10-6-6 with 2 clubs and he went all-in.

I thought about what he could have:

1. nothing

2. a Ten

3. a Flush Draw

4. a 6

Only the six in his hand put me at a disadvantage so I called. He turned over Ace-3 with no club in his hand. If I avoid the ace I double up. A 3 came on the turn. Now I avoid an Ace and a 3 and I double up.

Ace on the river and I'm out.

That was my poker week.

How was yours?