Nevr Fold AK Soooted Preflop and 2000 Reasons For A Structural Assessment

Lets start with a "Marvellous!, You'll Be Alright!, Lose It Quietly, What a Country!"

Friday was the day! The day I participated in my 1st WSOP Event of 2006. Twas the $2000 NLHE. Before I relate how the tournament went I'll start with the day's build up. I awoke at 5AM, having slept for 14hours in a recvery from my previous 28 hour playing session. This day I was to check out of The RIO and move into a friends cool timeshare just south of the Strip (Big Thanks Jen M. :) ). So, my plan for the day was to eat some breakfast then play some NLHE cash till 10AM, then checkout of the room, then register for the tournament, then Win It! Well best laid plans and all that bollocks leads to a bizarre twisty road.

I went down to the cardroom and promptly took a seat in a $2-$5 NLHE cash game. After 1 hour I was playing fairly tight and winning $300. Since it was a fairly quiet game (aside from the fact that PHW was in it) I was also playing backgammon on my laptop. (Perhaps a bizarre version of multitabling). Well along came a pot... 1 player limps from middle position and all others fold to me in the cutoff. I have AcAd. I raise to $25 from my stack of just over $800). The button re-raised to $100 (from a $1000 stack). All others folded back to me. Without much fanfare I re-re-raise to $400 (half my stack). I raised this much for several reasons. First, in general a re-raise there could be a genuine hand or a resteal. If it is a genuine hand I stand a good chance of getting action. If it is a resteal attempt we get on to the next hand with little ado and the reraiser can fold with face saved after encountering such a serious raise. Well, this one turned out a little differently. He thought for about a minute then said "I've never folded this hand preflop EVER!" I thought "Sweet. That must mean he has KK and will call" Eventually he decides to raise allin. I call.

Flop = 2s Kc 7c (YUCK!)
Turn = 9c (some hope now since I have the Ac)
River = Ks (Double Yuck)

I show my AA fully expecting him to produce his quad kings. Surprise time! He shows AdKd! He rivered me. I looked on in shock that AK was the hand he had NEVER folded preflop. Only one thing you can say "What A Country!"

Moving along ... I quickly pulled up anothr $500 and within an hour had run it up to $1250 for a $250 profit despite the AA setback. Twas 1030AM so I left the table, went upstairs, checked out of my RIO Room then made my way back to the Poker Room and registered for the $2000 NLHE WSOP tournament. After about an hour rest/wait, I made my way to Table 173. 8 of my opponents were there for the first hand. 2 hands into the tournament, a surprise shows up to fill the empty seat to my left. None other than Paul "ActionJack" Jackson. I hadn't seen him since we had played in The Monte Carlo Millions (In which he finished 2nd to Phil Ivey). We did a bit of catching up then he disappeared into the mist when his 1010 ran headlong into AA on a 9 high flop. I suffered on for another 1.5 hours until I met my bizarre demise.

With blinds at 25-50 and my stack down to 1700 I called a 150 bet in the BB with 6c7c.

Flop = 4d Kh 7s
I check, the raiser bets 100 and I move allin for 1550 knowing he has nothing. He calls like a shot and rolls over 8h6h.

Turn = 5c (Marvellous! He called a checkraise allin with a gutshot draw and received instant service)
River = Qd

I then recieved a rubdown from both the winner and another player. Oh well! The structure was ridiculous. $2000 for a tiny stack tournament means you can only make one play if you don't win your 1st pot.