2020 World Series of Poker Postponed Due to Coronavirus Concerns Wsop Organizers Hope to Reschedule for Fall

www.CardPlayer.com Vol. 33/No. 11 May 20, 2020 2020 WORLD SERIES OF POKER POSTPONED DUE TO CORONAVIRUS CONCERNS WSOP ORGANIZERS HOPE TO RESCHEDULE FOR FALL

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004_Masthead.indd 4 5/6/20 10:58 AM PLAYER_10_Bike_FP.indd 3 4/21/20 4:36 PM Table of Contents - Card Player Vol. 33/No. 11 26 14

Features Strategies, Analysis Also In this Issue 26 & Commentary 4 2020 World Series of Poker Postponed 30 About Us Due To Coronavirus Concerns Big Blind Ante 38 By Card Player News Team By Greg Raymer Poker Leaderboards 31 The Inside Straight Folding Top Pair, Top Kicker On The Flop Tournament 8 By Jonathan Little Poker News Recap 32 Hand Matchups 12 True Tales From A Hollywood Poker 34 Hustler: Ben Affleck Goes To School Adrian Mateos vs. Kahle Burns vs. Player Of The Year Update By Houston Curtis Michael Soyza 14 36 35 Table Talk: Is Jeff Gross The Face Of The Variance: Part 3 Kahle Burns vs. Paul Phua Second Poker Boom? By Steve Zolotow By Julio Rodriguez 36 18 Matthias Eibinger vs. Paul Phua Final Table Takedown: Boris Kasabov 37 Mid-Stakes Regular Shares His Thought Paul Phua vs. Webster Lim Process From The Final Table Of His First WSOP Circuit Victory By Steve Schult 22 Poker Stories Podcast With David Tuchman By Card Player News Team

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006_TOC.indd 6 5/6/20 10:59 AM PLAYER_11_ACR_FP.indd 3 5/6/20 11:36 AM THE INSIDE STRAIGHT

the INSIDE STRAIGHT News, Reviews, and Interviews From Around the Poker World CASINO GAMBLING REVENUE CUT NEARLY IN HALF FOR STATES IN MARCH Numbers From Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware Show Huge Drop

By Steve Schult

During the coronavirus-induced casino shutdown, online gaming revenue has soared in states where it is legal. e revenue gains from iGaming, however, don’t make up for the lost brick-and-mortar revenue with several states experiencing huge drops. In mid-April, New Jersey’s Department of Gaming Enforcement released fi nancial information that showed the Garden State hit all-time highs in online poker revenue. e state’s online poker rooms raked $3.6 million in March, as its online gaming industry was up 64.4 percent. With only 16 days for its nine Atlantic City casinos to operate, live casino gaming only generated $85.5 million. Combined with New Jersey’s online revenue, the state only generated $163.5 million in gross gaming revenue in March, down $124 million year-over-year. Pennsylvania, which legalized all forms of online gam- more drastically by some locales in Southern California, bling in October 2017, experienced similar gains in its who don’t have access to online gaming revenue, but that online gaming market since the shutdown. Its gross gaming same pain will likely be felt on the east coast soon. revenue still fell from $304 million in February to $153 Parx Casino, Pennsylvania’s most profi table casino, is million in March. located in Bensalem, just outside Philadelphia’s city limits. According to a report from the Philadelphia Inquirer, the It pays the city $11 million annually but has been closed two states lost $274 million in gaming revenue just from since mid-March. two weeks of the shutdown. When April’s numbers are Bensalem Mayor Joseph DiGirolamo told the Inquirer released in a few weeks, it will only be worse. that he expects to receive the fi rst of four quarterly install- Similar trends were seen in Delaware, which is in a ments since it was operational for most of the fi rst quarter. compact with New Jersey and Nevada to share player pools He doesn’t feel great about subsequent payments if the for online poker. casino stays closed. Vernon Kick, director of the Delaware Lottery, told the “After that I’m worried,” he said. “It’s a big part of our paper that online gaming just doesn’t generate the revenue budget.” that the state is used to seeing. e Pennsylvania state government relies more on casino “Even though we’ve spiked up, it’s still just a drop in the gaming than New Jersey or Delaware. e Keystone State bucket,” said Kick. iGaming is a very, very small portion. taxes slot revenue at 54 percent and table games at 16 per- It’s up considerably, but those are percentages. Our dollars cent. e Garden State taxes each of those activities at 8 are nothing to write home about.” percent. When revenue drops for private companies, tax revenue A reopening date for casinos in all three states has yet to for the states dry up as well. e eff ect was felt quicker and be announced by state offi cials. m

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008_News.indd 8 5/7/20 9:21 AM THE INSIDE STRAIGHT VEGAS MAYOR WANTS CITY TO BE CONTROL GROUP FOR CORONAVIRUS REOPENING By Steve Schult

In a heated interview with CNN’s Anderson Cooper in late April, Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman said she wanted its citizens to be the guinea pigs for the rest of the country by fully reopening the local economy. Goodman has been one of the more outspoken public figures on this side of the economic issues surrounding the “None of those were as infectious,” replied Cooper. “You COVID-19 pandemic. Last week, the former Democrat didn’t have people with Ebola on a casino floor.” turned Independent called Gov. Steve Sisolak’s shutdown of “Well, we don’t know that,” said Goodman. “A neighbor of non-essential businesses ‘total insanity.’ mine died from West Nile [virus] because the swimming pool e 81-year-old went on Cooper’s show to discuss why she at the next property was full of mosquitos and the people who believes reopening the local economy, including casinos, is the abandoned the property left the pool full. is is part of life. right thing to do. She would like to follow the lead of Georgia It’s the challenges.” Gov. Brian Kemp, who recently announced the reopening of At this point, the logic begins to shift and just minutes his state’s economy. later, she explains that she offered up the city’s population to “Let us get started and go back to work,” said Goodman. take part in a hypothetical experiment in reopening economies. “We have all these people out of work that can’t even feed their “How do you know until we have a control group?” when families… We have close to 900,000 families out of work asked by Cooper if the city’s death toll was low because of because this wonderful city is shutdown.” social distancing measures. “We offered to be a control group. ere is plenty of data to make that argument as the inter- Anyone who knows anything about statistics knows that… I view took place just a day before another 4.4 million Americans did offer. It was turned down. I offered to be a control group filed for unemployment benefits. ursday’s numbers brought and I was told by our statistician that you can’t do that.” the five-week total since the outbreak to more than 26 million. Gov. Sisolak has yet to announce a date for a relaxing of As of April 27, there were 3,665 confirmed cases in Clark the current restrictions on the economy and the reopening of County and 174 deaths from COVID-19. casinos. Her logic, however, took a turn as the interview went on as e website for Caesars Entertainment, however, has begun Goodman tried to compare the spread of coronavirus to previ- to allow people to book stays at its properties as early as May ous pandemics. 15. m

VIRGINIA PASSES CASINO AND SPORTS BETTING LEGISLATION

By Steve Schult

Virginia’s legislature voted in favor tax revenue could surpass $900 mil- of Gov. Ralph Northam’s amendments lion over five years if a casino is built to a bill that would bring brick-and- in each of the five cities. mortar casino gambling and sports e legislation laid out a tiered tax betting to the state. plan that will tax operators anywhere e Senate approved the changes in between 18 and 30 percent, based on a 30-9 vote, while the House voted in the total gross revenue. favor of them by a 66-29 score. Along with the casino aspect of Both SB 36 and HB 4 were on Danville, Norfolk, Portsmouth, and what is now law of the land, it also Northam’s desk in April but, instead Richmond will vote on the issue. legalized sports betting. Currently, the of signing, he proposed amendments A simple majority vote in each city bill only legalizes online betting, since that would slightly alter the way in will pave the way for a casino in its there is no guarantee that residents which tax revenue from casinos would locale. Before the passage of this bill, of the five cities will vote in favor be distributed throughout the state. Virginia was one of the few states that of casino construction. If casinos are With his alterations approved by banned casinos. built, there will likely be a separate lawmakers, the bill becomes law and e new industry is expected to bill passed that allows those businesses five economically depressed cities in bring a windfall of tax dollars to to build retail sportsbooks at their Virginia will be able to vote whether the state. A 2019 study conducted by casinos. their locale becomes home to a casino. Virginia’s Joint Legislative Audit and e lottery commission will oversee is November, residents of Bristol, Review Commission concluded that Virginia’s new industries. m

008_News.indd 9 5/7/20 9:21 AM THE INSIDE STRAIGHT - News, reviews, and interviews from around the poker world Casino CEO: “At Least A Year” Before Casinos Operate At Full Capacity By Steve Schult

e CEO of one of the globe’s largest gaming companies Even with the regional aspect of Jim Allen went on CNBC in late April and told reporters that he believes Florida casinos working in his favor, it will take about a year before the American casino industry is Allen believes it will still take some time running at pre-COVID-19 levels. to fully recover. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis Hard Rock International Chairman Jim Allen believes that recently reopened beaches for limited activi- while some regional casinos will rebound quicker than others, ties, but Allen believes this action doesn’t indi- the tourism industry as a whole is going to struggle for quite cate the state is ready to return to normal. a while. “While we see a ramp up, when we see the beaches in “ ere’s going to be a real challenge, especially here in the Jacksonville as crowded as they were, that seems like that’s United States, as far as ramping the business back up,” said kind of exciting,” said Allen. “But I think that’s just the initial Allen. “And frankly, we’re planning on that taking at least a get-out-of-the-house [push].” year.” Allen believes that sustained business growth will not come Hard Rock International, which was bought by the as quickly as people fl ocking to the beach. When they do ramp Seminole Tribe of Florida in 2007, owns casinos, hotels, and up, however, he thinks that casinos will take the necessary Hard Rock Cafes all over the world. Allen noted that the steps to keep customers safe, noting the steps his casinos took company’s hotel in Shenzen, a city just outside Hong Kong, during its fi nal days of operation. is only operating at 12 percent capacity despite being open for “We were doing a lot more than social distancing,” said nearly a month as the country recovers from the fi rst wave of Allen. “One slot machine was on and four were off . We were coronavirus infections. only allowing three individuals at a gaming table.” e company’s most profi table properties come from its six Florida casinos have been closed since all the properties casinos in Florida, which Allen describes as a regional business. were shut down on March 20. A date for reopening has not He believes casinos that attract people traveling by car instead been announced yet. It was one of the last states to shut down of by plane will rebound before the rest of the industry. operations. m RHODE ISLAND CASINO COMPANY BUYS THREE PROPERTIES FROM CAESARS AND ELDORADO By Steve Schult

