The World Poker Tour Crowns a Trio of New Champions Tour Concludes Extended 18Th Season After Long Delays Caused by Pandemic

www.CardPlayer.com Vol. 34/No. 13 June 16, 2021

THE WORLD POKER TOUR CROWNS A TRIO OF NEW CHAMPIONS TOUR CONCLUDES EXTENDED 18TH SEASON AFTER LONG DELAYS CAUSED BY PANDEMIC

Arthur Conan Talks About Head Games: Being Luck Vs. Skill: His 'Chip-And-A-Chair' Mentally And Physically How To Look At The High Roller Win Prepared To Play Variance In Your Game

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PUBLISHERS Barry Shulman | Jeff Shulman

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004_MastheadB.indd 4 5/25/21 9:37 AM PLAYER_13_HarrahsCherokee_FP.indd 3 5/25/21 9:41 AM Table of Contents - Card Player Vol. 34/No. 13 20 26

Feature Strategies, Analysis Also In this Issue 20 & Commentary 4 The World Poker Tour Crowns A Trio Of 30 About Us New Champions Stop Playing Junk 36 By Erik Fast By Jonathan Little Tournament Schedules 26 31 38 Arthur Conan Talks About His ‘Chip-And- Seven Card Stud Eight-Or-Better: The Ante Poker Leaderboards A-Chair’ $50,000 High Roller Win Structure And Stealing By Steve Schult By Kevin Haney 33 Tournament The Inside Straight Luck Vs. Skill: How To Look At The Hand Matchups 8 Variance In Your Game 14 By Greg Raymer Poker News Recap Bin Weng vs. Veerab Zakarian 12 34 18 Contracts and Poker: Player Of The Year Update Some Rules For Noobs James Anderson vs. Brian Altman By Erik Fast By Scott J. Burnham vs. Nathan Russler 16 31 Head Games: Bin Weng vs. James Anderson Being Mentally And Physically Prepared To Improve Your Game 33 By Craig Tapscott James Anderson vs. Veerab Zakarian Cover image and WPT trophy Giron © WPT/Joe

6 CARDPLAYER.COM VOLUME 34 / ISSUE 13

006_TOC.indd 6 5/26/21 9:53 AM PLAYER_11_TurningStone_FP.indd 3 4/27/21 12:01 PM THE INSIDE STRAIGHT

the INSIDE STRAIGHT News, Reviews, and Interviews From Around the Poker World PENT-UP DEMAND SPARKS BEST QUARTER IN HISTORY OF U.S. CASINO INDUSTRY

By Steve Schult

ommercial casinos in the United States had its best three-month stretch in the history of the country’s gamingC market. According to the American Gaming Association, U.S. casinos won $11.1 billion from gamblers in the first quarter of 2021. Operators generated those numbers from the start of the year through the end of March. It ties the third quarter of 2019 for the best quarter in the market’s history. ose fi gures represent an 18% year-over-year jump in revenue, which doesn’t say much since the entire brick- and-mortar casino market shut down in mid-March 2020. But it is still a 4% increase from the fi rst quarter of 2019, well before the pandemic took hold in What makes the quarter even more try, hit the $1 billion revenue mark for the U.S. e revenue does not include remarkable is that nearly the entire the first time since February 2020. money won by tribal casinos. market was operating under capacity With online gaming as widespread According to a report from restrictions forced by the government. as it has ever been in the U.S., as the Associated Press, several casino 14 of the 25 states with commercial well as an ever-expanding number of CEOs are bullish on the industry as casinos were limited to under 50% states legalizing sports betting, the it appears that gamblers are itching capacity. A couple of those states, new avenues to gamble acted as a to get back to normal life and return including Pennsylvania, had shut- springboard to higher levels. Brick & to casinos. Terry Glebocki, CEO of downs during that timeframe as well. mortar casinos actually had a 10% Ocean Casino Resort in Atlantic City, March was an especially good drop compared to the fi rst quarter of echoed those sentiments to the news month for casinos as 12 states report- 2019, but online gambling boosted the agency. ed record-setting revenue levels. numbers to pass prior levels. “I do think we’re seeing more and Arkansas, Colorado, Iowa, Maryland, e American sports betting mar- more people feeling more comfortable Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Ohio, ket also set new records with $961 coming out [to casinos],” Glebocki Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South million in the fi rst quarter of 2020. told the AP. “There’s a ton of pent-up Dakota, and Virginia all had the best It’s a 270% increase year-over-year demand out there. People want to go month in the history of their respec- and was more than all of 2019 when out and have fun, and that’s what you tive gambling markets. Nevada, the sportsbooks won a combined $909 do at a casino.” largest gambling market in the coun- million for the year. m

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8 CARDPLAYER.COM VOLUME 34 / ISSUE 13

008_News.indd 8 5/26/21 11:07 AM THE INSIDE STRAIGHT LAS VEGAS POKER ROOMS TAKE MAJOR STEPS IN RETURN TO NORMALCY AS CDC GUIDELINES CHANGE By Steve Schult

With COVID-19 vaccinations recommendations, the plexiglass came widely available throughout the coun- down immediately. try, the Center for Disease Control When the property reopened last began changing its recommendations summer, management decided to open for individuals that are fully vacci- a temporary poker room in the Wynn nated against the virus. After initially and keep the property’s actual poker saying that everyone must continue to room in the Encore closed. When wear masks even after receiving the the dividers came down, however, shot, the government agency changed the temporary poker room was taken its tune and said that vaccinated indi- down and players were directed back last July. viduals no longer need to wear masks to the main room at Encore. Now, at most Las Vegas casinos, or socially distance. Poker rooms at MGM Resorts gamblers that have been vaccinated no In response, Las Vegas poker rooms properties and Caesars Entertainment longer need to wear a face covering if began making substantial changes to followed suit. On May 12, Bellagio’s they don’t want to. ose that have not their games to reflect the CDC’s new Director of Poker Operations Mike received the vaccine are instructed to guidance. In mid-May, most major Williams tweeted a photo of the staff continue wearing a mask. poker rooms began taking down the removing the dividers to alert the Other states which have had harsh- plexiglass dividers that were used to poker world that things were gradually er restrictions on their casino industry separate players. returning to normal. have also begun significantly relaxing e Wynn and Encore were one Just a few days after the plexiglass them. Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf of the first to implement the change. was removed, so were the manda- announced that his state’s 14 com- After regulators saw that the company tory masks. On May 14, the Nevada mercial casinos could start operating had reportedly vaccinated more than Gaming Control Board announced at full capacity on Memorial Day. 90% of its employees, Wynn was that it would remove the mask man- New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy allowed given the go-ahead to operate at full date that had been in place since the Atlantic City casinos the same cour- capacity. Once the CDC changed its state’s casino market was reopened tesy starting May 19. m New Las Vegas Strip Casino To Accept Cryptocurrency As Payment By Steve Schult

esorts World Las Vegas, which is set to become “I think before you have all the largest casino resort on the Las Vegas Strip the resorts doing it, it will be when it opens June 24, will become the first a way for them to differenti- Strip casino to accept cryptocurrencies as pay- ate,” said Schwartz. “I think ment.R they are seeing if people want e Genting-owned casino announced a partnership to do it.” with Gemini, a cryptocurrency exchange and custodian Resorts World Las Vegas will be the first casino on the owned by billionaire twin brothers Tyler and Cameron Las Vegas Strip to accept these types of currencies, but the Winklevoss. e partnership will allow patrons of the D Las Vegas in Downtown Las Vegas on Fremont St. has casino to use their Gemini crypto wallets to purchase been accepting cryptocurrency as payment for a few years. items at the resort. “We are incredibly excited to work with Resorts World Cryptocurrency will not be allowed to be used for Las Vegas, the first casino on the Las Vegas Strip to part- gambling, however, as gaming regulators have strict rules ner with a crypto platform and explore integrating crypto regarding these types of transactions, and they have not into their guest experience,” said CEO of Gemini Tyler approved it yet. at could change in the future as cryp- Winklevoss in a statement. “Whether it’s the ability for tocurrencies become more common. their customers to use cryptocurrency at Resorts World David G. Schwartz, a gaming historian at University of Las Vegas or convert dollars into crypto, being one of the Nevada Las Vegas, told the local CBS affiliate that if this first to support crypto is a great way to meet the needs move is popular at Resorts World, it is very likely other of the next generation of customers and provide a 21st properties will implement it as well. century experience.” m

008_News.indd 9 5/26/21 11:07 AM THE INSIDE STRAIGHT - News, reviews, and interviews from around the poker world

CASINO BILLS IN TEXAS AND ALABAMA DIE IN LEGISLATURE WITHOUT A VOTE By Steve Schult

Bills that would’ve brought casinos to Alabama and Texas died in their respective legislatures as neither bill was ever voted on. In Alabama, the Senate initially killed SB 319, but passed it on a second attempt. It looked primed to pass in the lower chamber, but it was never put up for a vote. e legislation would have allowed citizens to vote in November MARYLAND GOVERNOR 2022 on whether the state should amend the constitution and implement expanded gambling activities in Alabama. It would also allow SIGNS SPORTS BETTING the state to enter into a gaming compact with the Poarch Band of Creek Indians. BILL INTO LAW According to AL.com, House Speaker Mac McCutcheon pulled it from consideration, claiming that it did not have the support to By Steve Schult pass. e bill needed bipartisan support to obtain the 60% majority needed for a bill that is related to a constitutional amendment. Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan officially made In the weeks leading up to what was supposed to be a vote, sports betting legal in his state in mid May Democrats tried to alter the bill and were negotiating with by signing a bill into law that would allow for Republicans to insert language that would explicitly use some of the both online and retail sports betting. new tax revenue to expand Medicaid. e two parties couldn’t agree According to The Action Network, the bill and the bill was ultimately pulled. e legislative session ended a few was passed with an “emergency” clause days later and the issue won’t be revisited until 2022. which allowed it to immediately take effect. Proposals in Texas that would bring Las Vegas-style casinos and Hogan’s signature makes Maryland the fifth sports betting to the Lone Star State had the same fate. state to legalize sports betting this year, e deadline for House Joint Resolution 133 passed without a following in the footsteps of South Dakota, vote, according to a report from the Texas Tribune. ere was similar Wyoming, New York, and Arizona. legislation in the upper chamber, Senate Joint Resolution 49, that Maryland voters passed a ballot initia- didn’t even get a committee hearing, let alone a vote. Both bills would’ve allowed citizens to vote on whether to repeal tive last November that technically legalized the gambling ban in the state constitution and build “destination sports betting. But since the pandemic resorts” that have casinos in four major cities. It would have also shortened the state’s 2020 legislative ses- allowed the three federally recognized tribes in the state to run gam- sion, the legislators only passed a bill that bling operations as well. would allow voters to have the final say. By e topic has bipartisan support in the legislature with a voting yes, the state legalized betting, but Republican sponsoring the House bill and a Democrat throwing her didn’t create any semblance of a regulatory support behind the Senate version. Unfortunately, the anti-gambling framework. Bills to create one started circu- strain of the political spectrum in Texas was too strong. lating in February. The market is expected to In February, as the public support for expanded gambling was launch this fall. picking up steam, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said that sports betting The bill will allow for as many as 60 legislation “wouldn’t see the light of day” this legislative session. He online sportsbooks, as well as retail loca- was right. tions at the state’s six casinos and profes- Fortunately for gambling advocates, it appears that the lobby- sional sports stadiums. In late May, the ing eﬀ orts of Sands Corp. will continue into future sessions. Last Baltimore Ravens announced a sports bet- November, the gaming giant built a team of eight lobbyists to help ting partnership with BetMGM. push legislation through. It also launched a media campaign in April Sports bars, racetracks, off-track betting to drum up support for the issue. facilities, and state fairgrounds are also e company, which recently sold both its Las Vegas casinos, eligible to apply for a license. There are 30 is reportedly eying a casino in the Dallas market. Without its Las retail licenses up for grabs. Vegas properties, Sands doesn’t currently have an American pres- Sports betting companies will pay a 15% ence. “We have said from the beginning that we’re committed to Texas tax on their revenues. Those tax dollars will for the long haul,” said Andy Abboud, Sands’ senior vice president be used to help fund public education. It’s of government relations in a statement. “We have made great strides estimated that once the market matures, this session and have enjoyed meeting with lawmakers about our the industry should generate $17 million vision for destination resorts and answering all the questions they annually in taxes. m have.” m

