The Making (and Observing) of Matt Matros

"Hey, Dink, it's Shaq. Come on over to my crib to watch the NBA Finals."

Never happened.

"Hey, Dink, it's A-Rod. Join me and some friends at my pad to watch the Red Sox game."

Never happened.

"Hey, Dink, it's Matt Matros. I'm having a party at my place in Brooklyn to watch the World Poker Tour Championship."

Happened!

And not only was it a fun party, it was also interesting to watch one of the biggest tournaments in history with Matt, since he had never seen the telecast of his gutsy third-place finish. Two months after the tournament, he was still dying to know his opponents' holecards on certain hands.

If you watched the WPT Championship, you know at least one thing about Matt Matros: He's a Yale grad. Mike Sexton and Vince Van Patten must have said that at least 15 times. The funniest time came when Matros faced a difficult decision, and Van Patten, in his ever-humorous fashion, said, "He went to Yale; he should know what to do." Matros, 27, also has a master's in creative writing from Sarah Lawrence, and his New York friends felt snubbed when their alma mater wasn't mentioned. His literary agent (last name rhymes with "stinkin"), on the other hand, was thrilled that the commentators kept talking about his book, The Making of a Poker Player, which will be published next year, in spring 2005.

About two years ago, both Washingtonian magazine journalist Kim Eisler and World Series of Poker Media Director Nolan Dalla told me that Matros was a great young talent and had a chance to become one of poker's best players. Matros' story is similar to many of those who get involved in poker – kitchen-table games with family members growing up; dorm-room games with his college buddies; the scared-out-of-your-wits trip to Foxwoods to play in a small-stakes tournament; reading every poker book on the planet; posting, dissecting, and attending BARGE as part of RGP; playing online; thinking about poker every waking second; and finding a home game. It was in this home game in Washington, DC, that Matros met Dalla and a fast-talking lawyer by the name of Russell Rosenblum.

In Jim McManus' bestseller, Positively Fifth Street, he wrote about how T.J. Cloutier's book became his bible, and he referred to it throughout the 2000 World Series of Poker. When McManus made it to the final table, not only did he find himself staring at his (distant) mentor, but he also picked off one of T.J.'s bluffs at a key juncture in the tournament.

After playing together in that home game, Matros and Rosenblum became fast friends, and Rosenblum became Matros' poker mentor – or was it the other way around? During the 2002 World Series of Poker, when Rosenblum made it to the final table, not only was Matros there to dissect hands with Rosenblum on breaks, but he also provided an advance scouting report on his opponents each time he moved to a new table. It paid off, as Rosenblum finished sixth in a field of 631 players.

Let's fast-forward to April 2004. Matros was swamped with work needed to complete his master's degree. He debated whether to even play a satellite for the WPT Championship, as he wasn't sure if he had time to leave school. He faded the $100 to play in a satellite to gain entry into the bigger satellite; he won; he hopped a flight to Vegas; he played in a satellite of 444 players to earn a seat; and then he proceeded to play brilliant poker for four days. On day five, he was sitting at the final table – and who was on his immediate right? None other than Russell Rosenblum!

As it was, the two didn't get involved in many pots, as Russell was the second player eliminated. That's not to say there wasn't a lot of drama. When you hear the commentators say things like, "This is life-changing money," and, "$700,000 may be a lot of money for third place, but it's still $2 million less than what the winner will get," these statements take on a new meaning when you're sitting in the living room of the player who has to decide whether or not the stone-faced Martin de Knijff is bluffing.

Prior to the telecast, Matros said the one hand he was curious about was when he was holding pocket fives and the flop came A-A-4 rainbow. "The Knife," as Van Patten kept calling de Knijff, had raised from the button and Matros had called from the big blind with his small pair. Matros checked the flop, and the Knife checked behind him. The turn brought a 10, and Matros led out for $300,000. The Knife raised it an additional $500,000 and the "Yale grad" went into deep thought. Even better for me, he articulated his thoughts to his friends. "I knew he had either an ace or nothing; I didn't think the 10 hit him," Matros said. "The amount of his raise made it seem like he was pricing me into a call."

Matt laid down the hand. When he saw on the WPT cam that the Knife had J-6, guacamole splattered on my shirt as Matros' fist descended on the coffee table. Even so, you can't fault his play. The Knife, as Matros said over and over, is a "fantastic player" who had position and played brilliantly all tournament long.

One new facet of poker that has come into play is the "television factor." Playing for millions of dollars in front of dozens of cameras brings a unique set of challenges to a player at the final table. Did this have anything to do with Matros getting knocked out third? Well, let's just say that there's more to the bluff that knocked him out of the tournament than you saw on TV. Of course, if you want the details, you're going to have to read The Making of a Poker Player!

Editor's note: As the co-founder of Venture Literary, www.ventureliterary.com, Greg Dinkin represents authors, including Matt Matros, Phil Gordon, Amarillo Slim, Nolan Dalla, Jesse May, John Vorhaus, Victor Royer, and Ashley Adams. He is also the author of three books, including The Poker MBA, www.thepokermba.com.