“Boys, Let’s Play Some Poker!”

At the $5,000 buy-in Hall of Fame No-limit Holdem tour Championship event in 2002, my starting table had Erik Seidel, Howard Lederer, Daniel Negreanu, and #hris Bjorin. Of course, the whole tournament was tough, with only 50-some play poker card games playing that day, most of whom were top name players advanced poker.

With the blinds at $50-$100, the following hand came up. I limped under the gun (I called $100 as first player to act) with Kh-8h, and Howard called right behind me, and then a couple of other players called as well. The flop came down Kd-8d-3h, and I was thinking, “Yippee, I have the top two pair!” I bet out $400, and Howard called me; then another player moved all-in for $775 total. When the other two players in the pot folded, I quickly decided two things: first, I wasn’t sure that I could legally raise, since my bet was $400 and the raise was only $375 more, but I thought poker I could second, I didn’t want to ask if I could raise and let Howard know the real strength of my hand.

So immediately, when it was my turn to act, I just called the $375 more with any pair or any reasonable hand, and I knew that Howard knew this was the case. I wanted Howard to raise it up with his hand, so that I could move all-in and win a big pot. My quick, nonchalant call had set a trap perfectly for Howard to fall into limit stud.

Howard now asked it he could raise-I continued to look disinterested in the transpiring events-and Erik said, “Yes, you can raise, since the raise was over one-half of the original bet.” I was thinking, “Please raise it, please it.” Howard now announced, “ I raise,” and he began fiddling with his chips. Now I began drooling: Howard would raise, and I would move in and bust him! After about 30 seconds, which is a long time in the poker Amsterdam world, Howard announced, “I’m all-in for $7,300 more,” I quickly counted my chips with the intent of calling his bet immediately, when I suddenly thought, “No need to rush here, let me study Howard for a moment.”

Now I knew that I couldn’t fold the top two pair here, no way, but what if Howard had 3-3 in the hole or 8-8? Then I would have only a few outs; I would need a king if Howard had, say, 8-8 as his hole card games (I would be a huge underdog). The more I focused on Howard, the more I began to fear that he had exactly a set of threes. Intuitively, I read superstrength when I studied him! Logically, Howard doesn’t usually play K-x hands, especially after I limp in, in the first position. Thus, I didn’t think he had two pair like K-3. Then I remembered that Howard had thought about raising the pot limit omaha before the flop, which made me think that he did have 3-3, or 8-8 or even A-A.

So I started to talk, to send out the message that I did indeed have the top two pair (I couldn’t flip my hand up like I could have in the good old days, or seven card stud tell him that that’s what I had, or I could be penalized). How would Howard react to this news of me being strong? As I (legally) announced that I was superstrong, Howard said to me, “What, do you have, ad-3d?” I didn’t like this question at all, and responded, “That’s what I thought you had.” His look right then struck me.

Now I became convinced that Howard didn’t have the Ad-3d (the one hand that it was easiest to assign to him here), and that one statement by him convinced me that I needed to fold my top two pair us in holdem. You see, I knew Howard was superstrong from my read, so by letting him know that I had a superstrong hand (through my talking) I was able to determine that he did indeed want to be called ( he didn’t show any fear). If Howard hadn’t said anything to me, I probably would have had to call him with my top two pair. I had even mentioned to Howard earlier that I was reading everyone at the table well, except him. So now it was time to fold, but it took me a while to convince myself that this absurd laydown could actually be right. I can’t be certain, but it’s possible next poker basics wave that I have never before folded the top two pair in my life with a nonsuited or non straighteing flop.

Howard could still have had A-A, A-K,K-Q, or the Ad-3d (although I ruled this hand out when he began to talk), but I was reading that he was extremely strong holdem poker game. Finally-Daniel said it took me more than five minutes (sorry, table!)- I threw the hand away faceup, saying, “I fold.”

Chris Bjorin then said out loud to the table, “That is the worst laydown I have ever seen in my entire life.” Whereupon Howard flipped up 3-3, and Chris did a double take! In fact, Chris later said it was one of the best laydowns he had ever seen in his life. This was probably one of the three best laydowns that I’ve ever made, in all these years of playing No-limit Holdem. Of course, a player or two at the table said they would have thrown away my hand as well; yeah, right! Now the next two cards were turned, and the all-in man won the pot limit holdem tournament with 3d-4d, when he made a flush to beat Howard’s trips.

The elation I felt at that moment was powerful! I felt as light as a feather and jumped out of my seat and ran away from the table, saying, “Boys, let’s play some poker!” I was supposed to lose over 95 percent of my chips that hand, but didn’t. I had got out of the trap! After a minute, I realized that there was still a long way to go, and that celebrating early wasn’t going to help my game any. If I didn’t win the tournament, then all that that hand would be was a nice story.

Three hands later, another player with $2,500 called $100 under the gun, and I studied him with my 9-9 on the button, and then decided to just call the $100. usually, I would move in a small stack with my pocket 9-9, but something didn’t smell right. An ace flopped, and after I checked down to him the whole way, he shoed me K-K. Another reason to dance: $2,300 more saved! That made $10,000 saved in three hands. Yes, my reads were dead-on, but since I didn’t win the tourney or even make the final table, here it is, just anther nice story to tell top moments poker.