Ken Barlow's Bracelet Chase at the WSOP

I arrived in Vegas the day before the first open event at the WSOP and checked in to the Gold Coast Hotel before heading straight next door to the Rio to get a feel for the playing area and to start fondling some chips!

The WSOP is held in the conference centre of the Rio which is a good 10 minute walk from the main casino. As I approached, there was already a long line of punters queuing up to register and an even longer line snaking out from the cashier in the main room where you pay to enter the tournaments. The playing area is in a huge, modern and well spaced room with over 200 tables! I entered to the unmistakable rippling sound of thousands of chips and immediately my adrenaline started pumping with the thought of taking on the world's best over the forthcoming days. Single table satellites and cash games were already underway so I dived into a couple of the former. To my delight the standard of play was as abysmal as usual at these types of festivals despite the $175-$500 entry fees. Tanking your whole stack in on the first level with AJ and any pair below 77's is the optimum strategy for many, so simply sitting back and only playing premium hands in raised pots early will see you go deep.

Having finished in around 500th position out of 2,500 runners in the $1,500 No Limit Hold’em on the first day, I entered in to the 1,070 runner $1500 pot limit hold'em and I was determined to do well. My form coming into the WSOP had been good, hitting final tables at big festivals and a win in Vienna in March against a strong line-up had given me the confidence that I could compete at this level. Before I left the hotel I spent 5 minutes visualising winning the tournament (something I had not done the day before) and convincing myself that I had to play at my absolute optimum for the next 12hours+ and give every ounce of mental concentration I could. The first time I tried this I won the big tournament in Vienna and I am convinced it has helped me focus for long periods. Well, forget all that nonsense, within 30 minutes I had almost blown the whole tournament and was down to 350 of my initial 1500 starting stack. There was a young Spaniard who was playing every pot and running over the table with his aggressive play. Normally this would not bother me early on and I would just wait for a hand to trap him. But I just couldn't get involved and my mindset became depressingly negative. I don't know why but I suddenly felt like a weak player and made a horrible play. I made a straight on the turn against the Spaniard & he called my bet. I then inexplicably paid off his raise on the river when a 3rd club came on a paired board. I had been completely thrown by this guy and how I thought my straight could be good after his raise I will never know. I went for a walk at the break shaking my head in disbelief&wondering why I had wasted bundles of cash on a trip I wasn't ready for!

Thankfully I felt more at ease with myself after the break and doubled up quickly with AK. The annoying Spaniard had self-destructed and I was able to get busy. Soon after I had my only real `suck out' of the week when I moved all-in on a flop of 238 with A5 and a river A held off my opponents 99.

I kept grinding for a couple of hours with below average chips&got moved to a table with Hoyt Corkins&‘Tony’ Ma (player of the year '99 and holder of two WSOP bracelets). I sat next to Hoyt for probably another 4 hours that day and for about 2 the next. He was enjoying every minute of the play, cracking jokes&talking strategy.

He had a mountain of chips at this stage and was explaining that because people had seen him play wild and loose at 6-handed final tables on the WPT he gets all his good hands paid off at 10-handed tables when he just plays good solid poker.

Hoyt Corkins


100 places got paid and when we were down to about 180, a female player with a mountain of chips moved to my immediate left. She told me she had qualified from a $70 satellite and then gleefully exposed A9o as if it was a monster after raising under the gun on her first hand at the table! This looked like an ideal chance to get some much needed ammunition. I managed to get heads up with her in about 4 pots. The first 2 I hit and I got the maximum, the next 2 flops I missed but bluffed her off as fortunately there was no A on board (she never left home without one). I was now in decent shape around the bubble and it was time to change gears fast. Incredibly, 2 big stacks showed no interest in getting busy when we got down to about 120 players and even Hoyt slowed up, he was looking at the payout sheet (he won $2million last year!!!). For the next 45 minutes ‘Tony’ Ma and I took turns at raising nearly every pot, with both of us increasing our stacks threefold as everyone else anted themselves off into the money. I was in very healthy shape now and actually started getting some decent cards like AQ and 99 but the rest of the table started a fight back and I had to make a couple of lay downs to re-raises and lost some pots. At the end of the day I was in about 25th place out of 36 with 20k chips and blinds starting at 1-2k the next day.

