Warning: This post contains poker content, and is probably boring to 96% of people the people who will it.
Saturday night, Anne and I went out to Santa Monica for the All-in for Scleroderma poker tournament. About 100 people played, and I made the final table with one big blind left, finishing in 10th place.
I had all kinds of fun, and for the first time I think since I started playing poker, I didn’t feel like I was one of the weakest players at the table (I guess I need to stop playing with Otis and Absinthe.)
When I was playing poker weekly, hosting the WWdN poker tourneys (does anyone else kind of miss that? Would you play if I started them up again?) I always felt out-matched by at least half the field, many of whom were gunning for me, which I guess was part of the fun (though people keep telling me it’s great to have players gunning for you, I don’t like it. It makes it nearly impossible to bluff, because people will call you down with bottom pair or ace-high, just because they want to tell the story.)
When I played on Saturday, something clicked in my brain, and all the games I’ve played, all the books I’ve read, all the studying I did to be a better player all came together, and I had one of those nights I’ve always heard about, where I could play without looking at my cards, as they say.
I didn’t keep notes, but I wanted to recount a couple of hands that made me very happy.
I raised from middle position with some bullshit hand, just because I wanted to steal the blinds. The big blind, a guy who I’d watched chase the most unlikely draws at any price only to fold on fifth street, called. This didn’t displease me, because I was fairly sure I could outplay him.
The flop was something like Jd-7d-x. He checked, and I bet. He checkraised me about 1/3 of the pot. I’d watched him do this before, and he’d shown the bluff both times. So I remembered something I heard Gavin Smith once say about a call in this position being a very strong play, much stronger than re-raising, so that’s what I did. I knew if a diamond hit or a big card came, he was likely going to fold to any bet (it’s worth pointing out that he didn’t semibluff at all, so I put him on a suited cards that didn’t hit the flop.)
The turn was another 7. He bet really fast, which is a pretty reliable tell of weakness. The logic says that if someone made a set with that card, they’d take some time to figure out how to best get paid off. “Should I check? How much should I bet?” If a level 1 or level 2 player makes a very quick bet, it’s almost certainly a bluff, intended to scare the other guy out of the pot.
“I have you now,” I thought, in my best Darth Vader voice. I thought for a second, counted the pot, looked at his chips, and bet about half the pot. He thought for several seconds and said to the guy next to him, “I knew it,” as he folded.
“See?” I heard Lee Jones say in my head, “poker is easy!”
When we got down to three tables, I got into it with the same guy. Several players limped into the pot, and I called with 67 in late position. I flopped a seven, with two hearts on the board. Everyone checked around, so I made a feeler bet that got everyone except this guy to fold. I turned the six of hearts, so I had two pair with a flush on the board. This is not a position I like to be in, especially when the other player in the hand likes to chase draws. He bet, though, which made me almost positive that he didn’t have a hand. I’m not the most experienced player in the world, but I had a read on this guy. He was very predictable, and never bet his made hands. Was he the kind of player who would know that I know that? That’s deeper poker thinking than I’d seen from him, so I trusted my gut and called, planning to put him all-in on the end. I was very confident that I had the best hand, and I was pretty sure that he still had a draw.
The river was a blank, putting two diamonds and three hearts out there, and he jammed for just about the entire pot. I expected this, and I was still pretty sure that he had a busted draw, but I took my time and replayed the hand in my head. Based on everything he’d done up to that point in the tourney, and based on everything he’d done in the hand, I was pretty sure I could call and win. It was about 1/3 of my chips, though, and if I was wrong, it was going to suck.
“Don’t see monsters under the bed,” Lee Jones said in my head.
There was a chance he had the flush, and had chosen this hand to mix up his play. It was possible.
I counted my chips again, and asked for a count of his chips. My math was correct, it was about 1/3 of my stack to call, and I was getting well over 3:1 on my money. Maybe for experienced players this is an easy call, but I wasn’t sure, so I looked up at him . . .
He gave me what Paul Phillips once called “the sly smile,” just turning up the corners of his mouth. “It’s a 100% reliable tell,” Paul told me at MGM a few years ago after he picked it up from me.
“Trust your instincts and make smart plays,” Greg Raymer said. How did all these poker players get into my head? I didn’t think there was room for them around the d20s and zombies.
“Okay, I call,” I said. “Do you have the flush?”
He flipped up his cards to show a busted diamond draw. “I don’t, but I was hoping you’d think I did!”
