One Drop 2014 Companion in the Works

For what it's worth, I have taken a break from the WSOP blog for an undisclosed amount of time and am feverishly working on the book to support this first-class cover design. While I'm sure there are a number of compelling stories to cover in the early stages of the Main Event, I just don't have time. Gotta make my writing earn bucks, or go home.

Dan Colman $15 Million One Drop Victory over Daniel Negreanu (work in progress)

Ok, not a proper WSOP One Drop article, a work in progress––I have decided to write a book this month, entitled "A One Drop 2014 Companion: Inside Poker’s $1 Million Tournament and the Players Who Risk It All"

I'll post rough versions here for the next three weeks, when I will hopefully near completion. Then, I'll think about putting it up as an eBook on Amazon. Here is the tentative intro: 

July 1st, Rio, Las Vegas, Nevada

The acrobats have left the ESPN stage, the platitudes about bringing water to the needy are but a distant echo, and friends, family members, and the true elite of poker sit with bated breath, wondering just how this meeting of poker masterminds will end. Internet whiz kid Daniel Colman vs. perennially young (yet old guard) Daniel Negreanu––who will flinch first? 

Serious money is as stake here, though neither has ponied up the full $1 million buy-in himself. Having announced that he was selling pieces of himself on Twitter, Daniel Negreanu reportedly holds a 44 percent stake in whatever he wins (accounts vary, his agent says 87 percent), while Dan Colman is rumored to be somewhere in the 10-15 percent range. This may seem small, but it represents a cool $150,000 investment and is in the ballpark of what “the Magician” Antonio Esfandiari held of himself during his historic win in 2012. The amount is also similar to what many of the other pros in the tournament hold of themselves––with the exception of big dog Phil Ivey, who apparently ponied up the full $1 million. 

Naturally, the real targets of this escapade-cum-charity-tournament, the businessman “whales” most likely to donk off their stacks, have bought in for the full amount. They represent the dead money within the tournament, given the caliber of the players gathered, with charity being a convenient rationale for indulging in one of the most decadent undertakings imaginable. Poker in Vegas––for a million dollars––all together now, Dr. Evil style––

Back to the stage, two opponents face off who have trained themselves not to think about the money, under any circumstances. When the cards are dealt, that is all that matters––that and the lizard brain calculations about how they can get their opponent to bend to their will and do what they want––call, fold, commit more chips than they should to marginal holdings. There is no thought about money, not even an inkling, on the most intense of stages, under the cool blue television lights where every movement of chips, blinds, and antes represents life-altering amounts of money. 

Negreanu––focused

Now 38, Negreanu looks his usual animated self, intense calculation hiding out under a friendly, incessantly bantering demeanor. Only now the time had come for steady, collected play and weighing of odds on every street of every hand––one mistimed bluff, one call with a slightly inferior holding, could cost him seven million dollars. Forget what I said about forgetting about money––that is the ideal, not the reality. The key is tuning out those dollar signs when the critical decisions come.

“Kid Poker” had followed a long, steady arc to an imminent payday that would far eclipse them all. The money is so big that either first or second place would vault him into first place on the all-time money leaders list. Cutting his teeth in the casinos of Toronto, Negreanu played crowded casino games that would sometimes see 10, 12 players jammed around a single table and where A-K under the gun was often worthy of a fold. He gradually carved out a little space at the table and gained a particular reputation for fearless play in the hijack position or, what he referred to as “the office.”

Daniel Colman eyes One Drop Founder and "semi-whale" Guy Laliberte

Dan Colman $15 Million One Drop Victory over Daniel Negreanu

watch this space for a proper One Drop article soon :)

A Star-studded WSOP One Drop & Side-lined Blogger

I come to the spectacle that is One Drop more excited than I have been to cover a single poker event in a long while. I imagine that, as it is Day One, I’ll be able to hang out at the tables, capturing the banter and action and creating a compelling narrative of this historic event.  The reality is far from expectation––despite the fact that I’ve been covering final tables in depth for the past two weeks, the big guns are now in town and they have paid cold, hard cash for exclusivity. As one ESPN photographer bluntly tells me as I try to catch the table action, yellow lined notebook in hand––”this is our event.” 

