I finally did it. I finally made my first WSOP final table after a couple close shaves. I made the final table of the $1,000 rebuy No limit. I finished 22nd in the first one.
I had a tough day all day – I couldn’t get any cards. I was up to over 200,000 chips, and then back down to 10,000, but I just kept battling, and at the end I was at 77,000 chips, and I am the short stack.
The key hand was one where I finally got to face Phil Hellmuth, and he doubled me up. I had no chips, and he had over 600,000, and he is the chip leader. So, it will be Tony G (David), vs. Phil Hellmuth (Goliath). I love to face Phil. He talks big, and he is a great player. I have great respect for him, but every time I face him, I get the best of him. Its fun to play with him, and he is a really good guy.
I love the game, and I am really looking forward to tomorrow. I don’t have the stack to have much of a chance, I do have the heart, and the commitment, I want to make it tomorrow.
I have had a great WSOP, and have played good poker, and I can feel good that I am one of the best players in the world. My results are there. I have been very consistent, making the money a number of times.
I was the low stack during this tournament several times, including being at 450 chips after the rebuy period was over. I don’t give up. I like the table, and I want to face Phil Hellmuth.
The key hand was I had 10 2 spades in the big blind, and there were about 5 limpers, including Phil, who limped with two fives. If he raises there, I have to fold. The flop was 3 6 7 with two spades, and I moved in with 50,000 in the pot. Phil called with his fives, and I caught the King of spades on the turn to double up. The next hand, I picked up 9 9, and the French guy, the short stack moved all in. This guy got blinded down from 200,000 to 22,000 without playing a hand. I saw him laydown A Q against a terrible player. He let himself get blinded down all the way from 200 to 22k, I would never do that. Then, at the end, he went all in for 22,000 under the gun with J 8. Why not wait for your big blind? This is what you waited for all day? Under the gun with J 8? I had to call with 9 9, and several other players called. Unfortunately, one of them had pocket tens, and I couldn’t pick up that pot.
But, that put me in the final, and I am the short stack. In Paris, I was the short stack, and came all the way back to be the chip leader. I hope that happens today. Whatever happens, I am going to have fun.
