So it was a cash game episode we did yesterday and I brought 300k with me planning on buying in for 150k and adding on if necessary.
A tough lineup that included Gus Hansen, Patrik Antonius, Phil Ivey, Tom Dwan, myself, and Phil Hellmuth. Gdy tylko przeczytałem ten fregment to sobie pomyślałem co tam k..wa robi Hellmuth. Przecież go tam żywcem zjedzą.
Right off the bat Ivey says lets do a 100k flip. Four guys threw their 100k out and I hadn't planned on joining in, then I said, "Ah, why not." It's a totally luck related bet with no one having an edge. Well, we did four flips on the night and I went 0-4.
On breaks we played Chinese Poker for $5000 a point and I lost $95,000 there. Patrik and Ivey were playing props so I joined in on the action and went on a roller coaster. Up 120k to down 200k in a heartbeat, then back up 200k and finally as the night ended I won 30k there.
I also booked Hellmuth in the game for 100% of his action. That basically means that whatever he did in the game I'd match. If he won 100k I'd owe him that, but whatever he lost he'd owe me that.
A teraz najlepszy kawałek: I would have been willing to bet more on that one because I just don't see how he could beat that lineup. Hellmuth is a great tournament player, one of the best ever for sure because his style works so well in tournaments. However, against these guys, none of that stuff is going to work and he'll get severely punished if he continues to play with them. He played like a nit for most of the day, got coolered in one hand, and then all of a sudden the smoke was coming out of his ears and he was ready to go off. He ended up losing 165k which helped put a dent into my flip debts.
As for me, I held my own in the poker game despite losing one brutal hand. I won about 44k in poker. I was really happy with the way I played and really enjoyed the challenge. These guys are really, really good. Tom "Durr" Dwan really impressed me as I hadn't played with him much prior to this. I'm sure he was getting dealt some hands but he played extremely well, very aggressive the whole way through, but he also made great decisions after the flop.
Usually when you play flips and get people stuck a couple hundred thousand it has an effect on their play. I was amazed, literally amazed at how little effect the side betting had on those losing. I was extremely proud of my ability to stay in the game and not steam off money due to random luck in 50/50 propositions. It's been so long since I really gambled and got stuck so I was the most likely to go off in the poker game- but I didn't.
Prop bets and other forms of 50/50 gambles are designed to test a man's character under adversity. Starting players out 100k loser right of the bat is usually great for the game especially if you are dealing with steamers. None of the gamblers steamed.
Everyone played well, except it seemed as though every decision Patrik made on the night went wrong. I thought Durr only made two mistakes that I saw and both of those were against Hellmuth strangely enough. Ivey played great as always. I felt like I raised my level of play and didn't make any sloppy decisions.
As for Hellmuth, he walked a lot and folded even more. His strategy was just way too obvious to the other players at the table. He played super tight and was just hoping to get paid off with the best hand. This wasn't the kind of game where that kind of approach was going to work. After he lost the 100k, though, he turned it into a higher gear, but once again, it was just so obvious again and then Patrik started to pound him in position.
Due to the flips I ended up losing money on the night, but left that night satisfied and happy with the outcome of the skill games. Winning in the poker, and picking a winner in booking Hellmuth.
After that I hung out at the bar with Sam, Ted, Mark, and Mary and we had the most fun ever playing "Johnny Lodden thinks" a great game invented by Antonio and Phil. My friend Sam isn't exactly educated when it comes to history, so I offered up the following bet to Mark and Ted: What year do you think Sam thinks that World War I ended?
The way the game works, it doesn't matter at all what the right answer is, only what Sam thinks it is. Well, this is how much credit these guys gave Sam. They ultimately made the line somewhere in the early 1500's LOL. It was so funny I couldn't keep a straight face. Mark used to be a history, and knows the answer obviously, but they both figured Sam was that clueless! Sam actually said 1900 and everyone was very impressed. So much fun, you guys should definitely try it.