Spider-Man Strikes

I was minding my own business one day a few weeks back when Creative Artists Agency (CAA) agent Nick Styne, who represents Cameron Diaz, Luke Wilson, and many other top stars, e-mailed me to ask about a hand that Tobey Maguire played against me. The e-mail read, "Was it a jackpot hand?"

I wondered, "How is it possible that Nick knows the details of this hand?"

It turns out that I have finally arrived … yeah, right! You see, I made Page 6 of the New York Post – which I had never heard of, but is supposed to be a big deal – where it was written: "A spy told me that Tobey crippled cantankerous poker pro Phil Hellmuth Jr. when his four of a kind beat Hellmuth's full house at the WPT's (World Poker Tour) Mirage championship no-limit hold'em tournament. Hellmuth responded by throwing a tirade."

Well … not exactly. I mean, Tobey did beat my full house with four of a kind – and yes, Nick, it was a jackpot hand. (And my wife and I agree that cantankerous is a good word to describe me!) However, as far as throwing a tirade goes, even though I have thrown far too many in my poker life, I didn't throw one in this case. Instead, I said, "Nice hand, Tobey." You see, I didn't feel that Tobey did anything wrong, and I happen to like him, as well. By all accounts, he is a good guy.

With the blinds at $100-$200 and a $25 ante, Tobey opened for $600 with the A Q. A few players passed, and then I made it $1,500 to go with the K K. Tobey called. The flop came down A A 4, and he bet out $3,000. These days, it seems like no one ever actually plays a hand straight up, especially by making a big pot-sized bet when hitting a monster hand. Thus, I didn't think Tobey would bet $3,000 into a $3,000 pot with an ace in his hand. So, I called the bet, with plans of who knows what on fourth street.

The 8 came off on the turn, and Tobey bet out $4,000. I called one more time, but began to strongly suspect that he had an ace. I was thinking I would dump my hand on the river for a big bet, or, less likely, call him down, depending on my read. The last card sealed my fate when the case ace hit the board (A-A-4-8-A). Now, I had an unbeatable hand, unless of course Tobey had the last ace. He bet out $5,000, and I studied briefly and decided that I couldn't fold my hand at this point. In fact, I probably would have called a bigger bet.

Afterward, Tobey berated himself, saying, "I should have bet more on the end, because there's no way you could have folded, and you had only $5,000 left. I really should have busted you." True, he should have busted me, but it is possible (but not likely) that I would have folded on the end for a $10,000 bet? For $5,000, I didn't even study him, which was a mistake, even though I don't think I could have folded anyhow.

In my next book, Bad Beats and Lucky Draws, I write that I believe that Tobey, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Ben Affleck are three of the stars to look out for in the future. And add new player James Woods and veterans Jerry Buss, Frank Mariani, and Gabe Kaplan to that list.

Editor's note: Chat or play poker with Phil at UltimateBet.com. To learn more about him, go to PhilHellmuth.com.