10 CARDPLAYER.COM VOLUME 34 / ISSUE 13

008_News.indd 10 5/26/21 11:07 AM THE INSIDE STRAIGHT NEW FLORIDA GAMING COMPACT STRIPS ONLINE POKER LANGUAGE FROM AGREEMENT e previous compact stated that the tribe had exclusivity By Steve Schult to off er house-backed card games like blackjack. ere was a brief period where the tribe stopped making payments to the Florida lawmakers offi cially passed a new gaming com- state after a federal judge agreed that the move violated the pact between the state and the Seminole Tribe in May, but it deal in place. came at the expense of a regulated online poker market in the e Seminole Tribe will be permitted to run sportsbooks Sunshine State. both online and at their six Las Vegas-style casinos located e House overwhelmingly voted in favor of the new throughout the state. Pari-mutuel facilities will be permitted agreement, passing it by a 97-17 margin during a special legis- to off er sports betting if they contract through the Seminoles. lative session. e vote came a day after the Senate voted 39-1 e pari-mutuel will pay 40% of their net revenue to the to approve the deal. tribe. e tribe will pay the state 10% of those funds and keep In April, Gov. Ron DeSantis agreed to a new 30-year the other 30%. e state will also collect 13.75% of any rev- compact with the tribe that would legalize sports betting in enue generated from Seminole-run sportsbooks. e Seminole Florida. It would allow the Seminoles to act as the central hub Tribe will need to partner with at least three pari-mutuels for the state’s sports betting market and also expand its casino within the fi rst three months of the sports betting market or off erings to include games like craps and roulette. the payment to the state will increase by 2%. According to local media, DeSantis and the Tribe agreed to Since it deals with a federally recognized tribe, the compact remove language from the “Miscellaneous” section of the agree- still needs to be approved by the U.S. Department of Interior. ment that could have allowed for the tribe to have control of an It could still face some legal hurdles, however, as several media online gambling market, including poker, to appease a chunk of outlets are reporting that anti-gambling groups are arguing that conservative lawmakers that were skeptical of the new compact. it violates Amendment 3, a 2018 constitutional amendment that e move delays any prospect of legal online poker in Florida requires statewide voter approval for any gambling expansion. by at least a few years. If any of these groups decide to bring a lawsuit against the e agreement would also allow pari-mutuel facilities state and tribe, it could delay or end the deal altogether. to continue off ering “designated player” card games, which e state and the tribe argue that since the operation is were a contentious point of the negotiations as the Seminoles being run on sovereign tribal land, it is not subject to the vote. argued that these games violated the previous contract Recently, a group of more than 100 people protested the deal between the state and tribe. outside the Capitol in Tallahassee. m

008_News.indd 11 5/26/21 11:07 AM THE INSIDE STRAIGHT - Player of the year As of 5-20-2021

Place Player Points Final Tables POY Earnings

1 Qing Liu 3,674 10 $1,092,042

2 Matas Cimbolas 2,810 4 $1,064,605

3 James Anderson 2,256 4 $558,939

4 Sung Joo Hyun 2,172 2 $531,744

5 James Carroll 2,160 2 $612,435

6 Ali Imsirovic 2,078 9 $1,596,010

7 Sean Perry 2,042 8 $1,328,118

8 Joe McKeehen 2,000 2 $716,060

9 Tuan Mai 1,902 11 $222,311

10 Chad Eveslage 1,848 2 $869,148

11 Balakrishna Patur 1,840 2 $1,020,200

12 Fernando Rodriguez-Vazquez 1,800 6 $309,937

13 Ilyas Muradi 1,748 2 $701,480

14 Steven Snyder 1,646 3 $926,584

15 Brek Schutten 1,620 1 $1,261,095

16 Brian Altman 1,488 3 $401,101

17 Veerab Zakarian 1,440 1 $674,840

18 Ankush Mandavia 1,420 2 $309,800

19 Artur Martirosyan 1,396 3 $416,550

20 Timothy Gilliam 1,392 2 $233,105

12 CARDPLAYER.COM VOLUME 34 / ISSUE 13

012_POY.indd 12 5/26/21 11:08 AM THE INSIDE STRAIGHT

A TRIO OF WORLD POKER TOUR FINAL TABLES DRAMATICALLY

RESHAPE POY RACE Matas Cimbolas ree delayed World Poker Tour main event fi nal tables played down to a champion from May 16-18, awarding multiple millions of dollars in prize money, as well as a bounty of Card Player Player of the Year rankings points. e player that climbed the highest in the standings as a result of these events was Matas Cimbolas. e Lithuanian poker pro had already made three fi nal tables in 2021, before fi nish- ing second in the WPT L.A. Poker Classic $10,000 buy-in main event for $600,060 and 1,500 points. e huge score was enough to catapult him into second place on the leaderboard, with $1,064,605 in year-to-date earnings and 2,810 total points. e LAPC main event was won by Balakrishna Patur for $1,015,000 and 1,800 points. Patur, who had one smaller fi nal-table fi nish under his belt already, climbed to 11th in the rankings as a result of his huge victory. ird-place fi nisher James Carroll earned $431,585 and 1,200 points. Carroll, a two-time WPT main event champion, had won the Mid-States Poker Tour James Venetian main event just a few days into 2021. With $612,435 in earnings and 2,160 points, he Anderson now occupies the fi fth-place spot in the standings. e 2020 WPT Borgata Winter Poker Open $3,500 buy-in main event also resulted in three players joining the top 20. Veerab Zakarian emerged victorious with the title, the $674,840 top prize and 1,440 points. is was his fi rst score of 2021, but it alone was enough to see him surge into 17th place. James Anderson was the player who climbed the highest as a result of this fi nal table. Anderson fi nished as the runner-up, securing $449,904 and 1,200 points for his fourth POY- qualifi ed score of 2021. Anderson had won two titles earlier this spring in lower buy-in events, adding over $60,000 and 600 points across the two victories. He now occupies the third-place spot on the leaderboard with 2,256 points and $558,939 in POY earnings. © WPT.com & Joe Giron Two-time WPT champion Brian Altman fi nished third in the event for $333,012 and 960 points, which moved him into 16th place in the POY race. He had two prior fi nal-table fi nishes in 2021, including a win in a $1,100 buy-in side event at the WPT DeepStack Showdown series at e Venetian. e last of the three fi nal tables to conclude was the 2021 WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown $3,500 buy-in main event, which set the record for WPT fi eld size with 2,482 entries. Eventual winner Brek Schutten earned $1,261,095 and 1,620 points, which moved him into 15th place despite no prior 2021 live tournament cashes. Runner-up Steven Snyder had two prior POY-qualifi ed scores to his name. e $899,295 and 1,350 points he earned in this event moved him into 14th place in the standings.

MAY ARIA HIGH ROLLER EVENTS SHAKE UP THE STANDINGS e ARIA Poker Room has hosted a monthly slate of high-stakes tournaments Ali Imsirovic throughout 2021, with millions in prize money awarded along the way. e latest iteration of this recurring high roller festival featured four events held from May 5-8, with $2,555,000 in total prize money and plenty of POY points awarded throughout the series. Ali Imsirovic climbed the highest in the rankings as a result of this series, securing two fi nal-table fi nishes to bring his total for the year to nine. He fi nished third in both a $10,500 buy-in and a $26,000 buy-in event, adding $215,400 and 424 points to his annual total. He now has $1,596,010 in year-to-date POY earnings, the most of any player in the world in 2021. With four titles won and 2,078 points, Imsirvoc now sits in sixth place on the leaderboard. Two of Matas Cimbolas’ three fi nal-table fi nishes prior to his runner-up fi nish in the LAPC came in this series. He won the fi rst $10,500 buy-in event of the series for $163,200 and 300 points. e following day he ended as the runner-up in another event with the same buy-in, adding another $103,400 and 250 points. ese two scores, combined with his WPT fi nal table and a runner-up fi nish in a $5,000 event at the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown series have resulted in him being within reach of the top spot in the standings. Sean Winter made two fi nal table fi nishes during the series, bringing his total up to six for the year. With 1,271 points and $789,090 in year-to-date earnings, he now occupies the 24th-place spot in the rankings. Hot on his heels is Spanish poker pro Sergio Aido, who won the second $10,500 buy-in event of the series to earn $159,800 and 300 points. Aido climbed to 25th place as a result, with fi ve fi nal tables, 1,262 points, and $468,570 in POY earnings. England’s Jack Hardcastle made two fi nal tables, adding $79,200 and 250 POY points to his totals, which were enough to move him into 26th place.

012_POY.indd 13 5/26/21 11:08 AM THE INSIDE STRAIGHT - Player of the year

KESHAVARZI WINS WYNN SPRING SIGNATURE SERIES MAIN EVENT e 2021 Wynn Spring Signature Series $1,100 buy-in no-limit hold’em event attracted a sizable fi eld of 851 entries, easily surpassing the $400,000 guarantee to create a fi nal prize pool of $833,300. In the end, the title and the largest payday went to Maziar Keshavarzi of Austin, Texas. Keshavarzi earned $105,089 and 912 POY points after striking a deal during four-handed play that resulted in him taking home the title. is was Keshavarzi’s third fi nal-table fi nish of the year and his second title. He won a $400 buy-in preliminary event during the 2021 Wynn Winter Signature Series in January, beating a fi eld of 71 entries to win $8,550 and 67 points. In March, he placed fi fth from a fi eld of 1,251 entries in the Wynn Spring Classic $1,600 buy-in event, earning $67,178 and 400 points. With 1,379 total points and $180,817 in year-to-date earnings, Keshavarzi now sits in 21st place, just outside the top 20 on the POY leaderboard. Maziar Keshavarzi

Taylor Howard MSPT EVENTS PUT CHAMPIONS WITHIN STRIKING DISTANCE OF THE TOP 20 e fi rst-ever Mid-States Poker Tour Sycuan $1,110 buy-in no-limit hold’em main event attracted 676 total entries in early May. Alejandro Jauregui, a 31-year-old poker dealer, ultimately emerged victorious with the title, the fi rst-place prize of $140,665, and 840 points. is victory alone was enough to see him climb into a three-way tie for 68th place in the 2021 POY race. A few weeks later the MSPT South Dakota State Poker Championship $1,100 buy-in no-limit hold’em main event was held in Deadwood. A total of 585 total entries were made, but there could be only one champion. at player was Taylor Howard, who captured his second MSPT title and the fi rst-place prize of $119,165. e Iowa native was also awarded 840 POY points as the champion of this event. is was his second POY-qualifi ed score of the year, having placed fi fth in a $1,000 buy-in six-max no-limit hold’em event at the bestbet Jacksonville Winter Open back in January for $6,356 and 120 points. As a result of these two scores, Howard

Taylor Howard © MSPT currently sits in a three-way tie for 48th place.

