It took me 24 hours and 13 minutes to bust out of the Gutshot Series of Poker Main Event. In a strange way, I almost wanted to make the 24 hour mark more than I wanted to make the final table. It's a landmark of poker endurance, don't you think?
I actually finished tenth, with the final 9 coming back tomorrow to play out for the big money. I'd sat pretty at somewhere between 60k and 70k most of the day. As the number of players dropped from 30 down to the 18 in the money though, I hadn't really had much chance to accumulate chips and continued to slip behind the pack. Even so, it wasn't really until right at the end after a very dry spell that I couldn't maintain my stack at this level that I had to force opportunities. I had 21,600 when I moved all in with ATo, and blinds were at 1200/2400 with 300 ante. I had a few hands left if I wanted to wait, but this one seemed good enough. I got to flip with a pair of fours, but I didn't improve and everyone got to go home.
Here are the hands that actually made it into the live updates. Sorry about the shirt...
http://www.gutshot.com/bforum/showpost.php?p=138535&postcount=150
http://www.gutshot.com/bforum/showpost.php?p=138564&postcount=173
http://www.gutshot.com/bforum/showpost.php?p=138591&postcount=196
Much as I wanted the experience of being at the final table, I really didn't want to come back tomorrow to play one hand - the difference in money was £100, and it would probably cost me that to stay here another night, plus I'd lose working time on Tuesday. If I was coming back, I wanted to at least be able to fight for a higher spot.
This was a FANTASTIC tournament, and I am very pleased indeed that I managed to last so long. I got pretty much everything I wanted to out of the weekend, and even managed to avoid the heartbreak of going broke and watching everyone else keep playing - when I busted, I was more than pleased with my performance, had accepted my probable fate, and even then the game stopped for the night anyway! No major bad beats since my AA got cracked on day 1, and I only recall two close races before the final hand (I lost AQ vs 22 and won KJ vs AT) - there was more post flop play than in probably all of the tournaments I played in Vegas combined. I made good decisions and maintained my composure for a marathon of a poker game. Room for improvement? For sure, particularly in small pot dogfights. Fair result? Well yeah, I kinda rocked.
So the hunt begins for my next major tournament. I have my eye on the Ongame Poker Classic in Barcelona, and the EPT events are coming soon. Better get qualifying....
