(Distributed June 13, 2006)
MONEYMAKER VICTORY KICKED POKER INTO HIGH GEAR
Mention the name Chris Moneymaker to even the newest convert to poker and his eyes will light up. “He’s the rank amateur who turned a $40 online tournament entry into a $2.5 million victory at the 2003 World Series,” he’ll say.
His next comment will be either, “Man, he was lucky!” or “Wow, didn’t he show those big boys how to play no-limit Texas hold’em?”
Which statement is correct? Both, actually, although my poker tournament partner Scotty R. and I disagree which is closer to the truth. He says Moneymaker was a lucky dog, while I argue he made a lot of correct decisions and outplayed some of the best in the business.
Even if you’re a poker novice who has tried only a few small tournaments, you know that luck plays a major role in determining the winner. That’s a good thing, really, because we wouldn’t keep entering tourneys if our chances of success were zero.
Yes, Moneymaker had some luck. Scotty points to the hand where he cracked Humberto Brenes’ pocket aces. Brenes bet a modest $30,000 on a flop of K-9-2 (the first three community cards), hoping to lure Moneymaker into the pot. Chris obliged by raising $120,000 with 8-8 in the pocket. Brenes quickly moved all-in and was a huge 91 percent favorite — until a magical 8 of clubs came on the turn (fourth community card).
Moneymaker showed a bit of class after the hand. Caught on camera by ESPN, he shook Brenes’ hand and said, “I’m sorry.” Truthfully, though, he was happy and knew he had dodged a major bullet.
Luck, however, wasn’t the whole story for Moneymaker. Perhaps my favorite hand was when he put his tournament life on the line with just pocket threes against hotshot young player Dutch Boyd, who was holding K-Q. Moneymaker bet $100,000 of his $575,000 stack on a 9-2-5 flop, only to see Boyd raise all-in for $650,000.
Many players would have folded rather than risk everything on such a baby pair. But it took Moneymaker only 18 seconds to correctly decide Boyd held just unpaired big cards and that he was a three-to-one favorite to win the hand. He shoved his entire stack into the pot and collected more than $1 million in chips.
The final hand of Moneymaker’s famous heads-up battle against pro Sam Farha pitted his lowly 5-4 against the veteran’s J-10. Before the flop, Moneymaker’s chances of winning were 35 percent. But poker isn’t just about the odds. Fate often intervenes.
The flop of J-5-4 gave Moneymaker a lucky two pair and Farha an unlucky pair of jacks. With any card other than a jack or ten on the flop, Farha could have escaped unharmed. With top pair, Farha re-raised Moneymaker with all of his chips, no doubt thinking he was ahead with two community cards to go.
Whether you chalk Moneymaker’s victory up to fate, skill or dumb luck, the Cinderella story of how an accountant from Knoxville, Tenn., outlasted 838 competitors was like pouring gasoline on a poker fire already stoked by weekly telecasts of the then-new World Poker Tour on the Travel Channel.
That blaze became an inferno in 2004 when an incredible 2,675 players competed in the $10,000 buy-in World Series main event, with a whopping $5 million payout to tournament-unknown Greg “Fossilman” Raymer in his reptilian sunglasses.
Unbelievably, the field exploded to 5,619 players last year for Australian Joe Hachem’s dramatic conquest and staggering $7.5 million payday. Those records figure to fall July 28 when perhaps 8,000 main-event players will square off in Las Vegas, chasing a potential $10 million top prize to be awarded at the final table on Aug. 10.
Since the landmark 2003 tournament, Moneymaker, Raymer and Hachem wannabes have flooded into public card rooms and online sites, turning poker into the hottest game around.
Some of those new players have tasted the thrill of victory. So can you, if you play your cards right and Lady Luck smiles on you. Just don’t fall in love with the 5-4, OK?
POKER TRUTH
Think we could top Tiger Woods straight-up? Cross the finish line ahead of Dale Jr.? Beat Bobby Fischer at chess?
Not in a million years. Heck, we’ll never even get the chance.
At poker, however, sometimes we CAN beat the best. It happens in tournaments everywhere. Sure, we’re underdogs, but just give us the right hand at the right time, and watch what happens!
E-mail your poker questions and comments to russ@luckydogpoker.com for use in future columns. To find out more about Russ Scott and read previous LuckyDog Poker columns, visit www.creators.com.
COPYRIGHT 2006 RUSS SCOTT
DISTRIBUTED BY CREATORS SYNDICATE INC.