ANALYSISAnalysis TOURNAMENT HAND MATCHUP e 2020 WPT Borgata Winter Poker Open attracted a massive fi eld of 1,290 entries. e fi nal table, which 2020 World Poker Tour Borgata Winter Poker Open was delayed for over a year due to the COVID-19 $3,500 No-Limit Hold’em Main Event pandemic, featured six players with a shot at the title and a top prize of $674,840. is hand took place within the fi rst few orbits, and featured a clash between Bin Weng Veerab Zakarian chip leader Veerab Zakarian and Bin Weng, who was fourth in chips. Weng opened for a min-raise with Q-J 8,225,000 Chips 11,800,000 Chips suited when it folded to him on the button. Zakarian decided to three-bet, making it four times the size of Q J K 10 Weng’s raise holding K-10 off suit in the small blind. Winning Percentage Winning Percentage Weng called with his highly-playable suited, connected

Before Flop: 43.0% Before Flop: 56.0% Broadway cards, and the ﬂ op gave him top pair with a

J Q gutshot straight draw. Zakarian fl opped a gutshot and 10 After Flop: 73.0% K After Flop: 27.0% After Turn: 86.0% After Turn: 14.0% backdoor fl ush outs of his own, and he backed up his prefl op aggression with a smallish continuation bet of 500,000 into a pot that had already ballooned to 2,250,000. Weng made the call and the turn paired PREFLOP the board. Zakarian fi red a second barrel, increasing his turn bet to just shy of half the pot. Weng made the With six players remaining and blinds of 75,000-125,000 with a 125,000 call and the Km completed the board, giving Zakarian a rivered top pair. Zakarian had been semi-bluffi ng with big blind ante, Bin Weng raised to 250,000 from the button. Veerab each of his prior bets, and had been called down so far Zakarian three-bet to 1,000,000 from the small blind, and Weng called. by his opponent. Having fi nally picked up some showdown value on the river, Zakarian could opt to try to just check and show down his hand. He instead opted to make a value bet, likely targeting calls from precisely Q 9 8 8 K the type of holding that Weng had, which was fl opped top pair that had been trying to make it to showdown.

FLOP Zakarian sized down, betting 2,000,000 into the pot TURN

RIVER of 6,450,000. Weng had been calling down, likely hop-

8 K 9 8 Q ing to win a showdown against a hand like A-K, one of the straight draws like K-J or K-10, or perhaps a club ﬂ ush draw. Given that he could no longer beat several Zakarian bet 500,000, Zakarian bet Zakarian bet of those combinations, Weng opted to fold on the river and Weng called. 1,600,000, and 2,000,000, and and preserve his remaining 5,125,000. Zakarian took Weng called. Weng folded. down the pot to increase his stack to 15,150,000, giving © WPT him a lead of over ﬁ ve million on the next-largest stack.

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

14 CARDPLAYER.COM VOLUME 34 / ISSUE 13

012_POY.indd 14 5/26/21 11:08 AM PLAYER_11_bestbet_FP.indd 3 4/27/21 12:01 PM THE INSIDE STRAIGHT - Head Games HEAD GAMES Head Games: Being Mentally And Physically Prepared To Improve Your Game By Craig Tapscott

The Pros: Garrett Adelstein, Matt lit casino for most of their waking I’m not leaving until the game Berkey, and Jon Van Fleet hours. breaks, period. For those who play Craig Tapscott: What kind of Weightlifting has also always the largest live cash games, one’s practices do you focus on away from provided similar mood-enhancing execution in hours 12-48 represents the table that help prepare you for effects. No matter how badly the a huge chunk of his or her overall the long, grueling hours of poker? deck punches me in the face in a profits. Most players never even get Garrett Adelstein: My morning given poker session, I can still feel to that 12th hour. ritual is the key to my well-being a sense of accomplishment knowing Matt Berkey: I’ve been a ﬁrm on and off the felt. It starts with I took care of the morning ritual. believer in treating both my mind a healthy meal, followed by a six- Over the years, I’ve come to realize and body as though they are irre- mile run with my dogs, finishing that without these things, my men- placeable assets. is means staying up with 20 minutes of meditation. I tal health rapidly deteriorates. diligent to daily routines which help also lift weights four days a week in Although this stringent training me stay in peak physical and mental the afternoon. Nutritionally, I eat and nutrition regimen is executed condition. Depending on where I’m six clean meals a day, mostly avoid- primarily for my overall well-being, at in my training cycles, I’m usually ing sugar or any processed foods. I suspect it makes all the difference in the gym four to six times a week. Sounds super fun, right? in the world when I’m on hour 36 My morning routine consists of a Both running and weightlift- of a high-stakes poker session. Some 45-minute sauna session as well as ing are easily my best antidepres- poker players like to clock in and a daily meditation and journaling sants. In a career filled with vari- out at the same time daily, never when I ﬁnd myself in a place where ance where so much is out of my playing more than eight hours… I my mind feels cluttered. ese prac- control, running 5K races allows couldn’t be more the opposite. I’ve tices carry over to the felt as it’s easy me to compete against myself in a been incredibly fortunate in recent to get caught up in the throes of pure, unbiased manner. Humans years to only play poker when games battle and lose the laser focus nec- are biologically wired to run outside are big and rather profitable. But essary to perform at an elite level. in the sun, not sit in an artificially- once I’m in there battling it out, By challenging my mind and body

16 CARDPLAYER.COM VOLUME 34 / ISSUE 13

016_HeadGames.indd 16 5/26/21 11:09 AM THE INSIDE STRAIGHT

Garrett Adelstein Matt Berkey

Jon Van Fleet © Garrett Adelstein © Jon Fleet Van

oﬀ the felt routinely, I’m essentially nature. Above all, the brain and ful for so much in my life, from my training my subconscious to respond body need rest. Time spent on self- health, to my loved ones, and yes calmly to chaos. care is worthwhile time, especially poker as well. The fact that I’m even Jon Van Fleet: I gained about 30 if you play a brain game for a living. able to play high-stakes poker often pounds during COVID. I felt kind Take care of yourself, everyone! blows my mind. All poker players of stuck. I’d try to eat healthy for Craig Tapscott: Share a few things have a multitude of reasons to feel a few days, but then I’d have a bad you do that keep your mind sharp, grateful. session and eat poorly. Over the last and spirit and motivation fed in Between sessions, I have suc- few months, I’ve finally changed between your sessions or tourna- cessfully used CBT (Cognitive things up and have a routine that’s ments? Behavioral Therapy) to fight my working for me. I’ve lost about 40 Garrett Adelstein: Motivation cognitive distortions and mourn big pounds now. The main thing I’ve comes from a person’s ‘why.’ For losing poker sessions with greater been doing is fasting (drinking cof- the overwhelming majority of success. What’s the point of making fee and water) and only eating with- professional poker players grinding a ton of money playing poker if you in a six- to eight-hour window. I’ve it out, their why is to put food on the are still going to be miserable the been eating kind of late, between table and get their rent paid. This is 40% of sessions you lose? I’ve spent 5 PM and 11 PM and that’s not the heartbreaking reality for most the last decade of my life focused great for digestion, but so far this is in our industry, and it’s the biggest on how to incorporate poker into working. If I’m busy working, that reason why I often advocate to those an otherwise peaceful existence isn’t that hard to do during the day. who email me for advice, to avoid with some success. I truly feel for At night relaxing, is when I go off poker as a primary income source. the majority of poker players who the rails, so I feel it’s better to have For a few unicorns in the high- struggle with this critical skill. The my window then. stakes poker world, they need a dif- goal isn’t primarily to get rich, it’s As far as physical exercise goes, I ferent why as earning another mil- to find a way to smile regularly. I’ll lift three to five times a week with lion isn’t going to move the needle always be cheering for more people my trainer. I have plans to train in on their quality of life a single iota. in our community to make that Muay Thai once everything opens My why is multifaceted, but starts happen. up again as well. I miss that feeling with using additional profits to Matt Berkey: Staying mentally of really pushing myself and being improve the lives of those I love, sharp is a byproduct of pursuing covered in sweat. The sun just came friends and family. Further, my curiosities regularly. Be it homing out recently in Vancouver, so I’ve fiancé and I are committed to phi- in on specific strategy elements, or been enjoying walking around and lanthropy, regularly donating to the just engaging regularly with intel- looking at the cherry blossoms. Big Brothers Big Sisters Program ligent people about areas of life I’m not sure if anything really where I am also a mentor. With where I lack proficiency, I find prepares you for sitting in a chair this in mind, the guilt I used to that I’m most challenged when I’m all day as much as poker players do. consistently feel for spending most searching for a way to think about We really have to do something to of my adult life on a zero-sum game problems which don’t necessarily counteract the fact that we sit on is slightly alleviated. have solutions. our butts all day. One trick I like One’s mental game is everything Poker is a fantastic sandbox in to do occasionally is high-intensity in high-stakes poker as the dollar this way as strategies tend to be training on my break, for one to amounts won or lost in a single fluid with multiple solutions, all two minutes, if I’m not feeling very hand alone can be enormous. When of which can be tailored to the sharp. For me, that’s just running nothing is going right for me in specific scenario and environment up and down my stairs or doing a session, my first line of defense you’re currently solving for. There’s push-ups or something of that comes from gratitude. I’m so grate- a fine line between finding exploits

016_HeadGames.indd 17 5/26/21 11:09 AM THE INSIDE STRAIGHT - Head Games

and falling victim to circular logic- as I’ve been working on my preci- to get back to that optimal state gets having a method of checks and bal- sion breathing with Neuropeak, a shorter and shorter. ♠ ances, be it a trusted group of peers biofeedback program that Stephen or solver study, to scrutinize my Chidwick recommended to me. So Garrett Adelstein has been a respected lines of logic has proven invaluable far, we’ve been training biofeed- figure in the high-stakes poker scene to this process. back, heart rate variability, and pre- since 2005. The former poker coach has Jon Van Fleet: I think my moti- cision breathing. I’ve found it pretty played in some of the biggest live no-limit vation is just fed naturally. I love easy to get a rhythm if my eyes are games in the Los Angeles and is a fixture being at the top of my game and closed, but everything goes out the on streams such as Live At The Bike. In enjoy the process of studying poker, window if I’m working or some- 2013, Adelstein was a cast member on even if I sometimes bitch about thing stressful happens. I’m only a Survivor: Cagayan. it. However, I have placed a really couple of weeks into the program high priority on mind training. but so far, I’m impressed. Matt Berkey is a high-stakes poker Mindfulness and meditation have Like anybody else, I’ve been pro and the founder of Solve for Why been a big part of my life over the super frustrated by poker many Academy, an innovative poker training last eight years. I’ve gone on numer- times and gotten stuck in nega- business. He is creator of the unique ous retreats, including two 10-day tive mental feedback loops where I Poker Out Loud show, host of the popular Vipassana retreats, and try to have obsess over my luck, how bad I am Solve for Why Vlogcast, and star of Dead a daily practice of meditation. at poker, or how bad someone else is Money on PokerGO. Berkey has more than Mindfulness and awareness have at poker. None of those thoughts are $4 million in career tournament earnings, kind of saved my life to be honest. relevant to making good decisions. including a seven-figure score in the 2016 I used to be a fairly unhappy, anx- A few powerful tools for helping Super High Roller Bowl. ious person, and I believe that I’ve me get out of negative mind states somehow turned down the volume are gratitude and thanking people Jon ‘apestyles’ Van Fleet is a noted of my brain if that makes any sense. daily. It’s good to remember that I poker author and has been incredibly I know that research suggests that am lucky that I get to play a game successful online player for many years. you can create new neural pathways for a living. In my mind, the opti- With more than $17.5 million in cashes, he through meditation as well. mal mental state for poker is sharp, is currently in the top 10 on PocketFives’s After saying all of that, I have calm, and detached. It still feels all-time online poker money list. Van Fleet to admit I’m actually somewhat out like a punch to the gut when I get has many hours of poker training content of practice with pure meditation sucked out on, but the time it takes available at www.bbzpoker.com.

