EPT MONACO - WEDNESDAY

Thomas, Corey, and I walked around the marina and checked out some shops and visited the supermarket during the morning hours. Upon returning to the hotel, I relaxed at the pool until it was time to dress for the tournament. The players gathered at 2P, but we didn't need to take our seats until 245P, so Thomas and I grabbed some lunch. I had a tomato and mozzarella salad, in homage of my wife's favorite European treat.

Now to the games: I was seated at table one, which I was very pleased to find was not the featured table. Unlike the sit and go tournaments from last night, which felt like Home Run Derby, with the blinds increasing every fifteen minutes, today's game was more like the start of a long season. I mentally readjusted my game from the analogous home run swing, to more of a patience and contact approach. The blinds began at 25/50 and the levels were 90 minutes in length, with five levels comprising day one. The field was 211 entrants and top 27 would finish in the money. I barely did anything beyond folding during the first two levels. I was not getting many playable hands, and the hands I did play petered out at the flop.

I was in seat 6; seats 1 and 5 were aggressive Swedish players. Seat one was Alexander Stevic, who won the EPT Barcelona event. He is a super swell guy, which became apparent once the table got to talking a little. He entered every pot that he reasonably could, and when he folded, he would lay his cards down with a pained expression. As my chip stack eroded, I made sure I did not enter any pots that he was in, or could possibly enter. I had three hours to evaluate the opponents before I got active in the game. I feared the two Swedes, and there were two other very good players at the table, which sat only eight. The young American to my left was overplaying his hands, but giving his chips to the Swedes and not me. The older American to his left, who was the big blind when I had the button, offered me a valuable tell, which I later used to my advantage a few times. When he intended to fold to a raise, he would place his cards directly behind his blind, so that he could scoop the chips and push them toward the center along with his mucked cards. I paid attention to how I held my hands, and determined not to convey any information that was not intentionally misleading.

Things picked up in round three, as I began getting some cards to play. I made a couple betting mistakes also. When I held JT and the flop came 88J, Alex bet 300 into me, and I tossed in a 1000 chip, intending a raise. When the dealer burned a card, I pointed out my raise, but she said that it was considered a call, since I did not say raise. I had learned last night that if you put more than 150% of the bet in, then it is a raise, but it turns out that if you push in only a single chip, the raise is not implicit. Had I bet two 500 chips, then the raise would have been obvious. The turn came 8, and we checked it to the showdown. Alex held J9, so it was a split pot. There is the chance he would have folded to my raise, but I doubt it, so the miscue didn't hurt me, and I learned something valuable.

I held KTd, and I called from early position. Seat two, a solid European player, made a substantial raise, and I decided to play him heads up. The flop came 7TT. I checked and he bet 1200. I looked at him for awhile, then went to my chips, and indicated raise, before eventually calling. The turn was a Q, and I checked, and he checked behind me. The river was a rag, so I fired 2000 at him. Everybody at the table put me on an underpair, and he called without blinking with AQ. I was happy to show this hand, because it reinforced my tight-solid image.

I held AQd, heads up versus Alex soon after. The flop came JTT, two clubs, and I bet into him. He called. The turn was a low club. I checked, and he bet 1200. I was convinced he did not have a hand. I came back 2400. I figured, in his eyes, I'm a guy who doesn't check-raise on a stone cold bluff. There was the trips possibility, and now the flush possibility. I was thinking that if he had anything, it was a straight draw or an underpair. Add to this the fact that I raised only the minimum amount as if I was begging for a call. He laid it down.

The Swedish guy to my right, William Hurston, much like Alex, liked to play as many pots as he could, making large bets that priced out the meek, with the bet size increasing proportionally to the pot size. One time, I called his preflop raise with 99, hoping to catch a miracle flop. The flop came JT7. He checked. I indicated that I was going to bet, and I was thinking about doing just that, but I realized that in over three hours of play, I have become familiar with his style of play, and he only checks that flop if he hit something he likes, so I checked. The turn was a rag, and he bet 600. I could have saved my money, but I was willing to pay 600 for an eight or nine, figuring I could get some money out of him. The river was a 7, and he bet 1400. I thought for awhile, but knew that I was beat, because whatever he hit on the flop, a J, T, or 7, was a winner. I folded and showed him the nines. He put his cards in front of him, and told me to pick either one. I turned one and it was a jack.

Soon after, I got frisky and raised from early position with A8. William called, and the flop came 236, two clubs. I bet and William called. The turn was 8c. He checked, I bet 3000. He got the tortured look. He plays many pots, and he may not always have the best hand, but he always wants to win the pot. He is in it until the end, and he only lays down a hand after careful consideration of whether he can win with an aggressive play. He laid it down. I spread the cards and told him to pick one. He turned over the offsuit ace, and couldn't believe it. He said "I want to see that one" but he didn't get that chance.

