We got hit with last-minute FOMO, hopped on a same-day flight, and rolled into Thunder Valley late for the WSOP Circuit $1,700 Main Event — 40,000 starting chips and 40-minute levels, which is basically my love language. I jump right into the chaos, including a spot where I 3-bet squeeze KQo from the big blind, c-bet a super wet monotone flop, and then had to make a disciplined fold when I got snap-shoved on. Not glamorous, but it’s real tournament poker: sometimes you take your shot, and sometimes you preserve what’s left of your stack. From there, it turns into a grindy (and very long) Day 1 where I’m constantly adjusting: picking better bluff spots, value betting thin, and leaning into live reads. The hand everyone’s going to talk about is my king-high hero call — I walk through why the sizing and combos didn’t make sense for value, why I thought he was bluff-happy, and how the blockers mattered. Later, once I build a stack, I’m full-on abusing the bubble with pressure and position, and we end the night bagging 509,000 chips, exhausted but in a great spot for Day 2.