Negreanu, Haxton, Laliberte, Kurganov

Jason Mercier, Daniel Negreanu, Guy Laliberte applaud In-Q

Brandon Stevens, Erik Lindgren, Vanessa Selbst, Max Altergott, Dan "Jungleman" Cates

Dan Coleman and Philipp Gruissem - eye rolling at back of the class?

To add insult to injury, I am chastened for having the temerity to do actual event reporting and am banished to a non PokerNews/ESPN media island, far from the action. Might as well be at home, lounging by the swimming pool I decide after a couple hours of this, and pack it up. The sad fact is, I could have been covering a very interesting Ladies Championship event final table (inexplicably held at the same time) if I had known that ringside reporting was not welcome at the One Drop. The issue is much broader than my banishment––ESPN is aggressively protecting its market share by not allowing live streaming of the one WSOP event everyone wants to see. What we get instead is a slick “highlights-reel” television production that will air over a three-week period starting in late July. I have all the respect in the world for Norm Chad and Lon McCarron, but c’mon––can’t casual and serious poker fans coexist, each getting what they want?  

Dharma Initiative? Paul Newey and Brian Rast in One Drop Gear

exit Dharma...

Sam Trickett & Paul Newey - After this is all finished, let's head down to the pub

What you can expect from me, unfortunately, is an hour of real One Drop reporting/photos from the trenches, followed by recaps of the major action sourced from the PokerNews blog. It’s a shame––not to take away from the PokerNews live action updates, but the prose there is pretty wooden (it’s the nature of the play-by-play beast, I know). My aim throughout the tournament has been to create vivid descriptions and stories that people will look back at in years to come when they want to know what the key action in the 2014 WSOP was really like. (I’ll be the first to admit my coverage has been spotty––holding a world record as Ironman in a tournament held 6 months ago strokes the ego, but does not pay the bills. Neither, incidentally, does a blog.)

Mastermind: the incorrigible Guy Laliberte

Esfandiari - intelligent guy acts bland

Esfandiari and Trickett - Last event's One and Two

First, the opening photo-op and mingle period, which is kicked off by In-Q, a vaguely Tony Robbins-esque motivational speaker who (it must be assumed) is friends with Guy Laliberte. I talk to a number of players and it is amazing how their personalities show through––first thing to do is to apologize to Dan Coleman for my “entitled frat boy” blog comment, which he very rightly called me on. He and Daniel “Jungleman” Cates briefly discuss the EPT Monaco High Roller event that I referred to in my blog post. I hazard that Cates was extremely tired during the tournament. Cates, dressed in a full suit with handkerchief in the pocket (prop bet or undertaker fashion statement?) disagrees, saying that all live tournaments annoy him to some degree––”my irritation was not from animosity, just the fact that live poker is incredibly slow.” He definitely has the look and demeanor of someone who multi-tables to an unhealthy degree, but somehow he seems like one of the most genuine and least put-on players out there.

Internet wizards - Ike Haxton and Dan Colman

Phil Galfond and Brian Rast - ditto

Dan "Jungleman" Cates - Interest you guys in life insurance today?

 Rast and Merson

Greg Merson & Dan Smith

I listen in to some of the interviews by the established media with players such as Negreanu, Lindgren, and Esfandiari and it is all pretty bland, predictable stuff. Props to Lindgren though for winning the $25,000 One Drop satellite last night, which sent him alone among 40 runners to the main event. Along with his decent WSOP tourney showings, things are looking up for one of the most relaxed, chill guys in poker. 

Erick Lindgren - $25,000 satellite winner (Bill Klein behind)

I also talk it up with the Chinese derivatives trader Stanley Choi, who plays the biggest cash games in Macao and is hanging with fellow hedge fund manager and poker aficionado David EInhorn. They both seem very low key and approachable––the types you could have a friendly non-poker related conversation with.

Chuffed - David Einhorn (in Blue Shark Optics glasses) & Stanley Choi 

I talk briefly with Minnesota businessman John Morgan, who was memorably the recipient of folded quads in the 2012 One Drop. I played with him at a $600 tournament at the Venetian earlier this month and he was mum on whether he did indeed have the straight flush that Russian semi-pro Mikhail Smirnov put him on. 

