Poker History in Monte Carlo

Monte Carlo, in the Principality of Monaco, where all the hotels are five-star and the taxis are fine Mercedes Benzs, is quite a setting for a poker tournament.



The Monte Carlo Millions, hosted by PrimaPoker, recently concluded there. This exclusive tournament was limited to a field of 120 players, with a guaranteed prize pool of $3 million and $1 million going to the winner. The main event and consolation event will be shown on FoxSportsNet in late January in a 10-part series.



A twist was added to this year's event. All players who did not make the final table got to play in a consolation event, with the winner guaranteed $100,000 and a seat at the final table of the main event and another shot at $1 million. Also, the buy-in was increased to $25,000 this year.



Poker history was made when both final tables were played and filmed in the Salon Prive of Monte Carlo Casino. The Salon Prive is the invitation-only private room for exclusive players, and is located adjacent to the main casino. Poker had never been played in the casino before, so it was very special. The magnificent room features 30-foot high ceilings, priceless art, gold laminate, and ornate frescoed ceilings.



The top 12 spots were paid in the main event, and 10 percent went to the top 12 spots in the Monte Carlo Gold consolation event. The structure was outstanding. We started with $50,000 in chips and 90-minute levels. There were 118 players, 43 Americans and 75 from the rest of the world, mostly Europe. Twelve qualified online to win their seats.



I finished 23rd in the main event. I made a bad play with $130,000 in chips, when the average was more than $260,000. A player to my right raised to $10,000 with the blinds at $1,500-$3,000. I had A-10, decided to make a marginal call, and the flop came A-Q-3. He checked and I bet $20,000. He called. The turn card was another 3. He checked. I liked the 3. When you get close to the money, players tend to tighten up and play better hands as they try to make the money. Some pros will take advantage of this to pick up the blinds. This player was not a pro. I should have been suspicious when he called on the flop. I bet $40,000, and after a brief 10 seconds, he raised all in. I could have folded there and been short, but still have a shot. So, of course, I called off the rest of my chips. He showed A-Q and I was done. Here's some advice to novices: Be deliberate in your decisions and have the discipline to save chips when it's obvious you're beat.



Here's an amusing story from day two. We redrew for seats and Phil Hellmuth was in seat No. 1 and I was in seat No. 4. On the second hand dealt, there was a raise in front of Phil and he reraised all in. Jani Sointula, last year's Monte Carlo Millions champion, was sitting to his left, and after 30 seconds made the call. Phil had Jani covered in chips. The original raiser folded. Phil showed J-J and Jani A-K offsuit. The flop was all small cards and the turn was a king. Jani doubled up and Phil was left with $18,000. He went into his ranting routine, saying, "How can you make that call? You called off all your chips with A-K? This is last year's champion, what a joke!" The player to my right, a novice, told Phil that he should have just called the original raiser and gone all in on the flop of all small cards. I almost fell off my chair laughing hysterically. Here's a bulletin to all novices: Please don't try to give a world champion, nine-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner, reigning National Heads-Up Championship winner, and winner of dozens of other events advice at the poker table. Priceless!



The consolation event was played the day before the main-event final, and the winner got a seat at the final table and chips in the amount of 10 times the big blind. We started with 104 players, and were given $20,000 in chips with 30-minute levels, using the same structure as the main event. I had built my stack up by having pocket aces three times and winning big pots on two of them. When I got K-K, I ran into A-A, which put me down to $50,000. I had J-J versus A-K and doubled up to $117,000 at the dinner break with 40 players left. After dinner, I lost two big hands and was down to $50,000 when I found A-A for a fourth time. I got it all in against 9-9 and he flopped K-J-9 for a set. I was getting ready to depart my chair when an ace fell on the river. Wow! Two hands later, I won a nice pot with J-J and was at $140,000. With A-Q versus 10-10, I hit another ace on the river to take me to $170,000 with 18 players left.



Then, the cards went dead. When the cards go dead, you must have a lot of patience and wait it out. And then it got worse. I woke up with K-K and got it all in versus A-Q for a $120,000 pot. My opponent hit an ace on the flop and I was down to $50,000. I made the final 12 and the money as the short stack with $36,000, and then I got lucky against the chip leader. My A-5 versus A-Q flopped a 5 and I stayed alive. And then my A-9 versus 7-7 hit an ace. I was now up to $185,000 and we went to the final table of nine, to play down to the final seven. I was in the esteemed company of John Juanda, Ted Forrest, Antonio Esfandiari, and Dave "Devilfish" Ulliott. After one player was knocked out, Forrest called an Esfandiari bet on a flop of 9-3-2 with A-8, Antonio showed A-9, and Forrest was eliminated. The final seven was set, and I was the short stack, as follows:

The blinds were $8,000-$16,000 and the average stack was $333,000. Key hands included my A-7 losing to Victor's Q-2, and my 10-10 making a flush to beat John's K-10 after a king fell on the turn. Then, an interesting hand played out. Juanda raised. Victor thought a long time and folded his hand faceup before I acted. He had 4-4 and got a 10-minute penalty for exposing his cards with action yet to come. I looked down to find pocket tens and called. Juanda had K-10. The flop was 7-4-3 rainbow and Victor would have flopped a set and eliminated me, but instead, I doubled up. But, I then made a bad call with A-2 suited when Victor raised with 5-5 and doubled him up.



Antonio had been aggressive and was up to $1.3 million out of a total of $2.08 million in chips. Johan made a questionable play with about $300,000 with five players left. He went all in on the button with K-7 offsuit. Juanda woke up with J-J and busted him.



Victor finally succumbed to me and we were down to three. I was up to $500,000, Antonio had $1 million, and Juanda had $500,000. I was in the small blind with the blinds at $25,000-$50,000. Antonio was on the button and moved all in. He had been steadily raising from the button, and I knew he hadn't been that strong from previous hands. I found A-9 and called. Antonio showed A-5. I was in a dominating position, but a 5 came on the flop. Antonio went on to lose his 3-to-1 chip lead, and John Juanda won the last seat at the final table of the main event.



At the final table, the starting chip counts were as follows:

It was the Phil Ivey show all the way, and he claimed the trophy. Congratulations, Phil!