After being eliminated from
UltimateBet.com Aruba Poker Classic, it was time to hit the beach, throw a party, and play a few side games. Normally when I'm eliminated from a big poker tournament, I'm looking for the next flight home, but the
Aruba Poker Classic is more of an event than it is a poker tournament - with the beaches, parties, casinos, and nightclubs all within walking distance. So, one night I sat down to play with Scott Ian (the lead guitarist of Anthrax), Pearl Aday (the lead singer of Pearl), Serinda Swan (the Absolute Poker spokesperson, as well as the new Guess Jeans model), and a few other friends. The blinds were $1-$2, and I was coaching Swan and Ian a bit, as they were seated to my left and right.
In one interesting hand, Swan picked up A-K and I coached her to raise it to $7 to go. Clarey and Krissia both called, and the flop came down 10-7-6. I told Swan to bet out $20, and she did, with Clarey folding and Krissia calling. The turn card was a 10, and Swan bet out $25. Krissia called, but she was consulting with another player (she was getting advice during the hand, as well), and Swan picked up on the conversation (more below). On the end, a 4 came up and Swan moved all in for her last $55. (I didn't coach her to make that play!)
Krissia studied for a while and asked, "You'll show me the hand afterward, right?"
Swan said, "Yes."
Krissia turned an A-7 faceup and folded. Swan then showed her A-K and Krissia said, "It's on now, Serinda!"
After the hand, I asked Swan why she moved all in, as I wouldn't have coached her to make that play, and she said that she saw hesitation on Krissia's face when she called the $25 bet on the turn and thought that she could bluff her out with an all-in bet. Swan also said that the fact that Krissia was consulting about whether or not she should call or fold on fourth street led her to believe that she could take the pot away with from Krissia.
Overall, I like the way that the hand was played. I like the pot-sized $7 preflop bet. I love the $20 bet on the flop, as A-K was probably still the best hand. On fourth street, the bet was a bit more risky. Checking or betting is about the same to me, but I like betting, as it was the aggressive move and gave Swan a chance to win the pot right then and there. The river bluff was a strong move! But was it the right move? To me, it was very risky, but if it worked, she would win $114 with a $55 bet. However, most times, an opponent won't fold for $55 with a pair of sixes or sevens when being able to win $169 for only a $55 call ($114 plus the $55 bet). But,the bluff did work, and that makes it a strong move.
I also coached Ian before the
Aruba Poker Classic began, and I was impressed with his play. For him, I counseled tactics that involved extreme patience, and playing only my top 10 hands (A-A, K-K, Q-Q, J-J, 10-10, 9-9, 8-8, 7-7, A-K, and A-Q), along with an occasional aggressive raise with K-Q or A-J. My goal was to get him through the first day, and then work with him on tactics for no-limit hold'em with an ante (primarily, the antes kick in on day two), which involves playing more hands and playing them aggressively. I also told Ian to repeat a story - at his starting table - that he told me about the Van Halen rehearsal he attended at the Forum in September, and that he thought they were absolutely kicking ass with Eddie Van Halen's son playing guitar, and that he thinks that David Lee Roth is a great guy. I thought that a true story like this would render everyone at his table speechless, and then they would want to have him around for as long as possible. (I love these celebrity tactics outside of the normal realm!)
Ian actually played as tight as I had taught, which no one ever does after I give them lessons. Ian's knockout hand came when he had J-J, his opponent had Q-Q, and the flop came down A-Q-J. There was nothing he could have done.
One of the coolest things that happened was when Ian played guitar and Pearl sang a few songs from her new album. The album is scheduled to come out soon, and Pearl (and her band Pearl) will be on tour soon with her father, Meatloaf (yes, the rock legend), in England. So ended a great week at the
UltimateBet.com Aruba Poker Classic, but UB has convinced Ian and a few rock star friends to do a small private concert in Vegas on Dec 11. Rock and poker, baby!