At 8P, we broke for dinner in the middle of round three. We began the day at 10,000 and my goal was to double up on day one. At the midway point, I was at 14,300, so I was on course. I ran into Gus Hansen, and told him that I would love to see how he plays during day one, since I've only seen him at final tables on TV. He said he still plays lots of pots, and it's not too different. I imagine his play would not be far removed from what I was seeing out of Alex and William. At dinner, I learned that Chris Moneymaker was an early casualty, busting out on the second hand of the day. Ram Vaswani, winner of the Dublin event, was also gone. I sat next to an engaging lady, whom I later came to find was the mother of Brandon Schaefer, winner of the Deauville, France event.

Towards the end of round three, I got KK in early position and raised. William played me from the big blind. The flop came three low cards, with two clubs. He checked, I bet, he called. The turn was a club. He checked, I bet, he came back with a big raise. I matched his raise and added an additional 5000. He considered putting me all in. He asked how much I had, and as I stacked the chips, I was shaking like a leaf. Neither K was a club, but knowing his style, I put him on a high club, with a pair. In over four hours of play, he check-raised nobody at the table but for me. I recognize power poker against a supposed amateur. Although I believed my hand was leading, I was terrified at the prospect of being all in, as he had me covered at that time. If he went all in, I was going to call. He left me in agony for a long while, before folding.

The next hand I played, in early round four, was the hand of the day for me. William was in the pot for a call, and I called with JT offsuit. Kevin O'Connell made a substantial raise from the button, but when William called, I called as well, hoping to get lucky. You can't get lucky unless you play some pots, and now that my stack was growing, I endeavored to get more active. The flop came 3TT, two diamonds. William checked, I bet 1500 into the preflop raiser, who folded. William called. The turn brought the 6 of spades, putting two spades on the board. William checked, I bet 3000. He immediately went all in. The bet was an additional 7800 or so. He could have a ten with a better kicker than me, or he could have a full house. If he did have a low pair, like 33 or 66, I believe he would have pushed harder preflop, or gotten off of it, so I ruled that out. If he held a ten, I put him on a 9 kicker, since he tried to see the flop cheaply. But, if he held a ten, there's no way he would have not raised me on the flop, with that diamond draw out there, and with me having already fired at the pot. I began to think that he must have the diamond draw, and maybe he paired the six. If I did not have him covered, I likely would have folded, but even if I lost this pot, I would have had around $6000 remaining, so I made the call. He showed 54d, giving him the open ended straight draw, the flush draw, and two overcards if by chance I was playing A3, plus the very good possibility that I would fold, as he would not be expected to be all in on a draw. My jack was a diamond, which slightly lowered his chances of catching. He was left with eight diamonds and four each deuces and sevens, giving him a 33% chance of winning. The river was the 5 of spades, and he was busted. I shook William's hand and congratulated him on his play. He is a very good player, with the sole exception of his tendency to bully the online newbies. My rake was accompanied by a chorus of congratulatory disbelief. Alex said flat out that he would have folded. He would never had expected his compatriot to be all in on a draw. I was now sitting somewhere around 35,000, second only to Alex at the table.

I made a call from early position with JJ. There was one call and then a raise, which tripled the big blind. I called and hoped for a nice flop. It came J32 - couldn't have been much nicer. I checked, and nobody bet. The turn was a 6; I checked again, hoping for magic. The preflop raiser put in 800. I raised to 3000, hoping he had an overpair. He asked for a chip count. I clearly had him covered. He folded. I made a little bit, but not the magic I was looking for.

The same guy, seat two, raised again on his next button, when I held AQ. I called and took a flop, which came Qxx. Again, the three-way pot checked around. I bet the turn, which was another rag. He raised, but I reraised, and he folded. I could do this all day, so long as I keep hitting the flop. It's nice to make strong plays, without having to show down the cards. I was able to bully for awhile, taking some antes, and putting some questions into my opponents' heads. I didn't play too loose, because I had a strong desire to hold onto the chips I had earned, but I was pushing my Ax-type hands from middle position.

At my peak, I got AA in fourth position. The guy to my right, who filled William's seat raised the blind, and I reraised. He called. The flop came TT6 rainbow. He checked to me and I bet 1000, enough to take it down or know that I was up against a ten. He raised. Ouch, with no draw on the board, I pretty much knew that I was beat unless that was a bluff or an underpair playing back at me. I decided to pay the 2000 to find out if he really had it. The turn was a rag and he came out firing 5000. I knew I was beat and showed the aces. He had 66 and hit the dream flop.

This was the last hand I played, and at the end of the day, I was 15 of 122 remaining, holding 33,075. My goal for day one had been to double up and I had more than tripled up, already having outlasted the vaunted Fossilman. Life has been worse.