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Posts - January 2009

• 'Do You Know Joe?" A detailed account of a poker player's first experience playing in the World Series of Poker

  January 04, 2009

  How are you doing man?" says J.C Tran, ranked no.2 in the world in 2007
  by Card Player Magazine and winner of U.S $5.9 million in tournament earnings.
  I reply that I am okay which is of course a lie as I have now been playing
  for over 9 hours and am both mentally and physically exhausted.
  “ Where are you from?" asks J.C. I tell J.C that I am from Australia.
  "Do you know Joe" asks J.C Tran?

  I pay the cab driver and get out of the cab. Here I am. It’s 11.30am and I
  am at the Rio Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada...home of the 2008 World Series
  of Poker!!!!

  Lesley and I start walking down a long strip of red carpet which
  leads to the poker entrance of the Rio Casino. We walk in and are immediately
  faced with a huge sign above which reads Welcome to the World Series of
  Poker 2008. My stomach turns; here I am, an average 42year old from Coogee,
  Sydney turning up to play my first ever World Series Poker event.

  I start walking down the long corridor leading to the main Poker room at the
  Rio, the Amazon Room. This is the room where I have been allocated to play
  in, along with the majority of the other 2,717 people many of whom are living
  out their own poker dream just as I am doing.

  I am playing event 49 $1500 No Limit Holdem. I look down at my entrance ticket, Red Table 7, Seat 8 as I enter the Amazon. My partner Lesley looks at me, she can tell just how nervous I am as I make my way to the poker table. I am sweating profusely,
  my legs are numb and I am struggling to talk. Lesley wishes me luck. I turn
  to her and say "don’t worry, I’m not gonna be playing too long".

  Only yesterday, I have told Lesley that I don’t have great expectations; my goal
  being to last at least an hour and not make a fool of myself. Afterall, I am playing
  against a field of 2717 with more than a few of the world’s best poker players
  being listed among them......and , yeah, I almost forgot, my poker resume isn’t
  exactly bulging with success. I am a slightly better than the average internet
  poker player with too few wins and too many losses. I have played for 4years
  and this has always been my dream since the beginning.

  I turn to my left and hear the tournament director yell, "Shuffle up and deal".
  I look at the players on my table. Most of my opponents are from the States
  with myself and a Canadian in Seat 5 the only exceptions. Dave, an Asian
  American from San Diego tells me that he has been at the World Series for
  the last month, has played a lot of the events but has yet to make the dinner
  break in any event he has played. Somehow, I don’t think Dave is my biggest
  threat at this table.
  My game plan before I arrived here was to play tight
  but aggressive, in other words only play premium hands to start with but
  to play them aggressively.

  The first half hour or so goes by. Blinds are 25 and 50. Starting chip stack is 3000
  and I am getting cold cards......no decisions for me to make at this point...
  fold, fold, fold…. Then I am dealt pocket nines. I am in the big blind, the Canadian
  makes a medium raise to 150, everyone else folds and I call the 150. The flop
  comes down 2,Ace,9 rainbow.........a great flop for me!! Not only have I made my set
  but my chances of getting paid off rise significantly with that ace on the flop. The Canadian raises to 500......I deliberate for a few seconds before announcing "all-in". He
  immediately calls and I show my nines. He shows AK off-suit. An innocuous six of hearts comes on 4th street followed by an 8 of clubs on the river.

  My set has held up and I have doubled up to 6,200 chips. All of a sudden I am chip
  leader at my table and turn to Lesley who is standing in the spectator area about
  10 feet away. She raises her eyebrows as do I! I have to pinch myself, realising
  that not only am I still in the event but I’m also chip leader on Table 7
  Red and ,dare I say , starting to dominate. My confidence rises and I even make
  a few pot size raises to steal a couple of blinds. 6,700 chips and rising!!!
  Is this really happening to me I ask myself.

  Just as I am starting to feel comfortable I get moved to another table. I
  sit down at table 17 Blue and look at the other players to see if there is anyone
  that I recognise. No, can’t see anyone famous here but I am seated next to this
  young American poker pro with a Bodog cap and Bodog shirt with a chip stack
  already three times the size of mine.

  I fold my cards for the first few hands and see that Mr. Bodog is running over this
  table. He could easily be the poster child for all the young 20 something poker pros playing the game today who are ultra aggressive, fearless and ready to take on and
  beat anyone.....including more seasoned poker pros who have been playing Poker
  before they were born.

  The fourth hand at this table I am on the button with the blinds now 50 and
  100. The cards are dealt and everyone folds to me. I make a raise to 250,
  Mr Bodog gives me a look of complete disdain and re-raises to 700. Big blind
  folds as do I. My bluff is both clumsy and transparent with Bodog seeing
  right through me. Does anyone have a rock I can hide under?.....I ask myself.
  I glance at the TV monitor and see that it is 1.45pm, 15 minutes before the
  first break. I still have over 6000 chips, well above the average chip stack
  and am travelling well.

