The WSOP 6-max tourneys are just golden.  The play is so stupid-aggressive (SAG) that you really just wait for hands and get paid off by slow playing them.  These guys just can’t stand checking.  My strategy was to simply just slow play everything but sets and flopped two pairs.

The early rounds were frustrating, since the only three times I got walks with my raises were when I had AA, QQ, and JJ.  I was losing more than winning.  I even pulled the dramatic flop of Qx,Tc,7c with J,9 of clubs and lost to a pair of 7s.  Yep… a 21-outer gone whiff…  I was damaged goods and down from 4,500 starting stack to just 2600 or so.  I raised with Q,6 s00ted and was called by the button.  The flop came Q,6,3 and I led out and called his raise.  The turn was another queen putting a double flush draw on board and it was check, check.  I checked my boat a second time on the river when a king made a spade flush possible.  My opponent couldn’t resist and bet.  I moved all in and he cry called and mucked.  sexy.

A few hands later I raised it up 3x and got one caller.  Flop came 4,4,3 and I led with my 9s.  Villain raised and I shoved all in, barely covering him.  He tanked and called with Tens.  Go me… a 9 on the river saved me and I felt vindicated from yesterday’s KK beating my AA.

I went back to 2nd best hand mode down to 7k before taking the final pot going into the first break with nearly 8k in chips.  Coming out of the break, my sheriff methods started to annoy my opponents and they started adjusting to my non-sense way of slow-playing everything.  So… I changed gears into aggro mode.  I stole 3 of the first 4 pots and was up to 10k.

A player then raised and I called with AQ, knowing the BB had ants in his pants and he might shove 7.5x over the top.  JACKPOT.  He shoves and initial raiser folds and I snap call.  BB shows 8,7.  Ace in the door and it’s already lights out.  Two hands later I 4-bet AK and take it down preflop.  I’m up to 15k and the table is intimidated.  Having 100 BBs after level 2 always feels sexy.

The button raises to 425 (blinds 75/150) and SB calls.  I looked at Kx, Qc in the BB and call.  Flop comes K,7,5 with two clubs.  We both check and button bets 600.  SB folds, and I make it 1,600 to go.  He flat calls.  Turn is 7 of clubs.  I lead with my pair and draw for 2,200.  He calls.  Now I’m in shutdown mode, barring a king or queen dropping on the river.  The river is the ace of clubs.  I now have the nut flush.  I check and he instabets 3,400 of his 6k.  Nasty.  I think forever and start putting all the pieces together.  A flopped set would mean he actually bet his set on the flop when checked to him and then flatted when check-raised.  That’s sneaky, but dangerous with  the double draw on board.  On the turn, he fills up (or quads) and just calls.  Why doesn’t he raise here?  If I have a hand like the one I actually do, I certainly would call a raise.  What is he waiting for?  Another 7 to drop on the river and counterfeit him?  On the river, a bet certainly makes sense.  There are a lot of doubts here in this hand in me putting him on a flopped set.  How bout some other hands?  How about a king and the jack or ten of clubs.  On the flop, he bets and likely calls my check raise.  He certainly calls my turn bet with the flush draw and on the river when I check, he could make a value bet with his flush thinking I’ll cry call with AK or a smaller counterfeited flush.  That all makes sense.  The pot is huge.  There’s enough chance that I’m ahead that I must call.  I do.  He shows pocket 5s.  Ouch.  Sick as hell turn and river for me.

Another player comes to our table and 4-bets 8,6 suited and flops a flush and O.E. straigh flush draw against KK and a flush draw.  He wins the pot (rivering a straight flush) and instantly starts trying to run over the table with his 18k stack.  I’ll have none of that and go back into sheriff mode getting him to commit two bets with the worst hand on two different hands.  I chip back up to 7k.

I raise from the cutoff with K,Q offsuit.  Button reraises 2.5x more.  He’s been doing this enough that he doesn’t always have a big hand.  I call.  Flop is J,T,7.  I check.  He bets nearly the pot and I shove all in for 4x his bet.  He snap calls with JJ.  Another set?  And I have KQ again???  ugh… Turn gives me a flush draw and I whiff the river and I’m gone.

All that happened in just 3 1/2 hours of play.

Wow.