Hustler

The following had was written by Ted Forrest, who is widely considered one of the best all-around poker play card games in the world these last six years.

            During the past seven years, I have had both the pleasure and the misery of playing seven card stud with Larry Flynt, owner of the Hustler Casino and publisher of Hustler magazine.  There is no better word to describe Larry in business, in poker event, and in life than “hustler.”

  Larry has overcome tremendous odds for most of his life, and a lot of that has to do with his attitude and his “hustle.”  Soon I will describe a hand to you in which Larry was able to overcome incredible odds-actually, he was drawing almost dead.  In fact, I was pretty sure he was drawing dead, put it was a pleasure to watch Larry’s hustle hold'em poker game.

            I consider Larry to be a good friend of mine.  But he has an “ask no quarter, give no quarter”  attitude, especially with his friends.  in business and in poker, he is a hard man to get the best of.  The two principles in this amazing hand of poker were Larry Flynt and his good friend Gabe Kaplan, of Welcome Back Kotter fame.  [Phil Hellmuth note: Gabe is one the best celebrity poker players in the world poker series over the last fifteen years.]  The game was $1,500-$3,000 limit Stud, with a $300 ante and a $500 bring-in bet with the low card by suit on board.

            The hand started tamely enough with only Larry and Gabe just calling the $500 bring-in bet.  Larry called showing the 8c, and Gabe limped in with the 7s.  On fourth street, Gabe caught the 10s to go with his 7s and bet out $1,500.  Larry called the $1,500, showing 8c-4d.  At this point, Larry’s hand was (6-7) 8,4-Larry had a gutshot straight draw-and Gabe had a four flush with (Js-2s) 7s, 10s.

            On fifth street, Larry pairs his door card games (eights) and bets $3,000 into Gabe’s 10s-7s-3s board.  Gabe immediately raises the bet to $6,000 with his made flush.  Gabe is a somewhat conservative player, and most of the players at the table knew that it was unlikely that he was raising Larry’s open pair with only a four flush.  Larry, however, just shook his head and proceeded to call the $3,000 raise with one pair and a gutshot straight draw.

            On sixth street, Larry caught a second open pair (eights and fours), with a hand of (6-7) 8,4,8,4, and proceeded to bet.  I think it was at this point that Larry became convinced that Gabe did indeed have a flush. 

Larry didn’t look at his last card.  He kind of looked at Gabe, and then he shrugged and smiled shyly as if to say, “Sorry, buddy, I’ve got to bet my hand,” and threw his $3,000 bet into the pot limit omaha in an almost apologetic manner.  Gabe thought poker for a few seconds, then laid down his flush.  Larry felt like it would be good for the game to show the bluff.  So he did

            Kudos to you, Larry.  It took big brass balls to bet into what you must have known was a flush.  Most people would have assumed that once Gabe had called two open pair with his flush on sixth street that he was going to call again on the river.  Larry’s shrug, and the way he looked apologetically at Gabe as he was betting, convinced most of us at the table, including Gabe, that Larry had a full house.  I came away from that game with a lot of respect of Larry Flynt’s “hustle next poker ware.”