Part 1 of my trip report from the 2011 WSOP Main Event is now appearing in the August edition of 2+2 Magazine. This covers my first two days and includes everything you could want from the WSOP: big calls, big bluffs, scared money, fearsome Russians, surly Frenchmen, bad beats, and a pretty sweet value bet. Here’s a preview:
After some thought, my opponent moved all in for 36,500. This is another spot that I’d never put myself in online, betting without a plan for what I’d do if my opponent raised. In a live game, though, I have the added option of staring him down. I stared intently at him for a good three minutes not even thinking about anything in particular but just watching him and letting him sweat for a bit and trying to see what kind of a feel I could get from him.
When I decided that he’d basted in his own perspiration for long enough, I reached towards my chips and watched again for a reaction. He blinked and turned towards me a bit. That felt weak, but it wasn’t decisive, so I just made a note of it. Never taking my eyes off of him, I confirmed with the dealer the amount I would need to call. My opponent swallowed. I counted out the appropriate number of chips but held them in my hand, starting to lean towards a call but not having made up my mind yet. He blinked again and looked uncomfortable. I pushed the chips into the pot.
I look forward every year to writing these trip reports and put a lot of work into them, so I’m very eager to hear any and all feedback. Please let me know what you think!
Great Article!!!
“I ought to have a policy of not playing borderline hands right after losing a big pot, even if I don’t feel frustrated.” I think this is brilliant.
“I think that if I were at my best, I would have realized that and checked. Instead, I bet 9,000. It was a mistake I didn’t even realize I was making because I didn’t realize that I wasn’t in the best mindset.”
I thought your whole article was filled with some “brilliant” self-reflection including this. In my opinion I think a hand like this is why it is important to monitor your own feelings to be mindful of when you are not at your best. By checking-in and letting go of bad feelings I believe will lead to a calmer mind that will help you hear your inner poker voice (intuition).
I once folded on the river with like 7 high when I could have just turned over my cards to see the outcome (in an un-raised small early pot). The whole table was like why didn’t you just turn over your cards like I made the biggest mistake in the world. I was like ya of course I could have done that my bad. I felt really stupid for a moment and then thought to myself every tourney I play I am going to make some small mistake and so I said if that is the biggest mistake I make all tourney I am/should be super happy.
I ought to have a policy of not playing borderline hands right after losing a big pot, even if I don’t feel frustrated.
Funny thing.The same sentence drew my attention.Maybe is brilliant insight but very limited practical value.
I came to this conclusion some time ago but the realization does not mean implementations.
OK.
You can be tilted and you are not aware of it.You can be under experience emotion and not to be aware of it.
However conscious and unconscious emotions are key ingredient in almost every decision process.
So Andrew is correct to discard an excuse: “even I do not feel frustrated”.
Andrew is very correct to include such policy to his toolkit to evaluate poker situation.
The problem is about enforcing such policy because you have to enforce after the fact where your decision “quality” process is down.
Your discipline is already down as result of big loss.
So go ahead to implement brilliant idea you have my GL.
But there are more gems in the article.
My favorite is: “I must admit that some of piece of me was hoping that he’d been caught cheating and that I’d somehow be entitled to a refund on the chips I’d just lost to him.”
Very correct observation.It show how the ego could be very irrational and distort reality in such circumstances.
This is not just irrational hope but thoughts flow jump from real presence to illusory future.Recall Tommy Angelo tilt = past.I will say tilt=future too.
Thanks! Interestingly your opponents probably cost themselves more by pointing out your error (assuming you might have mucked a winner against them in the future) than you did by mucking 7-high. Except for the value of seeing your opponent’s cards.
I am actually a little confused by the Ipad example.
Where I play ,especially in tournaments, your hand is automatically dead if you are texting or on the phone in the hand.
Were you hoping his hand was going to be called dead by pointing out he was watching his Ipad or were you just saying it to tilt him about possibly cheating to get a reaction/read?
I guess I am asking what is the rule about Ipad’s at the World Series and how is it enforced?
I was only trying to tilt him. I don’t think there was any chance they would have declared his hand dead and the possibility didn’t even occur to me at the time.
Technically the rule is that the hand is dead but in practice people are just reminded it to put it away. Some dealers are stricter than others. To my knowledge the “rule” was never enforced with more than a warning in the entire tournament.
A terrific read, as always. Congrats on another deeeeeeeep run! I hope there are some of your hands on the ESPN Tuesday night shows.