$2,500 6-max and $1,500 No-Limit

Event 19 of this year's WSOP was one that has moved up to replace the now defunct (damnit!!!) $1k rebuy events as one of my favorite prelim events of the Series: the $2,500 shorthanded no-limit event.

It drew 1,068 entrants and paid out 114 places with $552,745 going to the winner.

I had a pretty crazy rollercoaster ride for most of day one, which shorthanded tournaments tend to be. I was probably the chip leader at one point with over 80k.

Unfortunately, I frequently have trouble believing re-raises from European players (or anyone under 55 for that matter)...so I ended up hitting the spew button at the end of the day and finished up with 35k going to 600/1200.

Day two began with 135 players left, 21 spots short of the money. On the seventh hand of the day (with FIVE people already busted!), I picked up Q Q and ran head first into 9 9 on a 9 7 3 flop. Needless to say, I stacked off there for a 75k pot and went busto.

The next day was Event 22, the $1,500 NL Shootout. The tournament started with 1,000 players at 100 tables, and each table plays down to a single winner. Those players return for round 2 on day two, and are all in the money.

The ten players who win their tables make the final table, and all players from 11th to 100th place are paid the same amount ($5,236). First place paid $313,673.

I had a fairly tough table draw for a $1,500 event. Mike "inissint" Glasser (a sit-and-go expert), Ross Boatman from the Hendon Mob, and a couple of tough online players were going to make it a tough table to beat.

Nothing huge happened until I played a lot where I hit the one perfect gin card on the turn. I doubled up with K K against Q J when we got it in on the turn on a K 4 2 2 board. It's always nice when they shove on you drawing STONE dead!

Kings are a good thing.

Then, three-handed against Ross Boatman and a tight British player, kings came to the rescue again. Ross defended his big blind with 9 T against my K K on the button, and obviously stacked off on a J 7 3 flop. Magically, he whiffed everything.

I started the heads up match with a 14-1 chip lead, and it lasted a grand total of two hands before I won and advanced to round two.

Unfortunately, day two went much like my previous three of the Series...a brief day spent running like battery acid. Jonathan "ifftari" Jaffe and a couple good online players were at the table, but overall it actually seemed softer than my first table.

We all started with 45k from our first table. I lost an 80k pot with A K vs. Q Q...whiffing 21 outs to scoop or chop on a 4 5 6 7-BRICKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK board. Then I got the last of my chips in with J J against A J for a 20k pot and watched the board run out X-X-X-X-A. Puke...

Anyway, I'm just going to keep concentrating on the positive ... I have three cashes halfway through the Series, and I'm playing well. I've been getting plenty of sleep before almost every event, and not drinking or partying the night before either.

I've been playing my A-game and staying focused, even after beats when I'm shortstacked.

"The game is the game, I'm at peace with my play."

-- Matt Stout