WSOP 2023 Hand Histories - Deepstack ($800)

 Event 2 - Deepstack, $800 buyin.

3,773 entries, $2.6M prize pool. Half-hour levels.
This is an 8-max event. I am Seat 6. Seat 7 to my left is a young Eastern European, Seat 5 to my right is 35-ish American; all others middle aged Americans. 

Level 1, 100/100 blinds with 100 BB ante, 40,000 chips (400 BB)

I didn't play any hands of note at this level.

Level 2, 100/200 blinds with 200 BB ante, 40,200 chips (201 BB)

Seat 4 bust to seat2, QQ v AA 
New Seat 4 is 40-ish American lady, talkative
Seat 3 opens to 2,000, ridiculous sizings
I didn't play any hands of note at this level.

Level 3, 200/300 blinds with 300 BB ante, 41,000 chips (136 BB)

Hand1: KK
Position: UTG=Under the gun (first Position)
I bet 700, late position calls, button calls, SB folds, BB calls (pot: 3300)
Flop Q X X (I use X when I don't remember, usually low cards)
I bet 2000, only late position calls (pot: 7300)
Turn T
I bet 4500, he calls (pot: 16300)
River is a third diamond
Checked around, I show and win vs J9

Notes: Nothing out of the ordinary here. I hope it's clear why my river check is correct.

Hand2: KK
Position: Middle position
UTG=first position (lady in seat 4) bets 600, Second position calls, I am in 3rd position and raise to 2400, first position calls, second position folds (pot: 6200)
Flop 6 2 X
UTG donks 2000, I call (pot: 10200)
Turn 9
UTG bets 4500, I call (pot: 19200)
River T
UTG bets 3000, I call, show and win, she mucks and says she had JJ.

Notes: Another example of bad-player donking a middle strength hand. I probably should have found flop and/or river raises.

Level 4, 200/400 blinds with 400 BB ante, 57,300 chips (143 BB)

Hand3: KK (not a typo)
Position: Button
Cutoff to my right open bets to 1200, I raise to 3500, BB jams to approx. 22,000, I call and beat 99. His jam of 99 with 52 BB over a 3Bet from a tight player was silly.

Level 5, 300/500 blinds with 500 BB ante, 81,000 chips (162 BB)

Hand4: AK 
Position: SB
Seat 1 new player (middle aged American) opens to 1200, I raise to 4000, he calls (pot: 8800)
Flop A 5 5 
I bet 3500 and he folds.

Level 6, 300/600 blinds with 600 BB ante, 89,800 chips (150 BB)

I didn't play any hands of note at this level.

Level 7, 400/800 blinds with 800 BB ante, 86,500 chips (110 BB)

Hand5: TT
Position: Highjack (two to the left of the button)
Seat 5 to my right jams 13,200, I call, Seat 7 Euro to my left jams and almost covers me, I fold, he had KK and eliminated Seat 5. I dodged a bullet.
New Seat 5 is an older Eastern European or Middle Eastern male.

Hand6: KQ offsuit
Position: Button
Folded to me, I bet 1800, Seat7 Euro in SB raises to 6,000, I think fold.

Note: Given positions, this is possibly a light 3Bet and I should either call and see a flop, or 4Bet. The merit of calling is that he hasn't been wild postflop and that should allow me to realize my equity in position. On the flipside, this is the first time he has 3Bet me and so I typically give a first-timer credit.

Level 8, 500/1000 blinds with 1000 BB ante, 69,700 chips (70 BB)

Hand7: JJ
Position: UTG=Under the gun (first Position)
I bet 2200, BB lady in Seat4 calls (pot: 5900)
Flop A 7 7 
Seat 4 donks 4000, I fold.

Note: Again the same lady donked into a much stronger range than hers. Folding is the correct exploit here. Terrible players like this are the reason pros love the WSOP.

Level 9, 600/1200 blinds with 1200 BB ante, 60,200 chips (50 BB)

Hand8: A6 spades
Position: Button
Folded to me, I bet 2600, BB calls (pot: 7000)
Flop 9 8 6
BB checks, I bet 2000, he calls (pot: 11,000)
Turn T
Checked around
River low card (3 or 4)
Checked around and I beat AJ offsuit.

Note: Little point in barreling turn/river here, I have 4th pair and want to get to showdown. 

After this hand, the weak lady in seat 4 busted and was replaced by a middle-aged American, good ole boy.

Hand9: Kd Qh 
Position: Middle position
I bet 2600, BB calls (pot: 7000)
Flop A X X two diamonds
BB donks 3000, I call (pot: 13000)
Turn Th
BB bets 20,000, I fold and he mutters that he flopped two pair and didn't want to get counterfeited (!)

