Lost Episode 12: Event #26, $5000 H.O.R.S.E.

After the NL Holdem downs, I was redirected into the second day of event #24, which was seven card stud 8 or better. This game is a treat for me to deal, you just don't see stud around Houston these days. Quite often, particularly at these levels in the tournament, only two players open and continue with a hand. When heads-up, you leave the bets out in front of the players, because quite often the pot is split high vs. low hands, and all you divvy up are the antes. Most of the cards are visible throughout the hand, so its relatively easy to see where hands are going. You can really get in a rhythm and then every once in awhile, two players tangle in an exciting hand. One of them gets scooped or quartered, crippling or terminating their chances and the others fortunes seem to rise exponentially.

On my first table, I immediately recognize Ted Forrest, who seemed to have an average size chip stack. He gets aggressive on the very first hand, with raises and third bets on several streets and by fifth, it was clear he was committing them all. They got it all in before the last card was delivered, and it turned out he was scooped, eliminating him immediately. I remember a very cold feeling thinking about how he'd played all day yesterday to return and be dismissed on the very first hand of the second day. But he cooly and professionally exits without much discussion and I wonder how often that actually happens to some of these guys who play so very many events.

The cost of the antes and limit betting structure at these levels are pretty high in relation to the size of most of the chip stacks, so every decision seems to be amplified, and they still have to eliminate about half of the remaining field before making the money. Players seem to be exiting pretty fast. At my third table I had Mike Sexton, the ubiquitous World Poker Tour announcer in seat 8 on my immediate right. I had overheard him telling one of the other players what a joy it was to play in the series, since he didn't have commentating and coverage responsibilities. But then on three consecutive hands and what seemed like the fifth or sixth time of the down, I pitched him a deuce in that last position after him watching a trey land in one of the early spots. The low card has a forced bring-in bet, and unless his hole cards connect in some way to build a nice low drawing hand, its usually wasted chips at an aggressive table, and at this level, the size of the antes is usally enough for someone to complete the initial bet, or even raise. Stud tourney players often bet out and play high hands aggressively and let the low hands come if the do. Having to pay forced bring-ins several times is the equivalent of a bad beat in holdem. It can be a significant drain on the chip stack. After the first couple, Mike audibly sighed on each deuce. At one point, I looked up at him, and he game me a real deadly serious look and muttered "are you kidding me?". Not much I could do. I fight the temptation to root for anyone at the table at all times, but I admit not wanting to see another deuce on his door again for quite some time. I am sure that even shuttered a bit when it continued to happen, and then finally, I (and Mike) received a needed reprieve and got the tap from the next dealer. I remember hearing Mike grumble "finally" as I gathered the cards and announced my departure.

During the next few downs of this tournament, I dealt to Russ Boatman, Scotty Nguyen, Marcel Luske and David Sklansky. There was a high density of recognizeable faces at the few remaining tables, but players were dropping pretty fast. I was just about to push into a table with Vanessa Rousso, when the tournament director in this area approached the table and asked the exiting dealer to high card the table and started handing out chip trays for the players to move to new tables. So, my string of unfortunate close calls with the beautiful young starlets in the game continued and I now had to go find a new home. I checked in with the dealer coordinator and was told that I would probably go to the cash games, when suddenly a floor person from the late starting event in the main section came up and asked urgently for a dealer. Given the nod from the D.C., I was told to go to table 26 and wait. Table 26 had no players, no chips, and no cards. It was right in the middle of a $5000 H.O.R.S.E. event, which had started about an hour earlier and I had no clue why this table was empty, but I waited for further instruction. Soon, the floorperson explained that they had a late table of alternates they were trying to put together before entry for the tournament was closed officially and that he would bring me everything I needed in a few moments. A guy showed up for seat two with a registration card in hand and sat down patiently, he must have been told what was up, because he didn't ask any questions or inquire about how long it would take. After a second player showed up, another floor person came over and left a registration card in seat six and said that this was for Doyle. I acknowledged him, but didn't ask the obvious, could it be Brunson?

Eventually, my supervisor showed up with chips and cards and said, as soon as you get four bodies, you can start dealing to all eight positions, explaining that the rest would show up shortly. After squaring away everything, John Juanda sat down in seat five, submitting his registration slip. Then, assisted by a walking stick, Doyle Brunson struggles his way over to seat six and I initiate them to the event, currently in the Omaha stage. HORSE is an acronym that stands for a mixed game which rotates through limit Holdem, limit Omaha 8, Razz, Stud and stud Eight. Before my second hand is complete, Chris "Jesus" Ferguson approaches and assumes the seven seat. Now, I start wondering if this is all for real, and just who might show up next. I had seen alot of poker celebs over the first couple of weeks, but never did I imagine that I would have the distinct pleasure of dealing a mixed game to three luminaries of this stature at the very same table, seated consecutively no less. It turned out that the three of them had no clear intention of playing this event, as all were deep into the second day of the Stud 8 event I described earlier, but as each of them busted out, they inquired about entering the H.O.R.S.E. event, and even though the last of the alternates had been seated nearly an hour earlier, registration had not quite yet officially closed, so the tournament staff put together a new table for the sudden inquest.

Juanda and Brunson immediately requested a pad of paper and some pens and started recording side proposition bets. Ferguson declined to participate and was chided a bit by the other two about being a bit of a nit, but they didn't waste much time on persuasion and got right to selecting their 'numbers'. For the rest of my tenure, after every flop or set of exposed street cards in stud, one or the other would remark "that's me" and record something on their pad. I never caught what the stakes were, nor who held what side bets, but lets suffice it to say that they were gambling more than I usually pay in tourney entry fees. They clearly can't get enough action! For the most part, the three of them avoided each other and took turns engaging with the other five nameless players that eventually rounded out the table. Juanda and Ferguson did get lightly entangled on a couple of hands, putting in a raise or two, or a river value bet, but neither seemed ready to commit much of their stack against the other. At one point, Doyle, who wasn't even in the hand and seemed distracted, spoke up and corrected a bet value. I re-stated the bet and gently reconstructed the betting to show that I was correct, and when he recognized he was in error, immediately chuckled and indicated that the table was in good hands with me in charge. I won't soon forget that moment. He was just as charming in person as he seems to be on television. Since this table wasn't in the rotation when I sat down, the first push went around me and I was excited that I was allowed to remain and deal nearly an hour to these guys.

This is why I made such an effort to work this event. What an honor it is to get to deal the World Series of Poker.