Chip Reese admires his prize money and bracelet after winning the $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. event.
The Amazon Room at the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino can hold more than 200 poker tables, and, at any given time, houses enough players and dealers to populate a small town. People, days, time, low buy-in tournaments, and anything else not nailed down by profound significance tend to disappear into the frenzy of the World Series of Poker. That said, the talk surrounding the $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. event began months ago with Harrah's announcement of its creation. By July 11, the tournament with a buy-in five times that of the main event monopolized the conversations of fans, players, and the media.
H.O.R.S.E., as you already may have guessed, serves as an acronym for a specific set of mixed games, played in a fixed order: (H) hold'em, (O) Omaha eight-or-better,® razz, (S) seven-card stud, (E) stud eight-or-better. And while the exact origins of the game may be up for debate, one thing's certain: Thanks to the 2006 World Series of Poker, H.O.R.S.E., and the traditions of the high-stakes mixed game, are back.
For the man who championed the reinstatement of H.O.R.S.E. to the World Series schedule, the days filled with buzz not related to the main event must have been incredibly gratifying.
"It was Daniel's [Negreanu] idea to start with," T.J. Cloutier said, sitting at a poker table only hours before the tournament.
While Cloutier credits Negreanu with introducing the idea, the Player Advisory Board (which includes Negreanu, Cloutier, Howard Lederer, Scotty Nguyen, Jennifer Harman, and Robert Williamson III) worked with WSOP officials to make the H.O.R.S.E. event a reality.
The individual motivations for each player may have differed, but the group united around one concept: Create an event that harkened back to the glory days of the WSOP; namely, a tournament featuring a highly competitive field, allowing players to showcase expertise in a variety of games.
"In the original World Series of Poker, they didn't really worry about the turnout," Negreanu stated while standing outside the ropes of the H.O.R.S.E. event. "Let's forget about the bottom line; let's talk about an event that truly crowns the best player."
In order to attract such an elite field, Negreanu said the $50,000 buy-in was paramount. "The truly best players are those who play at the highest stakes."
The basic idea was, turn the "World Series of Hold'em" back into the World Series of Poker.
On July 12, Negreanu, the PAB, and WSOP executives found out just how successful the $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. event would be.
Day One – The World's Greatest Home Game
The first participant to arrive in the Amazon Room was Doyle Brunson. But Brunson wasn't early for the H.O.R.S.E. event; he came for the opening ceremonies of the popular $1,500 seniors no-limit hold'em tournament. Brunson recited the Pledge of Allegiance with the starting field of 1,184 players, and then watched the induction ceremony of his good friend, and Super/System contributor, Mike Caro into the Seniors Poker Hall of Fame.
When players did start to filter in from the hallways and various poker suites, the conversations floating around the Amazon Room centered on the starting field, and in particular, that it was bigger than anyone expected.
"Early on, when we heard about this event, we thought there'd be 60, 70 players max," Erick Lindgren admitted, "but then as it came on, we heard about some online satellites and realized more people would play."
All in all, 19 tables occupied the section roped off for H.O.R.S.E., indicating a number in the range of 150.
"I think it's a pretty juicy field," Lindgren smiled.
If online qualifiers and satellite winners did increase the total turnout, the majority of $50,000 chip stacks still belonged to the big-name pros. An overall sense of excitement, rare during a stretch that features more than 40 tournaments in a span of a month and a half, developed as players took seats with friends, rivals, mentors, bosses, teammates, and family members.
On day one, the H.O.R.S.E. event had the look and feel of the world's most star-studded home game. Amid the joking and conversations, Mike "The Mouth" Matusow took requests, using his cellphone to find out the odds on any player who asked.
"Everybody knows each other," Matusow said before the tournament. "We'll be playing with the same people we've been playing with the last 10 years."
Scanning the tournament floor verified Matusow's statement. Few tables featured one unknown player, let alone an entire field, like most WSOP events. The draws read like fantasy rosters: Table 133 – Hellmuth, Elezra, Harman, Amit, Ramdin, Gazes, Zolotow; Table 137 – Juanda, Ivey, Violette, King, Raymer; Table 150 – Brunson, Fischman, Hennigan, Awada, Phillips.
With action under way, the format for the inaugural $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. event called for game changes every 40 minutes, with community-card games sharing blinds and antes and draw variations sharing antes, bring-ins, and limits. Stakes increased every full round of H.O.R.S.E. (200 minutes). The nine players who reached the final table would play no-limit Texas hold'em exclusively.
