Phil Ivey might be the most famous poker player in the world today, but if you ask any poker player to name the best player over the last 40 years, Doyle "Texas Dolly"Brunson sure as heck better be on the top ofanyone's list. People have called him the "patriarch of modern poker" and have pointed out that he virtually invented Texas Hold 'em (that's not much of an exaggeration either!). Truly, without Doyle's immense influence, it is quite likely that the WSOP might be decided over a game of five card draw, Omaha, Badugi, or some other random game. You could take this argument one step farther: would there even be a WSOP without Doyle? Maybe, and maybe not. Tough to give anyone else that type of credit in terms of influence. Also, as the forefather of another idea: he was one of the very first to write a book about poker, and despite the competition of hundreds of other poker books now out there, Doyle's Super System is considered the 'bible' of poker strategy. And was/is he a good player? You better believe it! He has 10 WSOP bracelets to his name in addition to back-to-back Main Event titles...sheesh!! The craziest thing about his tournament success is that he considers himself much better at cash games and spent way more time playing in the biggest buy-in cash games ever seen on this planet over the last 40 years. Exact figures will never be known, but it is certain that he has won many millions of dollars playing cards. So why write a tribute to Doyle now? Did he die? Oh gosh...not at all! He is alive and well and looks to be going quite strong. The timing has to do more with my "date with destiny" as told in the story below...
Completing my "Bucket List" -
Any avid reader of my blog would recognize that I love to keep an eye on all the big-time pros I've played against. I'm not sure why I started doing this or why it seems important to me, but if nothing else, it makes for some good stories! From Johnny Chan, to Phil Ivey, to Daniel Negreanu, I've been given the uniquely challenging opportunity to test my game against the world's best. In fact, just this past week, the WSOP decided to host a special "Tournament of Champions" for 27 of the world's greatest players. If memory serves me correctly, I've played with 25 of the 27 players on that list. For a full-time pro, that stat would be somewhat impressive... but for an amateur teacher from LA... wow, what are the odds!?! :) Well, sadly the two names missing off my list are two of the absolute biggest: Doyle Brunson and Phil Hellmuth. I'm not too worried about catching Phil at one point as he's still quite young and has a good 30 years of poker ahead of him... Doyle though... hmm... while still in good health, he is 76 years old. Who knows... perhaps he'll retire? All in all, given the fact that he's quite literally the one player I am really still eager to play against, especially when you factor in the ever shrinking window of opportunity to play against him.
So back to the story...
I arrive in Vegas a few Saturdays ago for a quick weekend of cash games and tournaments. I sit down with my buddy, Jeff Norman, to play a quick 1-table tourney. I bust out early on a bit of a "cooler" hand that you can't do much about other than suck it up and move on. Anyway, it is apparent that Jeff is going to go be one of the last one's standing in this tourney as he has built some early chips, so I wander over to the cash game section and hear some sweet words: "now starting a new $5/$10 NL game at table." I love getting in on a cash game when it is just starting! First of all, you learn so much about everyone by how much they buy-in. Also, some people play too eagerly and gamble much more in the first 30 minutes than they will the rest of the night, so those first 30 minutes might very well be your most profitable window of opportunity. So, I decide to buy-in for $1,700, which was just enough to cover anyone else at the table. Literally on the second hand, I crush this lady next to me and win her entire stack of $1,600 in chips and just like that I'm up to $3,300! At that point, I decide to do some really stupid (but with "destiny" in mind) math. I had already budgeted enough $$ to play in a $1,000 NLtourney the next day as well as a $1,500 NL tourney. However, that evening, there was a $3,000 HORSE tourney. HORSE (a tournament that has a player play five different games) is right up my alley and I love my chances in that game, however, I just wasn't feeling a strong desire to put up $3k on one tourney... unless I could pull a "Maverick" style run (great poker movie with Mel Gibson where he miraculously wins his buy-in at the last minute to this big tourney...and goes on to win as well). I tell myself, if I can turn my $3,300 into EXACTLY $5,850 by EXACTLY 7:16, I will go play in the HORSE tourney. Why $5,850? Well, that number would cover every single tourney buy-in for the weekend... why 7:16? Registration closes at 7:20 and the registration window is about 400 yards away! Lord knows I'm pretty fast, but sprinting through the maze of players, tables, and poker fans in less than four minutes will require a high degree of agility! So, at 3:30, I make this audacious goal (at the time, I'd have pegged my chances at about 1% in winning such a lot in such a short amount of time), but make a promise to myself to just play my "A" game and to not do anything stupid in hopes of reaching my "chip" goal.
So, 4:45 rolls around quite quickly and I'm still sitting on about the same number of chips... when BAM, I flop a set and take a very nice pot off a guy with top two pair. Just like that, up to $4,400. At 5:30, I win another very nice hand and push my stack to $4,800... do I actually have a chance? Wow... maybe!
