Recently I played in Ultimate Bet's preliminary free-roll for a WSOP main event seat, which UB is offering several times daily through the Grand Final on May 25th. The first time I played, I played way too tight and was knocked out after finally picking up a big pair and running into a big stack, who called my all-in bet with 10-6 offsuit and hit an eight on the river for a straight. You would call this a bad beat only if you had not played many 4000-5000 player free-rolls where, "Any two will do," and over half the players are eliminated in the first 30 minutes.
Not to be discouraged, I entered again. On the first round, the final 50 players would advance to a semifinal round. This time the deck ran over me and I easily advanced to the next round where the final 400 players out of 3200 or so make the Grand Finals.
Again, I got lucky early and accumulated enough chips that I decided I didn't have to play another hand to qualify for the finals. Although I did not get aces, kings, or queens, I was prepared to fold them pre-flop-just as I did with suited A-K and A-Q. If this seems wrong to you, remember that the final 400 all get the same prize.
Besides not playing, the other key strategy point was to play as slowly as possible, so that other tables would play more hands. About half the players had learned this last point, while the other half said rather ugly things in the chat box about (and to) those who were slowing down the play.
The worst play I saw was by a player who had just enough chips to get thorough the blinds. He went all in with only 402 players left. He busted out when another play made the nut flush to beat his J-10 offsuit. One hand later, 399 players were left and it was on to the finals. The finals would be totally different since it was winner- take-all for a seat in the WSOP main event. I decided to play a couple of practice free-rolls prior to the final. Something that I observed was that there was plenty of "donkey money" available early in the tournaments-and in a single-winner format with over 3000 players, I needed to take some risks to get some of those chips. Aces were no guarantee of success, as both times I played aces I exited with them against a small pair that had flopped a set. To win the final, I would have to play my best and be at my luckiest. Results next issue.
Going Home. It had been a good number of years since I'd been back east for a visit to my adopted home for over 20 years in Virginia. I spent some time with old friends Barry K., Patte K., and Bob P., as well as relatives Mike C. and Tom E. The last few days of my trip, I spent with my old home-game friends Tom W. (a Chinese poker pro), Jim N. (who was extremely nice to get me into a couple of home games), Gregg T. (who spent considerable time reacquainting me with the area), Ralph D. (a short-handed wizard), Jim R. (a no-limit pro, who also helped me greatly with my early writing career), and the "Chairman"(a new acquaintance and class guy all the way).
Some things that I observed: First, the number of players and games had grown tremendously. Next, almost everyone was playing no-limit-either tournaments or cash games. Finally, there's little that can match the joy of seeing and spending time with old friends. Especially those with whom you have spent countless hours playing poker.
