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1.Against All Odds World Series Poker Championship 2.World Series of Poker Hands 3.World Poker Tour 4.European Poker Tour 5.Reading other Player's mail |
The Amazing Layne Flack Layne Flack is a no-limit Hold’em genius. He looks at the game of cards a bit differently than the rest of us, but his way of playing works fine. You say he’s too erratic? Yes, he’s bit too erratic sometimes (in my opinion), but so what? We all wish we had the creative streak to be that erratic, even if only sometimes. Here is a guy who won two World Series of Poker tournaments in 2002, both in no-limit Hold’em. Incredibly, in 2003, he won two more WSOP events, although neither was in no-limit Hold’em. Mr. Flack finished second in the Foxwood's’ World Poker Tournament (WPT) $10,000 buy-in no-limit Hold’em tournament in November 2002. And he has reached at least three other WSOP final tables in pot-limit or no-limit Hold’em poker game. Did I mention that he spots the field by drinking a couple of six-packs of beer while he plays? Which begs the question, does “Drunk Layne” play better no-limit Hold’em than “Sober Layne”? Let’s put it this way: I am scared of no one at no-limit Hold’em, but I have healthy respect for “Drunk Layne”! When Layne is drinking in this game (in hurts his other games, like limit Hold’em, Stud, Omaha 8/b, etc.), he is dead-on with his reads, and has no fear whatsoever play poker games. If he smells weakness then bam, he moves all-in on you, and you fold, shaking your head. It’s hard to beat a guy who has great reads and no fear. Here is hand that came up at the final table at Foxwood's in 2002. The hand shows something: greatness, recklessness, or both? With the blinds at $800-$1,900, and the antes at $300 a man, Layne limped in with Jd-7d. Andy Block limped in with K-Q, and then Jay Colombo raised it $3,400 more in the big blind with Q-Q. Layne called, and Andy called. (Sometimes I take a suited-connector “flyer” like this myself, Daniel Negreanu style.) So, the flop came down 10-9-5 rainbow, and Jay bet only $7,000 on the flop. Now Layne called, and Andy folded-strange poker winner that Layne would call with only the second-best-possible belly buster (inside-straight draw), and that Andy would fold with a better belly buster and two over card games. Anyway, the next card off was a queen, and now Jay bet only $12,000 (obviously, he didn’t want to lose Layne in case Layne was drawing dead). With over $30,000 in the pot limit omaha, a now open-ended straight draw, and, I’m sure, a plan to bluff case he missed his draw, Layne called. The last card off was a king, and now Jay bet his last $37,000, and Layne called with his now-made straight (the board was now 10-9-5-Q-K). I can understand Layne’s $3,400 call before the flop, because the raise was so small. His $7,000 call after the flop was a lot harder to figure, but he was probably thinking he could bluff Jay out if he didn’t hit his hand. On fourth street, he had to call the $12,000 bet. As for how Jay played the hand, hmm, I don’t like the small raise before the flop too much, but it’s ok. Jay has to be thinking that he’s pricing in a very dangerous player when he raises only $3,400 more. I would have to bet more on the flop, or just checked my hand. Think of this scenario: Jay checks, Layne checks, and now Andy checks or bets. Either way, Jay gets Andy hooked in there for something. (Either Jay check-raises Layne or Andy on the flop and wins it, or Andy hits top pair on fourth street and gets hooked into the pot limit hold'em.) On fourth street, I would have had to bet the size of the pot or all of my chips, or check. If Jay checks, then he can check-raise Layne out of the hand, or get Layne to bet all of his chips when he’s in bad shape. If they both check, then Jay doesn’t have to lose all of his chips on the end when the straight hits. But I really hat Jay’s bet of $37,000 on the end here, I just don’t think Layne would call him with anything but a straight at this point in the hand. I think Jay should have folded when Layne bet all-in, or raised all-in on the end. Jay may well have had to go broke on this hand anyway, but he did not need to by betting all-n) You just don’t see too may hand like this come up, especially not at a final table of a WPT event. Playing the Jd-7d before the flop and on the flop like this is a very risky play, and it takes a great champion like Layne –and a lot of luck-to make it pay off big. Make no mistake thought poker, Layne played the hand for two reasons: first, to hit it and win big; and second, he was bluffing big if he had to! |
6.From The Other Side Of Table Commerce Casino's California-1999 United States Poker Championship 7.Poker Hollywood Style 8.Cheesehead Poker |
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