  The first break is announced and I rise from my chair on Table 17 and walk
  out of the Amazon Room along with a throng of other poker players, some
  recognizable some not. Amarillo Slim Preston walks past me. Thin, craggy faced
  and sporting a stetson hat he is one of the original road gamblers along with other luminaries such as Johnny Moss, Sailor Roberts, Puggy Pearson and Doyle Brunson. These men played Poker at a time when it was a hard, hard game played by hard men. Looking down a barrel of a gun was not uncommon for these guys. I regard these men and other poker players of their generation as the reason why Poker is the game it is today. The new-age players of today have much to be thankful for. I make a brief
  stop at the restroom and then meet up with Lesley. Her face says it all!
  Lesley offers me words of encouragement. To say that Lesley is surprised
  that I am still in the tournament is an understatement, but to be honest
  no one is more surprised than yours truly.

  The first break comes and goes in the blink of an eye. I return to my table.
  It seems only a few minutes before I am dealt King Jack suited (clubs) in
  early position. I call. Larry, a native of Arizona calls from Seat 6. My
  first impression of Larry is that he is not exactly shy and seems to have
  an opinion on everyone and everything. If you are after a quiet game of Poker
  I wouldn’t advise playing in a home game at Larry’s place. Anyway, the flop
  comes down eight (clubs), 6 (hearts), 9 (clubs). Larry bets out making a
  small raise which makes me immediately suspicious. I think about just calling
  and am not sure what he is holding. Has he flopped a set, made a straight,
  maybe holding ace nine??.....I don’t know. I look down at my chips then look
  at Larry who has me covered by over 1000 chips. What to do I ask myself,
  afterall I have absolutely no idea what he has. I have a King high flush
  draw and in a moment of madness I look at Arizona Larry and say "all-in"!
  Larry instantly calls and my heart sinks as I see Larry’s cards, pocket 8s
  to give him a set. I am a decided underdog. I need a club for a flush but
  if he pairs the board on either of the remaining two cards to be dealt its
  so long and goodbye from me anyway. With the turn and river cards to come
  I know that at best I have 7outs and roughly only a 25% chance. The turn
  card is queen spades. With one card left I rise from my chair expecting to
  bid my farewells. BOOM!!!!!!!!!!!! THE three of clubs comes and I am saved
  as I look in complete bewilderment at Larry. I have made my flush.

  "Sorry ,mate" I say to Larry. I am both genuine and apologetic in my comments to
  Larry but he reacts badly, lambasting me for a good five minutes with priceless
  gems such as "It’s okay for me to be sorry but don’t you ever say sorry to
  me when you suck out on me like that!!"

  I have no response to Larry’s comments..I don’t have to as I look at his chips,
  now down to 1000 compared to the 12,500 chip count I have now stacked neatly
  in front of me. Next hand Larry goes all-in for his last 1000 chips with ace four
  off-suit. He is called by three players and it is exit stage left for Larry. To my
  surprise, upon leaving the table he comes up to me, looks me in the eye and says ,
  "good game".

  Credit where credits due and I immediately respect Larry for showing some class.
  The next half hour goes by and I have intentionally sat back and not played.
  It is now 3.30pm with one hour to go to the second break. If you had told
  me before the event that I would make the second break I would have admitted
  you into a mental hospital.

  For the second time I am moved tables. I now have over 12000 in chips. This
  table has three players who are very aggressive. Again I get cold cards dealt
  to me for the first twenty minutes then I wake up with pocket kings. With
  blinds of 75 and 150 I make a strong raise and am called by two players.
  To my chagrin the flop comes ace hearts, 3 clubs, 4 diamonds. I play the hand
  badly and call down one player who shows ace clubs and 3 hearts. My kings
  are busted which is nothing that I don’t deserve and I lose 2,600 in chips.
  Thankfully the second break is near. Keep your head, I tell myself.

  With the second break now over I return to the table. Two players are eliminated
  in quick succession and we are advised that out table is to be broken up.
  I put my chips in a rack and leave the table after being told that my new
  table is 38 Red and am given a ticket.

  I proceed to Table 38 Red. I am about six feet away from what I believe is 38 Red (actually 36 Red). I look over at the table to see Doyle Brunson, Scotty Nguyen and Phil Laak playing.

  I sense something isn’t right and check my ticket. Brunson and co. are playing in the U.S $50 thousand buy-in HORSE event. The event is down to two tables and features other superstars Phil Ivey and Daniel Negreanu with a huge crowd straining to catch a glimpse of their heroes. I am no exception, but I have a game to play so I move on to my table. If
  I had mistakenly sat down at that table I know it would have been funny not
  to mention the reception from Doyle and co, but I am now starting to take
  my event seriously and want to see just how deep I can go in my event.