Phil Galfond to John Morgan - "I wouldn't have folded quads."

I also speak with John-Robert “Broke Living” Bellande, who tells me that he did not win a seat at a Dan Bilzerian home game with strippers as rumored, but rather raised a stake through the usual shady backers and investors. The charismatic gambler surprised many in the poker world by registering at all. In this era of electronic transactions, he memorably brought bricks of cash to the Rio cage in an old gym bag. 

John-Robert “Broke Living” Bellande - "haters will hate"

Among the milling players, Andrew Robl, Greg Merson, and Jason Mercier stand out by sitting stoically in their seats while others chatter away––clearly focused on the tournament at hand, not the media exposure. Vanessa Selbst, the lone woman in the tournament, also seems extremely focused, with Phillip Gruissem, Dan Smith, and Ike Haxton emanating brainwaves. The Russian Igor Kurganov is naturally charming the ladies––in this case PokerStars pro Liv Boeree. 

Talal Shakerchi, Liv Boeree, Igor Kurganov

Vanessa Selbst - composed, focused

Mercier and Rast

Phillip Gruissem & Ike Haxton - brainwaves popping

Niklas Heinecker, John Juanda, & Erik Seidel

Daniel - darn, Kurganov got the girl as usual

With table draws picked randomly and announced, it is time to head to the tables. I hide out at the PokerNews computer island for a time. I have gotten to know the PokerNews crew by sight over the past couple weeks and they don’t seem to care, busy as they are trying to capture all the critical hands. As might be expected with 3 million starting stacks and 3,000-6,000 blinds, early play is fairly tentative, with players feeling each other out. Sam Trickett, who comes to the table with a nasty gash on his foot from dropping ranch dip on it at the supermarket, gets an early double-up, eliminating David EInhorn with a straight vs. trip jacks. This stroke of good luck is a harbinger of things to come, as to pull a “Trickett” will soon become the phrase-du-jour for hitting your miracle inside straight or whatever. 

no inkling of the phrase of the day to come - "pull a Trickett”

Merce-dog

Davide Suriano Crushes Dan Colman and Sam Stein, on way to $10,000 WSOP Heads-Up Championship Victory

I get to the Rio, excited to see the 136-runner $10,000 WSOP Heads-Up Championship, which features the likes of Max Silver, Erik Seidel, and Daniel Negreanu (still in search of his elusive WSOP prop bet win) in the final 16. Unfortunately, all three have busted by the time I arrive. I am enthused to see Dan "mrGR33N13" Colman, who is considered the best online heads-up Sit-and-go player of his generation. Looking for all the world like an entitled frat boy, he recently bested Dan “Jungleman” Cates heads up in the €100,000 euro buy-in EPT Monte Carlo Grand Final, winning a more than $ 2.1 million first prize. Naturally, this prize was divvied up between Coleman, Cates, and Igor Kurganov, all of whom were apparently backed by the same party––ah the complexities of high-roller poker. In Monaco, Dan Colman gave off a cocky, bordering on obnoxious vibe, jawing with a visibly tired Cates and announcing in so many words that he was the top gun at the final table. In person, I realize that Colman is just naturally upbeat and self confident. There is certainly nothing fake about him––if anything he is more real and less jaded than 90 percent of poker players and props to him for that. (Colman contacts me a couple weeks after the article and lets me know that "I have played a lot with Jungleman and we have a mutual respect for each other's game.") I realize, looking back at the EPT coverage that a lot of what Colman did was simply what you do against any player in the heat of battle––find ways to unsettle them or put them off their optimal game. Props to him for that too––it certainly was effective.

Davide Suriano also comes into the tournament with a strong reputation––he won the 2013 £1,000 EPT/UK IPT & Ireland Poker Tour heads-up in London.

