Riding the Circuit

ESPN has become a huge player in the poker industry. Its coverage of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) gets better and more expansive each year. In 2005 the network even produced a dramatic series around the lives and exploits of fictional poker players and mythical casino management. Alas, TILT was preposterous at the outset and predictable in the end, but I applaud the effort.

In 2004 Harrah's Entertainment Inc. escalated its involvement with poker when it paid $44.3 million for the WSOP rights and the Horseshoe name in Nevada. When asked about his feelings on this acquisition, Howard Greenbaum, a savvy, longtime poker supporter and current VP of Gaming at Harrah's, enthusiastically stated, "Everybody wants to play in the World Series of Poker. It's like dying and going to heaven for a poker player." Well, "everybody" may be a tad high. How about 5,131 players (my guess) for the main event this year?

Doug Lee (left) and Gabriel Thaler await final-table action to begin.

Buoyed by the spectacular, record-breaking turnout that led to Greg Raymer's historical $5 million payday in 2004, Harrah's and ESPN decided to hook up and extend the WSOP by taking the show on the road. The 2005 WSOP Tournament Circuit kicked off at Harrah's Atlantic City location. Monthly events are being held, concluding in mid-July at the legendary Horseshoe casino in Las Vegas, where the final two days of the WSOP championship event will be contested. Players earn points for entering each tour tournament and bonus points are awarded based on place of finish. The top 100 players, determined by total point accumulation during tour events, gain entry into a freeroll tournament sporting a $2 million prize pool that will be held at the Rio All-Suites Hotel and Casino in August. The event has been dubbed the Tournament of Champions. That name rings a bell.

The third stop on the 2005 WSOP tour is also the Rio, long a cherished local hangout known for terrific buffets and festive atmosphere. The question was, "Who would feel most festive on March 23 when the $10,000 championship event prize pool was distributed?"

The (approximately) 130 spectators and members of the press witnessed multiple lead changes, many interesting hands, and inner-ear-threatening crowd support for one participant. The final table consisted of the 10 players shown below, survivors from a starting field of 222:

The total prize pool is $2,109,005. Our finalists will be gunning for the top prize of $695,970, an entry into the Tournament of Champions, a gold and diamond ring, and 1,056 Card Player POY (Player of the Year) points in the battle to dethrone Daniel Negreanu (who just might be reluctant to vacate).

At 2:45 p.m. John Grooms, our Southern-rooted tournament director, drawls, "Shuffle up and deal." Each player antes $1,000 at this level. The blinds are $4,000 (small blind) and $8,000 (big blind).

Hand No. 1: The dealer pushes the first pot to Doug Lee after the Calgary resident raises to $18,000 from the cutoff seat (one right of the button). Lee, nicknamed "The Canadian Super Bomber," treats us to a repeat performance in the second hand. I spoke with the 35-year-old real estate investor before play began. Lee told me early aggression would be part of his game plan, based on his relative chip position and natural style. Doug seemed calm and confident for a player making his first appearance on television (this event will be aired in July).

Hand No. 3: Tony Ma needs to make a move soon and decides the time is right. The 48-year-old native of Vietnam pushes $24,000 forward. Thaler ("you can call me Gabe or Gabriel"), a 31-year-old professional who has garnered six WSOP in-the-money finishes, raises another $80,000. Tony quickly motions all in. Gabe calls the extra $20,000 and shows black pocket jacks. Surprisingly, Ma flips up the remaining jacks. The pot is halved.

Hand No. 4: Jean-Robert Bellande makes his presence known by raising to $24,000. The 34-year-old nightclub owner/promoter rakes in the pot and informs Kevin Keller that he made a good laydown from the big blind. The winner, a candidate for poker's top 10 weirdest-dressed table talkers, is decked out in beige ski cap, shades, a dark sport coat, and dark slacks. He wears black rubber shower shoes sans socks. Jean-Robert turns out to be a funny, interesting guy away from the table (we chatted during breaks), but an intimidating, controlling, often annoying babbler during play. He takes the sixth hand away from Tom Macey when he moves over the top and all in on the turn. He looks at Tom, knuckles the table, and exclaims, "Excellent laydown!"