I felt really positive on the second day despite being low stacked and was surprised with how passively the likes of Jennifer Harmen&Hoyt Corkins were playing. I was able to steal blinds in position and won a few other pots as the field started to whittle down. With about 20 players left, five time bracelet winner, Layne Flack came to my table and things changed quickly. Flack started raising or limping into every pot and his stack was going up and down like a yo-yo. The guy has incredible charisma, presence&awesome reading skills. Playing with this guy for the next few hours was the most amazing experience of my poker career. I was finding it difficult to get involved until I finally found QQ on the button. Flack had raised and I tanked the lot in. He called instantly and I was mighty relieved to see he held JJ. The ladies held up and I was back in good shape. Thankfully Flack was moved to the other table to continue his carnage.

Now, I have met very few unpalatable characters on the Poker scene but Gavin Smith (recent WPT winner) is definitely one of them. He is a big, loud, rude Canadian with a huge ego who wears his baseball cap the wrong way round (need I say more)! During one hand, a tight female player made a raise for about a third of her chips to my right and I looked down at JJ. I had gone a bit card dead and was anxious to get involved but was pretty sure she was committed to the rest of her chips and I was almost certainly only dominating pocket tens. I dwelt for quite a while and Smith says:

“this guy is bugging me, can we get a clock please”.

I eventually made a great fold as the big blind moved all-in with AA that held up against the girl's AQs, phew! I told myself to keep calm but I really wanted to get involved with this Smith guy. With about 11 players left Smith was the aggressor at my table and I found it hard to get going. He was to my immediate right and I felt that he’d respect a re-raise from me and so I was preparing to make a move on him if he raised close to the button and I had half a hand. Soon enough I found 55 on the button and pushed all-in after his raise to my immediate right. To my dismay he called immediately, but thankfully showed AQ. I didn’t need any help but a 5 on the turn eased my heart rate and I was on my way to the final table 2nd in chips!

It was time to take stock and think of my strategy for the final table. I was on an incredible adrenaline rush and for the first time realised I had a realistic chance of winning a WSOP bracelet! I was also exhausted after 2 long days of focussed concentration. I started to feel queasy, faced with the decision of which strategy I would employ: either play all out to win the title or try to gradually move up the money ladder (about $15k every extra place). I knew Flack would be the dominant force at the table and would be likely to increase his stack with continual raises. He was the only guy who could bust me so I decided early on that I would avoid him unless I had very good pot odds. I didn’t want to get involved in big pots generally and so, decided just to attack the blinds in position and try to ensure 4th spot ($100k) whilst still having enough chips to have a realistic chance of beating Flack if I could get heads up. With dozens of spectators huddled around the table we kicked off and on the first hand I looked down at AK suited under the gun. I raised 3 times the big blind and my good friend Smith moves in from middle position. I couldn’t possibly pass but know I am not in front&he fortunately turns over QQ. 4 blanks on the flop&then K on the river, Oi Oi! I refrained from pointing to the exit door as Smith stormed away from the table in a huff! What a start!

Flack was soon in action mode though and running the table. I didn't get involved for a while until I looked down and found the bullets (AA) in the SB. The table folded round to me and I raised into the BB, a decent player called Arash Ghaneian. He thankfully called and it flopped AT4. I checked and he bet just over half the pot. I put him on KT, QT, JT. The turn is a J and I check, hoping he has made 2 pair and will therefore come out firing. I was pretty sure he would not have bet the flop if he had KQ but I was a tad concerned. He checked and the river is a blank. I gave him a little “Hollywood” and bet about 30% of the pot. After 5 minutes he eventually called and then mucked, but not before he started jumping around screaming “how did I not go bust on that hand, anyone else would have blah, blah, I knew you had Aces!”. These guys seem obsessed with copying what they have seen on TV. He claimed he had AK, but someone from the crowd said he had KT.

