Winning these tournaments requires playing perfect poker. More than that really. It requires no mistakes and good luck. That’s what some people don’t understand. One mistake very often will send you to the rail. The competition is that good, the stakes are that high, and the other players are that desperate.

 

I certainly could have gotten luckier over the last two days of the tournament, but I’m out because I made a mistake. On the beginning of day five, Phil Hellmuth came blustering in to his seat a hand late. He was excited, a little scatterbrained, and about to pick up a good run of cards. On the first hand he played, he flopped a set of tens. He also won three or four of the next hands. A few minutes later, he raised under the gun and I called from the button with a pair of nines. The flop came A, A, 8. He threw out a bet of half the pot (a small bet) and I called. I live and die based on my reads and in this case, I didn’t think he had an A. The turn was another 8. He bet, and it was here that I made the mistake. I should have gotten out of the way. My thinking at the time was that he was trying to use my short stack against me by pushing me around, but in hindsight, I know Phil and he doesn’t like to play huge pots without the goods. I should have let it go here, but instead I called. He bet the river too, which was a K and I called because I stuck with my read. Part of me thought he’d check the turn if he had an A. Ultimately I convinced myself that he was either completely bluffing or he got counterfitted on the turn. Either way, it was a mistake. As soon as I called, he said, “I gotcha!,” and turned over A, J.  

 

This hand crippled me. I started looking for a hand with which to shove. A round or two later, I was in the cutoff. I looked at my top card and saw an A. Without looking at the other card I moved my stack. Kirk Morrison called me and turned over K, Q. When I flipped over my other card I saw the deathblow: a 10. A, 10 is my kryptonite. I try not to be superstitious but A, 10 was my exit hand in the Aussie Millions, last year’s WPT Championship, and at least one other large buy-in event. Kirk flopped a K and I was out in 24th place.

 

Obviously I’m crushed to not be playing for a title but I’m really happy to have cashed in another event. The WPT Championship is one of my favorite events and I’ll definitely be back next year.