Poker Articles

Carl was often compared by his students to Avery Brooks when he played Hawk on Spenser for Hire. He was bald, clean shaven, stoic and silent and there was no getting around him. When he stared you down, you’d best move on. With his rugged good looks and smart and dignified manner, Carl was getting a lot of media attention.

The only one at the final table getting more media attention was me. I watched Carl mug for the cameras and felt a little disgusted. I looked out past the three ESPN video cameras into the pit where dozens of professionals squared off against determined amateurs to get pictures of the ten of us. If they only knew what Carl and I were doing, they would turn their attention elsewhere for their heroes.

At the table with us were two professionals, two online professionals, two semi professionals, and two amateurs, but that didn’t matter anymore. They were all targets to take down, leaving Carl and I the only ones standing at the end. I looked straight into the face of poker sitting next to me and lowered my eyes in shame.

Up until last night I had been having fun playing poker here in vegas. So much fun in fact that I was beginning to think it might be fun to do this for a year and see if Suzie was still around when I was done. But as I looked into the mind of Doyle Brunson all the joy drained from the game and I threw up a little in my mouth and ran to get a cup and a napkin.

Doyle couldn’t believe it. The kid has my number. He couldn’t control a laugh, but it came out more like a cough. It’s like playin’ Stuey when he was on his game. I can’t believe I’ve been playin’ this one for second by avoidin’ the kid. Let’s see him play if he gets to be my age though. That thought brought another, louder round of coughing. Shit! Did he just throw up? Sure is a nervous little thing.

I sat back down and resumed hating myself. Doyle thinks I am one of the greatest and I feel like one of the worst. But I had given my word and I would keep it.

Matusow opened under the gun for the standard raise. “Three hundred thousand girls,” he paused for effect and then added, “and you Doyle.”

Doyle folded without so much as a whisper and I pretended to think as I held my cards. In actuality I had a Dolly Parton and had no intention of calling, so after turning my cards to the right and nodding my head I folded, as did the three guys behind me.

Carl said “Raise”. Slowly and deliberately he pushed toward the center and said “All of it.”

It folded back to Mike. His lowly QT suited shriveled up. He thought about asking for a count, but Carl had him covered three times over so he just folded. “So it’s like that is it?”

Carl stacked his new chips. “It is.”

And it was. And the reason it was, well, that started surprisingly early the night before. We had to play down to the final table for today and what could have taken all night ended before 9:00.

Carl and I had both made the final table and we went out to celebrate. I don’t usually drink, but Carl used oriental culture against me and made toast after toast. So I drank, and I got drunk.

When I was weak, Carl laid out his plan. I would read the players and use slight, normal gestures to relay information to him during the hands. And then he made me swear that I would do my best to make it me and him at the end. So I swore and now here we are and there it is.

And one by one we did take them apart. Every time one of them bluffed, Carl or I dropped the hammer and we chipped away at their stacks until they were so weak they had to make a stand with anything.

Mostly by staying out of the action, Doyle was the last to go. By the time Carl’s AK took down Doyle’s 66 and Doyle was collecting his third place money, Carl held a slight chip lead on me. We had long ago agreed to split any money we might win, but we were the only ones who knew that. Only the glory mattered now.

I looked over the crowd. To the left were the men from Nike along with more than a few high-powered executives from the media. They were pointing at me and shaking their heads almost in unison, the way lovers do when they are really connecting with each other. And that’s when it hit me. It was their common love of money that gave them this connection.

On the right was my father. He was just beaming as he looked at me and bowed his head. At the same time Suzie looked at me like we had been married for 50 years and also bowed her head. I bowed back and they both smiled.

At the table Carl had just made it one million to go with his snowmen and I called with my least favorite hand, AQ suited. The flop came A83 rainbow and Carl bet out 2 million. I picked up my cards, turned them to the right and nodded my head, then I put them under a chip and said “I raise” and pushed out 4 million in chips.

Carl jumped right through that door I opened so fast I felt a breeze. “I raise,” he said with no hesitation, and gestured to push it all in. I didn't even think and instacalled with a smile.

The set held up and after a brief counting to make certain, Carl was declared the winner. We did the final ESPN interviews and then he turned left and I turned right. I watched him shaking hands with all the suits as I left with my father and the Chans.

As we walked away I said to Mr. Chan. “I just won almost 4 million, so can I please buy dinner?”

Mrs. Chan smacked me fairly hard on the head. “And should have won 7 million. What kind of a call was that?”

I held Suzie’s hand and looked in her eyes. “A lifesaving call.”