While the dealer pushed the pot to me, we both stood up and shook hands. “You’re damn good,” he said to me.
“I don’t know about that,” I said, “but thank you.”
“How could you call me?” He said.
“I trusted my instincts,” I said.
The hand that crippled me was . . . sort of lame. We’d been playing short-handed for almost a full level with two tables left. I was getting absolute crap cards, and the other players were making it impossible for me to steal. An erratic player open-raised from early position, and got one caller. I looked down at K6 in the big blind, and decided that I’d go ahead and make a squeeze play. The blinds were about to double, cutting my M down to 3, so I didn’t have to think about this one very long.
Open-raiser, who was really willing to play almost any two cards, insta-called for 3/4 of his stack. Oh shit. The other guy thought briefly, and called for all his chips. I’m done.
Before I tell you what they had, let me explain the squeeze play. Dan Harrington introduced it to me in his awesome Harrington on Hold’Em books, and it goes like this: when someone raises and gets a caller, you come way over the top of both of them, representing a huge hand. Most players will fold nearly everything but AA-QQ, so you’ve got a very good chance to pick up all the dead money in the pot without a fight.
The thing I forgot, though, was that this play only works on people who know that they’re “supposed” to fold. Whoops.
Insta-caller showed the ace and the three of spades. Are you fucking kidding me?! The other guy showed a pair of eights.
The eights I could understand. He was getting massive odds thanks to the A3 guy (WTF?) and he’d already told me that he wanted to bust me so he could get my book. I couldn’t fault him for calling.
I asked the dealer to please pair my live king. He did his best, but the poker gods had other plans, tripling up the pocket eights guy as the board didn’t help any of us.
While I was busy getting crippled, someone busted on the other table, so they combined us into a final table of ten players. I had one big blind left, so I announced that I was all-in blind. Everyone folded, and I thought that I may have a chance against the equally-random cards in the blinds . . . but the guy to my right raised, they folded, and he tabled pocket kings.
He let me keep my cards hidden until the whole board was out, and I hoped for the improbable two pair to stay alive and mount the greatest comeback of my life . . . but I missed. I don’t even remember what the cards were.
There was some applause, and I wished everyone good luck. I signed my book for WWdN reader K, who was one of I think five readers who came out (this made me deliriously happy; over the 60 or 70 shows I did at ACME, I think 12 people ever came when I mentioned it on my blog, so getting about half of that number at one event was unexpected and totally awesome – thanks for coming if you were one of them!)
In no-limit poker, one mistake or lapse of judgment can knock down the whole log jam. I’m not sure if I’d take my squeeze play attempt back; the blinds were coming up, I needed chips to have a chance at making a run for the top three places, and I had a position where I thought I had a decent chance to make a play. Under normal conditions, I’m not playing K6 to a raise in any position, but I wasn’t playing my cards, I was making a move, and even though it didn’t work out the way I wanted it to, I was happy with myself for having the guts to make it. I was playing to win, instead of playing not to lose.
I’m not fooling myself; I’m not some kind of expert poker player, and I’m okay with that. But for one tourney, I felt like I was in complete control of my game, and playing at a slightly higher level than the people I was playing against. That was a tremendously satisfying feeling, almost as good as knowing that I helped raise a lot of money to help people who need it.
It is gamesn like that thatn make it all the fun 🙂
From a four-percenter: Is this boring for those who will it? Or those who will read it? 🙂
It’s nights like that that make poker fun, and worth all the bad beats it takes to get there.
Cool. I don’t play much but the description of your game here was pretty exciting a couple of times. Nice writing.
That’s cool that you hit that point of flow during the tournament. 😉
As far as the WWdN poker tourneys, I guess it depends on how well newbies are tolerated; I think I’ve played all of three poker games in my life. But if it’s cool to come in and learn as I go, I’d be up for it.
I think I would have folded the K6 in that position and just waited for better cards. But then again, I’m an extremely tight player. I know that feeling of being in control of your game. It’s happened to me on a few occasions, and there’s no better feeling when it comes to playing cards. Controlling the table is awesome.
As for starting the WWdN weekly game again I’d be in as long as it’s only a $5.00 entry and it’s on Poker Stars where the majority of your readers play(I guess the majority play there). Although Fleet St. Games gets your approval, and that’s enough for some of us, I like to keep it to two sites, PStars and Tiger Gaming.
Anyway, good job on 10th out of 1000, and keep acting, it’s your thing.
Mark.
“(does anyone else kind of miss that? Would you play if I started them up again?)”
