Did I Deserve Better?

I have been dreading writing this column for the last couple of weeks. I'm going to tell you exactly how I went out in the "Big One" this year. First, I would like to say, "Please don't feel sorry for poor old nine-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) Champion Phil Hellmuth Jr.!" After all, I don't even feel sorry for myself.

You see, I feel blessed for the great health of my family and me, a hot new book, nine WSOP wins … Jeff Shulman cut me off here!

After winning two hold'em bracelets at the 2003 WSOP, I liked my chances in the Big One. You see, I don't always play great poker, and sometimes I don't even feel like a great poker player, but occasionally I play spectacular poker for a month or two. And the WSOP in 2003 was my time to play spectacular poker!

When the third day of the championship event ended, I found myself with $362,000 in chips. I hadn't even come close to moving all in, much less ever being called all in. If I had K-K or Q-Q against an equal stack, I chose to play a small pot. If I flopped a set, I chose to play a small pot. In the first three days, the biggest bet I made or called was only $40,000.

I believed I had about a 20 percent chance to win the whole thing with 45 players left. However, I was dismayed to find out that Sammy Farha was seated to my right at the beginning of day No. 4, not because I fear him at all (although I believe he is the best pot-limit Omaha player in the world), but because he is very, very reckless in no-limit hold'em. (By the way, I love Sammy!) Although I expected Farha to do more damage to himself than to the other great players, I did witness him take out Tony D on day No. 4 when I thought he played Q-J offsuit very poorly.

Tony had raised from middle position with Q-10, and Sammy called with Q-J offsuit (I hate his call here before the flop). After a flop of Q 10 3, Tony bet out big, and Sammy called (his call here was OK). On the turn, the 6 came off, Tony bet out $40,000, and Sammy called (by now, even the spectators at the table knew Tony had Q-J beat). At this point, Sammy cannot beat any hand at all, and he has to know that Tony is going to bet his last $50,000 on the river if he has Q-J beat. I believe that this adds up to an easy fold for Sammy. However, a jack did hit on the river, Tony bet his last $50,000, and Sammy called and won.

This was a pretty brutal way for Tony to go out! Sammy would have had only about $170,000 left if he hadn't hit the jack on the river – assuming he called the river. In any case, I thought, "Whoa, I don't like the way Sammy played that hand at all. He will come after me soon with a weak hand, and hopefully give me a bunch of chips."

With 37 players left, I had $430,000 in chips when the following hand came up. Sammy opened for $12,000, and I looked down to see K-Q. I studied him for a moment, and felt strongly that I had him beat. Therefore, I called the $12,000, and raised it $35,000. Sammy beat me into the pot with the Q J. This is a very bad hand with which to call a raise anytime in the Big One, period (especially a raise of $35,000). When he called quickly, I re-evaluated his hand strength in my mind.

With a flop of K 9 3, Sammy checked, and I checked. The turn brought the 2, and now Sammy bet out $50,000 with his flush (he made a good bet here). I called quickly because I was looking for him to bluff after I had checked the flop behind him. When the 2 hit the river, Sammy bet out $80,000 (another very good bet on his part), and I studied him and called. I went a little ballistic when he showed me the Q J. If he had shown me A-K, a set, or A-A, I wouldn't have been nearly as upset.

About 20 hands later, Sammy played the Q-J again against my K Q, but I won back only $35,000 when I flopped him dead (K-Q-4). So, I hung around $280,000 or so for the next couple of hours. When we hit 27 players, I felt a lot better. I was thinking, "I'll still have one million at the end of the day without too much difficulty."

With the blinds at $3,000-$6,000, Sammy opened for $20,000, and Jason Lester quickly moved all in for $167,000, saying, "I'm all in again." In the big blind, I looked down at Q-Q. I began to study Jason, and thought he had bet way too fast for A-A or K-K. I kept thinking he had 10-10 or J-J, but I couldn't get J-J out of my mind. I had watched him play K-K twice earlier in the day, and it certainly wasn't that hand again, based on everything I saw and felt.

I continued to think he had J-J, and my reads all month had been right on. Obviously, Jason knew I had a huge hand as I studied him, and I smelled some serious weakness in him, as well. OK, it all added up to Jason having J-J; now, what about Sammy? I studied him for a while, but he just looked disgusted and ready to fold his hand. Finally, I said, "I call." To my relief, Sammy quickly folded, and I said, "Jason, I just have queens." I should have said, "I believe you have jacks," which he did, just to show the world why I made this big call.

If I thought he had A-K, I would have folded. The flop came down K 8 2, and I looked over to see the suits we had. Did either of us have a spade? Nope; he had a club and a heart, and so did I. I thought, "Please don't let it come spade, spade for a split." The next card was the 6, and I thought, "Just let me dodge one more card." Alas, the last card was a jack!

I very calmly said, "Nice hand." Inside, I still felt blessed, but I knew that I would have had more than $430,000 in chips and the chip lead at my table if my queens had held up. Still, it was OK; I had almost $100,000 left, which was enough for me to last – one more hand!

On the very next hand, I was in the small blind and picked up A-K, and the man two off the button opened for $20,000. I very quickly announced, "I'm all in," for the first time in four days. He called with his 10-10, and the board brought J-6-3-J-J. I played four strong days of poker, and bang, bang, I was gone. In my mind, I knew I was going to win, and so did my parents, who were there, but inconceivably, I was out! Still, I was calm and still felt blessed as I said, "Nice hand," and got up and left. There were no tantrums, and no whining (for once!); I left the WSOP acting like a man who is blessed.

Yes, I believed I deserved better, but I can't complain to the powers that be over this, with everything else that is going my way. After all, I didn't have to take the 4.5-to-1 favorite. I could have folded my Q-Q, even knowing that Jason had J-J. In 2002, after playing no big pots in three days, I could have folded my A-K suited vs. Varkonyi's Q-10 for a $220,000 pot. And in 2001, after playing no big pots in five days, I could have folded my 9-9 vs. Phil Gordon's 6-6 for a $1.2 million pot.

There is no law that says you have to play a big pot, even if you have a strong feeling ("know") that your opponent is weak.

The last thing is this: I really believe that if someone deserves better, eventually he will get it! Look out at the Big One next year, for Phil Hellmuth Jr. will win the 2004 World Series of Poker, despite 1,000 or more other entrants.

I hope you enjoyed this Hand of the Week. Good luck playing your hands this week.Editor's note: Phil's new book, Play Poker Like the Pros, is now available through Card Player. Phil can often be found playing poker at UltimateBet.com, table "philhellmuth."