Normally this column is devoted to a no-limit hold'em hand and the tactics used in that hand, and whatever poker tournament is running at the time. In this column, I'll give you an
Ultimate Blackjack Tour final-table hand, as well as a
World Poker Tour final-table hand from the same day. The
WPT will run on the
Game Show Network (
GSN) beginning in January. The
UBT will run on
CBS right before college football, and it also will run on
WGN in the U.S., and on television in Australia, Canada, and France.
Recently, I played a "celebrity" final table on the
UBT, along with poker stars Annie Duke, Robert Williamson, and Freddy Deeb, and champion blackjack players Ken Eineger, Hollywood Dave, and Rene Angelil. The last two standing were Angelil and I, and the last hand was pretty tricky. Hand No. 30 is the last hand of any
UBT tournament, and the chip leader at the end of that hand is declared the winner. Since I bet first, and had a chip lead of $13,000, I wanted to make sure that I had the "low." Taking the low means that I wanted to make sure that I won the tournament if the dealer won the hand, because the dealer wins any given blackjack hand around 56 percent of the time. So, I bet $22,000, knowing that I could surrender 50 percent of the bet and still beat Angelil if he lost the hand. Angelil then made sure that he had the "high." Taking the high means that he would win the tournament if he won the hand. Angelil bet $60,000.
I was dealt A-A, Angelil was dealt K-7 (17), and the dealer was dealt a deuce for an upcard. It was my turn to act, and I considered my possibilities. I could split the aces, betting $22,000 per hand, but Angelil still would have the high and I still would have the low. I could hit it out, but it didn't matter if I made 21 or busted, did it? This is because Angelil would stand on his 17, and if the dealer busted, he would win, period. Finally, it dawned on me that if I surrendered, I would own the dealer's "17." In other words, if I surrendered, I would win (by $2,000) if the dealer made 17. I was really happy that I thought of this move, even though an experienced blackjack pro would have known what to do. So, I surrendered my aces, Angelil stood pat, the dealer flipped up an ace in the hole, and then hit a 5 to make 18! I won my first
UBT event, and I'll take it, even if it was a celebrity invitational.
Meanwhile, I had promised Mike "The Mouth" Matusow that I would watch his
WPT final table at Bellagio. So, after winning my event at The Venetian, I rushed over to watch Matusow's
WPT final table. This year, the
WPT changed its final-table structures so that the players have a long time to work their chips. More than 90 percent of the players wanted this, as we thought there hadn't been enough skill opportunity at
WPT final tables the last few years. Kudos to the
WPT for listening to the players on this important issue.
Six hours into the
WPT final table - at around 10 p.m. - Matusow found himself heads up with young, up-and-coming poker pro Kevin Saul. With the blinds a relatively low $40,000-$80,000, and a $10,000 ante, Saul opened for $200,000 with the Q
Q
, and Matusow called with the 8
7
. The flop came down 10
6
5
, Matusow checked, and Saul bet $375,000. Matusow studied for about five seconds, and then moved all in for $2.5 million. Saul called instantly, and the race was on! It turns out that Matusow was about a 56 percent favorite to win the pot, but the final two cards were the 3
and K
, respectively.
Let's take a little closer look at this hand. Did Matusow have to call the raise before the flop? Let me add that both Matusow and I noticed that Saul was strong before the flop. We both read Saul for having "extreme strength," based on his body language and the way he put the chips into the pot. Yet, the raise was minimal, and Matusow's call here was fine, even though Saul had given off a strong vibe.
Matusow said, "Yes, Phil, I picked up that Kevin was super strong, as well, but the raise was minimal, and I had the perfect hand to bust an overpair with - not to mention that Kevin could have had ace-king or ace-queen." Good point.
I think that Matusow made a nice check on the flop, especially since Saul was betting every single flop when he raised preflop. Why not check, let Saul bluff off some money, and then move all-in? Matusow said this about his moving all in: "I was really happy to move all in there as a favorite to win the $5 million pot. Would you have played the hand differently?" No, Mikey, I wouldn't have. You played it well - except that you forgot to hit a club, a 4, or a 9!
