Math and Beyond
Recently I played in the $5,000 buy in NAPT (North American Poker Tour) event at the Venetian. Will the NAPT end up becoming bigger than the WPT (World Poker Tour) someday soon? Some poker veterans are betting that it will. After all, the NAPT is broadcast on ESPN II, and it had huge numbers of players for its first two events: 1,500 players in the Bahamas, and 900 players at the Venetian.
After a few hours at the table, an interesting hand came up. But first, let me set the stage a little bit. Player A was raising up quite a few pots, and when he raised under the gun to $1,600 to go, I made a bad read and I reraised to $5,000 with the Jd-5d. He called, the flop was 6d-5h-4c, and we both checked. The turn card was the seven of hearts, and he bet out $6,000, and I called. The river was a king, and we both checked. When he showed down 9-9, I was thinking that I could have won this pot with a raise on the turn. If I sensed weakness (I did), then I should have made my move! I lied about my hand, saying that I had Ah-Jh, which made for a flush draw on fourth street. Exactly three hands later my hand of the week came up. I opened for $1,600 with Qs-Qc, and Player A made it $4,500 to go. Immediately I sensed that Player A had pocket aces, but my read on him was bad the last time around. Still, I stared at him and all I could think about was the fact that he had A-A!
I briefly considered folding right then and there, and then I thought that it was a pretty tough fold against a guy that was playing more hands than anyone else at the table. I called $2,900 more and the flop was 10s-5s-4d. I checked, and he bet $4,500. Again, I sensed that I was up against exactly A-A, but when I counted down my chips I realized I only had $15,000 left. Could I really lay this hand down? Finally, I decided not to fold, and I called my buddy Daniel Negreanu over. Lord knows why I called Negreanu over, but when he walked over, I told him, “I used to be able to fold this hand when my opponent had pocket aces, but I’m just a little bit off of my top form.” Then I announced, “I’m all in.” Player A “Snap called” my all in bet (a bad sign when they call that quickly) and he showed me what I knew on so many levels that he had in his hand: two red aces.
Now, from a mathematical point of view, I absolutely had to go broke on this hand: my opponent was playing tons of hands, I had just mixed it up with him three hands earlier, I didn’t have a ton of chips, and the flop looked really great for my hand. However, poker isn’t just about math; it is also about reading your opponents. In fact, in my twenty five years in poker, I have been able to get away from hundreds of strong hands that even other great poker players would have gone broke with. One time on ESPN while I made a great lay down I famously said, “I can dodge bullets baby!” These kind of “All star” lay downs are all about reading your opponents well, trusting your instincts, and then making the right move. Making one or two great lay downs per tournament gives you one or two extra lives. Making one or two well timed bluffs a day gives you tons of extra chips.
Putting a positive slant on this situation is important to me. So I look at it this way: the great news is that I knew that my opponent had pocket aces. And next time, I can go ahead and make the great lay down!
早上我还说是哪个粉丝把Phil Hellmuth的ID注册了,难道是真的啊?! [s:158]
我还是不能相信,请David和Rich来认证一下吧。
[quote="mardiego":1aeiq5t3]早上我还说是哪个粉丝把Phil Hellmuth的ID注册了,难道是真的啊?! [s:158]
我还是不能相信,请David和Rich来认证一下吧。
[quote="mardiego":3diutsxh]早上我还说是哪个粉丝把Phil Hellmuth的ID注册了,难道是真的啊?! [s:158]
我还是不能相信,请David和Rich来认证一下吧。
Hello China! My name is Phil Hellmuth jr., and I am a professional
poker player. I have written a New York Times best selling book
("lay Poker like the Pros") on poker strategy and tactics, and I
write a regular once a week column that is being translated and posted
here at zhiyoucheng.com. I know the ins and outs of Texas Hold'em,
and I will share some serious knowledge with you in this column. My
columns are also current, relevant, and fun!
Players like Johnny Chan, David Chiu, and I prove that poker is a game
of skill. We keep winning poker tournaments--and money--month after
month, year after year, decade after decade! Chan has 10 World
Championships of poker, second place only to me with 11. The
popularity of poker has never been higher. Chan and I are known
throughout the world for our poker skills. Poker is a game of beauty
and strategy. Hello to my fans in China!
虽然能看懂大部分,但最好还是请那个高手把Phil Hellmuth的话翻译一下把。
Phil,
Thank you for sharing your columns with zhiyoucheng members! In the future if one of our members become the owner of 12 WSOP bracelets, please don't jump over the table,哈哈。。。Anyway, welcome! bud.
还好,《底牌》没有英文版的,否则我想他会跳到桌子上的 [s:146]
Hello China! My name is Phil Hellmuth jr., and I am a professional
poker player. I have written a New York Times best selling book
("lay Poker like the Pros") on poker strategy and tactics, and I
write a regular once a week column that is being translated and posted
here at zhiyoucheng.com. I know the ins and outs of Texas Hold'em,
and I will share some serious knowledge with you in this column. My
columns are also current, relevant, and fun!
Players like Johnny Chan, David Chiu, and I prove that poker is a game
of skill. We keep winning poker tournaments--and money--month after
month, year after year, decade after decade! Chan has 10 World
Championships of poker, second place only to me with 11. The
popularity of poker has never been higher. Chan and I are known
throughout the world for our poker skills. Poker is a game of beauty
and strategy. Hello to my fans in China!
