Final Table Takedown: Chris Karambinis Captures the 2104 Chicago Poker Classic

Chris Karambinis, 23, is a professional poker player from Chicago. He has achieved two World Series of Poker Circuit rings, 28 cashes, three victories, and reached 11 final tables.  He first got into playing poker with his family. He watched his brother and Dad play online and couldn’t wait until they took a break so he could get on and play. Karambinis instantly fell in love with the game. He enjoys seeking business investments outside of poker and spending time with family and friends.

Event: 2014 Chicago Poker Classic
Players: 3092
Entry: $350
First Prize: $168,039
Finish: 1st

Hand No. 1

Key Concepts: Player types; Paying attention at the table; Hand ranges

Villain raises to 550 on the button.

Craig Tapscott: Set this hand up for us Chris.

Chris Karambinis: OK. This is early on in the event. I have about 21,000 of a 10,000 starting stack. I have 8 8 in the big blind (BB). The Villain is an old man that hasn’t folded a single hand since the start of the tournament, who also seems to have not lost one either. I decided to flat the button raise.

Karambinis calls.

Flop:  10 8 3 (pot:  1,425)

Karambinis checks. Villain bets 900. Karambinis raises to 2,200.

CT: Explain your thoughts behind this raise besides going for value. Do you have a history with this player or has he seen your style of play at the table and this will influence his response?

CK: The reason I decided to check-raise him with such a strong hand is because I know he has missed the flop a lot of times in this situation and it doesn’t mean he will give up either. So far he has played back at other players at the table and been pretty aggressive. He had showed me on a past hand that he floated a guy to the river and held ace-high. And I also am playing my image. For some reason older people always think I’m bluffing which is good and bad, when I have it I get paid off and when I don’t I get caught usually. (Laughs) This is the main reason why I’ve slowed down bluffing too much in certain spots.

Villain calls.

Turn: 9 (pot: 5,825)

CT: Scary card?

CK: Not really. I don’t really think the 9 is too bad of a card. It only brings gutshot possibilities and a set of nines. It wasn’t the greatest turn, but I didn’t mind it at the time.

Karambinis checks.

CT: Why the check then? Why not go for value with such a huge hand? And what range do you put him on at this point?

CK: I checked because I honestly didn’t think that he had anything at all. He might have been trying to float with a couple overcards to try and make a pair and I wanted him to make a hand like top pair if he had an ace or a king in his hand.

Villain checks.

River: A (pot: 5,825)

CT: Perfect card then.

CK: Yes.

Karambinis bets 2,500.

CK: I make this bet size on the river hoping to induce a raise. Which it does…

Villain raises to 5,600.

CT: You got exactly what you wanted?

CK: Yes. Now I’m thinking that maybe I should just flat, but I’m scared of losing value on my hand to the type of player that would be doing this with two pair or even just an ace so I…

Karambinis moves all-in. Villain quickly calls and reveals J 7. Villain wins the pot of 35,075.

CT: After such a horrible result in this hand how did you react? Did you have to recompose yourself?

CK: This situation is usually a hard one for any player losing a hand that you really thought was yours. It’s a heart breaker and is hard to bounce back from. When I lost this hand I sat down and just said, “Wow!” I really couldn’t have done much in that situation or play it any differently. Not really, I don’t think. I just told myself all I have to do from this point on is get the money in with the best hand and whatever happens, happens. I waited a while and played patiently until I had premium hands and when I got them they all luckily held up. It was really the positive attitude I had (which I usually don’t in this type of situation) that helped me keep my mind right and everything eventually fell into place.

CT: Did this particular player give you any more trouble at the final table?

CK: I ended up personally knocking that person out of the tournament in a later hand. He was a good guy and a good sport about it.

CT: Let’s talk about the growth of your game. You shared with me that you began online after watching your Dad and brother playing. What other kinds of things did you do to improve and understand the game on a deeper level?

CK: Watching my Dad helped me learn the basics of the game, what the best hands were, and how to bet, etcetera. Once I got the understanding of those things I just started playing and learning from experience. Over the years I feel like I’ve gotten better and better each day. One of the biggest parts of my game that improved was being able to switch gears at the right time.

CT: Explain what you mean by that?

CK: Well I can be super aggressive at times and play 80-to-90 percent of the hands, but there are also times when I’m patient enough to fold for two hours and just pick up the blinds to survive. That’s actually a part of my game that has changed a lot. Most people think they need to sit and overthink so many situations. But to me there’s not much thought really needed in this game. I just sit back and let players make mistakes. Patience is so key for me.

CT: Anything else?

CK: Definitely. Another major part of my game that has improved is my tilt factor. I’ve played so many hands and taken so many beats, that nothing surprises me anymore. No hand is over until all five cards have fanned out. That’s another huge reason I won this event. When there were about 22 players left I lost 80 percent of my stack to a good friend of mine.

CT: What happened?

CK: I opened in middle position with K Q and he was in the big blind (BB). Once it folded to the small blind (SB), I knew if the SB folded he was going to three-bet jam a lot of the time. So I had my mind already set to call. Sure enough when it got to him, he jammed. I instantly called it off and he shook his head while flipping over Q-10 offsuit. The flop was rainbow low cards, the turn a brick, and the river a 10. I remember the suit because it was so disappointing and I thought my tournament was over. I was crippled. Luckily we went on break right after this hand and I regrouped. I thought to myself what else can I do but get it in good. I went back to the table and was completely in the zone. After that beat I didn’t get my money in bad one time, and every hand held up, every single time. I even ended up knocking out my friend at the final table with K-K vs. 10-10. I coasted to victory. 

CT: That’s a great story of perseverance. A lot of players would have given up. Let’s talk about the next hand at the final table.

Hand No. 2

Key Concepts: Bet sizing

Villain No. 1 raises to 525,000 from UTG. Villain No. 2 calls from the button. Karambinis picks up A A in the BB.

CT: Wow. This is such a perfect time to get dealt aces.

CK: Definitely. I tanked for a bit then…

Karambinis raises to 1,200,000.

CT: So why did you choose that bet sizing? What’s the plan?

CK: I feel like the perfect numbers just pop in my head as soon as someone makes a raise. It just comes naturally for me from experience. I never have to think about what I should make it from all the hands I’ve had in these situations. I made it 1.2 million mainly because it’s not too big to show too much strength and it’s not too small. I let the player(s) determine if I’m trying to buy the pot or not, and let them make the mistakes. In general, all my raises are usually just about the same in regards to sizing.

CT: As soon as Villain No. 2 flatted before it got to you, what range of hands were you putting him on? Could he be super strong from your experience with him?

CK: At this point that player can have anything because the raise wasn’t much and he has position. A lot of hands I’m thinking he might have are some suited connecters such as 10-9, J-10, etcetera. But really he can have anything. But how the hand plays on the flop is how I can narrow down the possibilities, but this hand changed when everybody… 

Villain No. 1 raises all-in. Villain No. 2 moves all-in. Karambinis calls. Villain No. 1 revealed A Q. Villain No. 2 revealed K K.

Flop: K 7 5 (pot: 20,210,000)

Turn: 9 (pot:  20,210,000)

River: 4 (pot: 20,210,000)

Karambinis wins the pot of 20,210,000.

CT: After taking down this pot and becoming a huge stack, I am sure your game plan changed.

CK: Definitely. I basically started to raise a wider range of hands and put pressure on the shorter stacks. ♠