Final-Table Takedown -- Tom McEvoy

Tom McEvoy won the World Series of Poker main event against Rod Peate in 1983. Their heads-up battle remains the longest match for the title since the inception of the event. McEvoy is a prolific writer who has written and co-written a number of best-selling poker-strategy books. In 2006, he won the Bay 101 Professional Poker Tour event, and has $2.7 million in career tournament earnings.

McEvoy raises to 2,500 from the hijack position with the J J. Harrington calls from the button. Brunson calls from the big blind.

Craig Tapscott: I’m sure that you have played many pots with both players over the years. What hand ranges are you assigning them after the smooth-calls?

Tom McEvoy: Doyle, out of the big blind, has a much wider range of hands than Harrington, who called from the button, so I put Harrington on big cards, but not a big pair. Doyle could have a lot of hands, and after Harrington called, he had a better price to draw to his hand.

CT: Are you more of a feel player or math-based player?

TM: Although I have a B.S. degree in accounting and am quite good at math, I think having a feel for the players is far more important, and I rely on my poker instincts more than on math to make the right decisions.

CT: I’m curious. I’m sure that you’ve played with many of the hyperaggressive Internet whiz kids the last few years on the circuit. How has your game evolved since the advent of online poker and a much more balls-to-the-wall approach to no-limit hold’em?

TM: I have definitely adjusted my play in the last five years. The game is the same as it always was when I first started playing as a pro more than 30 years ago, but what is different is the way that people play the game. Way back in the last century when I started my career, there was only one player, Stu Ungar, who was successful in playing a super-aggressive style. After Chris Moneymaker won the championship in 2003 and the Internet took off like gangbusters, everything changed.

CT: What do you think the effect of so much in-depth television coverage has had on the game?

TM: TV coverage made players do a lot of crazy things to get attention. The number of players who started playing $10,000 buy-in events every month was unbelievable; where did all of that money come from? It also became obvious with such large fields that a more aggressive style of play was necessary to accumulate enough chips to go the distance. TV coverage also gave many players a false idea of how to correctly play the game. Watching the final six make all kinds of moves against each other with marginal hands, which is not how they made it to the final table, made a lot of viewers think that is how to play the game from the early rounds on.

CT: Do you play online at all?

TM: I play a lot on the Internet, so I’m quite familiar with that hyperaggressive style of play. I will never be as aggressive as the whiz kids, but I think I still play a lot smarter and make the right moves, and recognize their moves. I’m more than ready to go toe to toe with them if I think I have the best hand, even if it’s not a huge hand.

Flop: 10 8 7 (pot: 8,500)

CT: Great flop for jacks.

TM: Yes, but it had a lot of potential draws, as well as made hands. Doyle led out.

Brunson bets 7,500.

CT: What’s your read on this bet?

TM: Doyle could have a lot of hands, such as a pair and a straight draw. If he had a made straight, I am certain that he would have checked. He most likely would have bet two pair, though. Obviously, he was capable of betting his flush draw, because that is what he did, and priced himself into putting the rest of his chips into the pot.

McEvoy raises to 20,000. Harrington folds. Brunson shoves his remaining 21,925 all in. McEvoy calls. Brunson flips over the A 2.

Turn: K (pot: 67,350)
River: 4 (pot: 67,350)
McEvoy wins the pot of 67,350.

TM: This hand gave me the chip lead, and I was never worse than second in chips the rest of the tournament.

McEvoy limps in from the button with the 10 9.

CT: Why the limp?

TM: Well, 10-9 is not that great a hand, and Robert might reraise me off of it if I raise. I’m not afraid to play flops, especially in position, so this seemed like the best play. Who says that you need to raise every time from the button?

Varkonyi checks his option.
Flop: 8 7 5 (pot: 4,600)
Varkonyi bets 4,000.

CT: They sure like to lead into you. What do you think is Varkonyi’s strategy in doing this? If he thought you were perhaps weak with the limp from the button and missed your overcards, why not check-raise? And what hands do you put him on when he leads out like this?

TM: He was very aggressive, and I thought that he probably had a pair of some kind, or a pair and a draw. He is also quite capable of betting with just a draw, so I was not really sure where he stood. So, I did not want to put too many chips into the pot with my open-end straight draw and two overcards.

McEvoy calls.
Turn: 6 (pot: 12,600)
Varkonyi bets 8,000. McEvoy raises to 16,000.

CT: A minimum-raise is usually a huge sign of strength, especially when coming from a player such as you, who is notoriously pretty tight. Are you trying to induce a shove?

TM: I wanted more money in the pot and figured that he would call with most of his drawing hands, and I already had the nut straight and a fairly high club with the 10, so I was happy no matter what he did — fold, call, or shove. Actually, I was hoping that he would think I was stealing, and shove, which he did.

Varkonyi moves his remaining 60,700 all in. McEvoy calls. Varkonyi turns over the J 5.

TM: I quickly made the call, hoping that he did not have a made flush. He turned over the J 5. He had only one out in the deck, the 4 for the straight flush. At first I thought he was drawing dead, before it was pointed out that he did indeed have one out to the straight flush. Another club came on the river and we both made a flush, but mine was higher, and the tournament was over.

River: K (pot: 150,000)
McEvoy wins the pot of 150,000.

CT: How does it feel to take this event down against all of these peers of yours and great WSOP champions?

TM: This was just as important to me as winning another bracelet; in fact, in many ways it was more important. I’m a candidate for the Poker Hall of Fame this year, and being the champion of champions gives me more credibility than ever. And it’s more important to me to be inducted than to win another bracelet.