15
#036 – The Greatest Poker Game Ever Played – Entry B
During Entry A, Andy Beal and Ted Forrest started tentatively in their $50,000-$100,000 heads-up match on February 15, 2006. Forrest started on a short stack, just $3.8 million. Beal had $10 million, though he hadn’t been sleeping well.
9:20 AM
PAGE 616 [I have labeled consecutive pages as “616”]
HAND 20 – Andy – fold
HAND 21 – Ted – fold
HAND 22 – Andy – fold
Andy +$375k
HAND 23 – Ted – raise, call
Ah-Kd-Ks
Andy and Ted check
Js
Is this a trap?
Nope. Andy bets, Ted folds.
Andy $200k
HAND 24 – Andy – raise, Ted folds.
HAND 25 – Ted – raise, call.
Andy, white shirt, tan slacks. (Jeans yesterday)
5h-8c-8h
Check, Ted bets, Andy folds
Ted $200k
HAND 26 – Andy – raise, Ted calls.
7c-Ad-Qd
Check, Andy bets, Ted raises.
Andy calls.
Ts
Check, Andy bets, Ted calls.
7h
Ted bets, Andy raises.
Ted calls – reluctant
K-J for Andy
Straight. Andy $1M
9:25 AM
PAGE 617
HAND 27 – Ted – fold
HAND 28 – Andy – raise, Ted folds.
Andy +$1.1M
HAND 29 – Ted – raise, call.
3s-9c-8d
Andy bets, Ted calls.
8c
Andy bets, Ted looks, then folds.
Andy $300k
Andy’s gotten some good starting cards, and now Ted seems snake-bit.
HAND 30 – Andy – raise, call.
Ac-8s-2d
Check-check
As
Check-check
Qs
Check-bet-call.
Andy – Js-7s – flush
Ted shows Q, mucks
Andy $400k
HAND 31 – Ted – fold
Andy $75k
Dealer change.
Ted’s asked if he wants something to drink. Very curt “no.”
Andy +$1.3M
PAGE 618
HAND 1 – Andy – call, check
Kd-8d-Tc
Check, Andy bets, Ted raises
Andy cals
7h
Ted bets, Andy folds
Ted $300k
HAND 2 – Ted – fold
Andy $75k
HAND 3 – Andy – fold
Ted $75k
HAND 4 – Ted – raise, Andy call
5s-jd-9s
Check-check
2c
Check-Ted bets
Andy fold
Ted $200k
Ted has $2.7-$2.8M left
HAND 5 – Andy – fold
Ted $75k
HAND 6 – Ted – raise, Andy fold
Ted $75k
Did I just feel the energy shift? I feel like Ted suddenly lifted from his funk. No idea why.
HAND 7 – Andy – fold
Ted $75k
HAND 8 – Ted – raise, call
6h-Jh-9d
Check, Ted peeks, check
9s
Check-check
Jd
Andy bets, call
PAGE 619
Andy shows Q-9. Ted has this awful grimace, like he was the victim of a mean joke, and mucks
Andy $400k
HAND 9 – Andy – fold
Ted $75k
HAND 10 – Ted – call, check
3h-4h-Td
Check-Ted checks (?)
Tc
Check-Ted checks
5s
Andy bets, fold
Andy $100k
HAND 11 – Andy – raise, call
6d-Th-7c
Check, Andy bets, call
2h
Check, Andy bets
Ted thinks awhile. Then folds
Andy $300k
HAND 12 – Ted
So much for my “change in aura” theory. If I was right, Andy’s about changed it back.
Call, Andy raise, call
Th-Td-2d
Andy check, Ted bets, Andy calls
8c
Check-Ted bets
Andy folds
Ted $300k
HAND 13 – Andy – raise, call
5h-6s-Qs
Check – Andy bets, Ted raises, Andy calls
PAGE 620
2d
Ted bets, Andy folds
Ted $400k
HAND 14 – Ted – raise, call
2s-6d-8h
Check-check
2h
Andy should bet. Does.
Ted should fold. Does.
Andy $200k.
Andy played the role of Ted on that hand. [By this, I am referring to my characterization of Ted as the ultimate “junkman,” capable of playing any kind of hand, and therefore able to credibly bet at the kind of flop that would miss a player holding to “traditional” hand values. Ted seemed to bedevil Andy in that fashion during the 2+ days they had played two weeks before.]
HAND 15 – Andy – raise, Ted call
Ts-4d-Th
Check-chck
Kd
Check-check
7c
Ted bets – call
Ted shows K-8
Ted $400k
He’s not winning many showdowns. Has Andy called and lost a showdown before this? [I subsequently wrote the following note: “Andy was 4-1 in showdowns.”]
