Just thought I'd let you know that............
I played in Prima Poker's $100 buy-in with one rebuy and one add-on in the first hour.
380 Entrants, top 7 places make the WSOP.
I managed to get a nice chip stack early. I rebought really quickly, because I noticed almost everyone else was too, to get a bigger chip stack. So once I was below 1500 (starting chips), I bought 1500 more right away. So I limped UTG with KK hoping to re-raise. Unfortunately that didn't happen after 4 other people limped, but the big blind raised it from 30 to 180. I then raised it back to 830, everyone passed, then he went all-in for about 4000, more than me. I called praying he didn't have aces. As it turned out he had Queens, the flop was K77, and I made a quick score.
I had a healthy chip stack, was in 2nd place at the time so I decided to wait it out, if opportunities came to steal some blinds or pots then I'd go with it. It worked a couple times, then when it got to the blind stages where you had to really build your chips, the cards just weren't coming.
So I went from being a big stack, to an average, then a short stack in what seemed like no time.
I forget chip counts, but here are a few highlighted hands:
about 30 people left, I was bottom 5 in chips, I got put all in preflop with pocket 4s. I could have waited and let the blinds pass then try another stab, I do that a lot and it just never seems to work, so I thought what the heck why not. He flips over ATo. Flop is 67A, OF COURSE the ace has to flop, but the turn gave me a miracle 2 outer 4,
I went all in preflop a few times with AQo, a hand that I absolutely dread, but it was necessary considering my chip position and blinds. I did get called once by pocket Tens, expecting the Tens to hold of course, but I did flop the nut straight. Turn and river brought blanks, and I lived to fight another day.
When it got down to the last 12 or so, boy did I get lucky. I was still short stacked, having to pick a couple decent spots to go all in. I had AJo in the SB, so I pushed all in after everyone folded, only to be called by pocket kings. However, an Ace did flop for me and I was yet again, still alive.
The blinds when we got 10 handed were just so huge I could not afford to make a mistake. With the blinds at 5k/10k, I pushed all in for about 50k, with AKo UTG. I did get called by pocket Jacks, again expecting the pocket pair to hold up. When the board came 997, I'm saying to myself, you did well but just didn't have it at the end, thinking the same when the Turn brought an 8, but alas, Miracle strikes again! I hit the Ace on the river to stay alive.
I was then in 2nd chip position, and with 9 players left, I figured I had an easy coast to victory. But what happened was, the 3 short stacks started becoming super aggressive, virtually going all in on every hand, or raising everyones blinds, THEN they were becoming comfortable chip stacks. Also, I was taking ZERO chances, I had pocket jacks in the big blind, it got raised the minimum to me, easy fold. Others were raising the other big chip stacks, so they would always have the same amount of chips after each round of blinds. I did not do that though, hoping for the last 2 to get knocked out.
Then I started becoming a short stack due to my passivity. When it was 8 handed, one of the short stacks doubled up, so I was then 2nd to last. Boy did I receive the right hand at the right time. With 65k left and the blinds at 8k/16k, I picked up KK UTG. I decided to raise the minimum 32k and not go all in, as thats what a lot of players were doing and getting people to fold, but the shortest stack on the table did pickup a hand luckily, he moved 36k into the middle, making it an easy call, he shows JJ. I flopped a K, there were no str8 draws or flush draws, and I knew the only way he could beat me is with turn J, River J.
And that everyone is how I won my seat into the World Series of Poker!!!!