Shot Taking In Prague: My First EPT Main Event

Four years in the past, poker was simply an occasional passion, however final yr it felt like a fever dream.

In 2024, I received my first World Series of Poker Circuit ring and I even performed in my first-ever WSOP most important occasion, managing to succeed in day 3. After that, I made a decision it was time to tick off one other bucket record merchandise: a European Poker Tour most important occasion.

My poker journey has been considerably typical and considerably atypical. I performed sports activities at a excessive degree my complete life and have a pair of math-based levels. I’d dabble round with house video games and the occasional sport of $1-$2 money from the time I used to be 12 years outdated till 2020.

During the start of the pandemic, I used to be trapped in Medellin, Colombia, having simply moved out of the US completely in late 2019. I made a decision to take a position about half of my liferoll in a web-based poker teaching course and a small bankroll on-line. I needed to lastly take the sport critically. Within a month or two, I used to be banging off four-figure scores with regularity and taking part in virtually on daily basis. It was my new ardour and I used to be absolutely invested.

Fast ahead to 2022, I went to Las Vegas for the primary time and picked up my first stay money. I additionally had an opportunity encounter with a participant that might get me concerned in poker media for the 2022 WSOP.

By the top of the yr, my toes had been absolutely soaked as I had been thrown within the deep finish by masking the WSOP, EPT Barcelona, an occasion in Cyprus, and WSOP Europe. I stop my job and absolutely concerned myself within the poker and on line casino industries.

I moved to Brazil and have become a full-time poker participant in 2023. I used to be taking part in or finding out 40-80 hours per week, placing in loopy quantity, and dealing the occasional poker media gig.

The aggressive nature of Brazilian poker additionally allowed me to expertise one thing that merely can’t be acquired by finding out alone. My ability degree went by the roof. At one level, I reached a last desk in 10 consecutive collection that I took half in.

It wasn’t all easy crusing, nevertheless. I went by many downswings, struggled to initially break by the $20-30 buy-in degree, and had a fairly tough WSOP this previous summer season in my first ‘full’ schedule. After my WSOP Circuit win, I went on a nasty stay downswing with one money in about 25 or 30 buy-ins. Such is variance!

These days poker goes effectively and my trophy case continues to develop. I’m at present based mostly in Europe with my girlfriend, who’s an up-and-coming participant and poker influencer herself (CoinPoker’s ‘PocketPeg’), and again working in poker media. As a consequence, I get to speak about poker continuous whereas additionally having fun with the European poker circuits for the primary time. Which brings us to EPT Prague (presumably the final EPT Prague ever.)

I made a decision to take a shot, rework my schedule, and play in the primary occasion. Sure, I’d be taking part in fewer occasions general in consequence, however you solely stay as soon as. My bankroll was wanting somewhat fatter than regular, and I had an opportunity to stay out a fantasy.

I arrived very late after flying in from New York. My laptop computer had mysteriously malfunctioned en route and I missed my connection, inflicting me to overlook the participant social gathering that PokerStars throws at each cease, and likewise one of many most important occasion satellites. Needless to say, I wasn’t operating very effectively earlier than I performed a single hand.

I constructed up fairly a stack within the H.O.R.S.E. occasion, however ended up soft-bubbling lower than 10 gamers from the cash thanks to a couple brutal coolers, which included shedding with seven-low and six-low in Razz on back-to-back palms.

I then hopped right into a most important occasion satellite tv for pc in hopes of locking up a second bullet and/or taking part in at an enormous low cost, however I didn’t get the job achieved. So, it was time to return to my room, get some sleep, and put together for the second-biggest buy-in of my life.

To my shock, I truly slept like a child, and after breakfast and a pleasant 20-minute stroll within the freezing rain, I arrived on the poker site and sat down about midway by the beginning of degree 1. Fortunately, I didn’t acknowledge anybody on the desk, which I used to be actually anticipating contemplating that I’ve coated poker tournaments for over two-and-a-half years and know just about each large title.

On my first deal, earlier than I might even get snug or take an actual go searching, I discovered myself in a fairly juicy pot.

Playing precisely 300 large blinds deep with the blinds at 100-100, I appeared down at Q2 within the large blind. The cutoff opened to 300 and I had a straightforward defend with my suited combo. The flop was 643.