HAND 16 – Ted – raise, call
Qh-5c-3c
Check – Ted bets – fold
Ted $200k
Andy +$80k
HAND 17 – Andy – raise, Ted fold
Andy $75k
9:42 AM
PAGE 621
HAND 18 – Ted – raise, call
7h-3d-5h
Check-Ted bets, Andy raises
Ted calls
6s
Andy checks, Ted bets, fold
Ted $400k
What happened Andy? You played the Ted role but gave it up on the turn.
HAND 19 – Andy – raise, call
9d-Td-7d
Ted checks his cards, bets. Andy calls
Qh
Ted bets pretty quickly
Andy raises, Ted calls
4s
Check, Andy bets.
Ted looks, folds
Andy $700k
HAND 20 –Ted – fold
Andy $75k
HAND 21 – Andy – raise, fold
Andy $75k
Andy: Your girlfriend’s name is Roxana?
Ted: Yeah.
Andy: Please tell her thanks for the book and the herbs.
Ted: OK, sure, yeah. (tight lipped, face a mask)
HAND 22 – Ted – raise, call 9h-9s-4d
Andy bets, Ted calls
Kh
9:46 AM
PAGE 622
Andy checks, Ted checks
5d
Check-check
Andy J-5
Ted looks at his cards, frowns, mucks.
Andy: “Rivered you!”
Ted, resigned: Yeah.
Andy $300k
HAND 23 – Andy – raise, call
Jc-8c-3s
Ted bets, fold
Ted $200k
Andy +1.1M or so
HAND 24 – Ted – raise, call
Qd-7c-Kh
Check – Ted bets
Andy raises, Ted calls
6s
Check-check
9s
Check-check
Andy – 7-5
Ted – 7-8 takes it
Ted $400k
Andy +$1M
[RyPac13, a Tilter who reads this stuff more carefully than me - and maybe more carefully than I wrote it - questioned why Ted would win this hand. If I wrote it correctly, they would each have 7-7-K-Q-9 for a split. It is extremely, extremely unlikely that the dealer made an error, or that the players misread the board. It is almost 100% likely that I wrote down the wrong hand, like Ted had 7-J and I wrote "7-8", or that Ted laid down the hand and said "seven-ace" and I wrote down "7-8," having mis-heard him.]
HAND 25 – Andy – raise, call
9c-Ad-2d
Check, Andy bets, fold
Andy $200k
HAND 26 – Ted – call, check
Ad-Js-Jd
Andy bets, Ted raises, Andy folds
Ted $200k
9:50 AM
PAGE 623
HAND 27 – Andy – raise, call
9h-8c-6h
Ted bets, Andy calls
2h
Ted bets, Andy calls
Ac
Ted bets, call
7c-5c for Ted, straight
Andy nods in resignation and mucks [I occasionally, out of reflex, wrote “folds” in those circumstances where the loser threw his hand away unseen. I am correcting that by changing it to “mucks.”]
HAND 28 – Ted – fold
Andy $75k
HAND 29 – Andy – raise, Ted fold
Andy $75k
HAND 30 – Ted – raise, Andy fold
Ted $75k
Andy $600k or so
HAND 31 – Andy – fold
Ted $75k
HAND 32 – Ted – fold
Andy $75k
HAND 33 – Andy – raise, fold
Andy $75k
HAND 34 – Ted – raise, call
8c-5c-5h
Andy bets, Ted calls
3d
Andy bets, Ted raises
Andy folds
Ted $500k
Looks like Andy made a move but when Ted played back – he definitely was – Andy folded
PAGE 624
HAND 35 – Andy – raise, call
6s-Qd-6d
Andy bets, fold
Andy $200k
HAND 36 – Ted – fold
Andy $75k
HAND 37 – Andy – fold
Ted $75k
10:02 Dealer and deck change
Andy +$600k
10:06 – back to the game
1st hand back, Ted’s button
Raise, Andy x3
Js-Th-7h
Ted bets, call
Qh
Check, Ted bets, Andy raise, Ted reraise, call
8s
Check, Ted bets, call
Ted 9h-4h – wins it
Ted $1.2M
That had to be huge for Ted – evens the game – what’s it to Andy?
Andy raises the next hand on his button – 5s-7d-Jh
Check-check
Jd
Check-check
4h
Ted: “Ten high”
Andy’s K-Q wins it
Andy $200k
PAGE 625
10:11 AM – Ted takes the lead