As time progressed, the similarities between the H.O.R.S.E. tournament and an all-star game became more apparent. Beyond the abundance of talent, both share identical trajectories: The excitement wanes and the competitive nature of the players reveals itself.
By hour number two, with the introduction of razz, the "grind" of normal tournament play kicked in. The chatter died, the headphones came on, and the poker players focused on playing poker.
"It's deep-stack poker," Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi said during a break.
Deep stack and deeper field. Play continued for close to seven hours before Arturo Diaz, the winner of a 13-hour H.O.R.S.E. satellite the night before, unceremoniously got up and walked away from his table. There was no announcement and no reaction from the other players – only a vacant chair.
More eliminations followed: Layne Flack, Hasan Habib, and Scott Fischman, the last player to win a WSOP H.O.R.S.E. event.
By the end of the first leg, with fewer than 15 players dropping from contention, tournament officials expected a long, grueling second day.
Day Two – Hard Day's Night
"Miami" John Cernuto was the first player on the tournament floor for day two. He strolled between tables, glancing at the bagged up chips slumped on the felt.
"This is amongst ourselves, it's war," Cernuto said before taking his seat. "It's kinda like a little battle going on."
In 2002, John "World" Hennigan won the "little battle" in the first H.O.R.S.E. event in WSOP history. The key word is "little," as the tournament featured a $2,000 buy-in. Doyle Brunson took bragging rights in 2003, and Scott Fischman followed the next year. But in 2005, WSOP executives removed H.O.R.S.E. from the official schedule.
Players embraced the mixed-game format decades before 2002, and they continued to play after 2005. The $4,000-$8,000 "Big Game," made famous by Phil Ivey, Chip Reese, and Barry Greenstein, to name a few, kept mixed-game play at the forefront of the poker community.
"We play 14 games every day," explained Reese. "We switch games every eight hands. We not only play those five H.O.R.S.E. games, we play nine other games."
The return of the H.O.R.S.E. event meant players again had the opportunity to show off their poker chops on a global stage. The multi-game format, along with the massive $50,000 buy-in, even drew the attention of the Big Game participants. "All my friends wanted to win this tournament," continued Reese. "We all talked about it for a while."
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| David Singer |
T.J. Cloutier |
Jim Bechtel |
The bragging rights, and bankroll potential, set the tone for day two. Players entered the Amazon Room stoic, workmanlike, and determined. The all-star game was over, and it was time to make the playoff push. The magnitude of the event escaped no one, as fans bunched along the rails and WSOP Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack assured the remaining field that all player needs would be met.
For most, the greatest need was to survive. Unlike day one, the middle third of the $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. event required a certain number of eliminations in order to conclude. Players hitting the rails exhibited intense displays of frustration, disappointment, and anger. Negreanu, a massively successful pro and one who rarely shows consternation at the table, wore a hard look after his day-two exit.
Each player had a reason to feel pressure. Cernuto equated winning a bracelet in the event to being the Most Valuable Player in the American League. Lindgren approached the event from a different perspective: "[Winning] It means I get the two million bucks, or $1.5 million, or whatever the hell it is. I just want the money."
During a break, Gavin Smith broke down the mindset of the field. "It depends on the pro. I would guess most are probably more interested in the money," Smith stated, "but the bragging rights that go along with it are nice, also."
The $1,784,640 and $1,029,600 first- and second-place prizes, both the largest non-main-event payouts in WSOP history, gave any player plenty of reason to pick the cash over the prestige.
As the hours ticked from late night to early morning, a majority of the field watched any hopes of the money or the bracelet disappear, but not so for some of the regulars of the Big Game. Phil Ivey, Doyle Brunson, and Barry Greenstein all battled back from the felt and made late pushes for final-table appearances. Chip Reese, considered by many to be the most versatile poker player in the world, spent a good part of his day raking pots and accumulating chips.
When the action condensed to two tables, play became the definition of "grind." Conversation halted, and players made calculated, deliberate movements, as if in fear of exerting any unnecessary energy.
In spite of the cold conditions of the Amazon Room and the long hours, veterans Brunson, Cloutier, Reese, and Dewey Tomko played on. Reese credited the resiliency of his fellow players with the demands put on them in the early days of their careers.