World Series of Poker Europe
In Late September almost every great poker player on the planet descended on the Empire Casino—in Leicester Square--in London to try to win millions of dollars and a WSOPE (World Series of Poker Europe) bracelet. The poker world pretty much unanimously agreed that each of the four WSOPE bracelets would count as a coveted WSOP bracelet, and almost every great poker player wants bracelets baby! The main event was a 10,000 pound buy in, or around $16,000, and it paid over $1 million for first.
I pulled my usual shenanigans and rode 10 blocks through the heart of London--from Waterloo to Leicester Square--in a chariot, dressed as Caesar! It was pretty weird, and way over-the-top, to be riding through the streets with double decker busses whizzing by, thousands of people on the streets snapping photos and wondering what was going on, and paparazzi running alongside…And yes, I did feel a bit stupid, and I felt like it was too much, but I manned up and played Caesar because I think my entrances are fun, good for me, and good for poker. When I arrived at the Empire I was walked into the tournament by 11 models in white Roman dresses, and that part was a lot of fun! There are videos and pictures up of my entrance at all of the poker sites.
Upon my arrival I turned my mind from playing Caesar to playing great poker, or I should say that I tried to turn my mind towards playing great poker. You see, I just haven’t been playing my best poker, primarily because I have been trying different tactics over the last year or two. I have migrated away from tight patient tactics, and gone towards looser more aggressive tactics with mixed results. I still managed to make six cashes at the WSOP this year, but I made zero final tables for the first time in like ten years, ouch! The problem with calling raises and reraises with the 8c-7c is that you put yourself in a tough position most of the time, and playing these types of hands puts you in a spot where you have to make more decisions. Do you call a big bet when it comes down J-8-2, or fold? Of course, occasionally the 8c-7c yields a huge winning result, but more often you can get buried with this hand. There is no doubt that playing these suited connectors causes huge swings. I don’t like huge swings. I like being a steady rock! I like showing my opponents super strong, sometimes unbeatable hands when I put my big chips into the pot. I like to play from a position of strength, not weakness or uncertainty.
Meanwhile, at the WSOPE I raised it up with 10s-7s under the gun, and was called by 4 players. The flop was 10c-9d-6s, and I opted to bet out $1,500 into the $3,000 pot. The gentleman behind me made it $3,000 to go, everyone else folded, and I decided that I had to go with this hand, as I only had $8,500 more, and this gentleman was a very loose player. Thus I moved all in, and he called me and showed me 10-9, ouch! I now needed an eight or two spades to hit on the next two cards. The turn was the miraculous 8s, and now my opponent couldn’t even win with the nine of spades as it would make me a straight flush! When the river was another harmless eight, I felt very fortunate to still be in the tournament. I also reevaluated this style of play. I used to be able to go days without ever being all in, and with this style I was all in on Day One! So now I am going back to my super tight “Classic Phil” strategy, and look out poker world, you’re going to need some dynamite to knock me out of a poker tournament the next few years!
我来试着翻译一下吧。翻译的不好,大家凑和吧,能看懂原文的就不要看了。
WSOP 欧洲站
9月末,全世界的所有伟大牌手都冲聚集了伦敦Leicester广场的Empire赌场,为了数百万美元和一个WSOPE金手链而奋斗。扑克界都认为每一个WSOPE金手链的含金量抵得上WSOP金手链,因此每一个牌手都希望得到它。其主赛事是1万英镑(折合1.6万美元)买入,冠军将得到1百万美元。
[quote="mardiego":yti47skc]我来试着翻译一下吧。翻译的不好,大家凑和吧,能看懂原文的就不要看了。
WSOP 欧洲站
9月末,全世界的所有伟大牌手都冲聚集了伦敦Leicester广场的Empire赌场,为了数百万美元和一个WSOPE金手链而奋斗。扑克界都认为每一个WSOPE金手链的含金量抵得上WSOP金手链,因此每一个牌手都希望得到它。其主赛事是1万英镑(折合1.6万美元)买入,冠军将得到1百万美元。
World Series of Poker Europe
In Late September almost every great poker player on the planet descended on the Empire Casino—in Leicester Square--in London to try to win millions of dollars and a WSOPE (World Series of Poker Europe) bracelet. The poker world pretty much unanimously agreed that each of the four WSOPE bracelets would count as a coveted WSOP bracelet, and almost every great poker player wants bracelets baby! The main event was a 10,000 pound buy in, or around $16,000, and it paid over $1 million for first.
I pulled my usual shenanigans and rode 10 blocks through the heart of London--from Waterloo to Leicester Square--in a chariot, dressed as Caesar! It was pretty weird, and way over-the-top, to be riding through the streets with double decker busses whizzing by, thousands of people on the streets snapping photos and wondering what was going on, and paparazzi running alongside…And yes, I did feel a bit stupid, and I felt like it was too much, but I manned up and played Caesar because I think my entrances are fun, good for me, and good for poker. When I arrived at the Empire I was walked into the tournament by 11 models in white Roman dresses, and that part was a lot of fun! There are videos and pictures up of my entrance at all of the poker sites.
