#072 - Heads-Up Championship Part VIII - “Some Spooks Never Go Away”

Heat 1 of the second round featured eight matches which varied in advance appeal between ”who?” and ”wow?” What follows were my impressions, noted by time to keep them roughly in order, by match. I started the match planted about six feet from Shannon Elizabeth’s left hip, but by the time the cards were in the air, I had been removed to press row, in the back of the bus.

The cards were in the area at high noon, just 90 minutes after the stage call. They start with 40,000 apiece, and blinds of 200-400.

Table 1 - Chip Reese and Huck Seed

CalTech v. Dartmouth.

12:47 PM - Seed has a lead of 18,000 over Reese, according to the announcer.

12:58 PM - All in called on Table 1. Chip has Huck barely covered. Post flop, Huck has 3-7 for two pairs. Chip has a flush draw. 5c on the clubs doesn’t help Chip. Kc on river. No flush for Chip, Huck doubles up and Chip is down to 1,600, all-in on the big blind. Huck makes that call in the dark. 3-5o for Chip. Huck has J-2. K-9-8. Jack on turn clinches it for Huck, and Chip exits the room within 5 seconds, before the applause even dies down.

Table 2 - TJ Cloutier and Tuan Le

12:06 PM – “All in and call on 2.” It’s after the flop. 2-4-7 2 spades. TJ 4-4 for a set. Tuan Le has Q-Q. (Preflop, TJ raised and Tuan reraised.) Turn is the ace of hearts. It’s the four of hearts, making quads for TJ. Tuan Le is left with about 4,000 in chips.

12:09 PM - Three mobile cameras and the crane stay fixed on Table 2, a death watch. As Clonie Gowen, watching Shannon, walks from the room, one of the cameras follows her out, probably all the way to the rest room.

12:10 PM - Tuan is all-in. TJ limped with 8s-9s. Tuan raised all-in with A-3. TJ called. The flop brought both an ace and a nine, and Tuan doubled up.

12:17 PM – All in and call on 2. Tuan raised, TJ moved in, Tuan called. Le has 7,600. Le has 7-7, TJ has A-2. The flop is 8-4-5. The turn is an ace, and there is groaning in the audience, not so much because they don’t like TJ but because Tuan’s comeback would be pretty inspiring. The river is a jack and TJ eliminates Tuan. Cloutier holds up three fingers: 3 years in the money for him.

Table 3 - Jeff Madsen and Shannon Elizabeth

11:40 AM - In a major blow to freedom of the press, I’ve been booted from my corner seat. Shannon was pleased when I told her I wanted to sit and watch, which morphed into “Shannon asked that I sit here” when various people asked me to move. To make room for some other friends of Shannon, they moved TJ’s wife several seats from her husband, so I had SOME juice. Jeff Madsen’s friends were consigned to the second row - three guys carrying in a combined total of 5 Budweisers who said they left a strip joint to get here on time. But then Shawn Shiekhan’s wife blew in and insisted on my seat, so she could stare at her husband’s back.

Maybe it was just as well. Katie Lindsay took the seat next to me and Shannon handed her purse over. “Can you watch this for me and make sure it doesn’t touch the floor? According to feng shui, if your purse touches the floor you lose money.” So Katie was then balancing TWO purses on her lap, Shannon’s and hers. And Katie’s purse was seriously encroaching on my chair space, a situation made only slightly more tolerable for a moment when Katie fished around her purse for something and briefly got to second base with me.

I dare her to try that with Mrs. Shiekhan.

12:15 PM – Jeff Madsen reminds me of a spider, hunched low, all long arms and elbows, pulling in chips. Shannon, it is announced, has a small lead on Jeff.

12:36 PM - Shannon takes a big pot, cutting Madsen’s lead to, according to the announcer, “slight.”

12:46 PM - Shannon Elizabeth is thumping Jeff Madsen. She moves all-in and he folds, taking down a big pot and increasing her stack to 67,000, leaving the Kid with just 13,000.

12:51 PM – Madsen is all-in for about 6,900. Shannon calls. Jeff has 5-5. 8d-5d for Shannon. The flop is As-9d-Qd. Shannon is a diamond or an eight from eliminating Madsen. Two of hearts on the turn. The river is the six of diamonds, making Shannon the flush and ousting the Kid. It is a great upset, exciting and great for poker. Two cameras are trained on Shannon’s BACK as she packs up her stuff and talks with friends on the rail.

