I made it to day three of the Main Event, but not in the best of shape. I started the day with 44k and ended with 18k. There’s not a ton I have to say about this beyond that I just never really won any nice sized pots but did however lose a couple of medium-sized pots.

During 400/800, I raised to 2,200 with KQ. A woman in the big blind from Idaho who had been playing quite terrible made the call. The flop was King-Queen-Four, all hearts. She led out for 4,400 and I peeled one off. The turn was a black Five. She bet 16,000. This brought me considerable pause. I decided that I could beat anything she had except a flush and that a flush is the only hand she would bet on the river, so I decided to call with the plan being to fold on the river if she fired again. The river was a brick. When she checked, I like my chances of taking it down and flipped my hand up. I liked my chances of taking it down quite a lot more when she just sat there staring at my hand for 10 seconds.

She turned over pocket Fives.

Later, Jean-Claude Moussa, who had been playing very between the lines, which surprised me quite a bit, raised to 2,500 under-the-gun. I called in position with pocket Eights. We both checked a Queen-Ten-x flop. The turn was a Seven. He bet, I called. The river was a Five. He bet, this time somewhat significantly, and I went into the tank for the only time all day. I couldn’t decide whether or not to call. I was leaning towards a fold about 2:1, so I decided to look at the tournament clock and call if the seconds-digit was 20 or less. It was 16 and I called. He turned over Seven-Five.

That left me with about 22,000 during 500/1,000. In that half hour that followed, I didn’t win a pot and bagged up 18,000. While this is certainly a short stack, the blinds are only 600/1,200. I’m comfortable playing a short-stack and do not yet feel despair regarding my chances in this tournament. A double-up or two and I’m right back in the thick of things in what is a very soft field.

After leaving the Rio, Michael and I grabbed some food at the Grand Lux and then played Blackjack Switch (a very fun, low house-edge pit game if you’ve never tried it) at Casino Royale. I went on a little heater and won close to $2k which will have me going to bed a little more content than I otherwise might have been.