Upon my arrival I turned my mind from playing Caesar to playing great poker, or I should say that I tried to turn my mind towards playing great poker. You see, I just haven’t been playing my best poker, primarily because I have been trying different tactics over the last year or two. I have migrated away from tight patient tactics, and gone towards looser more aggressive tactics with mixed results. I still managed to make six cashes at the WSOP this year, but I made zero final tables for the first time in like ten years, ouch! The problem with calling raises and reraises with the 8c-7c is that you put yourself in a tough position most of the time, and playing these types of hands puts you in a spot where you have to make more decisions. Do you call a big bet when it comes down J-8-2, or fold? Of course, occasionally the 8c-7c yields a huge winning result, but more often you can get buried with this hand. There is no doubt that playing these suited connectors causes huge swings. I don’t like huge swings. I like being a steady rock! I like showing my opponents super strong, sometimes unbeatable hands when I put my big chips into the pot. I like to play from a position of strength, not weakness or uncertainty.
Meanwhile, at the WSOPE I raised it up with 10s-7s under the gun, and was called by 4 players. The flop was 10c-9d-6s, and I opted to bet out $1,500 into the $3,000 pot. The gentleman behind me made it $3,000 to go, everyone else folded, and I decided that I had to go with this hand, as I only had $8,500 more, and this gentleman was a very loose player. Thus I moved all in, and he called me and showed me 10-9, ouch! I now needed an eight or two spades to hit on the next two cards. The turn was the miraculous 8s, and now my opponent couldn’t even win with the nine of spades as it would make me a straight flush! When the river was another harmless eight, I felt very fortunate to still be in the tournament. I also reevaluated this style of play. I used to be able to go days without ever being all in, and with this style I was all in on Day One! So now I am going back to my super tight “Classic Phil” strategy, and look out poker world, you’re going to need some dynamite to knock me out of a poker tournament the next few years!
let me try to translate it for Phil. 我来翻译一下吧。
世界扑克系列大赛欧洲赛
九月末,世界上几乎所有的扑克高手都聚集到伦敦莱斯特广场的帝国赌场,去赢取百万奖金以及一条WSOPE(世界扑克系列大赛欧洲赛)金手链。整个扑克界毫无异议地认为,每条WSOPE金手链都是让人梦寐以求、货真价实的。当然,几乎每个伟大的扑克选手都想要金手链!主赛的买入费是10000英镑,折合约16000美元,第一名的奖金则超过1百万美元。
我拿出了惯常的恶作剧本领,打扮成凯撒的模样坐在敞篷马车上,大模大样地行驶过伦敦市中心的十个街区——从滑铁卢到莱斯特广场!当时,双层巴士从我身旁隆隆而过,成千上万的人在街上用相机拍摄这一景象并试图搞明白到底是怎么回事,而各个摄影师也在我身旁抓拍不停。。。没错,我是觉得自己有点傻,应该说是很傻。。但我振作精神并扮成凯撒,因为我觉得这是个很有趣的入场形式,对我有好处,对扑克也有好处。当我到达帝国赌场时,我被11名穿着白色罗马服饰的模特领入场,那个部分太有意思了!各个扑克网站都有我当时入场的图片和视频。
到达赌场后,我将我的思考模式从扮演凯撒切换到打出伟大的扑克,也许我应该说我试图完成这一切换。你们可以看出,最近我并没有发挥出我的最高水平,而这是因为过去两年我在尝试各种不同的战术。我已从紧和耐心的战术逐渐转向更松更具侵略性的战术,并获得了好坏不一的结果。今年我虽在WSOP赛中进了六次钱圈,但没有一次进终桌,这种情况还是十年来头一次出现,天哪!用草花8-草花7跟别人的加注、再加注的问题是,很多时候你把自己置于一个非常困难的境地,并需要做出更多的决定。当翻牌出现J-8-2时,你是跟别人的押注呢还是弃牌?当时,草花8-草花7时不时地能为你赢下巨大的底池,但更多时候你会被这种牌坑了。毋庸置疑,这种同花连张会导致巨大的起伏。我不喜欢巨大的起伏。我喜欢做一块坚硬的石头!当我把大量筹码加入底池时,我喜欢给对手展现非常强、有时是无法击败的牌。我喜欢在强位出击,而不是在弱位或是不确定的位置。
在WSOPE上,我用10s-7s从UTG的位置加注,结果有4个人跟。翻牌是10c-9d-6s,我决定向$3000的底池押注$1500。在我后面的那位绅士加注到$3000,其他人均弃牌。我的筹码只剩$8500,而这位先生是个非常松的选手,于是我决定奉陪到底,全押!他跟了并亮出10-9,妈的!现在我需要在剩下的两张牌中拿到8或是两张黑桃。转牌是张奇迹般的黑桃8,现在即使河牌是黑桃9,我的对手也无法赢了,因为那将给我一个同花顺!结果河牌是一张无害的8,让我觉得能继续呆在比赛里真是非常幸运。我也重新评估了我的玩法。以前我能连玩几天而从不全押,而现在我却在第一天就全进!所以,我将回到我的非常紧的“经典Phil”策略,扑克界小心了,在未来几年,你们需要相当多的炸药才能把我从扑克比赛中炸出!
[quote="hil Hellmuth":1q4kgebk]World Series of Poker Europe
In Late September almost every great poker player on the planet descended on the Empire Casino—in Leicester Square--in London to try to win millions of dollars and a WSOPE (World Series of Poker Europe) bracelet. The poker world pretty much unanimously agreed that each of the four WSOPE bracelets would count as a coveted WSOP bracelet, and almost every great poker player wants bracelets baby! The main event was a 10,000 pound buy in, or around $16,000, and it paid over $1 million for first.