As a former champion, this former champion would be happy to play in them. They were a blast, I’m sure even for folks who cannot lay claim to former champion status.
Signed: Former Champion
Congrats on making the final table:)
~~TARA~~
I’d play (or try to make it) in a WWdN game. Unfortunately, PokerStars won’t accept my money, the only place I seem to be able to get cash into is Full Tilt.
(side question: what’s a good way to get money to poker sites these days?)
Anyway, I’m always ecstatic to read your tales from the felt. It takes your awesome treatment of the language and applies it to something I know about.
Wow! Now I feel kinda bad for gunning for you in one of the Katrina tournies and telling the story about it!
I’d play in weekly games if my work schedule and my two-year-old’s sleep schedule allowed it.
Great play and story – any time you make the final table you’ve done well. I’m in a “can’t win for anything” run, so I appreciate the vicarious experience!
I’d be up to a good poker tourney…the question is will I find time off of work to play…
I miss the WWdN tournaments. Especially now with the summer being over and such, it’d be a good use of evening time.
I don’t play poker, but with all the awesome you assign to it, I’d be tempted to join a tournament just to give you my money.
Clay
The other players knew the blinds were going up too. They were willing to take a chance with Ace high or medium pocket pair. I’ve gone out of so many tournament when I tried to bluff a desparate player (although it usually happens when I am the SB and it is only me and the BB in the hand).
If people are gunning for you then play your hands in a straight-forward way and make them pay when they have the worst hand. If you know someone is going to call with crap, then A-high can be good enough to win the pot.
Let’s see if TypeKey will actually let me post a comment, for once. Long time reader, first time poster (maybe…I think…technical difficulties may have prevented previous posting attempts).
You have skillfully combined two things that I enjoy very much: your writing, and poker stories! My poker skills are best suited to playing irl (I find 2-7o and A-A equally amusing, and my expressions are therefore quite confusing). But I’d definitely sign up to play online with everyone here. Just let us know where and when!
I’m jealous of all this cool poker lingo.
Well, I miss hearing about the WWdN tourneys. I’ve played about three games in my entire life and therefore have no idea what I’m doing so I wouldn’t dare try to play with y’all but hearing about how fun they are is kind of neat.
Really glad you and Anne had a good time and that you felt happy with and in control of your game. Also, I always give kudos to people who play for charity. Good on y’all.
Cheers!
Bring back WWdN.
This is very cool!
I kind of thought you had given up on poker 😉
Please keep posting about poker and let everyone know when the next game will be.
Wil – I’d love to play in WWdN game on Pokerstars as long as it’s hold ’em – and low buy-in, of course.
an occasional freeroll would be nice!
I would definitely play poker if you started it up again.
I knocked you out once but I swear I wasn’t gunning for you. In fact, you caught me making a bad play and I was in trouble. I was in too deep and folding would have crippled me. I hadn’t shown weakness yet (and had been playing pretty tight) so I went all-in and got lucky that you backed down. That was the hand that really hurt you; I knocked you out a few hands later.
Sadly I wasn’t able to play the next week when the tourney was named after me :(.
Dave
“does anyone else kind of miss that?” Um, yeah. Took ya long enough already.
Actually I was on a 4 month hiatus from poker and just started playing again last week so the timing couldn’t be better.
“Would you play if I started them up again?” Do I even have to answer that? Do it, Wheaton. Just do it. 😉
I’d love these tourneys to come back…on any night but Tuesdays (bowling league dontcha know).
Wil, your poker writing is how I discovered your site in the 1st place. Since finding it a couple years ago, the poker content has decreased, yet I still read every entry. You have introduced me to many topics, some familiar, some completely foreign, but I feel comfortable here. I’ve since passed the baton to my wife, who is a fledgling writer also. You have inspired her on a number of occassions. Thanks!
P.S. Was the monkey present at the final table?
It was awesome to chat with you on one of the breaks, Wil. The beginners on my table gave up all their chips to Danny, rebought, and gave em all up to him again so I was seriously short against him. It’s no excuse though for my play though, I lost my patience and made a terrible play on my J-10 against his QQ. Alas. Still a really nice evening, thanks for posting it.
I’d certainly play WWdN tourneys again if you restarted them – they were always plenty of fun.
Not certain where my comment went, but I agree with Pauly.
More WWdN, please!
–Signed
Also Former Champion
Hey Wil,
Good for you for contributing to the charity poker tournament! That’s very cool.
