Hand 2 Hand Combat -- J.D. 'BubbaKGB' McNamara

Event 2010 World Series of Poker event No. 24, no-limit hold’em
Buy-in $1,000
Players in the Event 3,289
First Place $503,389
Finish Second

Hand No. 1
Blinds 50,000-100,000
Antes 10,000
Players at the Table 3
Stacks J.D. McNamara – 1,900,000, Kiet Tran – 3,300,000

McNamara raises from the small blind to 300,000 with the J J. Tran calls from the big blind.

Craig Tapscott: Your stack had been taking some hits before this hand, correct?

J.D. McNamara: Yes. We had been playing three-handed for about 20 minutes, and I felt like the big stacks were wearing me down. When I raised preflop, I was just hoping that Tran would ship it in.

CT: What’s your read?

JM: It screamed weakness to me. I figured that he would shove with most of his aces and a lot of his Broadway range, so I thought he was just trying to flop big.

Flop: A Q 7 (pot: 630,000)

CT: Would it be a good idea to continuation-bet this flop?

JM: Well, when the flop came down, I decided that betting was not a good choice, because he would either fold and I’d take the pot, or he’d move in and I’d have to fold. Instead, I elected to …

McNamara checks.

CT: What’s the plan?

JM: I was hoping that he’d try to steal the pot.

Tran bets 350,000. McNamara moves all in.

CT: That seems a little crazy.

JM: I know. I essentially turned J-J into a bluff. But if there was ever a time to do it, I think this was it. When he bet, I carried out my plan and put the rest of my chips in the middle. Given that he tanked for so long and eventually folded after Jeff Tebben called the clock on him, I believe that he actually had me beat. He most likely had either an ace or a queen, so it was a very important pot in the grand scheme of things. This hand was pretty vital in getting me heads up for the bracelet.

Tran folds. McNamara wins the pot of 980,000.

CT: To be able to make a play like this, you must have had some history or more knowledge of Tran’s game.

JM: All of the history between Tran and me occurred at the final table, so it was still very fresh. Outside of a few hands, Tran played very well. He was very aggressive and did a good job of intimidating the table. I wasn’t afraid of him at all, but I definitely didn’t get out of line against him … until this hand. We’d played a few pots, but most of them consisted of him three-betting my opens preflop and me folding the majority of the time. There was no reason for me to essentially guess when he had air and ship it in marginally; I just never had a hand. It may have appeared that he was taking advantage of me, but that wasn’t the case at all.

CT: What was your table image at the time?

JM: Very snug. I knew that he was well aware of this, so I felt like this was a good spot to represent a big hand. Even though my J-J had value if he had complete air, I figured that he would have a hard time calling. Looking back, it definitely was a little crazy, but I still believe that it was the only way I was going to win the pot, unless he shut down all the way on the turn.

Hand No. 2
Blinds 50,000-100,000
Antes 10,000
Players at the Table 2
Stacks J.D. McNamara – 2,900,000, Jeff Tebben – 6,970,000

McNamara raises from the small blind on the button to 280,000 with the J♦ J♣. Tebben calls.

CT: Jacks once again.

JM: Yes. It’s the hand that I busted out on, so it’s painful to talk about, but it’s still one of the more interesting pots of the tournament.

Flop: K 10 8 (pot: 580,000)
Tebben checks. McNamara checks.

CT: Why no continuation-bet?

JM: When the flop came down, I decided to check back to disguise my hand a little bit. Knowing the end result, I think that if I had c-bet here, he would have check-raised, and it would have gone all in anyway.

Turn: K (pot: 580,000)

JM: A red king was the perfect turn … or so I thought.

Tebben bets 350,000. McNamara calls.

JM: When he led, I once again opted for deception and flat-called.

CT: Please explain your thoughts in more detail about opting for deception on these two streets. With what range are you hoping he’s making this move at the pot?

JM: He had a sizeable chip lead, and I think he was feeling pretty cozy at this point … certainly comfortable enough to take a random stab at the pot with nothing. He also could have tens, and, of course, a draw like Q-J or spades, although Q-J is less likely because I have two jacks. I also think he could be betting a smaller pair, as my hand looks a little bit like a draw.

CT: What cards don’t you want to see on the river?

JM: I obviously didn’t want to see a spade. I also figured that a 10 was a bad card. To be honest, though, I thought there were more good cards than bad, which is part of the reason why I played it the way that I did.

River: 7 (pot: 1,280,000)
Tebben checks.

CT: It looks like he’s given up on the hand and conceded it to you with this check on the river.

JM: Yes. When he checked to me, I was almost positive that I had the best hand, and since I thought I had hidden its strength fairly well, I made a very small bet, hoping that he would bluff-shove.

McNamara bets 325,000. Tebben raises all in.

JM: When he obliged, I snap-called, and really thought I was going to be good.

McNamara calls. Tebben reveals the K 2. Tebben wins the pot of 5,800,000 and the tournament.

CT: Did you have any misgivings about your call?

JM: Well, as it turned out, it was the only time I was wrong all tournament. In retrospect, I don’t think Tebben was capable of bluff-shoving in that spot, so I don’t like my decision to induce on the river. Hindsight is 20/20, though, and I’m proud of how I played and very happy with my accomplishment.

CT: Let’s go back one step further. Was there anything you could have done besides playing this hand for deception on the flop and turn that may have enabled you to get away from it?

JM: I don’t think so. If I had bet on the flop or turn, we probably would have been all in before the river. The line that I actually took is the most desirable for “getting away from it,” because I could have just checked back the river. Considering my hand, stack size, and the board, I was never trying to get rid of my hand, as it’s a pretty strong holding, especially after the turn. You can always analyze and reanalyze hands, but I think in this case, it’s not going to do me any good. I played great all tournament and just happened to be wrong on the last hand, which isn’t the worst thing in the world. The bracelet would have been nice, but in the end, second place is pretty amazing in itself.

CT: Congrats on such a huge accomplishment in only your third World Series of Poker event.

JM: Thank you.

J.D. McNamara, 24, received an English degree from the University of Toronto. He started playing poker seven years ago in home games with friends. For the last four years, he’s played poker part time while finishing his university studies.