Flack - 5 bracelets


We started to lose players and I started to lose chips. It seemed like Flack could raise and take at will but when I made a steal attempt, the guys to my left either found their heart or some decent cards and I had to make lay downs with garbage like JT and A7. Flack was pure class. He was playing with awesome power and making great reads. He has had problems off the table problems but many top players claim he is the nearest thing to poker genius since Stu Ungar and I had the feeling I was in the presence of something incredibly special. Jesse May gave this assessment in an interview afterwards

“Layne is in the class of men who have so much talent that they sometimes try and make it harder on themselves. Genius and leaks go hand in hand, that’s the rub of the game, and watching Layne at the table cuffed or unshackled is still perfection itself. There are a lot of people who play a bit like you and me only better, but Layne will never be one of those. Layne will be the guy who we just watch without understanding, just watch to see what a beautiful game it can be”.

We were soon down to 4 handed and I was in fair shape in 3rd place in chips. Then unfortunately I got in a big pot with short stack ‘Tony’ Ma and doubled him up when he has 88 over my 55. Suddenly I’m the short stack and the blinds are on the move. I double up with AJ against Flack but then fell back again having to lay down to a re-raise after raising with garbage. Soon afterwards, Flack won a massive pot off Werthman and as a result held a huge chip lead. Then came the decisive pot for me. I raise on the button with JQs&Wetherman moves all-in with A2. I have to call. Whoever loses this pot is absolutely crippled. Whoever wins looks likely to go heads up with Flack. A queen comes on the flop and it’s looking good until a dreaded Ace spikes on the river. Aaarrgghh. I can't complain too much as he was winning pre-flop but that ‘killed' me. A couple of hands later I move in with AJ, Flack calls with K4 and hits trips. The adventure was over. Werthman miraculously came back to beat Flack heads up. He sucked out on Flack in a couple of pots but was a worthy Champion.

I headed off for a quiet drink to contemplate the day and my $103k bounty. I was completely drained and although the cash prize was very important to me, I was soon missing the incredible rush that going deep in a tournament like this gives you. I have questioned my conservative strategy during the early part of the final table but if I had squandered my chips&busted in 7th/8th/9th I would have been far more upset with myself. I had proved that I could compete at the very top level and I now have a realistic goal for the next couple of years.

I could barely sleep that night but when I woke up, all I wanted to do the following day was yes, you’ve guessed it, get back to the baize. I normally play poorly the day after a good result but I went over the road to the Palms to play the $400, 150 runner event at 7p.m. I played well and made the final table in good shape. 20k to the winner and I really felt that I was going to take it down until a guy hit a 2-outer on the river in a massive pot which busted me in 7th. It was 4.30am and after having about 3 hours sleep the night before I was in no shape to play the short-handed $2500 NL at the WSOP at noon, but in this ridiculous form I simply had to be there. Read more in the unedited article here…

On my way back to the UK I was trying to take in the previous few days events. It was certainly the biggest buzz of my life, a superb experience and a very welcome boost to my bankroll. But most of all I look back on the final table of the pot limit event with some regret as I didn't do myself justice and played too passively early on in order to move up the money ladder. I can't really blame myself for that, and it has in fact it has given me an incredible sense of drive and ambition to put that right in future. I am determined to play most of the tournaments at next year's WSOP and I will not be satisfied in my poker life until I have a bracelet all of my own.

I am back in Vegas in 3 weeks time for the Main Event having qualified through Betfair Poker and what an event that promises to be. With 10,000 starting chips and a 2 hour clock it really is poker heaven. Most of the players will never have played under those conditions and all it needs is to hit a couple of sets / suited connectors in the first few hours to send me on another great poker adventure.

Martin Green (aka KenBarlow).