The Shirt Off My Back

"Very superstitious, writing's on the wall … When you believe in things you don't understand … "

- Superstition by Stevie Wonder, 1972

You often hear about the superstitions that sports figures have. Some refuse to shower before a big game, others wear only a certain pair of socks, and some take a certain route to the stadium or arena. In fact, Michael Jordan always wears a pair of sky blue North Carolina shorts under his NBA shorts for every game he plays, and don't try to tell me that they help him fly higher! Whatever works, right? I mean, why change a good thing? If it ain't broke, don't fix it, and all that.

The same may be true for some of the professional poker players I know. John Duthie probably would have worn the same lucky black shirt in this year's Poker Million, had it not been postponed, that he wore when he won the 2000 event. (That's my shirt, by the way, John. Is there any chance you're going to give it back to me? You clearly stated, when I quite literally gave you the shirt off my back, that my black UltimateBet shirt was the only one you'd be willing to wear. You told millions of television viewers that you were wearing my shirt, so it's hard to believe you don't remember that it's mine. I certainly appreciate the exposure for both UltimateBet and me personally, but can I get my shirt back now?)

Will past Shooting Star winners Bono (John Bonetti) and Huck (Seed) have the same accommodations when they play in Bay 101's Shooting Star tournament? (That's my house, by the way, Bono and Huck. Maybe I shouldn't have invited you to stay at my house again this year – oh, yeah, that's right, you invited yourselves to stay!) After all, if people who stay in my house win the Shooting Star tournament 50 percent of the time, I want the odds to be in my favor by being the only one to stay in my house. Even if I did pay for my house by staking Bono in the past, a man's got to make a living. Do I want to give away a portion of the chance that I have to win by having the two of you and, geez, Andy Glazer stay with me this year? Well, never let it be said that I'm not a man of my word. Sure, come on and stay. I'll just have to make due with only a 25 percent chance of winning the Shooting Star tournament with Bono, Huck, and Andy each having a 25 percent chance, also.)

Wait a minute, I think I see a trend! Maybe I'm the good luck piece. After all, I have my own superstitions. I always wear black at major championship events, and you have to admit that my success has been better than average. But does this make any sense at all? As a game theorist, I know that my chances of winning are the same whether I wear black or white, but I have to admit to being a bit superstitious. I believe only in good luck, though, and that should count for something.

Anyway, with my trademark good luck black shirt on (yes, the same kind that John Duthie wore at the 2000 Poker Million), I attacked the $1,000 buy-in H.O.S.E. (hold'em, Omaha eight-or-better, stud, and eight-or-better stud) tournament at the L.A. Poker Classic at Commerce Casino. (Commerce Casino should be applauded for putting on a terrific poker tournament. In my opinion, its tournament room is the best one in poker right now, and the number of players entering the events was huge, therefore making the prize pools very big.) Even though I showed up an hour late for the tournament, I had a huge chip lead by the end of the second hour of play. I was running red-hot! When I got heads up with Tommy Hufnagle, who is a great player and was also playing awesome poker, I had $65,000 in chips to his $50,000. We decided to make a deal and play for only $1,600 and the trophy and points. Then, we doubled the limits and started to gamble! After all, the no-limit hold'em event was to begin the next day at 3:30 p.m., and it was currently 4:30 a.m.

I must say that I really wanted that trophy, and when a key hand came up at 5 a.m., I could taste the victory. We were playing $4,000-$8,000 stud when I opened for $4,000 with A Q J and Tommy reraised with 9 3 6. I decided to just call the $4,000 raise (Tommy had another $8,000 left), and possibly fold if he paired his 6. Ironically, he did pair his 6, but I caught the 4, giving me a flush draw. Now, we put in his last $8,000 and flipped our hands faceup. Tommy said, "Wow, you've got a monster hand there; I guess this thing is over." Then, he stood up. I also kinda thought this was it (Yippee, I win!), and then I caught an ace for a board of A Q J 4 A, followed by a 4 for aces and fours. Tommy caught the 5 and the A for a board of 3 9 6 6u 5 A, giving him an ace-high flush. This was OK, I guess, because I could still win if I hit a club for a higher ace-high flush, or an ace or a 4 for a full house. When I caught a blank on the end, I sat back down in my chair, ready to continue the fight. But, alas, it wasn't my day. Tommy continued to play great poker, and went on to win the tournament. Nice job and congratulations to Tommy, who was playing in his first event of the year. Meanwhile, it was one more victory that I could taste that was followed closely by major disappointment. I guess next time I'll wear a black sweater, instead.

I hope you enjoyed this Hand of the Week. Good luck playing your hands this week.

Editor's note: You can often find Phil Hellmuth playing small-stakes poker online at UltimateBet.com. To learn more about Phil or to read more Hand of the Week articles, go to philhellmuth.com.