In a move that removed large roadblocks to the approval company’s board of directors told the Times. “It reaffi rms our of the pending $17.3 billion merger between Caesars commitment to employers, customers and the communities Entertainment and Eldorado Resorts, a Rhode Island casino in which we operate that Twin River will be stronger than company bought three casinos from the two companies. ever.” Twin Rivers Worldwide Holdings, the casino company e sale of Bally’s might be the key piece in the deal and that owns Rhode Island’s two brick-and-mortar gambling increases the likelihood of approval in the Garden State. operations, purchased casinos in New Jersey, Louisiana, and Daniel Heneghan, a gaming analyst, and former Nevada from the two larger corporations. spokesman for the New Jersey Casino Control Commission Twin Rivers bought Bally’s Atlantic City from Caesars told the newspaper that the sale lessens the footprint in for $25 million, while it spent a combined $155 million in Atlantic City just enough to ease worry from the regulatory buying Eldorado’s Mont Bleu Resort Casino & Spa in Lake bodies. Tahoe and Eldorado Shreveport in Louisiana. “It will signifi cantly reduce the level of economic Since the announcement of the pending merger last year, concentration and that will make it a lot easier for the Caesars and Eldorado have continually sold properties to Casino Control Commission to approve it,” said Heneghan. avoid any monopoly concerns from gaming regulators. “ e fact that it is being sold to a new player for the market Eldorado sold three casinos in West Virginia and here will help increase the competition. I’m sure the need to Missouri last summer before dumping another one of its get New Jersey approval was a big factor in deciding to sell Louisiana casinos last January. Caesars sold a property in the property.” Reno in January as well. Caesars will maintain control of the sportsbook in With the purchase, Twin Rivers expands its portfolio. It Bally’s and the Wild Wild West area adjacent to the book. already had properties in Rhode Island, Colorado, Delaware, e two properties are connected, and visitors do not and Mississippi, according to the Washington Times. need to go outside to move from one property to another, “ is is a great deal for Twin River, and diversifi es our meaning that the borders of the two casinos have offi cially business across eight states,” Soo Kim, chairman of the changed. m

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PLAYER_11_PokerBro_FP.indd 3 5/6/20 11:36 AM THE INSIDE STRAIGHT - Player of the year As of 4-22-2020

A Look At Players Outside the Top 20 Making Waves In Recent Weeks Place Players Points Final Tables Winnings Paul Phua - 1 Vincent Wan 2,280 1 $909,420 22 22nd Place 55-year-old Malaysian 2 Farid Jattin 2,177 6 $1,205,493 businessman and poker player Paul 3 Anton Suarez 2,100 1 $1,000,000 Phua went on a cashing spree in March, making the money 4 Cary Katz 2,095 8 $2,420,543 in five events at the MILLIONS Super High 5 Kahle Burns 1,956 6 $2,923,988 Roller Sochi over the course of eight days. He made four final tables in that duration, winning two titles and cashing for just shy of $2.6 6 Ngoc Hoang 1,900 1 $909,420 million in the process. He finished runner-up in a $25,000 buy-in short deck event early in 7 Aaron Van Blarcum 1,896 8 $1,854,522 the series for $305,000 and 420 Card Player Player of the Year points. Just three days later, he topped a field of 42 entries in a $100,000 8 Sam Greenwood 1,881 6 $1,357,807 buy-in no-limit hold’em event to secure the title, the $1,512,000 top prize, and 600 more 9 Tim Adams 1,857 6 $5,904,777 POY points. Phua added a second title another four days after that, outlasting 31 entries in a $50,000 buy-in no-limit hold’em tournament. 10 Brian Altman 1,848 3 $542,866 The $620,000 and 408 points he earned for that victory were enough to see him climb into 22nd place in the overall POY race standings, 11 Michael Addamo 1,806 5 $2,143,310 with 1,498 points.

12 Pablo Silva 1,800 1 $1,000,000 Mikita Badziakouski - 30 30th Place 13 Christian Rudolph 1,750 1 $620,000 Like Phua, Mikita 14 James Romero 1,736 2 $745,000 Badziakouski also put together an impressive run in 15 Erik Seidel 1,686 5 $669,649 Russia. The 28-year- old Belarusian 16 Eric Afriat 1,680 1 $394,120 poker pro emerged victorious from a field of 45 entries to win a $50,000 buy-in no-limit hold’em event there for $765,000 and 510 POY 17 Alex Foxen 1,597 6 $1,603,559 points. A handful of days later he finished third in the $250,000 buy-in Super High Roller 18 Nino Ullmann 1,540 2 $370,609 Bowl Russia, which drew 40 entries in total. The deep run was good for a $1,600,000 payday and an additional 400 points. With 19 Stephen Chidwick 1,537 6 $1,043,973 these two scores and another final-table finish earned earlier in 2020, Badziakouski now occupies the 30th-place spot on the POY 20 Gareth Pepper 1,520 1 $690,000 leaderboard. He has already accumulated $2,678,950 in earnings in 2020, with 1,250

points earned so far. @ MILLIONS SUPER HIGH ROLLER SERIES; Oleg ParaMon

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012_POY.indd 12 5/6/20 10:59 AM PLAYER_09_OceansEleven.indd 3 4/6/20 11:03 AM THE INSIDE STRAIGHT - table talk

TABLE TALK: INTERVIEWS WITH POKER'S TOP TALENT Card Player sits down with the game’s well-known, up-and-coming, and most notorious players for insight into what it takes to make it in the poker world.

IS JEFF GROSS THE FACE OF THE SECOND POKER BOOM? Popular Poker Personality Trades In High Rollers For Twitch Streams By Julio Rodriguez

Online poker is booming again, and other than the site operators themselves and the sharks at the top of the food chain, perhaps few are better positioned for this second wave of poker enthusiasm than Jeff Gross. e Ann Arbor, Michigan native has spent the last few years transitioning his focus from the live arena to online, where he streams a lot of his action on Twitch with the Poker Flow Show. e following he built for himself, which includes more than 135,000 viewers and listeners across his Twitter, YouTube, and Twitch plat- forms, led to interest from a number Gross had his own fair share with Gross in between his homes in of online poker sites. Gross spent of high roller success as well, final Las Vegas, Miami, and Brazil while two years as a brand ambassador tabling a few six-figure buy-in tour- he was in the Caribbean to stream for PokerStars before making the naments and cashing in several some of his play in partypoker’s switch to partypoker. e 33-year- $25,000 events. In 2012, he narrow- Powerfest series. old now serves as the Co-Managing ly missed out on a World Poker Tour Card Player: ere’s no live poker Director of Team Online for par- title, and over the years, he’s had to play, but I’m guessing that self- typoker, when he’s not also hosting several close calls at the World Series isolating hasn’t affected your usual his own podcast, filming his vlogs, of Poker, including a runner-up fin- routine too much. or providing commentary for some ish in the 2011 $5,000 shootout. e Jeff Gross: No. It’s been pretty of the biggest buy-in tournaments in former University of South Carolina normal. e whole thing is obvi- the world. soccer player has a combined $3.3 ously a terrible situation, but it’s not In fact, Gross was in the commen- million in live tournament earnings. impacting my day-to-day very much tary booth for the $1 million buy- Now married and a father to just because of what I’ve been up to in Triton London super high roller, a baby boy, Gross is no longer jet the last few years. which awarded the biggest prize in setting around the world from one CP: You’ve definitely been busy. poker history of $20.6 million to high roller to the next, but he hasn’t It seems like you have half a dozen Bryn Kenney. (He was also there completely given up the high-stakes poker-related jobs these days. when his buddy Antonio Esfandiari lifestyle that once saw him collect JG: It really is crazy. It’s been won what was then the biggest prize $550,000 from Bill Perkins for get- busy lately. I did take off a lot of of $18.3 million in the 2012 Big One ting a simple tattoo on his back. (He time. Last year there was a couple For One Drop.) still has it!) Card Player caught up of months where... I didn’t go to the

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014_Q&A_JeffGross.indd 14 5/6/20 11:00 AM THE INSIDE STRAIGHT

In January of last year I was in the Bahamas, playing a high-stakes cash game on a boat. And I lost one of the biggest pots of my life. This was a $330,000 pot against Rob Yong.

you were roommates with Michael Phelps and traveling the globe every week with the likes of Esfandiari, Phil Laak, Brian Rast, and Bill Perkins, competing in high roller events. JG: I was fortunate to play the high rollers for a year or two. I played some $100,000 buy-ins, you know, obviously getting deals or selling action. It was cool, it was fun, and I had some success in them, but I realized that it wasn’t for me. I was playing with the world’s best players, people who don’t make very many mistakes, and there just had to be an easier way. Unless you’re one of those top one percent guys that are just super gifted, but even then, do you even want to go that route? Even guys like Stevie [Chidwick], you know, guys that are considered the best in the world, have to be stressed out. You’re playing high stakes, you’re traveling all the time, and bad runs can go on for a year or two years. CP: Now you are this hybrid of poker player and poker personality, not only representing partypoker as a team online site ambassador, but also doing commentary work for live poker events, hosting your own podcast, and streaming your play on Twitch. at’s a lot of hats to wear, so I’m sure your degrees in market- ing and entrepreneurship are coming in handy. JG: Yeah. I actually have an affili- World Series of Poker, really, only we’re not even thinking about this ate background. at’s how I kind twice for a few days, because we had year, but you know, potentially the of got into poker actually, funny the baby. I’ve been adapting to that. following year. I think we’ll go. I met enough, was me promoting party- So if I’m not busy with poker, then my wife there. Antonio [Esfandiari] poker back in the day. I was using I’m busy with the family. got me to go back in 2014. We their very generous affiliate program CP: I’m guessing you can’t take a walked by each other and I met her back in 2004 when I was in college. baby to Burning Man, either? in the middle of the desert at seven CP: Is that why you made the JG: You can, actually. Last year in the morning when she was waking switch from PokerStars? we couldn’t, of course, because he up for the day and I was finishing my JG: People keep saying that was only a few months old. We were day. And that, that was it. So now we PokerStars was dropping all of these going to go this year. I think that have a Burning Man baby. guys, but I had a renewal on the was our plan. Obviously, the world CP: ings are a lot different than table. I was ready to re-sign. But is turned on its head right now. So your first years as a poker pro, when in January of last year I was in the

014_Q&A_JeffGross.indd 15 5/6/20 11:00 AM THE INSIDE STRAIGHT - table talk

‘A guy who is playing $22 tournaments and entertaining others on a live stream is way more valuable to an online poker site than a guy who is wearing a patch at a few $100,000 buy-in events per month.”

Bahamas, playing a high-stakes cash up. Is it difficult to keep the quality they could start streaming. Some of game on a boat. And I lost one of high, while also being engaging with these guys are good friends of mine, the biggest pots of my life. is was your viewers, and also trying to actu- so of course I would give them the a $330,000 pot against Rob Yong. ally win? blueprint, on everything from equip- I had aces, he had kings. Rob only JG: Honestly, my biggest struggle ment to content ideas. I give them runs it one time, and this particular is not playing too many tables at the the full playbook, and the majority time, he made quad kings. same time. I really like how some of them never even click live. e But the funny part of that story streamers will just play one tourna- ones that do try it, usually stop after is that, yes, I ended up losing, but ment and then engage more with a few streams. Because guess what? I ended up playing with Rob for 10 the chat. e other side of that are It’s really hard. Even the top stream- hours, getting to know each other. the guys who want to make sure ers go through mental fatigue and And then we had a meeting. And they have a deep run or two, so they burn out. at’s why I don’t stream then another meeting. He came to are playing a lot of tables at once. I as often or as long as some others do. Miami to meet with me, and before think two to four screens would be When it’s time for streaming, I’m you know it, partypoker has a new ideal, but then you get to Sunday and always excited and passionate about team, with myself and Jamie Staples. there’s often eight to ten good tour- it. It’s not a chore I’m looking to get Some people might say, that was naments running at the same time. through. just being at the right place at the I’ve come to the realization that CP: You are definitely not afraid right time, but guess what. at my whole deal is different. When to show some emotion when you are didn’t come from me winning a I’m streaming, I want to win, but streaming, either. What’s wrong with major tournament. e old model whether I win or lose slightly isn’t a fist pump every once in a while? has changed. I have had a lot of suc- really that big of a deal. Streaming JG: I agree, but I’m also from the cess in big live tournaments and a is for building my brand, promot- camp that says we are missing a little bunch of close calls. ose numbers ing partypoker, and also networking bit of that emotion in live poker as may be sexy, but that doesn’t appeal and getting involved in other cool well. I had Matt Savage on my pod- to the masses. e guys who win the projects as a result. I’ve given up the cast talking about how the rules can high rollers and consistently compete dream of… Look, I could just sit even discourage people from inter- for million-dollar prizes are clearly here and study the game non-stop acting. It’s different in the UK than it at the top, but they are not relatable for hours and hours every day and I is in the U.S., for example, but if you to the average online poker player. might have a shot at becoming one get heads-up in a pot with someone A guy who is playing $22 tourna- of the best players in the world, or and try some table talk, the dealers ments and entertaining others on a I could do what I do now, and con- immediately shut it down. Whether live stream is way more valuable to tinue to enjoy the game I fell in love you are talking about the contents of an online poker site than a guy who with as a teenager. To me, there’s your hand or not, it makes the game is wearing a patch at a few $100,000 nothing better than the social aspect way too intense, even anti-social. I buy-in events per month. of poker. think that’s a mistake and something CP: Looks like that might be one CP: Why don’t more poker players that should be addressed. I think of the best pots you ever lost. stream their play? we’re just losing some of what made JG: Well, it was still a massive pot. JG: (laughing) I can’t tell you poker so appealing during the boom. (laughing) how many guys that are professional I don’t want the game to become too CP: Speaking of your live streams, poker players, well-known players, serious. We keep the game growing you’ve got quite the production set who have come to me and asked how by keeping it fun. m

