After a long cross-country road trip (which I'll be blogging about soon), I just played my first event of the 2008 World Series of Poker: Event 2, $1,500 NL.

I came into the event psyched up for the start of the World Series and ready to play my A game... something I admittedly don't bring to the table for every tournament, even though I obviously should.

I really wanted to get my WSOP off on the right foot.

I had a great table draw, which is pretty typical for a $1,500 NL event at the WSOP. They are the live equivalent to the PokerStars Sunday Million.

The first couple of 60-minute levels were very slow for me, and I was unable to get far above the starting stack of $3k. Then I started taking down some decent-sized pots without showdown and busted a short-stacked player who held A♦ 6♦ versus my K♠ Q♥.

Two queens on the flop had me just over $7k at $100/$200, but then I lost a $7k+ pot when my opponent not only hit a one-outer on me, but managed to dodge my 12-out redraw. I was left with $4k going to $150/$300 ($25).

Shortly after the level began, I was moved to a new table. This table was much tougher than my previous one.

J.C. Alvarado: Part-time PL.com blogger.

I had J.C. "PrtyPSux" Alvarado (fellow PokerListings blogger... when he's not feeling too lazy) two seats to my right, and John Roveto on my left.

John is an ex-pro football player who has been on the tour for a while putting up some good results, most notably a third-place finish at the most recent $25k WPT Championship at Bellagio for over $900k. Solid online players Astrolux/Broberts and MattZMan were also at the table.

I went into "ninja mode" and started moving my short stack in the middle whenever I had an opportunity to pick up a decent pot without showdown, including moving in over the top of any raises I sensed weakness on. This is an especially profitable play when you have about 15x the big blind.

I got extremely lucky at this table when Astrolux/Broberts flopped a set of fives on a J♠ 9♣ 5♥ board. I made a play that I rarely make, limping with A♥ A♦ UTG. He limped behind and had me squarely in position to give me what I deserved after we got it all-in on the flop.

However, the A♠ fell on the turn and I was able to sit back down. I made a full house with pocket fives a few hands later in a huge, raised, multiway pot, and was close to $20k. Not bad, considering I had started the level under $4k!

Unfortunately, I was not done screwing up for the night after the pocket aces limping debacle.

Roveto: Had the three.

After MattZMan limped the button for $800 at $400/$800 with a $100 ante, I completed from the small blind with 2♣ 5♣ and Roveto checked, holding (unbeknownst to me, of course) J♣ 3♥ . The flop came 3♦ 2♠ 3♣. I led for $1,200 and Roveto flat-called with $5,500 chips behind.

Now I was almost positive that he had a three and was trapping me. I was ready to give up on the pot and move on. Just then, he turned to me and said, "I think I got you."

This was a strange comment, and it led me to believe that he wasn't quite as strong as I had first thought. After all, would you really tell your opponent this if you have a three and are dying to have him bet the turn for you? Still, I was ready to give up my hand most of the time.

The 8♣ fell on the turn, giving me a flush draw. With almost $5,800 in the pot, and now with a decent number of outs even if he had a three, I decided to move in. He called and showed J-3o, and I bricked the river. Oops.

Then, just before the end of play for the day, I woke up with A♣ A♠ in the big blind after an early-position raise and an all-in from Astrolux, who had me covered. My aces held versus his A♦ Q♦, and I ended Day 1a with about $38k, a short way into the $500/$1,000 ($100) level with the money bubble approaching.

I'd like to throw in a note about how much of a degenerate I am right here. There were two starting flights, which left my Sunday free while they played Day 1b. Did I enjoy everything (and I mean everything) that Las Vegas has to offer?

No. I sat at my house playing online poker and had a good yet disappointing run in the PokerStars Sunday Warm-Up. It is a $215 NL tournament in which I finished 8/3,039 for just over $8k... far short of the $105k that went to the winner. Okay, back to the story...

Theo Tran: Worth avoiding with a lot of noobs at the table.

My starting table for Day 2 was relatively inexperienced, with the exception of Chris Bjorin on my right and Theo "pittrounder" Tran two seats to my left. We started the day with 449 players, 378 of whom would finish in the money.

It was time to chip up on the bubble while exploiting the inexperienced players' desire to cash in their first major event. Thanks to seating charts being posted online after end-of-day redraws in most major events, it is possible to research each of your opponents before you even show up to the table.

Nine-handed, with the blinds at $500/$1,000 with a $100 ante, it folded around to me in the cut-off. I raised to $2,500 with 8♦ 9♠ and the big blind (one of the players with no cashes) called. The flop came J♥ 10♣ 3♦.

He checked and I bet $4k. He check-raised to $11k. I had $31k remaining, and he had me covered by about $7k.

Normally, I might not even call this bet, or would take a free card in this situation. But because this player had no cashes and we were so close to the money, I felt that he would not call me unless he had J-T, a set or an overpair.

Also, I felt that he would most likely have three-bet me pre-flop with AA-TT, and would likely try to trap me if he held a set or J-T (the only reasonable two-pair holding).

I moved all-in for $35k total. He folded pretty quickly.

I continued to open and three-bet a lot of pots successfully at this table and managed to not run into Theo once. Unfortunately, they broke the table shortly before hand-for-hand play began.

My new table included a few familiar faces from the online grind... Antuan "bigboybunk" Bunkley, Paul "uclabruinz" Smith, and Stu "thedonator" Paterson.

More what Stout envisions, except with more bricks of cash involved.

To make a long story short, nothing went right for me at this table. Every bluff I made got called, and every hand I had got beat by a better one.

I was down to about $27k with the blinds at $600/$1,200 ($100), and got it all in with A♠ Q♣ against a loose player who had raised in late position with A♣ K♦. The board bricked out and I finished 301/3,929 for $3,486.

Although it was not exactly the way I had envisioned finishing the tournament (bracelet, bricks of cash, etc.), it felt good to start the Series off with a cash. Time to get to sleep to prepare for my absolute favorite kind of WSOP prelim - $1,000+rebuys.

Hope to be blogging about my seventh WSOP cash in a couple of days... instead of writing about my busto hand tomorrow night.

As always, feel free to respond with comments/questions. Or just to yell at me for limping those aces =).

-- Matt Stout

"AllInAt420"

More Blogs from Matt Stout:

• WSOP Event 7: $2,000 No-Limit Hold'em
• WSOP Event 5: $1,000 w/Rebuys No-Limit Hold'em
• Monte Carlo Part 2: How to Play AA?
• Monte Carlo Part 1: Extracting Value