Interesting Times at Bellagio - Part I

In 1966 during a speech in Cape Town, South Africa, Robert F. Kennedy stated, "There is a Chinese curse which says, 'May he live in interesting times.' Like it or not, we live in interesting times." The origin may or may not be Chinese and the proverb may or may not have been conceived as a curse, but poker players certainly live in interesting times. Millionaires are made (or solidified) in almost every World Poker Tour (WPT) event. Corporate sponsorship and added prize money are no longer "pipe dreams." Lucrative television contracts have turned our game into a national pastime and one that is devoid of steroids (although Max Shapiro is looking suspiciously buff these days).

After enjoying the Festa al Lago tournament at the Bellagio Hotel and Casino two months ago, I was looking forward to another exciting WPT event at the same location. The Five-Diamond World Poker Classic II, a series of 15 tournaments, concluded with a five-day championship event that attracted 376 players. This tournament provided great action, a worthy champion, a definitive result in Card Player's coveted Player of the Year (POY) chase, a new WPT all-time money winner, and some interesting hands that we can study.

Day One: Players plunked down $15,300 in exchange for $30,000 in tournament chips. The blinds for this no-limit Texas hold'em contest began at an almost too comfortable $50-$100 and were scheduled to move up every 90 minutes of play.

Celebrity Alert

Jennifer Tilly

I could have watched some level-one play, but chose to hang with the ravishing and accomplished actress Jennifer Tilly, who was on hand to root for her close friend Phil Laak. Tilly is even more beautiful than she appears on screen. She is easy to talk to and very funny (the latter will come as no surprise if you have seen her on talk shows). Jennifer is no "Jenny come lately" to poker, having been taught the basics by her late dad many years ago. Approximately 10 years ago, she dated an actor who played in a regular Monday night game, but he wouldn't share strategy. The feisty Tilly decided, "I'll show you; I'll learn how to play on my own and then you'll have to let me play." She laughed and continued, "I learned, but he still didn't let me play." Her moves in the celebrity invitational televised event indicate that she has a good grasp of the game. Jennifer is involved in a relaxing, regular game with friends, but from a competitive standpoint, she prefers the games with Teamster employees that she plays when she is "on set." Tilly elaborated, "They really play hard to get your money, and I like that challenge." Jennifer's favorite game to play and to watch is no-limit hold'em, and I'll pass on the jokes about playing with pairs.

All or Nothing at All

Midway through the second level ($50-$100 blinds), Alan Goehring stands, tosses his sport coat over his right shoulder, and walks out of the room. What was Alan thinking when he moved in all of his chips? I don't know because I didn't see the hand, and as nice as Alan is, I'm not crazy about interviewing players who have just dropped $15,300 in less than three hours. Let's examine Alan's style and do some surmising. He is a fast, unpredictable player who creates action and gives action. He is also a player who benefits greatly from big-stack play because opponents realize he is fearless. I believe Goehring was looking for an opportunity to take substantial risk in an effort to double through and dominate his table all day. His opponent probably read into that plan and was willing to take greater risk against Alan than he would have against a more solid player. This thinking led to a meeting of their chips. The fact that Carlos Mortensen and Gus Hansen also went out early (successful players whom most would classify as "very aggressive and unpredictable") adds credence to this conjecture. The strongest players often finish near the top and near the bottom of the results sheet.

I watch Hasan Habib pile up chips and down some interesting looking concoction in a tin plate. He tells me its curry chicken with noodles. The players will be putting in nine hours today without a dinner break. Maintaining nourishment and fluids should be part of their game plan. Habib is one of the best in the game. His long-term record is stellar, and this year, according to my unofficial calculations, he is just shy of $2 million in prize pool earnings with 14 final-table finishes and three wins in major events. He's on his game today, making two excellent laydowns (confirmed by the player who held the winning hand in both instances) and making an incredible call with king high. Hasan will end his day in eighth place with $136,525 in chips.

Sammy Farha

Sammy Farha (without his cigarette prop) is playing at Habib's table. He picks up pocket eights and gets sandwiched between players who are raising with K-K and Q-Q. The flop comes Q-8-3 and, incredibly, the river brings Sammy's fourth 8.