  I sit down at my new table (for fourth time) and begin to size up my opponents.
  I look at the monitor and see that there are now only 650 players remaining.
  The top 10% (270) will be going home with a cheque. With a prize pool of
  3.3million U.S no.270 is to be paid 2700 U.S with an upwards spiral to $670,000
  for 1st place. At this point of time it has dawned upon me that I am within
  reach of making the money.........it is no longer a pipedream.

  In a short period of time the blinds have now climbed to 300 and 600. I
  have just over 9000 in chips. In the big blind I am dealt pocket queens.
  Can I double up with my queens???.......maybe, maybe not. Heinz, a German
  poker pro from Hamburg is seated in Seat 2 and is short stacked with 3,400
  in chips. A player from Russia seated on my right and on the button sizes
  up Heinz and quickly calls. I am about 1 second away from pushing all-in
  but I look at the Russian and instinctively perceive that he is strong. I
  look at him and come to the conclusion that he is holding Kings or Aces and
  has me dominated..............I fold my queens!! To my astonishment the Russian
  shows Kings!!! Not only have I made the correct call, I have also saved my
  tournament. Just before the dinner break (7pm) my chips have gone down to
  8,100 as I have struggled to catch good cards and I am also dealing with
  blinds which are starting to have a negative effect on my chip stack.

  It is now 7pm and time for the 90minute dinner break. Against all odds I am
  still there toiling away. No, I am not the chip leader but certainly not
  short-stacked either. I sit down with Lesley for dinner. The corridors which
  7hours ago were jam packed with poker players with big dreams are now eerily
  quiet. I can’t eat, both nervous and exhausted in equal proportions. Lesley
  rings my father to tell him I am still alive in the tournament. My father,
  who is a curious mix of a retired bank manager and friday night poker player
  of some thirty years is seemingly more excited than me and wishes me luck.

  I return to my table. I glance at the monitor and see that there are 570
  players remaining. I struggle for the next half an hour or so. I then look
  up again at the monitor........players have been getting eliminated at an
  average of 2 per minute. I steal some blinds and struggle to keep my chip
  count from falling.

  It is now 9pm and there is now only 500 players remaining. A player sitting
  directly opposite me remarks "now more of us will finish in the money than
  miss out".........game on I mutter to myself!!!! I play for the next hour
  with the blinds now 400 and 800. The blinds are now getting to become a big
  problem for me with my chip count falling to 7200 in chips..........surprise
  surprise, our table is broken up and I am advised that my new table is 13Blue.

  I walk over to my new table. Again I look for famous faces but can’t see
  anyone I know of and I relax. I take my seat and look to my left at a massive
  chip stack which the player has stacked in the shape of a pyramid...........welcome
  to the chip leader!!

  I recoil in horror as I see J.C Tran sitting immediately to my left .He asks me
  where I am from and I tell him I’m from Australia. ”Do you know Joe???? “ No mate, I don’t know Joe (Hachem); He lives in Melbourne and I live in Sydney.”

  J.C has an easygoing and very friendly manner and upon meeting him one
  would never think he is one of the game’s superstars. 15 minutes go by and
  I look at the monitor. With only 370 players remaining and 6,800 in chips
  and blinds of 500 and 1000 with 100 antes I have decisions to make. Do I
  just try to survive and make the money or do I make my move and push all-in. As I am contemplating this I am dealt Ace Ten suited (spades) in the small blind with JC in big
  blind. A player in early position puts in a raise of 2000. All other players
  fold to me. I look at the raiser, his chip stack is roughly the same as mine.
  My mind goes back to the dinner break and I remember saying to Lesley "if
  I can double up I think I will be in the money". I doubt that he is strong
  and believe that he is trying to steal the blinds........so I push all-in. J.C folds and
  the initial raiser looks at me for what seems forever. I am convinced he
  will fold but after a long deliberation he calls me. J.C looks at me and says “good luck”. I show my ace ten suited and he shows ace five hearts!!! I have him dominated and calculate that I am about an 80% chance of winning the hand.

  The flop comes jack spade, ace diamond, eight spade which is a great flop for me.
  I have both the nut flush and the 10 kicker. With his flush draw now gone he has
  3 cards alive (at best) that can beat me. The turn card comes............DISASTER!!!!
  5 of DIAMONDS! But I can still win with a spade or 10 on the river. The river
  card comes and it’s no good, 2 of diamonds and my tournament is now over.

  For me, it has never been about winning the tournament, nor has it been about
  finishing in the money. This experience has been about testing myself on
  the biggest stage against some of the best players in the world. No amount
  of money can buy that!!!

  ..........oh and by the way JC, no, I don’t know Joe but I think I’d like
  to . He seems a nice bloke on TV!

  THE END

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