I pulled my usual shenanigans and rode 10 blocks through the heart of London--from Waterloo to Leicester Square--in a chariot, dressed as Caesar! It was pretty weird, and way over-the-top, to be riding through the streets with double decker busses whizzing by, thousands of people on the streets snapping photos and wondering what was going on, and paparazzi running alongside…And yes, I did feel a bit stupid, and I felt like it was too much, but I manned up and played Caesar because I think my entrances are fun, good for me, and good for poker. When I arrived at the Empire I was walked into the tournament by 11 models in white Roman dresses, and that part was a lot of fun! There are videos and pictures up of my entrance at all of the poker sites.
Upon my arrival I turned my mind from playing Caesar to playing great poker, or I should say that I tried to turn my mind towards playing great poker. You see, I just haven’t been playing my best poker, primarily because I have been trying different tactics over the last year or two. I have migrated away from tight patient tactics, and gone towards looser more aggressive tactics with mixed results. I still managed to make six cashes at the WSOP this year, but I made zero final tables for the first time in like ten years, ouch! The problem with calling raises and reraises with the 8c-7c is that you put yourself in a tough position most of the time, and playing these types of hands puts you in a spot where you have to make more decisions. Do you call a big bet when it comes down J-8-2, or fold? Of course, occasionally the 8c-7c yields a huge winning result, but more often you can get buried with this hand. There is no doubt that playing these suited connectors causes huge swings. I don’t like huge swings. I like being a steady rock! I like showing my opponents super strong, sometimes unbeatable hands when I put my big chips into the pot. I like to play from a position of strength, not weakness or uncertainty.
Meanwhile, at the WSOPE I raised it up with 10s-7s under the gun, and was called by 4 players. The flop was 10c-9d-6s, and I opted to bet out $1,500 into the $3,000 pot. The gentleman behind me made it $3,000 to go, everyone else folded, and I decided that I had to go with this hand, as I only had $8,500 more, and this gentleman was a very loose player. Thus I moved all in, and he called me and showed me 10-9, ouch! I now needed an eight or two spades to hit on the next two cards. The turn was the miraculous 8s, and now my opponent couldn’t even win with the nine of spades as it would make me a straight flush! When the river was another harmless eight, I felt very fortunate to still be in the tournament. I also reevaluated this style of play. I used to be able to go days without ever being all in, and with this style I was all in on Day One! So now I am going back to my super tight “Classic Phil” strategy, and look out poker world, you’re going to need some dynamite to knock me out of a poker tournament the next few years!
晕死,又来一个。搞得跟翻译比赛似的,这不存心让我这样的土鳖丢人么!
mardiego,pkducks和pipi真热心啊,都值得大力表扬!!不知道还有没有正翻到一半的同学暗地里懊悔做了无用功呢。 [s:146]
不如这样吧,每周在贴出Phil Hellmuth的新文章后,愿意义务做翻译的同学就跟贴说一声。只要有一人跟贴说他在翻译中,那么其他人就不做重复工作了,反正每周都会有Phil Hellmuth的新文章,大家轮流做就很好,也不会太累。
(This one was written a month ago. Not current, but worth a read)
14 Gold Medals and a Player Too!
I watched the 2008 Summer Olympics with awe, and no small measure of amazement as Michael Phelps won gold medal after gold medal. One day it was Phelps by a country mile, the next day Phelps relay mates ran down their opponents at the last possible second, even though those opponents were the fastest in the world in their discipline! At first, over their loud protests, I made my sons come and watch each race on television, knowing that we were witnessing something truly special on a historical and a global scale. Finally, there was the race that defies explanation, where Phelps won a race that the world watched the replay of, over-and-over, and yet still we were left shaking our heads in disbelief. Phelps was beaten, but somehow he used a half-stroke, a move that no one would coach, to beat Cavic by literally, a fingernail! When I watched this replay seven or eight times, my sons were very happy to be in the room watching with me. Eight races, eight gold medals, what else can you say?
As news filtered to the poker world that Phelps was a poker player, and a fan of the poker world, the players took notice. Then a few months after the Olympics ended, I was in Las Vegas when Phelps asked to meet me. I have met some of the biggest celebs in the world, but Phelps was the first person that I was completely star struck by! Also, I was impressed with his knowledge of Texas Hold’em, and the very next day Phelps made a final table in a tournament at Caesars Palace with over 300 entrants. Currently I’m trying to get Phelps to go to Ultimatebet.com’s Aruba Poker Classic tournament, and he is on the fence. Meanwhile, Phelps played a big pot in a tournament the other day that I decided to write up here in my column.
The blinds were $500-$1,000, with a $125 a man ante, Player A moved all in--in first position--for $5,000 with K-6 off suit, everyone else folded and then Phelps moved all in—in the small blind--for $29,000 with 9h-9d. Player B--in the big blind—tanked for a moment, and then called $28,000 more with A-7 off suit. The cards went on their backs, and the flop came down 10-9-6. What a great flop for Phelps, and his pair of nines. The turn was a jack, which means that Phelps could now lose to an eight, or a queen on the river. Alas, the river was an eight!
