More on the World Series of Poker

As I am writing this, the first two weeks of the World Series of Poker have been completed. The superstars of poker are really shining this year. Chris Ferguson, Phil Hellmuth, Men "The Master" Nguyen, and Jim Lester seem to be at the final table or close to it almost every event. This just proves that tournaments are a game of skill. The final three people in the $2,000 no-limit hold'em tournament, which had a field of more than 400 players, were Phil Hellmuth, T.J. Cloutier, and Layne Flack. How would you like to be at a table with those guys? The funny thing is, there are superstars not only at the final table, but at every table throughout an event. I can't really explain how educational it is to play in tough fields like this. Inasmuch as I am friends with a lot of the players, I realize that it is OK to socialize when I am not involved in a hand, but I am not learning anything by chatting. This is when it is important to figure out what is going through the heads of these winners. What do they do differently, and how do they maximize their winnings? Besides learning how to play against these players, you may be able to pick up a tell or betting pattern. If you are lucky enough to pick up a tell, I suggest writing it down when you get home so that you don't forget it. Some great players have notebooks at home that contain a few players' names and things that they do in certain situations. This is great information, but it typically is not shared, because these players don't brag about the tells that they have picked up. For example, if I were to tell Max Shapiro that he scratches his head every time he starts with a big hand, he would use it against me in the future. Even though I like Max, and I would like to help him, I can't do it at my expense. Are you a bad person if you know something like this about a player and keep it to yourself? Of course not, it is an edge that some of the top players have.

Throughout the World Series, I have been handing out a questionnaire to many of the players. The questions deal with who these people think are the best players at each individual game for both live-action play and tournaments, who are the funniest at the table, the best behaved, and so on. I will publish the results in the next issue and on the Card Player website. I hope you will find them interesting.

P.S. There was nothing better than watching my father win his first World Series bracelet. For all of the people who have asked me – no, I am not jealous, just proud.