One bullet. Day two. In the money. Let’s go!
Hey there!! Lexy Gavin-Mather here, and I just wrapped up a rollercoaster of a run in the $1,700 WSOP Main Event at Graton Casino in Santa Rosa. I bagged for Day 2 on a single bullet (yay!) with a short stack and a lot of heart—and I made the money!
In this post, I’ll break down key hands, share some emotional turning points, and go over wild spots from both the main and a crazy $400 prelim I played. Spoiler: I’ve never seen so many playable hands in one level.
Made Day 2 With 8 Big Blinds… Let’s Run It Up!
Coming into Day 2 short-stacked isn’t ideal, but I was feeling good. With 85 players left out of 558, we were already guaranteed $3,400—but I had my eye on the $162K up top.
Early on, I doubled with 7♦7♠ versus A♣Q♠, putting me right back in the mix. But a weird hand soon followed…
Strategy Tip: Limp-Reraises from Short Stacks Are SCREAMING Strength
A player limped under the gun with only 4 big blinds. Immediate red flag. It folded to me in the big blind and I checked with 9♠2♣. Flop: 9♣8♥3♣. He had 3 bigs left. I shoved. He snap-called with—you guessed it—K♠K♦.
When super short stacks limp, it’s almost always a monster. What would you have done?
Busted in 57th—Still a Profit
Eventually busted with A♦K♥ vs A♠7♣ blind vs blind. No complaints—I made Day 2 and a profit on one bullet. But if you think that was wild, the $400 prelim that followed was downright insane.
Welcome to the Prelim: Nut Straight, Aces, Kings… All Before First Break?!
First Hand: Flop the Nuts
I open K♥Q♠, flop the nut straight on A♠J♥T♥, and get it all in vs a lower straight draw. Double up. First hand. Let’s go.
Second Hand: Pocket Aces
Very next hand, I pick up A♠A♥, get 4-bet, jam, and hold vs Q♦Q♣. Back-to-back monsters. Chip lead secured.
Lexy’s note: I usually don’t start tourneys on time, but after this? Never again. People spaz out early. Use that to your advantage.
Creative 3-Bets and Range Construction
I also 3-bet 9♥6♥ from the small blind against a button open. Why? Because I’d been showing down monsters, so I had built-in credibility. Image matters.
Later I 3-bet A♠2♣ from the small blind again—hands that play poorly postflop are often better suited as 3-bet folds.
Check-Raising with Equity (and Running Into It)
On a 7♠5♥4♦ board, I check-raised with 6♦A♦ (open-ender + backdoor diamonds). He jammed with Q♠Q♥, I called and bricked.
It happens. But spots like that are standard—if you’re check-raising with equity and still have fold equity, it’s totally fine.
Kings Full of Regret
Later on, I picked up K♣K♠ and flopped top boat on 6♣6♥K♥. I checked, turn was an A♣, and got max value from A♥T♦.
But then came the real heartbreak…
I got Q♠Q♦, 3-bet from the big blind, got shoved on, and called it off. He had 8♠8♦… and flopped a set. GG me.
Tough way to end an otherwise strong session. But I’m still proud of how I played.
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- Playing short stacks effectively
- Building preflop ranges
- Knowing when to value bet vs check
- Managing tilt after a cooler…
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Final Thoughts: Poker Is a Game of Swings—Play Through It
Between the cooler queens and the perfect start, this trip was a full emotional spectrum. But that’s poker. You can’t control the cards—you can only control your decisions, your mindset, and how you respond when things go sideways.
Thanks for following along and sweating the hands with me.
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