It’s been a while since I’ve written a blog, instead of filming one, so I figured it may be a nice change. Yesterday, I headed over to the Venetian to play there $330 buy-in deep stacks event. The Venetian runs these events four times a year, and during the WSOP they have tournaments every day from the end of May through the middle of July. With a nice playable starting stack, and a good structure it a great way for players to get more bang for their buck while playing a lower buy-in tournament.

I arrive around 11:40 or so for the noon start time, and was surprised to see a huge line for registration. I over heard a few guys in line saying we may be alternates, and that the fields have been huge for the $330 events, but I was pleasantly shocked that not only did the line move very quickly and efficiently, but that I would be able to start on time and not be an alternate.

I settled in to my seat, at Table 61 seat 5, and made my goal to play super patient early on, not getting into any questionable spots. There was a lot of action at the table off the bat, with the older gentleman to my left, limp calling essentially every hand. My first taste of action was when it folded around to me in the SB, and I raised the “old man limp caller” with A8 off. He called, of course and we saw a 955 flop. I led out, he raised and I folded. A few hands later he lost a huge pot with a turned two pair, with his Q6 off, and pocket Aces counterfeited him when the board paired threes on the river. Shortly after that, this gentleman raised for the first time, only to get re-raised, upon which he went all in for another 10K or so (blinds are 50-100 btw), the three-bettor called with two Kings, and the old lunatic had A8 off, and bricked. I was sad to see him go, since I got zero of his chips.

My stack never made a trip upwards, with the exception of a flush made out of the SB where I won about 2K. From there on it went something like this: I raise from cut-off with 9h-10h, get three bet and, I fold. I raise with AQ from 3rd position, get 3 calls, and a re-raise, and I fold. I call a raise with (Insert small pair here) brick the flop and fold.

At some point through my miss-flop-fold-fest TJ Cloutier sat down at the table. TJ’s book was the very first book I had ever read on poker, so It was pretty cool to get a chance to play with him. He was playing pretty loose, and seemed to be enjoying himself at the table. After the first break, we came back to 100-200 blinds with a 25 ante, and my stack was sitting at about 4500 or so. TJ bumped it up to 700 UTG, and it folded to me on the button, where i looked down at two Jacks. I felt that I didn’t have much of a decision to make here, TJ was UTG, so his range was calling my shove most of the time, but I thought he could have anywhere from pairs like 77+, AJs, AQ, AK, so I’m only behind against QQ, KK, and AA, and in decent shape against the rest of his possible holdings. He flipped over Queens, and that was it for me.

I was genuinely happy with my play in the tournament, as I never got out of line. I kept my composure even when things were miserable, and never deterred from my initial game plan. If anything, I may have been too passive. I may give another deep stack tourney a crack before the Main Event which starts in about 10 days or so. If you’re in town, and looking for a great tourney, definitely give the Venetian a go, its got great value, and some seriously swollen prize pools for your money.