Shulman Says

The Ultimate Tilt Story

Halfway through this year's Jack Binion World Poker Open, a sicko but very nice friend of mine was up almost $1 million. That included his poker as well as craps and blackjack winnings there. That was quite a tidy sum, even for him. He is a fellow who throughout the last several years has borrowed heavily from friends and at times has used his VISA credit line to generate buy-ins. He always has paid back his debts, and his credit is very good.

Well, anyway, about 30 hours later, he was still at his reserved blackjack table, but he had lost about $1.8 million for the session. Yes, that is correct. I told you his credit is good, and that he has a pit habit.

He was down to about $30,000. For you and me, that is a lot of money. For him, it is nothing. Things were bleak. He had passed what Mike Caro calls the threshold of pain, which is very dangerous. His last $30,000 just did not seem to have any value to him.

He made a large bet with almost his case money and got a blackjack, yet he told the dealer that he was not going to let her bust him. He was the master of his own destiny, and he called for a hit. He stated that he wanted to bust himself. She looked over at the pit boss, who gave her the nod. My friend kept hitting until he busted out.

This is a true story. His room was comped, and he has some bills to pay, which he will – but he didn't let them bust him.