Sunday, September 14, 2008

You Have to be Insane to be a World Class Poker Player

I have proof - even greater than the Whale saga.

Watching High Stakes Poker and a hand came up between Daniel Negreanu and Eli Elezra.

Negreanu limps in with (Ad 7D) from middle postion. Eli checks from the big blind with (QJ).

The flop is [Js Jd 5d] and Negreanu bets $4000 into a $5000 pot. Eli raises it $14000 to make the pot $23,000. Daniel calls the extra $10000 to see the turn.

[9s]

Eli goes all-in for $80,000 and Daniel rightfully folds. Now here is where the evidence is that these guys are CRAZY!

Daniel asks to rabbit hunt and the dealer turns over an [As] on the river.

As Eli rakes in the pot, Daniel states, "I had to fold anyway. He had a Jack." Eli states he did not and that it was a stone bluff.

Daniel laughs and says, "I'll bet you $50,000 you had the Jack," and slams the cash on the table.

Eli says, "Ok, here is my $50,000. Let's give it to Barry and after the game we can run the tape!"

Negreanu says nevermind and pulls his stack back.

First, Negreanu risks $50K on his read and Eli calls a bet he could not possibly win!

Insane.

6 comments:

Matchy said...

First and foremost I have enjoyed your recnent updates, keep 'em coming!

Second I have read That Eli Elezra and Sammy Farha are the 2 pros who will NEVER run out of dough due to all the $$$ they have made outside of gambling, per Doyle Brunson I believe. If you watch alot of high stakes poker (and I do) they both make alot of unorthodox raises and calls. If you are trying to learn how to play cash games, I think watching that show could get you in trouble (i.e. my hole cards are 6d 4d I raise $4,500!). But then again who am I to judge.

Nik Faldo said...

Who are you to judge???

Matchy, you are a Boother and NPP tournament and cash game winner!

That makes you one of the premier poker players in the world on that critera alone!

You da man! We all are.

Matchy said...

OK this pobably deserves it's own thread. Just for kicks I was watching "Fat Russ" win the 1994 WSOP on youtube...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWYcuMsDCFU&feature=related

On the FINAL hand Russ' opponent (who is smoking a cigarette and eating a hamburger) has the 8c in his hand and there is an 8c on the flop. WTF????? How can they have a bad deck and nobody notices or cares??? Watch the final hand carefully!

Anonymous said...

hey matchy,

i watched it and your right. wft? no wonder faldo wins sometimes. he learned from fat russ to use a crooked deck......


beerhog

Nik Faldo said...

Thanks for finding that video Matchy! I have the VCR tape of the entire final table I bought at the Binion gift shop a couple years later. I'm going to watch it and see if the same cards are there.

My guess is it was a TV editing error. They probably never got a shot of Vincent's cards, so they did so after the game. They probably grabbed the 8c by mistake.

Three things:
1) I don't win - even with a crooked deck

2) Now you know why we called him 'Fat Russ' and why Russ could throw a 230 pound Whale out a front door when angry

3) Frank is in the white shirt at the rail and pumps his fist in the air when Russ wins it. The back of his head is seen when he turns to shake someone's hand. No Whale in sight or Russ goes out 6th. lol

Matchy said...

I bet you are right about the bad editing Mike, that is probably what happened. It also looks like a young Ted Forrest clapping at the end of the video (blue shirt and longish hair).

Poker on TV has come a long way since 1994, very boring to watch when you don't know the hole cards! Then again...in 1994 I did not even know what Texas Hold 'Em was!