Hand No. 7: Macey, a 37-year-old Chicago bankruptcy attorney, raises to $24,000 (all initial raises have been three times the big blind thus far). Phil Ivey, in the big blind, seems interested in seeing his first action. The man with four gold bracelets for WSOP victories gently places $24,000 in front of his cards. The flop is K K Q. Both players check. They also check the 5 turn card. The dealer places the J on the board to an accompanying chorus of "oohs" from the crowd (a royal flush is possible). Tom bets a tempting $20,000. Phil cogitates and calls. Macey shows A-K. Ivey mucks his hand. Phil picks up a pot two hands later when he moves in and Jean-Robert refuses to tangle.

Hand No. 11: Tony Ma leaves us. He pushes in after Jean-Robert makes it $25,000 to go. Jean-Robert calls the additional $73,000. His A K has the likeable, congenial 1999 player of the year and two-time bracelet winner's holding dominated (Tony shows the A J, a 67-to-28 underdog). I'm sure you noticed those numbers do not add up to 100 percent. That's because these holdings will result in a split pot approximately 5 percent of the time. A king and a jack flop. The K ends the battle on the turn.

Hand No. 12: Jennifer Harman has been an observer to this point, as has our chip leader, Grant Lang. Jennifer sports a bright-red Full Tilt Poker tee shirt under a black leather jacket. She looks comfy in designer jeans. When Jean-Robert limps in (calls the $8,000 big blind) from under the gun (first player to act), Jen calls. Grant completes from the small blind and Macey taps the table from his big blind spot. The four players view a flop of J 4 2. Lang leads at the flush possibility with a bet of $24,000. Only Harman calls. They both check the 7 on the turn and 10 on the river. Jen, at ease during WSOP final tables, having appeared seven times previously, shows top pair and takes the pot.

Hand No. 14: Dennis Perry raises to $30,000 from early position and all fold. The retired Kentucky ironworker sucks on a lollipop. He wears a patriotic camouflage hat with a United States flag emblem. Five rings adorn his hands.

Hand No. 17: Macey raises to $24,000. Bellande looks perplexed, but reraises another $56,000. All muck to Macey, who quickly moves in. That leaves $74,000 for Jean-Robert to call. He does so, showing the 7 7. Tom trails slightly. He is a 45-to-55 underdog with the A K, but leaps to the lead after a favorable flop of K J 4. Alas, running hearts follow and Macey makes his way to the cashier's cage.

Hand No. 18: Ivey, relatively quiet thus far, now raises all in from his button position after Bellande limps in. It will cost Jean-Robert an additional $79,000. He believes he has the best hand and informs the crowd. Then, he calls and confirms his opinion when he reveals the

A 10 and Phil displays the 9 5. The crowd is quiet, sensing we will lose our 28-year-old superstar. The 10 flops and Ivey fails to score runner-runner. Phil is the epitome of professionalism and a great player for newcomers to emulate. Jean-Robert continues to play aggressively and hit his key cards. He has terminated all three of our departed players.

Hand No. 30: We have been playing with $5,000-$10,000 blinds and $1,000 antes for the last 30 minutes. Thaler raises to $32,000. Perry moves all in. Dennis has been (almost literally) blinded down to his current $33,000 stake. Gabe flips in a blue chip. He has Dennis in trouble, revealing A-K versus Dennis' A-4. The flop comes with a pair of kings and we are down to six.

Hand No. 44: Keller moves in with his remaining $79,000. Thaler is playing with his chips and looking across the table at Kevin. After 15 seconds, Gabe announces, "Call." He is in the lead with the A J versus the K 6, but Kevin hits a 6 on the flop. After the 8 turns, Kevin needs to avoid an ace or jack. He cannot. Keller's sixth-place finish was the model of consistency. He played his way up to fourth place at the conclusion of day one, fifth after day two, and arrived at the final table in fourth place.

Jean-Robert has taken a substantial lead by applying pressure with his strong hands, calling with marginal ones, and catching nice boardcards.

Grant won only the 21st hand. He has played very few hands and dropped 30 percent of his chips. But, he has moved up from a guaranteed payday of $29,525 to being assured of at least $126,540. Previously, I have written about playing according to your comfort level and financial needs. It appears as if Grant has decided to play premium hands only. One of the cool things about being a chip leader at a final table where major money is involved is you have the capability of putting pressure on others who may be looking to move up the prize pool ladder. Grant has flatly rejected this strategy.

