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#059 – FTOPS Final Table – Part III – Fixin’ to Raise

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Parts I (#057) and II (#058) followed the final table of the FTOPS Main Event from Robert Williamson III’s study. Robert, as Miss Lulu, has maneuvered through the first three eliminations, the most recent when he limped and then folded A-Ko. Dallas maintains a running commentary, to the horror/delight of an audience of three: his wife Cate, our friend Clonie Gowen, and me. I encourage you to read the first two parts.

Dallas types into the table chat box: Anyone want to put all the money together and play for it?

The rail goes wild and several of the final table players respond, none of them favorably. “If you want to talk deals later, I’m all for listening,” one player says, but that’s the OPPOSITE of what Dallas is proposing. It shakes things up a bit, which is probably what Dallas had in mind. (On the other hand, I am 100% certain he would agree to play winner-take-all for the $750,000 still unclaimed.)

Robert gets 2s-8s in the cut-off. He is typing in the chat while he asks Clonie to shut off his observer chat. Casually, she says, “You’re folding there” and folds his hand.

He starts with his act. “There was a raise, you’re folding.”

But too many hands and heads around the computer has confused things. No one had bet. “I was fixin’ to raise there.”

Of course, Dallas was fixin’ to raise every hand.

“I’ve got an ace, look out.” In trying to help Williamson shut off observer chat, Clonie has accidentally changed the background from Final Table Blue to Retina Burning Red. The light in the study is so dim that it almost hurts to look at it.

But it’s not easy ministering to Robert’s computer while he’s playing the hands in this cramped space.

Blinds are now 60,000-120,000.

It’s raised to 350,000. Miss Lulu has Ac-9d. Robert is thinking about it. “I ain’t calling, that’s for sure.” Lulu folds.

Two deuces under the gun. “I’ve got one of the hard decisions right now.” He folds. Clonie restores the Final Table graphic. I want to explain to Robert, but it’s too risky to crowd in there with him, that one of the spectators drawn into the tableau of the final table, sitting over the right shoulder of the player seated at twelve o’clock, is Robert Williamson III. When I look at it, I also see Phil Gordon, Perry Friedman, Kristy Gazes, and Clonie Gowen. And Mikhail Gorbachev.

I start telling him anyway, but my explanation is hijacked by Balfarios limping on the button while Robert has the Dog Hand, K-9, in the big blind. Miss Lulu moves all-in, and the small blind and the limper fold. Miss Lulu is up to 1.5 million.

Miss Lulu gets Ah-Jc in the small blind. “I might ship with this hand, I might not. I know everyone else in the world would, but I might not.” Boosted J has raised to 280,000. Miss Lulu pushes all-in.

“CATE! CATE FROM N.C. STATE! GET IN HERE!”

Cate rushes in.

“No insta-call. That’s good.” We take turns speculating on Boosted J’s two cards for what seems like fifteen minutes. Boosted folds.

I was calling out A-8 for Boosted, but no one was acknowledging me. When Clonie says “weak ace,” Robert agrees.

“Hey, what about me?” I ask. “I called that out the instant you pushed in.”

“Clonie said it was a weak ace. You gave just one hand.”

“Believe me,” I say, trying to act miffed, “If it was a weak ace, it was ace-eight.” It’s easy to play-act when your man (or your Lulu) has 2 million in chips.

Q-7o. Fold.

“I’m gonna get it on like Donkey King, that’s all I’m gonna tell you.”

Clonie: “You have to put maximum pressure on them. The blinds are too big. You can’t limp. You can’t screw around.”

Deuces in the cut-off. I want him to push.

“They got overcards. Sometimes, I play deuces like they’re aces. But these are aggressive players. Boosted J could make a play over the top of that and I can’t call.” He folds.

With three of us huddled around Robert, he points around the table. “This guy’s weak. A little afraid, maybe a lot.. This guy’s really RADICAL. He’s got everybody –“

2:58 AM, tsarrast limps. MychKumstien raises and tsarrast calls. The flop is Kh-7h-2h. They both check. The turn is the queen of hearts. Four hearts on the board. tsarrast makes it 400,000, putting a total of 990,000 in the pot. Mych goes all-in for 1.4 million and tsarrast folds.

5-9o under the gun. “Dolly Parton! That’s a name hand!”

Miss Lulu, the avatar – the blonde with the big cowboy hat – looks like she should play Dolly Parton. But avatars aren’t people, just like all trappers don’t wear fur hats. Lulu folds.

