WSOP Event 17: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em Shootout

I just finished playing Event 17, which is a shootout tournament.

Shootouts were added to the WSOP schedule just a couple of years ago, due to the increasing popularity of sit-and-go (single table) tournaments.

Although my specialty is multi-table tournaments, I spent a good chunk of my career grinding sit-and-go tournaments.

The structure depends on the number of entrants, but in this case we started with 1,000 players at 100 tables. Each played down to a single winner, and then these players redrew to square off in round 2.

Everyone who made round 2 finished in the money, and the next pay jump was for winning your round 2 table. Win that one and you're at the final table, playing for a bracelet.

I arrived at my table and found exactly what I usually hope to find every time I arrive at a starting table ... not one familiar face. A few players were gambling early and playing a ton of pots, which was a good sign because that is usually a terrible strategy in sit-and-go tournaments.

I picked up a pretty big pot early against the player who I had chosen as my No. 1 mark at the table.

With the blinds at $25/$50, the player under the gun made it $125 to go. A player called from middle position, as did the mark on the button. Once the small blind called as well, it gave me sufficient odds to call with T 9. All stacks were approximately $3k, except the button who had about $5k.

Stout: Found exactly what he was looking for at first table - no familiar faces.

The flop of T 5 9 was pretty much what I was looking for. We checked to the player in middle position, who bet $300 into the pot of $625. The button called. I raised to $1,000 total with $1,700 behind. Middle position folded and the button called again.

The turn was the T (isn't poker easy?). With the pot nearing $3k, I almost moved in for my $1,700.

However, this card made it significantly less likely that the button was holding the case ten. Also, he'd almost certainly put me all-in if I checked to him and he held it anyway.

I decided to check, afraid that the board pairing would lead to my opponent folding his draws, which now accounted for a huge percentage of his range.

Although checking the turn after check-raising the flop is an extraordinarily strong line that usually signifies a full house in this spot, I was pretty sure that this opponent would not pick up on it and would still pay me off on the river if he made a straight or a flush.

It'd be hard not to anyway, getting about 2.8-1 on his money.

Sadly, calling stations don't bluff often, and he checked behind. The useless 4 bricked all draws on the river.

Since there was little to no chance that this type of opponent would bluff the river for me, I moved in for my last $1,700. I could only hope that he'd make a bad crying call with a terribly misplayed overpair or a nine/smaller pair, but I was pretty sure I had gotten all I could out of my mark (for now, anyway).

I was right - he folded pretty quickly.

Hoping for a bad crying call.

Don't fret, I told myself, because I'd obviously be in another pot with this guy soon since I was going out of my way to take flops with him. Still at $25/$50, he limped under the gun. I called two seats behind him with the A 5.

A player in late position and the small blind called, and we saw a flop of 4 5 8 five ways. Both blinds checked to our friend UTG, who led out for a small bet of $100 into the pot or $250.

My hand was just strong enough to call the small bet, given the opponent. My hand may have been good, and an ace or five on the turn would almost certainly give me the best hand.

Also, I had a backdoor nut-flush draw ... which isn't much, but it's equivalent to adding one more out when calculating your winning percentage. Everyone else folded, and the J fell on the turn. He bet $300 into the pot of $450. I made the clear call.

Poker proved to be an easy game once again, as the Kh came on the river. My initial excitement faded as he checked to me. I bet $800, and he instantly moved all-in!!!

Without touching a chip or my cards, I make the declaration "I call; I have the nuts." There are few greater feelings in poker. =) To my surprise, my opponent showed the 9 7!

After getting a short stack all-in with K Q on a J 8 2 flop and rivering a flush against her J T, I ended the first level with $11,800 of the $30k chips in play with eight players remaining ... not a bad start.

Shortly into the $50/$100 level, my second mark at the table opened the pot for $400 from the cut-off.

He had usually opened for three times the big blind, not four, and I put him on a very strong hand. Players very rarely fold to a three-bet when they make a larger-than-usual preflop raise, and this player was second in chips with over $7k.

Penthouse to outhouse again.

Given the situation, I was especially happy to see K K in the small blind. I three-bet to $1,500, and he instantly declared that he was all-in. Just as quickly I called, to which he replied "Oh s**t." Dejected, he turned over the A Q.

However, the poker gods decided to reward him for four-betting over 70 big blinds in a sit-and-go with a flop of A Q T. The turn and river bricked, and so did my vision of holding two-thirds of the chips in play seven-handed.

A few hands later, still at $50/$100, I raised under the gun to $300 with A K. The player on the button called, and the flop came A J 8. I led out for $500, and he instantly put me all-in for about $3,000 more.

A hand he had played earlier led me to believe that he overvalued his hands, and could be shoving a weaker ace here (even though doing so basically turned his hand into a bluff).

He could also have been shoving a flush draw or double-gutted/open-ended straight draw, or a combo of the two, such as the Q T and 9 T.

I decided to call, and desperately wanted to take it back once he turned over A J. Two hands sent me from penthouse to outhouse, just like the $2,500 No-Limit event I blogged about a few days ago ...

--Matt Stout

"All In At 420"

More WSOP Blogs from Matt Stout:

• WSOP Event 13: $2,500 No-Limit Hold'em
• WSOP Event 9: $2,500 No-Limit Hold'em
• WSOP Event 7: $2,000 No-Limit Hold'em
• WSOP Event 5: $1,000 w/Rebuys No-Limit Hold'em