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#096 – The Greatest Poker Game – Part III (Just in time, Ted gains control)
JUST IN TIME, TED GAINS CONTROL
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.
Going to war
$700k in pot
After river
4h-7c-5d-6d-Ah
Bet by Andy, call.
Andy – junk straight
$900k Andy
Andy raises on the button, Ted x3
4c-6c-6d
Ted leads betting
Andy calls
Tc
Ted bets, Andy raises
Ted reraises
Andy calls
5d
Ted bets, Andy raises.
Ted reraises.
Andy: “Did you fill up?”
Andy calls.
Ted: “Yup.”
Ted shows T-T
Andy mucks Ac-3c
$1.6M Ted
Probably the second biggest pot of the week. And did it ever come at the right time for Ted.
10:09 AM [yes, I’ve noticed that I earlier noted the time as 10:11 AM]
Ted’s now ahead by 500-600k
Ted starts filling that second rack back up. [Each stack of $25,000-chips is $500,000, so a complete rack holds $2.5 million.]
4d-Qc-Jh-9d-8d
Ted – KT, wins $800k
Ted +$800-900k
Andy mentions something to Ted about his tens-full. And had that same kind of hand the other day against Ted (the $1.8M hand). [I had written the details in BLUFF about the hand, the biggest pot of the 12 days of poker games.]
That’s spooky. 2 biggest pots – T-T filling up. (Arguably, Andy had a tougher beat)
Andy -$600k at 10:26 AM
3d-Kd-9d-Ah-6s
Andy AK
Andy $800k win
Phil Ivey – cam in, said to Ted, “If you want me to play it’s your last chance. I’m going to play 18 holes.” And he’s gone.
Something about “500”, “all this shit”.
700k pot – Andy
Top pair, Q on board – 9 kicker
Ted almost mucks 3 times, look at board, finally hands them to dealer.
Andy has retaken the lead – +$400k.
10:32 AM – new dealer
4h-7-3h-2-Q
500k in
Andy bets, Ted folds
(Diamond draw for Ted didn’t come in)
10:40 AM – Andy is now ahead $600-700k
The game has turned around yet again
Ted’s button – 3 bets before the flop
5s-7d-5d
Andy bet, call
9h
Andy bet, fold
(pocket pairs?)
$400k Andy
10:46 AM
5d-6d-8h-9c-3h
600k in
Andy led, checks end.
Ted bets river, called
Ted, A-9. Andy folds.
Ted $800k
Andy +450k
7-7-Q-7-7
Ted Q-6
Andy J-6
Split
Worst card on earth for Ted – but wouldn’t have won much.
Pot $500-600k
10:55 AM – next hand = Ted $800k w/K-K, holds up. Ted’s now in the lead by $300k.
Back and forth. Ted sustained Andy’s initial rush. Now it’s the seesaw battle. Which is probably better for him than Andy, if Andy does have the gun to Ted’s head. Ted’s a wirewalker. He’s fine when they’re both struggling.
Ac-Jd-Kc-Js-Qh
Andy 9-T, $500k pot.
Picked up 2 bagels for Ted
Andy -$700k
Just lost $800k pot to Ted
Ted Ts-7s
3 clubs on board
T=top pair, but straight possible too
Ted bet all the way, including the end. Andy “crying call”.
Next hand, Ted wins another $600k with top pair (tens, holding J-T)
Andy -$500k
11:03 AM – dealer and deck change
Pix – bad setting on camera. One good one. Bagel and chips. [I very quickly snapped some pictures of the table during the break. The best one was of the detritus at Ted’s end of the table: bagels, wrappers, cell phone, and $4 million in chips – plus $20 in $5-chips for tipping the cocktail waitresses when they brought drinks.]
11:07 AM – back in the game
11:12 AM – Ted’s up $550-600k. Andy has moved everything to his right. [Beal had a very specific layout of his items – pocket watch, inspirational card, stacks of chips out of the rack, chip racks. Though still carefully placed, he moved it all to his right.]
Now it seems Ted’s betting every flop and Andy’s folding. Ted +$750k.
PAGE 630
Next hand – Andy raises on button, call.
Qc-6h-5c
Ted bets, call
8h
Ted bets, call
5d
Ted bets, fold
11:16 AM – Ted +$950k
Andy tries to bluff.
Raised, calls.
Andy bets the river. Ted calls.
Andy folds without showing.
Looked like his left hand was shaking
Ted +$1.4M
Ted has about $5.2M in chips
11:24 AM – Ted +$1.1M
11:29 AM – Ted +$1.2-1.3M
Back up near $5M
11:30 AM – Ted +$1.5M
Did the pros avert disaster?
Could this be Dec. 2001 all over again?
[The reference is to Andy Beal’s first great run against the pros. Back in December 2001, when they were playing $10,000-$20,000, and Beal was clearly much less skilled than he was in 2005 or even 2003 or 2004, he got ahead by $5.5 million. It cleaned out all the pros’ safe deposit boxes at the Bellagio and they had to borrow $1.5 million on short notice to keep the game going. Ted Forrest, on a short stack, turned the tide and won back most of the losses. Howard Lederer relieved Ted, got the pros back to break-even, and won a bit before Andy left town.]