Let’s take a closer look at the play of this hand. I do not like Player A’s all in move under the gun with K-6. I would greatly prefer the fold! I mean, he would have been in the big blind the very next hand, and who knows what could happen then. Maybe someone in late position would have raised it up with 2-2, or Q-J, or a bluff and Player A could find himself a favorite to win a $10,000 pot. Or maybe, Player A could have folded both blind hands and still had $3,000 left when he took possession of the button, where he would have had seven hands to choose from. Phelps $29,000 move was a good one, as he only had to fear Player B in the big blind. In fact, Phelps sent a clear message to Player B, and it was, “I have a strong hand!” I hate Player B’s call here with A-7. He obviously didn’t hear Phelps message, or interpret it very well. But regardless, Player B had only $1,000 in the pot, and it was $28,000 more to call with A-7 off suit. If Mike “The mouth” Matusow saw Player B make that call, he would shout, “Are you insane!?!”
Phelps has a ton of poker talent, and in the next fifteen years don’t be surprised to see him win a few WSOP bracelets to go along with his, oh say, 19 to 24 gold medals! By the way, just today I asked Phelps if he wanted to trade one of my WSOP bracelets for one of his gold medals, but I don’t think he’ll go for it!!
mardiego,pkducks,pipi...怎么一天打鱼,三天晒网了? [s:167] 又辛苦大家了。谢谢!
刚看见。。我可以晚上有空来翻译一下,现在要去吃晚饭了。
da jia bang mang ba phil hellmuth shuo de huan fan yi yi xia .rang wo men ye ke yi ming bai ta zai shuo shen me .
da ying wen guo ran lei a .ti liang xia wo ye bu rong yi a [s:167]
[quote="lady79":2rrp298q]da jia bang mang ba phil hellmuth shuo de huan fan yi yi xia .rang wo men ye ke yi ming bai ta zai shuo shen me .
da ying wen guo ran lei a .ti liang xia wo ye bu rong yi a [s:167]
(This one was written a month ago. Not current, but worth a read)
14 Gold Medals and a Player Too!
I watched the 2008 Summer Olympics with awe, and no small measure of amazement as Michael Phelps won gold medal after gold medal. One day it was Phelps by a country mile, the next day Phelps relay mates ran down their opponents at the last possible second, even though those opponents were the fastest in the world in their discipline! At first, over their loud protests, I made my sons come and watch each race on television, knowing that we were witnessing something truly special on a historical and a global scale. Finally, there was the race that defies explanation, where Phelps won a race that the world watched the replay of, over-and-over, and yet still we were left shaking our heads in disbelief. Phelps was beaten, but somehow he used a half-stroke, a move that no one would coach, to beat Cavic by literally, a fingernail! When I watched this replay seven or eight times, my sons were very happy to be in the room watching with me. Eight races, eight gold medals, what else can you say?
As news filtered to the poker world that Phelps was a poker player, and a fan of the poker world, the players took notice. Then a few months after the Olympics ended, I was in Las Vegas when Phelps asked to meet me. I have met some of the biggest celebs in the world, but Phelps was the first person that I was completely star struck by! Also, I was impressed with his knowledge of Texas Hold’em, and the very next day Phelps made a final table in a tournament at Caesars Palace with over 300 entrants. Currently I’m trying to get Phelps to go to Ultimatebet.com’s Aruba Poker Classic tournament, and he is on the fence. Meanwhile, Phelps played a big pot in a tournament the other day that I decided to write up here in my column.
The blinds were $500-$1,000, with a $125 a man ante, Player A moved all in--in first position--for $5,000 with K-6 off suit, everyone else folded and then Phelps moved all in—in the small blind--for $29,000 with 9h-9d. Player B--in the big blind—tanked for a moment, and then called $28,000 more with A-7 off suit. The cards went on their backs, and the flop came down 10-9-6. What a great flop for Phelps, and his pair of nines. The turn was a jack, which means that Phelps could now lose to an eight, or a queen on the river. Alas, the river was an eight!
Let’s take a closer look at the play of this hand. I do not like Player A’s all in move under the gun with K-6. I would greatly prefer the fold! I mean, he would have been in the big blind the very next hand, and who knows what could happen then. Maybe someone in late position would have raised it up with 2-2, or Q-J, or a bluff and Player A could find himself a favorite to win a $10,000 pot. Or maybe, Player A could have folded both blind hands and still had $3,000 left when he took possession of the button, where he would have had seven hands to choose from. Phelps $29,000 move was a good one, as he only had to fear Player B in the big blind. In fact, Phelps sent a clear message to Player B, and it was, “I have a strong hand!” I hate Player B’s call here with A-7. He obviously didn’t hear Phelps message, or interpret it very well. But regardless, Player B had only $1,000 in the pot, and it was $28,000 more to call with A-7 off suit. If Mike “The mouth” Matusow saw Player B make that call, he would shout, “Are you insane!?!”
Phelps has a ton of poker talent, and in the next fifteen years don’t be surprised to see him win a few WSOP bracelets to go along with his, oh say, 19 to 24 gold medals! By the way, just today I asked Phelps if he wanted to trade one of my WSOP bracelets for one of his gold medals, but I don’t think he’ll go for it!!
