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You Bluff Me, I Bluff You
I’m playing poorly in the $5,000 buy-in short handed no-limit hold ’em event at the World Series of Poker (WSOP), and I cannot seem to climb out of this funk. I’m tired (to be expected during this 45-day-long marathon), hungry and I’ve blown off another $5,500 with 10-3 off suit on the last hand before dinner break.
I’m still fuming during dinner with a close friend and my parents. My griping goes on for more than an hour, but, when I return to the table, I’m feeling much better. I still have $16,000 in chips. And, many times in past games when I’ve felt this wiped, I still found my way to the chip lead.
After three hands, they break my table and I’m redrawn to another table. On the fifth hand at my new table, with the blinds at $400-$800 and a $75-per-man ante, I limp to first position with 9c-8h. Everyone folds except the blinds, and the flop comes down Jh-5h-4h (I need a heart to make an eight-high flush). Both blinds check, I bet out $1,200, the player in the small blind folds, and the player in the big blind calls. The turn card is the Kd, the big blind player checks, I bet out $3,000, and he folds, but not before showing the Jd! I love that I stayed so aggressive in this hand. I knew that my opponent would think that I may have a big hand, like A-K or Q-Q, because I limped into the pot in first position.
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Another Close Call
As I write this, I’ve already won my record-setting 11th World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet, but came up short on bracelet No. 12. I was exhausted, but so what? We’re all super tired everyday during the 40-day-long WSOP.
On the third hand back from the dinner break, with the limits $4,000-$8,000, and the blinds at $2,000-$4,000, I opened for $8,000 with A-Q in late position. By the way, I had only $29,000 before the hand began. Richard Brodie, one of the original inventors of MS Word, reraised it up to $12,000 in the small blind. I called and the flop came down K-5-4. Brodie bet $4,000, I raised it up to $8,000 to go, and Brodie called. The turn card was a jack, and we both checked. The last card was a nine and we both checked. Brodie showed down his Q-Q and won the pot, and I felt a bit sick about the way I had played my hand. I never should have raised it up on the flop. What did I think Brodie had, A-J? I should have known how strong Brodie was because I’ve played with him many times. I should have folded my hand on the flop and saved that $8,000 bet. You never know what can happen when you save a few bets here and there.
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Trying To Be The Greatest With 12
After winning my record-breaking 11th bracelet on June 11, I was walking all over cloud nine. But, as I write this, I’m still in the middle of the World Series of Poker (WSOP), and I want more!
On June 17, I entered the $3,000 buy-in no-limit Hold ’em event. Two days later, I was at another final table gunning for bracelet No. 12, and this one was an ESPN final table (to be aired in September).
To separate myself by two bracelets from the great Johnny Chan (10) and Doyle “Texas Dolly” Brunson (10) would be quite a feat. I just had to beat nine more players. The problem was that I was short-stacked, with only $213,000, when the average stack was $480,000 in chips.
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I’m on Cloud… 11
Does the following statement sound poetic, or is simply magical? On June 11, I won my record-breaking 11th World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet, which was promised — last year — to my 35-year-old sister, Molly, who was born Nov. 11 (11/11).
I’ve given all 11 of my bracelets away to family members, except the main-event bracelet from 1989. In any case, I won event No. 15, which was a $1,500 buy-in no-limit Hold ’em event, with more than 2,600 players. Who says the pros can’t beat big fields? For 20 years, I have been chasing WSOP history, and now, finally, I have the biggest record in the game, 11 WSOP wins! Of course, Johnny Chan (10) and Doyle Brunson (10) may yet win a bracelet or two this year (the WSOP lasts through July 17) to tie or pass me (and you might not believe this, but I’m rooting for them). Naturally, I am also hoping that I can win another one or two bracelets. … By the way, the final table, with all of the hole cards shown (as well as every single hand), is available at the worldseriesofpoker.com Web site.
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The Mandalay Bay Play
The Mandalay Bay recently hosted a $10,000 buy-in World Poker Tour tournament. Because this event ran right before the start of the World Series of Poker, many of the top players in the world turned out to play. I was thinking, “Why not win a WSOP bracelet, and a WPT title, in the same month?”
Although the tournament began at noon, I showed up close to 4 p.m., which is well beyond my customary late appearance. But I knew that the structure was a slow one, and that it wouldn’t hurt me too much to show up late. One more time, I chose extra sleep over showing up on time.
About an hour after I arrived, with the blinds at $100-$200 and a $25 a man ante, I raised it up to $700 to go with As-6s. I was called by a player right behind me, and then Player A (a loose, aggressive player) in the big blind called as well. The flop came down 6h-4c-3c, Player A checked, I bet out $1,400, and the other player folded. Player A called and the turn card was the Ad. Now I had top two pair. Player A checked, I bet out $2,500, and Player A called. The last card was the 8c, and Player A checked. I reasoned that Player A had a draw, but if it was a flush draw, then why did he check when he hit his flush?
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Crazy Me is Good TV
A few weeks back, while filming the next season of “High Stakes Poker” for the Game Show Network, a weird pot came up between Brian Brandon (a millionaire businessman and “invitee” to the game) and I.
With the blinds at $300-$600, and a $100 a man ante, Brandon opened for $2,400 in early position. In the small blind, I looked down at 9c-9s and pondered my options. It seemed like a call to me for two reasons. First, I like to merely call with medium pocket pairs to disguise the strength of my hand; and second, I like to merely call (versus reraising it) to avoid being re-reraised. However, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was supposed to reraise this time. My instincts kept telling me that Brandon was very weak. Finally, I went with my gut and raised it up, making it $9,000 to go, and Brandon called me.
The flop was Qs-Jc-7h, I checked, and Brandon bet $16,000. I studied for a moment, with my first though being that I should fold.
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