Be Like Mike

Posted by Storms | Filed under Uncategorized

At this point in the World Series I have stopped paying attention to first days, especially in low-stakes events like today’s $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em event. These tournaments attract huge fields, poor play, and horrific beats. It’s all a bit too much, and it gets even more painful to watch every time some amateur’s dream of hitting for a big score on the world’s biggest poker stage gets shattered. Their first reaction is to get on their cell phone and bemoan their rotten luck to anyone willing to listen. Mine is to steer clear of the Amazon Room.

But it’s always fun to watch Mike Matusow play poker so today I checked my snobbery at the door long enough to observe his play at a table full of awed amateurs. Mike gave them a little more credit. “We need to get a live one over here or else it’s going to be a long day,” he said after slugging it out for a couple rounds. “When I raise, they move in on me every time.”

Mike makes even the most standard play appear exciting. “I like limping,” he announced while sitting in the big blind. “Limping is fun.” After a succession of folds, the button put in a hefty raise. “How much you got left?” Mike asked before folding his hand. “You made me nervous,” responded the button. Which was exactly the point.

At times, the cards seemed a secondary concern for Mike. He related a story about beating Scott Fischman’s home game to the tune of $176,000 in ten days. He proudly displayed his card capper, the miniature globe he earned at last year’s Tournament of Champions. He talked trash to a new player at the table who arrived wearing a New York Yankees baseball cap. “When I was in jail and the Yankees lost three straight to the Red Sox, I was doing cartwheels in the hall. I said, ‘This six months is going to be so much easier.’”

After losing a pot, Mike announced: “Raise it. I’m steaming. I lost $250 on the last hand.” The player to his immediate left called, and the flop came: J-J-4. Mike fired out a $250 bet that was quickly called. The turn brought a queen and Mike flipped a $1,000 pink chip onto the felt, prompting his opponent to fold. Mike proudly showed his 8-4.

When the table stood up for its first break, a friend of one of the awed amateurs stopped by to chat with the amateur. “You said you wanted a pro….” He nodded in Mike’s direction. “If Mike would stop bullying me,” said the amateur, shaking his head, “I’d have more chips.”

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