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014_Q&A_JeffGross.indd 16 5/6/20 11:00 AM PLAYER_11_AdvancedPokerTraining_FP.indd 3 5/6/20 11:36 AM THE INSIDE STRAIGHT - Final Table Takedown FINAL TABLE TAKEDOWN Boris Kasabov Mid-Stakes Regular Shares His Thought Process From The Final Table Of His First WSOP Circuit Victory By Steve Schult

Boris Kasabov broke through to win his first World Series of Poker Circuit ring in December after nearly six years as a regular in the mid-stakes tournament world. He defeated a 281-entry field in the $1,700 no-limit hold’em main event at the IP Biloxi, earning $98,044 in the process. The Houston native is a regular at WSOP Circuit stops all over the country and has racked up $422,127 in tournament earnings over his short career. The nearly half million-dollar sum came just from playing tournaments with buy-ins ranging between $300 and $1,700 on a part-time basis. Kasabov sat down with Card Player to break down a few hands he played at the final table of his victory in Mississippi.

World Series of Poker Circuit IP Biloxi Main Event Buy-In: $1,700 • Entries: 281 • Prizepool: $425,715 • First Place: $98,044

ﬂ at. Some of it was just how ended straight draw and the K Q 9 8 I perceived my opponents original raiser bets 160,000. and their capability of pay- What is going through your

ing me oﬀ if I hit or folding mind when you’re facing this

K Q 8 9 to aggression. All of that I bet? What sort of range are had on my side and I wanted you starting to put him on? Boris Kasabov Hamid Izadi to give him the option to BK: With the turn being 950,000 800,000 make a mistake. an overcard and ﬁ lling a SS: e small blind calls draw, I’m putting him on a 10 7 3 J A as well and you’re three- pretty strong hand. It doesn’t

handed to a ﬂ op. ey both seem like much of a bluﬀ to

10 3 J A 7 check to you and you fl op me. He seems pretty strong nothing, but have overcards like he is trying to get some and a fair amount of back- value. Blinds: 20,000 – 40,000 with a 40,000 big blind ante door equity. Do you ever I haven’t made my hand Players Remaining: 9 take a stab on this fl op? yet and my perception of BK: I did think about him is that he is pretty Concepts: Deciding on folded. On the river, Izadi it, but obviously I didn’t. I strong, so I decided to just correct river bet sizing to checked and Kasabov bet didn’t want to get in trouble call and go to a river. extract value from the top of 360,000. Izadi called. and it’s okay to go to the SS: When you say, “pretty your range Steve Schult: A lot of turn. Like you said, there strong,” what types of hands The Action: Hamid Izadi people formulate strategies were so many good cards for are you talking about? raised to 100,000 from around three-betting this me on the turn that I just BK: At a minimum, Q-J middle position and Boris hand prefl op in cash games. decided to check. or A-J. He could also have a Kasabov called from late Is this a good candidate for SS: Did the presence of set that he fl opped. I think position. e player in the a three-bet in tournaments the small blind aff ect the if he had A-10 or other 10-X small blind came along as ever or is it usually played frequency that you are going hands, he would probably well and it was three-handed as a call? to bet the fl op? If you were bet the fl op. So, I don’t think to a fl op, which all three Boris Kasabov: A three- heads-up, would you be bet- he’s got air. I think he’s got a players checked. e small bet is defi nitely an option. ting this fl op more often? strong hand. blind checked the turn and ere were just so many fac- BK: Yes. If I was heads- SS: You river the nuts and Izadi bet 160,000. Kasabov tors that came into this par- up, I would defi nitely stab. he checks to you. He has called and the small blind ticular hand. I opted to just SS: You turn an open- 540,000 left in his stack and

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018_FTT_BorisKasabov.indd 18 5/7/20 9:25 AM THE INSIDE STRAIGHT

you bet 360,000. How did a stack of big denomina- BK: At this point, I think all the chips in the middle you come up with that size? tion chips and I bet those. he’s got either an ace or a in a really good spot but BK: I remember thinking Especially, since it was an pair with a straight draw. caught a brutal runout to he was pretty tricky and overcard, I wanted to put Based on the way that he chop the pot. From a mental pretty solid, but he was also him to the test. I was really bet and the way that he had game perspective, how do careful and wasn’t out of shocked that he just called played hands for the last you bounce back from that? line too much. It was kind with the second nuts. few hours, I just felt like he How do you not lose your of strange that he checked. SS: In hindsight, do you was going to call my jam. I mind and spew off all your I got the sense he wasn’t wish you just moved all in, thought he was already com- chips? going to just fold and let since he has about a pot-sized mitted to this hand. BK: It took me at least me have the pot, so I tried bet left? I didn’t even waste much 10-15 minutes to kind of to make it look like I was BK: Yeah. I do kind of time. I quickly moved all in get over that. is was so trying to buy it. I had regret that. and he snap-called. bad that I did kind of fl y SS: When I saw this off the handles. It took me J 10 A 8 hand, I was wondering why back to not a helpless spot, you didn’t raise smaller, but but I just felt like it was such

it seems like this was super a bad runout and you start

J 10 8 A player-dependent and you questioning yourself about wouldn’t make this play how many more times you’re Boris Kasabov Wayne Boyd against anyone else. Is that going to be in a spot like 1,120,000 900,000 fair to say? this. Because these are rare BK: Exactly. is doesn’t spots and if they’re not win- A K Q J 10 have anything to do with ning, you just feel a little

GTO (game theory opti- helpless from the runouts.

A Q J 10

K mal) strategy. is was more We went on break after a of a Dan-Lowery-type play while and that did help me. I where you just know your needed 20-30 minutes mini- Blinds: 25,000 – 50,000 with a 50,000 big blind ante opponent. mum to kind of mentally get Players Remaining: 7 SS: You obviously got back on track.

Concepts: Picking correct two cards preﬂ op. I’d much A K 10 10 spots to limp in in position prefer to see if I can trap him

The Action: Action folded as opposed to bloating the

A K 10 around to Boris Kasabov pot with a raise. I fi gured let 10 on the button, who limped. me just get into the pot as Wayne Boyd completed the cheaply as possible and beat Boris Kasabov Brett Apter small blind and Jeremy Eyer him post-fl op. 1,350,000 760,000 checked his option in the big SS: What types of hands A 8 7 9 J blind. On the fl op, Boyd led would you be limping and

out for 100,000, Eyer folded what types would you be

A 7 9 J

and Kasabov moved all in. raising with this player in the 8 Boyd called. blinds? How does this alter SS: Why did you decide your normal strategy? to limp the button with J-10? BK: I’d only be raising Blinds: 30,000 – 60,000 with a 60,000 big blind ante BK: I would say that hands that I’m willing to go Players Remaining: 6 around 97 percent of the time all the way with, in this spot. I would raise here, but you’ve I’m not going to say only Concepts: Picking when dard, but what about the big got to understand these play- premium hands, but pretty to pot control on the turn blind’s play here. When he ers and how the hands were strong ones. Maybe some- The Action: Boris Kasabov has a 12-13 big blind stack being played until that time. thing like A-J and up and raised to 130,000 from early and he’s just calling, what I was just kind of waiting to some middle pairs. position and Brett Apter are you thinking? I would trap mainly this player. I felt SS: You started this hand called out of the big blind. think that is a stack size like I could do a better job of with 22 big blinds. Would On the fl op, Apter checked, where most players are usu- exploiting them if we played you still have a limping range Kasabov bet 100,000 and ally moving all in or folding. post-fl op because my edges at deeper stacks? What about Apter called. Both players BK: He was a little bit will be bigger that way. shallower stack depths? checked the turn and Apter of an unconventional player, I don’t want to just get BK: Against those two bet 250,000 on the river. but he defi nitely had a tight everything all in prefl op players, yes, I think so. I’d Kasabov called. range. I don’t know why where I might only have a be limping with both deeper SS: You raise to 130,000 he didn’t opt to jam, espe- slight edge. I knew I could and shorter stacks. from early position and the cially with pocket tens. I trap these guys post-fl op. SS: You fl op the nuts and big blind calls off a stack can’t really explain that, but And if I had raised prefl op, he led right into you. At this that is just 760,000. Your he didn’t. I still perceived nothing would’ve changed. point, what are you starting hand selection and raise him to have a pretty solid is guy was calling with any to narrow his range to? are obviously beyond stan- hand when he defends his

018_FTT_BorisKasabov.indd 19 5/7/20 9:25 AM THE INSIDE STRAIGHT - Final Table Takedown

big blind though. ace, I didn’t want him to fold trol the pot and hopefully of my perception of him, if I thought he would have a pocket pair like tens. So, get a safe river. And if I’m you will, was that he also some of the bigger ace-highs, I didn’t want him to fold. ahead, the majority will still recognized that I respected some broadways and middle Obviously if he jams, I’m call- be pretty safe. his play. When he bet that, pocket pairs were about the ing. I wanted to price him in, ere were a lot of differ- I was torn that he could just only hands that I could realis- so that was why I made the ent factors, but I just remem- be representing something tically put him on. smaller bet. ber with that player and with to try and move me off a SS: I don’t know the other It’s pretty standard. A lot that turn, and the way he strong hand because of how stacks at the table, but you of the times when you feel called, and the fact I knew he thinks I view him or is he had him out-chipped by more like you’ve smashed it and that he was pretty tight, I just taking me to value town? than 2:1. Would you be rais- you don’t want to run off your decided to just get to a river. His bet screams that. He’s ing a little bit wider in this opponent, you will tend to And I don’t think I could not folding, but what hands spot to attack his big blind downbet. get three streets of value from can he have and what hands since he was super tight? Or SS: On the turn, he worse. I think that’s a pretty beat me? Obviously, all the are you just playing your nor- checked, and you check significant reason as well. sets, any straight draw that mal ranges? behind. What made you want SS: We mentioned earlier got there, but what hand did BK: Well, yes, but since I to check back? that he started the hand with he play preflop and through was in early position, I was BK: I decided to keep the a pretty short stack. Would the flop that beat me? I didn’t playing against all the other pot small and check back. you have been betting the put him on any sets, so I players too. If I was in late SS: What type of hands turn at deeper and shallower thought his most likely value position, then, yes, absolutely. were you trying to pot control stacks? hands were either a straight SS: You flop top pair and against? BK: Yes, to both. at’s with A-10 or maybe two pair bet 100,000 when it’s checked BK: e board got really why it was kind of tricky. It’s with A-J. I think he would bet to you. It’s on the smaller size. wet on the turn when the nine why I kind of regret my deci- A-J there. What type of situations are came. He did call a flop bet sion on the river. So, I just thought that I you looking for when you so I started to question myself SS: What about your had too much invested and downbet? and thought that I could be decision on the river? He led had too much equity. But I BK: I wanted to price him beat since that card can help out for 250,000. Walk me thought he could have missed in. I downbet for a couple his range pretty easily. Yeah, through your thought pro- and wanted to represent different reasons. I wanted to I could possibly still be good, cess. something with a value bet induce a jam from a worse but if I am, let me just con- BK: I think his perception instead of a jam. m

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CP_PokerSchool_1_FP.indd 1 5/6/20 11:38 AM Card Player Podcast

POKER STORIES PODCAST

With David Tuchman

Poker Stories is a long-form audio podcast series that features casual interviews with some of the game’s best players and personalities. Each episode highlights a well-known member of the poker world and dives deep into their favorite tales both on and off the felt.

