So I get to Australia and find out that there is actually a 100K AUD buy in event the next day. Not only that… it’s speed poker? Weird. I don’t really like speed poker at all, as 30 seconds is often not enough time to get a really good read on an opponent, but it sounds like fun and I had nothing else to do so I figured I’d play it.

Only problem? I didn’t wire 100K over to Australia so I didn’t have the buy in. So last night I went on a borrowing mission trying to find somebody out here in Melbourne with a spare 100K lying around somewhere.

Finally, I found Ivey doing an interview and asked him if he had any extra cash, but he told me that all of his extra cash was likely going towards the baccarat table, so instead, he was able to get me a credit line with the casino so I could borrow the money from them.

Anyway, it’s 9:30am and the tournament starts in a few hours. I plan on heading to the gym first for a quick little workout and then I think the tournament starts at around noon.

Frankly, I don’t love my chances in this event as time pressure is something I’ve never handled all that well. I often spend too much time thinking about how much time I have left instead of focusing on the hand.

I’m going to do my best, and just go with my instincts. Also, for this particular event I’ll be forced to make several strategy adjustments since the calibre of play will be much better than it’s been in the last few tournaments that I’ve played.

I won’t be able to easily maneuver around the table with a strictly small ball approach. More aggression pre-flop (it’s pot limit before the flop) and a little more aggressive after the flop are adjustments that will have to be made when playing with great players.

I’ll likely be forced to guess a little bit more, playing against guys like Juanda, Lindgren, and Ivey.

As for the main event, I’m scheduled to play on the first day. If I happen to bust out, I could either leave here early and go to Tunica????? or decide to stay on a few more days to watch the Australian Open. Something tells me I won’t be changing my flight regardless of how well I fare in the tournament.