ANALYSISAnalysis TOURNAMENT HAND MATCHUP is hand sees WSOP bracelet winner James Anderson seize on an opportunity to take control of a pot. He 2020 World Poker Tour Borgata Winter Poker Open then took advantage of a scare card on the river to bluﬀ $3,500 No-Limit Hold’em Main Event his way into winning the pot with the third best hand. Anderson began the hand in second chip position, with James Anderson Nathan Russler a few more big blinds than Altman. Russler was tied for 5,125,000 Chips the shortest stack at the table. Anderson got the action 10,100,000 Chips started by raising with pocket fours. He received calls 4 4 Q 5 from Altman, a two-time WPT main event winner, in Winning Percentage Winning Percentage the small blind and Russler in the big blind. Altman

Before Flop: 32.0% Before Flop: 30.0% had K-J oﬀ suit, which didn’t improve on the paired ﬂ op

of 9-9-5. He checked, and Russler, who ﬂ opped the best 4 4 5 After Flop: 13.0% Q After Flop: 62.0% After Turn: 5.0% After Turn: 5.0% hand with nines and ﬁ ves, checked behind. Anderson checked as well, and the turn brought the Kn. Altman turned top pair but opted to under-represent his hand by checking a second time. Russler also tapped the Brian Altman PREFLOP table. Anderson bet 225,00 into the pot of 875,000. Altman called and Russler got out of the way. e 9,675,000 Chips With six players remaining and blinds of 75,000- river brought the An and Altman checked again. He 125,000 with a 125,000 big blind ante, James had likely intended to check-call on a lot of rivers, but K J Anderson raised to 250,000 from under the gun. an ace on the end was a tough card for him. As the Winning Percentage Brian Altman called from the small blind, and initial raiser, Anderson could very well have checked

Before Flop: 38.0% Nathan Russler called from the big blind. behind with an unimproved ace high on the ﬂ op, only

J After Flop: 25.0% K to decide to take a stab on the turn when his oppo- After Turn: 90.0% nents had both checked to him twice. Anderson made a healthy bet of 1,100,000 into a pot of 1,325,000, 9 9 5 K A turning his small pocket pair into a bluﬀ targeted to

FLOP draw folds from Altman’s more vulnerable two pairs TURN

RIVER like K-X, 5-X, and other pocket pairs below the king.

K A 9 5 9 Being comfortably in third place, with nearly twice as many chips as the short stacks, Altman was disincentiv- Altman and Russler checked. Altman and Russler checked. Altman checked, and ized from taking too many risks against one of the two Anderson bet 225,000. Altman Anderson checked behind. Anderson bet 1,100,000. players who out-chipped him. He opted to fold and

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

18 CARDPLAYER.COM VOLUME 34 / ISSUE 13

016_HeadGames.indd 18 5/26/21 11:09 AM PLAYER_13_ACR_FP.indd 3 5/25/21 9:40 AM THE WORLD POKER TOUR CROWNS A TRIO OF NEW CHAMPIONS Tour Concludes Extended 18th Season After Long Delays Caused By Pandemic By Erik Fast

e World Poker Tour first announced that it would be delayed format, and a total of six televised final tables were adopting a delayed approach for its televised final tables in filmed in Vegas without incident. While many theoreti- the spring of 2018. e change saw select events play out cal problems were posed after the initial format change, at the tour’s host casinos around the world, with action neither the players or the tour itself could have predicted halted when the final table was decided. e last six play- the global pandemic that ultimately impacted the WPT’s ers would then fly to Las Vegas at a later date, playing out 18th season, causing a trio of delayed final tables to be at a single fixed location, which was initially the HyperX postponed for well over a year. Esports Arena at the Luxor. Three Final Tables In Limbo ere were many reasons for the move, including an ere were three final tables set in the early months extra level of oversight on the production that isn’t always of 2020 that were supposed to play out over a three-day possible with a traveling stage setup. period from March 31 through April 2. e 18 players “It gives us a degree of control that ensures the live from the final tables of the World Poker Tour Gardens experience will be like nothing else we’ve done before,” Poker Championship, WPT Borgata Winter Poker Open, WPT President and CEO Adam Pliska told Card Player and the WPT L.A. Poker Classic were supposed to each back in 2019. wait no more than eight weeks until action resumed. But e shift in approach also offered major reductions in the rapid spread of COVID-19 around the globe saw the costs for the tour. Pliska noted that moving a massive tele- live poker scene shutdown for months starting in early vision set around the country was “really, really expensive, March, leaving the players in limbo with no clear indica- with a lot of that benefit never being enjoyed by either the tion as to when they could be rescheduled. viewers or the players, since most of the cost is in trans- ese final tables featured a number of exciting sto- portation and set up.” rylines and huge opportunities for the competitors, with

e tour’s 17th season was the ﬁrst to utilize the millions of dollars on the line, as well as a pair of two- © WPT / Joe Giron

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020_CoverStory.indd 20 5/26/21 12:47 PM Matt Savage Veerab Zakarian

time WPT champions with a chance to secure their third days after the final table had been set. titles on the tour. Unfortunately, those narratives could To put that in perspective, the final six in this tourna- not reach their conclusions until everyone could be safely ment waited roughly 350 days longer than the four-month brought back. delay experienced by World Series of Poker November Nine “Our first concern is always the players. At first, we members during the eight years that the WSOP main offered them options to not have to wait and potentially event used that format. While it would ultimately be a get paid earlier or make a deal, but all of the respective good problem to have, it can’t be easy to sleep at night, groups decided they wanted to play at the televised final knowing you can either win an additional half a million table that they rightfully earned,” WPT Executive Tour dollars, or go home without anything other than the Director Matt Savage told Card Player. “In addition to the sixth-place payout you already received. Despite the chal- substantial amount of money at stake, there were the fac- lenges that arose from a global pandemic, though, these tors in play of them all wanting to put their name on the events were finally set to decide their champions. Sexton Cup and earn the prestige that comes with win- The Wait Is Over, Zakarian Tops ning a TV final table and becoming a WPT Champion.” Borgata Winter Poker Open “Our casino partners were incredibly understanding “I’m excited for these final tables to be back and through this entire process and we thank them immensely broadcast to a wide audience,” said Savage in May. “e for working with us to ensure the best player experience,” intimate environment provides a great atmosphere, and said Savage. “e rapidly changing health environment gaming has ensured we are taking proper protocols to and having international players at all three final tables keep players and staff safe.” presented unique challenges and added another layer to e final six players from the Borgata Winter Poker the difficulties we faced, along with the protocols in Las Open took their seats on Sunday, May 16 at the PokerGO Vegas which were definitely unexpected.” studio. ey were the last remaining survivors from Nearly a year after the three delayed final tables were a field of 1,290 total entries in the $3,500 buy-in no- postponed, the WPT was able to announce rescheduled limit hold’em event. In the end, it was Canada’s Veerab dates for the three events. In addition to the long-post- Zakarian who emerged victorious, capturing his first poned tournaments, a newly-set fourth final table would WPT title and the top prize of $674,840. also be included. e 2021 WPT Seminole Hard Rock “Everyone always wants the bracelet, but these days it Poker Showdown would act as the closing tournament for looks like the WPT is what everyone is chasing, because the WPT’s extended 18th season that ended up spanning the bracelets, there’s so many of them. But the WPT is from 2019 through 2021. special, especially Borgata,” said Zakarian after the win. e WPT Gardens Poker Championship final table that “When you think of poker on the East Coast, the first was set all the way back on Jan. 13, 2020 would be the thing you think of is Borgata, of winning something like first to reconvene. On March 10, 2021 the final six play- this.” ers gathered at a new venue, the PokerGO studio at ARIA is was by far the largest score of Zakarian’s career, Resort & Casino. Markus Gonsalves emerged victorious blowing away the $63,340 he earned as the 2018 Mid- from the field of 257 total entries to secure his first WPT States Poker Tour Seneca Niagara Casino $1,100 main title and the first-place prize of $554,495. e win came event champion. is latest victory increased his lifetime a whopping 422 days after having made the final table. live tournament earnings to just over a million dollars. “It feels good to get it over with, it feels good to win,” In addition to the career-best payday, Zakarian was also a relieved Gonsalves said after his victory. awarded 1,440 Card Player Player of the Year points as the e remaining three final tables were scheduled for champion. is was his first POY-qualified score of 2021, May 16-18 at the same venue. e first of the events to but it alone was enough to catapult him into 17th place in play out would be the WPT Borgata Winter Poker Open the overall standings. final table, which was set back on Jan. 30 2020 in Atlantic Zakarian entered the final table as the chip leader, City, New Jersey. e winner of that event was supposed having bagged up roughly 100 big blinds over a year ago. to be decided roughly two months later. In the end, Wooster, Ohio resident James Anderson was the next- COVID-19 delays resulted in the final table resuming 471 largest stack. Anderson won his first WSOP bracelet in

020_CoverStory.indd 21 5/26/21 12:47 PM the 2019 $1,111 Little One For One Drop event and was was his fourth POY-qualified final table of 2021, with well-positioned to add a WPT title to his résumé. two titles won along the way. With $558,939 in earn- Two-time WPT main event champion Brian Altman ings so far and 2,256 points, Anderson has shot up the was hot on Anderson’s heels. Altman had recently locked standings to land in second place on the overall POY up the Hublot WPT Player of the Year award, having leaderboard. earned four cashes, three final-table finishes including this event, and a title during the tour’s 18th season. (For more Place Player Payout POY Points information on Altman’s WPT POY win, check out the sidebar on page 25.) 1 Veerab Zakarian $674,840 1,440 Andrew Hanna was the first player eliminated. He lost 2 James Anderson $449,904 1,200 a chunk of his stack with a flopped top pair against the turned set of Bin Weng, and then ran pocket deuces into 3 Brian Altman $333,012 960 the pocket tens of Zakarian to hit the rail in sixth place 4 Nathan Russler $248,913 720 for $143,264. Despite having won that sizable pot against Hanna early on at the final table, Weng was the next to 5 Bin Weng $187,900 600 fall. He got all in with pocket nines against the pocket 6 Andrew Hanna $143,264 480 kings of Anderson. Both players made a full house by the river, but Weng’s was second best. He earned $187,900 for his fifth-place finish in this tournament, while Anderson Patur Secures SevenFigure Payday As surged into the lead. LA Poker Classic Champion Nathan Russler had come into the day as the shortest stack, but he managed to maneuver his way to the final Balakrishna Patur four. His run came to an end when he three-bet all-in with Kp Jp for roughly 18 big blinds from the small blind. Zakarian had raised from under-the-gun with pocket queens. Zakarian made the call and flopped middle set. Russler was drawing dead by the turn. He was awarded $248,913 for his fourth-place showing, while Zakarian regained the top spot on the leaderboard. While Zakarian and Anderson had added to their stacks in the early action, Altman had fewer chips than he started with by the time three-handed action began. Just ten hands after Russler was knocked out, Altman got involved in what turned out to be his final hand. Altman min-raised from the button with Ap 3p and Zakarian called from the big blind holding 4n 2p. e flop brought the Qo 5n 3n and both players checked. e 2020 L.A. Poker Classic $10,000 buy-in main event e Am on the turn improved both players, giving was the second final table on the agenda. e tournament Altman aces up and Zakarian the wheel. Zakarian check- attracted a total of 490 entries, but in the end, only one called Altman’s bet and the river brought the 9o. Zakarian player would walk away with the seven-figure top prize, checked again and Altman bet 2,800,000, leaving himself which was Balakrishna Patur. with just 1,250,000 behind. Zakarian moved all-in and “It’s incredible. I can’t express my happiness right now,” Altman went into the tank before calling. His aces up Patur said after the win. “To me, it was such a long time… were no good, and he was eliminated in third place for and the table with such good players, it was anybody’s game $333,012. e score increased his career earnings to more and I played well and ran well.” than $4.8 million. e 960 POY points he earned were e Parsippany, New Jersey resident joined a presti- enough to see him move into 16th place in the standings. gious list of players that have won the LAPC that includes With that, Zakarian entered heads-up play with a the likes of Phil Ivey, Gus Hansen, Antonio Esfandiari, slight lead, although both players had over 115 big blinds Michael Mizrachi, and many other legends of the game. to start with. It took 80 more hands for a winner to be “I can’t express the feeling right now. Every poker player decided. Anderson was able to battle his way into the lead dreams of getting a WPT [title]. Getting my name next to ever-so-briefly before the decisive hand of the match was these big, big names that you watch all the time is an awe- dealt. Anderson raised from the button with the Kn 5p some feeling,” Patur confided. and Zakarian three-bet holding pocket sixes. Anderson In addition to the title and the money, Patur was also four-bet all-in and Zakarian quickly called with his pock- awarded 1,800 POY points for his second POY-qualified et pair. e board ran out Jp 9n 3m 2m 6m and Zakarian final table of the year. He now sits in 11th place in the made a set of sixes to secure the massive pot. overall standings. Anderson was left with a single 100,000 tourna- Patur had bagged up the chip lead when the final table ment chip, less than a small blind. He won the next of six players was set back on March 5, 2020. ree-time four hands in a row to get all the way back to 1.6 WSOP bracelet winner Upeshka De Silva was the first million, but in the fifth consecutive all-in his Jn 4o player to be eliminated when action resumed. De Silva, who failed to edge out the 10p 5o of Zakarian, who turned was disqualified from the 2020 WSOP main event domestic an eight-high straight to secure the pot and the title. tournament final table due to a positive COVID-19 test Anderson took home $449,904 as the runner-up. This result late last year, came into this final table as the shortest

