Monday, February 26, 2007

NO LIMIT Texas Hold 'em is big on the Association of Tennis Professionals
Tour these days. Many of the top players, their coaches, trainers and staff
have weekly poker tournaments. They do not play high stakes or even moderate
stakes, but rather relatively low-stakes tournaments where a lot of pride is
on the line. And these guys can play the game. Earlier this month, the ATP
rolled into San Jose (my neck of the woods) for the SAP Open, and with it
came Andy Roddick and James Blake who are ranked fourth and sixth in the
world, respectively. Between matches, the two had some time to kill so we
went to Bay 101 to play some poker. The game was spread limit Hold 'em,
which plays very much like no-limit Hold 'em, except the maximum bet on any
given betting round was $200. The blinds were $3-$5, and the amount you
could buy-in for was capped at $200. We all bought in for $200, and then the
fun began, for Blake that is.I made it $25 to go with Ah- 10d, Blake called
with 10c-10h, and the flop came down 10s-7s-6h. I bet out $40, Blake made it
$80, and I moved him all-in for $140 total. I was worried that I was beat,
but what was I going to do for my last $140, after leading out with a $40
bet. After all, I could still beat any pair of 10s, nines, eights or a flush
draw. Blake continued to play well and busted me again on another hand. Our
final head-to-head encounter came when Blake made it $25 to go, and I called
in the big blind with 9d-8c. The flop was Qd-Qc-Jd, I checked, Blake bet out
$30, and I called. The turn card was the 8d, giving me a pair of eights, a
straight draw, a flush draw, and a straight-flush draw. I bet out $40, and
Blake called. The river was the Ks, and I checked. Blake instantly moved
all-in for his last $105 or so. In my mind, Blake had A-10, or K-10, or A-K,
but I kept thinking that he had A-10 and had hit his straight. I asked him,
"You have A-10 huh?" Then I folded my hand, and Blake said, "Is it OK to
show my hand?" I said, "Yep, it's OK to show me a bluff." Whereupon, he
turned over his hand, the Ah-7h, and everyone erupted in laughter. Ouch,
this is not happening to me: Blake busted me twice, and then on top of that,
he bluffed me out? I know the guy went to Harvard, played successfully on
"Celebrity Poker Showdown," and is a great tennis player, but this is my
game. Let's break down this final hand. I should not have called $20 more
with 9-8 before the flop because we didn't have enough chips in front of us
to warrant the call. I like Blake's $30 bluff on the flop with ace high. I
made a good $30 call on the flop with my inside-straight draw, sensing that
Blake was weak. I made a good $40 bet on the turn. Blake made the $40 call
on the turn with only one thought in mind: he was planning to bluff me out
on the river. Considering that I was weak, and that he did successfully
bluff me out on the river, who am I to say that he did anything wrong here?
Blake made a great bluff on the river, and props to him for bluffing so
quickly (betting quickly gives the illusion of strength). Nice move, Blake -
you win this match.