An Amateur Faces The Poker Pros

Ken Adams Plays His Best Game When It Counts

(CBS) 
I called the all in bet without hesitation. The only hands I feared were pocket aces or pocket kings, and if I was unlucky enough to run into one of those hands, so be it. You can't win at no limit hold'em if you run away from the third best starting hand in the face of a raise.

The way the big blind hesitated before putting his chips in the pot led me to feel pretty confident that I had the better hand. And I did. He turned over ace-king. For whatever reason he had decided to gamble on a race for virtually all his chips. He had to assume that either the player on my right or I had a big pair, and I had almost as many chips as he did. I was a 57-43 favorite before the flop. I pleaded with the dealer to bring low cards. And he did. The flop had nothing higher than an 8. Now I was a 76% favorite to win. Again I called for a low card, and he dealt a 4 on the turn. My odds went up to 86%. One card to go, and I would be one of the chip leaders going into the dinner break.

I can't begin to describe how it felt when the dealer turned over an ace on the river. I was stunned, and felt like I had been punched in the solar plexus. I stared at the cards, not wanting to believe it. Instead of being one of the chip leaders, in great position to make it into the money and with luck, a shot at my first World Series final table, I was knocked out in 288th place. For nearly six hours I had played my best poker, only to see my hopes dashed by one heartbreaking final card.

After calling home, I sat and replayed the hand over and over again in my mind. I beat myself up for an hour or two, but eventually came to peace with my decision. It helped to counsel with other more experienced and talented pros. I went over to the hospitality suite hosted by the poker web site FullTilt.com, where I found Erik Seidel and asked him what he would have done in my position. He agreed it was a judgment call, but unless he had a strong read on the other player that indicated he was up against aces or kings, the pot odds dictated a call. Being content that I made the correct decision does not ease the crushing disappointment I still feel.

For now, all I can do it review my notes of my play for the past week, learn from my mistakes and the mistakes of others, and get back up on the horse next week when 6,600 of us will compete in the $10,000 championship event. It would certainly take the edge off my disappointment if I finish in the money in the championship event for the first time.