Table 4 - Ted Forrest and Shawn Sheikhan

12:50 PM – Ted has left the room, I assume on a bathroom break. It was apparently with Shawn’s consent. Within a minute, Ted is back.

1:19 PM - The announcer says Shawn has about 50k to Ted’s 13k. Ted moves all-in on the button and Shawn immediately calls. Shawn, “One time! I want to bust this sucker!” It’s the first I’ve heard from Sheikhan this match. “One time! Justice once and for all.” Ted has 3-3, Shawn has As-5s. The announcer says Ted is all-in for 13,000. Flop: Qc-Kc-Js. 4d on the turn. 7h on the river. Ted Forrest doubles up. Justice, or Shawn’s version of it, will have to wait. Forrest now has 26,400.

1:28 PM - Once again, Ted Forrest is in the longest match. Ted has about 20,000 left. The room is clearing out. TJ stands behind Ted for a minute and paces, then he walks away. Ted is in no rush.

1:30 PM - Blinds go to 2,000-4,000.

1:34 PM - They have emptied out the bleachers on the other side and are repopulating them with a new audience. Ted Forrest appears to be in no hurry.

1:35 PM - Ted moves all-in and Shawn immediately calls. Ted has Jd-Td. Shawn has As-7d. Flop is K-2-3, no diamonds. The turn is a jack of hearts. Shawn is stone faced, no reaction whatsoever. Five of hearts on the river and Ted Forrest doubles up. Nine lives wouldn’t even begin to count Ted’s ability to stay alive in these competitions. He takes the chip lead.

1:39 PM - Ted moves all-in preflop and Shawn calls. Ted has A-5, Shawn J-T, the hand Ted used to double up a few minutes ago. Q-7-4 flop. 2h on the turn. River is the ten of clubs. Shawn yells “Fuck you!” He doubles up. He stands and says, “God he’s a tough man to beat.”

1:41 PM - Mike Matusow, at the edge of the stage, yells “Well played Shieky.”

1:42 PM - Blinds are up to 3,000-6,000. Shiek has about a 3-to-1 chip lead. Ted has gone in twice in the last few hands and Shawn has folded.

1:44 PM - Shawn raises to 12,000, Ted calls. The flop is Q-7-8. Ted goes all in and Shawn folds. Raise to 12,000? Neither of these men has 50,000 in chips and the big blind is 6,000. I thought that meant Shawn had aces but obviously not if he folded the flop.

1:47 PM - Ted has a slight lead. It’s very close.

1:50 PM - Shawn is all-in. Ted calls. Kc-5c for Ted. Ac-5h for Shawn. Mike Matusow: “So he’s got 3 outs. Good luck sir.” 2c-Kh-Jc. Ted flops top pair. Mike: “Like I said, good luck sir. Some spooks never go away.” Turn, ten of hearts. Eight of diamonds on the river. Ted advances.

Table 5 - Joe Hachem and Paul Wasicka

12:36PM - Joe Hachem has reraised Paul Wasicka all-in before the flop. Wasicka has him covered. That info, cribbed from the announcer. Paul is riffling, thinking it over, stacking chips. Hachem, elbows on the table, has his head bowed behind his fists, as if in some kind of intense prayer. Paul is very reluctant, making motions like he thinks he has to call but doesn’t like it.

12:40 PM - After 4 minutes, Paul Wasicka makes the call. This was all pre-flop. Hachem, 15,300. Hachem, A9o. Ah-3h for Wasicka. Humberto wanders over to say something to Joe. Lord knows what. The flop is 5-6-7 with 2 hearts. Wasicka picks up a bunch of outs. King of diamonds on the turn. A heart a 3 or a 4 wins it for Paul. The river is the eight of hearts, and Wasicka eliminates Joe Hachem.

Table 6 - Vanessa Russo and Barry Greenstein

1:15 PM - First I heard of this match was Vanessa all-in preflop with K-8. Barry has Q-Q. Vanessa did not improve on the board and Greenstein doubled up. She had a substantially lead, apparently, because that match is just about event.

