Hellmuth

Every week in Hellmuth's Hold 'Em, the champion poker player shares anecdotes from his experiences at the table to illustrate a specific poker strategy.

After-hours poker

Poker will run six days a week on NBC in 2007 at 2 am. The show, "Poker after Dark," features a format with six known players vying in a $20,000 buy-in winner-take-all sit-and-go. Each hour-long show will run every day but Sunday. It will be a great show to learn from, with no commentary whatsoever. Obviously some will be better to watch than others, like the one that I played in recently featuring Mike "the mouth" Matusow, Tony G, Phil Ivey, Andy Bloch, and Sammy Farha.

Unfortunately, I didn't play my best in any of the three that I played in. In fact, Doyle Brunson and I talked about the fact that it was tough to get up for these things, without history or a ton of money at stake, although there certainly was pride on the line. Early on, Matusow was down to $6,000 and feeling a bit down.
I leaned over to my right and whispered, "Mikey, I had pocket kings when you threw away pocket fives earlier." This seemed to fire Matusow up, and he went on to win a few pots with his improved attitude and confidence. I tried to fire him up and he has done the same for me many times in the past when we were sitting together at the same table.
With Matusow up to $9,000 and the blinds at $200-$400, Farha called $400, Matusow called $400, and then I made it $2,200 to go from the small blind with Ac-8c. I was trying to simply win the pot before the flop and pick up that $1,600 lying out there, and I was certain that I had Farha beat. Now Matusow studied awhile and called the $1,800 raise. Immediately, I felt like Matusow had a small pair or perhaps K-Q. The flop was 9h-5s-3d, and I bet out $1,200 on a pure bluff. Matusow called, and the next card was the 9s. At this point I should have given up, but instead I looked at Matusow's chips, realized that he had only $6,300 left, and moved him all-in. Matusow called me instantly, whoops! He rolled over pocket threes for a full house, and I thought to myself, "Phil, how bad did you play this hand?"
I don't mind the raise before the flop, or even the bet on the flop, although it was a bit weak. But why move all-in? I said, "I pump the mouth up with my chat and now he takes my chips!" With only $4,000 left I decided that I needed a bit more motivation and focus. So I offered Farha a side bet. I said, "Sammy, I'll take 20-to-1 that I win this thing for $10,000 (I would win $200,000)." Sammy said, "Phil, I'll tell you what I'll do: I'll lay you 12-to-1." I decided that that wasn't good enough, but I did take 14-to-1 from Bloch for $3,000 to win $42,000.

Now I redoubled my effort and doubled through Bloch when my A-K beat his A-10. After winning that pot I was back in the hunt! A few rounds later Tony opened for $2,200 and I moved all-in for $4,300 more with A-Q. After not playing a hand for a few rounds, I knew that Tony knew that I had a hand. Tony felt like he was priced in and he called the $4,000 raise with pocket deuces. I do not like his call. I mean, the best he could be in this situation was even money (if I had a hand like A-Q). On the other hand, he was getting laid 2-to-1 on the call ($2,200 plus $2,200 plus the blinds), so it wasn't a bad call, just a bit weak. The flop was K-7-5, then a jack, and now I needed a 10, a queen or an ace on the river to have a decent sized stack and great chance at the win. There were three aces, three queens, and four 10s so that I had 10 wins, to Tony G's 34 wins. Alas, the river was a jack, and I hit the door.
In 2007, look for some exciting poker action on "Poker after Dark," just do not look for me in the winners circle!
When you make a bluff:

A) Make sure you time it well!
B) Do not try to bluff Matusow
C) Do not risk too many chips
D) All of the above

About The Creator.

Phil Hellmuth, a nine-time World Series of Poker Champion, has teamed up with United Feature Syndicate to offer a weekly poker column. A familiar face to anyone who watches poker tournaments on TV, Hellmuth won his first World Series of Poker title in 1989, at the age of 24, making him the youngest WSOP champ ever. He has won eight more titles since then and ranks second on the all-time WSOP money list with $3.6 million. Every week in Hellmuth's Hold 'Em, the champion poker player shares anecdotes from his experiences at the table to illustrate a specific poker strategy. Hellmuth explains techniques and tactics that can help players at all levels of the game, from neighborhood poker buddies to Vegas regulars. Each column is accompanied by a graphic of a poker hand illustrating the tip of the week. Known for his charisma and propensity for theatrics, Hellmuth has racked up many other major tournament wins, including five Hall of Fame Poker titles. In 1996, his peers voted him the best all-around tournament poker player in the world. A coveted commentator for poker tournaments, Hellmuth is a frequent guest on ESPN and has been featured in more than 20 television specials. He wrote the best-selling Play Poker Like the Pros and Bad Beats and Lucky Draws. He writes a column for Card Player magazine and has been profiled in publications including Rolling Stone, Entertainment Weekly, Sports Illustrated, Poker World and The Wall Street Journal. Hellmuth lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife and sons.

