20 years ago today, I decided to take a shot at my second-ever WSOP event, after finishing 3rd in my first one

[420powersme]

Great feel good story Druff, thank you for sharing it. Did you play any other bracelet events that summer, especially the Main Event? What would you say were the biggest contributing factors to your incredible success rate in those first two events that you played? Was it that the quality of play in 2005 was so bad, or did you just experience a unique burst of rungood?
A couple of other questions come to mind. How many bracelet events do you think you have played all in all, since 2005? What do you think is the number one reason that you have been unable to get to a podium top-three finish since then?

[garrett]

Great feel good story Druff, thank you for sharing it. Did you play any other bracelet events that summer, especially the Main Event? What would you say were the biggest contributing factors to your incredible success rate in those first two events that you played? Was it that the quality of play in 2005 was so bad, or did you just experience a unique burst of rungood?
A couple of other questions come to mind. How many bracelet events do you think you have played all in all, since 2005? What do you think is the number one reason that you have been unable to get to a podium top-three finish since then?

Did you play the 2005 Main Event after the 2x Final Tables??

https://www.wsop.com/news/wsop-repor...m-july-5-2005/

"It is very likely that Todd 'Dan Druff' Witteles owns a World Series of Poker record which may never be broken. To date, Witteles has played in exactly two WSOP events in his lifetime. He took 3rd place in his first tournament ever (Event #4). Then, he won his second tournament - the $3,000 buy-in Limit Hold'em championship. No other player in WSOP history has finished so high (1st and 3rd) in their first two tournaments."

Nice Druff

[Dan Druff]

Great feel good story Druff, thank you for sharing it. Did you play any other bracelet events that summer, especially the Main Event? What would you say were the biggest contributing factors to your incredible success rate in those first two events that you played? Was it that the quality of play in 2005 was so bad, or did you just experience a unique burst of rungood?
A couple of other questions come to mind. How many bracelet events do you think you have played all in all, since 2005? What do you think is the number one reason that you have been unable to get to a podium top-three finish since then?

I played 4 events in 2005, which was the first year I played WSOP.

$1500 Limit Holdem (first event ever for me): 3rd out of 1049

$3000 Limit Holdem: 1st out of 406

$1000 NL Holdem: Shortly before Main Event. Almost was to 3/3 in cashes, as I was like 10 off the money, and got knocked out by Svetlana Gromenkova (remember her?)

$10k Main Event: Busted Day 1


Limit holdem events didn't have bad quality of play overall. I mean, yes, there were fish, but limit holdem was a dominant game then, so people weren't clueless at it. The $3k field was semi-tough, so I was proud of that bracelet.

Obviously I ran well to get those finishes, but I didn't run well the entire way. I just would always come back and get chips again whenever I got short.

[lol wow]

how is this story getting more boring todge

[Dan Druff]

Honestly I played the Main wrong in 2005-08, and semi-wrong in 09.

In 2010 I thought more deeply about proper Main strategy, and it worked. I finished 88th. I came very close to cashing the next 3 years, as well, but fell short.

Since 2010 I've actually done pretty well at the Main, as far as how deep I've run.

2010: 88th out of 7319
2011: Day 3, close to money
2012: Day 3, close to money
2013: Day 3, close to money
2014: Day 1
2015: Day 2
2016: Day 2
2017: Day 3, close to money
2018: Day 2
2019: 128th out of 8567
2020: COVID, no event
2021: Day 3, less than 50 spots from money
2022: Day 2
2023: 568th out of 10,043
2024: 603rd out of 10,112

In all of my cashes, I've always cashed at least double of minimum. So I've never had a min-cash, yet I've been close to one 5 times (2011, 2012, 2013, 2017, 2021) where I just fell short.

Since 2010, I played 14 times, and I either cashed or came close to cashing in 9 of those 14 years.

In 2011-2013, the standard for cashing was top 10%. I would have cashed in all 3 of those years if it were the current standard of 15%.

In 2024, I had my best-ever early Day 4 stack (even better than 2010 and 2019), but I also had COVID. I was able to play well on Day 3 through the COVID, but Day 4 I just didn't have it, and between that and running badly, I was out by the middle of the day. Sad!


What about 2025?

I'm not playing this year.


Is it because I'm broke? Possibly.

[420powersme]

How many bracelet events have you played in total so far, since 2005?

[lol wow]

WHO IS THIS NOSY NERD

[420powersme]

Honestly I played the Main wrong in 2005-08, and semi-wrong in 09.

In 2010 I thought more deeply about proper Main strategy, and it worked. I finished 88th. I came very close to cashing the next 3 years, as well, but fell short.

Since 2010 I've actually done pretty well at the Main, as far as how deep I've run.

2010: 88th out of 7319
2011: Day 3, close to money
2012: Day 3, close to money
2013: Day 3, close to money
2014: Day 1
2015: Day 2
2016: Day 2
2017: Day 3, close to money
2018: Day 2
2019: 128th out of 8567
2020: COVID, no event
2021: Day 3, less than 50 spots from money
2022: Day 2
2023: 568th out of 10,043
2024: 603rd out of 10,112

In all of my cashes, I've always cashed at least double of minimum. So I've never had a min-cash, yet I've been close to one 5 times (2011, 2012, 2013, 2017, 2021) where I just fell short.

Since 2010, I played 14 times, and I either cashed or came close to cashing in 9 of those 14 years.

In 2011-2013, the standard for cashing was top 10%. I would have cashed in all 3 of those years if it were the current standard of 15%.

In 2024, I had my best-ever early Day 4 stack (even better than 2010 and 2019), but I also had COVID. I was able to play well on Day 3 through the COVID, but Day 4 I just didn't have it, and between that and running badly, I was out by the middle of the day. Sad!


What about 2025?

I'm not playing this year.


Is it because I'm broke? Possibly.

Could you tell us more about your thought process there? What changes or adjustments did you make in 2010 that worked so well?

[Dan Druff]

I don't want to reveal the strategy publicly.