To listen, visit www.cardplayer.com/poker-podcasts or download it directly to your device from any number of mobile apps, such as Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Play, or Spotify. Catch up on past episodes featuring notables such as Doyle Brunson, Daniel Negreanu, Justin Bonomo, Nick Schulman, Barry Greenstein, Michael Mizrachi, Bryn Kenney, Mike Sexton, Brian Rast, Chris Moneymaker, Maria Ho, Joe Cada, Freddy Deeb, and many more.

From: Long Island, New York Lives: Los Angeles, California Live Tournament Earnings: $163,650

David Tuchman has one of poker’s most well-known voices, having been in the commentator’s booth for some of the biggest tournaments and cash games ever filmed. The New York-native got his start with Live At The Bike!, and then later Full Tilt’s Million Dollar Cash Game. While living in London and covering the NFL and NASCAR for Sky Sports, Tuchman also spent time with PokerStars for online and live events. In 2011, he began working with the World Series of Poker, and has continued to call the action every summer since. Before finding poker and his career in sports broadcasting, Tuchman was in Los Angeles to pursue his passion for acting. He ultimately ended up with a few close calls, including a network TV series that wasn’t picked up, and a movie he was cut out of. His IMDB page has half a dozen credits, including appearances on shows such as Beverly Hills 90210, Party Of Five, and Buffy The Vampire Slayer. Highlights from this interview include childhood nicknames, scoring five goals for grandma, pros and cons of college, wearing many hats, being an extra for Pamela Anderson, close calls in Hollywood, why he had to miss his best friend’s wedding, getting cut out of a George Clooney movie, shoving Jason Priestley, double pay on Buffy, lonely lunches with Jennifer Love Hewitt, working for Sky Sports in London, calling the WSOP, the player who was banned from the broadcast booth, betting on elections, Springsteen tattoos, Slapshot > Goon, from Corey Haim to Jim Carrey, and casting Shawshank: The Musical.

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022_Podcast_David Tuchman.indd 22 5/6/20 11:32 AM THE INSIDE STRAIGHT

The Transcript Highlights

On Being Cut Out Of A George Clooney Movie

Julio Rodriguez: Let’s talk about your acting career. David Tuchman: Acting career? Career is a very generous word. JR: You have some credits here [on your IMDB page]. It may look like extra work (as in an extra on set)… DT: No, it wasn’t extra work. None of those credits you see are extra work. I did extra work. In fact, my fi rst extra job was…. Oh man… It was a Pamela Anderson movie… JR: Barbwire! DT: Yes! You got it. JR: My father took me to that… way too young. Do you remember what you did in the movie? DT: I walked onto an airplane. I guess it was an airplane. I’ve never seen the movie. JR: You’re not missing much. DT: I was wearing a leather jacket. JR: ere’s a lot of leather in that movie. DT: ere you go. I saw Pamela Anderson. I saw the director, I saw the cam- eras. I said, okay, this is kind of cool. I went out and did a couple student fi lms. I got an agent, a manager… Another thing that’s not on the page is e Perfect Storm. ey had an Air Force base, there’s a whole coast guard scene. I fi lmed for a week up at Point Mugu. ey cut the entire thing, because the fi lm was too long I guess. I was really excited because it was George Clooney, and Mark Wahlberg, and Wolfgang Petersen was the director. I couldn’t believe I got this part. I know it was a small role, but I was going to be in the movie for about 40 seconds. JR: You had lines. DT: I had lines. We were fi lming for four or fi ve days. My dad and my mom, and all of their friends were going to be able to go to the movie and say, ‘Oh, there’s David!’ JR: Did they at least tell you beforehand? DT: ey didn’t tell me, but I kind of knew. ey called me up to make sure they had the correct spelling of my name, and then I didn’t hear back from them again… for a while. en at the screening, the girl I was dating at the time said, ‘Oh, maybe you are still in it.’ And I said, ‘Nope. You see the guy who is dying right now? My scene was with him.’ So I feel like I had some close calls. m

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022_Podcast_David Tuchman.indd 23 5/6/20 11:32 AM PLAYER_11_GlobalPoker_DT.indd 2 5/6/20 11:36 AM PLAYER_11_GlobalPoker_DT.indd 3 5/6/20 11:36 AM 2020 WORLD SERIES OF POKER POSTPONED DUE TO CORONAVIRUS CONCERNS WSOP Organizers Hope To Reschedule For Fall, But No Dates Are Currently Confirmed By Card Player News Team

e 2020 World Series of Poker has officially been post- On April 2, WSOP Vice President of Corporate poned. On Monday, April 20 the WSOP released a statement Communications Seth Palansky told Card Player that a deci- announcing that the 51st annual running of the world’s largest sion was not likely to be made until May, with organizers want- poker series has been pushed back indefinitely due to the global ing as much time as possible to gather information before mak- COVID-19 outbreak. ing a decision. Palansky was among the roughly 90 percent of In the release, the event’s organizers indicated that they are Caesars employees put on furlough that same week. targeting a move to the fall of 2020 for the series, but no exact “ e only factors that matter for the WSOP, for it to be held dates have been determined. e WSOP did stipulate that the as planned, is the health and safety of guests and staff,” said rescheduled WSOP will include the $10,000 buy-in no-limit Palansky at the time. “If we can’t host an event as we have in hold’em main event world championship. the past 50 years in Las Vegas, where everyone can participate Last year, a total of 187,298 entries were made at the WSOP, safely and without risk, we won’t.” with players from over 100 different countries participating. Palansky went on to underline that the WSOP would rely e massive turnout resulted in a record $293,183,345 in prize on the health experts and government leaders for guidance. money being awarded. Despite his assertion that the decision would likely not be made Since first being held in 1971, the WSOP has exclusively until May, the move to postpone was ultimately made just over kicked off in the late spring and early summer. If the series is two weeks later. As a result, the eight-week extravaganza that indeed rescheduled for this autumn, it would mark the first the entire poker world builds its annual calendar around has time in the event’s history that it started so late in the year. e now been replaced with a WSOP-sized hole. original schedule announced for this year’s WSOP called for A Black Hole In The Summer Schedule a record 101 gold bracelets to be awarded, but all indications “ e WSOP is an important part of the poker landscape point to an altered and likely decreased slate of events if and and the summers in Vegas are a big part of a lot of professional when play gets underway. and amateur players’ lives,” World Poker Tour Executive Tour “We are committed to running the WSOP this year but Director and Tournament Directors Association co-founder need additional time to proceed on our traditional scale while Matt Savage told Card Player after the news broke. “Even prioritizing guest and staff well-being,” said WSOP Executive though we knew it was coming, it still kind of sinks your heart Director Ty Stewart in the release. when you hear that they are moving [the series] and people Many around the industry displayed skepticism about the won’t be coming to Las Vegas this summer.” series’ chances of taking place in Las Vegas. Well-known poker e postponement of the WSOP will have a lasting impact personalities like Doug Polk and Mike McDonald were offer- throughout the poker industry, with its effects being felt by ing public wagers betting against a summer series as far back as players, dealers, casino operators, competing poker tours, February. As more and more marquee sporting events, music online poker sites, and many others. festivals, and other large gatherings were steadily canceled and “We employ over 2,000 people at the Series,” said Palansky postponed around the globe in March and early April, the when asked about how postponement or cancellation of the likelihood of the WSOP going ahead as planned diminished. WSOP could economically impact workers. “Obviously a big

Last year, a total of 187,298 entries were made at the WSOP, with players from over 100 different countries participating.

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026_CoverStory.indd 26 5/7/20 9:27 AM “We are committed to running the WSOP this year but need additional time to proceed on our traditional scale while prioritizing guest and staff well-being,” - WSOP Executive Director Ty Stewart

chunk of those are the dealers the players see on the front lines expanded series of tournaments to be played on WSOP.com there, but there’s a whole host of other people. So ultimately, and through partnerships with international operators, which look, there are potentially huge financial ramifications, but will allow players to chase WSOP glory from their homes,” said we’re in the people business and we’ve all come to look at the Stewart in the press release. WSOP as a summer camp where we all get together once a year A WSOP Circuit online series was announced just days after and have a good time and make memories and share in our the initial wave of live poker series cancellations began, serving passion and love for the game of poker.” players in the states of Nevada, New Jersey, and Delaware. In addition to the players and the workers directly employed e WSOP.com Super Circuit Series awarded 18 WSOPC gold by the WSOP each summer, there is another group of work- rings from March 14-31. e series featured $1.24 million in ers who rely on the WSOP as a crucial gig each year, which total guarantees, but more than $3.9 million in prize money includes tournament reporters, photographers, and other mem- was ultimately paid out. An international version of the online bers of the poker media. One media organization impacted WSOPC is also set to take place on the global-facing GGPoker by the postponement is the digital video subscription service Network in May with $100 million guaranteed overall. PokerGO. e service has provided live streaming coverage of Other tours and series have also made the move to online final-table action from hundreds of WSOP events since 2017. in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak. e Irish Poker Open PokerGo has also worked in conjunction with ESPN to provide and the Poker Masters high-roller series both transitioned same-day coverage of the largest poker tournament of the year, from live events to online, with both series taking place on the WSOP main event. partypoker and utilizing the real names of the competitors. “PokerGO’s programming includes coverage of the biggest e World Poker Tour announced the first-ever WPT Online tournaments and live poker events around the world, and we Series running from May 3-19 on partypoker, with a $5 million always look forward to the WSOP. We’re looking forward to guaranteed main event being the centerpiece of the schedule. bringing the WSOP tournament to our fans in the fall,” said “e WPT is very excited to be a part of partnering with PokerGO Chief Business Officer J.R. McCabe in a statement partypoker. It’s going to be our first champion to have their to Card Player. name added to the WPT Champions Cup in an online event,” e streaming service has launched several new series since said Savage. “I think it’s going to be a massive success and we’ll the live poker hiatus began, which join their existing original see how this goes, but there is obviously a big chance that we programming offered alongside coverage of live poker events. will do more with them.” Since the shutdown began, PokerGo moved several of its Online poker traffic is up all across the board, with record popular live high roller tournament series to the online realm. numbers on both American and international sites. PokerStars e Poker Masters Online series more than doubled its guaran- recently hosted its largest-ever tournament, with 93,016 players tees, awarding more than $35.4 million across 30 events. As entering the Sunday Million to create an $18.6 million prize a result of that online festival’s success, PokerGo has decided pool. Online poker operators in New Jersey reported their to also host the 2020 Super High Roller Bowl online, running single highest monthly earnings number in March. WSOP.com from May 23 - June 1 with a $100,000 marquee high roller in Nevada saw an increase of 46 percent over the annual peak event. during the summer, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “We knew we had to continue the momentum with an Sites around the world have responded by increasing their online Super High Roller Bowl series in lieu of a live tournament tournament guarantees. Global Poker has seen its registered this year,” said McCabe. player base grow to over 1 million. e site’s Sunday Scrimmage With the series out of the picture for the summer, what will had featured a guaranteed prize pool of SC 50,000 prior to be taking its place for players, workers, and fans? at question the shutdown but has since increased the guarantee up to will remain largely unanswered, as much of the world remains SC 200,000 by mid-April. Global Poker even ran a special in various states of shutdown due to the ongoing coronavirus SC 500,000 guaranteed edition of the tournament on April pandemic. 26, and crushed the guarantee by more than six figures. Online Poker Flourishes During Social Distancing BetOnline has also increased the guarantee on their big Sunday One sector of the poker world that has certainly seen an event recently, up to $250,000 from $150,000, and Americas increase in prominence is online poker. In fact, the WSOP’s Cardroom is gearing up for a massive $7 million guaranteed announcement also included preliminary info about possible Venom tournament in July, after scheduling 15 separate $1 online poker events to be held during the now-open summer million events in May. months. Will Other Live Tournament Series Fill the Void This Summer? “Official WSOP competitions are expected to be played While the tournaments at the WSOP are the epicenter of the online this summer, and we will soon announce details of an poker world for the summer, there are a handful of other sizable

