GONE IN ONE

I jumped in at the APPT Manila Chmpionship Super Deep and the very very first hand I sat on was A-3 diamonds on my big blind with four callers ahead. Flopped a flush draw which I check-raised to something significant to reduce it to only 2 callers. Then, I turned the nut flush and led out to find a raiser behind. Yummy! Just called. River, bet half my stack (starting was 50,000) and the pot was already 20+ something. Got paid.

Since that point, i played well. Read the table properly. Made some timely big bluffs to scoop some big pots and knocked out a couple of people along the way. The table joke was that Seat 5 is the best seat, which was my seat, because it just seemed I kept hitting everything. 

It was a great table. Nice to see my bro Master K - Keijiro Shimojo - join me at the table. Always an honor to be a part of that guys shadow. The I sat on the table with one of my Korean brothers - just a tidal wave of play. I think I got the better of him at the end of the evening when I caught him trying to bet on a pot with ace high. This time I had a pocket, bro, and a really high one.

It's easy to play poker that way when you're hitting everything and getting the cards to go with it, but I was also reading the table properly. Like I would see spots where I noticed the pattern wasn't correct, where some bets were trying to be too sophisticated or something and my hero calls with an ace high would be on point, or even calling with bottom pair. It sorta amazed some of the table - it even amazed me.

Just when registration had ended, I had built my stack to a towering 524,000, easily one of the biggest stacks in the tournament. After the break, they seated a new player on our table - and the only one with a big stack like mine. Not a problem. UNTIL....

He opened for 30,000 on the button (blinds were only 10,000) against my big blind. I three-bet my big blind to 90,0000 and he just called. This pot was already going to be big. Flop threw in an ace and I check-raised his 75,000 bet to 160,000. He called. On the turn, I shoved my remaining 250,000. He called. I flip over ace-nine and dude shows ace-ten. River... brick! We do the count and he's ahead of me by 15,000 chips and I'm covered and I'm gone. My tablemates for the past hour are in disbelief - as I am. ONE FUCKIND HAND!

Played well until then.

On to the next.