Ive never been one to ask for luck, just avoiding being unlucky is all i ask for! First the good news, the "A" game was out today as i played a mistake free game, that in itself is a mighty relief. Sadly playing my "A" wasnt good enought as i once again exit in level five in what was probably my most patient tournement game in years. Completely and utterly card dead i refused to fall into the trap of trying to force things to make them happen, instead i sat back and took in all the information i could on the players around me constantly putting them on hands when they where in pots. Doing this help me focus but as i was often putting them on correct hands it also feed my confidence. My first major hand im dealt AQ position, with a couple of limpers infront of me i make it 800 to go (blinds 50/100), i get two callers. The flop comes 10 k 2 rainbow. Having played virually no hands im confident i can bet out representing the K but also in the knowledge i have the gutshoot draw as some kind of back up. So i bet out 1,600 into the pot, the small blind, who was a pretty solid type, flat calls. The turn brings a Q. He checks to me and i check back, no J on the river, he now bets out 2,600. I tell him hes got 22 and fold, he smiles and flips over the 22. Theres another long period with no cards with me seeing nothing better than rag aces and everytime i was in position there would be action infront leaving no option but to keep folding. The first hand, and only real pot i win im dealt Js9s in the small blind, theres a raise too 600 and three players call thus i limp in, the flop come Ks 9d 2s. I check with the intention of raising any bet. All check to the button who makes it 1,500 to go, i re-raise to 4,500 and its folded back to the button. Its the same player who had the set of twos earlier, and after much chat he finally folds showing AK, at last a player whos been taking notice im a rock, and he can fold also!!!!!!!! amazing, not many of them out here at the moment!!!! To make his story and fold correct, and also to help keep up the image i tell him i indeed had the set of 2s he put me on. But thats has good as it gets, an amazing run of noncense hands and too much action constantly in front of me to allow any kind of play im reduced to sitting it out, but again i keep playing the "put the players on hands game"................and im playing it so good it scares me!!!!!!!! Now these "deepstack affairs" at the Venetian are not true deepstack, sure you get a nice starting stack but the 40 min blinds and step blind structure soon have starting chip stacks in trouble. The blinds reached 200/400 with a 25 anti and im down to 12,500. A very weak player limps under the gun and i finally get a chance to play a hand when i find Ah9h in mid position. My rock like image obviously pays dividens when i raise to 1,400 and only get four callers! The flop was a wonderful dream like 4c 5c 6s, so with virtually no outs in a five way pot i check and fold to the action. The very next hand i find only my third solid hand and only my second pair off the day (other two hands being the AQ and a pair of 6s that i had to bin to a raise and re raise). I open up for 1,200 and again get called by the set of 2s guy. The flop is a pretty unatractive 4h 5d 6h , but my stack means im not passing here and surely i cant be so unlucky to run into a set again? I bet out 2,000 and he re-raises to 5,100. Ive only got 6,000ish behind and feel on such a drawing board im most probably good, i ask him if he has 77 before going all in, he calls saying "good read" and flips over 3c3s. Happy to have got my chips in good i can sit back and leave it to the gods. First card out is an A and im one card away from being back in the races.........until the 2 hits the river. Rivered again, man, such is life! Ive finally got my game together but its sods law it arrives just as im due home. Ive still got time to play a $1000 one day event at the Bellagio but before that i think its a day on the grind at the cash. If this trip would have been profitable the plan was to fly home on Friday for a week then fly back out for the main event, obviously as it stands its been anything but profitable so buying in to the main event is a no no, but theres still plenty of qualifiers online, i think worst case scenario i fly home friday and have a week trying to win a seat online. If im lucky enough to get back here this year theres one thing for sure, im going to give myself at least fours days rest time before playing anymore WSOP events! Just one foot note, in the $2000 event i mentioned the laydown with AK on a A 6 5 J board to a guy i said didnt look like a player who would put his tourney life on the line with A10/AQ, well watching the WSOP main event 2008 on TV last night the young man in question was on there in the last 18, a young Danish chap by the name of Anderson, nothing sure it was another good lay down......................im getting pretty good at that, just wish others could follow suit!!!! Finally big up to my good man Jeff Kimber, another world class performance from him as he finished second to the legand TC Tran in the PLO event, such is my focus this year i declined a invite from him to a meal and drinks last night as i know from past experiances that when ever Jeff and i go for a drink in Vegas it always gets messey, and i wanted to be fresh for todays tournement..........................bloody hell wish i'd gone now cause Jeffs as tight as a fishes *** so it was a once in a life time oppertunity!!!!!!!!!!! Only kidding mate, very well played, and another big up to John Duthie who was again beaten into 2nd place, this time in the $10k main HU championship event, very well played sir, a result that im sure will silence alot of people out there.