#564 - London 2008 #71 - WSOP-E - Night of the Living, Part VII - Clenching

IMAGE 5

Howard Lederer in profile, still sitting at the table, still leaning slightly forward, a swirl of chips spread across the table. He looks so similar to the earlier images (and really, the later ones too) that the first impression is that you can’t tell anything about how the game is going by looking at his face.

But I was there in person, so my image was part of a moving picture. There were a pair of almost imperceptible movements at the sides of his face - from his teeth clenching together.

This image is from 1:09 AM, less than ten minutes after IMAGE 4. Lederer plays almost two more hours before being eliminated in third place, but this moment, where the only difference in Howard is practically invisible, describes the last two hours of play.

It was the second hand of Omaha EOB and Lederer and Donev went for two bets after a flop of 7d-2h-Qh and another two after turn brought the king of hearts. Howard had the ace-high flush and was also drawing to a low. Ivo Donev had a seven and a deuce in his hand and was pushing two-pair. Unless the river was a seven or a deuce, Howard would win the pot, now at 160,000 and certain to be 200,000.

But the river was another deuce. Donev bet out, Howard called, and Ivo Donev won the 200,000 pot with a full house. But unless you looked very very closely below Howard Lederer’s cheekbones at just the right moment, you wouldn’t know from an image the defeat he is suffering and the capriciousness of it all.

I know Howard much better than I know Phil Gordon, but I’m certain something I wrote about Phil is both true and applicable to Lederer. I’ve written - I think in this blog - that Phil Gordon gives the impression of a man who’s got the world on a string. He’s tall, handsome, smart, wealthy, successful, famous and has a beautiful and charming wife and a healthy young son. He has poker titles, television fame, publishing success, and is in high demand as a speaker and participant in motivational speeches, charity events, and poker seminars of all kinds.

No one feels bad for Phil Gordon when he misses an opportunity to win a World Series bracelet.

No one but me, that is. Even though Phil and I aren’t especially close, I can feel how he BURNS to win one. Despite everything he has, the importance of winning a World Series bracelet transcends money, fame, or happiness of which he already has more than anyone can reasonably expect from life. Men have died a hundred feet from the summit of Mount Everest because they wanted the summit the way Phil Gordon wants a World Series bracelet.

Howard is the same. In fact, I’ll stand by two statements that are inconsistent: (1) Despite all Howard’s fame, money, endorsements, interests, enterprises, family and friends, he has an overwhelming desire to arrange his life so he can play more poker. Just to play and experience all he loves about the game is his greatest aspiration. (2) Once he is at the table, his greatest aspiration isn’t to play. It’s to win.