Things went great, right up until the last level of Day 4. The field had dropped to fewer than 300 players from the 6,352 that started. We had cleared the money bubble earlier in the day and I came back with two hours to play in the day and 800,000 chips at the 6,000/12,000/2,000 blind level. A brief 30 minutes later, I was standing at the payout cage deciding if I wanted cash, chips, or a check.

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Like everyone else in the Main Event, I started my tournament run with a 30,000-chip stack. After a brief dip to around 22,000, I made an upward climb and ended Day 1 with 55,000. Day 1 was all about pot control and limiting risk. I really enjoy the deep stack play and was able to take advantage of mistakes others were making who aren’t used to playing that deep or not mentally prepared for playing the Main Event in general.

The only real risk I took on Day 1 was a pot where I started with 37,000 and was up against a Brit with around 32,000 and an Argentinean with 60,000. The Brit raised to 800 (blinds 150/300) and the Argentinean made it 2,200. From the big blind, I raised to 5,500 with A-K and the action was back to the Brit.

He seemed much more concerned about the Argentinean, who at this point had pretty much gone back to the iPad that he had kept his nose in all day. Once the Brit seemed confident that the Argentinean really was going to give his hand up, he raised to 11,000. I had a strong feeling that neither of these guys was playing it up and giving fake tells and also felt the Brit wanted to survive badly enough that he would fold Q-Q or A-K for sure. He could potentially even put two kings in the muck, although I had mostly eliminated A-A and K-K from his range based on the reads I was getting from him.

After the Argentinean quickly put his hand in the muck, I announced that I was all-in and put the Brit into the tank. He seemed tortured and I begin to get slightly concerned that he did have K-K and wasn’t going to be able to let it go, but the more he debated, the more confident I became that he was folding and that my read was correct. He finally released A-K suited and, from there, I went back to small ball for the rest of the day.

I came into Day 2 and quickly lost a flip against a short stack and dipped down to 42,000, but before I knew it, I had been able to chip up and get to over 100,000 before busting a short stack with K-K versus his T-T. At this table, Chad Eveslage really impressed me with his play, but I held over him and, while he was able to crush the table, I was able to get some chips from him while also picking up some of the other relatively soft money. When our table broke, I told Chad I was glad to be getting away from him, he returned the compliment, and we were on our way to the Amazon Room.

The floor man handed me a purple seat card and I found myself in the nine-seat with J.C. Tran on my immediate right. While I think highly of Tran both as a person and a player, there was a stretch a few years back where he was my nemesis at the tables. He has busted me out of more tournaments than any other individual and in some pretty big spots, including when we were down to the final three tables at a WPT Main Event in Reno.

This time, I had chips and position and was able to leverage those to really chip up in the two levels I was at this table without ever having to go to showdown. Between Tran and Tim O’Dell, who was having fun and hitting sets every third hand, we had a fun and an entertaining table. I was able to crack the 200,000-chip mark on the very last hand of the night and set myself up well for Day 3.

For the first two days, I felt like I played very well and had nothing I regretted or felt like I had played poorly. That changed on Day 3. After getting up to 280,000, I was again moved to a new table. After being at the table for a little over an hour, I thought I had a pretty good read and felt comfortable.

Based on what I had seen and heard from the player on my right, I didn’t give him much credit for being too tricky, but I made a play that was unnecessary for where I was in the tournament. The button raised and the player to my right called. I 3bet with A-J and the initial raiser folded. I had been 3betting pretty often and felt like the guy to my right was aware and a little irritated by it, so when he 4bet, I felt like he was making a play.

I didn’t give him any credit for flatting with a big hand there and felt that he was plenty deep enough and willing enough to fold that I could take the pot. I moved in and he immediately called and tabled two aces. Oops. I picked up a gutshot on the flop, but didn’t connect and went from 280,000 down to 150,000 – still plenty of chips, but I would have liked to have that one back.

Later, I got a full double with K-K versus A-K where my image from earlier helped me get paid, but at the same time, I could have been eliminated had an ace hit the board. In the first few days of the Main Event, it is often unnecessary to depend on all-in pre-flop hands to get chips.

After my double, I got into the groove and, as my table tightened up later in the day, I was able to again take advantage and chip up without really ever making a hand or getting to showdown. I finished the day with just over 400,000 and was only 18 players away from making the money.

We made the money early on Day 4 and I spent the first three levels at a secondary feature table. I doubled a player with 8-8 versus A-K and then busted a short stack with A-K versus his K-K. Those two hands against short stacks are the only ones I noticed the cameras recording and I doubt either will make the cut, but we did have some interesting hands at the table.

I was able to win a few hands, pick up a few pots, and after calling a river bet with middle pair on a board where any seven made a straight, I was sitting with a big pile of chips that totaled just over one million. I bluffed off some of those chips in a spot that I don’t mind just before dinner break and had 880,000 to come back to after the break.

When I returned, my chips had been racked up and our table was being broken. That was pretty much then end of the good news. I had felt very comfortable at my table and with my image, but at the new table, I was never able to get established. Amir Lehavot on my immediate left was tough and the Frenchman to his left held over me as well. I finished the level after dinner with around 800,000, but when I came back for the last level of the day, the wheels came off.

The Frenchman had been 3betting like crazy, had defended the big blind, and floated me twice on both the flop and turn of an ace-high board with K-J before hitting a king on the river to win the pot. He was raising a lot and playing aggressively and went from 300,000 up to around 900,000 in short order.

I again raised from the button and he 3bet the big blind to 72,000. I made it 172,000 and he put in the fifth bet, forcing me out of the hand. After that, I missed a big draw where I had a double gutshot and flush draw, but missed on the river and again saw a decent pot go away from me.

With 430,000 in front of me, I still had enough chips to have a shot with the blinds at 6,000/12,000, but also knew I was much more in the danger zone. It came to a quick end when I raised to 28,000 with Q-Q and was 3bet to around 85,000. I moved in for the whole 430,000 and, after a brief tank, was called by A-K. The board was clean up until the ace hit the river, ending my Main Event run with a 270th place finish for $37,000.

It was a good run. Overall, I played well and gave myself a shot to go deep, but it is always difficult when you bust out of the Main Event. Thanks to everyone for all their support.

Court Harrington has worked on the business side of the poker industry in roles including tournament reporting for PocketFives, radio hosting for PokerRoad Radio, coaching for the WSOP Academy and privately, and a variety of behind-the-scenes responsibilities for poker media businesses. He also plays in cash games and tournaments. Harrington is currently doing consulting work and exploring business opportunities outside of the poker industry. You can contact him at Court@CourtHarrington.com.

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