026_CoverStory.indd 27 5/7/20 9:27 AM Online poker traffic is up all across the board, with record numbers on both American and international sites. PokerStars recently hosted its largest-ever tournament, with 93,016 players entering the Sunday Million to create an $18.6 million prize pool. Online poker operators in New Jersey reported their single highest monthly earnings number in March. WSOP. com in Nevada saw an increase of 46 percent over the annual peak during the summer, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

tournament series that typically run alongside the WSOP in Championship, or PSPC Las Vegas. Various series had been announced at the Golden “We will continue to monitor the situation and will keep Nugget, Planet Hollywood, e Orleans, ARIA Las Vegas, players updated in advance of any change to current plans,” and e Venetian Las Vegas. e partypoker MILLIONS Vegas said Rebecca McAdam, Associate Director of Group Public series at ARIA has offi cially been moved online, while all the Relations for e Stars Group when asked about the status of other series outside of Orleans Summer Poker Series have been the PSPC and other PokerStars live events. offi cially postponed while organizers await clarity about when Looking Forward To The Fall the gambling mecca will begin to re-open. In the press release announcing the postponement of the “ e health and safety of our Team Members, our guests, 2020 WSOP, event organizers specifi cally targeted the fall for and our community is a top priority,” said Tommy LaRosa, tour- possible rescheduling of the event. is is typically a busy time nament director at e Venetian Resort Las Vegas, site of mul- of the year on the tournament circuit, with steady action pick- tiple Card Player Poker Tour events in recent years. “At this time ing back up around the globe in August after a brief hiatus in e Venetian Resort remains closed and we look forward to a the wake of the series in Las Vegas. If the series typically held time in the near future when we announce our re-opening date. in the fall are able to play out as planned, there are likely to be We can confi rm that e DeepStack Championship Poker Series plenty of festivals that confl ict with any timeslot the WSOP will not take place on its originally scheduled dates, May 4-July could choose. 26. However, as the current situation evolves, we will review new “We never like to go over the top of the WSOP or any other dates and announce them as soon as they are available.” major event or tour because we feel like it’s important that we Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak indicated on April 21 that respect the players and their wishes, while also trying to make there was not yet a fi rm date for when non-essential businesses, it a great event for our partner casinos,” said Savage about how including casinos, can re-open in the state. With the casinos in the WPT might deal with the WSOP moving to the fall. “We the Silver State remaining closed for the near future, it is hard for will look at those dates, when they’re announced, and try and those who organize and put on live poker tournaments to have make adjustments where we can so that we have a great and much clarity about their events in the near future. In some cases, successful series.” key personnel usually involved in the running of these types of One major festival that could be impacted by a new events have been furloughed or laid off during the shutdown. timeslot would be one of the WSOP’s own, the 2020 WSOP Outside of those series in Vegas, much of the poker tourna- Europe. e 12th running of the WSOPE remains on the ment world takes a hiatus for June and much of July. If casinos calendar and is set to be hosted at King’s Resort in Rozvadov, in certain states and countries were approved to re-open dur- Czech Republic for the fourth consecutive year. e three prior ing the summer, an opportunity exists for series postponed in iterations all ran from around the middle of October through March and April to be moved to the weeks normally dedicated early November. Turnout could be impacted for both events, to WSOP action. Major tours, like the World Poker Tour, are with international players perhaps choosing to not make the reliant on their casino partners when it comes to deciding when trek to America if the WSOPE is right around the corner. their tour stops can start to get back underway. Similarly, some North American players might be less inclined “ e WPT does not make the decisions on when we can to fl y across the pond to Europe who might have normally gone resume,” said Savage. “It is essentially up to our partners to if they’re fresh off of multiple weeks of bracelet chasing. make sure that they’re comfortable with their policy and pro- It is impossible to know how this unprecedented change cedures going forward, and we at the WPT will be ready when will impact turnout for the WSOP or any other poker events. that happens.” With so many important factors outside of the control of orga- ere are currently a number of major events scheduled nizers, the entire poker tournament industry is currently in for August that are currently moving forward as planned, uncharted territory. ere are thousands of casino workers and including the WSOP Circuit’s season-ending Global Casino executives, poker reporters, dealers, and players all patiently Championship (Aug. 11-13) and the European Poker Tour waiting for the game they love to return. Hopefully, we all Barcelona festival (Aug. 12-30), which will also host the sec- won’t have to wait too long until it is once again safe to shuffl e ond running of the massive PokerStars Players NL Hold’em up and deal. m

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026_CoverStory.indd 28 5/7/20 9:27 AM PLAYER_11_ACR_FP.indd 3 5/6/20 11:36 AM Strategies, ANALYSIS & Commentary

Big Blind Ante

By Greg Raymer

First starting to rise to prominence in the poker world in early 2018, the big blind ante (BBA) has now become the norm for most poker tours, and many local tournaments, around the world. If the BBA is somehow new to you, know that it simply means that when it is time for antes, instead of each player posting an individual ante, the player in the big blind posts an ante for the entire table. For example, in a traditional ante structure, when the blinds are 400-800, it would have been typical for each player to also post an ante of 100. Before the cards are dealt, the dealer collects 100 from each player. In the BBA structure, the size of the ante is typically the same as the amount of the big blind, and is paid only by the big blind. In this case, the big blind would post 800 as the ante, and then another 800 as the big blind. Soon after I submitted the fi nal draft of my fi rst book, FossilMan’s Winning Tournament Strategies, to D&B I fold now, next hand I will have to post 400 as the (short) Publishing, this trend towards the BBA was beginning to ante, and 800 as the big blind, and I will be all-in at that emerge and grow. Before we got to publication, I told them point. In some rooms, the ante comes fi rst, so I would post to wait a bit, and drafted a new, additional chapter, focusing 800 as the BBA, and be all-in for 400 in the big blind. In on the BBA and how to adjust for it. I want to give you a either case, if I win the pot, other players will only lose the summary of that chapter now. amount of chips that are posted for my blind. ey won’t e fi rst thing to keep in mind, when you are the big have to match the ante I also posted. Even if I were in bet- blind, and post both the BBA and the big blind, is that ter shape, and starting the hand with 3,000 chips, once I there is nothing diff erent you should do as compared to the post 800 as an ante, and another 800 as the big blind, I traditional ante structure. e fact that the BBA came from am probably never going to fold my hand. But again, this your stack does not mean you should defend your blind means when I win, I only win 2,200 from the losing players, more often, or with a wider range of hands. and don’t get matching chips for the 800 I paid as an ante. Once money is in the pot, it does not matter where it Because of this, in the BBA structure, if you are severely came from. e reason it is correct to play a wider range short-stacked, you should always go all-in at some point of hands from the big blind than from early position is not before being the big blind. And for any given number of because the big blind is your money. It is for other reasons, blinds, the minimum hand with which it is correct to go chief among them because you can call a raise for less than all-in is much weaker in the BBA structure than in a tradi- other players. If you post the 800 big blind, and somebody tional ante structure. If you are under-the-gun with seven raises to 2,000, it costs other players 2,000 to call, but only big blinds in a traditional ante structure, you should still costs you 1,200. fold some hands. Yet it will probably be correct to go all-in Another key factor is that frequently you are closing the with any hand in this situation playing the BBA structure. action when you call a raise. If the player in fi rst position Without a doubt, the BBA is here to stay, and will likely raises to 2,000, somebody in middle position not only has become the only structure used for any tournament that has to call 2,000, but must risk a reraise from another player. antes. So, learn to enjoy its benefi ts, and ignore anything When action gets to you, you can call and see a fl op with about it you don’t like. And learn some new strategies for no such risk. Neither of these factors takes into account which hands to shove when short-stacked, and when you where the chips came from. So, the good news is, you really should still wait for better. But for the most part, there is no don’t need to adjust anything at all when playing in a BBA need to adjust your game for this format. m structure. ere is one area where you will want to make some Greg Raymer is the 2004 WSOP world rather large adjustments, however. is happens when you champion, winner of numerous major titles, become very short-stacked. With blinds still at 400-800, in and has more than $7 million in earnings. a traditional structure, if I were to fi nd myself under-the- He recently authored “FossilMan’s Winning gun and only had 1,200 chips, I would still fold my worst Tournament Strategies,” available from D&B hands. In this case, rather than go all-in now with a weak Publishing, Amazon, and other retailers. He hand, I will fold, knowing I will never fold my next hand, is sponsored by Blue Shark Optics, YouStake, and ShareMyPair. To no matter how bad. contact Greg please tweet at him using @FossilMan or go to www. In the BBA structure, this would be a huge mistake. If FossilManPoker.com.