Level 10, 800/1600 blinds with 1600 BB ante, 65,800 chips (41 BB)

Hand10: Ad Kh 
Position: UTG
I bet 3400, third position called, button called, blinds folded (pot: 14,200)
Flop 9d 8d X
I check, third position bet 4000, button folded, I folded.

Note: Depending on the third flop card which I don't recall , this can be a small cBet, especially with the Ad. Having checked, I should have called the 4K bet and seen a turn. 

Hand11: AT hearts
Position: UTG
Early position bet 3400, I called, SB called, BB folded (pot: 13400)
Flop Q 8 3 with two spades
Checked around
Turn non-spade Q
SB bet 3700, early Position called, I folded (pot: 20,800)
River low card
Checked around and SB with 77 beat EP with A4 spades

Level 11, 1000/2000 blinds with 2000 BB ante, 45,800 chips (23 BB)

Hand12: QJ hearts
Position: BB
Cutoff (one right of the button) bet 6000, I called (pot: 15,000)
Flop Ks Js 9x
I check, CO bet 5000, I called (pot: 25,000)
Turn 8x
Checked around
River brick
Checked around and I lose to AJ.

Note: I had a range disadvantage on the flop. When the turn checked, I could have found a river bluff, but people have been calling light at this table. Realizing my J decent kicker seemed correct.

Level 12, 1000/2500 blinds with 2500 BB ante, 26,800 chips (11 BB)

Hand13: KJ clubs
Position: SB
Middle position bet 5300, I jammed, he folded.

Hand14: JT offsuit
Position: Button
Folded to me, I jammed, blinds folded.

Level 13, 1500/3000 blinds with 3000 BB ante, 31,500 chips (10.5 BB)

Hand15: 33
Position: Early position
I jammed and everyone folded.

Hand16: A9 spades
Position: UTG
I jammed and everyone folded.

Hand17: A4 offsuit
Position: BB
Cutoff bet 6000, I called.
Flop missed me, I check/folded to a cBet.

Note: Short-stacked, calling a min-bet in the BB with a potentially strong hand I do not want to jam and get called with, is preferable I think. Cutoff was tight-passive, not a pro.

Hand18: AK offsuit
Position: Cutoff
Folded to me, I jam, BB calls and shows KT
Flop Q J 9
Turn X
River T to give me the nut straight and survive.

Level 14, 2000/4000 blinds with 4000 BB ante, 46,500 chips (11.5 BB)

Hand19: AA
Position: Button
Cutoff to my right 8500, I raise to 20,000 leaving 16K behind, he think-folded.

Note: I would have jammed hands like lower pairs, AJ+. AA is an exploitive just-raise against some players, but he was smart enough to find the fold.

Level 15, 2500/5000 blinds with 5000 BB ante, 47,000 chips (9 BB)

Hand20: KJ spades
Position: SB
Button to my right bet 11,000, I jam 32,000, he calls and shows K6 (!).
Board runout is 6 7 8 T X and I busted.

Note: Opening K6o and then calling off a 6.5BB Jam is splashy play and again one of the reasons the mid-buyin WSOP events are considered soft.

WSOP 2023 Hand Histories - Monster stack

Time for the 2023 WSOP summary. I'll skip most of the "Vegas story" other than to say that the experience gets worse every year. This time, the city streets are under reconstruction for the Formula 1 events in November, and that makes it hard to get around. Also, my wife's wallet was pickpocketed from her zipper-purse at a local Walmart, the staff security showed no interest in looking at camera evidence, and Las Vegas police department were closed for non-911 crime reports during their weekend siesta (and the online report doesn't allow reports of pickpocketing). We're happy to be back home and to civilization.

To the hand histories (tournaments only). I didn't bink the two WSOP bracelet events and will re-think future participation in them. My track record at the WSOP is 0/5 and since I am profitable in the cash games this year, my time may be better invested on the cash tables. 

Event 1 - Monster stack, $1,500 buyin.

8,317 entries, $11.1M prize pool. One-hour levels.

As I write this up, this event isn't quite over - the huge field ended up adding one more day to the event (Day 5), with 7 players still in the running. Joe Cada is 7th in chips.

Level 1, 100/200 blinds with 200 BB ante, 50,000 chips (250 BB)

Hand1: Kd Tc
Position: SB, 6 handed, BB is absent
Player in middle position opens 600, button calls, I call (pot: 2200)
Flop Qc 9c 8x
I check / MP bets 1000/ Button folds, I call (pot: 4400)
Turn Jc
Checked around. Note that the club completes a possible flush, and I have Tc.
River was a fourth low card club
Checked around and I win vs AA

Notes: The middle position player was a young Euro who ended up pushing the table around. His river check with AA was wise, given the runout. Being out of position, I felt that a river check / call was the plan with my T high flush.