A reporter's privilege of working "inside the ropes" is not met with equal enthusiasm by all. After a while, we realize whom to avoid and which players we can (almost literally) lean on. Daniel Negreanu is one who doesn't mind if I encroach on his space when he is playing. He talks and jokes with opponents and the media. It obviously works well for him. His attitude allows me to figuratively "be in the hand" when I am standing behind him. During the fifth level of play ($300-$600 blinds with $75 antes), Negreanu wages a battle against Thang "Kido" Pham. Kido opens from second position with a raise of $1,900. The player on the button calls. Negreanu also calls the raise. The threesome observe a flop of A 7 5. Daniel checks. Kido checks (I'm surprised). The player on the button also checks. The dealer turns the 3. Negreanu flips a blue $5,000 chip forward. Perhaps now we will be able to determine whether Kido has successfully trapped the aggressive Negreanu. Kido raises to $20,000. After one fold, Negreanu plays with his $114,000 in chips, seems genuinely troubled, and finally calls. The two remaining players observe the river card – a black queen. Daniel checks. Kido, as he often does, bets quickly. His wager is $50,000. I'll step back and let Daniel take over at this point. Negreanu stated, "Yikes, if I call this bet, I'm down to $38,000. If I fold, I'm ahead of the game with $88,000. But if I call and win, I'm way up there in chips. So, I start to process the action. I've already seen Kido (who'd been playing great) win a huge pot with the 4 2 earlier, so the idea that he could have 6-4 is very real to me. In fact, that's what kept flashing in my mind. If he didn't have that hand, I thought he was bluffing. I didn't put him on a set or aces up. So, then I looked at him. He looked stiff – very stiff. He looked nervous, and it didn't look staged. With my chip position on the line, I threw the $50,000 out there. 'Straight,' he said as he threw his hand in the muck! Yes! I caught him bluffing. He was kidding about the straight, obviously …"

Look, Listen, and Learn

I watch Lyle Berman, playing to Phil Hellmuth's immediate left, take a small pot from the 1989 world champion. I wasn't watching the players; I was watching Chris Bigler. Sitting across from the combatants, Bigler never took his eyes off the participants until well after the hand had been decided. He is a successful businessman and one of the most focused players in the game. Take a lesson from Chris and "stay in the game" after you fold your cards.

At the end of the day, we are down to 233 players. The nefarious Tony G. (Tony Guoga) leads Negreanu $224,500 to $217,175. David "Devilfish" Ulliott closed strongly and holds $169,550. Other name players with six-digit counts are Johnny Chan, Hellmuth, Lee Salem, Men "The Master" Nguyen, Phil Ivey, and Paul "Eskimo" Clark.

Day Two: Another five levels will be played today. Let's get to the important information right away. Habib's 4 p.m. meal consists of a medium cheeseburger, regular potato chips, a dill pickle, and a Coke.

Seeing the Chips Through the Forrest

Chris Bigler

Today, in an effort to improve our games, we will focus on 30 minutes of play (during level eight) and one of the top players in the game, Ted Forrest. After concentrating on ring games for many years, this feared high-stakes player has been incorporating more tournament play into his current schedule. You may have seen Ted finish fourth in a previous WPT event or on ESPN when he captured two bracelets this year (one for seven-card stud and the other for no-limit hold'em).

We pick up the action with Ted in the No. 10 seat and posting the big blind (the blinds are $600-$1,200 and antes are $200). He is not wearing his blue fisherman's hat today, and has chosen to go sans shades. He has accumulated approximately $150,000 in chips. An average stack is $64,091. Jim Worth raises $2,000 from seat No 4. Ted calls quickly and checks after observing the flop of A 7 7. His opponent checks in turn. A third 7 is greeted by two more checks. When the Q comes on the river, Ted casually tosses $3,000 into the pot. Worth, with $28,000 remaining in his stack, raises the minimum amount. Ted calls and mucks his hand when Jim shows an ace. Forrest defended his blind, made a late play for the pot, and called the final raise with good pot odds.

Ted Forrest

He and Worth hook up in the next hand. Ted reraises $35,000 from the small blind – enough to put Worth all in. Jim studies Ted. Ted looks in Jim's general direction. I read Forrest's demeanor as unthreatening, calm, and confident. That's his typical comportment. After almost two minutes of deliberation, Worth gives up.

Between hands, Ted downs some Diet Coke. He chats with Senthil Kumar in seat No. 9 and Howard "Bub" Lederer seated to Kumar's immediate right. With Ted on the button, Jim Miller raises to $5,000 and gets three callers (including Ted). When the flop comes A 10 9, Lederer bets $12,000 and everyone folds. Ted prefers to be the post-flop aggressor (as opposed to calling) in most instances.

After four players fold, Forrest limps in and is raised to $4,000 by the player to his left. Ted folds. He attempts to take flops with marginal hands because he reads so well on the next three streets.

Howard opens for $4,000. No one calls. The professor smiles and flips up pocket aces. His opponents are very happy they didn't pick up A-K.

Ted raises three times the big blind from under the gun. Everyone folds. Under-the-gun raises by strong players with good chip counts must be respected.

With Ted in the big blind, everyone folds to Kumar, who completes from the small blind. Ted does something unusual. He stays seated, but elevates his body, leans right, and deliberately peers over Kumar's left arm to check out his opponent's remaining chips. Then, Ted taps the felt and the dealer delivers the A 10 3. Kumar checks and Ted moves $10,000 into the pot. Kumar mucks his cards. Forrest picks up a high percentage of "unwanted" pots.

Ted is in the small blind. He waits until it is his turn to act before looking at his pocket cards. He calls an early-position $2,400 raise. Both players check the 10 8 2 flop. When the dealer turns the A, the original raiser moves all in with $32,000. Ted folds almost immediately. He makes most of his decisions quickly.