22 CARDPLAYER.COM VOLUME 34 / ISSUE 13

020_CoverStory.indd 22 5/26/21 12:47 PM stack. On the 30th hand of the day he shoved his last 10 Brek Schutten big blinds from the button with Ap 2m and ran into the An Kn of Patur in the small blind. Patur’s hand held up to send De Silva to the rail in sixth place for $185,330. Spain’s Ka Kwan Lau was the next to fall. It folded to 2019 LAPC runner-up Matas Cimbolas in the small blind and he shoved all-in with Qo 7n putting Lau at risk for his last eight big blinds. Lau looked down at Am Jm and made the call. e board ran out Ko 7p 2p 6n 8o and Cimbolas made a pair of sevens to bust Lau in fifth place. He earned $243,330 for his strong showing in this event. A preflop cooler brought Scott Hempel’s run to an end. Hempel raised from the button with pocket tens, and Cimbolas three-bet from the big blind holding pocket queens. Hempel went into the tank for a while before raising all in. Cimbolas made the call and his superior pocket Online Championship, which had 2,130 entries. e larg- pair held up, making a full house by the river. Hempel was est live WPT main event field prior to this event was the awarded $323,485 for his fourth-place finish. 2014 running of this very same tournament, which had Two-time WPT main event champion James Carrol had attracted 1,795 entries. just a handful of big blinds at the time of Hempel’s elimi- e final table was set on April 27, 2021. e last nation. He managed to double up twice in rapid succession six players converged on the PokerGO studio just a few but soon found himself at risk yet again. is time around weeks later, on May 18, ready to determine the champion he three-bet all-in for around 11 big blinds with Kp 9m of this record-breaking event. In the end it was Brek facing a button raise from Patur. e chip leader quickly Schutten, a 32-year-old father of four who secured the called with his pocket kings and the board came down Qp title. e Grand Rapids, Michigan native walked away Jn 5m 4o 7m. Carroll fell short of his third WPT title, earn- with $1,261,095 and 1,620 POY points. is was his first ing $431,585 for his third-place showing. He was awarded POY-qualified score of the year, but it alone was enough 1,200 POY points, moving into fifth place in the overall to see him climb into 15th place in rankings. standings as a result. “You play a tournament and everybody except one Heads-up play began with Patur holding 11,400,000 to person ends up disappointed at the end, and this time, I’m Cimbolas’ 8,200,000. e Lithuanian poker pro was look- the person who’s not disappointed,” Schutten told WPT ing to improve on his second-place finish in this event in reporters after coming out on top. 2019. e two battled for 29 hands, with Patur extending As an ICU nurse, Schutten has been on the front lines his advantage to roughly a 4:1 lead by the time the final of the COVID-19 pandemic over the past year. hand of the tournament was dealt. Cimbolas moved all-in “It’s just rewarding in that sense,” he said when asked for 3,700,000 from the button with Ko 6p. Patur called how it feels to secure a huge poker win after such a trying the shove of 15 big blinds with An 9o and the Jo 7o 2o 8m period. “I’ve put in time at the hospital and saw COVID 5n runout secured him the pot and the title. first-hand quite a bit. en, things start to open back up. Cimbolas earned $600,060 and 1,500 POY points for To go down to Florida and win the thing is an amazing his second runner-up showing in this prestigious event. feeling.” With $1,064,605 in year-to-date earnings and 2,810 total Sonny Franco of Montagnac, France held the chip lead points, Cimbolas has climbed into second place on the POY when the final table resumed, with Schutten sitting in leaderboard. second place. WSOP bracelet winner Ken Aldridge was the first to hit the rail. e 69-year-old former teacher Place Player Payout POY Points from Burlington, North Carolina fell to the bottom of the chip counts after doubling up Albert Calderon. He 1 Balakrishna Patur $1,015,000 1,800 then got his last five big blinds in with Ko 9o against the 2 Matas Cimbolas $600,060 1,500 pocket fives of Schutten. A five on the flop gave Schutten a lead that he never relinquished and Aldridge was sent to 3 James Carroll $431,585 1,200 collect his $261,700. 4 Scott Hempel $323,485 900 Schutten took the lead shortly after that and extended his advantage by knocking out Calderon in fifth place. 5 Ka Kwan Lau $243,330 750 Calderon shoved for just shy of 12 big blinds with Ap 9n o n 6 Upeshka De Silva $185,330 600 as the first to act. Schutten re-shoved with A K from the button and the two saw a Ko Jp 3o 5m 5n runout. Calderon earned $326,750 for his strong showing in this Brek Schutten Overcomes Largest event. Field In WPT History At Hard Rock Poker During four-handed play, Franco attempted a big bluff Showdown with air, only to have Schutten shove all-in over the top e 2021 World Poker Tour Seminole Hard Rock Poker with pocket queens to take down the massive pot and Showdown $3,500 buy-in main event set the record for the extend his advantage. Franco eventually found himself largest main-event field in the WPT’s history, with a huge all-in for just over 11 big blinds with Ap 9p against the turnout of 2,482 entries. e previous record for WPT pocket queens of Steven Snyder, who flopped top set and main event field size was established in the 2020 WPT held from there. Franco was awarded $438,500 as the

020_CoverStory.indd 23 5/26/21 12:47 PM fourth-place finisher. adapt to as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. While Viet Vo began the day as the shortest stack with just these delayed final tables were eventually rescheduled, over 10 big blinds. He survived to the final three, but his there were a lot of other facets to the WPT business that run came to an end when his pocket sevens were unable were also impacted. One area that thrived during the live to hold up against the 10p 8p of Schutten. A ten on the poker shutdown of 2020 was the WPT’s online offerings. flop gave Schutten the advantage, and Vo received no help “WPT is in a fortunate position to have options to turn by the river. e 2018 WPT Choctaw runner-up finisher to during this global pandemic as proven by the numbers earned $593,140 for this latest deep run. on partypoker and ClubWPT in 2020,” noted Savage. With that, Schutten took a nearly 2:1 lead into heads- “Our partnership main tour events with partypoker and up play against Snyder. e two battled it out for 35 partypoker US Network showed that players are excited hands, with Schutten retaining the lead the entire way. to participate in WPT-branded events from wherever they In the final hand, he raised on the button with 8p 5n. sit around the globe.” Snyder put in the call from the big blind with Ao 2o and “ClubWPT has always been a huge part of the WPT, the flop came down 10o 5o 5p. but even I was shocked to see the outstanding community Snyder checked his flush draw, and Schutten bet with that has been established with the continually developing his trip fives. Snyder check-raised, and Schutten called. product,” continued Savage. “e streams with myself, e turn brought the 7n. Snyder fired another bet, and anchor Lynn Gilmartin, and analysts Tony Dunst and Schutten moved all-in. Snyder called off the rest of his Vince Van Patten have created a strong connection with stack with his flush draw. Schutten’s trips were ahead, our ClubWPT players and WPT fans. I look forward to and the 2p on the end secured him the pot and the title. this continuing even when we go back to a regular sched- Snyder settled for $899,295 as the runner-up. ule of live events.” e tour is now looking ahead to scheduling their next Place Player Payouts POY Points set of televised final table events for their upcoming 19th season, while also working on projects like their NFT 1 Brek Schutten $1,261,095 1,620 (Non-Fungible Token) partnership with eta Labs, a 2 Steven Snyder $899,295 1,350 leading decentralized video delivery network. According to Savage, the WPT NFT Marketplace has been “a huge 3 Viet Vo $593,140 1,080 hit with players and fans.” 4 Sonny Franco $438,500 810 “ere’s a lot to be excited about with the WPT right now,” continued Savage. “As we saw with our record- 5 Albert Calderon $326,750 675 breaking event in Florida, players are excited to be back 6 Ken Aldridge $261,700 540 at live WPT events, and we look forward to that trend continuing as we head into Season 19.”

WPT Pivots During The Pandemic *Note: We’d like to thank the World Poker Tour and Joe Like the wider poker industry, the WPT had a lot to Giron for providing the photos for this story.

24 CARDPLAYER.COM VOLUME 34 / ISSUE 13

020_CoverStory.indd 24 5/26/21 12:47 PM BRIAN ALTMAN WINS WPT SEASON 18 PLAYER OF THE YEAR AWARD

Brian Altman had a lot to anticipate during the 2020 poker shutdown. Not only had he made the delayed final table of that year’s WPT Borgata Winter Poker Open main event, but he was also leading in the Hublot WPT Player of the Year race for season 18 when the tour was put on indefinite pause. What started as a short west coast trip, instead turned into a five-month stay in Las Vegas as the country locked down. e poker pro from Longmeadow, Massachusetts ended up with four cashes in WPT main events for the season, with three final table finishes and one title run along the way. He kicked off his season with a 10th-place finish in the 2019 WPT Legends of Poker $5,000 buy-in main event for $45,940 and 200 WPT POY rankings points. He made his first final table of the season at the WPT Maryland $3,500 buy-in main event, finishing third from a field of 495 entries to add another $149,5151 and 700 points. Altman surged into first place in the standings as the result of his victory in the 2020 WPT Lucky Hearts Poker Open $3,500 buy-in no-limit hold’em main event, defeating a field of 843 entries to earn $482,636 and 1,200 points. e win saw Altman add his name in the poker history books as the first player to ever take down the same WPT main event twice. Altman’s second victory came five years after having won the same tournament at the Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood back in 2015. “is is incredibly special. It’s amazing to be the first person to win the same WPT event twice, and kind of cement myself in history with this event,” Altman told WPT reporters after coming out on top. “Obviously it’s fantastic to get big wins, but playing these events I’m happy to put myself in a position to go deep, be chip leader, and make final tables. Winning a second WPT title feels amazing. It’s incredibly special. It doesn’t always work out. I’ve had maybe a dozen or so situations where I’ve gone deep and thought I was going to win and I didn’t. But that’s how tournaments go. To continually put myself in a position to win tournaments, it feels special.” Altman had to wait over a year to see if he could add a third WPT title to his list of accomplishments. He ultimately finished third, adding to his lead in the final standings, although he had already mathematically secured the WPT POY title a few weeks earlier. e $333,012 payday and 1,100 rankings points meant that he finished with $1,011,103 in earnings for the season and 3,200 points. He ended up with a 900-point lead over the nearest competition. As a result of the victory, he earned a custom Hublot timepiece, a WPT Passport worth $15,000 for the following season, and a trophy. Player Rank POY Points WPT Earnings Cashes Final Tables Titles

Brian Altman 1 3,200 $1,011,103 4 3 1

Balakrishna Patur 2 2,300 $1,204,842 4 2 1

Jack Hardcastle 3 2,200 $721,543 3 2 1

Qing Liu 4 2,000 $864,675 2 2 1

Eric Afriat 5 1,750 $577,135 3 1 1

020_CoverStory.indd 25 5/26/21 12:47 PM ARTHUR CONAN TALKS ABOUT HIS ‘CHIP-AND-A-CHAIR’ $50,000 HIGH ROLLER WIN 24-Year-Old French Pro Escapes Lockdown And Goes On A Heater In South Florida By Steve Schult

