I came 40th out of 260 runners in the WPT main event 1,100 Euro entry 260,000 Euro prize pool 27 paid.
Day one played tight avoided trouble hands and found one or two spots to steal. I was very card dead and very patient. Every hand can be your last so before you open a hand ask if you’ll be happy to go bust with it. If they have aces are you going to go bust with top pair?
Marc MacDonnell was the most active player at the table. He was the only one 3-betting and twice took down pots on the button to mid-position raises when they were followed by a call. I made sure everyone was aware of my observation and told him he better get ready for some light 4-betting. He raised the button to 1,500 and the small blind completed, I re-raised to 6,000. Marc checked me over and finally re-raised to 21,000 leaving me no fold equity to my 30K stack, I muck showing my Q5o and he tells me he had A8 later in the bar and that I had raised to quickly so he’d put me on a bluff. I found out later who Marc was from a player at the table who said they’d found it funny I wanted to play with one of the best in Ireland and clearly had no idea who he was.
Marc donked himself of 4 betting and calling it off to a 5 bet show AQ against a rocks KK, it was the second time I’d seen him 4-bet AQ not my style for me it turns the hand into a bluff when there is no need. I personally like to flat and keep AJ A10 and A9 in the pot and dominated, rather than bet and have them fold and only be called by better.
Finished day one bagging 67,500 with the average at 80,769.
I over celebrated until 6 am drinking far too may Guinness, slept in my clothes as I didn’t want to wake my brother up. Woke up at 12:30 with 30 minutes to shower and get my head back in the game, before the start of Day 2. Stupid stupid stupid…..celebrate when the game is won not before…I had made the same mistake before Day 1 when after busting the Grand Prix at level 15 (my Kings were cracked by a K7 flush draw all in on the flop) I took full advantage of the hospitality of the PartyPoker team. I had a great night with Mad Marty Wilson hearing his stories from the circuit in fact it would have been a crime to go to bed any earlier than 5 a.m.
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