This hand comes from the most recent World Poker Tour tournament in Venice. There are 48 players left at this point and the tournament pays 45. I’m involved in a hand against David Steicke, who is a recreational player with better results than almost any professional. He doesn’t play too much, but he won the $100,000 no-limit Hold’em event at the Aussie Millions this year (for $852k) and has many more good finishes in high-profile events.

When the hand begins I have 300,000 chips, Steicke has 180,000 and the average stack is around 150,000. The blinds are 1,500/3,000 with a 300 ante.