(This one was written a month ago. Not current, but worth a read)
14 Gold Medals and a Player Too!
I watched the 2008 Summer Olympics with awe, and no small measure of amazement as Michael Phelps won gold medal after gold medal. One day it was Phelps by a country mile, the next day Phelps relay mates ran down their opponents at the last possible second, even though those opponents were the fastest in the world in their discipline! At first, over their loud protests, I made my sons come and watch each race on television, knowing that we were witnessing something truly special on a historical and a global scale. Finally, there was the race that defies explanation, where Phelps won a race that the world watched the replay of, over-and-over, and yet still we were left shaking our heads in disbelief. Phelps was beaten, but somehow he used a half-stroke, a move that no one would coach, to beat Cavic by literally, a fingernail! When I watched this replay seven or eight times, my sons were very happy to be in the room watching with me. Eight races, eight gold medals, what else can you say?
As news filtered to the poker world that Phelps was a poker player, and a fan of the poker world, the players took notice. Then a few months after the Olympics ended, I was in Las Vegas when Phelps asked to meet me. I have met some of the biggest celebs in the world, but Phelps was the first person that I was completely star struck by! Also, I was impressed with his knowledge of Texas Hold’em, and the very next day Phelps made a final table in a tournament at Caesars Palace with over 300 entrants. Currently I’m trying to get Phelps to go to Ultimatebet.com’s Aruba Poker Classic tournament, and he is on the fence. Meanwhile, Phelps played a big pot in a tournament the other day that I decided to write up here in my column.
The blinds were $500-$1,000, with a $125 a man ante, Player A moved all in--in first position--for $5,000 with K-6 off suit, everyone else folded and then Phelps moved all in—in the small blind--for $29,000 with 9h-9d. Player B--in the big blind—tanked for a moment, and then called $28,000 more with A-7 off suit. The cards went on their backs, and the flop came down 10-9-6. What a great flop for Phelps, and his pair of nines. The turn was a jack, which means that Phelps could now lose to an eight, or a queen on the river. Alas, the river was an eight!
Let’s take a closer look at the play of this hand. I do not like Player A’s all in move under the gun with K-6. I would greatly prefer the fold! I mean, he would have been in the big blind the very next hand, and who knows what could happen then. Maybe someone in late position would have raised it up with 2-2, or Q-J, or a bluff and Player A could find himself a favorite to win a $10,000 pot. Or maybe, Player A could have folded both blind hands and still had $3,000 left when he took possession of the button, where he would have had seven hands to choose from. Phelps $29,000 move was a good one, as he only had to fear Player B in the big blind. In fact, Phelps sent a clear message to Player B, and it was, “I have a strong hand!” I hate Player B’s call here with A-7. He obviously didn’t hear Phelps message, or interpret it very well. But regardless, Player B had only $1,000 in the pot, and it was $28,000 more to call with A-7 off suit. If Mike “The mouth” Matusow saw Player B make that call, he would shout, “Are you insane!?!”
Phelps has a ton of poker talent, and in the next fifteen years don’t be surprised to see him win a few WSOP bracelets to go along with his, oh say, 19 to 24 gold medals! By the way, just today I asked Phelps if he wanted to trade one of my WSOP bracelets for one of his gold medals, but I don’t think he’ll go for it!!
Anthrax in Aruba!?!
I am proud to say that Scott Ian is an UltimateBet.com pro. Ian is also a rock star who plays rhythm guitar in two bands (“Anthrax” and “Pearl”), a comic book writer (“Lobo”), and of course, an online and real world poker player. At the 2009 WSOP (World Series of Poker) Ian found himself juggling some serious balls. On Sunday night, Ian landed in Vegas straight from Germany--and an Anthrax Tour--and he immediately went to the Rio Hotel to sign up for the WSOP. Ian made it through Day One on Monday, then he played Day Two on Wednesday. After making it through Wednesday’s Day Two Ian slept for a whole 90 minutes and then hopped on a 6:00 am flight to Tulsa, Oklahoma for a show Thursday night with “Anthrax.” After the show, Ian slept another 90 minutes and hopped on another 6:00 am flight, this time back to Vegas on Friday morning for Day Three. Luckily for Ian, there were no flight delays on the way back to Vegas—he went through Denver--but there was a lot of stress. A flight delay could have cost Ian 50% of his chips, or more!
Ian then somehow made it through Day Three on Friday, and when he hit his room on Friday night he completely passed out! Day Four began at noon on Saturday, and Ian managed to make it right down to the money “bubble” (the final 650 or so in a field for 6,900 players), before the action became interminably slow. You see, when they were three players away from the money, they began dealing “Hand-for-hand,” which means that every table had to finish their hand, and then they dealt a new hand. With 75 tables, they were playing about eight hands per hour, whereas before the “hand-for-hand” they were dealing about 30 hands per hour. This is where Ian literally starting sleeping between hands! Did I mention that Ian has never done drugs before? In any case, somehow Ian pushed through and made the money, before busting out late on Day Four.
I ran into Ian again in Aruba in early October, at the UltimateBet.com “Aruba Poker Classic” and this is his “Hand of the Week.” On Day One Ian was playing textbook super tight poker and cruising along, when he overheard the chip leader at the table, who had gone from $90,000 down to $75,000 say, “OK, I’m shutting it down. I’m on a bit of a losing streak and I don’t want to lose any more chips!” Ian was a little short, but had a great “Tight image” and he decided on the spot that he would try to bluff the chip leader. Most of us wouldn’t think of trying to bluff the chip leader, but after those comments, bluffing the chip leader seemed like a logical move.