Suriano––heads up technician

Up against Tommy Chen, Dan Colman is self assured and far from gun shy––the first hand I catch involves Coleman smooth-calling a min 32,000 bet on a K-2-6 board, with two clubs. With a 7 falling on the turn, Colman takes the reins and bets 80,000 to Chen’s check. When the river peels off with an ace of clubs, bringing a potential flush home, Colman puts in a major bet of 200,000––about one-fourth his remaining stack. Tommy Chen sighs and calls down with K-3, which turns out to dominate Colman’s 9-8 bluff. Despite being caught out, Colman continues his uber-aggressive style. When Chen bets 60,000 on a 9-6-Q-J-10 board, Colman re-raises 250,000. Chen tanks and finally gives it up, muttering “that’s so sick, that’s so sick.” Chen now starts to up the aggression factor as well, betting out on a number pots and taking them down. 

Dan Colman vs. Tommy Chen 

With Chen ahead of Colman 1.1 million to 850,000, a huge hand goes down that virtually decides the match. Colman three-bets Chen’s button raise to 78,000 holding 9-6 off suit and watches an 8-7-5 flop come off for a nut straight. He checks and calls Chen’s 100,000 bet, with a 7-5 two pair holding. When a jack peels, he continues to slow play, calling a 150,000 Chen bet. Colman still does not pull the trigger when a king comes on the river, letting Chen shove and calling down his last 307,000 chips with the stone cold nuts. Colman’s passive play––a change-up from his usual aggressive approach, has won him a major pot and he now sits on 1.7 million to Chen’s 220,000. Not able to contain his frustration at himself for failing to control pot size, Chen comments “I knew you had the straight when you called the turn. Good hand, good hand.” Chen is out a minute later when his Q-9 fails to hold up against Colman’s K-10. 

Tommy Chen –– frustrated at himself, mostly 

The three other heads up matches are Scott Baumstein vs. Sam Stein, Davide Suriano vs. Ankush Mandavia, and Scott Davies vs. Dee Tiller. The latter match is over in record time, as Dee Tiller––a WSOP throwback in sunglasses and cowboy hat––inexplicably shoves his full starting stack of 960,000, or 90 big blinds, with pocket fours and gets looked up by Scott Davies’ pocket jacks. 

The Davide Suriano vs. Ankush Mandavia match also features tight, aggressive play, with the two players battling neck and neck for some time. Preflop action begins with Mandavia raising to 40,000 with 3-2 suited spades and Suriano three-betting to 100,000 with 10-5 offsuit. The flop comes J-6-5 with two hearts and checks around, and the turn brings a five of hearts. When a queen of hearts falls on the river, Mandavia reps a heart with a 75,000 bet and Suriano calls with his bluff-catcher trips. His call is correct and the next hand he takes down the tournament shoving all-in preflop K-7 vs. K-3. Ah, the wide shoving and calling ranges of heads up. The call was more than a little wide, considering that Mandavia had a healthy stack of nearly a million, or 50 big blinds. And what of Suriano's equally wide shove? Based on his play in the subsequent two matches I am going to give him the benefit of the doubt and call it a very sick move.

Suriano vs. Mandavia

Suriano celebrates victory with the always enthusiastic Italian rail.

Stein vs. Baumstein is running at a slower pace, until Baumstein decides to shove his larger stack with K-8 offsuit to Stein’s three-bet and comes across pocket kings. Down to a (still healthy) 670,000 chips, Baumstein again picks an inopportune time to shove all in, with his pocket twos dominated by Stein’s Q-Q. Baumstein mutters to himself, “I jam twice and he’s got pocket kings and pocket queens.” A gracious winner, Stein says “I just have it when you make a move––otherwise I have 8-5 off."

Stein vs. Baumstein –– not 8-5 off, this time

Now we are down to our final four, Daniel Colman vs. the Italian Davide Suriano, and Sam Stein vs. Scott Davies, vying for a $335,000 first-place payday. In the early going Colman seems to be calling down a lot of hands on small flop and turn bets, and then folding, as Suriano makes pot-sized river bets. Without any major showdowns, Suriano is quickly up to 2.6 million. 

Suriano vs. Colman

Colman takes a major hit on a 10-6-6 flop with two clubs, which Suriano bets 50,000 and Colman check-raises to 130,000. Colman seems to be on a 10 or chasing a flush, as he calls a 200,000 bet from Suriano and a jack comes out. A three of clubs peels on the river and Colman check calls 400,000 and grimaces, seeing Suriano's full house 6-3. 