Ted becomes the second limper when he is in the cutoff seat. The big-blind player joins the fray and checks the flop of K 9 5. The original limper bets $5,000. Ted calls. Prior to the dealer burning a card, the original limper sends his remaining $38,500 into the pot. The dealer becomes confused, but several players announce, "He's betting in the dark." The turn card is a second king. Ted thinks for 10 seconds, then folds. The winner shows red aces. Howard turns analyst/professor, laughs, looks to his right, and asks, "Is that the card you wanted to see?" The winner, seeing the error of his ways, smiles and shakes his head from side to side. You never want to put yourself in a position where the only hands that can call are those that will beat you.

Ted played more pots than anyone at the table during these two rounds. He increased his stack size by approximately $3,000. He is fun to watch and a good player to study.

Forrest suffers some defeats early in the evening and drops to $61,000 and 63rd place at the close of play.

There are 82 players remaining. Our leader board is:

Day Three: Oops, I stomped on my word quota for the first few days, so I'll be brief. The middle day of a five-day event can be tricky. Players are tired, the blinds and antes are very meaningful (leading tight players down the path of ruin), and it is natural to look ahead. Seasoned pros have an advantage on day three. Of course, the distribution of cards can be an equalizer. In one such instance, Hellmuth's K-K is snapped by Charles Hiatt's A J when the board shows A-K-Q-10. Phil takes this defeat as well as we might expect. He faces the audience, holds the kings in the air, and berates Hiatt for better than a minute as the winner neatly stacks his chips. Phil tells us, "That's the worst call I've ever seen. He called a hundred and sixty thousand with A-J." Hiatt listens patiently. When Phil stops discussing the hand, Charles looks up and replies, "I'm just playing cards, buddy." The WPT camera crew was all over this commotion, so I'm sure that if any of day three play hits the small screen, this hand will.

Hmm, it's starting to look like I have manufactured some "spotlight luck" for the players I have been following:

• Negreanu goes all in with his last $136,000. He holds the Q J and the board is K 9 2. Sure enough, the 10 hits on the turn, giving Daniel a straight flush. He then begins a rapid ascent to the chip lead at day's end.

Hasan Habib

• Habib, undaunted by the fact that yesterday's cheeseburger didn't produce incredible results, goes with a medium hamburger today (with chips, dill pickle, and a Coke). He adds a nourishing brownie, since seven levels (10 and a half hours of actual play) will be on the poker menu today. His food group selection works well. Habib plays his way up to fifth place. He is puzzled by my continuous monitoring of his meals, and asks if I'd like to take his blood pressure tomorrow. What a great idea! I love it when players help with my articles.

• Forrest moves in with pocket sevens, only to watch Lederer call with A-A. Of course, since we featured Ted yesterday, he snags a 7 on the turn and goes on a tear, finishing with $701,000.

The chips of the remaining 18 are bagged and tagged. The top eight are:

Day Four: The field is trimmed to 10 players quickly (during the $12,000-$24,000 level). I anticipate a short day (only four more players must fall to establish a field of six for the Travel Channel television taping tomorrow). I'm wrong. "We" play another five hours before Habib's A-Q fails to catch up to Negreanu's pocket tens during the $30,000-$60,000 level. Along with that hand, Daniel wins several big pots to move well ahead of the pack.

Hasan did not eat well today. He went big on fat and carbohydrates, consuming two huge vanilla cream-topped muffins and several Cokes. His plan was to keep it light and use the sugar for energy, then feast on beef kabob for dinner after the close of play. Hasan played well today, and played along with my food monitoring, but he was constrained by Negreanu, who was seated to his immediate left. Daniel is always challenging to play against, but an opponent's problems are compounded when Negreanu is the chip leader and in position (except in this case, when Hasan had the button).

Goal Set; Goal Met

Eric Weiner's flopped set of nines falls to Daniel's flopped straight. The "Costa Rican Rocket" gets up and shakes hands with his opponents. As Daniel sits and scoops up the chips, he is assured of at least a ninth-place finish. He knows that will lock up Player of the Year for 2004, a prestigious honor that he had established as a goal in January. I once attended a seminar (in a past life, when I actually worked) in which the leader stressed setting objectives in written form. I followed his suggestion and it seemed to work. My advice, try writing your goals down in 2005; it certainly can't hurt.

Harman's Prestidigitation

Jennifer Harman gave us a terrific lesson in short-stack maneuvering today. Finally, she committed her remaining checks to 5-5. Harman would have made Houdini proud, as she escaped from under Humberto Brenes' 6-6 as quickly as one could say "presto" when a 5 appeared on the flop. After watching Jennifer play for 12 hours over the last three days, I understand why many of the top pros state that she is unequivocally the best female player in the world.

Here is our final table:

Will Negreanu keep firing or sit on his substantial chip lead until several players are eliminated? Will Rassi force action (Steve has a propensity for moving all in frequently)? Will Brenes, a seasoned pro, show us some short-stack magic?

Lee will return in the next issue to answer these questions and provide detailed final-table coverage. You can e-mail him with comments, questions, or suggestions for feature articles at [email protected].