Poker? Elementary to Watson

Since its inception in 2005, the Bellagio Cup championship event has been one of the biggest draws on the World Poker Tour. Last year, Kevin Saul steamrolled a field of 535 en route to a $1.3 million payday, but with the uncertainty of the WPT television deal and an exhausting World Series of Poker schedule, the 2008 edition of the tournament was able to muster a die-hard field of only 446, a 17 percent decline from last year's event. But, the $5,000 increase in buy-in did ensure that the prize pool was able to grow to nearly $6.5 million. In the end, online pro Mike "SirWatts" Watson bested red-hot David Benyamine heads up for his first major live-tournament win.

The larger buy-in and slow-moving structure attracted a stacked field, and the final table was no different. Narrowly missing the final six was none other than 2007 Card Player Player of the Year David "The Dragon" Pham, who busted out in ninth place.

Going to the televised final table, the players still had no idea where or when their episode would be airing. Just hours before the cards hit the air, there was a press conference to announce that the WPT had made an agreement with Fox Sports Net for season VII. Breathing a collective sigh of relief, the combatants entered the fray, all with their eyes on the roughly $1.7 million first-place prize.

Here were the chip counts heading to the final table:

Seat 1: Ralph Perry -- 1,635,000
Seat 2: Luke Staudenmaier -- 3,495,000
Seat 3: John Phan -- 3,495,000
Seat 4: David Benyamine -- 4,860,000
Seat 5: Gabriel Thaler -- 1,550,000
Seat 6: Mike Watson -- 5,060,000

Entering as the short stack, Gabriel Thaler had to make a move early to remain in contention. His first two all ins were successful, but his third cost him a chance at the title. Thaler got his stack in with pocket tens on a 7-high flop against Mike Watson. Unfortunately for the cash-game professional, his overpair was actually an underdog to Watson's nut-flush draw with two overcards. The turn was a brick, but the river brought one of Watson's 15 outs, giving him the pot and increasing his chip lead. Thaler, who has been quiet on the tournament scene for the last two years, earned $129,275 for his sixth-place finish.

Coming off a two-bracelet WSOP, John "The Razor" Phan was in good shape to add yet another piece of jewelry to his wrist, but two bad beats caused a major hit to his stack, eventually ending his tournament. On the first one, his superior hand was outrun by the dominated ace of Ralph Perry, and on his elimination hand, David Benyamine came from behind to hit a runner-runner flush. Phan, who moved up to second place in the Player of the Year race, won $193,915 for his efforts.
Perry's tournament run ended after he decided to defend his big blind against Watson's preflop raise. Perry's K-J couldn't catch up to Watson's A-Q, and the longtime professional was eliminated. Perry had a solid summer, bubbling the final table of the WSOP $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. championship, and finishing fourth here to add $290,900 to his bankroll.

Three-handed play was a long, tedious affair for the remaining players, but Luke "IWEARGOGGLES" Staudenmaier kicked up the action when he got it all in against Watson. Staudenmaier's ace was dominated, and the hand left him crippled. He was eliminated a few hands later, and the $452,465 that he took home was the largest score of his career.

Benyamine held a 3-2 lead going into heads-up play, and he and Watson traded chips for a while before the biggest pot of the tournament came up. In a classic race situation, Benyamine held pocket queens against Watson's A-K. The flop and turn ran out safely for Benyamine, meaning he had to dodge only six outs on the river to take down the title. The crowd held its collective breath, and the dealer rolled over the A, putting a dagger into the Frenchman and his supporters, and sending the online contingent in the audience into a frenzy. Benyamine was crippled, and it was only a matter of time before Watson would put him away.

A few hands later, Watson ended the tournament by pairing his queen, and Benyamine was eliminated in second place. Benyamine had a remarkable summer, making four final tables and winning his first career WSOP bracelet. With the $840,295 he won at Bellagio, Benyamine earned nearly $1.8 million in a span of just over a month. His incredible run vaulted him into third place in the Player of the Year race, just behind Phan and leader Erik Seidel.

Watson, a 24-year-old professional from Toronto, Canada, has had some significant success over the past two years, but not of this magnitude. His first live victory netted him more than $1.6 million.

Slow-Playing Top Pair Pays Off for Watson

Mike Watson discussed a huge hand that swelled his chip stack and put him into great position for pushing around his opponents during the approaching money bubble.

The Hand

With the blinds at 1,000-2,000 with a 300 ante, the player in the hijack position limped, and Mike Watson raised from the button to 7,000 with the A 9. The small blind flat-called, and the hijack also came along. The flop came A 8 4, and everyone checked to Watson, who decided to check behind. The turn was the 2, and the small blind checked. The hijack then bet 30,000, a bit more than the size of the pot, and Watson took some time before moving all in for a total of 87,200. The small blind folded, and the hijack made the call, showing the 8 7 for middle pair and a flush draw. The river was the 2, and Watson doubled up, giving him the chip lead at his table.

The Interview

Julio Rodriguez: I wanted to talk with you about a hand you played late on day 2, about 50 spots away from the money. In the hand, you defended your button and doubled up.

Mike Watson: Sure. The Russian player in the hijack position limped for 2,000, and I made it 7,000 to go from the button with A-9 offsuit. I really wanted to isolate the guy because he was playing too many hands, but the small blind called. I figured him for a hand of decent strength to call in that spot, and the hijack also called.

I was sitting with about 90,000, the small blind was short-stacked, and the Russian covered me. The flop came A 8 4, and they both checked to me. I decided to check behind.

JR: Many players would fire in a bet in that situation after hitting their hand. Why check behind?

MW: I thought there was a good chance that I wasn't getting much action from a hand I could beat. Also, I thought the small blind was strong preflop, so if he called my flop bet, I really wouldn't know how to proceed on later streets. It's really a spot in which I'm either way ahead or way behind. There really weren't any draws out there to protect against, so there's not much harm in giving a free card.

JR: The 2 comes off on the turn, and the small blind checks. At this point, do you think that the small blind has given up on the hand?

MW: Yeah, he's most likely got a pocket pair that missed the board. But the Russian decides to bet 30,000 into a 25,000 pot. The whole day, he'd been playing pretty passively. He never bet his big hands strongly, and was limp-calling frequently, so his big turn bet was pretty out of character.

JR: Forgetting that you eventually saw his cards, what kind of hand are you putting him on?

MW: The first thing that came to my mind was that he was on a big draw. I don't think he has an ace, almost ever. He would've raised it preflop. A set is unlikely, although I guess he could've limped with deuces or fours, but he hadn't been betting his big hands strongly. A big draw fit his line more than anything.

JR: So, you decided to come over the top all in for another 60,000 or so. Are you shoving for value, or are you trying to get him off the hand.

MW: Definitely for value, since I was pretty confident I had the best hand. I counted down my stack, trying to figure out if I played the hand, could I conceivably call on the turn and shove the river? I decided to put it in there, however, figuring that if he had a draw, he wouldn't pay me off on the river unless he hit.

He showed the combo draw and I faded all of his 14 outs when the river paired the board. It was a pretty nice pot at a critical time in the tournament, and it really enabled me to take control of my next couple of tables with my stack.

JR: What would you say to those who defend their button and find themselves in a similar situation?

MW: You don't always have to bet out there when you hit top pair, especially if you have a weak kicker. Sometimes it's better to check behind, unless it's a draw-heavy board and you have to protect your hand. In a tough spot, you can check behind and underrepresent your hand and turn it into a bluff catcher. On later streets when your opponents think you've missed, you can pick up some crucial pots against aggressive players.