After four hours of play today, I am up to 71,200 chips. We have an interesting table. We had Barry Greenstein for a short while, and Steve Z., who I busted out. Kathy Liebert was also on my table, and I busted her out as well. I called Kathy’s all in with A Q suited, and she had pocket nines. I probably made a bit of a mistake. But, she had just been crushed by Alan Cuningham the hand before, and I felt she was on tilt a bit, and I kinda made a bad call with AQ on the button for 80% of my stack. Luckily, on the turn the Queen popped out, and I was in business.
I feel I have been playing well. I haven’t had many situations where I was all in, and needed help to win. I’ve been picking up a lot of blinds, and re-raising at the right time – just feeling the game really well at the moment. Today is a great day for me to set myself up for the tournament. Allan Cunningham has nearly 200,000 in chips, and he is to my right. I am not that far behind. I just need to play my game. There are 30 players left, and I’ve come through a field of 900. I’m playing really strong, and I have had really good tables. But, some of the tighter players are starting to get weeded out, like Alan Kessler, who I managed to double up, but he is gone now. Also, there is a guy who works for UB, and he is a good friend of Annie Duke’s. I doubled him up as well.
I have lost a lot of races, with hands like pocket fives against Ace Jack, and pocket nines against two tens. But, that’s my game, I usually call if the odds are close enough. I don’t want to be pushed around, and I put the money in. That’s why I called against Kathy. I thought she was upset, and it worked out. I had the price, but in retrospect, it wasn’t a good call. I don’t recommend anyone do that.
So with 30 players left, I have average chips, but on my table I am pretty healthy. I just have to keep playing. It’s been a good 3 days of poker so far.