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030_S&A.indd 30 5/7/20 9:29 AM Strategies, ANALYSIS & Commentary FOLDING TOP PAIR, TOP KICKER ON THE FLOP By Jonathan Little

While I have a fairly solid grasp thought for a while then called. instantly called with 6-6, which he on how to play fundamentally sound The small blind then started think- was quite happy with, but he lost to poker, I often find myself calling a ing, and thinking and thinking, for the small blind’s 9-9. bit too often with good, but second about three minutes total. While I dodged a bullet! Maybe I am best, hands when my opponents are he was thinking, I realized that the the next Phil Hellmuth. willing to put all of their money in small blind would probably only In the past, I would have lost the pot. I have been working hard to raise with a set, Q-9, 9-6, or a pre- a few more chips in this situation, plug this leak, and this hand demon- mium draw. Against the sets and usually by calling the flop raise and strates my progress. two pairs, I am crushed. Against the then folding to the turn bet. Many In a recent $5,000 buy-in live par- premium draws, I will win roughly players would simply go all-in on typoker event in Montreal, I started 60 percent of the time. Against the flop, putting the small blind the hand with 280,000, which was exactly that range, A-Q is in terrible on a draw or a marginal made hand a ton of chips at the 1,000-2,000 shape, winning only 25 percent of that A-Q beats. Most players don’t level. I raised with Ao Qo from first the time. even consider that the middle posi- position to 4,500. A tight, passive While the small blind may occa- tion caller could have a strong hand. player who had 120,000 chips called sionally run a big bluff, since our Even though this was actually a from middle position. An excel- table was decently soft, I did not fairly easy fold once the small blind lent tight, aggressive player with think he would want to make an check-raised due to my poor chances 200,000 chips also called from the overly risky play. He may also check- of winning at the showdown, it is small blind. raise with a marginal made hand important to make sure you are fold- The flop came Qm 9o 6m, giving such as K-Q or Q-J to try to price ing reasonably strong hands when me top pair, top kicker. The small out the draws, but I thought that you are almost certainly crushed by blind checked. I certainly want to was unlikely because it is a generally your opponent’s range. m make a bet to get value from numer- bad play, given I could easily have ous worse made hands, like K-Q, a premium hand. If he check-raises Jonathan Little is Q-J, and A-9, while also protecting with Q-J, he will usually only get a two-time WPT my hand against various draws, such action when he is against a strong champion with more as 5m 4m and K-J. Of course, I do draw or when he is crushed, which than $6 million in not expect anyone to ever fold a pre- is a terrible result for him. tournament winnings. mium draw to any reasonable bet. He eventually check-raised to Each week, he The idea of betting a large amount 38,000. posts an educational blog and podcast to try to force the premium draws As soon as his chips hit the felt, at JonathanLittlePoker.com, where you to fold will almost never work. I bet I folded my hand. The middle posi- can get a FREE poker training video that 12,000 into the 17,500 pot. This bet tion player thought for a while and details five things you must master if you easily allows worse made hands that then called. The turn was the 3p. want to win at tournament poker. You can I crush to call while giving the draws The small blind went all-in for the also sign up for his FREE Excelling at No poor pot odds. middle position player’s remaining Limit Hold’em webinars at HoldemBook. The middle position player stack. The middle position player com/signup.

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030_S&A.indd 31 5/7/20 9:29 AM Strategies, ANALYSIS & Commentary TRUE TALES FROM A HOLLYWOOD POKER HUSTLER: BEN AFFLECK GOES TO SCHOOL

By Houston Curtis

Of all the big celebrities I’ve had the good fortune of hang- for us all, Ben was truly enjoying himself and wasn’t planning ing out with at the poker table, Ben Affleck has to have been on leaving anytime soon. one of the kindest, most generous, down to earth A-Listers I I had tried to avoid the pros for the most part, and played have ever met. I would end up playing with Ben many times a locked-down version of my game most of the night, but after in big private games over the years and can tell you, he’s a for- an hour at the table I got involved in a big pot with none other midable opponent who plays to win. But everyone has to start than Huck Seed. I didn’t play a lot of tournaments back then somewhere, and I was fortunate enough to be there the night (still don’t), but I sure as hell knew who Huck Seed was. And Ben learned firsthand what it’s like to go head-to-head with a despite the fact that Antonio would go on to be one of the true professional poker player. biggest money winners in professional poker history and that e place was Hollywood Park… where I had cut my Amir would go on to be voted tournament player of the year teeth playing in cash games since the early 90s. e game by this very magazine, aside from Ben, Huck had to be the was pot-limit hold’em and it was the biggest game spread at most famous guy at the table that night. in the room at the time. Pot-limit had been a great earner for After a few limpers, I looked down at pocket nines and bet me before no-limit cash games became popular in licensed the pot. Amir folded, Affleck called, Gabe and Antonio folded cardrooms. I got to learn from a great roster of regulars who and then Huck raised the pot causing insta-folds around played there every week including online poker executive Dan the table until it got back to me. I wanted to raise and find Goldman and his wife, poker pro Sharon Goldman, as well as out where I was at but decided to flat call because I still had Nick Delio, who at the time had to be the winningest player Affleck’s action behind me and there was no telling what he in the game. might do. Ben folded and it was me and Huck head up with For years the game had been hosted by local grinder him acting first on the flop. legend Ron Pailet. It started out business as usual until Ron e flop came A-K-2 rainbow and Huck decided to bet the whispered in my ear to let me know that Affleck was on his pot. Sure, I probably should have mucked it but I was having way to the game and was being accompanied by the late Amir fun. It was exciting sitting across the table from movie stars Vahedi. and gold bracelet winners! So I said screw it and reraised the Well, it didn’t take long for word to spread because in the pot all-in with my measly pair of nines, even though the board next half hour I found myself sitting at the table with not only was showing two over cards. And who knows? Maybe Huck Ben Affleck and Amir, but in walked cash pro Gabe aler, has jacks and will be disciplined enough to fold. Antonio Esfandiari (who hadn’t even won his first WPT yet) Huck went into the tank for a bit, looked at me, showed and WSOP main event champion Huck Seed. me two queens and then mucked it! I felt like Matt Damon e blinds quickly got bumped from the normal $5-$5 in Rounders during the scene with Johnny Chan. But before to $10-$20, which was a pretty big game to be happening at Huck could ask me if I had him, I tossed my hand into the Hollywood Park during an off night with no major tourna- muck as the chips were being sent my way. My cards hit a ment anywhere in sight. To me, this made one thing very stack of chips and bounced face up revealing my hand. Huck clear. Movie stars were definitely good for business. put his head in his hand and just smiled. It was game on! I ended up sitting to the right of Amir, who was chewing I had never met Huck Seed before that night, nor seen on an unlit cigar like the one he made famous from the 2003 him after until about a year later when I found myself in the WSOP tournament coverage on ESPN. Ben was in seat one, men’s room at the Bike for one of the Legends of Poker events in then Gabe, Antonio, and Huck. 2004. Huck saunters up to the urinal next to mine and there Out of the gate the game was hot! Money was splashing we are doing our business. I was about to zip it up and head around right away and Affleck had no problem mixing it up for the sink when I hear him say (almost under his breath), “I with anyone at the table. He actually got me to lay down a big should’ve busted you with those queens.” I just looked at him, hand early in the game and scooped a nice pot after hitting a smiled, and told him I was flattered that he remembered me! flush on the turn. Ben’s sincere smile, the way he laughed, and I think seeing Huck in the men’s room that day brought the sound of his faded Boston accent seemed to ingratiate him me good luck because I went on to win the entire event beat- to everyone at the table. Before long, the game felt like it might ing Scotty Nguyen heads up at the final table that year. as well have been a group of guys who had known each other Anyway, back to Hollywood Park. After my hand with all their lives hooting, hollering, and having a great time as if Huck, the game started to get a little more aggressive and we were all working stiffs just happy to have a night off from some of the lesser players started getting felted fast. It didn’t the daily grind. What a beautiful little illusion, I thought. take long before the biggest pot of the night would have every- I know the pros showed up because they had all heard one standing around like rail birds during a final table. Ben would play big. But I don’t think they were particularly Ben raises preflop, gets reraised by Gabe aler, and then interested in felting him. On the contrary, they knew he was calls. Now for those of you who don’t know or remember, the draw and that the moment Ben decided to leave, the game Gabe, at this time, was probably one of the most fierce cash would whittle back down to its normal blinds and everyone game no-limit players around. He would hit up all the major but the regulars would slowly start cashing out. Fortunately tournaments just waiting for big pros to bust out so he could

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030_S&A.indd 32 5/7/20 9:29 AM Strategies, ANALYSIS & Commentary

"All eyes were on Ben Affleck as he looked down at Gabe Thaler and said, “How bout we just make this one hand no limit?”

win the remainder of their bankroll in the side games and send casino. But before a fl oor man could intervene, Gabe looked at them home broke. I loved Gabe’s style and always learned a lot Ben and politely asked, “Is that a legitimate off er sir?” Affl eck, from watching him play, but tonight he would saving his big cracked a grin and said, “Absolutely!” lesson for Mr. Affl eck. Gabe called. Ben showed pocket tens, Gabe turned over Out comes a seven-high fl op. At this point Ben pushed pocket queens and busted Ben for every last cent he had on his chair back and stood up. Just seeing him standing there him. It was a great hand to witness and an even greater lesson caused foot traffi c all over the fl oor. I remember one of the for Ben, one that I’m sure he remembers to this day. servers almost pushed her food tray right into the table of a e only thing even half as interesting from that night as $10-$20 limit game that was happening next to us causing Ben’s arrival and ultimate felting by Gabe was seeing some of someone’s teriyaki chicken to spill all over a dealer’s lap. the wealthy weekend players who were totally green to poker By this time, our game had been roped off , which just drew sitting in the game just so they could say they played with a even more attention to it, and the rail birds were approaching celebrity. Which brings me to the second part of this column. rapidly to see if they could get a glimpse of Ben in action. If you are interested in protecting yourself from a would-be All eyes were on Affl eck as he looked down at Gabe and poker hustle, then keep reading! said, “How bout we just make this one hand no-limit?” Now In the game that night there was a poker newbie attorney remember, this was a pot-limit game so changing it to no- who sat down close to myself and Vahedi. And while all eyes limit after the fl op was unprecedented, especially in a licensed were on Ben, Amir spent a lot of time buddying up to this

030_S&A.indd 33 5/7/20 9:29 AM Strategies, ANALYSIS & Commentary

guy who had seen him play on ESPN. Before I knew it, Amir these guys didn’t make much more money that I did at the convinced him to do that old sucker side bet where he picked time, they were willing to risk it to sit with this guy because three cards and if one of those three cards hit the flop, he got he might be able to green light one of their projects or give paid a hundred bucks, but if he missed, he would have to pay them a promotion. our new attorney friend a hundred bucks. Never one to stand e poor bastard who could afford to lose the least, ends in the way of somebody trying to make a living, I didn’t say up losing the most that night due to Benji’s sucker side bet. a word and just watched as this guy dumped hundred-dollar So at the end of the night, I decided I was going to get back chips to Amir all night long amidst everything else that was at him. e game had already broke and everyone was just going on. standing around except for me and my buddy, the tape vault Now, what Amir was doing certainly wasn’t cheating. Hell, manager. I was playing a little side game with my buddy who we’ve all done it or had it done to us at one point in our poker at that point was the big loser for the night. It was only a education right? But while it wasn’t cheating, many people matter of time before Benji, cocktail in hand, asked what we would consider it a legitimate “hustle.” Given the fact that the were playing. guy never had a chance in the long run because the odds were I told him that the average person has a poor memory and stacked too far in Amir’s favor. At least Amir chose to hustle that If I cut the deck to four different piles showing four dif- a wealthy white collar attorney, a guy who lies for a living, ferent cards most people can’t name all four cards after seeing instead of some poor sap who was playing on borrowed bread them only once. I then demonstrated by cutting four piles face and hoping to win his rent money. up, letting my friend see them, and then I turned the top card Just watching this guy pay Amir all night long reminded on each pile over and one at a time he had to name each card me of a private game that I was hired to deal about three years after they were all face down. prior. It was a game out in Huntington Beach and the guy My buddy got three out of four right but when he got the who ran it was named Benji. Benji was an executive for the fourth card incorrect, Benji shouted, “You idiot! No wonder entertainment company I was working for and I was a lowly you lost so much money tonight how in the hell did you get runner. Knowing that I liked cards, Benji offered me $50 that wrong.” at was my buddy’s cue and he executed it to come deal for the whole night. Fifty bucks was an insult beautifully despite me being worried he would screw it up. He considering the big winner usually walked away with about told Benji it was a lot harder than it looked and then bet him $5,000 to $10,000, but I needed the money so I agreed. everything Benij had won for the night that he couldn’t get all In no time, I saw Benji using the exact same hustle as Amir four cards right twice in a row. had been using, but he was doing it to his friends. Some of Benji thought about it for a minute and told him he would them were my friends too! ey were all guys from our office take the bet if he only had to do it once. at’s when I stepped who felt Benji was too important to say no to. So even though in and said… “Well, to make it fair, if you get two cards wrong