With COVID-19 restrictions in in the main event, taking 10th place home the majority of the prize pool. place throughout nearly all of Europe, for $111,035. e two monster scores Online poker was where Conan there wasn’t anywhere for Arthur more than doubled his career earn- cut his teeth, but it was the live arena Conan to play a live poker tourna- ings, which now sit just shy of $1.6 that caused him to make the leap and ment. Since there were limited options million. become a full-time pro. anks to for the 24-year-old Frenchman, he at’s quite an impressive résumé European gambling laws that allow decided to make the trek across the for a 24-year-old, especially in the 18-year-olds to play in casinos, Conan Atlantic to South Florida to play in the modern age of poker with competition hopped in the France Poker Series Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown levels at an all-time high. Despite his $1,110 no-limit hold’em event in July in Hollywood. e series was huge, age, however, Conan isn’t exactly new of 2015. Even with minimal experi- with the $3,500 World Poker Tour to the game. He’s been playing since ence at the time, especially at those main event drawing 2,482 players to he was a teenager. stakes, Conan made the final table and set the record for the largest field in “I started playing poker at 18, but finished fourth for €45,000. tour history, nearly quadrupling the I knew the rules before that,” said “I played, but I wasn’t playing a $2 million guarantee. Conan. “My father played a little bit lot,” said Conan about his poker career But despite the massive fields, it and my brother was playing. So, I at the time. “I started playing poker was Conan who stood out, making started playing with my family, and professionally soon after that score. quite the impression during his stay in then moved online.” About two or three months later, I the Sunshine State. Arthur’s brother Marius, who is started playing for a living. at was In the span of about a week, Conan two years younger, is also quite a play- one of my first tournaments, so it was won $855,355. His first was an out- er. In fact, the younger Conan bested a very important score for me at that right win in the $50,000 Super High his brother at a 2017 WPT DeepStacks point.” Roller event for $733,320. And he High Roller event in Cannes. e Conan continued to focus most of

followed that up with a deep run two siblings ﬁnished heads-up to take his time on online tournaments, while © WPT

26 CARDPLAYER.COM VOLUME 34 / ISSUE 13

026_Feature.indd 26 5/26/21 12:47 PM playing the occasional live event. He But he developed into a solid reg encountered before. was still finding his way around the at tournaments in Europe and put “I had heard from the other poker landscape and even switched his together a consistent stretch of deep Europeans that it was going to be preferred game type a few times before runs and wins. easier,” said Conan. “I do think it was finally finding a comfort zone. In 2018, however, he was finally a little bit easier than Europe.” “I started with tournaments at the old enough to make his first trip to After his first stint in Las Vegas, beginning of my career, and then I Las Vegas and play a full schedule at Conan took his game to the next level. switched to cash games after about a the World Series of Poker. He earned his first cash in a €5,000 year and a half,” said Conan. “After “I was very, very excited to go to buy-in event at a stop in Barcelona and about another year and a half, maybe the WSOP in Vegas,” said Conan. “I was consistently playing bigger buy- two years, I switched back to online had just turned 21, so I wanted to go ins from that point forward. tournaments, and now I only play play as much as I could. I stayed for In 2019, it was more of the tournaments online. I’ll play some the whole series and it was very good. same. He put up solid, consistent cash games live, but mostly tourna- I didn’t have a bunch of scores, but it results, including a win in the WPT ments.” was very fun.” DeepStacks Marrakech main event for Since he got his start on the vir- Conan made one deep run at his $83,918. But he had yet to make a big, tual felt, Conan’s transition to the first summer series, finishing 15th in career-changing score. He spent his live arena, from a fundamentals per- the $888 Crazy Eights no-limit hold’em second summer in Las Vegas for the spective, was very easy. In Conan’s event, adding another $34,577 to his WSOP and then went back to Europe eyes, the game was very different, but bankroll. for the rest of the year before the players that played predominantly live “It was my deepest run at a WSOP COVID-19 pandemic put a pause on poker lacked a technical understand- event to this point and it was very most live poker tournaments in 2020. ing that he accumulated after hun- exciting,” he said. “But at the end of “During the pandemic, I had fewer dreds of thousands of hands played. it, it finished quite bad. I lost a huge distractions,” said Conan. “I moved “I found it to be easier than online pot as a big favorite, so it was hard. to London, so I just played more than for the same buy-in levels,” he said. But after, it was okay. I had to go to I used to play and moved my entire “But the game was so different online other tournaments the day after, so grind online. I just played for eight instead of live. It wasn’t necessarily that’s it. at’s just how the game goes months straight online with a lot of easier, but it was very different.” sometimes.” volume during that time.” For the first three years of his pro- While he didn’t want to admit that Conan racked up 10 cashes during fessional poker career, Conan stayed it was easier to play live tournaments the online WSOP amid his grind. But in Europe. He wasn’t 21 yet, so it in Europe than it was online, he did eventually, the urge to play live poker would be illegal for him to play at say that the American fields were con- was too great and he decided to leave

026_Feature.indd 27 5/26/21 12:47 PM Crossing borders during a pandemic wasn’t the easiest process for him and his friend and travel mate Sonny Franco, who finished fourth in the $3,500 WPT main event for $438,500. “We had to do two weeks outside Europe,” said Conan. “We couldn’t travel directly to the U.S. from Europe, so we did two weeks in Morocco beforehand. en we took the flight from Morocco to New York, and then to Miami from there.” Ultimately, the process was so cum- bersome that he doesn’t think many foreign pros will make the trek to America until after border rules are relaxed. “It’s a bit complicated to come, so I don’t think many European pros are going to do the same,” said players left, he decided to run a mas- against Soverel’s K-9 to finish the job Conan. “For the WSOP (scheduled sive bluff on Davies, who was one of and take home the $733,320 first-place for October), of course there will be the top two stacks. It didn’t end well. prize. Europeans, but I think it might be “He raised pretty small from the But he wasn’t done yet. e day reopened by then.” small blind and I called from the after his victory in the Super High Once Conan got to the Hard Rock big blind with 9-7 offsuit,” recalled Roller, Conan jumped in the $3,500 Hotel & Casino, he started playing Conan. “e flop came Q-10-6 with main event. He played another several stakes he had never attempted before. a flush draw. He bet two-thirds [the days, navigating his way through the One of the first events he registered for size of the pot] and I called. e turn massive field, and before he knew it, he was the $50,000 Super High Roller was a jack, which brought a backdoor was making a run at a second consecu- no-limit hold’em event. While he had flush draw. He bet the turn, but it was tive final table. never played a tournament with this very small. I raised and he called. e “I had a lot of confidence in the big of a buy-in before, he did have river was a blank, but it brought the main [event] after that win,” said some experience playing high-stakes front door flush draw in. He checked, Conan. “I just played my game… and live tournaments. and I [moved] all in, except one big looked what happened.” “is was my first $50K buy- blind. He tanked and called me with What happened was another deep in,” Conan admitted. “I had already two pair.” run and ultimately a tenth-place fin- played the $25K [PokerStars Players e failed bluff left Conan with ish after he lost a flip with his A-Q Championship] two years ago, but this just a single 25,000-denomination against Erik Cajelais and his pocket was my first $50K. I was a bit nervous chip worth just a one big blind, and jacks. He picked up another $111,035 to play, but after a few hours of play, it he was going to be forced to commit for his efforts. was okay.” half of it in the small blind on the very “I think that [the money] can be a He navigated his way through the next hand. Given the situation, he was boost to keep playing those high buy- 42-entry field and secured a spot at clearly the odds-on favorite to finish in events,” said Conan about his newly the final table. He was joined by sev- fourth and earn $203,700. padded bankroll. “But I’m not sure eral high-stakes regulars, including What ensued next, however, was if I’m going to play all of them just runner-up Sam Soverel, Christopher one of the greatest comebacks in recent because of the score. I will definitely Brewer, Seth Davies, Sean Winter, and poker memory. Conan quadrupled up play more of the $10,000 buy-ins. e Jeremy Ausmus. the very next hand from the small money doesn’t change my career a lot, e final table was by no means blind, and doubled up again a few but it’s nice to have the boost and [get soft, but the absence of some of the hands later. Before he knew it, he had some attention] from the media. high-profile international pros that turned that single chip into a 20-big With an inflated bankroll, Conan normally play these stakes made blind stack. left South Florida, but didn’t fly back Conan more comfortable than he “I think I had some hope when I to France. Instead, he decided to head would normally expect to be at the got to 10 big blinds,” said Conan. “So west to Las Vegas, where he’ll continue final table. after two or three double ups, I knew to take on the live circuit for another “All the best American pros were it was possible to win again. When few months as Aria, Venetian, and in the field, and the pros from Canada I had only one blind, I knew I was Wynn all plan on hosting tournament and Europe that are used to playing almost out.” series through the summer. these types of events were not there,” Brewer ended up eliminating “I’m going to play some $10Ks he said. “So, I think the field was quite Davies in fourth, and Conan sent and maybe some $25Ks at Aria,” said soft [for a $50K], but still tough.” Brewer packing in third, leaving just Conan. It was anything but smooth sailing Soverel standing in his way. Conan Look out high rollers, Arthur m at the final table for Conan. With four ultimately won a flip with pocket fives Conan has arrived. © Seminole Hard Rock

28 CARDPLAYER.COM VOLUME 34 / ISSUE 13

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CP_Sub_25_FT.indd 2 5/25/21 9:42 AM Strategies, ANALYSIS & Commentary

Stop Playing Junk By Jonathan Little

I was recently told about a poker hand that illustrates a few detrimental errors some poker players make on a regular basis, and it all stems from poor decision making prefl op. In a $2-$5 no-limit hold’em cash game, our Hero decided to raise to $10 out of his $350 stack with 10m 4m from the hijack seat. It may not seem like it, but our Hero has made a costly mistake right off the bat. 10-4 suited is much too weak to raise, even when everyone folds to you on the button. From the hijack, it is far too weak. e only time Hero can justify playing such a weak hand is when he is incredibly deep stacked and everyone else at the table folds far too often to aggression. e player in the cutoff then three- bet to $35. e button cold called, and everyone else folded around to Hero, who also decided to call. When playing somewhat shallow Again, 10m 4m is much too weak to call, even when closing the action and stacked, you simply must be patient getting reasonable pot odds. When playing somewhat shallow stacked, you and play hands that stand to be simply must be patient and play hands that stand to be stronger than your stronger than your opponents’ range, opponents’ range, or hands that can easily outdraw your opponents’ pre- or hands that can easily outdraw mium hands. 10-4 suited does not fi t your opponents’ premium hands. into either of these categories. e fl op came Qm 7p 2m, giving Hero a fl ush draw. First to act, he led for $50 into the $113 off their stack. at said, pushing all-in with Hero’s junky pot. fl ush draw may still be the best play, especially if he would While leading with your premium made hands and also play his sets and two-pair hands this way. draws is a reasonable strategy that may make you diffi cult It is important to note, however, that while Hero’s turn to play against, given the stack sizes in relation to the pot, semi-bluff may be fi ne, getting to this point in this manner and the generally uncoordinated texture of the fl op, Hero was certainly an error. should be checking, looking to check-raise all-in. e cutoff made the call with A-Q (top pair) and the By betting $50 out of his $315 stack, Hero set himself button folded. e river was the 2n, awarding a nice pot up to be in a dicey spot on the turn, having roughly 1.25 to the cutoff . pot-sized bets remaining in his stack if the opponent calls. Use this hand history as a cautionary tale. e simple If he instead check-raised all-in, he would be able to make solution to sidestep these trouble spots is to not play junky the bettor fold many non-premium hands, and when he hands before the fl op. Folding is rarely the exciting play, but happens to get called, his fl ush draw will usually be live. in this case it would have saved our Hero his entire stack. m Both opponents called and the turn was the 6n. Hero pushed all-in for $265 into the $263 pot. Jonathan Little is a two-time WPT champion Once both opponents call, our Hero now has a pot-sized with more than $7 million in live tournament bet remaining, which is usually a nice amount to push all- earnings, best-selling author of 15 educational in. However, when both opponents call on this uncoordi- poker books, and 2019 GPI Poker Personality nated board, you can be certain that at least one of them has of the Year. If you want to increase your poker a decent made hand that will not fold to an all-in. skills and learn to crush the games, check out Hero may also be against a premium draw that will call his training site at PokerCoaching.com/cardplayer.

