Typing The Record At The WSOP

When Erik paused on the end, I said, “King-jack,” and he replied, “I believe that’s good.”  Now I had the chip lead again! Finally, I started to raise a few more hands, and soon Erik was down to $65,000.  Daniel remained at about poker $250,000, while I held about $900,000 or so.

            When Erik moved all-in for about $65,000 with 9-9 on the button, I called him with A-6 from the $4,000 small blind.  A lucky A-K-J flop gave me the pot limit omaha, and now I was looking at a one-on-one match with Daniel Negreanu.  The first hand of heads-up, Daniel made it $25,000 to go.  I looked down at A-K, and moved him all-in.  He said, “So that’s the way it’s going to be, huh?” Then he folded, but I didn’t want him to see my A-K (he knows now, though, after reading this!), so I laid it facedown party poker million.

            About three hands later, I limped in with 3-4 off suit (or so I thought at the time), and the flop came down 2h-8h-Qs.  Daniel checked, and then looked more closely at my hand, which proved to be the 3h-4h for a flush draw.  In my mind, I was thinking that this was the same situation in which Mark Seif had finished ninth-a small heart draw Daniel’s top pair.  So I checked very quickly behind Daniel.

            The turn card brought down the 5h, for 2h—8h-Qs-5h, and Daniel checked again.  Now I decided that a big bet relative to the size of the pot would be a good idea with my flush.  I thought it might look like Qs-Kh, or something similar, with a heart draw.  So I bet out $30,000 into the $20,000 pot limit hold'em.  Daniel started reaching deep (really deep) into his stack, calling the $30,000 and raising $100,000 more.  Immediately, I asked how much more he had, and he replied that he had $117,000.

            I thought to myself that he had to have a big hand here, but what could I do?  I counted out $217,000 and studied for a minute.  I was thinking, “If he has a flush, then I’m dead to the Ah or 6h here (for a straight flush); but he could have many hands in this situation that I could beat.” Finally, I decided that I had to go with this hand, and I put $217,000 into the pot.  Daniel then said, “I think I’m dead, but I’m calling you.” I said, “I don’t know about that, but I have a flush.”  To my enormous relief he said, “That’s good so far,” and flipped Q-8, for top two pair.

            Please, no queen or eight on the last card and it’s over! The river was a seven, which looked awfully close, but I had done it. I had won my ninth WSOP bracelet, and this one was going to go to my brother, Dave Hellmuth, in Minneapolis (his law firm there is called Hellmuth and Johnson)! This one had tested my patience to the limit hold'em tournament-or, rather, Erik Seidel had tested my patience to the limit.  I believe that if the blinds had been raised faster, then Erik would have won it.  But I’m proud of myself for hanging in there and winning poker number nine.