28th Is Not Quite First

Liz Lieu, Las Vegas, 28th place for $14,138. So very frustrating to head to the cashier and collect that when the final table is so very close.

And I'm still debating my last hand, of course.

I slept really well Saturday night and stayed in bed for a couple hours Sunday morning, making calls and working a bit (including the post about Day 1). It's a great feeling to wake up and still be in the poker tournament you played the night before.

It never gets old, although I'd love to be able to verify that!

I left my condo and drove to the Rio with the top down. Because of my surgery, I can't get sun by the pool. The only sun I get is driving my car in the hot Vegas sun. I enjoyed driving so much that I got to the Rio a little late.

When I made my way to my table, the first hand had been dealt. My chips were dumped in front of my seat, so I started stacking away. If these boys were real gentlemen, they would have stacked my chips for me! I guess they had other things on their mind. JK! :)

It wasn't too soon after we'd started that a couple guys from our table busted out. Of course, who should take one of the seats on my right but Theo Tran. He was either the chip leader or in the top three or so at the time, and I knew I'd have to change my play.

Theo Tran. Again.

Having made two final tables so far at the WSOP, Theo is playing with tremendous confidence. I don't know exactly how to describe it. It's a combination of being extremely aware of everything going on, reading players really well, making good decisions, playing aggressively, and getting lucky against players who want to give you chips.

Here's a good example. He was in a hand against the guy who was one of our chip leaders when my table started. I think Theo had targeted the guy, and he made it $5.5k but got reraised by him out of the BB to $15k.

Theo called, and the flop came Q 7 3. Theo checked and the guy made it $14k, which Theo called (Theo was in the small blind).

The turn was another three, clubs this time, and the guy immediately put out $20k before Theo could act. So Theo said, "OK, I guess I check," and he called.

Now I knew that Theo had to have something there, probably a three. He's not going to just give his chips to someone for nothing. 7 came on the river, and the guy moved all-in before Theo acted again.

This time he acted instantly: "OK, I call." He turned over A-3 to the guy's A 10, and Theo stacked the monster pot.

I'd decided to stay away from Theo as much as possible, and played really well. I made some big lay-downs and kept getting rid of marginal hands like A-J and small to middle pocket pairs.

I doubled up early with A-K versus A-Q, and then I knocked another guy out when I'd raised the blinds with A-T and spiked an ace on the flop (one of the blinds had KK).

I got up to $130k, then was down to $105k by the dinner break. A very aggressive guy who was the chip leader moved to our table, and he loved playing big pots.

I knew I'd get paid off if I could hit a hand, but I went totally card dead for quite a while. When you have two very aggressive players, it can be pretty tough if you don't catch some hand that you can make a stand with.

So, the last hand. We were down to three tables, and I had $80k or so. The blinds were $4k/$8k with a $1k ante, so there was $21k or so in the pot. I picked up pocket sevens, and it was folded around to me.

Lieu: Not first, but definitely a step in the right direction.

This was a hand I'd been laying down all day, but I had a chance to pick up the blinds and antes if they couldn't call me. I made it $26k, and the SB folded. The BB called, which I didn't like with my short stack.

Was it the right thing to do when I picked up sevens? I've been kicking myself about it all day, and I still don't know. The flop came K-K-Q, and he checked.

I moved all-in for my last $58k. He was either a great actor or really struggling, and I thought he was going to lay the hand down.

Unfortunately, the price was too good for him not to call. He turned over Q-J, and I was done for the day.

If I could replay the hand, I think I'd probably just move all-in with sevens. But even then, I think I'm screaming a baby ace or little pair. Maybe I would lay it down.

OK, I'm rambling a bit. Let's look at the positives. I cashed for the first time since my surgery. I played really well, and I especially am feeling great at the table.

The time away has renewed my excitement for playing again, and I'm really looking forward to sitting down each day. 28th isn't first, but it's a step in the right direction.

I'm going to take a couple days off from the Rio and head to the cash games at the Bellagio instead. I'm sure I'll have to play $100/$200, but I'd like to make sure I'm as sharp as I can be when I head back to the Rio.

Thanks again for all the well wishes here and at www.lizlieu.net.

Cheers!

-- Liz Lieu
Pro Poker Player- Poker Diva

More Blogs from Liz Lieu:

• Bagging Chips for the First Time!
• Feeling Good at WSOP but Aces Cracked Again
• My Thoughts on WSOP ME Final-Table Delay
• Chiu the Grinder Comes Out on Top