My 2017 WPT Tournament of Champions Bustout

I recently traveled to Hollywood, Florida for the 2017 World Poker Tour Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open. The venue is amazing and I had a lot of fun. I started my trip off losing almost every pot in a $2,000 turbo. When that happens, do not become discouraged and instead realize that quite often, you will not get anything going in a poker tournament. After that, I built a large stack (eight starting stacks) early in the $3,500 WPT event but lost about 20 hands in a row to fall short of the money. Again, don’t get discouraged!

In my next event, the $10,000 WPT, I got to play for a five times average chip pot with 31 players remaining with K-K versus A-K, but an Ace came, relegating me to a $20,463 min-cash. I then got to play a large pot on the bubble of the $25,000 high roller event with A-K versus 10-10, but I lost that as well, leaving me with a short stack which I piloted to a $66,700 cash. The next event was the $15,000 buy-in WPT Tournament of Champions, which is an invitation only event that only WPT champions can play which features no rake and about $200,000 worth of cash and prizes added. That is nice!

You can watch my video blog discussing the highs and lows of this trip at JLPoker.com/2017shrpo.

The Tournament of Champions started off great. I gradually accumulated chips with no significant confrontations, but as we approached the bubble, I lost a few pots in a row to go from a 50 big blind above average stack to a 20 big blind short stack with 11 players remaining and nine getting in the money. While 20 big blinds is not an incredibly short “panic mode” stack, it was one of three shortest stacks of roughly equal size remaining in the field.

At 4,000/8,000 with a 1,000 ante, a somewhat tight, aggressive player raised to 18,000 from the cutoff and I decided to call 10,000 more out of my 160,000 stack from the big blind with Jc-5c. While my call is certainly loose, I think it is normally fine, given my pot odds. However, since we were near the bubble and there were only five players at my table (reducing my pot odds due to fewer than normal antes), folding could be the best play.

The flop came Jd-9d-5s. I checked, my opponent bet 12,000 into the 45,000 pot. I went all-in for 142,000 total.

When faced with a small bet in this situation, I think check-raising is my only option. Calling is not a great play because there are many turn cards that can severely diminish my two-pair’s value. I would also check-raise in this spot with all made hands better than K-J as well as Q-T and some of my flush draws. This will put my opponent in a difficult spot because he will have no way of knowing if I have an effective nut hand or a semi-bluff.

As for my check-raise size, I would normally like to check-raise smaller to about 36,000, but given we are on the bubble and my stack was somewhat short, I think going all-in makes the most sense. After I go all-in, my opponent will likely call off with any top pair or better made hand, which my specific holding is in great shape against. One added benefit of pushing is that I can make my opponent fold his draws as well as his marginal made hands that will only invest significant money on the turn and river if they improve to beat me. Of course, check-raising ensures I always go broke when I happen to be against J-J, 9-9, 5-5, and J-9, but there are way fewer combinations of those hands in my opponent’s range compared to other decent value hands he will call with. Notice that if I happen to be in a “set up” situation, I am destined to go broke, especially if the turn is not a scary card. When you have a short stack and flop a premium hand, even on the bubble in a major event, you should not be trying to find a way to fold.

Unfortunately for me, my opponent called with one of the few hands I didn’t want to see, Jh-9s, and just like that, I was out in 11th place for a nice $15,000 loss. So close, yet so far!

After my bustout, I hung around for another day to commentate the final table with Tony Dunst and Jeff Gross, which was a lot of fun. From there, I caught the next flight back to NYC to see my family. While being away from my wife, Amie, has always been tough, being away from my baby, James, was much tougher. I missed him a lot. Being hugged by him is the most amazing feeling in the world. My upcoming five week long WSOP trip will likely prove difficult. I may have to fly home to visit a few times!

Thanks for taking the time to read this blog post. If you have any comments or suggestions, please let me know. Be sure to check back next week for another educational blog post. Good luck in your games!

21 thoughts on “My 2017 WPT Tournament of Champions Bustout”

  1. i highly recommend a few quick flights home during WSOP. Seeing and holding your son will ENERGIZE you!!

    Good Luck as always,
    Larry K

  2. Harvey Hashimoto

    Congrats on Dadhood. I don’t regret it and you should not either. I don’t know what your schedule is like but you seem to have the opportunity to be around during the daytime to see him grow. My profession shorted me with kid time with work long hours during the week and sometimes on weekends. Poker has only been a hobby but your teaching has helped me improve with the little spare time that I have.

  3. Hi Jonathan,
    As always it is a pleasure to read your analyze about the game that you played at,
    Wasn’t it a better way just to fold out of position to a in position raiser from the cutoff ?
    And also he was as you said a somewhat tight yet aggressive player, although his range can be wide due to that fact,
    But it puts you in spot that is difficult to outplay him since you are in the BIG blind.
    Just my thoughts no judgment at all .
    I would like to what you think.

    Thank you a lot !
    Offir

    1. Just a fix:
      And also he was as you said a somewhat tight yet aggressive player, although his range can be wide due to that fact, (He is playing from the cutoff also)

    2. When getting excellent pot odds, you should defend with a wide range, certainly including J5s. That said, given we were nearing the bubble, perhaps folding is better. However, since I was one of the short stacks, the ICM adjustments may not be so necessary because I am likely to bubble if I sit around and do nothing.

  4. Your son is awesome. Time spent with family is always time well spent. Best of luck in the WSOP. Had to use my poker bank for living, so I won’t make it this year.
    Have fun!

  5. Cute boy. Enjoy fatherhood!

    Love your audio books on Tournament play.
    Best of luck at WSOP.

  6. Sandra Gibides

    Adorable son. Enjoy fatherhood!
    I have all of your audio books on Tournament play.
    Best of luck at WSOP hope to see you there.. so is a lady with Lace Colorful hats says “hello” it’s just me.
    You books have totally changed my way of approaching the game! Sandy

  7. Colette Shewcraft

    Ah! The downsides of a Pro! I enjoyed the read! I started learning poker late in life so have no hopes of achieving the levels you strive for. Thus, I live vicariously through my favorite pokers. Love following you! Congrats on your wins especially the sweet baby! Thanks

  8. Cynthia Harvey

    Your Son is beautiful. They grow up fast, so take all the time possible. I had 4 beautiful daughters, now I have two newish grandsons and one more on the way. So precious to me. I also want to thank you, I just play poker as a hobbie as well, but still very very competitive. I am always saying to myself . What would Jonathan do? I love the training videos and the past hands demos where we have to decide whether to just call, fold of how much to bet. Thanks again. Good luck at the tables!!!

  9. I was at a final table with a healthier stack than yours (~30bb), one early position raiser and it folded to me in the BB getting 4:1 with J7o. I called, and ended up winning a big pot, knocking out the previous year’s champion, but I have gotten a lot of feedback that I should have folded pre and I had come to accept that. Now, unless there is some significant difference between my spot and yours, I wonder of my play was ok. Of course I wasn’t suited, which is big because that is one less semi-bluff you can make post flop. Would you have folded J5o there? Or J7o?

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