Today was ultimately a very good day – I finished with 83,900, nearly 3x the starting stack and more than 2x the average at day’s end – but it was much more stressful than I’d prefer Day 1 of the WSOP to be. I lost both pre-flop all-ins I played, once with AKs < JJ and once with JJ < 99, and didn’t have too many choice pre-flop hands. That was particularly problematic because the two players on my right were pretty good and extremely active, making it tough to win pots without some kind of hand. I ended up having to run some big bluffs, including 4-betting KQ then double barreling for more than half of my stack and 3-betting all-in with overs and a flush draw in a 3-bet pot.
My most stressful hand of the day was also one of the biggest and was picked up by PokerNews:
The preflop action was related to us second hand, but it sounds like Chavignon opened with a raise, Brokos reraised, Chavignon four-bet, Brokos reraised again, and Chavignon called. The flop then came
and Chavignon fired a bet of 10,000 that Brokos called. The pair then checked down the
turn and
river.
Chavignon tabled
— he’d flopped two pair, then the jack on the turn had counterfeited his hand. Brokos showed
, that turn jack having made his hand best.
The action was actually crazier than that. At 200/400/50, three hands before the end of the night, Chavignon opened to 800 from three of the button. He had a monster stack, that was very standard for him, and given who was in the BB I honestly think he was opening any two. The player in between us, who was also very active and very perceptive and was very capable of 3-betting light in a good spot like this, made it 2100 from the HJ. So now here I am holding ATs in the CO with a re-raise in front of me and I feel like I have the nuts.
I made it 5300, and the action folded back to Chavignon who made it 10,800. The guy in the middle folded, and I was still convinced ATs was good. That’s how much Chavignon hated to give up a pot. If I’d been a little shorter I’d have just shoved pre, but I had about 60K behind which seemed a little too much so I called.
I thought a long time when he bet 10K on the flop. At that point that pot was basically the size of my stack and I kinda felt like I should jam for protection, but I’m drawing near dead when called and I didn’t want to risk 50K at the end of Day 1 of the main event. So I called.
I wasn’t thrilled about giving a free card on the turn, since he could easily have random diamonds, but I still didn’t think I’d be good if any more money went into the pot (OK maybe occasionally he jams with a semi-bluff but I can’t call) so I had to check behind. I was relieved to check back the river and of course to see that he’d been counterfeited on the turn, though really more money went into the pot when I was ahead than when I was behind.
I am very much looking forward to a relaxing day tomorrow. Thanks to everyone for following along.
What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. Way to go! Rest up for the days ahead!
Wow hope it goes well for you
Very impressive flop call. Your playing the player and not the cards. I’ve looked at this hand for 1/2 hour and I still can’t make that call. Too many hands beat you and what can really help you on the turn? I suppose and ace would make you feel safer, but he could have AK, AQ, or AJ very easily, not to mention a flush draw or a made flush. His 40% flop bet is a tricky size.
Very nice hand. Good luck.
If his read is that A10s is good preflop, why would he just fold top pair in position? Villain is obviously cbetting many worse hands, can be bluffed off better hands, may check down better hands from turn etc.. Plenty of reasons to at least call.
Good luck. Pulling for you.
Thought about it again. I think villain makes big mistake by not betting 75% of pot or larger. It would make Andrew’s call harder. I still think the ace on the flop isn’t all that great for Andrew. The three diamonds are really bad without holding any himself. Against 90% of wsop opponents, calling a 5bet with ATs has to be bad. Thats why I say he was playing the player.
There’s no amount he could bet that would make me fold an Ace on the flop. Thus he might as well bet smaller to risk less and target weaker hands in my range.