Live Blogging: Going for the Record

$11 entry, $500,000 guaranteed Guinness Book of World Record attempt on Poker Stars.

Cool idea, and I played a few satellites to get in for $2, so I'm trying to turn this $2 into $30,000 for a cool 1,500,000% ROI.

We've got action capped at 35,000 runners. Now, this doesn't make much sense to me. Why would you cap a tournament where you are trying to set a world record? Is it just a marketing ploy? Next week will they cap the tournament at 40,000?

And we're underway!

3,000 starting stacks, ten players to a table, 10 minute blind intervals.

I'll be reviewing hands where I see flops. Feel free to skip to the bolded hands for where the action is at.

#1: 9d4d in the BB. Three limpers and I check my option. Check-fold the flop. No fireworks here!

#2: AhTh in middle position. Folds to me and I pop it 3xBB, button and BB call, three to the flop. 8s 2d 5c. BB checks, I bet half the pot (not sure why half), both call (490pot). We all check the 6c on the turn. River brings a nice Td. BB checks, I bet 200, button folds and BB calls with 3d3s. This pot boosts me up to 3,500.

#3: 8h2d in the BB, two limpers and I check my option. Check-fold the flop.

#4: Ad9c in the SB, two limpers and I limp, BB joins us for four to the flop. Check-fold the 8h Jh Qs flop.

#5: QdTs in the cut-off, folds to me and I pop it 3xBB. BB defends. Qh 9c 5s flop. BB checks and I fire 120 into a 195 pot. BB calls. We both check the Ks on the turn. We both check the 5d on the river and he flips over KdTc for the turned top pair. Down to 3,250.

#6: 6c5c in the hi-jack. Folds to the person to my right, who min-raises. I call, as does the sb (bb sitting out this hand). Fold on the Qc Js 9d flop.

#7: KdQs in the BB. Six limpers! I check my option. Check-fold the Jd Js 6h flop.

#8: Jd8d UTG+1. UTG limps, as do I and we get four to the flop. 9d 6d 2d! Flop the flush! UTG fires 80 at the flop, which I min-raise. Other two limpers fold and UTG calls. Ah on the turn and UTG checks, I fire 440 into the 500 pot, trying to make any bare Ad pay for the river, UTG calls. 2s falls on the river, UTG checks. I'm a bit worried about the limped rockets, but if he had an Ad he would have raised my flop bet likely. I fire another 440 and UTG calls with Ac 9s for top two pair. (4,265)

#9: 9h 7c in the BB. Two limpers, I check my BB. Flop Qs 9c 3d, checks around. As on the turn. I check, next to act min-bets, button calls and I call trying to hit another 9 or a 7. I miss the river and check-fold.

#10: 6h 5h in the CO. UTG+1 raises 3xBB and I call, feeling frisky. BB joins us (475). Flop Ts 9c 5d. BB checks, UTG+1 bets 250 and I min-raise to 500 with bottom pair, putting UTG+2 on AK-AT. BB cold-calls (uh oh) and UTG+1 calls (1975). Turn comes a beautiful 6s. Checks to me and I fire 1300 and they both fold. Hand I was done with after the flop turned into my pot! (5,490)

#11: Kc 6s in the BB. 3 limpers to me, check my option (notice a trend?). Flop checks around, check-fold the A on turn.

#12: 7s 5c in BB. 2 limpers to me, check my option. Flop 3d 5d Js. SB checks and I fire 120 into the 180 pot. Button folds, sb calls. Turn Jd, both check. Ts river, both check and he shows pocket 9's. (5,385)

#13: Ac 9d in SB. 2 limpers to me, 4 to the flop. Ah 7s 7d. Fire 120 into 240 pot and take it down. (5,565)

#14: Ac Qd in middle position. One limper and I pop to 3xBB (too small?). Limper calls (600). Flop 2d 7c 6d. Limper checks to me, I fire 640 into the 600 pot and limper goes All-in for 2k more. I fake-tank and fold. Flop bet too large? (4,775)

#15: 8h 6c in BB. Check option, check-fold. Weeeak?!

Hand of note: Ouch! Ace-hi flush just got sent to the rail by the Q-hi straight flush! Glad I didn't have that Ace-hi flush...

Table Change!!!

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Break time. First break: 4,695 chips is good for a slightly above-average stack. 26,344 players out of the initial 35,000 remain after one hour of play. Largest stack: 24,594; smallest stack: one chip. Alright, who reverse-Hoy'd someone and got caught?!
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#16: 9s 9c UTG +2, raise it up 3xBB. Two callers. Everyone checks the 8s Tc Qd flop and I fire 700 into the 1,150 pot with the 8h on the turn and take it down. (5,515)

#17: A4dd loses AIPF for 250 chips against a short-stack's KQo. (5,030)

#18: Ah Jd takes out small stack's KTo for 1,770. (6,065)

#19: Kd 8d in the CO, open-raise 3xBB. Button only caller. Flop w/ two diamonds and all unders, bet the pot and button folds. (6,500)

#20: 5s 5h in middle position. Both blinds are sitting out, UTG min-raises and I am the only caller. Flop is 2d 7h Ks. UTG checks, I fire 600 into a 810 pot and take it down. (7,040)

Table Change #2

#21: 9c 8d in BB. Check option, check-fold flop.

Haven't seen many flops in the past half-hour, but there has been plenty of pre-flop action!

#22: 2h 5s in BB. Check option, check-fold flop. (7,035)

Table Change #3

#23: Ac Qd in SB. 150/300, 40a level. UTG raises to 780, CO calls, I call in SB (3,040 pot). Three to a flop of Jc 8s 2c. I check, UTG bets 1,500, CO raises all-in, I fold, UTG calls. UTG has QQ, CO has AJ and UTG's hand holds. (Down to 5,715)

#24 8h 8d in middle position. Open-raise 3xBB, BB re-raises 3x my raise for about half my stack. I think for 20 seconds, then push. He calls and flips over AKo. Flop 3h 4s 5s, Turn kills me with the 2c, River 9c. I'm out in 12184th.

The last hand was definitely marginal, I was a flip at best. I was about 2.5k below the avg stack and had to make something happen, such as... exiting stage left!

$2 well spent!