While it might seem that this board slams my vary, the massive blind and cutoff share a ton of fairness. Since I’ve an opportunity to bloat this pot and probably make a giant hand, I opted to dig into my Brazilian playbook and lead for a 3rd of the pot (300 into 800) with my queen-high flush draw and gutshot straight draw.

My opponent, who had a slightly aggressive demeanor, raised to 1,000. Since I used to be taking part in super-deep and had a lot fairness, I thought of three-betting to three,000-4,000 however made the decision as a substitute.

The difficulty with three-betting right here is that I hardly ever get something that at present beats me to fold. I’d nonetheless be a 45-55% underdog in opposition to a unadorned overpair and a 33-67% canine in opposition to a set, so bloating the pot might be probably deadly in opposition to a sticky participant if I don’t hit.

It’s my first hand, I’ve completely no data by any means, and I’m not attempting to flip for my event life if my opponent decides to go nuts and four-bet jam me. I additionally might be in opposition to a greater flush draw like A6 and have as little as 18% fairness. So I name and go to the flip with 28 large blinds already within the center.

The flip introduced the 7, bringing in my flush, whereas additionally giving a straight to any 5-X combo. This is a spot the place I thought-about making the uncommon double lead for the reason that equities shift a ton in my favor. In truth, GTO Wizard likes making this play over 42% of the time.

But my opponent appeared very on this card, so I made a decision to examine it to him this time. The villain right here must be fairly polar, both betting large or checking. He put 2,000 into the two,800-chip pot.

In the second, calling gave the impression to be the play, however then I remembered I used to be taking part in 300 large blinds deep! Based on how my opponent was appearing, he didn’t appear as if he was stable and he could name a bit lighter than most or get married to a 5, so I raised to five,700. Against a stable opponent, or if I’m taking part in shallower, I’m virtually actually calling on this spot. He went into the tank for a stable three minutes, nevertheless, and ended up discovering the fold.

Unfortunately, the rungood would come to an finish slightly rapidly and by the point I received to the center of degree 2, I used to be all the way down to 21,000 after popping out on the shedding aspect of many one and two-street pots. But my luck was about to alter for the higher.

The similar participant opened to 500 from the cutoff, taking part in barely shallower than me. I defended Q9 from the massive blind.

The flop got here Ok-J-8 rainbow with a membership. He determined to c-bet large, 900 into 1,300. I’d usually take into account elevating this flop to a big sizing like 3,000-3,500. However, given my implied odds and understanding that my opponent has solely guess massive with a made hand, I determine to name.

In layman’s phrases, I knew that the villain in all probability flopped a really robust hand, and if I hit, I used to be going to get PAID.

The flip introduced within the 10, giving me the second-nut straight and placing a second diamond on the board. BOOM! This is precisely what I needed and now I’m going for blood.

On this super-wet, high-card board, I anticipated him to have plenty of large bets, however he determined to guess 1,000 into 3,100. I’ve seen this participant three-bet post-flop with large palms and needed to provide him sufficient rope to hold himself, so I raised to three,000.

I in all probability might have and will have gone a lot, a lot bigger. He ended up making the three-bet that I foresaw, bumping it as much as 8,000, which was virtually half his remaining stack.

If he one way or the other has A-Q right here, it’s GG for us, however that’s simply the best way poker is usually. I put my stack in and he snap known as. Fortunately, he had Ok-J for a flopped two pair. This was just about the best-case state of affairs as he was drawing to 4 outs.

The river was the three and I went from 21,000 to 41,000 whereas our opponent hit the showers. Other gamers tapped the desk with approval, and although I used to be stoic on the skin, I used to be completely buzzing on the within.

I completed the extent with 45,600 however I’d falter once more later, dwindling all the way down to 33,500 by the top of degree 4. At one level, I fell as little as 11,000 at 300-600. I received with pocket kings in opposition to pocket eights blind-on-blind final hand earlier than dinner to chip as much as 23,200 coming again to 400-800.

Former world no. 1 on-line professional Simon Mattsson would be part of the desk a short while later and, although he appeared acquainted, I couldn’t put my finger on who he was till after the 2 of us received concerned in a hand collectively. I ended up pulling off an enormous bluff in opposition to him and it wasn’t till after I used to be raking the chips in that I noticed his nametag and let loose a giant inside ‘HOLY SHIT!’ and vowed that I in all probability shouldn’t do way more of that. Luckily, he was dispatched shortly afterward, and I continued my gradual and regular heater.