ANALYSISAnalysis TOURNAMENT HAND MATCHUP Playing on the money bubble can be frustrating, especially for the medium stacks at the table who often 2020 MILLIONS Super High Roller Series Sochi end up feeling like they’re getting run over. In this $100,000 No-Limit Hold’em High Roller hand, three-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner Adrian Mateos demonstrated just how cautiously top Adrian Mateos Michael Soyza tournament pros approach playing in this high-leverage 1,270,000 chips 1,105,000 chips situation. With seven players remaining and only six set to make the money in this $100,000 buy-in event, K K 7 7 Mateos sat in third chip position with 32 big blinds. Winning Percentage Winning Percentage e four players below on the leaderboard all had 28

Before Flop: 53.0% Before Flop: 19.0% big blinds or fewer, with short stack Paul Phua sitting

K K 7 After Flop: 74.0% 7 After Flop: 10.0% behind just 15 big blinds. Mateos picked up pocket kings After Turn: 79.0% After Turn: 14.0% and made a min-raise from the hijack. He was called by two-time bracelet winner Kahle Burns and Michael Soyza, who were the two next largest stacks behind him. PREFLOP e ﬂ op saw a paired board and Mateos elected to check Kahle Burns with his overpair, perhaps looking to both control the 975,000 chips With seven players remaining and blinds size of the pot while also allowing his opponents to bluﬀ of 20,000-40,000 with a big blind ante of with their weakest holdings. Burns did just that, taking A 4 40,000, Adrian Mateos raised to 80,000 a small stab with his weak ace-high and backdoor clubs. Both Soyza and Mateos called with their pocket pairs. Winning Percentage from the hijack. Kahle Burns called from m

Before Flop: 28.0% e 8 turn gave Soyza a gutshot straight draw and he

the button. Michael Soyza called from the checked. Mateos and Burns checked behind and the 9n

4 After Flop: 16.0% A big blind. After Turn: 7.0% on the river completed Soyza’s draw. Soyza elected to go for a smallish value bet of 125,000 into 525,000. Mateos 10 10 6 8 9 assessed the situation and elected to make the disciplined fold with his overpair. He likely decided that Soyza FLOP

TURN wouldn’t be betting for value with any hands worse

RIVER than pocket kings, and wasn’t that likely to bluﬀ given

8 9 10 6 10 the prior action. Burns also quickly got out of the way and Soyza took down the pot. Mateos careful approach Soyza checked. Mateos checked. Soyza checked. Soyza bet 125,000. helped him survive the money bubble and ultimately Burns bet 75,000. Soyza called. Mateos checked. Mateos folded. ﬁ nish in fourth place for $420,000. Mateos called. Burns checked. Burns folded.

NOTE: WINNING PERCENTAGES DO NOT INCLUDE TIES. ODDS PROVIDED BY CARDPLAYER.COM/POKER-TOOLS/ODDS-CALCULATOR/TEXAS-HOLDEM

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030_S&A.indd 34 5/7/20 9:29 AM Strategies, ANALYSIS & Commentary

you should have to pay an extra grand.” To which Benji hap- change all four cards from each pile into four aces right before pily agreed. your eyes. If you would like to learn both the card hustle (for I shuffl ed the deck and let Benji cut each pile and place entertainment purposes only of course) and the magic trick them face up on the table. After the fourth pile was cut, it’s called Holy Crap Aces and is available on my website at he got one last glance, and then I turned over all four cards kardsharp.com. from the piles face down one at a time and asked him to See you next time for more Hollywood poker tales and start naming them. He got the fi rst card wrong out of card cheating protection tips! Until then, good luck at the the gate and my friend burst out laughing and clapping tables, and stay sharp! m because he had just gone from being the biggest loser of the night to the biggest winner. at’s when I reminded Houston Curtis, founder of KardSharp.com and him that he still needed to get the rest of them right or else author of Billion Dollar Hollywood Heist has lived Benji would lose another thousand dollars. Benji got the a successful double life as both a producer and second and third card correct but, of course, the fourth card mechanic for nearly 30 years. His credits card was incorrect and me and my pal ended up doing the include executive producing gambling related Robin Hood victory dance all the way home with more TV shows such as The Ultimate Blackjack Tour money than either of us made in a month. on CBS, The Aruba Poker Classic on GSN, and pioneering the poker Now I know that using deception with a deck of play- instructional DVD genre with titles featuring poker champion Phil ing cards to win money is wrong and that’s why I now Hellmuth. Barred for life from Las Vegas Golden Nugget for “excessive consult with clients around the globe to help them spot winning” at blackjack, Houston is one of the world’s most successful such tactics. But when you think about it, is what I did card mechanics and sleight-of-hand artists of the modern era. Curtis, any more wrong than Benji bullying his underling co- who rarely plays in tournaments, won a 2004 Legends of Poker workers into a card game, having them play at stakes they no-limit hold’em championship event besting Scotty Nguyen heads- couldn’t aff ord and then taking further advantage of their up at the final table before going on to co-found the elite Hollywood novice by proposing a prop bet that gives him an unfair poker ring that inspired Aaron Sorkin’s Academy Award-nominated advantage? film Molly’s Game. Curtis resides in Phoenix, Arizona where in addition Perhaps that is a question worthy of discussion in a to running a production company and independent record label, he is future column. But for now, all you need to know is that also a private gaming/casino protection consultant to clients across if someone ever asks you to bet whether or not you can the globe seeking insight into master level card cheating tactics via remember four cards that have been cut into four face up advanced sleight-of-hand technique. To reach Houston for a speaking piles from a deck…don’t accept the bet, because it’s a scam! engagement, consulting or production services send email to I later turned this hustle into an actual magic trick where I [email protected] TOURNAMENT HAND MATCHUP ANALYSISAnalysis is hand ultimately ends up being a cooler on the 2020 MILLIONS Super High Roller Series Sochi fl op, with top pair, top kicker versus bottom set for two of the shortest stacks at the table. at being said, there $100,000 No-Limit Hold’em High Roller are some interesting decision points during that hand that are worth examining. With just over 12 big blinds Kahle Burns Paul Phua to start the hand, Kahle Burns decided to minraise 735,000 chips 490,000 chips with A-K off suit from under the gun instead of moving all-in. One of the concerns with not moving all-in in A K 2 2 this situation is that the big blind can call with a wide Winning Percentage Winning Percentage range of hands, which could leave A-K in a tough spot

Before Flop: 47.0% Before Flop: 52.0% if unimproved on a ﬂ op with 5.5 big blinds in the pot

and only a little over 10 big blinds left in Burns stack. A K 2 After Flop: 2.0% 2 After Flop: 98.0% After Turn: 0% After Turn: 100.0% is concern is mitigated somewhat by the fact that big blind Paul Phua was the shortest stack at the table with just over eight big blinds to start the hand. His PREFLOP lack of chips should prevent him from continuing with as wide of a range as a player might if they were deeper. Phua did make the call with pocket twos and promptly With six players remaining and blinds of 30,000-60,000 with a 60,000 fl opped a set. He checked to Burns, whose A-K had big blind ante, Kahle Burns raised to 120,000 from under the gun. Paul made top pair on a rainbow fl op with no immediate Phua called from the big blind. straight draws. Burns made a min-bet of 60,000 and Phua just called, a play designed to keep as many bluff s in Burns range as possible and also allow some weaker hands to improve enough that they might call on later K 7 2 4 4 streets. Had Phua check-raised, he might have drawn an immediate fold from a hand like A-Q, that could FLOP

TURN

RIVER have ﬁ red a second barrel on the turn if unimproved.

4 4 7 2 K Phua checked a second time on the turn and Burns bet 140,000. Phua moved all-in for 310,000 total and Burns made the compulsory call drawing dead. Phua Phua checked. Burns bet 60,000. Phua checked. Burns bet doubled up while Burns became the short stack after Phua called. 140,000. Phua moved all-in for this unfortunate cold deck. He went on to ﬁ nish sixth 310,000 total. Burns called. for $252,000.

NOTE: WINNING PERCENTAGES DO NOT INCLUDE TIES. ODDS PROVIDED BY CARDPLAYER.COM/POKER-TOOLS/ODDS-CALCULATOR/TEXAS-HOLDEM

030_S&A.indd 35 5/7/20 9:29 AM Strategies, ANALYSIS & Commentary

VARIANCE: PART 3 By Steve Zolotow

It has been quite a long time since I wrote the first two (https://www.primedope.com/poker-variance-calculator/) parts of this series, so let’s recap. Simply put, variance is a and tested several sets of assumptions to see how large statistical tool designed to mathematically describe the way a bankroll I would need to avoid going broke during an results are distributed around your average result. unlucky three-month stretch. (Actually, it calculated how Samples with high variance, which is often measured by big my bankroll would have to be to have only a five percent standard deviations, contain observations that are far from chance of going broke.) average, while those with low variance tend to cluster close When I made very volatile assumptions about typical wins to the average. Averages, however, can be very misleading. and losses, it suggested a bankroll of about 15,000 BBs was Without getting technical, variance is a description of how far necessary. With very conservative assumptions, it suggested away from average things can frequently get. ere are many that one had a 95 percent chance of survival with just under examples of how misleading averages can be. My favorite is 4,000 BBs. is translates into needing bankroll of $15 to that the average human has one testicle and one milk produc- $60 million dollars! ing breast. My guess is that very few of the regulars in these games Returning to poker, I was wondering about win rates are sufficiently capitalized. ese games have a lot of great and variance in the high-stakes mixed games in Bobby’s players, and perhaps, the best of the best have win rates of Room at Bellagio. is game is frequently $2,000-$4,000 several BB per hundred hands. is implies that there are for limit games and various antes, blind, and cap sizes for big some great players, who are not quite the best of the best, and bet games. During the time I occasionally played in these have tiny win rates or actually lose in these games. I make no huge games, I averaged winning about one big blind (BB) or guarantees that these bankroll requirements are accurate, but $4,000 per day. I usually played short sessions in good games, they are supported by the evidence of how frequently these so let’s say this was 1BB per 100 hands. is may sound tiny players go broke or move down in stakes. to small-stakes cash game players, but almost everyone would Before moving on to another very important point about be satisfied winning $1,000 an hour or $4,000 per day. variance, I want to briefly recapitulate the most important I plugged this into an online variance calculator, points from these earlier columns are:

ANALYSISAnalysis TOURNAMENT HAND MATCHUP In this hand, Paul Phua successfully pulled off 2020 MILLIONS Super High Roller Series Sochi a bluff with what he triumphantly described as the “nut low.” ings got started with chip leader $100,000 No-Limit Hold’em High Roller Matthias Eibinger making a min-raise from the button holding K-3 off suit. While his hand wasn’t Matthias Eibinger Paul Phua much to write home about, Eibinger had position 4,980,000 chips 1,460,000 chips and the chip lead, with more than twice as many chips as Webster Lim, who had the second larg- K 3 3 2 est stack. Paul Phua, who started the hand with Winning Percentage Winning Percentage just over 18 big blinds, looked down at 3-2 suited