"[Thirty years ago at the Flamingo] When we convened for a game, it was just understood that everybody in the game played at least 24 hours," Reese said, "and usually 36."
The final 16 players in the $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. event were:
Table 114
1. Barry Greenstein
2. Chip Reese
3. Joe Cassidy
4. Patrik Antonius
5. Ralph Perry
6. David Singer
7. Jim Bechtel
8. Phil Ivey
Table 118
1. Gavin Smith
2. David Levi
3. Dewey Tomko
4. T.J. Cloutier
5. Andy Bloch
6. Doyle Brunson
7. Robert Williamson
8. Cuong Do
Players employed all types of tactics to stay warm – and awake. Andy Bloch took to standing every few minutes, stretching his arms and sitting back down, while Robert Williamson III executed short wind sprints in between hands.
Out of the 143-player starting field, 16 positions paid, and at 6:29 a.m. PDT, Cuong Do became the first player in the $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. event to receive a check ($137,280).
Robert Williamson's 10th-place finish ($205,920), courtesy of a Tomko full house, marked the final elimination of day two. Nine pros remained and would return 12 hours later to crown the first-ever $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. champion.
The 19-hour odyssey of day two saw one of the most talent-rich fields in recent WSOP history play down to one of the most talented final tables in poker history. "It's like the old days," Tomko stated. "Everybody you played against, you wish you had a piece of."
The $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. final table and starting chip counts were:
1. Chip Reese $1,756,000
2. Doyle Brunson $1,227,000
3. Andy Bloch $934,000
4. Phil Ivey $885,000
5. Jim Bechtel $841,000
6. David Singer $745,000
7. Dewey Tomko $438,000
8. T.J. Cloutier $351,000
9. Patrik Antonius $13,000
A field of that caliber (a combined 27 WSOP bracelets) would make most pros want to change careers, but not Andy Bloch. "I wouldn't have it any other way," Bloch said in the hours before the final table. "If I'm going to win the H.O.R.S.E. event, I want to do it against these players."
The Final Table
The average World Series of Poker final table starts at 2 p.m. PDT. The $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. event was anything but average.
Players arrived to a media frenzy, with ESPN interviews scheduled for 7:45 p.m. PDT. Fans jockeyed for, and cramped into, every available inch of the televised final-table set. Security turned people away and reporters bullied one another for the best seat in the house.
"This is my favorite tournament in the whole thing," Brunson said. Two days prior Brunson stood in a crowd and watched Mike Caro's induction into the Seniors Poker Hall of Fame. Now, the two friends had switched roles, with Caro a part of the audience, showing his support for Brunson.
While winning a bracelet is always the motivation, Patrik Antonius adopted a walk-before-run mentality for the H.O.R.S.E. event. He made a personal goal to first reach the final table before entertaining any ideas of taking home the championship. He succeeded, but entered action with a $13,000 chip stack.
"I need a bunch of luck just to make it to eighth place," Antonius joked with reporters.
The Finnish poker star doubled up on the first hand, only to fall to Chip Reese's pocket eights two hands later (ninth – $205,290).
Brunson brought a formidable chip stack to the final table, but lost two big pots to Reese and T.J. Cloutier. One hand later, Brunson, unable to beat Jim Bechtel's pair of queens, exited tournament play the eighth-place finisher ($274,560).
Some speculated that the 30-plus hours of poker took a toll on the 73-year-old Brunson and the other veteran players. Chip Reese disagreed. "I think the hands sort of played themselves," Reese argued. "I think a lot of people [final-table participants] were just in the mood to get it in tonight."
Fans gave Brunson a standing ovation as he walked off the featured-table set.
One of the most successful players in WSOP history, Dewey Tomko entered the $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. event for the big payday and the elite field. "I like the idea of playing against better competition," Tomko said during day two.
Tomko finished seventh ($343,200) after his pocket eights ran into Andy Bloch's pocket queens.
A stud-game specialist and one of the most consistent players traveling the circuit, David Singer continued to garner attention with his performance in the H.O.R.S.E. event. His final-table appearance came on the heels of a successful run at the Mirage Poker Showdown, which included winning the $7,500 heads-up tournament and placing seventh in the $10,000 championship.
The FullTilt team member finished in sixth place ($411,840) after falling to Reese's pocket jacks. "I'm not really pleased, believe it or not; I wanted to win," Singer said following his elimination.