I used to be feeling fairly good heading into the final two hours of the night time with 48,600 at 600-1,200, however about half-hour later, my most important occasion run got here to a sudden finish due to a mix of a probable mistake and a cooler.

I opened Ok6 off of roughly 40 large blinds from the cutoff. The button, the small blind, and the massive blind all known as, which I wasn’t a fan of.

The flop got here Q53, giving me a backdoor flush draw and a backdoor straight draw. Though motion checked round, a fellow professional steered that it is a good hand to c-bet 20 p.c. To paraphrase their recommendation, it’s low cost, individuals overfold to c-bets multi-way, and folks underneath check-raise. That is probably not the case in an EPT most important, however I’d nonetheless think about it’s true. On high of that, if a participant check-raises right here, it’s a straightforward fold and I can transfer on to the subsequent hand.

The flip introduced the ten, giving me the second-nut flush draw. The large blind, who I believed to be an excellent participant, guess 7 large blinds into 9.4 large blinds. He was able to all kinds of bluffs, although I used to be already very cautious of his suspiciously massive sizing.

I assumed his worth palms appeared like Q-J, Q-10, 5-5, 3-3, some Ok-Q, and a few 5-3. I assumed his bluff vary was going to be some spades, 6-4, 4-2, perhaps mixing in some 7-6, 9-8, and perhaps some Ok-J and J-9 that he didn’t jam pre.

I used to be about 80% of the best way to chucking my hand into the muck once I started to assume I might be good a lot of the time in opposition to bluffs, and my king might be stay.

In retrospect, when a participant bets this massive into three gamers, it’s virtually at all times robust worth, which signifies that I ought to have discovered the fold.

The similar unnamed fellow professional additionally mentioned, “Turn is a shitty spot, I think versus that sizing I’d probably just fold. Maybe you can call vs. half-pot but you could be vs. the nut-flush draw or a pair plus a flush draw. I’d only call here if you think you’re ahead at some small frequency.”

I ended up making the decision, with each the button and the small blind folding.

The river was the three, bringing within the backdoor flush and pairing the board. The large blind went into the tank for about two minutes earlier than jamming about 30 large blinds efficient into 23.4 large blinds.

My flush was primarily a bluff-catcher and I thought of getting away for a bit, however I knew that every one of his bluffs and potential worse flushes would take the identical line. I ended up flicking within the name and he turned over 5-3 offsuit, no spade, forcing me to the rail.

I spoke to a couple totally different high-level professionals about this hand, who had differing opinions in regards to the line. Some believed that I performed the hand completely. Others consider I had many probabilities to get away. A couple of had opinions that had been proper within the center. That’s the great thing about poker, proper?

Looking again on my bustout hand, I feel {that a} c-bet on the flop permits me to get the knowledge someway. I both get to fold to a increase or probably pot management to the river, the place I solely lose in all probability about 20-25% of my stack as a substitute of being felted. Multi-way pots suck and in main event occasions just like the EPT, there’s not going to be as a lot multi-way bluffing on day 1s as there could also be in different occasions.

I ended up cashing the €1,100 aspect occasion the subsequent day, primarily blinding out on the finish from 20 bigs and bagging up with 4.5 large blinds. Nevertheless, I introduced that tiny stack into day 2 and made an actual run on the spadey (EPT Trophy), at one level getting again to just about 20 large blinds.

Unfortunately, with 38 gamers left from the 522-player subject, I shoved pocket eights from the cutoff right into a lojack open and a hijack name. The lojack re-jammed with A-Q and hit their queen on the flip.

I received three pay jumps and ended up cashing for €2,460, getting my first EPT money. I additionally soft-bubbled the 8-game and couldn’t get a stack stepping into both of my €1,650 thriller bounty bullets. I additionally entered the €330 occasion twice with no luck, giving me one money in eight event entries. Certainly not the best exhibiting however variance in eight tournaments is huge, so no regrets right here.

Apart from the ultimate hand I performed in the primary, I assumed I greater than held my very own. I fought again and was resilient when my stack received low. I do know I can play in opposition to the massive boys and am wanting ahead to my subsequent shot on the massive stage.

Blaise Bourgeois a WSOP Circuit ring winner, poker journalist, and contributing columnist for Card Player. Find him on Twitter/X @BlaiseBourgeois.

*Photos by PokerStars – European Poker Tour