If you are one of the Poker Nation millions who ante up on the Internet, you might not play like many of the established pros you see on television.
And you might not realize what kind of advantage you have.
Just ask Men Nguyen–the elfin, boisterous “Men The Master”–after he lasted just three hours in the main event of the recent World Series of Poker.
“They’re kamikazes,” Nguyen said of the growing breed of Internet players showing up in brick-and-mortar cardrooms. “He might have a 10-Jack and raise. He might have a 6-5 and raise you. The flop comes 6-4-5 and he checks and traps you in his flop. Some other people don’t play that hand. But kamikazes, they play that hand and they bust you and you go out and talk to yourself.”
Especially when they crack your aces.
With $50-$100 blinds, “Men The Master” drew aces.
“I just limp in under the gun,” Nguyen said. “The guy on the button made a raise of $400. I love it.
“I call the $400 and raise $1,800 more, which is a very strong raise. I let him know I have a big hand. I don’t want him to have a small pair and break my aces. He called my $1,800.”
The flop comes. Nguyen goes all in, about $7,000.
Men Nguyen’s hand (Ace of Diamonds and Queen of Hearts)
The Flop (2 of Hearts, 6 of Hearts and 4 of Spades)
“The guy breaks his chips,” Nguyen said. “He’s thinking. Puts his chips away. Thinking too long. I thought he had pocket 10s, pocket 9s. I want him to call me.”
And finally–surprisingly–he called with K-Q of hearts. A flush draw against Nguyen’s pocket aces.The turn comes K of clubs. The river comes 9 of hearts. A flush.
His opponent’s hand (King and Queen of Hearts)
The turn (King of Clubs)
The river (9 of Hearts)
“Broke my heart,” The Master said. “If I play bad, I go home and talk to myself. `Why do I play that kind of hand and get broke?’ “
Here’s why: Because pros don’t know how Internet players play or how they read a bet, which exasperates pros while reinforcing the commandment to play unpredictably.
“I play all over the world and it’s very seldom that people buy in for $10,000 and play that type of hand,” Men The Master said. “They are now.”
Poker lingo
Under the gun: The first player to act; a bad position.
On the button: The last player to act; noted by a hockey puck-shaped disk that says “Dealer.”
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srosenbloom@tribune.com
