Hi Gang:
Hedy and I just got back from a three-night stay at Harrah's AC and although
the VP bottom line was not very pleasant (we lost back $3,500 of our recent
winnings), I made a quantum leap (for me) in the Texas Hold 'Em world.
Saturday, I entered a WSOP no-limit Texas Hold 'Em circuit event at Harrah's.
It was Event No. 1 in a week-long series of tourneys and required a $300 plus
$40 buy-in. As it turned out, 824 people signed up and competed. The tourney
began at noon and the prize pool was $247,200, which was to be divided among
the first 81 finishers.
I played pretty well early and increased my starting stack of $4,000 to over
$50,000 by the dinner break at 6 p.m. When we were down to 90 players or so
you could feel the excitement in the ballroom as everyone knew they were getting
close to finishing "in the money." When the announcement finally came that we
were down to the final 81 everyone applauded and it felt really good to know
that I had maneuvered myself through such a bulky field to earn prize money.
Unfortunately, my cards turned cold soon after and when the blinds reached
$3,000 and $6,000 (with a $500 ante) I was forced to play some hands I wouldn't
normally play and I finally busted out at about 12:45 a.m.
I finished 38th and earned $717, missing the next prize level of $865 by two
spots. It was a long grind and pretty mentally taxing but I had a lot of fun,
gained a lot of experience and felt proud that I had done that well in such a
large field. It's the first time I had cashed in a tourney that big and gives
me a lot of confidence for future tries.
Hedy and I will be flying to New Orleans Friday for a free cruise offer from
Harrah's aboard Royal Caribbean's Grandeur of the Seas, then we'll be back at
Harrah's AC Dec. 29-31 to celebrate New Year's.
Regards,
CoachVee (Tom V) & Hedy
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