Fifteen minutes later Ian was in the big blind when the chip leader raised it up under the gun to $950 to go with 10-10 and everyone else folded; then Ian made it $3,100 to go with A-8. The chip leader called, the flop was Qc-Qh-6d, and both players checked. The turn card was a jack, Ian bet $5,100, and the chip leader snap called. Once he snap called, Ian knew that he was beat, but he thought that he could bluff the river. The river was an eight. Now Ian “Shoved” (went all in) for roughly $12,000, and the chip leader tanked for three minutes, and eventually the chip leader called the clock on himself! Then the chip leader asked the floor person if he could show his hand face up to Ian in order to try to read Ian (you can show your hand, but then you will get a 20 minute penalty). Ian says, “At this point I didn’t say a word, or make a motion; I was Mount Rushmore!” The chip leader folded, and showed his 10-10, and Ian flashed an eight as he mucked his cards. Most of us would have checked down after the eight hit figuring that we may well have the best hand, but Ian played this hand masterfully!
Venture Capitalist Bad Beat!
Joe Lakob is a friend of mine from the San Francisco bay area. Lakob is one of the most powerful VC’s (Venture Capitalist) in the world, and he is one of the minority owners of the Boston Celtics. Lakob’s VC firm is like U2, they have hit-after-hit-after-hit (“Google” for one) for decades! Lakob is an understated guy, which isn’t always the case with the world’s most successful VC’s. Recently Lakob and his lovely girlfriend Nicole decided to enter the “Festa al Lago” poker tournament at the Bellagio; which is a $15,000 buy in WPT (World Poker Tour) event. Naturally Lakob and Nicole called me to ask me for some advice. I sat them both down and gave them a strategy that was designed to keep them in the tournament as long as possible, and give them a chance to actually win it.
I told them to play the “Classic Phil” strategy which entails playing super tight before the flop (throwing away hands like 8c-7c, 10d-9d, and Ah-4h for a raise); never calling a bet or a raise pre-flop unless they had a pocket pair; and coming over-the-top once in hour with a weak holding when they sensed weakness in their opponents. I also coached them to slow play any sets that they flopped. Lakob took all of my advice to heart, and although it was sometimes boring for him, and sometimes frustrating for him to play this style of poker, he made it through Day Two and on top of that, his timing was near perfect on the moves that he did attempt. Lakob stuck to my advice and made about one move per hour, coming over the top with nothing, and every time he did this, his opponent folded. Thus, going into Day Three I recommended that whenever Lakob sensed weakness, he should come over the top. I mean, when your batting 100% coming over the top, then obviously you’re reading weakness in others well. And if you’re reading weakness in others well, then it is time to take the over the top moves to the next level. FYI – I went out on Day Two after I lost two coin flips, my A-K to their Q-Q for a $90,000 pot; and my A-K to their J-J for a $40,000 pot.
Going into Day Three Lakob had $90,000 in chips, and there were 98 players remaining out of 280 starters. Three hours into Day three, with about 80 players left, and the blinds at $1,500-$3,000 and a $300 a player ante, everyone folded to the small blind where Lakob was sitting with the Ah-8h, and $51,000 in chips. Lakob opened for $9,000, and the player in the big blind called. The flop was Ad-10h-2h, and Lakob opted to move all in for $42,000. What a great flop for Lakob; a pair of aces and the nut flush draw! After a full minute his opponent called for most of his chips, and Lakob was a little shocked to see that his opponent held Q-J. I mean, how could someone call $42,000 with a belly buster? Lakob was already counting the chips, when the river was the off suit king, snap!
I like Lakob’s pre-flop raise of $6,000 with Ah-8h out of the small blind, which is standard. I like his opponent’s $6,000 call from the big blind with Q-J. I do not like Lakob’s $42,000 all in into a $20,000 pot. I mean, Lakob’s hand was too powerful to play that fast! Why not make a smaller bet, or even check to induce a bluff? It is not a bad spot to give a “Free card” to your opponent, hoping that he moves you all in, or that he at least makes a bluff at the pot. Alternatively, it is a good spot to make a milking type of bet of $5,000 - $9,000. I hate the $42,000 call with Q-J! Why call off most of your chips with a belly buster? Why not wait for a better spot? All in all, Lakob played great poker, well done Joe!
Bellagio 15k, Timberlake Pro Am, Packer’s Game, Vegas, Vegas, Vegas!!
I have been very lucky in poker and in life, and I recognize that I am truly blessed! This is no religious statement, but I say a hearty “Thank you” to the powers that be. For my part, I donate money to charity every year, I send an endless stream of “Swag” (signed books, signed pics, hats, shirts, and bobble head dolls) to charity auctions, I do not do drugs, I do not abuse alcohol, I emcee charity events (like my upcoming <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.Holdemforheroes.com">http://www.Holdemforheroes.com</a><!-- m -->), and I stay loyal and true to my wife and children. By acting above the rim ethically, and morally—like never cheating on my wife—I feel a bigger sense of entitlement in life in general. And yes, I know, my going off at the poker tables is a strike against me!!
It is not easy to feel great about owning all of the records at the WSOP, being really wealthy (at least on paper!), being happily married for almost twenty years, writing a best-selling book, hosting my own TV shows, being on 12 million beer cans, being stopped in the street everyday like I’m someone special, etc…Who am I to deserve all of this? I am just a man from Madison, Wisconsin who had average grades and an average childhood. A man that dropped out of college! But because I strive to do the right thing at all times, because I strive to be a really good husband and father, because I give money, time, and effort to charity, I feel OK about all of the huge blessings that I have received. As time passes, I feel better and better about my life, my blessings, and the person that I am. And I will continue to play poker with passion and purpose, to stay loyal to my wife and kids, to give my money and resources to those in need, to try my hardest to win more WSOP bracelets, and to try to hold onto all of my WSOP records! Of course, I have Johnny Chan, Doyle Brunson, Erik Seidel, and Phil Ivey on my tail!