Colman resignedly drops 400 K into the pot and gets a peek at Soriano's 6-3 boat

Colman repeatedly pushed off holdings

Colman does have a last hurrah, doubling up to 1.4 million with pocket queens vs. Suriano’s J-10 when a J-9-flop comes out. Meanwhile, in the Sam Stein vs. Scott Davies match, Stein has gotten out to an early lead on an A-4 that connects with an A-Q-4 board. Scott Davies calls down 150,000 and then 275,000, ultimately mucking. “See? You got your cooler,” he mutters, clearly indicating that he held A-K. 

"You got your cooler"

Davies takes the lead back when he hits a flush on the river, holding 4-2 of diamonds on an A-6-3-7-8 board. When Stein bets out 45,000 Davies raises to 188,000 and Stein comes over the top for 450,000. Davies tanks for  a while before finally nit-rolling, telling Stein that he considered folding the baby flush. Sure, I buy that. Stein and Davies get into an unavoidable all-in situation when an A-9-5 flop gives Stein trip nines and Davies trip fives. Down to 260,000, Davies does achieve a critical double up the next hand A-3 vs. K-Q and fist bumps the similarly short-stacked Colman––”Next double up brings me to a million––then two million, I have a blueprint!” Unfortunately, these nascent hopes are snuffed when his K-7 falls to Davies’ A-9. 

Give me a K!

Nada––good game

Meanwhile, Suriano is wielding his large stack masterfully, making well-timed river bets that repeatedly cause Colman to fold hands with no showdown value. Colman cannot get any momentum going and ultimately risks his last 850,000 with A-5 vs. Suriano's pocket eights. Suriano hits trip eights and Colman is drawing dead.

Trip eights!

Suriano is wielding his large stack masterfully, making well-timed river bets that repeatedly cause Colman to fold hands with no showdown or bluff value. He cannot get any momentum going and ultimately loses his last 850,000 on an A-5 shove vs. Suriano's pocket eights. My money is on Suriano as we move to the heads up final match tomorrow. The way he picked Colman apart was masterful––nice cards didn't hurt either. 

Stein––fist pump, oh yeah!

Very impressed by Davide Suriano’s performance against Colman, I ask the Italian media members about his background and find out that he won the EPT/UK IPT in London last year. While I think that Stein is a fundamentally sound player, he has also gotten extremely lucky in the two matches I’ve observed––holding high pairs when his opponent shoved into him and getting it in good, set vs. set. 

Sure enough, the final match is a clinic in the value of aggression heads up. Just as with Colman, whenever Suriano senses weakness he puts in large bets that force Stein into tough decisions. A good example of this is on a hand where Suriano raises K-9 125,000 preflop and Stein calls with 7-5. The flop comes an ideal 7-6-3 for Stein’s hand and he calls 150,000. When an eight hits, he picks up an open ended straight draw to go with his pair, but elects to fold to the pressure of Suriano’s 600,000 overbet. This is a situation where Stein was bullied off a hand in which he could have profitably called or even shoved all in––Suriano would be betting air quite often and even if he had an eight, Stein would have 14 outs. 

Stein –– bad timing

Conversely, Stein chooses the absolute wrong times to bluff, such as on a 3-7-10 board where Suriano holds A-10 and Stein 8-5. When a queen hits on the turn, Stein bets out 435,000 and is snap called. A king comes on the river and Stein fails to continue repping his premium queen-or-better holding (arguably he doesn’t have the chips behind to do so) and mucks at showdown. On the last hand of the night, Suriano min-raises to 100,000 with A-10, Stein shoves his K-7 suited for 1.2 million and Suriano thinks for a moment before calling. When the cards are turned over Stein is visibly upset at Suriano’s nit roll, but there is nothing he can do as the cards come in his opponent’s favor. Chaos erupts as the Italians spill onto the floor to congratulate their new hero––and celebrate the seventh WSOP bracelet taken home by a fellow countryman.

Suriano –– doing it for Italia

Meanwhile in the $3,000 No Limit Hold'Em event, Florida pro Jacob Schindler is putting on a clinic against remaining contenders Ryan Jaconetti and Sean Dempsey, heading into Day Four.