Hand No. 52: Grant, severely short-stacked after losing a big hand to Lee when he held 10-10 versus Doug's J-J, now moves in from the button after Jennifer raises to $25,000. Grant has only $26,000. Everyone, with the exception of Gabe, decides to see the flop. There is "teamwork checking" until the river deuce, when Jen bets and the others fold. She reveals pocket deuces and a full house. We are down to four.

Jennifer Harman with husband, Marco Traniello (left), and Chau Giang, prior to the commencement of the final table.

Hand No. 70: Jean-Robert made an excellent call in the previous hand, picking off Gabe's king-high bluff with a pair of sixes. He decides to invest his newly won chips immediately and raises to $30,000. Jennifer has played selectively (now sitting behind roughly $275,000 after winning only four hands of the previous 25). She calls and the two momentarily observe a flop of J 10 8 before Jen bets $60,000. Jean-Robert asks her, "How much do you have left?" She replies, and he quickly states, "I'll put you in for it." Jen leans back in her chair, folds her arms across her chest, and studies the chip leader. She places her hands behind her head momentarily. Now, she leans forward and says, "I call." After her opponent reveals his 9-8 (bottom pair and straight draw), Jen shows top pair with a king kicker. The turn is the A (note that this is a great card for Harman, since Bellande loses his ability to make a winning straight with a queen). The 6 ends the hand and Jen doubles through.

Hands No. 74, 75, 76, and 77: Lee wins these hands. After the 73rd hand, the antes were raised to $2,000 with blinds going up to $6,000-$12,000.

Hand No. 78: Jean-Robert raises to $35,000. I assume Lee will call or raise. Why? He is on the button, but more importantly, during the break Doug and I talked about his strong belief in rushes. While I realize there are psychological factors that improve the chances of one winning multiple hands consecutively, I'm more of a mathematical type. But, the streak that he is on and a longer one that will follow certainly made an impression on me. Lee does call. The dealer flops the K 7 6 and Jean-Robert pushes $50,000 forward. Doug calls quickly. Jean-Robert checks when the 10 is turned. Doug fires $100,000 and is called. A true hold'em card, the 2, arrives on the river. After Jean-Robert checks, Lee bets $200,000. Jean-Robert ponders and calls. Do you think Lee has the goods or was he pushing a weak to marginal hand into perceived opponent weakness? I'm thinking Jean-Robert will take the pot. I'm wrong. Lee wins with kings and tens. His streak ends when Jennifer takes in the next pot, but Doug's recent tear has propelled him to a solid chip lead: He has more than $1 million; Harman sits behind $502,000; Bellande is down to $430,000; and Thaler is short at $220,000.

Hand No. 80: Jean-Robert and Doug battle to the river. Doug takes the lead on the flop, both check the turn, and Doug bets $100,000 on the river. Jean-Robert calls and wins with top pair, taking down Doug's no-pair bluff. Bellande's style is to contest hands to the fullest. He does not give up easily.

Hand No. 95: Thaler comes over the top of Lee's $38,000 raise with an additional $110,000. Jean-Robert, after a 144-second Hollywood performance that includes sunglass removal, also enters the pot – with all of his chips. After Lee quickly mucks, Gabriel seems upset. He runs his hand through his hair, leans back, and sighs. Here's what I believe Thaler is thinking about:

1. Jean-Robert is willing to tangle with Lee, the chip leader who raised under the gun and now looms behind him

2. Jean-Robert risks elimination in this hand

3. Jean-Robert moved all in against two players

4. Thaler knows his opponents probably perceive his own game as solid

These factors add up to a big hand for Bellande. If Gabe held A-A (and probably K-K, since Bellande is not a tight player), he'd have called within 10 seconds. If Gabe held a smaller pair than queens, he'd have folded. Gabe must have Q-Q or A-K. He is considering the odds he is getting and whether he can fold and claw his way back with a tiny stack (I don't think Mr. Grooms told us how much Gabe has left, so we'll have to learn that from the ESPN telecast). He finally decides to risk his remaining chips and shows A-K. He is dominated by Jean-Robert's K-K. The case king comes on the turn and Thaler departs with fourth-place money.

