My stack of 366K was 26th in the list of the last 45. With blinds of 6K -12K and 1K ante - there was going to be no immediate rush. However, today would be the day when major moves would be made.

The short stacks on my table began to double up immediately. In the meantime, I started going in the other direction. Turning two pair, I decided to raise Greg Raymer’s bet of 40K to 100K. Greg moved all-in and showed me the straight after I had mucked - down to 200K and sliding.

In hindsight, the next hand I played was to prove crucial. Dealt A-K, I contemplated an all-in move. At this stage, I did not really want to make a raise and then have to ponder any re-raise. As it happens, I just raised to 40K and then re-raised by what I knew was a big pair. Having gambled A-K the day before, it took me a few minutes to make a decision - just the situation I didn’t want. With about 150K remaining - I decided to muck. In hindsight - I wish I gambled again.

I then limped with a hand in a situation when I fully expected a raise - “The Grinder” (Michael Mizrachi) did not disappoint. But the flop did. My Ad-9d just didn’t look good for an all low flop of black cards. Less then 90K and sliding further still. An all-in was looming. Having seen everyone muck to my SB - I moved all-in against the BB of “The Grinder”. With chips to spare - he eventually called. I guess I wanted the call - especially against a J-6os. The flop of three hearts missed us both, but I had the Ah. We both miss the turn. One card to go. Could I get a break and start the fight back? The six of clubs hit the river and I was gone in 39th place and a return of just over $47K.

Although this was not a huge pot - it was still big enough for me to stage a comeback. It was obviously disappointing, but the truth is - I could not be playing any better at the moment. Bar the first two events that I played at the Bellagio- I have had a great chance in every event I have played in the last month. And with so much poker to come - I feel it’s only a matter of time before the wins come.

As for the WPT Championship event - the structure was simply the best that I have ever encountered. The fact that we only played a max of nine hours a day, was to the delight of every player. Full credit to the organizers for taking the players into consideration.

Until next time - play well, get lucky and win with the best hand every now and then!

Peter “The Poet” Costa