Ahh, but just like in any good Hollywood movie, the protagonist hits a brick wall. I lose $800 at 6:00 and find myself way back down to $4,000... which feels like a million miles from $5,850. Yet I find second life... I pick up back-to-back pots of pretty good size and find myself right back at $4,800.... but time is running out. My watch moves to 6:30, then 6:45... yikes! Still $1k to go... and BAM, yet again, I win a very nice pot and move my total to $5,400... and for the first time all night, I actually think I have a chance to reach my ridiculous goal! :)
But a few more hands later, and it is 7:00... I'm down to 16 minutes and need to win $450 (to put it in perspective, that $/min rate translates to $1,687/hr... no one has the right to expect this kind of $$). I PROMISE myself that I will stick to my "A" game and refuse to play speculative hands. Also, even if I'm one penny short, I agree with myself that I will still pass on this dream tourney. So, the next hands are dealt: Fold. Fold. Fold. Down to 10 minutes... then I pick up yet another perfectly timed hand and surge to $5,600...even closer!! But now... down to FIVE minutes... if destiny is on my side, I will win...but time is sure running out!
So I do some math, and barring any ridiculously long hands, I'm down to 3 hands... hands 1 and 2...both garbage and I make quick folds... so I'm literally down to the final hand...
As the cards are coming out, I'm feeling great about this hand (without even looking at the cards, mind you...) Anyway, I just know something good is going to happen (the realistic side of my brain tells me that I'm just being overly optimistic...but hey, miracles can happen...). I need to win $250 right here, right now, and I'll be "free-rolling" the HORSE tourney (well, it is $3k, but it is all profits!). Well, the guy to my right raises it up to $50 pre-flop... I'm licking my chops as this guy is a weak player... so if I get the cards, this could be it... I slowly look at the first card... it is an Ace! Woah...good start...need the other card to be something good... a queen? Or a king? I can make those work... I slowly open up the other card...another ACE!!! Wow, this is literally my LAST hand and I have POCKET ACES... what are the odds?? (1 in 221 to be exact!). I mentally compose myself to make sure I don't give off any tells... because keep in mind, I still need to make $250 off this hand. If I shove all-in right now, I just win the guy's $50, which is still $200 short of my number. So, I carefully think about it...and make the raise up to $150. The action is quickly folded to a guy in late position (a guy whom I've been crushing all day!). He looks me over with a somewhat pissy look of "I've had enough of you and your raises" and he re-raises me another $300!! The first guy instantly folds, and it is back to me. I see that this guy only has $450 or so behind his $300 he's already put into the pot, so I have no choice but to announce that "I'm all-in" (SUCKER... GOT YOU AGAIN!!). The look on his face was priceless... I had clearly caught him trying to get some revenge on me and it had backfired in full. However, he tortures me... instead of making a quick call or fold, he sits there, and sits there, and sits there... and contemplates his decision. UGH!! Keep in mind that the time is now 7:16 and I have to make it across the entire poker tournament room (which is a LARGE room with many obstacles) to register... I need this guy to hurry up! Yet he sits there for what seems like hours (although it was literally only 2.5 minutes, but given the circumstances, it was excruciating!). And honestly, taking 2.5 minutes for one decision in poker is a really long time (pull out a watch next time you are playing... rare will be the decision that takes someone more than 20-30 seconds). Anyway, I finally plead with him as I'm racking up enough chips to cover my buy-in (although I leave some on the table to reserve my spot in case I'm late): "please sir, do something... I have less than two minutes now!" And despite the fact that I've been crushing him all night, he politely meets my request to make a quick decision... and folds. I courteously show him that I did have pocket Aces, which makes him feel a bit better. And without another second of delay, I make like Usain Bolt and sprint across the tournament floor in hopes that I can make it to the desk in less than 60 seconds. Quite a scene I must have made! Weaving in and out of "traffic" like a mad man... carrying $3,000 in $5 and $25 chips (which was 4 racks of 100 chips each, which is no small load!) with another $1k in random chips stuffed into my zipped up pockets. They were like lead weights as I ran!! Upon getting to the registration line, I convince the two guys in line to let me cut... and make it to the desk with less than 15 seconds to spare! WOW!! What are the odds?! I feel like this $3k HORSE tourney is one of destiny for me...
A minute or two later, I find my way to my table. I'm seated with a few folks I know, but many "unknowns". I take a few minutes to catch my breath and compose myself... then find my "A" game yet again. The table is quite soft and I continue my relative hot streak. Seven hours later, after a really long day of poker, I find myself comfortably sitting in 90th place of the final 220 players (with 784 originally entering the tourney). My 21k in tournament chips is definitely above average... not bad at all!! It was if even making this tournament was something that was meant to be...
Ahh, but bringing this story full circle. I check out my table draw to begin Day 2 of this tournament, and in Seat #8 at my table... none other than Doyle Brunson! What a treat! I get to bring my game against the world's best player over the last 40 years. How cool is that? Well, sadly, this story hits a brick wall. For starter's, I had no more than an hour with Mr. Brunson as he entered Day 2 quite short on chips. He went bust after about 45 minutes (and no, I did not get the KO blow). And even more frustratingly, I too went bust an hour or two after that as I suffered back-to-back tough beats that you just can't do anything about. Thus, yet again, I find another deep finish in a WSOP tournament to my credit, but no cash to show for it (I finished about 100 spots short of the $$).
All in all, I feel absolutely fantastic about my game. And with the Main Event looming large in my future, I could not be more ready and excited!
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