POKER HAND #6

CLOUTIER'S FAMOUS MYSTERY HAND ANECDOTE: This one is in a Cloutier-McEvoy book and T.J. brings it up in almost every interview, so best to get it out of the way now.

I was playing pot-limit hold'em down in Shreveport. We'd been playing for quite a few hours and there was a lot of money on the table. A hand came up in which I had the stone nuts on fourth street. I had $5,000 in front of me and made a $2,000 bet. Wayne Edmunds was in the game and he had a habit of putting his head down after he called a bet, so that he never saw what was going on anywhere else. As I was making my bet, the dealer grabbed my cards and threw them in the muck. Of course, Wayne didn't see it happen. "What do I do now?!" I was wondering. I have big hands and so I just kept them out in front of me like I was protecting my cards. The dealer burned and then turned the river card. I bet my last $3,000 and Wayne threw his hand away. I won the pot without any cards! Everybody at the table except Wayne saw what had happened, but nobody said a thing.

POKER HAND #5

FAVORITE DRAW OUT: From the 2003 WSOP. Freddy Deeb picks up Kh-Kc in position. Fitoussi called with a J-10. Behind him Phil Ivey had 7c-7s. All called to see the flop which came down

3-10-7 rainbow.

Fitoussi bet, Ivey raised, Deeb went all in. Fitoussi got out of the way and Phil Ivey quickly called with middle set.

Deeb says, "I didn't think he'd raise it with three sevens." Deeb picks up a K on the turn, and the river comes down blank to give the pot to Deeb.

POKER HAND #4

HOW ERIC SEIDEL BUSTED OUT OF THE BIG ONE: PhilHellmuth.com is featuring some of bust-out stories from the WSOP 2004. Eric Seidel, a great player made semi-famous by the scene in Rounders where Matt Damon watches him lose the WSOP to Johnny Chan, went out this way:

Erik Seidel found himself down to $9,000 on day four after not picking up a hand, or a pot for a long time. Erik says, "Obviously I was looking for a hand before then." Erik had just been high-carded to the TV table, and the fourth hand he was there, Erik was on the button-and Gus had played all three previous hands. Now Gus limps, everyone else folds, and it came around to Erik with the blinds at $1,000-$2,000, and the antes at $300 a man. Erik was pretty happy with his K-8, and thought that he had Gus beat.

So Erik moved all-in for $9,000, and the big blind now made it $25,000 to go, and now Erik says, "Right then I knew I was dead, because this fellow wasn't an action player." Gus folded, and now the big blind showed Erik A-K, and in an instant it was over for Erik. I also went broke with K-8, but after the flop came down 10-8-4, and I was in the small blind with a very short stack, and the button had limped with Q-10 (yes, that #**#$ Q-10 busted me again).

POKER HAND #3

THE BEST HAND: Even if you have a pair on the board, sometimes you're not the favorite to win the pot. A good example was in a Daniel Negreanu column a few months back. I quote:

With the blinds at $600-$1,200 and a $100 ante, I limped in from under the gun with the Ac-6c. Mike raised it $3,000 more (no surprise here). When I limped, I was obviously aware of the fact that it would probably cost me a couple thousand to get to the flop. Everyone else folded, and it was just Mike and I to see the flop.

The flop came down 10c-8c-4d, giving me the nut-flush draw to go with ace high, which easily could be the best hand. I thought a moment about checking to Mike, but if he were to move all in or something crazy like that, he may force me off the best hand.

I decided to take charge of the pot right there. I bet close to half my stack, sending the message to Mike, “If you raise me, I’m coming.” I bet $15,000. Mike pondered for a little while. His instincts were good, as I was in fact bluffing, although I did have a powerful draw. Finally, he said, “I’m all in.”

Oh well, looks like this was it — the defining moment for me. I had too much money in to dump my draw. “I call.” Then came the moment of anticipation. I knew I won with any club, but would an ace also do it for me? What about a 6? I couldn’t know for sure until I saw Mike’s hand.

Mike turned over the 7-4 offsuit! This was awesome for me. Not only were all of my outs live, I actually had the best hand. Huh? Well, while I couldn’t beat a pair of fours yet, I would win this pot more than 53 percent of the time, which by definition makes it the best hand.

I hit the club on the turn and it was all over for Mike. “Yeah, I knew I had the best hand,” said Mike.

“No you didn’t; I had the best hand, Mike.”

“What are you talkin’ about? I had the pair on the flop!” exclaimed Mike. Rather than get into a heated argument with him, I thought it would be best to just shut my mouth and get back to the task at hand.

Daniel thought he had the best hand, and he was right. This also illustrates a major poker rule. Always draw to the nuts, don't draw to the second best hand.

POKER HAND #2

HAND 2: Eric once had 8-8. Instead of raising, as I would do with a pocket pair, Eric choose to limp in. He had position on me and I had the A-J.

The flop came down A-8-7 rainbow (no flush draw). I bet a dollar to see where I was. When Eric reraised me instead of just smooth calling, I knew he had flopped trips, because he was value betting that hand. I threw away top pair right after he bet, knowing I was probably beat. I was right. Good read, and I came out up that night.

POKER HAND #1

FIRST POST EVER: Here's the first hand of this new poker website.

blinds were .50-1 dollar heads up.

I picked up the Kh-Qh. I went all in for sixteen dollars. My opponent called with K-6 offsuit. I would not have called but I think he figured he had me on a bluff. Flop came down

Ks 8h 7h

I was one to a flush with top pair. The turn came

9s

and the river came

10c

to give him a straight. Tough beat.