Fifteen Months of Main Event Misery

It’s been a rough go of it in my attempts to strike it rich in the big poker tournaments. In some of them, I may have had negative expected value. I think I've figured out most of what I've been doing wrong and most of what I can do right, though. I do believe I am now well above-average in most tournaments I play, and expect to do something big soon. Thinking about how I can improve got me thinking about what is starting to become a long list of failures:

WSOP Main Event, July 2005
I got up to 60k after six levels, and finished day one with 44k. I probably should have finished it in the 70s. I definitely could have played stronger poker on day one and gone into day two with a ton of chips. On day two I had the misfortune of picking up kings against aces, and then lost the last of my chips with ATs vs QJo. Perhaps if I had played a little better on day one I would have had a chance at a comeback on day two after the KK/AA hand.

Legends of Poker Bicycle Casino Los Angeles, August 2005
I played just four hands in this one, getting coolered with JJ vs QT on a J98 flop.

Borgata Atlantic City, September 2005
I actually played pretty well, but I never had the cards. I outlasted 75% of the field but was never a factor.

US Poker Championship Taj Mahal, October 2005
Again I played pretty well, but again I didn’t have the cards. I lost all my chips with AK vs AA on a K high flop after making a questionable call of a reraise.

Foxwoods World Poker Finals, November 2005
I hit a huge rush at the end of day one and finished 4th in chips. On day two I started off playing well and accumulating, but then I got moved to a table with Alex Jacob and his huge stack to my left. At the time I didn’t really know how to handle the situation and I paid the price. Eventually I got all in against Alex with with a flush draw against two pair after I made a weak preflop play and I busted in 59th place for a profit of just $1800.

Paris/Bally’s WSOP Circuit, November 2005
I was ill-prepared for this level of competition and I made several large mistakes. Tournaments like this where I sort of threw away my chips are not acceptable, and hopefully, they are a thing of the past.

Five Diamond Bellagio, December 2005
I played decently and got fairly lucky to build up some chips on day one. Starting on the last hand of day one, though, I went steadily downhill with a series of poor decisions and weak play. When I got shortstacked I really didn’t know what to do. Like the Paris event a month before, I didn’t belong there and threw away my chips.

Gold Strike World Poker Open, January 2006
This, courtesy of the Wolf, describes it best:
Long story short... He played awesome all day - no siphoning, no donking, straight up solid mistake free poker. He was poised for a deep run when this hand came up...Moon calls an aggro player’s raise preflop with the 9sTs. The flop comes 992 rainbow. The aggro fires out 5k, Moon raises to 10k, and the maniac instantly makes it 25k. Moon pushes in the rest of his chips and they flip over their hands. The other guy shows QQ and Moon is in great shape to double up and have a chip stack of 77k - which at that time would have been 2nd in chips of the whole tourney. Turn x. River Q. Disgusting.

World Poker Challenge, March 2006
I got off to a poor start, losing 20% of my stack, then flopped top pair against a tough player and misclicked for my stack when I meant to make a small feeler raise. Of course he had a set. Whoops.

Midwest Regional Poker Championships, April 2006
After grinding along for a couple levels breaking even, I get all in with a flush against top pair/nut flush draw on the flop. My opponent makes a runner-runner full house to send me packing.

Mandalay Bay WPT, June 2006
I make about 800 second best hands and bust in the second level. Nothing I could have done about this one I don’t think.

WSOP Main Event, July 2006
Looking back on this one, I really played my heart out. I got down to 3k because of bad luck and fought back to over 30k before losing 22k with AK against AQ all in preflop. Again I came back before getting all in for 52k with TT vs KQo and losing.

Borgata Atlantic City, September 2006
I play as well as I can for a couple hours, then make a huge bluff with J9 on a 987 board, knowing my opponent will have to fold his overpair. Sadly he has TT and calls. I then lose the rest with AKs vs jacks.

US Poker Championship, October 2006
I play poorly on day one, leaving me as a short stack. I grind the short stack for quite a while before losing a coinflip and heading out the door.

Festa al Lago Bellagio, October 2006
I play probably my best main event poker yet, never getting all-in, before losing a monster pot shortly before the money with AA vs JJ all-in before the flop.

All told 15 tournamentts for a bit over $140,000 in entry fees with only one cash for $12,000 to show for it. Nowhere near any final table. First prize at the Indiana WSOP Circuit should cover the losses and then some, however. I believe I am going to win it.