There is an excellent article by Phil Gordon over on ESPN dot com in which he wrote about the WPT's accelerated final table structure. Its a must read for anyone who plays or watches tournament poker.
In related news...The Bellagio Five Diamonds main event was aired last night. And the issues Mr. Gordon discussed in his article were apparent as always. It was truly an all-in-fest. Early on, there was aggressive raising pre-flop followed by check-raising all-in on the flop or turn. That’s not bad, actually. The real nonsense began about 15 minutes into the show when the all-ins started coming before the flop, leading to no action or the inevitable maple-syrup-TV-showdown.
But the most interesting moment in my opinion came when Doyle Brunson, with the shortest stack (three-handed), called an all-in holding pocket 3’s against the young Antonius’ A-2o. Antonius looked at the only other player at the table (Renhe somebody) and wondered aloud how Dolly could make the call with just 3-3. After the board missed Antonius and Doyle was stacking the chips, he posed the question to him, “How could you call with that?” Uh…hello? He’s the Godfather or Poker. Perhaps he had read on you. Sadly, he spoke to Brunson as if it was some schmuck who was lucky to even be there. You’ve got to give Texas Dolly a little more credit. I mean, come on. Look at how many nicknames he has.
Doyle handled it like the pro that he is (and we could all aspire to be like) replying, “How could you make that bet? We’re playing poker, not solitaire.” In other words, “action” is the name of the game.
SEEYa
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