Answer: DPhil Hellmuth is a nine-time World Series of Poker champion and the author of "Play Poker like the Pros" and "Bad Beats and Lucky Draws" (both published by HarperCollins).
Copyright 2006, United Feature Syndicate, Inc.
HELLMUTH'S HOLD 'EM 11-6-06Monday, Nov. 6, 2006 United Feature Syndicate

HELLMUTH'S HOLD 'EM 1 of 2

Home		Hellmuth's Hold 'Em By Phil Hellmuth
		Every week in Hellmuth's Hold 'Em, the champion poker player shares anecdotes from his experiences at the table to illustrate a specific poker strategy. After-hours poker Poker will run six days a week on NBC in 2007 at 2 am. The show, "Poker after Dark," features a format with six known players vying in a $20,000 buy-in winner-take-all sit-and-go. Each hour-long show will run every day but Sunday. It will be a great show to learn from, with no commentary whatsoever. Obviously some will be better to watch than others, like the one that I played in recently featuring Mike "the mouth" Matusow, Tony G, Phil Ivey, Andy Bloch, and Sammy Farha. Unfortunately, I didn't play my best in any of the three that I played in. In fact, Doyle Brunson and I talked about the fact that it was tough to get up for these things, without history or a ton of money at stake, although there certainly was pride on the line. Early on, Matusow was down to $6,000 and feeling a bit down. I leaned over to my right and whispered, "Mikey, I had pocket kings when you threw away pocket fives earlier." This seemed to fire Matusow up, and he went on to win a few pots with his improved attitude and confidence. I tried to fire him up and he has done the same for me many times in the past when we were sitting together at the same table. With Matusow up to $9,000 and the blinds at $200-$400, Farha called $400, Matusow called $400, and then I made it $2,200 to go from the small blind with Ac-8c. I was trying to simply win the pot before the flop and pick up that $1,600 lying out there, and I was certain that I had Farha beat. Now Matusow studied awhile and called the $1,800 raise. Immediately, I felt like Matusow had a small pair or perhaps K-Q. The flop was 9h-5s-3d, and I bet out $1,200 on a pure bluff. Matusow called, and the next card was the 9s. At this point I should have given up, but instead I looked at Matusow's chips, realized that he had only $6,300 left, and moved him all-in. Matusow called me instantly, whoops! He rolled over pocket threes for a full house, and I thought to myself, "Phil, how bad did you play this hand?" I don't mind the raise before the flop, or even the bet on the flop, although it was a bit weak. But why move all-in? I said, "I pump the mouth up with my chat and now he takes my chips!" With only $4,000 left I decided that I needed a bit more motivation and focus. So I offered Farha a side bet. I said, "Sammy, I'll take 20-to-1 that I win this thing for $10,000 (I would win $200,000)." Sammy said, "Phil, I'll tell you what I'll do: I'll lay you 12-to-1." I decided that that wasn't good enough, but I did take 14-to-1 from Bloch for $3,000 to win $42,000. Now I redoubled my effort and doubled through Bloch when my A-K beat his A-10. After winning that pot I was back in the hunt! A few rounds later Tony opened for $2,200 and I moved all-in for $4,300 more with A-Q. After not playing a hand for a few rounds, I knew that Tony knew that I had a hand. Tony felt like he was priced in and he called the $4,000 raise with pocket deuces. I do not like his call. I mean, the best he could be in this situation was even money (if I had a hand like A-Q). On the other hand, he was getting laid 2-to-1 on the call ($2,200 plus $2,200 plus the blinds), so it wasn't a bad call, just a bit weak. The flop was K-7-5, then a jack, and now I needed a 10, a queen or an ace on the river to have a decent sized stack and great chance at the win. There were three aces, three queens, and four 10s so that I had 10 wins, to Tony G's 34 wins. Alas, the river was a jack, and I hit the door. In 2007, look for some exciting poker action on "Poker after Dark," just do not look for me in the winners circle! When you make a bluff: A) Make sure you time it well! B) Do not try to bluff Matusow C) Do not risk too many chips D) All of the above About The Creator. Phil Hellmuth, a nine-time World Series of Poker Champion, has teamed up with United Feature Syndicate to offer a weekly poker column. A familiar face to anyone who watches poker tournaments on TV, Hellmuth won his first World Series of Poker title in 1989, at the age of 24, making him the youngest WSOP champ ever. He has won eight more titles since then and ranks second on the all-time WSOP money list with $3.6 million. Every week in Hellmuth's Hold 'Em, the champion poker player shares anecdotes from his experiences at the table to illustrate a specific poker strategy. Hellmuth explains techniques and tactics that can help players at all levels of the game, from neighborhood poker buddies to Vegas regulars. Each column is accompanied by a graphic of a poker hand illustrating the tip of the week. Known for his charisma and propensity for theatrics, Hellmuth has racked up many other major tournament wins, including five Hall of Fame Poker titles. In 1996, his peers voted him the best all-around tournament poker player in the world. A coveted commentator for poker tournaments, Hellmuth is a frequent guest on ESPN and has been featured in more than 20 television specials. He wrote the best-selling Play Poker Like the Pros and Bad Beats and Lucky Draws. He writes a column for Card Player magazine and has been profiled in publications including Rolling Stone, Entertainment Weekly, Sports Illustrated, Poker World and The Wall Street Journal. Hellmuth lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife and sons. Answer: DPhil Hellmuth is a nine-time World Series of Poker champion and the author of "Play Poker like the Pros" and "Bad Beats and Lucky Draws" (both published by HarperCollins). Copyright 2006, United Feature Syndicate, Inc. HELLMUTH'S HOLD 'EM 11-6-06Monday, Nov. 6, 2006 United Feature Syndicate HELLMUTH'S HOLD 'EM 1 of 2
Syndication UK & Republic of Ireland Cartoons Puzzles Crosswords Horoscopes Editorial Features Seasonal Features Syndication Rest of World Cartoons Puzzles Crosswords Horoscopes Editorial Features Seasonal Features What's New? Literary Agency Codeword Book VideoPlus+ Licence info(at)knightfeatures.co.uk Tel: +44 (0) 20 7622 1467 Fax: +44 (0) 20 7622 1522 Knight Features 20 Crescent Grove London, SW4 7AH UK ©2007 Knight Features