This column usually deals with no-limit hold’em tournament play, but the release of the poker movie “Lucky You” features cash games, including one hand where the young star, Eric Bana, calls down an opponent with a pair of deuces.
The scene is based on a real hand played in the “Big Game” more than 30 years ago between legendary Doyle Brunson, who’s in the film and served as poker consultant, and a then-young pro named Chip Reese, regarded these days as the best all-around player in the world.
“I didn’t really know a lot about no-limit hold’em,” said Reese, a master of seven-card stud high-low back then, “but I definitely had opinions about Doyle — when I felt he had something or didn’t have something.”
The suits and order of the board cards in the film aren’t exactly the way Reese remembers the hand, but in Reese’s version, the lesson remains the same.
Chip Reese
2 OF DIAMONDS
3 OF DIAMONDS
Doyle Brunson
ACE OF DIAMONDS
JACK OF DIAMONDS
The flop 2 OF CLUBS
4 OF DIAMONDS
9 OF SPADES
The turn
6 OF DIAMONDS
The game was either a $25 or $50 ante and blinds of $100-$200 or $200- $400 — “We had probably a couple hundred thousand in front of us,” Reese said. “Today it would be half a million at least.” — and Reese raised with 2-3 suited. Brunson reraised with A-J suited. Reese called.
The flop came 2-4-9, giving Reese a pair of deuces. Both players checked.
The turn came the 6 of diamonds, giving Reese straight and flush draws, along with his deuces. Brunson now had the nutflush draw. Reese bet, Brunson made a big raise, and Reese called, not playing his cards as much as he was playing the man, who really was The Man.
“At the beginning of his no-limit hold’em career, if he had big hands, he led with them,” Reese said. “He would try to play big pots. I knew when he flopped a big hand, especially if people had a lot of money in front of them, he liked to lead out for a big bet, rather than try to trap someone.
“So when he checked on the flop, it would’ve been against his character to have a big hand there. That’s why when he moved on the turn, I put him on the flush draw.
“I was just hoping that a bigger non-suited card didn’t come where he makes something. If I was right when a non-flush card came on the end, I needed him to make a big bet, because if he didn’t, then my whole theory was probably wrong.”
An offsuit queen came on the river. Brunson bet his entire stack.
“It was really scary because it was all my money,” Reese said, “but nothing really changed and my theory was still intact.”
Reese called with his deuces and took Brunson’s stack.
“Then he immediately started berating me for the call,” Reese said, “telling me how stupid it was and how I’m going to go broke and how I’m not going to stand the test of time.”
Reese captured the inaugural $50,000 buy-in H.O.R.S.E. title at the 2006 World Series of Poker. He still plays in the “Big Game” at Las Vegas’ Bellagio. Guess he has stood the test of time.
Table talk
H.O.R.S.E.: The acronym for a mixed-game rotation that refers to Hold’em, Omaha eight-or-better, Razz, Seven-card stud and seven-card stud Eight-or-better.
