Vegas in June/July is a magical place for any poker player and every time I go I feel lucky to be there. I may not have done much on the felt this year but I still had a great trip.
I didn't play as much as I thought I was going to, but when I played I thought I brought my best game to the tables. I played five bracelet events and saw off 75% of the field in all of them without cashing.
I remember back in 2008 after getting knocked out of a string of high level tournaments in the first level, being asked by Connie O'Sullivan what I was doing wrong and whether I was worried. My answer was, "Nothing, as I thought if I play long enough, I will see every sequence of finishing position."
Stevie Devlin asked me a similar question in Vegas this year and got the same answer. I don't think I've ever bubbled a big event and generally when I see off 75% of a field I'd convert to cash most of the time. So, to hit a run like that at the WSOP is pretty unlucky I think.
Once you've seen off that amount of the field, you're generally emotionally into the tournaments. To have a run like that also hurts that bit more each time you exit. Having said that, all you can really hope for at any given tournament is to play well and I feel I played to the best of my ability for the trip.
My exit hand in the Main was very standard. I was way ahead of the guys pushing range and maybe slightly unlucky not to be dominating. I think I would have kicked onto the money at least had I won that race, but thems the breaks. It was only the second time that I was all-in during the event and the first time I was a huge fav.
Over the two and a half days I played, I hit some lovely hands and felt I was running well in general. Funnily enough I had no cards the previous year but never at any stage this year had I more chips then last. It's not easy to cash in the main and it just brought home to me how well I must have played last year.
Apart from the bracelet events I only played poker three other occasions. A $500 STT that I chopped with Derek Murray for $2350 profit. I also pulled $6,700 profit out of a satellite; had a saviour with two of the lads and slight deal done at the end. These covered a lot of my expenses for the trip and are where a lot of value can still be found. I really should of ground a bit more of these types of games readily available in the Rio.
The other game I played was late one night in the Rio, when I was hanging around waiting for Tommy Finneran. I somehow let Dara, Rob and Cat talk me into playing the €100 nightly tournament at midnight - a truly surreal experience.
I really enjoyed my time in Vegas this year. I spent a lot of time with very good friends and not enough time with other good friends. I enjoyed my poker, the few nights out and the golf, so a big thanks to everyone who shared the trip with me. Also big thanks to Boylepoker for the support, disappointing I couldn't convert for those who won percentages in the WSOPieces promotion.