1:25 PM - Vanessa moves all in and Barry, having her covered, makes the call. Barry Q-T. Vanessa has Q-9. The flop is A-J-K. Barry flopped the nut straight and Vanessa needs a ten for a tie. The river is 4h. Barry wins and advances.

Table 7 - Annie Duke and Nam Le

11:28 AM - Tuan Le is sitting across from Annie, finishing a cell call. Annie is in her familiar position, sitting on her feet. Leaning forward, she is exposing part of the tattoo on her lower back, “Say yes when no one asked.”

12:10 PM - They announce that Nam Le has just won a big pot from Annie Duke. Nam keeps looking over to his cousin Tuan, who is currently all in against TJ.

12:14 PM – The announcer says Le has 51,000 in chips, Annie has 29,300.

12:24 PM – After a raise from Nam, Annie moves all-in. Nam thinks is over for about a minute and makes the call. I can’t see from across the room if this is preflop. No. The flop was A-8-5, 2 hearts. Le has Duke covered by 24,000. Annie A-T, A-9 for Nam Le. The turn was a king and the river a deuce. Annie Duke doubled up. Annie should be ahead of Le right now, 56k-24k.

12:50 PM – It looks like Nam is going to double up. On the flop, Annie had a pair and called Nam, who made a set of tens. Annie is down to 16,000 in chips.

12:58 PM - Annie Duke moved all-in for 14,000 preflop and Nam Le, after thinking it over for 2 minutes, calls. Ah-5c for Annie, K-8 for Nam. 2-2-3. Good flop for Annie. 6 of clubs on the turn, 7 of diamonds on the river. Annie Duke doubles up to 28,000.

1:11 PM – Annie is all-in after the turn. The flop was Q-5-7. The turn was a 4. Le went all-in and Annie called. Annie has Q-7 for two pair. But Le turned the straight with 6-8. Annie needs a queen or a seven on the river. Queens rule! She catches one on the river to double up and nearly even the match.

1:21 PM - Annie, with a slight lead, traded preflop raises with Nam Le until Nam pushed in and Annie called. A-2 for Annie, Ac-Qc for Nam. Tc-6c-7d. 3c on turn, Nam makes the nut flush and doubles up. The seven of hearts on the river is superfluous. This gives Nam almost all the chips.

1:26 PM - Annie and Nam are all-in. Annie has 9-5o. Nam has Q-6o. 2-2-J flop. Annie needs a 9 or a 5. The turn is a ten. Annie is down to six outs, and does not hit one of them as a three falls. Nam Le wins and advances.

Table 8 - [Feature table] Phil Laak and Humberto Brenes

Holy crap, this is the feature table? Humberto actually has a jester hat next to his chair. Two members of the audience are wearing the same hat and are wrapped up in a matching blanket. Probably escapees from a local insane asylum.

12:14 PM - While almost all the cameras and attention are focused on Tuan Le’s all-in on Table 2, Humberto is engaging in some theatrics which I think he cut short because no one was watching.

12:22 PM – Phil is playing to the camera a little. Humberto wants to wear one as a medallion.

12:29 PM – While there isn’t even a hand going on, Humberto chases one of the mobile cameras on a crane with his little shark, making what I guess are shark noises and shark gestures. If that makes it into the broadcast, it will be a new low for poker.

12:59 PM - Laak moved all-in before the flop, now it’s his turn to ham it up as Humberto ponders, and folds.

1:06 PM – Humberto makes some bet on the turn (after K-5-6-T) right after Huck beats Chip and is walking around. Laak asks if he can show Huck his hand. Humberto, “Show it to anybody? TJ?” The announcer says that’s not allowed. Humberto puts on the jester hat and gets into Phil’s face, making some noises. Laak is acting like he’s going to respond by pushing all-in. Brenes wanders the floor with his shark. Laak moves all-in and Humberto instantly calls. But he doesn’t do anything “instantly,” making it impossible to figure out what’s on the board or what cards. The clown has 5-6 for two pair. Laak has K-9 for top pair. Laak doesn’t get help on the river and, disgustingly, Humberto advances. It takes a lot to make poker look stupid, but Humberto has managed it.