Now, let’s get to what the heck I’ve been doing lately, and what I will be doing in the near future! You can check out my Tweets, about one or two per day at: <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.twitter.com/phil_hellmuth">http://www.twitter.com/phil_hellmuth</a><!-- m -->. Two weeks ago I had the honor of meeting Justin Timberlake at his PGA Tour event in Las Vegas for Shriners. I am a big fan of his, and he was a nice guy, as reported. Justin likes poker, but he doesn’t play as much anymore because he doesn’t like to take his friends money. There is a cool picture of Justin, Alice Cooper, Kenny G, and I up at my Twitter. After playing the Pro-am Weds, I went straight to Jeff Shulman’s house for five hours to give him lessons for the “November Nine.” Of course, Jeff is already an accomplished player, but we all can benefit from having a coach that we respect. I have over 50 final tables in Hold’em, so I’m not a bad choice! Jeff is playing great, and he has a great chance to win if he is reading his opponents well on November seventh and ninth. The rest of the week I worked with Jeff, his father Barry Shulman (who just won the WSOPE main event! – who is giving who lessons here!?!), Diego, Adam, and a few others. I learned something myself as we discussed hands, tactics, and the best possible strategies for winning. Diego knew every opponent, their tendencies, and we all talked extensively about what the other eight would be attempting to do. We played a simulated final seven, final six, final five, final four, and final three, with actual chip counts and we all “Played” parts as “November Nine” players. We even read a bunch of hand histories!
I flew home Friday night and received news that my publicist Lara Miller was able to secure sideline passes for the Green Bay Packers home game at Lambeau Field vs. the Vikings on Nov 1. The return of Brett Favre!! I am a huge Favre fan, and a huge Packer fan. My dad has been an avid Packer fan for 50 years, and he has never been to Lambeau Field—neither have I--but now I can take him there in style. I did bring my father to the Super Bowl in San Diego when the Packers played Denver, but we lost. I fly to Green Bay Saturday, then back to Vegas on Monday.
It’s Wednesday now, and I just landed back here in Vegas. Tonight I do some local NBC news interview, and then I will be in bed early as I seem to wake up exhausted every day (this sucks!). I’m tired every morning I guess because I have been on the move so much (London, Aruba, San Antonio, Vegas), and maybe my equipment for my sleep apnea breathing machine needs to be replaced. I hate waking up tired, I had a lifetime of this before I was diagnosed with sleep apnea and the breathing machine phase of my life began…
I want to be fresh because I play “Poker after Dark” $20,000 buy in tournament tomorrow with Phil Laak, Antonio, Annette Obrestad, Mike Matusow, and I believe, EDOG. Then Friday I film another “Poker after Dark” $20,000 buy in tournament with Chris “Jesus” Ferguson, and four qualifiers.
After the Packer’s game this weekend I have to shoot ESPN News and radio stuff Tuesday night, then I film a segment for ESPN Weds for the “November Nine” show with Doyle, Chan, me and Ivey—this should be fun! Also, I have to coach Jeff, maybe Tues and Weds for a few hours, although I believe that he is 90% ready now. Then I film more “Poker after Dark,”--but this time cash games--next Thurs ($50,000 buy in) and Fri ($100,000 buy in), then next Saturday the “November Nine” starts at the Rio Hotel at noon, and I will be there all day to support Jeff. Vegas, Vegas, Vegas!!
喝了一千两百万罐啤酒,
海豚同学这一大篇翻译得真不错,辛苦了。
就是下面这句有点问题:
[quote="dolphin":3ccjzo8u]
喝了一千两百万罐啤酒,
谢谢bean指正,改过来了。没想到还有这么酷酷的图片。:)我不看电视,也不会自己买啤酒来喝。。。不过,我可是参观过那个啤酒厂的。
[quote="dolphin":3qi6rdtd]谢谢bean指正,改过来了。没想到还有这么酷酷的图片。:)我不看电视,也不会自己买啤酒来喝。。。不过,我可是参观过那个啤酒厂的。
咦,你居然是Wisconsin出来的。是啊,十一月下雪,三月化雪。。。
[quote="RichZhu":1dkjovf3][quote="dolphin":1dkjovf3]谢谢bean指正,改过来了。没想到还有这么酷酷的图片。:)我不看电视,也不会自己买啤酒来喝。。。不过,我可是参观过那个啤酒厂的。
[s:171] [s:171] 我不敢说了。。。这个世界太小了。看来你长相瘦高。怪不得Phil要来做专栏呢。
Phil这个人说自己成绩平庸,童年平凡,明显地隐瞒了自己遗传来的高智商。 [s:171]
我不是Madison的,当年Madison的通知书没有资助。我哥是。他的母校还包括北大清华,和你重复的可能也太多了点儿。我刚来的时候先在Madison落脚,住过一个多月。
[s:171] 怪不得Phil言必称老婆孩子,还不住在Vegas, 飞来飞去的, 原来老婆不是一般人物。
翻译的事如果经常做,速度会快很多。
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