So thats right Joe Hachem just sat down. No big deal, get over it. Its not as if you are playing against the best in the world, only one of the best! Any way, things end up being kinda cool he exchanges a bit of banter with the rest of the players and sure enough a hand comes along and its my Big Blind and he opens form middle position for 525. everyone has folded to me and I look down at J 9 off suit. The blinds at this stage are 100/200 with 25 ante, so there is enough in the pot to put up resistance and HELLO, I get to play heads up against Joe Hachem!
I call, he hasn't said much. Not yet anyway and the Flop brings 9♣ 8♠ 2♥.
I lead out, after a slight pause for 1050, about 2/3rd's of the pot, just to see what he does. He thinks and calls.
The turn brings the 10♣.
Pretty good card for me giving me an up n down a pair, I check with the intention of calling any bet, bit of pot control. He Checks behind
The river brings the ultimate scare card A♣. So the board reads 9♣ 8♠ 2♥10♣A♣. not the best board for my pair of nines.
Before I even think about acting Joe speaks, "You know kid, if you check I'm gonna bet right?" I simile I don't even think about my reply, all those years being a smart ass has finally paid off;
"Well you know if you bet I'm probably gonna call?" I reply.
"You do what you gotta do kid." He answers. I grin.
So I check, fun times ahead.
And sure enough he bets, 1500. Good bet, representing that Ace.
"I would never lie to you kid" he says in that high pitch voice, sort of a cross between Mike Tyson and Guido Hatiz, with a smile that makes me believe he's up to something. After about a minute of thinking what could he have, I call. He didn't bet the 10, and if he has an ace, whats he doing on the flop? Didn't make sense, and usually in poker if it doesn't make sense it ain't.
He turns over Q 7 off suit, complete air ball. And his check on the turn also made sense - having the double gut shot!
Calling Joe Hachem with a pair of nines with an Ace high board, 1500. Making him turn over the Air Ball and listening to him say: "You got it" - Priceless.
"I do, Joe - now pass that sugar!"
It was only a small pot, but probably one of the greatest poker moments in my life. It gave me the confidence to survive the day, trust my instincts and move to Day 2.
Joe eventually got out, he stayed short stacked the whole day trying to make some good plays but nothing seemed to go right for him.
He eventually ended up getting it all in on a flop of J♦ 5♦ 2♥, holding a pair of 10's in the hole. The small blind a guy to my left, I don't think he even knew who he knocked out, he check raised all in with his J 7 off suit. They were both short stacked and probably the right play was made by each seeing that draw heavy flop. But seeing a world champ go down to such a shit hand, really does confirm how much of a sick game poker can be. And in the words of Joe Hachem, "Poker is probably the only game where you can do everything right and still loose". Which leads me to my next post.... Day 2 stay tuned.....
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