Thanks for the poker post. It’s been a long time. That’s cool that you felt in control of your game. I’ve played very little but when I played at a friend’s house a couple of months back, I was very proud of playing hands where I stood down much more experienced players.
WWDN tourneys: heck yeah. I’d love to. Pokerstars is my preference.
If possible, could you announce them at least a day or two in advance? Someone could create a Yahoo e-mail group or something to send the announcements to. That way, announcements would go to people who cared and not to people who didn’t.
Craig
[PS Response:
KS: “Affleck can play anything”
Random Movie Producer: “Anything?”
KS: “Absolutely anything. Jaws 5: Affleck plays the Shark.”
that’s pretty cool.
also, it’s nice to read about someone having a good time at poker — i just came back from FARGO, and while the FARGO events were fun, the ring games with random folks kept touching me in my bathing suit places and not in that fun way which put me on a depressive tilt for the whole drive home.
i would totally play the wwdn tourneys again if you started having them, and i suspect claudia would as well.
I wasn’t playing poker seriously when you were first doing the poker tourneys; I’d love to play poker with you now 😉
Bummer about the K6 hand, but that’s poker. Congrats on the final table and get ’em next time.
If you set up a tournament, you can count me in!
Bring back WWdN tourneys. Maybe make it monthly so you don’t feel overwhelmed; give you something to look forward to.
Besides, the blogs about it are the bestest.
Bring back the Wheatie!
If the K-6 was soooted, it was a no-brainer to jam. M was 6, you have 1 BB already in (meaning 16.67% of your stack). Offsuit, maybe not. Your opponents played correctly also. With M that low and a chance to triple up, I’m calling with the ace or pair.
I busted out of the final table at BARGE a couple of years ago in a similar situation. 5 players, M of 5, had A-8 suited UTG, jammed, big stack calls. I made a flush, he made a boat, and IGHN.
Wil,
Without a doubt, bring back the WWdN! I for one have noticed a few nostalgic mentions of the Wheaties on several of the old regulars blogs.
Hi Wil,
Yours was the first online real money tourney I ever played. I loved every minute of it. You even name-checked me on your blog which was thrill * 10. Ok, you name-checked me ’cause I got a severely bad beat, but hey, go me ! Wil mentioned my poker pseudonym ! I’m *famous*
In other words A+++++++, would play again.
Damn. I love poker. Haven’t played in far too long. Also haven’t posted in WWdN… ever. This post made me register. Might be the beer tonight but I prefer to think I was inspired by WWWWD. Rock the geek and rawk the poker. PS out.
Wil,
I’m one of the four percent. I’d play if you revived the weekly game on PS, but I doubt I’d see many final tables. I actually wish you’d expand that four percent to something closer to 10, but I realize I may be in the minority.
Don’t worry, I enjoy most everything else you write about, and I own my own copy of Happiest Days. (Please come out to Washington DC sometime, so I can ask you to sign it for me).
Kind regards,
Andrew, another geek dad.
(Please excuse the follow-up to my own comment. Bad form.)
I agree with the earlier commenters who suggest a monthly (rather than weekly) schedule for the tourney. It might make it a lot easier for players to commit, and at wouldn’t be such a drain on your time, either.
Thanks again.
Great job at the tourney. Too bad that the squeeze play didn’t work, but I thought the same thing you did after the fact, that your opponents have to be ready and able to fold.
More WWdN tourneys? I’ll be there. I’m working on building up the bankroll a bit, so if you can keep it in the $5.50 range, at least to start, that would be nice.
BRING BACK THE WWdN TOURNEYS!!!!! please…
I have been missing the WWdN tourneys since they went away… I tried the Monkey Tourney once but the showing wasn’t what it was in the days of the Wheaties. And if it is too hard to do it weekly, I’m sure that all of the old regulars would be fine with a monthly version.
Let us know what happens.
Thanks Wil.
Wil!!!!!!!!!!!!
wp. Sometimes the cards just dont help you out, and i like your thinking vs. that player. Im just upset none of my words of advice (did i ever give you any) never popped in your head.
Bring back WWdN!!!
42
Geez, man, you’re the reason I started playing online poker – and a few months after the WWdN was over, I bailed. Playing in silent SNGs sucked in comparison.
I still have some cash in the account, though, and as a final tabler at the WWdN a couple of times, you’re darn right I would come back for that level of camaraderie / good-natured-hammering.
“When I was playing poker weekly, hosting the WWdN poker tourneys (does anyone else kind of miss that? Would you play if I started them up again?)”
Yes and yes.