30 CARDPLAYER.COM VOLUME 34 / ISSUE 13

030_S&A.indd 30 5/26/21 11:55 AM Strategies, ANALYSIS & Commentary

SEVEN CARD STUD EIGHT-OR-BETTER: THE ANTE STRUCTURE AND STEALING By Kevin Haney

Poker begins as a battle over the antes, and the structure aggressively defend against opponents trying to steal. In of your Seven Card Stud Eight-or-Better (Stud 8) game has contrast, within a low ante game there is less stealing (and a direct impact on how your opponents will play, as well as re-stealing) and players more often have the hands they are many of your decisions at the table. representing. Structures are often categorized by comparing the size of In a six-handed $40-$80 game with a $10 bring-in, a ante to the lower betting limit, and the resulting percent- completion with a weak hand is risking $40 to win $70 age typically falls within a range of 10-25%. For example, and only needs to work 36% of the time to book an instant a $10-$20 game with a $1 ante (10% structure) would be proﬁt. In contrast, a steal-raise in a six handed $10-$20 considered a low ante game, while $40-$80 with a $10 ante game with a $3 bring-in is risking $10 to win $9, which (25% structure) would be classiﬁed as high ante. corresponds to a higher required success rate of 53%. Somewhere in between would be a $20-$40 game with Generally, there is less stealing in low ante games due a $3 ante, where the ratio of the ante to the lower limit is to the less advantageous risk versus reward ratio, and also 15%. If you are playing in this game, you could propose because the average players inhabiting them tend to be more bumping the ante up to $5, which would eliminate deal- passive. ing with the $1 chips and also change the game to a high Most players consider a 20% structure to be the sweet 25% ante structure. You may encounter resistance from spot where there is a proper balance between loose and tight the other players and/or the card room may not allow it, play, providing the best overall experience for the players. If but it is worth a try if the high ante game better suits your the ante is too high, the game may seem like it is too much playing style. of a crapshoot, and if it is too low the action may be lacking. In a higher ante game, you must play more holdings, $75-$150 Stud with a $15 ante results in a 20% percentage, attempt to steal the antes at a greater frequency, and and is a popular structure spread in many card rooms.

ANALYSISAnalysis TOURNAMENT HAND MATCHUP Bin Weng was in fourth place with fi ve players remaining when he got involved in this hand against James 2020 World Poker Tour Borgata Winter Poker Open Anderson, who was second in chips. Weng opened as $3,500 No-Limit Hold’em Main Event the fi rst to act with K-J off suit and only Anderson, who was in the big blind, made the call with a lowly 6-4 James Anderson off suit. He picked up a gutshot straight draw on the Bin Weng fl op and checked. Weng, who fl opped top pair with a 8,125,000 Chips 10,850,000 Chips jack kicker, bet out 225,000 into the pot of 875,000. Anderson called, but likely not just on the strength of K J 6 4 his inside straight draw. He probably also factored in Winning Percentage Winning Percentage the possibility of successfully bluffi ng later streets when

Before Flop: 65.0% Before Flop: 35.0% unimproved. e turn paired the middle card from

K J 4 After Flop: 80.0% 6 After Flop: 20.0% the fl op and Anderson checked. Weng still had the After Turn: 91.0% After Turn: 9.0% best hand, but he elected to check behind. He likely fi gured that he was either way ahead or way behind in the hand, and opted to limit the size of the pot with his PREFLOP medium-strength holding. He started the hand with 17 more big blinds than short stack Nathan Russler, and With fi ve players remaining and blinds of 75,000-150,000 with a 150,000 was incentivized to maintain that cushion as much as big blind ante, Bin Weng raised to 325,000 from under the gun. James possible. In this instance, a hand like Anderson’s had Anderson called from the big blind. just a nine percent chance of improving to the winner with one card coming. Unfortunately for Weng, Anderson’s straight did indeed come on the river and he ended up paying off a sizable bet of 1,500,000. K 5 2 5 3 However, just because Weng lost the hand does not mean that it was a mistake for him to check back on FLOP

TURN the turn. Anderson is probably capable of making a

RIVER similar overbet on the river as a bluﬀ , and in those

5 3 5 2 K instances Weng’s pot-control approach would have contributed to inducing that action. As it turned out, Anderson checked, and Weng Anderson checked, Anderson bet though, Weng took a hit in this hand and lost much of bet 225,000. Anderson called. and Weng checked 1,500,000, and the cushion between him and Russler. He went on to behind. Weng called. ﬁ nish ﬁ fth, running pocket nines into the pocket kings © WPT of Anderson just a few hands later, earning $187,900.

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

030_S&A.indd 31 5/26/21 11:55 AM Strategies, ANALYSIS & Commentary

game, the bring-in is the 4m, and we are last to act holding the (9m Kn) 8p. In this situation, with three over cards to the four, we have an easy steal attempt. While our hand is weak, it still has 50% equity against the bring-in’s random holding. Our steal only has to work 47% of the time and it may be somewhat diffi cult for the 4m to eff ectively defend at the necessary 53% frequency in order to deny us an instant profi t. e 4 m will only wake up with a pair in the hole, a three fl ush, or a pair of fours around 20% of the time. Good aggressive players may often re-raise holdings such as these and pos- sibly other holdings that they choose In live games, the lower limits tend to be low and medi- to defend such as (An Qn) 4m in attempt to deter us from um ante games, while the higher limits tend to have a large opening up 100% of the time. However, with the superior ante. ere is some variation amongst the online sites, with up-card, the 8p has a small range advantage and is theoreti- some mix between large and small antes at the lower limits. cally entitled to some profi t. e structure of a game by itself does not indicate how When the game is Stud 8, the situation is very diff erent, profi table a game may be, as that depends on the lineup as the 4m will also be able to successfully defend with three and the mistakes that they tend to make. It’s not hard to low cards along with all of the other holdings that can be beat a low ante game where our opponents are too loose, played in Stud High. In addition, (9m Kn) 8p is now a but we can also achieve a good win rate in a high ante game 43% equity underdog against the 4m with two random if the players are too tight and fail to re-steal aggressively cards in the hole. enough. e 4 m will have a clear defend at least 53% of the time: e rake is an issue at the lower limits. However, it can Probability Cumulative be overcome when your opponents are passive and going Probability too far with their hands. As it directly impacts the size of the pot, we must always Pair in Hole 6% 6% be cognizant of the number of players at the table. e Pair of Fours 11% 17% chart below depicts how often a steal must succeed to be instantly profi table based upon the ante structure and the Three Low Cards 26% 44% number of players dealt into the hand: Ace w/ High Card 6% 50%

Players Dealt in Hand Three Spades 3% 53% Structure Category Two Three Four Five Six Many opponents will also defend with other holdings $40-$80, 25% - 57% 50% 44% 40% 36% such as (5m Qn) 4m, which will further reduce the fre- 10$ ante High quency in which a steal is successful. In Stud 8, we usually require some semblance of a hand to fall back upon when $20-$40, 15% - 65% 59% 54% 50% 47% the bring-in defends, and if our opponent will often defend 3$ ante Medium by re-raising, we must be even more selective. $10-$20, 10% - Low 67% 63% 59% 56% 53% When there are more players to get through other than $1 ante just the bring-in, there are going to be even fewer opportunities to steal the antes. Any low cards are threats to hold a As we can see, our steals must work more often when hand that will play back at us and all high cards can wake there are fewer dealt into the hand, and this aspect can up with big pairs. In future issues, we will discuss what sometimes slow the action in short-handed Stud 8 games. types of hands are worthy of a steal, and also talk more in is is the main drawback of Stud variants, especially in depth on eff ectively defending the bring-in. m mixed-game rotations as players will often choose to take their break during this round. In contrast, the fl op games Kevin Haney is a former actuary of MetLife but always have the same amount of money in the middle to left the corporate job to focus on his passions for fi ght over, regardless of the number of people dealt into poker and fitness. He is co-owner of Elite Fitness the hand. Club in Oceanport, NJ and is a certified personal Stealing The Ante In Stud 8 trainer. With regards to poker he got his start When compared with Stud High or Razz, there is far way back in 2003 and particularly enjoys taking less pure third street stealing in Stud 8 because the bring- new players interested in mixed games under his wing and quickly in is usually a low card, which is one-third of a playable making them proficient in all variants. If interested in learning more, holding. playing mixed games online, or just saying hello he can be reached at Suppose it is a six-handed $20-$40, $3 ante Stud High [email protected].

32 CARDPLAYER.COM VOLUME 34 / ISSUE 13

030_S&A.indd 32 5/26/21 11:55 AM Strategies, ANALYSIS & Commentary

Luck Vs. Skill: How To Look At The Variance In Your Game By Greg Raymer

I am frequently asked about the amount of luck involved e problem lies in the question’s assumption of this lin- in poker. Usually, the question is something like… “How ear scale, where more luck means less skill, and vice versa. much of winning in poker is skill, and how much is luck?” is assumption is completely mistaken! Luck and skill are ose who ask this question are making the assumption not opposites. More of one does not mean less of the other. that luck and skill are on a linear scale with one another, Imagine you added a huge luck factor in a game like like this. golf. Each time a player takes a stroke, the oﬃcials spin a wheel. Most of the spaces on the wheel say zero, and nothing happens. But 20% of the spaces add a stroke to the player’s score, and another 20% subtract a stroke. is would add a huge luck factor to the game. However, who would be the best golfers in the world after this change? It would still be the same players as now. is change would have a huge impact on results, and the winner of each tournament would largely be the player who A game like chess, that involves all skill and has no luck got lucky that week. But if your skill at golf wasn’t world involved, is on the far-left-end of this scale, and a game like class, you still would have no chance to win. And the very roulette that is all about luck and involves no skill, is on best players would still have the greatest chance of winning. the far-right end. People want to know where poker falls In reality, skill and luck are completely unrelated, and on this scale, as if the game is 70% skill, and 30% luck, are not on the same scale at all. How it really looks is more for example. like this.

ANALYSISAnalysis Veerab Zakarian and James Anderson battled heads-up TOURNAMENT HAND MATCHUP for a total of 81 hands before a champion was decided in 2020 World Poker Tour Borgata Winter Poker Open this event. On the 66th hand of their fi nal showdown, the two got involved in a wild clash that resulted in $3,500 No-Limit Hold’em Main Event Anderson shoving all-in with just nine high on the river. e hand began with Anderson min-raising from the button with 9-8 suited. Zakarian defended his big blind James Anderson Veerab Zakarian with K-5 off suit and fl opped middle pair with some 33,300,000 Chips 18,200,000 Chips backdoor fl ush possibilities. He checked and Anderson, who had fl opped no pair and no draw, made a small 9 8 K 5 continuation bet of 600,000 into the pot of 2,500,000. Zakarian decided to check-raise with his middle pair, Winning Percentage Winning Percentage making it 2,000,000 to go. Anderson opted to fl oat,

Before Flop: 48.0% Before Flop: 52.0% making the call with the intention of bluﬃ ng later. e

9 8 5 After Flop: 28.0% K After Flop: 72.0% 5p on the turn gave Zakarian trips and a king-high After Turn: 0% After Turn: 100% fl ush draw. He bet another 2,000,000, likely looking to extract value if Anderson had fl opped top pair. Anderson, who was offi cially drawing dead, had only one PREFLOP way to win this pot, which was to make his opponent fold. With that in mind, he went ahead and raised to 5,000,000. Zakarian had a strong enough hand at the With two players remaining and blinds of 300,000-500,000 and a moment and backup draw to the second-nut fl ush. He 500,000 big blind ante, James Anderson raised to 1,000,000 from the made the call and the Jp completed the board. e pot had grown to 16,500,000, with Zakarian only having button. Veerab Zakarian called from the big blind. 9,700,000 in chips behind. He checked with his fl ush, likely looking to allow Anderson to continue with any bluff s he might have. Anderson had arrived at the river Q 5 2 5 J with just nine high, leaving him with the options of giving up or committing to the three-barrel bluff . He pulled FLOP TURN the trigger, announcing that he was all-in. e shove was

RIVER made with the hope of drawing folds from hands like a

5 J 5 2 Q fl opped top pair without a club, trips, and perhaps even from some weak fl ushes. Zakarian’s king high fl ush was Zakarian checked. more than enough for him to make the call after some Zakarian checked, and Zakarian bet consideration, however. He took down the massive pot, Anderson bet 600,000. 2,000,000. Anderson Anderson moved all-in for turning the tables to take more than a 2:1 chip lead in Zakarian check-raised to raised to 5,000,000, 25,300,000, and Zakarian the match. He went on to convert the lead into the title, 2,000,000. Anderson called. and Zakarian called. called all-in for 9,700,000. earning $674,840 for the win. Anderson took home © WPT $449,904 as the runner-up fi nisher.

