WSOP 2006 - Day 14 - Saturday 29th July - It is the 5% that kills you

At last the big day is here. I wander down to the Ladbrokes player room where they have laid on breakfast.
I actually feel quite nervous - reminds me rather of taking exams.
Eventually get to my seat for prompt kick off at mid-day.
I am at a fairly typical table - no pros but only one really bad player a brit with a house in las vegas (LVB) who unfortunately is the one I tangle with. We also had oriental kid (OK) and another Ladbrokes player Age Spets (AS) who came 4th in the $1,500 event on Tuesday.
I pick up a few blinds early on when I raise with AK, but most of the action revolves around OK. He hits card after card and in no time has built up a stack of 15,000.

About 30 minutes in I pick up 9d 9c UTG. I call the 50 as does LVB and the blinds. Pot is now 200. Flop is Qd 9h 4h so I have flopped a set but there are some plausible draws out there. It is checked to me. I decide to check with the aim to raise, and when LVB bets 200 I raise a further 600 which he calls. Pot is now 1800 chips. This is big enough and if a rag comes on the turn I am going to bet big and try to take it down.
Turn is Jc. This is not ideal. If he had KT he has made a straight. However to call my flop bet he is more likely to have a Q. Possibly AQ, KQ or QJ. Also he could be on a flush draw with Ah plus anything. So I still think I am ahead. However I am cautious and decide to only bet 1000. He calls pretty quickly.
River is Qh. Yippee - if he has made his flush with a dodgy call I am minted - likewise if he did hit the straight on the turn. So I am trying to decide what to do. I decide to check and he shoves 3,000 in immediately. I am just about to shove all-in when I look at the board again. Oh **** there are 3 hands he could have that would beat me. Surely he can't have JJ or QQ - he would have raised before the flop and I hope he would not have called with Q4 or Q9. But what about QJ? Noooooooo....that would make sense and if so I am screwed. I decide to call rather than raise and of course he shows QJ for a bigger full house.
I can't believe it. Down to 5,000 chips. Later I work out that on the flop I am 95% favourite to win the hand from there.
I try to stay calm and reflect that I could easily have lost all my chips.
About 20 mins later having seen nothing I pick up JJ on the button. There is a minimum raise from late position to 100. I smell AK or AQ but I don't want to risk it. I want to see a flop with no high cards so I call. The SB folds and OK in the BB whose stack is now 20,000 puts in his standard raise to 500. Original raiser folds and OK starts to move his cards forward to the muck. Hmm - this could be a chance to get some back. I just call.
Flop is 659 rainbow and he checks so I bet 1000. He calls. What can he have? Ax I hope. Turn is T and he checks to me. I am scared now so check also. River is 5. He bets 1000. Darn it have I just let him hit trip 5's? I am in full tilt mode so I call. He shows KK.
I can't wait to get to the first break when I have a grand total of 2,000 chips left out of 10,000.
Back after the break when blinds are 50/100. My stack dwindles away until I pick up 44 in the BB. AS has raised to 200 from mid position but I push all in. He thinks for some time and folds.
2 hands later I get TT on the button. There are 2 limpers with AS being one of them. I push all-in again and this time AS call with AK. My tens hold up so I am up to 2,500. Play no more hands until the next break at 4.30.
On our return blinds have increased to 100/200 and I am looking to go all-in again. About 30 mins in I pick up K6 spades in the small blind. There are 4 limpers so I pay the extra 100. Flop is Ad Qs 2s. I have to go all-in and after OK calls guy to my right raises which is called. We discover later that OK has A3 and the other guys A5 spades so my flush draw was no good. So I am 2.5% favourite on the flop. However the dealer saves me by putting out 6 6 on turn and river. The other guys split the side pot. So I am up to 6,000 but this dwindles through to dinner when I have 4,000.
Have very good buffet courtesy of ladbrokes but only last 15 minutes after. We now have 25 ante and 100/200 blinds. Pick up 77 on button. Small raise from mid position. I reraise all-in and get called by OK. Other raise folds. OK has KJ and catches a jack so I am out.
Oh well there is always next year.