Matt Polak

Cashed in very first WSOP circuit event played. Wrote this story for my non-poker friends and thought I would include it.

So here is my WSOP circuit event story. The short version. Yeah right, it’s a storybook so read when you have time.

Won my seat into a 550.00 event by playing in a $60.00 buy in satellite. I played in yesterday’s circuit event #7. 550.00. There were 223 people. Starting chip stack was 4,000. We started at Noon. Long grinding first couple hours and as blinds were starting to go up my chips were going down. Had 2,500 left after 3rd break and was pretty much thinking I was out the door. Pushed all in with pocket 7's and ran into Pocket Aces. Luckily, I ended up with a flush and doubled up to stay alive. At that point, I just picked my spots with good hands to be aggressive and built my stack up to about 16,000.

Around 8PM and with about 16,000 in chips the field was dropping but people were playing tight because they paid 27 places only. Therefore, everyone’s butt's puckered up tight as no one wanted to be bubble boy and go out without cashing, including me. Finally, after another hour or so the 28th person dropped out one to my right. Cha-Ching we are now all in the money. However, to make any good money you are going to have to have a large chip stack and make the final table. So now it is time to get a little more aggressive.

Worked my way up to 25,000 in chips when I am dealt Big Slick. (Ace, King). Person in position right in front of me raises it up to 5,000. I just call; let us see what the flop brings. No others in the pot (wish I had some about this time, could have calmed my nerves. ha ha) So the flop brings out 10, Jack, Queen (rainbow) that's all different suits by the way. So I have just flopped the nut straight and need to decide how I'm going to extract all this guys chips. Do I bet..... no I should check or he might fold. Okay I check. Now he thinks for a while and pushes all in with his remaining 10,000 just like I want him to. Boom, instantly call him and flip over my nut straight. He groans and slumps in his chair flipping over his meager pair of 7's. Why you push all in with a pair of 7's and three over cards on the board to begin with is beyond me but who cares, this guys chips will soon be mine and I will be sitting pretty. Little did I know that poetic justice was coming my way for sucking out early in the tournament with my 7s. The dealer became the devil and flipped a Jack on the turn now giving this guy two pair. Still dominated but he can have 4 possible outs and can catch a 7 or another Jack to get a full boat. Of course the river card is the Jack and down the river this man now goes with my chips in his boat.

Crap. I'm now back down to 10,000 and that just isn't going to cut the mustard. Not for what I came for which is the money, not the pocket change. So now I sit around again pushing all in only when I catch monster hands and stealing everyone’s blinds. Finally a couple people low stacked get sick of it and think I'm just stealing when I have good cards and call me so I knock them out and build back up to 25,000. It's now about midnight and their is 18 of us left. Blinds are high, and we all have to ante 400 a piece too so the pots are starting out large to begin with and every steal you can take is well worth it. I'm in the Big blind and everyone folds around to the guy in front of me with the small blind. 10,000 in chips again amazingly and he moves all in on me. I know he is low stacked and just wanting to get my money for free. I put him on Ace rag, maybe King Jack if he's lucky. Little did he know I had Ace 10 and was not about to let him get away with that move. Call, and he flips over just what I thought Ace deuce. I don't know the odds on that but I'm dominating big time. Of course the dealer at this table just doesn't like me I guess and gives him a 2 on the river to double him up and knock me down to 15,000 again. Blinds now go all the way around the table again with me folding crappy and mediocre cards. Until I'm in the big blind and dealt Ace, Queen. It folds all the way around to the button (that's the guy right before the small, big blind people). He doesn't have a lot in chips and makes a raise of 10,000 almost committing everything. The small blind calls and he doesn't have a whole lot of chips either but has me covered now since he sucked out that deuce on the river. At this point I know the button position was trying to steal our blinds. Otherwise he would not have left himself a few chips in front of him in case he does happen to get a caller. Good hand you are pushing all in at this point in the game. So that's what I do with my Ace queen. It only costs the other two people 5,000 more a piece so odds say they need to call for the pot odds. They do.

The flop. 3, 6, 3. Okay I'm probably behind the guy in small blind. Button checks, small blind moves all in with his remaining chips. Yep, now I know I'm behind he has to have a pair. Button folds which means I was exactly right, he didn't have squat and was trying to steal from us. we now have to flip our cards as my tournament life is at stake. He has pocket 10's. So he has two pair but I have two over’s. Please dealer just give me an Ace or a Queen.....PLEASE.... Turn is a 7..... Damn..... PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE. River is a 9. Ugghhhhhhh. And then that sinking feeling that you get when you know you were just knocked out. Especially sinking when that pot was about 50,000 with the blinds and antes in it. That could of given me the fuel I needed to make the final table of 9 easily. Winner of the tournament getting 32,000.

Instead I get the experience, the fun of the ups and downs which make the game exciting. And the pocket change of $865.00 for 18th place. Turning my initial 60.00 investment into an 800 profit for about 13 hours of pure bliss. $61.00 an hour is a hell of a lot more then I would make at work. Next time I guess. I'll have to wait until next time I guess.

Now for those of you who think I'm crazy as hell. just picture your favorite past time, and then picture making money at it. That's why I play. Oh, and that's why I can account for probably at least half of every single hand I played. I can replay it in my mind and do the “what if I would of did this instead”. Now back to the real grind of my actual job I guess.

Name: Matt Polak Location: Bellevue, NE, United States Cashes: 1 Total Winnings: $865 ProRank 2 Position: 12227  [ DETAILS ] Age: 31 Marital Status: Single Started Playing Poker: About 4 years ago Favorite Poker Game: No-Limit Texas Holdem Ambition: I currently work with computers. Was on the hardware side for many years and now working on the networking side. I would love to be able to earn a living playing poker and do that full time. For now I am happy just playing in my spare time and making $ Hobbies: I absolutely love fishing. Enjoy golfing, camping and anything outdoors. And of course Poker among many other things. Favorite Movie: Dazed and Confused Favorite Music: The Nadas, Guster, Jack Johnson, alternative rock Favorite Place: Anywhere that I'm on the water fishing. Canada has been the best. Favorite Celebrity: Jessica Alba (she's hot what else can I say) Poker Players I Respect Most: Daniel Negreanu definitely. Also Phil Ivey and Chris Ferguson. Phil Hellmuth is a great player but I just like to watch him get beat to see how bad he cries about it. If I could change anything in the world: Not to sound like Ms America or anything but I wish this was a more peaceful world. My brother Cpt. James A Polak is my hero and serving as an Army Ranger on his second tour right now over in Baghdad. I wish for this quick and safe return, as well as all of our heroic brothers in arms. If I could change anything in the poker world: Bad beat suck outs. On me of course. The other way around is just fine.

Matt Polak Poker Results EVENT PLACE PRIZE DATE Horseshoe Council Bluffs Poker Tournaments - WSOP Circuit Event Event #2 - No Limit Hold'em 18th $865 Feb 19, 2008 See an error in the results? an email

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