Hand No. 117: Jennifer raises to $40,000 from the button. Jean-Robert mucks. Doug tries to take the pot away with an $80,000 reraise. Before he can move all of his checks into the pot, Jennifer announces, "I'm all in." Doug takes five seconds to say he's folding. He shows an ace. The crowd roars, as it has done throughout the day, when Jen takes down a pot. One female fan with a booming voice has bellowed, "C'mon, Jennifer" more than 20 times. Alas, the loud lady is sitting five feet from me. I am also seated near Marco, Jen's husband, and Chau Giang, one of her high-limit cash game opponents. They are politely clapping and talking to her during breaks. She seems to be back in stride, winning the next three of five hands, including two more all-in reraises that folded her adversary in each instance. As the clock moves past 9:30 p.m., my unofficial chip count is: Lee $880,000, Harman $590,000, and Bellande $750,000.

Hand No. 132: The two big stacks have been tangling frequently, with Jennifer observing intently. She mucks from the button. While she was lifting with her cards prior to mucking, one or both may have been exposed. They are shown to be the 9 4. Jen is showing minor signs of frustration (probably at the lack of decent starting hands). She sees the possibility of picking up chips because both opponents are playing loosely, but neither is bluffed easily, thus she can't power her weak hands through. Jean-Robert completes from the small blind and Doug motions for a flop. After Jean-Robert checks the flop of A 4 3, Doug bets $50,000. The turn is the 2. Jean-Robert defers to Doug, who bets $150,000. Their betting tempo has accelerated. Jean-Robert leans back, thinks briefly, and says he's all in. Doug calls in a flash. Jean-Robert tables the 6 4 and Doug shows the 8 5, a wheel straight. Bellande's fans yell for a 5, but the river card is another ace and we lose the exciting, demonstrative Jean-Robert. As if scripted, this hand concludes play at the current level. After a 10-minute break, Doug and Jennifer will begin heads-up play with the antes at $2,000 and the blinds at $8,000-$16,000. Doug leads $1,693,000 to $527,000.

Hand No. 140: Including the last three pots when play was threehanded, Lee has won 10 consecutive hands. This is the best streak I can remember at a $10,000 buy-in final table. After Jen's frequent folds, Doug has shown A-Q, K-K, and another hand that I couldn't see. Later, he tells me he was getting incredible cards during his big run. To Jennifer's credit, she has not gone on tilt and has enough chips to be threatening. She brings it in for $50,000. Doug quickly motions all in. He sits back in his chair. After 10 seconds, Jen, now somewhat pot-committed, calls and reveals the Q 7. Doug's Q 9 dominates her hand. The crowd roars for her to survive. She has a 39 percent chance to win or chop to Doug's 74 percent combined expectation. Things look bleaker (Jen's probabilities drop to a 17 percent chance of winning and approximately 11 percent of chopping) after the dealer flops the J 4 2. Her many fans scream for a 7 and, as if ordained, the 7 arrives on the turn, enabling Jennifer to double through. When I asked Doug how he felt playing "against" Jennifer's strong following, he told me it didn't bother him because he understood she lived in Las Vegas, had all the women on her side, and is a star player. In the following eight hands, Harman survives two more all-in situations when Lee folds each time she puts her stack at risk.

Hand No. 149: We have passed the 10:30 p.m. mark. Doug moves $48,000 forward. Jen looks at her stack of almost $500,000 and announces she is raising. She decides on $160,000 more. Doug calls quickly and we see the K 10 2. That flop seems to inspire Jen, who after four seconds pushes her remaining $267,000 forward. Doug, surprisingly, calls quickly and shows only second pair with a 9 kicker. Jen has Q-Q. The harmless 4 arrives on the turn and I prepare for a long night. But, lady luck must be wearing a Calgary jersey tonight, because the river card is the 10, giving Lee trips and his first major victory.

Doug moved forward each day (57th after day one, ninth after day two, and seventh at the start of final-table play). Today he accumulated chips early on, picked his spots for the next three hours, played his rushes flawlessly, and used his great heads-up starting hands to power through the stretch. Harman battled through a slew of ragged starting hands, maximized her good cards, handled her short stack to near perfection, and came within a river card of a very possible victory.

The next stop on the WSOP tour will be Harrah's Lake Tahoe from April 26 through May 10.

Lee answers all mail at [email protected]. He welcomes questions, comments, and suggestions for feature articles.