Hand2: AQ offsuit
Position: button
Player in middle position (older, assumed tight) opens 600, I raise to 1500, he calls (pot: 3500)
Flop 552
Middle positions donks 1500, I raise to 4500, he calls (pot: 12500)
turn 7? (not sure)
Checked around
River A
Checked around and I show and he mucks.

Notes: I clearly missed a river bet here. MP never has 5X given his turn and river actions.

Hand3: JT spades
Position: BB
Early position same Euro from Hand 1 opens to 1000, SB tank calls, I call (pot: 3300)
Flop QJJ
Checked around
Turn 9
I bet 1200, Euro calls, SB folds (pot: 5500)
River 8
I bet 2500, he think folds.

Notes: my turn and river bets are targeting pair and two-pair hands. I'm not interested in getting stacks in vs possible full houses in Euro's range. 

Level 2, 200/300 blinds with 300 BB ante, 60,400 chips (201 BB)

Hand4: 33
Position: Button
Folded to me, I open to 800, BB calls (pot: 2100)
Flop is A X X (I use X for low cards that I don't remember)
BB checks, I bet 1000, he calls (pot: 4100)
Turn X brick
Checked around
River K
Checked around and I lose to 77

Hand5: 98 spades
Position: Under the gun (first position)
I open to 800, Euro in middle position calls, late position calls, blinds fold (pot: 3200)
Flop A Q X with two clubs
I bet 1500, both call (pot: 7700)
Turn is a third club
I check, Euro checks, late position bets 4500, we fold.

Notes: Opening 98 suited from first position is marginal. My flop bluff is bad against two players whom this board hits pretty well. 

Hand6: Ah Kd 
Position: Button
Middle and cutoff to my right limp 300, I raise to 1600, cutoff calls (pot: 4300)
Flop T X X
Cutoff donks 1200, I call (pot: 7700)
Turn is another low card
Cutoff bets 2000, I fold.

Notes: too many players stack off with AK disregarding the board. Cutoff is clearly a weak recreational player who is trying to protect what is clearly Tx or second pair and he won't fold to a single raise. I need to call and realize my equity. The turn has me drawing thin and so I think I stand by my fold. 

Hand7: AQ offsuit
Position: Cutoff (one to the left of the button)
Same guy from Hand6 to my right, opens to 1600, I call, blinds fold (pot: 4000)
Flop T 7 5 (not sure of the 7 5)
He bets 2000, I call (pot: 8000)
Turn 9
He bets 2200, I call (pot: 12400)
River is J 
He bets 2500, I raise to 11,000, he tank folds.

Notes: I decided to float this hand to realize my equity against this weak player, and the runout allowed me to bluff and represent a straight when he bet 1/5 pot on the river. He likely had KT or similar.

Level 3, 200/400 blinds with 400 BB ante, 57,300 chips (143 BB)

Hand8: QQ
Position: Under the gun (first position)
I open to 1000, old guy in cutoff calls, blinds fold (pot: 3000)
Flop K 7 7 
I bet 1000, he raises to 2000, I call (pot: 7000)
Turn 7
I check, he bets 3000, I call (pot (13000)
River J
I check, he bets 2000, I call and lose to KJ.

Notes: His turn and river bet sizes were pretty ridiculous, but when an OMC (old man coffee) bets multiple streets, it should be possible to find a fold even with a decent full house. I just wasn't good enough.

Hand9: 66
Position: Cutoff (one to the left of the button)
Folds to me, I open 1000, button is absent, SB and BB call (pot: 3400)
Flop Ks 6s 3x
Blinds check, I bet 1500, SB folds, BB calls. BB is Euro from earlier hands. (pot: 6400)
Turn 7x
A few seconds passed and thinking that Euro checked, I bet 5000. He said he hadn't acted and then checked. I left the 5000 as the bet. He raised to 11,000. I jammed for another approx. 42,000 and he snap called with 54 for a turned straight. I was drawing for the board to pair for a FH/Quads but the river was a 4 and I bust.

Notes: This was an unusual cooler hand. Although 54 suited should be in his BB calling range, there are more hands I beat that he could raise turn with: K7, K6, 76, 33. The only hand I really worried about (and that made sense) was 77. Against a tight player this might have been just a turn call but against Euro I think this was a mandatory jam. 

So, I bust after 3 hours of play, went back to my room, had a short rest and then went to play cash (2/5 at MGM Grand) for a few more hours and got lucky enough to make back my $1.5K buyin and then some more. Tournaments are overrated, meh.