Robert looks to see when the blinds go up to 80,000-160,000, which is in eight minutes, which coincides with the next break.

He watches as the flop comes T-5-T. “Where’s Dolly Parton now? Where’s Dolly Parton now? She would be like Islands in the Stream.” He starts singing “Islands in the Stream,” having just interrupted his rendition of “Nine to Five,” pointing out how the tens are islands and the five in the middle is the stream.

“Did you find the bottle of ’94?”

Cate: “When you win it, we open it.”

“We don’t open it, we don’t win it.”

“Whatever. OK, crazy.” This bottle of ’94 is very special but Cate knows the importance of heeding superstition at a time like this. She jokes through mock arguments with him, but when he invokes the cause of superstition, it becomes a serious matter.

Like many gamblers say, “It’s unlucky not to be superstitious.” Regardless of the metaphysics of superstition, the feeling that you are unlucky can have a real effect. Cate is omnipresent in Robert’s life and he is lucky to have her near as he travels the globe in search of fun and action. Cate and his sister Karen are all the tethers he needs for an otherwise rootless life.

Cate knows. She immediately goes to open the ’94.

tsarrast and Boosted J get all their chips in the middle after the Islands in the Stream flop. tsarrast has Boosted J covered and in trouble. A-5 for tsarrast, for T-T-5-5. A-6 for Boosted, for T-T-A-6. A queen on the turn does nothing for Boosted, but the ace on the river means they both has A-A-T-T-Q. Boosted was one card from elimination, and tsarrast was the same distance from having nearly 10 million in chips.

Miss Lulu picks up Malt Liquor in the big blind, 4-5s. “There’s a lot I like about this hand. A lot of straights, a lot of flushes.” But when tsarrast moves in for 6.3 million, it appears Malt Liquor has lost its potent kick.

4h-8h in the small blind. Fold.

tsarrast has 6.5M, Boosted 2.3M, Lulu 1.7M, Mych 1.5M, traheho 1.5M, Balfarios 1.1M.

As Robert against asks about that bottle of ’94, traheho gets it all-in with A-K against Balfarios’s A-8. The better hand holds up and Balfarios finishes in sixth, which is worth $49,380.95.

Lulu folds Ks-3s under the gun. He folds, but tsarrast and Boosted J play what may be the most important hand of the tournament. After the flop, Boosted bets 320,000. tsarrast moves all-in, and Boosted calls. Tsarrast has 2-2 for a set. Boosted has Ah-8d for a pair of aces. But there are two diamonds on the board and Boosted wins the pot with an improbable, heartbreaking runner-runner flush.

A couple hands later, Miss Lulu gets two red nines in the small blind.

Clonie: “All-in, that’s your only move.”

Robert: “No it’s not.”

Clonie: “Alright.”

It is checked around and Lulu pushes in for 1.54 million.

“Just a second,” Cate said, “I haven’t even gotten the cork out yet.”

Mych folds but before he does he types, “Your time will come Lulu.”

On the button, Lulu gets As-6c. It is folded around and Lulu bets 360.000. “If they come over the top, I’ll lay it down.” MychKumstien in fact does come over the top, has does traheho in the big blind. They both get it all in. Q-Q for traheho, A-9 for Mych.

“No ace, no ace, no ace.”

There is no ace. “I look like the smartest man in America.” Mych, finishing fifth, gets $66,752.75. “Now where’s that wine?”

traheho $5M
Boosted J $4.6M
tsarrast $4.2M
Miss Lulu $1.9M

On the next hand, Miss Lulu pushes all-in with 6-6, but the big stacks don’t do anything careless. They all fold.

“Come on. I want to gamble. But I want to gamble with 2-to-1 the best of it.”

Q-To? Folded. “I’ve got fifteen big blinds. I don’t have to make a move, but if I do, it’s all-in.”

Less than a minute to the break, Lulu gets 5d-7d in the big blind. Heinz.

Cate: “Oh God.”

Dallas: “It’s a name hand, honey. Heinz 57.”

Clonie: “It’s a small raise. If you’re playing, move all-in.”

Dallas: “But he’s a calling station. Every time someone’s raised him, he’s called every single time. With the worst of it.”

Everyone heaves a sigh of relief as we go on break. When we return, it will be 80,000-160,000. Lulu has 1.4M. traheho has the lead 5.5M. Boosted J and tsarrast both have 4.5M.

It’s 3 AM.

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