The lone representative of the Players Advisory Board at the final table, Cloutier went deep in the tournament he helped to create. On the morning of day one, Cloutier shared his excitement about the PAB's brainchild: "I'm looking forward to this because you get to play with the best."
Cloutier outlasted 137 "of the best" and finished in fourth place ($480,480) after his pocket sevens collided with Bloch's pocket tens.
Jim Bechtel played in the $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. event because he believed it to be the most prestigious bracelet in the WSOP, more so than the one he won in 1993 – the $10,000 no-limit hold'em main event. Bechtel's fourth-place finish ($549,120) came about in the exact same fashion as Cloutier's elimination: moving all in with pocket sevens and losing to Bloch's pocket tens.
More than one opponent called Phil Ivey "the most feared player at the table." Hunting down WSOP bracelet number six, Ivey displayed his signature focus, even in the midst of the final-table circus. "The crowd doesn't bother me," Ivey explained. "I'm just worried about those other two guys I have at the table [Bloch and Reese]."
With his opponents in possession of most of the chips, Ivey played short-stack poker during threehanded action. At 1:53 a.m., Bloch made his third elimination in a row, knocking Ivey out of the tournament. In the hand, Bloch called from the small blind and Ivey raised to $100,000 from the big blind. Bloch called and the flop came Q
7
3. Bloch checked, Ivey bet $100,000, and Bloch raised to $500,000. Ivey then moved all in, and Bloch called. Ivey showed the A
7, for a pair of sevens, and Bloch turned over the 5 4, for a straight and flush draw. The turn was the A, giving Ivey two pair but Bloch his flush. The river, the 6, sent Ivey to the rail.
"I thought I was going to win," Ivey said after leaving the final-table set, "and up until the last hand, I still thought I was going to win."
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| Phil Ivey |
Patrik Antonius |
Doyle Brunson |
Dewey Tomko |
Heads Up
The most prestigious, talked about bracelet in recent history came down to two players – both Ivy League educated, both cerebral, both fiercely competitive. With the first seven eliminations of the final table coming in less than three hours, the feeling among those in attendance was that the heads-up match would follow in the same manner.
"I knew Andy was tired, and I was really tired," Reese said about heads-up action.
Tired, yes, but neither player appeared to abandon game plan or technique.
"It took a lot of concentration to maintain my patience and maintain my strategy," Bloch explained.
Reese entered heads-up play with a lead, but Bloch took down a number of pots and closed the gap to less than $100,000 in chips. "I was trying to slowly chip away at his stack," Bloch continued.
The FullTilt representative did more than just chip away – he built nearly a $5 million lead. At one point, Bloch had $6,055,000 to Reese's $1,095,000.
After Bloch moved all in with the K
J and Reese made the call for his last $1,010,000 with the A 10, it was nearly over after the flop fell K J 9. But, Bloch's two pair didn't hold up after the turn brought the A, completing Reese's flush.
All in all, Reese would double up four more times.
"He had about a 7 percent chance to win all four of those all ins," Bloch stated after the match. The last double-up, a flush on the turn to beat Bloch's top pair, proved to be the kill shot, leaving Bloch with a mere $300,000 in chips.
Minutes after the hand, at 9:12 a.m. PDT, tournament officials announced that the eight hours of play set a new record for longest heads-up match in WSOP history.
At 9:21 a.m., Reese ended the inaugural $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. event by out-kicking Bloch on a paired board.
With both players physically spent, Bloch admitted, "It was almost a relief for it to end. I knew I played pretty well; I got my money in pretty well several times." While a WSOP bracelet still eludes him, Bloch, who received praise from Reese for his play, earned $1,029,600 for the runner-up finish.
Reese acknowledged the difficult field and credited the Big Game for being the ideal training ground. "It's kind of interesting that we have a mixed-game tournament, and Phil [Ivey] comes in third, I come in first, and Barry [Greenstein] comes in 11th."
For winning the $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. event, Reese received $1,784,640 and the WSOP's most respected bracelet. While the jewelry is not going anywhere, Reese couldn't say the same for the money.
"They [Brunson, Greenstein, Ivey] know they're going to have a shot to beat me out of it now," Reese, joined by his family, smiled. "Andy doesn't play the Big Game, so I'm sure they were rooting for me because now they have a chance to get it."