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

030_S&A.indd 33 5/26/21 11:55 AM Strategies, ANALYSIS & Commentary

ance, but the house edge is still about 5.2% whether you bet red, black, odd, even, the number 12, a group of three numbers, a group of six numbers, whatever. Finally, we get to Point D. is is poker. ere is a huge luck factor in the game. In just my own personal results, in my last cash game, I played nine pots where my opponent or myself was all-in with cards left to come. I won about $9,000 from those pots. If the results had been “average,” I would have won about $18,000 from those pots. is net result, $9,000 below average, was simply due to bad luck that night. Every player who ever won a poker tournament got lucky, no matter how well they played. Yet, there is also a lot of skill involved in playing poker. If I go online and click buttons at random, my result will likely be a signifi - cant loss. However, in the short run, I might win. In the long run, the more skillfully you play, the better you will do. But the short-term variance is huge, and the long run takes a lot longer to reach than most players realize. As such, you must learn to understand this luck factor, the variance, that exists in poker. Skill is on one axis, and luck on the other. You can do But don’t let this luck factor fool you into thinking things, like my golf example above, and increase the luck this game is all about luck, or even half about luck. It is factor in a game. But this change in luck does not neces- not. Poker is all about skill, learning more, improving your sarily do anything to change where that game lies on the game, and making better decisions. It is only through skill skill axis. that you can become a long-term winning player. On this X- and Y-axis graph of skill and luck, there are Have fun, and play smart! m four points indicated, A through D. Point A is tic-tac-toe. ere is no luck in this game, but it also involves almost Greg Raymer is the 2004 WSOP world cham- no skill. You can teach a typical fi ve-year-old how to play pion, winner of numerous major titles, and has this game perfectly. more than $7 million in earnings. He recently Point B is chess. It is also a game that involves no luck, authored “FossilMan’s Winning Tournament but it requires great skill to play it well. Strategies,” available from D&B Publishing, Point C is roulette, a game that is all about luck, and Amazon, and other retailers. He is sponsored involves no skill at all. Every bet has the same house edge, by Blue Shark Optics, YouStake, and ShareMyPair. To contact so for every dollar bet, you will average a loss of a little Greg please tweet at him using @FossilMan or go to www. over fi ve cents. Which bet you make will impact your vari- FossilManPoker.com. CONTRACTS AND POKER: SOME RULES FOR NOOBS By Scott J. Burnham

What are the most important tournament rules for a new player to know? e Tournament Director’s Association (TDA) advis- es players to know the rules, but most of us don’t have the appetite for that kind of reading. Even if they read the rules, however, new players are not likely to get much out of them because the rules are not meaningful without the context gained from experience. Gaining that experience often means learning from your mistakes. So I am oﬀ ering this advice that fol- lows in the hopes that it will minimize some of those keep cards visible and chips correctly stacked, remain at mistakes. the table with a live hand, table all cards properly when e TDA begins the rules with a summary of “Player competing at showdown, speak up if they see a mistake, Responsibilities:” Players should verify registration data call for a clock when warranted, transfer tables promptly, and seat assignments, protect their hands, make their follow one player to a hand, know and comply with the intentions clear, follow the action, act in turn with prop- rules, practice proper etiquette, and generally contribute er terminology and gestures, defend their right to act, to an orderly event.

34 CARDPLAYER.COM VOLUME 34 / ISSUE 13

030_S&A.indd 34 5/26/21 11:55 AM Strategies, ANALYSIS & Commentary

Here are the ones I would emphasize. 200 and raise you 300 more,” but in a casino, your fi rst 1. Nothing identifi es you as a new player as quickly action or your fi rst words will govern and this would be as your inability to fi nd your seat. Seats are numbered interpreted to be a call. clockwise around the table, starting with seat one to the 9. Act in turn. e rule itself applies when you left of the dealer. push out chips before it is your turn. Unless the action 2. Don’t lift your cards off the table. Before playing in changes in front of you, that is, unless a player who was a casino, practice cupping your hands around your cards skipped raises, your action is binding. New players tend so they can’t be seen by other players while turning up to do this when they are excited about a hand, so it is the corners to read them. also a tell – information you are giving the other players. 3. Learn what the “big blind ante” is. It is supposed to While there is no rule against it, it is also a tell to tele- save time to have only one player ante, but a lot of time graph what you are going to do before it is your turn to is spent trying to explain this to a new player and getting act; e.g., getting ready to muck your hand or assembling the player to act on it. e big blind ante means just that the chips for a raise. If you can learn to read a situation – only the big blind antes, usually in the amount of the quickly, it might be best not to look at your cards until big blind. Once the ante starts, it will continue for the it is your turn to act. whole tournament, so get used to putting it out. Since 10. Don’t fold the big blind in an unraised pot. is the dealer has to keep the pot right, and initially the only shouldn’t need to be said, but when there is an unraised chips in the pot come from the ante, try to put out exact pot and the dealer looks at the big blind and says, “It’s change for the ante. your option,” I have seen the big blind respond by throw- 4. Speaking of exact change, don’t try to make it ing away his hand. I have no idea why players do this. easier for the dealer to make change for you by putting “Your option” means your option to check or raise, not out extra chips without saying anything. If the bet to you your option to continue in the hand or not. is 600, don’t put out a 1,000 chip and a 100 chip. While If you have other suggestions on rules you would like the TD might cut you some slack, the rules say this is a noobs to know, please let me know at the email address raise. If you insist on doing this, make sure you say “call” below. m as you do it. Better yet, don’t do it. It isn’t that much harder for the dealer to give you four 100 chips instead Scott J. Burnham is Professor Emeritus of one 500 chip. at Gonzaga University School of Law in 5. Use the words “call” and “raise” to express what Spokane, Washington. He can be reached at you are doing, and use those words properly. You can [email protected]. also use “fold,” but it is easier to just muck your hand without saying anything. You might want to make your action clear when you raise by announcing the size of the raise. But know what you are doing. If the bet to you is 200 and you put out a 1,000 chip saying, “Raise. 500,” SIGN UP AND LEARN FOR FREE that is a raise to 500, not a raise of 500. In other words, you are announcing the total amount of the bet, not the Graduate your game with the amount of the raise. 6. Learn to check. Saying “check” is an option, but CP POKER SCHOOL most players prefer to tap the table. is can range from an obvious knock-on-wood gesture to a subtle fi nger drum. When you aren’t sure whether the player to your right checked or not, you shouldn’t hesitate to ask. However, it’s usually better etiquette to ask the dealer, whose job it is to keep track of the action, rather than to ask the player directly. Simply ask “Checked to me?” or “Is it on me?” 7. Learn the oversized chip rule. If you push out a single chip that is larger than the amount of the bet, it will be held to be a call rather than a raise unless you say otherwise before the chip hits the felt. So if the blinds Ten Comprehensive Poker Courses On Beginner and Advanced Topics

are 100-200 and you silently push out a 500 chip before Hundreds of Free Articles and Videos On Winning Poker Strategy the ﬂ op, that is a call of 200. is is probably the mistake most frequently made by beginning players, but even Learn At Your Own Pace experienced players sometimes forget the rule when they Exclusive Partner Offer are in the small blind. If the blinds are 100-200 and in the small blind you add a 500 chip to the 100 chip you Enroll Now IT’S FREE! already have out, it will be held to be a call. You can www.cardplayerpokerschool.com argue that you could have put a 100 chip out but put a 500 chip out instead and it won’t make any diﬀ erence. It is a call. If you intend to raise, say so. 8. Don’t make string bets. Chips must be pushed out in one motion, without going back to your stack for more. In your home game, you can say, “I’ll see your

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36 CARDPLAYER.COM VOLUME 34 / ISSUE 13

036_Schedules.indd 36 5/26/21 11:56 AM Poker Stories Podcast

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.

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, Antonio Esfandiari, Daniel Negreanu, Jennifer Harman, Justin Bonomo, Nick Schulman, Barry Greenstein, Michael Mizrachi, Bryn Kenney, Mike Sexton, Maria Ho, and many more.

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CP_Brand_40_Podcast.indd 3 5/25/21 9:43 AM Poker Leaderboards

ALLTIME WORLD SERIES OF POKER BRACELETS WON

Las Vegas, Hellmuth also took down Player(s) WSOP Bracelets Won the 2012 WSOP Europe main event for Phil Hellmuth 15 €1,022,376. His most recent win came in a $5,000 buy-in no-limit hold’em Doyle Brunson, Johnny Chan, Phil Ivey 10 turbo event in 2018. Johnny Moss 9 Hellmuth has a five-bracelet lead over the nearest competition, which is Erik Seidel 8 a three-way tie between a trio of Hall of Fame members in Doyle Brunson, Billy Baxter, Men Nguyen 7 Johnny Chan, and Phil Ivey. Brunson TJ Cloutier, Chris Ferguson, Layne Flack, Ted Forrest, and Chan are both two-time main Jay Heimowitz, John Hennigan, Jeff Lisandro, Daniel 6 event winners. Brunson won back-to- Negreanu back world championships in 1976 and 1977, while Chan achieved the same feat in 1987 and 1988. Chan nearly won Daniel Alaei, Gary ‘Bones’ Berland, David Chiu, Allen the main event three years in a row, Cunningham, Berry Johnston, John Juanda, Jason 5 but Hellmuth defeated him heads- Mercier, Michael Mizrachi, Scotty Nguyen, Stu Ungar up to deny the hat trick. Chan and Brunson both won their tenth brace- The poker world was turned upside More than 1,200 individual players lets in 2005. Ivey earned his tenth in down in 2020, but there is a sense have won at least one WSOP bracelet 2014, taking down a $1,500 eight-game of normalcy returning as the World since the series was first held in mix event. Series of Poker is back in a big way 1970, with a total of 1,704 given out Among those with seven brace- for 2021, with a live WSOP in Las Vegas along the way. The player with the lets or more, just Ivey and Hellmuth this fall, the WSOP Europe scheduled most bracelets won is, of course, have won one in the last decade. The toward the end of the year, and a Poker Hall of Famer Phil Hellmuth. The youngest player on the list is 34-year- WSOP Online series kicking off the Wisconsin-born poker pro earned his old Jason Mercier, who has five wins. whole bracelet bonanza this summer. first piece of hardware at the series Fellow five-time bracelet winners While a complete list of events has not by taking down the 1989 WSOP main Daniel Alaei (38) and Michael Mizrachi yet been finalized, it seems very likely event for $755,000. He has gone on (40) are the next youngest. Among the that there will be more than 100 total to win a total of 15 bracelets, with all next group of players at four brace - gold bracelets awarded by the time but two coming in hold’em events. In lets, Germany’s Dominik Nitsche is the the year comes to a close. addition to winning the main event in youngest at 30.

38 CARDPLAYER.COM VOLUME 34 / ISSUE 13

038_Leaderboard.indd 38 5/26/21 12:02 PM PLAYER_13_OceansEleven_FP.indd 3 5/25/21 9:41 AM PLAYER12_TheBike_BC.indd 3 5/11/21 11:46 AM