November Nine Countdown -- Darus Suharto SpeaksDarus Suharto Speaks about being Second Time Lucky |
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Idonesian-born Darus Suharto lives and works as an accountant in Canada. Up to the point when the 39-year-old reached the World Series of Poker main event final table, he was basically an unknown face in the poker world, with one cash for 448th place at the WSOP 2006. His second major live event experience has taken him to new heights, as he now prepares to take his seat at the final table of the WSOP 2008 main event later today.
Rebecca McAdam: Tell me about your main event experience?
Darus Suharto: As you know I’m just a recreational player, I’m not a professional. This is my second big event. I played the 2006 main event at the WSOP, and 2008 I played again, and I only played the main event, nothing else. I didn’t really have a lot of live experience so I didn’t really expect much. It’s great to be able to get this far. By nature, I’m playing tight aggressive and when I know I have the goods I just put my chips in. And because of my style of play I didn’t really have a lot of swings. I played steady but a little under the average, only one day I was up at the average, so not really crazy or whatever.
RM: Were there any lucky hands where you could have gone out but you didn’t?
DS: Yeah. There are a couple of hands that I think were sort of a defining moment for me. They’re not the hands that gave me a lot of chips but actually hands where ... I feel like I had a second chance to play the tournament. On day 2, I had a full house but the guy runner-runnered me to make a better full house. I had pocket nines, there’s an under the gun raise and the guys been aggressive, so I didn’t want to go crazy. He raised, I just called, and the chip leader called, and the flop came 10-10-9 and I said, “Bingo!” I thought I had the best hand. I was hoping the initial raiser would bet but he checked, and I would normally bet but I didn’t because the chip leader was an aggressive player as well. So, I checked, hoping he was going to bet, and I’m going to check-raise him. And you know what happened? He checked. So, when he checked I said, “Ok, I lost one bet that’s fine.” When the turn came the 8, the initial raiser bet, and I don’t know what the chip leader has, but I want to find out where he is, so I min-raise. To my surprise, the chip leader reraised me. At that time I thought I had the best hand, but I wasn’t really sure. He could have 10-9 or A-10 or whatever, or 10-8, but anyway, I didn’t want to go crazy so I just called. The river came another 8, so he showed me K-10. Then the best thing happened, they moved me. I think I had probably 60,000 chips before the hand started, and I was down to about 28,000. I thought then that it was bad that they moved me but it was a good move because the next table was good for me.
Then day 3 I had to lay down top two pair, A-Q. I’m under the gun with A-Q suited. I can’t lay down A-Q suited, if it’s not suited I might lay it down but it was suited so I raise three times the big blind. Then everybody folds, and the chip leader on the button calls. The small blind calls, the big blind calls. No respect of course, even though they know I’m tight aggressive. The flop comes Q-9-5 rainbow, so I have a decent hand. I continue bet half the pot, the chip leader calls, small blind and big blind call! I say, “What the heck? I don’t feel good. Nobody raised me." The turn comes an ace. I had top two pair, this is good for me, but somehow I just didn’t feel good. So everybody else checked and when it comes to me I check as well, I didn’t want to bet. Sure enough the chip leader on the button bet like 60 or 70 per cent of the pot, and if I called I would be putting in like 60 or 70 per cent of my chip stack, so I just tanked so long until they called the clock on me, and I said, “I think you have a set.” I had to lay it down, so I folded and I showed it to him. He was kind enough and showed me pocket nines, and I said, “Oh my God, that was a good fold!” If I called that, you would not be talking to me.
RM: How did you get on after that, getting down to the final table?
DS: I just played conservative and tight aggressive, and I guess when I had a hand, people just wanted to pay me off! I think they thought, “This guy’s a donkey. He doesn’t know.” So, yeah when I had a hand I was lucky enough that my hand held up, and throughout the tournament I went all in three times, and in all of them I had the best hand. I went all in twice with pocket queens and once with pocket kings.
RM: Have you changed the way you play coming into the final table, and have you been studying your opponents?
DS: I haven’t really studied much because of my job and my commitments at the office, but I plan on taking three weeks off for a little study and to prepare. So, yes I will study and learn about the other finalists, see if I can pick up something. In poker, my hope is that I will make the best decision I can, and whatever will happen, will happen, so I’m not going to worry about it. Just hope for the best.
RM: Is there anyone that would intimidate you on the final table?
DS: I played with the rest of the finalists already except Chino, Peter Eastgate and Ylon. I only played three or four hours with them, but the rest of the finalists, we played long enough so I have an idea. In most cases when I’m in a hand, I have some idea what sort of hand they have. Sometimes I don’t know, but that’s poker. They are all good players, I will just have to be careful when I play with them.
RM: Have you taken a holiday?
DS: Right after I reached the final table, I arrived in Toronto at seven o’clock and went back to my apartment and took a shower, and then went back to the office straight away. Because when the final table started I was supposed to be at the office already, so I thought, “Oh my god, my boss will be mad at me,” but I told him, and it’s ok. He didn’t know I reached the final table, he was on vacation, and when he found out he sent an email congratulating me and everything.
RM: Do you think because you’re an accountant, you’re mathematically minded, and that’s what gives you an edge in poker?
DS: I think it helps, being an accountant you deal with numbers. Your math helps. But I used to be an external auditor, so you deal with different people, you interview a lot of people, so you learn to understand if these guys are telling you the truth. In some ways, I think it helps.
RM: So, you’re a good reader of people?
DS: I’d like to think so. But I’ve made a lot of mistakes.
RM: Have you been playing any other events?
DS: I haven’t played any live events since making the final table but I’m going to play in the EPT London and the Highroller, and the WPT Niagara Falls. I’m a home town boy so I have to play. They are the three events I planned on playing so far.
RM: If you won a big event or the World Series, would you still go back to work?
DS: Well, I would have enough money, so I wouldn’t have to worry about deals and everything. I would do something that would make me happy, do what I’m best at, but we’ll see what happens. I don’t want to jinx anything ... Things are so great right now, everybody wants to talk to me. Before the final table, nobody even looked at me! It’s a great industry though, I love poker!
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