Things were going well for my first WSOP tourney, I played in evt 53,  I had made some great plays and got paid off early with my monsters (dbling with flopped quad big dogs and laying down Js pre after I had lead out but got 4bet, thankfully).  I made it to lvl 10 but was getting short stacked.  I was in the BB and a stack much shorter than I jams for 2.5 BBs more.  It folds to me and I make the call without looking at my cards, I have 74os, he has A7….miracle 4 does not show.  Very next hand, same guy shoves for 6 BBs, I call from the SB with KQs…….he has 8s and spikes a set on the flop……wonderful, leaves me with 8 BBs or so.   I play another orbit and pick up some chips here and there jammin a few As and small pairs.  I then wake up with 10s in the SB after the aggressve CO raises to 2.5x, I jam my 12 BBs, he calls with A8c.  I stand up as I know the A was coming, lands on the turn…….GG, GL.

The next day I played the 1k, nothing to report here, I was out early, made a play and with a 3k starting stack, could not recover.  I then headed over for the 600 Venetian Deep Stack.  My first table was a dream, I hit some hands and got paid, ran a 5bet bluff on a 993 brd for a 12k pot which helped me build my stack up to about 30k, then I got moved.  This was the worst place for me to be, Phil Collins from the ME FT last year was at my table and he had position on me, he owned my ass.  I recognized his moves as he was 3 and 4 betting SUPER light, but I did not have the balls to 4 and 5 bet him.  One hand sticks in my head, a short stack jams for 1200 from EP, a MP player in seat 1 calls with 16k behind and I overcall with 6s looking to set mine.  Phil Collins pumps it up to 4400, the MP caller folds and then it was to me, it made no sense, why would he run a squeeze play if he knew we would see his hand against the all in, so instead of folding or jamming, I made the worst play, I call.  Flop comes 357 and he open shoves from the SB, I was frozen……..he must have something, right?  Well if I fold I will see it, so I do, he turns over K8 os, WTF!!!!  Turn was a K and the all in had A4……….WTF!!!!!  This got in my head in the worst way, I decided I was playing pots with this guy and if I did it would be for all my chips……4 orbits later he has the BB and I have A5 suited, I raise to 2.2x, he raises to 5k I over shove my 17k stack, he calls with Qs……no A on the brd, GG GL…… I was starstruck unfortunately and was way off my game, but learned a ton.

Evt 57, the 1500 on Monday was a new day.  Was feeling good, felt like I learned sooo much more the day before and was ready for a deep run.  I played a few pots in lvl 1, ran a few squeeze plays that worked as everyone was limping to see pots, made no sense to me.  I chipped up to about 7500 if I remember correctly, and get dealt 5s in the HiJack I raise to 2.5x lookin to build the pot and get called in 2 spots, guy to my immediate lft and the BB.  Flop comes A58, 2 spades and a club.  BB checks, I lead out for 40% of the pot, CO calls.  turn is a 10 of clubs, I lead out for 950, about 40% of the pot again, CO jams I insta call.  He turns over A10….river 10……..wonderful.  I have 1600 left.  I build that up to 4600 at brk and feel pretty good.  1st hand from break I run a nice squeeze play for a nice 1500 chip up, then I get dealt 3s on the button.  Guy from EP who had not been the active had raised to 300, I called.  Flop comes down KJ3 all hearts.  The original raiser lead out for another 300, I decided to play cautiously thinking he might have had a heart was was on the draw, call (big mistake).  Turn, Q of spades, he lead out for 1k…..big bet for this guy, he either hit the str8, has AQ/AK with the A of hearts or 2pair combo, either way I am not dead, call (another mistake).  River K, I now have the baby boat, he jams for just 3k more, I had him covered by 500 chips.  Odd thing, when the K hit I felt it was bad, but I am not good enough to lay down a boat apparently……..call, he has KQ no heart…….wonderful, I am out 6 hands later and pissed.  My table was a dream table, there were 3 calling stations and several tight passive players, I felt I was the best player at the table, easily.  Alas, till next year.