My worst WPT showing of the 14 I've played. So much of tournaments is situational luck, and it just didn't happen at all today. As well as I flopped last week, I flopped that bad this week. I drew a redic starting table that had Steve Sung, Chris McCormack Steve "MrSmokey1" Billirikas (sp?), Kathy Liebert, David Williams, and Ryan Daut. I called raises with a lot of pairs and missed everytime and was down to 13000 at the first break. I continued to miss and was all the way down to 4000. Then, a player minraised UTG to 400,a player called, and I called with AhQd. David Williams called in the SB and the BB checked. The flop came A84 with 2 spades. David led out for 1500, the others folded, and I moved in for 4000. David has a draw about 99% of the time. He instacalled, and as expected he turned up 42ss. He bricked out though, and I won the coinflip. I was up to 9600 at second break. In the third level, I was hanging around 11000 when an interesting pot came up. Two limpers to me, and I called 200 with 5h5c. We took the flop 7 handed. It came J82 with two spades. Checked to me, I checked, Kathy checked the button. We took a turn of 2h. Now two flush draws. Checked to me, and I bet 1000 into 1600. Folded to an unknown player, and he raised me to 3500, leaving himself 7000. It just didn't smell right. I could've moved in for his last 7000 (95% of my chips), but I decided to just call with the intention of probably calling a shove on the end. The river was the magic 5s, completing the original flush draw. He bet out 2000 into 8600, and I moved in. He angrily folded and I was up to 15500ish. On the very next hand, Chris McCormack limped UTG and I found AcKs in 4th position. I raised to 1000. It was folded to Steve Sung in the SB and he raised to 3500. I know Steve views me as semi-tight, so I expected him to have a big hand here. In retrospect, I probably could've just folded right there. The flop came As Js 6c. He checked, and I decided to control the pot and check. He rarely is giving me action from KK or QQ, and JJ wouldn't be out of the question here. The turn was the 8s, giving me top pair and the nut flush draw. Steve bet out 6000. Now I found myself in a dilemma with 12000 total. I eventually decided to move in. I felt that there was now a great chance Steve had AKhh or QsQx (a hand he could seemingly commit himself with by betting 6000). Steve instantly called, and showed me AhAd. Yuck. Two straight weeks of running AK into AA in WPTs, and this one was even colder :( I had 8 outs with one pull but missed. Sadly, Jon is out too, so a bad day for the house. No tournament poker to be played until Friday's WSOP event #1, an event I'm really excited about. It's a 5000 dollar half LHE/half NLHE. I'll be playing some LHE online this week to brush up on my LHE game. I might try to play golf one or both of the next two days. My girlfriend arrives to stay out here for the summer on Friday, so I'm looking forward to that.

SS

I'm about to drive to the strip to play WPT Mandalay Bay. I've drawn table 19 seat 8. While railing Jon's FT at WPT Mirage, I was approached by worldpokertour.com and asked if I was interested in typing a live blog at each break of this tournament. Haralabos Voulgaris, Isaac Haxton and Alex Jacob do it too, I think. I will be doing it, so look for updates at each break at worldpokertour.com as well as cardplayer.com

SS

Weeeeeeeee. I'm getting pretty good at these satellites. I busted out of the super satellite around 35th place with 14 getting seats out of the 150ish entrants. I was up to double the average early but then check-called 3 barrels with QThh on AT22Q because I just didn't believe the guy. I was down to around 4000 in chips when it was folded to me on the button. I found KdKs. My boy, John Phan was in the BB, and I decided to get cute. John had about 3000 in chips, and I decided to limp. I didn't think JP would ever expect me to show up with a big hand, since it looked like if I raised I'd be committed, something I seemingly wouldn't want. The SB completed and John pondered and checked. The flop came J83 with two hearts. SB checked and John shoved. I overshoved, and John showed Q6hh. The turn was a heart to cripple me. I doubled up twice but then my stop -n- go with AJ failed on a 765 flop when the player called with 22. Turn 6 river blank to send me to the single table satellites. I sat down to play a single table and recognized only JJ Liu (sp?) and a few other players. I got bruised early when I limped AA UTG, a player raised to 700, and JJ Liu shoved her shortstack of 4500. I moved in and JJ showed JJ. The board came KJxxx and I was down to 5000. I was down as low as 3000ish in chips 7 handed at 2/400. I doubled up once or twice then made a hero call with 55 when a player took a strange line in a 3 way raised pot. The BB checked, he checked, and I bet 3500 into 7500 on J93. The BB folded and then the original raiser moved me in. I pondered and called. He showed KT. Turn 8 for more sweat but river 3 and now I was a big chip leader. I then shoved JJ right into AA 5 handed and was down to 28000. 5 handed, A player moved in for 5500 at 1/2000 then the button moved in for 9500. I found ATo in the SB and overshoved. The first player showed A6 and the second KQ. Flop Axx. No help for A6. We were three handed. I was chipleader again, and I shoved JTss on the button. The BB insta-spite called his 17000 total with T9o at 1/2000, and he bricked out. Heads up, I had a 75000 to 25000 lead again a good young Asian player named Tee that I really respect. He was the one guy I didn't want to play hu. He asked if I wanted to chop up the 9 way last longer (2700 dollars), but I declined. I then proceeded to double him up to 54/46000 with T7 vs 76 on 765. I agreed to chop up the last longer 14/1300 now. I reshoved ATo and had a 57/43 when the winning hand came up. Tee limped in for 3000, and I checked 32ss. The flop came Q44 with two spades. I meant to bet 4500, but accidentally illegally bet five 500 chips instead, so I had to make it 3000. Tee played with his chips and called. I was pretty sure he had a 4. Turn Ks, zing. I bet out 10000 and he instamoved. I called and he showed 64o. He had ten outs with one pull but didn't hit. I tipped the dealers 200 and the staff 200 bucks, and got out of there with a seat for tomorrow and 1000 dollars profit in the last longer. Decent days work. I'm back at the house and ate some dinner. I'm going to relax for a bit and then hopefully make it to the gym for the first time in a month. Excited about tomorrow's main event.

SS