Before Flop: 69.0% Before Flop: 28.0% in the big blind and made the call. Phua ﬂ opped

K 3 2 After Flop: 69.0% 3 After Flop: 28.0% the buttom end of a gutshot straight draw and After Turn: 84.0% After Turn: 7.0% checked to Eibinger. e Austrian poker pro’s king-high with a weak kicker and no immediate draw was a fantastic continuation-bet candidate. PREFLOP He ﬁ red out a quarter-pot bet of 110,000, looking to draw folds from the unimproved hands in With three players remaining and blinds of 40,000-80,000 with a big Phua’s big-blind defending range. Phua decided blind ante of 80,000, Matthias Eibinger raised to 160,000 from the but- to hang around, perhaps suspecting that Eibinger ton. Paul Phua called from the big blind. would be c-betting a very wide range of hands. e 7 n on the turn saw both players check. e 8n completed the board, giving any player with a nine or a four a straight. Phua had arrived at 10 6 5 7 8 the river with the bottom of his range. In fact, he had the very worst hand possible and was playing FLOP

TURN

RIVER the board. With absolutely no showdown value to

7 8 6 5 10 speak of, Phua turned to bluﬃ ng as his only hope of winning the hand. He bet 260,000 into the Phua bet pot of 660,00 and drew a very quick fold from his Phua checked. Eibinger bet Phua checked. opponent. Phua made something out of nothing 110,000. Phua called. Eibinger 260,000. to take down the pot and start to close the gap checked. Eibinger folded. between himself and Webster Lim.

NOTE: WINNING PERCENTAGES DO NOT INCLUDE TIES. ODDS PROVIDED BY CARDPLAYER.COM/POKER-TOOLS/ODDS-CALCULATOR/TEXAS-HOLDEM

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030_S&A.indd 36 5/7/20 9:29 AM Strategies, ANALYSIS & Commentary

e old saying is, “You have to give action to get action.” • Keep records and analyze them. Super-nits, who wait for the nuts, generally are small steady • If you fi nd one game or situation is signifi cantly more winners. Talented, loose-aggressive action players, are fre- profi table than others, allocate as much playing time as you quently huge winners. Why? ey get bad players to gamble can to it. with them. In private games or games that are by invitation • Don’t use tools that treat data as being normally distrib- only, they are among the fi rst to be invited to play, but uted unless you are very sure your data is at least approxi- super-nits are the last to be called, and then only when the mately normal. game organizer is desperate to fi ll the table. • One of the most important things you can do is play in Imagine you are a loose, cash game fi sh, and are ready good games. to go to bed. You decide, you want to gamble what’s left of • Play smaller or build a bigger bankroll if you want to your stack. You automatically avoid shoving against the nit, avoid tapping out. but you are happy to get it in against the LAG, who has been bluffi ng or betting with tiny edges all night. In general, variance is bad. You need a much larger In the next column, I’ll discuss the variance that Covid- bankroll to survive in high variance situations than you do 19 has introduced into all of our lives. e main thing to in low variance situations. Good players who play in live take away from this column, is that if you are suffi ciently cash games where they buy-in for $1,000 have less chance of bankrolled, seek out high-variance, low-expectation situ- going broke with a much smaller bankrolls than very good ations. If your opponents see you gamble in these spots, tournament players who play in tournaments with $1,000 they’ll also give you action when you are in a spot where you buy-ins, and have a larger bankroll. Most of the poker lit- have low variance and a high expectation. m erature recommends avoiding ‘high volatility-low expected value’ situations. Avoid a coin fl ip where you will win 101 Steve ‘Zee’ Zolotow, aka The Bald Eagle, is or lose 99, but accept those where you will win 150 or lose a successful gamesplayer. He has been a 50. is is certainly reasonable advice if your main goal is full-time gambler for over 35 years. With two to avoid going broke. I am going to give the opposite advice WSOP bracelets and few million in tournament to cash game players with large bankrolls for the games cashes, he is easing into retirement. He cur- in which they regularly play. Antonio Esfandiari has been rently devotes most of his time to poker. He quoted as saying, “Embrace the variance!” can be found at some major tournaments and playing in cash I am going to modify one of the rules from above. One games in Vegas. When escaping from poker, he hangs out in his of the most important things you can do is play in good bars on Avenue A in New York City -The Library near Houston and games, and get action from the worst players. Doc Holliday’s on 9th St. are his favorites.

ANALYSISAnalysis TOURNAMENT HAND MATCHUP World Series of Poker bracelet winner Webster Lim made an all-out aggressive play in this hand that put chip leader 2020 MILLIONS Super High Roller Series Sochi Paul Phua to the test. Phua picked up A-5 oﬀ suit on $100,000 No-Limit Hold’em High Roller the button and raised to 2.5 big blinds from his stack of over 45 big blinds. Lim began the hand with just more Paul Phua Webster Lim than 15 big blinds. He looked down at 7-5 suited in the big blind and made the call. e two saw a ﬂ op of 4-3-3 4,555,000 chips 1,530,000 chips rainbow, which gave both players gutshot straight draws and two overcards each. Lim checked to Phua, who bet A 5 7 5 175,000 into the pot of 650,000. Lim check-raised all-in Winning Percentage Winning Percentage for 1,180,000, likely trying to draw folds from some of

Before Flop: 67.0% Before Flop: 31.0% the unimproved ace-high and king-high hands that Phua

A 5 5 After Flop: 71.0% 7 After Flop: 26.0% would continuation bet with. Phua’s A-5 would be in After Turn: 84.0% After Turn: 16.0% pretty rough shape if he were up against a fl opped full house or trips, but the hand performs surprisingly well on this fl op against a number of hands that Lim could PREFLOP have played this way. As it was in this particular instance, he was a 71 percent favorite to win against Lim’s actual With three players remaining and blinds of 50,000-100,000 with a big holding of 7p 5p. Against 5-2 Phua would be roughly blind ante of 100,000, Paul Phua raised to 250,000 from the button. a 3:1 favorite to win. A hand like K-4 that made fours Webster Lim called from the big blind. and threes with a king kicker would be ahead of Phua at the moment, but he would still have around 38 percent equity against that holding. If Lim had 6-5 off suit, Phua would have 56 percent equity to win the hand and 4 3 3 8 9 another 3.8 percent chance of chopping the pot. With 2,005,000 in the pot and 1,005,000 to call, Phua needed FLOP

TURN 33.3 percent equity against Lim’s range in order for the

RIVER call to be a break-even play. Phua ultimately made the

8 9 3 3 4 call and managed to hold up from there to send Lim to the rail in third place. Lim took home $672,000 as the Lim checked. Phua bet 175,000. third-place ﬁ nisher, while Phua took a sizable lead into Lim check-raised all-in for heads-up play with Matthias Eibinger. Phua went on to win this event for $1,512,000. 1,180,000 total. Phua called.

NOTE: WINNING PERCENTAGES DO NOT INCLUDE TIES. ODDS PROVIDED BY CARDPLAYER.COM/POKER-TOOLS/ODDS-CALCULATOR/TEXAS-HOLDEM

030_S&A.indd 37 5/7/20 9:29 AM Poker Leaderboards POKER’S ALLTIME MONEY LIST

Two of the most successful poker tournament players in history Place Player Career Live Earnings made scores in the past few months that have helped them to 1st Bryn Kenney $56,649,561 close the gap on the (few) players ahead of them on poker’s all- 2nd Justin Bonomo $49,135,608 time money list. Poker Hall of Fame member Erik Seidel secured his 307th recorded live tournament cash with a runner-up finish in a 3rd Daniel Negreanu $40,906,455 $10,500 buy-in no-limit hold’em event held at the 2020 Aria Winter 4th Erik Seidel $37,821,113 High Roller Series in late February, adding $75,000 to see his career 5th Dan Smith $36,835,392 total grow to $37.8 million. Seidel remains in fourth place on the career earnings leaderboard, with third-ranked Daniel Negreanu 6th Stephen Chidwick $34,483,132 maintaining nearly a $3.1 million lead on Siedel. British tournament 7th David Peters $33,944,701 superstar Stephen Chidwick grew his career totals to more than 8th Fedor Holz $32,992,603 $34.4 million with two recent two final-table finishes at the partypoker MILLIONS Super High Roller Sochi series, which added more 9th Jason Koon $30,970,030 than $310,000 to his lifetime earnings. Chidwick still sits in sixth 10th Steve O’Dwyer $30,521,703 place on this list, with fifth-place occupant Dan Smith more than $2.3 million ahead.

WSOP EARNINGS BY PLAYERS UNDER THE AGE OF 30 This leaderboard shows the top ten highest earners in World Series Rank Player WSOP Earnings of Poker events who are currently 30 years old or younger. It is a 1 Fedor Holz $11,915,810 list dominated by young guns who have either made deep runs in 2 Joe McKeehen $10,857,290 the WSOP main event or have had consistent success in super-high roller events. 26-year-old German wunderkind Fedor Holz has man- 3 Scott Blumstein $8,242,453 aged to achieve both of those feats. Holz finished 25th in the 2015 4 Daniel Ott $4,722,471 main event, which was won by fellow young gun Joseph 5 Jake Balsiger $3,924,172 McKeehen (who sits in second place on this list). Holz also won the $111,111 buy-in One Drop High Roller in 6 Mikita Badziakouski $3,713,342 2016 for $4,981,775 and finished runner-up in the 7 Adrian Mateos $3,573,525 $1,000,000 buy-in Big One For One Drop in 2018, 8 Michael Addamo $3,059,311 adding another $6,000,000 to his totals. Holz and McKeehen are the only players 9 Danny Tang $2,433,949 under the age of 30 to cash for eight 10 Kevin Maahs $2,209,967 figures in WSOP events.

POKER TOURNAMENT PRIZE MONEY AWARDED BY CASINO

Place Casino Prize Money There are ten casinos around the globe who have awarded $300 Awarded mllion or more in live poker tournament prize money. The runaway leader is the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino, which has played host 1st Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino $3.05 Billion to the World Series of Poker each summer since 2005. The Rio has 2nd Bellagio Hotel Casino $572 Million paid out more than $3 billion, which is more than the next seven 3rd Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa $440 Million casinos on this list combined. The $293,183,345 in prize money paid out at the 2019 WSOP alone would beat all but 10 other casinos life- 4th Casino Barcelona $408 Million time totals. Three of the top five casinos on this list are located in 5th The Venetian Resort Las Vegas $380 Million Las Vegas: the Rio, Bellagio Hotel Casino, and The Venetian Resort 6th Commerce Casino $371 Million Las Vegas. The Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa is the highest-ranked casino outside of Nevada. The Atlantic City, New Jersey casino has 7th Atlantis Resort & Casino $336 Million awarded $440 million in poker events since it opened in 2003. It 8th Crown Melbourne $305 Million has played host to World Poker Tour events for over 16 years now, 9th ARIA Resort & Casino $305 Million frequently hosting multiple WPT stops per year. Casino Barcelona is the top international venue, with $408 million distributed. The 10th Monte Carlo Bay Hotel and $300 Million Spanish casino has hosted massive festivals for a number of tours, Casino Resort including the European Poker Tour and partypoker LIVE MILLIONS.

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