Going for $1 Million in Monte Carlo

I played in the $25,000 buy-in Monte Carlo Millions tournament a few years ago in which $1 million went to the winner. Sixty players made it to day two, including me, and I was feeling good about my chances of winning.

Right off the bat, with the blinds at 500-1,000, the defending champion, let’s call him Mr. X, made it 4,000 to go from first position. With 2-2 in the big blind, I pondered my decision.

Normally, I’d just call with this hand, trying to get lucky and flop a set, but my poker radar was really humming. I sensed weakness, so I raised it 12,000 more. Mr. X called.

The flop came 8-8-5. I bet 16,000, and Mr. X folded.

Then, things got crazy on the very next hand.

The button raised to 3,500, and I looked down at pocket jacks. I could smooth-call, trying to trap the big blind as well as the original raiser, or I could reraise. I called.

Mr. X, who was in the big blind, announced a reraise, and made it 15,000 more to go.

I’d been watching Mr. X closely as he deliberated before finally announcing his action. The whole time, I asked myself if he really had my pocket jacks beat. It didn’t seem like he had reraised with much conviction.

After the player on the button folded, and now feeling fairly certain that I was out in front, I reraised all in, pushing my imposing stack of more than 105,000 into the pot.

Mr. X made the call. I flipped up my jacks, and he flipped over A-K.

I was shocked! Call with A-K for 105,000? What kind of hand did he think I had?

No way would I risk my whole tournament with A-Q or worse on the fifth hand of day two with the blinds so small. Mr. X had called off all of his chips in a situation in which I could easily have A-A or K-K.

OK, I was still a 13-10 favorite to win. The flop came 9 8 6, and I was looking good with an overpair and a backdoor-flush draw.

The K fell on the turn, giving Mr. X the best hand, but now I had the flush draw. I needed a jack or a club on the river to win.

Nope, the 5 hit. I lost the pot, and my self-control.

The “Poker Brat” in me started to rant and rave. I told Mr. X that only a fool would call off all of his chips with A-K. I screamed that he had made a horrible play by calling the third raise for 90,000 more with the blinds at only 500-1,000.

Look, even though everything I said was true, in retrospect, I wish I had handled myself with more class. I should have smiled and said, “Nice hand.” That’s what the new Phil Hellmuth would have done.

Two hands later, I picked up A-A and managed to lose a small pot when I just called preflop, checked on a flop of 9-8-6, and then watched in horror as the big blind check-raised all in. I was forced to fold.

Then, I picked up Q-Q and moved all in for 16,000 against my opponent’s K 6.

The way the day was going, I actually expected to lose. I stood up and watched as the inevitable king hit on the river to beat me.

Pocket jacks, aces, and queens — all losers. That’s poker, my friends.
By the way, Phil Ivey went on to win the $1 million first-place prize, and then added another $600,000 by winning a seven-player invitational event the next night.

Learn more about Phil by going to his website, www.PhilHellmuth.com, and visit his webstore at www.PokerBrat.com.